I've been having so much fun with this, it hadn't even crossed my mind to do a NGD anywhere until I saw Gwem's Mustang.
Right, apologies for the shop picture (mine's prettier!
), I'm at work.
It's a "Gibson USA 2016 Limited '50s Les Paul Standard (Faded Honeyburst)". I found them on GAK with "available to order" over the Chrimbo break. I bookmarked the page and watched it - it never changed. Then I started researching and discovered they are discontinued most places and... highly regarded on various forums.
I'd missed the original Faded Standards of a few years back, those had flame tops and a choice of 50s or 60s neck. I'd started noticing and drooling over 2nd hand ones (~2005) on another site, with an asking price of about £1.5K. There was even one local to me the other week, but "luckily" he decided to keep it before I plucked up courage to ask to visit it. These 2016 ones were all plain-tops apparently, with the 50s neck rather than a choice. Also they have the modern weight relief which is apparently off-putting to some... But the general vibes about them on mylespaul etc were GAS-inducing.
So this is how it happened: I was bored two weekends back. I looked at the bookmarked page and sighed a bit. Then the "Do you want to chat" box popped up, so I decided to ask "Can you guys really still source these?".
The guy came back with "I'm fairly certain, let me check with Gibson on Monday and I'll get back to you".
I confessed to the missus that I'd started talking to a man in guitar shop. She tutted, wisely.
I fully expected a "No, sorry, they're all gone" (I think he did too). But instead I got "Good News! Yes we can get them. But it'll take 2-3 weeks. However I can do it for [even less than on the website price]. Let me know if you're interested and I can sort it out."
OH DEAR... A sought after model, a discontinued sought after model, brand new, at a price I consider a v good deal... wot's not too like? (I've got too many guitars, my favourite is Lucy the Les Paul, a 2012 LP Traditional that I do not want to become "2nd best", but then what's the point of a new one if it's not as nice as Lucy? Oh dear...)
Contacted the missus. She was NO bluddy help!
In this case I was looking for a "don't be stupid, no... no, seriously, NO!"
Instead, she gave me "how much do you want it? what if this was the only guitar you bought in 2017?"
Seeing as I bought several last year, and had been thinking "no more until 2020 at least", this was enough of a green light for me to get the order in...
It didn't take 2-3 weeks, I got it last Friday. It's very yummy. I've put my 11s on it, set it up for those. I got some nickel pickup overs and installed them (I don't really like open coils). I've been playing Paul Kossoff, Billy Gibbons, and Mark Bolan stuff for days now...
It's not a "faded" like other faded models I've come across. It's a full-blown Les Paul with all the binding, nibs, etc, etc. But with a satin finish. You can feel slight grain on the back of the neck, but nothing like I can on my Faded SG and SG bass. The neck feels most like the Explorer I refinished in Danish Oil.
Lucy has "swiss cheese" weight relief - the 9 hole thing. And she weighs an absolute ton. This one is heavy but, with the "modern weight relief" a lot less so than Lucy. She growls and roars like I'm expecting - very resonant and lively guitar unplugged.
So is she better than Lucy? Luckily, no. Is Lucy better/preferable? Umm... Actually, no...
They're completely different to handle and play but sound pretty much the same. It's like having two girls that satisfy different things, and they don't mind watching while you're doing it with the other one...
(I have no idea what my favourite strat, hanging on the wall upstairs, is thinking!)
