Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

[PFDarkside]

Reading in the "The Paul" thread I came across the mention of the Gibson Smart Wood series guitars from the late 90's. I had forgotten about those, but I remember reading about them in some guitar mag when they came out. Does anyone own one? What were the different woods they offered in that series, and how Les Paul-ish did they sound? What a cool concept, but I guess a Gibson buyer is a traditionalist that wants a Mahogany/Maple guitar...

 

[SizzleSale.com]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

Smart wood... is that like robo tuners?

Never heard of smart wood. I'm going to bookmark this thread to see what kind of replies come.

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

There was a thread in here a week or two back on these. give it a search.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

Smart wood... is that like robo tuners?

Never heard of smart wood. I'm going to bookmark this thread to see what kind of replies come.

THey made guitars out of renewable wood. Apparently, if you draw a Venn diagram of people interested in saving the planet and people that can afford a Gibson, the crossover is very small.

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

THey made guitars out of renewable wood. Apparently, if you draw a Venn diagram of people interested in saving the planet and people that can afford a Gibson, the crossover is very small.

Why doesn't that surprise me?:scratchch

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

I never did find one in a store here back when they were making them. Someday I hope to get one, even if I end up selling it later. Its way too **** good of a concept to give up on.

I don't have to feel as bad as some guys about the environment since an SG uses significantly less wood than a LP.

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

Smart wood... is that like robo tuners?

Never heard of smart wood. I'm going to bookmark this thread to see what kind of replies come.

There we go . . .

http://images.google.com/images?gbv...sult&cd=1&q=gibson+les+paul+smartwood&spell=1



James

 

[J Moose]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

THey made guitars out of renewable wood. Apparently, if you draw a Venn diagram of people interested in saving the planet and people that can afford a Gibson, the crossover is very small.

Which is a bummer... and not at all what I'd expect.

I've plunked around on a few...

Not all bad.

Some were groovy.

Some were not.

Just like anything else...

Do they sound like a "Les Paul"?

They 'felt' like Les Pauls... weights, body shape... etc.

I wouldn't kick one out of bed... that's for sure!

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

The best part is that they went through the trouble to source renewable wood, then sprayed it with a cloud of brutally toxic nitrocellulose lacquer.

 

[tonedeaf1]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

What qualifies one wood as renewable and another as not?

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

The wood was purchased from renewable projects certified by the Rain Forest Alliance, IIRC. Basically they don't just go in and clear cut, they actually try to keep the forest going.

Theres a reason why Brazilian Rosewood is getting more rare.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

I don't know if it was a "Smartwood" Les Paul or some other special model, but I played one in GC a while back that had what felt like a totally raw swamp ash body and the thing resonated like a drum. It looked bizarre and very non-LP-like but it played nicely and really had some punch.

 

[thucydides]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

I don't know if it was a "Smartwood" Les Paul or some other special model, but I played one in GC a while back that had what felt like a totally raw swamp ash body and the thing resonated like a drum. It looked bizarre and very non-LP-like but it played nicely and really had some punch.

I thought they had a raw type model out a few yrs back. It wasn't part of the smartwood series. Its deal was a minimal finish, I believe.

I saw a few smartwoods come through stores in Wisconsin last year, but haven't seen any lately.

 

[lex666]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

I thought they had a raw type model out a few yrs back. It wasn't part of the smartwood series. Its deal was a minimal finish, I believe.

I saw a few smartwoods come through stores in Wisconsin last year, but haven't seen any lately.

Yep, they called it the "Raw Power" and it came equipped with EMG 81 & 85's. Its a great guitar, smooth sanded just like their faded series, but without the yucky stain colors. Mine happens to be a beautiful peice of solid mahog and a very nice plain maple top. In this pic I swapped the EMG's for Duncans.

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

I don't know if it was a "Smartwood" Les Paul or some other special model, but I played one in GC a while back that had what felt like a totally raw swamp ash body and the thing resonated like a drum. It looked bizarre and very non-LP-like but it played nicely and really had some punch.

They made a swamp ash special up until last year or the year before I believe. Totally different than the Smartwoods which were all exotic woods grown in a renewable forest.

 

[tc]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

I want a Sector 9 Bamboo series longboard. Same idea, enviromentally friendly . I wonder how bamboo might sound as a tone wood?

 

[vladmarr]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

The best part is that they went through the trouble to source renewable wood, then sprayed it with a cloud of brutally toxic nitrocellulose lacquer.

talk about ironic. "we care about trees, it's the ozone we don't like"

 

[Aceman]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

There were two flavors of smartwood if I recall correctly. The first was exotic Rainforest stuff: Muir, Tapavwara Guasu, Banara, Peroba, etc....Cool looking - but variable sounding. Thinner than a regular paul. Only the top was fancy wood. Back/neck was mahog. Fingerbords were all...Curapay?????

A second gen of them was All mahogony I think - or mahofg maple, but all "smart" harvested.

I like to surf the bay looking for cool ones from time to time.

 

[3'scompany]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

I had a SH-14 in it at one point and that was too bright, not bad though...

I think a C5 would sound great in one.

Sayeth twat? Is a SH-14 not a C5? :dunno:

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Gibson Smart Wood Les Pauls

This thread has gone too long without this