That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
I met an online guy at Guitar Center in Orange to try out his Gibson Les Paul Classic goldtop and it wasn't quite what I was looking for (I had a money order ready to go, shame there was just one little flaw I couldn't overlook). I tried a few different Gibsons off the shelf: mostly a Firebird and a few Explorers. The guitars I was picking up were less than perfect: muddy unplugged sound, no sustain, couldn't stay in tune, etc.
Typically the gear snob in me says to "go custom shop" with about anything I'm looking at. Well, after two experiences with custom shop Gibsons, I learned that with a higher price, you don't necessarily get quality that's leaps and bounds above the standard stuff. My fiance's uncle has an Epiphone Les Paul Special II that will simply blow most people away (believe it or not). I got to play a DTM (that's Dave Thomas McNaught) that was insanely expensive, 4k I think? It looked great, was crafted perfectly, but completely dead unplugged.
I've been looking for a new guitar that's really different than what I have already. My PRSi are really great guitars, but I missed that lowend humbucker chunk and really thick humbucker lead tone. Everything points towards a Gibson Les Paul, but I hate being typical when it comes to gear and I like easy upper fret access (typically why I gravitate towards doublecuts). I've built my tone over the years around barebones guitars with mahogany bodies and necks with rosewood fretboards... it's always been a combination I've just felt comfortable with, I know the sound properties well and can usually match them with the right pickups easily. This is why the Explorer always looked good to me. I'm not a big 80's fan, but they're different.
I've learned what to look for in guitars over the years: balance of tone from top to bottom, unplugged clarity, sustain (play a chord and hold it to get a feel for how it sustains), good setup (can't stand fret buzz or dead spots, it's a pet peeve of mine), good weight (not too light where it can sacrifice tone, but not too heavy where it becomes fatiguing) and resonance. This one standard production model Explorer just "has it". Clarity, lowend chunk, nice balanced tone, sustain, good weight, balances well and the stock pickups were fitting exactly what I was look for (a big surprise because I was planning on trying Wolfetones for my next humbucker guitar)... for under a grand out the door I couldn't say no (I was considering spending up to $1800 for a nice guitar).
It's not a korina Hamer USA Standard like I was originally looking at, but I'd certainly like to put it up against one to see how it'd fare, this is my cherry stained natural mahogany grained beauty:
How does it sound? Very thick, smooth and sweet through my Shiva's cleans and when in overdrive it's fat with a lot of punch and sustain... great lead guitar like I was looking for.
Typically the gear snob in me says to "go custom shop" with about anything I'm looking at. Well, after two experiences with custom shop Gibsons, I learned that with a higher price, you don't necessarily get quality that's leaps and bounds above the standard stuff. My fiance's uncle has an Epiphone Les Paul Special II that will simply blow most people away (believe it or not). I got to play a DTM (that's Dave Thomas McNaught) that was insanely expensive, 4k I think? It looked great, was crafted perfectly, but completely dead unplugged.
I've been looking for a new guitar that's really different than what I have already. My PRSi are really great guitars, but I missed that lowend humbucker chunk and really thick humbucker lead tone. Everything points towards a Gibson Les Paul, but I hate being typical when it comes to gear and I like easy upper fret access (typically why I gravitate towards doublecuts). I've built my tone over the years around barebones guitars with mahogany bodies and necks with rosewood fretboards... it's always been a combination I've just felt comfortable with, I know the sound properties well and can usually match them with the right pickups easily. This is why the Explorer always looked good to me. I'm not a big 80's fan, but they're different.
I've learned what to look for in guitars over the years: balance of tone from top to bottom, unplugged clarity, sustain (play a chord and hold it to get a feel for how it sustains), good setup (can't stand fret buzz or dead spots, it's a pet peeve of mine), good weight (not too light where it can sacrifice tone, but not too heavy where it becomes fatiguing) and resonance. This one standard production model Explorer just "has it". Clarity, lowend chunk, nice balanced tone, sustain, good weight, balances well and the stock pickups were fitting exactly what I was look for (a big surprise because I was planning on trying Wolfetones for my next humbucker guitar)... for under a grand out the door I couldn't say no (I was considering spending up to $1800 for a nice guitar).
It's not a korina Hamer USA Standard like I was originally looking at, but I'd certainly like to put it up against one to see how it'd fare, this is my cherry stained natural mahogany grained beauty:
How does it sound? Very thick, smooth and sweet through my Shiva's cleans and when in overdrive it's fat with a lot of punch and sustain... great lead guitar like I was looking for.
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They had a few duds there, but I was happy that they stocked a decent amount of Explorers so I did find one that was made on a "good day"... that has never happened for me with a Gibson, so needless to say I'm excited about it. :banana: And yes, you're the point master :bowdown: 
