Re: radio stations coming through my amp using 1 specific guitar
I have to disagree with this BS entirely. You have been saying Gibsons/Epiphones are crap recently without ever actually saying what is crappy about them. Tell us why they are so crap, be specific, and tell us how many cheaper Gibsons you have played and for how long.
I sell and upgrade Gibsons for clients. Pretty regularly. Sub-$2k Gibson are UTTERLY KOREAN-LEVEL, and I don't mean no LTD Deluxes neither. Taking LTD for comparison since Schecters don't have the convenience of numeric model numbers, they're all at the 300-400 series level. Forget good old Japanese stuff, even Korean 600-series LTD's annihilate Gibsons on their home turf.
...and yeah, I put EMGs into Gibsons, rip em out of Gibsons, and put Gibson pups in LTDs often enough to know what I'm talking about.
Oh, yeah, and anybody who thinks EMGs are utter ****e that can never sound good needs a date with a real ESP Standard. A used ESP Standard Eclipse can be had for about the price of a 50-60-70s Tribute, new one for about what, a Trad Pro? NO COMPARISON. And if you like passives too much to care, they come with JB/something sets (JB-59 afaik?). Me, I reaaaaally don't like that set, but hey, still utterly superior to anything non-Custom Shop outta Gibson these days.
And, hey, if you don't like modern stuff, go play a Greco. Or even buy a freakin Aria, swap out those dried pots, maybe upgrade the pickups. Maybe even drop in a Gibson set to see just how much better it gets.
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GIBSON I'VE HAD MY HANDS ON(!) AND *IN* (!!) OVER THE LAST YEAR (in just a year!!!) - AS IN OWNED, TOOK APART, PUT TOGETHER, TWEAKED, UPGRADED, FLIPPED:
Gibson LP 50s trib - bought to flip (BIG MISTAKE. currently in my possession, UTTER ****e I can't seem to get rid off, currently has a set of EMGs and even that can't sound passable in it)
Gibson Flying V Standard - bought to flip, de-activated, ripped out EMG 81-85 set, threw in a custom guard and a different set of pickups for a client
Gibson SG Standard - bought to flip, rebuilt to order - asked by client to gut it and throw in an EMG 81-81 set (why? dunno, don't really see the point). SOUNDS OKAY - buuuut, nothing spectacular, plenty of cheaper ways to achieve the same
Gibson Flying V Gothic - actually preeeetty NICE.... but out of print. pity. flipped in all of - wait for it - FOUR HOURS after being posted up. at a huge profit. KA-CHING!! ...i like gothics hehe
Gibson Melody Maker "Explorer" - bought to flip, returned cuz it was just tooo bloody awful and unflippable, mods or no mods.
Also: Gibson SG Ebony/Moons Faded - owned 10 years ago. BLAAAAAND - traded away asap
Hands on, not in, didn't buy (last year):
Gibson Flying V Faded + 2x Pearly Gates - looked over a lot, declined to buy. if you'd asked me before if anything could bugger up the sound of a Pearly, I'da called ya crazy
Gibson Les Paul Standard - LIKEABLE - except the price. pales in comparison to cheaper vintage Grecos, new ESP Standards, and other fun stuff in the next isle. would play, WOULDN'T buy
Gibson Explorer - COOL. well, even a couple years back they were oh so much better
Gibson SG Faded - awww, they got sooo much worse now than the good old fadeds of 10 years back
Gibson LP Studio 1991 - LIKED. didn't have the $500 on me
Gibson LP Studio 2012 - gaaaaawds. NO.
Gibson LP 60s Tribute - ooh, worse than the new Studio
Gibson LP Faded - FIREWOOD
Gibson Melody Maker SG - upgraded to the 9s, across the board, Shallers new humbucker new bridge new pickguard - all for $200. DECLINED. sounds like driftwood, SORRY.
Gibson Flying V Melody Maker - all-around horrible too
Gibson SGJ - wtf was that???? horrid
Gibson LPJ - same
Gibson LP recently out labelled "NAMM something or other", Zebra hums, boost, coil taps - OK, i'll give em that one
Gibson Nighthawk Studio (or was it special? who knows) - WORST. CRAP. EVER. - doesn't sound passable no matter what
Gibson Firebird Studio (or special, again who knows) - can't remember. at all. musta been spectacularly boring, considering.
...i know I'm forgetting a whole bunch of stuff, but hey, average guitars are like unspectacular women - first dozen, you still remember everything about, after that it all gets kinda fuzzy. it JUST DOESN'T DO MUCH ANYMORE, UNLESS IT'S SPECTACULAR
btw, guitars I found spectacular in that same period? ok sure:
the MIJ Fender Pawnshap with the Pearly Gates and the blend knob (awesome!), whole bunch of unknown brands from Matsumoku (Westminster, Quest, japanese Washburn), a bunch of old FujiGen stuff - mostly E-series Squiers, vintage Ibanezes (especially basses!), but also others, REAAAALLY dug old Grecos, SURPRISINGLY found old Arias likable, absolutely ADORED esp Vintage Plus (and I'm not even much of a strat person), kinda dug the ESP Eclipse (shocker - dislike most of the LTD line that supposedly mimics it), found the cheaper USA PRS's nice enough if you want something more to compare to Gibson - yeah I'd rather take a Mira or something, found the KOREAN PRS's still better than the low-end Gibsons but not spectacular, liked a vintage Yamaha superstrat from Taiwan of all places, a couple old Peavey USA's were shockingly passable too
to my surprise kinda liked an LTD EC 600 just the way it was (although it was UTTERLY UNLIKE the real Eclipse), and found an LTD Viper 400 quite decent --- AFTER rewiring the whole damn thing and cleaning it up and setting it up (sorry Korea, dream on of being the next Japan - no time soon!!).. what I dislike about Epi? that it can't measure up to LTD on powerful pups, or to PRS Korea on vintage-voiced pups. simple enough, yeah?
PS I'm 27, kiddos... brand worship wore off once work had me dig around in all their guts and find nothing to write home about
oh, and:
PPS tested/declined means I ran them through an amp that costs 4 digits and still found em boring
SG Supremes are alright, Standards are tolerable but absolutely nothing to write home about, Gothics were rather welldone, but the cheaper-than-SG-Standard stuff today? ABSOLUTE CRAP.
