I bought this as a Tide Over until I can get my hand son a Demmel V. The lighting hasn't been good for pictures lately, so I don't think this shows how nice it looks. The Mahogany's grain on this they used was really nice and rich. The rosewood is pretty nice too, and contrary to the pictures its not dried out. The setup is spot on, with everything nice and clean too, including fresh strings. Other than that, its perfect. Amazing fret work, and great sound, which is exactly what I was looking for. It easily plays as nice as some other high end Gibsons like LP Standards and a couple Customs I've tried from over time. The tone out the 500T bridge pickup is a lot richer harmonically with better EQ response than the 500T in an LP Classic I looked at awhile back. The 496R is really smooth, and sounds great for those vintage rock sounds and tapping. It sure prompts the question "Why can't Gibson make all their guitars as good as this?". I tried a couple at different shops and some where duds!
I also got a helluva deal on it too; I bargined the guy down from the marked price of $580 after he gave me some BS about it being $699. He goes into the computer, and sure enough its $699. Now granted, it could of been a staged trick/bait & switch, but sure enough I go online and they are indeed now $699. The deal I got on this beats the deal I walked on 2 years ago for an ESP LTD Viper 1000FM for the price of a 500 by a mile (Factoring in what I paid subtracted from the new price, I saved about $200!).
