Gibson Guitar Reviews

Holy crap, has Gibson gone crazy?  It seems like one of the most popular guitars these days is the Gibson Les Paul BFG.  This guitar is one of the most unique offering from Gibson in perhaps the company’s entire history. 

This guitar features: un-sanded top, no binding, no pickup rings, no truss rod cover, no toggle switch rings, no fretboard position indicators (dots on the side only), with wooden knobs that have no numbers.  Essentially this guitar is a full blown quality Les Paul that has none of the expensive frills that typically drive up the cost of the guitar. 

I played the BFG for the first time a few weeks ago and was incredibly impressed.  Aside from looks, there is no difference in sound and playability between this guitar and a high end Les Paul.  I think this rough look, while not my style, will appeal to a certain group of individuals for it’s unique and unpolished looked specifically.

Bottom line- this is a carved maple-top Les Paul with the traditional mahogany back for under a grand.  Pretty cool.  Keep in mind that you could definitely add all the the frills and custom pieces to this raw instruments after-market and truly create something distinctive.  Basically, Gibson has gone the right way with this product and given players an almost blank canvas with which to create! 

Gibson USA American Mint Les Paul BFG w hard case NR! US $630.00 (15 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Aug-21-2008 19:31:46 PDT Bid on this Item   | Watch this Item

Gibson Les Paul BFG UNIQUE ! studio standard custom US $1,195.00 Auction Ends: Thursday Aug-21-2008 20:56:00 PDT Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

2007 Gibson BFG trans black US $670.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-24-2008 8:40:00 PDT Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Gibson Les Paul BFG Bullion Burst 2008 MINT w/ case US $949.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-24-2008 15:14:14 PDT Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Gibson Les Paul BFG, Trans. Black US $649.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-24-2008 15:32:03 PDT Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Gibson Les Paul BFG Unique Piece or art US $2,950.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Monday Aug-25-2008 7:59:40 PDT Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

GIBSON BFG LES PAUL TRANS GOLD ELECTRIC GUITAR NEW US $949.00 Auction Ends: Monday Aug-25-2008 16:30:13 PDT Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Gibson Les Paul BFG Silverburst Limited US $850.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Wednesday Aug-27-2008 19:27:35 PDT Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Gibson Les Paul BFG Electric Guitar Blue INK NEW 2008 US $1,099.00 Auction Ends: Friday Aug-29-2008 9:09:05 PDT Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Gibson Les Paul BFG Electric Guitar CHERRY NEW 07 $949 US $949.00 Auction Ends: Saturday Aug-30-2008 14:35:24 PDT Bid on this Item   | Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Gibson Les Paul BFG Electric Guitar Features:
Unsanded carved maple top
Mahogany back
1950s rounded mahogany neck
Rosewood fingerboard
Scale length: 24-3/4″
Number of frets: 22
Nut width: 1.695″
Inlays: white side dots only
Hardware: gun metal (trans cherry finish) or distressed black chrome (trans black and trans gold finish)
Tailpiece: stopbar (distressed)
Bridge: Tune-o-matic
Knobs: two wooden volumes, one wooden tone
Tuners: Grover (distressed)
Neck pickup: P-90
Bridge pickup: Zebra BurstBucker 3
Controls: 2 volume, 1 tone, 3-way switch
Kill switch toggle
See-through wiring covers in back
Strings: Brite Wires .010-.046
Case: shopworn Les Paul

I’ve owned this guitar for a little over a year and here is what I’ve found: It’s a reliable instrument that stays in tune extremely well.

Although the frets aren’t as silky smooth on the Menace as I would have liked, it’s still easy to play and the action is responsive and very similar to any Les Paul I have played.  Yes, it does feel like a distinctive Gibson.  After replacing both pickups with EMG’s, and the bridge/saddle with quality ones it sounds very good.

In my opinion, the sustain isn’t nearly as good as an LP studio since the wood is constructed of a lighter material. All in all, the Gibson Les Paul Menace isn’t the GREATEST LP I’ve ever played but after replacing the pickups it becomes a very viable solution.

The factory pickups couldn’t handle much gain without feedback, but that’s typical of all Gibsons that I have played, no matter what the price. That is one reason Gibson pickups are routinely considered hot.  The only inlay on the fretboard on this guitar is very unique, a first! 

GIBSON SG MENACE US $849.00 Auction Ends: Thursday Aug-28-2008 16:15:54 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Gibson USA SG Menace Electric Guitar NEW w/ Hard Case US $849.00 Auction Ends: Friday Aug-29-2008 9:09:24 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Features:
Mahogany body
Maple top
Mahogany neck
1960 slim taper profile
Ebony fingerboard
Fist inlay
Flat black hardware
Tune-O-Matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece
Black speed knobs
Black Grover tuners
490R Smoky Coils neck pickup
498T Smoky Coils bridge pickup
Two volume and two tone controls, 3-way switch
Peghead Pitch: 17°
Thickness at 1st Fret: 0.800″
Thickness at 12th Fret: 0.870″
Heel Length: 0.625″
Neck Joint Location: 16th fret
Scale: 24-3/4″
Total Length: 18.157″
Number of Frets: 22
Nut Width: 1.695″
Width at 12th Fret: 2.260″

The Gibson Les Paul Standard 60’s Neck Electric is my main Gibson.  Let me tell you why. 

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We review a ton of Gibson Les Paul’s on this site and I must say, the Les Paul Vintage Mahogany may be one of my more recent favorite Les Paul constructions in a long time. 

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