I went down the rabbit trail trying to figure out my first "REAL Nice" guitar. I ended up finding this beauty at a local shop that was really cool. I played a bunch of stuff, including a 20,000$ 1959 Les Paul Murphy Lab...boy that guitar was cool! Light for a LP and buttery smooth to play...like it'd been played for 50yrs. Unpotted pickups were airy and a bit on the wild side. That being said, I really really liked this 61'SG. Obviously its stunning to look at (hard to capture in a photo but it has some figure to it) and the Maestro to go with it...man, it POPS. The 2023 made some small adjustments to be a bit closer to the original 61's...maybe just the higher positioned inlay. cosmetic but cool. Looks aside tho, it's got the 61' neck that joins all the way at 22nd fret. I've played a few of these and often the neck is so thin near the joint that it gives this weird feeling like its wide like an acoustic or something. I wasn't sure about that. This was GREAT tho...it's a touch thicker (rounder) further down and just felt soooo playable. Neck depth .89" at first fret and 1.00" at twelfth fret. Nearly identical when measured to the 1959 Les Paul I played...which had a thin neck that joined at the body as well (they had measurements for both of them). So far it's definitely solid too and isn't rubbery or whatever. I really like it. Easy to move from my Strat (which is setup just ok) to this neck. Being a tall guy, I really like that the neck is a little further away from me, it just kind of fits better and is less cramped. I notice the flatter neck when playing up high. Easier to sneak in some triad chords at 12-15fret with bunching up with big hands.
No buzzing to be found and action is really really nice all the way up to 22...not hunting down high strings. Maestro so far is solid after playing in the strings etc. It's so firm that it's REALLY easy to give do some pretty decent dives (not like a Floyd Rose) but also just tap on it for some delay sorta effect. It's really easy to use but also keep out of the way. The ergonomics are a lot better for that. It's different than a whammy bar (which is fun too). I didn't expect to like it as much. Gibson seems to be doing a good job with these. The case is a beauty too.
The electronics are handwired etc tho I'm not sure I'd notice either way. The pickups have been fantastic tho, Burstbucker 61's and apparently slightly potted with the 61 SG's. I mean...sheesh REAL good. I did have to adjust my amp back a little bit for these vs my A2 magnet Fender humbuckers (which are actually pretty nice too). They are SO CLEAR and articulate with some vintage flair on those big A chords. Lots of sizzle and the neck is pretty bad ass too. Leads on the neck have their own vibe and the cleans are real nice and chimey. They also reduced/controlled the bass over my strat's pickups which was nice. Sometimes I'd be playing those ACDC tones but the bass would be a bit too heavy on the bigger chords it'd get mushy. These definitely tighten that up and the amp feels tighter/more responsive as well, didn't expect that (I don't have 30 guitars on the wall to compare too. Overall great guitar. The 20,000$ LP didn't feel wildly better outside of being so nicely worn in on the fretboard. My fretboard is pretty new and has a little "catch" to it on some bends. I may work on that a bit or just play it in. All of the new Roseboard guitars I played had that tho.
No buzzing to be found and action is really really nice all the way up to 22...not hunting down high strings. Maestro so far is solid after playing in the strings etc. It's so firm that it's REALLY easy to give do some pretty decent dives (not like a Floyd Rose) but also just tap on it for some delay sorta effect. It's really easy to use but also keep out of the way. The ergonomics are a lot better for that. It's different than a whammy bar (which is fun too). I didn't expect to like it as much. Gibson seems to be doing a good job with these. The case is a beauty too.
The electronics are handwired etc tho I'm not sure I'd notice either way. The pickups have been fantastic tho, Burstbucker 61's and apparently slightly potted with the 61 SG's. I mean...sheesh REAL good. I did have to adjust my amp back a little bit for these vs my A2 magnet Fender humbuckers (which are actually pretty nice too). They are SO CLEAR and articulate with some vintage flair on those big A chords. Lots of sizzle and the neck is pretty bad ass too. Leads on the neck have their own vibe and the cleans are real nice and chimey. They also reduced/controlled the bass over my strat's pickups which was nice. Sometimes I'd be playing those ACDC tones but the bass would be a bit too heavy on the bigger chords it'd get mushy. These definitely tighten that up and the amp feels tighter/more responsive as well, didn't expect that (I don't have 30 guitars on the wall to compare too. Overall great guitar. The 20,000$ LP didn't feel wildly better outside of being so nicely worn in on the fretboard. My fretboard is pretty new and has a little "catch" to it on some bends. I may work on that a bit or just play it in. All of the new Roseboard guitars I played had that tho.
Nothing like new.
