Ruminations On The Latest Guitar Player

[OldStrummer]

Back in my college days, and for several years after, I was a dedicated adherent and subscriber to Guitar Player magazine. I still have some of those legacy issues buried away in my belongings (I've posted photos of some here before). But things and life contributed to me losing interest in the publication. Then, through the wonders of technology, I found that my library carries it, and I can "subscribe" electronically. Every month I get a notice that a new issue is available, and I get 21 days to check it out once I've downloaded it.

I still like it, and I find I can go through an entire issue usually in one sitting. I just received the January 2024 issue (with Joe Bonamassa on the cover), and leafing through it, I've already noticed several things I probably would not have known had I not.

• Gibson has a Les Paul Modern Lite. A quick visit to Gibson's site reveals this is a thinner, lighter, more "balanced" version of the venerable Gibson electric. It features 490R and 498T humbucker™ pickups, and a belly cut for comfort. Its MAP is $1,499.
• Fishman has released the Loudbox Micro, a 40W lunchbox-size acoustic guitar amp with similar features to its larger siblings. The 9-pound amp is available at Guitar Center for $299.95. I have $500 in gift cards...
• G&L seems to have done away with their much-hated headstock shape in favor of a traditional Fender-style look. At least on their new Espada HH and Espada HH Active models. While the focus is on the electronics, I immediately noticed the headstocks immediately. Gone is the "fishhook" look:

And I'm just getting started. I just received notice Guitar Player now also has a "holiday issue" with KISS on the cover. I guess that's next on my borrowing list

[Offshore Angler]

Yeah, the Moderns Lites are pretty contoversial. The "modern" is a misnomer, as the 490/498 pickups are older versions, and they don't hold a candle to the burstbuckers found in their high line guitars. The 490/498 combo is an artifact from the shredder days of the 90's. They were popular in Vees and Explorers. I'm guessing they had a lot of them in inventory and Ceasar told them to use them up.

All Les Pauls except some historic reissues have chambered bodies, at one point they were filling the chambers with balsa wood in order to call them "solid bodies."

I also seem to remember that the Modern Lites have the dreaded satin finish.

Remember, unlike Fenders, Gibson Les Pauls have gone through myraid changes in construction and electronics over the years, but it's still the historics that people want. I mean, nobody is clamoring for them to bring back pancake bodies, maple necks, T-Tops or robot guitars now, are they?

(had a dream once, I plugged my Les Paul robot into a Cyber Twin, lol!)

Meh, for not much more you can have a studio and that's a "real" Les Paul.

Or if you want something uber cool but lighter, maybe a Rick Beato LP Special. All the guitar anyone would ever need.

My problem with GP was back in the 90's they were nothing but a shill for the guitar companies. Their reviews were often way off the mark and they had no credibility. It was like Mendola's personal blog and opinion magazine. In their world, we were all going to be playing Parker Flys with an E-Bow and we all needed a Zematis.

Chuck

[ch willie]

I'm glad I have the "fishhook" headstock on my G&L JB5. I think it looks cool and differentiating.

[S. Cane]

I myself always preferred Guitar World. Too bad they don't have a proper app

[Offshore Angler]

I'm glad I have the "fishhook" headstock on my G&L JB5. I think it looks cool and differentiating.

I know, why would they change that? The G&L ASAT is on the list of "Must Have" guitars for any player.

[OldStrummer]

I know, why would they change that? The G&L ASAT is on the list of "Must Have" guitars for any player.

+1. I've read some people find the headstock (on the G&L) a dealkiller. WTH? Who plays the headstock??? My ASAT Junior II is one of the best playing guitars I own!

[blackonblack]

My Guitar Player days were back in the 70s-80s.
I have only a couple left somewhere, Duane was on the cover of one, SRV and Beck on the other.

PS: Chuck I take offense. My 79 LP sounds great and has a maple neck (granted all the electronics have been switched out). No pancake body and the weight is under 10 lbs. Life has afforded me the opportunity to dedicate it to slide. For LP needs, my R9 gets the nod.

[ch willie]

I read Guitar World and whatever else online, and I've not seen an honest guitar review in any of them for a long time. Every guitar they review is "great" and if they do a pros and cons, the cons are usually something like, hard to put strings on the pegs.

I only look to see if there's an interview I like, but even there, it's always the same folks being interviewed. I know Bonamassa has a great collection, but I'm tired of hearing about it.

[S. Cane]

Double post

[S. Cane]

Here's a sample of my Guitar World stash, with a dedicated and signed issue sent to me by Andy Aledort with whom I had the pleasure and privilege to have a word with:

[Don]

I liked Guitar Player a lot in the '80s. I had a huge stack from that decade. I kept them all for years, but weeded them out a few years ago and only kept the ones that had articles that appealed to me the most.

I still get Vintage Guitar magazine, but it's not what it used to be.

Some of the British guitar magazines have the best articles these days.

All Les Pauls except some historic reissues have chambered bodies, at one point they were filling the chambers with balsa wood in order to call them "solid bodies."

Gibson has been making Standards without weigh relief for the past few years. Some are pretty heavy, but my 2019 only weighs 8 pounds 14 ounces. It's a nice Les Paul. It really isn't an issue- I've played great weight relieved guitars and poor non-weight relieved guitars. I got it cheap and don't see a need to spend the money on a Historic Les Paul as it's kind of a side sound for me. I'll take a Tele over a Les Paul (or any other electric guitar) anytime.

[Offshore Angler]

My Guitar Player days were back in the 70s-80s.
I have only a couple left somewhere, Duane was on the cover of one, SRV and Beck on the other.

PS: Chuck I take offense. My 79 LP sounds great and has a maple neck (granted all the electronics have been switched out). No pancake body and the weight is under 10 lbs. Life has afforded me the opportunity to dedicate it to slide. For LP needs, my R9 gets the nod.

No worries BoB, by '79 they were getting rid of the pancakes, and it would have had T-Tops which are a great rock and roll pickup and original T-Tops are worth a lot of money if you still have them, as is any '79 in original shape. I personally never minded the maple necks but the canoe paddle, 14 degree headstocks are an acquired taste and some had the G-string tuning issue ( they're really sensitive to the nut being cut correctly ), which on slide doesn't matter.

Which model, is it Standard or a Deluxe?

Does yours have the flip-out tuners?

Or the cool chainsaw case?

As you can tell, I'm quite the aficionado. I drooled for a new one when I was in my 20's. I could have thrown it in the back of my Trans AM.

Chuck

[phantomman]

The top on my one-owner '78 Standard doesn't have much carve to it so I'd guess it qualifies as a "pancake" and it weighs a ton but the P/U's they were using back then sound especially warm and growlly. It fit nicely in the trunk of my '80 Z28......

[Offshore Angler]

"Pancake" bodies were made with an extra layer of maple in under the maple cap i.e., instead of one thickness of mahogany which may have been two or three peice bodies the bottom was mahogany, then a slim ( around 1/16" in.) maple layer, then another mahogany layer, then the maple top. In other words it was a mahogany stack of panckaes with maple "syrup". This was doen as a cost savings to use thinner mahogany and ne would guess to use the plainer ones for the mid-level and the more figured for the outside.

On a painted body this is evident when you pull out the pickups and look into the routes. They had some issues with delamination that would lead to cracks in the finish and in extreme cases the whole back would become detached and require a major repair.

Here's an example:



The 78's were generally all pancakes IIRC, but there was a lot of cross over on serial numbers at that time so you really need to look at the pot codes and a few other details to properly date one of that vintage.

I dig the Norlin Era maple neck era stuff, There's just something dangerous and severe about them.

Anyhoo, there are folks across the hall that I bow to for their Les Paul knowledge and suggest you reach out to them with any questions.

Chuck

[phantomman]

I must've lucked out -- there is no visible lamination on the body's edges and the mahogany back appears to be a single, solid piece......



(likely what accounts for its excessive heft)

[Offshore Angler]

Cool, can you read the pot codes? Lot's of time they were soldered over.

[Offshore Angler]

I liked Guitar Player a lot in the '80s. I had a huge stack from that decade. I kept them all for years, but weeded them out a few years ago and only kept the ones that had articles that appealed to me the most.

I still get Vintage Guitar magazine, but it's not what it used to be.

Some of the British guitar magazines have the best articles these days.



Gibson has been making Standards without weigh relief for the past few years. Some are pretty heavy, but my 2019 only weighs 8 pounds 14 ounces. It's a nice Les Paul. It really isn't an issue- I've played great weight relieved guitars and poor non-weight relieved guitars. I got it cheap and don't see a need to spend the money on a Historic Les Paul as it's kind of a side sound for me. I'll take a Tele over a Les Paul (or any other electric guitar) anytime.

Don, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it only the Traditionals that have solid bodies and not the regular Standards or Customs?

[Don]

Don, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it only the Traditionals that have solid bodies and not the regular Standards or Customs?

It depends on the year and exact model. For instance, I had a 2012 Les Paul Traditional Pro II that was weight relieved. They've made over 50 versions of the Traditional with varying degrees of weight relief from chambered to no weight relief at all.
The Standard kind of slotted into the Traditional's position after Gibson restructured in 2018 or 2019.

[blackonblack]

No worries BoB, by '79 they were getting rid of the pancakes, and it would have had T-Tops which are a great rock and roll pickup and original T-Tops are worth a lot of money if you still have them, as is any '79 in original shape. I personally never minded the maple necks but the canoe paddle, 14 degree headstocks are an acquired taste and some had the G-string tuning issue ( they're really sensitive to the nut being cut correctly ), which on slide doesn't matter.

Which model, is it Standard or a Deluxe?

Does yours have the flip-out tuners?

Or the cool chainsaw case?

As you can tell, I'm quite the aficionado. I drooled for a new one when I was in my 20's. I could have thrown it in the back of my Trans AM.

Chuck

I was just hacking on you. No offense given or taken. It’s a 79 std in tobacco burst. It’s a factory 2nd as the wood split some on one of the cover holes for the control route. That damn splinter of wood was there till the 90s.

Somewhere, I still have the original electronics and pups as well as TOM and TP. It had some cheapo case (no chainsaw) as cash was tight. Bought it new at age 15 in 1979.

it now sports Tonepro tuners (same foot print). RS guitar pots, etc, some Tim White Ed A wind Timbucker pups, and a Callaham bridge and Tailpiece. Grabbed a nicer case for it from Guitar fetish. But somewhere I have all the original stuff, including that trash can control cover and Jack.

[Offshore Angler]

I was just hacking on you. No offense given or taken. It’s a 79 std in tobacco burst. It’s a factory 2nd as the wood split some on one of the cover holes for the control route. That damn splinter of wood was there till the 90s.

Somewhere, I still have the original electronics and pups as well as TOM and TP. It had some cheapo case (no chainsaw) as cash was tight. Bought it new at age 15 in 1979.

it now sports Tonepro tuners (same foot print). RS guitar pots, etc, some Tim White Ed A wind Timbucker pups, and a Callaham bridge and Tailpiece. Grabbed a nicer case for it from Guitar fetish. But somewhere I have all the original stuff, including that trash can control cover and Jack.

No worries bud! It's all good.

Just FYI, a set of original T-Tops can be worth $800 to $1000 so you might want to find those puppies!

If it's a player's grade axe the fact that it's a second really doesn't matter. Do round up the original parts! Even if you don't put it back to stock the original parts you have are worth more than the guitar cost back then.

Chuck

[Offshore Angler]

I liked Guitar Player a lot in the '80s. I had a huge stack from that decade. I kept them all for years, but weeded them out a few years ago and only kept the ones that had articles that appealed to me the most.

I still get Vintage Guitar magazine, but it's not what it used to be.

Some of the British guitar magazines have the best articles these days.



Gibson has been making Standards without weigh relief for the past few years. Some are pretty heavy, but my 2019 only weighs 8 pounds 14 ounces. It's a nice Les Paul. It really isn't an issue- I've played great weight relieved guitars and poor non-weight relieved guitars. I got it cheap and don't see a need to spend the money on a Historic Les Paul as it's kind of a side sound for me. I'll take a Tele over a Les Paul (or any other electric guitar) anytime.

Don, if you are implying your 2019 standard is not weight relieved you may want to have that thing X-rayed. From all I see and people tell me the 2019 Standard had nine chambers in the body, whereas the Traditionals did not. If memory serves ( and it may not and I stand by to be corrected) it will also have the PC board in the control cavity and perhaps the non-soldered pickups as opposed to being hand-wired.

A Guide to 2019 Gibson Les Pauls: Traditional vs Classic - Reidys Blog

Chuck

[Don]

Don, if you are implying your 2019 standard is not weight relieved you may want to have that thing X-rayed. From all I see and people tell me the 2019 Standard had nine chambers in the body, whereas the Traditionals did not. If memory serves ( and it may not and I stand by to be corrected) it will also have the PC board in the control cavity and perhaps the non-soldered pickups as opposed to being hand-wired.

A Guide to 2019 Gibson Les Pauls: Traditional vs Classic - Reidys Blog

Chuck

That link compares the Traditional and Classic and doesn't mention the Standard.

The Les Paul line was revamped for 2019, though though I think there's a very good chance that early 2019 Les Paul Standards had the previous generation's features.

The 2019 and newer "Standard '50s" had/has a larger '50s style neck, Burstbucker 1&2 pickups (alnico 2), bell knobs, and Gibson Deluxe tuners with plastic keystone buttons.

The 2019 and newer "Standard '60s" had/has a slim taper neck, '60s Burstbucker pickups (alnico 5), reflector knobs, and Grover tuners.

Both have no weight relief (so Gibson claims), no PCB, a no-wire ABR-1 bridge, and a lightweight aluminum tailpiece.

They seemed to take the place of the previous Traditional models and are pretty nice guitars!

To be honest, I actually researched these guitars after buying mine- I stumbled upon mine at the local GC at a great price because someone had sanded the back of the neck and lost the pickguard. It was a really good Les Paul- great sound, feel, and weight, so I bought it, regardless of weight relief or not. Surprisingly, GC actually had the original case!

[OldStrummer]

Turns out I'm not a fan of LPs. I bought two -- one is a case queen that will likely never be played be me again. It's a 2015 "Classic Rock II" with a body that resembles marble (hence the "rock" in the name) and the horrible G-Force tuners that I could never get used to (good idea, but flaky implementation). It's one of the few guitars I own that has actually appreciated over the years.

The other is a 1998 "working man's Les Paul," a Special SL. This isn't a fancy-schmancy LP. There's no binding, it's a simple, mahogany body with a belly cut on the back, as well as a mahogany neck, all in a red finish. It’s loaded with two humbucking pickups (490/498), a Nashville style Tune-o-matic bridge, a stop tailpiece, and Kluson-style “GIBSON DELUXE” tuners.

As much as I'm more of a Fender guy, this guitar plays and sounds really good. No frills, just guts. The case is pretty beat up and I had to replace the plastic tip of the toggle switch, but for a guitar 25 years old, it's in pretty good shape!

[Offshore Angler]

That link compares the Traditional and Classic and doesn't mention the Standard.

The Les Paul line was revamped for 2019, though though I think there's a very good chance that early 2019 Les Paul Standards had the previous generation's features.

The 2019 and newer "Standard '50s" had/has a larger '50s style neck, Burstbucker 1&2 pickups (alnico 2), bell knobs, and Gibson Deluxe tuners with plastic keystone buttons.

The 2019 and newer "Standard '60s" had/has a slim taper neck, '60s Burstbucker pickups (alnico 5), reflector knobs, and Grover tuners.

Both have no weight relief (so Gibson claims), no PCB, a no-wire ABR-1 bridge, and a lightweight aluminum tailpiece.

They seemed to take the place of the previous Traditional models and are pretty nice guitars!

To be honest, I actually researched these guitars after buying mine- I stumbled upon mine at the local GC at a great price because someone had sanded the back of the neck and lost the pickguard. It was a really good Les Paul- great sound, feel, and weight, so I bought it, regardless of weight relief or not. Surprisingly, GC actually had the original case!

Cool, it would be interesting to x-ray it. What's nice is it's a player's piece and you like it.

I actually gig a - 2012 LP - which are by all accounts the evil parallel universe LPs that everyone is advised to steer clear of and nobody wants. Interestingly, mine has a single piece fretboard and so the "unable to refret" syndrome of most 2012's is not applicable. The good news is the poor guy I bought it from was so distressed about their reputation that I got it for -drum roll- $600 USD with the factory hardshell. Yoink! Yes, it isn't hand wired but it sounds great and plays perfect, so it's paid for itself many, many times over. My guitars all work for a living so their either player's grade or will soon be so! If the wiring ever goes I can do a vintage sytle hand wire in about an hour so that's not a concern. I rarely use the push-pulls so I wouldn't really miss them.

My burst I built myself, so that one gets a lot of playing time too. It originally had PAFs but I have recently put P94's in it to cover some classic 60's sounds. Bot my 2012 and my burst haver baseball bat necks, the 2012 has a little more "U" to it but the burst is a big-ass 'C".

Chuck

[Offshore Angler]

Turns out I'm not a fan of LPs. I bought two -- one is a case queen that will likely never be played be me again. It's a 2015 "Classic Rock II" with a body that resembles marble (hence the "rock" in the name) and the horrible G-Force tuners that I could never get used to (good idea, but flaky implementation). It's one of the few guitars I own that has actually appreciated over the years.

The other is a 1998 "working man's Les Paul," a Special SL. This isn't a fancy-schmancy LP. There's no binding, it's a simple, mahogany body with a belly cut on the back, as well as a mahogany neck, all in a red finish. It’s loaded with two humbucking pickups (490/498), a Nashville style Tune-o-matic bridge, a stop tailpiece, and Kluson-style “GIBSON DELUXE” tuners.

As much as I'm more of a Fender guy, this guitar plays and sounds really good. No frills, just guts. The case is pretty beat up and I had to replace the plastic tip of the toggle switch, but for a guitar 25 years old, it's in pretty good shape!

How sweet it is! That would be a fun one to play. Can't you just see a black batwing style guard on that thing with black rings, witch hats and black a poker chip? Let me know if you sell it. That could make a really interesting stage piece. Off to Reverb to find one!

[Don]

$600 USD with the factory hardshell. Yoink!

Wow!

I don't really care about hand wired electronics and all those things as long as I like the guitar. To be honest, a Gibson Les Paul is kind of a prop for me. My Carvin DC150 is a "better" mahogany/maple dual humbucker guitar for me. The ergonomics are incredible, it sounds great, it's light, and it has stainless steel frets on a well played in ebony fretboard. I bought this one used almost 13 years ago for $425! It's kind of an ugly duckling, but it gets the job done really well.

If I'm honest with myself (I seldom am), I really just need my USACG Tele (it's the sound of "me"), my Bonneville Strat (for Strat sounds), my Carvin DC150 (for humbucker sounds), and my Martin 000-15 (for acoustic sounds). The rest of my guitars are pleasant distractions- a collection of stuff.

[blackonblack]

No worries bud! It's all good.

Just FYI, a set of original T-Tops can be worth $800 to $1000 so you might want to find those puppies!

If it's a player's grade axe the fact that it's a second really doesn't matter. Do round up the original parts! Even if you don't put it back to stock the original parts you have are worth more than the guitar cost back then.

Chuck

Yep have all the old parts. I paid $375 new back in 79. I looked up the Timbucker pups I have in it currently last year or 2 Used they’re 1000. I have the guitar on my music ins at 3000