pkennethk's forum posts 2051

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

Update: TIL Reverb's "landing page" schema is also a hot mess.

There are landing pages that appear to have been made internally, some that started life as user-generated, but then promoted to landing pages, and some that appear to be auto-generated for a single random model year. All of these have the landing page URL structure, the price history, specs, etc.

Behold, the Gibson Les Paul Studio landing pages of Reverb(dot)com:

If we focus on just the entries related to the vanilla LP Studio, we get Option A:

And if I streamline this a bit, we get Option B:

Note: 2016-17 was apparently the "T" and "HP" era, so there was no vanilla LP Studio those years.

@Michael, Jim and others, which option for organizing the vanilla LP Studios is best for Equipboard: A, B, or none of the above?

7m7 months ago

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

should we also keep a general "Gibson Les Paul Studio" entry that doesn't list a year range?

Yes, I think so. At the very least, I see this as a use case for the "representative" tag, where people can choose it if they spot someone using a Les Paul Studio, but can't identify specifics beyond that.

Should mods and EB Allstars just steer clear of tackling any dupes that may be related to this kind of fundamental re-org, and let you and Giulio tackle it holistically and programmatically?

No need to hold back. Continue using the site as usual. We already rolled out the year and finish options for submissions, and are moving quickly through the color queue to surface and consolidate duplicates. From there, we’ll rely on additional signals like link collisions and overlapping products on partner pages to catch others.

10-4. When I have a moment, I'll propose dupe-mapping of sorts for these LP Studio entries based on conforming to Reverb's categories, then submit it all as a long series of dupes if community gives the green light.

Thank you!

7m7 months ago

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

Yes, exactly. This approach gives us the strongest canonical reference for identifying models, especially on the used market.

10-4. In this specific case, should we also keep a general "Gibson Les Paul Studio" entry that doesn't list a year range? We'd be out of sync with Reverb if we kept the generalized entry, but I think we're stuck with it? We'd have to re-assign all the existing artist user gear and artist submissions under "Gibson Les Paul Studio" to more specific categories, which sounds logistically insane.

We’re already moving in this direction by letting you include year and finish in artist submissions, and we’re actively cleaning up duplicate items that differ only by finish. We’re about halfway through solid-body guitars at this point and reviewed roughly 5,000 pages last month.

Giulio is also developing additional methods to identify duplicates systematically.

It’s a large project, but the progress has been steady.

Good to know. Should mods and EB Allstars just steer clear of tackling any dupes that may be related to this kind of fundamental re-org, and let you and Giulio tackle it holistically and programmatically?

7m7 months ago

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

WHAT DOES SME STAND FOR???!!!

Subject

Matter

Expert

7m7 months ago

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

My view is that we should be as specific as possible.

In practice, that usually means treating an item as distinct when it has a dedicated /p/ page on Reverb, since that gives us the best clarity on year ranges and variations. The same applies when a model is out of production but recognized as a standalone version, such as the faded example.

@Michael, good to hear from you on this one.

Is this your go-ahead to match Reverb's approach as close as we can (see sample below)?

https://imgur.com/mRGUn4a

7m7 months ago

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

before I put that aside, take for example my LP studio platinum, that model appears at first glance to just be a special finish. But wait a sec; it's got an ebony fretboard with no inlays and a really flat radius, also an extra wide nut/neck like a classical which required different cutting, deep/fat neck profile (ITS BIIIIIG, it might have a long tenon too, I forget now, but there's no other gibson with a neck like it), stock grovers, stock burstbuckers, stock 50s wiring scheme, etc etc (they did an SG special but its less distinct since there was a stock SG special in that finish but with stock appointments, however the platinum has all the LPs features). Back on topic...

Oohhh I'd love to try one with a chonky neck! But your Platinum would stay listed as a Platinum, that was its name. Eliminating things like "Platinum Limited Edition" is not what I'm getting at here.

Should we break down the vanilla LP Studios into 5 or 6 different eras (e.g. 1983-1989, 1990-1997, etc), or put them all under "Gibson Les Paul Standard" like we're starting to do with 1954-1983(ish) Strats?

I like the idea of eras usually, like what I did when I tried to organize the fender amps. However, that experiment failed miserably. I think this issue will require admin intervention. We need a redesign with a drop-down menu listing all known LP studio variants that we update regularly. This concept goes along with the finish drop-down we've bandied around in modsquad.

I don't think we're going to hear a peep from the Admins on this one.

Wait around for your pet feature here, and you'll have plenty of time to contemplate God's Silence.

https://imgur.com/a/Ezjx642

7m7 months ago

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

I will say I've noticed a similar trend with Lonestar, Lonestar Deluxe and Eric Clapton Stratocasters, but have already submitted a bunch to be merged. Will probably go back over and make sure I didn't miss any.

Having 15+ entries for the same model of guitar isn't so much a trend, as it is the way things have always been here. People tend to want the entry to reflect exactly the guitar they own (model, color, year, spec), not just the model name. But having a hodgepodge of random entries for the same model makes artist submissions more difficult and prevents collecting interesting datapoints like "how many people here have Eric Clapton Strats?" or "How many artists have been spotted with a Clapton Strat?".

The Admins/Founders tend to stay out of dictating exactly how the community should do something, unless it's dramatically impacting SEO/ads... so it's pretty much up to everyone here (we, the community) to figure out the best path.

7m7 months ago

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

Let me think this over. 'Faded' and 'sstin' finish variants may be significant because the thin coat of lacquer tends to wear off fast of you gig under stage lights regularly... that's significant to me.

Our resident Gibson SME has arrived. Thanks for joining in, Jim!

Putting aside the complication of all the limited, faded, special, plus stuff for a moment, what's your take on what to do with the 13 or so vanilla LP Studio entries?

Should we break down the vanilla LP Studios into 5 or 6 different eras (e.g. 1983-1989, 1990-1997, etc), or put them all under "Gibson Les Paul Standard" like we're starting to do with 1954-1983(ish) Strats?

7m7 months ago

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

I would say anything that doesn't have a Plus, Special, Deluxe, HP, 120th Anniversary in the name, is a regular Gibson Les Paul Studio regardless of birthdate, finish or neck profile. I'll kinda describe each one below:

Plus: This is a Studio with a flame top.

Special: This is a Studio with P90's.

Deluxe: This is a Plus with fancy electronics.

HP: Thin neck, heel contours.

Excellent!

So we'd have:

  • Gibson Les Paul Studio: plain vanilla
  • Plus: flame top
  • Special: P90's
  • Deluxe: a Plus with fancy electronics
  • HP: Thin neck, heel contours
  • Baritone: 28" scale

What are the "T" models from last decade?

Where do the "Faded" models fit in?

7m7 months ago

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

I put the full list there just for dramatic impact. I don't expect anyone to tease through it all.

What I'm looking for is some sign-off from guitarists who care, like you, Jim and others re: a consensus general approach to such things.

I'll kick things off with a rude proposal:

Rather than trying to divide up the different eras of the "vanilla" Les Paul Studio (e.g. '83-'89, '90-'97, etc.), everything sold as "Gibson Les Paul Studio" (not the "plus", "special", "deluxe", "special edition", "T", "HP", etc.) from 1983 onward should be consolidated to the "Gibson Les Paul Studio" entry, and folks can use the new date tag feature to let everyone know whether they have a chunkier 80s model, a weight-reduced 90s model or a wacky robo-tuner model.

That would mean we merge about 13 of those entries above under the very first entry in the list.

...then, after the dust settles on that, we'd see if there are any special edition, "T", "Faded", etc models that are dupes or could be merged, and call it a day.

Am I being too much of a brute to attempt that drastic of a roll-up?

7m7 months ago

We have 83 different entries for Gibson Les Paul Studio...

It's time to clean up and consolidate the way Equipboard handles the Gibson Les Paul Studio.

Below is the current state of the database. This is a hot mess, even with all the Epiphone models removed.

We recently received an honest request to add yet another Les Paul Studio.

How many entries SHOULD we have for this long-tenured, ugly-but-good Les Paul model?

7m7 months ago

Its Turkey Day in the USA... what's the biggest turkey of an instrument or piece of gear you've ever owned?!

y'know, I always stayed clear of studiologic... my logic (pun intended) was that controller and synth companies buy their keybeds knowing that fatar makes a great keybed, they don't even bother trying to top them so can fatar really make a better controller or synth? there's way more to it than a keybed. I flirted with a studiologic sledge purchase but ultimately decided not to get one because I felt worried the keybed would be the best made part...

I checked Reddit to see what the Studiologic warranty experience is like in 2025. Sadly, the anecdotal evidence on-hand sounds very similar to what I went through 20 years ago. All warranty work is through dealers or local distributors only. More than a few people reported being stuck with a Sledge that is bricked or otherwise troubled, warning others to stay clear.

Happy thanksgiving everyone @gchiaren @michael @jimmarchi1 @hashimoto @pkennethk @shiba_inu_jedi @edgedancer etc.

Thanks @sprucebringsteen! I hope you're getting some time to relax and/or chill with family.

7m7 months ago

Its Turkey Day in the USA... what's the biggest turkey of an instrument or piece of gear you've ever owned?!

My turkey: Studiologic SL-161 MIDI controller back in the early '00s.

Probably a decent controller, but I'll never know, as the one I bought brand new never worked right.

This thing had a great Fatar keybed with aftertouch, but it never worked for more than a few days/weeks at a time. I'd call/email with Fatar (who owns the Studiologic brand) and they'd have me to take it to some authorized warranty service center in Burbank, CA, where some dude would keep it for a month or 2 -- only to give it back still not working or only functional for a few more weeks. Each time it got it back it was missing more screws and creaked, rattled, and moaned more than before. Rather than just giving me a new keyboard after the first fix failed, they joylessly kept at, giving me a new theory or excuse each time (bad logic board, loose wires, etc), it until I finally gave up and binned it.

Fatar supplies decent keybeds for most other major keyboard manufacturers, but I now avoid anything they bring to market themselves. I hope others have had a good experience with Studiologic products in the 20+ years since?

Epilogue: A year or two after I gave up on that SL-161, I ended up working for M-Audio, back when HQ, R&D and warranty service was still all done out in Irwindale. M-Audio repair techs would just scrap and replace any midi controller with a problem that couldn't be quickly diagnosed and fixed. Sure it seemed kind of wasteful to have a trash bin overflowing with partially-working MIDI keyboards at the end of each week, but it was a necessary sacrifice for making sure customers stayed happy(ish) and didn't go through what I went through.

7m7 months ago

Tragic Headstock Shapes

G&L: Great guitars... from the nut down.

https://imgur.com/a/qsxhKfk

8m8 months ago

resurfaced recordings of my band in my 20s, DOg & Pony, the loudest band in Philly... ever

In case you're deaf now, let me reassure you that this still rips.

8m8 months ago

Tragic Headstock Shapes

Is it just me or is does all that black lacquer give it a BDSM vibe? 🥷

...it's just me isn't it! 😳

I think we all see what you're seeing... unfortunately.

8m8 months ago

Favorite Music Related YouTube Channels

I just stumbled on them, they're great! I already figured out a lot of this stuff but sometimes they surprise me. I think they're a couple because it's definitely a lady playing the keys parts. Which might explain the goofy domestic coziness.

I'm pretty sure you're right about the production team being a couple.

Also, the internet says you've known about this channel for at least 2 years. ;)

8m8 months ago

Favorite Music Related YouTube Channels

not sure how this always is, but this was fascinating to me today:

https://youtu.be/schVpZb_4Jc?si=UlARqIJESXuyyaJD

also fun:

https://youtu.be/kf2-WLK3gPA?si=Z85bKeh2OJQabpqQ

Love these guys, always a chill and pleasing couple of minutes.

The intentional coziness gets a bit too inauthentically precious sometimes (e.g. fresh-brewed latte in the 303 vid), but I appreciate that they generally have really great taste (e.g. they included Roy of the Ravers in the thumbnail and in the outro music).

8m8 months ago

Favorite Music Related YouTube Channels

And this how its ends when japanese Bizz People come to visit Germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ldRFt0uYA And there is even a Part 2 of that going more insane, i do not wanna show, you have to search for yourself , hahahaha. So When you like Part 1 , Part 2 will make you even more happy.

Ha! THIS is exactly the kind of party I hope to walk in on when I go poking around in big boring hotels.

I guess I've always assumed you're a person of Japanese descent who has lived in Germany most of their lives, @hashimoto, but what's your story? Dual citizen of Japan and Germany? Family from Japan? 10th-generation German national? I have no idea, really.

8m8 months ago

Equipboard Improvement and Idea Thread - August 2025 Edition

And I want to stress this point, your own personal Equipboard page, just bear with us - it's going to be completely overhauled. It'll look a lot more like pro artist pages when it's all said and done.

And when someone clicks on your gear, it'll bring up a page that looks more like this. Except instead of the proof/source, it'll be the photo you added of YOUR gear. And instead of the explanation text, it'll be your review, and all the details of your gear will be shown. I think it'll be pretty dope.

More cool features will come on the heels of that, like valuing your whole collection as a whole (an average but still interesting), as well as comparing your rig to other rigs and figuring out who you're most like. We're very excited at what's coming down the pipe at Equipboard HQ 😎

This might be the sharpest improvement I've ever heard y'all pitch. I think users would love seeing themselves presented more like "artists"... we got a lotta egos here, ya know? :D

Re: valuation of a personal collection, I really hope this is info that is PRIVATE and not shown to the whole world.

  1. Someone having an expensive collection of equipment doesn't mean @#$%. It's not a measure of talent, effort or accomplishment.

  2. This is a gamified site (Gear IQ, Gear Score, etc), so every number shown is going to be seen as a number you should drive higher... and I'd hate for "spend more to out-compete the other dude" to be even be the tiniest hint of an idea here.

  3. Consider the families you might be destroying: you're arming someone's spouse with a # that could be brought up in the next money-fight: "You know how we're going to afford this new roof? You're going to sell your $25k worth of guitar pedals, that's how!... Yes, that's right -- it says so right on that website you spend too much time on, all that crap is worth $25k! Who needs so many guitar pedals? You work at the DMV!"

  4. Yes, this means I'm kinda creeped out by the value calculations that are currently applied to people's gear photos. Knowing what product is in the photo and how to buy it is super helpful, but creating a sum total valuation of everything a community member featured in a picture just feels kind of off. I love Antiques Roadshow as much as the next dude, but it often comes across like people are trying to flaunt how much they spent, which I doubt is anyone's intention here.

8m8 months ago

Equipboard Improvement and Idea Thread - August 2025 Edition

My insurance agent thanks you kindly! :D

8m8 months ago

Big Update: Tag Gear by Color & Year (Starting with Guitars 🎸)

Does that clear it up?

Yeah, but I just noticed there's no tag for fretboard yet, so do we maintain a Fender Player II Stratocaster Maple and Fender Player II Stratocaster Rosewood entry, or do we just deny any attempt to separate entries based on fretboard wood for now and consolidate into one?

I'm sure you'd rather have the one entry, but people who think fretboard wood choice is a part of their personal religion are going to kick and scream -- so I Just want the official opinion here for all to see.

OOOOoooorrrr, do we still leave entries related to items currently for sale at Sweetwater alone so each one still links to a specific SKU?

8m8 months ago

Tragic Headstock Shapes

Marcus Miller deserves better than this:

https://imgur.com/1Lrgqdf

8m8 months ago

Big Update: Tag Gear by Color & Year (Starting with Guitars 🎸)

Nice 😎.

Congrats on getting this live, Giulio.

Question: following on from the Stratocaster example, I know Fender sold essentially 1 model called "Fender Stratocaster" from 1954 up through the 70s, but can we still recognize all the various models of Strat from Fender's 1980s catalog expansions and beyond? The American Vintage, Elite, American Standard Stratocasters etc can al still live as distinct entries in the database, correct?

8m8 months ago

Equipboard Improvement and Idea Thread - August 2025 Edition

Hell yeah, added an "🔥 on fire" badge to the leaderboard 😎

Wicked!

How fast and furious does one have to dupe-log to earn the 🔥?

8m8 months ago

Tragic Headstock Shapes

Yeah, the Burns Scroll Headstocks are icky for me. In fact the whole Burns guitar aesthetic has a kind of Fairground and Teddy Boy vibe that leaves me just a little bit queasy.

Wow.

It's like someone started to transform one of Jack White's guitars into a cello, but stopped after a day of struggling with the headstock.

8m8 months ago

Tragic Headstock Shapes

I recently discovered German small-batch builder Vincent Instruments.

Now these look like great instruments, and how thing sounds and plays is far more important to me than any aesthetic details... BUT, there is just something about a bad headstock shape that turns me off so quick.

https://imgur.com/a/nhNOvuu

I understand that Fender needs to protect their trademark aggressively, but there are plenty of legally-distinct-from-Fender shapes that are pleasing: Lakland, Music Man, or Serek, come to mind.

Has any else out there ever turned away from an instrument purely based on headstock shape?

8m8 months ago

Equipboard Improvement and Idea Thread - August 2025 Edition

For now yeah. We don't want to let perfect be the enemy of good.

We'll take what we can get and be happy about it. :)

Is submitting a dupe fully gamified?

Not yet, but it should be. Great idea. Let us see if we can cook this one up by the end of the weekend and assign everyone their due GearIQ for the approved dups they've submitted :)

Boom!

From the looks of the dupes leaderboard, Spruce and Edgedancer have been on real tear as of late -- it'd be great to see some scoreboard love for 'em if they're engaging in high-priority activity.

8m8 months ago

Equipboard Improvement and Idea Thread - August 2025 Edition

In their own Equipboards, users want the item pictured to look just like the one they own: matching color, matching fretboard, matching year/vintage details. Who wouldn't?

I agree that it matters, and initially we're going to fix it by being able to add the details/metadata to the item you save to your Equipboard. For example, I own a Fender Telecaster Custom. However, mine's black, from 1978, with a maple neck. We'll give the ability to tag those things. Then if you want to show off your very own one, we encourage uploading a gear photo.

Good to hear from you, Guilio. Thanks for the details.

Your plan for appending metadata sounds promising.

In your above example, would the title of the Fender Telecaster Custom entry as seen from your personal EB display as 1978 Fender Telecaster Custom — Black + Maple Neck, or something like that?

The image everyone sees in your EB for that item would still be whatever the first/default photo is for the current Telecaster Custom entry, right?

Finally, a huge THANK YOU to everyone helping spot and consolidate duplicates, we have a long way to go but we're taking this seriously. We made a leaderboard for it too just for fun, you can see it by going to the duplicate items queue, at the top is a link that says Check out the leaderboard. :)

Nice :)

Is submitting a dupe fully gamified?

8m8 months ago

Upvotes not working

Does problem persist across both your laptop/desktop and your phone, or is it just happening on one specific device?

8m8 months ago

Upvotes not working

Working for me. I just gave your photos some upvotes to test. Added, removed, added, removed... seemed fine.

8m8 months ago

Equipboard Improvement and Idea Thread - August 2025 Edition

Colors are duplicates and should be merged.

Colors and finishes are currently a big issue across the site...

...We’ve kicked off step one, but it’s a big project. Let us know what you think. We’d love your ideas!

You guys already know I'm all for hierarchy:

  • 5000 artists used a Fender Precision Bass
  • - 80 artists used a 1959 Fender Precision Bass
  • - - 30 artists used a sunburst 1959 Fender Precision Bass
  • - - - 2 artists used a sunburst + rosewood 1959 Fender Precision Bass

That said, I know that the following details are important many of the ppl who contribute regularly:

  1. In their own Equipboards, users want the item pictured to look just like the one they own: matching color, matching fretboard, matching year/vintage details. Who wouldn't?

  2. In their hero's Equipboard, users want the item pictured to look just like the one their hero used, and they DO care about details like the year, color, fretboard, etc.

  3. If their hero played 5 different Fender Stratocasters throughout their career, they want a separate EB entry for each notable Strat their hero played, not just one master entry for Fender Stratocaster that somehow covers all the different makes and models their hero used.

8m8 months ago

Equipment of The Fugs [CC. Mid 1960's]

I'd recommend going instrument-by-instrument: post up a picture of 1 item you're having a hard time identifying, tell us much as you can about who's in the photo, when and where it was taken, and see what happens.

It's unlikely multiple folks are going to copy and paste these urls into their browser and start hunting for hard to identify instruments to share with the thread.

8m8 months ago

A comprehensive review of the Boss PX-1 Plugout Pedal! Now on the Equipboard YouTube Channel

I'm glad to hear you're feeling this one, Jim. I'm not a guitarist, so Roland/Boss doesn't need to worry about my hot take one way or the other. Seems like folks on the internet were mostly riled up by the licensing model & having to pay per model in the future, but that part seemed pretty par for the course these days.

8m8 months ago

A comprehensive review of the Boss PX-1 Plugout Pedal! Now on the Equipboard YouTube Channel

Some switchers will allow you to reorder loops (making positioning a bit flexible) and you can switch between two different effects via a latching switch (which is available on some loopers), so there is SOME flexibility.

Is it fair to say that if you're someone who really cares about being able to switch between all the different pedal models without re-cabling, you probably already own a switcher for your pedalboard?

8m8 months ago

Favorite Music Related YouTube Channels

... Anyway one of the few music / gear related channels that I sometimes watch is five watt world and David Bennet. I actually prefer Beato's 2nd channel over his primary one. The more interesting interviews to me are uploaded to his 2nd channel. As for guitar / gear channels, most are unwatchable. Some of them can barely play.

Ha! I had just removed David Bennet from my list -- I didn't think he was still making content. One of the best music theory wonks out there. Glad he's still in the game.

5 Watt World has a nice smooth delivery, just watched their Stingray vid the other day. I must admit I am a bit envious of this man's amazing facial hair. I mean, I've had a beard for 20 years, but... not like that.

Yeah, Rick is probably the best music interviewer working today. If you've had any kind of a career, you're going to get considered in the most thoughtful and dignified light possible with Rick. I appreciate that.

8m8 months ago

Post your item add requests here

Mods please add

It is a software version of the Oberheim DMX drum machine

You should be able to add this one yourself, as it's currently for sale at some of the biggest music retailers.

Try adding with this link:

https://www.thomannmusic.com/gforce_oberheim_dmx.htm

8m8 months ago

Favorite Music Related YouTube Channels

Bump for Devo-Vision.

Also, I updated my list for 2025 - page 1.

I grow tired of music Youtube, it seems.

Anyone enjoying anything new lately?

8m8 months ago

A comprehensive review of the Boss PX-1 Plugout Pedal! Now on the Equipboard YouTube Channel

Nice work, Kevin. It seems like you're getting really comfortable with these review vids.

EDIT: Cleaned up my response a bit. I wasn't aware of all the internet hate for the PX when I initially reacted, as I had never heard of this thing until Kevin's review -- I'm kinda sorry to add even more negatively to this product's rollout, but my reactions were genuine and I stand by 'em.

Re: actual product, I don't get who this is for?

  • It's limited to 1 effect/model at a time.

All fine and good you say, BUT...

  • Different effects live in different parts of your signal chain.
  • E.g. if I'm using the compressor model, I want the pedal way early in the chain, if I'm using delay I'd typically want it much later.
  • Where I place this pedal in my chain directly impacts which models I can quickly flip between.
  • So I have to decide which model I'm going to use (or at least FX type: dynamics, drive, modulation, time-based, etc), then physically patch it in... then unpatch and re-patch if I want to use it for a different type of FX.

I know you run through who the device is for at the end of the video... I guess I just don't understand guitarists and their wants. If I bought one of these, I'd want to be able to toggle between different effects AND not have to physically re-position/re-patch the pedal each time I changed effects. The HX One tries to account for this by allowing you to switch between a pre-amplifier and FX-loop patch points as part of your preset (compressor pre-amplifier, delay as part of FX loop, etc)... I guess this is what I was expecting Boss would offer, at the very least.

8m8 months ago

Please Merge EBMM Axis Super Sport

excellent. Thank you!

9m9 months ago