igneous_rock

The overall ability and strength in depth of Gibson's Les Paul guitar leaves little requirement for modification, although in this instance I opted for a series of "upgrades" which were chosen with the intention if widening the instrument's inherent wide ranging capabilities... . I replaced Gibson's standard humbuckers with a pair of Bare Knucle Pickups' "Painkillers" which added more crispness and attack, especially higher up the scale, to the guitar's already superb tonal range. . I installed a Kent Armstrong single coil pickup between the humbuckers, which adds a rich, silky midrange to the tone, without unbalancing the overall sound. . A selectable/bypassable, active "Tone shaper" in the form of a "push/pull" enabled potentiometer sized unit affords a very subtle pre-amplifier and selective filtering to boost frequencies from bass, through middle and high, to Bass/Top boost. . All other modifications are purely aesthetic and just pander only to my love of individuality

The beautifully designed and sized mahogany body both balances the instrument impeccably and radiates sustain throughout the entire tonal range, with harmonics developing in a linear, predictable fashion as the ambient volume increases. . The intuitively proportioned, narrow neck and fingerboard, combined with its medium scale make extended chords and widely spaced fingering surprisingly easy, taking advantage of an ergonomically radius that comfortably encourages movement along its length, while the full bodied comfortable frets in conjunction with the natural balance reduce tiredness during and after extended playing and exude confidence from all but the least experienced musician. . Gibson's pickups are without doubt clear, articulate and sensitive, with the kind of quiet, cleanliness one would expect from a premium guitar, the ability to register even the slightest nuances at low level and a rich, powerful projection when cranked up that enable the musical purity to cut through the well controlled and subtle microphony that even in the cleanly manufactured wax potted coils, makes its presence felt, but at a level that adds character in spades, rather than the coarse, uncontrolled, discordant fashion of lesser offerings. . Potentiometers, wiring, earthing and shielding of cavities are silent for the most part with little, or no R.F. Interfearance, maintaining the musicality of the outgoing signal. . The machine heads are precise, with little backlash in the gearing and a soft, smooth operation which when set, stays put throughout all but the most vigorous strumming and string bending, making for a. Rewarding rich sounding experience, with minimal need for adjustment due to string creep. . With the attention to quality control in the hardware section, the plating is very even and lustrous, giving yet more reason, if any were needed, to trust in Gibson's ability to produce what is and has been for some considerable time, the industry standard where electric guitars are concerned. . If I HAD to make one criticism, it would be to highlight the guitar's tendency to resonate in a very slightly bass heavy fashion, but that is nothing that can't be allowed for in the choice of strings and amplifier settings........ . By far the biggest accomplishment in my opinion, is the way the guitar lends itself to customisation. Especially in the wiring department. Replacing the bridge pickup with a very slightly "Brighter" one transforms the guitar, in my opinion. Opening its range and vocabulary. Making it by far the most versatile and playable guitar on the market today... . All this being said. These are purely my own, personal opinions, no doubt endowed with just a little positive bias having owned many Gibson Les Paul models over the years. Each one being the leader in its price range.