New addition to the family

[white room]

I just picked up a new LP 58 Standard V.O.S yesterday and oh man what a tone machine it is!

I have been drewling over it every time I would go into my local mom and pop store but I didn't want to try it out because I knew that I would not be able to get out the door without it. Well, when I woke up yesterday morning I said to my self..." that's it! I'm going down there today and play that guitar and if I like it I'm getting it...that's it and that's all!

The washed cherry finish just reaks of vintage appearance and the thick 50's rounded neck is perfect for me, no more feeling like I'm playing on a ruler and having my hand cramp up in the middle of a gig. From the first chord I hit I knew this one was a winner. I have never had another LP get quite the tone this one does. The chambered body, CTS pots and Bumble Bee caps make for a very sweet tone.

The sound of this LP is tight and chunky with a real warm, smooth, organic tone to it. Heartbreaker, Mr. Big (live), Spoonful (live), etc. all just poured out of this LP with little effort. The cleans sound like brass wind chimes and the overdiven tones have a smooth, velvety growl. This guitar really hits the front end of the Marshall good. It makes the amp breakup more on 3 than any of my other guitars with hotter pickups and at 5 and up it is just a whole other world.

Needles to say, it went home with me and better yet...the wife did not scream and rant and start speaking in tongues when I told her how much I spent on it...she just rolled her eyes at me and said "your crazy" and that was it. To cool!!!

[fillmore nyc]

I just picked up a new LP 58 Standard V.O.S yesterday and oh man what a tone machine it is!

I have been drewling over it every time I would go into my local mom and pop store but I didn't want to try it out because I knew that I would not be able to get out the door without it. Well, when I woke up yesterday morning I said to my self..." that's it! I'm going down there today and play that guitar and if I like it I'm getting it...that's it and that's all!

The washed cherry finish just reaks of vintage appearance and the thick 50's rounded neck is perfect for me, no more feeling like I'm playing on a ruler and having my hand cramp up in the middle of a gig. From the first chord I hit I knew this one was a winner. I have never had another LP get quite the tone this one does. The chambered body, CTS pots and Bumble Bee caps make for a very sweet tone.

Needles to say, it went home with me and better yet...the wife did not scream and rant and start speaking in tongues when I told her how much I spent on it...she just rolled her eyes at me and said "your crazy" and that was it. To cool!!!

Best of luck with that fine axe, whiteroom. I was not aware that Gibson was chambering the bodies on those guitars. Do you know if it has the '57 classic pickups, or does it have burstbuckers? Either way, cool that you bought it, just cause you had to have it. I more than understand the sentiment. My wife has gotten used to me spending like that too, but it usually costs me somewhere down the road!!

[yngwie308]

Let's have some pics then white room...
yngwie308

[white room]

I just picked up a new LP 58 Standard V.O.S yesterday and oh man what a tone machine it is!

I have been drewling over it every time I would go into my local mom and pop store but I didn't want to try it out because I knew that I would not be able to get out the door without it. Well, when I woke up yesterday morning I said to my self..." that's it! I'm going down there today and play that guitar and if I like it I'm getting it...that's it and that's all!

The washed cherry finish just reaks of vintage appearance and the thick 50's rounded neck is perfect for me, no more feeling like I'm playing on a ruler and having my hand cramp up in the middle of a gig. From the first chord I hit I knew this one was a winner. I have never had another LP get quite the tone this one does. The chambered body, CTS pots and Bumble Bee caps make for a very sweet tone.

Needles to say, it went home with me and better yet...the wife did not scream and rant and start speaking in tongues when I told her how much I spent on it...she just rolled her eyes at me and said "your crazy" and that was it. To cool!!!

Best of luck with that fine axe, whiteroom. I was not aware that Gibson was chambering the bodies on those guitars. Do you know if it has the '57 classic pickups, or does it have burstbuckers? Either way, cool that you bought it, just cause you had to have it. I more than understand the sentiment. My wife has gotten used to me spending like that too, but it usually costs me somewhere down the road!!

I think your right! You will have to forgive me; I didn't start checking specs online until after I bought it and it looks like Gibson makes a 58 reissue with a chambered body and a Standard that is not chambered? It gets confusing going from one online stores wording to another stores description but Gibson's site says nothing about it being chambered so that was my goof. This buy was a snap decision so I really did not put any research into it until afterward. My ears told me all I needed to know



It has the Burstbucker 1 & 2 pickups ( non-potted ) and they give a very full bodied tone in this guitar.

I know what you mean about it costing you later. I just know my wife has some sinister plan in the works

[white room]

Let's have some pics then white room...
yngwie308

Oh you know I can't wait to show this baby off I have to get my father-in-law to bring his fancy digicam over and takes some shots and then I will post them. You would think that since I am throwing around large sums of dough that I would finally invest in a good digital camera Oh well, first things first

[fillmore nyc]

Hey, W.R.--the confusion usually starts with Gibson themselves. They change specs as often as most people change their socks. Ive played a few of those '58 and '59 reissues, and I know exactly what you mean by your ears telling you just what you need to know. When you find a good one (and it seems like most of them are really good), they just kill. I think that 20 or 30 years from now, those axe's will be as special as an original '58. What ever plans your wife has in store, its ok, cause you'll still have your axe!!

[white room]

Hey, W.R.--the confusion usually starts with Gibson themselves. They change specs as often as most people change their socks. Ive played a few of those '58 and '59 reissues, and I know exactly what you mean by your ears telling you just what you need to know. When you find a good one (and it seems like most of them are really good), they just kill. I think that 20 or 30 years from now, those axe's will be as special as an original '58. What ever plans your wife has in store, its ok, cause you'll still have your axe!!

It does get a little confusing for me sometimes between all the different variations of a particular model of guitar. I find Fender to be mind numbing nowadays with all of the different models of strats they have out.

I suppose I should have mentioned also that my LP is the washed cherry plain top with the cream colored pickguard, p.u. rings and switch plate and all of the hardware has been aged right down to the rust color on some of the Phillips head screws.

A good while back; some guy had a vintage plain top up on Ebay and when I saw it I just could not take my eyes off of the pics and when I saw this V.O.S hanging on the wall in the store a few months ago, it looked like a dead ringer for the vintage one. The store owner probably thought I was going to set up camp in front it because I stood there forever staring at it

I agree with you; I have my long sought-after LP...the wife can do whatever she wants now...I'm good to go.

[yngwie308]

The '58 Plaintps are better value for money than the '59's basically the same guitar, Flame = mucho bucks. The '58 neck profile is nice, there are a few rare flamed '58's around, I played the prototype 1993 '59 Burst at the Chicago Vintage show that year, courtesy of Tom Murphy, my favorite was the new 1957 Goldtop reissue, which I couldn't put down, I loved the neck on that, it had a big ding, was a factory second sort of prototype, it was for sale , but Tom and Edwin wanted over $2K for it at the time, too rich for me, miss that guitar !

yngwie308

[white room]

The '58 Plaintps are better value for money than the '59's basically the same guitar, Flame = mucho bucks. The '58 neck profile is nice, there are a few rare flamed '58's around, I played the prototype 1993 '59 Burst at the Chicago Vintage show that year, courtesy of Tom Murphy, my favorite was the new 1957 Goldtop reissue, which I couldn't put down, I loved the neck on that, it had a big ding, was a factory second sort of prototype, it was for sale , but Tom and Edwin wanted over $2K for it at the time, too rich for me, miss that guitar !

yngwie308

My problem is ( and I will sheepishly admit it ) I have always loved Les Pauls since high school and that's going back a good ways but I never could afford a good one ( until the last 2 years ) so I only bought knock-offs or the more economical models such as the LP Special so, I never really took the time to study all of the minute details of the different vintages of Pauls until a few years ago. So, I hang out at the LP Forum and read everything I can about accurate pickup spacing, controls spacing and so-on.

I now have a beautiful sounding cherry SG Standard and this recent 58 r/i so I feel like I'm playing catch-up now Like I just found out the other day the only real difference between the 58 and 59 Pauls are fret size and spacing ( I believe ).

I have played some vintage LPs in the past that were owned by friends and THAT would leave me feeling green with envy....not anymore I never really paid much attention to the finer details because I didn't think it would ever apply to me but yet I always knew what I wanted visually and tonally and this 58 plain top was what my minds eye always saw and that's why I jumped on this one while the getting was good.... It all probably sounds weird I suppose but that's where I'm at right now.

[yngwie308]

They have the one standard fret size now the '59 spec larger frets.I believe the spacing is the same on both, I too read the Les Paul forum and found out that the RS pots and wiring was the optimum replacement for the stock setup. I am so happy with my Heritage Gary Moore guitars, and if I get tired of the EMG's I have many PAF choices to select from.
The chambered Les Pauls are considerably lighter, my Heritage's weigh in at almost 10 pounds, including the battery and active electronics, plus the Grovers!!
yngwie308

[white room]

I have read that too on the LP forum about the RS upgrades.

I thought it was pretty cool that Gibson used CTS pots and "bumble-bee" caps in the V.O.S models.

Not meaning to stray to far off but I am a Gary fan too. To this day I still think he got his best tones on his "Still Got The Blues" album. Any idea what pickups he used then? I was told once that they where more than likely custom wound for him.

[yngwie308]

It depends what period you are describing, in the '90's Still Got the Blues days, Gary used his two '59 Les Paul Standards, with original PAF's, plus occasionaly his Heritage 150, with a PJ Marx active p/u in the neck and a EMG 81 in the bridge, this was the predecessor of his signature model Heritage. lately Gary of course has sold Greeny and holds onto Stripe #9-2227 and in his Gary Moore Gibson Signature which he uses now, he has Tom Holmes pickups, with the bridge reversed ala Peter Green..

yngwie308

[white room]

I was referring to the 90's period.

I have one of the old Guvnor pedals and I think I'll try running this new LP through it tonight and see what happens. I'm not a big pedal pusher but I will see what happens.

I tried to get his tone for a while but I couldn't make it happen but then I have never had a LP that got the thick, woody tone that this one gets....we'll see

[yngwie308]

yngwwhite room, with respect 85-90% of Gary's tone is in his fingers and plectrum style, the Guvnor would certainly dial in the sustain needed, for those tunes.
Kirk Hammett told Bob Rock, or one of their producers, I want to dial in Gary Moore's Still Got The Blues Tone, and Kirk got a Les Paul, ect.
They said all you need is a 1959 Les Paul and Soldano SLO 100, ect.,
I have tried for many years to try and approximate Gary's tone, but it isn't as simple as a pedal or overbending, ect.
Gary plays with 440 tuning Light Top Heavy Bottom .010 thru .052 gauge, and really thunks the strings with a Gibson Heavy pick, utilizing a fairly high action as well.
He makes his playing appear effortless as does Yngwie, the mark of a master.
I am inspired by Gary's playing, as close as I will get to him, playing wise I am afraid
yngwie308

[white room]

I agree 100%. There's no doubt that most of his tone comes from his hands and you can sure hear that. I have always loved his vibrato too and I have been able to nail that down. I know this will come across a bit blasphemes but I have been able to get very close to his tone using just my early 80's Randall RG-80 combo and LP.

I have not used my Guvnor pedal in a very long time and thought it would be cool to try this new LP through it and my 67 clone to see how close I could get to Gary's tone and surprisingly it's not far off.

A good portion of the trick is loads of amp volume ( naturally ) other wise the pedal sounds too buzzy.