New guitar - Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded

Ok, technically it's not "new" since I bought it used and it's been around the house for at least 2 months, but it just goes to show that I'm a bit behind on my blog posting... I've had a recent fascination with Gibsons, particularly their "guitar of the week" models, but this is the first Gibson I've picked up in quite a while that's not a "guitar of the week"...



That's a Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded with a 50's neck profile, tobacco burst finish, and Burstbucker Pro pickups. It's similar to the non-faded Standards with the exception of the missing pickup covers and (obvious) satin finish. I'm always a bit nervous about dinging or wearing down the finish on satin guitars, but it's usually worth it in terms of tone... this is the richest sounding Les Paul I've ever played, resonates like nothing else, and is also relatively light (for a Les Paul, at least). And it gets extra points for looking old (like a 50's Les Paul that's been kept under the bed for 50 years) even if it's a 2007 model. Only downside (so far) is that the back of the neck seems to get gunked up rather quickly, so it needs to be cleaned/polished more frequently than my other guitars.

But nonetheless, I've probably spent more time playing this than everything else combined over the past few weeks... been using it for band practices, demo recording, and will most likely take it to this Wednesday's gig. All in all, it's one of the best values in the Gibson lineup these days, particularly if you're in the market for a real Les Paul at a non-inflated price.

--B