Two days to go in 2022, still time for a late Xmas present from the European Gibson Demo Shop. A 2015 Gibson Less + (plus) caught my eye, invoked a serious case of GAS and finally hit my Paypal account.
This instrument was only produced in 2015, had a thin body, coil split function on both pickups, pearloid inlays on a high grade fretboard, brass adjustable nut and the dreaded robot tuners were factory replaced with the Kluson style tuners. All housed in a real American made moulded Gibson case.
Bought on Thursday, delivered on Friday… and shipped back to Gibson on Friday. The horror, a broken neck at the headstock. Second time this happened in my 25 years collecting guitars and it feels like finding a dead puppy…
I returned it the same day to Gibson Europe. Wonder if I did the right thing? Return and go for the refund or ask for a partial refund and have it repaired? Oh well, too late now. As the Gibson employee said in the email: “too bad, life goes on…”
Happy holidays everybody!
(Is there anybody who has a Gibby Less+ for adoption?)
Haters gonna hate but I love this guitar from the Gibson Custom Shop! I have a weak spot for oddball guitars. In 2017 Gibson introduced the Modern Double Cut at the CES show. Remember, it was the year they did not participate at the NAMM show. Former president HJ’s take on transforming the musical instrument manufacturer to a lifestyle/ consumer goods company. Some crazy stuff was introduced in the first decade of this century: robot tuners, built in digital effects and crazy new body shapes. The all-new Gibson CS Modern Double Cut guitars in Standard and Custom version were introduced at CES. In 2018 a semi-hollow version joined the family, … and HJ left.
Gibson CS Modern DC Metallic Alien GreenGibson CS Modern DC Metallic Alien Green
A mahogany body with a two-piece maple cap is traditionally Gibson, so is the nitro lacquer finish and the humbucking pickups. These instruments feature a 12″ radius rosewood fretboard with 24 frets. The newly introduced Apex headstock has some kind of “volute” to reinforce the neck. A traditional Gibson neck is prone to break at the headstock, less chance this is going to happen with this new design.
Gibson CS Modern DC Candy Apple RedGibson CS Modern DC Candy Apple Red
The long neck tenon drives the neck deep into the cutaway body. The pickups are placed closer to each other and it takes a while to get used to. The pickups are a pair of 57 Classic and 57 Classic Plus humbuckers and they are wired to a 500K CTS volume pot and a 500K CTS tone pot. Hand wired, no mini-PCB in these guitars.
Gibson CS Modern DC Candy Apple BlueGibson CS Modern DC Candy Apple Blue
Gibson gets a lot of critique when they change a proven design but they nailed it with these guitars. Guitar players are very conservative regarding their instruments. They are a limited run and probably are going to be collectables. Excellent playability, perfect balance, tons of sustain and beautifully crafted at the Gibson Custom Shop.
I got them in Metallic Alien Green, Candy Apple Red and the rare Candy Apple Blue. They are eye-catchers on and off stage. I know Gibson gets a lot of comments on their quality control and their prices but as an owner of man Gibson Guitars, I ‘ve never encountered a single problem with any of my them. Except one time when I got an instrument with a broken headstock due to the brutal handling by the courier service. Other than that, no problems at all. Check out the short demo of “Alien Green”. Any resemblance to PRS is purely coincidental.
If you know what NGD is, you ‘ll understand I prefer playing this instrument instead of writing about it. Check back later, I ‘ll be busy for a while … Ciao!
Not so many postings lately… we were on a vacation in Saint Tropez, France.
What do you do on a not so sunny day? Right, you take a Taylor GS Mini and fiddle around a bit. It is a great travel companion and a remarkably good instrument for the price! I love it!
