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Recent content by sunking101

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    Gibson quality a step up or did I just get lucky

    I had Covid for 2 weeks so didn't touch the guitar and as I'm not one of those people who go over everything with a fine toothed comb I just didn't spot the ding. Now of course I can't unsee it.
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    Gibson quality a step up or did I just get lucky

    Yes. The goldtop is an excellent guitar. If I had bought the R8 online I would have sent it back. I only noticed the ding after 3 weeks of ownership and the tall fret is "to be expected" according to most techs.
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    Gibson quality a step up or did I just get lucky

    My R7 has some fingerboard tool marks and the frets weren't polished. My new R8 has a small ding on the top near the neck that I didn't notice in the store and the 21st fret is high so needs levelling. Not great for Custom Shop guitars IMO.
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    Gibson quality a step up or did I just get lucky

    Some are dogs plain and simple. They let too many of these dogs out of the factory and they shouldn't for the prices they charge. For big bucks you expect great work. Yes lots of the build process is done by hand but sadly not always by highly trained craftsmen... I have a lovely R8 and a...
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    Fender gets into vintage sales via Reverb

    Fender fans always give shims a free pass but it smacks of poor build quality to me. Get the neck angle right! Even with CNC machines lots of modern Fenders still need shims. I had a CS Tele and an Elite strat that both needed a shim. A good neck angle is essential on a guitar and if the...
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    Gibson quality a step up or did I just get lucky

    The quality is the same as it's ever been. Good, bad and stellar guitars leave the factory on a daily basis.
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    Why did Gibson swap from Tulips to Kidneys on Les Paul Customs 2016/17?

    The non-reissue Customs have had tulip Grovers on them for decades. Just curious why Gibson changed to kidney beans in recent years.
  8. S

    Why did Gibson swap from Tulips to Kidneys on Les Paul Customs 2016/17?

    Does anyone know why Gibson stopped speccing LP Customs with the classic Tulip tuning buttons around 2016/17? In my humble opinion the kidney tuners don't look as good.
  9. S

    NGD - 1981 Goldtop Standard

    Who knows. I like copious checking on older instruments but a couple of cracks on otherwise mint condition guitars looks a bit naff IMO.
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    NGD - 1981 Goldtop Standard

    Strange about the lack of checking. My 2 year old GT has started to crack already and I think it's a bit premature. I notice that the Les Paul signature on the headstock is in the 'right' place. Newer Standards place it lower and of course it's higher on the reissues.
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    Lacquer cracking on Les Pauls

    That's cool. Those plentiful, uniform horizontal cracls are great but a couple of random vertical cracks near the control knobs doesn't look cool. It just looks like damage, or a flaw. My RT GT has three deep, vertical cracks going through the control knob cavities but is otherwise mint. It...
  12. S

    NGD - 1981 Goldtop Standard

    Nice. I like the forearm wear and greening. Is there any lacquer checking at all?
  13. S

    Favorite Players Playing a Les Paul Deluxe

    Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden. It was the first guitar he ever bought and it's his favourite.
  14. S

    LP weights

    I felt like my 10lbs 2oz LPC was going to break the wall hanger. I couldn't imagine a 12-pounder :-o
  15. S

    LP weights

    My weight relieved 2010 LP Custom weighs 10lbs 2oz. My non-weight relieved 2020 LP '57RI weighs 8lbs 6oz. The Custom is a boat anchor and it feels like it will break any stand that I put it on whereas my goldtop is really light. Only 28oz difference between them but it seems like a ton when you...
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