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gibson RD-Artist

halouis

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Oct 26, 2001
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awww just kidding!! i had one a '77. it was my first electric guitar. what a piece of crap it was. got it cheap. sold it years later and got my $$ back.

utter junk.
 

OrangeFlavorBeef

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Mar 5, 2002
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793
That's why I love 'em...ugly! I'm kind of twisted that way. I like freaky lookin' stuff.

I've got one that is beat to hell, and the excessive electronics are all messed up. I'm trying to make it playable, and drop some decent pickups in it (which may not be enough to resurrect it...the pickups alone can't provide tone...as they say, you can't polish a turd).

Wish me luck...I'll need it.
 

rays44

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Jul 24, 2001
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2,911
I remember reading somewhere that "RD" stood for Rick Derringer (model) and that Rick was repulsed by the guitar. I never saw him play one and kind of doubt the connection.
As far as being wierd goes, I can kind of relate. I bought a Modern in the '80's just to be different from the more popular V's and explorers. Great guitar.
 
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OrangeFlavorBeef

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Mar 5, 2002
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Yep...we must be from the same planet. I've always thought Modernes were bitchin' (lookin' anyway).
 

becks bolero

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Jul 15, 2001
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that's right, they're all ugly POS & stay away from them...at least until I manage to pick one up cheap!!!
 
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Doc

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Jul 16, 2001
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Don't know...

about the artist. I have an RD standard...the one with normal, non battery operated electronics. Ugly stick, no doubt! But it plays and sounds good to me. Apparently it did to its previous owner too. Between us we played the frets right off it! Fact is, he had it railroad tracked before I got it! Ugly yep...but a cool guitar!

Doc
 

OrangeFlavorBeef

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Mar 5, 2002
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Yeah...mine is all beat to hell, and the frets are ATROCIOUS on it too...wonder if the fretwire was different for a while during that period?

And oddly, the major fret wear is on the treble side (first 3 strings) from the 1st to about the 4th/5th fret. I mean, it looks like someone intentionally ground them down and did something weird to the nut. Think I'll get some fret work and a new bone nut on it so the action will be more workable.

And lose that horrible "fine-tuning" tailpiece on the thing...yuk!

But basically, it's a pretty cool guitar...
 

MarshallOne

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Feb 3, 2002
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237
I have a 79 with the weird electronics. It is the best playing but yet the worst sounding guitar I have. Any body know anything about the pickups. I think that without all the active crap they are regular pickups does anyone concur? I had them apart and they are epoxied together like EMGs but have patent numbers on them. If you like the modern metal downtuned stuff you wouldn't need to downtune with this guitar it is all low end. And it is also light as a feather.. I traded a brand new Epi burst for it. (I was in Korea so I could get those epi all day long for 180 bucks.)
 

OrangeFlavorBeef

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Mar 5, 2002
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I had to gut mine...the electronics were all messed up (though I saved them).

The pickups were pretty fried (one was dead, and the other read about 3.8K)...glad I got it cheap.

I don't know that much history, but apparently these pickups are a well-known entity...if you go to the US Pat. Off. website and look up the patent no. on the pickups, you'll see that it's the wrong number stamped on them. Just a run-of-the-mill Gibby bucker from the late 70's I think...not a special pickup for the active electronics.

I'm wanting this guitar to sound nice 'n ratty 'n obnoxious, so I'm hoping the spare (gasp) Rio Grandes I have laying about will be just the ticket...we'll see...
 

halouis

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Oct 26, 2001
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i dont know for sure, but the electronics were some sort of Moog deal. 1 position you got bitng and i mean BITING highs. major icepick. the othersetting espe ially with the neck pup gave enl,ess sustain big low end. i kinda dug that one especially using slide.

mine was p[retty heavy i thought. the frets were low and wide. I didn;t find it an easy axe to play because of the neck and the frets. maybe it as just mine. looked neat. black w/ gold hardware. i was 13 or so, and dug the looks.

OFB, i'd imagine i fyou set it up with reg pups, it may be decent. good luck with it.
 

OrangeFlavorBeef

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Mar 5, 2002
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Yeah, I actually have the schematic for that Moog gizmo...it's a "compander"...unfortunately, the sustain+beef setting you mentioned is the one that wasn't working on mine...

I'd just as soon wire it up like a Paul anyway and not have the signal running through any unnecessary gadgets anyhow. I think it be made to play o.k., but 80% or the appeal of this particular guitar is it's cosmetics (or lack thereof).
 

halouis

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Oct 26, 2001
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love 'em or hate 'em, i thought Kist Noveselic of Nirvana looked pretty cool with his RD Bass. hard forhim to look cool, being the geek he was/is. But the RD series are BIG guitars. so they look cool on Big dudes. I guess thats why i liked it when i bought mine. i was 13 and already full height (but skinny skinny skinny) at 6'3"
 

pauldeluxe

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Jul 15, 2001
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Jimmy Page was one of the first to try out the RD Artist guitars. If you watch the Knebworth video, he plays one on Misty Mountain Hop. And once you hear it, you have a pretty good idea why he abandoned that guitar shortly afterwards.
 
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