Gibson 2008 Les Paul Standard, Supplementary Manual

Page 1: ...HOW TO BUY AN ELECTRIC GUITAR Common sense rules to an informed purchase...

Page 2: ...2008 Gibson Guitar Corp...

Page 3: ...the following pages were formulated from interviews with professional players and Gibson luthiers who are recognized authorities on guitarmaking We covered the subjects of playability and dependabilit...

Page 4: ...e Manufacturer 4 RULE 4 Consider Appreciation 4 MATERIALS ARE IMPORTANT RULE 5 Demand Good Tone Wood 5 RULE 6 Insist on Quiet Electronics 7 MANUFACTURING IS AN ART RULE 7 Balance Craftsmanship with Pr...

Page 5: ...LE 11 Look for Innovation 11 HANDS ON EXAMINATION RULE 12 Check the Neck 11 RULE 13 Test for Sustain 13 RULE 14 Listen for Electronic Noise 13 RULE 15 Inspect the Finish 14 OWNER ADJUSTMENTS The Truss...

Page 6: ...ree way Toggle Switch Strap Button Neck Fingerboard Fret Nut Headstock Volume Tone Controls Pickups Single Cutaway 12th Fret Marker Inlay Truss Rod Cover Machine Heads Tuning Keys THE COMPONENTS OF TH...

Page 7: ...Gibson ES 335 Strap Button Binding Stopbar Tailpiece Tune o matic Bridge Body Three way Toggle Switch Neck Fingerboard Fret Nut Headstock Volume Tone Controls Pickups Double Cutaway 12th Fret Marker...

Page 8: ...to use cheaper materials cheaper parts and cheaper labor The result is a cheap guitar in every sense of the word No matter where you re playing onstage in a studio or at home you can t afford to have...

Page 9: ...r in guitarmaking A maker who hasn t been around long enough to experiment extensively with materials and manufacturing methods still has mistakes to make The simple truth is a guitar without a past m...

Page 10: ...is worth over ten times more than the original buyer paid for it in the 1950s Craftsmanship is important to the future value of a guitar Areas that require special skills such as the binding nishing...

Page 11: ...h pickups have been added These guitars are expected to produce some acoustic sound and to that end the more expensive models have a solid spruce top and solid maple back and sides while the less expe...

Page 12: ...g perpendicular to the outer sections for added strength However when wood is laminated or spliced in order to save money by using smaller pieces of wood quality and value fall dramatically Similarly...

Page 13: ...ey also put out a more powerful signal for a fatter tone Single coil pickups have a brighter sound than humbuckers but can be more prone to hum and feedback All Gibson humbuckers and single coil picku...

Page 14: ...ck joint to try to get the neck angle right The neck joint should be tight and rigid so that none of the string vibration is transferred to the neck If the neck joint is loose the strings lose vibrati...

Page 15: ...sible and arranged in a logical way Adjustable features such as the truss rod or the bridge should be easily adjustable and not require any degree of disassembly Traditional designs such as Gibson s T...

Page 16: ...rd for innovation A long history of innovations such as Gibson s arched top design adjustable truss rod and humbucking pickup indicates that a manufacturer is constantly trying to improve its guitars...

Page 17: ...in perfect tune Touch your left hand to the string at the 12th fret without pushing the string to the fret and pluck it to create a harmonic note Now press the string to the fret and pluck it If the...

Page 18: ...sten without plugging in playing each string open If a guitar has a relatively soft sound and relatively short sustain when compared to other similar instruments then there may be a problem with the n...

Page 19: ...all Gibsons have a lacquer nish It s a time consuming process requiring multiple coats and many days of drying time Urethane is widely used because it s cheaper to apply and because spraying nitrocell...

Page 20: ...turn at a time If the ngerboard has too much curvature the truss rod can be tightened by turning the nut clockwise THE BRIDGE The bridge s purpose is to maintain intonation and action string height A...

Page 21: ...vented the f hole archtop guitar and the semi hollowbody electric guitar and Gibson s solidbody electrics are familiar icons around the world When it comes to tradition quality and innovation ONLY A G...

Page 22: ...Gibson Guitar Corp 309 Plus Park Boulevard Nashville Tennessee 37217 USA 1 800 4GIBSON www gibson com...