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I *love* Gibson threads.
Now where's my popcorn?
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06-21-2017 10:41 AM
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I'm having coffee and a biscotti!
Originally Posted by christianm77
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Come on bro, you should have known this would happen.
Gibson is like the "F" word around here. It is a versatile word that has many different meanings to many different people here. Like, "Keep it up and I will "gibson' you up".. Or, "Wow it is a beautiful night tonight. What do you say we put a blanket down and "Gibson" our brains out"...
For what its worth, I am with you. I love Gibson pickups. I never felt the need to change a pickup because I don't need any better. That's not saying some of the derivatives haven't improved on the design. Maybe they have. But I for one will never know.
Joe D
Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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+1 to Fender being "equal but different".
If single-coil tones are what you want, Fender is what you want.
While the P90 is awesome, it'll never compete with Fender for FENDER tone (and vice versa)
And to compare Gibson humbuckers to Fender single coils is kinda' like apples and oranges. Not to mention, Fender did have their own HB: the Wide-Range Humbucker, which, while not terribly popular at the time, certainly has a cult following now (much like the CC and Staple pickups).
Grestch pickups are different altogether. Now you're comparing apples and winnebagos. They are more unique than either of the other 2, imo (and I like them less than the other 2 as well).
But, of course we all know there is no "better"- you like what you like, simple as that. It's a golden age of guitar gear right now, we can play just about anything we want, whether it's a Super Distortion or a Staple repro. Good times.
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Probably one of the lesser useful "discussions" I have seen on here.
Gibson has made some amazing guitars. They may still make good ones - I wouldn't doubt. it. But of late, the company has been less than sterling - the company and their business practices, not necessarily the guitars. And their prices have run amok. And of course there is the fact that a lot of Gibson players I hear seem to prefer a "blanket over the amp" tone. not my favorite!
The best guitar soundwise that I have ever had was an old Harmony Bobkat I paid $20 for. I stripped it to the bare wood (maple neck, body of fibrous wood between two thin sheets of harder wood) and put a Gibson Melody Maker pickup on it. The scale was short enough that I could use .014-.060 strings on it. It sounded KILLER for a jazz tone. The first time I ever used it was at a "reading-band" session at the junior college I was attending. The guitar player next to me had a Gibson Super 400 but my tone just wiped the floor with his sound.
From this, it confirmed that single coil was my thing. The first electric I had ever had was a Fender Telecaster - I still regret having sold it. And the guitar I use now is a Squier by Fender neck on a custom body with two Pete Biltoft single coil pickups.
Those are my preferences. Wanna pick a fight?Last edited by robertm2000; 06-21-2017 at 02:07 PM.
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I also tend to love Gibson pickups partly because it is what I got used to over the years, but also what I love and expect in term of tone.
Most of my guitars are/were from the '90s and I guess I was lucky as they all sound good.
I sold a Sheraton II with upgraded Gibson classic 57s and a new harness, was a good sounding instrument; I would have gladly kept it should I got used to the fat D profile...
Pushed my luck as to put a Gibson 490R as a neck pup on my Mahogany Tele Partcaster, could not be happier.
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This is how my G*bs*n sounds:
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Ahh, i got it! G*bs*n sounds like a banjo, in disguise! Originally Posted by christianm77
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HB-1 maybe, but Gretsch Filtertron pickup has nothing to do with Gibson, and is really where its at for those who look beyond an average tone. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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And no Gretsch ever made sounds as good! Originally Posted by christianm77
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I spit out my coffee!!! LOL Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
Ahh, i got it! G*bs*n sounds like a banjo, in disguise!
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You're right- they've made even better sounds.... Originally Posted by Stringswinger
And no Gretsch ever made sounds as good!
Paul Pigat, Gretsch Falcon with Filtetrons
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Yay! Gretsch vs Gibson fight!
Gretsches are the guitar choice of Bono. I rest my case for team Gibson.
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I'll see your Bono and raise you a Billy Joe Armstrong and a Paul Stanley
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Who are they?
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I will agree with the premise that Gibson perfected the electric guitar pickup and popularized it, but in no way did they invent the concept. Rickenbacker marketed the first electric guitar in the early 30's. By the mid-30's there were several companies including National and Audiovox who were selling guitars with electric pickups, in addition to Gibson.
Apparently, the first Gibson pickup, which became known as the CC after its famous player, wasn't highly thought of because of unequal string amplification.
And of course don't forget DeArmond, who made the first commercially available pickup one could add to an acoustic guitar. My impression is that DeArmond ruled the roost until the Les Paul and Fender models came along.
The electric guitar really took off after Les Paul started working with Gibson on his eponymous electric guitar (though Paul made "the log" using a pickup of his own design in 1940), simultaneous with Fender selling the Esquire in the early 50's.
So my take is that Gibson perfected the product and very successfully marketed it. If Les Paul have never worked for Gibson, one wonders how famous Gibson would be these days.
Not to knock Gibsons or their pickups. I have a 135 with Classic 57's that is awesome.Last edited by Doctor Jeff; 06-21-2017 at 02:39 PM.
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They didn't popularize it any more than Leo Fender did- that is, if we are talking about the so-called "perfected" PAF. PAF was 1955. The Broadcaster was 1950. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
(of course gibson had the CC and P90 before then, but that was not their so-called "perfected" pickup, which I'm assuming references the hum-cancelling "humbucker", or Seth Lover PAF. Gibson certainly did alot of work popularizing the ELECTRIC guitar way before Fender made his 1st Broadcaster.)
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Bono's suck tends towards infinity. BJA and PS have finite suck. Originally Posted by ruger9
I'll see your Bono and raise you a Billy Joe Armstrong and a Paul Stanley
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Just out of interest - I never really saw the appeal of Gretsches seeing them as toy sparkly guitars for singers/rhythm guitarists with elaborate hair.
But maybe I am prejudiced.
Who are the serious players who do the jazz thang on a Gretsch?Last edited by christianm77; 06-21-2017 at 03:12 PM.
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Sounds pretty "serious" to me (as does Paul Pigat, above- while he is known primarily as a rockabilly guy, he can "jazz it up" tremendously.)
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If you're having ONE, then it's "biscotto". Singular. Originally Posted by GNAPPI
"biscotti" is the plural of "biscotto".
You could've said "I'm having coffee and biscotti". Then it would've been absolutely correct. But, you added the "a", which gives the specificity of a singular afterwards.
I thought you'd like to know your italian a bit better.
Last edited by LtKojak; 06-21-2017 at 03:09 PM.
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Not too shabby....
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just for info sake, the gibson alnico v staple pickup was gibsons attempt at a deamond dynasonic type pickup...with magnet polepieces that moved up and down via a spring system
here's its creator..seth lover..(who was really the genius behind gibson pickups)..from great interview with seymour duncan
"DeArmond brought one out that had a very large magnet pole piece that was adjustable up and down. It had individual screws and Gibson felt they needed something to compete with that so I designed this one (Alnico pickup with rectangular Alnico magnets) the pole piece are adjustable rectangular magnet."
Seymour W. Duncan's Interview With Seth Lover | Seymour Duncan
cheers
ps- an old gretsch with dynasonics is a beautiful thing..witness the great mickey baker
Last edited by neatomic; 06-21-2017 at 05:27 PM. Reason: sp-
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Yeah I almost said "apart from Brian Setzer." He doesn't count as a jazz guitarist because people have heard of him. Originally Posted by ruger9
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That's very nice. What model is he playing? Originally Posted by ruger9
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