Gibson 2016 Les Paul Studio Faded Series T

[furtom]

It is the same shape as my son's Viking case with the plush handle.

HJ800! Oh my. I always wanted to play one of those. I've tried the HJ500, nice but those Hag necks are too thin for my shovel hands.

So what's the 800 like?

I can't give you a complete rundown as the guitar is in an intermediate stage of setup.

I wasn't particularly looking for this instrument, but it came my way in a trade that was too good a deal to pass up. This was over a year ago. I played a few chords on it, hated the setup and basically put it on the back burner to sell it. I decided to do something with it recently, so I started setting it up for a potential sale, but in the process, it's kinda growing on me. I think it's a keeper.

What I can tell you is that it's a great sounding instrument. It will be a great player, I can tell, but I haven't gotten there yet.

I don't know what the heck the previous owner was doing with it, but when I got it, it still had the plastic under the bridge. Even with that off, the bridge was too high for the neck angle (and poorly fitted to the top). When I fitted the bridge, it took off enough height to get it in the ball park, but it can probably be shaved down a bit more. at least I now the bridge is not all the way down.

After widening the nut slots and setting the truss rod, the guitar plays, but it still need some fret work to play as good as it should. BTW, I think I was the first human ever to touch the truss rod as the neck was straight as an arrow and, man, it was stuck! I managed to unstick it and oil it a bit and it's now functioning well, but I was scared for a second I had traded for very nice firewood.

I've never tried a HJ500, but I heard the 800's neck is more substantial. I wouldn't call it too thin. It's not as comfortable as the guitar in this thread, but it's quite fine and acceptable.

I think this guitar may become my main player, but of course, the setup will determine that for sure. I have high hopes. When I have it playing the way I like, I'll give it a proper NGD thread. Stay tuned!

[jazzbow]

I've never tried a HJ500, but I heard the 800's neck is more substantial. I wouldn't call it too thin. It's not as comfortable as the guitar in this thread, but it's quite fine and acceptable.

I think this guitar may become my main player, but of course, the setup will determine that for sure. I have high hopes. When I have it playing the way I like, I'll give it a proper NGD thread. Stay tuned!

I believe the 800 has a longer scale length @ 25" other than the 500 24.75".

I tried to find one to try out but they were hard to come by here in the UK.

Yeah, swap out the neck humbucker for a CC pickup ;-)

[furtom]

Congrats on the Lester. You might want to put some cash aside for a shotgun. In a few years, the young fellows will be swarming around your pretty daughter and you might need to keep them in line.

How much does she weigh? (The Lester, not the daughter)

LOL, shotgun at the ready. My daughter already says she has a "boyfriend."

"Oh, really," I say, feigning nonchalance, "what does that mean, exactly, he's your boyfriend?"

"It means we play together nicely and he's a boy."

Don't have a scale to weigh it. Will ask if I take it in for work. But it's a heck of a lot lighter than the AM-153 that has been my main player up till now. I love that guitar, but it weighs 18,000 pounds.

[furtom]

I believe the 800 has a longer scale length @ 25" other than the 500 24.75".

I tried to find one to try out but they were hard to come by here in the UK.

Yeah, swap out the neck humbucker for a CC pickup ;-)

Ha! Anything is possible, but so far I think the pickups will pass. The guitar sounds good. The solid top has a lot to do with it, I'm sure.

The electronics, OTOH, seem pretty crappy. I forgot to mention the pots had more crackle than a bowl of rice crispies. But after a shot of contact cleaner, they quieted down. In any case, if this guitar is a keeper, the whole harness won't last long...

This guitar seems a candidate for upgrades to make it a really good instrument. Of course, I had assumed the pickups would need to go, but so far, not so much.

[Woody Sound]

LOL, shotgun at the ready. My daughter already says she has a "boyfriend."

"Oh, really," I say, feigning nonchalance, "what does that mean, exactly, he's your boyfriend?"

"It means we play together nicely and he's a boy."

Reminds me of a funny quote I once heard.

"When you have a boy, you'll have to worry about that boy. When you have a girl, you'll have to worry about ALL the boys."