Gibson Les Paul BFG Electric Guitar (with Case)

Feature:
for all those people who say no other guitar has a kill switch... they simply need to look around. true: nothing really comes STANDARD with a kill switch, but MANY guitars are wired with one by people that have a little bit more to their playing than just following the crowd of "classic" playing (aka: UNINVENTIVE musicians) if it were up to people like this, Les Claypool wouldnt have a whole series of basses with whammybars... and primus just wouldnt be the same. oh yeah... *cough cough* one of BUCKETHEAD's guitars has a kill switch as well. as for the pickup toggle being low and in reach... oh now that wouldnt come in handy at all... pfft. gibson was out reading minds on this one.

Quality:
once again... its a gibson. and even if they made a no frills guitar that looked like they were trying to make it resemble something old and beat up... ALOT of work went into it, and much more than you know is lurking in the making of this masterpiece.

Value:
this is about as inexpensive as gibsons get... save a few other models, but for lespauls.... this is it. go figure it just happened to be EXACTLY what i wanted, AND it was cheap. includes customized hardshell case as well... doesnt get any better.. i hope that gibson continues to make novel guitars and stretching out to a realm of players that do more than just repeat dusty riffage... people do still write ORIGINAL music.

Desirability:
once again, i reitterate.... this is my dream guitar... and i could never have dreamed a better looking finish. the routed body is freakin awesome. the first time that i saw it, i nearly hit my face on the moniter... and have continuously stared at my screen for hours contemplating it. the backside is even attractive to those people who like the look of worn-in guitars. and seeing as how ive always been a fan of transparent covers on electrical devices, i was even happier to see it reapplied here. im not a fan of shiney guitars cause you always have to be watching out for fingerprints and dust collecting under the strings or behind pickup rings (which it doesnt have). usually i opt for satin finished guitars, and this has nearly no finish at all... but it IS in fact there. once again gibson being slick and making you THINK its just raw wood. the distressed hardware is also just cool. wood knobs? ive calculated OODLES of money putting those on OTHER guitars that i own before. no worries there. this guitar is the SEXECUTIONER. the only finish i didnt really carefor is the red one... and thats cause i just dont like red guitars. i love the natural and black finishes enough however to excuse this. (hey gibson... what about a moss-green version *wink*)

Sound:
ever been to the gibson site... with the customize your own guitar page? yeah... this is the guitar i designed, a month before it came out. a high output pickup at bridge and an effing p-90 at the neck. this is like taking my 56' les paul goldtop and combining it with my tricked out pawnshop special. i play everything from funky blues to metal/prog rock... this has it ALL covered... without anything left to want for.

Ease of Use:
i dont think it would be possible to play this guitar without making it sound great... its a GIBSON.... this company has never made anything that sounded bad. and as basic as this guitar is, it doesnt get much easier.

Support:
do i need to keep mentioning its GIBSON... its america's favorite guitar for a reason... and world famous to boot. she-it.

Overall:
im ..... in... love..... and would never miss much else if my house was consumed by flames. im set on this guitar and would NEVER get rid of it. (not even barring life)

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18 of 22 people (81.82%) found this review helpful. Did you? Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

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Feature:
I can't say I am impressed with the kill switch, really has little use in my playing. I do like the distressed black hardware, it gives it a "rode hard" look to it.

Quality:
The product is made to look used and abused. It appears to be something you might expect to see in a Mad Max movie. A guitar slapped together from a junkyard of parts. It needs minor adjusting and set up to get your best action and playability. If one isn't knowledgable they would need to have it done for them.

Value:
This in my opinion as a Les Paul owner for the last 25 years is as good as many of the more expensive Les Pauls. If you don't mind the rough look I say run out and get this.

Desirability:
I know this doesn't fare well with the Gibson purists out there but this is a hot looking and playing guitar. It is the same guitar the details just changed a little.

Sound:
I was looking for a new guitar and always liked Gibson. Being a big fan of the Burstbucker pickups and this having one really grabbed my attention. Then having a p-90 with it really takes this to a new level of sound. It can give you the such a variety of sounds from chunky to bright tones. I have put this guitar through my Marshall amp and can't believe the versitility along with great tone. Really incredible.

Ease of Use:
You can get great sounds from this guitar. Enough variety to please almost any taste. The playability is great just like you would expect of a Gibson. The body is chambered. This does a lot to take away weight that Les Pauls are famous for. It has great balance around your neck and guitars such as the Les Paul Supreme boasts the fact that it is chambered.

Support:
Haven't need support on this product but have always been pleased with the proffesionalism of Gibson. I have always received clear and friendly answers and advice from them.

Overall:
I absolutely love this guitar and years from now I still will enjoy the uniqueness of this original looking guitar.

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13 of 16 people (81.25%) found this review helpful. Did you? Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

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Feature:
Comes in a perfect fit case, so that's some value for your buck that you have to consider when comparing prices. Personally I don't find the placement of the kill switch weird. I don't like the switch itself though. I think I'd rather have had a button instead. Press the button to kill and release to revive it. I would also have liked a top for the select switch. It's a tad short and hard to set in the heat of battle. That one is very easily fixed though.

Quality:
I love the rough finish. It looks like a flayed snake. I would have like a tad more sanding here and there though, but that's not something that really bothers me. It feels very well made and I doubt it's of less quality than my fully finished Explorer.

Value:
I actually find it a tad expensive considering the rough finish, but strangely enough I no longer mind having to pay $1500 for it here in Sweden.

Desirability:
It's basically the only cool Les Paul I've ever seen. Never been a fan of high gloss Les Pauls, but this one really speaks to me. I got the trans black one, but now I want the red one as well. Absolutely fantastic design.

Sound:
Can go from low meld distorted rythm guitar to scorching rock leads to rich clean chords and pickings. Mixing the P90 with a bumhugger is just plain and simple, awesome. I was very sceptical at first, but when I finally got to use it at practice with my band all my second guesses were blown away. My Gibson Explorer and Washburn Nuno N4 are both back-up from now on.

Ease of Use:
Easy to play, comfortable and fast neck. The select switch is on the short side though without the cap, so that's pretty much it.

Support:
No idea. Never been in contact with Gibson.

Overall:
A few flaws with really scruffy wood at some places and a hard-to-operate select switch, but the sound that comes out of this guitar will melt your brains and the body design is just pure genious. The only guitar yet in my collection that sounds great no matter what I play, be it Eric Clapton, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Paradise Lost, Johnny Cash or In Flames.

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5 of 8 people (62.5%) found this review helpful. Did you? Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

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Feature:
It is a less-than-average guitar, simply because the tone knob hardly does anything, and (in my opinion) the burstbucker sounds terrible. Plus, the killswitch is absolutely useless. The only really good thing about this product, as with all Gibsons is the case. P.S. All you guys going crazy about the Gibson cases being made in Canada, did you realize how much more it would cost if it was made in America? A good case is a good case.

Quality:
This guitar is what it is, it is made to be blemished looking, and doesnt have a finish, and acomplishes what it set out to be. The reason I gave it a 5 is because the finish is a very bizarre feeling finish. It really depends on how much you sweat. I dont sweat much, and it feels like my hand gets caught on the wood, because it is dry, and I cant play fast on this guitar. If you sweat a lot, or if you dont play fast too often, this is the guitar for you.

Value:
Hey, a REAL Les Paul under 1k! (Just change that bridge pickup!)

Desirability:
I personally dont like the look of the guitar, but once again, it depends on what you like.

Sound:
This guitar would have been perfect if it had a 496 alnico pickup in the bridge position, because face it, a burstbucker 3 with a P-90 is stupid, plus, it sounds terrible. If you are on stage, and you forget which pickup is on and you mix it up, it will sound horrible. I personally like it when the neck and bridge pickup dont sound anywhere near alike, but I absolutely hated the sound of the burstbucker 3 pickup. Its like Led Zeppelin. You either love them or hate them.

Ease of Use:
It is simple. Two pickups, three way switch, two volume and one tone knob, and a useless "killswitch". How can you go wrong?

Support:
A gibson is a gibson. I own a Gibson SG, and so far every time I have contacted Gibson with things like warrenty, it has been perfect.

Overall:
It really depends on what your looking for. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!!!!

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2 of 13 people (15.38%) found this review helpful. Did you? Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

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Feature:
THE KILLSWITCH IS USELESS!!!!! The guitar, like most Gibson guitars has two volume knobs. If you turn down the volume of the opposite pickup you are using, you can use the pickup selector as a killswitch! IT IS USELESS!!! P.S. I know a TON of guitar players are probably reading this and rolling their eyes, but to all of the guitar players just getting into the expensive guitars, Gibson Guitars have 2 volume and 2 tone knobs for a reason. A gibson can get so many sounds just by using the middle position and screwing with the tone knobs. Plus, if you use a gibson in the middle setting, you can use the volume controls to determine how much of each pickup is used. IT IS GREAT! My personal word of advice is do not buy this guitar, but bite the bullet and pay an extra 400 dollars for the Studio, and for pickup changes, if needed. Seriously, 2 volume and 2 tone knobs are a gift from god!

Quality:
Rather cheap, I know that the guitar is meant to be "distressed" but some things, like rough frets, arent "distressed" qualities. Just check the BFG you might buy over AND OVER for all of these things.

Value:
It depends on what you like and what you are looking for. In my opinion, this guitar should be an Epiphone.

Desirability:
It depends on what you like

Sound:
Depends on what you like I personally dont like it much.

Ease of Use:
It is a Gibson

Support:
I own an SG Standard in Heritage Cherry. Ive had to register my guitar and that is it. HOWEVER, when you register it, it asks for your model of guitar, and it is not just "SG Standard in Heritage Cherry" it is a "code" name, so call up your local Guitar Center, they will know exactly what the code is.

Overall:
I would not buy it, because I do not like the sound or look, but for all you guys out there considering, I would recommend going up a step, and just changing out the pickups in a Gibson Les Paul Studio. It would give you those precious tone and volume knobs : ). -Peace

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2 of 14 people (14.29%) found this review helpful. Did you? Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

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Feature:
i'd just like to say ive been a huge gibson fan for the past 6 yrears and own a lp standard and a sg but this guitar was a letdown. see that finish on the guitar, thats just unsanded ripply, bumpy wood=SPLINTERS. ouch. the setup is two volume, with one tone. the knobs are wood whics is interesting but looks like crap and they feel really cheap. on a regular les paul the switch at the top of the guitar is a pickup selector. here its a kill switch! WHY GIBSON. so pointless which means the pickkup selector is at the bottom of the guitar with the knobs. as for the rest there are no extra features like binding or inlays. the pickups are nice.

Quality:
all i can say is......how can gibson put their name on this

Value:
hey its a cheap les paul.....all you need is a sander and a knowledge of wiring so you can take out the kill switch for the toggle and put a new pickup selector in.

Desirability:
its like a beat up old les paul.....with a lot of work itll be good

Sound:
for a sub 1000 dollar guitar, it has good sound. its setup with a burstbucker 3 (higher output)and a p90 is interesting. great sound for hard rock/metal players. i play classic rock and this guitar wasnt great. for that u really have to suck it up and go for the standard or the classic at doubble the price.

Ease of Use:
like any other guitar with a killswitch....o wait its the only one. well its pointless. otherwise feels like a les paul should. dont get splinters.

Overall:
i guess i just like the traditional stuff. but this guitar is unorthadox. i guess if u like having a killswitch and splinters it may be kool(perfect for an emo).

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2 of 22 people (9.09%) found this review helpful. Did you? Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

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