My original 1978 RD Artist was my first electric guitar purchased for me by my Mom as a birthday present in 1978 when I was 16 years old. I am now a 45 year old lawyer/former rocker who owns over 20 guitars ranging from a 63 Strat to a 47 Martin. I love the sound, heft and feel of my old RD and I'm pleasantly surprised to see a reissue from Gibson and some much deserved respect being shown to a guitar that was WAY ahead of it's time.

The electronics on the original RDs are dated but like an old tube amp still sound great and different.

Easy to string but very heavy! You kids will need to start a lifting regimen if you're going to swing this axe around all night on stage!

10 + I've owned the guitar for 30 years now and never had a problem.

Mom paid 450.00 new. Not sure what it's worth today but would not sell for anything.

never needed any

Like I said, WAY ahead of it's time with the electronics on board.

old rocker...still play in garage band with the guys

Rock

I've got one of the original RD Standards. If the new ones are anything like it, they'll be versatile, strong, and beuatiful. I play mine through an old Traynor 60watt tube amp with a nice Altec Lansing speaker. The tone of these two together is astonishingly clear and pure. To raunch it up, I use the usual variety of Boss boxes. I've owned Fenders, Ricks, and Martin electrics and played dozens of other guitars, but the RD has always been my fave. No, you can't get the Strat crackle from it or the Rick's twang, but I find that those guitars are limited beyond their basic, signature sounds. The RD lends itself to a variety of effects and you can go from jazz to raunch w/o much problem.

At least on the original, there weren't many features. Two pickup with volume and tones controls and a three-way switch. The original guitar has a solid bridge and tuning pegs and rarely went out of tune while playing.

Fabulous neck.

Incredibly durable.

The new ones are going for about what the vintage models bring. (I bought mine for $250 in the early 1980s.)

No idea. I have locals set it up now and then. Never had a problem.

I've got it!

Playing out about once a month.

Rock and roll, blues, occasional over the top Pink Floyd meets Neil Young stuff

Love this guitar! Feels great strapped on! Neck is super nice. Wish they had bonded the body and the neck a little farther back but works great unless you are playing way past the 12th fret. have Explorer and Les Paul and The rd standard reissue has the same quality but with an emory neck it is a little brighter. I did not care for the dirty finger pickups. Thought they sounded like arse! Removed and put a seymour cuncan SH-4 in the bridge and a custom 59 in the neck and now I can't put the guitar down.

Everything about the guitrar is great except for the dirty finger pick ups. thought they were or are the worst sounding pickups that I have ever heard on a guitar. One week into owning the guitar and I am replacing the pick ups.

took a while to get it set up but now it is great!

Great quality

I think in 20 years that it will be worth alot. all my friends think it is one of the sickest guitars they have ever seen. I got the guitar for 950 but spent couple of

gibson took care of me! Now if I could get them to give me some money for the dirty finger pickups that i have sitting in a box!

It's so sexy that I make love to it eveynight!

active musician

All of it

This baby has a very hard sound for a Gibson. Very borderline metal. That being said. Its great for hard rock. Has a lot of bass end to it. I am playing through a Orange Tiny Terror and a 1x12 mesa cab. The action on this was amazing. Really low. Lets me play leads like the guitar was made just for my perfect solos.

Came with a case. I heard that the original had a Moog system built in. But i am guessing that if they did that with these they would have been a lot more expensive. I think pick up covers would have been a good choice but thats just my personal preference.

gets that great distortion sound that i wanted out of it. Dirty Finger pickup are named appropriately.

Its a great Gibson product.

I got it for $950 new. i think they came out at $1150. either way i wanted one since i saw Dustin from Thrice playing one live on "the Earth will Shake" video.

i haven't had to deal with them.

if anything happened to it i would have back on my wish list.

Recording Engineer, active musician

Indie Rock