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Neal Schon selling off his own Prototypes...

Chris Swope

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Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
295
Gibson took his signature guitar and turned it into the Axcess, he was not happy about it. Check out the first five minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If9XahzlkSk


I'm sure Neal had his reasons for the divorce from Gibson but there are a couple of cheap shots in his clip. I met Neal once at the old building. He was cool. We built the run in the new Custom Shop building. I really don't think he had to tell us how to put a Floyd on or how shape the neck Aria style. Matt Klein is a monster engineer and guitar builder and doesn't need an education from anyone. No disrespect to Neal. Just telling the truth.

Neal's guitars were true prototypes. Most prototypes from Gibson are just another guitar that they write prototype on. I had my tiny part in this guitar. I cut the diamond inlays out of single large blocks of pearl. They are not 3 pieces as they appear. Once inlaid into the board I had to mask off the majority of the inlay except the parts that you see as black. We had a bead blaster set-up and I used that to cut the slots deep enough to fill with black tinted epoxy. How's that for not being cost effective?! They eventually had the pearl cut into diamonds but I had to still bead blast every single board in the run. I do not miss that part of the gig.

The Japanese loved the idea of the model and had similar Floyd'd scarfed guitars built with more of a traditional Les Paul knob layout and two humbuckers. I think one of those may've trickled into Alex Lifeson's hands. That's what ultimately led to the Axcess.
 

Doc Sausage

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Nov 21, 2006
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Very telling. Maybe. With all that's at stake, egos, engineers - who from my experience, feel if it's not their idea, it's not a good one - not to mention all that hubris at a custom shop, opinions will certainly fly.

Neil Schon has been overlooked as a player and a probably as a designer for a long time. Now that he is an old "boomer" (watch out boomers, you are not going to be favored by the new gen...another forum...) his 'B-list' opinion is going to be shopped. He and PRS are a good fit. And I mean that in a positive way.
 

jtees4

Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
209
Needs more cavities in the back. The guitar may not be chambered...but the guitar IS chambered! :wah
PS: I'd gladly take it if given to me.
 

Chris Swope

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Oct 5, 2008
Messages
295
I personally can't handle a Floyd. I'm a Bigsby on a 335 man. The sustainer? I'd miss the neck humbucker. I am a simple man. But all my Floyd playing buddies from back in the day lust after this model. And the top on this prototype is right up my alley, too. For a lot of guys the marriage of a Floyd and a Les Paul is the pairing of two of Rock and Roll's greatest tools. I won't fault anybody for wanting these.
 

SFLP

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Jan 18, 2005
Messages
1,024
I'm sure Neal had his reasons for the divorce from Gibson but there are a couple of cheap shots in his clip. I met Neal once at the old building. He was cool. We built the run in the new Custom Shop building. I really don't think he had to tell us how to put a Floyd on or how shape the neck Aria style. Matt Klein is a monster engineer and guitar builder and doesn't need an education from anyone. No disrespect to Neal. Just telling the truth.

Neal's guitars were true prototypes. Most prototypes from Gibson are just another guitar that they write prototype on. I had my tiny part in this guitar. I cut the diamond inlays out of single large blocks of pearl. They are not 3 pieces as they appear. Once inlaid into the board I had to mask off the majority of the inlay except the parts that you see as black. We had a bead blaster set-up and I used that to cut the slots deep enough to fill with black tinted epoxy. How's that for not being cost effective?! They eventually had the pearl cut into diamonds but I had to still bead blast every single board in the run. I do not miss that part of the gig.

The Japanese loved the idea of the model and had similar Floyd'd scarfed guitars built with more of a traditional Les Paul knob layout and two humbuckers. I think one of those may've trickled into Alex Lifeson's hands. That's what ultimately led to the Axcess.

I don't think Neal comes off very well in that interview. I would be surprised too if a lot of the credit that Neal feels he is owed for the design really doesn't belong to Gary Brawer.
 

Chris Swope

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Oct 5, 2008
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295
I don't think Neal comes off very well in that interview. I would be surprised too if a lot of the credit that Neal feels he is owed for the design really doesn't belong to Gary Brawer.

Good point. We got part of the circuitry from Gary. By the way, I'm not suggesting Gibson designed the guitar in isolation. I'm just saying Gibson knows about neck pitch and how to sculpt a heel! I'll give Neal a free pass on the interview. He is proud but deservedly so.
 

SFLP

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Jan 18, 2005
Messages
1,024
Good point. We got part of the circuitry from Gary. By the way, I'm not suggesting Gibson designed the guitar in isolation. I'm just saying Gibson knows about neck pitch and how to sculpt a heel! I'll give Neal a free pass on the interview. He is proud but deservedly so.

That's cool Chris. I thought I remembered Gary saying that he spent time back at Gibson on that guitar. Nothing against Neal. I just don't think he needed to go there in the interview.
 

M4sonicLP

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Mar 13, 2013
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tngchaps3spock.jpg


Chappers and The Captain

Gibson Les Paul Standard v PRS Custom 22 - Let's Fight!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONdzBzBTYAM
 

orchard1956

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Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
3
I'm sure Neal had his reasons for the divorce from Gibson but there are a couple of cheap shots in his clip. I met Neal once at the old building. He was cool. We built the run in the new Custom Shop building. I really don't think he had to tell us how to put a Floyd on or how shape the neck Aria style. Matt Klein is a monster engineer and guitar builder and doesn't need an education from anyone. No disrespect to Neal. Just telling the truth.

Neal's guitars were true prototypes. Most prototypes from Gibson are just another guitar that they write prototype on. I had my tiny part in this guitar. I cut the diamond inlays out of single large blocks of pearl. They are not 3 pieces as they appear. Once inlaid into the board I had to mask off the majority of the inlay except the parts that you see as black. We had a bead blaster set-up and I used that to cut the slots deep enough to fill with black tinted epoxy. How's that for not being cost effective?! They eventually had the pearl cut into diamonds but I had to still bead blast every single board in the run. I do not miss that part of the gig.

The Japanese loved the idea of the model and had similar Floyd'd scarfed guitars built with more of a traditional Les Paul knob layout and two humbuckers. I think one of those may've trickled into Alex Lifeson's hands. That's what ultimately led to the Axcess.
Chris, thanks for the pat on my back. Schon took an idea that Keith Medley had and started talking to Custom Shop as if it was his idea. I hand shaped each and every one of those guitars with a spokeshave and fish tail gouges. I think there were at least 25.
 

Cogswell

The Duke of Dumbassery
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Mar 19, 2002
Messages
15,717
Chris, thanks for the pat on my back. Schon took an idea that Keith Medley had and started talking to Custom Shop as if it was his idea. I hand shaped each and every one of those guitars with a spokeshave and fish tail gouges. I think there were at least 25.

Master luthier in the house!
 

JBLPplayer

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Sep 29, 2010
Messages
1,136
I remember my producer sending me pictures of these in 2007. It has some Fernandes sustainer built in and bunch of tweeks. ( no heel, Floyd aka every 80's gadget.) That deal went away quickly as the next thing I saw was a NS Yamaha model based on some SG-2000 thing and now ultimately a PRS model that looks somewhat like the NS Gibson guitars in the pictures.. The Axcess I think morphed into the Lifeston model and for those type of players is a great idea. All in all if I was gonna make a Gibson NS model... I would just do a three pickup custom without covers beat it up and throw on some Betty Davis records. That guy back then and still today can really really play... Nice chap too... Would give a dollar to be a fly on the wall and know why the Gibson deal went away though... :jim
:salude

Joe B
 

EvLectric

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Feb 11, 2011
Messages
308
To me, if a Lester was built with a Floyd then I have no problem with it.Routing a...well, any of them for them..nah, except for some rare instances.
I would prefer it with the top two knobs down about an inch, trapezoids, and thr cavity for the Sustainer
 

Doc Sausage

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Joined
Nov 21, 2006
Messages
1,707
I lost the 3rd round of a "King of the Blues" contest to a Jimi Hendrix act with a sustainer. Maybe it was his playing with his teeth. Or maybe it was my L.O.F.T!:rofl
 

IMMUSICRULZ

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May 25, 2021
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616
Neal Schon has always played (and continues to play) Gibson guitars. His first guitar was an ES 335, and he used that when he and Gregg Rolie played in Santana. But by the time Journey put out Infinity, he was using a Les Paul. As we all know, he also played a Strat (it was known as the 'Lights' Strat because it was used on such song) as well as Paul Reed Smith stuff.

Neal Schon is one guitarist I always felt helped pave way for jazz-rock. As a matter of fact, Steve Lukather has listed Neal Schon as an influence.
 

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
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5,657
Neal Schon has always played (and continues to play) Gibson guitars. His first guitar was an ES 335, and he used that when he and Gregg Rolie played in Santana. But by the time Journey put out Infinity, he was using a Les Paul. As we all know, he also played a Strat (it was known as the 'Lights' Strat because it was used on such song) as well as Paul Reed Smith stuff.

Neal Schon is one guitarist I always felt helped pave way for jazz-rock. As a matter of fact, Steve Lukather has listed Neal Schon as an influence.
I remember a publicity photo from when he was in Santana with an Olympic White Stratocaster and I remember really liking the Strat as it reminded me of Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Stratocaster .
 
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