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Recent content by matkoehler

  1. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    Ah I just went back a post and saw the context...yes the little PAF waterslides do come off sometimes due to the nature of a waterslide decal. But every Gibson pickup should have the white label on it with the pickup type.
  2. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    I'm not familiar with the 2013 Benchmark specs but '58 Explorers and Flying Vs have had these same frets for a very long time -- so maybe they are the same. The specific fretwire is Jescar FW50078. And compared to reissue frets, yes they are narrower and taller! Hope that helps.
  3. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    I've never played a Gibson that I couldn't get a good sound out of...but no, the team is testing for functionality and playability, not looking into tone nuances. The build recipes don't change and thus you can expect a certain degree of consistency between instruments.
  4. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    Yes just say you were told by Gibson to request "Plum Crazy" Purple for your build.
  5. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    No worries! I don't think they have been addressed. But yes all Custombuckers carry the same specs -- unpotted Alnico III and 7.5k target. And the 63 neck profile is a longstanding one -- not the same as the '64 (which is very similar to the current '59). It's just a round C-shape spec'd around...
  6. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    It is all Central American mahogany as far as I'm aware, but double-checking. Edit: We have used African Mahogany in the past, but confirmed that we are not currently using any in production (at any factory).
  7. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    1. Yes but you can only go up with pricing for a given platform -- i.e. no price reduction for using plain instead of the standard flame spec on a '59 Reissue LP. Our grading categories are a little different at Custom, although I'm not sure if this is consumer-facing: R for handpicked highly...
  8. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    Very cool, did not consider that!
  9. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    :) They are indeed limited; there may be a few orders that trickle out but they are officially discontinued.
  10. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    Debuting next month. Already in use at Custom Shop.
  11. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    Please know that we have a team hard at work at sophisticating M2M from the order process to build tracking. So hopefully there will be a lot more visibility in the coming year. Here are my replies: 1. Only that CS uses a lot less of it -- fewer coats, finer buffing and 8 mil thickness spec. 2...
  12. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    This is exactly the place to speculate! ;)
  13. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    Yeah I'm a little confused by the choices there -- Custombuckers were spec'd from Jimmy Page's LP and Alnico III was chosen as having the most sonic similarity. The Super '74 for RR was also spec'd from his pickups (which would have been Alnico V T-Tops) but for some reason Alnico III was...
  14. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    I got a reply! From the M2M director: we can do trans purple (stain), plum crazy (metallic), and purple sparkle (metalflake). And Heather Poly (metallic) but it's more of a pink purple. If there is a specific purple that someone is looking for, we can review a supplier color sample and discuss...
  15. matkoehler

    Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

    While I think of it, I'd like to reveal a couple "Easter Eggs" as we like to put into some runs of guitars. 60th Anniversary 1960 LP Standard Version 1 (only) -- pull a pole screw to see what bobbin colors we used. 60th Anniversary 1961 SG Standard & Custom -- check out the underside of the...
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