Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

[Midnight Blues]

Not a Les Paul but still a Custom Shop, my Chuck Berry ES-355 will be arriving today and I don't think I've ever been this excited for a new guitar! No one around me could give a shit so I figured I'd tell you guys

Congrats, HNGD

and play her in good health!

 

[Awall]

Send Pictures

I will as soon as it arrives

 

[Awall]

Here is the Chuck Berry 355. Not sure why the first image is so bad but I love the checking. One issue is the chip on the headstock

 

[JoeC]

Amazing, nice checking. Congratulations. Are you happy with it?

 

[Awall]

Amazing, nice checking. Congratulations. Are you happy with it?

Beyond happy, it is a work of art.

 

[matkoehler]

Great thread Mat!
How do you like Tim Shaw pickups? Do you know what kind of alnico magnets where in those? I have a ´84 es 335 (black) which have those and they have very low KOhm readings (7.1 something..). Killer pickups though, and guitar. It sounds very Les Paul like on the higher frets. It doesnt thin out like some es can do in the higher registers.

So great to hear this stuff from the mouth of the horse!

I like them very much, although I hear a lot of people do not because they are not true PAF replicas. But I think they are great pickups ESPECIALLY in ES models. Thanks for the question!

 

[matkoehler]

Mat -

how many countries have Gibson dealers ?

And just for fun - can you tell us the most exotic locations where they are located such as a small African nation or exotic island .....

Great question -- you've 'stump'-ed me though. We operate through many distributors so the reach is pretty broad globally. We've got dealers in every continent except Antarctica, but not sure where the most remote one might be. Sorry I can't be of more help!

 

[matkoehler]

Hi Matt

I purchased a 58 a heavy relic Murphy Lab Les Paul. It is such an amazing instrument, Gibson is doing great work. In fact, I’ve been so impressed I started looking for a 59 to compliment my 58.

However, while searching I noticed that every heavy relic LP has the same wear pattern which I find odd. (Nicks in the same spot under the bridge and the lower corners.

My question is when will Gibson change the wear pattern, I want to purchase another Murphy Lab but I don’t want two guitars with the same wear pattern.

Thanks

I understand your concern. The wear patterns are standardized as much as possible to ensure consistent quality (this was the case pre-Murphy Lab as well). My recommendation is to go for a Light Aged piece. I'm not sure of a way to get largely different heavy aging patterns without starting from scratch again. Meanwhile the checking pattern on every instrument will be completely different one to the next, so at least there's that! Thanks for the question.

 

[matkoehler]

I have a couple R0s and they are fantastic. I think it’s interesting that the customer (fans!) of the 1959 era Sunbursts want Gibson to close the gap on the originals from 99.9% accurate to 100% accurate reproductions. I’m kind of the opposite. I’d like to see Gibson take the position that they made outstanding guitars during this era but there is room for important rather than be frozen in time. I’m sure they could make those guitars 1-3-5-10% better by making some modifications to those designs and production techniques. In example, use Grover tuners or improve the bridge design or improve the headstock design and angle or use Schaller strap lock buttons or provide the guitar without the pick guard and associated holes in the top and side or include push-pull pot options or possibly a 100 ideas.

Maybe Gibson has done this already and I’ve missed it. I do own a 2013 Les Paul Standard at it’s got a lot of really great modern features (asymmetrical neck, push-pull pots, Grover tuners, et cetera) and I believe the recent “Modern” is quite similar but I’d love to get those kinds of features but with the range of Sunburst tops or Custombuckers.

This is exactly why we have the new product architecture that we do -- Original Collection (Gibson USA Les Paul Standard), Modern Collection (Gibson USA Les Paul Modern/Classic/Tribute), and Historic Reissue Collection (anything with a year). There are Modern Collection offerings from Custom Shop as well and you can use Made 2 Measure to upgrade any Custom Shop platform however you like. Thanks for the message!

 

[matkoehler]

That's a beauty!! A bit more precise: any chance Gibson will make the 50's Les Paul P-90s with a burst finish AND a tune-o-matic bridge? I'm not a big fan of the wrap-around bridge.

Yes -- Made 2 Measure exists for just such a request. Order a 1956 Les Paul Reissue with a burst of your choice (from a Custom Shop dealer of your choice).

 

[matkoehler]

Not a Les Paul but still a Custom Shop, my Chuck Berry ES-355 will be arriving today and I don't think I've ever been this excited for a new guitar! No one around me could give a shit so I figured I'd tell you guys

Congrats! A ton of passion and love was put into every detail of that project, and I was amazed how well they came together. Thank you for your purchase!

 

[Awall]

Congrats! A ton of passion and love was put into every detail of that project, and I was amazed how well they came together. Thank you for your purchase!

Mat any chance you can help me, I've just posted my Chuck Berry ES-355, arrived today with a tiny ding on the headstock. Andrew in customer service was supper helpful and send me a return label to have it repaired. I really hate to ship this thing back and forth and its such a small mark that I'm sure I could correct it if I had a bit of dye and clearcoat. Would it be possible to get a small amount of each?

 

[matkoehler]

Here is the Chuck Berry 355. Not sure why the first image is so bad but I love the checking. One issue is the chip on the headstockView attachment 15682

Congrats again. This is very much expected aging; the guitar was custom-aged per the product description and SHOULD show signs of wear and tear and the headstock is one of those target areas for Murphy Lab. Contrary to popular belief, the same is true for Ultra Light Aging -- it's not the absence of aging, it's just aged with lighter touches. Some missing finish is to be expected! Best, Mat

 

[Awall]

Congrats again. This is very much expected aging; the guitar was custom-aged per the product description and SHOULD show signs of wear and tear and the headstock is one of those target areas for Murphy Lab. Contrary to popular belief, the same is true for Ultra Light Aging -- it's not the absence of aging, it's just aged with lighter touches. Some missing finish is to be expected! Best, Mat

Thank you for the clarification it just struck me because I didn't notice any other missing finish. Please see the picture of the F-holes and tell me if this is expected, I understand bleed but this kind of looks like it was missed in clean up:

 

[matkoehler]

Mat any chance you can help me, I've just posted my Chuck Berry ES-355, arrived today with a tiny ding on the headstock. Andrew in customer service was supper helpful and send me a return label to have it repaired. I really hate to ship this thing back and forth and its such a small mark that I'm sure I could correct it if I had a bit of dye and clearcoat. Would it be possible to get a small amount of each?View attachment 15683

Don't ship it back and get it repaired! This is an aged guitar. It has been aged.

 

[matkoehler]

Thank you for the clarification it just struck me because I didn't notice any other missing finish. Please see the picture of the F-holes and tell me if this is expected, I understand bleed but this kind of looks like it was missed in clean up:
View attachment 15684

Now that I can't explain. Not sure what happened there nor can I tell what's going on. But I would think some guitar polish and a microfiber towel would clean that up...so sorry for the trouble.

 

[Awall]

Now that I can't explain. Not sure what happened there nor can I tell what's going on. But I would think some guitar polish and a microfiber towel would clean that up...so sorry for the trouble.

Thanks for all the help and for what it's worth Andy Doyle in customer service handles himself like a true professional. Any hints on what special releases are coming up? I've heard rumors of Lucille...

 

[matkoehler]

Thanks for all the help and for what it's worth Andy Doyle in customer service handles himself like a true professional. Any hints on what special releases are coming up? I've heard rumors of Lucille...

Andy is a total gem. He's a through and through guitar geek...my kind of people. Thanks for allowing me to talk you off the ledge! There are many special releases coming up...but now that you mention it I can confirm Lucille will be back in a big way. Epiphone announcement today and a unique new Custom Shop model coming a few months...very much a Lucille but with some additional upscale aesthetics.

 

[Awall]

Andy is a total gem. He's a through and through guitar geek...my kind of people. Thanks for allowing me to talk you off the ledge! There are many special releases coming up...but now that you mention it I can confirm Lucille will be back in a big way. Epiphone announcement today and a unique new Custom Shop model coming a few months...very much a Lucille but with some additional upscale aesthetics.

Ya Mat you saved me from a big mistake, any other images I find online have a chip on the same corner, and to think I wanted to touch it up! Maybe I should head over to the Louvre and see if I can "touch up" the Mona Lisa. Saw the Epi and almost pulled the trigger, I'll wait for the CS version. Put me on the list!

 

[Dr. Green]

how is the tone on the Chuck Berry .... how does it sound ???