Hey it's Mat from Gibson Product Development - AMA

[matkoehler]

Hi Matt; Decades long Gibson owner/player: Maybe you can help me out and make some suggestions:

My huge issue with the repair division is that You have to have the original sales receipt.. I bought a 2005 Custom Authentic Hummingbird I bought from Paul @ Music Villa in Bozeman. Ren Ferguson has been a friend for ages and suggested I go there while visiting my sister in-law in Big Timber. Mt. The neck has twisted some(has a dip on the Bass side and a High spot on the Treble side. I have the original COA, the print-out of the Warranty info from when I registered it but I don't have the original sales receipt. This is a one out of 25 guitars made that year.
Anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get this fixed without spending a fortune? I mean who keeps sales receipts? If I did that I'd have a huge box of receipts.. Even Music Villa doesn't have any paper receipts as they tossed them when they went to a computer and their records only go back 4-5 years. The other deal is instead of sending it to Bozeman, I have to send it to Nashville as they do it there. I'd rather have it fixed in Bozeman.
HELP...
Thanks!

If you mean Warranty Service, yes I know that has been the warranty claim policy. And Nashville Repair & Restoration is the warranty claim center. Have you reached out to service AT Gibson.com lately? What did they say if so? They may have suggestions for service if a warranty claim is not possible.

 

[matkoehler]

Hi, Mat. I wonder if the new ABR-1 bridge for the custom shop is ready and shipping with the new guitars. Could you comment on that please? Thanks.

I can tell you that it has passed First Article Inspection but we still have a lot of the current bridges in stock, so holding pattern before placing the new orders (it's the same vendor...and again just very subtle visual differences). Hurry up and wait! Ha.

 

[KoP]

Hi Mat-

Would Gibson USA line consider using the later 50s Junior/Special pickup placement for new Juniors/Specials? (P-90 closer to the neck.) I find the closer placement of the pup to the TP, and lack of angle, to make the regular line Jrs/Specials to be a little tinny sounding and not as well intonated.

Thanks.

 

[matkoehler]

Hi Mat-

Would Gibson USA line consider using the later 50s Junior/Special pickup placement for new Juniors/Specials? (P-90 closer to the neck.) I find the closer placement of the pup to the TP, and lack of angle, to make the regular line Jrs/Specials to be a little tinny sounding and not as well intonated.

If there was a wider call for it, yes USA would always consider. Unsure what you mean by 'not as well intonated'...should be way better positioned and intonated than the vintage equivalents...USA uses the perfected scale length as well. The pickup location in relation to the bridge location is a little closer than the late 50s wraparound models you mention, yes. But I think they sound spectacular, and moving the pickup further north would require reshaping the pickguards.

 

[KoP]

If there was a wider call for it, yes USA would always consider. Unsure what you mean by 'not as well intonated'...should be way better positioned and intonated than the vintage equivalents...USA uses the perfected scale length as well. The pickup location in relation to the bridge location is a little closer than the late 50s wraparound models you mention, yes. But I think they sound spectacular, and moving the pickup further north would require reshaping the pickguards.

Thanks for the reply. Pictures would probably help. lol

I had a CS Special just like the one below, and currently have a Junior like the one below. As you can see, both the angle of the tailpiece and the separation of the tailpiece from the bridge P-90 are quite different between the two. The Special had better intonation than my Junior does, and also sounded thicker. This is due to the placement of the tailpiece. I’m just hoping that the Gibby USA line would consider the tailpiece placement that’s used on the Special for the Juniors as well. The tailpiece being so close to the pup on the Junior gives it a ‘tinny’ tone.

The CS uses this placement for their Juniors (see last pic). Why doesn’t the USA line use it as well?

Thanks again!

 

[jb_abides]

Hey Mat —

Regarding Gibson’s current-era ‘CustomBucker Alnico III Unpotted’ pickups…

With respect to the established product architecture for Custom Shop Les Paul Reissue guitars, i.e. excluding Artist, Dealer-Spec, Made-to-Measure request, or any other ‘limited edition’ offerings:

• Is there *ANY* difference in specification for CustomBuckers [winds, wire, magnet attributes, etc.] used in Murphy Lab (ML) versus non-ML aka VOS/Gloss Historic Reissue guitars?

If YES, how would one know? The only apparent indication for ML would be aged covers... which I understood to be purely aesthetic.

• We see PAF stickers on all versions, and sometimes (N)eck and (B)ridge designations in black marker within a balance set.
• ‘WW’ black marker on Wildwood spec
• ’S’ black marker for CME spec
• We are now seeing white labels on ‘red box’ sets from the Gibson Pickup Store.
• If there’s an ML specification, wouldn’t there be some indication? Or marketing of same?

Further:

• Any purposeful differentiation between CustomBuckers sets used in ML versus non-ML via metrics, benchmark testing, or any other segregation process (picking, matching) as they go from shelf into guitar?

Please: If there’s proprietary ‘voodoo’ going on for ML vice non-ML CustomBuckers it’s OK to state a purposeful differentiation exists without going into specific detail.

Thanks, Happy New Year!


[PS: BTW this is to provide insight for discussion happing in another thread.]

 

[Frankie]

Hello Mat..
I just read the interview you did in December's Guitarist Magazine. The interview certainly showcased your passion for Les Paul guitars, along with the history of not only the guitar but the man himself. It was a great read. Thank you for your input here along with your part in trying to make the current Les Paul a accurate as possible to those early guitars we cherish.

 

[TM1]

I have a 2019 L.P. Special. It's a great guitar. I dropped a set of `50's P-90's in it and some better pots. I also have a 2017 CS L.P. Jr. made with "Roasted" wood. I have a `50's P-90 in it as well as a set of Centralab 500K pots. I've been using the bloody Special more than my Murphy Lab R-9, not that the ML sounds bad, not even!

 

[Joshabr1]

Hi all. Charlie and I thought it might be fun for me to address Gibson (or Epiphone) questions in this thread...whether about current products or mysteries from Gibson's history. I think it's important to hear it straight from the horse's mouth...don't seem to have much luck getting accurately paraphrased or quoted in magazine articles.

If you don't know me, I was a longtime forum geek and I decided to put my passions to use by joining Gibson in April 2016. I started in product management for Custom Shop and Memphis and now I'm doing product development company-wide. I am also a huge Gibson/Epiphone history fan and having access to our archives is an incredible perk of the job. So fan to fan, let's have some fun!

This may have been asked but…. The neck step on the Les Paul’s. Why can’t they get that right?? The distance from the bottom of heal to the back

 

[Jericho-79]

Hi Mat! Happy New Year!

I did a lot of thinking over the holidays. And I've decided that I no longer want a M2M LP Axcess Custom from the CS.

Instead, I want to go for a regular LP Custom with that "plum crazy" finish that we discussed.

Is it possible for a dealer to change your M2M once they've spec'd it out for the CS rep?

Would a M2M LP Custom in "plum crazy" still be doable by the CS?

 

[Triplet]

Hi Matt,

I wonder if you could assist in a small internal pizn contest. 68 Custom reissues, are they or were they ever weight relieved ? Thanks

 

[jimijam33]

Hi Matt,
I've been trying to order a custom '54 Goldtop with a specific weight (over 9.5lbs), specific grain orientation (all quarter sawn - Neck, body, maple top), and specific maple type (Eastern hard rock), using all hide glue joinery. Can you make this happen? Please let me know, thanks..

Steve

 

[Midnight Blues]

Hey Mat,

Typing of weight relieved, some of us Custom lovers have a couple of questions with regard to weight relief as it relates to Customs.

There is a guitar shop that recently posted a weight relieved '57. Also, although in the 50+ years I've been following him I had never heard of this before, supposedly, Peter Frampton's '54 is weight relieved as well? Our understanding of "Black Beauties" from the '50s is that they were one piece mahogany, as is our understanding of Customs produced in the Custom Shop. Is that the case and if so, how was the routing done in the '50s to accomplish the relief, i.e. were the bodies sliced and secondly, do you happen to know if Frampton's truly is weight relieved?

@zhivago
@dnabbet2
@sweiger
@58 special


Thanks and

Matt

 

[rhye]

Hi Mat! Any other overall changes this year besides new bridges and the SG's horns?

 

[Pat Boyack]

Hey Mat,

Typing of weight relieved, some of us Custom lovers have a couple of questions with regard to weight relief as it relates to Customs.

There is a guitar shop that recently posted a weight relieved '57. Also, although in the 50+ years I've been following him I had never heard of this before, supposedly, Peter Frampton's '54 is weight relieved as well? Our understanding of "Black Beauties" from the '50s is that they were one piece mahogany, as is our understanding of Customs produced in the Custom Shop. Is that the case and if so, how was the routing done in the '50s to accomplish the relief, i.e. were the bodies sliced and secondly, do you happen to know if Frampton's truly is weight relieved?

@zhivago
@dnabbet2
@sweiger
@58 special


Thanks and

Matt

I think the answer is in the description of the model - "Gibson Custom Shop Peter Frampton 'Phenix' INSPIRED Les Paul Custom". Inspired is a powerful word.

 

[Midnight Blues]

I think the answer is in the description of the model - "Gibson Custom Shop Peter Frampton 'Phenix' INSPIRED Les Paul Custom". Inspired is a powerful word.

Thanks Pat and that it is.

What I'm wondering though is if his original '54 was indeed weight relieved and if so, how was it accomplished. If in fact it is, is it the way it came when it was originally purchased by Mark Mariana (assuming he purchased it new), or, did he do himself , or did he have Gibson do it for him before he purchased it and if so, how? If I remember correctly Mr. Mariana sent the guitar back to Gibson to have the routing done for the third pup and have it resprayed? I know Frampton has, on a number of occasions, attributed the lightness of it to Mariana's over sanding, but you never know with Frampton, he kids-around a lot.

 

[DutchRay]

Hey Mat,

Typing of weight relieved, some of us Custom lovers have a couple of questions with regard to weight relief as it relates to Customs.

There is a guitar shop that recently posted a weight relieved '57. Also, although in the 50+ years I've been following him I had never heard of this before, supposedly, Peter Frampton's '54 is weight relieved as well? Our understanding of "Black Beauties" from the '50s is that they were one piece mahogany, as is our understanding of Customs produced in the Custom Shop. Is that the case and if so, how was the routing done in the '50s to accomplish the relief, i.e. were the bodies sliced and secondly, do you happen to know if Frampton's truly is weight relieved?

Customs are made with a mahogany top. They are not made of 1 piece of solid mahogany, like a junior or special.

 

[Scott L]

Customs are made with a mahogany top. They are not made of 1 piece of solid mahogany, like a junior or special.

There are / have been Customs made of 1 piece solid mahogany. Some LPB7s have been done that way.

The telltale sign is the wiring feed to the control cavity is a round hole, not square. It is drilled through to the cavity vs. routed in the body before the top is glued on.

 

[Midnight Blues]

Customs are made with a mahogany top. They are not made of 1 piece of solid mahogany, like a junior or special.

I'm not sure about that DR? I've been wrong before and no doubt will be wrong again, but to my knowledge, they're solid mahogany.

 

[Midnight Blues]

I think the answer is in the description of the model - "Gibson Custom Shop Peter Frampton 'Phenix' INSPIRED Les Paul Custom". Inspired is a powerful word.

Incidentally Pat, I failed to mention that the new Custom Shop version of Frampton's "Phenix" is weight relieved, as was his signature model (not sure if they're still made or not?), but the first iteration of the "Phenix" that Gibson made, of which there were in the vicinity of 35 (?), when he first got her back, wasn't. It's a one piece body too.