Gibson Joe Perry Les Paul Signature

I bought this guitar from a friend of mine 8 months ago. I had to have it the second I saw this little beauty.. He was asking 20 000,- NOK, wich is about 1670$ (This is in Norway, you see..) I managed to talk it down to 1500$, though..

What do I like about this guitar..? The looks. You have the Bookmatched AA-figured Maple top and the Mahogany back, Mahogany neck, '59 Rounded with rolled-edge, the Rosewood fingerboard with Trapezoid inlays.. The black chrome hardware.. Grover Tuners. And of course the Joe Perry Specs wounded neck-pickup with active mid-boost control.


What is there NOT to like about this guitar..? Ok, maybe the fat neck. When you've been playing an 32 year old Ibanez Les Paul copy with the slimmest neck ever, for about 10 years, it's quite a shock when you grab that Fat Necked LP.. But practice makes perfect, so..

The quality is Gibson. When it comes to producing great musical instruments, I think the two big ones, Fender and Gibson, are mighty good. So there is nothing more to say about that issue..


This guitar is a winner in my mind. Ok, I know Gibson makes better, greater, more beautiful guitars.. But this one rocks my world. Until further.. I've just purchased a Fender Stratocaster Vintage 62'Reissue, so what happens with the LP in the future noone knows.. But as of today, it's my number uno guitar.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I have always been a fan of Aerosmith and a fan of Joe Perry because they just have a swagger and style that appeals to my ears. I really like Joe's playing and even though his style isn't unique since it is mostly blues plays it has a great feel and tone. I am glad that Gibson made a tribute signature guitar for him because this guitar is absolutely beautiful. The flamed top of this guitar has to be one of the best I have seen. It is rated as a AAA top which is a nice looks and for the money is is actually cheaper than a VOS '59 which can be a little hit or miss at times.

UTILIZATION

Features

Body
Top wood: AAA figured maple
Back wood: Solid mahogany
Binding: Single-ply cream on top
Finish Color: Aged Tiger Green
Neck
Construction: 1-piece mahogany with long neck tenon
"Boneyard" decal on peghead face
Fingerboard wood: 22 fret rosewood
Inlays: Aged acrylic trapezoid (similar to Les Paul Classic)
Binding: Single-ply cream
Profile: Rounded (similar to 1958 Les Paul)
Scale length/Nut width: 24-3/4"; 1-11/16"
Strings: Brite Wires .010-.046
Electronics & Hardware
Pickups: Burstbucker 2 (rhythm), Burstbucker 3 (treble)
Neck pickup has reversed polarity
Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way switch
Hardware color: Aged Nickel
Bridge/Tailpiece: ABR-1/Stopbar
"Joe Perry" engraved truss rod cover
Tuner style: Vintage tulip

SOUNDS

The tone of a Gibson Le Paul doesn't really change that much and if you heard 5 Gibson LP guitar on an album you could not point out which one was which. This guitar is for a fan of Aerosmith and more importantly Joe Perry. So if you are a fan of his and even if you are not the top on this guitar is quite exquisite. If you want a great sounding guitar that that can rip it up tonally but also look great doing it than this is the go to guitar. The features in this guitar really aren't anything different than you would see from other LP guitars. The tone of this guitar is nice and beefy but still a Les Paul tone none the less.

OVERALL OPINION

At new you can pick these up for right at around $4700, which is not a lot for a custom Gibson LP. It is a lot of money for anything music gear related but compared to the custom Gibson LP's that are either '59 or '58 than this price comes under that by quite a lot. This is a cool guitar and if you can live with it being a signature guitar than it is a great sounding and looking guitar. If not then I suggest getting a used custom LP that has some life left on it because then you can get a lower price.

Joe Perry of Aerosmith has always been a big player of Les Paul guitars. Considering how much he's played them, it was only a matter of time until he got his own model. The guitar features a mahogany body with a maple top, a mahogany set neck with a rosewood fretboard, standard trapezoid inlays, 22 frets, a tune-o-matic bridge, pickguard, two humbuckers, two volumes, two tones and a three way switch.

UTILIZATION

The guitar was put together decently, and that's pretty reassuring as Gibson's QC has been a bit iffy at times. The guitar had a nicely cut nut, and that's fairly important as it determines how well you stay in tune. The frets were fairly leveled, the nubs were done correctly and they didn't slice your hand as you move up and down the neck. I was able to get some fairly low action on this guitar despite it having a 12'' radius. Access to the upper frets is just like every other Les Paul in that it's pretty awful. The neck joint gets in the way, but you learn to live with it as that joint is an important aspect in tone.

SOUNDS

The guitar sounds like your average Les Paul. The biggest feature to note with this guitar is that there's a weird mid boost going on with the push/pull pot. It requires a battery to activate it, so be sure you have a spare 9V on hand. The bridge pickup with the mid boost on is very powerful. Without it, I find it sounds like every other Gibson pickup out there, despite it being some custom pickup. The neck pickup gives that standard '57 PAF kinda tone. It works decent for leads and cleans, but I generally like something a bit more powerful and a bit smoother.

OVERALL OPINION

The boost built into this guitar is pretty cool. I'd like to see more guitars have that kind of feature. However, the guitar is still overpriced for what it is. I'd recommend getting a normal Les Paul and saving your money. It'll be fairly similar, sound similar and be a lot cheaper in the long run.

U.S. model
Year 1997
Mahogany neck profile 59 (very large, not for small hands), jumbo frets.
AAA maple table translucent black color (dye handmade)
Classic 57 in handle and custom micro joe perry.
Hardware black / pearl
It lacks the mid boost to the guitar, but who cares.


See here for info
http://www.rockthisway.de/jpgibson.htm

UTILIZATION

Firstly it is a les paul, so heavy. In addition, she is 90 years at the time the mahogany body were not drilled. It's better for her, less well for the back

The handle is huge, very thick. I think it's even bigger than that of a PRS Santana. It is not made for little hands. Against it is really enjoyable to play. Access to acute as a les paul

SOUNDS

The fact that the handle is enormous gives more body heat and sustain the sound. This is a guitar that vacuum is very melodious and more potato than custom. A vacuum it seems it is already plugged into the amp The violin is perfect.


Its side, it sounds like a standard with each side a little custom in the sound. Its very warm clear whether micro or severe acute. Besides the acute fared very well in the clear. Not aggressive and chantant.Le bridge pickup is also a success. We can play funk jazz blues on it without problem.

In overdrive she is doing very well, very bluesy.

Side saturation, it happens very easily get the sounds of Joe Perry Walk This Way (rhythm and solos). This is the only skyscraper, which since I played, I brought this sound.

The demo of my guitar is here to get a better idea:


OVERALL OPINION

I've had one week. I was looking for a les paul for 90 years because they have better wood than current. I was looking for a standard of those years having lived a little. I stumbled upon it and really I am fulfilled. It sounds really, and plus she has a great look.