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James... « Mismarketed but great guitar »
Published on 12/28/11 at 10:32 Color: Heritage Cherry Sunburst
Top and back: Carved AAAA flamed maple
Body: Chambered mahogany
Neck: Mahogany with 1950s style rounded profile
Fingerboard: Ebony with split block pearl inlays
Number of frets: 22
Pickups: Two Humbucking pickups (490R and 498T) with Alnico V magnets
Controls: Two each tone and volume with three-way pickup selector switch
Machine heads: Grover Keystone
Hardware: Gold plated
Case: Black reptile pattern hardshell
It's also worth mentioning that these are technically hollowbody guitars, which seems to be something a lot of people miss when they buy these. A quick note about this. Most Les Pauls are chambered or weight relieved which is totally different from being a hollowbody, which the Supreme is. That, along with different inlays and tuners and a 50's neck is what set this apart from it's cousin the Les Paul Custom.
UTILIZATION
I have smaller hands and the neck is sort of a love hate thing for me. It can be awkward for certain chords but on the bright side, my hand rarely gets tired after 3 hours of playing like on some smaller necks. Overall I'm fine with it. This is a lighter guitar than it looks due to the hollow construction. It's a little thicker than your normal Les Paul. Feels more like you're playing a jazz body to be honest. Other than that it's pretty familiar. Controls are the same. Tuners are solid.
SOUNDS
I think this guitar gets a bad rep because players buy it expecting a suped up Les Paul Custom. It's not that kind of guitar. This is in truth more like an ES175 than anything. It's a jazz guitar. Super resonant and prone to feedback just like any hollowbody, you have to be mindful of a guitar's construction and what that means. Gibson picked the wrong pickups for this guitar. It sounds monumentally better with 57 classics than the very non complimentary set they put in it. Unfortunately due to the design it's very hard to change pickups although not impossible. I use it to play at church. It's very resonant and kind of heavenly sounding so it works great for that. This is not a guitar for hard rock. A lot of guys get that idea and it has resulted in some bad rep for the Supreme.
OVERALL OPINION
I really love mine and considering the luxury features the high price actually makes sense. I can imagine these are pretty expensive to make. Gibson should really put some different pickups in these...I don't know what they were thinking. Also the headstock is a bit ugly. I have a lot of people come to me asking what model this is because it's a rarity and oddity to most. Still it's a fine guitar when used for the proper style.
Top and back: Carved AAAA flamed maple
Body: Chambered mahogany
Neck: Mahogany with 1950s style rounded profile
Fingerboard: Ebony with split block pearl inlays
Number of frets: 22
Pickups: Two Humbucking pickups (490R and 498T) with Alnico V magnets
Controls: Two each tone and volume with three-way pickup selector switch
Machine heads: Grover Keystone
Hardware: Gold plated
Case: Black reptile pattern hardshell
It's also worth mentioning that these are technically hollowbody guitars, which seems to be something a lot of people miss when they buy these. A quick note about this. Most Les Pauls are chambered or weight relieved which is totally different from being a hollowbody, which the Supreme is. That, along with different inlays and tuners and a 50's neck is what set this apart from it's cousin the Les Paul Custom.
UTILIZATION
I have smaller hands and the neck is sort of a love hate thing for me. It can be awkward for certain chords but on the bright side, my hand rarely gets tired after 3 hours of playing like on some smaller necks. Overall I'm fine with it. This is a lighter guitar than it looks due to the hollow construction. It's a little thicker than your normal Les Paul. Feels more like you're playing a jazz body to be honest. Other than that it's pretty familiar. Controls are the same. Tuners are solid.
SOUNDS
I think this guitar gets a bad rep because players buy it expecting a suped up Les Paul Custom. It's not that kind of guitar. This is in truth more like an ES175 than anything. It's a jazz guitar. Super resonant and prone to feedback just like any hollowbody, you have to be mindful of a guitar's construction and what that means. Gibson picked the wrong pickups for this guitar. It sounds monumentally better with 57 classics than the very non complimentary set they put in it. Unfortunately due to the design it's very hard to change pickups although not impossible. I use it to play at church. It's very resonant and kind of heavenly sounding so it works great for that. This is not a guitar for hard rock. A lot of guys get that idea and it has resulted in some bad rep for the Supreme.
OVERALL OPINION
I really love mine and considering the luxury features the high price actually makes sense. I can imagine these are pretty expensive to make. Gibson should really put some different pickups in these...I don't know what they were thinking. Also the headstock is a bit ugly. I have a lot of people come to me asking what model this is because it's a rarity and oddity to most. Still it's a fine guitar when used for the proper style.