Eric Claptons NEW les paul reissue

Eric Clapton used one of the original gibson les pauls from 1960 coined the "beano" guitar.

Being one of the rarest and sought after guitars in history gibson has brought us the reissue to this famous guitar.

Many Guitar Reviews have been posted and all of them are saying the same thing. This guitar is something that everyone needs to pick up at least once.

Check out this guitar guide to find out more information

More Improvements

We are starting to make a bigger improvment in the professional guitar reviews, on the official guitar buyers guide. We will be inlisting more help from guitar makers and performers to give these guitars a serious review. This is all starting to grow quite fast and expect the site to become quite the resource.

Stay tuned.

Burstbucker 1 and 2

Burstbucker 1 and 2

One of the most accurate paf tones from gibson, the BurstBucker are wound at an uneven rate and amount using some of the inconsistencies that are credited to original Gibson humbuckers from 1957-’62. Available in three output strengths, BurstBuckers are made with unpolished Alnico II magnets and unpotted coils that are wound to slightly different numbers of turns. While using two mismatched coils depletes a humbucking pickup’s noise-canceling abilities slightly, it also gives the pickup a little more edge—a sound that you could even say comes a little closer to single-coil bite—than can be achieved with perfectly balanced coils.

BurstBucker 1 (IM57A-NH) is slightly underwound, with medium ‘vintage’ output, and works well in both bridge and neck positions.

BurstBucker 2 (IM57B-NH) is wound in the range of Gibson’s ’57 Classic, with slightly hotter ‘vintage’ output than the BurstBucker #1, and works well in the bridge position with a BurstBucker #1 in the neck position.

The BurstBucker 1 is slightly under wound to achieve an output toward the lower-medium end of the PAF range, an output that brings it in just slightly below the ’57 Classic. It is intended for either position, but offers added clarity mixed with vowel-like tone in the neck position, with the added bonus of good volume balance when paired with a BurstBucker 2 in the bridge position. The 2 has a slightly hotter output in the range of the ’57 Classic, for more grind and sustain from the bridge position. Or, pair a BurstBucker 2 in the neck with a BurstBucker 3—the hottest of the trio—in the bridge, for a guitar that offers excellent balance and a vintage voice that is still accurate, but biased toward the hotter end of the PAF scale. All are available with gold-plated or German silver nickel-plated covers.

Review

Pros	Cons
1. Provides a beautiful paf/rock n roll tone and sound. 2. Comes in different designs to customize for a specific guitar. 3. Standard humbucker size interchangeable with other standard humbucker slots	1. Does not offer in the most favorable double white or double cream paf pickup styles. 2. Not easily attainable from guitar dealers and most of the time must be bought second hand out of a Gibson Les Paul. 3. Burstbucker 1 and 2 are not sold new with 4 conductor for coil splitting.

G&L Comanche Electric Guitar

G&L Comanche Electric Guitar

Features:

In Oct. of 2006 I custom ordered this one from G&L and by Feb. 2007 I received it, 3 tone sunburst with natural wood binding over top flamed maple on top of swamp ash, hard rock maple neck with the “c” shape(thicker, more sustain), finished with rubbed gun oil tint, then glossed, fret board is ebony. I personaly contacted G&L because I didn’t want the traditional 3 tone (yellow, red, black) banding. They said they would consult the painter and WOW, did they deliver! The yellow in the center is actually an amber and from there the colors fade and blend to the red then to the black. Looks like a southwestern sunset. Thanks G&L. Hardware and electronics are standard Comanche with a black pick guard. Why they get an 8 is explained below, I eventually couldn’t use the pick ups and as a big part of the features, it suffered a minor loss.

• Figured maple top
• Bird’s-eye maple neck
• Schaller locking tuners
• G&L dual-fulcrum bridge
• MFD (Magnetic Field Design) Z-coil pickups
• 25-1/2″ scale
• 1-5/8″ nut width

Sound:

I had this guitar for 6 months and I really worked with the tone knobs, pick up height, pole piece adjustment and could get some really good tones. One setting I used was one of the pickup combination with the high freq rolled completely off which gave me (I swear) an awesome parked wah) but because of the brightness of ceramic magnets and their tendency to be a little sterile and 2 dimensional, I thought my overall sound was not “stratty” enough and I missed the warmth and complexity of Alnico magnets. Z coils not bad, they are just not for me. I would like to see G&L do a hybrid of Alnico on the high 3 strings and ceramic on the bottom 3. Eventually I had to outsource some Alnico stacked single coil noiseless pick ups from Kinman in Australia (forgive me Leo) but it made all the difference.

Action, Fit, & Finish:

Even though I adjusted the hell out of the pick ups, looking for my sound and a slight string height adjustment. That is personal preference and not the fault of any set up. The set up out of the box was really professional. The guitar was flawless and beautiful and because they gave me what really amounted to a custom paint job at no extra charge, that put it over the top. I still remember opening the case for the first time, WOW. Kinda like getting the bra off your first real girlfriend, you just have to sit there and stare.
OK…I know, TMI. So they get a 10, especially for bringing back fond memories of my first set of boobies.

Reliability/Durability:

It’s been over a year a nothing bad has happened. Replaced button straps with locking ones. Strap came off during a gig (strap was at fault, not guitar) didn’t drop it though, but scared the hell out of me.

Pickup shoot out.

Pickup shoot out.

Over the past couple weeks I have been putting more of a focus on doing pickup reviews to help those looking to build a custom axe. currently posted are Dimarzio pickups, Gibson Pickups, and will be posting some seymour duncans this weekend. Check back cause we are getting more and more stuff up that will be lots of fun. Including we will be making even more of a fuck on guitar video instruction and electric guitar reviews

Official Press Release

Official Guitar Buyers Guide is now getting new traffic everyday. An official press release was put out a couple days ago giving a full explanation of the site.

The press release:

Finally a site devoted to providing unbiased and professional guitar reviews in the form of videos, comparisons, rankings, and guitar structure. A guitar is not just a piece of wood with strings and every guitar has a story to tell. My job is only to provide a proper translation.

Professional Guitar Reviews

Guitar reviews have been a huge part of purchasing a guitar over many factors. Someone looking to buy a specific type of guitar (i.e. Fender strat) may be turned in a completely different direction from a good solid review (i.e. Gibson Les Paul).

Guitar reviews have come in many different forms whether written, video, comparison, or just giving it a rating compared to the other couple guitars you currently own. A guitar review no matter who wrote it has always been lacking in some factor. The most popular mistake that comes from guitar reviews is the factor that the review came from someone who is not qualified to give it a proper review as the only other guitars that person has played are maybe a dozen or maybe max a couple dozen. A guitar review should be a rating done against more than just a closet of guitars and should be compared to all possibilities. It is also this factor that has caused many home grown luthiers and guitar makers to be unable to get their product in the market place as not enough reviews are available and/or none are available for the specific guitar.

Private guitar makers have been the backbone for guitar improvements and creativity since the beginning. Many may not believe it but PRS, Gibson, Fender, Schecter and many other brands have not been around forever. Although we can give thanks to fender and Gibson for giving us many of the first solid body guitars they were not alone. Paul smith was a private guitar maker who made his break by trying hard and getting as many people to play his guitar as he could from a very young age. He managed to flourish unlike many of our most talented guitar makers out there.

Official Guitar Buyers Guide is meant to give you reviews with all factors taken into affect. We look at quality of build and materials, comparisons of guitars with similar products and wood choices. A guitar will be compared to others from not just main brands but from private luthiers from around the world. I personally have talked to many guitar makers to get their feelings on the power that many manufacturers have in the guitar community and what they are doing about it.


Roman Rist says " Factories build guitars for profit, Luthiers build them for players"

Roman Rist is a great private luthier who has made his impact as a guitar maker in California but gets orders from all over the U.S. and Canada. He has taken many parts and continually makes them better. My problem is no one knows about his work unless you avidly seek out a guitar maker in his area.

What do I know though, I do not own hundreds of guitars and I am not a professional guitar maker. But I am not the one making the judgments, all of my guitar reviews give you the facts and also give you the opportunity to make the judgment on your own. I will provide a detailed approach of the make of the guitar and will make a video review comparing it to guitars of similar quality or material. It is my hope that this site will become a hub for all those looking to buy a guitar to go to find out the truth on the guitar that their buddy down the street says is the best in the world.

Vintage Guitars

We are going to provide the most up to date information on reviewing, enjoying, and giving you information on ways to get vintage guitars. We will be putting out a more intense focus on getting some more vintage guitar reviews.

NEW! Now providing a way to get the gear you want

Just got word that guitar reviews are not the only thing making its appearance on the greatest guitar review site but will be offering guitar sales with guitar center allowing me to offer you the widest range of guitars and and gear.

NEW! Original 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard

1958 GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD BURST This guitar is an original 1958 Gibson Les Paul "sunburst", serial no. 8-5737. I have owned it Since 1981. It has been heavily restored. At the time I acquired it the headstock had been rebuilt, and it had been refinished poorly. Also the control cavity had been modified, with three extra holes put through to the top for extra controls, and the cavity itself had been enlarged. The original PAF pickups were missing. I patched the holes in the top with maple, and restored the wood missing from the control cavity with mahogany. Then I refinished it. Lastly I restored the missing pickups with original PAF's, a very rare set of "reverse" zebra PAF's that were originally in a 1960 es345. That is the condition it is in today, very nicely restored. The guitar is light, weighing 8.4 lbs. The pickups rate 7.8k ohms resistance for the neck, 8.1k for the bridge. The instrument is very resonant, with a very clear, bright, complex treble tone, a smooth and recessive mid tone, and a rich, complex bass. Overall a "scooped" tone acoustically. The instrument is quite loud acoustically, and very sensitive, responding very dynamically and with great liveliness to pick attack. I have compared the guitar to two Gibson historics, a 2001 Murphy, and a 2009 historic. Both of these guitars were considered exceptional instruments among historics. My '58 has a significantly slimmer neck profile than either instrument, particularly than the 2001, which had very pronounced "shoulders". It is lighter than both of these guitars, especially the 2001 guitar. It is significantly louder and more delicately and complexly toned acoustically than either of the historics, brighter and "sweeter". Electronically, it has much more "bloom" in the tone, with a much longer lasting, more nuanced sustain than either historic. Also its response to variations in picking is more sensitive, yielding a broader range of shades of tone depending on how the pick strikes the strings. The 'burst is also more alive feeling, and vibrates in the hands quite a bit more strongly than either historic. Both historics have a thicker somewhat more muddy electronic tone than the 'burst, which has a significantly more "open" tone to it, with an amazing range of upper harmonics in the treble extending way into the supersonic range. The '58 also has a much clearer note separation in complex chords than either historic, even at higher gain. Overall this guitar is an exceptional very lively instrument, and a joy to play.

I have compared the guitar to two Gibson historics, a 2001 Murphy, and a 2009 historic. Both of these guitars were considered exceptional instruments among historics. My '58 has a significantly slimmer neck profile than either instrument, particularly than the 2001, which had very pronounced "shoulders". It is lighter than both of these guitars, especially the 2001 guitar. It is significantly louder and more delicately and complexly toned acoustically than either of the historics, brighter and "sweeter". Electronically, it has much more "bloom" in the tone, with a much longer lasting, more nuanced sustain than either historic. Also its response to variations in picking is more sensitive, yielding a broader range of shades of tone depending on how the pick strikes the strings. The 'burst is also more alive feeling, and vibrates in the hands quite a bit more strongly than either historic. Both historics have a thicker somewhat more muddy electronic tone than the 'burst, which has a significantly more "open" tone to it, with an amazing range of upper harmonics in the treble extending way into the supersonic range. The '58 also has a much clearer note separation in complex chords than either historic, even at higher gain. Overall this guitar is an exceptional very lively instrument, and a joy to play.

Gibson SG 61 Reissue Review

ibson SG 61 Reissue Electric guitar Review:

Gibson SG 61 Reissue Electric Guitar Features:

Mahogany body and neck
Rosewood fretboard
NItrocellulose finish
Gibson Classic '57 humbuckers at the neck and bridge
Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece
Corian nut
1.695" nut width ±.050"
22 frets
24-3/4" scale
Grover Kluson-style green tuning keys
Chrome-plated hardware
2 volume, 2 tone control, 3-way pickup switch
Black top hat knobs with silver inserts
Mother-of-pearl Gibson logo and holly headstock inlay
Figured acrylic trapezoid fingerboard inlays
Antique cream fingerboard binding
Gibson hardshell case

Although currently I have played 2 of these guitars from guitar center and have had nothing but a good experience. Pushing this guitar through a Mesa Boogie Lonestar 2x12 amp, I was able to get more of a vintage tone than I have with the Les Paul Traditionals and Standards. The next has a very wood feeling and although it was a 60s neck like many les pauls it didn't have a thick finish making it very easy to slide up and down on. The finish on the guitar is very sg typical when it comes to first appearance. The feel is a tribute to the nitro finish gibson placed on this guitar with respect the original finsh on gibson sg's from 1961 (they were still call les pauls back then though).

This guitar stands well above the standard and is in most places double the cost as well. Play before you pay as with any guitar, this guitar specifically I found the two different guitars I played had completly different feelings necks when it came to size.

RANK:

1) Shredability - 4.5 Skulls, one of the best necks I have played as well as a very slim easy to manage body.

2) Eye Candy Score - 6 chocolate bars, although a very well put together guitar the finish is very plain and would not require much skill to replicate. The use of nitro did enhance the feel of the guitar.

3) Sensation Sound - Clean Setting: very standard clean tones, I was not impresed on this setting as it still felt and sounded rough no matter the style of playing whether with a pick or finger picking. Overdrive: Very impress with this setting. This guitar was made for rock n roll and put out some very impressive tones. Metal: Can handle for high gains and distortion while keeping the technique value of the guitar. In my opinion this guitar thoroughly replicates the sounds of the 1960s and 70s.

4) Mysterious Appeal - This guitar had more of an appeal than some 3-4 thousand dollar guitars but had the look of an 800 dollar studio. I was smitten by the sound and will thoroughly enjoy this guitar.

How the guitars are made

On the guitar review site I have posted some interesting videos including some gibson reviews of their facility and the process they take in building the guitars. Also see fender reviews and dean reviews to check out the building process for them as well.

Bring on the REVIEWS

Everyone the website is now live and in need of some guitar reviews. The biggest thing that I need is to get some acoustic guitar reviews as I do not have as much access to those as I do electric guitars.

As well anyone who submits a video review of a high end guitar that mentions official guitar buyers guide in the video, whether saying "welcome to official guitar buyers guide" of just mentioning the review is for official guitar buyers guide will suffice.

The website where this will be posted is Official Guitar Buyers Guide

Gibson Guitars

Enjoy the learning all you can about some of the most famous guitars in history.

First axe has been chosen EPIPHONE

I am starting with a series of guitars that I have owned many of. And are some of the most purchased world wide.


The Epiphone Les paul is iconic to say the least. We will be starting with Epiphones mohagany body and mohagany top les pauls.

This includes:
1. Epiphone Les Paul Special's
2. Epiphone Les Paul Studio and studio Deluxe
3. Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro
4. And Epiphone Les paul 100

Now don't eat me up just yet let me explain. These guitars are regularly produced. I know there are others that are limited edition with the mohagany specs referred above. I will include pictures of said guitars after they have been thoroughly processed.

Ranking terms

After much thought and council I feel I have come up with a ranking system for guitars. In this blog we will be starting with rock n roll guitars. This includes Classic rock, modern rock, metal, hair metal, and heavy/death metal. This will also be the solid body guitars of these era's.

1) Shredability - this ranking will be 1-5 skulls and will determine how fast and easy the neck and body play. Now don't confuse this with playability (cause that's fuckin stupid).

2) Eye Candy Score - This reviews how visually pleasant the guitar is to me. I will be performing votes to get a true score for this. this ranking will be 1-10 chocolate bars, as there are so many different looks to so many different guitars. Also with this rank originality will be taken into account as well as difficulty in application.

3) Sensation Sound - or S/S will be how this guitar performs on sound. Now this is the part at which I will perform on one amp and one amp only. As well we will run this test on 3 settings to see how these guitars sound depending on how much output you attempt to push the pickups.

4) Mysterious Appeal - This one is not as subjective to a traditional ranking system but decided to add this ranking as lots of guitars have this appeal that cannot be explained. This is a yes or no rating. When a guitar "speaks to me" it will get a YES in M.A. and if the appeal is equivilant to a piece of wood it will get a NO. This ranking is more for me than you as appeal may be completly different so don't be offended if I don't like a guitar for this reason. I will still be very subjective with the other rankings.

Now I am sure some of you are wondering why you should trust my opinion and if it can be trusted. Well I will be gathering opinions from not only myself but many others. Inlcluding luthiers, professional musicians, and designers of guitars and amps. I have inlisted there help on occasions where a true pro is needed.

To Axe or Not to Axe...and which

This Blog is for one purpose, to bring you the Axe of the century. Through this journey I will be reviewing and being as critical as possible of all types of guitars.

Now I won't just play a guitar, I will play multiple of each type (as all of us know, no guitar is made equal even with the same name). I am doing this for me and for anyone who really wants to know. I decided to post this as I am not the only one who is sick of reviews from a man or woman who owns one guitar or has never even tried to play others, but has the audacity to say that this guitar is the best ever...maybe the best in your fantasy land but not in mine.

Here are the rules:
1. Guitars will be ranked and tested against others of
a. The same national origin.
b. The same appropriate price range
c. The same materials to the best extent.
d. And finally the genre of the type of music it falls into (ex: martic acoustic is not going against Gibson Les pauls).


If you can agree with these rules stay tuned as this is going to get interesting.

For more news and information refer back to main site.