Gibson Les Paul Slash Standard AA

Přečtetl jsem spousty recenzí a shlédnul desítky videí, kde se porovnává Epiphone s Gibsonem. Hlavně modely ze série Slash signature. Doma mám starší Epiphone Les Paul z roku 2008 (MIC). Chtěl jsem ji upgradovat ale nakonec jsem se rozhodl pro další kytaru. Na základě recenzí jsem objednal Epiphone Slash AA ... asi jsem očekával víc než jsem měl a po porovnání s mou starou Epi šla Slash Epi zpět.
Nakonec jsem se přemluvil a objednal tuto kytaru. Žijeme jednou, tak o co jde?! A musím říct, že nelituji ani koruny. Už po otevření kufru (Made in Canada) byl vidět (a cítit! Opravdu voní!) obrovský rozdíl. Všechny ty recenze které zmiňují, že Epi jsou skoro Gibson ... nejsou! Ani omylem. Tahle kytara je na úplně jiné úrovni, jak zvukem tak hlavně pohodlím při hraní. Věci co hraji na Epi jakoby obtížně, jdou na Gibsonu skoro sami, určitě více zlehka a rozhodně sebevědoměji a to na továrním nastavení! Porovnávat vzhled ani nebudu ... prostě se to nedá. Doporučuji zkouknout na YouTube videa z výroby kytar Gibson (The Process).

The toggle switch on brand new, US$ 3k guitar turned out to be faulty, fresh out of the box.

ISSUES:
1. If you try to switch to the bridge or neck pickups, the switch gets pulled right back to the middle, without interference. Seems like the toggle is not sticking out of the cavity enough to lock in place when you switch positions. It astonishes how this was overlooked at inspection. A pretty basic thing to notice.

2. Another thing that bothered me was some irregularity on the 2nd fret of the G string that makes the note almost bend if you move your finger slightly.

PROS:
Now this is how a Les Paul should sound like. If you, like me, wanted an upgrade from your Epiphone or other generic Les Paul, this instrument is on another level in terms of tone. And my Epiphone was completely modded. It had Gibson pickups, CTS pots, Gotoh bridge and Schaller locking tuners. And it never stood a chance against this Gibson. The Gibson Les Paul seems to unlock tones you never though your instrument could give. The difference is like listening to a song in a compressed mp3 and then listening to it again in a Wave format. I'm not sure way that is, as I'm not a professional, but for me the only explanation is the wood (even though a lot of people claim that wood doesn't affect tone as we like to believe). But I can't find any other explanation.

CONCLUSION:
Regarding the issues above, I'm in talks with Thomman to try to get the instrument replaced. I'll give Gibson a vote of confidence and stick with the same model, hoping that I'll have better luck next time.

First things first, huge shoutout to Thomann's independent QC service. If you're on the fence about whether it’s worth the few extra quid: it absolutely is. When you're dropping serious money on a piece like this, peace of mind is priceless. Thomann’s team did an impeccable job. I received a guitar that is as close to flawless as it gets. Not a single mark, ding, or inconsistency. Setup was dialed in, intonation on point, action butter-smooth out of the case. The guitar arrived ready to rock.

Now, to the main event. Man. I’ve opened a lot of cases, but this one? This was something else. It hits you immediately, that gorgeous flamed maple top. The way it shifts under the light, it almost feels like it’s breathing. I spent ten minutes just staring at it, absolutely hypnotized. You don’t look at this guitar, you experience it.

The neck profile is, in a word, perfect. There’s something about the way Gibson found the sweet spot between 50s and 60s. Chunky enough to feel solid, but sculpted in such a way that your hand just knows where to go. The fretwork is pristine. Action is perfect. You don’t fight this guitar at all, you dance with it, and it dances with you right back.

And oh man… the sound. Plug this thing in and it wails. There’s fire in its soul. It’s got bite, it’s got growl, but it also has this wide open, soulful character that responds to every nuance of your playing. Dig in and it screams with raw attitude; roll back the volume and it cleans up with warmth and clarity that’s almost vocal. It sends chills down your spine. You bend a note, and it cries. You strike a chord, and it commands. Sorry, I realize I'm going on and on about it, but for real, if you never played one of these, you're missing out.

I think it's miles ahead of the regular Standard, but this is just my personal opinion.

If you’re ready to hear what your soul sounds like when plugged in, this might just be your guitar.