gsonique
New member
Recently, we had the oppertuanity to loan the above Les Paul Faded DC for our upcoming gig. It was picked by my 2nd guitar player for the love of P90 and it's light weight. Late last week he decided that i should use the DC as he would want to grind his ol flame a Gibson SG for the gig.
Now, I am not a P90 fan but more of the high mid ceramic humbucker type through fuzz, but the feel on the DC kept me playing more and trying differant pedal combos. Since the P90 is a single coil, pesky hum and the low output i assumed would defeat the purpose as our music is pretty much based on our existing gear of choice. So this fella was just getting in the way!
After a string change to 11's and little set-up i sat down to give the DC a worthy test drive with my set-up of overdrive and fuzz pedals into my trusty MusicMan HD150 through a 4x12 vintage Fane loaded Soundcity cab.
Lets start with cleans >> The cleans were indeed sweet highs with nice P90 snappish and not getting trebly brittle since it's all Mahogany constuction kept tone fat and warm. Not too much of that overwhelming bass on the neck which would have seriously annoyed me AS GUITAR's SHOULD HAVE REDUCED BASS, BASS IS FOR BASS GUITAR..PERIOD !!!! Pardon me, just wanted to get that off my chest. Very nice clean on the DC, it's single coil feel with added fatness was just like the rush i get after a hot cuppa coffee.
Overdrive test >> I am not an overdrive fan but through my stock MIJ SD1 with drive at 9 o'clock, volume at 3 and tone at 12 the DC started to show its character being clear, full and touch sensative. Well, what else can you get from an overdrive ..... so i went back to cleans! The tone just bounces in your fingers on the DC!
Fuzz Test >>> Yes, i heard numerous rants about P90 with fuzz giving the dinasoural experience where your pants suddenly shrinks giving you hard wedgie back to front.... the DC did just that. The amp volume knob spoke to me saying what a wuss i was always keeping it at 3, so it flew to 5 then to 6 , a while later.... my wife spoke through the walls !!
Nice cutting thick fuzz with lots of character on tap via its volume and tone knob. I was suddenly dancing like 13 year old wannabe rock star.
The whole mahogany set neck with P90 is built for fuzz, full of character and merciless. This new offering from Gibson is a cleverly diguised mean machine not for the faint hearted. Don't let the size and looks fool ya.
What i didn't like: The colour ...maybe needs getting used to it !
The placement of the volume knobs, especially for the bridge pup, well maybe needs getting used to and finally the rough finish might turn off the delicate thin skin human species of us whose moisturerises have flavors that you can almost eat.
The test continues at our gig this Sunday 30th at Substation!
Come and witness for your self!!
Check the specs....
Les Paul Faded DC
Gibson USA adds the well-played look of its popular 'worn' finishes to a legendary Les Paul design with the new Les Paul Faded - Double Cutaway.
Available in Worn Cherry and Worn Yellow finishes, the new model has the aura of classic Les Paul Specials and Juniors from 1958-60. The new Les Paul Faded - Double Cutaway has a pair of single-coil P-90 pickups, like the original Les Paul Special. Other features include a '60s-style slim-taper mahogany neck, unbound rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, and chrome-plated hardware.
Body Body Species:Mahogany
NECK Species:Mahogany
Profile:1960 Slim taper
Neck Joint Location:22
FINGERBOARD Species:Rosewood
Scale Length:243/4"
Number of Frets:22Nut
Width:1.695"
Inlays: Dot
HARDWARE
Plating Finish:Chrome
Tailpiece:Stopbar
Bridge:Tune-o-matic
Knobs:Black Top Hat
Tuners:White Button
ELECTRONICS Pickups:Dual vintage single coil P-90s
Controls:Two volume, two tone
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