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Gibson Les Paul DC Faded Review

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Gibson Les Paul DC Faded Review

This review was submitted by Guitar Jar contributor: Steve Coates

In the 7/8 years that I’ve been playing the guitar I have been through my fair share of guitars. With all the guitars I’ve owned I’ve been trying to find the guitar that would match the sound in my head.

In my early years I was a ‘Strat-man’ to the core, playing it almost exclusively (this hugely due to Hendrix/SRV/Gilmore influences and the like). When hearing Peter Green’s infamous guitar tone on a Fleetwood Mac recording I decided that a Les Paul was definitely next on the shopping list! Coming from a position of experiencing the, sort of, ‘chalk and cheese’ of the guitar world, I was still left unsatisfied. I’ve tried Teles, PRSs, SGs and any other guitar you can think of. I’m now in a position where I have a guitar that is, in my humble opinion, the guitar for me!

Features:

The Les Paul DC is a solid mahogany body with a rosewood neck and 2 p90 pickups. There really isn’t much more to it! (sort of why I like it!).

Ease of use:

One thing I found with my Les Paul Standard is that I never felt like I could dig in and play. It didn’t feel like a guitar more like a beautiful piece of furniture! I’ve always loved the Strat’s neck and the Les Paul DC provides a happy medium between the two. It’s described, by some, as being a brilliant guitar for slide playing – they were right!

Sound quality:

The sound is beautifully balanced. It loses the heaviness of the Les Paul Standard pickups and also the occasional ‘weediness’ of the Strat. Chords really ring out. They sound open and full whilst at the same time allowing the individual notes to be heard. The neck pickup gives an almost hollow sound, very warm yet clear. The bridge is very clear and with a bit of gain, you get that amazing Les Paul lead tone that I’ve always loved. The middle setting is very Tele-like, almost bell-like. The middle setting is also great as, using the volume knobs of both the rhythm and lead pickups you can really sculpt the sound and get the full range of tones.

Reliability:

There’s not really much that can go wrong with this guitar. It’s pretty straightforward; neck, body, pickups. Having said this, I was playing a gig once and the screws holding the bridge pickup down came undone and so essentially the pickup fell out of the guitar and the magnets then latched onto the strings and muted the notes! I don’t think this is a common problem and if anything, it taught me the pitfalls of buying a guitar on eBay!

Overall rating:

It seems strange reviewing a guitar that has now been discontinued. However, I’m so pleased with it. This is a guitar for life, unless… I suddenly become very rich and am able to afford an original 1960s Les Paul Special (the guitar the Les Paul DC is based on). For now though, this is a mainstay in my collection.

This review was submitted by Guitar Jar contributor: Steve Coates

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1 Comment

  • Thanks for the contribution Steve. I laughed out loud when reading about the loose pickup hitting the strings! Cool guitar though, I’ve always been a fan of P-90’s. What amp do you use with this guitar?

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