The rich

If you are into all things Gibson, dreaming of owning an LP Custom is a legit aim. At USD4,199 the Custom is one of Gibson's revered offerings in terms of quality per se but if you take a closer look at that fretboard, you'd wonder why Gibson did this to the guitar- it's not wood.

The LP Custom to date (correct as at time of publishing), features a richlite fretboard (richlite = paper + resin). This, ladies & gentlemen, is a composite material often used as kitchen tops for its industrial strength & somewhat pseudo organic nature (to put it simply, it emulates wood). The ultimate reason for incorporating this material into one of their finest instruments is really beyond our understanding. Not too long ago, the authorities took possession of Gibson's 'illegal' wood & that got the manufacturer scampering for substitutes. While majority of the the guitars that used to sport rosewood fretboards made do with other wood type substitutes, the richlite consideration is quite frankly, desperate & distasteful.

I don't wish to talk anymore about such compromises especially when it concerns Gibson but it's difficult to leave something alone if it's wayward. From many of my entries here, I could be seen as a Gibson basher but hey, why the heck do I keep buying Gibsons from time to time? But you need to know your wood before you fork out the cash. The draw to 'Gibson' these days is largely due to the manufacturer's heritage more than anything else.