Hard choice

This is Fender's limited run Vintera '70s hardtail Strat. I love everything about it, less the price: $1,899. They don't make too many hardtail Strats these days so this is something to be treasured. I'm still unable to reconcile certain price points with the country of manufacturer. I do not doubt the quality, it's about costs & prices. Then again, manufacturers will ride on stuff like limited run, to hike prices & we would fall for it. 

Pic: Fender

Tributes

One of those rare days when I could enjoy some guitar time on a weekday morning...

These are inexpensive guitars. They are the Gibson LP Studio Tribute models. They are discontinued but we do see them floating around in the after-market every now & then. The Tribute range sits below the Studios in terms of features & price. They were not meant to be top-of-the-range selections, just affordable instruments with a high playability factor. It's something to get if you have plans for intense playing episodes while avoiding possible heartaches when it gets rough-handled. 

The white one there is the 60s version with P90s. I simply love this guitar for its satin feel & those well-defined pickups. I would reckon the vintage dweebs would avoid this one as the P90s are quite devoid of nostalgia in terms of tone. These are very raunchy, distortion-loving pickups, removed of any woman tone. The 'burst is the 70s counterpart. It's not quite representative of a true 70s-era LP but the volute behind the headstock plus that wider outline are respectable inclusions. I have no idea if the 70s neck profile were this slim & playable but a quick reference to Gibson's online literature revealed a slim taper profile for this model. Also those pickups; very satisfying for distortion work. Mini humbuckers are overlooked beasts for black metal, really, as they are functionally piercing to manifest those misanthrophic ambient only true fans of the genre could appreciate.

Am I missing the 50s version here to make the line up sort of complete? I used to own one but sold it away as it feels too similar to the LPJ. Done episode, moving on.

I bought these instruments used. They used to look quite removed from their current images as they were tweaked to my liking. They were well-used at the time of their respective acquisitions but still remain very playable & worth the time & money. Just me, I guess.

OK, Black Adam beckons.

Not quite 70s

Gibson has officially released a 'new' model yesterday - the Les Paul Deluxe 70s re-issue. This was leaked somewhere in cyberspace towards the close of 2020 so it's no surprise then that it's in regular production now. There's a re-curring theme here if you noticed, Gibson seems to favour the '70s' tag in the mean time. Last year they did the Flying V version & this year, the LP - both missing the 70s details to qualify them as true re-issues. The immediate visual 'wrong' here is the headstock; 70s LP models sport the wider version & this one is as Standard as it gets. They got the headstock of the Flying V version wrong last year so... 🙄 There are also the absence of the thumb bleeder indicators for the control knobs & the sandwiched body construction, among others. Whatever, Gibson.

Gibson priced this 70s model to match the current 50s / 60s LP Standards so rightfully, when it gets here, it should cost as much as the 50s / 60s models listed domestically (TBC). It spells bad news for the 2015 model which is currently listing for more & we know the 2015 specs, yes? It makes selling any 2015 Gibson very difficult, even in the after-market. I'm not advocating for a clearance price for the 2015 to happen because as it is, they are indeed (selected colours) clearing for a good price (Hot deals: $2,561.30 currently out of stock / B-Stock: $3,366.28). 

I see the re-emergence of the LP Deluxe, in any iteration, as a positive move by Gibson. The mini humbucker is a good alternative to the standard humbucker & P90 voicings. If there's any good in this revival, it's the pickups. Ardent fans find this 70s version a little worrying because it's not an accurate take on a bona fide 70s model. Looks like Gibson took the best details of the LP Deluxe in its respective era (namely late 60s - mid-70s) & came up with this mishmash which turned out pleasant to say the least. We are watching you, Gibson. Your deceptive ways are glaring (but forgivable). 

Pics: Gibson

70s miss

This is new for 2020. Gibson released a 70s era Flying V in this white finish because it's one of the most collectible version they ever made back then. However, that headstock there is not the 70s deal.

The period correct headstock looks like this; a little narrower plus a rounded tip, not as pointed as the current version. Nothing much really happened at the Gibson end of things during NAMM 2020, the Epiphone highlight pretty much hijacked the limelight.

Squier 2012: VM 70s Strat

New for 2012; Squier's VM 70s Strat. Great looking, they even glossed the neck for the occasion. However, 70s Strat fans would be more delighted if the body's ash (period correct body wood) instead of the VM's basswood. I'm not putting basswood down (too many of my Ibanez sports a basswood body; they are all great guitars) but it affects tone. I've tried the Classic Series Strat- that was a great guitar.