When I was at Swee Lee yesterday, Aryadni, one of the salesperson there, saw me noodling with some Epiphone Les Pauls & said, since I had some LP vibe going, I should be trying this next guitar she's bringing over. So when the guitar came, it's the $9,500 Gibson Randy Rhoads 1974 LP Custom you see above. Only 100 were made & only 1 available here. I'm no big LP fan but I'm not one to pass off any guitar trying moments.
If you have ever handled an LP Custom, you'd know the neck profile- very thick & rounded. It's immediate repulsion for individuals who thrive on speed. But that's not the case here. This LP Custom has one of the slimmest neck this side of planet Gibson, it puts the slim taper profile to shame, really. The on-board action was also very shred-friendly.
The other attraction (at least to me) is the pair of pickups on board; it's Gibson's Super '74 humbuckers featuring Alnico 3 magnets. The magic here is that you'd hear both vintage & high output influences in a single offering. These are absolute performers in crunch mode but they are equally appealing clean or with excessive distortion. Keep in mind this Les Paul isn't one sporting a chambered body so with a healthy bottom end & lots of crunchy spike, you know where Rhoads was heading when he had Mr. Crowley going with this guitar; loads of singing tone with definition, without wimping out. This is a Gibson winner but the price tag suggests it's beyond reach for many of us. It's also done in a relic finish; so much money for a beat-up guitar- it doesn't make sense for some/ many of us. But one thing's for sure, this LP has lots of tone.
