Gibson 2018 (Part 2)

Gibson's Firebird Studio survives another year & offered in a P-90 pickup configuration come 2018. However, the fretboard is now granadillo & please pay USD119 more for this version. Granadillo is a close-grained wood, rather dense, similar to maple in terms of acoustic characteristics. So is this a deserving rosewood substitute? It remains to be seen but comparing the two wood types in terms of likeness is rather futile as they are different. Substitution is not the approach here.

The Explorer also sports a granadillo fretboard for 2018 & price goes up by USD140. The respite here is that it now sports a pair of Bursbuckers. OK, I personally prefer the Burstbuckers compared to the default Series 400 pickups which could sound muddy under high gain. Then again, some of us rely on Gibson for that wooly, woman tone.

Another granadillo victim recipient with Burstbucker pickups as well. Prices- up by USD140. 

Gibson BFG: Pickup swap

The Gibson BFG Les Paul is equipped with the manufacturer's Burstbucker (BB) 3 humbucker by default. This pickup is the highest output model in the BB line-up so it's conceived to manifest loads of drive in addition to the classic nuances when one knocks off some volume on one's guitar. Regardless of the enticing nature, the BB3 is not my kind of pickup.

So it's duly removed from the BFG; note the generous wire length the manufacturer included.

The cavity of the bridge humbucker actually includes a metal plate mounting for the pickup simply because the BFG had been chambered in its off-centre region; there isn't any wood to screw the pickup into...

There is a new Seymour Duncan in place of the BB- stay tuned to know which model I've chosen. Of course, it's an all black unit, I've no obligations to preserve the original zebra finish theme chosen by the manufacturer.