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Gibson Les Paul BFG

 

Review of the Gibson Les Paul BFG by The Man in the Jar

Wow. That was a surprise coming out of the case!  That's what you get for taking drugs at board meetings...

Features of the Gibson Les Paul BFG

Tuners - Sealed Grovers finished in distressed black do a good smooth job.

Headstock - This is a purposely distressed and unfinished guitar. The familiar Gibson headstock is unfinished on the rear and the front is stained black. The Gibson logo and the model name are worn and barely discernable. The truss-rod cover has been omitted, but to make it look as though it was once there the screws are still fitted.  

Nut - The white plastic nut abuts the fretboard and is tidily cut.

Neck - The neck, like the back of the headstock, is unfinished and simple stained brown. There is still a slight roughness to the wood. This didn't bother me much, but if it did I suppose I could sand it down myself!  The 50's profile is really nice and full in the hand without being too chunky. Unfinished though it is, this neck is where you begin to realise you're holding a quality American-made guitar. 

Fretboard - The rosewood of the fretboard looks to be of a really high quality with a nice stripy grain. Over time it will take on oils from your skin and become a real blinder. There are no fret-markers on the board itself although there are dot markers on the side for the player's reference. 

Frets - Medium-fat flat profile frets are well polished and give true "fretless wonder" performance.

Action - Very good from the box thanks to an American factory set-up.

Body - The mahogany body has a maple top. The mahogany has been simply stained like the neck. The maple top has been carved to produce the "Les Paul bulge" but then not sanded smooth. The result is a curious rippled reptile-skin effect. This is complimented by an uneven application of gold stain. The whole is lighter than most Les Pauls because of chambers cut under the maple top. The back mounted controls are covered by transparent covers. I suppose this is to give the impression that there are no covers without risking damage to the electrics inside.

Bridge - Regular Les Paul Tune-o-matic with stop tail. The bridge has saddles that are individually adjustable for intonation. String height is adjusted by moving the entire bridge assembly up and down on its two supporting screws.

Pickups - The pickups are installed without housings. The bridge pickup is a Burstbucker 3 with zebra coils. The neck pickup is a P-90 soap-bar.

Controls - There's a volume control for each pickup and a master tone, a three-way pickup selector and a kill switch. The kill switch sits on the upper bout where the pickup selector normally sits, it has no washer. The three-way pickup selector sits down behind the volume and tone controls, it has no washer or tip. The rotaries are made of wood, have no numbers and are mismatched in size. 

Strap-buttons - There are two strap buttons, one on the upper bout near the neck and one on the base of the body. These are quite small and I'd suggest upgrading to larger buttons or investing in strap locks.

Output Jack - On the lower edge of the body in a square plastic plate.

Finish - They forgot to...

Accessories - Fitted Gibson hardcase and Gibson goodie bag.

 

Sound of the Gibson Les Paul BFG 

This might look like Wild Willy Barrett's spare axe that's been left on the shed roof for a while, but it's the sound that counts. The Burstbucker 3 is a real screamer, classic Les Paul overdriven cock-rock solos are a breeze with this monster. It has power and cut to slice through almost anything. Wind it back a bit and get the chordal chunk you need for hard and classic rock. Switch to the Soap-bar and you have a different, bluesier beast. The neck position means this P-90 can't really approach the brash growl of a Les Paul Junior but it has vintage tones a-plenty for mellower rock styles. 

 

Overall Impressions of the Gibson Les Paul BFG

This guitar will oblige some Les Paul purists to go and lie down in a dark room. But if you approach it with an open mind you'll find that it is an absolute joy to play and has two fabulous voices from different ends of the rock spectrum. So it boils down to whether you can live with the looks and the feel of the thing. I like the feel of the warm unfinished wood under my hands and I like the idea that it will become stained with my sweat. For the most part I like the looks as well, but I would tend to lose the wooden knobs, get a tip for the pickup selector and maybe get housings for the pickups. At over £700 it's not cheap, but it is a real American made Gibson, and despite the idiosyncratic finish it does feel, play and sound like a top quality instrument.    

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