Gibson Les Paul BFG

I am putting this review in here to add my opinion but also to tell about some modifications I have made that IMHO make this guitar a 10.

Trans red. Most of the features have been gone thru already. P90 and a Burstbucker 3. Kill switch where the pic-up selector usually is. One tone, 2 volumes, and a pick-up selector where the usual 2nd tone knob is. Pick-up selector is tiny. Cool white plush hsc. Unshielded wiring inside. 9 because of the wiring and small pick-up selector.

Love the sound of this guitar. P90 is great sounding clean. Play in a rock cover band that does 4-5 gigs a year. For the clean work,use this pick-up. Not as good distorted alone, kinda gets muddy. Both pick-ups together distorted sound fantastic for rock, the combo is amazing. then the burstbucker alone for leads or hard rock, punk rock and i guess even some metal but I don't play much metal.
Incredible sustain. Longest of any of my guitars. (PRS, Gibsons and American fenders).
Alternate between Orange rocker 30 and Fender twin reverb with a seymour duncan twin tube distortion pedal in front depending on my mood.

Action was fantatic.
P90 is a good distance from the strings and the Burstbucker is closer, which contributes to the BB being much louder, but not abnormaly so. It works well for switching to leads or changing the volume during a song from the verse to the chorus (which is usually louder and more overdriven) then back to the verse.
Finish: BFG (barely finished guitar). I love the look. We have done quite a few work party gigs and all the 'guitar lay people' (ie the people who have never heard of Gibson or Fender - I know- blasphemy
!) there love it, says it looks like snake skin.

Live playing: rock solid. Take it to all my gigs.
One problen that I alluded to above was the unshielded wiring. Makes the guitar when not playing but the distortion is on on the amp. VERY LOUD and noisey. Only turns quiet if you put your finger on some metal part of the guitar. Anoying.
I took it the local guitar repair person and had him put Gibson shielded wire in it for 50 bucks. Still with the kill switch.
It is perfect now. Very very quiet, even with the gain turned all the way up just the slightest, very slightest hum and goes completely away with the kill switch activated.

I suppose I would just go to the local shop where I bought it if there were any serious problems.

Finally, I put a little plastic knob on the pick-up selector to make it a little bigger, so that it would be easy to switch pick-ups during a gig.

I have many other guitars. I play in a cover band for fun but have a good job with enough play money to try various guitar. I have been thru many; this, although less expensive, is one of the best. To most gigs now I bring my BFG and my 335. 335 for blues songs and mostly rhythm playing songs and BFG for more lead, clean(p90) and harder rock, punk and really crunchy songs. Love it.

les paul bfg,if you dont know what it is check it out first before you think of buying it;;

hard rock me,gary moore,slash,zep, and all the other bitz n bobbs,
marshall dsl 401 and 2 12 1936 cab,bb3 pup
is a piece of ****, p 90 is a bit noisey but to be fair its a single coil for goddsake; do yourself a favour and throw that tinny lil bb3 thing out and put a good seymore in; put a pup surround in too as you will wreck the humbucker,this guitar can do the buisiness, ive been playing for 25years, got a les paul classic that will tear the pants off any guitar that ive played for a long time,that ** is going to the grave with me!get one! got a 137 too and thats a bad boy too,had a gibbo black beauty and sold the piece of crap!buy mid range guitars,hi end guitars are a waste of money,trust me,fab to have but effing ussless,you can get better fun from low,mid range and not worry about the dings and cash loss! THIS GUITAR NEEDS LEMON OIL ON THE FRET BOARD,but after that this girl is an ugly duckilng but so much TONE that you are missing out if you buy something else,studios are a dead mans guitar,no sustain! this thing sings

action was mega mega high,but a little messing around(not pro) can get it super low and fast if thats your thing,(this guitar is not a shredder by any any any means!!!!!) factory wise it was ok, it is meant to look flawed,the kill switch,IS WIRED THROUGH THIE CHAMBERED BODY CAUSING LOTS OF NOISE, IF YOU DID WHAT I DID AND PUT THE THREE WAY SWITCH BACT TO WHERE IT BELONGS YOU WILL BE SINGING;;BAD FLAW ON THIS BUT EASY FIXED,stays in tune well thanks to the grovers,bone nut (bit sharp as per the fret board)

live playing no hassle for this gem;
hardware is gibson,course its gonna last;
unfinished ugly thing,but durable,no probs with the odd ding or two;
same old crap with the strap buttons,get em changed;
dont see why not this guitar is not dependable,after all its a gibbo;i would never use any guitar wuthout a backup;thats a silly thing to ask any gigging guitar player

gibson have always responded to me emails,no probs there

to be honest this guitar is just a mess about for me as i got the classic and 137,i wanted something different and boy did i get it,if it were stolen or lost then who knows;; all i know is i got now and we are both having some fun.that p90 is screamin

Gibson Les Paul Trans Gold, made in the USA!

Top Species - Maple (unsanded carved top).
Back Species - Mahogany, chambered weight relief.
Binding - None.

NECK
Species - Mahogany
Profile - 1950's rounded
Peghead Pitch - 17??
Note - No truss rod cover

FINGERBOARD
Species - Rosewood
Scale Length - 24-3/4"
Number of Frets - 22
Nut Width - 1.695"
Inlays - White side dots only
Fingerboard Binding - None

HARDWARE
Plating Finish - Distressed black chrome
Tailpiece - Stopbar (distressed)
Bridge - Tune-o-matic
Knobs - Two Black Speed Knobs, one speed black tone
Tuners - Grover (distressed)! (Does not go out of tune at all!)

ELECTRONICS
Neck Pickup - P-90
Bridge Pickup - Zebra BurstBucker 3
Controls - 2 volume, 1 tone, 3-way switch (no washer or cap), kill switch toggle (no washer)

OTHER
Strings Brite Wires .010-.046
Case - Shopworn Les Paul
Color - Trans Gold

It's suits my style great, i really like the sound of the guitar.
It sound great through my Marshall amp. I use the guitar for Classic Rock, Modern Rock, Rock-Pop, Rock Blues, Blues, Punk, Pop and a few other styles.
I think the pickups can be noisy, but it depends on what environment you are playing. For example, i gigged in a rock caf?? in town where it wasen't noisy. But when i play in the rehursle room it can be noisy, the difference is the amp that you are using.
The sound is rich, full, bright. I really like the tone.
It can make any noise! The variety is great!

Overall, the guitar rocks! I really like it. The only thing that in my opinion can be changed is :
- The p90 is a bit louder than the Burstbucker #3, it needs some adjusting.
- I think I'm gonna remove the kill switch because I'm not using it actually.

This Guitar is a good guitar for the price, and it just rocks away!
I'll will keep it with me for a very long time.

-The set-up was fine when I got this guitar, it wasen't adjusting in the factory but another bloke did it for me.

- The pickups needs some adjusting in my opinion, the p90 is a bit louder than the humbucker in the brigde.

- Overall the guitar is setup well.

- This guitar does not contains any flaws at all!

I think this guitar will last for ever. I've played live with it and it rocks as hell!
The hardware is destressed, but it will last for ever.
The Finish is really nice and it looks modern and vintage in one. You don't really have to care if the finish wears off.
I replaced the strap buttons with Schaller Strap Locks. I Think every guitar needs strap locks because, I would kill myself if I dropped it on the floor.
I think that I can rely on this guitar without having any trouble.

The guitar is Rock Solid!
I would use this guitar on a gig without backup, but I have a few other guitars, and I bring them with me all the time.

I have not dealed with the company jet.
But I think that if you have some trouble with this guitar, Gibson will help you out the best way they can.
Gibson just rocks!

- I've been playing for 6 years now, I use a very good Marshall amp, i own a Line6 spider amp aswell, which also rocks. I own a Squier 51 which rocks aswell.

- If this guitar was stolen I'd get another Gibson Les Paul for sure. I'm not sure if it will be this guitar but definatly a Gibson Les Paul.

-I love the guitar for it's attitude, sound, perfect playing, reliability and feel of this particular guitar. My favorite feature is the p90 pickup in the brigde. It just totally rocks!

- I compared it with a few other guitars, but i fell in love with this Gibson, I love it!

I think this guitar is a very good price/quality guitar. Gibson does not make cheap guitars, but this one is pretty cheap for it's quality. I love and I will play it every day.

Thanks for reading.

Check Gibsons website for an in depth description of features..I imagine anyone interested in this guitar knows what it is by now..Mine is a limited edition in the INK Blue color..Looks incredible.Deep, round neck..Feels dry and I like that...very smooth fretwork..Mine came with the case

Ok...Honestly...With the stock P90 and the Gibson Burstbucker 3 this guitar looked incredible and sounded quite honestly like ASS! Great guitar, terrible pickups! I was soooo disappointed when i heard it through several amps including my Peavey Classic 100 and Mesa Boogie tremoverb...The P90 sounded like a giant mushball..No top end at all..No definition..The burstbucker 3 was unbelievably shrill..Thin..Almost unusable..I set out to change that...Changed the Neck pickup to a Dimarzio P90 dlx DP162..And the bridge to a tried and true Fender/Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates plus.WOW!..Now this guitar sounds as good as it looks! I also changed both volume and tone pots to 5ook pots..I love it now!

The action is superb out of the box...I did change the strings from 10's to 11's..Huge improvement in tone as well..And the finish is amazing...I like to think of it as Gibsons answer to the Fender Custom Shop Relics..this guitar even smells great!

Ok well, my 5 year old daughter decided to kick this guitar over by accident...It bounced off my computer desk, hit 2 large legs of a wood chair and landed with a terrorizing thud..Without a scratch!..Whew close call! This guitar seems tough ..

Called Gibson with a few questions...my questions were answered by a real live person within minutes..Nice!

Im a professional guitarist/instructor/songwriter..been playing for 35 years..I highly reccommend this guitar if you dont mind changing the pickups..To me, its a must do on this guitar...This guitar can be very versatile...Definately a great guitar for any modern rock styles..

black 2007 model, includes the toggle tip and truss rod cover unlike earlier models.
neck p90 and bridge Burstbucker3,thin nitro finish on a roughed in body, but not too rough. neck is smooth as silk.
case and some extras like the truss rod wrench. grover tuners, distressed black hardware. and a chambered body. not weight relieved but actually chambered. this adds some "wood" to the tone.
the neck is supposed to be a round 50's carve but i think mine is a tad less thick.

i love the tone, unplugged it is woody and full, why nobody bothers to check their guitars out this way is shocks me. a pickup will only tweak your guitars natural tone not change it. the guitar is definately not thin sounding. the only tone problem i have is the kill switch has a slight ground problem that appears at higher gain settings when in the off position.a better quality switch should fix that.
amped up through my Orange Tiny Terror it is full and ballsy and capable of nice cleans, although the Tiny Terror likes pumping crunch more than anything.the BB3 is brighter than your standard muddy bucker which i really appreciate. coupled with the chambered body i no longer have to deal with the annoying excessive low E dominance. the meat is there for heavier stuff but now it is more balanced.
the p90 is awesome, p90's are anyway..noise? well yeah but it is a p90 get over it. there isn't much this can't handle with the right amps.
i play everything from metal to skanky funky stuff, the BFG delivers. if you find it a hair bright just roll back the tone duh, the tone is actually useful on this unlike some guitars that would be better with the tone pot totally removed.
i dislike nothing except the cheaper kill switch and slight resonance of the pickup height adjustment springs. but they aren't as annoying as a strats trem springs chiming when you want silence.

on the negative side i only have slight issues with the fret ends, they do not tear at you but they are a 8.5 on a scale of 1-10 for smootness.
Gibson included a standard setup, i would prefer slightly lower action on the bass side and a bit more height on the treble, more uniform height. the bb3 was lower than my preference and was over powered by the slightly too high p90. the p90 is in the neck position and doesn't need alot of height to bark loudly.
as for finish..you are kidding right? this is probably the only new guitar that you will NOT get money knocked off because of a scratch or dent HA.
it may be basic but it is perfect IMHO. i dislike uber shiny guitars.
the chambered body is resonant and light without being neck heavy. i am unsure of the string gauge, they may be light top heavy bottoms. Gibson says 10's but i suspect the store had strung it up after shipping. i plan on slapping some 11's on here anyway. it practically plays itself. i believe Gibson should start adding straplocks to LP's the front strap button is located in a place that allows the strap to fall off to easily.

live playing no problem solid hardware and a satin finish that will get smoother with handling.
strap locks are a very needed item.
i can depend on this 100%
i probably could gig without a backup seeing i take extra good care of my gear and never break strings. change your strings often, clean your guitar and KEEP it in the case when you are not playing and avoid scratchy pots, dead and broken strings and headstocks.

never dealt with them.

i have been playing 30 years and have used a load of guitars.
i do a lot of recording with my band mates and friends.
presently i am using a Tiny Terror into a yamaha 4x12 but another cab is on my radar. i occasionally use a 20 yr old Rat for extra boost. GOOD cables and dunlop 3.0 mm Big Stubby picks.
i formerly had a Vintage Mahogany LP and a Faded SG,both were not as nice tonally as this. the VM lp was major bottom heavy in tone and i struggled to get sweet cleans from the BB pros. i tried several axes ( PRS se one, LP vintage mahogany , LP menace, LP studio and a SG standard) in store to compare with the BFG and i am sorry to say they were weak compared to this. the SG standard was close but i wanted the LP tone not another SG. the SG will be at a later date, don't tell my wife heh heh.
i love everything about this beast, a pure rocker that can do cleans.if this guitar was a woman it would be Canadian rocker Biff Naked.
if you are looking for Pamela Anderson get help and look somewhere else.
this guitar deserves a 10 for value. it has the goods where it counts.. all killer no filler.

2007 Gibson Les Paul BFG - Trans black.

P-90 single coil and Burstbucker 3 pickups. Basically just an unfinished LP with a kill switch. The top looks like snake skin.

You either love the look or hate it. I personally love it because it's not your typical LP. Not sure why so many people hate it.

I have a LP Custom (silverburst...oh so nice!), LP Standard, SG Standard, SG with EMG pick ups, and an ES-335 to compare it to.

It's definitely not in the same league as the other two LPs, but does sound great. the tone is bliss.

Excellent.

Well built. I've only had it for a few months, but can't see anything going wrong with it.

I've read numerous reviews on how Gibson's CS is crummy. Personally, I've contacted them numerously and they've always gotten back to me...even for really stupid things. For this reason, I give Gibson a 10.

I only wish it was a heavier piece of wood. Other than that, 10/10.

Less that half the price of a Standard and a bit cheaper than a Studio. If you can justify the $2,500 than definitely go for a Standard. Standards are the benchmark, like a BMW 3 series.

The term "not your dad's Les Paul" holds true for this thing. When I decided to purchase another LP, I wanted something that looked and sounded different...the BFG answered the call.

The best thing about it is it's both a high end guitar and a beater, all in one. You don't have to worry about cleaning it or scratching it and you get a really nice sounding guitar.

Don't be one of these guys that thinks it'll appreciate in value. Buying a Ford won't make you any money and neither will a BFG. Buy it if you're looking for an excellent and affordable unfinished LP.

USA made Gibson BFG Les Paul. 22 Medium frets, bare wood maple top, chambered mahogany body,humbucker (Burstbucker #3) for bridge, P-90 in neck, 24 3/4 scale. Average features, has a kill switch mounted where traditional toggle would normally be.

My style is metal both new and old with a little Rush tossed in for fun. This guitar does not fit with what I like to do. I run a Triple Rectifier, an older 2 Channel Dual Recifier, and a Recto-verb 50w combo. The heads are run through 4x12 recto standard cabenets. I do not use any FX's. This instrument had a horrible ground problem I could not locate/tame. Futhermore, it was brighter sounding then some Strats I have played. This does NOT sound like a regular Les Paul but a cheap copy. It sounded hollow with limited bottom end, even through my Mesa's.

This is where its gets even worse. This guitar (USA made Gibson) is a disgusting insult to the company Orville Gibson founded. The case "shop worn" is a joke its nothing more then a new case. A plain old cardboard violin style wrapped in black vinyl. This is below the industry standard injected moulded cases that are popular. The guitar itself was set up terrible, high action, loose knobs and switches, pickup height angle off, and the frets were not polished. This USA made guitar $969.oo was worse then the $199.00 Studio Dot 335 Korean copy a friend of mine purchased. Never chamber a Les Paul it truly killed the fat tone Les Paul's are meant to have. CMI killed Gibson.

This is easy, after 5 hours with this thing I sent it back to Musicians Friend whom were outstanding with their customer service. They even said they were sorry and covered the return shipping!!!!!!!5 Stars for those guys. This thing was not worth me swapping pickups and giving the frets and intonation a super tune up. Plus the switches rattled and I think the "kill switch" threads were stripped.

The Gibson name is keeping the failed (CMI) consolidation going. Most of the smaller local merchants quit handling Gibson because they are required to buy thousands of dollars worth of products that do not sale from the company. I think Guitar Center is one of the few that can deal with Gibson's rules. That's why Gibson has these "special Guitar Center Anniversary models" as a reward. The though of Gibson suing PRS for their Single-cut saying its similar is an insult to PRS.

I have been playing for 30 years and I am 41 years old. I wished I had playd this thing before ordering it, but none of my retailers had one in stock, now I know why (ha-ha.)I admit I own 2 Les Pauls, a 1978 Standard, and a Heritage 80 (The early reissue 59). I love both of them.I also own 2 PRS's and a USA Jackson Solist. The BFG is to expensive for what you get. It really shoud be an import priced in the $300 dollar range. Stop insulting the "Made in USA" stamp.

Standard BFG in trans black. P90 in the neck position and Burstbucker 3 in the bridge. I keep on using the kill switch by accident when I want select different pickups.

Wow this guitar is light compared to my 05 LP standard.

You either like the finish (or lack of finish) or hate it.

Guitar sounds really good especially when the amp is distorting. I really like the P90 sound. The Burstbucker 3 is brighter than my Burstbucker Pro in the Standard when the amp is on the clean channel.

Action was a little high from the factory and the neck was really fast. The neck wasn't sticky like I'm use to. No flaws. Fret work was really done very well

Brand spanking new. I can't really comment on that point.

No comment

I've been playing for 25+ years. If it was lost or stolen I would be looking for another. I'm going to do the wiring mods to remove the kill switch and place the pickup selector where it should be.
I've added a truss rod cover and I'll be putting the pickup ring for the Burstbucker. Just of aesthetics

you know how it goes
moved toggle switch back to the original location
replaced pickups with EMG85 (bridge), EMGP60 (neck)
installed an EMG pa-2 preamp booster

Stock pups got a 7 for what I want. p90 was excellent, lots of humming though. BF-3 was really thin.

Now with the EMGs it gets the highest!!! Amazing match!!

I dont wanna go through the EMGs because it will end up a pickup review.
All I am saying is that by changing the pickups, you get a first-class guitar that beats guitars with twice the value

Had to adjust the truss rod a bit and raise the action. Apart from that it is a beauty and plays great. Perfect wood match, nice bright sound, quality woods.

you'll need to install the bridge pickup frame!!!

feels like a dog. no problem here. My Standard Classic will now go to sleep...

Never needed them.

Its my new lover. Being in the mid of recording process, it transformed my sound. although the original setup with stock pickups didn't sound that good to my ears and i had to spend extra cash, it's still great value for money.

Been playing music for 25 years, own 2 other Gibsons, a Strat, mainly through Marshalls. I go for the tool/led zep/zakk wylde/gary moore/al di meola sound if that thing exists. BFG is just right for me. VERY versatile in every aspect.

Unfinished body (sanded but no shiny laq finish) - mine is the Trans Black Color
Body and neck woods - Mahogany
Tuners - Grover
Neck - Fat 50s Gibson neck, no inlay (side dots though)
Controls - 2 volume, 1 tone, 3-way selector and killswitch
Pickup configuration - P90 in the neck and a Burstbucker #3 in the bridge
Included accessories - interestingly enough mine came with a blank truss rod cover and a creme knob on the pickup selector.

OK this is the reason I wanted this guitar for the SOUND. I don't care that it looks like it got slapped with an ugly stick but very honestly I think it looks cool and the things I thought would bother me - no truss rod cover, wooden knobs etc... BUT someone in Gibson (as I mentioned above) included a truss rod cover and a knob - makes me happy. ANYWAY - the BB#3 is awesome! Great sound and tone in this guitar, it sings from the body of the guitar which is excellent. The P90 sounds very "acoustic" to me, which I like. BOTH pickups together produce a very thick powerful tone. AWESOME! I can't say it enough. I wouldn't change a thing to this guitar. I prefer unfinished guitars do to SOUND and feel so this thing is perfect!

Set up by Gibson was ok, obviously the action needed to be lowered to my liking therefore the pickups needed lowered. The intonation seemed off on the low E and G string so I adjusted that as well. I don't know very honestly this kind of set up needs done any time something is shipped to you. The guitar goes from Gibson to a DC (I'm sure) then to a the company you buy if from. A lot can happen to that guitar before you receive it (mail order anyway). Personally guitar shops should setup each instrument before it goes on display but not a lot do...

This guitar I believe was MADE for live application it sounds so good. Not sure how it will hold in the studio though as I have not had it in there yet... should shortly though as my band is currently in the studio recording. I have gigged with this guitar once and it was great, I play in multiple tunings so I always have a few guitars with me if one were to break a string etc... but I don't think I will have any issues with it. I am sure the finish will wear faster than if it were a laq finish but who cares? Adds character PLUS its nice to see an instrument gets played too you know! I don't care who you are you always need to get strap locks on it, period.

Gibson is great, never had a problem.

If I had more money I would buy a 2nd! This guitar has quickly won me over, its fantastic. Great job Gibson on experimenting!!! Be smart and grab one before it gets disc! This is sure to become a Gibson classic!