Gibson Les Paul BFG

2006 Gibson Les Paul BFG gold top. You know the spec already. Nice comfortable sized neck which feels real good in the hand

This guitar suits my style perfect, Rock and hard rock. Think guns and roses, bon jovi or anything 80s. Brighter than a std Les Paul which is great as i play through a Orange Tiny Terror which is slightly dark so the balance is great. Found it to be noisy when the kill switch was on unless you touch the strings or bridge so i swapped the red and white wires over on the kill switch so when on its ground there at the switch. Awesome thick sound through my amp too. Loads of varierty from the pickups too. Very nice when using both pickups on clean, warm and bright together.

Factory setup was ok ish. Had my tech level the fretts and a complete setup now its the best guitar i own. No flaws on this guitar from the factory. No sharp frets. Lovely top with the grooves still in it even tho this is looked apon as bad.
Factory setup could of been better but ??60 later it was great!

Strap buttons seem small so would change if i played gigs but i dont so not bothered yet. Finish is as youd expect. (Unfinshed!) Very good overall and seams to be well built and solid. Stays in tune very well also.

Never delt with gibson

Been playing 3 years now and this is the best guitar ive owned. If stolen id buy another straight away! Love everything about this guitar. Great value for money too.
Ive owned other bits as follows, Kramer striker fr422sm, epiphone joe pass emperor, epiphone Les Paul STD, aria cheap strat, yamaha pacifica 112, washburn D10SCE acoustic. Epiphone Valve junior combo, Laney LV200, Orange Tiny Terror, Marshall TSL212C Cabinet.
Id recomend this as i love it and its solid and sounds great.

My BFG is a 2008 model picked it up about 8 months ago from Long and Mcdonalds. It came with the tone knob cover and trus rod plate. I immediately took off the truss rod plate to add to the natural look. The thing that I love about this guitar is the look and the unbelivable versatility of the sound. I have no need for a kill switch but it's there incase I do someday ... The rounded 50's neck fit's perfectly with my hands (on the large side), The grover tuners keep the instrument in tune after it warms up, It's on the light side being that it's a chambered Mahogany but my guess is that if your an old guy looking for a traditional 20 pound guitar then your not going to like this guitar anyways. I play mostly alternative music with some hard rock, jazz, blues, and everything else kinda mixed in so this guitar is a jack of all trades really. I really feel that it's the best guitar I've ever owned.

This guitar suits my music style like a glove. It is heavy when it needs to be, thin when I want it to be, thick and bold when I want it to be. It can handle any strings, I have 11's on there in standard. I run it through a Marshall TSL100 and Orange PPC412 as well as a VOX 50watt 1x2 with a vintage 30. The guitar is on the noisy side but a decent guitarist finds a way to cover up the noise. It is just a circit that doesn't like being together I think.

Well ... Any one in here from Canada who is complaining about how the guitar was set up guess what ... the problem isn't with Gibson it is with Yorkville Canada. Yorkville Canada is owned and or is in partnership with Long and McDonalds and it's employees set up every single guitar before it leaves the warehouse in Toronto. That being said, it wasn't in bad shape when I got it I don't think but I never realy paid attention. I am a guitar tech and have worked for a retailer for several years. Buying a guitar and not setting it up yourself is kind of like having some one else order you a meal. You'll get food but who knows what it'll be and you probably won't like it. Rather then marking a guitar on factory set up lets mark it on how it can be set up. I have 11 to 48 in standard at about 3.4 16ths ... this is impressive wtih any guitar never mind with heavy guage strings. Neck has just a slight bow if you get rid of the nut and bridge. The Nut was cut clean, fits properly and was glued properly not like a fender. I didn't have to angle file the nut to get rid of any open dead tones. The Finish is beautiful! ... Unfinished, uneven, warn edges, wooden tone knobs, rosewood fretboard with no markers, unfinished neck. I get chills thinking about it. It's like art really. This guitar will look like this for the rest of it's life because you can't get fine ebony finish scratches, or tarnish on the tumbled hardware. It is as beautiful as time could ever make it.

I havent really had it long enough for it to fail fantasticly yet. It feels VERY solid. The hardware looks very well built. The finish will never look any different then it does now though I will say if you care about the back of your guitars (I don't it ads character) The soft unfinished mahogany dents if you even press your nail into it. I have a couple marks from my belt through my shirt on the back of the guitar. The strap buttons are as solid as I have ever seen on a guitar, of course I replaced them with Schaler strap locks.

I've never had to deal with Gibson, I probably wouldn't unless it was an obvious flaw from the factory. Something like the neck fell off fallowed by each individual piece breaking ... short of that I would probably just buy the upgraded $2 part instead of the factory $1 part and do the labour myself.

Sick guitar, It will rock your socks.

I have a black BFG that I bought eight months ago. It has 22 frets, a rosewood fretboard and 50s rounded mahogany neck. I've played several BFGs and mine has the thinnest neck of them. The others were very much on the chunky side, mine is slightly thinner (though not so much as a Gibson 60s neck) so I guess it varies from guitar to guitar. It has a carved maple top and a mahogany body. It claims to be unsanded, but it's relatively smooth so they must do some sanding to it. The pattern not only looks cool (kinda like snakeskin) but it also feels cool. If you run your fingers across the body it's bumpy. The finish is great. My gripe with Les Pauls has always been all that glossy gunky stuff they put on the neck and body. This one has no such finish. The neck has an unfinished, smooth and fast feel like a satin finished Fender neck, only thicker. And the more you play it, the better it gets. The body, though minimally finished and sanded won't give you splinters and feels good too. It has a killswitch, which is an incredibly useful feature that I use almost every time I gig with it, whether it's part of a song or just to mute it in between songs. The hardware is standard for a Gibson LP, only it's distressed to make it look aged. I think it matches the guitar perfectly. It came with the case, I bought it used. I was a little disappointed with the case. I expected a solid as a rock USA Gibson guitar to come in a solid as a rock USA Gibson case (it's Canadian). Granted it gets thrown around and I've taken it to every gig I've had since I got it, but still, it should be able to take that kind of battering. In several years I'll probably buy an SKB case for it. I have an SKB case for my Fender strat and it could last through a hurricane. Anyway, back to the guitar. The only reason that I didn't give it a ten was because when the person shipped it to me the P-90 pickup came completely loose, and the bridge pickup was loose as well, but it didn't come out like the P-90. I had the guys at my local guitar shop fix it and they did a great job. Since it doesn't have pickup rings it's prone to coming loose so they added a foam cushion or something to it and the pickups are in there so good now I don't have to worry about them at all. So it's a minor, fixable problem but you'd think that an American Gibson guitar would be put together well enough that that wouldn't happen.

I play everything from mellow blues, to praise and worship in church, to classic rock, to metal and hardcore. This guitar does it all. I use the neck pickup for blues and praise and worship, the bridge for metal and hardcore and both for rock. The only thing is that the neck pickup is noisy, but it is a single coil and that's what they do. No one notices it when you're playing. When you use both pickups together there's not much noise at all. It doesn't sound like other more conventional Les Pauls (Les Paul Standard, Studio and Classic). It has it's own unique sound. It still sounds Les Paulish, but in it's own way. I have a Michael Kelly Valor Limited and honestly it sounds more like a Les Paul then my Les Paul BFG. It has a slightly brighter sound, but it's still thick and warm like a Les Paul should be. The lead guitarist in my Dad's band has a 70s Gibson Les Paul Custom and the Michael Kelly nails that tone. About the only type of music I wouldn't play on it is country, but come to think of it I wouldn't play country on any guitar. :P

I don't think the guy I bought it from had it set up, but when I got it it seemed like it would be playable. I don't know since because it came with a P-90 that had popped out I could really play it. But really, when you get a guitar expect to have to get it set up. The factory doesn't know your preferences, only you do. You can't expect the company to get it right to your liking. I had the action lowered and I use 10s on it. I might have the action raised a bit and put 11s on it later on.
The good thing about this guitar is that even if it did have a flaw, you wouldn't be able to tell. You could drop it from a three story building and still you won't be able to tell. If I had a super high end $2000+ Gibson Les Paul I'd freak out every time it go a ding in it. With the BFG you can forget about the dings and just play the guitar. As far as quality goes everything seemed to be well made and solid, except that the pickups were loose.

If you gig wearing a bunch of zippers or jewelry or a giant belt buckle any guitar you play is going to get dinged up and have the finish worn off the back. If you don't I think it's safe to assume the finish will last a good long time. I put schaller strap locks on it because it's fairly heavy and it's the last thing I want falling on my feet. I think I'd end up in worse condition then the guitar if it feel on my foot. Most of the gigs I play are little church gigs and stuff like that, so I don't use a backup for it. If I were on tour or had to play a long set of course I'd bring a backup, it would be stupid not to. If a string breaks or something like that it's not a good idea to have the audience sitting there watching you change a string.

Never dealt with Gibson. If something happened to my guitar I'd take it to a guitar store and have them deal with it.

I've been playing for 5 years (I finally moved beyond chords and got serious about it 3 years ago) and I always wanted a Gibson Les Paul. I liked this one right off the bat. It looked different and sounded different then what everyone else was playing. Since I bought it online I went to several guitar stores and tried them out first, since it was a big purchase and I wasn't 100% sure about the thick neck. I liked the ones I tried there, but I like mine the best. It's like the neck was custom built for me. In addition to the Les Paul BFG I have a Michael Kelly Valor Limited, a Squier Affinity Strat (modified) and Tele, a Fender MIM Strat (modified) and a 1979 Peavey T-60. Sound wise my Michael Kelly and T-60 come closest, but the neck feels more like the Tele. The BFG was my first Les Paul. I thought it was the guitar that would hold me over until I got a "real" Les Paul (I was thinking a Les Paul Classic) but now I've realized that this may be the only Les Paul I need. It cured me of my $2000+ Les Paul GAS attack. If you like the sound of higher end Les Paul I'd encourage you to at least look into a Michael Kelly Valor, bigger bang for the buck if you ask me. And if you go with the Les Paul BFG get it used. I saved $300 on mine since I got it used, and that's what made it really worth the price. Mine was $700, with the case and free shipping halfway across the country.

I traded another guitar for this, I have the red top model, with stained mahogany body/neck. I traded for it because I'd been looking for a lightweight LP style guitar for some time, and I like the P_90/HB setujp, though I did have to change a few things. It's got the dark finish hardware, I think that all of these are pretty recent models, the Gibson site says introduced in 2007.
So it's a standard size and scale LP that just wasn't entirely finished and has some odd wiring and different pickups. I think it would be closer to "partially finished Guitar" . Gibson really cheaped out on this one.
To list my mods: Creme Cover for P-90, Creme bridge trim ring/X2N DiMarzio. Aluminum access covers and truss rod cover, polished. Shielding. Moved 3 way switch back to top bout, using shielded wire. used Kill switch as coil tap for X2N. partial sanding of top, sides and back-Danish oil, one coat. Tip put on 3 way switch.

I love the P-90, it's my first one. I'm pretty astounded at the volume from this pickup, it was louder by a good bit than the Burst-Bucker they had in the bridge spot, which I removed for a DiMarzio X2N. I used the kill switch for a coil tap switch for the X2N. The burst bucker has nice tone, but just isn't hot enough to keep up with the P-90.
The maple top makes it a pretty bright sounding axe, and the LP parts they didn't cheap out on all work well, so I'm pretty happy with the sound now.

I thought that the finish, or rather lack of one, and the really sloppy just-off-the -carving-machine top really needed a bit of work. gibson even just wiped stain all over the body and neck that it didn't need, I'd really prefer to have something like this at least completely sanded out and left natural, you could get splinters from the top. I sanded back the edges of the maple top, and some of the top itself and the major unsanded bits on the back and sides so there are no remaining really rough spots , then put on one coat of Danish oil. I didn't entirely sand the top, as this is probably the main determining feature of this axe, but I did take out some of the extreme roughness. i keep thinking that 5 minutes with my DA sander would turn this into a much classier looking instrument . I put the 3 way switch back where it's supposed to be on an LP, Shielded the guitar, and made polished aluminum plates to replace the god-awful transparent glazing plastic Gibson used, and made an aluminum truss rod cover.
The neck is nice, a little thick but not excessively so, and the action dialed in pretty low. Intonation was perfect as received. The case si nice.

The guitar is solid and I would not hesitate to use it live. It stays in tune well, and came with 11's, which it handles with no problem The main concern with having the unfinished top and gigging is that if someone spills a drop of beer or cola or anything on it, you have a spot of new stain. This is a guitar that is meant to be rough and show wear. The lack of position markers on top is not too much of a concern as the side markers are enough for me, and I do occasiionaly play a classical.. The strap buttons are tiny, and a normal strap would slip off easily. I have some of the Stew-Mac plastic strap locks that are just offset discs, and this keeps the strap on, I would not gig with the supplied strap buttons alone. The electronic parts are standard Gibson parts that you would find on any other LP, and are first rate. No unwanted noises. I like the wooden knobs, though I do wonder if they will hold up.

I haven't needed to contact Gibson about the guitar, and as I have modified it somewhat that might not be applicable here. I have asked Gibson for information on other items in the past and they have been very helpful, answering emails pretty quickly, with very complete answers.

I've been playing since 1968, and have had other LP's, have an SG, several Fenders, and I build and repair guitars, so I tend to have around 25 around the house playable at any given time.
This is an odd one, sort of like Gibson putting out an entry level LP a little cheaper by reducing production costs, and making it seem like something special instead of just sleazy finishing. It plays well, and with a bit of work sounds pretty good too. The kill switch is just a silly thing to do, and you can get the same effect by just turning one of the pickups all he way down and flipping the 3 way. And use some real strap buttons!
At least this guitar is made to be altered, adjusted, changed. Now that I made a few little adjustments it's a pretty nice guitar to play, sounds great, and does most of what I'd like a guitar to do. It's still not quite what I want, but it's the closest I've seen so far from Gibson.
So what do I really want? A similar pickup setup on a Lp style body instrument that is semi-hollow and has a Floyd Rose/Kahler/Strat style tremolo, one volume control next to the bridge and bridge pickup, and a tone with a bass(.047) capacitor so it can do wah sounds. 24 frets, on a slight V medium profile neck and a 12" radius fingerboard. A complete finish, even if oil or very thin.

my one is a standerd trans gold as opposed to one of the limited edition finished modles it has a burst bucker bridge pick up and p90 neck pickup + kill switch + two volume and one tone knob, 3 way pickup toggle. one of the coolist features are the plexi glass eletrics covers. as standered if you buy one you should get a gibson hardcase, if not you have been conned
to be honest i did not buy this guitar to be all singing all danceing i got it because it is simple and honest

i have heard people really been critcal about the sound from the bfg but i have found it to be fantastic. unamped it has a great natural resonence very warm and errm... woody sound (sorry). amped up and with a spade full of distortion it really rocks. with the chambered body feedback comes easy which i have read people complain about but it is a rock machine IT IS A GOOD THING and if your not a compleat plonker can be controled, just dont stand so near the amp. i play mostly heavy rock or prog rock ( ac dc, pink floyed, metallica etc)and this guitar can cope with most styles of music so it is a good work horse. i have read alot of reviews from people that have changed the pickups but the stock pickups are still resonble and worth keeping although i am thinking of change for mine. bottem line this guitar sounds great for the money and weather you like the look of it or not the sound (+ the playibility more on that later) is the most important thing.

now this is where things get complicated there seems to be eather good or bad bfg's mine is a very good bfg the shop where i bought it set it up for free and if you shop around you will find plenty of dealers who will do this. because the guitar design is that it is unfinished and rough complaints about lack of binding and the like are pointless but my one for some reason came with a truss rod cover and the plastic toggle on the pickup selector i would not have complained if i did not get them because you are not ment to but if you have a model that dose not have these things its no big deal. i have read alot of reviews that complain about the frets, wobbly hard wear and electrics, and general roughness so try befor you buy if you find a good one it will be well worth the money. i do have some critisium about my model there are some areas of bad workmanship. the dot markers are covered in the stain that they used on the body + i have a very rough patch where the neck meets the body small and easily sorted out but if you pay ??600 for a guitar you expect better for this reason i will mark this guitar down and i can understand why some buyers will rate this guitar low if they buy crap one. which is a shame because this is a great guitar if you get a good one. i would like to note that because the neck is not lackered your hand dose not get stuck to it this is great and makes this guitar very playible as a matter of fact i give this guitar a 9 and a half for playibilty.

this is a gibson it is not going to fall apart on stage if you have a sound one like me then it should outlive you and your children and your childrens children...etc you get the picture. the rough finish on it means that giveing it a dink is not a prob so great for energetic solos (we have all done it).
i do have to ask the question of gibson is why have they put such crapy strap buttons on it i mean for a couple of extra pounds you could have had half decent strap buttons i think this is very mean of gibson. gibson sort it out!

i have never had to deal with gibson which is proberly a good sign if i have a prob with a guitar i would normually take it back to the dealer that reminds me i have not even bothered looking at the warranty opps

i have been playing for 6 years this is my third guitar i also own a jackson and a cheap ibanez and is by far my best guitar i love the rough look of it and the great sounds and playibilty im not a big fan of flash shiney guitars so this suits me just fine it has quite a unique look so it stands out from your average les paul i wanted to get one in the natural finish but could not find so i had to settle for the trans gold (not that bad really). i love the way that it feels and smells (im not pervert honest)and the woodern Knobs are cute i was orangily going to buy a framus renagade pro (also a very good guitar) which proberly have been better value for money but it was the styling that won me over i will proberly buy a framus next. i think that i done the right thing in buying this guitar it is great fun and i can not put it down despite recently breaking my wrist and being in a cast if it was lost or stolen i would save up and buy it again it really is that good if you like your guitars properly finished this may not be the guitar for you but it is worth considering that the finished equivlent will cost you alot more and will look just like any other les paul also because of the chambered body it is a lot lighter then ...well most guitars. i could have bought a fender standered strat but they and copies are very commen(still a good buy for a real one) . my advice is try befor you buy i think you will be converted at the end of the day it sounds great and plays great which for any musical instrement is the most important thing. enjoy

Same as everyone else's. My wife purchased mine through Sweetwater Sound in Indiana as a Christmas present. Despite the drawn out drama with Gibson, Sweetwater was awesome to deal with. Thanks Mike!!

I play more rock and pop so the bridge pickup was too thin for me so I replaced it with a 498T. That was definitely an improvement for my taste. The P90 is definitely warm and smooth, howbeit very noisy. Definitely more "woody" sounding than the Standard that I've borrowed from a friend and not as solid. I'm playing it through pedals into a Solo 50 and it's string definition is not as defined as I'd prefer. It does excel on the high gain channel of my Boogie.

This is the third BFG that I ended up with. The first one had a crack in the neck under the fretboard. The second one had a finish so rough that my shirt sleeve stuck to the body and was stained so poorly (lack of). This third one came and I settled on it because I was told that Gibson was discontinuing the line except for the "Limited". It was badly in need of attention. The action was atrocious, the bridge pickup was missing a spring, the frets were pitted and sharp, and the intonation was horrible. But because of who gave it to me I was determined to keep it and use it. I sent it to Michael at Best Frets (in California... I'm in Michigan) who did an awesome job on the fretwork and pickup installation. But even after all of that, it still won't stay in tune solidly. My American Strat (that I paid half the price of this BFG) is waaay more reliable than the BFG. For this being a $950+ axe, it's not worth half the money my wife paid for it. I recently played a Korean model that was 200 times better... which is sad because I'm trying to stay American with all my instruments.

Like I said... it won't stay in tune. As for durability... time will tell. It feels like it's parts will hold up physically.

As with any company, it's hit or miss there. My first contact was met with excuses and insinuations that it was something I was doing wrong. My wife's contact also could not understand our predicament and my wife was regretful about getting me this BFG. My final contact was more knowledgeable, sympathetic (This gentleman sounded like he actually played), and had solutions.

Having been more reliant on my Martin D-28 and Strat made me see that Gibson's attention to detail lies only where it will benefit them. That is sad considering that I've always viewed American instruments as the superior. I will definitely not be purchasing another Gibson in the near future based on this experience.

I bought this guitar yesterday from Alto Music in Middletown, NY, and got it for $799 w/case, a much better deal than any of the online music catalog houses. They all charge $969 for it. What's up with that? Price fixing? They all suck, IMO. Support your local independent Gibson retailer instead.

Other people have detailed the guitar's features, so I won't.

This guitar suits me just fine in every way. It's exactly what Gibson's propaganda says; a rock n' roll flamethrower. There's nothing pretty about it; the BFG is one mean, bad***, nasty-sounding guitar in every way. It's amazing cranked up with plenty of distortion, but you can play clean country licks as well. Harmonics jump right out of the treble humbucker, and the neck P-90 is great too. Right way, I can tell I'm gonna love this guitar for a LONG time.

This guitar is rough and ready, unrefined and stripped down. That's what it is and nothing more. The factory setup is OK, the neck is straight and I love the snakeskin looking carved top in the black finish. The fretboard is a little dried out, but I'll take care of that when I change the strings this week. The A/F/F is about as good as it gets for a guitar that's supposed to look unfinished and raw.

I think it should last a long time. Don't see why not. The strap buttons are miniscule. I wish Gibson would stop using these idiotic buttons and get something larger.

I have spoken to Gibson C/S on occasion and they were cool. Overall though, I think that Gibson's CEO, "King Henry" Juszkiewicz, is an arrogant jerk who's ideas and philosophies are in danger of hurting the company in the long run. He has priced most of their guitars beyond the reach of the average player, and he treats many of his better indie dealers like crap in favor of GC, MF, and the other big box ********. With the BFG and the Billie Joe LP Junior, which I also own, they did something right for a change. Both are great values for the money.

I am digging this guitar a LOT and will use it on the gig next weekend. It's everything I thought it would be and more. I love the kill switch. I plan to add a pickup cover for the P-90, a ring around the humbucker, and different knobs, as well as larger strap buttons. The chambered body makes it very light, a welcome relief from some of my past Les Pauls, one of which weighed almost 12 pounds! because it's chambered, it generates feedback pretty easily, which I use onstage.

2008 Bullion Burst, very heavy metal looking to me.
kill switch/ 2 vol/ 1 tone/ p90/ burst bucker
Chambered body/stripped down Rock machine

Yes, the sound, Maybe its the lack of paint and clear coat on the wood, but this guitar sings like none other,It just has a diff tone to it,open like it breaths... I think its the chambered body and no paint, allowing the wood to breath.Tons of sustain,pinch harmonics effortlessly,I am playing it thru Diezel Herbert/Splawn Nitro/Marshall DSL/ Mesa Triple recto, thru Basson 4x12 cabinets. It just sounds different.Ive have several and had several other gtrs to compare it to...I love its tone...

Heres what Sucks about this...
kill switch noisey when set to off,unless your hand is on strings or metal
definately needs a Fret dress and crowning the frets, I like the rounded feel on frets and these are like railroad tracks.Wooden knobs ...took them right off.
I love the rough n raw finish,I play my guitars I dont look at them,I try to keep them nice but they get nicked up, and this one will blend right in!

everything breaks.............

Yes,It was worth the coin,chambered body and lack of paint,I think lets it breath unlike other guitars.....Hard Rock at its Best!

Black transparent BFG Les Paul
Gibson Burstbucker bridge pickup
P90 neck pickup
Grover tuners
One-piece maple top
Mahogany body etc

Interesting pickup selection
NO truss rod, pickup surrounds, washers or any binding. For the sake of ??5 I bought a truss cover and some washers - it looks lovely now. I didnt bother with pup covers and surrounds though - it actually detracted from the look when I tried it!

Love the pickups - the main reason I bought this was to get a different sound to my Les Paul with 57 Classics in, and it does this beautifully. The burstbucker gives a crunchier, 'bitier' (yes, that IS a word...) sound than the 57s, and the P90 has a really deep almost hollow feel to it. Beautiful.
You can get a real variety of sounds from it as well.

My favourite setting at the moment is to have the toggle in the middle, with the P90 rolled back to 20% and the bucker on 100%

The kill switch however is blinking useless. The only advantage of it that I have found is that it means the pup selector switch is now down by the volume knobs, so I dont accidentally change pup when I get carried away - and that does happen on my other LP!

I bought this 2nd hand, but the guy had only had it 4 weeks. He said the shop had set it up - whether they did or not I dont know, but it was absolutely perfect. No kidding - I've never picked a guitar up in a shop that was just right. This was.
I've only come across one other guitar that felt as nice and that one had undergone a full setup and fretdress.

The one thing I really love about this guitar is the finish. I really wasnt expecting to - I'd seen lots of pics on the net and thought "urgh - I'm not paying for an unfinished guitar"
But it was cheap so I went for it - so glad I did. Without the lacquer, paint, gloss sheen etc, the guitar feels really woody. The neck is awesome - the back feels really comfortable and you can actually smell the wood. It just adds something to it.

I would gig this without backup. Feels solid, yet mercifully lighter than a standard LP.
The finish is neither here nor there for durability as it is hardly there to start with.
This is what I'd call a 'working guitar' - pick it up and play it, enjoy it, and dont worry about getting carried away and knocking it!

I've heard Gibson support is bad, but I've never had to deal with them yet!

OK. Been playing 25 years, had many Epiphones, Squiers, Westones etc etc etc - only recently decided I wanted a genuine Gibson. I was really really surprised with this guitar - it was ??400 so too good to miss for a proper Gibbo, but I wasnt expecting much. But when I picked it up and played it I fell in love with it.
I really wish that the pics on the net hadnt put me off buying one last year. They arent for everybody - they do look a bit rough. My brother commented "Its definitely 'you'..." when he saw it, what with it being all black wood, black metal, bare pups and so on.

I love it.

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!

replaced the pickups with active EMGs (EMG 85 and EMG P60). Moved the toggle switch near the neck and used the empty slot for an EMG PA2 booster (no killswitch anymore).

The original pickups were OK but burstbucker-3 was too thin and p90 had lots of hum.

Now with the EMGs the sound is AMAZING.

You'll need to install a humbucker frame, it takes a lot of beating without it.

Action and setup were very good. The neck is very comfortable.

I love the looks. Mine is a TransGold.

Oh, it is light as a feather compared to the other LPs

This guitar is a dog

If you are into customizing your guitars, this axe can be a killer. Thank you Gibson for the opportunity

you know how it goes since you are here...
BUT... After a month of having the guitar I went active, replaced the pickups with an EMG 85 (bridge) and an EMG P60 (neck), moved the toggle switch back to the original location and installed next to the pots an EMG PA2 booster...

Thank you Gibson for making this guitar...

I will rate the original configuration with an overall 7. I want heavy gain sounds for both lead and rhythm and good cleans, as well. The BF-3 bridge pup was thin at high gain settings. I guess the chambered body makes the guitar bright as it is, the BF-3 was just not enough. The P90 gets an 8, it had an impressive creamy vintage quality but the hum was unbearable...
So, I went radical and thank god for the extra cash, I was right. Big F****** Giant, turned out to be. The guitar has bottom end, good mids and "friendly" highs. Articulate and crystal clear. Both pups deliver and the PA2 boost just slams...

I haven't really explored the sounds (installed the EMGs 4 days ago) but every setting sounds good. You can be Jimi, Zakk, Tool, and most of all yourself.

mine is the Trans Gold. I love the looks, especially with the two black EMGs. The action was very good right from the factory and the woods were surprisingly well-matched. My guess is that these are very good quality woods. I could hardly find the matching line on the back.
Oh, and it is light. Very light. The neck feeling can be classical, can be shred as well...

Well, feels like a dog this one.

BUT, you MUST install the bridge pickup frame. It got quite a beating from my right hand, I imagined it popping out with springs and all that...

if you are ready to customize this guitar and spend some more money on this baby, then you are in guitar heaven. If not, you end up with a Barely Finished Guitar... Just think of what you want.

LP with a kill switch

Sound absolutely beautiful! Very open sounding.. rich distortion. I prefer to have a single coil pu in the neck position, since it sounds 'more real' with clean settings. The bridge pu is just plain awesome! I don't know it's output. All strings ring true even distorted and you can hear the chords you're playing. Dynamic for a humbucker.. which I very much like. I use a Marshall amp and this is my first Gibson (I do have a Tokai LP as well but it sounds considerably much darker and strings volume-balance is totally off. Excellent build quality, though!) Unplugged this LP is quite loud and balanced. I plug directly to amp without effects most of the time.. sometimes I use some delay but that's just about all I ever use. IMO if you have a good sounding guitar/amp combination you shouldn't color it with effects... The pu's are not wax potted and tend to feedback, but it's not really a problem.

I got mine used and it was set up perfectly for my needs. The nut needs to be changed.. strings don't slide through it well enough. Lubricants didn't help. No biggie, easy fix.

Durability..? well, you certainly don't need to worry about scratching this one.. Personally I quite like it. I'm not too big on fancy finishing. Not having a 'finished guitar' is great since it's a whole lot cheaper to buy and you can be more careless with it.
Strap buttons were terrible and i changed them immediately. No guitar should have such lousy strapbuttons!!!

This is a very good guitar! Great sounds and rugged, carefree finish (if you can call it finish) Playability and sound unplugged is top notch. Came with an excellent Gibson case.

What's different is the 3-way pu-selector is moved next to vol pots and in it's place is a 'kill-switch'. Kinda cool if you like it, I didn't so and wired mine back to its normal place.. removed the kill-switch altogether. No big deal.. Mahogany body and neck. Plays like a million bucks but looks like only a few.. which I think suit a 'stripped down rock guitar' this is. Burstbucker 3 and P90. Rosewood fretboard. Very nice frets!

Sounds great for clean and distorted Rock..Hard Rock type of music that i'm into. You could probably get decent metal sounds too.. but that's not my thing. 60's to 90's rock sounds are all there. The P90 at neck position sounds beautiful, deep, rich and dynamic.. couldnt' be happier about having it there. The burstbucker in bridge pos is the greatest rock sound i've ever heard (especially when played through a marshall). It's sensitive to picking dynamics and just growls the right way. Very clear even with overdrive! Ballsy as hell and has a lot of attitude. Palm muting sounds exellent. Plenty of sustain too.
This guitar is very loud unplugged!!! Also it's a lot lighter to wear on a strap than most 'Pauls' I've played. Acoustically this instrument has a very balanced, open sound. No buzzing at all. Just a clear tone with good sustain.

I bought mine used. Everything was perfect! as if it had been just waiting for me to pick her up and take home.. (which of course I did). Simply the best guitar I've had. (no rating since I got mine second hand)

This is already so 'worn-in' that I wouldn't worry about them scratches anymore.. they'd probably make this look even cooler. LP:s last for ever unless YOU destroy the neck.

Exellent sounding instrument, especially for rock type of music. Well... blues-rock is what I'm into and this puppy really shines. This is one guitar I really wish I'd had a long time ago.. This is THE ONE I've been searching for for over a decade, maybe longer. Very basic features and superior TONE. This is a keeper for sure. Search is over for me now.. I have already started selling my other guitars (numerous guitars from dif manufacturers). If I ever buy another guitar it will be just like this one.. and just to have a back up for when needed.
Phenomenal sound!!

Well if you've bothered to search this out you should already know what a BFG is so I won't repeat what everybody has already writen. Mine is Trans Gold and took me a while to track down. I first discovered the model when I saw someone playing the black version at a gig - I assumed it was a LP copy at first, then noticed 'Gibson' on the headstock. It looked pretty radical so I assumed it was customised. Talking to the owner later I was surprised to discover it was a new Gibson model! A bit of research on the Gibson website and some more research for some reviews online convinced me I wanted one - in fact I became obsessed! Finding the Gold one I was after wasn't so easy - I visited many shops in London and only one Gibson dealer actually had one in stock - a cherry one rather than the gold I was after. The price was quite a bit more than I had seen online, but there was NO WAY I was going to risk buying a dog over the net - I ain't buying nothing I ain't played. Would you buy a car without a test drive? The London dealers were less than helpful - not willing to negociate on price or get one for me to try without a hefty non-returnable deposit to ensure I bought the guitar if is I didn't like it. A little research on the net and a phone call confirmed Coda Music in Stevenage had two in stock I could try - one of them in gold. And at a FAR better price than any of the London dealers! A quick drive out into the sticks to try them out and I walked out of the shop very happy with a new BFG in a Gibson USA hard case!

It sounds fantastic - I absolutley love the tones! I use a Fender Twin for gigs and a Fender Frontman R for practice at home. I was a bit dubious about the pickup combination until I tried it - I was soon won over! The bridge Burstbucker 3 gives the classic Les Paul tone with plenty of bite - particularly with a dirty sound and the tone turned up, it really screams. With a cleaner sound through my Fender Twin some nice Chuck Berry style tones are there too. It's the addition of the P-90 in the neck position that really makes this guitar so versatile - it's really like having two guitars in one as the two pickups sound so totally different from each other - FAR more so than any guitar equipped with either two humbuckers or two single coils. (apart from the old Gibson Marauder - I have one of them too but the BFG makes it redundant). With the P-90 you can get a sound not unlike the Les Paul Special, but actually far more like a '56 Goldtop due to the BFG's maple topped mahogany body. It's with a clean sound that the P-90 really comes into it's own - much warmer and with far more bite than the single coils you'd find in a Strat or Tele. It's surprisingly powerful for a single coil. Very good for a thick chunky '50 rock & roll rhythm sound. I've never heard a single coil pickup sound this good! I do find the Burstbucker (not wax potted) quite prone to feedback though - but that's when the kill switch comes in handy! Or maybe I just play too loud...

I tried two BFG's in the shop. Both sounded pretty similar though the Marshall amp in the shop, although those amps don't have a great clean sound. I thought the gold one had a slightly thinner neck than the black one. I wasn't too sure about the 'chunky' '50s style neck until I tried it, but I found I got used to it quickly and I now find it really comfortable even though it's noticably thicker than the neck on my other 3 Gibsons. I suspect the thicker neck gives better sustain too. I wondered if the chambered weight relief body would kill the sustain, but it's still excellent on mine, as is the classic Les Paul tone - I suspect this varies with each individual guitar though and some are better than others. I am over the moon with mine though. I wasn't too impressed by the setup of the guitars in the shop - I don't think they were set up since leaving the factory, and if so the factory setup wasn't very good. I was pretty certain I could do better myself, and sure enough just a few minutes work at home tweaking the bridge and pickup heights plus intonation resulted in a much better playing and louder guitar. If only Gibson bothered to do this properly at the factory I'm sure they would greatly enhance their patchy reputation for quality and sell more guitars... The finish is not to everyone's taste - if you don't like it then don't buy one - problem solved. Personally, I love it. Gibson don't say what BFG actually stands for - some people say 'Barely Finished Guitar'. This might be true, and in one respect Gibson might have gone too far as on mine I found the top edge of the body was SO unfinished as to actually have a sharp edge at the front, which I didn't notice until I'd been playing it a while and found my arm was getting sore from rubbing against this. Again, that was something I fixed myself in a few minutes with a piece of sandpaper - but another thing I shouldn't have had to do with a brand new USA made guitar. Also, the next day the P-90 came loose when one the the brass inserts that the pickup screws fix and adjust to the body came loose - something else I had to fix myself rather than drive miles to take the guitar back to the shop. It was easy to fix, but I shouldn't have had to. Also, I noticed when changing the strings before a gig that one of the screws holding the Grover machine head to the headstock was loose - so out came the Evo-stick woodglue again.

Apart from the stupid minor (and easily fixed my myself) quality issues mentioned above, this guitar seems really solidly built from quality wood and with good quality hardware. It really feels like it's built to last and I'm sure it will give good and reliable service on the road. I don't think it will wear out or fall to bits in my lifetime. One of the things I love about the finish is that as it already looks 'worn' I don't have to worry about any dings it may receive on the road and it will only look better as the years pass. The strap buttons got replaced with locks straight away as with any Les Paul type guitar that's going to be gigged. I would use it without backup - and have at three gigs already. There isn't room to carry another guitar, and the BFG is versatile enough to make the others redundant anyway.

It had the normal Gibson/Rossetti warranty, but the minor snags were easlily fixed my myself in a few minutes - didn't want to drive many miles to either be given a different (and possibly inferior) guitar in exchange or wait days/weeks while they fixed it and drive another long trip to pick it up.

That said, I found the guys at Coda Music very friendly and helpful (MUCH more so than all the London dealers!) and I'm sure they would have been happy to sort any problems out if I took the guitar back.

Been playing on and off in original and now cover bands for over 20 years. I have 3 other Gibsons (Marauder, Explorer & RD Standard) but this is now easily my favourite! I've wanted a Les Paul for years but never been able to afford one - this model changed all that and to me sounds as good as a Standard or Custom - many other people say the same. After I'd set it up to my satisfaction it's an absolute delight to play - definitley the best playing guitar I've ever had. And the best sounding too. I've finally found virtually my perfect guitar - it just seems to suit me so well. I'd buy another BFG tomorrow if anything happened to this one. In spite of the minor quality issues I think my BFG was terrific value for money. If I could afford it, I'd quite like to try buying another one and stripping the finish back to bare wood and sanding down and refinishing it to a smooth natural wood finish.

The BFG features have already been covered in other reviews, but I would like to mention that it comes with a fantastic quality Gibson hard case (worth in excess of ??100 as far as I know) and a great pack of accessories from my supplier. Dolphin Music included and excellent steel braided guitar lead with gold plated jacks, a Gibson strap and a Gibson cleaning kit. Good work fellas!

I???ll start by saying I only recently took up the guitar ( about 10 months ago ) when I started my second childhood. I???m playing through a VOX AD15VT Valvetronix amp (an excellent little amp imho) and couldn???t be more happy with the sound I???m getting. The P90 pickup at the neck has a great attacking feel to it if 90???s indie is your thing. The Burstbucker in the bridge position has a much dirtier 70???s/80???s rock feel. I'm learning a range of stuff from my boyhood heroes like AC/DC and Black Sabbath right through some Oasis or Stone Roses to more mdern sounds like My Chemical Romance and The Fratellis. The BFG seems well capable of getting a novice like me sounding like my favourite bands.

First of all, the quality stands out as soon as it???s out of the case. It feels solidly put together and really nicely finished. Don???t let the look of the finish put you off, sure it???s no glossy custom paint and lacquer job but neither is it as rough as the proverbial bear???s! It has an almost satin feel to it. The neck is silky smooth; much easier in the hand than the glossy finish on some other guitars I've tried. The ripple finish on the top is a really inspired touch in the design of the BFG. It makes for a unique look and feel to the guitar.
Surprisingly, it was perfectly in tune right out of the case and the action felt good to my inexperienced fingers.
The only thing I have against the look of the guitar is the wooden volume and tone control knobs. I feel they would have been much better if finished in a metal to match the bridge and tailpiece and for that reason I've deducted 1 mark from a perfect ten.

As I've alreay mentioned it feels very solidly put together, but I can't really comment on the BFG's capability to withstand gigging. However, I think the fact it's a pukka USA Gibson speaks for itself. The only difference between this and your average Les Paul model that people have been playing live for decades is the layers of paint and lacquer. That ain't exactly bulletproofing is it!
I will say, however, that this is the second BFG I had delivered. The first one had a serious neck break at the headstock, although I believe this is not uncommon with the Les Paul.
As far as durability of finish is concerned I would reckon a bit of wear and tear will only enhance the look of the BFG.

Customer support from the dealer, Dolphin Music, was second to none. I reported the first guitar's damage in transit the day after delivery and it was picked up by the courier the same day. A couple of phone calls a week later and the replacemet was on its way. Fantastic service. No need so far to deal with Gibson direct.

As I said before I'm in my first year of playing , but have alredy caught the "collecting bug". I'd been hanging my nose over Ebay listings for SGs and LP standards for ages until I decided I really could afford a REAL Gibson. In fact the first time I saw a BFG was in an ebay listing and until I looked up the official Gibson website I thought it had a snakeskin paint finish. I had to have one! A bit of Googling got me the lowest price website and 3 weeks wait until I had my first Gibson!!! I already own a Squier Standard Stratocaster and an Indie Pure Custom and play them through a VOX AD15VT amp. Easily loud enough to get my girlfriend pleading me to plug in the headphones! The BFG definitely sounds and feels the best.
I just love the way it crunches and rings through all the VOX's tones and effects. If it was lost or stolen I'd order a replacement right away. A real USA made Les Paul for a great price. Every home should have one!