Gibson Les Paul BFG

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!

First things first. I love Gibson guitars. Now that I've got that out of the way. . . .

OK -- so here's another really ODD chapter in Gibson's recent marketing policy. First, Gibson censors virtually all guitar store websites (except for Musicians Friend and maybe one or two others) from advertising Gibson guitars. What sort of luddite move is that? The future is in internet sales, but Gibson won't play that game. Go figure.

Next -- Gibson comes out with a 'limited edition' Les Paul BFG. I happened to be in my favorite local guitar store here in Houston (Fuller's -- GREAT place) and there was a black BFG hanging on the wall. The sales person told me it was a limited edition BFG, (only like 150 of them will be made) signed by LES PAUL himself. The headstock decal is replaced by a hand-written great-big 'Les Paul' in silver paint-pen ink. It costs about $2k more than a regular BFG. My addiction being what it is, I had to have this guitar.

But before I bought it I looked it up on the internet. The gibson website said nothing about the guitar being signed by Les Paul. The Musician's friend website offers the guitar, and gives a long list of special features (which when read carefully, are pretty much the SAME as the regular edition BFG). NO mention of the Les Paul autograph. So I called Musician's Friend and they dutifully read ths list of wood and finish specs on the guitar, but said they knew nothing about it being signed by Les himself. I was starting to think this guitar was a scam -- a fake. So finally I called Gibson. And yes, they said, the guitar was actually signed by Les. Himself and in person. I asked why in the world they didn't say so on their website, and why Musician's Friend didn't mention that selling point. They had no idea. Clueless.

Makes no sense to me, but onto the guitar review.

I've heard lots of complaints and 'opinions' on the way this guitar was conceived and made. Personally, I like the rough finish, the look and feel of it. I like not having dots on the fretboard (the side markers are enough for me) And the control layout (2 volumes, one tone, pickup selector and kill switch))turns out to be an improvement over the regular 4 know (2-volume, 2-tone) setup. Somehow, with only one tone knob, the guitar does not lose its brightness when you use the guitar volume knobs. You Gibson fans know that normally a 4-knob gibson loses its brightness when you turn the guitar volume knobs down. Not so with the BFG! So I like the BFG setup a lot.

And . . . it's chambered so it weighs in at a featherweight 7 plus pounds.

Only thing I'd have done differently would have been to add the pickup surround to the bridge pickup. Seems like it might be easy to break the windings as they are pretty exposed without the plastic mount protecting them.

For my purposes (roots rock, blues, christian rock) this is a great sounding guitar.

The P90 sounds great in the neck position. Very open and clear when played with mild overdrive, and very full when driven really hard. It's great for chord work -- better than a humbucker as it has more bottom and top end. The burstbucker in the bridge is, well, a burstbucker. Sounds almost exactly like the one in my '59 LP reissue, but with a tiny bit less bottom-end.

The guitar DOES have a fairly open sound -- you can hear the tone nuances really well, even when playing with a band onstage. So it's got lots of personality -- Les Paul personality. If you like the LP sound, you will really like this guitar.

Needed a good setup. The nut was not cut well at all. The intonation and neck curve were off. So my luthier gave it a once-over ($25) and it's just perfect now.

The finish -- is supposed to be primitive and rough. And is is. That said, there are no abraisive areas on the wood and the guitar feels good in the hands. The looks kind of severe, and as such are a matter of preference I guess.

Had a lot of folks tell me it looks like snake or alligator skin from a distance.

I give it an 8 for the nut problems I had to have fixed.

Seems solid as a rock but I wonder how that bridge pickup will hold up with it being exposed on the sides.

Been playing for 40 years and have a nice assortment of kit at home.

I have 2 les pauls. One is a '59 re-issue 'cloud 9' chambered Les Paul. The other is this BFG Les Paul. The cloud9 cost $4800. A new BFG costs about $1200 or so. (This one cost more due to the Les Paul autograph, but it's otherwise the nearly the same as the regular, less costly model).

I actually like the BFG a little better than the Cloud 9 '59 reissue. For the money, you probably cannot beat this guitar if you are looking for a Gibson Les Paul.

it's a les paul with only one tone control an a kill switch.

i have owend two other very expensive les pauls but this beats them all.
the sound is much more open.

this is a question of taste. i like. other people will say it looks horrible.
the set-up was good exept the edges of the frets - too sharp.

i see no problem.

never dealed with them.

i'm playing for 30 years and i can say this is maybe the best guitar i have ever had. i's a shame that i can say this when i look on my other very expensive guitars.

if you want to buy a BFG try different guitars. in my store there where four BFG's. Three of them where bad and only one had this beautiful sound.

First of all I want to say that most Les Paul diehards hate the BFG, all I ask is that make your own desicion.

The BFG is a typical Les Paul, but differs in a few ways; scalloped top, Kill switch, one tone knob, Chambered body, clear pastic covers (on back), and none of the visual frills of other les pauls;(binding, pup rings, truss cover, shiny finish etc.)

My BFG is the Trans Cherry fisnish. My BFG is more vibrant and colorful than the ones I've seen in photos.

I believe mine has the 60's taper neck. Sealed Grover Tuners, black hardware, Burst Bucker-3 on the bridge, and p-90 on the neck (making a veratile guitar). Satin finish feels great (no need to break in). Body and neck are Mahogany, and top is maple. The finish is similar, but a little rougher than my LP faded Standard (I wish I still had that one), I love my BFG alot!

I play all styles of Rock, and the BFG suits them all well. I'm running the BFG through a Marshall 1x12 combo, with Zakk Crybaby as the only effect. The pick ups are balanced and compliment the guitar well. I've owned many Les pauls, but the only one I could really compare it to is the Faded LP Standard. The BFG sounds much warmer than the Faded Standard, maybe due to the chambered body and pick up selection. The p-90 in the neck is nice, and clears things up, compared to a neck humbucker. The p-90 can get a little noisy on high gain settings. Over all this is a great sounding guitar, and there's no reason why this guitar can't be used for other genres as well.

Well the BFG is designed to be a rough, rugged looking guitar with a distressed finish, so Gibson excelled there! The neck is smooth, action is super, Grovers tuners are a +

The BFG is a quality Gibson, so there's no reason is soudn't withstand the test of time.

I had to contact customer support for an issue with my Faded Standard, and they exceeded my expectations. Limited lifetime warranty.

I've been playing for close to twenty years! I've owned MANY Les Pauls from a 78 custom to a 2007 BFG. I was never myself onstage (playing on my standards and customs), but the BFG allows me to be myself. No need to worry about scarring this one up, it only adds to the Character of the guitar

Favorite features include: Chambered Body, p-90/ humbucker combination, strip down basics, satin finish.

If you like pretty guitars, look elsewhere. If you want an axe that'll stay by your side in the trenches get a BFG.

The only mod I'll be doing on my BFG is adding a black plastic switch tip on the pick up selector.

It's a great guitar, but don't take my word for it, go try one out and be convinced.

No need to really reiterate the features, the previous review does a pretty good job of that. I like to look of the "pretty" Les Pauls, but this one caight my eye faster than any of the dozen other LPs that I saw this day.

US made, and I think most people believe that this means a higher level of QC, but I can't vouch for that. The price is right.

It comes with a very nice case.

I play in a cover band, and we're doing everything from Lenny Kravitz ro Prong. It is pretty "dirty" rock n roll, so the guitar suits our style well.

I run through a Line 6 HD147 and a Marshall 1960 cab.

The P90 is noisy, and I am not particularly fond of it alone, but combined with the bridge pickup it can give some great fat and sparkly clean tones.

Overall, it does seem a bit noisy, but it may have something to do with the environment in which I have played it.

Factory setup was decent, although the action could have been lowered. I am not sure what most LP players like as far as action goes, but I prefer to have low action, just this side of buzz.

I like the height that the beidge pickup was set at, it really gives the bridge a hot sound, very loud and clear.

This thing is full of flaws, but that is the appeal of it. Theonly thing that I can mention is that the kill switch didn't have a washer installed on it. I didn't notice it was missing until I got it home (I bought it in Rochester NY and I live in Michigan.) Easily remedied. However, I am not quite sure if the washer was supposed to be there anyhow.

The hardware has a funny finish to it. When I adjusted the bridge I found that there was some black (almost carbon like) residue on my fingers, which didn't wash off easily. Doesn't affect the way the hardware looks or works...yet.

I guess I am really pleased with the way this guitar looks, so although it isn't a AAA top I rate it highly in this catagory because of what it is. The black is my choice of color, the other two are too "pretty."

We'll find out about gigging this weekend, however I don't see any reason why it wouldn't perform well. I definitely would play no guitar without a back up - especially at a paying gig.

It seems as solid as it looks, it is not a museum piece, rather a rough and tough tool.

Strap buttons suck.

I have never dealth with Gibson, but I would imagine that a company that has been around for so long focusing on one thing should have the customer service thing worked out. Hopefully I will never have to find out.

I have been playing for almost 20 years, but it doesn't reflect in my skills. It wasn't until within the past 5 or 6 years that I really got "serious" about playing and learning how to play.

I have always gravitated to shredder guitars like Ibanez RGs and Jacksons. This is the first LP I have ever owned.

If it was damaged, lost or stolen I might consider buying another one, although I am quite fickle and may look for something else.

Let's just start off and say that this is an economy priced guitar. Probably the lowest priced "real" Les paul ever... Having said that.

Finish is a distressed satin in 3 colors, Gold, Cherry, and Black. The top seems to be CNC routed for a wavy profile, and then sanded to take the color off the tops of the waves. It looks very flamy from a distance, but really it is just a trick to make cheap maple look cooler. But it's a good trick.

Regular size Les Paul body, mahogany and maple. No binding, no dots on front of neck. Regular LP hardware with distressed finishes. Very light, body is reportedly chambered.

It's supposed to be a 50s profile neck, but the 2 that I have played have been nice and round, but not as fat as a real 50s profile.

US Made, nitro laquer finish. Very rough finish - but very soft and comfortable feel as well. Did I say rough finish???

Controls are 2 volumes and one tone, with a 3 way switch (usually found near the neck) where the other tone would go. Where the 3 way usually lives is a "kill" switch that just turns the guitar on and off. There is no washer under it, and it is too small for the hole. Needs a washer IMO...

Nice hard case included.

I'm rating this based on cost and intention - which is why it gets a 9 - even though there are a few silly features - like the kill switch... It's not a CAR!

Excellent traditional Les Paul sound using the bridge PU (a Burstbucker 3). Nice P90 sound with the neck pickup. P90s are not hum cancelling - noisy if you play loud - be warned.

Good tone, nice pickups- no compromises here.

Plays beautifully, nice fretwork, setup, nut, well calibrated too. Finish is DELIBERATELY lousy and rough with lots of flaws - so I guess it is what it is...

Very nice setup for a cheap guitar.

I would expect this guitar to be as rugged as any Les Paul, and I would feel comfortable playing it hard, as it's already been beat up for you in advance.

Never had a warranty issue with these guys.

Well worth it if you need something in this price range. I think Gibson really nailed it with this instrument. A lot of the labor and cost of a guitar is in the finish - especially the way Gibson does it with Nitro Laquer, and all of that cost is basically left out of this guitar. I have been playing for 35 years, and have about 50 guitars, most of them a lot more expensive than this one. This is a perfect guitar if you want a "real" Les Paul and can't afford it, or need a cheaper guitar for gigging and the road - and don't want to ruin your closet queens. Excellent value for the money, but if you like shiny this is NOT the guitar for you.