Gibson RD Reissue

2007 guitar of the month reissue, made in Nashville. Basically, a sci-fi version of a Les Paul. Mahogany neck and body. The body has a belly cut in the back, and a flat top. The shape is really comfortable for standing up. Excellent weight distribution; I hate heavy-headed guitars. Sure, it looks kind of odd, but it plays well. You can run your strap over the tall rear horn to angle the guitar up a little, or let it hang normally.

The 50's neck profile is perfect for my large hands. The silverburst finish looks better in person than in photos. The nitro finish is thin enough that some wood pores are visible, but glows with an inner light. Ebony fretboard, unbound, dot markers. 24 3/4" scale length. Chrome Nashville tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece. Grover tuners. Two volume controls, on tone, one 3-way pickup selector - all very nicely located and accessible without getting in the way. I was skeptical about the Dirty Fingers pickups, but they are the best I've ever used. I have several other guitars equiped with various Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio humbuckers, and I think the Dirty Fingers sound better than any of them; sort of like a beefier, slightly brighter Duncan Alnico II tone.

This reissue comes in the nicest case I've ever seen - textured black covering, a locking latch, strong comfy handle, and a plush white interior. I've never had people admire a case before...

Warm, rich, complex, harmonic-laden sounds. Gorgeous. The pickups don't have the brittle tones of most high-output pups. Properly EQ'd, this guitar is as flexible as any good Les Paul. I run it through a ridiculous effects chain into a modified Sovtek Mig-60 head and a Mesa half-back 4 X12 cabinet. BTW - the effects chain allows me to achieve huge, seething sounds at small-club volume levels. I play old-school retarded punk/hard rock.

These were built in mid-2007, so it probably sat in a box for a year before I bought it new, so I'm not sure it is fair to judge the setup too harshly. It came with light guage strings, and the action was so low that they buzzed a bit. I changed the strings to my prefered 11's, raised the bridge quite a bit, and tweaked the truss rod with the included tool (thoughtful!). Now, the action and playability are perfect for me. The pickups were at the correct height. It is my understanding that you don't want these megamagnets too close to the strings - no close than a 1/4".
The ebony fretboard was pretty dried-out looking, but some furniture polish took care of that.
The classic fat frets are well-dressed, with no sharp edges. The finish is perfect. No other concerns here.

I feel sorry for my guitars. They have to withstand my flailing arms, my singer's flying mic, and occasional clumsy pile-ups on the floor. I hope this RD can handle it. It seems very solid. Too soon to tell, so no rating yet.

No experience yet. I had Gibson repair a badly broken ES-175 many years ago, and they did a spectacular job. I hope to not need their services, but if I do, I'm sure they'll do it well.

38 years of inept playing. I own loads o' gear, and won't bore you with a list. Bottom line: I love this guitar, and not in a platonic way. I can't take my eyes off her! My bandmates tell me they've never heard a better guitar tone, and these guys are both experienced and honest. If you want a Les Paul-type guitar, but want something a little unusual and different, I recommend the RD reissue without reservation. I can't understand why this edition of only 400 didn't sell out overnight. Best deal for a new top-end Gibson ever.

I wish they offered some other finishes, so I could rationalize buying a second one. Given the lack of sales, I don't expect Gibson to bring the RD back in any big way.