bluntage
Well-known member
Okay, I've seen a lot of hate for this guitar here and over at Harmony Central so I thought I'd give you guys a different spin on it...
Disclosure: I've been through a LOT of guitars throughout my nearly 20 years of playing. When I was young, working in a music store made it easy to bounce from one to another or rotating 2-3 at a time. I have never payed over $1000 for a guitar. Furthermore, I'm a "function over form" kind of guy, in general.
Several years back, I did a really stupid thing. I decided to "switch it up" and traded my beloved, but heavy, modifed Les Paul Studio for an American Strat. I hated it instantly... however, I stuck with it, thinking I just needed to adjust. I soon concluded my style of playing required humbuckers so I made an excellent deal on a used, but cherry, PRS CE22 Mahogany. While this guitar looked amazing and played well, it never did much for me. I can't put my finger on it, but it didn't live up to my memory of my Paul.
Fast forward to several weeks ago. I decided to make a concious effort to start playing again and decided I needed some new blood in order to stay focused. So, I meandered down to my local Gibson dealer and started playing Pauls... Studios, Standards, and... the BFG. Man, this thing is ugly... yet somehow very appealing. They had a black and a gold finish. The gold played and sounded MUCH better, and it looked like a worn down old Goldtop to boot (not at all yellowish, like they look online). First, the pickup combination is outstanding. The burstbucker 3 is HOT! Playing with the bridge pup is like cutting butter with a hot knife... smooth and creamy. In my opinion, quite a bit better sounding than the Dragon II bridge in my PRS. However, the guitar really shines when you engage the P90. I have never even played one of these pups before but the tonal range had me flabbergasted! It is noisy, however. Second, the lack of finish on the neck makes for smoother and faster playing than my old Studio ever did. I've heard/read a lot of complaints about the roughness of the finish and/or the frets, but I encountered neither problem with the 2 hanging in the store. Additionally, the setup on the gold finish was near flawless straight from Gibson. The only option I see no purpose for is the kill switch, but I have no use for such a device in my style of playing. Third, the chambered body is a life saver. The thing that made me trade my Paul in the first place was the weight. The BFG is light. Furthermore, it sounds louder and more resonant unplugged, possibly due to the chambers? Playing on the couch with no amp is even enjoyable with this puppy.
In short, I traded my PRS on the spot for the gold BFG and have played it every day, ever since. For me, it's perfect. I need tonal variety and excellent playability but don't want to bother with keeping it "pretty". We're still on our honeymoon, but I expect this relationship to last. Back with Gibson and it feels so good!
Disclosure: I've been through a LOT of guitars throughout my nearly 20 years of playing. When I was young, working in a music store made it easy to bounce from one to another or rotating 2-3 at a time. I have never payed over $1000 for a guitar. Furthermore, I'm a "function over form" kind of guy, in general.
Several years back, I did a really stupid thing. I decided to "switch it up" and traded my beloved, but heavy, modifed Les Paul Studio for an American Strat. I hated it instantly... however, I stuck with it, thinking I just needed to adjust. I soon concluded my style of playing required humbuckers so I made an excellent deal on a used, but cherry, PRS CE22 Mahogany. While this guitar looked amazing and played well, it never did much for me. I can't put my finger on it, but it didn't live up to my memory of my Paul.
Fast forward to several weeks ago. I decided to make a concious effort to start playing again and decided I needed some new blood in order to stay focused. So, I meandered down to my local Gibson dealer and started playing Pauls... Studios, Standards, and... the BFG. Man, this thing is ugly... yet somehow very appealing. They had a black and a gold finish. The gold played and sounded MUCH better, and it looked like a worn down old Goldtop to boot (not at all yellowish, like they look online). First, the pickup combination is outstanding. The burstbucker 3 is HOT! Playing with the bridge pup is like cutting butter with a hot knife... smooth and creamy. In my opinion, quite a bit better sounding than the Dragon II bridge in my PRS. However, the guitar really shines when you engage the P90. I have never even played one of these pups before but the tonal range had me flabbergasted! It is noisy, however. Second, the lack of finish on the neck makes for smoother and faster playing than my old Studio ever did. I've heard/read a lot of complaints about the roughness of the finish and/or the frets, but I encountered neither problem with the 2 hanging in the store. Additionally, the setup on the gold finish was near flawless straight from Gibson. The only option I see no purpose for is the kill switch, but I have no use for such a device in my style of playing. Third, the chambered body is a life saver. The thing that made me trade my Paul in the first place was the weight. The BFG is light. Furthermore, it sounds louder and more resonant unplugged, possibly due to the chambers? Playing on the couch with no amp is even enjoyable with this puppy.
In short, I traded my PRS on the spot for the gold BFG and have played it every day, ever since. For me, it's perfect. I need tonal variety and excellent playability but don't want to bother with keeping it "pretty". We're still on our honeymoon, but I expect this relationship to last. Back with Gibson and it feels so good!
