Gibson Didn't Even Have to "Finish" This Cult-Classic | 2012 Gibson Les Paul BFG Gator Green Review
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- Опубліковано 13 чер 2024
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🐕 Episode Guide:
0:00 - Intro - Check Links in the Description
0:14 - Unbagging / Background
0:31 - Overview / Features
2:13 - A History of the Model
2:25 - Limited Edition Versions
3:55 - 2018 Revival
6:13 - Inside Look / Specs
15:17 - Tone Demo (Acoustic)
16:09 - Tone Demo (Clean)
18:22 - Tone Demo (Dirty)
20:54 - Final Thoughts
🎞️ Videos Mentioned:
3:33 2011 Government Series II Flying V Tan
• Gibson Sticking It to ...
3:33 2015 Gibson ES 335 Government Series Gun Metal Gray
• The Lone Governor | 20...
3:42 2011 Gibson Les Paul Buckethead Signature Studio
• What Do the Buttons Do...
14:09 2009 Gibson Les Paul Mahogany Top Faded Studio Black
• The Black Panther! 200...
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BFGs are charmingly simple guitars that pack a lot of punch! I'd highly recommend checking one out
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Sounds like the ground wire to the tail piece stud has an issue.
Typically shielding wouldn't be a problem in a dedicated Studio as equipment that cause interference (fluorescent lights) can be removed from the playing space/area.
You really should take a Tour of the Gibson USA Factory.
Those head-stock markings are not decals, they are silk-screened paint.
The rubber on the knobs is a simple O-Ring laid into a groove cut into the circumference.
Most Auto Parts or Hardware Store will have replacement O-Rings for less than $1 each.
I'd love a BFG !
Im too an owner of a bfg from may 2007 and my truss rod cover says it's a les paul custom. also my humbucker do have a ring around it. do you know why?
My favorite pickup combo... Unfortunatly I prefer the longer Fender scale length
I gotta say, that April fools joke had me really happy because the ripper/grabber is my favorite bass, however besides that that guitar is a really pretty one, despite looking like a snake almost. the ink blue especially looks cool
To shed a little insight on why the top looks like that, The ridges are a result of only running the roughing toolpath when CNCing the top carve. Basically imagine a big drill bit moving up and down across the top. Normally they would then run a finishing tool path with a small drill bit and maybe even a third toolpath with an even finer bit before hand sanding the top. It's basically pixelation in 3D
You could also just turn the kill switch 180° to flip which way is on/off. The easiest fix. If people removed it completely it wasn't because of orientation, it's because they wanted to upgrade it to standard specs.
You could probably find some rubber "O" Rings to replace those rubber rings on the knobs from a well stocked hardware store.
On the knobs. The rubber grip is nothing more then a standard O-ring. Just measure the thickness and OD of grove. Get O-ring with that ID. Go to McMaster Carr and you'll find them there. Or maybe even Lowes will have them. They will be as good as new.
You got there first ...
The only reason the small ones have cracked is because they were more stretched!
The direct mount pickups and blacked out hardware are pretty cool to see on a Gibson and I feel like they would fit the Les Paul and SG Modern really well.
BFG owner here, my grounding issue came from the killswitch. Once I removed that, the majority of the ground hum went away. Also check your stopbar where it contacts with the mounting peg, the black chrome finish can block the ground. For some reason the BFG's have something weird going on with the grounding from factory.
When you say that you removed the kill switch what did you do exactly please? I have red 2007 one and it is annoyingly noisy.
@@spiceybadger completely removed it from the guitar and unsoldered it from the circuit. You can find plastic hole plugs to cover the hole
@@Kylemast Thanks!
Did we not need to jump a wire from the toggle switch to the pot that connect to thee jack? Otherwise it wont work@@Kylemast
Love that finish, reptile skin look, and absence of binding. The guitar is all vibe and no glam, just what I like. No need for any relic fakery. I had no idea these even existed. Thanks 😎
Yes!
I really dig that model. I’m glad you covered it, I’ve seen them around. For the kill switch, can’t you just rotate it 180 degrees?
Depends on how much slack there is in the wire. If there’s enough, then you absolutely can. Alternatively you can just flip the wires if you have a soldering iron.
@@Andrew_182 there was one shot of the back of that switch. It looked like a micro Spdt with a little slack. I bet a regular Gibson style switch would be a little easier to deal with, it wouldn’t be quite so stiff.
Trogy's in the HOUSE!!!
Greg is in the house
Greg in the house
Greg's House, in the middle of the Street
I have a 2007 BFG gold top finish, I put a cream cover on the P90, an amber switch tip. I also switched the red and white wires around to reduce the hum, and yes, the rubber rings are perishing away...
Having a p90 in neck and humbucker in bridge is a great combo and what makes that guitar series; why they tried switching the pickup configuration is crazy and no surprise they lost money when they did
I have a trans cherry model. My wife calls it the prosciutto guitar. I didn’t really need a new guitar when I was in the shop that day, but it was calling me from the top rack and it came alive in my hands. I wasn’t going to let anyone else take it home.
I would swap the kill switch and 3-way toggle locations, having the 3-way all the way down there reminds me of PRS, and it’s one of the reasons I prefer PRSs with a Fender style 3 or 5 way switch since they usually put it up higher.
I just can't understand players who think having the switch a million miles away from the volume and tone controls is a good thing. I almost always correct the volume or tone a little when I switch pickups. I don't get the "preset" mentality or people who don't use the controls at all, except as on/off "rotary switches".
@@henrygvidonas9573 I’m more of an SG and Les Paul DC fan, which group the controls together. Then again I like reverse Firebirds too and they put the switch on the far end of the bottom horn. 🤷♂️
I have used the regular toggle switch as a kill switch, so the location is a good thing for me.
Whether the kill switch is up or down for off?
I am good either way
But as pointed out- easy enough to change
I rewired my lp's to have a single volume pot and toggle switch. 2 volume pots is uneccesary and having the toggle switch above the strings had always been a stupid design.
Fuck yeah
I have the black 2018 BFG with Hummbuckers. I bought it new and had 2 to choose from. The wood on the one I chose is just amazing. Has a perfect worn look that can't be described.
Also, it does have the neck routing gap.
I bought a BFG a few years back, (I think it might've been four years ago) and mine was slightly different. First of all, mine was black, had two volumes and two tones, and both pickups were back soap bar P-90 pickups. I can't remember who I ordered it from, but it was ridiculously cheap, because it was a close out clearance sale. ($600.00 U.S.) If you looked at it from a far distance it looked like it was painted zebra stripes. The body had a few chunks missing from it, but you wouldn't notice it unless you inspected it REAL CLOSELY. No biggie, just a few minor chips, pings, and dings. It most certainly didn't compromise the sound in any way. The fret board itself had no markers, but the neck directly above the fret board did. Very fast, smooth, and easy action. If there was one thing I really didn't like about it is I thought it was rather "Gimmicky", but, hey, a Gibson Les Paul for $600.00 with P-90 pick ups, who's really gonna complain? It was/is a good guitar. I'm happy with my purchase. I should also add that it was "Weight relief" so it wasn't as heavy as most Les Paul models tend to be.
Cool, but I’d make the upper bout switch the 3 way PU switch, and use the lower one by the controls
as a 3 way coil switch
series/split/parallel for the bridge humbucker
Trogly i always look forward to your videos thanks
I have a 2007 Transparent Ebony BFG and it doesn't have the neck pocket feature that the Gator Green one in this video has. I recall when the Gators came out and you're correct, they do have baked maple fretboards (I almost bought one brand new when they came out). Great video - these are my all-time favourite Les Pauls.
that's exactly my favorite pick up setup, P90 in the neck humbucker in the bridge.
I bet you can find an O-ring at home depot that will fit that knob perfectly...
I have a 2018 BFG that I love but I wish I had all 3 of the original run.
I think if they brought them back in the original spec they would sell. Love the P90 in the neck.
Hi, Trogly!
You hopefully know that those rubber rings on these knobs are just O-Rings you can get in every hardware store? They are easily replaced.
Regards,
Etna.
thats a keeper. Im back. Sold my 2019 Les Paul Standard for 2200 with a vibramate installed Bigs 7, shaller roller. a month or so ago, sold the 2021 Tribute SG with Vibrame Bigsby and TOP hAT KNOBS A UPGRADED HAND handwired, and slave bridge posts and put the ABR in the Nashvilles place, Its gigging out on a young bands set a lot. that Tribute Husk is to die for.
Missed a all black HH one of these on Facebook for $850 when I took a minute to look it up... came back to see where he wanted to meet up.. and it was gone sold ...I was bummed 😕
I've got a 2009 Gary Moore edition and inlove it to death. Its a guitar I'll never part with.
My P90 doesn't have the anchor plate, it has two bushings set into the body that the screws go into.
My neck pocket also has the ridge on the neck pocket, too.
I'm glad you finally found a nice version of one of these for your collection Trogly! I like the combination of a P90 in the neck position and humbucker in the bridge. I can get by with everything else but for me I want a guitar that has some kind of fret markers on it even if they are just dots. But still a very cool find, congrats!
"barely finished guitar" is a common belief... but not official. In fact the only thing I saw on Gibsons website (at the time of the original run) was a video in which someone called it a "bad f@&%ing guitar". On a somewhat related note, I have an original run in black, and love it
I missed the boat on these when they came out back in the day but glad to see the feature and information on these. I love the p90 neck and humbucker bridge combo.
That middle position sounds great for FUNK 👍
i had the same grounding issues the black hardware dont connect zo each other you need to sand it by the studs on both sides its absolute a factory thing
Could you explain a little more about what you did please? I have an early red one with the same buzz.
I love those guitars. That green is awesome.
I got myself a trans black 2007 and I freaking love it! Such a versatile guitar
Have you ever done a show on the Gibson L6-S Reissue Series from 2011? They have set neck and Gibson 490 & 498 split-able humbuckers instead of Bill Lawrence pickups. The 6 position switch actually is used for the pickup splits instead of the being like a ES-347 varitone switch. Amazing guitar with these pickups and switching. Hard to find but worth the effort. I just got mine and MAN this is heaven!
My "gator" BFG came from the factory with no grounding (bridge). They installed one under warranty, however, suspect that's the standard "spec".
i have a 2011 melody maker which also has a baked maple fretboard and i absolutely love the way it feels and absolutely hate the way it looks.
Does anyone know what woodworking technique(s) could be used to get this roughed finish look for a DIY guitar project?
I have a 2007 Trans Cherry finish and it’s my favourite aesthetically looking guitar, looks like a slice of raw salmon, it was the first Gibson I ever bought,and it brings me great joy to see later runs demonstrated on your channel 15 years later. I bought it only because it looked so naked and bare.
Seems like they should have put clear knobs on it (with no numbers) to match the rear covers rather than wood ones. Also, I'd prefer a standard layout to the kill switch configuration, but to each their own. But they have a unique vibe all their own, which I can appreciate. And I like the p90 in the neck with humbucker in the bridge.
I don't know man I think the wooden ones kind of give it a sense of texture
5:32 omg I really didn't notice the lack of inlays until you mentioned it lol
my 07 BFG in Trans Black did come with a black trussrod cover and a cream switch tip. Aswell as a black Gibson USA TKL case with white interior and the numlock on the side
My BFG also does not have the baseplate under the P90 but has some knurled nuts inserted into the wood in which you screw the p90 down.
Had a black one that the previous owner modded (ruined) by "routing" the neck pickup position to take a humbucker. Would really like to have tried one with the p90.
Anyhow the main issue was the neck dive as it was so light.
The upside of the chambering was however that when pushed into feedback it sang like a bird.
Id still have it if it wasn't for finding an old guitar of mine was up for sale.
Great tone on that one. That neck pocket gap is rough... i think you need a BFG bass in the collection. I was so close to buying the bass when they had one on the wall at Sam Ash. The place was super busy and someone beat me to having taken down off the high wall. They guy didn't even plug it in. He played a couple of riffs and bought it. I've had my eyes open for a BFG bass ever since
I have 4. I modded 2 of them with EMGs, have the signature and another that’s wired like a standard/ studio. These are so loud and feel so great to play
Long live P90s! Got 'em on my Classic Gold Top!...Killer axe, Austin! Really enjoyed this vid!
Re the bridge stamped 'PW' on this and some other Gibsons you have featured. PW is not Advanced Plating Inc. but Ping Works in Taiwan, which is best known for making the tuners found on many guitars including Gibsons and Fenders.
I have had a few of these and my 2-18 I have now with double humbuckers is my favorite guitar. I too don't think i would sell it or at least would take a very healthy offer lol... It just feels different from my classic or the modern I have . It sounds unique and I just am happy when I get to play it. Great video
Simple O-Ring gaskets for those knobs ought to do the trick Austin. Lowes, Home Depot, Harbor Freight or TSC.
Those gaps between the neck/fretboard and the body joint are likely present to allow for binding during the regular mfg process. Guessing that, not fact.
A very pertinent note about inadequate grounding AND shielding.
That thing rocks! Might be the best sounding guitar you’ve had on your channel (minus the hum). I can’t believe these are looked at as a step below the Studio. I’d take any color BFG over any Studio ever made. I love the P90 / humbucker.- that’s the perfect rock n roll machine. I’ve just never liked studios- they seem super cheap like a epiphone to me- don’t know why. I had a nineties ebony color studio with the ebony fretboard and HATED IT!! The G string was forever out of pitch- I even had two different nuts professionally cut for it. There wasn’t a force on this earth that could keep that guitar in tune lol. Yeah I know it was just a dog. Ended up trading it away for an old Ampeg reverb rocket & some drugs lol. I’ve been biased against studios ever since- even though I know that there a good ones out there. Rant over.
I have two BFG´s, One from 2006 and one from 2018 with P90´s, both have the gap in-between the neck and the cap, so its on all BFG i think.
I had a futura similar to this, p90 neck, humbucker bridge, clear back covers but was finished. Mine was a silver rim burst
My BFG had the same grounding issue. Sounds weird, but it ended up being the plating on the bridge/tailpiece and a ground wire issue. Just need to scrape the paint where it makes contact with the ground. Mine's silent now!
I put clear back plates on the Zoot Suit Les Paul I had, look so cool!
That ridge next to the neck is relatively small on yours. Google some images and you can find a low, flat spot next to the neck up to half an inch wide. I kinda think this suggests that the BFG bodies were meant to be regular Studio ones but someone messed up something on the CNC and an entire batch was set aside until someone figured that the unfinished rough carve looked pretty rad, and that the flaw next to the neck could just be a part of its raw aesthetic.
Please don't drive my BFG's up Trogly....
I think it would look great if they painted a BF in dark red then black and sanded through the black to the red on the high spots.
Couldn’t you just flip the kill switch so on is down (bridge position)? Love this guitar. I’m looking for one now. Not sure what finish, but trogly is right, love that pickup combo. Thanks for these videos, always great info for us guitar nerds.
Would the pickup cavities have been cut with the same CNC tool as used to carve the top? Given they don't do full passes to smooth the top, that's maybe why the routs are so bumpy.
I played one of those in GC back in the day. I was shocked at how amazing it played. It was like, really, really awesome to play. I didn't buy it because I hated the way it looked and only sounded okay, but it was a pretty great player.
Trogly, I dig these BFG's,I love the tooling mark finish that looks like reptile skin. I bet the light weight due to the clambering feels great. I have a LP from the same era that clambered and is all mahogany with a dark finish and kind of raw looking where you can see and feel the grain. It has a set of Burst buckers in it and it's avery resonant guitar. It's one of my favorite LP's and has a killer tone and I love the grainy finish. Great show, thanks for sharing the BFG's with us I'm going to have to hunt one of these down.
I have the same ridge on mine
I used to have one, it was a cool guitar! There was also the limited edition gold burst (which I had) and a silver burst. Both looked great!
Exactly. I wanted to write the same thing, asI have a silverburst BFG. I've never seen the goldburst though sadly.
Another great review! That is one cool guitar and I love the P90 & humbucker combo!
I have a Black BFG, it came with a truss rod cover on mine? and my BFG Les Paul has the same gap around the neck at the body... Built in 2008
The grounding issue its cause by the Killswitch not being grounded on the circuit.
Mine got a little better once the Killswitch was grounded. Still I would like to rewired it as the standard layout
How did you do that please? I have a similar issue on mine. Thanks.
I love the BFGs! I had several including the Gary Moore. My favorite had a tremolo. Wish I still had one!
It's actually called a Gary Moore signature?
Yes it is,
@@mitchellkruszyna109 you are right! I looked on reverb.. I'm not head over heals in love with Gibson as I used to be so I don't keep up.. oh watching the way Trog gushes over the brand is so over the top for me plus he covers everything under the sun I can just watch UA-cam videos whenever.. don't get me wrong I'm down with the BFGs I dig the p90s.... Just being a fan of Gary Moore I didn't think his ever had the p90 instead of the reversed humbucker, but I could be wrong
I did find a photo of Gary playing a BFG on Google!
They did something similar with the N 225.
The trem Sucked.
I even changed the bridge to a roller bridge.
I like how green it looked on the work bench, but changing camera and position to the lights makes a slight red hue in the playing demo. Nice find Austin.
Envious. That's all I can describe my feelings about this beauty. In my eyes that would be a keeper!
If I didn't absolutely loathe the outer concave part of the the typical Gibson arched top so much (Les Pauls and Telecasters gave me massive nerve and tendon problems in my right arm for a while, years ago - I mostly don't play acoustics anymore for the same reason), this would be the kind of Les Paul that could get me to look for one as a "project". People like Trogly, collectorboys and gear flippers, must absolutely hate people like me - I don't own a single guitar that I haven't modded in some way. I put a Firebird pickup in my PRS Santana and the "neck pickup" is currently just a plastic cover I made for the cavity. It will either stay that way - I'm not missing anything - or I'll put a P-90 in the neck if I ever feel the need for it. I don't really need neck pickups on guitars that have a good tone control pot (improved taper with a small capacitor) on it.
Anyway, massive 60/50 Hz hum and grounding problems on a Gibson that has the original factory-installed electronics? Yup, _"play authentic"_ because _"only a Gibson is good enough"_ - as usual! There's always _something_ with a Gibson...
The very very first run were called the BFG limited,...The first 52 in each color (black, gold, red) . 52 representing 1952, the first year of the les Paul. The headstock has an actual autograph from Les Paul himself (not a decal) and to add even more MOJO, each hand written serial number on the first 52, represented a year of Les Paul production up to 2007. So the gold serial started with G 1952 onwards, and ditto for the red and black ones.
You’re right. I forgot to mention the Les Paul signed runs
You forgot the limited Edition silverburst(rimburst). I think there were 250 Made.
I‘ve got one, but sadly modified with a Pick up Ring
Use plumbing rubber rings for a freah new look on the wooden nobs to spruce it back up to minty. I also bought two size 7 and a size ten rubber wedding bands for folks who's work is hard on there gold wedding band.
It's just a oring on the knobs switch them out for new ones. Are they brown or black?
I have the limited edition bullion burst finish that P90 is phenomenal
These are so damned cool. Love the no-inlay fretboard.
thank you for finally covering these,these are the strangest lp's gibson ever produced i wish i couldve grabbed one back in the day with the strat style bridge.
Don't like the routing pocket for the p-90. Looks wide and sloppy which makes the pickup look crooked.
Cool guitar, loving the p90 in the neck.
I have the exact same one plus another one in a worn gold top of sorts from the first year of production and I love them both 😁😁😁 I also own a '68 Custom in Alpine White ( not the reissue ) plus a ' 95 Studio, a '93 Studio Gem and another Studio in Wine red from '98...BUT...I just LOVE My BFG's...
Interestingly at first I thought BFG stood for "Big Fucking Gibson" ha ha ha...As for the ridge between the body and the fingerboard I have it too but the worn gold top model has a CHANNEL there...And again that's why I love them so much... They're the complete opposite of the other ones that look so classy...
a kill switch with green snakeskin that BFG is looking and sounding pretty nice. the p90 and burstbucker 3 is really aggressive
The reason they look like that is they sped up the milling operation so it would look course. The ridges in the cavities is the same, sped up and you get a rough job.
A beautiful addition to the Gibson trilogy.. the tones are nothing short of spectacular.
The limited natural one is my favourite looking guitar, if Gibson contacted me to do a signature, it would be like that limited natural one, but with the classic control layout, a cheap guitar where you decide paint, binding, plastics, inlays... and cheap!
The Gary Moore one was at my local guitar shop. I regret not buying it but at the time I despised it. It's the only rosewood model with nickel hardware.
Yeah, the Gary Moore has rosewood and baked maple depending on the year due to the Gibson raid, and only the original black, trans gold and trans red models have the slim taper neck.
......that is an awesome sounding guitar..... an AC/DC machine if ever there was one. I would rock that easily. BTW Trogg's ....did Epiphone do the baked maple necks in 2013? I have an "Ebony" Studio that has a neck that looks just like that?
Nice guitar. Love the body texture and that green is awesome.!!🎸
That gripper looks like an O ring, If the knobs don't have a community name I'd be tempted to call them "wine cork knobs". They aren't really cork knobs but they have that look
i have exactly this green finish it looks so cool in person
i play this guitar with the billy gibbons strings that my zz paul
If I collected I would have to have one of these. Any color, although I dig the Blue most.
It’s amazing, looks a lot better than some high end custom jobs.only thing to make it better would be pick up surrounds and maybe a bound neck.
Man.... digging that "Gibson quality" on the insanely crooked-ly mounted P90.... smh....
I didn’t know the ink blue version existed… now I’ll be keeping an eye out. 😅
Awesome guitar and great playing
Buy some O-rings at Home Depot to repair your guitar knobs. 🤘🏻
✌️
Peace Peace Hector ✌️✌️
Peace Peace Hector. Well done you made the podium for today. A Bronze Medal for your efforts Brother.
@@hkguitar1984 ✌️
@@sgt.grinch3299 ✌️
Haven’t seen these for a long time. I liked it when it came out. That green looks great. Nice one.