I love mine, I'm not a huge fan of the colour but the feel and sound blow my mind. The sound I always wanted from my guitar is this on the bridge pup with a tubescreamer. Love it.
The mismatched volume/tone knobs were added by Gary Moore to the original "Greeny". According to his tech, some time during the 70´s, 2 of the knobs fell off and Gary just grabbed 2 knobs from another Les Paul he had as a backup and put them on the "Greeny".
I also read somewhere (music magazine) that Gary wanted the lower knobs to be taller so he could reach them easier - he used the controls a lot live, so that would make sense.
Had one of these for years .and played the neck down to the bare wood on the back of the neck and body ,all the finish is gone ,it stays in tune ,sounds great .I’ve got a Gibson les Paul standard but that is in its hardcase under the bed and comes out now and again .the lemon drop is used live and have recorded a few times with it.I don’t worry about it falling over and it getting damaged .I pick it up and just play it .not had any fret problems ,all I did was changed the wiring to 50’s and used full size CTS pots and switch craft switch, just for piece of mind not because the original stuff was junk ,I’ve just rewired a fender strat with the push back cloth wire that was used in the day .as that had the same thin wire they use in a squier strats, in a nigh on two grand strat .pots are CTS and the switch is good ,but the wire and cap was cheap as hell
That why we buy this mid level guitars when we can find keepers. I'll likely buy one of these. We are living in a great decade for guitarists. The price war is on. We are seeing stainless still frets, bone nuts, full size quality pots and even locking tuners and many guitars right off the shelf. I have to grab a few of them before this over.
I own a 2009 issue of this guitar. It is absolutely amazing. A couple of minor differences from the modern ones, on mine the back is much darker, especially where the stain is supposed to have been worn away, and the second is that in 2014 they changed the neck heel joint to the more rounded version you have there. Mine looks more like a traditional Les Paul. it is built to the early LP specs and it’s quite an amazing instrument. The pickups are truly as good as any that I’ve played in any guitar period!
I have the non-reiic'd version that I picked up second hand for £199. Mint condition and a bonkers bargain. Super low action, perfect fretwork and it only weighs 8lb.The pickups are designed by Trev Wilkinson using the same specs as the original PAFs which were given to him by Seth Lover. That's why they sound so good! That out-of-phase Peter Green sound is killer.
To get rid of the out of phase honk, do I just flip the magnet 180 degrees? Flipping the pickup itself around would just be for aesthetics right? Or would it change the sound a bit also, because the pole pieces are in a slightly different place?
Great guitars I own one and the pickups are great I bought an epiphone recently that had Gibson 57 classics in and I preferred the pickups in the lemon drop, I would say the fret ends on mine have had much less time spent on them as they are no way near as rounded,
I've recently acquired a cherry burst, it honestly plays better than my two strats and my tele, if anything the neck feels too thin and the action could be lifted a mm or two at the bridge, next project is to scrape the top and refinish with lemon and nitro clear, upgrade caps to orange drops and flip the neck magnet. To be fair, the factory finish has bleeds on the binding and there is a red splatter on the yellow between the pups, maybe I'm being OCD.
The reason why mahogany on the back of the body looks so light is they use some sort of yellow lacquer over the pain that makes it look kind of old. Same on the bindings. I've scraped that off with a scotch brite pad and wood now looks more a pristine mahogany color. I even went farther and heavily scratched and distressed the back of guitar, and put a little mahogany dye and some lemon oil to it. It's looks really awe some now, much better than factory relic job.
My main worship and at home jamming guitar is actually a Vintage V100 in ice tea burst. Only thing I don’t like on those guitars is the cheap wiring. Frets weren’t bad but mine had a few uneven spots and I had to level it by hand. I swapped out the pickups for EMG Revs (Alnico II passive pickups), replaced the capacitors for mojotone paper in oil caps and swapped the hardware for tone pros stuff. After a good setup, it plays and sounds better than my 96 Les Paul studio and my 97 SG special. Great guitars for the money, great for mod projects too. The PGM doesn’t need a pickup swap, maybe some new caps and the thing is ready to gig imo. Great demo man
I wanna buy this guitar. But i don't no which version of Lemon Drop Guitar is this. Is it the Vintage Reissued V100PGM or VINTAGE Icon V100MRPGM Distressed Lemon Drop?
Own a 2006 version bought on reverb a ways back awesome guitar love it almost my fave close second to the 1982 Greco flying V that is a superb guitar with Greco dry z pickups.
Great sounding guitar, indeed. I think the pickups really make a big difference here. Unfortunately the 'Lemon Drop' is the only Vintage model equipped with the Wilkinson WVC humbuckers. I have a Vintage VS-6 (SG copy) which originally had that Wilkinson WVHZ Humbuckers in it. These pickups sound much too boomy and bass heavy for my taste and suffer from low definition in crunch sounds. I replaced the pickups with a set of cheap Roswell PAF-style Alnico humbuckers and it sounded fantastic (actually better than some Gibsons I heard and played). Going to put some Tonerider PUs in it with a proper 50s wiring asap. The build quality of Vintage guitars is quite solid for such affordable instruents. So they are quite a good basis for modding. The 50s wiring with high quality components (CTS pots, orange drop caps and Switchcraft switch and jack) should definitely be an affordable upgrade that takes this guitar onto another level if you're not afraid to invest the effort.
I like this one , bluesyer than the very nice iced tea which rocks like the mick ronson , got both, in my defense theyre cheaper than buying pickup sets ! So lemon drop coming my way
In an older guitar magazine ad, this guitar was sponsored by big time players who have played the best axes out there... tells you all doesnt it? Guys from band like UFO, and Midge Ure (Thin Lizzy, Visage and Ultravox amongst others) and so many other amazing bands... i once tried a Vintage relic'd V52 Tele model, it only cost €150 and i still kick myself for not buying it... i'm still wanting to buy one!
Big fan of vintage guitars and owned a few over the years. The only problem i had was the electronics in particular, the switchs werent the best and when switching pickup positions the pickups would sometimes cut out or be really crackly. What like is the new range like with there electronics ive heard vintage have really upped there quality control?
does it feel like a proper les paul and not one of those les paul studio's that feel very light and cheap. I don't like the feel of those, they feel like I can easily break them. I'm looking to get this guitar.
Got the same one but mine weighs more than 10 pounds, heavy as hell! Also 0,5 cm thicker than a regular LP Standard. Mine is 5,3 cm thick instead of the regular 4,7. Not happy about the weight.
I don't see the point in the relic'ing. I would much rather one of those guitars in brand new factory fresh condition. I would relic the guitar naturally soon enough anyway just with clumsiness.
I agree! And, ‘silly things’ like those holes to mimic where previous tuning machines were like the real ‘Greenie’ are just that….’silly’. Everyone can see and knows from a mile off that it’s not even accurate Gibson Les Paul copy. The shape of the cutaway with that sharper point….oh, and the fact that it’s got ‘Vintage’ written clearly on the headstock kind of it away! I’m not saying this isn’t probably a real good guitar but I think visually those things are bit toe-curling cringeworthy.
Would be a no brainer if they had not decided to ruin the top, especially near the pickup. If that would look relic, I could accept, but it doesn't, at all. It looks like a really bad paint job ir. Too bad.
I’m sure this is a very good guitar. Let’s face it, with a bit of effort on the part of a decent modern-day manufacturer why wouldn’t it be? There’s over half a century of technology and experience to draw on since the original was made. They can get hold of old Gibsons of the era, dissect them, do what Gibson did or better it now. Personally, I don’t like this whole (fake) ‘relic-ing’ fashion and think it’s really just a cynical marketing idea that has been dreamt up. But, relic-ing to match a famous guitarist’s own guitar is another whole step up in embarrassing. I mean, ‘silly things’ like those holes to mimic where previous tuning machines were supposed to have been like the real ‘Greenie’ are just that….’silly’! C’mon, Everyone can see and knows from a mile off that it’s not even accurate Gibson Les Paul copy. The shape of the cutaway with that sharper point….oh, and the fact that it’s got ‘Vintage’ written clearly on the headstock kind of gives it away! I’m not saying this isn’t probably a really good guitar but I do think visually those things are bit toe-curlingly cringeworthy.
I love mine, I'm not a huge fan of the colour but the feel and sound blow my mind. The sound I always wanted from my guitar is this on the bridge pup with a tubescreamer. Love it.
The mismatched volume/tone knobs were added by Gary Moore to the original "Greeny". According to his tech, some time during the 70´s, 2 of the knobs fell off and Gary just grabbed 2 knobs from another Les Paul he had as a backup and put them on the "Greeny".
I also read somewhere (music magazine) that Gary wanted the lower knobs to be taller so he could reach them easier - he used the controls a lot live, so that would make sense.
I’ve had one of these for a good few years. I love it
Had one of these for years .and played the neck down to the bare wood on the back of the neck and body ,all the finish is gone ,it stays in tune ,sounds great .I’ve got a Gibson les Paul standard but that is in its hardcase under the bed and comes out now and again .the lemon drop is used live and have recorded a few times with it.I don’t worry about it falling over and it getting damaged .I pick it up and just play it .not had any fret problems ,all I did was changed the wiring to 50’s and used full size CTS pots and switch craft switch, just for piece of mind not because the original stuff was junk ,I’ve just rewired a fender strat with the push back cloth wire that was used in the day .as that had the same thin wire they use in a squier strats, in a nigh on two grand strat .pots are CTS and the switch is good ,but the wire and cap was cheap as hell
That why we buy this mid level guitars when we can find keepers. I'll likely buy one of these. We are living in a great decade for guitarists. The price war is on. We are seeing stainless still frets, bone nuts, full size quality pots and even locking tuners and many guitars right off the shelf. I have to grab a few of them before this over.
I own a 2009 issue of this guitar. It is absolutely amazing. A couple of minor differences from the modern ones, on mine the back is much darker, especially where the stain is supposed to have been worn away, and the second is that in 2014 they changed the neck heel joint to the more rounded version you have there. Mine looks more like a traditional Les Paul. it is built to the early LP specs and it’s quite an amazing instrument. The pickups are truly as good as any that I’ve played in any guitar period!
You got the best one, anything before 2014,for definite.
That little smile 50 seconds in sold me
2:26 Gary Moore added the reflector knobs 👍
There is a local selling one and he said he put 1 meg pots on the volume and big orange drop capacitors and it sounds better than most Gibsons
I have the non-reiic'd version that I picked up second hand for £199. Mint condition and a bonkers bargain. Super low action, perfect fretwork and it only weighs 8lb.The pickups are designed by Trev Wilkinson using the same specs as the original PAFs which were given to him by Seth Lover. That's why they sound so good! That out-of-phase Peter Green sound is killer.
Also got my leftie second hand last year for £240. Great guitar, but mine weighs nearly 10lb!
@@andrewpaul4282 That's heavy! Mine is one of the early ones and is only 8.2lb.
To get rid of the out of phase honk, do I just flip the magnet 180 degrees? Flipping the pickup itself around would just be for aesthetics right? Or would it change the sound a bit also, because the pole pieces are in a slightly different place?
Correct, correct and probably insignificant
the mismatch knobs were Gary Moore's idea not Peter Green.
I love my Vintage LP V100 and Tele.
It has a bright sound and that’s great. Some LPs are dark and wooly
Great guitars I own one and the pickups are great I bought an epiphone recently that had Gibson 57 classics in and I preferred the pickups in the lemon drop, I would say the fret ends on mine have had much less time spent on them as they are no way near as rounded,
I've recently acquired a cherry burst, it honestly plays better than my two strats and my tele, if anything the neck feels too thin and the action could be lifted a mm or two at the bridge, next project is to scrape the top and refinish with lemon and nitro clear, upgrade caps to orange drops and flip the neck magnet. To be fair, the factory finish has bleeds on the binding and there is a red splatter on the yellow between the pups, maybe I'm being OCD.
Good review, Sir. Got me convinced.
Lovely sounding and the headstock looks nice
3:18 Graphtech makes the Tusq XL nut that’s on this guitar
The reason why mahogany on the back of the body looks so light is they use some sort of yellow lacquer over the pain that makes it look kind of old. Same on the bindings.
I've scraped that off with a scotch brite pad and wood now looks more a pristine mahogany color. I even went farther and heavily scratched and distressed the back of guitar, and put a little mahogany dye and some lemon oil to it. It's looks really awe some now, much better than factory relic job.
Did you use lacquer or stain? Thanks
That is a very nice guitar. Relicing looks good too. 🤘
My main worship and at home jamming guitar is actually a Vintage V100 in ice tea burst. Only thing I don’t like on those guitars is the cheap wiring. Frets weren’t bad but mine had a few uneven spots and I had to level it by hand. I swapped out the pickups for EMG Revs (Alnico II passive pickups), replaced the capacitors for mojotone paper in oil caps and swapped the hardware for tone pros stuff. After a good setup, it plays and sounds better than my 96 Les Paul studio and my 97 SG special. Great guitars for the money, great for mod projects too. The PGM doesn’t need a pickup swap, maybe some new caps and the thing is ready to gig imo. Great demo man
I wanna buy this guitar. But i don't no which version of Lemon Drop Guitar is this. Is it the Vintage Reissued V100PGM or VINTAGE Icon V100MRPGM Distressed Lemon Drop?
Distressed 👍
Have you put the Grovers there yourself or did it come with it? The ones I see come with different tuners, can't find any with Grovers on already lol
It came with Grovers. I think they change the spec over time and I’ve heard of older models having different hardware
Ahh bugger!
Thanks for the response btw :)
Which one is better: this model or Vintage V100 reissue?
I’d go for this. The pickups are fantastic
That fretboard is absolutely gorgeous.
I'm probably wrong about this but wasn't it Gary Moore that changed the knobs for whatever reason when he had it after buying it from Peter Green.
Good review, although I believe it was Gary Moore who added the top hat control knobs to the original guitar, not Peter Green, Cheers.
Own a 2006 version bought on reverb a ways back awesome guitar love it almost my fave close second to the 1982 Greco flying V that is a superb guitar with Greco dry z pickups.
The earlier models of this were better.. Before they changed the neck heel and the body shape.. Probably sound the same but looks better
Great sounding guitar, indeed. I think the pickups really make a big difference here. Unfortunately the 'Lemon Drop' is the only Vintage model equipped with the Wilkinson WVC humbuckers. I have a Vintage VS-6 (SG copy) which originally had that Wilkinson WVHZ Humbuckers in it. These pickups sound much too boomy and bass heavy for my taste and suffer from low definition in crunch sounds. I replaced the pickups with a set of cheap Roswell PAF-style Alnico humbuckers and it sounded fantastic (actually better than some Gibsons I heard and played). Going to put some Tonerider PUs in it with a proper 50s wiring asap.
The build quality of Vintage guitars is quite solid for such affordable instruents. So they are quite a good basis for modding. The 50s wiring with high quality components (CTS pots, orange drop caps and Switchcraft switch and jack) should definitely be an affordable upgrade that takes this guitar onto another level if you're not afraid to invest the effort.
will but this or the tabacco sunbust one. not sure about the out of phase sound....
I like this one , bluesyer than the very nice iced tea which rocks like the mick ronson , got both, in my defense theyre cheaper than buying pickup sets ! So lemon drop coming my way
Lovely guitar. Tasty playing too.
In an older guitar magazine ad, this guitar was sponsored by big time players who have played the best axes out there... tells you all doesnt it? Guys from band like UFO, and Midge Ure (Thin Lizzy, Visage and Ultravox amongst others) and so many other amazing bands... i once tried a Vintage relic'd V52 Tele model, it only cost €150 and i still kick myself for not buying it... i'm still wanting to buy one!
Big fan of vintage guitars and owned a few over the years. The only problem i had was the electronics in particular, the switchs werent the best and when switching pickup positions the pickups would sometimes cut out or be really crackly. What like is the new range like with there electronics ive heard vintage have really upped there quality control?
Good to see to-the-point videos. I definitely want one! Arguably far superior to any Epiphone I have tried inc. the $1,000. models.
does it feel like a proper les paul and not one of those les paul studio's that feel very light and cheap. I don't like the feel of those, they feel like I can easily break them. I'm looking to get this guitar.
Great review on a fabulous guitar for the money.......Thanks
Mine is the gloss version is amazing didn’t check if it’s a maple cap. 7.4 lbs. Lite. I have to check one day. Sounds fabulous so don’t care.
Can you shoot a link to buy these vintage guitars for the USA? Anybody ?
£350 Vs £2300. Gibsons must have some secret magic stuffing them!
Got the same one but mine weighs more than 10 pounds, heavy as hell! Also 0,5 cm thicker than a regular LP Standard. Mine is 5,3 cm thick instead of the regular 4,7. Not happy about the weight.
I have the reissued version but the neck always sounds muddy through my boss katana
Would you still recommend this guitar in 2024?
Definitely. This is my favourite guitar from Vintage
Where is the guitar made?
There are different kinds of mahogany in the world. Also most other woods.
Is it nitro
I don't think so
In Canada, where do I get 1
I can’t find a Vintage dealer in France. Can anyone help?
I don't see the point in the relic'ing. I would much rather one of those guitars in brand new factory fresh condition. I would relic the guitar naturally soon enough anyway just with clumsiness.
I agree! And, ‘silly things’ like those holes to mimic where previous tuning machines were like the real ‘Greenie’ are just that….’silly’. Everyone can see and knows from a mile off that it’s not even accurate Gibson Les Paul copy. The shape of the cutaway with that sharper point….oh, and the fact that it’s got ‘Vintage’ written clearly on the headstock kind of it away!
I’m not saying this isn’t probably a real good guitar but I think visually those things are bit toe-curling cringeworthy.
Where are they £350?
They wont be for long thats for sure.
Beautiful playing guitar sounds great ❤ 🎸
In My esperience they have a poor quality control , 2 received 2 guitars with problems , for me not worth the money altough the pickup are good
I just want to daub those exposed pieces of wood with a soggy tea-bag to darken the timber and that is all I would do before playing it till doomsday.
Would be a no brainer if they had not decided to ruin the top, especially near the pickup. If that would look relic, I could accept, but it doesn't, at all. It looks like a really bad paint job ir. Too bad.
I’m sure this is a very good guitar. Let’s face it, with a bit of effort on the part of a decent modern-day manufacturer why wouldn’t it be?
There’s over half a century of technology and experience to draw on since the original was made. They can get hold of old Gibsons of the era, dissect them, do what Gibson did or better it now.
Personally, I don’t like this whole (fake) ‘relic-ing’ fashion and think it’s really just a cynical marketing idea that has been dreamt up. But, relic-ing to match a famous guitarist’s own guitar is another whole step up in embarrassing.
I mean, ‘silly things’ like those holes to mimic where previous tuning machines were supposed to have been like the real ‘Greenie’ are just that….’silly’! C’mon, Everyone can see and knows from a mile off that it’s not even accurate Gibson Les Paul copy. The shape of the cutaway with that sharper point….oh, and the fact that it’s got ‘Vintage’ written clearly on the headstock kind of gives it away!
I’m not saying this isn’t probably a really good guitar but I do think visually those things are bit toe-curlingly cringeworthy.