Richlite and Baked Maple?

Stratman68

Stratman68

Axe-Master
So, I am still looking for my "first" Gibson. Had a es-335 35 years ago, but only for a short while-All Fenders for me to date.

I have found 2 I like the specs and looks but one has a Richlite fingerboard and the other has baked maple. I was kind of hoping for a softer feel, since my Strats and Tele are Maple necks and fingerboards.
Any opinions or experience with stated fingerboard materials. I have read a bunch but value players opinions.
Thanks
 
Why do you even want a Gibson? Because you need the sound? Get a Tele with two humbuckers and you're set. Because you feel you need to have one? Can't help you there, but like you I have been playing Fenders, or Fender like guitars for most of my life. And other then an Explorer I've never gelled with Gibsons. They might not be your cup of tea.
 
Muad'zin said:
Why do you even want a Gibson? Because you need the sound? Get a Tele with two humbuckers and you're set. Because you feel you need to have one? Can't help you there, but like you I have been playing Fenders, or Fender like guitars for most of my life. And other then an Explorer I've never gelled with Gibsons. They might not be your cup of tea.
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Well, 2 reasons actually. #1- 24.75" scale. #2-because I want one. I actually am in the process of throwing a HB in the bridge position of my Avatar Strat, Fralin Hybrid blues specials. Just because. what can I say. . I am not a shredder, don't need\like skinny flat necks. I do like the Slim Taper 60's Gibson necks though. I played quite a few in those times when we col;d actually walk into a music store and play different guitars.

I should add that the the guitar with the richlite I am looking at is a Gibson Midtown Custom. The baked maple is a LP Studio Deluxe.
 
I wouldn't get either. I think rosewood is the only "correct" option for those guitars. If both cost the same, I would get the Midtown. Could be hard to sell it though, if you don't dig it. Richlite is a hard sell.
 
I like my LPs with rosewood or ebony, especially for that kind of money.

My Dusk Tiger fretboard shrunk even though I stored it textbook conditions and that was an ebony board, which Gibson has 100 years or so of experience working and making sure it's stable.

If that happened to me with one of their known woods, you are rolling the dice hoping you don't experience similar issues with richlite and baked maple, which are relatively new materials for Gibson to work and fabricate. How Gibson cured and treated those materials with respect to how they will behave in another 5 to 10 years is anyone's guess.
 
iaresee said:
PRS 594. Thank me later.
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Well Ian, if I had that amount of $$$, I would have no problem finding a guitar. Also, the thin pattern neck or whatever they call it at PRS is not for me.
But again, the $$$$. Yes the specs are all solid with the scale, etc..............
 
Stratman68 said:
Well Ian, if I had that amount of $$$, I would have no problem finding a guitar. Also, the thin pattern neck or whatever they call it at PRS is not for me.
But again, the $$$$. Yes the specs are all solid with the scale, etc..............
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Fair point.

A used S2 McCarty (semi-hollow or not) might also fit the bill. Well under $2k and wide-fat profile necks abound on them. Like one of these maybe?

I say all this having lusted over a Midtown for ages. That guitar fizzled for a reason from Gibson’s lineup. On top of all the QA issues Gibson has, building something that is new and not part of their legacy proved hard to do with good results.
 
iaresee said:
Fair point.

A used S2 McCarty (semi-hollow or not) might also fit the bill. Well under $2k and wide-fat profile necks abound on them. Like one of these maybe?

I say all this having lusted over a Midtown for ages. That guitar fizzled for a reason from Gibson’s lineup. On top of all the QA issues Gibson has, building something that is new and not part of their legacy proved hard to do with good results.
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I definitely agree about the QC at Gibson. Hit or miss.
I may have not explained correctly. A "fat wide neck is exactly what I do NOT want. I did look at the prices of the 594 S2's, around $1,500..In the ball park but I have not read good things about them. Mostly from PRS guys though.
I will try to fin out about the neck shape. I know they have a few Pattern thin, pattern, pattern vintage, etc, etc.
 
I may just wind up with a HSS Strat with a rosewood neck.....Rather something else though. Was looking at es-137 and es-339 but you guys have kind of talked me out of those.....
 
Stratman68 said:
I did look at the prices of the 594 S2's, around $1,500..In the ball park but I have not read good things about them. Mostly from PRS guys though.
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I spend no small amount of time on the official PRS forum, and word of mouth about the S2s is pretty good over there. Consider whether the group of PRS guys you mention may be snobs about the "lesser" S2s (one giveaway is if they bitch about the scarf joint). If you look around you might find a smoking deal on a secondhand one. If you care to. :cool:
 
Stratman68 said:
I do like the looks and specs on this but not sure about the neck shape yet. I probably could get it for around $1,500 at Sweetwater.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/S2M594BAB--prs-s2-mccarty-594-burnt-amber-burst
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That’s going to be a rock solid guitar. A trait I love about my PRSi is just how unwavering they are as the seasons change. That guitar will take pickup changes nicely as well if you don’t like the stock pickups. But by all accounts the S2 variant of the 58/15 is really nicely voiced for the guitar.

That neck carve is going to be closer to wide-fat than to their old standard carve. Not as big as wide-fat, but bigger.

And +1 to @HerrSquid’s suggestion to seek out used on an S2.
 
Not a big Gibson fan, but if I had to choose.. id rather have a baked wooden fretboard than richlite. Had a LP with a richlite board and it felt like a dirty chalk board under my fingers. Didn't like it at all.

Composite materials (along with harder woods like maple and ebony) aren't typically associated with a "softer" feel like rosewoods tend to be.
 
If you like the 60's slim taper then I would look for a Les Paul classic. They can be had at pretty good prices. Under 1600 easy. I wild definitely stay away from anything other than rosewood or ebony. It will kill any resale value. Those fingerboard materials are the devil in the Les Paul community. If you are going to buy any Gibson but second hand. You'll get a much better deal.
 
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I have a 2017 '63 ES335 built in the last year of the Memphis shop. It has the 60's slim taper neck w/rosewood fretboard and block inlays. Back in the 60's I played a later 60's trapeze model. This guitar is one of best I've ever played. I did replace the nylon bridge (just like we did back in the day) with an aged nickel bridge. I also replaced the tuners w/locking tuners with Gotoh SD90 locking tuners. It everything I wanted for a big body, blues/jazz guitar... The pickups are something special in this guitar... See my avatar for photo the guitar.
 
Pwrmac7600 said:
If you like the 60's slim taper then I would look for a Les Paul classic. They can be had at pretty good prices. Under 1600 easy. I wild definitely stay away from anything other than rosewood or ebony. It will keep any resale value. Those fingerboard materials are the devil in the Les Paul community. If you are going to buy any Gibson but second hand. You'll get a much better deal.
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There are 248 of those on Reverb-Jeeezzz............Some have that toggle switch for a booste. which I do NOT like. But most don't have hat. All are rosewood.
 
Stratman68 said:
There are 248 of those on Reverb-Jeeezzz............Some have that toggle switch for a booste. which I do NOT like. But most don't have hat. All are rosewood.
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Just realized I had I typo in my last post. Meant to say anything other than rosewood or ebony would KILL the resale value. Damn auto correct!
 
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