Perusing Gibson.com I noticed that the company is producing BFG versions of a couple of their artist models, namely the Zakk Wylde and Gary Moore Les Paul BFG's.
The original BFG's were stripped down Les Pauls -- no fingerboard inlays, chambered bodies, unsanded carved tops that showed a patina of tooling marks, a killswitch where the 3-way pickup selector would be, mildly 'distressed' hardware, and volume and tone knobs milled from hardwood. The satin nitrocellulose finish was as thin as could be, allowing the grain of the wood to be felt throughout the instrument.
The pickup choice for the BFG model was just as unusual -- a P90 in the neck position and a Burstbucker 3 in the bridge. Oddly enough, this combination works.
I find that I have to dial in a compromised amp setting with traditional dual humbucker-equipped Les Pauls -- get a good tone on the humbucking neck pickup and the bridge pickup sounds too bright. Get a good tone on the bridge and the neck sounds too muddy. It can be a real juggling act.
With the P90 at the neck there is less of that woofy neck pickup tone. And the slight sparkle from the single-coil P90 balances nicely with the bridge pickup so there's less of a culture shock when toggling between the two pickups. The only difference is a volume drop in the neck position.
I own one of these in a 'goldtop' finish. It's a raunchy sounding guitar.
And there is a spot on the top where I rest my picking hand that has worn away revealing a surprisingly flamey grain underneath. Hmm..
The Zakk Wylde Les Paul BFG features the same rough-hewn carved top as the original but with an ebony fingerboard with acrylic inlays, chrome hardware, EMG pickups and the standard Les Paul array of controls and available with either the Buzzsaw or Bullseye graphic. Yowza!
The Gary Moore Les Paul BFG is almost exactly the same as the original BFG's except for chrome hardware, a Lemon Burst finish, signature trussrod cover and an odd mismatched combination of Gibson 'top hat' knobs for the volume and tone.
Check out the very reasonably priced Gibson Gary Moore Les Paul BFG on Amazon here!
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