BUCKETHEAD Signature LES PAUL Guitar - Gear-Monkey Guitar Community

MrSandMan · **BUCKETHEAD Signature LES PAUL Guitar -** 11-17-2009, 10:52 PM

Gibson announces BUCKETHEAD Signature Les Paul Guitar -- See images, video and more info @ http://www.gear-vault.com/buckethead...s-paul-guitar/

Quick fact: Buckethead is a shredder and has been voted number 8 on a list in GuitarOne magazine of the "Top 20 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time" as well as been included in Guitar World's lists of the "25 all-time weirdest guitarists" also known for being in the "50 fastest guitarists of all time list".

The monster movie fanatic, nun-chuck enthusiast, and speed-shredding blackbelt who goes by the name of Buckethead may have frigthened some of G 'N R's old-school fans when Axl first recruited him for touring duty, but Gibson is not afraid. They've recently introduced the Gibson Buckethead Signature Les Paul guitar (, a near-exact replica of the modded LP that Mr. 'Head is often see wielding.

For a guy whose stage presence and skills are downright scary, Buckethead's signature Paul looks extra-fun to play. Also like Buckethead, the true nature of this axe lurks under its death-white veneer. Aside from those red buttons (we'll get to those in a minute), it just looks like a White Les Paul. Not so. The body is actually slightly over-sized and chambered, and crafted from two complementary tonewoods -- maple and mahogany -- for emphasized pick attack and rich sustain.

Also subtly modified is the 24-fret neck's dimensions. The scale length is 27" for higher string tension and a unique tonal characteristic, and the neck's profile is a custom shape of Buckethead's decree. Combined with the 12" fretboard radius it makes for one sleek speed-machine of a Les Paul. The nut is a wider-than-typical 1.715â€. In short, you'll feel like Edith Ann when you play this guitar.

There are a few weird materials used in the Gibson Buckethead Signature Les Paul guitar. The aforementioned nut is made from Corian, a custom acrylic that adds to the guitar's attack and sustain. The bridge and tailpiece are crafted from something called Zamak, which sounds like the villain in a 70's "B" sci-fi but turns out to be a zinc-aluminum alloy developed in New Jersey. New Jersey!

Let's talk about those buttons. Not only to they give the Gibson Buckethead Signature Les Paul a vaguely Rising-Sun look (in line with his faintly Kabuki getup, I'll note), but they're made from vintage arcade-machine buttons. Rad! Oh, and they're kill-switches, one for each pickup. Double-rad!

For5 electronics, the Gibson Buckethead LP is outfitted with two, custom-wound, ceramic humbuckers: a 496R in the neck, and a hot 500T in the bridge. These pickups offer super-hot output for huge metal sustain and effortless two-hand tapping. There's a single volume control for easy swells no matter what position the three-position pickup selector is in, and the tone control houses a push-pull pot for coil-tapping the bridge pickup.

So that's what the Gibson Buckethead Signature Les Paul looks like. If you want to see what Buckethead's actual signature looks like, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZkZz...layer_embedded

jackal · **Re: BUCKETHEAD Signature LES PAUL Guitar -** 11-19-2009, 12:55 AM

in all honesty as good as buckethead is, he has never really impressed me, let alone is he deserving of his own Gibson released signature guitar. My opinion of course. It would have been just as nice if Gibson released a LP that was exactly the same as this one without the Atari style kill switches, but even with them i think it is a nice addition to the Gibson family because it gives the customer another option/style to choose from that hasn't been done yet.

MrSandMan · **Re: BUCKETHEAD Signature LES PAUL Guitar -** 11-19-2009, 01:03 AM

Plus the fact that it'll be $400-$500 more because it's a "Signature". I do like white Les Paul guitars though... just not a fan of the red kill switches. Black would be okay.

Viper · 12-08-2009, 11:41 AM

What I would like to know is what some guitar player knows about designing and building a guitar. Just because it's got a signature of someone on it doesn't make it any better that one with out. This Buckethead guitar looks like a piece of junk.

MrSandMan · 12-08-2009, 12:38 PM

They probably know little other than how they like the neck to feel or how high or low the string/action should be set.

The rest is probably just the basic, wood type, color, and unique red buttons w/ kill switches... I believe he uses the kill switches as part of his technique. I'm really not too familiar with any of his music. I'm like Jackal is towards his work... indifferent.

That said, I do like all white Les Paul's, not all white Les Paul's with red buttons.