Gibson L6-S, a Norlin era beast from the 1970s
Oh, no... not another Norlin era Gibson.
Yes, I'm going there again.
Obviously, I'm not a fan of Norlin era Gibson electrics. However, this guitar exists, has some quirky history to it, and in all honesty it's not that bad of a guitar. Not great, but not bad.
Typical to Norlin era Gibson electric guitars, resale value on the L6-S is low when compared to more established Gibson models. This is actually not a bad thing, because it means you can get real-deal vintage Gibson for a fraction of what you would pay for a Les Paul, Flying V or SG.
Oh, and BONUS - the L6-S has 24 frets! The first Gibson electric of its kind. This is very easy to miss because the neck has a single dot marker at the 24th fret instead of double, but yes, an actual 24 frets on a Gibson guitar.. from the '70s!
How many L6-S models?
Three. L6-S Custom, L6-S Deluxe and Midnight Special. However, there's a problem. Given the L6-S is one of the lesser known Gibson models, sellers of these will sometimes lump all these as just "L6-S" and that's it. Some guys list a Custom as a Deluxe, a Deluxe as a Custom, and so on. You'll see this in listings for this guitar. It's understandable given that not many sellers know all that much about the instrument.
Fortunately, it's very easy to tell which model from which.
L6-S Custom: Pick guard with rounded corner, black headstock.
L6-S Deluxe: Pick guard with sharper "claw" corner, black headstock.
Midnight Special: Natural finish headstock.
Concerning the Midnight Special, you'll see most of these with maple fretboards, but darker fretboard models also exist. It's the headstock you need to pay attention to. If you see natural up there, it's a Midnight Special. Or at least it should be.
Wacky electronics to avoid
Some L6-S guitars feature a rotary control knob within the pick guard, while others have just regular control knobs, and others have control knobs and mini toggle switches. Models with a rotary knob are interesting in that it is a 6-position phase switch. Switch from to/from what, specifically? Treble rolloff, series, parallel and so on. Gibson was trying to give this guitar as wide of a sonic range as possible. The idea with the switch was to make it sound like a Les Paul or a Telecaster or a Stratocaster or anywhere in between.
If you fancy one of these guitars, I'd actually recommend getting one without that switch just in case you want to swap the pickups out with minimal fuss.
How much does it weigh?
Shockingly, this is not a heavy guitar. It's a beast of an instrument, but not heavy for a '70s Gibson electric. The L6-S is usually around 8 to 8.5 pounds in weight.
It's probably true ones with the darker fretboards are slightly less in weight, but just slightly.
They all cost the same
There isn't any appreciable difference between models on the used market from one to the next regardless of which version you get.
What does affect the price more than anything else is color. Natural finishes are typically on the lower end of the price range while painted models are typically higher.
Did anybody famous ever play the L6-S?
Yes. Al DiMeola and Carlos Santana both endorsed this guitar, Keith Richards was known to play one at some point, and Paul Stanley of KISS played one on stage for a time.
It is the fact Paul Stanley of KISS briefly performed with the L6-S Midnight Special on television that sells this guitar today more than anything else. Some KISS fans are crazy enough to want an example of every single guitar Paul ever played, and the L6-S is one of them. It's similar to how some KISS fans will buy an Ovation Breadwinner because there are photos of Ace Frehley with that guitar from the early-early days of KISS.
The L6-S Midnight Special is the guitar a KISS fan gets before going after that Ibanez PS4-CM Paul Stanley Signature Cracked Mirror Gold model.
Even if you're not a KISS fan, a Gibson L6-S is a really easy way to get an American vintage Gibson - with 24 frets!
Is there an alternative sold new?
Let's be honest here. Nobody is making a copy of the L6-S because it wasn't exactly a popular Gibson model. The Guild Bluesbird is probably the closest thing you'll get to it, as it has that "over-roundy" shape the L6-S had. Aside from that, more or less all Epiphone Prophecy models have 24 frets on them, and those are certainly built better than any Gibson of the '70s.
Fender Musicmaster might be the ultimate retirement guitar
It's real-deal Fender vintage, it's available, and there's one other rather nice advantage to owning one of these.
My reading audience goes all over the place as far as age is concerned. This one in particular is for the older gents with hands that don't work as well as they used to.
Take the Fender Musicmaster. You can find a bunch of them to choose from easily.
Fender Musicmaster was Fender's student guitar. The vintage ones are from 1959 to 1964. While true the guitar was made all the way up until 1982, of course the best ones are the pre-CBS era '59 to '64 models.
What makes the pre-CBS Musicmaster possibly the ultimate retirement guitar is that it has a super short 22.5" scale. This guitar was designed from the start to be a very easy player. What that means is you get real Fender, real vintage, and something that's easier to play than a Stratocaster or Telecaster.
As far as I'm aware, all the vintage Musicmasters are top-loaders, meaning that in addition to the super short scale making it ridiculously easy to play, the top-loaded strings lessens the tension for even easier play. You could load heavier gauge strings on a Musicmaster and still have a very easy-playing guitar.
This guitar is obviously meant for cowboy chord playing and not soloing, especially considering it has a 7.25" fingerboard radius. The Musicmaster is the very definition of a no-fuss guitar. One volume control, one tone control, one pickup. Plug in and play.
I have to admit the Musicmaster is an endearing and even lovable guitar. It's just a small, light and simple little thing, which is something older gents appreciate a lot because they don't like complicated stuff.
I think the only kind of guitar that's even easier to play than the Musicmaster is a classical guitar, meaning a nylon string acoustic. But of course that's not an electric. Okay, that's technically not true. Acoustic-electric nylon string guitars certainly do exist, such as the Cordoba GK Studio or the highfalutin Takamine TH90 (which is gorgeous by the way), but that's still altogether different from an all-electric guitar using steel strings.
Concerning price of a pre-CBS Musicmaster, this is what I have to say about that:
The pre-CBS Musicmaster is far less in price (by literally tens of thousands) compared to a Stratocaster or Telecaster of the same vintage. Yes, you will spend some coin for a pre-CBS Musicmaster, but it is one of the most accessible Fender vintage electrics you can buy simply for the fact it's not the price of a new car.
And remember, the Musicmaster is the easier player for the reasons I stated above. It's a simple little vintage Fender guitar of joy that's actually attainable.
Is there an alternative that's new and cheap? Of course there is. Not by Fender but by Squier, the Classic Vibe Mustang. That's a short scale (24.0" scale, specifically) electric. Not a Fender, but it looks cool and is a very easy player.
"I don't want a kid's guitar!"
Fair enough...
...but you still do want something very easy to play. Not a problem. That's what a classical guitar is for. Yes, I'm talking about the nylon string kind. Whether you go student-sized or full-sized, that guitar right there is the absolute easiest thing for your fingers.
Just remember that if you do play a classical and want to use a pick (which you can do no matter what anybody tells you), it has to be a pick with a very soft strike. Wooden picks are the best option there.
The easiest Bigsby? Gretsch G2655T Streamliner
When you want a Bigsby vibrato on a genuinely well-built guitar for not a lot of money, you go Gretsch.
Take the Gretsch G2655T Streamliner Center Block Jr., and typical to Gretsch goodness, the first thing you see is a great looking guitar that looks a lot more expensive than it actually is. Nearly all Gretsch guitar designs have a very upscale look to them, and the Streamliner Center Block Jr. is no exception.
However, the big deal is the Bigsby virbato system. While true there are other guitars that have this system on it (like a Telecaster Bigsby or Murphy Lab Les Paul), the Gretsch is the most approachable for basically one reason:
It's not a boat anchor.
This Gretsch is - get ready for this - typically under 7 pounds in weight. This is unheard of for any electric guitar with a Bigsby system. So not only can you get a Gretsch at a very nice price and looks great and has the Bigsby system, you also get something that won't break your back. Pretty sweet deal if you asked me.
Why would anybody want a Bigsby in the first place?
Where vibrato systems are concerned, choices that are generally available are the Stratocaster tremolo system, Floyd-Rose tremolo system and the Fender Jazzmaster/Jaguar vibrato system. Lesser-known systems are the Fender Mustang vibrato (which is sort of a "mini Jazzmaster" type of system) and Gibson's Maestro Vibrola as seen on the Gibson SG Standard '61.
A Bigsby vibrato is for the type of player that likes a vibrato system with more precise note bending; this is mainly due to the wider vibrato arm (it sort of looks like a butter knife) that stays put.
Some say it's difficult to keep strings in tune with a Bigsby system. Not true. It's no more or less difficult than a Jazzmaster/Jaguar vibrato. When your strings are properly stretched, it will work as intended for "slower" bends.
Spanky vibe without the hum, but with atypical controls
Gretsch humbucker pickups are bright in responsiveness by design, which gives the G2655T a sound Gretsch guitars are known for. It can rock, to be sure, but sounds better with cleaner tones.
A typical-to-Gretsch thing is the master volume control near the front of the guitar. I'll admit I'm totally not used to it, but it's not difficult to figure out. That front knob is master volume, then the other 3 are individual volume controls per pickup, and one master tone control.
This type of control setup lets you get any volume blend of the two pickups that you want, and then you can use the master volume control to set how much output you want; that's the advantage of Gretsch controls.
With this Bigsby-equipped guitar, you get a lot for the money
When you want to dive into the realm of a guitar with a Bigsby vibrato system on it, you really can't do much better than this. The key thing, other than the nice price, is its light weight. You're not going to be dealing with some monster-weight 11+ pound electric guitar with the Gretsch. Instead, you get something light that looks great and has good tonal character to it.
I'd argue the Gretsch G2655T Streamliner Center Block Jr. is the best "gateway to Bigsby" electric guitar there is.
Almost perfect, Epiphone Les Paul Standard '60s Bourbon Burst
There is a whole lot of wow to this Les Paul.
In this particular generation of Epiphone Les Paul, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard '60s really nails it.
The price of one put me off slightly at first. But when I played it, that's when I realized other Les Paul style guitars in this price bracket are inferior compared to the Epiphone.
Let's talk about that burst first
For years, Epiphone could not get a burst finish correct. With flat finishes, yes, they were good at that. Gold Top and Wine Red are good examples of decent flat finishes. But the burst was lacking and just did not look right...
...but this does. The burst on the '60s LP Standard is, dare I say, scary-close to a nitro look. Yes, it's that good. Epiphone finally figured out how to make a poly finish get that liquid-like look of lacquer.
Is this finish as good as the Epiphone "1959" Les Paul? Yes, it is. The '60s LP Standard bursts have browns instead of reds like on the '59, but still an amazing looker.
What keeps it out of the perfect category?
Two things.
First, it's heavy. And bear in mind this guitar is billed as a Standard and not a Traditional. Were it a Traditional, I could understand it being heavy because Traditional typically means "no weight relief". But this is a Standard.
Is the guitar boat anchor heavy? No, but it's got some weight to it. Also, it could have been that the one I played just happened to be a heavier one; the guitar felt to be at or a little over 9 pounds.
The second thing is a nitpick. The tuners, while great, are not as good as what's used on the Epiphone 1961 Les Paul SG Standard. To be fair, that SG has godlike tuners on it (I'm not kidding), so it's a hard act to follow. I don't know what tuning machines are being used on that SG but they're insanely good. Again, the tuners on the '60s LP Standard are great, because yes, they are Grover Rotomatics (a fine upgrade for any guitar in general), but staying within the same brand, the SG edges out the LP.
Voice
This guitar has a ProBucker 2 neck side and ProBucker 3 bridge side in it, with CTS potentiometers for controls. Epiphone put the good stuff in this Les Paul, and it sings.
I am not a Les Paul guy nor a humbucker guy, and I like the sound this guitar. A lot. You want bite? It's there. You want spank? It's there. You want "smooth"? It's there.
In other words, no upgrades are required whatsoever for the electronics. I think it would be nuts for anybody to swap out the pickups in this guitar.
Neck
First I'll mention the Graph Tech nut comes standard, ensuring proper string travel and better tuning stability.
This Les Paul again surprised me because it does have the SlimTaper 60s neck. I typically don't like this neck, but I liked this one. Why? It's a C and not a D shape, and my fret hand liked that. The fret size is also a proper medium jumbo, my favorite type. Not too big, not too small, not too wide.
Some guys complain about Indian Laurel fretboards, which is what this guitar has. I don't know why, because at this point it's been proven to be a good fingerboard material across many guitar brands. The only thing you could possibly complain about is fingerboard appearance. Rosewood has subtle color variations to it that Indian Laurel doesn't - but - as far as the "Does it look '60s?" question is concerned, Epiphone totally got it right. The LP Standard '60s absolutely has that new-vintage look to it and it absolutely works.
Worth it?
As said above, the price put me off at first. But then I consider what else is out there in the Les Paul shape that would match up to this guitar in its price bracket.
Schecter Solo II Custom, perhaps? That's more expensive by several hundred dollars. Maybe a Gretsch G5220 Electromatic Jet? Priced slightly less, but totally different tonal character. PRS SE Starla? Again, good, but more expensive than the Epiphone.
When you examine other LP style guitars, that's when you realize, "Oh, I guess this Epiphone really is priced as it should be." Yes.
The only thing keeping the LP '60s from being an $800+ guitar is that '59 model Epiphone has.
This LP '60s Standard from Epiphone is a no-compromises Les Paul, and while I am a penny pincher, I have to admit the price is fair for what it is.
I liked this guitar a lot, and again, remember this is coming from somebody who isn't a Les Paul guy.
Classic or tacky? Squier 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster Gold Edition
Is this a classic, or is it tacky? Let's talk about that.
The Squier 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster Gold Edition is available in Lake Placid Blue and Olympic White. The one I tried out was in blue.
Before getting into the appearance, some guitar stuff first.
The weight is good and not too heavy. Pickups sound great and there are no issues there. The neck felt good, tuners were decent, the traditional Jazzmaster electronics all worked fine. Basically put, this is a proper Jazzmaster guitar.
Is the pick guard a true anodized gold type? Yes, it is. It's not a "pretending to be anodized gold" guard. You get the real deal here.
Does the vibrato system have a locking switch? Typical to Squier, it does not. If you want that vibrato lock, you will have to step up to the Fender Vintera '60s Jazzmaster or Fender American Original '60s Jazzmaster.
Now as for the appearance of the Squier...
I honestly can't decide whether this guitar looks good or not. Blue does work with gold, and that anodized pick guard does in fact help out with eliminating some of the single-coil hum. But my brain flip-flops whenever I look at this guitar. Sometimes I think it's beautiful, and other times not.
To my eye, where the tacky happens is at the vibrato plate. I have no issue with the rest of the guitar's appearance except right there. That gold is not the same color as the pick guard gold and I just can't un-see that. Also, the guard has a brushed look while the vibrato plate is polished smooth, further mismatching them.
The guitar is great, but staying within the same brand, the Squier Classic Vibe '60s Jazzmaster is a much better looking guitar - which by the way is also offered in a lefty, something not offered for the 40th anniversary model.