Author Archives: Jim Fusco

About Jim Fusco

Jim Fusco is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and all-around musician. Learn all about him and his creative works at http://jimfusco.com!

Gibson 1968 Les Paul Custom Review & Demo

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Today, we’ll look at my Gibson Custom Shop 1968 reissue Les Paul Custom guitar. This guitar was a “Made 2 Measure” one from Eddie’s Guitars. There were only 5 made and it’s really unique. This one checked off a whopping 16 items off the Bucket List! Of course, some of those were already checked off before, but we still had quite a few first-time checks to go through in this video.

The guitar features a quilted maple top, a custom “Nordic Blue” color, a Bigsby tailpiece and three ’68 Custom pickups. It sounds amazing and even plays better than anything I’ve ever tried. Even the finish is somehow different than all the others- it’s amazing and surprising to me that the most expensive one is the best. In my experience, it usually doesn’t work that way! You have to check this video out- it’s certainly a crown jewel in the collection!

The Demo

The Verdict

The verdict? A crown jewel in the collection. This 1-of-5 Made 2 Measure Custom — quilted maple top, Nordic Blue, Bigsby, triple ’68 pickups — sounds amazing and plays better than anything I’ve tried. The most expensive one being the best is a surprise, but I’ll take it.

More Guitars Like This

Watch the full Gibson 1968 Les Paul Custom demo on YouTube, and keep exploring with two more Les Paul reviews: the Gibson 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue Murphy Lab Ultra Light Aged and the Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s. You can also browse every review in the Guitar Reviews hub.

Rickenbacker 360/12C63 Review – The 12-String Classic

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This is a hands-on review and video demo of my Rickenbacker 360/12C63 12-string electric — one of my prized possessions and a cornerstone of the collection. In the video below, you’ll hear that classic Rickenbacker 12-string jangle played live on camera and get a close look at the sharp “horns” and the ’63 reissue details. It’s the same model George Harrison played with the Beatles, carrying the sound Tom Petty and Mike Campbell brought back in the ’70s and ’80s. If you love the 12-string sound, start here.

The 12-String Sound

When I was growing up, I fell in love with the 12-string sound. Guys like Tom Petty and Mike Campbell really brought that sound back in the 70’s and 80’s and when I was little, albums like Cloud Nine (George Harrison) and Full Moon Fever (Tom Petty) featured the instrument. And those are the albums that really formed my love for rock’n’roll that will always live!

The Verdict

I hope you like this guitar as much as I do- it’s a cornerstone of the collection and was really the first big-time guitar I bought, as this is a reissue model of the ’63. It doesn’t get much better than this!

The Demo

More Guitars Like This

Watch the full Rickenbacker 360/12C63 demo on YouTube, and keep exploring with two more related reviews: the Martin HD-7 Roger McGuinn signature Acoustic Guitar for more 12-string jangle, and the Firefly FF338 Spalted Maple Guitar, another semi-hollow electric. You can also browse every review in the Guitar Reviews hub.

Gibson Les Paul Standard ’60s Review & Demo

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This is a hands-on review and video demo of the Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s — my 2019 model in iced tea finish with a flamed maple top. In the video below, you’ll hear the guitar played live on camera: clean tones, crunch, and lead playing through the dual humbuckers, plus a close-up look at the fit, finish, and feel of Gibson’s flagship after its 2019 back-to-basics revamp. If you’re shopping for a Les Paul or just want to hear what a non-weight-relieved Standard 60s sounds like in real playing situations, this page is for you.

Feel and Specs

This particular model is from 2019, the year that Gibson was bought out and revamped their lineup. They brought things back to a simpler time, a time without robotic tuners and other

modern improvements. The body isn’t weight-relieved (that’s on the list!) and that’s okay! Mine is in the amazing iced tea finish- and just look at that unique flamed maple top (on the list!) with those streaks of dark and light in the wood that you don’t usually see.

Join me as we dive into one of my “signature” guitars here on the Guitar Bucket List!

The Demo

The Verdict

This Les Paul has become one of my signature guitars here on the Guitar Bucket List: classic looks, a flamed maple top in iced tea, and the back-to-basics 2019 build with a non-weight-relieved body. If that’s the formula you’re after, it earns its place on the list.

More Guitars Like This

Watch the full Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s demo on YouTube, and keep exploring with two more Les Paul reviews: the Gibson 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue Murphy Lab Ultra Light Aged and the Gibson 1968 Les Paul Custom. You can also browse every review in the Guitar Reviews hub.

Watch the video: Gibson Years to Buy & Avoid — Les Paul, SG, Explorer, V, Theodore

My Partscaster Build – Stratocaster Copy by J. Fusco Guitars

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Hello everyone! I’m back after a holidays-related absence (it gets busy this time of year!) to bring you the next installment of the Guitar Bucket List. In this episode (6) we look at the guitar I made, a “Partscaster” (a Fender Stratocaster copy that’s made from various parts). My brother bought me the guitar body as a gift (in that amazing green sparkle) and then I added the wenge wood neck, the locking tuners, the moto pick guard, the chrome hardware, and the Fishman Fluency active single coil pickups. And let me tell you, these things sound great! You have to watch the video to appreciate all of the usable sounds on this guitar – if it doesn’t make you want to get a set of these pickups, I don’t know what will.

I hope you enjoy this episode- we’ll be back to the big name brands soon enough, but who knows- with how great this guitar came out, maybe “J Fusco Guitars” will become a big name someday, too!

Watch the video demo

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Watch the custom green sparkle Partscaster video demo · Fender Deluxe Player’s Stratocaster · Fender Co-Cal Speed Shop Stratocaster · Guitar Reviews