Category Archives: Guitar Reviews

Gretsch Sparkle Jet in Ocean Blue Turquoise

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Our third entry into the Guitar Bucket List series shows off the guitar that started it all… Okay, well it certainly didn’t start my love affair with guitars! And it wasn’t the first, second or even 10th guitar I purchased! But what this guitar did was open the floodgates that turned my grouping of guitars into a “collection”. Or, put differently, it went from “wow, you’ve got a lot of guitars” to “wow, you’ve got a problem”. 🙂

The Gretsch Sparkle Jet was a guitar that I saw in an article online and instantly showed it to my family. I couldn’t tell which one I liked more- the ocean blue turquoise or the champagne. All I knew is that this was the perfect looking guitar and I really wish I had it. Of course, that’s when I saw the price tag of $2,999!

So that wasn’t going to happen. I put it aside in my brain for a long while- probably close to a year. And then it happened. I don’t exactly remember how, but the guitar came back into my mind and I did a little research. Turns out, this thing was limited-edition and it wasn’t available on most websites anymore. In fact, I could only really find it at Musician’s Friend. So, I gave them a call. They had (conveniently) one left in the warehouse. After that, it was gone. They even took it off the website after I bought it.

Oh I remember the reason now- it’s because Musician’s Friend had a promotion where you got 16% back in gift cards when you purchased a Fender/Gretsch instrument. That was double the normal 8%. So, I ended up getting a gift card for a huge amount that was enough to buy another guitar! And that’s what kick-started this whole thing. One comedic error after another lead me to pile up the guitar purchases, one after another. And it all started because of that 16%. I can’t tell if it was a good thing or a really bad one…

But, I love the guitar and it certainly checks a lot off of the bucket list- check out the video to learn more!

Gibson Les Paul Classic

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The second installment of the Guitar Bucket List series features my 2014 Gibson Les Paul Classic in seafoam green. Now, there’s nothing “classic” about this model at all. It has a host of specs that no one would consider “classic” on a Gibson Les Paul. First, there’s the striking (and beautiful) see-through seafoam green finish. I mean, just look at that thing! When I first saw it hanging on the wall at a Sam Ash, I knew I had to have it. Of course, I had never purchased a Gibson before and something like that was WAY out of my price range. I actually had to sign a “contract” with my wife saying that I wouldn’t buy anything else for a whole year after it…and now that I’m thinking of it, it might’ve been a longer commitment than that!

But, it was worth it- I truly love that guitar. But…there are some quirks that let you know it’s from that 2014 era of Gibson. The finish ain’t that great- it has some flaws. And remember those non-classic features I mentioned? Well, it has uncovered zebra bobbin ’57 classic pickups (those are on the list), a 120th anniversary banner on the 12th fret, clear champagne gold speed knobs, a boost switch instead of a second tone knob, and a weight-relieved body (that’s on the list). Problem with the weight relief is that…well, it didn’t work. This thing weighs a TON.

I actually like the Tronical robotic tuners- so much so that I put a set on my Gibson! Yeah, the interface is weird and clunky, but I love not having to bust out a tuner and make everyone around me sit in silence while I struggle to read a tiny screen. In all, this is an all-time favorite for me and one of my “signature” guitars!

This guitar checked off the following on the Guitar Bucket List:

#10 – Gibson ’57 Classic Pickups
#15 – Nitrocellulose finish
#24 – Weight-relieved

Ibanez AM73T Electric Guitar

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The Ibanez AM73T electric guitar is not one you’ll easily find on a web archive. I saw it in a music store catalog in the early 2000’s and instantly fell in love with it. I loved the look more than anything- I didn’t know how different pickups and woods affected the sound of a guitar! I just thought it looked like Chuck Berry’s guitar and my love of early rock’n’roll made me gravitate to this model.

I bought this with my own money (tough to do when you’re a broke college kid) but this was my first good guitar. But, when I played it, I realized that I didn’t like the sound very much! That happens when you don’t really use it for the right purpose. I was more of a rhythm player trying to play this import guitar to sound like an early Beach Boys record. Oops!

So, I did what anyone who doesn’t know much about guitars would do: consult the internet! I decided that I needed real Gibson pickups. I didn’t know why, but I knew that’s what I needed. So I bought some Gibson Burstbucker pickups (the ones in those clear plastic cases) and had them installed in my Ibanez. I thought I was ready to rock!

Only I still realized that these pickups weren’t what I was looking for. Now I had pickups that were worth more than the guitar itself!

But I could never get rid of this guitar- I’ll always keep it, as I still think it looks perfect and is aging nicely, too. Now that I appreciate and can play using Gibson Burstbucker humbuckers better now, I can get more use out of the guitar, as well!

This guitar checked off the following on the Guitar Bucket List:

#29 – semi-hollow guitar
#52 – volute (on the back of the headstock)
#60 – Gibson BurstBucker pickups

Epiphone Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar – Jim Fusco’s Guitar Collection

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By Jim Fusco:

On this edition of “Jim Fusco’s Guitar Collection”, I bring you one of my newer guitars in the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar.  I got this as an amazing birthday gift- one I picked out, but had never actually seen in person.  So, it was a surprise on a couple of counts!

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I decided on the Epiphone for a couple of reasons.  First, I found the Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro 50s tribute guitar online for a massive $2,000.  The price has come down a bit since then, but man, I fell in love with that guitar.  And why did I fall in love with it?  Well, because of my brother Mike, of course!  He’s always searching for new and exciting things that he will eventually convince me to buy. 🙂  And when he got his incredible Gibson Les Paul Supreme electric guitar (which I hope he’ll write a blog post about someday, too), I knew I had to have one.

But, I also knew I didn’t want to drop that kind of money on just one guitar.  When your “wish list” of guitars is as long as mine was (is?), sometimes you have to make some compromises.  So, I looked around and found this- the Epiphone Les Paul Standard.  It’s the cheapest model they make, but that didn’t matter to me- it was in Pelham Blue, the same color as the Gibson Traditional Pro!  It’s this kind of metallic blue color that was an old car color.  Match that with some cream-colored binding and you’ve got a winning combination.  Plus, it was “only” $399!

So, what makes the Epiphone different from the Gibson?  They’re both owned by the same company.  Well, the Gibson is made in the US.  So, that doubles the price alone.  Does that mean it’s made better?  Personally, I think not, especially after inspecting every square millimeter of my Epi- the thing is made incredibly well.  The Gibson did have a few better features- it has a Plex setup, which is a computerized way of making sure every fret is perfectly in tune.  Ain’t gonna get that on a $399 guitar.

The Gibson also has better pickups- I think they were Burstbucker Pros or something like that.  The Gibson has a full maple cap while the Epiphone only has a maple veneer top.  But honestly, if the guitar is painted an opaque color like my Epiphone is, why pay extra for a higher grade of wood?  Some may say that the tone is altered.  That may be true, but just because a certain tone is slightly “different” doesn’t automatically make it slightly “better”!

So, when I finally got the Epiphone, I knew that I wanted to do some upgrades, both sonically and cosmetically.  It looked great to begin with, but I didn’t like the amber volume knobs.  So, I replaced them with cream colored ones to match the binding.  I then added a great nameplate that my brother got me- see the photo below!

Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pelham Blue with Sheptone PAF Pickups

And finally, I did the biggest upgrade of all- I did a ton of research and bought Sheptone PAF clone pickups that are made to exacting “Patent Applied For” Gibson pickups that were used on the original Les Paul model guitars of the late 1950s.  The output is so much higher on these pickups and the sound is airy and bright.  It’s a whole different league from the stock pickups.  I’m sure those weren’t bad, but I wanted to make this “Jim Fusco Custom” Epiphone as good as a Gibson.  I honestly think these Sheptone pickups are better than the stock pickups on the Gibson LP Traditional Pro!

Oh, and I swapped-out all of the wiring (the wiring harness), volume, and tone pots (potentiometers).  I did all the wiring myself and had a ton of fun doing it.  Now everything in this guitar is in tip-top shape and sounds amazing.  I’m so happy I chose this one, as it was a fun project.  I now have something truly unique.  You’ll be hearing me play my Epiphone Les Paul on many future songs- this is my first LP guitar, so it should offer some vastly different tones than I’ve ever had before!

Stay tuned for more Guitar Reviews from the Jim Fusco Guitar Collection coming your way on the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover songs music video blog!