Gibson Buckethead Les Paul – Going For The Kill
By MNJ
| Posted in Guitar
The Gibson Buckethead Signature Les Paul is yet another example of how far Gibson can push the envelope when it comes to tailoring it’s legendary model for specific artists. We’ve seen Zakk Wylde, Joe Perry and Angus Young all get Gibson custom models which are a little bit further out.
This guitar has some major differences from a regular Les Paul, the main one is the 27″ scale length, which is huge. Couple that with a nut width of over 1.7″ and an oversized body and you have one seriously large Les Paul.They should have called it the Buckethead XXL.
Buckethead is well known to Guns ‘n’ Roses fans but it’s with his own band Praxis, that he’s risen to unprecedented heights in the world of shred. His output is nothing short of astonishing, sometimes releasing three albums a year as well as playing on a host of recordings by other artists like Frankenstein Brothers and Brain.
The Buckethead Les Paul has a traditional two piece maple top glued to a chambered or ‘weight relieved’ mahogany body, resulting in not only a lighter instrument but one with the extra tonal colour and the acoustic sustain of a semi. The high-gloss Alpine White finish and markerless ebony fingerboard offer a stark contrast, ebony being the darkest in colour of the tonewoods, but enhancing tonal brightness and articulation. Pickups are specially designed ceramic double-whites, offering clarity and cutting power. The tone of this guitar suits Buckethead’s style as he plays a lot of staccato phrases.
The most striking visual feature though are the two red knobs. These are ‘arcade’ style pushbutton ‘kill’ switches which mute the output. If you’re wondering what possible use these are, just check out a YouTube clip of him playing a tune called Jordan, he uses the switch to create percussive effects a bit like an arpeggiated synth. He’s also playing riffs and producing other squeal like noises at the same time. Amazing.
The other electrics are a single volume and single push/pull tone knob which splits the coil on the bridge pickup. The neck is carved to Buckethead’s custom profile that runs from .870” at the nut to .955” at the 12th fret, and is designed for the ultimate combination of speed and playing comfort.
This guitar has been totally tailored for Buckethead’s requirements. His hands are huge, and he has massive reach over the fretboard enabling techniques not afforded to most players.
The Gibson Buckethead Signature Les Paul sees Gibson taking some chances here and I hope to see more of it in the future, and not just for the metal players and shredders.
Tags: buckethead, Gibson, Les Paul