No doubt. Lot of bands wear ear plugs on stage. Wish I had taken better care in my yoot. Between shooting, playing music, going to shows and diff work experiences, the ringing never stops these days. Neither does the "huh?" Lol.
I'm a drummer, motorcyclist, and gun enthusiast. I would absolutely be deaf by now if I didn't wear ear protection. I wear musicians ear plugs now when I practice or play gigs. They lower the volume more evenly without killing the high frequencies.
More art than a functional tool at this point. They literally don't make them like they use too is many guitarists opinion on Gibson these days. Maybe that's why the guy looks so damn not happy. J/k, probably just a badly time photo.
Many artist guitars are ghost builds anyway (Slash's Les Pauls being infamous examples). And yes Gibson is NOT what it was. GINO I suppose. Don't tell this guy!
Sad. I’ve been told the Mexican Fenders are better quality than American Gibsons these days. But who knows if that’s a smear campaign, remember when Gibson got raided for their fretboard wood or something and it turns out they were Trump supporters or something? Man 2017 feels like eons ago.
Can confirm. All of my MIM Fenders are perfect and play just as good as my 'murican and Japanese versions. The CNC machines that hog out the necks and bodies don't care what country they're in. Whether the guitar was assembled by Jose in Ensenada or Jose in California, it's really up to the person playing it and whether the instrument gets out of their way.
The Glassdoor reviews on Gibson paint a picture of a company that cares about quality like GM cared about the Chevette or the Vega, except with Cadillac pricing on whatever crap they could screw together. And the necks STILL break in the exact same place by the headstock! I think my Norlin-era Les Paul already had the neck repaired, and while it looks like hell, it's a great player. The new ones, though? The local music store would get several brand new Gibsons with things like loose frets, loose tuners and broken solder joints. I've never seen even a Squier with those kinds of problems.
Even if Henry J is a legendary asshole, Gibson still shouldn't have been raided over that bullshit.
Correct, toys. The metals are different...keys, frets, bridge, etc.. the nuts are plastic American ones are bone...they may play ok, they may sound ok, but they will never have the clean vibrant sustain of an American made. Usually beginner guitarist can't even hear it, but if you continue this hobby, you will one day. I have American strat and really want a tele.
The Mexican factory is like 60 miles from the border, easy quality control. Do you really think the California factory is full of German/Anglo ancestry employees? Or quite possibly also full of Mexicans?
No, not a smear campaign. Mexican Fenders are pretty good, they tend to have lower-quality hardware (like look at the bridge components for example between Mex and US) but the build quality, intonation etc are all fine. Gibsons are more all over the place - may get a great one, may get a dog. A few years back I was surprised when a local shop flat out didn't carry Gibson/Epiphone at all because they got fed up with all the warranty problems/headache etc (this is where I first learned it was this bad an issue).
Ironically enough, I have a Gibson-built bass (when they took over Steinberger, so the wood version). It's actually solid - despite the time I tripped over the cord and fell into an armchair, bending one of the tuning knobs (!) - but it's like a 1995.
I have a 335 dot reissue, and my buddy has a J45 and an SG3. I got mine about 15 years ago, he got the sg about 5 years ago, the J45 2. They're all great guitars.
I'm not a great guitarist by any stretch of the imagination. I got started playing very late in life and maybe more than 15 years ago when I got a good enough I realized I was going to be able to play I wanted to yet something quality that was versatile. I got that for 1700 bucks and they're like twice that now.
I don't deserve the guitars that I have but I love them anyway.
I'm just kidding you! You don't need to be a pro to enjoy a fine instrument. You "deserve" whatever you want, it's not like some rockstar is going "I need a 335 to make my next album, but some Texan bought the last one!" :) I'm just harping on how frigging expensive they are.
Yeah, evidently they weren't very popular because people didn't like that middle pickup and my buddy got it at a hell of a deal he got a steal and boy people appreciate them now for sure
Probably so.... I started taking video clips instead, and going back for screenshots later for those perfect-photos.... (💡in case someone may notta thoughtta that)
A good combo amp is a tube amp. "At least" cracks me up a little, because combos can be as ballsy as a stack. Ted Nugent recorded his greatest songs on a Fender Twin Reverb. (and double tracked them with a small one speaker Gibson combo, iirc.)
And some of the most legendary lines Keith Richards is famous for were done with shit like recording an acoustic on a cassette and playing that back thru an amp or some shit like that.
Another example is the "Deaky" amp Brian May of Queen used to record some of their biggest hits. That was an amp John Deacon, the bass player, built out of a radio he fished out of the trash. That's a rabbit hole to go down, there's a forum dedicated to finding out what radio he used, and what parts, to try and recreate it.
Nothing against stacks - but you don't have to have one, to make great music. And, playing through a stack at stage volume is a lot of fun - if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it! I've gotten to, a couple of times. It's a whole different beast!
Ha, yes, I wonder how many thousands of guitarists have tried to get THAT SOUND without knowing the story of that damn amp (and his guitar, for that matter, though that is generally more widely known by a lot, I'm sure).
Edit: Also, I enjoy how big an epic badass Deacon was. His contribution to Queen would be difficult to overstate, it's just subtle compared to the other 3 (well, until you get to AOBTD of course LOL).
I know, I have a Vox combo, but the straight tube just gets better tone, IMO.Then again, some much better players than I use the Fender Super Champs because they are so light and still sound really good.
I didn't know that about Nugent. His first 2 solo albums were genius. Too bad he got big head syndrome and fired his great band that he had and started barking like a dog. He turned into a cartoon, like ZZ Top did after Eliminator.
Have you seen the silicone strap blocks that fender makes now? They're really good and you don't have to worry about the metal lock twisting on you and pointing the wrong direction.
Hell, if I wanted to deflect I could point out back when Aunt Tifa kept confusing every oriental guy they ran across as Andy Ngo. They genuinely couldn't tell the difference 🤣
He does that with his most cherished guitars. He has wanted a Les Paul his whole life. If I were a rich man I would have given him one. He's like a brother to me.
That's awesome man, glad he got one finally. Nice looking guitar. I've been playing since I was 12.... I know the feeling of getting the guitar you've been wanting forever .. GOOD TIMES!
Vietnamese people are some of the most awesome people. Conservative asf even more so than southerners in general. They are also really hard working and smart while being chill/funny.
One of my best friends at work is a Vietnamese engineer. All the ones I've worked with are based as hell, they all escaped communism and can't stand the commie fags.
My favorite VietEnglish phrase from my homeboy: "This is suck!"
Hell yeah, I know 4 guys from Laos and they are based too.. they are welders who go hunting after our 2nd shift jobs sometimes. Awesome outlooks/personalities that some of these weak soy cucks could learn a lot from.
LOL my special lady friend is just like this. She's never really hung around Americans much, always worked with/dated Vietnamese till MAGA rallies (how we met). She says stuff just like that.
(She escaped by boat in the 80s including getting shot at. She says simply "I was lucky, I was behind a thick board.")
My political experience with Vietnamese people has been mixed. The first person I met at college was Vietnamese. She was pretty cute, but then I found out she was a hardcore commie and it instantly turned me off.
Some other Vietnamese dudes I met were pretty conservative, though. It was funny watching all the white liberal "inclusive" kids from the cities try to act friendly toward them. It was so awkward. You could tell those Vietnamese dudes didn't like them.
Another thing he does is when I introduce him to people he pulls the old Dat Phan routine and introduces himself as Charley. He is one of the funniest people that I know.
Nice!! Hubby just bought a Les Paul this week! He hasn’t played in over 20 years but last week he decided to get the guitar I gave him for our honeymoon and one his dad gave him as a teen out of storage and start playing again! He always wanted a Les Paul electric so he went and bought one w an AMP earlier this week! He may be losing his job soon to the “mandate” and he has been through the ringer w Murphy’s mandate for healthcare workers (he didn’t get vaxed or tested since mandate put into place) so I told him go for it! You only live once! He picks his up next week! I hope Johnny enjoys playing his! God Bless!
Nice. I play doom/stoner. Went through lots of heads; Mesa, Brugera, Diesel, Hiwatt etc and settled on Orange. Still have an old Bandit 65 that l never wanted to get rid of, my first amp ever. A real tank.
The thing about the Bandit , for a solid state , not many amps take pedals as well, even today.
After watching and Ola Englund video, for the first time in decades I tried the effects loop with an old Metal Zone that I used exclusively for bass. Its the 1st time that pedal ever sounded good, and I mean really good. If you haven't seen it you you should check out that video. If somebody starting up today picked an old Bandit for under a hundred bucks and the Metal Zone for under 30 and got the sound l was looking for a long time ago when I started playing metal. I can just imagine all the money I would have saved with all the gear swapping and switching around.
My first was a Peavey Decade. Had balls, for a $100 amp! That amp, and a lawsuit Les Paul was where I started.
My electric days are long over, I have an acoustic I play occasionally, but I lost the fire for guitar a long time ago - and it's fine, I found other things in life to pour that energy into. Maybe I'll get back in one day. Hard to say what I'd get now - I've played PRS, and they feel good in the hands, and I really liked how a VH Wolfgang played. And god knows the digital amp world is looking pretty interesting these days...
Yeah, about that. Had a 1972 OR120 a long time ago that l sold for profit and went woohoo at the time. It still stings today. Got a reissue, it's such a dirty amp that it sounds close enough. Theyre in the same sound range as mata or green amps.
Like pretty much every Gen X guitarist, made the mistakes selling away our japanese boss heavy metals , chorus and superfuzz years ago.... fuck it hurts when you see the price online now.
Sold : Late 70s lbanez Artist, Ibanez x-series Explorer, 80s Jackson USA offset V, many Gibson LPs, BC Rich Bitch USA, pedals like original Ibanez Tube Screamer... amps...
Yeah, its better not to look at the new prices and try to forget about it. But once in a while when you see somebody playing one, the haunting comes back just a little.
I have an Ibanez Destroyer X that I got for my birthday in 1986. I think it was a $600 guitar then. Are these guitars worth more now? I would never sell it, it's my first electric and it has a great sound, but I'm curious what it is worth. It's still in mint condition.
I had an old Peavey classic chorus 212 (solid state) but was a beast. I currently play a 5150 III with the 6L6's. Love getting that old VH brown sound but hit channel 3 and here comes Metallica...
Sound is beast AF, look great. Not really comfortable to play shape-wise, and heavy if you practice standing. But they are on the pricey side value wise tho.
SG is reallly comfortable, like strat shapes. The look is not for everyone, but where I really hate it is the neck dive. You have to be extremely lucky to get a balance one. If not you're playing around with a strap lock position, where you can put lead in the cavities. I had a BC Rich bich that was unplayable because of that, kept it 3 months.
I have an Epiphone Les Paul Custom in black with white trim and gold hardware. It's so sweet and was $729 instead of $3k for a Gibson. My favorite guitar.
I found an Epiphone LP Custom Elitist on Craigslist a few years ago that looks just like the one posted by the OP. Made in Japan and they stopped making them years ago. Feels and sounds as nice as my Gibson.
Another part of his life story: He said that he spent a while in some sort of camp while awaiting entry into the U.S. He talks about how illegals pour across the border and he had to do it the right way.
He had to go through some sort of vetting process even as a child. He has a great affection for president Reagan whom he credits for making it possible to come here. He was basically rescued by U.S. soldiers.
Wow. Life shapes us in weird ways sometimes. God bless the man. Does he have other fam/siblings here? What about his mother, did she make it this way too, or not?
I need to reply to this. Somehow his mom was not on the VC radar or not with his dad anymore. He lost contact with her and found her but at this time her health is not well.
If you watched the Jan 6 livestreams, one thing you'd have noticed was all the South Vietnam flags. There were a ton of South Vietnam flags in DC that day. They knew what was happening in our country was communism.
A lot of Christian flags too.
Of course though the fake news tried to only get shots of Rebel flags because it freaks out the liberal base for some reason.
Thats a quick test to see if the video on Jan 6 is propaganda or not. If a rebel flag is in the forefront of the video shot or image, then it is probably propaganda.
Play the shit out of that guitar -- you only live once --wear that Les Paul out!!!! do not let it sit around.. LET"S JAM and Fuck JOE Biden !!!! Time for some Megadeth and Led Zeppelin
i read your comments about him. an absolutely epic lad and we are a better country with him in it. please thank him for me. fire fighters are a heck of a breed.
I had a friend and coworker back when I was working at a movie theater. He was drafted into the Viet Cong and shot in the leg for disobeying an officer. He escaped and came to America on his own. He was 19 when I knew him and the scar on his leg was intense. Even back then, he saw the direction our country was heading and told me many times that it was no different than what he saw.
I didn’t believe him back then; I do now.
The Vietnamese know what’s up. There were many protesting in DC last year on January 6th, flying the South Vietnam flag, but you won’t see that on any corrupt media because mUh WhItE sUpReMeS!
Thanks for sharing, please tell Johnny we're glad he's with us, just wish his Dad was here too. Maybe Johnny cal strum some notes with thoughts of remembrance of his Dad.
My experience has been that most ex-pats or exiles from commielands are based because they know it’s the only sensible thing with first hand knowledge.
BTW he is based and when he says "Shreepy Joe" I laugh my ass off.
Seems like a cool dude. If I guess his last name correctly, what do I Nguyen?
Not Nguyen but you could probably guess it.
I hope to be his biggest Phan when he makes it big time.
Let's not dox the Patriot now lol
Phokay
Dont bahn mi please.
Kek
Don't have to guess. I know him. His name is Shooting Star. Don't you know?
Johnny was a schoolboy when he heard his first Reagan speech
“Tear down that wall” i think it was and from there it didn’t take him long…lol
I listened to the wind and still heard Reagan say...
Fuck you Gorbachev and all your commie fag globalist deep state friends
So he's Hung like a horse then?
I bet he is Le based.
He be gud Pham.
When
LOL, took me a moment to work it out.
He has to be based. That's a Les Paul Custom. Now he just needs a 120 w Marshall amp to rattle the windows of nearby Karen houses.
Bruh needs a stack.
"See the volume knob? When you turn it up you get nice tone" - Eddie Van Halen
“This one goes to eleven.”
Why not just make 10 louder?
These are one louder
Gotta be careful though, that top cab will fuck your hearing. It doesn't stop me now but it also didn't stop me from being an idiot in my yoot.
Nothing lame about protecting your ears my dudes.
What?
My 80’s-90’s band years are still ringing in my ears.
No doubt. Lot of bands wear ear plugs on stage. Wish I had taken better care in my yoot. Between shooting, playing music, going to shows and diff work experiences, the ringing never stops these days. Neither does the "huh?" Lol.
I'm a drummer, motorcyclist, and gun enthusiast. I would absolutely be deaf by now if I didn't wear ear protection. I wear musicians ear plugs now when I practice or play gigs. They lower the volume more evenly without killing the high frequencies.
Fucking beautiful work of art
More art than a functional tool at this point. They literally don't make them like they use too is many guitarists opinion on Gibson these days. Maybe that's why the guy looks so damn not happy. J/k, probably just a badly time photo.
Many artist guitars are ghost builds anyway (Slash's Les Pauls being infamous examples). And yes Gibson is NOT what it was. GINO I suppose. Don't tell this guy!
Sad. I’ve been told the Mexican Fenders are better quality than American Gibsons these days. But who knows if that’s a smear campaign, remember when Gibson got raided for their fretboard wood or something and it turns out they were Trump supporters or something? Man 2017 feels like eons ago.
Can confirm. All of my MIM Fenders are perfect and play just as good as my 'murican and Japanese versions. The CNC machines that hog out the necks and bodies don't care what country they're in. Whether the guitar was assembled by Jose in Ensenada or Jose in California, it's really up to the person playing it and whether the instrument gets out of their way.
The Glassdoor reviews on Gibson paint a picture of a company that cares about quality like GM cared about the Chevette or the Vega, except with Cadillac pricing on whatever crap they could screw together. And the necks STILL break in the exact same place by the headstock! I think my Norlin-era Les Paul already had the neck repaired, and while it looks like hell, it's a great player. The new ones, though? The local music store would get several brand new Gibsons with things like loose frets, loose tuners and broken solder joints. I've never seen even a Squier with those kinds of problems.
Even if Henry J is a legendary asshole, Gibson still shouldn't have been raided over that bullshit.
My impression is even Squiers are now pretty decent too for that matter?
You've been told bullshit. The mexican fenders are like toys. People just like to compain.
Correct, toys. The metals are different...keys, frets, bridge, etc.. the nuts are plastic American ones are bone...they may play ok, they may sound ok, but they will never have the clean vibrant sustain of an American made. Usually beginner guitarist can't even hear it, but if you continue this hobby, you will one day. I have American strat and really want a tele.
The Mexican factory is like 60 miles from the border, easy quality control. Do you really think the California factory is full of German/Anglo ancestry employees? Or quite possibly also full of Mexicans?
No, not a smear campaign. Mexican Fenders are pretty good, they tend to have lower-quality hardware (like look at the bridge components for example between Mex and US) but the build quality, intonation etc are all fine. Gibsons are more all over the place - may get a great one, may get a dog. A few years back I was surprised when a local shop flat out didn't carry Gibson/Epiphone at all because they got fed up with all the warranty problems/headache etc (this is where I first learned it was this bad an issue).
Ironically enough, I have a Gibson-built bass (when they took over Steinberger, so the wood version). It's actually solid - despite the time I tripped over the cord and fell into an armchair, bending one of the tuning knobs (!) - but it's like a 1995.
Recent American Gibson's are excellent guitars! For the last 15 years, they have been top notch.
one of the best tones i’ve had on a guitar was a 2015 derek trucks signature sg, I concur.
I have a 335 dot reissue, and my buddy has a J45 and an SG3. I got mine about 15 years ago, he got the sg about 5 years ago, the J45 2. They're all great guitars.
Whoa, look at big bucks 335 owner over here!
I kid. Kind of. The prices on those are obnoxious. I get why, but god damn.
I'm not a great guitarist by any stretch of the imagination. I got started playing very late in life and maybe more than 15 years ago when I got a good enough I realized I was going to be able to play I wanted to yet something quality that was versatile. I got that for 1700 bucks and they're like twice that now.
I don't deserve the guitars that I have but I love them anyway.
I'm just kidding you! You don't need to be a pro to enjoy a fine instrument. You "deserve" whatever you want, it's not like some rockstar is going "I need a 335 to make my next album, but some Texan bought the last one!" :) I'm just harping on how frigging expensive they are.
My buddy has an SG3. Those should be produced more. After a setup, that thing burns.
Yeah, evidently they weren't very popular because people didn't like that middle pickup and my buddy got it at a hell of a deal he got a steal and boy people appreciate them now for sure
Lol that's obviously a kit build. Mine cost about $200. Plays great, but DEFINITELY not a real LP.
Probably so.... I started taking video clips instead, and going back for screenshots later for those perfect-photos.... (💡in case someone may notta thoughtta that)
They still play very nice and the customs have a lot more work put into them than the others.
He needs a legit tube amp or at least a combo amp. And a good strap, because Les Pauls are heavy as hell.
A good combo amp is a tube amp. "At least" cracks me up a little, because combos can be as ballsy as a stack. Ted Nugent recorded his greatest songs on a Fender Twin Reverb. (and double tracked them with a small one speaker Gibson combo, iirc.)
And some of the most legendary lines Keith Richards is famous for were done with shit like recording an acoustic on a cassette and playing that back thru an amp or some shit like that.
Another example is the "Deaky" amp Brian May of Queen used to record some of their biggest hits. That was an amp John Deacon, the bass player, built out of a radio he fished out of the trash. That's a rabbit hole to go down, there's a forum dedicated to finding out what radio he used, and what parts, to try and recreate it.
Nothing against stacks - but you don't have to have one, to make great music. And, playing through a stack at stage volume is a lot of fun - if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it! I've gotten to, a couple of times. It's a whole different beast!
Ha, yes, I wonder how many thousands of guitarists have tried to get THAT SOUND without knowing the story of that damn amp (and his guitar, for that matter, though that is generally more widely known by a lot, I'm sure).
Edit: Also, I enjoy how big an epic badass Deacon was. His contribution to Queen would be difficult to overstate, it's just subtle compared to the other 3 (well, until you get to AOBTD of course LOL).
I know, I have a Vox combo, but the straight tube just gets better tone, IMO.Then again, some much better players than I use the Fender Super Champs because they are so light and still sound really good.
I didn't know that about Nugent. His first 2 solo albums were genius. Too bad he got big head syndrome and fired his great band that he had and started barking like a dog. He turned into a cartoon, like ZZ Top did after Eliminator.
First thing I do with my guitars is put strap locks on. Have had straps pop off too many times and dropping a LP could mean a broken headstock.
Or a broken foot! Strap locks are key!!
Have you seen the silicone strap blocks that fender makes now? They're really good and you don't have to worry about the metal lock twisting on you and pointing the wrong direction.
Tube amp for the win!!
It is indeed. Have the same one in the same color. BEAST. Although I just run it through a Fender Hot Rod deluxe. Creamy!
Marshall is British. Fender has great tube amps. Or PRS
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 when he says shreepy joe you raugh your ass off?
Also, puttin his face out there all wild like that though😑🤷🏻♂️
Its ok, they all look the same.
WAYCISS!!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 well done fren. Bad ass guitar too!!! Looks like MAGA CLAUS was good to your fren. Happy to hear that BIGLY!!💪🏻💪🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸
Hell, if I wanted to deflect I could point out back when Aunt Tifa kept confusing every oriental guy they ran across as Andy Ngo. They genuinely couldn't tell the difference 🤣
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
And name now 😐
Lol yep. We aint doin ourselves any favors doxxxxin our own people lol a shame
Well we have people on this board posting pictures of their guns every Sunday, so....
Not the serials though
I havent seen that in a while and i for one was never pro-that. It shows what you have. Like snitchin yourself out. Dry snitchin
God bless him and you. We’ll need more people like him in the coming months when it goes tits up.
Play a bit myself. what impressed me more was that it looks like he has gloves on holding the guitar.
He does that with his most cherished guitars. He has wanted a Les Paul his whole life. If I were a rich man I would have given him one. He's like a brother to me.
That's awesome man, glad he got one finally. Nice looking guitar. I've been playing since I was 12.... I know the feeling of getting the guitar you've been wanting forever .. GOOD TIMES!
Eventually that wears off and you actually TOUCH the guitar.
Vietnamese people are some of the most awesome people. Conservative asf even more so than southerners in general. They are also really hard working and smart while being chill/funny.
Source: Work with alot of Vietnamese engineers.
One of my best friends at work is a Vietnamese engineer. All the ones I've worked with are based as hell, they all escaped communism and can't stand the commie fags.
My favorite VietEnglish phrase from my homeboy: "This is suck!"
Hell yeah, I know 4 guys from Laos and they are based too.. they are welders who go hunting after our 2nd shift jobs sometimes. Awesome outlooks/personalities that some of these weak soy cucks could learn a lot from.
LOL my special lady friend is just like this. She's never really hung around Americans much, always worked with/dated Vietnamese till MAGA rallies (how we met). She says stuff just like that.
(She escaped by boat in the 80s including getting shot at. She says simply "I was lucky, I was behind a thick board.")
Where I live in the south we're equally based. They have shrimping and fishing boats and I buy the shrimp and fish.
My political experience with Vietnamese people has been mixed. The first person I met at college was Vietnamese. She was pretty cute, but then I found out she was a hardcore commie and it instantly turned me off.
Some other Vietnamese dudes I met were pretty conservative, though. It was funny watching all the white liberal "inclusive" kids from the cities try to act friendly toward them. It was so awkward. You could tell those Vietnamese dudes didn't like them.
Another thing he does is when I introduce him to people he pulls the old Dat Phan routine and introduces himself as Charley. He is one of the funniest people that I know.
Does Charlie surf?
Surf Cambodia, nambla slang for importing foreign kids to rape them
Johnny hates communists.
And also jazz...
😂😂😂
He should just Breathe.
Man, what a life... He's blessed
Did you read the part about his dad dying? Sounds rough to me...
People make what they can out of what they have. Sometimes lemons are turned into lemonade.
Blessed to have made it out, to have not suffered the same fate.
Good point
DUDE.
BUT CAN HE PLAY......
😁
Seriously, share everywhere... that's how stuff like what happened to his family doesn't get repeated, people forget.
He is a bad ass guitarist. Plays heavy metal. Loves Jake E. Lee. He is also a full time firefighter. A great story.
WOW... Share that, too!!!!
You are most definitely a welcome pede to America, Johnny!!
That is awesome, never heard it When looking for Jake Lee vids I gathered he does not like Yngwie Malmsteen too much.
Love that guy. Sharon should've never got rid of him.
Saw Jake E Lee a couple times - SIZZLER - great story here
All of my friends that escaped to Louisiana are the same. Blue jeans, Jack Daniel's, Marlboro reds and heavy metal.
Nice rig!
My wife is Hmong, so I am very familiar with the plight of many of our SE Asian allies.
Merry Christmas, Johnny!
Nice!! Hubby just bought a Les Paul this week! He hasn’t played in over 20 years but last week he decided to get the guitar I gave him for our honeymoon and one his dad gave him as a teen out of storage and start playing again! He always wanted a Les Paul electric so he went and bought one w an AMP earlier this week! He may be losing his job soon to the “mandate” and he has been through the ringer w Murphy’s mandate for healthcare workers (he didn’t get vaxed or tested since mandate put into place) so I told him go for it! You only live once! He picks his up next week! I hope Johnny enjoys playing his! God Bless!
Love it!
Nice axe. I have the "Studio" version of that guitar.
What amp do you like playing?
For large venues a Mesa Dual Rec head and a 5150 4x12 cab.
But my fav amp is an old Peavey Deuce combo 2x12 with black widows. I have two of those, had em forever.
Nice. I play doom/stoner. Went through lots of heads; Mesa, Brugera, Diesel, Hiwatt etc and settled on Orange. Still have an old Bandit 65 that l never wanted to get rid of, my first amp ever. A real tank.
Chasing tone!
You know, my first amp was a Bandit too.
The thing about the Bandit , for a solid state , not many amps take pedals as well, even today.
After watching and Ola Englund video, for the first time in decades I tried the effects loop with an old Metal Zone that I used exclusively for bass. Its the 1st time that pedal ever sounded good, and I mean really good. If you haven't seen it you you should check out that video. If somebody starting up today picked an old Bandit for under a hundred bucks and the Metal Zone for under 30 and got the sound l was looking for a long time ago when I started playing metal. I can just imagine all the money I would have saved with all the gear swapping and switching around.
https://youtu.be/nxRe99Tjlwg
My first was a Peavey Decade. Had balls, for a $100 amp! That amp, and a lawsuit Les Paul was where I started.
My electric days are long over, I have an acoustic I play occasionally, but I lost the fire for guitar a long time ago - and it's fine, I found other things in life to pour that energy into. Maybe I'll get back in one day. Hard to say what I'd get now - I've played PRS, and they feel good in the hands, and I really liked how a VH Wolfgang played. And god knows the digital amp world is looking pretty interesting these days...
Same here, retired years ago. Kept my gear as it was hard earned back in the day.
Cort was my first guitar, from Sears. Long time ago. That one I didn't keep lol.
Yeah, about that. Had a 1972 OR120 a long time ago that l sold for profit and went woohoo at the time. It still stings today. Got a reissue, it's such a dirty amp that it sounds close enough. Theyre in the same sound range as mata or green amps.
Like pretty much every Gen X guitarist, made the mistakes selling away our japanese boss heavy metals , chorus and superfuzz years ago.... fuck it hurts when you see the price online now.
I got rid of all my pedals and amps and went to Headrush with the FRFR 2000watt. Makes playing at home so much easier than getting attenuators
I did the same thing, sold all my Japanese guitars and still regret it. Had a Japanese charvel and ibanez that I wish I could get back.
Sold : Late 70s lbanez Artist, Ibanez x-series Explorer, 80s Jackson USA offset V, many Gibson LPs, BC Rich Bitch USA, pedals like original Ibanez Tube Screamer... amps...
Yeah, its better not to look at the new prices and try to forget about it. But once in a while when you see somebody playing one, the haunting comes back just a little.
I have an Ibanez Destroyer X that I got for my birthday in 1986. I think it was a $600 guitar then. Are these guitars worth more now? I would never sell it, it's my first electric and it has a great sound, but I'm curious what it is worth. It's still in mint condition.
Heavy hitters, bet it rips.
Huge sound and great tone.
I had an old Peavey classic chorus 212 (solid state) but was a beast. I currently play a 5150 III with the 6L6's. Love getting that old VH brown sound but hit channel 3 and here comes Metallica...
The Deuces are 6L6s with a solid state preamp.
I didn't realize that. Are the new 5150 Icons built like that too? Haven't tried one but would like to.
No idea, haven't looked into anything new in a while.
Are you uncle Ted?
Nah lol. He might be lurkin though. If he posted, I think we'd know it lol.
I have a 5150 4x12. There's no replacement for displacement. They move a lot of air!
Yes indeed!
Same, I bought one when the Obama administration raided their factories.
Standard. Black. Lefty.
But I so love my Strat too...
Same, love my strat the most. Put Joe Barden pickups in it a long time ago.
Les Paul's are so overated.
secretly jealous
👍👌
Made by whyyyyte boys in Tennessee. They take offense.
Yep. Still made in Nashville. I got a new Rick 360 about a year ago, and they are still made in California.
Yup. I'm a PRS guy, though.
Hell yea, same here.
Sound is beast AF, look great. Not really comfortable to play shape-wise, and heavy if you practice standing. But they are on the pricey side value wise tho.
Had an '85-ish SG. Light, great sound, and fastest neck I've ever played. Love the LP sound, but they definitely aren't the most comfortable.
SG is reallly comfortable, like strat shapes. The look is not for everyone, but where I really hate it is the neck dive. You have to be extremely lucky to get a balance one. If not you're playing around with a strap lock position, where you can put lead in the cavities. I had a BC Rich bich that was unplayable because of that, kept it 3 months.
14 lbs. of backache.
100% would rather get a higher end Epiphone than a studio or midrangish LP
I have an Epiphone Les Paul Custom in black with white trim and gold hardware. It's so sweet and was $729 instead of $3k for a Gibson. My favorite guitar.
I found an Epiphone LP Custom Elitist on Craigslist a few years ago that looks just like the one posted by the OP. Made in Japan and they stopped making them years ago. Feels and sounds as nice as my Gibson.
Johnny, you are a good American!
Somebody needs a Durian New Year!!!
Based
Best Christmas gifts are guitars. It's a fact.
My advice - I wish I knew about this 30 years ago - Suede strap!
Nice to meet you Johnny! Sorry to say this country might be war torn soon. But enjoy your stay regardless.
Another part of his life story: He said that he spent a while in some sort of camp while awaiting entry into the U.S. He talks about how illegals pour across the border and he had to do it the right way.
He had to go through some sort of vetting process even as a child. He has a great affection for president Reagan whom he credits for making it possible to come here. He was basically rescued by U.S. soldiers.
Wow. Life shapes us in weird ways sometimes. God bless the man. Does he have other fam/siblings here? What about his mother, did she make it this way too, or not?
I need to reply to this. Somehow his mom was not on the VC radar or not with his dad anymore. He lost contact with her and found her but at this time her health is not well.
🤯 wow. What-a-world we live in. 🙏 Glad he is finding happiness, and broadening good Americans perspectives along the way
RIP Johnny's dad.
A custom LP even. Nice.
You guys know your guitars. Impressive.
I've been playing for over 25 years now. Recorded 3 albums in the last 15. I've picked up a thing or two.
If you watched the Jan 6 livestreams, one thing you'd have noticed was all the South Vietnam flags. There were a ton of South Vietnam flags in DC that day. They knew what was happening in our country was communism.
A lot of Christian flags too.
Of course though the fake news tried to only get shots of Rebel flags because it freaks out the liberal base for some reason.
Thats a quick test to see if the video on Jan 6 is propaganda or not. If a rebel flag is in the forefront of the video shot or image, then it is probably propaganda.
Play the shit out of that guitar -- you only live once --wear that Les Paul out!!!! do not let it sit around.. LET"S JAM and Fuck JOE Biden !!!! Time for some Megadeth and Led Zeppelin
OP said he likes Jake E. Lee so that guitar will go to good use.
i read your comments about him. an absolutely epic lad and we are a better country with him in it. please thank him for me. fire fighters are a heck of a breed.
Bass’d.
AMERICANS Come From Every Race, Every Religion, And Every Nation
Thank you for sharing, and God Bless You Both
Hell yeah, dude! Nice guitar!
I had a friend and coworker back when I was working at a movie theater. He was drafted into the Viet Cong and shot in the leg for disobeying an officer. He escaped and came to America on his own. He was 19 when I knew him and the scar on his leg was intense. Even back then, he saw the direction our country was heading and told me many times that it was no different than what he saw.
I didn’t believe him back then; I do now.
The Vietnamese know what’s up. There were many protesting in DC last year on January 6th, flying the South Vietnam flag, but you won’t see that on any corrupt media because mUh WhItE sUpReMeS!
Nice! For his birthday this year, get him an AR15!
That’s a Gibson Custom alpine white Les Paul. Very very nice.
But can he play Johnny be good?
May God bless you and your family Johnny!
Johnny be Good.
God Bless him!
(LOL Tell him to take the gloves off....it wants to be felt!)
Thanks for sharing, please tell Johnny we're glad he's with us, just wish his Dad was here too. Maybe Johnny cal strum some notes with thoughts of remembrance of his Dad.
My experience has been that most ex-pats or exiles from commielands are based because they know it’s the only sensible thing with first hand knowledge.
So everybody from China and Venezuela is ok if they come here? Gotcha.
Did not say that at all. Chill bruh
Johnny didn't get a fiddle of gold after all.
Hell yeah, nice Custom.
Sorry about his dad, but seems like a cool dude. Nice guitar as well. Wishing him the best in life! Thanks for sharing. 😃
Nice Lester....
New immigration policy: we only let you in if communists want you dead.
Or you have at least a million dollars to invest. 🤑
We don't want the investors if they are commies. Too much Chinese commie money coming into our country.
We love our real refugees. God bless!
Holy smokes. SWEET AXE JOHNNY!!!!
I’ve been playing for years and can confirm that is a sweet guitar.
Lucky dog…
Based gook.
Good story, but your friend does not LOOK happy. And the glove, perhaps he is scared to handle it?
He treats his really nice guitars like this. They are investments to him.
He plays his beat up guitars.
AND JOE LEFT ALL THESE GUYS WHO HELPED US BEHIND, AGAIN
NEVER FORGET HIS BETRAYAL OF OUR ALLIES
Immigrants from communist countries always make great Americans.
Sweet looking Lester!
Miss my old Les Paul. Great guitar, cool story. Merica!
I knew a tailor who escaped Vietnam on a boat with nothing but the clothes on his back. Very patriotic, became an American, and worked his buns off.
That's a beautiful Les Paul. Go Johnny!
napalm sticks to libs