eastowners

Current Mood: Happy

I’ve waited some time to put this review together. I wanted to give the guitar a fair shake and get it setup the way I wanted it.

A few months back, I did some cleaning up around here and raised enough funds to do something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, buy a shiny new guitar. I’ve always had an unhealthy infatuation with the venerable Gibson Les Paul, but I’ve always been too cash poor in my instrument fund to buy most anything from Gibson. Now I’m kind of happy I am.

The most wonderful guitar that I’ve ever put my hands on has been the Heritage H150, from our previous home town of Kalamazoo, MI. The H150 is basically an “original” Les Paul, made in the way (and with the actual tools and by the actual luthiers in some cases) as those vintage Pauls that go for thousands in your local used shop. Of course, this guitar is fairly clearly outside of my budget. Some day, when I get good enough to own such an instrument (and possible a couple of notches richer), I will probably buy just out of “dream” status more than anything else.

So in my travels, I’ve played guitars like a 50’s Goldtop that a friend had, a number of “modern” models of Studios, Classics, and Deluxes, and I’ve even spent a little time with most of the representatives from the Epiphone line, some of which aren’t too bad. Most Epi’s I’ve played when compared with the “real deal” seem to lack a solidness in the neck, clean workmanship and they definitely lack the same sustain that the Gibson’s have.

So when it came time to get a guitar, I had done my homework. I’d played a whole bunch of guitars; ESP’s (which I liked), Gibsons (which we out of my price range), Epiphones (which I talked about above), and PRS (which are nice, but also outside my price range). I then started doing internet research to see if there was anything else out there that might fit the bill, seeing as how “settling” on an Epiphone just didn’t seem right.

I found several different makers that imported cheap guitars in flashy colors and sold them mostly on ebay and through their website. Nice looking stuff, with halfway decent electronics, but contacting them with questions got me nowhere. I was feeling that I could experiment with my purchase (I just wasn’t that excited about stuff that was less than $1k), but not -that- much.

One of the places that I had looked at when originally looking at guitars was Bumstead Guitars, here in Michigan. All they had was an SG, which I’ve tried and not really liked. Not sure what it is, but it just doesn’t sing “this is my guitar”. I kind of wrote them off, but kept checking back out of curiosity. Then, one day, while looking at Alex West, I decided to drop by Bumstead and check out what they had. To my surprise, they had begun selling the venerable Les Paul design… and with a built-in distortion circuit that didn’t sound bad!

The guitar had all the markings of a great guitar (at an unreal price). Standard Paul setup, dual humbucker, three-way switch, and nitro finish. All for around $700. I sent a couple of e-mails back and forth with Sean (the owner) and he answered all my questions promptly and even offered to meet up so I could play the guitar before I bought it. Given his answers, the fact that Bumstead is a Michigan company, the features of the guitar, and the price, I bought it sight unseen.

It was packed well and arrived hand-carried by USPS. I instantly took it out and plugged in. Hmm… bit too much buzz and I sometimes play with a slide. I figured I’d have to take it somewhere to set it up right. The overdrive circuit is surprisingly buttery sweet. I use amp modeling software to play (cheaper than a whole bunch of amps and I don’t play out at the moment) and found that I like the overdrive in the guitar (on the lower settings anyway) better than some of the OD’s in the modeling software.

The sustain in this guitar is simply sick. It really runs circles around my Frankencaster. The fit and finish is as good as any quality guitar I’ve ever seen (it is orders of magnitude better than any Epi). The binding is well done and the frets are flawless. The hardware is top class stuff, as good as any guitar three times its price. Beyond what it looks like, it plays excellently (I end up setting it up myself after reading a few things on how to do it). The guitar is lighter than a Gibson. The wood used seems to resonate more than the wood used in Gibsons and it’s much easier on the back.

I had a musician friend over to lay out some vocals and was showing him the Bumstead. He was absolutely amazed at the tone. I think he’s now wondering when I’ll be good enough to play the music that we each have rolling around in the back of our minds.

I’m certainly not even a good guitar player, but I’ve been able to really make this guitar say “this is my guitar”. It’s going to be a great instrument to own and play for years to come.