The guitar instantly became a cult classic amongst musical instruments guitars, partly because of its playability, and partly because of its low price point. But the low price was always very misleading, because this guitar certainly played and sounded like instruments priced at much, much higher rates.

Ibanez RG270dx: Features

This instrument featured a bolt-on neck, a rosewood fretboard, three electronic pickups in a humbucker-single-humbucker configuration, a 5-way toggle switch, a volume control knob, a tone control knob, a Floyd Rose full-floating “whammy bar” bridge with fine tuners, a locking tuner nut, a high gloss finish available in several colors and Ibanez’s classic headstock design.

How It Plays and Sounds

Make no mistake, this guitar is built for speed. The wide fretboard and thin neck, combined with Ibanez’s special finish process, makes this neck one of the fastest playing guitar necks ever produced. Flying down the fretboard is almost effortless, to the point that its easy to let your fingers get ahead of your brain as you’re playing.

For that reason, the Ibanez RG270dx became an instant classic amongst the shredders, who value finger speed and precision, combined with searing tone. And this instrument certainly provided plenty of juiced-up tone. All three pickups were wired for very high outputs, which sounded great heading into an overdriven tube amp or even a solid state amplifier pushed for distorted sounds. But the guitar also cleaned up very nicely and found plenty of uses in Jazz bands and even rock bands who relied on clean, appregiated and even finger-picking sounds.

Here’s a tip: if you’re looking for a very clean, sparkly tone, roll the volume knob back a touch. That will take the sting out of the pickups, and will really clean up the sound nicely.

Availability

Ibanez stopped producing the RG270dx several years ago, but its spirit lives on. It’s still a very popular guitar for the entire spectrum of guitarists, ranging from shredders to beginners (the guitar is so easy to play that it makes a perfect choice for beginners). The company made so many of these guitars that they are very easy to find, even to this day.

If you get the chance, it’s worth sitting down and strumming an Ibanez RG270dx.

The Gibson Les Paul 1960 Reissue Guitars are a very close representation of the original. As you may or may not know, Gibson didn’t offer all of the “flavors” it does today. There were no “Standards,” “Classics,” “Customs” or “Studio” versions of the famous guitar like there are today. Back then Gibson only offered one design, and like anything, this design would change from year to year (read Musical Instruments Guitars for more information)

1960 was a great year for the Gibson Les Paul, at least in the eyes of many players. That was the year when the company slimmed the neck, tightened up the electronics, rolled out new humbucker pickups, used new knobs and much more. In a nutshell, the 1960 Les Paul was a trend setter, and has been very popular amongst purists, players and collectors ever since.

The problem is that there really aren’t that many original 1960 Les Pauls just sitting around. The few originals that remain have been snatched up by collectors. If you’re lucky, you’ll still find one or two for sale, but they’ve either been modified so extensively that they no longer have any value, or cost upwards of $20,000! That’s not a very reachable price point for most players.

Several years ago, Gibson realized that there was a huge market of guitarists looking for the unique tone and look of the 1960 Les Paul and built the…

Les Paul 1960 Reissue Guitar

Gibson originally called this the “Les Paul Classic” and built it to nearly identical specifications as the famous 1960 model, complete with the crowned maple top, thin neck and some really hot pickups. Though the pickups weren’t the identical ones used decades ago, these had the same spirit: blazing hot humbuckers that screamed like none other.

The original 1960 Les Paul was famous for a more biting tone than the usual “mellower” Les Paul sound. This was about the time Gibson realized its guitars were competing with other electronic instruments in rock outfits, rather than the standard jazz and big band groups it was originally intended for.

The Les Paul 1960 Reissue, or “Les Paul Classic,” captured the same spirit, and became an instant classic amongst modern guitarists. It offered the classic 1960 tone and style at a much more realistic price point.

And the reissue has another advantage: You can actually play it! There aren’t too many people willing to risk the “investment” of a $25,000 guitar by picking it up and strumming it – let alone taking it on the road. The 1960 reissue solves that problems quite nicely, as it offers killer looks and tone, but is affordable enough for daily use.

Now days, Gibson has elaborated on their 1960 Reissue line, offering a Standard version as well. This model features the more traditional wide neck, mellow covered humbuckers and more refined knobs and accessories. It even gets treated to an exceptional stain process. The bad news is that these 1960 Standard Les Pauls, even though they are reissues, cost upwards of $6,000! Hardly within the reach of today’s gigging musician.

Still, if you crave the famous 60’s tone, a Les Paul 1960 Reissue is a very affordable and authentic alternative to the real thing.