Gibson DG20 PRO

THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD AND TOTALLY UNIQUE.  ! SOLD !

When we commissioned this stunning guitar for a specific album requirement we went to one of the best luthiers on the planet, none other than Hugh Manson himself, and as always his workmanship is as excellent as ever.

It's difficult to know where to start with this Gibson. This is a guitar for the pro muso who is looking for a totally unique signature sound with endless possibilities.

When we considered selling this guitar it sparked allsorts of arguments as to who should have first offer and once the word leaked out we had enquiries from all over the world from Monaco to Memphis. So we decided the only fair thing to do was to put it up for open sale to give everyone an equal chance and put an end to the arguments, especially as we'd prefer this wonderful guitar to stay in the UK if possible. Too many sellers use outrageous descriptions for what are generally standard 'off the bench' instruments however good the make be it Gibson, PRS, Fender etc but this one almost defies description, it really is a stunner. 

Insurance value in excess of £12,000. Email us your offer and you may get lucky. Guide price £8k

Spec is as follows ...........................

THE BODY and PUP's:

The body is from a carefully selected, aged and well matured Les Paul Standard with amazing resonance that has had the Humbuckers removed, cavities filled etc. The body was then re-routed and fitted with a full DG20 pro pickup set.

Three SA single-coil active pickups, five-way selector switch, master volume knob, EXG Guitar Expander circuit and an SPC Presence Control circuit. This is an incredibly flexible setup. The SA pickups are hot but low in buzz and hum which is especially important when you're running with a lot of effects or a big rack. They use alnico magnets which give a warmer tone with a little more midrange than the EMG-S. The low-impedance design preserves your tone quality when using a cord or wireless transmitter.

The onboard EQ circuits give you very powerful tone shaping abilities right on board. Cranking up the EXG (which replaces the middle knob) simultaneously cuts the mids and boosts the bass and treble. This "scooped" tone helps emphasize the clean, transparent classic Strat tone. Interestingly, the SPC (the other tone knob) has exactly the reverse effect. It's a presence control which smoothly boosts the mids centered in the low mids. This will create a thick, rich, almost humbucker-like tone. Both the EXG and SPC have no effect on the sound when they're turned all the way down, so you always have the option of dropping back to an unmodified tone at the twist of a knob.

The combination of tones available in the DG-20 is almost endless. The EXG, located just below the volume knob, acts as a treble/bass boost. What this will do is shape the signal in a “V” on a graphic equalizer. This cuts the mids and raises the treble and bass portions of the signal. With this control set upwards of 6–10, it creates a crisp, clean, tone that you will mainly hear while Gilmour plays clean rhythm parts. “Brain Damage” is an excellent example. Through the main riff of the song, setting the EXG on a high setting through the main riff will give you a clean bright tone. The tone is thinner and cuts through the mix, adding clarity. The song “Signs of Life” is another good example of the EXG at work. Here the EXG is set high, while the SPC is rolled back. In certain circumstances, it is possible to use the EXG to get a Telecaster type of sound. You can use the bridge pickup, set the EXG around 8 and the SPC around 2 and it will give you a somewhat “twangy” Telecaster sound while the addition of the SPC gives the signal a little boost. This works well on a song such as “Run Like Hell.”

The SPC effectively cuts the treble and bass while raising the mid portion of the signal (an inverted “V” on a graphic equalizer is another example.) It will give a single coil pickup a warm, humbucker-like tone. Keeping the SPC on zero will yield a flat response. As you turn up the tone, you begin to notice the warm, rich tone associated with Gilmour’s recent work. Take the song “Sorrow;” the SPC is on 10 when the opening riff is performed live. The SPC also effectively boosts the signal, which is essential for any lead.

In essence, the EXG is used to tighten up the tone for clarity and crispness for rhythms while the SPC is boosted to give a thicker tone for lead.

With the complexity of Gilmour’s Pink Floyd performances, with extensive lighting and effects, the EMG setup eliminates unwanted buzz. The setup also drives the enormous amounts of pedals that Gilmour has at his disposal. This in itself is important, there is no tone loss, or signal degradation. In comparison, the signal with on standard Strat with passive pickups would probably seem flat and in need of a volume adjustment. There is no loss of signal or frequency drop off when the volume is turned down on the EMG set up, where you may get frequencies cut in the standard Strat set up. An excellent example would be the recent solo performances (Meltdown and the January London & Paris shows.) Gilmour used guitars without EMG pickups, the tone was good, but it lacked the punch and presence that you come to expect from a Pink Floyd performance. The Delicate Sound Of Thunder and Pulse live videos and CD releases provide an excellent example of Gilmour’s EMG setup at work. ( As per Richard Mahon’s description in Guitar Gear )

All of this in a well matured Mahogany Les Paul body which gives the whole set up a totally unique sound and feel that just can’t be replicated. Refinished in Black Nitro. It’s a simply stunning combination.

THE NECK :

The neck chosen is we believe around 30 years old, the inlays have yellowed and it's arrow straight. Fitted with an Ebony fretboard which together with the frets has been dressed to perfection.

The back has had the lacquer removed and instead has been given a Bare Oiled finish, a la Zakk Wylde, so there's none of the usual tacky nitro feel associated with Gibsons. The action is as you'd expect from a custom order guitar built by Hugh. We specified a very low action and even though the guitar is currently fitted with 11's there is no buzz whatsoever.

Tuners are locking PRS.

It's hard to describe the feel and speed of this neck, it's like no other we have ever handled and completely addictive.