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Gibson RD Standard Exclusive
Submitted by Jason on Wed, 05/04/2011 - 02:38.
Gibson are continuing their recent trend of re-releasing some of their older 'modernist' guitars - this time it's the 1977 RD Standard.
It may have been an unusual design for it's time being a mix of the Firebird and Explorer body types, but this new version is quite traditional for Gibson in terms of its solid mahogany body, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, rounded 50s neck profile, and PAF-styled Burstbucker Pro pickups.
Gibson give you a choice of high-gloss Trans Amber or Ebony Black finish, with a three-ply black/white/black pickguard that offers a subtle look back toward their 60s designs.
They have gone with quality components throughout the design as evidenced by the classic PAF-styled Burstbucker Pro pickups both being made with genuine Alnico V magnets.
The Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece are both made from chrome plated zamak.
The 22 fret fingerboard has acrylic dot inlays - one of the few places they went for cost saving components.
The MSRP is $2,611.
Full specifications are available from the Gibson website.
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RD Review
So as a huge fan of the Gibson RD Series I was one of the first to order this model the day it came out, I’ve been playing it for a few weeks now and have the following to say about it.
First it should be stated that my favorite guitar in my collection (currently at 25 guitars, including 3 RD’s) is my 1978 RD Custom. I've logged over 10 000 hours on that guitar in the last 7 years and know every inch of that guitar front and back.
This New RD is nothing like that guitar. But that's not necessarily a bad thing...
This new RD is what I would call a Les Paul lovers RD. Having a few Pauls myself if I close my eyes I feel like I'm playing one of my old Les Pauls with a chunky 59 neck. The Neck on this model is a shorter scale (also similar to the Les Paul) the original RD (Standard and Custom) had the longer scale as well as a much thinner and faster neck. Also the original neck was made of maple and on some models (The Custom) also had a maple fret board, This one is Rocking the “Classic Gibson” Mahogany with Rosewood set up, making it Darker sounding that the original line.
While they made the neck fatter they also increased the thickness of the body to be about as thick as a Les Paul, where the original RD was closer to an SG in thickness adding some weight to this new version. I assume this modification was made to accommodate the side mounted input Jack (again like a Les Paul) where the original jack was mounted on the face of the guitar (again like an SG). However, the thicker Body and Neck add to this guitars tone, giving it a beefy tone more akin to that of a Les Paul than the original RD. Also adding to the likeness of the Les Paul is the Mahogany body and neck where the original was an all Maple guitar. This will of course change the tone in a manor that will bring it’s overall sound closer to that of a Les Paul. Add a maple top and I bet it would be identical.
I do have to comment that the guitar build is flawless and the set up out of the box was maybe 2 tweaks and a Pack of strings away from perfect.
So what am I getting at? If you love RD’s because of the Slim Body and Neck, as well as the long scale and the weird active electronics, this is not the guitar for you. If you love the RD shape and look but want a guitar that sounds and plays more like your favorite Les Paul, this is a perfect solution. Or in my case this is a reason for me to own another RD since it’s different enough from my ‘78 to be considered a “different guitar”.
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