Page 41 - Guitar Classics Magazine - The Les Paul Bible 2019

VINTAGE BENCH TEST

KEY FEATURES
PRICE £POA
DESCRIPTION Solidbody electric guitar. Made in the USA
BUILD Mahogany body with figured maple cap, set mahogany
compared to some P-90 Goldtops and 1970s neck, bound Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets ABOVE Besides the pickup
Customs and we suspect that has a bearing on HARDWARE Kluson tuners, wireless ABR-1 bridge, aluminium swap, the control wiring
this guitar’s dynamics. stopbar tailpiece is untouched and features
Uncovered double-white PAFs are a first for this ELECTRICS 2x PAF humbucking pickups, 2x volume, 2x tone, four properly working pots
and two paper-in-oil
writer and they present an opportunity to assess 3-way toggle switch bumblebee capacitors
FINISH Nitrocellulose cherry sunburst
the often-debated issue of uncovered humbuckers
SCALE LENGTH 624mm/24.6"
sounding louder and brighter than those with covers
NECK WIDTH 42mm at nut, 52.5mm at 12th fret
intact. We are able to use the Richrath on some NECK DEPTH 22.5mm at first fret, 24mm at 12th fret
studio recordings and discover it has an extraordinary STRING SPACING 37.5mm at nut, 50.5mm at bridge
ability to sit in a track. Without excessive brightness WEIGHT 4.35kg/9.6lb
or edginess, the subtleties of its tone cut straight CONTACT luckyfret.com
through and there’s an evenness to the dynamic
response that keeps the Richrath right at the front
of a mix. upper mids or extended the treble. But they do sound
At the same time, an explosive blast of harmonic more powerful than the DC readings alone might
overtones characterises the attack, along with suggest – 7.96k (neck) and 8.74k (bridge).
massively solid single notes and an overall density Both pickups are very clear and we encounter a
that makes individual chords sound like they’re fluid mellowness in the neck position that’s pleasingly
double-tracked. It doesn’t take long to determine that devoid of any wooliness in the low end. The bridge
this is an out-and-out rock Burst, with exceptional position sounds slightly less open and transparent,
cutting power, otherworldly sustain and sheer balls. but compensates with a chewy midrange bark and
Given its stellar rockin’ abilities, the Richrath’s a hint of cocked-wah resonance. That said, all the
clean tones come as a bit of a surprise. These are not controls operate exactly as we would expect on
especially bright-sounding PAFs and there’s nothing a 1950s Gibson, so the tonal range and clean-up
to suggest that the cover removal has enhanced the abilities are exceptional.

THE LES PAUL BIBLE 41