Greg's Pick: The Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Shootout

A small in-store hang with Greg Koch turned into a Les Paul shootout! In this video Greg sits down with a Collector's Choice "Carmelita", a Joe Walsh 1960 Les Paul, and a Collector's Choice "Nicky" to see which best fit his fancy. Watch and see which Lester he chooses! Which one would you choose??
Site: wildwoodguitar...
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[@acuransxenthusiast5861]

"Nothing to foo-foo". LOL! Nice observation Greg. That was very articulate.

[@briansonny3415]

You probably dont care but if you are stoned like me during the covid times you can watch pretty much all of the latest series on Instaflixxer. Been watching with my brother for the last days =)

[@jaymagnus154]

@Brian Sonny definitely, been using Instaflixxer for years myself :D

[@anti-communistpatriot2791]

Where's the '68 Les Paul?

[@antifaisanti-american9531]

The Waddy Wachtel Les Paul sounds amazing.

[@tradbowseven]

Obama & Hillary for Jail long live Waddy

[@bluarcher5941]

I'd say, truthfully, that Waddy doesn't really have squat on Greg, truth be known. that's some kick-ass licks, in anybody's book.

[@jlb5532]

Rock on Greg.

[@mattlillis6152]

I want the Nicky! The sound really cuts through and has amazing clarity and character. It’s like the frequency of the tone makes the reverb pop more

[@RobbieBolog]

Probably just me but the audio setup for this demo was much more enjoyable than the normal vids. I feel like I'm in the room with Greg and can taste the gristle.

[@marcushogan6613]

Robbie Bolog yeah I've never really liked the sound on Wildwood's videos despite Koch's idiotically great playing but this sounded divine. If you need a reference for great sound look at the Andertons/Rob Chapman videos and the Musician's Friend channel

[@bryanlettow4389]

I agree the tone is clearer

[@hachewie]

No. Don't use that as your reference. Try 'That Pedal Show'.

[@marcushogan6613]

hachewie again another channel with great sound

[@travissexsmith5362]

You can definitely taste the beefy tones of those gritty beasts.

[@jetmarshall]

Please do more videos like this. The tonal character of each guitar becomes more apparent in these shootouts. Thanks Greg.

[@antiwarantiwoke2132]

That 'tone closet' is so cool. You've got an amazing guitar shop.

[@ex-nbafan6232]

Carmelita is a keeper.

[@andyinwards2119]

Please do another one of these! Greg in a room with a bunch of Les Paul reissues through that amp. Need one of these videos every year!

[@bluarcher5941]

you must be playing in a "weekend band", at least? Great licks you have. You could sit between Gibbons and Warren Haynes any day, in my book. God, I could stay in that room listening to you all day. Phenomenal stuff.

[@hotdotdog]

By far the most informative demo yet. Really telling just how different the tones are from one to another. All of them lovely in their way.

[@DENIEL381]

IN MY OPINION THEY ALL SOUND SIMILAR AND BY CHANGING THE EQ ON THE GUITAR OR AMP YOU CAN PRODUCE ALL THE SAME TONES AND SOUNDS WITH ONE GOOD LES PAUL.

[@ApeLikeCreature]

I love the Joe Walsh myself. A sweet and thick gerthiness to my ears. Fantastic demos!

[@schreds]

1. Nicky 2. Walsh 3. Waddy 4. Carmelita ,, in that order to my ears

[@dacuriel]

Agreed!

[@MrCalifornia0]

That’s what I picked too! Nice choice and like the color too

[@MrHoracedebussyjones]

My favorite wildwood video ..thanks guys.

[@whatwouldhousedo5136]

Surprised nobody liked the Carmelita- has more of what I think of when I think 'Les Paul'- sweet, lots of depth, authority- all great guitars of course and sound great with Greg behind them.

[@buddybeetle]

WhatWouldHouseDo I did. Carmelita for me. I revisit this demo often and each time Carmelita jumps out. It has the spank and the depth.

[@SuperGTRman]

yep...Les paul wasn't looking for that 'Growling'tone.....he relied on that sweet 'Neck pickup....! don't think I ever heard him play on the bridge...

[@williamschletzer4516]

I like the Nicky, focused presence.

[@AnthonyFerguson01]

Man, that Joe Walsh sounds great. Love the bridge sound on that one.

[@tompetty3345]

The Joe Walsh or the Nicky are what I like. The Blues Deville with those 4 tens and tone stack are a big part oft the tone!

[@gusdupree9076]

Tom Petty rip ,man

[@toddkasuboske4646]

The Joe Walsh sounds best. Spanky and bright with a crunchy bottom end too.

[@benstorey2722]

Best demo yet. Great guitars and sick playing! I like the rasp on the Joe Walsh. Very bluesbreakerish.

[@steelstringsinger5818]

Room micing vs close micing (+ pro tools). Seems like a lot of viewers like the room experience. Greg is flawless nontheless 👌

[@markmarsh27]

Nice chops Brother! ... pleasure listening to ya.

[@ireneruthfox]

Greg loves Tele's. And the Walsh has that Tele-thing in the bridge pickup. I also dig Nicky'd neck pickup tone. Put the two together and I'd be happy

[@therollband1290]

This is my favorite video on KZbin

[@spencercoulter9325]

Oh man that Nicky is it for me. Walsh sounds damn good too, maybe even a little more versatile but I’d prefer the 59. Thanks for the video.

[@hi_fi_lo]

Carmelita is the most balanced one. However i love the deep sound Nicky has

[@jerbear1601]

Now that is how you demo a Les Paul. Nice tones, keeping the clarity intact. A bigsby is sacrilegious on a Les Paul though.

[@wcm5150]

Nicky

[@MyBluetone]

Absolute!

[@heliobluesrock]

Definitely!

[@stevenolsen3162]

Nicky sounds like that rock God thru a Marshall thing. And thru a Blues Deville..

[@TheMrLoucrazy]

Yeah!

[@pappyodanial]

That's why they're 14 grand now.

[@mehmetkizilaslan7123]

The Walsh on the bridge pickup and the Nicky on the neck pickup.

[@phillyfyre]

Carmelita, isn't that a replica of the one Bonamassa has been touring with the last few years aka "The Claw" ?

[@MrDomPolito]

Ha ha. Awesome review Greg. I made my decision before I got to the end. So glad you picked Joe's. To my ears, it was the one. Great job!

[@buddylobos5277]

Thanks for mentioning the amp. Last time I asked I got my head nearly ripped off by a whole lotta commenters.

[@lastcall9998]

Please have this quality audio on the regular Wildwood guitar videos. In this video guitars sound so much better.

[@darrinbrantley4610]

Really liked the way this was done, very cool.

[@ferengibri]

Man Greg. You are incredible guitarist, and sound even better on a Les Paul! Thank you for the tips!

[@DNKOTOR]

Nicky for me!

[@archietherobot]

Am I the only one who can listen to this for hours?

[@NHfiddle]

Yes, I can CLEARLY hear the differences between each Les Paul. Good comparison vid, I was wondering when Greg and Wildwood were going to do this. I'm not sure which I'd choose as they're all great sounding in their individual own rite. Meh, I'll stick with my '16 Trad, all the LP I'll ever need. Great vid from a great player and store.

[@continentalaquatics2725]

Paul V. Gentile I’m more of a fan of the traditionals myself.

[@TheGman858]

By far my favorite wildwood video on youtube I come back to this one often

[@kenster865]

Truth be told, all of these Les Paul's sound damn good. Come on... the differences are VERY subtle. Unless you are in rarefied $$ territory that just so happens to have a spare $8K-$11K sitting around, most ppl are just not going to able to buy these specialty LP's. The last LP I purchased for giggles is a LP Custom that ran me ~$5K plus sales taxes. It was in August of last year, 2023. I have 3 other LP's including a used '59 RI that sounds drop-dead amazing and ran me $4500 about 4-5 years ago. Man, you gotta have money to burn to delve into these specialty LP babies... and you'd never convince me I was getting my money's worth.

[@orpiv]

Really enjoying this channel..Proves once again the best things in life are free!

[@goldTopDeluxe]

Great video! Thanks for sharing. Give me the sound of the Joe Walsh with the looks of Nicky.

[@tomjones2348]

What fun! Sitting in a room watching Greg put some high end Paul's to the test. And yep, The Walsh do have sum good jangle.

[@mwrable]

Audio is definitely better than the produced segments. The produced segments look great but sound sterile as hell. Wildwood cut the production costs and have Greg do guitar demos like this! 👍

[@Juliang61]

That just blew me away. Super well done on all fronts, I was there with you. Willing you to adopt the puppy and I also chose the Joe Walsh. Your tone and playing are first class!!

[@weps2097]

Late to the shootout....Nicky has that mid-range punch I love.

[@oregoniv]

Greg, a thousand thank you's for this LP shootout. AWESOME. Seriously, it's the Carmelita Carmelita Carmelita. The axe is absolutely awesome! I have to have one! Dickey Betts, are you watching this video?

[@avaritiaetsuperbia]

Joe Walsh wins. It's got that angry bite I like.

[@thejimmymeister]

Walsh's tone is the reason I fell in love with Les Pauls. Hearing Turn To Stone left a lasting impression on me. That sound should be talked about just as much as the Beano tone or Jimmy Page's live '73 tone.

[@Bluebuthappy182]

None of them sound bad and if someone gave me any of them I wouldn't be angry but Joe's guitar woke me up.

[@jopestv1063]

my 1st pick also. the thinner neck sounds like an appealing feature too. too bad i'm hooked on Teles

[@patrickrosington1174]

Joes reissue def sound incredible. Id die to have it. But im rlly diggin nicky 💜 obv its all personal style ans taste they are all incredible. I have two les pauls but think im going to go for a new custom or a vintage standard maybe like 70s custom

[@scottshand8559]

There's definitely some Duane Allman breath underneath all of this...nicely done Mr Koch.

[@morddas]

I prefer the Nicky. All the others sounded a little shrill. I like that bite but just rounded over a touch. But, to each their own.

[@k.padraigokane1472]

Joe Walsh! Incredible sounding guitar!!!! That was my pick before you got to the end.... Just ammazzzzzzin!

[@dracumelenios]

The best les paul tone i heard on wildwood vids

[@tjnugent62]

Nicky all damn day.. That guitar is perfect and blooming.

[@badcat3817]

Is it just me or? I find this Blues DeVille sounds killer. Best tone i have heard from Greg Koch.

[@joshmuz9018]

Totally. Sounds almost like that classic beano Marshall tone, pure bliss

[@WoodieLarsen]

get yourself one.. they're really inexpensive... i paid like 500 for mine in mint condition.

[@Willl_b_]

the 60s knobs are so much kewler lookin' :D

[@andyromero1338]

Greg, you are just somebody I'd love to hang with. I'd be too afraid to jam with you however,...well maybe some back up bass. Rock on!

[@reviewforthetube6485]

Great video I loved the 59 and the walsh the 60s Walsh had more bite to it tho I really did enjoy it

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

Overall, Nicky does it for me. If I wanna just rock out, then bring Joe Walsh along.

[@funeralbillii9172]

The Joe Walsh sounded best to me...looks killer too!!

[@GiuseppeDiMuro]

The Joe Walsh sounds amazing

[@schreds]

you could play 5 Nickys or five Carmelitas and they all would sound different ,,

[@pritchettdan]

I can get the same sound from these Les Pauls with a nice one off the shelf. Except that first Carmelita. wow.

[@joshmuz9018]

Dan Pritchett prove it.. ........pfffffffftt

[@pterantula]

GodDAMMIT I love your phrasing Greg!!!!

[@rolandramirez4557]

I'm in between the Nicky and Joe Walsh guitar.

[@billyclub56]

Close ur eyes & point at one. Yep, that one sounds best!! If he's playin it!!

[@fenderblues1744]

Definitely the first one.

[@michaelstone7514]

Keep on slaying it on the six string! Tasty not hasty thats you Greg!!

[@demurets]

Love your work, Greg.

[@kurtlonde5892]

sounds better than with padels.... sounds real good

[@bobboitt3126]

Wow the Joe Walsh sounds like it would cut through...but then Nicky's voice is soooo alluring

[@Kdog-hw6ri]

I could listen to this dude play all day. I'm getting the joe walsh model Never mind...SOLD OUT

[@ikravchik]

I like Nicky, followed by Carmelita

[@bobboitt3126]

Great video....more like this please! Nicky had the most "character" Joe Walsh fits Gregg perfect...bright...spanky most likely cut through with the band.

[@jackleyton5504]

amazing how you can be so objective and play at the same time. I agree with your decisions and descriptions completly and Im all ears and hearing them back to back. Dont know how you do it. Mind you I don't know how you play like you do either. LOL. Carry on. Your Big bodacious fan.

[@rolandlemus203]

I liked the 59 carmelita tones above all of them. While I don't care for the round neck on it, it sounds wonderful to my ears with all of he playing and switching up. They all did sound really nice though.

[@ryanbailey112]

Awesome video. Would love to see the same with Fender maple neck strats if you ever get the chance. Love your playing.

[@harryodum5598]

Good pick...

[@JoUtan01]

I want my les paul to sound like a Banjo, please recommend !

[@ericbeil3912]

Nicky, waddy, carm, Walsh. All good in suprisingly not so subtlety ways. Very cool. Wonder about the pickups in each since the artist series I believe the do custom winds.

[@goneflying140]

They all sounded good, but I preferred the Carmelita...

[@wavywav7556]

Nicky > Joe Walsh > Waddie Wachel > Carmelita

[@SSvebor]

Carmelita, with just a tad higher action.

[@andysanchez1]

I think the Nicky the bridge is the best, the Carmelita's neck pickup is so great

[@flushjihadism4052]

I prefer the sound of the Telecastser, but a Les Paul is still a great guitar.

[@randyhase1475]

Just to be sure...I will need one of each. I liked Carmelita a lot.

[@MontyCantsin5]

Great tones! The sound Greg is getting here is much better compared to the usual demo videos. Sweeter overdrive...maybe consider using this amp in future? I think the Joe Walsh sounded the meanest so that had to be the 'winner'.

[@DonnieBellguitar]

Have to agree 100%. Overdrive on this amp so much more natural and harmonic sounding.

[@MontyCantsin5]

And about £2500 ($3200 USD) cheaper than a Smallbox 50 head w/ a 2x12 Friedman cab!

[@dadude7]

Monty Cantsin Most amps sound better than a Friedman. They sound like fridges.

[@MontyCantsin5]

Ha! Almost all of the Friedman amps I've heard/played through (with the possible exception of the Dirty Shirley which is voiced for more classic 60s tones) have a gain structure that I just find off-putting. Compressed, harsh, sterile...too much gain in other words. Maybe they are good for hard rock, but not much else.

[@dadude7]

Monty Cantsin Friedmans are horrible, hence no decent player in the business actually plays them.

[@golf-freq]

I knew a guitar named Nicky I guess you could say she was a tone fiend. I met her in the Wildwood closet Getting played by Mr. Lean. She said how'd you like to drop some bank And I could not resist when I heard little Nicky spank! She led me to her gristle And I just couldn't believe my ears. She had so many devices Note separation and no smear. She said sign your name on the dotted line The credit card came out And I was bankrupt in no time! Come back Nicky, come back...

[@gusdupree9076]

golf-freq ah, prince

[@patrickrosington1174]

Same bro lol.

[@Focus]

That '60 Joe Walsh is one mean machine.

[@joshmuz9018]

Joe Walsh bridge pickup is just perfect

[@barrycooper4006]

Carmelita is the best!

Muy bueno , Traigan la guitarra a la Argentina

[@fredn2735]

the Joe Walsh sounds more magical mojo in your hands

[@EvanBNW]

I think I like Carmelita the best! Great video. Please consider doing one where you compare these to Customs. I'd love to hear the difference.

[@maxpuppy96]

tomorrow you walk in and pick a different one, all depends on the mood of the day.

[@udr3005]

that's the Point. they`re all great

[@metalmulisha0143]

Between nicky and the Joe walsh for me

[@montyderhak]

Yes the JoeW guitar sounds the snappiest.....by a long shot......could be the skinny neck and a lighter weight guitar gives it that high end we crave. great example of how guitars all sound unique

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

Strange dilemma for me Because I prefer the tone of the walsh and wachtel the most But not a fan of the bright red Tomato Soup color/ thin neck or a Bixby So I'm going Nicky. Carmelita was sweet but a bit too thick sounding for my taste.