1978 Gibson Marauder Version 2 Guitar Review By Scott Grove

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[@paulschomer4085]

As of this morning at 11:30AM, I am the proud OWNER of THIS VERY GUITAR! So psyched, it has replaced a natural satin finish '76 Marauder I had stolen from a storage locker a few years back. This one ROCKS!!!! Thanks for taking such good care of it, Scott.

[@groovydjs]

I fully agree with you. Bill Lawrence was the man! The Norlin years were amazing. Welcome to the club! It's getting larger now that people are FINALLY discovering the mighty S-1's and Marauders. Superb work horses of a guitar. I hear you about the L6S, they bury any Les Paul. Thanks for posting! Drop on by any old time!

[@groovydjs]

@Fkepler2 Oh, never do those mods to any guitar. It's all bull. You'll be throwing your money away if you do. The B bender is something that hollows out half of your guitar, costs about a grand to have installed, you hook your strap that goes over your left shoulder to the strap button,pull down on your guitar and your B string goes sharp by 2 frets (a whole step).It is supposed to sound a little bit like a steel guitar. It comes down to being a device for lazy ass players. lol Stay out of GC!

[@MrBonnuus]

Thanks for this review. I bought mine in 1983, light maple body neck and top. liked it since then. It can make such a very warm sound. Not for sale and never will be.

[@groovydjs]

@LEOJ024 All neck woods sound identical. It doesn't make a bit of difference. Same goes for body woods, shapes of the body or anything else. It's all in the pickups, strings, the player and your amp. The makeup of the bridge saddle alloys and nut material will also have a small bit of affect on the tone, but wood is the one thing that doesn't affect the sound of electric guitars once they are plugged in at all. Unplugged, sure. Everything changes everything that way, plugged in....nah.

[@dannynysus]

"if you like that bright Tele sound...but want just a little hint of balls in it..." You, sir, are the Poet Laureate of guitar reviewers

[@groovydjs]

@Fkepler2 That's great. You gotta love the good old days of arena rock. Just way too much fun!

[@groovydjs]

Thanks my friend. A VERY under rated axe for sure. It's so sad that Paul Stanley of KISS smashed the majority of them at the end of every KISS show. I honestly don't have any clue as to what tunes they may have been used on, but not enough, I assure you. I just wish that everyone would get the honor of playing one at least once in their life. Such a joy to play.

[@SteveRastaCahillconcertnetwork]

The very end of Black Diamond Paul would smash his Marauder. I have the exact model he would smash. The 1975 blonde with the white pick guard.

[@ent3241]

@@SteveRastaCahillconcertnetwork I've been looking for a guitar like this for a long time. You don't want to sell yours?

[@mr.timebombman2230]

Those "harmonica" style bridge's are the best one's Gibson made imo.

[@groovydjs]

I'm with you on that one.

[@JackFuzz73]

Nice light hearted demo - many thanks !

[@groovydjs]

Just a guitar review that is about the guitar itself. Nothing more. Please just enjoy the axe, it's a great one!

[@GoldtopDude]

Bought mine new, then traded it for a Norlin Lead Paul Custom...missed that sweet Maraduder...will buy again! Great video, thanks

[@GuitarBassCigar]

Hi Scott That is a fine machine indeed. Definite tone monster.

[@patsullivan6768]

I love your reviews and I love those old Gibson guitars. The Maurader was a sweet versitale axe. They should reissue all of those old guitars. I had a Sonex years ago. Wish I still had it.

[@shaartvader4830]

I still have my Sonex. Piece of shit. Will never give it up just due to sentimental value though.

[@groovydjs]

@bobandbil2011 Oh, I fully understand. Every guitar has it's owner that will love it and that is what having so many choices is all about. Some guitars do one thing and do them better than any other guitar in the world can do. If I were to go back on the road again, there would be about 20 guitars going with me because not a single one can do everything perfectly. So, most guitars would see action on the stage for one song per night, but I couldn't imagine doing the tune without it.

[@groovydjs]

@Guitarvirtuoso666 The "00" serial number is correct on the Gibson S-1 guitars and I would imagine that they would be the same on the Marauder also since they are the same body (just different routing under the pickguard) and the exact same necks. They had the 3 way toggle switch from 1974- mid '76 and then they put the pan control there, some with a knob and some with a chicken head. Then they put the pan control between the volume and tone control in 1977 until they were gone. Sounds legit.

[@HankMartin-ll4pi]

Yes lovely old Gibson i own 1975 i’m the second owner there great.🎼🎶🎸

[@groovydjs]

@Fkepler2 That is cool. Isn't it funny how people will kill for a broken hunk of wood? They didn't even know that Ebay would come along someday and that they could get good money for it. lol Does she still have the E string tucked away somewhere?

[@aaronentresz]

I love the norlin era Gibsons.... especially the ones that Bill Lawrence had a hand it. I'm on the hunt for a Marauder or a S-1, but down here in Australia there's not a lot out there. I have a Gibson L6S (reissue) that has a set of Bill Lawrence L90's. It leaves any les paul for dead. It's great that I'm not alone in loving these awesome norlin guitars.

[@groovydjs]

@RedWolf3487 So very true, they have screwed up everything that they have reissued. Most people do. Why can't anybody just make them the same way that made them great? I would figure that would be the main point of a reissue.....not to change it. lol You are so very correct.

[@groovydjs]

@RastaSaiyaman Well, that sucks. You didn't sell it to me. There's this really cool thing you can do when it gets shrill sounding......turn the treble on your amp down a little bit or the tone knob on your axe back a little and it's fixed in under a second. If you ever decide to get rid of a great guitar again for such a reason, give me a shout. I'll be more than happy to give a home to a monster guitar.

[@groovydjs]

@LEOJ024 Yeah, that is the real selling point for me on these guitars. I love Marauders, but wouln't own one of the toggle switch versions, the blending is half the fun of "dialing" in just the right sound. It's like you're constantly finding that sweet spot all night long. Very cool axes.

[@groovydjs]

@bobandbil2011 Actuall, I just like strings, but they are always attached to these big, wooden things, so I live with it.

[@groovydjs]

@Chainmail I hear you. The Marauders are just a cool guitar no matter how you slice it. There is actually a guy on Ebay right now who has one with the blend control and he still installed a mini switch to shut off one of the pickups. lol Now, that's lazy. lol

[@groovydjs]

@bobandbil2011 I absolutely know that Gibson was at it's very best during the Norlin years when Bill Lawrence was involved in the great sounding pickups and they were doing the fun Marauders, S-1's, Corvus, Challengers etc. The great bolt on necks and single coils. Awesome stuff. The Burstbuckers sound great when they are split into single coil mode. I'm no fan of humbuckers and have very, very little respect for Les Pauls personally. But that's not the point. Yeah, Gibson has went bad.

[@groovydjs]

@SuperDsffdsf Strictly from Ebay and an occasional purchase from Craig's List from across the country somewhere. I've never left my house to buy a guitar.

[@jamestlenahan]

Very cool reviews, Scott!

[@groovydjs]

Thanks James! I love guitars and any chance I get to yack about them......I'm there! lol

[@Fkepler2]

@groovydjs i got around to playing my friends black lp studio today. again your right the strings are like an inch off the fret board, the finish comes off in your hand for some reason , the detailing is horrible on the side of the fretboard, the guitar most of all it didnt feel finished for some reason. in the back of my mind i was thinking QC for why you thought it was shitty and your right. plain and simple. the guitar had no care for being made i had no idea. looking in musicman and g&l now.

[@Chainmail]

I love my mauder :) would be cool to have that blend control ( I have the 3-way switch)

[@kylecomitini8743]

My Friends dad has one of these and it is absolutely awesome. My favourite guitar. I would kill to have one of my own.

[@groovydjs]

@bobandbil2011 And I hate that midrange sound, so the guitar works for you, but not everybody. I'm glad that you found one that works for you. But as far as "beating" anything. Nope, not true. My Traditional Pro beats yours because it's what I like and better yet, it gets even thinner sounding with even less midrange and sounds more like a Telecaster when I want it to. So, mine beats yours......but only for me. So, we both have guitars that "BEAT" out each other's for what we personally want.

[@groovydjs]

@Fkepler2 Musicman and G&L have SUPERB quality control. Gibson and Fender have next to none. The Musicman will have a better feeling neck. There's one company that can't be beat when it comes to great necks! But, at least now you know what I meant about the crappy Gibsons with their horrible Studio models etc. It's quite laughable and should only be sold at Wal-Mart.

[@BramClaes]

one of my colleagues has one. the serial number (starting with 00) says it would be from 1976. however, it has a chickenhead knob where the pickup selector is. can that be correct or is it a later model with a 1976 neck?

[@groovydjs]

@wisesatyr72 You bet. All of my guitars are 100% original except for 2 (that's out of 140). It's the only way to have them.

[@ThrashRebel]

I have a ‘71 Yamaha SA50 & it has a mix knob, as well. Considering they’ve been used on Fender Jazz basses for decades. So, putting them on guitars isn’t much of a stretch. But, apparently the Japanese did it before Gibson.

[@groovydjs]

@andyg3 Even the Gibson fans knock on these and most of the vintage Gibson models I own. I really don't like any guitars that have humbuckers, set necks, nitro finishes etc. So, Les Pauls, SG's, V's and Explorers are not really my thing at all. But, I do have them all just to have them. I really like the bolt on neck Gibson stuff that have single coil pickups. I can see why people knock on Gibson stuff though, the quality control is really horrible. They have the worst finishes around.

[@6672rock]

Nice distorted tone at 11:00. Very reminiscent of Brian May's Red Special plugged into an old Vox AC30. By the way, do you know of any professional recordings that featured the Marauder? I like how it mimics a Tele tone, only ballsier.

[@Fkepler2]

@groovydjs somewhere idk where though maybe she lost it maybe she didnt idk. she also used to have a rose peter frampton threw into the stage.

[@SuperDsffdsf]

wow amazing guitar how do you getting those cool guitars?

[@stolnme1409]

hi ya groovy. did any of these models come with a chicken knob for the blend control. A marauder has come up for sale and I'm itching to buy it

[@groovydjs]

YES, Those are my favorite ones. If it had a blend, it's supposed to have the chicken head knob on there. If it doesn't, then someone lost it or thought it didn't match and pulled it off, lost it and put a regular speed knob on there. So, the chicken is a good thing to see if you are looking for a Marauder.

[@holboroman]

Dear Dotor, I'm damaged, there's a humbucker where there once was a single coil. I bought a 1976 model of one of these about 5 years ago. The previous dude who owned it routed out where the single coil was and installed a DiMarzio DP103. The guitar also had a DP103 in the neck. I replaced the bridge pickup with a Burstbucker. I changed the tuners because it did notvstay in tune. I know it's an act of butchery. Any thoughts? BTW the model you have sounds quite awesome!

[@groovydjs]

That blows dog. Luckily, there are ALWAYS REAL Marauder pickups from Bill Lawrence for sale on Ebay. Hell, I've got a whole case of NOS never used Bill Lawrence pickups for the G-3 bass and S-1 guitars. I would just put together a real pickguard that is "CORRECT" so that you could simply drop it in there anytime you want to.

[@holboroman]

Thanks for that Doc. As I save up for the gear I need, I'll play it as is. To me it's a great rock guitar but the idea of having it playing as was originally intended makes sense as it can be the bridge between my SG and LP and on two Fender style guitars.......both of which I am proud to say have been either modded or assembled by me. Cheers and thanks for imparting all your acquired wisdom.

[@MirandaGown]

Hey Scott, I am trying to get my hands on the S-1 Bill Lawrence pickups. Is there a way I can get in touch with you and discuss this?

[@groovydjs]

Sure thing Hunter. You can reach me at my main email [e-mail]

[@holboroman]

@@groovydjs Fast forward 5 years. I did not touch that guitar for years. During my lockdown time I decided to do something about that guitar. So I had a new pickguard made, cleaned it up, gave it a French polish, left the Burstbucker in the neck pos and had installed a Dimarzio Twang King on the bridge. I generally do my own work but I am unable to wire the blend switch so I got a local guitar tech guy to do the job. I now love at guitar. The guy who did the job told me the tone would be pretty close to the original tone.

[@groovydjs]

@RickisMotoGuitar I currently have somewhere around 130.

[@Fkepler2]

hey i got a little story for ya. i went to the devil to try out some teles today(not buyn). i am trying out the everything, then i saw the diamond in the rough lol (they hide the cool things behind a wall in the back). it was sunburst rw neck with neck hbkr w coil split, middle bridge pups and a shell pkgrd. i know your the collector but from my players perspective i was like damn thats good shit. and the salesman said you need brass saddles and an ash body. what do i say to someone like that.

[@groovydjs]

@kaptainbastard Yeah, I like these so much better than my Les Pauls. Actually, I like these and the S-1's, Corvus III's and Challenger III's more than any Gibsons ever made. They are just much cleaner sounding guitars. 100% original is the only way I go with them.

[@altrock86]

That guitar is awesome. I am thinking of getting one and was hoping you had a video because you don't bull shit people or play just distortion. Also I have the same Hendrix shirt.

[@groovydjs]

@Fkepler2 Great my friend. Yeah, the B benders are a dime a dozen, some work fine and most suck. Those that do work are still a pain in the butt because of how much maintaining you have to do to them. Why not just bend a string like a man. lol Yeah, do the legit store, Craig's List, Ebay, but not Guitar Center (Musician's Friend...same company). They are the scum of the Earth. I'm glad you are digging the lessons. I bailed out of TDPRI, just as much scum in there too. lol

[@chrishorton615]

Do you own any Gibsons with the low impedance pick-ups?

[@Fkepler2]

@groovydjs im going to say hello to dennis the truck driver one of these days lol. sorry for all the questions but what makes it shitty (just wondering), i thought it would be good since it has the same specs as the tradtional pro, coil splits, burstbuckers, grovers, but what the hell do i know lol.

[@Hapax007]

Does anyone else think it's odd that both Gibson and Fender would have a guitar named Marauder ?

[@RavenMadd9]

cool

[@groovydjs]

@bobandbil2011 Yep, but since you are now now blocked, the replies will come much slower. lol

[@groovydjs]

@hansolo989 Yeah, I really can't stand SG's at all. I've tried every version that they've ever put out and none of them ever come close to being what I consider to be a guitar that I would take home to meet mama.

[@andyg3]

it sounds immence. Vintage gibsons are the best things ever i dont get why people always knock gibson.

[@RastaSaiyaman]

I owned a Marauder similar to yours, it had a great neck and played like butter but I didn't like that overly twangy sound it had, certainly when I used it with my metal band it sounded really shrill. So I got rid of it.

[@Fkepler2]

@groovydjs it sounds like you would go out of tune alot lol. today is the last day ill step foot in guitar center for the rest of my life to many idiots. im just going to focus on for now, how to make music that doesnt suck and get a guitar from a legit store later if i find one that is. also i caught the lessons on tdpri, im blown away my improving is at least ten times better. thanks dude :-).

[@sofiakk8181]

I have gibson marauder red wine :)

[@groovydjs]

@acdchiway2hell He fired me for stealing all of his guitars. lol

[@Fkepler2]

@groovydjs hey scott i got a cool story for ya! my mom back in the 70s used to see kiss a lot and has actually caught a full maurader thown out by kiss but after everybody jumped on it she came out with a low e string. lol

[@wisesatyr72]

Damn thats all original..

[@hansolo989]

I'm guessing you aren't as Abigail as a SG fan as meh? Lol I don't blame you

[@Fkepler2]

@groovydjs darn i dont believe there is any civilized forum, but you know its really fun to go on mylespaulforums and speak the truth, i mean they're really funny in a weird way over there. whats your opinion on the les paul studio deluxe just lowered 200 bucks to 1200. seriously considering this no mods to do lol.

[@johnnyconner4184]

"They sound like Gibson and Fender had a baby." XD

[@groovydjs]

@starclassic161 That kid was a tool.

[@chrishellams1755]

Paul Stanley would smash them on stage I think So Demiola played them also

[@starclassic161]

Why'd you block TunaMloohnahz? He was cool.

[@24mrdanny]

What? I am confused, I thought the Norlin era of Gibsons sucked

[@therugburnz]

I love Norlin Gibsons. So, will you stop telling the younginz about um. I am poor in my old age coz I play less and thus can only afford cheep " crappy Norlin era gipsonz". When you tell the TRUTH the price goes up. It makes it harder to buy back my STOLEN axes from KILLER VINTAGE=assholes shop. I know you would never do business with a shop that claims to be honest yet sells KNOWINGLY STOLEN AXES. Yes I toll them. I showed them the changes I made and they still list them as ORIGINAL. Sorry I'm drunk. I mint to sey . Burn them down after you remove the inventory and don't hurt anyone. If you have to ban me Dr. I understand but I have no other recourse other than to tell guitar people that KILLER VINTAGE in St.Louis. Missouri sells property the know is stollen. God bless you and yours Dr. Groovey.

[@acdchiway2hell]

Are you gods roady

[@Fkepler2]

@groovydjs whoah hold on now what if i want to buy it later. lol jk ill maybe buy a new one do those mods to it because the guitar was just me. i dont have the number because i had no idea what gc i went to :-( i just saw it on the way to my grandparents this weekend and i was like hey lets go in and check it out and like every other guitarcenter its same shit different day. the guy said he was a country picker too i feel bad for his audience. also he said something about a b-bender what is that

[@starclassic161]

@groovydjs Lollll.

[@groovydjs]

@Fkepler2 The guys at the Mylespaul forums are the biggest dick wankers I've ever met. Especially Dennis the Truck Driver. I have been banned for life over there for calling each and every one of those pieces of shit exactly what they are. They are actually bigger pieces of shit than what any Les Paul Studio is, which is quite a hard task since the Studio models are a big, steaming pile of shit, to put it mildly. lol

[@hansolo989]

*as big as an SG...

[@groovydjs]

@Fkepler2 Hi, you tell your salesman that he is a total moron, because he is. The body wood doesn't make a bit of difference and the brass saddles will dull your tone down to the point that it will sound like pure garbage. Yep, the guy is a total moron and has no business selling guitars. He's simply trying to get you to buy something that has been sitting on the sales room floor way too long or he wants to buy it himself and hasn't saved his pennies up for it yet. lol I'll buy it. Got the #?

[@groovydjs]

@Fkepler2 Oh, never do those mods to any guitar. It's all bull. You'll be throwing your money away if you do. The B bender is something that hollows out half of your guitar, costs about a grand to have installed, you hook your strap that goes over your left shoulder to the strap button,pull down on your guitar and your B string goes sharp by 2 frets (a whole step).It is supposed to sound a little bit like a steel guitar. It comes down to being a device for lazy ass players. lol Stay out of GC!