Gibson U2

The Gibson U2 is one of the attempts by Gibson to branch out of their comfort zone. This Gibson is a super strat. In the 80s Gibsons sales were not doing good so they decided to try and do what everyone else was doing. They decided to make a Jackson style super strat shred guitar and this is what we got. The example that I am reviewing has an all black finish with white binding. This layout makes it look a lot like a Fender Aerodyne. The body is bound but the neck isnt which is kind of strange for a Gibson. The headstock is shaped similar to an Explorer headstock but it has more of a point to it. The guitar has a basswood body with a set maple neck. The neck has a 25.5 inch scale with 24 jumbo frets on an ebony fretboard. It has an HSS pickup configuration but I do not know what pickups are in it I believe they are stock. The control layout for this guitar is cool. You have a volume knob with a push pull that can split the bridge humbucker so you can get a true single coil sound. It has on and off switches for all of the pickups which is great because you can do any combination of pickups including the tele sound which strats cant do. In the back you have a master tone knob. It has some crazy Floyd Rose rip off tremolo with a lock behind the nut.

UTILIZATION

The neck on these has a real Gibson feel to it. It may look like a Jackson but when you pick it up you can tell it isnt. The set neck construction is something that is also unusal for a guitar like this. The upper frets are kind of hard to reach. The neck goes pretty far into the body and the heel starts at around the 17th fret. If they was a 22 fret guitar it would be fine. Its kind of like they decided to put the last few frets on at the last minute. There is no inlay for the 24th fret either. The body has a flat top so it kind has a different feel to when you are playing. The Floyd Rose system also seems like an after thought. I have seen versions with tune-o-matic bridges. This one has the strange Floyd copy but it doesnt have a locking nut. It has a regular nut with the lock behind it. These do not hold tuning as well as real locking nuts because the strings bind on the real nut and the space between the real nut and the lock allow for tuning instabilities.

SOUNDS

Im surprised Gibson didnt just put two humbuckers in this guitar. The single coils are super twangy and have a good sound for that but thats not what I would expect on a shred guitar. This is almost like a country guitar in sound. The twangy sound might have been good at the time because in the mid 80s peoples racks were getting crazy and you needed a really bright sound for the guitar tone to make it through the signal. The bridge humbucker is pretty beefy but it is not super hot by todays standards. When split you get a super twangy sound that matches well with the other 2 single coils in the guitar.

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar is a strange one. A Gibson with a Jackson body that sounds like a strat. It will be interesting in the future to see if these oddball guitars ever become collectors items. Hopefully some day collectors will get bored with collecting the same old models and they will start wanting models like these that didnt sell well. Odd balls and Norlin era Gibsons. These guitars played really well and did their job but since it said Gibson on the headstock no one noticed. You can get these super cheap now because no one knows what they are and if you do you are getting a great guitar for nothing.

Guitar factory in the United States in the 1990s, mine is red with a white border as in the photo. Access in acute impressive (Strat form requires), 2 micros simple, 1 double, 1 volume knob, 1 tone knob, an on / off switch for microphone so that you can have three microphones at the same time ! is splittable by the double push / pull the volume knob.
Floyd Rose bridge with screws to optimize rglages everywhere.
trs the handle is flat, a change of a Les Paul!
look standard but enjoyable even for a Gibson.

UTILIZATION

Guitar lgre relatively well balance, finish and quality Gibson high-end multi-layer lacquered paint and seemingly indestructible.
the only problem I had was the plate derrire the body of the guitar that had small holes for the strings; c'tait not very practical because the length of rope left behind in the plate. a good pair of scissors in the plaque to enlarge the hole and presto, problem rgl.
if a switch is stuck on one day is in full concert! must say that I did not mnag ...

SOUNDS

Gibson is a good type strato; a bit strange a priori for a Gibson guitar, but this has (had?) A "personnalitquot, as they say, especially compared to others in the same register (Ibanez, Kramer and others). I was looking for a versatile scraper with a good vibrato and sounds good, I tried a lot dess names above but when I had it in the hands, hot!
the single coils are warm and crystal at the same time, in addition to the Systm on / off on each microphone allows nine basic combinations split + double. when you put a simple micro + micro double Splitt was a sound close to an active emg.
when the double non Splitt it looks like a Di Marzio ... trs dynamic but not warm and rich in harmonics. the lack of momentum is also not a problem because there is just the diffrence ncessaire level when moving from a one to two to make a solo for example.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a guitar that has unjustly t dnigrea its release, and elsewhere is not in the catalog is trs long (2 or 3 years). it a little incongruous in its design (it's true why not a stratovolcano with a humbucker and a good vibrato?) but the MRIT dtour and if you come across a used, try it with curiosities !
For my part, I bought it in late SERIES promo at a ridiculous price for such an instrument (3500 en 1993). I missed the sale several times because I did not need a tremolo and I had time between a Les Paul, which suits me better but impossible for me to spare, especially in the studio because the sound and versatility are all proof!

Just a few corrections on the MODEL Submitted.

The photographer is not a MODEL but a U.S. U2 One. The MODEL U2 is easier prsentation and finishes.

The U.S. not n'taient One teams such as vibrato, but U2's Systm Tune-O-matic standard Gibson.

The lives of U.S. One t of about 8 years on the market Amricain but shorter in France. They have t Submitted to the living room of music as high-end 1980, the price the same as silent Les Paul Custom (h yes, amazing is not it?).
The design had t says Wayne Jackson, Gibson was at the head of a blow to srieux stratos Fender. U2 launches the t at the same time but at a price infrieur the prsentation as simple. The success does more than mixed, and they disappeared from the catalog.
Today, they are rare and difficult to find trs, plus One is a beautiful guitar with the best of Gibson in his prsentation. It is enjoyable to play and it produces a particular trs or Gibson or Fender.

UTILIZATION

The handle is it enjoyable? Yes

- Access in acute (dernires freight) is it easy? Yes

- Ergonomics is it good (in terms of shape, weight ...)? It's a Start

- Gets it easy to sound good? ... Yes thanks to the three switches

SOUNDS

- Appropriate are your style of music? Yes

- With what (s) amplifier (s) or effect (s) do you play? Fender & Peavey Classic 50 Vibrasonic

OVERALL OPINION

- How long have you use it? 5 years

- What is the particular feature you like best and least? Versatile

- Have you tried many other models before acqurir? Yes tens and more than 40 years
- How do you report qualitprix? In the era they taient CHRE as always with Gibson

- With the exprience, you do again this choice? ... Yes