George Hoering
03-16-2002, 09:43 PM
Bought my Artisan in 1988. Mine's # 52. I've replaced the tuners with Grovers, the pu's with Gibson HB's and put Gibson "hat" inlays on the fretboard. Playin' the electric blues through a sort of Fender Vibroverb lash-up affair. No band, I just jam around.
There can't be too many Artisan players out there. Not many made.{ NO! Mine's NOT for sale. Save yourself the energy and don't write to inquire! http://robinlovers.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif }I sure love mine. I've been playing since around 1968, I've owned a number of guitars, mostly Gibson SG's and this Artisan has to be the best. The neck fits in my hand like no other. I don't have real long fingers so that thin, slim neck is a real plus. If you ever find one to buy, I'd replace the pickups if nothing else. The Gotoh pu's that came with it just didn't have that tone. Even a basic pair of Gibson humbuckers will improve things considerably. What else to say? The Artisan sounds like a Les Paul without all the weight; an SG with more bite. Sweeeeet! Cheers to all. PS. The Artisan was apparently made in Japan. So what. I paid $600. God alone knows how much the Gibson Custom Shop would charge for something like it.
There can't be too many Artisan players out there. Not many made.{ NO! Mine's NOT for sale. Save yourself the energy and don't write to inquire! http://robinlovers.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif }I sure love mine. I've been playing since around 1968, I've owned a number of guitars, mostly Gibson SG's and this Artisan has to be the best. The neck fits in my hand like no other. I don't have real long fingers so that thin, slim neck is a real plus. If you ever find one to buy, I'd replace the pickups if nothing else. The Gotoh pu's that came with it just didn't have that tone. Even a basic pair of Gibson humbuckers will improve things considerably. What else to say? The Artisan sounds like a Les Paul without all the weight; an SG with more bite. Sweeeeet! Cheers to all. PS. The Artisan was apparently made in Japan. So what. I paid $600. God alone knows how much the Gibson Custom Shop would charge for something like it.