The Gibson Les Paul guitar has always been a personal favorite of mine. It’s classic, looks like a piece of furniture, and has a deep, mellow tone that sustains forever. It’s no secret why I chose to start playing a Les Paul - my guitar hero Slash played Les Pauls exclusively, so when I was learning how to play the guitar I knew I would have to play one too. Silly, right? Well, not really, because Slash is extremely cool and his playing is amazing. That’s all that matters.

I’ve owned a few Les Paul guitars over the years - my first one being a Les Paul Studio. I purchased it at Sam Ash Music in Carle Place, NY in 1994. Back then I couldn’t afford the more expensive Standard model I wanted, but that didn’t matter to me - the ebony Les Paul Studio with gold hardware was light years ahead of the guitar I started with, and it had that Les Paul sound I was after. Several years (and many live performances) later, I sold the Studio, sans pickups, which live today in my friend Maureen’s B.C. Rich.

:: Gibson Les Paul Classic - click on image to enlarge ::

Today I received a new Les Paul Classic in ebony with nickel hardware. The Classic is essentially a Standard model with hotter ceramic pickups and a slimmer “faster” neck profile. I especially like the creme-colored trim and binding and top hat knobs - even the trapezoid inlays have a more aged look to them. I love this guitar and it will stay with me for a long time, and now that my cousin John and I are planning on a recording session next year, the new Classic will certainly come in handy. Now all I need to do is get the Marshall half-stack out and slam that A-chord with the gain set at 10.

Anyone between 25 and 45 years old that has raced BMX will know who Greg Hill is. I won’t give you a history lesson (you can read about Greg here), but I will say that most of my elementary and jr. high school days were spent reading about Greg in BMX Plus! and BMX Action magazines. Greg Hill Products (GHP) was a new company back then, making frame sets and bars. Though they didn’t last long, GHP is back again with much interest among those that know the brand name.

So I wanted to build a new race bike, and after a lot of thought and reading, I emailed Greg and inquired about one of his GHP frames. Greg responsed right away with his number, and I called the next day. I dial the number and who answers the phone - the man himself - the guy I used to read about as a kid. Greg answered any questions I had and I immediately knew I made the right choice by choosing his company for my next bike build. How many companies will give you that kind of rider-owned service these days?

:: New GHP race frame - click on image for larger view ::

The new frame arrived today, and to add to my excitement, I see that Greg personally signed the inside of the box. Okay, some of you non-BMX types may not get this, but that totally blew me away. I need to start ordering parts immediately, because I can’t wait to ride this bike. Thanks again Greg and GHP - I hope you guys are around for a long time.