MY NEW GIBSON SG (that I almost didn't buy) 

that sound demo was hot

The sound demo was a kickass tune.

Pretty sure no one skipped over the maniacal shredding.

Those big pearl blocks ain't wood either. Nobody complains about those on their ebony fretboards.

Best intro to date!

The quality of the content, the immense intelligence in the subject, your allocution, the aesthetics, the photography... there’s really few people on YT that reaches your level... you are truly a great artist. Cheers Paul

Full version from the intro. It was epic

This guy can make every guitar sound great. Even with that in mind, that guitar really sounds good

Why on earth would we skip the magical shredding!

After 30 years of playing the guitar I have never wanted an SG....after 10 seconds of watching and listening to this music, i want one more than any other guitar..

Oh boy, I keep coming to this video again again... That intro is just glorious. One of the best piece of guitar stuff ever played. It's like just a small bite of your favorite dish, but yet so full a flavors that you almost doesn't need a second one, 'cause it's all there. Pure perfection with its balance between soul and thecnic. You're the man Paul

I'm not opposed to synthetic materials finding their way into guitars. Of course, then again, I'm a materials scientist and polymer chemist ironically working in the paper industry, so maybe I'm biased. I know the work that goes into developing materials like this, and I know that they can offer some real benefits! However, there's usually some down-sides as well. One of the biggest downsides is usually how the material acts with humidity changes. A lot of composites tend to show greater sensitivity to humidity. (Just look at my Martin Custom X with a laminate neck. That guitar needs a new setup every couple of months, whenever the humidity changes.) So looking into Richlite, it's essentially paper that has been saturated with PF resin. (It's the older brother of bakelite.) The PF is inherently hydrophobic, so it's probably a bit more robust than that laminate neck I mentioned. It does have formaldehyde, which really isn't great, but I will say that PF is a lot more hydrolytically stable than UF. (urea-formaldehyde) I'll also say that the hard & brittle nature of PF should lend itself to good acoustics. One other downside to composites like this is their weight. You wouldn't want an entire guitar made out of this stuff, but you won't notice the weight difference much on a fretboard. Overall, I don't think it's a bad thing, as long as it holds up with time. PF should be pretty stable, so hopefully a guitar made today won't change much in 50 years... though it might get that "old bakelite" odor! >.

In the end, as long as it looks and feels good, who are we to judge where it came from

Danelectros don’t have solid wood either and they sound really good too!

If you're at the level of playing and ear training where Richlite vs ebony or maple or hardened Tuscadero leather makes a difference to your ear-good for you. If not, the fingerboard material isn't the weak point in your setup. Stop worrying and get back to practicing.

This dude's great, the level of detail in his videos is really unmatched on RU-vid, I don't think I've seen a Video series of this quality, ever. From the video quality to color tones, presentation to every hair in his beard is set to perfection. It really does set a new standard for YoutTube videos! great job!

yeah I mean, the guitar is cool, but can we spend a moment to praise Paul's solo? holy heck it was good

As long as the composite they make is organic (edit: non-carcinogenic would be more accurate and important I suppose) and sounds good it seems like a great idea. And if it helps prevent deforestation and actually sounds "better", then I'd call that a good innovation for musicians.

Man make that demo track a song, I always keep coming back to this video just to listen to it

Paul is a wonderful filmmaker and musician. That demo was awesome, video and audio wise

Seeing Paul playing in such a heavy tone and rhythm was a surprising but surely refreshing start to my morning.

A buddy of mine acquired a crest wood strat copy out of a dumpster from his wife’s work or something like that and gave it to me. New strings a wipe down and a setup and it actually plays wonderfully, found myself enjoying the feel and sound of a “crappy” guitar. And ever since then I just think if it’s fun and sounds good. Rock it. What’s on the headstock isn’t important. I’ve played expensive stuff that just wasn’t for me. But this cheapo guitar has my heart 🤷🏽‍♀️ came from a dumpster waiting to die. It’s got character.

Holy shit that demo was insane! Please make a full song out of it

I used to have a Gibson Les Paul “Ebony Shred” it was essentially an ebony les Paul studio with a Floyd rose, but it featured a Richlite board. That fingerboard was heaven, easy to maintain and bends on it was like a level road for a Rolls Royce. I miss that guitar... whoever bought it is sitting pretty. If you see a guitar with this material sub $2000 then consider it!

That was one hell of a solo man...

its cool that companies use a different material for their guitars cuz that's what makes the guitar unique

I have a Les Paul Classic Plus with richlite fretboard, absolutely love it. Feels like ebony. When playing I don’t think about it, pretty much forgotten it was a richlite fretboard.

Your intro, so powerful. Inspired me to practice again after 10years. Thankyou

Paul's "talking to himself" game is getting insanely good :P

I'd love to see Paul go at the Aristides HQ, they're in the Netherlands and their guitars are top tier instruments, made with 0% wood

My stripped-down, affordable, yet perfectly built Sigma GME acoustic guitar does have a non-wood fingerboard. It's not Richlite, but unbranded micarta, which is kind of the same - a composite made out of different organic and artificial materials. I did know for sure it was no rosewood (my fingerboard is uniform matte black in colour, with no grain nor imperfections), but I didn't think it was made out of a synthetic material. In fact, I didn't even knew what it was until I checked out the specs on Sigma's webpage. It feels so natural and comfortable that... it's just not a problem, it doesn't make the instrument less "authentic" (which means whatever people want at any given time). In my humble opinion, there's no way to tell those materials apart from each other unless you decide to compare them with full knowledge of what you're playing. There may be differences in tone, of course, because every bit of material on a musical instrument does make a difference, even if it is subtle, but that doesn't mean the guitar is less of a guitar.

Paul, your videos are a work of art. Beautiful image and editing. Always a good plot and amazing playing and sound.

I absolutely love how little cats care. Here Paul Davids is delving deep into a topic with important environmental undertones and something that can change the way we build our instruments-- BUT SCREW ALL THAT NOISE. Cat wants scronches. Human must give cat scronches or else cat blocks the camera. Simple as that. Stevie Ray Vaughan himself could be talking and a cat would interrupt purely for some scronches. Gotta respect the little buggers they're bold.

Welcome to the SG world Paul. I've had... 10 now? Maybe more, currently own a vintage 64, brand new '61 and a custom shop that's a few years old. For my money, one of the best experiences you'll ever have on a guitar. Have fun!

Insane sound demo, can’t stop listening to it! Awesome as usual, Paul!

I’m legit trying to leave this video to watch more of yours since I just discovered you, but I cannot leave that intro...so so so good

as someone who's recorded epiphones, fenders, ibanez, ESPs, gibsons etc. in a full band mix the natural sound of the guitar is somewhat negligible with the differences much more obvious out of a mix. the biggest differences really come from the pickup type rather than the wood itself. the amp type or how you're running it can be a night and day difference. for example a tube amp with or without a tube screamer sounds much more different than lets say an epiphone vs a gibson or an ibanez strat type vs a strat.

Paul is such a cool guy they made a guitar named after him.

That sound demo is amazing! Do you ever release full songs? Please do, the world needs to hear it!

Great content and video production! Love the detail on the subject matter. Always learn so much and feel so inspired from watching your videos!

Who else would like to hear full version of the intro? Paul, just do it!

Anyone who skips past the maniacal shredding is doing it wrong

as much as i love real wood and traditional tone wood it comes at a high environmental cost. Long straight pieces of wood must come from hardwood canopy trees which take long to grow. Although i think its a fitting end for tree to end up beautiful instrument. The other major issue is with natural variation not every tree is the same without knowing the quality of underlying wood its quite wasteful process fining both a piece that has nice tonal properties and is aesthetically pleasing. Not good ethically or environmentally. Using wood composites change that, it takes away the natural variation and gives you a constant product.

I got over my non-wood phobia when I played my first Ovation acoustic. You also have to consider the impact of the pickups, amplifiers, pedals you might add to the mix, and now days the ability to model different sounds. The fingerboard impact would be negligible when you consider all the other variables. Good decision Paul. 👍

This guy sounds like a story book. Such a calm voice👍

Good lord the tones you're getting out of that... absolutely killer, no wonder you loved playing it. The tonal differences between the Les Paul and the SG were obvious, but they were perfectly indicative of why you'd get a Les Paul or an SG. The SG had a more melancholy tone, like there was something intentionally missing from it to give it a "this is me at rock bottom" feel. God I love SGs, they're my favorite and I'm so glad you got one.

A-tier production, script and demonstration. Thank you.

I bought my first SG over 20 years ago after a guitarist I knew lent me theirs. Fast forward to 2020, and I've owned Les Pauls, Explorers, SuperStrats and Telecasters since, but I'm still primarily an SG player. It's an axe that has power and versatility - plus it's kinder on your shoulder than a Les Paul is after 2 hours onstage!

No one's talking about Paul's mad video editing skills..😭😭😭😭😭😭

That is possibly the best demo intro performance I've seen, well done Paul

Really liking your productions lately. Especially the "two you" bits, where you converse with yourself. I want to hear you play more.

Whenever I buy a new guitar, the wood is genuine, if you know what it mean.

Three reasons for wood snobbery: 1 - Every piece of wood is unique and that's exciting. Also wood ages so that's exciting too. 2 - The first artificial materials / plastics were terrible, and that negative reputation has been passed down through the generations, even though we now have better materials than many natural ones. Also, they don't age, or at least not well. 3 - Nostalgia. Wood and leather are both obsolete materials but still popular. Because they are the oldest material art/craft in human history, it's deeply ingrained in our perceptions of beauty and quality. Consistency and performance are good for function, for tools. But art and inspiration are all about personality and quirks. And with our surroundings becoming increasingly artificial and impersonal, every little bit of nature we can hold on to, in any form, becomes a sort of necessity.

Omg Paul, that intro was awesome. You teach us to play like the pros, but your own playing is killer! And that SG, damn man, it's...beautiful and sounds so good. That's one guitar every guitarist must have, black and gold, perfect.

the SG is my favorite guitar and I'm so glad you finally made the purchase. lovely playing and analysis, Paul. thanks for the vid.

Never been this early I feel empowered even though this’ll be drowned out-

I've always had this theory that people who leave the Gibson Custom stickers on the pickguards are the people who probably shouldn't have bought a custom shop guitar (for financial reasons), lol.

Welcome to the SG family. We been waiting for you.

thanks for the quality content, paul. wish more youtubers were like you.

I just wanna loop that sound demo and listen to it over and over

Fake or Real, If it feels good to play, that's all that matters. Really amazing showcase at the beginning man!

Love how this guy speaks and breaks it down! Thanks for all the great content Paul :)

For months I have been struggling with what I really want, what checks all the boxes and looks great at the same time then I came across your ac/dc thunderstruck video when I saw the guitar... I went to the description in hopes you would mention the guitar model... low and behold you made a whole vid dedicated to it. That is one sexy guitar. Now I can put a name to what I cannot afford to buy.

Did he say it's pulp mixed with raisin? Oh! Resin.

5:04 "In the early 60s the Les Paul became Les and Les Paulpular"

Dude that sounds awesome, the intro reminds me a lot Coheed and Cambria. Your playing always makes my day 👍

Great intro tune! Love the editing you did here :)

That opening song is gold! Is it yours? More heavy than I'm used to

Those 3 half steps bends are some of the smoothest I ever heard! Reminds me of Frusciante

Dude, your shreds are so lit, and beautiful at the same time!

I really enjoy your program. You explain things very clearly and correctly and your presentation is wonderful. Coming from a guy who’s owned over 80 guitars both acoustic electric’s plus a bushel full of mandolins, banjo’s and various other string instruments. I didn’t buy any of these instruments because of the materials used to craft them. I bought them because I felt that they had something to offer. At times I was searching for a sound other times for a song. Most were bought to serve a purpose and when or if that purpose was achieved they were put away in cases Rarely if ever to be brought out again. Eventually I whittled the collection down to 16 guitars that I couldn’t live without and one mandolin One ukulele a banjo and Dobro ( by the way made out of metal with a resonator)These are the instruments that surprise me with their ability to help with my creative process.. I think that’s really the bottom line is whatever helps you be creative. Good luck Paul with your SG... I think those thin body Gibsons like the melody maker and SGs are some of my favorite guitars . At 65 if I’m playing a gig I choose those over my Les Paul hands-down.

To quote my uncle, "The time to buy the guitar that has the sound you love is when you're holding it." I think that's completely true. I honestly couldn't care less about the materials used in a guitar. If it sounds good and you like it , buy it. I have an Olympia guitar that was my first guitar after the second-hand guitar I initially learned on started warping and separating from the fretboard. So it really was my first guitar. It was $200 and it still sounds fantastic. It's rich and warm and the tone is absolutely phenomenal. It just a plywood body and there shouldn't be anything special about it but here we are, 18 years later and I still love my that guitar.

All that matters is that you're happy with the guitar. Glad you like it Paul, your playing was great as always and the SG definitely seemed to have brought out a bit of heaviness that you don't often exhibit :-)

the sound demo created such a good vibe. good job :)

I own a Gibson Les Paul HPII 2018 with ritchlite fingerboard. At first I hesitated to buy the guitar but it played great. I tried the classics and traditionals but I kept coming back to the ritchlite version. So finally I brought it home. Every time I play it, it reminds me of an old fashion blackboard. I just love it!

Hagstrom uses something similar on their guitars. They call it a "resinator" fretboard.

I've restarted this video just to listen to the intro demo 3 times now... edit: 4 now

Awesome video, really interesting. We live in a time were we need to consider the planet. I'm glad we have managed to make new materials without effecting sound quality. I look forward to the future to see what else we come up with. Thanks Paul.

Cool video! Very nice sounding SG: loved the intro..

This intro is freaking DOPE.

I’ve got a richlite fretboard on one of my Les Paul’s. it feels nice. I’d rather Gibson concentrate more on the finish quality than the snobby quality of a fretboard.

Dude the Cinematography on these vids are amazing

I own a rich lite Gibson acoustic parlor and I love it. It sounds amazing!!! Super warm.

If tone comes at all from the fret board at all then I would be more concerned about putting lacquer on top of my maple necks, or even the body for that matter. That said, I don't believe it will make a lick of difference to the sound of the guitar. If it holds up well over time then I will be fine with owning one

Paul- That intro was killer! I picked up one of Martin's affordable guitars a few months ago. I wanted something decent I could travel with, had electronics, and still sounded good acoustically. As all my other acoustics have either Rosewood or Ebony, I was skeptical of the Richlite fingerboard. I haven't had any negative issues with it, but the guitar (dreadnought) is surprisingly quiet when being finger picked compared to the volume it's capable of putting out while being strummed. I can't help but wonder if it's caused by the Richlite fingerboard. Sending peace & love from Missouri, USA -Todd

Richlite fretboards are actually really nice, my midtown custom had one, I was really happy with it. Also it doesn't suffer some of the the weaknesses of wood. That's a nice instrument.

When I come across a guitar with a wood substitute at first I'm apprehensive, but then I remember my 1st decent acoustic was an Ovation Balladeer..it played great and I kept it for 30 plus years..

I always focus on how it feels when I play it before caring about the specs. Specs only come into play with me when I'm doing research about how long the instrument may last me and such. I try not to look at cost either otherwise I get into the headspace of "expensive equals better" which is definitely not inherently true. Does suck some when I end up falling in love with the expensive option lol.

You should make a signature Les Paul called More Davids.

My Gibson SG Supreme Limited edition came with a Richlite fingerboard and i absolutely adore it.

The world needs more of this Paul davids. Love the blues/neo guy but damn I need more metal Paul !

I've got a Martin CE0-4R with a Micarta board. Feels great, looks great, definitely looked down on. But its never bothered me.

Paul I learned music theory from you. Thanks a lottt!!!!!

Brilliant playing in the beginning of the video man 🤘🏼

Richlite is in the family of processed natural fabric and resin laminates, which have a history going back over 100 years. This material is most often encountered under the trade name "Micarta" (also trademarked like "Richlite"), and is often built of canvas, linen, or paper layers laminated under pressure. It's a very durable, stable, shapable material. We use these materials in custom knife making (and the production knife world too) all the time. It's good stuff when used appropriately. Guitars are steeped in tradition, so I get the resistance, but if I were paying for a workhorse rather than a work of art, I might be seriously swayed toward a purchase by an instrument that used materials like this in the right place.

0:56-You’ve unlocked a new character! Shred Paul

Sometimes you fall in love with the soul of something or someone , not always what it’s made of

The riff! The tone, I mean wow!! Very inspiring!!

I love to watch and hear you play. I have a 2001 Frampton Les Paul with a Richlite fretboard and it is my favorite player.

1- Maniac shredding was awesome! 2- The guitar sounds beatifully. 3- The guitar Looks beautiful. 4- All the specs of an instrument turn useless the moment you put your hands on it. You bond with it or you don't. Simple as that. 5- For the sake of Mother Nature and our environmental health, electric guitars may absolutely be made out of new materials. 6- Great presentation! 7- Paul David is an extraordinary RU-vidr.