Old335 Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 My main guitar is an old 335, but I've decided to begin getting informed about excellent Les Pauls, so that when I'm ready to buy, I'll have done a lot of the reading and learning ahead of time. Reading many threads here (as a great place to start), I was surprised to find that so many R9 owners upgrade so many of the parts - and especially the pups! To me, the pups would be a big deal to be sure I love em. Should I expect to buy an R9 and then upgrade pups? Seems odd on such a high quality (and therefore expensive) guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Well, in my opinion the wording upgrade largely depends on personal taste, so I tend to using the general term modification. Lots of specifications were altered through the decades. This applies to body, neck, neck-body junction, glue, finish, tuners, bridge, tailpiece, pickups, electronics, and hardware plating. One might prefer progress in some respects but vintage in others. This makes people buying guitars and modding them. The most underrated mods are using different strings and picks. Sometimes I guess dealing with them seems too easy for passionated modifiers. Ripping things apart must be much more heroic. Some people even buy a Historic Reissue instrument and then start fooling around with it. In case I wouldn't like it the way it is, I wouldn't buy it. Just my two cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old335 Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 re: [Well, in my opinion the wording upgrade largely depends on personal taste, so I tend to using the general term modification.] That's a really good point. Thnx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersilk Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 My main guitar is an old 335, but I've decided to begin getting informed about excellent Les Pauls, so that when I'm ready to buy, I'll have done a lot of the reading and learning ahead of time. Reading many threads here (as a great place to start), I was surprised to find that so many R9 owners upgrade so many of the parts - and especially the pups! To me, the pups would be a big deal to be sure I love em. Should I expect to buy an R9 and then upgrade pups? Seems odd on such a high quality (and therefore expensive) guitar. Hello Old335, You are right, reading the threads here is an amazing way to learn, there are some amazing people on this forum! I think many of us buy a 1959 Les Paul because we fall in love with the look of them, however, when we start to play, certain things stand out... the nut is nylon, perhaps the stoptail could be secured better, would the bridge hold the intonation better if it was changed to a Tone Pros 2, and what exactly are those 'Bumblebee' capacitors? Why does my modified Asian Hamer sound better? Gibson fit certain parts to give a period look, however we buy these guitars to play them and once you fit a modification that works for you and your much-loved Les Paul sounds better.... you can't help looking at other components and wondering if they can be upgraded to improve the sustain and tone, or just fine-tune for your own personal quest in sound or playing style. Having said that, I'm quite apprehensive to change things on such an expensive and beautiful guitar! It's much easier to experiment and be bold with a cheaper one. Once you embark upon the quest for better tone and playability, there is no turning back! I hope you found a nice 59! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drog Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I think its ok to change pups if you want. Just keep the old ones, just in case you ever want to sell.Same goes for anything else you want to change. Personally I would not change anything on a reissue. I would find an older guitar to play around with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeppeholic Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 The whole reason a lot of us buy a reissue is FOR the pickups.. The custom buckers are the closest thing to the originals, unless you build your own from Seymour Duncan. They nail it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KickArs Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Mine is a 2011 and I would not change a thing. She really does sound great. I have many Gibson and when I want to try different things like sound or setup, they are the one going through the changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack M Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I've got a 2009 R9 and I installed Schaller strap locks. Everything else is stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 The whole reason a lot of us buy a reissue is FOR the pickups.. The custom buckers are the closest thing to the originals, unless you build your own from Seymour Duncan. They nail it. Custom buckers do appear on sig models and cc guitars but not on most reissues. They can't be defined as they are custom wound burstbuckers. Specific to the guitar. Most people agree that 57s are the closest to PAFs. It is subjective, of course. I've never heard of anyone buying a reissue for the pups until now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 I don't think I could spend that much on a guitar, only to modify it so much. The Custombuckers I've heard are wonderful, so I wouldn't change these for love or money on my own R-model (when I gets me one!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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