pauloqs
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Posts posted by pauloqs
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My favorite is my R9.
The one that got away was a Highway One HSS 3-tone Sunburst Stratocaster. The only stat that I played and liked it better, were maybe some CS and maybe on equal pegging AVRIs/AO. I would probably have changed the pickups and the guitar was on the heavy side, but that neck on the one I played was absolutely phenomenal. I had a American Pro Stat at the time, which is the reason the other Strat got away, that didn’t come even close to that Highway One. Also loved the satin finish.
Edit: There is also a Classic Player Plus I’ve been thinking about for a few weeks. I’m afraid that one will get away.
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This is very quickly turning to one of my favorite threads. Keep em' coming Rabs 🙂
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25 minutes ago, Violator said:
You probably never had one with a G-crap tuning system.
Also complete fail to use titanium as a nut material without stating the maximum supported string gauges, putting 10-48’s on them is just a no go, unless one has tools that won’t break by working on it, advice from Gibson is to buy a Graph Tech nut.
But at least, getting Grover tuners with the Gibson label on the cardboard is a lot cheaper than with a Grover label. 😃
I had a guitar with G-Force and titanium nut for 3 years. I thought they were great, but I did get a bit lazy about changing the strings with them. As for the titanium nut, I never had any issues with it, but I use 10-46. The 2015 had a brass nut that I heard was too soft for the speed of the G-force, as it would eat away the brass, hence the switch to titanium. With that said, I know I'm a minority that liked the G-Force tuners and I think they made the right move to not carry them anymore.
I find quite interesting, however, when they come up with solutions that people are asking for and get criticized for it afterwards. For instance, the textured back plates were shielded and they introduced is as a response to complaints about noise. People complained about it until they brought back the simple smooth plastic back plates. They got a lot of backlash for the bronze nut which they addressed with the titanium nut. I even heard of customer service sending owners of 2015 guitars sending them replacement titanium nuts.
Out of curiosity, what made you go the HP route? They had very similarly spec'd guitars without G-force and titanium nut since 2016. Was is the neck heal, dip switches, or the wider fretboard that had you chose an HP?
For me it was the weight of the guitar I got. I was on the hunt for a LP standard under 8lbs and I happened to stumbled upon an HP that weighed 7lbs 14oz. I ended up really liking the heel joint and the toggle switch, but I preferred the fretboard width of the regular LP Standard.
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Trogly's explanations for those interested.
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+1 on the Les Paul Standard 50s and 60s. I still prefer a RI over them, but they are really nice guitars. I have a Standard 50s, and although my R9 is smother and there was more attention to detail, the Standard 50s does come very close, especially after I lowered the action at the nut. They are outstanding guitars.
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If you’re buying online, the best place in my opinion is Reverb. I think it’s better to try the guitar, but given how much harder it is to find left handed guitars, it makes sense that you are looking at them online.
You can also order one from Guitar Center and try it once it gets delivered to the store closest to you. But, if you do that, go physically to the store to place the order, as the website sometimes charges you shipping fee.
I don’t exclusively play and like Gibson’s. I own and like PRS, Fender, Martin, and Godin. I also really like ESP, Suhr, Music Man, Xotic etc. Yet the best guitar I’ve ever played is currently my R9 (1959 Les Paul Reissue). When I first tried that guitar, it was so comfortable and familiar, I felt as if I had owned it for several years. I also had a R0 (1960 Les Paul Reissue) that was amazing, but over time preferences regarding neck profile changed, so I sold it to help finance my R9. With that said, my R0 was also absolutely flawless and one of the smoothest guitars I’ve ever played.
As for Gibson USA (what you referred to as Standard) vs Gibson Custom (Custom Shop), if you can afford it, I’d say Gibson Custom all the way. I particularly suggest anything from 2013 to now. 2013 was when Gibson Custom started using their own pickups, in particular among the Les Paul Standard Reissues, the CustomBuckers. Before that they used Burstbucker 1 & 2 on the LP Standard Reissues, which are also pretty sweet. I’m not sure if Gibson Custom also made the pickups change that same year for the LP Custom Reissues. However if your looking at a regular LP Custom, those currently come with 490/498 pickups, which are awesome and they are also used by Gibson USA.
If you go Gibson USA, there is going to be a bit more variation. I had amazing luck with 2017. I currently only have one 2017, but I’ve owned a total of four (two LP Studio and two LP Standards) and they were all flawless. The 90s and early 2000s were also good years for Gibson USA.
Their new line hasn’t released the lefty versions yet, but when they do, just know I absolutely love the new Standard 50s and Standard 60s. I haven’t picked one up that I disliked. I have a Standard 50s and the neck carve is very similar to my R9 (I measured it). They also have the same fret size. It’s just a good sounding comfortable guitar for a very fair price.
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Thank you everyone. The guitar is absolutely phenomenal. I'm starting to miss the R0 a little bit, but I much prefer the R9 and I can't bring myself to part ways with my 2017 Bourbon Burst Standard. It's probably just GAS lol. I might just have to get an R0 for my 40th birthday in 2021, which was my original plan for the R9, but I made the mistake to play the one I ended up getting.
I'm curious about one thing, but I didn't want to start a new thread for such a trivial question. The medallions that covers the switch cavity on the 60th Anniversary R9s come with a small diamond. Does anyone know by any chance if it's a real diamond? Part of me thinks it's more likely to be zirconium diamond or something else that is made to look like a diamond, but the guitar is expensive enough that it could be the real thing. I haven't found anything online yet and perhaps someone has better luck with the right combination of words on Google. No it's not going to make a difference at all on how I see the guitar and I don't think real diamonds would give me a better tone 😂, but I'm just very curious to know.
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1 hour ago, pippy said:
If the prospective purchaser could, under no circumstances, purchase a genuine Gibson then I understand why it might pose an interesting moral dilemma.
My own viewpoint, FWIW, is that I have no issues whatsoever with the various LP Look-Alikes such as the Tokai Love Rock models but I would draw the line if the peghead had a Gibson logo in place of the name of the actual manufacturer. My own very first guitar (as I've mentioned before) was a 'Grant' branded Les Paul Gold Top and it was fine. As a 15-y-o kid from an impecunious Scottish family in the mid 1970's there was no way I was going to receive a £600 ($750) Les Paul as a Xmas present but the Grant could be had for 1/10th of the asking price so was good enough as a starter instrument for someone who had never played a note of guitar music in his short existence. After what seemed like an eternity - and, thinking about it, it was another 1/3rd of my lifetime - I bought my first Gibson LP when I was 20 / 21.
Don't have that Les Paul anymore - it was a dog - but I do still have the Grant...
Pip.
I totally agree. The first time I saw a LP shape guitar in person, I was in my late teens. My girlfriend at the time was a vocalist in a band and the lead guitarists pulls this LP shaped guitar from the case and that was when I knew if I'd ever owned an electric guitar it would be similar.
Fast forward several years, I decide to take guitar more seriously. I knew the major, minor and dominant 7 chords and I could already play bare chords, but I usually play on other people's guitars, but I decided I wanted one for myself. First I got a fender solid top acoustic guitar that came in a kit, because I was always told that's the way to start. I got a teacher to come to my place to teach me and he convinced me to get an electric. He would bring his electric guitars and would have me play his electric and he would borrow my acoustic guitar for the lesson. The first electric guitar that he brought was a real Les Paul. I still remember how I was instantly in love with that guitar.
I was in grad school back then and I couldn't afford even a good Epiphone Les Paul. My girlfriend at the time (different from the vocalist) got me a Samick Gregg Bennett Avion Av-3 in heritage cherry. I replaced the stock pups with SD JD and 59s and I absolutely loved that guitar. The pickguard, headstock and somewhat the body was different from a real Les Paul. The guitar itself was going for $300 if I remember correctly, while a lot of the good Epiphones were around $500, which was a huge defference for a grad student.
Once I finish grad school and was an year working at a good job I got a real Gibson Les Paul. Funny thing is that I always convinced myself that my Avion with SD pickups were just as good as any Gibson, until I played a real Gibson again, since last time had been with my teacher's guitar trough a Rolland Micro Cube or some other small solid state amp.
I think there are several good options for people who can't afford that are not counterfeit and yet are really nice comfortable guitars after a proper setup. The store who sold the Avion gave me a free first setup and he did an amazing job.
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https://forum.gibson.com/topic/147790-looking-for-all-yalls-feedback-on-my-1st-gibson/
If they are going after this sort of thing linked above, good for them. Or guitar makers who try to pass a forgery as a true original burst. I honestly don’t know if that’s the correct business decision, though.
As for the TV and movies thing, I understood he was they were talking about a tv show or movie, not people performing on tv. A deal regarding brands that show up on tv series and movies can usually be mutually beneficial, like Audi and Iron Man, or Avengers and Acura.
As for Mark Agnesi, he always looked like that. He used to work for Norman’s Vintage Guitars and had the experience of playing several original bursts, pre-war and post-war vintage Martins, vintage fenders among other things. The dude knows his guitars.
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14 minutes ago, kelly campbell said:
River Of Tears - Eric Clapton
Water of Love - Dire Straits
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11 minutes ago, tx-ogre said:
Take Me to the River - Talking Heads
Ride across the river - Dire Straits 🙂
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2 hours ago, tx-ogre said:
Down in the Boondocks - Billy Joe Royal
Down the waterline - Dire Straits
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That is a really nice guitar.
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I think that's a 2016 1959 Standard Historic, but I'm no expert. I think the 2015 CS9 Historic had serial numbers starting with CSx (x=8, 9, 0 for 1958, 1959, 1960 respectively), but if someone has more reliable info than my memory, please chime in and correct anything I've said.
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I had G-Force on a 2017 Les Paul Standard HP for a little under 3 years. I never had any issues with it. It stayed in tune and it was super convenient to change tunings. It was a bit more laborious to change strings, though. With that said, in two instances, I’ve spent 5 minutes with a 2015 SG with G-force and realized how terrible they were. 5 minutes with each guitar is all it took. Gibson improved them drastically in 2016 and 2017. The 2015 G-Force were awful. If it were my guitars, I’d replace the G-Force with Grover locking tuners.
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I know what it was and I love this documentary so much I watched it again. Many thanks. Mark Knopfler is one of my favorite guitar players. It’s funny that in my childhood I associated him with a LP because I would listen to the Brother In Arms LP album. Although at the time I couldn’t differentiate the sound of a LP and a Strat, in the Money for Nothing music video he’s playing a LP.
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On 6/16/2019 at 8:30 AM, Twang Gang said:
Very nice looking R9 - hope you enjoy it and glad you found the one that fits your hand. One question - why no pickguards on all of these different re-issues? Or did you just take them off because you like the look better?
I just like cleaner no pickguard look better, so yest I take them off.
Since I’ve been unjustly accused of showing off, I thought I should show off so @FZ Fan doesn’t get accused of being unfair. You’re welcome 😄
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1 hour ago, pippy said:
Lovely 60th anniversary. Many congrats. I really do like the various variations of Darkburst which have been appearing this year in particular.
Personally I'd have scarificed the LHS and kept the RHS but also appreciate thet the R0/G0 neck profile wasn't your preferred profile.
Hope you have tons of fun with your new darling!
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Pip.
Funny that is what I was going to do. The R0/G0 is objectively a superior guitar than the LHS Bourbon Burst. However, I couldn’t bring myself to part with LHS Bourbon burst because it had just too much sentimental value to me. It brings me back to the when I proposed to my wife, our wedding, our daughter, the first time I played on a stage, and my first band. It was also my first “top shelf” guitar.
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I saw a Standard 50s the other day with a top and finish that could be on an R9. Among the Standard 60s, those bourbon burst is where it’s at for me. They are the most mouth watering among the whole Gibson USA lineup. Hey Bill, are there some extra sleeping spots under that bridge of yours?
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I find it an interesting topic. How far is too far. Like, for instance, the PRS SC 594 has a body shape that is very similar to a Les Paul, albeit still a bit different. Their Silver Sky is even closer to a Strat that their SCs are to a LP. Epiphone also had a guitar that was basically a Strat as well, so I think they are both victims and perpetrator of infringing other companies intellectual property. Are the ESPs/LTDs eclipse too close to a Les Paul? What about Heritage guitars, which was formed by former Gibson employees? Some LP copies are in the same price range as Epiphone, who receive nothing but praise regarding their QC. Forgive my bluntness, I really don't mean to be rude, especially to OP, who is constantly author of top quality posts, but I think QC standards bares no relevance in this discussion. People seem to like to compare cars to guitars, possibly because a lot of guitar players are into cars as well. Ferrari and other Italian car makers used to have terrible QC and attention to finishing details. Like buttons coming off or that would stop working in a very short period of time. That doesn't make it right for Audi or Porsche to release a identical car to a Ferrari, but with more attention to detail and better QC. I mean, I understand G&L and Music Man having a a Strat resembling guitar, and to be fair Music Man S-type guitar looks different to a regular Strat. For instance Novo guitar makes a very unique looking S-type guitar. Respect for them for being creative and trying to innovative. Fender released a two humbucker with LP controls on a Tele body and in the last few years they are trying to come up with new body shapes. Kudos to them. Now PRS is being copied too and I don't know how thrilled they are that companies are copying the original PRS design and selling the guitar at a price that undercuts their SE range and that are arguably better guitars than their own SEs. You can argue that their S2, CE and Core range are absolutely flawless, but their SE guitar, albeit amazing, are far from flawless. I've seen SE nuts so poorly slotted that they'd bind even 8 gauge strings. Trogly's reviews are awesome, but he scrutinizes Gibson to a level no guitar maker would pass. He puts a spotlight on the fretboard and zooms in on the fretboard to a point that is bigger than what you'd see with a naked eye looking close to the board. He then sometimes concludes there are tool markings that you cannot see without the zoom, his lighting or feel it in your hand. The lack of binding in the most popular PRS models renders them easier to finish. However, the binding on my 2017 Standard T is vastly superior to the binding on my PRS McCarty. It is more rounded and therefore more comfortable, despite my preference for the McCarty's neck profile. With that said, whether the QC of Gibson is good or not, I think to be irrelevant to whether they should or nor they should be copied. Like it or not they came up with those guitars. On the other hand, those shapes and features have been around since the 50s. Even if it is patented shape and set of features, patents are not perpetual. The economic principle behind patents is to protect developers in order to incentive innovation. Without intellectual property protections, businesses would have absolutely no incentive to innovate. Because if others firms would just be able to copy the intellectual development of the innovator without having to incur any of the irrecoverable research and development costs. A patent is then design to essentially give the patent holder a monopoly on their intellectual property for a period of time in order to make it worthwhile investing on innovation. I'm not a lawyer, but I suspect that even if there was a patent on, say, the LP body shape, the patent would have run its course and the body shape became common knowledge. Again, I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know if a body shape falls into trademark or a intellectual property patent. The other interesting thing about this video is the marketing implications, again not my field. I don't know how good of a business decision that was, as it can separate opinions. But again, that is way better than litigation without a warning. Besides, those things are stupid expensive, and I don't know if they can financially deal with litigation costs. They seem to be coming back to the top so they better know what they're doing. It would be a shame to see them in financial trouble again for poor business decisions.
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One thing I forgot to mention is regarding the nylon nut. The nylon nut on my R0, which was a 2016 model built in 2017, was very soft. I know this because I widened the slots ever so slightly on the high strings. The nylon on these new RIs feels different. I can't compare it with a real late 50s burst, because I never actually played one, but I read that the nylon used was a bit harder than the ones previously used in the RIs. Perhaps the new ones are using more period correct nylon. Personally, I don't really care about these things so log the guitar stays in tune. Both my former R0 and now my R9 stays in tune very well. Granted the I just got the R9, but I did play it for at least 6 plus hours. Three hours before pulling the trigger and three more hours after I arrived home with the new guitar. A friend that worked on the store told me they were getting one yesterday and asked if I wanted to unbox it. The guitar was shipped tuned down between a half and a whole step. I tuned the guitar once out of the box and didn't have to touch the tuners again, even after many whole and two step bends. Also this guitar is 8 lbs 11.5 oz of pure awesomeness. I took a scale with me and weighed the guitar at the store lol. I actually didn't want to like the guitar because I knew it meant sacrificing two of my guitars to get it, but as soon as I started playing, I felt like I'd been playing it for several years. I just bonded with it instantaneously. Additionally, I absolutely have a type, and that is Bourbon bursts, which the Southern Fade seems very close to. Two of the sacrifices are seen in the following picture (center, LP Standard HP Honeyburst. and far right, R0/G0 Dark Burst).
The Honeyburst was a bit easier to sacrifice. I loved its light weight (7 lbs 14 oz) and the fret access, but I wasn't too crazy about the wider fretboard. The R0 was a bit harder to part with. It is extremely smooth to play and sounds fantastic. The action is super low and not fret buzz either acoustically or plugged. However, as the years go by, the slimmer necks, which were my go to when I first started playing, started giving me hand cramps whenever I bend the strings a lot. I could still take it to jam sessions and band practices without any issues, but I'd feel it whenever I was practicing a particular solo over and over. I didn't have this issue when playing my Standard 50s or my PRS McCarty, which have almost exactly the same neck profile as my Standard 50s, or my PRS DC 594, which has noticeably an even chunkier neck. I haven't measured the neck depth of my R9, but I'll do it when I change the strings. However it feels very close, if not identical to my Standard 50s, which is the Goldilocks standard for me, not to fat nor too thin. I haven't played many of the previous R9 iterations to compare, but I've heard some of the vintage guitar dealers online claim that the original 1959 burst weren't as fat as the necks on the RIs. I've also heard Gibson Custom retails online think that the neck on the Standard 50's were thinner than what they were used to with previous iterations of R9s. Maybe, Gibson went with a thinner 1959 profile (late 59s). Regardless if the changed the profile or not, the neck carve is just perfect for my taste.
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My R0/G0 and my 2017 Standard HP in Honeyburst was sacrificed in the process. The R0 was amazing, but I felt the R9 neck profile vastly more comfortable for me.
My new R9 is the most comfortable and best sounding Les Paul I’ve ever played. I’m at work and can’t wait to get home to play it. I’m also really looking forward to taking it to my next band practice so I can play it again at band volumes. I’m going to polish the hardware to bring it back to a shine next time I change the strings then let it form the aged hardware patina naturally. The VOS finish is super comfortable to play even after my hands start getting sweaty. The guitar is absolutely flawless. I’ve played it through a cracked AC15 and a Hot Rod Deluxe so far. I can post more pictures with better lighting over the weekend if you guys want.
My only beef is the case. I hate it. I much prefer the less historically accurate case that came with my R0, which offered better protection and latch placement. However, I’m only one guy, and Gibson listened to what people wanted and gave them the more accurate and, in my opinion, inferior case. However the guitar itself is just the best guitar I ever played.
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I read someone say that SGs are quirky, but are phenomenal guitars. I tend to agree with it. It is neck heavy, so you'll need a strap that'll grip, like a leather strap. As a LP player, even though the scale lengths are the same, the neck feels farther away from your body. However, if you can live with these things or somewhat tame some of its quirks, it's just a surreal guitar. It is extremely versatile (I've seen Jazz players use them), it has all the fret access, sounds phenomenal (the thing can growl, yet retains clarity in a way that is unique to SGs), it is light as a feather, can take a proper beating, in summary it is just amazing. I don't like trems or FRs, so I can't help you there, but since I've got my first SG, I hope I'll always own one.
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Looks like a Les Paul Axcess Standard (http://legacy.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-Custom/Les-Paul-Axcess-Standard.aspx). Could also be a Modern Les Paul Axcess Standard Floyd Rose with the covered stock pickups swapped out (http://legacy.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2017/Custom/Modern-Les-Paul-Axcess-Standard-with-Floyd-Rose-Tr.aspx, see also spec sheet: https://images.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2017/Custom/Modern-LP-Axcess-Standard-FR/Press/Documents/ModernLPAxcessStandardFR-OneSheet.pdf).
Both are from Gibson Custom.
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Is that a Double Cut Les Paul Custom?