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True Historic, Historic, R8,9,0


LPKEN

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Posted

So what is and isn't a historic model. I am completely confused. I have a R8 and R9. The 8 is a 2014 the 9 is a 2013. I have the understanding the the 2013 was the fist year that the historic was truly made as exacting to the original as could be done. Trus rod, analine dyes, Hyde Glue, long neck tenion, etc. now in 2015/16 we have a model called true historic and a model called cs8,9. The true historic models are priced way high and the lower models same as 13/14 models.

 

So what's up here?

Are my guitars now not true historic models.

 

Ken.

Posted

Explains some of the factors, involved. How much different, from your earlier R series, to warrant the price increases,

will be up to you. But, unless they're "hand made" to the same extent, they were in Kalamazoo, in the '50's, with the

same woods, etc., I'm not sure how "truly historic" they really can be? I was under the impression, that the CS R series

WERE "Historic," at least in construction, already. And, being as handmade as they were, back in the day, they all were

a bit unique/different, anyway. So, which exact "historic" Les Paul are they using, as their template? I can see them using

more "historic" plastic parts, and pickup covers, etc. But, if the R's weren't actually "historic," how could they call them

"Reissue's?"

 

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2015/Custom/True-Historic-1959-Les-Paul.aspx

 

Gibson's "Marketing," has always been a bit "fluid" in their claims, and descriptions. So...???

 

CB

Guest Farnsbarns
Posted

The reissues have evolved since 93 (by one definition, the start of the custom shop, then called custom art and historic). The terms historic Rx and reissue seem entirely interchangeable.

 

It is correct than one evolution, in 2013, was to remove the rubber sleeve from the truss rod and use hide glue on the neck and fretboard joints. Was this a quantum leap? Not in my opinion but it can only be considered good in terms of accuracy.

 

True Historic is really just a marketing line. They changed the plastic parts to be molecularly accurate? WTF?

 

Your guitars are true historics but not "True Historics". This years changes are no more a quantum leap than 2013's.

 

There will be more changes and more marketing and it will never end. Some people will keep buying more guitars if Gibson keeps changing the spec of a historic and releasing a "better" reproduction, so they do. Current owners, with our Historics and no great urge to "upgrade" to get more accurate molecular structures in plastic are not the intended audience.

 

Look up Historic Makeovers who can remove finish, neck and fretboard, fit a correct truss rod, reshape the neck to an accurate profile (read "accurate"), reset the neck, shimming where necessary to eliminate the voids it seems Gibson often leave (you can skip removing the neck with a 2013 for a discount), put a Brazilian rosewood board on it, fit accurate inlays, reglue everything with hide glue, recarve the top to a more accurate contour, replace all the binding with the correct material thickness and width, replace and relocate the logo to be more accurate, reprint the serial number in an accurate font, refinish with an accurate burst and correct nitro, use UV to bring the burst back to the fade required by the customer and create genuine weather checking (if required). This is a 6 month process.

 

About the same money as the difference in cost between one of your guitars and a "True Historic". What's more, their work is now so well known that the value is retained at resale.

 

Gil Yaron makes pup rings from the absolutely correct CAB plastic, moulded from an original m69, and sells them for a fraction of the cost difference of one of the True Historics.

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