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Custom shop vs Murphy vs Reissue....very confusing.


rpavich

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I'm still doing research on my "retirement guitar" you know...the ONE guitar that I'm willing to spend waaaay too much on but will be the be-all-end-all of my guitar buying life.

I'm looking at Les Pauls and had decided on a Murphy Lab 59 or 60 though the neck of a 59 might be to big for my taste. I tend to like slimmer necks.

What IS confusing to me is the nomenclature; I've seen Murphy Lab, R9, R0, Custom Shop...

Is the custom shop just another name for murphy lab?

If I bought a custom shop R0 would it be "less quality" than a Murphy Lab 59?

I'm not sure of the differences and relationship between these entities...I just want a REALLY nice Les Paul... 🙂

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There are lots of truly amazing Guitars! IMO there is no end all Guitar.. Though, difficult as it may be for some of us who don’t live in big Cities or big Music Cities we need to travel & play as many Guitars as we need to until that magic one appears.. 

A Murphy is a finely crafted Instrument has been Relic’d to look like it’s been on the road & played for years…

Some of the Custom Shop Guitars arguably can be just as good but look brand new…

Good hunting..

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Posted (edited)

A Murph guitar is not another name for CS. It’s its own beast. I played one. It was amazing sounding, but the neck felt like garb. To reliced in that area. Your hand didn’t slide up and down with ease. It was rough and gunky feeling.

Oh, then there is the 8 to 10k price tag to contend with.

Edited by Sgt. Pepper
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Congrats on the retirement. [thumbup]
They are all likely to meet your wants and needs for the big guitar purchase. As I understand it the R8/9/0 ( for Reissue ‘58, ‘59, ‘60) out of the Custom Shop would represent those guitars as sold originally in their respective year built to a very high standard, whereas the Murphys would also be exceptionally well made only looking like they have had different degrees of wear and tear over the years.

you really cannot lose….and if you care about other people’s opinions on your choice, well they will just vary with each individual preference not with regard to quality, so if you find one you love you will be greatly rewarded. Have fun!

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1 hour ago, SteveFord said:

The magic lies in the artful application of a railroad spike to select areas of the tonewood.

Don’t forget putting in a freezer then into a hot sauna to crack the laquer.

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