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I have three Gibson Les Pauls: 1958 Reissue, 1959 Reissue and a 2010 Traditional. I'm gonna go ahead and just blab some random stuff about them.
Traditional:
This guitar's serial number falls on my birthday in 2010: September 23, 2010. I didn't know that until about three years after I bought it. I had already purchased a sunburst Traditional in 2009, and it was so good that I wanted another as a backup. This Ebony model was just as good so that's the one I settled on. I subsequently had to sell one of the two to fund another guitar, so seeing as I had slightly worn down the frets on the sunburst, that was the one I chose to let go of. If it's tone was a 10, this ebony one was a 9.5. They were that similar.
The quality of the LP Trad's I was trying around 2008-2011 was phenomenal - the best I'd ever seen from Gibson, and I've had/played a bunch of them spanning a few decades. They have solid bodies (no holes), 57 and 57 plus pickups, and very high frets (good). The weight of my guitar is 9.6 lbs. It was made nearly 5 months after the Gibson factory flood which [as I know] occurred on 5/3/10. The tone can only be described as "that famous Les Paul tone", as several other people have randomly commented to me. It's pretty amazing when multiple unrelated people make the same comment about your tone. This guitar, as well as the 2009 sunburst model I had, are absolutely flawless in every way imaginable. I removed the stock chrome pickup covers last winter. There was zero change in tone and I could take them or leave them, the looks of both are good to me.
Custom Shop 1959 Historic Reissue VOS
Bourbon Burst. Supposedly Gibson's legal term for the infamous 'Brockburst'. I finally decided I had to have one of these guitars. Born somewhere mid-way through 2013, it weighs 8.4 lbs and is f*cking ridiculous in the way it feels, plays, sounds and looks. They price is WAY more than they're worth, or maybe a better way to put it is I'm not worth the price. But who the hell rejects the opportunity to own an expensive sports car? Regardless, these guitars 'can be' amazing. I say they can be, because not every one of them lives up to their reputation. Players need to understand that Gibson Les Pauls are often judged by their looks more than their tone. It's just the way it's always been. A Strat's also an incredible guitar, but Gibson's Les Pauls are borderline legendary in the appearance category.
This LP has two Gibson Custom 'buckers. I have no clue about them, but man the guitar breathes. You can hear all the hollow, breathy, boxy notes and overtones associated with high quality vintage guitars, and the touch sensitivity and dynamics is unmatched. That goes equally for all three pickup selections. It seems so weird to me - I've played this sound (or maybe I've just heard it) somewhere before, though I swear I've never even seen an original 50's Les Paul in person. My first - and lasting - impression about this guitar is that it has a vocal quality, a sound and a dynamic that transcends it's build features. It's almost like when you pick it up and play it, it could be a total piece of crap in build quality, but you don't even think about it because you're too busy expressing your emotions through the thing. No other guitar that I recall has done that for me since I began playing in 1978. Bottom line is it truly is the best sounding LP I've ever owned, and mine isn't even the best example. It's a privilege and an honor to own it, but it's also the first guitar to go if you ever need money. Not a guitar for drug addicts.
Custom Shop 1958 Historic Reissue VOS
Sunrise Tea Burst, 2011. It's a plaintop for sure, though it's got some mild but large knotties that make it look 3D in certain lighting. Les Paul tops are all about the lighting, aren't they? I picked this puppy up used for a mere $2,300. The 19th fret had been whacked, which I didn't notice at the time of purchase, so I got a complete expert grind and polish for free (awesome store). This guitar plays like a dream, glows under the right lighting and sounds like an army. Its Burst Bucker set (I don't know which) lend themselves to a very loud pick attack. This one's neck pickup has a muddier low end than the R9, but the bridge pickup is a bit more solid in comparison.
Ending Statements
I'm not bragging, just hoping to share a little bit of my fun with anyone who might appreciate a few words on the topic. I've worked hard and have come a long way since I was 22 to own guitars of this caliber. Bottom line is it's so amazing when you have a couple/few guitars that inspire you. I consider myself fortunate.
Traditional:
The quality of the LP Trad's I was trying around 2008-2011 was phenomenal - the best I'd ever seen from Gibson, and I've had/played a bunch of them spanning a few decades. They have solid bodies (no holes), 57 and 57 plus pickups, and very high frets (good). The weight of my guitar is 9.6 lbs. It was made nearly 5 months after the Gibson factory flood which [as I know] occurred on 5/3/10. The tone can only be described as "that famous Les Paul tone", as several other people have randomly commented to me. It's pretty amazing when multiple unrelated people make the same comment about your tone. This guitar, as well as the 2009 sunburst model I had, are absolutely flawless in every way imaginable. I removed the stock chrome pickup covers last winter. There was zero change in tone and I could take them or leave them, the looks of both are good to me.
Custom Shop 1959 Historic Reissue VOS
This LP has two Gibson Custom 'buckers. I have no clue about them, but man the guitar breathes. You can hear all the hollow, breathy, boxy notes and overtones associated with high quality vintage guitars, and the touch sensitivity and dynamics is unmatched. That goes equally for all three pickup selections. It seems so weird to me - I've played this sound (or maybe I've just heard it) somewhere before, though I swear I've never even seen an original 50's Les Paul in person. My first - and lasting - impression about this guitar is that it has a vocal quality, a sound and a dynamic that transcends it's build features. It's almost like when you pick it up and play it, it could be a total piece of crap in build quality, but you don't even think about it because you're too busy expressing your emotions through the thing. No other guitar that I recall has done that for me since I began playing in 1978. Bottom line is it truly is the best sounding LP I've ever owned, and mine isn't even the best example. It's a privilege and an honor to own it, but it's also the first guitar to go if you ever need money. Not a guitar for drug addicts.
Custom Shop 1958 Historic Reissue VOS
Ending Statements
I'm not bragging, just hoping to share a little bit of my fun with anyone who might appreciate a few words on the topic. I've worked hard and have come a long way since I was 22 to own guitars of this caliber. Bottom line is it's so amazing when you have a couple/few guitars that inspire you. I consider myself fortunate.
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