@@danbgone5032 That's not how wood is. You put 3 or 4 pieces of wood together and the result is uncertain. Not all 59 bursts were fantastic. Not all Fender Custom Shops are the same. There's spot on and then there's the top 10%. In my experience, nowadays 10% of Custom Shop guitars aren't great, 80% are spot on and 10% are the best instruments you can buy.
@@DRIIC-qw8us They uniform dry and check the moister pretty accurately and more very close so no there is not always big differences in wood if it is the custom shop unless spec'd out by a customer.
@@lfscrazy yep, back killers for me now if not weight relieved. So glad they have that now! Although mine are the same thickness. Do not want a thinner body myself.
i hate to admit it... CS Gibson's are far better than any "standard" release Gibson..... but the only part i have an issue with is the ridiculous CS price points...
How they are far better if they feel and sound pretty much the same? I mean, if there's a difference then it's technical(which there is) and pretty minor. (of course in compare to the new Standard line)
Well you have to take into account that handcraft labour is way more expensive nowadays than it was in 1959. Add that to roughly 3k$ which would be the original price + inflation with a bit of price increase due to branding pedigree and demand and there you have your kinda fair price.
@@ToniLivo Well I can understand why you think that - the finish is a bit different(a bit thicker) and I think a bit the shaving of the curves of the top. oh and CS LPs have long tennon(not sure what difference it makes if it does). But except these, which are pretty as minor exceptions, they are technically the same
@@kfoxin3545 There are way many more relevant features that affect a lot of the resulting ringing and resonance of the instrument like what you said of newer gibsons having a thicker finish. The most important is the wood they choose which is waaaay lighter and resonant (I have a 2016 lp traditional and a 2020 r8 and the r8 having a thicker neck and no weight relief, as oposed to the 2016 trad, it weighs almost 1KG less, and as you can figure these woods are hard to come by), also the hardware is light nickel which makes a huge difference in sustain (since it is lighter absorbs less vibrations of the strings), the body is one piece, the pickus are amazing, the long neck tenon as you said does make a difference (just like having a bolt on or glued neck, not having a long neck tenon would make the guitar more similar to a bolt on, having a snappier tone). Those plus the nicer electronics you get are the things I can think right now that affect tone in a noticeable way and then you have cosmetic and geek friendly "improvements" like the nice historic plastics, exact positioning of the logos, period correct pegs and profile of the neck and top carve, the nicer case, the inlays made of the same material they used to in the 50s and in the same shape, etc. Add some more attention to construction and detail and you have your CS value right there.
Nice to have a review between the 58 and new standard 50. I do here a big difference for me. The 58 have more clarity, warmer mids and it seems right from the beginning when you hit the notes, strumming and play with some distortion to have better attack and more tight, also seems like the 58 wants to fall into a singing stage. Hard to explain what I mean hehe, singing stage :P. But it seems to deliver a natural tone without forcing the notes, it just sings :). I also find the 58 to have a more woody tone than the 50’s. But the 50’s standard you demo is actually one of the best 50’s standard I heard so far. I’ve heard many that have spiky high tone/note, thin and almost like a blanket is covered the guitar, simply put not as opened. Good comparison!
I think you're trying to say the notes bloom as they sustain lol mostly electronics Potted vs unpotted pick ups I have a 2019 50's Standard and it's great,great weight,Nice wide flame Wouldn't change a thing except MAYBE the pups Not a 2 to 4K difference Hardly heard a difference except on the cleans 58 a bit sweeter
Have a 2007 R8 and a 2020 LP 50’s Std. This is a great comparison as it compares two very similar guitars. The R8 definitely has something magical going on. The R8 pickups (least in my 2007) are so much better than the 2020 Std. pickups. The R8 is just so enjoyable to play. Hard to describe the difference in price until you play them & realize ..wow.. they may be similar in looks & spec but miles apart in feel/tone.
I am lucky enough to have an epiphone 1959 and an r8. The epi is good but when i play the r8 its just a whole different level. Is the r8 worth 5 times the price of the epi. Hell yes.
I just purchased a 2023 1959 custom shop VOS les Paul, and it’s a completely different machine from any of my standard USA les Paul models. The wood is old stock Gibson mahogany slabs, used in the 50’s and that alone is worth the price. And the sustain of a 100 year old slab of mahogany opposite a 50 year old slab is all the difference. They are worth the money if you can afford one I say go for it while the wood stock last.
😂 Who told you it's the old wood that they used in the 50's? That is absolutely not true! Yes they do use a better grade mahogany snd maple on the custom shop guitars but it is NOT stock leftover from the 50's'!!! 🤣 Do you know how many guitars Gibson has made since the 50's till now? That old wood stock was long gone before the norlin era.
@@Murphy_R9 look it up, where do you think they get woods that have been banned from import? And yes I know they have wood reserves, how do I know, I have 3 family members who work for them one has been with them for 36 years now…. And one in the Murphy Lab… where did your information come from?
@@joebolick112 Gibson has a reputation for being very untrustworthy in what they say so i would not believe anything told by them unless i was there to see it myself. The brazilian rosewood in reserve is no secret but the mahogany and maple is not old stock(from the 50's) on the Custom shop guitars. There is no way they could have had enough mahogany and maple in reserve to make all the custom shop historic's from 1993 until present day.
@@Murphy_R9 Ok man, and by the way, apparently you missed the part where I mentioned my family works there… also, South American Rosewood Species were legal until 1967, so it was purchased until then. Not to mention, all consumer businesses of these woods were notified by the US trade commission 18 months in advance. I know this because my family is in the custom furniture building business. Also, South American and African Mahogany species were legal imports until 1973 and Peruvian Mahogany was deemed NES (near Extinction Species) in 2003, and now no species of Peruvian Mahogany can be harvested or exported. So, a little Gibson Fact, this is the reason for the “Sandwich body” Les Paul until the 1979. The company was hanging on to their reserves. So, ok man… ok…
@@joebolick112 Ok great then my 2023 Murphy Lab heavy aged R9 has Mahogany and maple from the 50's.👍 Just for the record i wont be going around telling anyone that though, it will just be our little secret!
Custombuckers are much closer in tone to vintage pafs than Burstbuckers are. Burstbuckers are great in their own right and they have plenty of vintage paf DNA but the custombuckers have more of that muscled up P90/tele pickup on steroids tone that made the best examples of pafs sound so great. To me the burstbuckers are like more of a cross between a modern humbucker and a vintage one which is why I like them . I think I really does come down to the pickups I will know soon enough when I get my 58 reissue.
I think the custom buckers are unpotted....seems to give a more open tone I'm looking at the cheaper model myself and will probably (or not) upgrade the pups to a serious PAF clone I've always been a firm believer that pick-ups and amps the biggest tone factor's in electric guitars
@@paulcowart3174 the reissue pickups are always unpotted whether custombucker or burstbucker, it is the burstbucker in the Gibson USA range that are potted, likely since there would be a lot of complaints about feedback and squealing from people trying to play metal from on a Les Paul standard. People who buy the reissues tend have a better idea of what they are in for when it comes to pickup potting since they are going for the most vintage accurate guitar they can find
Both sound incredible. I do like the tinge increase in clarity of the r8, but the differences are not significant. I love the standard 50s-great sounding humbuckers.
It's probably worth noting that the most recent revamp of the standard line brought back many of the traditional features that had been the province of the higher end models. There's probably less difference between these models now than there has been in quite some time.
Two piece body, embarrassingly bad attention to detail (tooling marks all over the fretboard, poorly scraped binding with inconsistent thickness) and most of them are boat anchors.
Honestly, CS guitars are more expensive due to the labor involved on each guitar (see the factory tours so you can see what I mean). Tonewise, both sound good and the only difference here are the pickups, long neck tenons, different lacquer/color preparation. I would choose the 50s USA model over the 58 because I can't justify the $3000 difference.
You can take or leave this but according to a guy that worked at Gibson in 2020 he told me the differences were the Custom shop has a long neck tenon, has the unpotted CB's, true 50's wiring and here is one of the main reasons they sound different unplugged the Custom shop uses the true ABR-1 mounting post's that go right into the guitar body whereas the Standard has a ABR-1 bridge BUT uses Nashville style mounting bushing. this makes a pretty big difference in the guitar's natural tone. and for a smaller detail the Custom shop kluson tuners have the old style push in tuner bushing while 50's standards have the screw on type. There you have it and the choice is yours. do those things add up to a extra $3K?
@@Solidsaw I do want to say they ARE really great guitars but once you seen how they make them in both the Custom shop and the main building and know what the differences are between them it comes down to Gibson totally scalping us consumers on the cost! I blame the suits is charge of pricing the product not the guys that make the guitars.
I finally tried the Standard 50s, r8 and r9 back to back and heres my takeaway: the standard 50s are great. The reissues are better for sure though. The standard digs into you and is heavier by far (i estimated 9.5-10 pounds) while both reissues are approx 8.5 pounds. I liked the r9’s neck the most, and did love the r8’s neck profile as well, as much as the r8 have the reputation for chunky necks, I found the standard 50’s neck to be even rounder and bulkier than the r8, not sure if I love it, but its definitely playable and suitable for a les paul. The sound: i strummed them all back to back, and its quite clear that the custom shops have a clarity and girth to the sound the burstbuckers (and the wiring probably) simply cannot match. However, the standard 50s held its own and sounded great on its own merit! I wouldnt say that the r9 and r8 are worth twice its price. Finally, feel of the neck, when playing, I would say the custom shop reissues are definitely better, but not by the leaps and bounds some others on forums would have you believe. The standard 50 has a very smooth feeling neck and fingerboard. Overall, Id personally much prefer the custom shops because of the neck profile, and weight, but the standard, although heavy, is a hell of a guitar, one that can hold its own with the best of em, especially considering how much less it costs and if you make upgrades over time such as pickups, wiring, etc. Im sure it can also be a lifetime guitar as well
Custom shops expensive, but even a retail worker like myself bought one last year. Once you own one you know its worth the hard work. Getting a made to measure ultra light murphy lab this year green lemon fade. The custom shops behind so it be a year before it comes. Cant wait.
I have an ultra lite ages Murphy Lab 59 and it''s the best guitar I've owned (also have a 58 reissue which is an amazing guitar). I've owned a lot of LPs over the years (still something special about my 2009 Std!) but have to admit that the custom shop versions are so much nicer, in general.
The reason is that with overdrive (dirty sound) it is difficult to distinguish between similar Gibson Les Paul guitars, certainly for me and for a few others I have spoken to. Certainly not enough to justify the (sometimes high) difference in price. Just my opinion.
I’ve played many Gibsons over the years and I own a heritage h- 150. But I just recently was able to buy a 2019 58 vos and man it’s unlike anything I knew even existed. From the playability to the looks ti the electronics. Just can’t imagine it getting any better.
I have yet to play a Custom Shop, but I'd like to. I have two Standard '50's, and love them both. I can hear the difference, but is it worth an extra 2-3k? Ehhhh....
All the original series Standards in 2019- going forward have one piece mahogany bodies with no weight relief. You are not going to notice any difference in the glue.
Thank you for the kind words! Ironically, this 58 Custom Shop just came back to the shop and is now a used guitar. Great guitar for a fraction of the original price. It will be a great deal for someone.
I have a '60s standard and a '59 VOS reissue and there is a noticeable difference in playability and quality of tone. I definitely prefer the Custom Shop Les Paul but I can't say it's "twice as good" because the '60s standard is an awesome guitar in its own right. I love them both.
I've tried the latest les Paul 50s and it was very much like the traditional I had from 2016 , just the neck felt bigger. I've tried a few custom shop numbers and by and large , they have felt better. Whether they're twice the price better is another thing. Up to you at the end of day . Still gassing for one though
A better comparison would be the 50's standard vs custom shop '59 VOS. Main differences being short neck tenon vs long , finish, unpotted vs potted pickups, and in some cases, weight (you can find sub 9 pound custom shop guitars regularly with a top to your liking but would be hard pressed to find standards below 9 pounds with a top you prefer) and of course price.
I have a 60's that fits me like a glove. Im thinking about an R8 myself. My only concern is : Will the neck be to big for me? I cannot try one so im asking your op. I will be buying online sight unseen if /when i decide. TIA🙏🙏
Hi, thanks for nice review 🙂 I have a Standard 50s in heritage cherry finish. I wonder what's the overall quality of a CS compared to Standards (frets, binding, fretboard wood, truss-rod adjustment, maple cap flame, etc.)? Is finish on CS or Reissues really that different from 2020s Standards? I know they're less glossy and more vintage'y in appereance (and also have different dyes). Did you also found difference while playing unplugged? Which one felt more resonant?
The custom shop definitely felt more resonant when unplugged! The Nitro finish on the custom shop also has a much different feel to the touch as well than the standard glossy finish. The fit and finish of all the hardware compared to the Standards is all top quality, lightly relic'd for the NOS finish, and fit snugly and tight. You can't go wrong with a CS Gibson! -Noah
Standard: some have a two piece body glued together. Custom: all have a one piece body. / Standard: modern wood glue. Custom: hide glue. / Standard: Truss Rod surrounded by a Tube that impacts neck resonance. Custom: no tube surrounds the Truss Rod and more care is taken with Truss Rod cavity during production. / Standard: Lower quality and heavier weight wood used. Custom: higher quality and lower weight wood. / Different receipe mixture used for the nitrocellulose finish on Standard and Custom. / Standard: Short tenon set neck joint. Custom: long tenon set neck joint leading to better sustain. / Standard: Burstbucker pickups. Custom: Custombucker lower output unpotted pickups with more open sound. / Standard: the bridge adjustment screw goes into a metal post. Custom: bridge adjustment screw is screwed directly into the wood having a positive affect on the vibration of the saddles. / Standard: earlier models used basic metals for bridge and tailpiece. Custom: aluminium used for bridge and tailpiece. / Standard: orange drop capacitors. Custom: paper oil bumblebee capacitors allow more variety option in the tone knobs. So there are real differences between the Standard and the Custom and many reasons why the Customs sound and feel better than the Standards. This does not prove that the Customs are necessarily worth twice as much, nor that the Standard is in any way a bad guitar - but the Standard is understandably manufactured with compromises to hit a price point (which is fair enough as it allows Gibson to offer good guitars a prices more affordable). The Customs are undeniably superior guitars.
I have a Std from 1995 and an R8 Historic VOS from 2018. How different they "sound" is not the big issue, as a great deal has to do with pickups, which can be changed. BTW, Custombuckers are unpotted, microphonic, which contributes the overall openness of the tone. To me, the difference lies in many small things, adding up to make the CS much better than the Std (at least mine and those I have tried so far) If I had to pick one major difference, it would be the sustain. The CS is lighter (and even 1 pound, you and your shoulders feel it), more resonant (you feel it vibrate against your body) and it sustains for days. Standards have dropped in price, and in the past there would not be a 1 to 2 price difference between a Std and an R8. But I wouldn't buy a "Fancy Murphy Whatever R9" because their price is ridiculous
Yes well said....I'm getting the 2400 dollar model and will at some point put some better pups in it Pick ups and amplification are the main ingredient in electric tone not hide glue and whatnot Acoustic guitars a different story all together
@@paulcowart3174 Here at the shop have done loads of upgrades on the Standard models just like you are attempting. We found that the Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups work very well in achieving that Custom Shop vibe at a fraction of the cost. Play On!
@@Theupperbout Good to know about the SD's Seeing how I don't use too much gain Fair to say a good set of unpotted would be about all I really need w my 2019 HCS Standard Perfect weight 8.4 lbs super pleasantly surprised about that Nice wide subtle flame Fit and finish really good Only complaint is the input jack plate plastic is very fragile Screw holes crack very easy Got lucky in mine
Nice comparison! A couple things that might be reasons for the differences in tone. The R8's narrow frets (specific to 1958 and earlier LP's) should make the tone more woody-sounding compared to the 50's LP's medium jumbo frets which should sound more metallic. Also and more importantly, is that the R8's Custombuckers are unpotted pickups which are more sensitive to pick attack than potted pickups, slightly brighter and produce more over- and undertones which I think can be heard when you're comparing the 2 guitars. They both sound great...close, but different. Keep in mind too that the Custom Shop guitars offer premium select wood and more handmade attention and finishing which drives the price up. It's my opinion that once you get used to playing Custom Shop guitars, who can't go back.
Yep, everything you said is true. People often underestimate the detail requirements for such a guitar. The Custom Shop generally plays better than the production unit. Just my opinion. Thank you for your insight.
I'm about to try one out . Ex demo, so got a few £ off . Still an expensive guitar though . I've tried a couple of the new 50s numbers,and, though good , they were no better than my previous LP Traditional. Is it all smoke n mirrors ? We'll see.
I still prefer the Standard 50's on this one. Both sound and aesthetics. Then again I'm not a huge fan of the PAF sound as i prefer the modern humbucker much more. Ceramic specifically which neither have.
They're both great, but the Custom Shop has a subtly bigger sound. Can't really put it into words, but it seems to get more energy out of whatever you play on it. The price point(sadly!) puts it beyond the reach of most musicians who need to earn from gigging, so I'm sure the majority of Custom Shop instruments go to that class of musicians known as "The Blues Dentist", and probably won't see very much stage time. All that said, the Standard '50's and '60s Lesters do just fine. My 2019 Standard '60s is the best Les Paul of the 5 I've owned and I'm glad I pulled the trigger!
Nice job Ben, I bought the 2020 standard 50s about a year ago from a second owner who hadn’t played it as he doesn’t like tobacco burst. I got for a decent discount of the original asking price of 2499$, I think. I paid 2000 and an hour drive to pick it up. I love it, but it doesn’t get as much play as my 1986 custom however. But it’s a good one.
I think I don’t like the tobacco burst color. If you have a similar 50s standard in heritage cherry I would trade you. I would even trade my 86 white custom for a heritage cherry, non weight relived. It’s about 11 pounds, but Nicky taken care of.
I have a hard time justifying guitar prices, this instance is no different, both sound great. The difference between the feel of a gibson and epiphone is definitely significant though. I've never tried a custom reissue, hopefully one day though.
With the reissues you are getting pretty much as close to the P.A.F tone with the custom bucker pickups as you can get. You can really tell on the clean tones that the Custom buckers are lot more quacky and snappy. Obviously, justifying prices is a personal preference, but from someone who owns an R8 and a 50s Standard, the difference in person is very noticeable. Hopefully you'll get to try one some day man.
The CS sounds loose and free. The price for the custom shop is exorbitant. If you priced out a Les Paul in 1959 it would cost less than $300, or $2730.69 in today's dollars.
I know, it's crazy. Fender offers affordable options for 50s/60s spec'd Strats/Teles if you can't afford their custom shop guitars but when it comes to Gibson, forget it.
I’m not sure but I think the Gibson USAs pickups are potted. You will get more of a squeal out of the CS Les Paul. I could be wrong though. I have a 58 CS Lester and had a 2019 USA Lester and I can tell you the CS is worth every penny(and it’s lots of pennies)😄
A guitar is like a hit or miss. You get extremely good guitars and poorly made ones from the same company. Two factors in my opinion are considered... assembly quality and pickup quality. I had 3 '58 Custom Shops and my favorite was the earlier ones 2016 up to 2019.
My 2019 HCS Standard weighed in at 8.4 lbs which was the deciding factor for me I haven't seen anything quite that light with 50's 60's but maybe some of the CS but some CS model's weren't that light either Only thing I might change is the pick ups So was hoping you would touch on the pick up specs more...potted un potted Deep dive on the HB specs Trying to decide if it's worth the trouble to replace Everything else is close to perfect Weight..nice wide subtle flame I don't care for the eye popping thin chevrons Not true to the original look IMO Good stuff
@@stevevallance6326 yeah when I saw the weight it was the clincher for Most I had seen were well over 9 lbs even CS were up there I paid almost new price 22 hundred cause it was lighter than most
Interesting, thanks for this. I think the comparison benefits from having a particularly good sounding 50s Standard here although it is still the lesser guitar in terms of frequency range.
Yeah - not happy with the change to smaller frets Gibson is using over the past couple of years. I've had to include the price of a refret when deciding to buy one or not.
Here's the deal- The Difference is the Pickup's are a bit better sounding-more clarity n close too the PAF's but the Standard is alright. But is it worth the Extra $2500- No fuckin way- Because I'd rather have sum 490r/ n 498t's instead. And what are you really getting? "HYPE!
The standards are great but man do the custom shop LP’s truly beat the crap out of the production line Gibson USA models. Long neck tenon, true ABR-1 and even the plastics look better and they clearly keep it like that to charge the price for a true historic Les Paul.
I personally think that the bushings and posts are a better idea: Less likely to suffer bridge collapse. Plastics mean literally nothing and butyrate smells like vomit. Long neck tenon is nice, but not absolutely crucial to the tone. I feel like most of this is just buzzwords.
People fail to account that in the 50s all Les Paul's were off the shelf standards and theoretically all created equal. It baffels me how someone say man im buying this 35k dollar les Paul so i can sound just like clapton in the 60s. Not understanding that claptons guitars were brand new in the 60s not 75 year old vintage models. My advice is buy a standard save some money and sound like you, because your never going to be them. There are situations where you are trying to sound like a vintage instrument of the old days with the equipment of today and thats fine if its worth the premium to you then go for it. But dont think your going to buy a 10k dollar murphy lab Les Paul and sound like ohh clapton on guitar gently weeps because his 59 lp was still practicly new then..
No it does not equal twice as nice . I have a 2019 50s standard with a Duncan whole lotta humbucker bridge and a seth lover neck and it's one of the best sounding les Paul's I have tried over the last 25 years . Dont get me wrong the custom shop reissues are extremely nice guitars and in some cases they are better and in some cases they are not . I would love to hear a 50s standard vs the custom shop with the same pickups in both to see how much difference their truly is . I have a 2009 traditional with a set of custombuckers the previous owner installed and it sounds great but tone wise while it sounds different the 50s standard with duncans sounds just as good and maybe even a touch better than the traditional with custombuckers . Both are fantastic sounding guitars.
I ran into some luck. It's called a job. Then covid happened. When you can't spend your money, and later Guitar Center re-opens, you turn a little stupid. I'm facing facts here. We're paying for a name. There's status involved. We're also possibly going to die one day. As a guitar player, I'm not leaving this planet without a Gibson Les Paul. Yes. I'm sold that hard because they're originally from Michigan, and so am I. It's like telling that guy from Detroit that he can't have a Mustang. Some people don't like them. But then again, some people can't listen to Black Sabbath or join the Marines. I have mine. I love mine, *Don't touch mine.* You go and play your toothpick of a Telecaster. I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone. Deal? 😊
Sorry, but it sounds like you guys are (naturally) biased. I mean, there’s no way a $5000 guitar is that much better than a $2800 one-it’s just not possible. Sure, maybe the folks at Gibson put a little extra care into them, and there might be more handcrafting, but wood doesn’t make that big a difference. Sorry, guys.
I own a guitar shop so "natural bias" might actually be a thing. With that being said, the Custom Shop guitars are significantly better guitars across the board. Do I believe they are worth double the price? Not so much! Thank you for the feedback.
STUPID concept. Of course it's not twice as nice. But it does cost twice as much (more or less) to build and twice as much to buy. If you don't think it's worth it then it's your choice. I do appreciate the straight up comparison, though.
If you play a good example of a Custom Shop version you'll suddenly understand. Just 1 strum will be enough.
If it’s from the custom shop, I shouldn’t need to look for said example. For the price Gibson demands,‘they all better be spot on.
@@danbgone5032 That's not how wood is. You put 3 or 4 pieces of wood together and the result is uncertain. Not all 59 bursts were fantastic. Not all Fender Custom Shops are the same.
There's spot on and then there's the top 10%. In my experience, nowadays 10% of Custom Shop guitars aren't great, 80% are spot on and 10% are the best instruments you can buy.
@@DRIIC-qw8us They uniform dry and check the moister pretty accurately and more very close so no there is not always big differences in wood if it is the custom shop unless spec'd out by a customer.
@@samiam9059 Custom Shop Les Pauls vary in weight by over 1.5lb. That large variation has a big effect on the tone/resonant frequency of the guitar.
@@lfscrazy yep, back killers for me now if not weight relieved. So glad they have that now! Although mine are the same thickness. Do not want a thinner body myself.
i hate to admit it... CS Gibson's are far better than any "standard" release Gibson..... but the only part i have an issue with is the ridiculous CS price points...
How they are far better if they feel and sound pretty much the same?
I mean, if there's a difference then it's technical(which there is) and pretty minor.
(of course in compare to the new Standard line)
@@kfoxin3545 to me newer 50s standard feel like toys side by side with post 2018 cs reissues
Well you have to take into account that handcraft labour is way more expensive nowadays than it was in 1959. Add that to roughly 3k$ which would be the original price + inflation with a bit of price increase due to branding pedigree and demand and there you have your kinda fair price.
@@ToniLivo Well I can understand why you think that - the finish is a bit different(a bit thicker) and I think a bit the shaving of the curves of the top. oh and CS LPs have long tennon(not sure what difference it makes if it does). But except these, which are pretty as minor exceptions, they are technically the same
@@kfoxin3545 There are way many more relevant features that affect a lot of the resulting ringing and resonance of the instrument like what you said of newer gibsons having a thicker finish. The most important is the wood they choose which is waaaay lighter and resonant (I have a 2016 lp traditional and a 2020 r8 and the r8 having a thicker neck and no weight relief, as oposed to the 2016 trad, it weighs almost 1KG less, and as you can figure these woods are hard to come by), also the hardware is light nickel which makes a huge difference in sustain (since it is lighter absorbs less vibrations of the strings), the body is one piece, the pickus are amazing, the long neck tenon as you said does make a difference (just like having a bolt on or glued neck, not having a long neck tenon would make the guitar more similar to a bolt on, having a snappier tone). Those plus the nicer electronics you get are the things I can think right now that affect tone in a noticeable way and then you have cosmetic and geek friendly "improvements" like the nice historic plastics, exact positioning of the logos, period correct pegs and profile of the neck and top carve, the nicer case, the inlays made of the same material they used to in the 50s and in the same shape, etc.
Add some more attention to construction and detail and you have your CS value right there.
Nice to have a review between the 58 and new standard 50.
I do here a big difference for me. The 58 have more clarity, warmer mids and it seems right from the beginning when you hit the notes, strumming and play with some distortion to have better attack and more tight, also seems like the 58 wants to fall into a singing stage. Hard to explain what I mean hehe, singing stage :P. But it seems to deliver a natural tone without forcing the notes, it just sings :). I also find the 58 to have a more woody tone than the 50’s. But the 50’s standard you demo is actually one of the best 50’s standard I heard so far. I’ve heard many that have spiky high tone/note, thin and almost like a blanket is covered the guitar, simply put not as opened.
Good comparison!
Thank you!
I think you're trying to say the notes bloom as they sustain lol mostly electronics Potted vs unpotted pick ups I have a 2019 50's Standard and it's great,great weight,Nice wide flame Wouldn't change a thing except MAYBE the pups Not a 2 to 4K difference Hardly heard a difference except on the cleans 58 a bit sweeter
Have a 2007 R8 and a 2020 LP 50’s Std.
This is a great comparison as it compares two very similar guitars. The R8 definitely has something magical going on. The R8 pickups (least in my 2007) are so much better than the 2020 Std. pickups. The R8 is just so enjoyable to play. Hard to describe the difference in price until you play them & realize ..wow.. they may be similar in looks & spec but miles apart in feel/tone.
This! Played an R8 for the first time a few days ago and man it was magic. Unreal sustain and the neck was amazing. 👌
Yes looking to replace the Burst Buckers so trying to spec out the differences of the CS pup's to decide how to proceed
Hey man i got a 50s standard lp also and want a new R8 model. Is the neck much thicker than the 50s standard? Thanks🤘🤘
I am lucky enough to have an epiphone 1959 and an r8. The epi is good but when i play the r8 its just a whole different level. Is the r8 worth 5 times the price of the epi. Hell yes.
The 2007 58 and the 2020 LP 50’s have exactly the same pickups man. Burstbuckers on both guitars. So what you are hearing is the wood😬
I just purchased a 2023 1959 custom shop VOS les Paul, and it’s a completely different machine from any of my standard USA les Paul models. The wood is old stock Gibson mahogany slabs, used in the 50’s and that alone is worth the price. And the sustain of a 100 year old slab of mahogany opposite a 50 year old slab is all the difference. They are worth the money if you can afford one I say go for it while the wood stock last.
😂 Who told you it's the old wood that they used in the 50's? That is absolutely not true! Yes they do use a better grade mahogany snd maple on the custom shop guitars but it is NOT stock leftover from the 50's'!!! 🤣 Do you know how many guitars Gibson has made since the 50's till now? That old wood stock was long gone before the norlin era.
@@Murphy_R9 look it up, where do you think they get woods that have been banned from import? And yes I know they have wood reserves, how do I know, I have 3 family members who work for them one has been with them for 36 years now…. And one in the Murphy Lab… where did your information come from?
@@joebolick112 Gibson has a reputation for being very untrustworthy in what they say so i would not believe anything
told by them unless i was there to see it myself. The brazilian rosewood in reserve is no secret but the mahogany
and maple is not old stock(from the 50's) on the Custom shop guitars. There is no way they could have had enough mahogany and maple in reserve to make all the custom shop historic's from 1993 until present day.
@@Murphy_R9 Ok man, and by the way, apparently you missed the part where I mentioned my family works there… also, South American Rosewood Species were legal until 1967, so it was purchased until then. Not to mention, all consumer businesses of these woods were notified by the US trade commission 18 months in advance. I know this because my family is in the custom furniture building business. Also, South American and African Mahogany species were legal imports until 1973 and Peruvian Mahogany was deemed NES (near Extinction Species) in 2003, and now no species of Peruvian Mahogany can be harvested or exported. So, a little Gibson Fact, this is the reason for the “Sandwich body” Les Paul until the 1979. The company was hanging on to their reserves. So, ok man… ok…
@@joebolick112 Ok great then my 2023 Murphy Lab heavy aged R9 has Mahogany and maple from the 50's.👍 Just for the record i wont be going around telling anyone that though, it will just be our little secret!
Custombuckers are much closer in tone to vintage pafs than Burstbuckers are. Burstbuckers are great in their own right and they have plenty of vintage paf DNA but the custombuckers have more of that muscled up P90/tele pickup on steroids tone that made the best examples of pafs sound so great. To me the burstbuckers are like more of a cross between a modern humbucker and a vintage one which is why I like them . I think I really does come down to the pickups I will know soon enough when I get my 58 reissue.
I think the custom buckers are unpotted....seems to give a more open tone I'm looking at the cheaper model myself and will probably (or not) upgrade the pups to a serious PAF clone I've always been a firm believer that pick-ups and amps the biggest tone factor's in electric guitars
@@paulcowart3174 the reissue pickups are always unpotted whether custombucker or burstbucker, it is the burstbucker in the Gibson USA range that are potted, likely since there would be a lot of complaints about feedback and squealing from people trying to play metal from on a Les Paul standard. People who buy the reissues tend have a better idea of what they are in for when it comes to pickup potting since they are going for the most vintage accurate guitar they can find
@@andrewgarcia3136 Thanks but just to clarify that are the BB's in my 2019 50's HCSB potted being a standard line then ?
True but why not buy the Standard n throw in the Pickup's after. You would have 2 grand too blow on WEED!
Both sound incredible. I do like the tinge increase in clarity of the r8, but the differences are not significant. I love the standard 50s-great sounding humbuckers.
I've owned many les Paul's. I have a historic lemon burst r9 now best les I've ever had, the resonance is off the charts.
It's probably worth noting that the most recent revamp of the standard line brought back many of the traditional features that had been the province of the higher end models. There's probably less difference between these models now than there has been in quite some time.
The standard production line is now as close as they come to the original run of standards since Gibson brought the Les Paul back in '68
Two piece body, embarrassingly bad attention to detail (tooling marks all over the fretboard, poorly scraped binding with inconsistent thickness) and most of them are boat anchors.
Of those, only one is a quality issue. Weight and construction are just features of this model of guitar.
I've owned 3 custom shops. If I can save someone a few bucks a standard or classic will give you what you ultimately need.
Honestly, CS guitars are more expensive due to the labor involved on each guitar (see the factory tours so you can see what I mean). Tonewise, both sound good and the only difference here are the pickups, long neck tenons, different lacquer/color preparation. I would choose the 50s USA model over the 58 because I can't justify the $3000 difference.
I have a 50s standard and recently switched the pickups to custombuckers and it has a lot more clarity like the 58 in this video and sounds amazing
Custombuckers are amazing.
I have a 2022 Les Paul 50's Standard. The guitar had Lollar Imperial Low Wind pickups when I bought it used. Awesome.
I thought the cheaper one sounded WAY more mature. Loved it.
Love mine plus it's nice and light 8.4 lbs
You can take or leave this but according to a guy that worked at Gibson in 2020 he told me the differences were the
Custom shop has a long neck tenon, has the unpotted CB's, true 50's wiring and here is one of the main reasons they sound
different unplugged the Custom shop uses the true ABR-1 mounting post's that go right into the guitar body whereas
the Standard has a ABR-1 bridge BUT uses Nashville style mounting bushing. this makes a pretty big difference in the guitar's natural tone.
and for a smaller detail the Custom shop kluson tuners have the old style push in tuner bushing while 50's standards have the screw on
type. There you have it and the choice is yours. do those things add up to a extra $3K?
thank you for pointing out the truth... its amazing how people are so lost in the custom shop fantasy.
@@Solidsaw I do want to say they ARE really great guitars but once you seen how they make them in both the Custom shop and the main building and know what the differences are between them it comes down to Gibson totally scalping us consumers on the cost! I blame the suits is charge of pricing the product not the guys that make the guitars.
I finally tried the Standard 50s, r8 and r9 back to back and heres my takeaway: the standard 50s are great. The reissues are better for sure though. The standard digs into you and is heavier by far (i estimated 9.5-10 pounds) while both reissues are approx 8.5 pounds. I liked the r9’s neck the most, and did love the r8’s neck profile as well, as much as the r8 have the reputation for chunky necks, I found the standard 50’s neck to be even rounder and bulkier than the r8, not sure if I love it, but its definitely playable and suitable for a les paul.
The sound: i strummed them all back to back, and its quite clear that the custom shops have a clarity and girth to the sound the burstbuckers (and the wiring probably) simply cannot match. However, the standard 50s held its own and sounded great on its own merit! I wouldnt say that the r9 and r8 are worth twice its price.
Finally, feel of the neck, when playing, I would say the custom shop reissues are definitely better, but not by the leaps and bounds some others on forums would have you believe. The standard 50 has a very smooth feeling neck and fingerboard.
Overall, Id personally much prefer the custom shops because of the neck profile, and weight, but the standard, although heavy, is a hell of a guitar, one that can hold its own with the best of em, especially considering how much less it costs and if you make upgrades over time such as pickups, wiring, etc. Im sure it can also be a lifetime guitar as well
Thank you for sharing this. Well said! I prefer the Custom Shop product across the board, but the price is a little high.
Custom shops expensive, but even a retail worker like myself bought one last year. Once you own one you know its worth the hard work. Getting a made to measure ultra light murphy lab this year green lemon fade. The custom shops behind so it be a year before it comes. Cant wait.
Congrats
@@paulcowart3174 thanks guy
I have an ultra lite ages Murphy Lab 59 and it''s the best guitar I've owned (also have a 58 reissue which is an amazing guitar). I've owned a lot of LPs over the years (still something special about my 2009 Std!) but have to admit that the custom shop versions are so much nicer, in general.
Custom Shop Re-Issue has more clarity and bite... It would be my choice
Really enjoyed the video. I do believe your the first ever to demo the dirty tones first. I like that. Most demos spend way to much time on cleans.
The reason is that with overdrive (dirty sound) it is difficult to distinguish between similar Gibson Les Paul guitars, certainly for me and for a few others I have spoken to. Certainly not enough to justify the (sometimes high) difference in price. Just my opinion.
complete opposite everyone demos with tons of gain its stupid
I’ve played many Gibsons over the years and I own a heritage h- 150. But I just recently was able to buy a 2019 58 vos and man it’s unlike anything I knew even existed. From the playability to the looks ti the electronics. Just can’t imagine it getting any better.
Completely agree!
I have yet to play a Custom Shop, but I'd like to. I have two Standard '50's, and love them both. I can hear the difference, but is it worth an extra 2-3k? Ehhhh....
Doesn’t the custom shop have a one piece back? No truss rod sleeve, hide glue vs modern glue?
Yes!
All the original series Standards in 2019- going forward have one piece mahogany bodies with no weight relief. You are not going to notice any difference in the glue.
Very nice. What year is the r8?
Holy - I really notice a difference in tone in this video. I prefer the brightness of the Custom Shop LP. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for the kind words! Ironically, this 58 Custom Shop just came back to the shop and is now a used guitar. Great guitar for a fraction of the original price. It will be a great deal for someone.
@@Theupperbout Damn! Too bad I’m in Canada.
I have a '60s standard and a '59 VOS reissue and there is a noticeable difference in playability and quality of tone. I definitely prefer the Custom Shop Les Paul but I can't say it's "twice as good" because the '60s standard is an awesome guitar in its own right. I love them both.
I've tried the latest les Paul 50s and it was very much like the traditional I had from 2016 , just the neck felt bigger. I've tried a few custom shop numbers and by and large , they have felt better. Whether they're twice the price better is another thing. Up to you at the end of day . Still gassing for one though
"Still gassing for one though" is ultimately the point when considering the Custom Shop LP. Thanks for the comment.
Both got a sound I like , the standards are extremely good .
Custom shops a good option , if you are recording and trying to get the best sounds .
A better comparison would be the 50's standard vs custom shop '59 VOS. Main differences being short neck tenon vs long , finish, unpotted vs potted pickups, and in some cases, weight (you can find sub 9 pound custom shop guitars regularly with a top to your liking but would be hard pressed to find standards below 9 pounds with a top you prefer) and of course price.
I have a 60's that fits me like a glove. Im thinking about an R8 myself. My only concern is :
Will the neck be to big for me?
I cannot try one so im asking your op. I will be buying online sight unseen if /when i decide.
TIA🙏🙏
I love my 58 & 59 reissues....58 neck is definitely big so if you really love the 60's, I'd go with a 59 Reissue because it's closer to what you like.
I have a bunch of USA LPs including this exact one. I love ‘em all. But MAN I WANT An R8!
I actually prefer the ‘50s. That wax potting makes it more smooth and less tinny-sounding.
Hi, thanks for nice review 🙂 I have a Standard 50s in heritage cherry finish. I wonder what's the overall quality of a CS compared to Standards (frets, binding, fretboard wood, truss-rod adjustment, maple cap flame, etc.)? Is finish on CS or Reissues really that different from 2020s Standards? I know they're less glossy and more vintage'y in appereance (and also have different dyes). Did you also found difference while playing unplugged? Which one felt more resonant?
The custom shop definitely felt more resonant when unplugged! The Nitro finish on the custom shop also has a much different feel to the touch as well than the standard glossy finish. The fit and finish of all the hardware compared to the Standards is all top quality, lightly relic'd for the NOS finish, and fit snugly and tight. You can't go wrong with a CS Gibson! -Noah
I much prefer the Standard 50's because it had a thicker sound while the CS was too twangy for me.
Standard: some have a two piece body glued together. Custom: all have a one piece body. / Standard: modern wood glue. Custom: hide glue. / Standard: Truss Rod surrounded by a Tube that impacts neck resonance. Custom: no tube surrounds the Truss Rod and more care is taken with Truss Rod cavity during production. / Standard: Lower quality and heavier weight wood used. Custom: higher quality and lower weight wood. / Different receipe mixture used for the nitrocellulose finish on Standard and Custom. / Standard: Short tenon set neck joint. Custom: long tenon set neck joint leading to better sustain. / Standard: Burstbucker pickups. Custom: Custombucker lower output unpotted pickups with more open sound. / Standard: the bridge adjustment screw goes into a metal post. Custom: bridge adjustment screw is screwed directly into the wood having a positive affect on the vibration of the saddles. / Standard: earlier models used basic metals for bridge and tailpiece. Custom: aluminium used for bridge and tailpiece. / Standard: orange drop capacitors. Custom: paper oil bumblebee capacitors allow more variety option in the tone knobs. So there are real differences between the Standard and the Custom and many reasons why the Customs sound and feel better than the Standards. This does not prove that the Customs are necessarily worth twice as much, nor that the Standard is in any way a bad guitar - but the Standard is understandably manufactured with compromises to hit a price point (which is fair enough as it allows Gibson to offer good guitars a prices more affordable). The Customs are undeniably superior guitars.
I have a Std from 1995 and an R8 Historic VOS from 2018. How different they "sound" is not the big issue, as a great deal has to do with pickups, which can be changed. BTW, Custombuckers are unpotted, microphonic, which contributes the overall openness of the tone.
To me, the difference lies in many small things, adding up to make the CS much better than the Std (at least mine and those I have tried so far)
If I had to pick one major difference, it would be the sustain. The CS is lighter (and even 1 pound, you and your shoulders feel it), more resonant (you feel it vibrate against your body) and it sustains for days.
Standards have dropped in price, and in the past there would not be a 1 to 2 price difference between a Std and an R8. But I wouldn't buy a "Fancy Murphy Whatever R9" because their price is ridiculous
Yes! Couldn't agree more with all of what you just typed.
Yes well said....I'm getting the 2400 dollar model and will at some point put some better pups in it Pick ups and amplification are the main ingredient in electric tone not hide glue and whatnot Acoustic guitars a different story all together
@@paulcowart3174 Here at the shop have done loads of upgrades on the Standard models just like you are attempting. We found that the Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups work very well in achieving that Custom Shop vibe at a fraction of the cost. Play On!
@@Theupperbout Good to know about the SD's Seeing how I don't use too much gain Fair to say a good set of unpotted would be about all I really need w my 2019 HCS Standard Perfect weight 8.4 lbs super pleasantly surprised about that Nice wide subtle flame Fit and finish really good Only complaint is the input jack plate plastic is very fragile Screw holes crack very easy Got lucky in mine
My 50's Standard weighs in at a perfect 8.4 lbs Very resonant
Nice comparison! A couple things that might be reasons for the differences in tone. The R8's narrow frets (specific to 1958 and earlier LP's) should make the tone more woody-sounding compared to the 50's LP's medium jumbo frets which should sound more metallic. Also and more importantly, is that the R8's Custombuckers are unpotted pickups which are more sensitive to pick attack than potted pickups, slightly brighter and produce more over- and undertones which I think can be heard when you're comparing the 2 guitars. They both sound great...close, but different. Keep in mind too that the Custom Shop guitars offer premium select wood and more handmade attention and finishing which drives the price up. It's my opinion that once you get used to playing Custom Shop guitars, who can't go back.
Yep, everything you said is true. People often underestimate the detail requirements for such a guitar. The Custom Shop generally plays better than the production unit. Just my opinion. Thank you for your insight.
I'm about to try one out . Ex demo, so got a few £ off . Still an expensive guitar though . I've tried a couple of the new 50s numbers,and, though good , they were no better than my previous LP Traditional. Is it all smoke n mirrors ? We'll see.
Let us know how it works out! We would love to get your take.
I still prefer the Standard 50's on this one. Both sound and aesthetics. Then again I'm not a huge fan of the PAF sound as i prefer the modern humbucker much more. Ceramic specifically which neither have.
I have an 2021 R8 and a 2006 Standard. The R8 sounds a little better but the Standard is still great. R8s are my favorite LPs.
They're both great, but the Custom Shop has a subtly bigger sound. Can't really put it into words, but it seems to get more energy out of whatever you play on it. The price point(sadly!) puts it beyond the reach of most musicians who need to earn from gigging, so I'm sure the majority of Custom Shop instruments go to that class of musicians known as "The Blues Dentist", and probably won't see very much stage time.
All that said, the Standard '50's and '60s Lesters do just fine. My 2019 Standard '60s is the best Les Paul of the 5 I've owned and I'm glad I pulled the trigger!
Nice job Ben, I bought the 2020 standard 50s about a year ago from a second owner who hadn’t played it as he doesn’t like tobacco burst. I got for a decent discount of the original asking price of 2499$, I think. I paid 2000 and an hour drive to pick it up. I love it, but it doesn’t get as much play as my 1986 custom however. But it’s a good one.
Glad to hear you're enjoying it Steve! -Ben
Heard of the concept "diminishing returns"? Nothing twice the price is twice as nice.
Except 2 donuts.
I think I don’t like the tobacco burst color. If you have a similar 50s standard in heritage cherry I would trade you. I would even trade my 86 white custom for a heritage cherry, non weight relived. It’s about 11 pounds, but Nicky taken care of.
This guitar has sold!
I have a hard time justifying guitar prices, this instance is no different, both sound great. The difference between the feel of a gibson and epiphone is definitely significant though. I've never tried a custom reissue, hopefully one day though.
With the reissues you are getting pretty much as close to the P.A.F tone with the custom bucker pickups as you can get. You can really tell on the clean tones that the Custom buckers are lot more quacky and snappy. Obviously, justifying prices is a personal preference, but from someone who owns an R8 and a 50s Standard, the difference in person is very noticeable. Hopefully you'll get to try one some day man.
The CS sounds loose and free. The price for the custom shop is exorbitant. If you priced out a Les Paul in 1959 it would cost less than $300, or $2730.69 in today's dollars.
I know, it's crazy. Fender offers affordable options for 50s/60s spec'd Strats/Teles if you can't afford their custom shop guitars but when it comes to Gibson, forget it.
I’m not sure but I think the Gibson USAs pickups are potted. You will get more of a squeal out of the CS Les Paul. I could be wrong though. I have a 58 CS Lester and had a 2019 USA Lester and I can tell you the CS is worth every penny(and it’s lots of pennies)😄
A guitar is like a hit or miss. You get extremely good guitars and poorly made ones from the same company. Two factors in my opinion are considered... assembly quality and pickup quality. I had 3 '58 Custom Shops and my favorite was the earlier ones 2016 up to 2019.
Just give it to me the CS one
My 2019 HCS Standard weighed in at 8.4 lbs which was the deciding factor for me I haven't seen anything quite that light with 50's 60's but maybe some of the CS but some CS model's weren't that light either Only thing I might change is the pick ups So was hoping you would touch on the pick up specs more...potted un potted Deep dive on the HB specs Trying to decide if it's worth the trouble to replace Everything else is close to perfect Weight..nice wide subtle flame I don't care for the eye popping thin chevrons Not true to the original look IMO Good stuff
My 2020 50s standard is 10 pounds
@@stevevallance6326 yeah when I saw the weight it was the clincher for Most I had seen were well over 9 lbs even CS were up there I paid almost new price 22 hundred cause it was lighter than most
There different but both sound great
Interesting, thanks for this. I think the comparison benefits from having a particularly good sounding 50s Standard here although it is still the lesser guitar in terms of frequency range.
Nice playing !
Nice Demo...thank You....
Thank you!
Yes.
My son is ten and said the 58 sounds better! On every sample!
Boooo
On the 😷 excellent playing. Your custom should have the custom head stalk. Now start again please lol
This is a comparison of unpotted pickups vs potted pickups.
Instead of making the custom shop exquisite, they just made the standards shitty to justify the price😂
Vintage tall over medium jumbo everyday of the week
Yeah - not happy with the change to smaller frets Gibson is using over the past couple of years. I've had to include the price of a refret when deciding to buy one or not.
The standard isbetter because it's darker and warmer
Here's the deal- The Difference is the Pickup's are a bit better sounding-more clarity n close too the PAF's but the Standard is alright. But is it worth the Extra $2500- No fuckin way- Because I'd rather have sum 490r/ n 498t's instead. And what are you really getting? "HYPE!
Thank you for the response! It may very well be "HYPE" but the Custom Shop feels great in your hands.
The standards are great but man do the custom shop LP’s truly beat the crap out of the production line Gibson USA models. Long neck tenon, true ABR-1 and even the plastics look better and they clearly keep it like that to charge the price for a true historic Les Paul.
I personally think that the bushings and posts are a better idea: Less likely to suffer bridge collapse. Plastics mean literally nothing and butyrate smells like vomit. Long neck tenon is nice, but not absolutely crucial to the tone. I feel like most of this is just buzzwords.
Definitely not my new Gibson std 60s is a fantastic guitar.
Custom shop guitars are way over priced!!
Why is everyone so set on gibson custom shop pafs? Just find a boutique pickup builder to make it sound unique and your own.
The 50s standard looks better. 😎
In the direct comparison, the 58' sounds much better....
People fail to account that in the 50s all Les Paul's were off the shelf standards and theoretically all created equal.
It baffels me how someone say man im buying this 35k dollar les Paul so i can sound just like clapton in the 60s. Not understanding that claptons guitars were brand new in the 60s not 75 year old vintage models.
My advice is buy a standard save some money and sound like you, because your never going to be them.
There are situations where you are trying to sound like a vintage instrument of the old days with the equipment of today and thats fine if its worth the premium to you then go for it.
But dont think your going to buy a 10k dollar murphy lab Les Paul and sound like ohh clapton on guitar gently weeps because his 59 lp was still practicly new then..
Also people didnt buy bursts in the 50s thinking man this is gonna be worth a house in 80 years, they bought them to play them.
All very good points! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I prefer the custom shop because it’s more expensive. I’m an idiot.
No it does not equal twice as nice . I have a 2019 50s standard with a Duncan whole lotta humbucker bridge and a seth lover neck and it's one of the best sounding les Paul's I have tried over the last 25 years . Dont get me wrong the custom shop reissues are extremely nice guitars and in some cases they are better and in some cases they are not . I would love to hear a 50s standard vs the custom shop with the same pickups in both to see how much difference their truly is . I have a 2009 traditional with a set of custombuckers the previous owner installed and it sounds great but tone wise while it sounds different the 50s standard with duncans sounds just as good and maybe even a touch better than the traditional with custombuckers . Both are fantastic sounding guitars.
Awesome feedback! Thank you for sharing.
I ran into some luck. It's called a job. Then covid happened. When you can't spend your money, and later Guitar Center re-opens, you turn a little stupid. I'm facing facts here. We're paying for a name. There's status involved. We're also possibly going to die one day. As a guitar player, I'm not leaving this planet without a Gibson Les Paul. Yes. I'm sold that hard because they're originally from Michigan, and so am I. It's like telling that guy from Detroit that he can't have a Mustang. Some people don't like them. But then again, some people can't listen to Black Sabbath or join the Marines. I have mine. I love mine, *Don't touch mine.* You go and play your toothpick of a Telecaster. I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone. Deal? 😊
Wood, baby..you pay for the wood. its an investment. tone is killer for someone who has an ear.
I heard lot of difference to be honest
Sorry, but it sounds like you guys are (naturally) biased. I mean, there’s no way a $5000 guitar is that much better than a $2800 one-it’s just not possible. Sure, maybe the folks at Gibson put a little extra care into them, and there might be more handcrafting, but wood doesn’t make that big a difference. Sorry, guys.
I own a guitar shop so "natural bias" might actually be a thing. With that being said, the Custom Shop guitars are significantly better guitars across the board. Do I believe they are worth double the price? Not so much! Thank you for the feedback.
Clean position had covid.
you had to wear a mask although the guitar was clean?
STUPID concept. Of course it's not twice as nice. But it does cost twice as much (more or less) to build and twice as much to buy. If you don't think it's worth it then it's your choice. I do appreciate the straight up comparison, though.
Зачем то маску напялил! Трусы то получше!
Do the guitars give off covid lol why a mask lol
You don't know who else was in the room, who may have been sick, etc