If you think about it, the older "magic" ones are actually worse because the taper is slow at first but then rapidly rises towards the end, whereas a modern taper is smoother and more gradual.
I have a 1993 les paul studio that has had fret plek and I put 550k pots in it . This thing sounds much better and feels better than guitars costing more money. MY Lutier has many Les Paul's and has did the taste test after he fixed my guitar. I get what you are saying. Rock on, brother!
I love vintage guitars. I love them as they sounded orriginally. I love how they sound as they age. I love the history, and I even bought into much of the hype around them for a long time, but what you are saying makes a lot of sense.
Guitar players are some of the biggest followers you'll ever meet. You also forgot - to be the greatest guitar you also need a headstock design that constantly keeps the guitar out of tune.
Iv played Gibsons my whole life. And I actually do believe what this guy is saying on how it is mostly just smoke and mirrors. But Iv also don’t see the big problem with the headstocks going out of tune I’ve never had that problem. Just keep graphite in the nut or some kinda lube every time you change the strings and you’re good. You just Gotta know how to set up a guitar.
The problem with non-headstock guitars is that they look handicapped, as if their limb has been mutilated. And that comes from centuries and centuries of stringed instruments using headstocks as the most convenient way of tuning the instrument. Also they kind of look like guns from afar, and guns are not the most beautiful thing that comes to mind actually. But in a sci-fi aesthetic setting I think I'd like a headless guitar. But if you go headless you got to go all the way, with the small rectangular body like the Steinbergers. Otherwise you're still half-way there and looks ugly. Art is about aesthetics too, many people tend to forget it. Now, paying 500K for a guitar is just absurdity.
My 2021 Les Paul Standard is the best guitar I ever played. I had a new L5 , and I did not play it because the LP sounded better, and played better. I would play my LP with a Steinway , and it would sound good enough for my ear.
To me , $5000 for an R9 might as well be 300k, but all things being relative, it doesn't bother me that people agree with Joes opinions on burst volume pots etc. I do hope you have success with these videos , i think you'll see more people agreeing than disagreeing, but from my perspective , why let it get to you?? Why does it bother you enough to do videos ? There's plenty to be upset about in this world... Tone chasers are usually overjoyed with tiny little simple nuanced differences. Theyre bound to xall things magic, or mind bliwing etc
I've been hearing about this magic for decades. I'm just tired of it. Tone chasing is one thing, perpetuating reverential, legendary myths, that are clearly false is another.
I think Joe's aware of the VIP pots. He's a collector and believes that the taper is superior on the old CTS because they were military spec. He rides the volume knob while performing and is always trying to get subtle degrees of breakup and says the old pots produce more variation in the spectrum from clean to full up. Everytime I go on the VIP site they're sold out, so I started looking for some other smooth taper linear pots. RS are another great company, except they've been doing it since before the CTS craze was happening. A lot of pros use their stuff.
The taper of a pot has ZERO effect on tone, ONLY how it acts when turning it. It's a variable resistor, that's it. If the resistance is the same the sound is the same, period. The capacitance and inductance differences are so far out of the range of human hearing I laugh when people start talking about that. Kinda like the wire in a guitar. No human can hear the difference in 1 foot of wire between the old braided and a piece of 1 conductor shielded plastic jacketed wire.
@bradt.3555 I know. I wasn't implying otherwise. There are players who say the old caps in the CTS pots have their own sound though. That's why VIP and some other manufacturers like 'Lux' started making caps spec'd to the old bumblebee, paper in oil ones. I don't have any experience with switching mine out on my LP's but I ordered some cheap Russian PIO caps to find out. Haven't gotten around to it yet.
Also I think Joe's hesitation to put the new CTS grade pots in his guitars is that he wants everything on his vintage LP's to be period correct. It's a collector's approach.
@@voyxu143 Thanks. Having playing those do you think they´re any better than current reissues one? I´ll never put my hands in one, so I love unbiased opinions. The common sense is that the pickups where something "special".
@@jcsk8 I am biased though, because I thought back then when the guitars were around 60k that they were not worth the money. Gibson makes some great guitars, and have for a while so def get your hands on some and your ears on some different models to see what you like. The pickups can and are recreated by many people these days. Throback, Lollar, Frailin, 8bomb custom, Stephens design SD pickups and more. The PAF pickups in a '59 are not "special" when the mystery is lifted.
@@voyxu143 Thanks again. I own a Burny les paul, 1980 made. It´s really good. I´ve installed Wolfetones Dr. V´s on it. It sound stellar, to my ears. But I can´t compare them with vintage guitars, as they say they´re much better. Probably more a collectors stuff.
@@voyxu143 Emerald City Guitars; Congratulations on acquiring "one of" the greatest instruments on the planet. They are saying when someone acquires a 59' Les Paul, they can put in the group of great instruments.
Love you videos 👍👍I’ve been telling all my friends and family that my vintage 20 year old car is better than their brand new cars but they won’t believe me 👍🤣
What? Listen, 59 Les Paul may be overhyped but I used to hear a guy play one right in front of me and it sounded great. I didn't know it was a 59 Les Paul at that time, I did know this guy got an amazing tone. Let's not be ridiculous and start saying Les Paul guitars suck, makes you look stoopid.
@@TeleCaster66 No body is saying "they suck", I am saying you can buy many guitars these days that sound just as good as a '59, and none of them cost 350K.
Even if I had the money, unless I was convinced it was a sound investment that would yield better-than-average returns in X years, I wouldn't buy one. Early Fenders are the same way; it's well known that Leo wasn't a guitar player, he was an engineer and businessman; he asked guitarists of the day what they wanted, and he figured out how to make it, and make it cheaply, in larger numbers than other guitar makers. I bet he'd be amused seeing what these guitars he basically "cut, shaped, assembled" on a mass production assembly line, are selling for today. Age, scarcity, etc., make it rare not necessarily good. "Nobody ever lost a dollar underestimating the taste of guitarists." - paraphrased from P.T. Barnum
Interesting to see several ppl thinking Buddy should relax or he’s worked up about this- when you are being ‘lied’ to, gaslight, grifted etc it is good to be able to point it out people One could take the other side of the coin and good on the endless RUclips influencers who produce essentially modern day infomercials for gear companies and point out how excessively positive people are about new gear
Volume pots for guitar vary +-20%. I buy my pots in bulk measure the ohms and write them down on the pot. The ohm value of the pot nothing else is what makes a difference in sound. The old ones appear to have a different taper. If you use your volume pot a lot it might make a difference to you feel wise not in sound. I would imagine that the pots back in the day varied even more than they do now. Which makes for more variation in how they sound not better or worse.
my guitar always better than other , thats a fact , dont ask me why, pls dont ask , but i tell you anyway ,i think my sweat and finger cheese make it sound better.
If we were in some alternate universe and the Les Paul wasn’t invented, nobody would create it today- 1. Too heavy 2. Neck too thick and chunky 3. Expensive and elaborate set in neck and maple caps 4. Headstock needs a volute to minimize breakage 5. Upper fret access poor 6. Heel is huge
It was made in accordance to Les Paul, the musician, and they actually weren't good sellers That's why they were discontinued and replaced with the SG. Then Clapton, Paul Kossof, Beck and Page picked one up, the rest was history. The early ones weren't heavy BTW. That didn't become a thing until Gibson brought them back in the 70's.
I laughed so hard listening to Joe Bonomasso say how the tone come from the centra lab pots! Talk about knowing zero about electronics. There's nothing in a 1959 LP that makes it sound any better than a 2007 R8. (ok that's what I've got) Different maybe, but they all sounded different from one another back then. I have played vintage instruments. At my age a lot weren't vintage when I played them. So much nonsensical hype around guitars. Get one you like that stay's in tune and intonated and spend time practicing. Forget about shredding by yourself on u tube or playing with backing tracks. Learn to play with other musicians.
You're strawmanning the whole discussion. Until you play one you can't really say can you? Unless you're Joe Bonamassa you're not qualified to talk about these guitars. You can talk shit all you want. You can say your guitar sounds better. You're basically saying the earth is flat. You think you know better. Strawman. Naysayer.
@@voyxu143 Video doesn't do it. You need to feel a million dollar guitar. I have an amazing 92 classic with custom pickups I wound myself. I'd be willing to wager it sounds better than yours. It's just a piece of wood but the nitro finish and the weight of it and the crafstmanship on some of them is legendary. That's it. No magic no bs it's a real killer guitar that holds together for 70 years. You can argue all you want. Cars and jewelry and dishes it's all the same. Antique furniture. Some guitars are great some are not so much. The 59 Les Paul Standard among all guitars has achieved legendary status for a number of reasons. Imagine having the ability to play one live as a working axe? You can be a stick in the mud I'm totally into it. It's an investment that you can rock. Joe Bonamassa plays them for more than one reason. You also have to know that professional guitar players will not play junk. You're like a flat earther. For some reason you don't understand how the legend of the Les Paul could be real. too bad for you.
Ive been playing & fixing my guitars over 50 years all the snob head bs dont impress me one bit if it cant be tested or explained in detail then they shouldn't own an instrument/ guitar because that person just wants to show off not play it tune intonate or changs string's why bother then
You forgot the "hyde glue". And another laughable point, that 1959 LP probably sounds considerably different that it did when it was used on those "iconic" recording's. In fact a new R9 might sound closer to a 1959 LP when it was new than a 60+yr old guitar. Just makes me laugh at the way people try to fool themselves, and the money they will spend to do it. And even tho I have a nice 2007 R8, my go to is a PRS, custom 22.
So is this the foundation of your channel? Constant sunburst bashing? Is the hefty pricetag behind an original mostly based on hype and emotion, of course! Are the folks who have substantial investments in regards to sunburst Les Paul’s going to try and perpetuate the myth, of course! Just like the title of the book series says, either you “believe” (and participate), or you don’t. Quit trying to punch up at those that enjoy them. Try doing videos more centered on the things you enjoy, as you stated, you’ve accomplished tone miles above what a sunburst Les Paul can ever hope to achieve..share your secrets and myths😎
I am getting to my secrets and myths, but first I am dismantling the myth of the 1959 les paul. Please refrain from offering unsolicited advice on my content. Thanks KM3659.
@@voyxu143lol I get unsolicited advice all the time. It’s part of posting yourself online and allowing others to comment. You’re inviting unsolicited advice by doing that. Anyhow…
In my opinion anyone who pays more than 500 dollars for a Guitar is a moron !! Opinions are like assholes ! We all have one !! I would buy a modern chibson and set it up over ever buying a Gibson !!
If you think about it, the older "magic" ones are actually worse because the taper is slow at first but then rapidly rises towards the end, whereas a modern taper is smoother and more gradual.
true
“Some dude in the 17th century..” sold me! Subbed
no. the holy grail of tone comes from the right screw that holds down the tuneomatic bridge. full stop.
The right one??? GOT IT!!!!
@jaypark1978 The holy grail of tone changes for me. Right now it's Townsend's sound on 'Who's Next' and 'Quadraphenia'. Both acoustic and electric.
I have a 1993 les paul studio that has had fret plek and I put 550k pots in it . This thing sounds much better and feels better than guitars costing more money. MY Lutier has many Les Paul's and has did the taste test after he fixed my guitar. I get what you are saying. Rock on, brother!
There are some really good studios out there for sure.
I love vintage guitars. I love them as they sounded orriginally. I love how they sound as they age. I love the history, and I even bought into much of the hype around them for a long time, but what you are saying makes a lot of sense.
Guitar players are some of the biggest followers you'll ever meet.
You also forgot - to be the greatest guitar you also need a headstock design that constantly keeps the guitar out of tune.
Iv played Gibsons my whole life. And I actually do believe what this guy is saying on how it is mostly just smoke and mirrors. But Iv also don’t see the big problem with the headstocks going out of tune I’ve never had that problem. Just keep graphite in the nut or some kinda lube every time you change the strings and you’re good. You just Gotta know how to set up a guitar.
The string butler fixes this.
The problem with non-headstock guitars is that they look handicapped, as if their limb has been mutilated. And that comes from centuries and centuries of stringed instruments using headstocks as the most convenient way of tuning the instrument. Also they kind of look like guns from afar, and guns are not the most beautiful thing that comes to mind actually. But in a sci-fi aesthetic setting I think I'd like a headless guitar. But if you go headless you got to go all the way, with the small rectangular body like the Steinbergers. Otherwise you're still half-way there and looks ugly. Art is about aesthetics too, many people tend to forget it.
Now, paying 500K for a guitar is just absurdity.
I love these videos! Keep it up!
Dude this shit is hilarious! I'm with you, there is a lot of Bullshit when it comes to vintage guitars.
Pot stands for potentiometer. PAF patent applied for.
sound -nirvana!
My 2021 Les Paul Standard is the best guitar I ever played.
I had a new L5 , and I did not play it because the LP sounded better, and played better.
I would play my LP with a Steinway , and it would sound good enough for my ear.
They are a quality build that's for sure.
To me , $5000 for an R9 might as well be 300k, but all things being relative, it doesn't bother me that people agree with Joes opinions on burst volume pots etc.
I do hope you have success with these videos , i think you'll see more people agreeing than disagreeing, but from my perspective , why let it get to you?? Why does it bother you enough to do videos ?
There's plenty to be upset about in this world...
Tone chasers are usually overjoyed with tiny little simple nuanced differences. Theyre bound to xall things magic, or mind bliwing etc
I've been hearing about this magic for decades. I'm just tired of it. Tone chasing is one thing, perpetuating reverential, legendary myths, that are clearly false is another.
These videos are hilarious because they are true😂
Cheers....!!!
I think Joe's aware of the VIP pots. He's a collector and believes that the taper is superior on the old CTS because they were military spec.
He rides the volume knob while performing and is always trying to get subtle degrees of breakup and says the old pots produce more variation in the spectrum from clean to full up. Everytime I go on the VIP site they're sold out, so I started looking for some other smooth taper linear pots.
RS are another great company, except they've been doing it since before the CTS craze was happening. A lot of pros use their stuff.
Yeah, the graph clearly shows that the modern day pot can taper like the original.
Much respect for Joe's guitar playing ablility.
The taper of a pot has ZERO effect on tone, ONLY how it acts when turning it. It's a variable resistor, that's it. If the resistance is the same the sound is the same, period. The capacitance and inductance differences are so far out of the range of human hearing I laugh when people start talking about that. Kinda like the wire in a guitar. No human can hear the difference in 1 foot of wire between the old braided and a piece of 1 conductor shielded plastic jacketed wire.
@bradt.3555 I know. I wasn't implying otherwise. There are players who say the old caps in the CTS pots have their own sound though.
That's why VIP and some other manufacturers like 'Lux' started making caps spec'd to the old bumblebee, paper in oil ones.
I don't have any experience with switching mine out on my LP's but I ordered some cheap Russian PIO caps to find out. Haven't gotten around to it yet.
Also I think Joe's hesitation to put the new CTS grade pots in his guitars is that he wants everything on his vintage LP's to be period correct. It's a collector's approach.
I´ll make a honest question: Did you ever played any "burst" or similar vintage guitar?
Yes, I used to live in Dallas and have seen several at the Dallas guitar show.
@@voyxu143 Thanks. Having playing those do you think they´re any better than current reissues one? I´ll never put my hands in one, so I love unbiased opinions. The common sense is that the pickups where something "special".
@@jcsk8 I am biased though, because I thought back then when the guitars were around 60k that they were not worth the money.
Gibson makes some great guitars, and have for a while so def get your hands on some and your ears on some different models to see what you like.
The pickups can and are recreated by many people these days. Throback, Lollar, Frailin, 8bomb custom, Stephens design SD pickups and more. The PAF pickups in a '59 are not "special" when the mystery is lifted.
@@voyxu143 Thanks again. I own a Burny les paul, 1980 made. It´s really good. I´ve installed Wolfetones Dr. V´s on it. It sound stellar, to my ears. But I can´t compare them with vintage guitars, as they say they´re much better. Probably more a collectors stuff.
@@jcsk8 My next video I am going to do a sound comparison between my Les Paul and '59 Les Paul. You will be shocked when you hear it.
"One Of" is typically used to denote an individual person or object as being part of a larger collective.
meaning???
@@voyxu143 Emerald City Guitars; Congratulations on acquiring "one of" the greatest instruments on the planet. They are saying when someone acquires a 59' Les Paul, they can put in the group of great instruments.
@@rong648 They aren't that great, but Emerald city will certainly tell you they are to make a sale.
Love you videos 👍👍I’ve been telling all my friends and family that my vintage 20 year old car is better than their brand new cars but they won’t believe me 👍🤣
You can buy a 700 dollar guitar now that sounds better than a 1959 Les Paul.
I would say 500, but 700 for sure.
Which one is that? I want one.
What? Listen, 59 Les Paul may be overhyped but I used to hear a guy play one right in front of me and it sounded great. I didn't know it was a 59 Les Paul at that time, I did know this guy got an amazing tone. Let's not be ridiculous and start saying Les Paul guitars suck, makes you look stoopid.
@@TeleCaster66 No body is saying "they suck", I am saying you can buy many guitars these days that sound just as good as a '59, and none of them cost 350K.
From the videos Ive seen its 100% only the pickups that create the tone and everything else is mass delusion.
Even if I had the money, unless I was convinced it was a sound investment that would yield better-than-average returns in X years, I wouldn't buy one.
Early Fenders are the same way; it's well known that Leo wasn't a guitar player, he was an engineer and businessman; he asked guitarists of the day what they wanted, and he figured out how to make it, and make it cheaply, in larger numbers than other guitar makers. I bet he'd be amused seeing what these guitars he basically "cut, shaped, assembled" on a mass production assembly line, are selling for today.
Age, scarcity, etc., make it rare not necessarily good.
"Nobody ever lost a dollar underestimating the taste of guitarists." - paraphrased from P.T. Barnum
Well said.
Interesting to see several ppl thinking Buddy should relax or he’s worked up about this- when you are being ‘lied’ to, gaslight, grifted etc it is good to be able to point it out people
One could take the other side of the coin and good on the endless RUclips influencers who produce essentially modern day infomercials for gear companies and point out how excessively positive people are about new gear
Volume pots for guitar vary +-20%. I buy my pots in bulk measure the ohms and write them down on the pot. The ohm value of the pot nothing else is what makes a difference in sound. The old ones appear to have a different taper. If you use your volume pot a lot it might make a difference to you feel wise not in sound. I would imagine that the pots back in the day varied even more than they do now. Which makes for more variation in how they sound not better or worse.
The company in the vid, used and destroyed the original pots to do research on theirs and copied the taper almost exactly.
How to say ”I don’t have a clue” in 13:53 minutes.
I am putting up a sound comparison vid today.
Long periods of silence ?
In the video???
I think the screws in 59 were of higher quality.
100%...!!!! Guaranteed.
@voyxu143 😅
my guitar always better than other , thats a fact , dont ask me why, pls dont ask , but i tell you anyway ,i think my sweat and finger cheese make it sound better.
Has anyone run one of these guitars through a Klon,yet? That would really be something.
Don't forget the Dumble.
@voyxu143 They should call that amp "Grail".
Your forgetting that "vintage" plastic parts sound better??!
hahahah....Abso-fkn-lute-ly.
Is a 1959 Les Paul a "greater" instrument than a Stradivarius violin? 🤔
A question for the ages!!!!
Thanks for the info, they're nice but not the end of the world. Not for that price give us a break, please.
350K??? I mean, C'mon!!!!
If we were in some alternate universe and the Les Paul wasn’t invented, nobody would create it today-
1. Too heavy
2. Neck too thick and chunky
3. Expensive and elaborate set in neck and maple caps
4. Headstock needs a volute to minimize breakage
5. Upper fret access poor
6. Heel is huge
It was made in accordance to Les Paul, the musician, and they actually weren't good sellers
That's why they were discontinued and replaced with the SG.
Then Clapton, Paul Kossof, Beck and Page picked one up, the rest was history. The early ones weren't heavy BTW. That didn't become a thing until Gibson brought them back in the 70's.
This goes for pickups also in my opinion
guitars elektric was made in russia was only 1 meg om vol knobs its difeerent !and kondenstors was militaire also 12 of them !
It is totally madness.
LMAO, Joe said that the magic was in how you use the volume pot, and he also has said that a Les Paul sounds like a Les Paul a
He seemed to imply only those old guitars could get that sound from turning it down.
Guitarists certainly are emotional thinkers, unfortunately to much.
I laughed so hard listening to Joe Bonomasso say how the tone come from the centra lab pots! Talk about knowing zero about electronics. There's nothing in a 1959 LP that makes it sound any better than a 2007 R8. (ok that's what I've got) Different maybe, but they all sounded different from one another back then. I have played vintage instruments. At my age a lot weren't vintage when I played them. So much nonsensical hype around guitars. Get one you like that stay's in tune and intonated and spend time practicing. Forget about shredding by yourself on u tube or playing with backing tracks. Learn to play with other musicians.
Well said. Thanks...!!!
HYPE = $$$
You're strawmanning the whole discussion. Until you play one you can't really say can you? Unless you're Joe Bonamassa you're not qualified to talk about these guitars. You can talk shit all you want. You can say your guitar sounds better. You're basically saying the earth is flat. You think you know better. Strawman. Naysayer.
Jealousy is sometimes overpowering lol
I'm putting up a vid with sound examples on it today. My guitar against a '59. Watch it.
@@soapboxearth2 what are you jealous of soapbox? Please do tell.
@@voyxu143 Video doesn't do it. You need to feel a million dollar guitar. I have an amazing 92 classic with custom pickups I wound myself. I'd be willing to wager it sounds better than yours. It's just a piece of wood but the nitro finish and the weight of it and the crafstmanship on some of them is legendary. That's it. No magic no bs it's a real killer guitar that holds together for 70 years. You can argue all you want. Cars and jewelry and dishes it's all the same. Antique furniture. Some guitars are great some are not so much. The 59 Les Paul Standard among all guitars has achieved legendary status for a number of reasons. Imagine having the ability to play one live as a working axe? You can be a stick in the mud I'm totally into it. It's an investment that you can rock. Joe Bonamassa plays them for more than one reason. You also have to know that professional guitar players will not play junk. You're like a flat earther. For some reason you don't understand how the legend of the Les Paul could be real. too bad for you.
Ive been playing & fixing my guitars over 50 years all the snob head bs dont impress me one bit if it cant be tested or explained in detail then they shouldn't own an instrument/ guitar because that person just wants to show off not play it tune intonate or changs string's why bother then
True, why bother indeed.
You forgot the "hyde glue". And another laughable point, that 1959 LP probably sounds considerably different that it did when it was used on those "iconic" recording's. In fact a new R9 might sound closer to a 1959 LP when it was new than a 60+yr old guitar. Just makes me laugh at the way people try to fool themselves, and the money they will spend to do it. And even tho I have a nice 2007 R8, my go to is a PRS, custom 22.
Close some tabs dude.
So is this the foundation of your channel? Constant sunburst bashing? Is the hefty pricetag behind an original mostly based on hype and emotion, of course! Are the folks who have substantial investments in regards to sunburst Les Paul’s going to try and perpetuate the myth, of course! Just like the title of the book series says, either you “believe” (and participate), or you don’t. Quit trying to punch up at those that enjoy them. Try doing videos more centered on the things you enjoy, as you stated, you’ve accomplished tone miles above what a sunburst Les Paul can ever hope to achieve..share your secrets and myths😎
I am getting to my secrets and myths, but first I am dismantling the myth of the 1959 les paul.
Please refrain from offering unsolicited advice on my content. Thanks KM3659.
@voyxu143 youtube is the wrong place to ask people to sit on their hands.
Focus on positivity bro!! Don't let stuff get to you so much. Chill
@@voyxu143lol I get unsolicited advice all the time. It’s part of posting yourself online and allowing others to comment. You’re inviting unsolicited advice by doing that. Anyhow…
Shaddap
Phuck off boomer. Old Guitsr are old. Not better. Just old.
It’s hyperbole dude. Calm down.
He seems just a little too frustrated and bothered by burst owners...
@@soapboxearth2 Not the owners, the hype.
Hahahaha, if that were only true.
Why don't you just stop the rants and show and show us some videos of you playing your Traditional ?
In my opinion anyone who pays more than 500 dollars for a Guitar is a moron !! Opinions are like assholes ! We all have one !! I would buy a modern chibson and set it up over ever buying a Gibson !!
One can get a lot of guitar in the modern day for 500 bucks for sure.
Good luck with that set up.I hope you can level frets.Run a geiger counter over it,just in case.
@@Flying-V-Shredderthere’s some Chibsons shipping without a truss rod.
@@jonathanjiles781 I don't always adjust my truss rod,but when I do I prefer my guitar has a truss rod.(take off on the old Dos Equis commercials)
@@Flying-V-Shredder hahaha, I think a used Epi for 500 wouldn't need a geiger counter??? Maybe?