My Favorite Les Paul: The 1991- Does It Prove the Good Wood Era? - Episode 7 - Golden Age of Gear
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Join us this week as we explore the intriguing concept of the "Good Wood Era" in Gibson guitars! We've all heard the rumors, but is there any truth behind the hype?
In this episode, we take a closer look at a couple of Derek's 1991 Les Paul Standards and investigate what makes these guitars so special. Is it truly the quality of the wood used, or were the manufacturing standards at Gibson significantly better during the 90s?
We'll also discuss whether other 90s Gibsons measure up to the Derek's 91 Les Pauls.
Tune in as we do some comparisons, chat it up, and of course, some wonderful guitar tones. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more Golden Age of Gear.
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I was working in final assembly in 1991. Tom Murphy was there in the custom shop. Walter Carter was there too. Incredible days. R.I.P. Mike Holloway.
That’s awesome!
I have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard made in Korea made in October 1991. Love that guitar
Not just woods, but probably the best builders went to custom shop as well.
The year I was born is 1991 so everything from 1991 is amazing especially les Paul’s.
Every 1991 Gibson I played has been awesome, so you might be right….
Joey's hat is getting UP THERE
Great episode guys! I'm with Joey on keeping the pickguard on though!
Early eighties reissues were the golden years imho
I have a 1980 custom black beauty, and it is killer
@Derek-Revv absolutely
I was born in the bad fingers era. It doesn't matter what wood I play.
Hahaha, me too Paul, me too
Consequently I ordered a 1995 Gibson Les Paul Standard today! I’m looking forward to it with high hopes!
Let me know how it is!!!
Bukovac was actually just talking about, in a recent episode, a pre war Martin he was trying to get Guthrie Trapp to buy. Guthrie famously doesnt really have any top ticket stuff, he has a late 60s 335 but even his main guitar for years was a MIM partscaster. Buk used the argument that it would an investment he could play. Hes right about that, you cant really use many things- make money while using them, as they appreciate in value exponentially
Great point!
Owner of a 93' studio, (I'm from 93 too😂), and I love the ebony fretboard, I've only played a couple les pauls included a 61' SG a 70's deluxe a 95' and 06' studios and a 23' standard and my 93 and the 23' standard were the best ones
Nice!
I have a 2023 Les Paul Std. Stays pretty decently in tune and has barely needed any setup done, even through a couple of wild West coast Canada winters. That guitar looks, sounds and feels amazing. Paid $3300 CAD new for it. Worth every penny.
I own a 94 standard I bought new. They take some tweaking to stay in tune. Lube and widen the nut slots . That’s it. Strings won’t get pinched when you bend the g string and stay sharp on you .
Burt Reynolds without a moustache! 😂
Most guitars that won't stay in tune are because of the nut, especially guitars with 3 on 3 tuners. File the nut slot for the string with the problem. Use the proper gauge string with light sandpaper to file the sides of the nut slot, don't touch the bottom of the slot. Use some type of lubricant on the slot & tune it. That's the most I've ever had to do but I don't own a Gibson, only an off brand Les Paul. I use a mechanical pencil to lubricate the nut slot.
Totally agree, the nut is the critical point on most guitars especially Gibson's, the straighter the line from neck to tuner the better, great advice on nut prep by the way. There's good and bad guitars of the same model in every era.
@@billyboy6028 I watch Phillip McKnight's channel "Know Your Gear". When you learn about what makes an instrument sound the way it does, you know what needs or doesn't need to be repaired. I was doing the mechanical pencil thing for years until he talked about shaving the nut slot to the proper size, works REALLY well!
I bought a 1992 Les Paul Custom in black with gold hardware almost two years ago. Really great guitar ! I swear it sounds better than some new customs twice the price. it needs new frets soon though. What is your favourite fret size for LPs ? I was thinking Jescar 51100, 47104 or 57110. Can't decide :)
I wish I knew about actual fret size. I typically like medium jumbo
Thanks for the reply!
Yeah, that’s what i thought, then i learned how many different sizes there are 😂
Jeff Silver from Jescar highly recommends 51100 for a Les Paul. I think i am going to trust his expertise and go with that
I own 4 Les Paul Customs 1980, 1997, 2005, 2012 and the 2005 is the best of them. So...believe in what makes you happy. ;-)
The Memphis made 2003-2004 ES guitars have a similar story around them. The Memphis shop was blended with the Custom Shop, which resulted in some really great looking non custom shop guitars. I got this from Trogly after looking up my 2004. Skinnier neck than most 335s and is incredibly comfortable to me.
I can vouche, I have an es-137 classic. It is one of the best guitars Gibson ever made. Slightly thicker than a 335. Arch top and back. Double bound, neck binding, figured laminate top and back. Likely discontinued due to the increased cost to make arch back and top. As many modern artists used them. They are hidden gems.
@zaccarter3801 I've always played SGs and LPs, but tried my 335 because it looked so good ( natural finish) and never wanted to put it down.
I have a 1972 and a 1978 happy with both.
Last year I bought a 1991 40th Anniversary Les Paul (yes, I know, they got the math wrong, LPs being first released in 1952). Curious to know if you've ever tried one of these. They made only 300 of them, I believe. Black finish and originally with cream soap bar P-100s. Slim neck and low frets (which I like). Fortunately, a previous owner replaced the P-100s with a nice set of P-90s (Harmonic Design, I think) and added a Bigsby (which I also like). It's heavy (11 lbs) but it sounds and plays great.
I haven’t, but played the 40th anniversary, but I did see one like that on reverb while I was searching for my first 91. I thought it looked cool, but I was after a standard so I passed on it. If I ever run across one, I will definitely check it out.
Totally agree about getting rid of the pickguard 😜
I have a similar opinion about the early to mid 2000's PRS guitars, I've tried too many to count ranging from 1991 - present year and the 2000 - 2004 range ones are ALWAYS noticeably better I've found.
hmmm.....it may also be that some core production folk from the factory took positions in the newly formed custom shop, therefore a drop in quality and fit/finish in production models, with all the quality care going into newer builds toward custom shop guitars (for those first few years in the mid-to-late 90s/early 2000s?)
You can only come over if you bring double stuff Oreos. No regular Oreos
There is a lot more involved with STaying in tune. Proper setup by a tech, break angle. and more. Not just good wood for staying in tune. I bought an amazing CS 57 2018 and the original owner never had it setup properly and it didn't stay in tune. After a great setup, it bearly goes out of tune.
I have tried this on my 2009, nothing saves it. New machine heads, new nuts, it just doesn’t like it
I prefer pickguard on for solid color tops (goldtop, blacktop), but pickguard off for all the bursts / flames. I think it looks best that way.
pickguard everything for me :)
I am pretty sure you could put an out of tune First Act guitar in Joey's hands and it will sound amazing.
You’re not wronf
I have 2 1990 LP standards. A black and a limited color amber one. Both sound really good but not sure any better than any of the others I've played over the years? I've had a lot of them - several customs and a few other standards and specials. All were pretty Les Paul sounding to me. I have a Murphy aged LP custom now as well - coolest looking guitar I've seen but does it sound any different? Not IMO. I'm not a believer in the wood thing - I'm a believer in how they are made. PRS Guitars sound, play and feel better than anything else to me so I play those a lot. Mccarty's are much like LP's but refined in a lot of ways that make sense to me.
Awesome!
the new ones are closer to old custom shop but i havent tried a 90s standard. the Studios are solid but not MAGICAL lol. Dont sleep on anything 2019 to current used either.
2019 was awesome as well. I remember doing a bunch of demos at L&M store in Canada with the D20 in 2019, and every store I went to, the new Les Paul’s were killer.
i love Cherry sunburst, im a pickguard guy tho lol.
Maybe they had people that knew how to cut the nuts properly that’s the cause of most tuning issues
Absolutely could be it
New Sub here!
Thanks!
Joe's Burt Reynold's moustache analogy is perfection. I'm of the opinion no pickguard is actually useful or necessary on a practical level, they're purely aesthetic. And for me personally a Les Paul without a pickguard is aesthetically a downgrade. Removal of pickguards more often than not make a guitar, as the kids would say, "rizzless".
It's the 91-95 years that are the "Great build" more than "great wood" . Even the Les Paul studios are great . In the early 90's the Les Paul came back in style with a vengeance . Gibson USA! , remember the red white and blue era ? Slash , Rich Robinson , Stone Gossard etc . Plus there was a resurgence of classic rock movement . So players like Jimmy Page , Neil Young , Dickie Betts . Gibson Les Paul's were in high demand . IMO after 1996 , Gibson starting on their bad build era and started worrying about profits more than QC .. I owned a 1998 LP standard and it was "meh" . Standard sunburst were ugly plain tops . They were shite .
I like the “Great Build” way of describing it.
The Juskiewicz Era before it got wackier than clown-shit, was very, very good
Is Michael Schenker From The Head Guy From The Rock Band Scorpions.
you two terrible man just got me into some serious trouble, NOW I NEED A Early 90s.... (im born 88.... would that be considered a good year?)
I am honestly not sure, I haven’t played any late 80’s Les Pauls. I was just told all the folklore around the 90’s, then picked up a few and they are all killer. Give it a shot though and let us know if it’s cool!
For some reason the Derek's gear sounds better in Joey Joe Joe's hands.
Hahahahah, that’s no mystery….
The 90’s LP’s aren’t weight relieved are they? Is this why they have a good rep ?
I have a 91 gold top. Thus my question…what on earth is it going thru!?
Revv D20 with some pedals
I had a 88 les paul that was considered good wood,,,
How was it?
I own a 97' standard. Just a solid guitar, my greco mint collection from 87 is a far better guitar. I lersonaly think the good wood thing is just a hype. Those guitar from te 90s are very often heavy even though they have weight relief. The 490 ceramic pickups are verry mid heavy. Not my cup of tea. And what i have noticed they mostly have a pronounced low mid tone to them. People like to hype things, and thats now the situation with the 90s gibson. They are still available at fair price and are more historic correct with the build, i woud say if the new les pauls had the classic abr bridge screwed directly to the body the hype woud not be so big for the 90s les pauls because they would be closer to the real deal especially with no weight relief. Gibson is just playing games as do all the manufacturers. To summarize, the 90s gibson guitars are a solid choice but only if its for a fair price. I would not pay more than 2000euros for one.
Agreed!
No pickguard for me.
Yyyeeeaaahhh, that’s right!
Hi, it is true what you say, at least for me. I owned a 1989 les paul standard. I found out later that the Gibson factory at that time, did som balancing to the pots etc, it sounded dead for shure. And have a baseball bat neck. Wich i dont like.Every one have different fingers. But not all guitars are great anyhow. Have played and owned a varioty of 90,s les pauls, and the sounded way better. Why, i dont know. I have norlins les pauls, those are great even if the public dont agree. Of course have cahange, put in diffrent pickups. Ended up whith a 1968 bridge pup, on my main. Gibson les paul pro deluxe 1980. Hard to beat that one after that. Most fun gutar to play is a 1978 Greco standard eg-500. With di marzio PAF. How is the neck sice on those 91,once?
I had a 91 Les Paul Classic for years... it wasn't great.... there's definitely luck involved in finding a great guitar I think
The problem with a Les Paul is Gibson. Great looking guitar than undoubtedly has outstanding examples in existence. However they have for many years been built to sub standards, are way overpriced for the quality of luthiery and as a result you pay too much for the logo. As a luthier myself I can honestly say after about my 3rd complete build I had surpassed the quality of vast majority of Gibson's being made at the same time. They still look sweet but I hate riding on a name and choosing to make lower quality. They're not the only ones, but they are the worst I've come across
"it always stays in tune" two guys that never played a PRS lol
Wow, you really don’t know what you’re talking about.
I have a few PRS’s, they don’t sound as aggressive as my Les Paul’s
didnt u hear him explain he wanted a prs because of that. Just gotta tugg ur strings brah. Always tune up to pitch.
Like, like, like, like..waffle, waffle, waffle..like, like, like...🥱...and the good wood keeps it in tune straight out of the box..🤔 possibly the bridge, nut and tuners 🤔...like, like, like, like, like..... 23 min of padding out the algorithm
I know I say Like to much….i’m working on it :)