The Custom shop has always been top notch. All the crazy QC stuff is from the USA factory. Played some mid to late 90s custom shop Gibsons that were simply amazing. They’re consistent regardless of year. If anything the marketing is always whack and people assume it’s “better”. True historic, historic, and now the anniversary models. Skip the BS and you get the same core guitar
I have a custom shop axcess that has a richlite board…its really not bad, people are hung up on”its not ebony”..though true, you never have to worry about it cracking or shrinking or those little cracks in the binding at the ends of the frets..
Richlite is also used by Martin on their (expensive!) acoustic guitars and is great on Gibson's too. I have an ebony custom board and a richlite one - No discernible difference!
Exactly, it’s just sales pitch. Is a 2016 Historic any better a Custom Shop from 10 years earlier or 2020 60th Anniversary . They are all based around models from a 4 year period so should all be similarly well constructed. Not every original Burst was great either.
Totally agree. Somehow it seems that the Custom Shop was always insulated from the extremes of Henry’s idiocy (although I still think that the QC issues in the US production instruments is massively overstated some of the design decisions in the USA models were just nuts). The ONLY Custom Shop years I would actively avoid would be 2012 where some of the Historics had two piece fingerboards (not saying they sound worse... but they definitely have lower resale value and it would just be a nagging doubt in my mind) and the Standard Historic models in 2015 when the CS serial number prefix guitars (as opposed to the True Historic models) didn’t get the long neck tenon. I have a 2002 R8, a 2010 R7 and several others from 2014 up to 2019 (no, I’m not a collector... just addicted to Les Pauls and guitar is my one big passion in life) and I wouldn’t say there’s a quality difference between any of them. Although one thing I do recognise from the video is the general sense of reducing average weights, but that’s not really a quality thing, that’s a playability preference thing.
Would also add that Max misses out the two changes to the Historics/Reissues that were introduced in 2019 that probably are likely to have the biggest impact on the way they sound, and those changes are use of paper in oil capacitors (just like the originals, rather than the “fake” bumblebees that has been previously used that looked like the original capacitors but weren’t built like them) and unpotted Custombuckers. However, the paper in oil capacitors thing is an easy and relatively cost effective mod that I’ve had done to my pre-2019 Les Pauls anyway and I have guitars with potted and unpotted Custombuckers and can’t say I notice a real difference with what I play (there’s far too much variance at play from one guitar to another to definitively pin anything down to a small thing like potted vs unpotted pickups anyway - would have to try them both in the same guitar to do a fair test, and it’s simply not worth doing that based on what I hear).
David Burke All great points, you nailed it 100%. But these kinds of videos are how misinformation gets spread, not founded in fact at all...like you said, merely a sales pitch.
David Burke I have a 2016 R8 Historic and decided to change the bumble bees & pots for Vintage Inspired Pots. Not sure if I am going to do pickups yet. What’s your opinion on what I have in there as standard, is it custom bucker. I love the guitar it’s is a dream. I may stick Grovers on too but did not fancy drilling headstock, those Kluson are naff.
Every few years they do this....better than ever! Newly revamped! New owner! But when you look at the specs it’s the same old crap for the last 20 years
Greyish rosewood and poorly finished fingerboard, ugly dye aniline stains, poor setups is not what I call "better". A lot of marketing BS has helped relaying this legend. I would say Custom shop is still very good in general. Please don't trust the "more historically correct BS" that Gibson serve you every year, while they hide the fact that they can no longer get nice rosewood or spend as much time setting up your future guitar because they need, like any other company, to cut costs more and more.
I have 3 2018 R8s and they have real Indian Rosewood Fingerboards unlike this Bolivian substitute they are putting on since 2019. Also Bolivian is Pau Ferro it's a disgrace and yes us real guitarists can tell the diffrence. Curleigh isnt in the same league as Henry J.... And shame on you lot for talking rubbish !!!
To be fair the Bolivian rosewood only featured on 60th Anniversary 1959 Standards last year and was an OPTION. More of these instruments were made last year with Indian rosewood than Bolivian and if you don’t like the idea of Bolivian (and to be fair, I’m with you there) all you need to do is check and buy the Indian rosewood one. I’d also add to that that if you’re unsure of what a guitar was built with Gibson will actually answer for you according to a serial number search: I know... I used them for this. Also to be fair to Gibson they introduced this because of the issues with rosewood certification for export under CITES. This is why you actually see more Bolivian rosewood 60th Anniversaries in Europe and very few in the US. To reiterate... 2020 production Historics are all back to Indian rosewood fingerboards. I’m sure that this is because of a combination of the relaxing of the CITES regs relating to Indian rosewood in musical instruments and the general response they got from consumers to the Bolivian rosewood “experiment”.
@@davidburke2132 Played a few 2019 R8 VOS guitars they also had Bolivian Rosewood and played a few 2019 Standards the Rosewood on those was very light and dry. They just dont seem as good in my opinion buddy.
Dean Lunn You’re probably right... there were probably a few 2019 R8s made with Bolivian, although it wasn’t part of the official R8 spec as it was on the 60th Ann ‘59 Standard. I’ve not seen any sign of Bolivian rosewood appearing on any 2020 guitars though... and it’s not an option officially on the 60th Ann ‘60 Standard as it was on last year’s 60th Ann model. I can only conclude that they’ve stopped doing it, which I think would make both you and me happy. 😬 I own two of the 60th Ann ‘59 Standards and their Indian rosewood fingerboards are no different to previous Historics I’ve played or owned. There was one that I tried in a store here in the UK that seemed to have quite a light coloured and dry fingerboard, even though it was definitely Indian rosewood, but that was an outlier from all the ones I’ve seen or tried.
You don't know what you're talking about. Pao ferro is used for guitars where Indian rosewood is not allowed to be traded or severely curtailed. They're relatively few with pao ferro.
I've just bought a Gibson 1957 Les Paul Custom Gold Top Dark Back my dream guitar.
The Custom shop has always been top notch. All the crazy QC stuff is from the USA factory. Played some mid to late 90s custom shop Gibsons that were simply amazing. They’re consistent regardless of year. If anything the marketing is always whack and people assume it’s “better”. True historic, historic, and now the anniversary models. Skip the BS and you get the same core guitar
My 2020 LP is absolutely amazing.
I have a custom shop axcess that has a richlite board…its really not bad, people are hung up on”its not ebony”..though true, you never have to worry about it cracking or shrinking or those little cracks in the binding at the ends of the frets..
My 2007 R8 is amazing 👍
Richlite is also used by Martin on their (expensive!) acoustic guitars and is great on Gibson's too. I have an ebony custom board and a richlite one - No discernible difference!
I like the richlite more Helps the planet. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Custom Shop’s quality has always been stellar, the assertion that it’s better now compared to a few years ago is pure nonsense.
Exactly, it’s just sales pitch. Is a 2016 Historic any better a Custom Shop from 10 years earlier or 2020 60th Anniversary . They are all based around models from a 4 year period so should all be similarly well constructed. Not every original Burst was great either.
Totally agree. Somehow it seems that the Custom Shop was always insulated from the extremes of Henry’s idiocy (although I still think that the QC issues in the US production instruments is massively overstated some of the design decisions in the USA models were just nuts).
The ONLY Custom Shop years I would actively avoid would be 2012 where some of the Historics had two piece fingerboards (not saying they sound worse... but they definitely have lower resale value and it would just be a nagging doubt in my mind) and the Standard Historic models in 2015 when the CS serial number prefix guitars (as opposed to the True Historic models) didn’t get the long neck tenon.
I have a 2002 R8, a 2010 R7 and several others from 2014 up to 2019 (no, I’m not a collector... just addicted to Les Pauls and guitar is my one big passion in life) and I wouldn’t say there’s a quality difference between any of them. Although one thing I do recognise from the video is the general sense of reducing average weights, but that’s not really a quality thing, that’s a playability preference thing.
Would also add that Max misses out the two changes to the Historics/Reissues that were introduced in 2019 that probably are likely to have the biggest impact on the way they sound, and those changes are use of paper in oil capacitors (just like the originals, rather than the “fake” bumblebees that has been previously used that looked like the original capacitors but weren’t built like them) and unpotted Custombuckers. However, the paper in oil capacitors thing is an easy and relatively cost effective mod that I’ve had done to my pre-2019 Les Pauls anyway and I have guitars with potted and unpotted Custombuckers and can’t say I notice a real difference with what I play (there’s far too much variance at play from one guitar to another to definitively pin anything down to a small thing like potted vs unpotted pickups anyway - would have to try them both in the same guitar to do a fair test, and it’s simply not worth doing that based on what I hear).
David Burke All great points, you nailed it 100%. But these kinds of videos are how misinformation gets spread, not founded in fact at all...like you said, merely a sales pitch.
David Burke I have a 2016 R8 Historic and decided to change the bumble bees & pots for Vintage Inspired Pots. Not sure if I am going to do pickups yet. What’s your opinion on what I have in there as standard, is it custom bucker. I love the guitar it’s is a dream. I may stick Grovers on too but did not fancy drilling headstock, those Kluson are naff.
What is the color of the guitar in the first solo?
great playing
I think history he said happened after 2015 many good changes happened 2015 also owner and products manager
Cool guitars!
I want a Gibson custom shop les paul 1959 model again .
But high price ,,,
They use much more plasticiser?
Which amp is being used in the video?
Klinkt geweldig!! Welke versterker gebruikten jullie?
Dank je! Een Two-Rock Studio Signature combo! - Sasha
Will Gibson ever make guitars good enough again that there is no need for a Custom Shop Gibson to get a good Gibson guitar 😐
Every few years they do this....better than ever! Newly revamped! New owner! But when you look at the specs it’s the same old crap for the last 20 years
Greyish rosewood and poorly finished fingerboard, ugly dye aniline stains, poor setups is not what I call "better".
A lot of marketing BS has helped relaying this legend. I would say Custom shop is still very good in general.
Please don't trust the "more historically correct BS" that Gibson serve you every year, while they hide the fact that they can no longer get nice rosewood or spend as much time setting up your future guitar because they need, like any other company, to cut costs more and more.
I have 3 2018 R8s and they have real Indian Rosewood Fingerboards unlike this Bolivian substitute they are putting on since 2019. Also Bolivian is Pau Ferro it's a disgrace and yes us real guitarists can tell the diffrence. Curleigh isnt in the same league as Henry J....
And shame on you lot for talking rubbish !!!
To be fair the Bolivian rosewood only featured on 60th Anniversary 1959 Standards last year and was an OPTION. More of these instruments were made last year with Indian rosewood than Bolivian and if you don’t like the idea of Bolivian (and to be fair, I’m with you there) all you need to do is check and buy the Indian rosewood one. I’d also add to that that if you’re unsure of what a guitar was built with Gibson will actually answer for you according to a serial number search: I know... I used them for this.
Also to be fair to Gibson they introduced this because of the issues with rosewood certification for export under CITES. This is why you actually see more Bolivian rosewood 60th Anniversaries in Europe and very few in the US.
To reiterate... 2020 production Historics are all back to Indian rosewood fingerboards. I’m sure that this is because of a combination of the relaxing of the CITES regs relating to Indian rosewood in musical instruments and the general response they got from consumers to the Bolivian rosewood “experiment”.
@@davidburke2132 Played a few 2019 R8 VOS guitars they also had Bolivian Rosewood and played a few 2019 Standards the Rosewood on those was very light and dry.
They just dont seem as good in my opinion buddy.
Dean Lunn You’re probably right... there were probably a few 2019 R8s made with Bolivian, although it wasn’t part of the official R8 spec as it was on the 60th Ann ‘59 Standard. I’ve not seen any sign of Bolivian rosewood appearing on any 2020 guitars though... and it’s not an option officially on the 60th Ann ‘60 Standard as it was on last year’s 60th Ann model. I can only conclude that they’ve stopped doing it, which I think would make both you and me happy. 😬
I own two of the 60th Ann ‘59 Standards and their Indian rosewood fingerboards are no different to previous Historics I’ve played or owned. There was one that I tried in a store here in the UK that seemed to have quite a light coloured and dry fingerboard, even though it was definitely Indian rosewood, but that was an outlier from all the ones I’ve seen or tried.
You don't know what you're talking about. Pao ferro is used for guitars where Indian rosewood is not allowed to be traded or severely curtailed. They're relatively few with pao ferro.