Better than vintage - the Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst! (full review)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 เม.ย. 2022
- Don't waste your money on a vintage silverburst or Adam Jones version. I will go over the economics, the construction and tone demo of a 2021Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop Silverburst, in detail.
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I used to own a 1981 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst. I got it in 1984 and sold it for $700.00 in 1985. Used the money to buy a guitar from a new up and coming guitar builder named Paul Reed Smith. I got the 84th one ever built. I still have it, and it's still in mint condition.
From one great guitar to another! Well done!
Just bought a new Murphy 68 Custom. Love it.
Yet just 10 years ago the silver burst were slagged off something rotten. Never heard Adam Jones but maybe he’s an Aussie star. I reckon you are right on the signature guitars.
I just bought a 1979 Custom Silverburst for $10,500. It's in great condition. There's obviously some wear on it and of course it aged to green which is so beautiful. It is set up so beautifully and I couldn't be happier.
That was a pretty good price all things considered 👍
I think it's a great price! I also just went and put it under a black light last Friday and it's pristine. No evidence of stickers, repairs, cracks or anything really other than some surface wear. Great guitar and I coudln't be happier.@@KersyMusic
Ya that gap on the control cavity cover would bug me a little bit too but just remember man these aren’t guitars that are 100% made from machines, there’s humans touching them quite a bit too, and that means they just will not be absolutely perfect. My Silverburst has a couple things if you are really looking deep at it too, but then you just plug in and forget about em when it sounds so amazing! Enjoy! It’s always such a joy to have such a beautiful guitar
Your video came up in my feed and I love silver bursts so I started watching it and you said you bought this from Bizarre Guitar in Reno….. oh how cool!!! I’ve been an employee at Bizarre since 2006!!😃😃 you bought it a little before I was there but it was cool to hear you mention us!!👍👍👍👍
I bought the guitar in 2021… you said you were there after I bought it? Anyhow, I’m glad you liked the review, and of course I am VERY happy with it… the Silverburst paint job is just incredible. Do you own one?
@@KersyMusic lol actually my mistake I thought you said you bought it in 2001 lol. I’ve been here since 2006…. Just really cool to hear you mention us … I don’t have a silver burst… I have two customs a black of course and my special M2M I waited for two years for just arrived , Pink Sparkle which is beautiful. Also a gold top standard and custom shop anniversary 60 and a 59. All great guitars. I really want a silver burst seeing them come in day after day is torture 😂😂 loved your video. Very informative and thorough I’m defineatly subscribing. If there’s anything else you need in the future, don’t hesitate to call 😃😃😃
@@ace7271 No worries! Well, I’m jealous about your gold tops, for sure. This is next on my list - looking for a delicious 50’s gold top with P90’s. So if you see one come in that will likely make me salivate - please let me know! 🥳
Thats a beautiful guitar!!! CONGRATS
Thanks. It’s stunning… just expensive!
Guitars as investments only make sense if it was gifted to you. That way, you did not have any skin in the purchase = all profit when sold. This review is detailed more than some but sounds honest. Good job.
I think we would all like a guitar as a gift!
Awesome video, enjoyed your opinions
Thanks. I had fun making it. I’m planning on doing a Fender Jazzmaster review soon… they are very interesting!
My Agile silver burst double cutaway, neck through construction, seven ply binding front, back, and headstock, single bound asymmetrical neck with access heal, coil splits, ebony fretboard, real mother of pearly inlays, volute, graphite nut, Grover rotomatic tuners, for $660,…is becoming my favorite guitar. It’s Even Better than my 1978 Gibson Black beauty was.
It just has so much resonance, it cranks, chunks, quacks, and sings.
Sounds like I should take a look at that - great value for money!
@@KersyMusic Rondo Music. They don’t have a lot right now. You have to keep going back until the shipment comes in. The access heal is amazing on this double cut. Single cut access heal ocean burst is catching my eye as a next purchase. But I might go fro a Brian May signature instead, OR, upgrade my strat with a Gilmore EMG loaded pick guard. I am leaning toward that, but that ocean burst is beautiful. And it has an access heal. And through neck.
sweet guitar man. i agree with your statement. Coincidentally i purchased my new 2020 siiverburst from bizarre guitar as well lol - great instrument. Just to note, i do have the AJ gibson standard as well, but that one is fairly priced i believe.
I agree with you 100 percent I got me a 2019 brand new it's an ebony custom with real ebony fret board they started using it again that year.
Sounds great!
I wasn’t too impressed with the binding, and I think this is an ongoing issue with their quality, that I’m not sweating with other brands. Small details, but I agree that the standard should be higher for $5k!
Always on the run!
Yes sir!! 🥳
A close friend of mine has a brand new les Paul custom 57 reissue. He’s had so many vintage les Paul’s but he tells me the new one is the best he’s played. I struggle with this debate myself. I have 3 les Paul customs. 81,82, and 87. They’re so old that it’s coming up for fret work and hardware changes and I often wonder if I’m better off selling these vintage instruments and buying a few new ones. I’m more of a player then collector.
I’m the same, a player not collector. You really have to know what you’re doing as a collector. The return on investment can be a long time, if there is even a return
It's not about who's blood sweat and tears are on a vintage instrument, it's about how the guitar plays and sounds with the age and sweat after 30 or 50 years that makes it special. This is why the Murphy Lab Gibson's are so popular as well. They have miraculously "captured" that "time machine" feel. Somehow.
The sound produced by an electric guitar doesn’t change much with age… the physics don’t support it, other than minor changes in material density with exposure to moisture/dryness, oxidation, etc. Recreating an aged guitar is turning back to previously used materials (pickup wire gauge, magnets, etc) and construction that affects tone and playability. Yeah, if they do that well, that’s great. But is it worth the price tag?
@@KersyMusic If you have ever played one, you would know.
Fantastic walk through, thanks for the vid. I recently grabbed the standard Adam Jones GIbson. I am not a huge gibson player, but I've always wanted a silverburst, but because I play primariliy Ibanez, I just couldn't pay for a custom shop because I can't have a wall hanging guitar for that price. I love the AJ standard, I have to assume it will be sold whenever I do that, for probably close to what I paid, most of the standards seem to stick around the same price point until they become a few decades old. Also, the standard doesn't have quite the green, that actual vintage does, so it's a cool feature without being weird. If I get rich, I assume I'll grab a custom shop, I really love them.
The standard Adam Jones is a good deal… I don’t think the custom is worth the hefty price tag!
I was looking for another good solid body for jazz after playing my Telecaster for a while. I actually got the Silverburst Epiphone Custom Pro since funds are limited. I was really blown away at how well alas pole works for playing jazz. That being said I shouldn’t be surprised because Les Paul himself was primarily a standards player in a sense.
Yeah, the neck pickup is so creamy and smooth… perfect for jazz. But can sometimes sit in the muddy middle of a mid, depending on what else is going on. I haven’t played an Epiphone Custom… I need to check them out!
Hello friends!
given your incredible knowledge of these tools, can I ask you which product do you use to polish it?
my black beauty of 73. when I pass the damp cloth it immediately becomes dull and hazy gray, it's horrible.
I do not know what to do.
thank you so much!!
sorry my english translated by google
Paolo, Italy
I use the Dunlop 654C Formula 65 Polish. In the US, I can buy it on Amazon and it includes a soft cloth for $5.95 right now. www.amazon.com/dp/B000EEHHVW?psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp
That's not controversial at all. The Adam Jones ones are just try-hard, and why buy a vintage Norlin when you can buy a clean, new one that's at least been PLEK'd.
To each his own but from my personal experience and endless trials of Gibson guitars, I found that the 90s were generally the best in terms of build quality, feel and playability.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ve heard that also, but I’ve not put my hands on one from the 90’s to see for myself.
Excellent video and I agree 100% with you I have 3 Gibsons and one is a 2019 custom ebony awesome guitars😜
Thank you! What is the color/finish on the 2019 custom that you have? Are you happy with the build quality? There’s a lot of negative sentiment on Gibson quality these days - interested in your thoughts!
@@KersyMusic Custom ebony some call it the black beauty but it's not the black beauty has three pickups I also have a 2017 bourbon burst and a 2018 Standard HP Mohave burst all of them are very good quality guitars😜
That guitar is stunning. Wish you could still find them retail
Yeah, I tried to find another for a friend, and couldn’t find one.
@@KersyMusic thomann get them in regularly enough
Top wrapping the strings doesn't increase the string tension. The only way to do that is by increasing pitch, or moving to a larger gauge while keeping the same pitch. The active portion of the string is under the same tension regardless of how it is wrapped. Top wrapping just adds to the overall string length, which essentially gives you more stretchable material, and an easier feel to the bend. Imagine the amount of force you would need to stretch a 1 inch length of rope one full inch, versus the force required to stretch a 25 foot long piece of rope one inch. The more there is, the more it can stretch out under the same forces.
If you increase a strings length, to maintain the same pitch, the tension needs to be increased. In two guitars with different string lengths but the same pitch, the longer string length will have higher tension. The formula that proves this is The relationship between the pitch (frequency), tension, length, and mass per unit length of a string is given by the formula: T = (2L f)^2 * u
I am a old guy past my 68th birthday so my perspective is different and is subject to personal taste no one is right or wrong on what guitar feels, sounds or plays better..First The necks are different, the 78-81 silver burst had maple necks, ebony fret board and a 60’s shape - slightly thinner, also the pearl inlay is move vivid and more beautiful on the 1979-81 silver burst. Newer ones have mahogany necks, man made material on fret board and a thicker neck with no volute. 1979 had volute. The pickups are also a personal choice, the Adam Jones silver burst models have a Seymour Duncan 15.5 ohm pu in the bridge very hot much more than I want but many younger players like that. The 1979-1981 had T-tops which have a much cleaner sound.I have some older T tops which sound better than the 79 T tops but that is because Gibson did not use auto winders in manufacturing until 1967i. So I lucked out and have some over wound ones in another guitar. That’s my 2 cents
Thanks for those extra details… I didn’t know all of that history. I’m not into hot pickup like the Seymour Duncan’s they threw into the Adam Jones version, but I see the appeal for many players. In the Silverburst I reviewed, it has an ebony fretboard, I wouldn’t pay $5k+ for a guitar with richlite. I’ve looked a lot of others around, and they have richlite. I’ve read a lot of opinions on it also. Can’t help my bias towards ebony, even if richlite is better from a material science and environmental aspect 😏
I could definitely see myself getting the new Adam jones studio, but I do have a weird vendetta against signature guitars. Makes me feel like I’m trying too hard to just play somebody else’s music.
I agree that there's no point in spending a lot of money to try to sound like someone else with a signature guitar... and not much fun as a musician to restrict yourself to someone else's sound. Better just to buy a guitar because it works for you.
Just the one time top wrap is enough to permanently mark the finishing on the tail piece... Your tech should not have even contemplated doing that without asking you first...About the 498T/490R pickups... I find them to be very versatile in terms of nice cleans right through to a good rock tone.. I find the burst buckers to be a bit toppy and bright. ... Then that's down to preference... I think that a good alternative would be the custom buckers...
Yes, I was not very happy about it! Fortunately there wasn’t any noticeable damage. I’m sure if I played it for a few mins it would already scratch on the low E.
Well said about the story.
I'm in the market for a white LPC right now. But to be honest, the binding job looks pretty shoddy for a 5k guitar. I've definitely seen better epiphones.
Is this just a monday model or do they have built defects like this regularly?
I think this is a regular issue for Gibson’s unfortunately. I have a few Fenders without those kinds of issues. I had an Epiphone once also, and I liked that - until I dropped it and split the neck! 😖
From where to buy silberburst? Gibson website dont have it? Are these still being made?
Hi! Yeah, they are not available from Gibson any more, you have to buy them from a dealer if they have them in stock. I got lucky and found a dealer in Reno NV that had this one. They might build more… might be worth emailing the custom shop to ask 😉
Wasn't it Joey Crespo that played one during his short stint replacing (oddly enough) another Joe, this one - joe Perry - or was it the other way round?
I never saw him play one, and I couldn’t find any footage, but who knows!
I want this exact guitar and I’m a beginner?! Crazy right… should probably get a Yamaha but I really love everything about this guitar!!!! I played in the late 90’s briefly just plucking around with a Fender Esquire Strat with a huge Marshall amp that I got used from my brothers friend for $300 with all the cables. I miss plucking stairway to heaven and downloading tabs from the internet back in the AOL days 🤣
Edit: Sorry I thought this was an epiphone 🙄… looks similar to one I’ve been looking at for around $630 but obviously it’s not Gibson
The Epiphones are good, and so is the Silverburst studio series. Probably better value for money than the custom shop Les Paul as well.
I have about 50 guitars, most are Gibsons and Fenders, and I like the old ones better,
and dont care at all that they were worn in by somebody else... it is so liberating when you dont have to cry like a baby when you got that first ding on your pristine baby ;) .. and they sound much better than what you can buy now new.
I appreciate your perspectives. This obviously comes down to personal preferences, but I totally agree on your point about getting the first ding on a pristine guitar!
Market is coming down on the Silverburst (both vintage and AJ versions). There are a lot of Custom Shop Silverbursts available (Bizarre Guitars are great btw) for around $5k or so and I am sure you can talk them down. The Norlin era examples are sitting around $8k - $9k which is well above what other finishes command ($4,500 - $6,500 based on condition). If I were in the market for an AJ Signature or vintage model I would make some offers as there are a lot of guitars and they are sitting a lot longer. Not sure they will ever correct to normal but certainly glad I did not overpay for one.
I had a Custom Shop Silverburst and it was incredible. Sadly it showed up with a bunch of finish checking (not the Murphy Lab Kind) and I am still waiting for another 7+ months to replace it. This is after waiting nearly 16 months for the first one! Agree though, they are awesome.
Thanks for that update! That makes a lot of sense that the prices would come down from those stratospheric levels that were just unrealistic. I picked up mine for around $5K. That was pretty steep for me, I can’t imagine paying more, but it is nice to play a custom shop Silverburst.
No. They're not. Vintage running for 9-10K USD, in the West Hollywood GC store. Same when I saw one at Emerald's in Seattle. Based on what I have seen. The vintage one's are definitely holding their new price. Can't speak for the reissues. The new custom shop stuff is a joke, for the money.
I gave up on owning a PERFECT LP Custom. The quality is not anywhere close to $5k asking price. I went through a bunch… eventually settling on an ESP Eclipse custom shop. Now I have a perfect Les Paul Custom from Japan.
I will take a look at the ESP… I agree with you on the Gibson LP quality!
What a beauty!!!👍🎸
It sure is!
i have the same pickups but swapped the magnets vice versa. U get better sounding tone!
I might try that!
I bet you can get right into all its nuances and tones with that amp .
It’s a great amp, with a lot of modeling options and DI out, so I can still get the tube warmth 👍
Nice guitar!
as a 90s kids love tool but I rather a silver burst from my birth year 1980. also I would really rather a guitar and color that's unique to me
I’ve seen some 80’s Silverbursts that have a golden tint to them, rather than the greenish Adam Jones version or more recent pure silver. What ‘hue’ do you find most appealing?
My sentiments exactly.
Thanks!
Since damn near everybody is on the Silverburst train I think I am going to get the burgundy Gibson Modern LP just to be different. The Modern has amazing features and it is 2-3 thousand dollars less.
I think that might be better value for money actually. I was just comparing a vintage Silverburst to a new Silverburst. But there are some really good LP’s out there that are not Silverburst… and the custom shop is not always the best way to go in my opinion.
I absolutely love silverbursts, but I truly believe that Adam Jones destroyed the market for them. Vintage ones and even new ones are extremely expensive nowadays. So I just sent my Gibson LP modern to refinish and it came out beautiful.
They were expensive 20 years ago. I had a 1979 that was in decent shape i bought in 2000 and it was 3500$. I sold it in 2008 for 5500. I probably could have gotten more honestly
@@BigTyronie about 5 or 6 years ago you could get vintage silverbursts in great shape for 3k, nowadays it's absolutely impossible to get a decent one under 6k
Best story guitar to buy and no problem at all playing a worn-out guitar is a guitar that has been passed down by your dad or family 😎
Agreed. That’s an heirloom… priceless 😉
@@KersyMusic your so right tho about buying others sweat and tears on used guitars would rather buy a new one and make my own story .. 😎
The Boy From Seattle!! :)
Well spotted! Great album!
I wanna buy your guitar and replace the pickups with the pickups from a Squire Bullit Strat. I prefer it.
Replace humbuckers with single coils?
@@KersyMusic yes, single coil ceramic from a Squire Bullit Strat.
The ultimate show of disrespect towards Gibson.
There's a way to control the gain and distortion that you learn only by playing low output single coil. You'll never learn if you use humbuckers.
The pickups u have are better than bb pros
The only thing better on the newer silver burst is the silver does not turn green. A 1979 in great condition blows away the new stuff
What aspect of the 1979 makes it better in your opinion?
I like the age to green. I think it's incredibly unique as the new paint doesn't do that (of course aside from the replica).
I agree with you, real beat up/smoked up/smelly vintage guitars are just gross. Some people believe playing a RELIC is a poser thing to do, but playing a real vintage guitar that is beat up is just as equally poser because it is not your story. RELIC makes more sense to me, (I do not own one, but just saying).
So you're saying that vintage guitars should just be put in a museum if they aren't my story? I disagree. They become your story the more time you spend with them.
I dislike the VOS, Murphy aged, vintage guitars. I want to buy a NEW guitar. That’s just my opinion of course.
When paying thousands for a Gibson, I don’t want flaws, scratches, etc to be considered a “feature” which increases the price.
I agree!!
I really think that you shouldn't look at it as an investment, otherwise you might as well keep it under constant lock and key in fear of it sustaining any nicks or scratches. Contrary to popular belief a chipped headstock and note : slight neck damage (professionally repaired!) don't add to the value of a guitar.
I think that some people who rushed in to pay a ridiculous amount of money for an Adam Jones reissue, have them locked away to keep them in pristine condition, so they can sell them later on and make money. I can't understand that. Guitars are meant to be played. But like a lot of things in life, some people are only in it for the money.
Like yourself I too started out with a couple of cheap guitars one being strat copy with bowed neck which was quickly return because it over all just rubbish.
Though my Brothers friend a 2nd hand vintage vintage type white (yellow) Japanese Telecaster I still have today (were are talking mid 1970s)
followed by an Ibanez with open book and diamond inlay head stock bolt on neck copy of a Gibson black beauty which I loved but sadly had to sell in 1981 to buy a bass guitar (Ibanez blazer).
I still have the blazer but do still to this day regret having to sell the Ibanez black beauty copy.
Since then over the years I have a number of US and Mexican Strats and Teles. incl a 1975 custom Tele and 4x Gibsons LPs one being a Nolan era 1977-78 LP.
I am a player not an investor I regard my instruments almost as if my children. the only issue I have with Gibson is is there Quality Control with their cosmetics in some cases sadly lacking QC.
Thanks for your clip most interesting hearing your views.
As for a string wrap over and marking of the tail piece I am surprised no one has used a thin strip of felt to negate or limit damage to the top of the tail piece.
Also love the use of macro/zoom to show aspects of the guitar not all reviews do this.
Yes, the QC is not so great, as you saw on the binding, and other minor touches. But if I don’t get ‘too close’, it looks spectacular. Yeah, I’m not into tail wrap, and I’m not sure if covering it to prevent the scratch would be so good for the sustain. Thanks for the feedback!
@@KersyMusic You may be right about sustain. however I own a Gretsch (Korean) Hollow body double cut away with a Bigsby and and have had to add a little felt between string prior to bridge due to unwanted sometimes sympathetic string vibration. I must admit I not noticed any reduction in the guitar sustain capabilities mind you I might be luck for that particular model.
Thanks for you response all the best
Nice video! I was lucky enough to get one of these at the end of last year. It’s my dream guitar, but must admit Gibson’s qc left something to be desired. Flash left around the pickguard, lots of buffing compound all around the binding, the toggle switch cap was chewed up, and the worst part was the finish was uneven and “lumpy” at the neck joint. Due to the finish I got a partial refund from the dealer. I have a Mayones of similar value and it has absolutely no issues. I guess people love these enough that Gibson knows they can slack in the finishing department a bit. Still it’s the prettiest guitar I’ve ever seen so 🤷🏻♂️
Yes, QC on the Gibson customs is not as good as my Fender customs. It’s a pretty well known fact, surprised they haven’t resolved it.
While I agree with everything you’ve said about buying someone else’s old guitar… I don’t like that Gibson has weight relieved them for years now. The Norton era silverbursts have non weight relieved bodies and maple necks. I will own a modern white custom one day. Musicians friend recently had a 1979 silverburst for sale but didn’t have the original pickups. The guitar looked super clean and I bought it. Haven’t seen it yet. I hurried and bought it thinking the price was ok for $7500… we’ll see I guess…?
@@KersyMusic I thought after 1982 or 1983 they all were weight relieved.
Yes, you’re correct, my mistake. Although with the 9 hole Swiss cheese weight relief it is still a 10lb hunk of wood 😁
@@KersyMusic ya. The older ones had the maple neck which I’m sure made them weigh about the same. Yours is mahogany.
Buy a guitar from the year your born, i love mine from 1998 and plan to pass it down to grandkids with one point they cant sell it even if they cant play it keep it as art from the family but my rule will be they cant sell it hahaha
I like that! Great idea… if you can spare the cash!
Never liked this particular colour and i own an ebony board sg , i wish i had bought a rosewood board instead, ebony sounds bright and shril to my ear
I haven’t been able to tell the different in sound from different fretboards, just the feel and look of them.
@@KersyMusic ya the feel is different too...ebony is very hard , but ebony is great for an acoustic board, i find at least...its just my own preference
You are totally right
The only company that will appreciate is Gibson. Comparing a fender to a Gibson artist is not the same. I’ve been doing this a long time, the cs Gibson will go up with price increases from the retail price.
Thanks for the feedback
Anyone else losing it when this guy hits the guitar with his ring?
🤣 I am making the guitar my own with its own relic’ing. It will have my own blood, sweat, tears and ring marks on it.
I had neck binding like that on my 2016 Gibson Flying V. it was utter gobshite.
The E string would catch between the fret end and the raised 'nibs' on the binding, all the way up the neck.
The craftsmanship was appalling.
Had it replaced and the second one went back to Gibson too.
This Gibson ad all the faults at THIS price - shocking.
The neck binding on the Silverburst is good, but I was surprised at the other minor defects for the price. Sounds like your Flying V was really badly made. Gibson have a reputation for inconsistent quality these days.
That ones actually silver, unlike the Adam Jones.
Adam Jones was also a Silverburst, but the lacquer aged and made the silver paint underneath look green-ish. I prefer the silver myself, but some people prefer the aged look I guess, which is what they emulated with the Adam Jones special
i would have sent that gutar back for those flaws. For that kind of coin!! No gracias.
Yep, that was disappointing for sure. Fender quality is much higher
looks like a whiteburst
Yup, the metallic silver does a good job of reflecting my lights!
The guitar would be imprinted with history and experience of that guy I’m not interested. Oh but if it was random famous guys history and experience it’s different.
Sorry man but I don’t see the difference. They’re both someone else’s blood sweat and tears. Famous or not it’s some other dudes gear at the end of the day.
True, but from an investment perspective if I'm going to have a guitar that is beaten up by someone else, I would want it to be someone famous so that it retains it's value a little better. I would take Brian May's red special in a heart beat :)
@@KersyMusic I understand the investment part of it, but I just can’t buy something and not play it. So I just couldn’t do it cause I’d play it. I’ll give you an example I’m from Texas home of a little metal band pantera and the late Vinny Paul, drummer, his kits are up for auction and if I ever got the Chan to get a hometown heroes possessions I’d just have to play it lol. Good talking to ya though man. Keep up the videos!
Another frickin’ germaphobe!
🤣🤣🤣 yup
Way too long