Original 58 and 54 compared to replicas

WezV

I built a rather nice 55 replica back in 2009, i never did get proper pics of it at the end, - some original parts went into it like an early 60's wiring loom, vintage uncompensated bridge, strap buttons, back plate, truss rod cover and knob pointers




A thin 2-piece body and 3 piece neck make it different to an original even though the headstock shape is closer than i would normally go.  These days i would have gone for more accurate plastics and a relic finish, but none of it would really make it a better  guitar

WezV

customkits said:

WezV said:

Thinking about it, I don't think I have ever built a junior style with a thin neck.  Although the 59/60 rebuild I did had quite a modest size

have you built one in limba? 

I really want to try one and is the dog ear p90 different to a soapbar in tone

i have done a few of guitars in limba,  both Terminilia ivorensis and terminilia superba... but no juniors


My second junior style was english ash with a solid wenge neck

Danielsguitars

That junior looks bloody nice, I find if it's like a replica it normally ends up aged, we're a funny lot really
The colour looks spot on, I'll get some tips off you if I do one like that

Hope it sounds as good as it looks

Just boils down to if I can't afford one I have to make one, which is pretty much everything inc amps, that strat style guitar is the first guitar I've bought in years, it was a whole £45 brand spanking new 

WezV

customkits said:

The colour looks spot on, I'll get some tips off you if I do one like that

 

I think i have shared how it was done online in the past.

The top of the guitar was treated with Rustins wood bleach to lighten it enough to just be sprayed an appropriately yellow colour. part A makes it really dark, part B cleans it all away...   a totally non authentic way to achieve that grainy yellow of the originals


I have wondered if I could get a good TV yellow on a whole guitar this way, but i suspect it only works here because its all on the same face

Jez6345789

I have said this a few times before and I will say it again. Gibson could quiet easily build the ultimate replica using vintage correct woods and materials and techniques they have all the knowledge the scans of necks and understanding of pretty much what it took to make them back in the day. If a little known at the time guy like Gill Yaron and other could charge 3 times the price of the old R9's make them in a basic workshop in Israel and get world wide adulation and acclaim. Then the only reason there is not a Private Edition Gibson is because they choose from a marketing and business perspective to plow a different road. Yaron and all the other guys would not really exist if people with the money could buy a better than True Historic with correct woods etc.  A company as resourced as Gibson could easily put a small skunk works style team on it for a while and take orders for 100 or whatever per year. 

As for people who make replicas they are filling a niche and despite the IP issues they will continue to quietly go about doing what they do as long as people are prepared to put money on the table. 

thebreeze

So confused by all this.  All I can gather is that some folks on here make very nice guitars (is this correct?

Danielsguitars

Confused me too

I think you need to read my ammended comment on the very first post, that sums this whole thread up 

Iamnobody

customkits said:

Confused me too

I think you need to read my ammended comment on the very first post, that sums this whole thread up 

Why have you edited all you earlier posts to say O - is it short for Oh I'm such a sensitive soul? If you think this thread turned to shit you need to toughen up!

Perhaps if your earlier posts made a bit more sense you wouldn't feel it necessary to fuck up your own thread...

Danielsguitars

Really since my son died earlier this year I actually couldn't give a flying f##k what anyone thinks

I've got a very short fuse and stopped before I say something I might regret, I post on here take my mind off it 

I don't have to explain myself to anyone

I'll fuck off now  

Voxman

CK, sent you a pm.

thebreeze

CK - you don't have to explain yourself to anyone.  If we can alleviate (in any small way) the hell you must be going through just keep posting whenever that seems right.  

Bridgehouse

I've really enjoyed this thread. Not felt it necessary to contribute yet, but still enjoyed the read nonetheless.

Keep posting CK.

Iamnobody

Morning @customkits please don't fuck off based on my comment. 

I'm sorry to hear of your personal circumstances - we all have 'real' lives and it sounds like you have been through hell. And I am very sorry to hear that.

Obviously we we don't know much about each other's personal situation though. Had I known yours I probably wouldn't have waded in with my comment.

Keep on building and posting.

Danielsguitars

I'll leave you this little thought

If these true historics are so correct why do people send them off to historic makeovers to get them even more accurate, 

Truly baffling not to mention how much it costs, silly money

Honestly I'd rather have a vintage mij guitar, I had an old Greco super real and it had character and mojo for want of a better word, then i built my own and promptly sold it

I'm trying to open your eyes that's all

p90fool

customkits said:

I'll leave you this little thought

If these true historics are so correct why do people send them off to historic makeovers to get them even more accurate

Because they're mentally ill, like your Singapore guy who buys a dozen R8/9s even though he thinks ten of them are crap. 

That constitutes an illness in anybody's definition, it's the action of a lunatic, not that of a musician. 

Their goal is painstaking historical accuracy as an end in itself, totally losing sight of guitars as a way of getting on a stage and moving people's emotions. 

I worked in the custom motorcycle industry for years, the most demanding, perfectionist customers were the ones who never rode anywhere.

Cherish these people, as depressing as they are, they're your bread and butter. It truly takes all sorts, and some of them are 'kin loaded. 

IvisonGuitars

customkits said:

I'm trying to open your eyes that's all

With respect, I don't think any of the contributors to this thread think that the Gibson True Historic range are the be all and end all of Les Pauls, in fact, if you take some time to search through some previous threads you'll find opinion is quite to the contrary.

Many of the guys here have Gibson or  MIJ guitars that they've upgraded/modified with aftermarket pickups, hardware etc to make the best sounding and playing Les Paul that they can. So i'm not really sure where this thread is heading other than I think you might be preaching to the converted a bit?

peteri

I agree with the above, and like others really enjoyed the thread and think it's a shame if you feel attacked.

However, stories about people like the Singapore guy really don't help to me - and I agree with the 'lunatic' definition here.

Anyone who can afford 8-10 R9s can afford a trip to America or Japan where there are loads of options to try and just buy one!

Buying that many is a compulsion, like some of us with overdrive pedals - nothing more or less

Danielsguitars

Don't blame me, they're whole business model is based on those iconic guitars 

All I want to know is how close they are, in tone feel and playability, at least I've tried really good vintage guitars to compare too

I think we better stop there, go and do something useful, you all know why I'm here to alleviate a wandering mind

Voxman

The interesting thing is that both on stage and in the studio, a lot of great players tend to use modern instruments, and they still sound great.  Gary Moore played a Heritage Les Paul with EMG active pups, Clapton plays modern Strats, BB King played a new guitar from Gibson pretty much every year, etc.

Vintage gear is fabulous and a wonderful indulgence if you can afford it.  But if you can't, trying to capture every nuance of a vintage guitar in a replica can, like everything, be taken to excess (like your Singapore guy).  It starts to be self defeating and crosses over into an unhealthy obsession if its taken to extremes, taking the focus away from simply enjoying playing ... because that's really all it's about regardless of whether you have a 59 Les Paul or an Epiphone Les Paul.  If you have the skill and touch, you can sound good on pretty much anything.  If you don't, all the vintage gear in the world won't turn you into the likes of Peter Green, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Paul Kossoff, Gary Moore or Mark Knopfler.

Replica's can be very nice for a player that wants to 'spoil themselves' a bit and have something made for them (or buy one that might be up for sale) that's a bit special and not readily available anywhere else.  Or a pro player that has originals but because of rarity and value doesn't want to risk taking his 58/59 original on tour, but wants something that sounds and feels as close as possible. 

But for most players, a good R8/R9 or a nice Custom Shop Strat will do very nicely, and because these are much more readily available, it's easier for a player to try lots out and find one that suits - and of course it's immediately available with no build time waiting list, it has the right 'name' on the headstock which is still important to most players, and resale market is more predictable.  I'm just saying that there are pro's and con's both ways.  

The world of replicas is by definition a more specialist market, and I have no doubt that many can be quite exceptional, but it doesn't nullify or devalue other more 'regular' options - it's simply a different option to meet the needs of a particular individual.  But the markets plenty big enough for both approaches and this thread has definitely helped open up the world of replicas as an alternative approach for those with the funds who are seeking that 'something extra and a bit different'. 

goat

Shame everything was deleted, sounded interesting.