It's all good guys, please. If one cares to see 'rumpled feathers' , please venture over to the aforementioned LPF..

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It is like a board meeting of old men arguing over the etiquette of describing what they are saying to each other:
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showt ... p?t=151716" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
See what I mean.
I only post over there when absolutely necessary, ect.
As far as Gibson's these days, the Historics, or Hystericals as I call them. Certain years are known as the primo years for various models. That the 'specs' are close but never 100%, guarantees that they will have to keep building them year after year. That aficionados will take a brand new Historic completely apart and replace hardware, inlays, remove truss rod condoms, change pickups, rings, tuners, have them refinished. Replace the pots and capacitors. Have the guitars 'relic'd', ect., shows how close (not) Gibson has come. Except a Tom Murphy painted or 'aged' guitar, they are too valuable to modify.
Fortunately for me, I have no interest in having a 1959 Les Paul Standard Historic, so that saves me a lot of money and frustration. The closest I came to having one, was a prototype 1957 Goldtop Historic in 1993 that Tom Murphy and Edwin Wilson brought to the Chicago Vintage Guitar Show that year. For $2K I could have bought that guitar, but of course was broke and had used a lot of my money to rent a truck and drive to Chicago to meet Music Ground and pick up all their show equipment and drive it to the show. The Goldtop's neck I loved and I couldn't put it down the whole weekend. It had a large ding on the bottom of the guitar, but played and sounded fantastic. Tom played it at the jam session for the show. That was the last Historic I was interested in. I do hope to have the JB Oxblood one day, as that configuration I do enjoy. Then I would have to change the pickups, and I would change the tuners, ect and probably the tone and volume pots, and caps!!
The new Les Paul with it's PCB mounted tone controls and ribbon connectors for pickups, certainly is up to date, technology wise. It is the guitar for a new generation, who have no interest in 'vintage' and all its peccadillo's

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Gibson started weight relieving in the past few years and in the past, maybe a guitar like the SG 6/12 doubleneck would be weight relieved for practicality.
The weight relieved Les Pauls are being used by Larry Corsa at CV Guitars for a highly touted tonal representation of the famous Peter Green 1959 Burst.
Expensive artist models like the Rossington's and the Jimmy Page models, seem to have the something 'extra' , besides a higher price tag. Yet on the LPF some claim that not all of those models production live up to that reputation. Even back in the day, not every guitar was a good as the next one.
There are 1959's and 1958 Bursts that may look the part, but do not sound as good as a non flamed, more beat up guitar.
The 'real' 1959 Burst Stripe currently owned by Gary Moore and stolen from Ronnie Montrose, would be the Artist guitar that I would like to see.
But that will never happen due to the controversial nature of the guitars history, the same for Gary's once owned other famous 1959 Burst, Greeny.
The controversy surrounding that guitar, post it's sale from Gary and that Peter Green and Gary would never give permission for it to be replicated, is sad but true..
After Phil Winfield of Maverick Guitars 'obtained' Greeny, I e-mailed him suggesting that he approach the Gibson Custom Shop with the idea of replicating that famous guitar. He suggested, why don't I contact Gibson myself.
After that rather cryptic reply, I learned of many other details surrounding the sale of this guitar and where it is now, that I am still sworn to secrecy about.
And I can keep confidentiality, I do it every day with my patient population.
The point of this rambling post somewhat is that I do enjoy learning about Gibson's old and new at LPF, but the politics are not for me "No Country For Old Men" is a theme that is appropriate I feel!
But the Historics are not as close as they can get them and they have never been 100% authentic. That's ok, but many a guitarist would pay real vintage prces for a skilled luthiers "Gibson" , witness the Max guitars, ect.I think Glen , Geetar Picker's '59 Burst bought by him back in the day, is a beautiful sounding guitar and he does that instrument proud.
This "1958 Flying V" was built for Robbin Crosby of Ratt, it would be hard to detect it from the real thing at a glance..

yngwie308