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Custom Shop Les Paul Customs

BluesForDan

BluesForDan

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How far back do you have to go to get a LP Custom with an ebony board? When did they start with the weight relieved body?

I played one yesterday at GC, first one I've seen at that store since it opened back in the '90s. Had it not been so noisy (honestly, what was I thinking? GC on a Saturday afternoon? Was I nucking futts?) I might have been able to make a better assessment of it.

On a related note, I'm also interested in SG Customs, since seeing Phil X kill it on a 2007 reissue. Again, an ebony board is on my 'must have' list.
 
Tim Plains

Tim Plains

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Aug 1, 2013
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If it has a Nashville bridge, 8-digit or CS serial number, weight relieved since around 1983. It's only the 2012/newer that do not have ebony boards.

ABR bridge, 7 xxxx or xxxxx8 serial numbers, are 57 and 68 reissues. Solid bodies and they should all have ebony. If you find a 2012/newer, might be worth emailing the serial number to Gibson asking them just so you can sleep at night.
 
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CAGinLA

CAGinLA

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Jan 4, 2016
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True Historic Customs have ebony boards. There have also been more recent limited runs with ebony boards (like my 3-pup Custom Shop 20th Anniversary LPC).
 
BluesForDan

BluesForDan

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ehhh, those true historics are awful pricey. when did they start gouging, er, show up? What about prior editions of LPCs by the custom shop?
 
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EdwardR9

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Aug 25, 2015
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indravayu said:
2015. You can find used ones in the $5.5k-$6k range. Still pricey, of course.
Click to expand...

Well worth it. I played a 2015 CS Custom with an Ebony board and it was great. Then I played a TH Custom and is was off the charts. The TH guitars all seem
to have a halo around single notes that I can't hear on the CS stuff.
 
BluesForDan

BluesForDan

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given that this is the first new Custom to ever hit this store in memory since it opened back in the '90s the likelihood of a TH Custom is probably on the same scale as the probability of porcine aviators landing at my local airport.
 
E

EdwardR9

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I bought two TH's on blind faith and I played a Custom. I did not just get lucky. Phew !!!!!
 
marshall1987

marshall1987

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Jan 30, 2005
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I believe Gibson Custom Shop switched over to "Richlite" fingerboards on the regular production Les Paul and SG Customs beginning around 2012-13 IIRC. Same with the ES-355. Richlite fingerboards also used at Gibson USA if I'm not mistaken.

The Custom Shop also builds high-end models, like the True Historic LP Custom, with genuine ebony fingerboards. Clearly these models cost substantially more than the regular production models.
 
M

Mats A

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Jan 15, 2008
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The Richlite boards started during 2012. I've tried a Custom with Richlite and it both felt and sounded just as good. But if you don't want Richlite get one made before 2012. Does the regular 2015 Customs really have ebony? Many of the Historics/Reissues have pretty chunky necks and the 54-60 Reissues have all Mahogany bodies.
 
E

EdwardR9

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Mats A said:
The Richlite boards started during 2012. I've tried a Custom with Richlite and it both felt and sounded just as good. But if you don't want Richlite get one made before 2012. Does the regular 2015 Customs really have ebony? Many of the Historics/Reissues have pretty chunky necks and the 54-60 Reissues have all Mahogany bodies.
Click to expand...

My pal with the 2015 Custom went through a big dealer who did not have much trouble getting real ebony. The rest of the CS and Production models have Richlite.
It's possible to get ebony, but like many other things in life it's who you know and what day you ask them.
 
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