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Help Me Out Here

jsegovia

Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
Messages
163
I picked up two Les Paul Custom Shop R0s, a faded cherry burst '05 in very good shape and a darker cherry burst (does anyone know the real name of these colors) '14 in almost mint condition. I'm only going to keep one. I'm jamming with my classic rock band this coming Saturday at which point I'll get to hear both guitars at full volume but up until now I haven't done much more than play them through my old Pod 2.0. They both sound great - I can't tell the difference between Burstbuckers and Custombuckers through the Pod.

I know which top and color are 'better' is going to be purely personal preference, and so far the guitars feel virtually the same to play. My question is given the difference in specs between '05 and '14 which guitar would you hold on to? This is going to be the last Les Paul and maybe guitar (yeah, right!) I ever buy - it's going to be the stablemate for my '08 ebony Custom Reissue - so I don't want to regret too much letting one of these guitars go.

Thanks!
 

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67SLP

Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
118
On paper based on specs... and imhe... I'd tend to keep the the 2014. Also which sounds louder, more alive, and more resonant unplugged? This is usually a very good determining factor of how it will sound thru an amp. I like the Custombuckers much better than the BB1/BB2/BB3.

Looks like they are both Heritage Cherry Sunburst... or Washed Cherry... just different variations of it. Depends on who was shooting the paint gun that day and different variations in the paint mix. The 2014 could be Bourbon Burst... but looks a little too light to be.

The 2005 is a looker though.

:salude
 

jsegovia

Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
Messages
163
On paper based on specs... and imhe... I'd tend to keep the the 2014. Also which sounds louder, more alive, and more resonant unplugged? This is usually a very good determining factor of how it will sound thru an amp. I like the Custombuckers much better than the BB1/BB2/BB3.

Looks like they are both Heritage Cherry Sunburst... or Washed Cherry... just different variations of it. Depends on who was shooting the paint gun that day and different variations in the paint mix. The 2014 could be Bourbon Burst... but looks a little too light to be.

The 2005 is a looker though.

:salude

Great idea to pay more attention to the unplugged resonance. So far I have to say these guitars are almost interchangeable in how they feel in my hands and how they sound so far. I've gained a lot more respect for Gibson manufacturing playing these two guitars for the last week or so. The action on each is just about perfect. I don't know if this is how they come set up from the Custom Shop or if they were setup by the sellers - I guess I'll have to ask.

And yes, for my own personal tastes, the '05 has the edge in looks - I love the top and the color.

Jesse
 

ff1337

Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2016
Messages
375
If accuracy is important to you then the 2014 comes closer to an original R0 and from what I understand the 13 and 14 year’s were stellar Guitars, I have a 2016 TH but I have played a few from those respective years and they felt and sounded great! The 2005? I have no idea, maybe Big Al can chime in, he’s had his hands on many older models. They both LOOK great though but I myself like the LOOK of that 2014, just my opinion. Good luck.
 

alnico59

New member
Joined
Nov 4, 2014
Messages
150
Based on just the pictures, color wise the '05 looks more like a 1960 LP. But I say keep the one you think plays better.
 

Tim Plains

Active member
Joined
Aug 1, 2013
Messages
795
I wouldn't even take build year / specs into account. Just keep the guitar you like more.
 

AA00475Bassman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
I have a 2014 historic and I really like how the guitar sounds & plays , my 2007 historic is every thing I like in a guitar . You really should buy the one with the merits you look for in a guitar this year thing is hog wash !
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
If I were you I would choose the 2014 with the Custombuckers and the correct wiring harness with the 500k pots and Bumblebee caps .
 

jsegovia

Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
Messages
163
If I were you I would choose the 2014 with the Custombuckers and the correct wiring harness with the 500k pots and Bumblebee caps .

Does the wiring harness difference cause any difference in tone or in how the instrument plays? I assume both the '05 and the '14 have 50s wiring (and to be honest I'm not 100% sure what that is, even though I've seen youtube videos and read articles about it).

Jesse
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
Does the wiring harness difference cause any difference in tone or in how the instrument plays? I assume both the '05 and the '14 have 50s wiring (and to be honest I'm not 100% sure what that is, even though I've seen youtube videos and read articles about it).

Jesse
I am not 100 % certain but I believe around 2014 they got the 500k pots and the bumblebee caps and they most certainly make a big difference in my opinion .Same goes with the Custombuckers .If you are able to go to a local guitar shop in your neck of the woods Try a Gibson Les Paul Standard from the 80's or 90's or even the 00's and if they have a R9 from 2014 to compare the difference in tone which is very big because the vintage style pots and caps have more tone versus the other way around where they sound darker and even dull/less bright .Big Al can tell you for sure about the different years specs .If you have the opportunity to play both the 05 and the 14 let your ears be your guide .To me it is such a huge difference that it is night and day .Also in my opinion the Custombuckers are the best humbucker pickups out there with the exception of Vintage Gibson PAF's .
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
Every Historic Les Paul has 500K pots. From 1993 to now. Gibson doesn't use real Bumble bees just cosmetic look a-likes. 50's wiring is not always the best choice and I have always preferred the modern scheme. Wasy enough to change wiring and add quality caps, I would not base my choice on a guitar due to that. One will clearly be a better choice. I cannot believe that they are both equal in every respect. It should be obvious to the player which one to choose, if for some unbelievable reason one doesn't present itself as the one to keep, flip a coin or choose the newest one.
 

ff1337

Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2016
Messages
375
If there is any possible way that you can try them both then that is definitely the way to go. Put both guitars on stands, find an amp that’s reminiscent of what you have, have someone to hand to you both guitars with your eyes closed play them both and whatever feels and sounds the best go with that. I’ve done it before and let me tell you something I was pretty surprised at the results LOL ! There are a ton of great LP’s out there and it’s tough to choose just one, but the beauty is you have lots of choices. I had a 2007 that I changed a bunch of shit on because I wasn’t satisfied, In retrospect I don’t think that those changes Really made a big difference in that particular guitar, yes I even changed out the stock pick ups for custom buckers and I don’t think that guitar sounded really any better, now I went out sold it and bought a true historic which has custom buckers etc. and let me tell you the first cord through my Friedman and I knew right away that it sounded way different and definitely resonated with me it satisfied the tone I was hearing in my head for a long time. Let us know, I know Ren is dying to see those NGD pics! Lol
 

DanD

Active member
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
2,368
Looks alone I'd be picking the '05. I've owned several early 2000s RIs and currently own 1 '04, 3 '11s, a '14 and a '15 TH.

Personally I feel the newer models just kept getting better. Quality wise (tone aside) I think my TH is a bit nicer than my Benchmark '14 which is a bit nicer than the '11s which are all a bit better quality wise than my '04.

The '04 CR6 has build issues that were remedied on later RIs. The P90s were routed parallel to the back of the guitar on early RIs. Combine that with the neck pitch and the strings vibrate against the leading edge of the bridge P90 cover before it is adjusted optimally. This setup requires the pole pieces to be raised pretty far and creates a compromised bridge pup adjustment in my opinion. The head stock on the '04 is so thick at the low E string that it's almost impossible to get a single wrap around the post (10-46 strings) before the string bottoms against the bushing.

I've owned two GTs, one from '04 and one from '05 that both had a serious fret board hump issue. I remember reading a few other complaints at the time about these same issues so that's something to be aware of.

That said my '04 CR6 has been with me longer than any of others and will probably be there till the end. Issues aside it's a great guitar. My '11 R7 w/factory minis also has the thick head stock issue so all of the problems weren't solved at the same time. I've found absolutely no build/quality issues with either the '14 Benchmark or '15 TH.

Up until the recent Custom Shop management shake up you had the same crew working to improve RIs for over 30 years. I think anytime you have that type of consistency and dedication the product continues to improve. My experience confirms this.

Can an '05 RI smoke a '14? Of course it can. It's all about personal preference. Is the overall quality of RIs made in '05 up to '14 standards? Not at all. If I were looking It'd be for a good RI at a fair price. The '05 had better be below $2500 or I'd just keep shopping for '14 which I could get for 3k. but I've already got LPs to play while I hunt for another. Your situation may be different. If resale were on my mind the '14 and up RIs is all I'd be looking at.

Happy Hunting! :salude
 
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