2017 Gibson Custom Shop's Les Paul Std...separating fact from rumor!

CDaughtry · Jun 16, 2017

Because there has been such wild speculation, as well as less than complete information coming out of the Gibson Custom shop, I thought I would inquire of one of the employees that still works there (who I trust) just exactly what the specs are for the 2017 Les Paul Standards, and how close (or not) they are to last year's True Historics.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they are surprisingly close to TH specs at a significantly reduced price.
Here are the major specs:
-Hide glue on the top, neck and fretboard fit
-All True Historic parts
-Ultra thin nitro lacquer
-Serial number like a vintage burst e.g. 9 1211 (in other words, no letters in front of the number)

The differences:

-The top is not "double carved" but they are now using a more dramatic profile scanned from a well-known original 59.
-They are also using a new aniline dye back color that has more brown like the originals. (In my opinion, and others, the backs of the THs were starting to get pretty dang red.)

I don't know about y'all but they've retained, as far as I'm concerned, the essential features of a True Historic at a lower price.

And...they look pretty damn good. Here's an example (albeit a 60) that I pulled off the web:

Nobi · Jun 17, 2017

Good news.

asapmaz · Jun 17, 2017

Thanks Charlie for the info.
Even though the top carve looks different than last years', those plastics and pup covers still appear to be non-TH parts. Gibson's inconsistency is very frustrating.

clearmudd · Jun 17, 2017

On that particular '60 model the pick guard doesn't have the countersunk screw holes that are present on the THs. The covers are also not TH.

CDaughtry · Jun 17, 2017

They sure look countersunk to me when I zoom in on it. It just looks like they corrected what I thought was too deep of a hole on the THs when they first came out. Some of those holes were deep!

clearmudd · Jun 17, 2017

You got me there CD, the holes on my TH are pretty deep. Of coarse this is my example I compared this with, though those pup covers look more like my '14 then my TH by far.

DANELECTRO · Jun 17, 2017

The plastic and pickup covers in Charlie's 1st post definitely look to be regular Historic parts, however browsing through the 2017 models on Wildwood's inventory they do in fact have TH hardware.

Personally, I like the idea of there being just one tier of the Les Paul Standard model. After all, in 1959 there was just one Les Paul Standard. I think the current line-up makes sense.

Something I did notice is that the average weights seemed to have crept up as compared to recent years. There are a few Lesters on the WW website that are in the low 8lb range, but most are in the upper 8's to low 9's. They're not boat anchors by any means, but on average they're a bit heavier.

Hopefully the y don't drift away from the current specs no that Edwin and Rick are no longer there to keep watch over things.

CDaughtry · Jun 17, 2017

DANELECTRO said:
The plastic and pickup covers in Charlie's 1st post definitely look to be regular Historic parts, however browsing through the 2017 models on Wildwood's inventory they do in fact have TH hardware.

It's funny...I pulled that picture off of the Wildwood website.

eace2

The one that I happened to pull off their site that DIDN'T have it.

slammintone · Jun 17, 2017

Thanks for the updated info on the 2017s Charlie. I just pulled the trigger on a 2017 1959 Standard Historic from one of our sponsored dealers listed below and should have it mid next week. :headbange

CAGinLA · Jun 17, 2017

My 2017 R4 is a damn fine guitar - still in the honeymoon phase, but right now I think it's the equal of my Murphy aged TH 58. Very, very happy with it!

The pickguard on the R4 is definitely not a TH guard, but the neck/body binding looks more like TH spec.

CDaughtry · Jun 17, 2017

Damn...you guys have good eyes! My contact at Gibson emailed me and said the pic I posted above didn't have TH plastic.

Here's a 2017 that does. This one is the current spec outlined above.

And here's one from Wildwood with the current spec:

Fried okra · Jun 17, 2017

Thanks for the info CD.

Sanji · Jun 17, 2017

Well, doesn't it suck if you paid the higher price tag for a TH the past couple of years?

sws1 · Jun 17, 2017

Sanji said:
Well, doesn't it suck if you paid the higher price tag for a TH the past couple of years?

Yes- but down the road, you can claim yours is from the Wilson/Gembar era. That's worth a bunch.

CAGinLA · Jun 17, 2017

Sanji said:
Well, doesn't it suck if you paid the higher price tag for a TH the past couple of years?

I got a good deal on my first TH58 in 2015, but the past 6 months, or so, dealers have been blowing out their old stock of THs and people have been paying much less for them than I did; that doesn't make me angry, or anything - that's just part of the game when you're an early adopter.

I bought an amazing used 2015 TH58 a few months ago; even though it is Murphy aged and, when it was new, cost significantly more than than my first 2015 TH58, I got it for a ridiculously low price - way lower than my first TH58. I am still feeling pretty lucky to have scored that deal.

DanD · Jun 17, 2017

DANELECTRO said:
The plastic and pickup covers in Charlie's 1st post definitely look to be regular Historic parts, however browsing through the 2017 models on Wildwood's inventory they do in fact have TH hardware.

Personally, I like the idea of there being just one tier of the Les Paul Standard model. After all, in 1959 there was just one Les Paul Standard. I think the current line-up makes sense.

Something I did notice is that the average weights seemed to have crept up as compared to recent years. There are a few Lesters on the WW website that are in the low 8lb range, but most are in the upper 8's to low 9's. They're not boat anchors by any means, but on average they're a bit heavier.

Hopefully the y don't drift away from the current specs no that Edwin and Rick are no longer there to keep watch over things.

I've noticed the weight creep. Seems USA guitars are feeling it too. I've seen some high 9 pound Standards w/UMWR. :hmm

I've also noticed some new formerly known as Historics, CS Standards, that are above 9.5 pounds.

Looks like the lighter hog is becoming more scarce or Gibson is using the heavier stock they currently have on hand.

I've seen a few that the bodies were "picked for light" and they were 8.5+. Be interesting to see if the Featherweights in the high 7 to low 8 range return.

JPP-1 · Jun 17, 2017

Sanji said:
Well, doesn't it suck if you paid the higher price tag for a TH the past couple of years?

Interesting observation, Why do you ask? Do you own one?

I thought the True Historics were optimistically priced by Gibson to put it kindly. I would like to think that most folks got reasonably good discounts on them. Frankly, I think the new 2017 Standards approach is what Gibson should've done in 2015.

I got a very good deal on my TH59 so I am quite happy with the way things worked out. I wasn't even shopping True Historics when I purchased mine. Rather, it was the top that initially struck me. That's the great thing about Sunburst Les Pauls. Every top is unique as is the tone. If you find a Les Paul that speaks to you, you might want to grab it because there is a good chance you may not see it for sale again.

ff1337 · Jun 18, 2017

JPP-1 said:
Interesting observation, Why do you ask? Do you own one?

I thought the True Historics were optimistically priced by Gibson to put it kindly. I would like to think that most folks got reasonably good discounts on them. Frankly, I think the new 2017 Standards approach is what Gibson should've done in 2015.

I got a very good deal on my TH59 so I am quite happy with the way things worked out. I wasn't even shopping True Historics when I purchased mine. Rather, it was the top that initially struck me. That's the great thing about Sunburst Les Pauls. Every top is unique as is the tone. If you find a Les Paul that speaks to you, you might want to grab it because there is a good chance you may not see it for sale again.

+1!

Top Gun · Jun 18, 2017

2017 Plain top 59'

slammintone · Jun 18, 2017

sws1 said:
Yes- but down the road, you can claim yours is from the Wilson/Gembar era. That's worth a bunch.

Forgive my ignorance on the subject, but are these 2017 CS Standards post the Wilson/Gembar era? Thanks.

2017 Gibson Custom Shop's Les Paul Std...separating fact from rumor!

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