My first historic... wow!

[Todd Louis]

Originally Posted by Cliff Gress

This was posted by another forum brother...2009-2010 LP changes

• Nylon 6/6 nut
• Improved ABR-1 bridge (no-wire, tighter tolerances)
• Historically correct nickel-plated brass bridge saddles
• Correct alloy saddle adjustment screws
• Bridge height-adjusting thumbwheels are now thinner
• Neck profile changed - now has less "shoulders"
• Audio taper CTS pots
• '50s wiring
• Pickup routes adjusted so that pickups will be parallel to the strings
• Top carve changed to be closer to several original '59s that were scanned
• Body perimeter change - slightly tighter in waist, cutaway area refined to be more like originals
• The maple cap is very slightly thinner, the mahogany body is very slightly thicker
• The fingerboard is slightly thinner
• The step from neck heel to back of body is taller and more correct
• The taper of the "maple window" under the binding in cutaway is more accurate
• The maple spline (filler strip) in the tenon is more accurate
• The edge radius on the backside of the body is tighter (less rounded)
• The "mustache curve" of the headstock top has been flattened slightly
• The control cavity plate has been relocated, has the correct side taper, and now uses the correct ABS plastic
• The pickguard shape has changed slightly
• The pickguard bracket and screw have been changed
• The truss rod cover has been reshaped to be more accurate
• The serial number location is slightly lower and more correct
• Dial pointers are less sharp
• The strap button screws are longer
• The jack hole is now the correct 1" diameter
• The toggle switch nut has more correct knurled pattern

Most of those changes didn't happen

[ThorK]

So here's a question... how does one tell VOS apart from the Gloss variation?

Thanks!

[winered82]

err.... the VOS finish is not... gloss! Just kidding.
Other than that, the hardware is shiny Vs tarnished etc...

[soulbrojcs]

Gorgeous guitar!!! congrats... and enjoy. ;-)

[ThorK]

Originally Posted by winered82

err.... the VOS finish is not... gloss! Just kidding.
Other than that, the hardware is shiny Vs tarnished etc...

Hmm, I have a "glossy" finish and my hardware is indeed shiny.

So... seems like I have gloss?

Still no reply from Gibson

[winered82]

It looks like gloss, indeed. Not sure there are gloss R7/R8 though. To confuse you a bit more, the hardware could very easily have been swapped for shiny...

[Todd Louis]

Originally Posted by ThorK

So here's a question... how does one tell VOS apart from the Gloss variation?

Thanks!

You would know the difference.

Eatha one is fine

[Todd Louis]

If you got time man shoot some more Pic

[goldtop0]

Originally Posted by ThorK

Hmm, I have a "glossy" finish and my hardware is indeed shiny.

So... seems like I have gloss?

Still no reply from Gibson

When you play her lots she'll 'dirty up' over time and yes there'll be dings and scratches(not noticeable front on).........these gats are a lot of fun as they age

Have you weighed her yet(lbs ozs)?..........I'd be interested to know that.

[ThorK]

I will have to wait until the daylight to take better pics. The lighting in my apartment is god-awful!

I haven't weighed her yet but it is light for a Les Paul, that's for sure. My roomate who plays and my neighbor who is in a touring (well, amateurly touring) band, they both play Fender and usually don't dig Les Pauls but they both love the Gold Top and say it's light. I'd guess.... 8lbs-something?

Bathroom scale says 8.4lbs just subtracting my weight from my weight while holding it. Not accurate I'm sure but maybe gives you an idea?

[ThorK]

Here's some pics. Lighting still sucks, better ones tomorrow.

Last one shows that my greasy paws are already messing up the shiny purrdy pickups and bridge! Sigh... I give up on keeping it clean already

[goldtop0]

Originally Posted by ThorK

Bathroom scale says 8.4lbs just subtracting my weight from my weight while holding it. Not accurate I'm sure but maybe gives you an idea?

That's a plus!!

[stock_hippie]

when i was in the studio a guy had a R7 that wouldn't stay in toon at all...then he figured out he glued the nut in backwards...

[ThorK]

Originally Posted by stock_hippie

when i was in the studio a guy had a R7 that wouldn't stay in toon at all...then he figured out he glued the nut in backwards...

After setup and string stretching, I've had to tune up the B string once This one holds tune amazingly well.

[ThorK]

Just wondering out loud... All official spec descriptions I've read say burstbucker pickups are on here, but which model Burstbucker are they? There are a few different number Burstbuckers apparently?

I've tried using "search" but can't find the specific model of BB.

Thanks!

[stock_hippie]

why don they chage a little bit each year so you could tell them apart...?

[Ryan Givhan]

it has a BB 1 in the neck and a 2 in the bridge, very good pickups. but in my one and only reissue (R8) i switched out the pots and caps and pickups. it was a great guitar before, now it is the best sounding guitar (to my ears) that ive ever played. including plenty of vintage guitars.

[moozak]

Originally Posted by stock_hippie

when i was in the studio a guy had a R7 that wouldn't stay in toon at all...then he figured out he glued the nut in backwards...

how could one NOT notice this until trying to play it? it would stick out like a sore thumb as soon as you look at it or try to restring it?

[ThorK]

Originally Posted by Ryan Givhan

it has a BB 1 in the neck and a 2 in the bridge, very good pickups. but in my one and only reissue (R8) i switched out the pots and caps and pickups. it was a great guitar before, now it is the best sounding guitar (to my ears) that ive ever played. including plenty of vintage guitars.

Thanks, man.

Yeah I think they sound great, was just curious what they were.

[cptcain]

Congrats! Beautiful guitar! I can certainly relate to bouncing back from financial hard times. Last guitar i bought was in 1994. a 1973 gold top deluxe. Got my brand new R8 in 2011 from MGL. I am lovin every
minute with her. Play that sucker hard!

[Jabba-burst]

Originally Posted by ThorK

Hey, thanks for the info! You guys sure have all the details down!

Try these guys on cars, or women, it will be hit or miss... but yeah, Les Pauls, this crowd has nailed. Go figure, hey?

[jrr]

fiji mahoganey grain,back and neck,i'm betting....which re-enforces the 2010 date code...anyone else see this?....which means its probably light(8 to 9 lb class,or less)...

[ThorK]

it is indeed light. 8.xx lbs on the bathroom scale, i'll getchya guys an accurate measurement soon (no postal scale at home!)

[ThorK]

8lbs 5oz, apparently.

[bluesjuke]

Cobgrats ThorK and welcome to the world of Historics.

[Theorocks]

dude nice axe ...for me it was between a goldtop or 58 in icetea

[Theorocks]

I chose the 58 but now I want a 56 p90 babe

[ThorK]

Thanks, bluesjunkie! She's still rocking and that sticky, new-neck feeling is nearly gone already (I have gross sweaty hands that kill strings and finish).

Theorocks - I hear ya, but hey, you've got a killer r8 until you score a goldtop!

[ThorK]

Sorry to revive my old thread here, but I am just wondering... having read a bunch of threads on the subject and finding no definitive answer (maybe I'm not reading hard enough)....

How do I tell if I have VOS or Gloss?

From day one everything was shiny (PUP covers and hardware, finish shiny as far as I could tell - definitely not dull/aged) and now that I've had it a couple months, seems like things are tarnishing a lot, even some of the screw-heads are getting dirty. The pickup covers are the worst offenders since my right hand sits on the covers when I right-hand-mute or palm-mute strings, and same with the bass-side of the bridge, very tarnished. Where my forearm lays is getting dulled down but luckily no finish worn down yet.

Basically, it's turning into a chore to clean it. I'm not anal about keeping it clean, I'm not one to wipe down after EVERY session, but when I change the strings I like to give it a once-over and I'm noticing now it's not really going back to the shiny way it was when I first got the guitar. It's making me wonder if I had gloss or VOS to begin with, that's all!

Would it have been blatantly obvious that I had a VOS to begin with?

I sweat quite a bit and my strings turn dark in a few days (several hours) of playing, so is this just me causing the grime or is VOS less finished/treated than its gloss counterpart (paint and parts)?

I guess my question is... can someone point me to the direction of a thread that explains exactly what VOS means as opposed to gloss? Am I just making my gloss finish into a VOS by way of my sweaty anatomy? (should see me after just 10mins on a treadmill!)

Again, i think it was gloss to begin with. I guess go back and check out my pics from the first page when I first got her, and even just a few days later, the pics on this page show what my paws do to the shiny metal.

Thanks everyone, you all rock!

[latestarter]

It sounds like this "Am I just making my gloss finish into a VOS by way of my sweaty anatomy?".

Those original pictures don't look like a VOS to me...hardware is too shiny. Nickel ages so these guitars are meant to look old and used just liek the originals. If you want a shiny Les Paul maybe a Standard or Traditional might fit the bill better?

[ThorK]

Originally Posted by latestarter

It sounds like this "Am I just making my gloss finish into a VOS by way of my sweaty anatomy?".

Those original pictures don't look like a VOS to me...hardware is too shiny. Nickel ages so these guitars are meant to look old and used just liek the originals. If you want a shiny Les Paul maybe a Standard or Traditional might fit the bill better?

Thanks man.

No, that's not the case at all. I love my Historic. Don't mind the aging at all, I just didn't know if it was normal for the "gloss" model to start looking used so quickly.

Is there a difference in the actual finish of the guitar? So far it's just my formerly-shiny hardware that's getting crusty, finish is good except where my arm sits.

Thanks for the response.

[corpse]

It's harder to tell with a GT. The hardware- particualrly the PU covers are shiney- not so on my VOS. Oddly the tailpiece on my VOS wasn't particualrly dull (still isn't three plus years later). I have worn off most of the VOS I guess, and the finish is rather gloss with a patina. I own three electrics and rotate them to mitigate fret wear. I guess it depends on your definition of alot of use. My PU covers are getting crusty and even a little rusty.
At one point when VOS initially appeared someone posted a pic of the "gunk" Gibson applied- implying that VOS was the addition of something not the lack of adding something. There might have been a single, final polishing step that was skipped vs glossy, but there was no thin layer. If you ever want to check this go see Historic Makeovers virtual diary- the top lacquer comes off like a mask.
Some guys liked the VOS colors that were available but not the duller finish- and they took the time to hand buff the gunk off. They ended up with tops that were ALMOST glossy.
That's my $.05 understanding of the subject.

[ThorK]

Originally Posted by corpse

It's harder to tell with a GT. The hardware- particualrly the PU covers are shiney- not so on my VOS. Oddly the tailpiece on my VOS wasn't particualrly dull (still isn't three plus years later). I have worn off most of the VOS I guess, and the finish is rather gloss with a patina. I own three electrics and rotate them to mitigate fret wear. I guess it depends on your definition of alot of use. My PU covers are getting crusty and even a little rusty.
At one point when VOS initially appeared someone posted a pic of the "gunk" Gibson applied- implying that VOS was the addition of something not the lack of adding something. There might have been a single, final polishing step that was skipped vs glossy, but there was no thin layer. If you ever want to check this go see Historic Makeovers virtual diary- the top lacquer comes off like a mask.
Some guys liked the VOS colors that were available but not the duller finish- and they took the time to hand buff the gunk off. They ended up with tops that were ALMOST glossy.
That's my $.05 understanding of the subject.

Awesome, thanks!

So VOS would be pretty hard to miss then?

Good to know.