Traditional vs Reissue

Dale · Apr 20, 2019

toxpert said:
Traditional differs including but not limited to:
Multipiece mahogany back
Weight relieved body
Nashville bridge
Heavy tailpiece
Cast body Gibson tuning machines
Short pickup rings
Pickguard USA style
Body and neck binding used to be thicker and not vintage color
Electronics and pickups not same as Reissue

All the above said...lots of those items can be swapped out with after-market options.
I have a 2013 50s Traditional I bought as a alternative...and really like the playability and it’s voice.

Not all models have these elements. Traditional Ts in 17 are not weight relieved, have Kluson tuners and a variation of the ABR with aluminum stop tail.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...l-traditional-2017-t-heritage-cherry-sunburst

http://www.gibsontraditional.com/models/gibson-les-paul-traditional-2017-t/

I love mine. The Ts are not Historicals or reissues for sure but are amazing guitars.

http://drpietrzak.com/music/Lpabp1.jpg

brandtkronholm · Apr 20, 2019

Wilko said:
There were some threads about it and i'm not sure we got all the images--they are gone now from here and the gibson site.

Being all CNC now, that hand rounded old short "rocker tenon" is long gone and the joint fits a lot tighter with better contact all around. My 2012 rings like an historic. I've always been a total tenon snob. I've got plenty of experience with '68s, Norlins, historics, and even a 1956 conversion.

This was confirmed by a Gibson employee ass being what the current tenon looks like:

This is news to me! That joint looks different to what I can recall from the Norlin era Les Pauls and even through the early 2000s. Very interesting!

stephan_l · Apr 23, 2019

mh, i thought the standard USA tenon looks like this since 2008 :hmm

Wilko · Apr 23, 2019

stephan_l said:
mh, i thought the standard USA tenon looks like this since 2008 :hmm

That was only used for a short time. looks pretty solid though.

stephan_l · Apr 23, 2019

Wilko said:
That was only used for a short time. looks pretty solid though.

ah, ok. When i saved the picture back in 2008 i was wondering about this kind of good looking long tenon.

Wilko · Apr 24, 2019

stephan_l said:
ah, ok. When i saved the picture back in 2008 i was wondering about this kind of good looking long tenon.

I posted that pic a few years back too. I was hoping it was in my traditional. No such luck.

sonar · Apr 24, 2019

Sorry, but I've always found the tenon debate to be overblown. There's plenty of great LP's made in the past 40 years that have rocker joints. Conversely, there are some pretty ordinary Custom Shop R's out there with long tenons.

Spend time with how a LP plays and sounds plugged into an amp.

El Gringo · Apr 24, 2019

Wilko said:
There were some threads about it and i'm not sure we got all the images--they are gone now from here and the gibson site.

Being all CNC now, that hand rounded old short "rocker tenon" is long gone and the joint fits a lot tighter with better contact all around. My 2012 rings like an historic. I've always been a total tenon snob. I've got plenty of experience with '68s, Norlins, historics, and even a 1956 conversion.

This was confirmed by a Gibson employee ass being what the current tenon looks like:

So that's a short tenon ?

dju · Apr 24, 2019

I say do what you have been doing. Play as many as you can and buy the best one in your budget.
Run as fast as you can from the internet.
I was happy with my Norlin era Standard for many years as a kid.
and then this damn internet thingy came along and educated me on why I should hate my Norlin.
I didn't know about long/short tenons, the wide Norlin headstock and plenty of other differences.
The only thing I knew that the Norlin didn't have was the flamed maple top like Jimmy Page had.
And it's strange that now that I have several LP's I only have 1 flame top. the rest are plain top, ebony or gold top.
Have the models changed over the years?? Yes. But you can find good or bad ones in every product line/price point.
And to be honest I have never played a Reissue. For whatever reason none of the stores in my area carry them.
I'm sure they are nice guitars but maybe (at least for me) not worth double the price.

good luck with your search,
dj

Wilko · Apr 24, 2019

El Gringo said:
So that's a short tenon ?

So far that's what appears to be the current style neck joint on all standards, traditionals, etc. It's really the same thing as a
"long tenon" as far as joint style and contact area, just a little shorter.

Assuming you know what the 70's 80s style looked like?

Traditional vs Reissue

Dale

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