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2018 Gibson R8- how close to vintage?

C_corie

New member
Joined
Jul 13, 2016
Messages
11
I know in 2018 they got the TH plastics, mine is a cool Dark Burbon Fade...it also has “narrow frets” I believe.

They're all hide glue now (which I’ve heard isn’t actually totally accurate?) and people seem to love or hate the custom buckers.

My fretboard is quite dark so it looks “legit” but there are some weird long pores, total weight is about 8.5 lbs.

Anyway 3 main questions:

1. What strings did these (in 58/59/60) ship with? Also most 60s and 70s players seemed to use the equivalent of 9s or 10s it seems....they also top wrapped does this have to do with neck angle or was this just a “tone/feel” thing.

2. Besides the exact type of mahogany/maple/rosewood, and slight differences in I believe knob placement and bridge angle and other things like the plastics, what real difference in construction is there?

3. My stock R8 with fairly low action and 10s sounds very HARD, unplugged. It’s resonant, loud and cutting, but a little stiff. My PRS Custom 24, Fender 1959 Strat reissue, and even 2009 Gibson SG classic have a more pleasant unplugged sound although not quite as resonant. Are original 58-60 Les Paul’s occasionally this hard sounding?
 
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C-4

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
1,776
I've played original brand new bursts in dealers showrooms. if I remember correctly, they came with 12's as that was the standard for strings made during the 1950's, when I started playing, and the action was on the higher side.

As far as how close a reissue is to a real burst, it has been gone over to the point way past where most discussions would have ended, and is constantly continued to be gone over.

That question can only be answered on a guitar to guitar comparison as all guitars are different, one-to-the-next for any given model and make.

I have a 2018 M2M R9 and a 2019 60th Anny R9. They both are different from each other in the fine points due to having a lot of hand work as part of the build process. While the necks vary only less then a millimeter, I can feel the difference easily.

Tone-wise, my 60th sounds fuller then the M2M 2018, which sounds like a Tele on steroids. To be fair, I had a chance to pick one out from over 30 at the time, and a lot of those were M2M R9's. I was looking for an R9 with the Tel on steroids tone for the first one.

The second R9 was chosen out of all the ones available, and was chosen for it's sound, playability, and overall differences from all the others, as the best of the bunch from the dealer I bought it from.

While they are different sounding and feeling, they are both guitars which I would have chosen anyplace for what I got. I am quite happy with both of them, and satisfied with what I have. Once you get to a certain level of excellence and build, tone, and playability, it becomes more a matter of personal preference for me, as you cannot have everything in every guitar.

I had looked at a lot of dealers' stock from shops represented on this site as well as others before I found the basic specs to start choosing a guitar from. After that, the dealers had been very accomodating and helpful in assisting me to make a valid decision.

As far as having a hard sound, I am not sure what you are asking in that regard as we all hear things differently. Both guitars had a loud voice, which I had requested, but upon receiving them, I removed the strings and set them up for what string gauge I use, which is 7-30, due to having left forearm nerve loss. I have the action at 1/32nd at the 22nd fret as well, but they are both still loud for that string gauge and sustain every well and evenly.

I'm sure that one can find specific, "hard" sounding LP's from all eras, but as I am at a lost for what you describe as "hard" sounding, I cannot answer that specific question.

Both of my guitar play very easily and are not the least bit stiff feeling when played. I know the string gauge on mine are light, but I understand what you meant by playing stiff, and have played guitars that feel that way. My two are not stiff feeling when played or I would have returned them. That is actually one of the many questions I ask when buying, as I have to use the internet for any buying of gear. I have a lot of questions which I ask dealers and it just helps to eliminate the chance of not getting a guitar I want.
 
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C_corie

New member
Joined
Jul 13, 2016
Messages
11
So I put new regular Gibson 10’s on it, brite wires. I actually broke 2 strings while stringing it, I haven’t had that happen in a long time.

I lowered the bridge a decent amount, I like lower action. It plays much better, it buzzes a little but it’s much better, and I can deal with it. It is now acoustically less loud, but more importantly less hard. I’m going to eventually try 9s with a slightly higher action.

Also I meant stuff like, no brass thumb wheels and slightly less curved edges on the headstock and body. I wonder if originals are really 100x different if you pay around 3k for a good reissue...?

What I thought was medium action as I got it brand new, was I think on the higher end for action, unless they actually had put 11s on it by accident. It feels like a different guitar now, in a good way.

Before it was like fighting the guitar like a Paul Kossoff feel I’d guess, now it’s much much easier to play.
 
Last edited:

BurstFan

Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2013
Messages
128
I've played original brand new bursts in dealers showrooms. if I remember correctly, they came with 12's as that was the standard for strings made during the 1950's, when I started playing, and the action was on the higher side.

As far as how close a reissue is to a real burst, it has been gone over to the point way past where most discussions would have ended, and is constantly continued to be gone over.

That question can only be answered on a guitar to guitar comparison as all guitars are different, one-to-the-next for any given model and make.

I have a 2018 M2M R9 and a 2019 60th Anny R9. They both are different from each other in the fine points due to having a lot of hand work as part of the build process. While the necks vary only less then a millimeter, I can feel the difference easily.

Tone-wise, my 60th sounds fuller then the M2M 2018, which sounds like a Tele on steroids. To be fair, I had a chance to pick one out from over 30 at the time, and a lot of those were M2M R9's. I was looking for an R9 with the Tel on steroids tone for the first one.

The second R9 was chosen out of all the ones available, and was chosen for it's sound, playability, and overall differences from all the others, as the best of the bunch from the dealer I bought it from.

While they are different sounding and feeling, they are both guitars which I would have chosen anyplace for what I got. I am quite happy with both of them, and satisfied with what I have. Once you get to a certain level of excellence and build, tone, and playability, it becomes more a matter of personal preference for me, as you cannot have everything in every guitar.

I had looked at a lot of dealers' stock from shops represented on this site as well as others before I found the basic specs to start choosing a guitar from. After that, the dealers had been very accomodating and helpful in assisting me to make a valid decision.

As far as having a hard sound, I am not sure what you are asking in that regard as we all hear things differently. Both guitars had a loud voice, which I had requested, but upon receiving them, I removed the strings and set them up for what string gauge I use, which is 7-30, due to having left forearm nerve loss. I have the action at 1/32nd at the 22nd fret as well, but they are both still loud for that string gauge and sustain every well and evenly.

I'm sure that one can find specific, "hard" sounding LP's from all eras, but as I am at a lost for what you describe as "hard" sounding, I cannot answer that specific question.

Both of my guitar play very easily and are not the least bit stiff feeling when played. I know the string gauge on mine are light, but I understand what you meant by playing stiff, and have played guitars that feel that way. My two are not stiff feeling when played or I would have returned them. That is actually one of the many questions I ask when buying, as I have to use the internet for any buying of gear. I have a lot of questions which I ask dealers and it just helps to eliminate the chance of not getting a guitar I want.

You must be the Son of a Preacher Man. Amen
 
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