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True Historic ´59 Bavarian Makeover

R

RavenTooth

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2016
Messages
56
The OPs guitar is amazing. And it's a hand built instrument like the originals were. They aren't printed on a 3D printer, they're all a tiny bit different. And you'll never perfectly replicate a known guitar. Getting a guitar this close to being a perfect replica of a '59 in some ways highlights the few tiny little nit picks of detail that may remain. And the only people to ever notice are us nerds who stare at cutouts for hours (some of us nerds can't even tell the difference.)

When I first got my 2013 R9 I didn't understand what anyone was talking about when they spoke about changing plastics etc. 'What? My pickup covers are pink? And they don't smell like cheese?'

2 years later and I have all new hardware, plastic, pickups and electronics. The Koolaid tastes good.

OP, enjoy your luscious piece of hardwood. I hope its a tone monster as well.
 
Wilko

Wilko

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Here are all three overlayed. The shapes are fine:

overlay_nicky_pearly_TH.jpg
 
O

Orreman

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Jun 20, 2015
Messages
147
Wilko said:
Here are all three overlayed. The shapes are fine:

overlay_nicky_pearly_TH.jpg
Click to expand...
Well done my friend!:). I guess that Gibson actually did their homework with the TH Series after all. Can't get better proof than that:)
Also, we can see that the moved tailpiece is now in the correct position
 
Last edited:
Big Al

Big Al

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Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,547
RavenTooth said:
The OPs guitar is amazing. And it's a hand built instrument like the originals were. They aren't printed on a 3D printer, they're all a tiny bit different. And you'll never perfectly replicate a known guitar. Getting a guitar this close to being a perfect replica of a '59 in some ways highlights the few tiny little nit picks of detail that may remain. And the only people to ever notice are us nerds who stare at cutouts for hours (some of us nerds can't even tell the difference.)

When I first got my 2013 R9 I didn't understand what anyone was talking about when they spoke about changing plastics etc. 'What? My pickup covers are pink? And they don't smell like cheese?'

2 years later and I have all new hardware, plastic, pickups and electronics. The Koolaid tastes good.

OP, enjoy your luscious piece of hardwood. I hope its a tone monster as well.
Click to expand...

I am so tired of hearing about bullshit claims of "handmade like they used to be", false ignorent statements. They were not. :hmm
 
Wilko

Wilko

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Big Al said:
I am so tired of hearing about bullshit claims of "handmade like they used to be", false ignorent statements. They were not. :hmm
Click to expand...


hmm.

The necks were cut way more by hand then current robotic carving. The originals have a lot of relatively "hand made" parts. No robotic body cutting tool. No CNC top carves. Sick belt is the same.

Compared with CNC woodwork and automated forging and finishing of bridges and tailpieces, etc. I have no problem with calling the originals "hand made".
 
Zoomer

Zoomer

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Joined
Feb 1, 2005
Messages
2,357
Orreman said:
Hey! I clearly see the difference! Sorry. This means that once again Gibson is full of s%&t.
Click to expand...

It looks like the binding on the real burst thinner to my eye - but I digress who cares !! No doubt that your guitar is freakin' gorgeous !! Enjoy the shit out of it an please post some video so we can hear it !!!

:dude:

Zoomer
 
Big Al

Big Al

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Messages
14,547
Wilko said:
hmm.

The necks were cut way more by hand then current robotic carving. The originals have a lot of relatively "hand made" parts. No robotic body cutting tool. No CNC top carves. Sick belt is the same.

Compared with CNC woodwork and automated forging and finishing of bridges and tailpieces, etc. I have no problem with calling the originals "hand made".
Click to expand...

The machines evolve. Necks were cut and rough shaped with automated tools. Tops were carved 2 at a time on an automated carving machine. The effort it took then to place the wood onto the next machine for the next step took as much skill as now. Neck fitting/set, binding, sanding, assembly, finishing and buffing are done much the same as then.

No one at Gibson was hand forging any hardware. By that logic they were more handmade because mining the ore had less efficient methods.:laugh2:
 
W

WBailey

Active member
Joined
Apr 23, 2015
Messages
1,131
Oh boy ! Will we see a Bavarian Makeover Part II ! :rofl

Seriously, I think the OP's is as close to specs as " humanly " possible. This area requires a stationary spindle sander. It is the only way to sand it. Consider, the work piece is facing away from the operator.
So, it does not match Gastons burst exactly. I just bet there are several vintage Les Pauls it DOES match !

I also believe Gibson has +/- tolerances in areas that require hand finishing.

And yes, the difference in new binding and old is creating a small optical illusion.

Great thread ! Diggin it ! Thank you Orreman for sharing !

You gonna play that thing, er what ! :couch :dude:

a00736a06a83a319999ea8c26ae49e1c.jpg
 
djcmusician

djcmusician

Active member
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
263
WBailey said:
Oh boy ! Will we see a Bavarian Makeover Part II ! :rofl

Seriously, I think the OP's is as close to specs as " humanly " possible. This area requires a stationary spindle sander. It is the only way to sand it. Consider, the work piece is facing away from the operator.
So, it does not match Gastons burst exactly. I just bet there are several vintage Les Pauls it DOES match !

I also believe Gibson has +/- tolerances in areas that require hand finishing.

And yes, the difference in new binding and old is creating a small optical illusion.

Great thread ! Diggin it ! Thank you Orreman for sharing !

You gonna play that thing, er what ! :couch :dude:
Click to expand...

It will be on Reverb next week :##
 
Wilko

Wilko

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Big Al said:
The machines evolve. Necks were cut and rough shaped with automated tools. Tops were carved 2 at a time on an automated carving machine. The effort it took then to place the wood onto the next machine for the next step took as much skill as now. Neck fitting/set, binding, sanding, assembly, finishing and buffing are done much the same as then.

No one at Gibson was hand forging any hardware. By that logic they were more handmade because mining the ore had less efficient methods.:laugh2:
Click to expand...


Look at a vintage ABR-1 compared to a new one and tell me those weren't finish-shaped by hand. I'm very familiar with the tools and techniques they used. Compared to today's methods, they were hand made. You know this stuff. Necks didn't shape themselves like they do today.
 
Big Al

Big Al

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Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,547
Wilko said:
Look at a vintage ABR-1 compared to a new one and tell me those weren't finish-shaped by hand. I'm very familiar with the tools and techniques they used. Compared to today's methods, they were hand made. You know this stuff. Necks didn't shape themselves like they do today.
Click to expand...

I do know this stuff. The necks were machine profiled/shaped hand sanded, same as now. All the hand process then is still done now. The fact is that these are assembly line, post war industrial made, with many hands on, skilled hands on manufacturing steps, like neck fitting and binding scraping for example.

What I saw with Historic guitars was remarkable in its similarity to Kalamazoo, even a lot of the original machines. If you want to split hairs over a flippin' bridge to make a claim that 58-60 Bursts were "Handcafted" and Historic made are CNC made is a distortion and misrepresentation.

A very real argument can be made that the THR guitars had much more handcrafting than vintage, yet I wouldn't lable them as a handcrafted instrument.
 
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