Murphy lab yay or nay?

bursty · Dec 4, 2023

I'm not buying Gibson in general but if I were I would not be purchasing any ML products; why?

I am not at all a fan of faux 'aging' on guitars, no matter the brand and paying extra for 'aging' any guitar just seems ........ what's the word I'm looking for?

Wizard1183 · Dec 4, 2023

silverandsix said:
I had a similar experience. I wasn’t interested specifically in Murphy’s. I just knew when I walked in the store I was buying a nice les Paul. I tried 3 R9s and didn’t really like any of them playability wise. There was a Murphy lab there so I tried that. It was just a breeze to play. Plugged in it sounded incredible. It was ultra light aging. I wasn’t a big fan of the cracked lacquer look but this was the one les Paul that just was effortless to play. So I bought it. I’ve grown to like the aged look now so I don’t care. I have a great les Paul now.

Maybe the set ups on those weren’t as good? I don’t see how one is a breeze to play than the others unless they weren’t set up the same….not like Murphy Labs have anything different to make it easier to play other than set up

silverandsix · Dec 5, 2023

Wizard1183 said:
Maybe the set ups on those weren’t as good? I don’t see how one is a breeze to play than the others unless they weren’t set up the same….not like Murphy Labs have anything different to make it easier to play other than set up

I agree setup is everything but all 3 R9s felt stiff compared to the ML. Maybe they only setup the ML to sell it quicker. Who knows. All I know is I got an outstanding les Paul. Still don’t know why there’s so many ML bashers on here. There some of the best les Paul’s Gibson has ever put out.

Wizard1183 · Dec 6, 2023

silverandsix said:
I agree setup is everything but all 3 R9s felt stiff compared to the ML. Maybe they only setup the ML to sell it quicker. Who knows. All I know is I got an outstanding les Paul. Still don’t know why there’s so many ML bashers on here. There some of the best les Paul’s Gibson has ever put out.

Well that’s an opinion. I mean a regular custom shop 59 is the same guitar as a ML minus the aging. Save a few bucks….ultra and heavy aged to me is shit. Again. An opinion. I never tried any others to say how they were?

TM1 · Dec 6, 2023

It's not so much the aging as it is the old version of Gibson's Nitro from the 50's & 60's.

silverandsix · Dec 6, 2023

Wizard1183 said:
Well that’s an opinion. I mean a regular custom shop 59 is the same guitar as a ML minus the aging. Save a few bucks….ultra and heavy aged to me is shit. Again. An opinion. I never tried any others to say how they were?

That’s ok. More for me!!

MarcB · Dec 6, 2023

silverandsix said:
Maybe they only setup the ML to sell it quicker

I recall hearing/reading that set ups are different from base model to CS.. at point of sale. Which would make sense from a retail standpoint.

Sidebar - My demo shop standard LP was re-set up by the demo shop in the Netherlands (and its a phenomenal job).. I contacted Gibson (UK) to ask who worked on it.. hoping it may have done via a third party in the UK and they confirmed it was done in-house in NL. So there is room for improvement on standard setups.

corpse · Dec 6, 2023

A good set up should not be that elusive. Buy Dan Earlwine’s book and you can do it very well yourself.

Cliff Gress · Dec 20, 2023

Gibson email came today about new 59 Murphys with Brazilian. $19,999.00.

Chronomariner · Dec 20, 2023

The price difference of ML compared to Gibsons regular reissues have been smaller lately.
Which is great because ok, you pay extra, but it's not the insane jump as is used to be, unless you go for heavy aging.

Seeing 3 brand new 2023 ML vs a 2023 regular reissue at or around the same price surprised me.

I wouldn't pay 1.5k - 2k more for a ML. But at almost the same price? Heck yeah!

Wizard1183 · Dec 20, 2023

Chronomariner said:
The price difference of ML compared to Gibsons regular reissues have been smaller lately.
Which is great because ok, you pay extra, but it's not the insane jump as is used to be, unless you go for heavy aging.

Seeing 3 brand new 2023 ML vs a 2023 regular reissue at or around the same price surprised me.

I wouldn't pay 1.5k - 2k more for a ML. But at almost the same price? Heck yeah!

Almost the same price? Where? 59 is $6699 MSRP. ML ultra light is $7199. And add $1k very every aging step up.

Chronomariner · Dec 20, 2023

Cliff Gress said:
Gibson email came today about new 59 Murphys with Brazilian. $19,999.00.

Just like any of Gibsons

Wizard1183 said:
Almost the same price? Where? 59 is $6699 MSRP. ML ultra light is $7199. And add $1k very every aging step up.

depends on the country. Import and so forth.
But I have been comparing prices on Andertons.co.uk
Guitarguitar.co.uk
Guitarpoint.de (they just increased the ML price by 400 Euro yesterday).
Gear4music

People in USA will always get the best prices I guess.

But guitarpoint.de had brand new ML for 5914 USD excluding import tax.
While the regular reissue cost 5700 USD.

Guitarguitar.co.uk had/has a sale on some 59 reissues at 5700 USD.

Again all prices excluding taxes.
So one would have to add that on top when importing or purchasing. But it shows that sometimes you can find beautiful ML’s at almost the same price as reissue 59.

Carlosdjimenez · Dec 22, 2023

Yay all the way. Although I may be in the minority, I don’t find new looking guitars attractive. All the guitars I own have some sort of relic or aging job. I love how they look and how they continue to age. I don’t baby them; I gig them weekly, take them to rehearsals, let SOME friends play them for some songs during their gig.

About Murphy labs… I own two; 2022 58 Les Paul ultra light age and a 2023 64 SG in Pelham Blue. These guitars are works of art. They don’t look new but they don’t look as reliced as my fenders. IMO, ultra light aged is the perfect finish because, if played regularly, the guitar will continue to age to eventually look like a light or heavy aged one.

https://imgur.com/a/P14nTj2

garywright · Dec 22, 2023

^ how about a pic of that pelham sg

Wizard1183 · Dec 22, 2023

Carlosdjimenez said:
Yay all the way. Although I may be in the minority, I don’t find new looking guitars attractive. All the guitars I own have some sort of relic or aging job. I love how they look and how they continue to age. I don’t baby them; I gig them weekly, take them to rehearsals, let SOME friends play them for some songs during their gig.

About Murphy labs… I own two; 2022 58 Les Paul ultra light age and a 2023 64 SG in Pelham Blue. These guitars are works of art. They don’t look new but they don’t look as reliced as my fenders. IMO, ultra light aged is the perfect finish because, if played regularly, the guitar will continue to age to eventually look like a light or heavy aged one.

https://imgur.com/a/P14nTj2

IF I ever bought a ML, it’d be ultra light aged. Heavy and ultra heavy look like shit. Not to mention paying $1000 more for each of those ain’t worth the price of admission. Beau ally ultralight aging is just checking the guitar. Don’t need some stupid rail road spike rubbed on the finished or thrown against it to act like it got dinged

Carlosdjimenez · Dec 22, 2023

garywright said:
^ how about a pic of that pelham sg

Carlosdjimenez · Dec 22, 2023

Wizard1183 said:
IF I ever bought a ML, it’d be ultra light aged. Heavy and ultra heavy look like shit. Not to mention paying $1000 more for each of those ain’t worth the price of admission. Beau ally ultralight aging is just checking the guitar. Don’t need some stupid rail road spike rubbed on the finished or thrown against it to act like it got dinged

I got nothing against the heavy or ultra heavy aged ones other than the price increase. I do enjoy the looks of a nicely aged/reliced guitar.

garywright · Dec 22, 2023

beautiful Carlos ( both )

Cliff Gress · Dec 23, 2023

They are beautiful. To be clear. All that checking is the ultra light aged finish? Or have they checked more since you've played them?

EdF_PA · Dec 23, 2023

Wizard1183 said:
Almost the same price? Where? 59 is $6699 MSRP. ML ultra light is $7199. And add $1k very every aging step up.

Yep, agree. I’ve been looking at getting an R7 BB and on Sweetwater there is a CS VOS and a ML Light Aging. It’s a $1500 step up for the ML. Personally, I only want the VOS. I think that the worn-looking hardware and buffed matte VOS finish are almost necessary on a reissue, I really can’t imagine a reissue with a gloss finish and shiny hardware (even though I think the ‘68 CS RI is just that). But, FOR ME, that’s as far as I want to go. The finish checking, dings, chips, buckle rash, exposed wood, etc are all things I want to avoid paying good money for. They’ll get there eventually, but in my hands. But for those who want the full aged and worn look, that’s fine with me, obviously the ML guitars sell a lot.

Murphy lab yay or nay?

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