I'm betting my '19 R8 started life as a '20 R9.

[SoK66]

My R8's started out as R8's sold as R8's with their chubby necks .

Cant my guitar be something special something other than it was slated , something someone pulled off the line and said this won't do for you your special !!

The issue is my '58 doesn't have a chubby neck, it has a slimmer neck profile than my '06 R9.

 

[corpse]

There is tremendous variation in their processes- as much as CNC does to standardize, wood is wood- and process is process- but it sounds lie you got a great fiddle anyway. Get that pic situation sorted out!

 

[SoK66]

Ok, here's the girl.

https://imgur.com/a/vOscWM3

And here's her serial #:

https://imgur.com/a/qje6S9R

 

[Tim Plains]

Used or NOS? Seems like a used guitar based on the binding bleed.

If you go back in the forum archives 10+ years, you'll read accounts of some R8 necks being identical to R9s.

Lots of R8s have R9 worthy tops. Mine does, in my opinion.

https://imgur.com/a/XAg2lbP

 

[SoK66]

Brand new 2019 R8, right out of the shipping box.

 

[O Riley]

My 8 looks like an 8 .... ..

 

[mjross]

My 8 looks like an 8 .... ..

Think I’m with you! My CME Spec R8 looks like and R8. A killer R8, but just an R8!

 

[pdfiddler]

Yes. The handful of unsold Felder CCs were given a stinger and sold as a limited edition R8.

Yes, I have one of these. It has the brass jack plate and the R9 in control cavity has been ground off and restamped R8 and a abr1 bridge has been fitted in place of the Nashville. Great guitar. 8lbs 13oz.

 

[pdfiddler]

Cavity and a pic of a Flelder burst. Strong resemblance as you can see.

 

[El Gringo]

Yes, I have one of these. It has the brass jack plate and the R9 in control cavity has been ground off and restamped R8 and a abr1 bridge has been fitted in place of the Nashville. Great guitar. 8lbs 13oz.

Really great looking Les Paul !

 

[J.D.]

The dead giveaway on the converted Felders, besides the stinger, is the ABR-1 bridge posts. They are slightly thicker than the standard Gibson Historic, and are a metric thread.

Unrelated, the more current R8 neck profiles are generally less girthy than the profiles last decade or so, and of course they all vary slightly as they are hand finished.

 

[Wambemando]

really? and why would they "repurpose" them?
Ive heard this story a few times. No one is ever able to show a photo of an R9 control cavity stamp with an R8 headstock serial number.
it doesn't make sense

It surprises me how many people aren't aware or doubt the repurposing of guitars by Gibson.


It was done quite a few times over the years. This is my recent comment regarding repurposed CC29s on matkoehler's thread:
"I own a repurposed CC29, aka 1958 Historic Standard, purchased at Wildwood in early 2018.
I was told by the employee that the guitar was originally built as a Collector's Choice #29. Upon further research, I discovered the mark where the stamp was removed from the center of the control cavity. There is also a sanded area where the shoddily-stamped/written "R8" was overlaid. With the aid of a flashlight (known as "the flashlight trick"), I was able to make out the original serial number on the back of the headstock between the D and G tuners and some of the CC stamp at the tip of the headstock (which was sanded down, restamped, and refinished). You can easily discern where the finish was reapplied.

Aside from these "discoveries", it was obvious just from the overall look and appointments that this was intended to be a CC29.
After joining these forums I sought out fellow owners and compared notes, and also got into contact with a former CS employee (who 100% verified this story). I believe there were approximately 75 aged and VOS models that were repurposed and sold as Limited Run "Historic Standards" through CME, WW, and Sam Ash. The only things that were altered were the stamps, COA, and pickups (underwound '57 Classics for Custombuckers)."

​

 

[J.D.]

CS will "repurpose" guitars for a couple of reasons.

1. Guitar just didn't meet visual requirements. Might be color, figure, damage during construction, etc.
2. Unsold. They simply made more than the demand and have to do "something" with them.
3. Holdbacks. CS typically builds a couple extra of every limited run in case of shipping damage or warranty claims. After a certain amount of time they need to do "something" with them.

 

[Wambemando]

CS will "repurpose" guitars for a couple of reasons.

1. Guitar just didn't meet visual requirements. Might be color, figure, damage during construction, etc.
2. Unsold. They simply made more than the demand and have to do "something" with them.
3. Holdbacks. CS typically builds a couple extra of every limited run in case of shipping damage or warranty claims. After a certain amount of time they need to do "something" with them.

I have heard two different reasons for the repurposed CC29s:
1. They were part of the first batch that were too "off-color" (Which is hard for me to see.)
2. There weren't enough people interested in spending $7k on a mild-figured R9 that's owned by a lesser-known Japanese artist. (Tamio Okuda)

 

[El Gringo]

The dead giveaway on the converted Felders, besides the stinger, is the ABR-1 bridge posts. They are slightly thicker than the standard Gibson Historic, and are a metric thread.

Unrelated, the more current R8 neck profiles are generally less girthy than the profiles last decade or so, and of course they all vary slightly as they are hand finished.

Why would the bridge posts be slightly thicker ? and have a metric thread ? Is it just for the "tell" purpose ?

 

[Wambemando]

Now that we've removed any doubts, I'd also like to take this opportunity to point out another "repurposed" Collector's Choice model:
The 2017 Gibson 1957 True Historic Goldtop:

Is actually a heavily-aged Collector's Choice #36 Daughtry "Goldfinger" (with added stinger):

 

[J.D.]

Why would the bridge posts be slightly thicker ? and have a metric thread ? Is it just for the "tell" purpose ?

The Felder CCs were built with Nashville TOM bridges on these heavier studs. Must have been how the original was modified. The converted stinger R8s I saw were retrofitted with ABR-1 bridges that had the mounting holes slightly reamed out for the heavier studs.

 

[J.D.]

Link to MF of Felder CC.

 

[dman_vegas]

I was also wondering about R8 vs R9 specifications. I purchased a 2021 '58 from a "special run" of guitars. Mine has a really nice top that is not plain at all and looks like a '59, the frets are also '59 specs, and mine has a '58 neck.
So my question is, what's the difference between what I bought and a '59 or '60 other than maybe the serial number and neck shape? Could the CustomBuckers be different or neck angle?

 

[El Gringo]

The Felder CCs were built with Nashville TOM bridges on these heavier studs. Must have been how the original was modified. The converted stinger R8s I saw were retrofitted with ABR-1 bridges that had the mounting holes slightly reamed out for the heavier studs.

Ok , this makes perfect sense and I wonder why in the first place Mr. Felder had a Nashville bridge on his Burst which is vintage ?