New owner of a 2010 R9 Lemonburst in Gloss

[P.Walker]

Hi all,

As fate would have it, I traded a Fender CS 52 Tele for a 63 ES-335 which brought me to this...
so in essence, the blackguard I had no use for came back to be in the form of a burst...without any extra cash...and I'm not saying no to that...

a 2010 R9 Lemonburst in Gloss...it does sound shockingly different from my 2008 R7 which is my daily player. Not making any rash judgments,
but it does sound very very good..not a single mark on the frets. The guy put it aside for 8 years after putting a minor ding by the jackplate and was afraid to play it. My gain..:laugh2:

 

[alnico59]

Beautiful guitar. Love the dark board with the lemon. I would have to agree hat was some wise trading. When you say shockingly different sounding than your R7, do both have the stock burstbuckers? Can you elaborate more on the differences your hearing. Thanks.

 

[P.Walker]

Beautiful guitar. Love the dark board with the lemon. I would have to agree hat was some wise trading. When you say shockingly different sounding than your R7, do both have the stock burstbuckers? Can you elaborate more on the differences your hearing. Thanks.

hey, thanks for the feedback

Financially speaking I made about $2000 worth in the market around here...straight up traded twice.

All stock guitars, except that the R7 has schaller strap locks and a metal jackplate. Both have audio taper 500k pots stock from the factory.
As such, both have BB1/2s.
The R7 has the darker board actually (almost jet black and wet looking, but it has been played and thus darkened quite a bit).

The R7 (2008) is a really solid sounding guitar, pleasing midrange and has the chirp of some of the great old les pauls. Louder. Directional. Screams.
The R9 (2010) is a little quieter sounding guitar with crystal clear highs and not so creamy in the midrange like the R7. More complex, overtones, sings. Like a good 335.

Setups specs are the same. same 046 010 strings, dead flat neck (no relief), 3.5/64 action both sides, pup heights equal.

I have no idea why the difference is so much. In theory they should sound about the same. They weigh similarly, the R7 is a little lighter than average.

Might be variations in pickup output, but it's hard to judge as they're all automated nowadays.

They are more different than similar so I am a little baffled. The R9 looks pretty but the R7 has always been dependable for gigging, studio, general work, cut really well in a mix.

In short, as different as two les pauls can be. I would love to have only one les paul, but that decision will have to wait.
Really wish the issue was as simple as, "The R9 kills the R7 so I'll get rid of that one," or "The R9 is just a turd with a pretty face."
But alas, that's not to be.

 

[renderit]

I love the flame and grain on that one. One of the best I've seen for my taste.

 

[P.Walker]

I love the flame and grain on that one. One of the best I've seen for my taste.

Thanks, I guess we have similar taste in LPs. Didn't want a PRS-like top, nothing too gaudy, don't like plaintops, and definitely not a pornstar top that I'll get sick of in the future, just wanted something that was similar to a nice LP from BOTB. Wanted a faded color, grain, flame, specks, imperfections, all in one.

 

[renderit]

I have seen one other like that I wish I bought. It was a TH8 at Sweetwater with that old timey grain and flame and a beautiful darker burst, kinda Cognac colored. Beautiful...

 

[omni43]

That is a beautiful guitar. I prefer the flavor of my guitars more towards the lemony side. I'm prowling for an R0 at a good price right now, but I want to wait for the color I want too.

Hi all,

As fate would have it, I traded a Fender CS 52 Tele for a 63 ES-335 which brought me to this...
so in essence, the blackguard I had no use for came back to be in the form of a burst...without any extra cash...and I'm not saying no to that...

a 2010 R9 Lemonburst in Gloss...it does sound shockingly different from my 2008 R7 which is my daily player. Not making any rash judgments,
but it does sound very very good..not a single mark on the frets. The guy put it aside for 8 years after putting a minor ding by the jackplate and was afraid to play it. My gain..:laugh2:

 

[J T]

The former owner was AFRAID to play it? Why? :wah Whatever.

His loss is your gain.

Nice one!

Congrats!

 

[Tim Plains]

Cool top.

 

[TAC]

I quite like that top. Its hint of flame is just the right amount for my tastes.

In in my experience, sometimes a very, very slight tweak of the truss rod can allow a guitar to sing a bit more. Perhaps tightening it a miniscule amount will allow it to resonate/vibrate a tiny bit more and equal -- or maybe surpass -- the sound of your other LP.

 

[Big Al]

Really pretty unburst. Every guitar feels and sounds different, no matter how close they appear. Though sometimes seemingly small, or unnoticable to less critical ears, to very obvious strong sonics apparent to even the laziest listener, if you have the experience and ears it is apparent and important.

Great wheeling and dealing. I once traded my way up from a $150 ES 125 to a new Les Paul Standard in the late 70's. It involved a series of straight up trade/swaps over a couple of years and impressed the hell out of my wife.

So glad you found such a good one!

 

[deytookerjaabs]

Great job! I love what the trade train can bring in over the years.

 

[eternalpurple]

Very beautiful guitar. I wish you and your new squeeze many years of happiness.

 

[P.Walker]

I quite like that top. Its hint of flame is just the right amount for my tastes.

In in my experience, sometimes a very, very slight tweak of the truss rod can allow a guitar to sing a bit more. Perhaps tightening it a miniscule amount will allow it to resonate/vibrate a tiny bit more and equal -- or maybe surpass -- the sound of your other LP.

Thanks.

I do agree with your view. I should have been more clear and said both guitars have identical setups, but I have specified now; I like my necks with level frets, no relief, and medium action. I do come across as if I still like my R7 more, but on the contrary, it's more like I expected one to sound better than the other and now both sound different and equally great in their own ways that I've decided to keep both

 

[P.Walker]

Really pretty unburst. Every guitar feels and sounds different, no matter how close they appear. Though sometimes seemingly small, or unnoticable to less critical ears, to very obvious strong sonics apparent to even the laziest listener, if you have the experience and ears it is apparent and important.

Great wheeling and dealing. I once traded my way up from a $150 ES 125 to a new Les Paul Standard in the late 70's. It involved a series of straight up trade/swaps over a couple of years and impressed the hell out of my wife.

So glad you found such a good one!

Thanks Big Al,

This R7 was/is my main LP, so I know it inside and out by now. The R9 is a newcomer and it does sound "new" as it should be.
I keep trying blackguards and not really bonding with them. The reason I do that is because in theory I find blackguards and bursts similar in some ways.
But I eventually come to my senses and realize the burst is better for me in every criteria (well except weight, but no getting around that).
Now, as for trading that es125 for an lp std...probably deal of the decade.

 

[AA00475Bassman]

Wow what a top really has the vintage vibe ,IMO Thanks for posting !

 

[Travis19]

Now that's one fantastic top. Congrats and have fun!