what do you guys think of the tone of the Les Paul Custom vs the maple top models ?

[tripletime]

what do you guys think of the tone of the all mahogany / ebony les paul custom humbucker models ( 1957 black beauty) in comparison to the typical maple topped rosewood finger board models with humbucker (1957-1960)

I am talking reissues here - not vintage

and lets leave out any 11 lb boat anchors you may have played - lets keep it under 9.5 lb


(I thinking about getting one - that's why I am asking)

 

[renderit]

Good question. I have been wondering the same. I love the all hog idea. (Or is that WHOLE HOG?) And I love it with the P90's. But I know nothing of the BB7.

 

[deytookerjaabs]

When I picked up my '72 I took the liberty of playing a couple of vintage Customs plus a reissue Historic model with the staple pickups. I'm not well versed on them but I'll say the Historic didn't seem to have the attention to detail you get in your average R9. It was beefier than both 50's guitars, seemed like the fingerboard was thicker/taller, the neck profile was definitely fatter, big frets, didn't have the heavily rolled/sanded fretboard edge the old ones had, just a beefier guitar in general, but I dug the sound though it was probably my least favorite of the bunch for some reason, not much bottom. That said, it was just one version and I know there have been many.

 

[FenRx]

My B7 is darker and more mellow than my other Reissues. I put a set of ECP Hybrids in it....absolutely amazing how clear and articulate it is. It’s definitely a little different than the stereotypical PAF Les Paul sound

 

[renderit]

When I picked up my '72 I took the liberty of playing a couple of vintage Customs plus a reissue Historic model with the staple pickups. I'm not well versed on them but I'll say the Historic didn't seem to have the attention to detail you get in your average R9. It was beefier than both 50's guitars, seemed like the fingerboard was thicker/taller, the neck profile was definitely fatter, big frets, didn't have the heavily rolled/sanded fretboard edge the old ones had, just a beefier guitar in general, but I dug the sound though it was probably my least favorite of the bunch for some reason, not much bottom. That said, it was just one version and I know there have been many.

The TH I have is the antithesis of what you said. Just under 9 pounds (as in, factory medallion puts it over). The quality is as good if not better than most of my historics. It is vibrant as hell and plenty of bottom with the staple. Great tone.

Don't know how well it will translate to buckers though...

 

[deytookerjaabs]

The TH I have is the antithesis of what you said. Just under 9 pounds (as in, factory medallion puts it over). The quality is as good if not better than most of my historics. It is vibrant as hell and plenty of bottom with the staple. Great tone.

Don't know how well it will translate to buckers though...

I wasn't commenting on the "quality" per se, just noting the differences between the reissue to vintage.


Here's some pics of what I'm talking about as to the neck:

(left side, look at the angle on the binding edge)

You can see the "Fretless Wonder" profile also included sanding a lot off the binding and the 'board edge, down to the dots with an aggressive angle.

A proper 'bucker equipped custom:

Here's a pic of the fingerboard edge of a reissue:

Reissue has the normal fingerboard edge profile you'd expect in a modern Gibson. The neck on the reissue along with the fingerboard edge had more U to it, beefier shoulder, than the vintage ones I held.


As for the tone, YMMV, the reissue one I picked up was a bonafide featherweight from what I recall and the lightest of the bunch at Carter's that afternoon.

 

[El Gringo]

When I picked up my '72 I took the liberty of playing a couple of vintage Customs plus a reissue Historic model with the staple pickups. I'm not well versed on them but I'll say the Historic didn't seem to have the attention to detail you get in your average R9. It was beefier than both 50's guitars, seemed like the fingerboard was thicker/taller, the neck profile was definitely fatter, big frets, didn't have the heavily rolled/sanded fretboard edge the old ones had, just a beefier guitar in general, but I dug the sound though it was probably my least favorite of the bunch for some reason, not much bottom. That said, it was just one version and I know there have been many.

Very good description and your findings mirror mine as well , especially "not much bottom", "just a beefier guitar in general" , "the neck profile was definitely fatter". Mine also is much brighter than my 2014 R9 Do you think that the brightness has something to do with the ebony board ?

 

[deytookerjaabs]

Very good description and your findings mirror mine as well , especially "not much bottom", "just a beefier guitar in general" , "the neck profile was definitely fatter". Mine also is much brighter than my 2014 R9 Do you think that the brightness has something to do with the ebony board ?

Nah, I just think it was that guitar on that day, plus they had such different frets and strings etc, it's hard to generalize across the board. I don't have too much experience with the 50's Custom reissues beyond that, I've picked up more actual 50's customs than Historic ones but I'll say that I do think the geometry seems a bit different beyond just the fretwire on the few reissues I've scoped out.

 

[El Gringo]

Nah, I just think it was that guitar on that day, plus they had such different frets and strings etc, it's hard to generalize across the board. I don't have too much experience with the 50's Custom reissues beyond that, I've picked up more actual 50's customs than Historic ones but I'll say that I do think the geometry seems a bit different beyond just the fretwire on the few reissues I've scoped out.

My early 70's Les Paul Custom is my very first electric as a kid which I still have to this day and play .So it's a guitar that is very special to me and will be with me for life .

 

[Progrocker111]

All mahogany Customs still can be bright, especially in comparison with rosewood necked Standards. From my experience they still can have "faster" attack, often have a bit more lower mids in tone. Bass is perhaps a bit more spongy.

Still i prefer a bit more maple top ones.

 

[67blackcherry]

I'll take any excuse to post pics of my R4 & R7!
The R7 weighs 9.5+/- and is an absolute dream to play. I've always preferred a flametop (isn't that why we're all here?) and own a fine pair of R8's but once I got the R7 they now both get less playing time; it's weird, I never really thought I'd dig the Custom as much as I do.
Something about that solid chunk of mahogany and ebony fretboard that just works, it does seem a little more mellow that the R8's and I'll disagree with the comment that the Customs don't get the attention to detail that the R8's or R9's get because both mine are just fine, thank you very much.
To me, the R7 cleans up much easier than my R8's do, especially when I roll the volume back.

 

[Wilko]

Just comparing tone, my experience mirrors what happened in the real world.

The 1968 Les Paul custom came out with a maple cap and they sound brighter. Much more like a Standard.

The difference toward the mid 70s became much less pronounced than the difference in the 50s models where the LPC is commonly not as bright or "Rock and Roll" as the brighter sounding Standard.

 

[Larry Otis]

I have owned a '58 and '59 custom and a '57 Goldtop with HB pups. The all mahogany is a little warmer but it too can sing like a bird and growl like a bad dog,

 

[Gretev1]

what do you guys think of the tone of the all mahogany / ebony les paul custom humbucker models ( 1957 black beauty) in comparison to the typical maple topped rosewood finger board models with humbucker (1957-1960)

I am talking reissues here - not vintage

and lets leave out any 11 lb boat anchors you may have played - lets keep it under 9.5 lb


(I thinking about getting one - that's why I am asking)

Are you getting a 3 pickup 1957 Les Paul Custom? The tone is awesome. What pickups are in your guitar?
I own a 1957 Les Paul Custom but I got it modded with different wiring and a push pull knob. So now in default mode the guitar functions as a Standard Les Paul but if you activate the push pull knob you can get neck + middle pickup in the rhythm position, middle pickup in the middle position and middle + bridge pickup in the treble position.
Some mods also include blend knobs that enables one to use all 3 pickups together but in my opinion this is unnecessary.
No complaints as far as tone.
I have heard some people complain that the middle pickup gets in the way of their picking style and some people don‘t like the fretless wonder frets however modern versions have medium jumbo frets.

 

[jb_abides]

Are you getting a 3 pickup 1957 Les Paul Custom? The tone is awesome. What pickups are in your guitar?

6 years after the post and the poster is no longer a member, so don't expect an answer!

Nice to hear about your mods... Thanks for the perspective.

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

I'll take any excuse to post pics of my R4 & R7!
The R7 weighs 9.5+/- and is an absolute dream to play. I've always preferred a flametop (isn't that why we're all here?) and own a fine pair of R8's but once I got the R7 they now both get less playing time; it's weird, I never really thought I'd dig the Custom as much as I do.
Something about that solid chunk of mahogany and ebony fretboard that just works, it does seem a little more mellow that the R8's and I'll disagree with the comment that the Customs don't get the attention to detail that the R8's or R9's get because both mine are just fine, thank you very much.
To me, the R7 cleans up much easier than my R8's do, especially when I roll the volume back.

What about the R4?