61 les paul 61 SG...whats the difference?

[shtdaprdtr]

Hi, I recently got a case of GAS and bought an R9 and went on a vintage trip, so after that I bought a 2008 Gibson 61 reissue SG for $800 due to a neck repair (the headstock cracked while shipping?) anyway..I wanted to give it a VOS vibe and change the tune-o-matic to an aged ABR-1 and tailpiece and change it to a "les paul" scripted truss rod cover and possibly a maestro vibrola if I can cover the stud holes. Anyway...my question is....what is the difference between gibsons 61 reissue and 61 les paul re-issue....why have both? I know the neck binding is a little thicker and the parts I mentioned earlier...but what else?
What is the neck profile like between them....any differences?
Why is Gibson stupid and control me with their subliminal messages telling me I have to buy into all their crap?
Why am I stupid?

[Boleskinehouse]

Obviously, the Historics have factory ABRs, light weight tail pieces, better wood selection, etc.. If you've got the cash, go Custom Shop. That being said, the USA SGs are the best guitars coming out of that factory..

[shtdaprdtr]

???huh?
Im not looking to buy an SG, I have a 61 reissue from the regular production line, my question is....with the exception of hardware, paint, and possibly wood selection (which I believe is a load of shit), what is the difference between the custom shop and regular 61 SG..sorry les paul...uh whatever!
Im talking about as far as body carving...I know my 61 reissue SG has that little taper in the back as the body is going up towards the neck heel...but what about the neck profile? I know the binding is thicker on my 61 reissue.

[Boleskinehouse]

Since you "believe it's a load of shit", I can't help you. Keep believing it's a load of shit. That leaves more Custom Shop guitars for me.

The neck tenon is different. Where the neck joins the body is different.. The carve of the body is vastly different... Don't buy any though! It's all a load of shit.

[Tim Plains]

Do the '61 RIs have a one-piece body or two?
All I know is my historic SG sounds like a million bucks and is around 1-1/2 lbs lighter than my old SG Standard.
Bullshit is right!

Originally Posted by shtdaprdtr

with the exception of hardware, paint, and possibly wood selection (which I believe is a load of shit), what is the difference between the custom shop and regular 61 SG

Isn't that enough?

[Boleskinehouse]

Originally Posted by R9.

Do the '61 RIs have a one-piece body or two?
All I know is my historic SG sounds like a million bucks and is around 1-1/2 lbs lighter than my old SG Standard.
Bullshit is right!


Isn't that enough?

It's an illusion. The USAs have 15 piece bodies..


Historics are ALWAYS better than their USA counterparts.

[shtdaprdtr]

not saying you were full of shit...talking about gibson (I know the crap they pull...I work for a fine instrument manufacturer so I know their marketing techniques) But if you take offense to it then you are clearly blinded by their subliminal messages

[shtdaprdtr]

hope that guy knows I was kidding.....some people have no sense of humor

[shtdaprdtr]

anyway..its 1 piece

[shtdaprdtr]

the body that is

[shtdaprdtr]

I know, I got 2 other SG standards that are turds and heavier but this one seems to resonate a little more than the others... but I take it noone has info on these guitars

[Boleskinehouse]

What do you want to know? I'm not blinded by anything. I know what I know.

[Boleskinehouse]

I said they're always better, but that excludes anything hanging on the wall at GC. Just about anything at GC is load a crap and I wouldn't blame you.

[shtdaprdtr]

To be honest with you...its hit or miss with any guitar custom shop or not. Ive played tons of R9's for example...and all have felt like shit except 2...One I have and 1 I didnt buy in time. Ive played more better feeling R8's than R9's and as crazy as this will sound...I have an 83 standard that I outfitted with burstbuckers that kick my R9's ass...yeah my 83 feels like a cinder block but weight is not an issue with me.

[shtdaprdtr]

kicks its ass tonally that is...cause it looks like crap

[Boleskinehouse]

I have an '81 Custom like that. Ugly, beat to shit thing, but I'd put it up against any Historic.

I didn't mean to come off like a dick, but in most cases, CS is better than USA.

[FennRx]

Originally Posted by Boleskinehouse

I didn't mean to come off like a dick, but in most cases, CS is better than USA.

[shtdaprdtr]

I got one very good question....as far as tone goes. If any custom shop is so great...then why did eddie van halen create one of rocks greatest tones from a crap guitar which was a 2 piece ash second body with knots?
and why is the custom shop replica 25K?

[shtdaprdtr]

thats marketing

[shtdaprdtr]

either way..the custom shop guitars are usually set up better...thats the key. But you can do that to any guitar

[Tim Plains]

So, you're telling me Gibson is just setting up their Custom Shop guitars and charging an extra $1,000 - $3,000 for them?

[TattooedCarrot]

Different headstock, body bevels, neck shape, pickups (on the more recent model historic), neck tenon, neck joint. Lots of subtle differences. I have both....actually I just sold the historic last week and kept the 61RI.

Historic Headstock


Historic neck joint


Historic



61RI

[Tim Plains]

Very nice, Carrot! That '61 looks like it has a two piece body; so, I guess that is one of the differences. Not sure if they're all like that, though...

[shtdaprdtr]

thanks TC..thats what I wanted to know...thanks for the pics too.

[shtdaprdtr]

"So, you're telling me Gibson is just setting up their Custom Shop guitars and charging an extra $1,000 - $3,000 for them? "

R9...why not...if people are willing to pay
thats what makes a successful business and marketing people. I work for a fine instrument company that makes instruments upwards of 100grand...I cannot tell you the name, but believe me, if you saw the crap people are paying big money for...youd be surprised..nothing special..just some decoration and a name.
Explain to me 2 things
1: Why do silver topped reflector knobs go for over a hundred bucks while the gold topped ones go for 10 bucks...
Its called supply and demand. Is the silver topped knob that much superior?
2: Explain to me the whole price justification of the eddie van halen guitar? I built an exact replica..for myself of course for just 2-300 bucks...heres mine:

[jimmyq]

Originally Posted by shtdaprdtr

2: Explain to me the whole price justification of the eddie van halen guitar? I built an exact replica..for myself of course for just 2-300 bucks...heres mine:

[shtdaprdtr]

What I was trying to say is that mine is not too far off so I know the labor involved and its not worth 25 grand for the EVH.
Its all marketing so Im just trying to let people know its not as they say..I know first hand from the company I work for.

[shtdaprdtr]

sorry for the fuzzy pics.. camera does that without flash

[dwagar]

if it's close enough for you, and you don't want to drop the coin on a CS, then what's the problem? It's still a great guitar.

[geochem1st]

Originally Posted by shtdaprdtr

I got one very good question....as far as tone goes. If any custom shop is so great...then why did eddie van halen create one of rocks greatest tones from a crap guitar which was a 2 piece ash second body with knots?
and why is the custom shop replica 25K?


2: Explain to me the whole price justification of the eddie van halen guitar? I built an exact replica..for myself of course for just 2-300 bucks...heres mine:

I can't see the pics you posted but I am assuming that it is a copy of the Frankenstrat.

1st lets keep things real, you could not of built an exact copy of that for $300:

The boy was using a real PAF, which goes for almost $3000 today alone.

"The Frankenstrat is an Ash Stratocaster body with a routing that Eddie made to fit in a Gibson PAF humbucking bridge pickup, with a single coil neck pickup. The neck pickup was simply for decoration and was never actually wired with the humbucker, due to Eddie's inability to wire the switch properly. It has a maple neck, silver hardware, and red, black, and white stripes. It is a six string guitar with Floyd Rose tremolo."

Frankenstrat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And to help with his tone he overdrove the voltage to his Marshall using a variac, not recommended because it blows out the amps real fast.
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