True Historic vs. Standard Historic

[rofaelnano]

Hello guys,

First of all, I live in a country that doesn't have any Gibson deale, we don't have any Gibsons here so I can't try any, and I need your help buying my first Les Paul!

I can get 2013 R7, 2014 R8 and maybe I can talk to the shop that ships the guitar to get me a true historic 1958/1957 reissue from Gibson.

Are the true historics worth the extra money? which one feels better to play? Are there any big differences? and I have a very stupid question.. which one's strings will be looser and easier to bend. YES I sound like a beginner, I really never played a good guitar before. I have one more question, is there any big differences in 2013 and 2014 reissues? I know that they used hot hide glue for the fretboard, but what does that do? So many questions I'm sorry lol but I really need to know before spending that much money.

Thank you!

EDIT: I'm not really a beginner I've been playing classical/flamenco guitar for over 8 years, I just wanna get into rock style and since we don't have any Gbsons, Fenders, PRSs, Ibanez, not even LTDs or ESPs, not even epiphone.. ITS IRAQ. Instead of hating you could just help or ignore this thread if you're going to hate!

 

[TP6]

You'll be better off asking the question here:

Historics & Reissues - MyLesPaul.com


That's the section for historics etc...


FWIW, if I was spending the kind of money on a TH, I would want to try it first.

 

[rofaelnano]

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[rem22]

You'll be better off asking the question here:

Historics & Reissues - MyLesPaul.com


That's the section for historics etc...


FWIW, if I was spending the kind of money on a TH, I would want to try it first.

i think when a total beginner wants to spend that much money on a guitar, money is just a tiny detail.

 

[rofaelnano]

I'm sorry I just created this account and I don't know anything about this website haha. Thanks for letting me know! And yes I really want to try them but I can't

 

[rofaelnano]

Hello guys,

First of all, I live in a country that doesn't have any Gibson deale, we don't have any Gibsons here so I can't try any, and I need your help buying my first Les Paul!

I can get 2013 R7, 2014 R8 and maybe I can talk to the shop that ships the guitar to get me a true historic 1958/1957 reissue from Gibson.

Are the true historics worth the extra money? which one feels better to play? Are there any big differences? and I have a very stupid question.. which one's strings will be looser and easier to bend. YES I sound like a beginner, I really never played a good guitar before. I have one more question, is there any big differences in 2013 and 2014 reissues? I know that they used hot hide glue for the fretboard, but what does that do? So many questions I'm sorry lol but I really need to know before spending that much money.

Thank you!

EDIT:For those who'll start hate thinking I'm a beginner and spending that much money on a guitar.. I'm not really a beginner I've been playing classical/flamenco guitar for over 8 years, I just wanna get into rock style and since we don't have any Gbsons, Fenders, PRSs, Ibanez, not even LTDs or ESPs, not even Epiphone.. ITS IRAQ. I really need your help guys

 

[rofaelnano]

i think when a total beginner wants to spend that much money on a guitar, money is just a tiny detail.

I'm not a total beginner lol I'm a flamenco player and I don't know much about Les Pauls.

 

[TP6]

i think when a total beginner wants to spend that much money on a guitar, money is just a tiny detail.

I understand that but that doesnt mean I wont give advice that I think is beneficial.

 

[d1m1]

each guitar sounds, feels and plays different no matter if th, or cc, or historic (pre or post 2013). play as more as you can and pic the best one. best reissue i ever had is a 1993 R6 goldtop historic routed for humbuckers. inaccurate as f**k but kills em all. some have it and some dont

 

[rem22]

I understand that but that doesnt mean I wont give advice that I think is beneficial.

I agree and if he has the money that's cool for him. it's just a very odd question

the question about which string will be easier to bend for example really startled me !

 

[bulletproof]

Hello guys,

First of all, I live in a country that doesn't have any Gibson deale, we don't have any Gibsons here so I can't try any, and I need your help buying my first Les Paul!

I can get 2013 R7, 2014 R8 and maybe I can talk to the shop that ships the guitar to get me a true historic 1958/1957 reissue from Gibson.

Are the true historics worth the extra money? which one feels better to play? Are there any big differences? and I have a very stupid question.. which one's strings will be looser and easier to bend. YES I sound like a beginner, I really never played a good guitar before. I have one more question, is there any big differences in 2013 and 2014 reissues? I know that they used hot hide glue for the fretboard, but what does that do? So many questions I'm sorry lol but I really need to know before spending that much money.

Thank you!

The questions you ask can only be answered by you,man...however,not being able to play/try one out,it then comes down to how much you want to spend and how much historical accuracy you are looking for.

All three of the guitars you mentioned may be good/bad/neautral ya know?,but,then again,not having played them,its hard to tell if theres one that you bond with....

 

[LeftyF2003]

Seems like a lot to spend for your first guitar. I made all my mistakes with my first guitar (nearly unplayable Kay acoustic) so by the time I got to my good guitars I had a sense of how to set them up, keep them from getting knocked around, etc. Personally I'd look around for a plain top standard in good shape used and start with that. A lot of the True Historic features are things you won't miss as you're learning anyway.

My two cents - if you don't end up playing it that thing sure will look good on the wall!

Welcome to the forum

 

[MikeyV]

The 13/14 and TH are nearly identical.

Consensus is that the TH is a little better than the 13/14 Reissues, but (depending on how you stacked you are) not worth the up charge. TH has better plastics/pickup covers. Supposedly different finish, and a few very minute changes like holly headstock veneer thickness. Also, the maple cap is glued with Hide Glue(which is not historically accurate).

The strings will feel the same, as it's really the same guitar.


So, what I'm getting at is that the TH may be 10% better, but they're about 30% more money. Probably worse if buying in Iraq.

The Hide glue on the fingerboard is just a more accurate historical touch. It may not be better than titebond, but it's definitely not worse. I, for one, am a hide glue proponent, but mostly for acoustic guitar applications. It's also a just a better choice when and if it comes to repair-ability.

 

[indravayu]

Are the true historics worth the extra money? which one feels better to play?

You will not find any consensus here. For a year now there have been nothing but bitter arguments about the differences between True Historics and Standard Historics and which is better than the other.

I have played and owned both and I prefer the feel and sound of True Historics, but that is just my own personal preference. You will find many other people here who will say just the opposite.

Are there any big differences?

True Historics (TH) differs from Standard Historics (SH) by having:

• Hide glue on maple cap (Franklin Titebond on SH caps)
• Rolled binding on the necks - feels a bit more worn in, like an old guitar.
• More vintage looking binding
• More vintage correct pickup covers, pickup rings, pickup switch-tip and poker chip
• Softer edges on the headstock, more like an old guitar
• Hand selected/matched necks and bodies for consistent grain patterns and weight
• Thinner, wet-sanded finish with more vintage correct colors
• Thinner holly veneer on headstock.
• Better factory setups (more attention to detail)

I may be forgetting something, but that's most of it.

I have a very stupid question.. which one's strings will be looser and easier to bend.

Unless the guitar was built and set up incorrectly, they should both be the same. You can make your strings feel looser/slinkier by either wrapping them over the tailpiece, or simply using lighter gauge strings.

is there any big differences in 2013 and 2014 reissues? I know that they used hot hide glue for the fretboard, but what does that do? So many questions I'm sorry lol but I really need to know before spending that much money.

Hide glue on the fretboard is the only major difference between a 2013 and 2014 (there might be some other very minor changes, but I don't recall any).

Hide glue on the fretboard is supposed to make for better tone because the fretboard and neck transfer vibrations more efficiently, while Franklin Titebond (the glue that Gibson had previously been using for many decades, and which is still used on the maple caps of Standard Historics) is supposed to be more rubbery and not as efficient. Some people believe this, others say it is nonsense.

Personally, I do believe it, based on my own experience playing THs, but I have no way of proving it.

 

[rofaelnano]

Seems like a lot to spend for your first guitar. I made all my mistakes with my first guitar (nearly unplayable Kay acoustic) so by the time I got to my good guitars I had a sense of how to set them up, keep them from getting knocked around, etc. Personally I'd look around for a plain top standard in good shape used and start with that. A lot of the True Historic features are things you won't miss as you're learning anyway.

My two cents - if you don't end up playing it that thing sure will look good on the wall!

Welcome to the forum

It's not my first guitar, I actually have 14, I play for 8 years, I also work as a guitarist in a 5 stars restaurant so don't get me wrong guys i'm not really a beginner, I'm more of a flamenco player switching to rock and roll, and want a good guitar cause the electric guitars I have aren't really good they feel so cheap and I can't even try the real thing here but I wanna get it so I don't mind spending a lot of money for a good guitar haha

 

[rofaelnano]

The 13/14 and TH are nearly identical.

Consensus is that the TH is a little better than the 13/14 Reissues, but (depending on how you stacked you are) not worth the up charge. TH has better plastics/pickup covers. Supposedly different finish, and a few very minute changes like holly headstock veneer thickness. Also, the maple cap is glued with Hide Glue(which is not historically accurate).

The strings will feel the same, as it's really the same guitar.


So, what I'm getting at is that the TH may be 10% better, but they're about 30% more money. Probably worse if buying in Iraq.

The Hide glue on the fingerboard is just a more accurate historical touch. It may not be better than titebond, but it's definitely not worse. I, for one, am a hide glue proponent, but mostly for acoustic guitar applications. It's also a just a better choice when and if it comes to repair-ability.

Well I'll probably take the the pickguard off, and replace the pickups with SD Slash alnico 2 pickups, since they'll feel the same I'll probably save money and get a standard historic if I'm replacing few parts that are making the true historics special Thank you for your reply!

 

[rofaelnano]

You will not find any consensus here. For a year now there have been nothing but bitter arguments about the differences between True Historics and Standard Historics and which is better than the other.

I have played and owned both and I prefer the feel and sound of True Historics, but that is just my own personal preference. You will find many other people here who will say just the opposite.





True Historics (TH) differs from Standard Historics (SH) by having:

• Hide glue on maple cap (Franklin Titebond on SH caps)
• Rolled binding on the necks - feels a bit more worn in, like an old guitar.
• More vintage looking binding
• More vintage correct pickup covers, pickup rings, pickup switch-tip and poker chip
• Softer edges on the headstock, more like an old guitar
• Hand selected/matched necks and bodies for consistent grain patterns and weight
• Thinner, wet-sanded finish with more vintage correct colors
• Thinner holly veneer on headstock.
• Better factory setups (more attention to detail)

I may be forgetting something, but that's most of it.



Unless the guitar was built and set up incorrectly, they should both be the same. You can make your strings feel looser/slinkier by either wrapping them over the tailpiece, or simply using lighter gauge strings.





Hide glue on the fretboard is the only major difference between a 2013 and 2014 (there might be some other very minor changes, but I don't recall any).

Hide glue on the fretboard is supposed to make for better tone because the fretboard and neck transfer vibrations more efficiently, while Franklin Titebond (the glue that Gibson had previously been using for many decades, and which is still used on the maple caps of Standard Historics) is supposed to be more rubbery and not as efficient. Some people believe this, others say it is nonsense.

Personally, I do believe it, based on my own experience playing THs, but I have no way of proving it.

Thank you for all the infos it really helped me Well.. that made think twice about the True Historics.. lol that's a hard decision since I can't try them and tell which one I prefer. Probably the 2014 R8 cause it has hot hide glued fretboard for better sound and play same as the TH. VERY hard decision

 

[Eljockvis]

If I were you I would go with a les Paul standard 2005 ,I have one and they are fantastic .

 

[Eljockvis]

Here is the 2005 ...

 

[abracadaben]

You will not find any consensus here. For a year now there have been nothing but bitter arguments about the differences between True Historics and Standard Historics and which is better than the other.

I have played and owned both and I prefer the feel and sound of True Historics, but that is just my own personal preference. You will find many other people here who will say just the opposite.





True Historics (TH) differs from Standard Historics (SH) by having:

• Hide glue on maple cap (Franklin Titebond on SH caps)
• Rolled binding on the necks - feels a bit more worn in, like an old guitar.
• More vintage looking binding
• More vintage correct pickup covers, pickup rings, pickup switch-tip and poker chip
• Softer edges on the headstock, more like an old guitar
• Hand selected/matched necks and bodies for consistent grain patterns and weight
• Thinner, wet-sanded finish with more vintage correct colors
• Thinner holly veneer on headstock.
• Better factory setups (more attention to detail)

I may be forgetting something, but that's most of it.

Overall the idea is there is a lot more work done on the TH and more artisanal (don't pull any anal jokes please).

- double carved top for better "vintage correct" dish shape
- double carved neck
- pickup routing position slightly different (leaving a gap between the neck and the neck pickup ring)
- Other plastics are vintage accurate too (knobs, jack plate, pocket chip, switch tip etc...)
- I think I read somewhere that the internal routing was slightly different/more accurate
- more attention in wood selection (but you mentioned it)
- inlays in "Aged Nitrocellulose"
- different finish colors and formula
- back plates are different
- they use a new scraping process
- True fairy dust (vs standard fairy dust)

Not to forget the infamous badge