'57 True Historic LP Custom Black Beauty

[landguitar]

Just starting to see these online, have not played one or seen one in a local store yet. Saw a Gibson pic of a similar one on Instagram last week labelled "Historic Select", and I know that difference has been discussed here a little. Not much else out there about the difference between TH and HS, though, and the guitar on Instagram is not in a store I can find on the web...yet. It has 3 pickups and is aged, so it's probably a one-off of some sort anyway.

Anybody played or purchased one of these yet, or thinking about it? I am gassing for a BB and this seems like a great version based on description and specs. The few online show pretty consistent and reasonable '57 size necks, and the weights are in or very close to my tolerable LP-slingin' range - sub 9 lbs.

Gibson.com: True Historic 1957 Les Paul Custom "Black Beauty"
http://images.gibson.com.s3.amazona...tom_Black_Beauty/LPB7TVEBGH1_CALLOUT_HERO.jpg

"Fanatic new levels of detail accuracy reveal a vintage Les Paul Custom like never before, including period-correct plastics, wet-sanded nitro finish, mind-blowing playing feel and Custom Bucker tone."

 

[RAG7890]

A friend in the US has one & I know he's really happy with his.

From memory his weighs in at 8lbs 2ozs or so.

Might be worth searching this Section of MLPF for comments as I am sure he's posted pics & comments on his.

Good luck.

 

[Dilemma]

$7,699.00. Yikes. I've got an '03 Historic BB and I'm very happy with all aspects of it. And more importantly -for my budget anyway- it was a lot less expensive than $7,699.00

 

[landguitar]

A friend in the US has one & I know he's really happy with his.

From memory his weighs in at 8lbs 2ozs or so.

Might be worth searching this Section of MLPF for comments as I am sure he's posted pics & comments on his.

Good luck.

Thanks RAG. I did search and if they are on the forum, I can't find them. Only threads I saw related to this specific "model" is the recent thread for "should I buy it?" then the posting for sale after he bought it!

 

[dwk302]

The TH Black Beauty looks like a killer guitar. If I was to buy a TH, that would be at the top of the list.

 

[indravayu]

I want one, but it would have to be used - can't afford it new, even if the street price in is in the mid $6k range.

 

[KBMelb]

I have a '54 Black Beauty that fills my Black Beauty needs but a 3 pup True Historic would be very tempting.

 

[Frogfur]

Wait, I thought the 54 BB's had a P-90 in the bridge and a alnicoV in the neck?
am i wrong? please fill me in.

 

[KBMelb]

Wait, I thought the 54 BB's had a P-90 in the bridge and a alnicoV in the neck?
am i wrong? please fill me in.

It does. Still a Black Beauty though. I just have two other humbucker reissues so for my single coil fix I went with '54 BB. I don't care for the look of R6s and couldn't commit to the bridge of an R4.

 

[alexvdl]

What's true historic about that guitar? Too small inlays at the higher frets. wrong tuners and ridiculously wrong pickguard shape!

 

[RAG7890]

Thanks RAG. I did search and if they are on the forum, I can't find them. Only threads I saw related to this specific "model" is the recent thread for "should I buy it?" then the posting for sale after he bought it!

Welcome.

Check your PM.

Cheers, Rudi

 

[landguitar]

What's true historic about that guitar? Too small inlays at the higher frets. wrong tuners and ridiculously wrong pickguard shape!

Not to start anything, but I am in the camp that I don't think there is a "true historic". In the 50's, all the machinery was hand-operated, hand spec'd, etc. There was not near the consistency you can get today, a la PRS. Just look at the differences in the cavity shapes in the 50's LP's, much less the neck sizes and tenons.

IMHO, just getting to the unwrapped truss rod, using the hide glue, similar size necks and shapes, weights, pickup wrappings, etc., is real enough for me. And I still want to know how it plays and sounds. That's always the bottom line. My 2004 '59 RI Murphy-aged is still the best LP I've ever heard and played.

I'm torn between the "make it better" and the "keep it the way it was" camps. Vanilla vs chocolate? I used to like only vanilla, now I like both!

 

[KBMelb]

What's true historic about that guitar? Too small inlays at the higher frets. wrong tuners and ridiculously wrong pickguard shape!

Was wondering this too. There is no hyde glue for the top since it's all one piece. I don't recall anyone complaining about the plastics on B7 before. I guess the finish being thinner and PU covers is enough.

The finish on my 2014 B4 is thin enough to see the grain, one piece body and P-90/AlnicoV has no PU covers or rings so I don't know if the THB7s are any Truer than that.

 

[dwk302]

That looks fantastic. Is that the only TH you kept?

The THC have really been twitching my trigger finger.....

I've also been looking for a good LPC for some time now and it's been surprisingly difficult. The good ones I've run into usually have one non-starter associated with them...like a strange neck, weight, a bad refret, or some other issue I can't look past.

 

[landguitar]

That looks fantastic. Is that the only TH you kept?

The THC have really been twitching my trigger finger.....

I've also been looking for a good LPC for some time now and it's been surprisingly difficult. The good ones I've run into usually have one non-starter associated with them...like a strange neck, weight, a bad refret, or some other issue I can't look past.

My quandary exactly! Usually the weight though, it's the first thing I look for...