Gibson Custom Shop Benchmark Collection 2013 Limited Run

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davidos

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Imo, I think the best repro tuner buttons out there are the Vintage Haven ones from England. Uncle Lou Premiums are a very close second.
The new tuner buttons from Kluson (Korean made) on the 2013 reissues look like crap. Way too transparent and epoxy-like. And the transition edges are way too sharp.
I've had all three on guitars.
The early 1960 posted above seems to have been fitted with Uncle Lou Premium repros, based on the wear and tear on the rest of the guitar and the aging on the tuning machines.

I checked out the Vintage Haven tips and they look lgood but I can't for the life of me figure out how to order them...

WD is out of stock on the Klusons...
 

JimmyAce2006

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Imo, I think the best repro tuner buttons out there are the Vintage Haven ones from England. Uncle Lou Premiums are a very close second.
The new tuner buttons from Kluson (Korean made) on the 2013 reissues look like crap. Way too transparent and epoxy-like. And the transition edges are way too sharp.
I've had all three on guitars.
The early 1960 posted above seems to have been fitted with Uncle Lou Premium repros, based on the wear and tear on the rest of the guitar and the aging on the tuning machines.

this is 9 0297

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9 0352

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Jimmi

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The owner of the web site where that 57's tuners were posted is a very well known and respected member in the vintage community on the other LPF. His site isn't perfect. But almost all of the info he posts on there is correct. Yes, what you say is technically possible. But it is highly unlikely. The guy knows his stuff.

Vintage Guitars Info - Gibson collecting vintage gibson guitars


...........

Actually I enjoyed the site, so thanks for the link. That said, it doesn't say tuners in that picture are original (ie could be great reproductions with right ring number and shape). According to many of the same experts on the same site tell me most have the knobs replaced. Came out of an in depth discussion with several members in PMs and on the phone (ie not through the thread)after I started this thread below (which also contains recommendations for where to find vintage correct Klusons for those interested......notice, buying historic ones from Gibson not one of the suggestions :) ).

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/vintage-les-pauls/251746-buying-replacement-tuners.html

The color isn't really that big of deal. And really if you don't compare side by side, the camera, lighting etc can change the color so make it difficult so discussion and pictures on color of tuners that may or may not be original, may or may not have effects of aging (if kept in case it is a good chance they should be shrunken), so that part of the discussion is kind of pointless.

Honestly I would prefer Gibson get the neck shape, top carve, binding material, unpotted PUs etc correct. Tuner knob color and ring number is minor detail...you can always just replace them yourself.
 

Sct13

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HM's are yellower than I like. Without having a "real" set in front of me my Uncle Lou's are pretty good. I will check oput the Vintage Haven ones. I nearly ordered the Fake 58/9 whatever it is. Not too sure about those they are a little orange for the mummy toe thing...and they need to be more variable.

Here are my Uncle Lou's that came with an R8 a while back, They are not that orange.

tuners.jpg
 

nicolasrivera

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HM's are yellower than I like. Without having a "real" set in front of me my Uncle Lou's are pretty good. I will check oput the Vintage Haven ones. I nearly ordered the Fake 58/9 whatever it is. Not too sure about those they are a little orange for the mummy toe thing...and they need to be more variable.

Here are my Uncle Lou's that came with an R8 a while back, They are not that orange.

tuners.jpg

FAKE58's are great...and you can order a custom set with mixed aged tips, you get 2 extra tips too....:thumb:


IMG_0361.jpg
 

Mike60

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Thanx for that info.....Uncle Lou's tuners are the closest reproductions I have seen and that site confirms this....I have two sets of these and set of DMC's The DMC's are too Grey...

The tuners that Kluson is providing have a Domed instead of a flat post. The 13's tips are real close color wise.


IMO...Best repro tuner tips by far are the Vintage Haven ones...I had them make me a set of non aged double rings and the tips are really close to the originals of which I have several sets.
The tuners are the flat top variety also.
 

Sct13

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Thats good to know. I don't like the domed ones. the tips look great. :)
 

JimmyAce2006

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Actually I enjoyed the site, so thanks for the link. That said, it doesn't say tuners in that picture are original (ie could be great reproductions with right ring number and shape).

I am pretty sure that when the site says this above the pic, they are saying it is an original tuner button:

"Kluson Deluxe "tulip" tuners on a 1957 Les Paul. Note this is the "single ring, single line" variety used from 1955 to 1961. The "single ring" refers to the single ring around the plastic button. The "single line" refers to the single line of vertical text saying "Kluson Deluxe"." This is the pic:

inkser3.jpg


The color isn't really that big of deal. And really if you don't compare side by side, the camera, lighting etc can change the color so make it difficult so discussion and pictures on color of tuners that may or may not be original, may or may not have effects of aging (if kept in case it is a good chance they should be shrunken), so that part of the discussion is kind of pointless.

I totally agree! Can you believe it? :laugh2:



............
 

Jimmi

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I am pretty sure that when the site says this above the pic, they are saying it is an original tuner button:

"Kluson Deluxe "tulip" tuners on a 1957 Les Paul. Note this is the "single ring, single line" variety used from 1955 to 1961. The "single ring" refers to the single ring around the plastic button. The "single line" refers to the single line of vertical text saying "Kluson Deluxe"." This is the pic:

inkser3.jpg

Implies this is a representation of it. Still could be accurate repros. According to Eric, some are nearly perfect. The pictures that started this were double ring which is why I mad the first comment...I thought they should be double ring.

I totally agree! Can you believe it? :laugh2:



............

Sure....we aren't that different really. Just interested in different aspects of common interests. A nice way to end the night :thumb:
 

Curlymaple

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Here you go - pics of the original tuners on an early 1960 LP (has 1959 specs), compared to a 2013 R9 at the bottom. They look pretty close to me, except that some of the buttons on the vintage guitar show slight discoloration due to age:

60_lp-burst2_5.jpg


60_lp-burst2_6.jpg




Again, the ones in the pic from Historic Makeovers were probably aged to match the aging on a specific guitar. And those actually look a little yellow as though they had been discolored in a smokey nicotine filled club - from gigging. And that was probably the intent when they were colored that way. I have seen them like that and like the cleaner ones I posted. Nevertheless, they start out clean looking like the ones I posted, like the new 2013 tuners.


John, those 2nd pic looks a lot like Uncle Lou's tip to me, imho.

Here's some more tips comparisons; not sure if anyone seen the new DMC tips?
457D1E9F-B495-4963-BF89-4EAD0CAF0131-1730-0000037336E2F4E0_zps3d4ef3c5.jpg


DMCs:
D7255F06-5C28-41AD-8139-884081B12619-1730-00000373317C9FF6_zps874d483a.jpg

6C514243-9CAD-40BE-A847-A02443AF175E-1730-0000037328566E28_zps76d170f3.jpg

DC9FB238-1F77-4482-93AC-01979FAA822D-1730-0000037321B53388_zps38562b29.jpg


ULs sanded a bit:
DF3A9DFD-B575-4939-9132-596AFC32374C-2346-00000496C6F30544_zps7f5a1d25.jpg

8848F775-A9EE-4379-9A3F-3229875912F4-2346-00000496CC538CFD_zpsfcfb9336.jpg

28BF1D07-29ED-404E-BFA8-F864CBE6E5A9-2346-00000496B356DAF3_zps57bee55f.jpg


Vintage Haven:
44C0A79D-03D4-43C3-AC08-957E0601C8D2-484-0000007E00F222FD_zps0f142558.jpg

7B20E867-F6B7-4E96-BA0C-6B43CB7939B4-484-0000007E085B2992_zps904f99e9.jpg

F547D646-4BBC-4EAF-A548-9A7618F82C80-484-0000007DF2F7D2D2_zps88fae6e7.jpg



Maybe they were more translucent new?
 

talpa

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man am i late to this party lolz

when rainbow got their handful, i tried to scrape enough dough to buy two heavy aged units - a killer lemonburst R9 & a bourbonburst R9, which i ended up with (wanted that lemonburst but the wide figure/mineral streaking on this one was better). would have been a near $10K purchase for both..ugh
like most of my good player units - nos wire Throbaks installed (back then anyway)

D65sbil.jpg


H6yiLVG.jpg
 

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