Most Desirable Runs of Historic R9 Les Pauls

[uburoibob]

I went through about a dozen historic LPs - R9s and R8s. I don't have any, anymore. All were good, but the aged Bloomfield REALLY stood out as the best of the bunch and far closer to the real bursts I've played. Just an amazing guitar.

 

[LeMay]

I spent 2 years searching for a mint CC#1 and found it last fall. Most of the collectible/desirable ones have already been mentioned. Cc1 aged or not is my personal favorite and a keeper
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[LeMay]

 

[LeMay]

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[LeMay]

K

 

[LeMay]

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[GLENDON]

I believe that the 2012 will be the least collected if they laminated the rosewood fretboards like they said they did.

 

[DanD]

It was a big deal for a while in 2012. 2013 saw so many improvements that I think now most aren't concerned about the layered fret boards. Plenty of people love their '12s.

What I see now is a price separation/ line between 2013 and up Rs vs 2012 and back.

Most of the older Rs seem to sell [I'm only referencing 'sold' guitars not the asking price] for ~$500 to $1000 less than their newer '13 and up equivalents.

Not referring to Pearlys or Greeny's either. Just a run of the mill GT R7s or similar topped R8s and R9s.

You can easily find a '99 to '12 R7 for under $2500. A '13 and up will be much closer to or over 3k.

I've owned Rs from pre-historics on up. My gut feeling is that the '12 to '13 divide will remain for many years.

 

[mudface]

I own a 2012 R9 that’s under 8 lbs and got it for cheap.... best Historic deal I ever made. Awesome guitar and a keeper.

I got it with the thought of doing an Historic Make Over project, but decided to keep it as is cuz it was perfect.

The bilayered fretboard spec may have affected its value but it was to my advantage. It’s a keeper and I practically stole it.... I didn’t lose nothing.

The every day R9 will never be an investment, only the sought after models with association with famous players that were produced in limited numbers....

 

[PauloQS]

I own a 2012 R9 that’s under 8 lbs and got it for cheap.... best Historic deal I ever made. Awesome guitar and a keeper.
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I got it with the thought of doing an Historic Make Over project, but decided to keep it as is cuz it was perfect.

The bilayered fretboard spec may have affected its value but it was to my advantage. It’s a keeper and I practically stole it.... I didn’t lose nothing.

The every day R9 will never be an investment, only the sought after models with association with famous players that were produced in limited numbers....

I’m a simple man, I see a bourbon burst, or a desert burst, or any bourbon burst variation, I give it a like once I can get the drooling under control. That is a thing of beauty and to be that lightweight, it has to be super comfortable.

 

[jktxs]

Quilt top historics aren't vintage crowd favourites but they seem to sell quite quickly in the used market, and at not as big of a hit as regular plain / flametop historics. Must be the rarity relative to demand.
They're much easier to find monster tops on too - some of the newer ones dwarf the '90s big tops.

 

[Pick Palmer]

Quite fond of my 2013 20th Anniversary Murphyburst. It did come with white gloves!

 

[DanD]

That's f'n gorgeous!

 

[ezra1]

2013 was a very good year.

 

[cjp54]

Wasn’t there a run of R9s in the mid ninetys identified and marked as “Monster Top or Killer Top” or something like that?

 

[DanD]

Yes, the 'KT' run. I think most of those are in collections. I haven't seen one for sale since they were new. When new they sold quite quickly.

 

[EasyAce]

Numero uno for me . . . 2009 R9 Michael Bloomfield VOS . . .

 

[Pageburst]

Tops are in the eye of the beholder. Some people love symmetrical flame tops with cross grain running up and down. I hate Les Pauls like that. They remind me of PRSes. My ideal tops would be the Greeny Burst, the Skinner burst and the Beast.

Who knows what’s going to be collectible in the future. I do think Jimmy Page’s 1 & 2 will always be collectible because Jimmy is the iconic Les Paul guitar slinger and his band defined a decade of rock n roll and beyond.

Others I’d include in that are The Greeny Burst, Duane’s darkburst, Gibbons’s Pearly. The Rossington, because whomever picked the tops for that run should get an award for best aesthetic taste.

Out of the rest , I’d frankly be surprised if the 17’ and later Brazilian board Les Pauls don’t become the most desirable. These are the only Les Pauls built by Gibson that feature the correct species of woods while using many of the construction techniques and proportions of original Bursts, And unlike leftover pieces of stump wood I’ve seem some acoustic makers use, the quality of the Brazilian wood Gibson is using is first rate.

I’d be the first to say a good guitar is a good guitar, CC, standard historic, true historic, Brazilian, artist editon, it really doesn’t matter. But for collectibility, after the iconic limited editions, the brazilian Les Pauls are extremely few compared to historics at large with EIR. They also have something intrinsic and tangible that brings them as close to the Burst spec as Gibson can deliver.

But I buy my historics to play, they never sit in a case. It always makes me cringe when I hear people refer to their historic as an investment. If I buy a guitar that makes me want to keep it in a case rather than playing it, it won’t stick around long.

 

[1all's Pub]

my 2016 R8

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Man that is just a WICKED top! I love those eclectic tops like that.

As to the point of this thread, I will probably never own an of the CCs or any LP that is especially "collectible", so I don't follow that stuff all that closely. But I'd probably put a Pearly Gates at the top of my list if I was to pursue one... besides being a big fan of the Reverend in general, Pearly is just one fine, fine looking axe!

 

[ab347]

The original Duane Allman run..55 made.