zanshin777
New member
What are the 1959, 1959 reissiues and replicas' characteristics? Do they have 50's neck or 60's ? What are so special with those ? Just valuable woods, craftmanship vs.?
1959 Les Paul
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guitfiddle
firstlessonologist
Re: 1959 Les Paul
The thing that makes the originals valuable is that Gibson built only around 1700 of them in a three year period.
rarity+desireable characteristics=$$$$$$$$$$$
The thing that makes the originals valuable is that Gibson built only around 1700 of them in a three year period.
rarity+desireable characteristics=$$$$$$$$$$$
Re: 1959 Les Paul
in 1958 gibson started doing sunburst instead of the gold tops and black. in '59 & '60 they used bigger frets. in '61 they changed the les paul to what we know as a sg. so the original les paul sunbursts were only 58-60.
if clapton, green, gibbons, richards, taylor, bloomfield, beck, page and others hadnt made some of the best classic rock with those guitars no one would be paying the crazy money for them reguardless of how cool they are.
in 1958 gibson started doing sunburst instead of the gold tops and black. in '59 & '60 they used bigger frets. in '61 they changed the les paul to what we know as a sg. so the original les paul sunbursts were only 58-60.
if clapton, green, gibbons, richards, taylor, bloomfield, beck, page and others hadnt made some of the best classic rock with those guitars no one would be paying the crazy money for them reguardless of how cool they are.
zanshin777
New member
Re: 1959 Les Paul
50's neck or 60's neck, which one is closer to 1959' neck?
50's neck or 60's neck, which one is closer to 1959' neck?
ganzosrevenge
New member
viewaskew2k5
New member
Re: 1959 Les Paul
The New epi's are nice...if you can get over the name on the headstock
The New epi's are nice...if you can get over the name on the headstock
Re: 1959 Les Paul
i've played a few real 59's other the years... just for a few minutes while the owners stare at me hopeing i don't ding them... and a few of the new R9's... the necks are indeed very fat... so fat i don't think i could really gel with one... but even if they are fat they do still feel good in a way to me...
i've played a few real 59's other the years... just for a few minutes while the owners stare at me hopeing i don't ding them... and a few of the new R9's... the necks are indeed very fat... so fat i don't think i could really gel with one... but even if they are fat they do still feel good in a way to me...
Re: 1959 Les Paul
Some guys have slimmed down the necks of 59 LP's because they didn't like the baseball bat feel. Who am I to tell Jimmy Page that he shouldn't have done that to a 59? The only way I'll get close to a 59 is on a field trip to Gruhn's or playing a re-issue. Origainal 59's in good shape can fetch six figure prices so I'll just have to hope that I inherit a 59 from one of my long lost relatives.
Some guys have slimmed down the necks of 59 LP's because they didn't like the baseball bat feel. Who am I to tell Jimmy Page that he shouldn't have done that to a 59? The only way I'll get close to a 59 is on a field trip to Gruhn's or playing a re-issue. Origainal 59's in good shape can fetch six figure prices so I'll just have to hope that I inherit a 59 from one of my long lost relatives.
Lucid_Lunatic
Rebelyellologist
Re: 1959 Les Paul
I keep seeing those names, but Greg and his 57 GT-58-SB and later 60 DB did most of the good stuff........... Just sayin'
I keep seeing those names, but Greg and his 57 GT-58-SB and later 60 DB did most of the good stuff........... Just sayin'
Re: 1959 Les Paul
the 2 i tried out had pretty beefy necks... not the fattest Gibsons i've ever tried but lots of beef... what made them feel thinner in my mind is the profile shape seemed to be almost a V or a slim U shape... it also could of been the years of wear too... one of the ones i tried had no finnish left and looked like it had been in the desert for 50 years... the other one i tried is in much better shape... a local Doctor owns it...
i hate most thicker necks myself... the mid 60's CS strat i own is the biggest neck i'd ever feel comfy with... My 76 Les Paul's neck feels really fat to me too..
the 2 i tried out had pretty beefy necks... not the fattest Gibsons i've ever tried but lots of beef... what made them feel thinner in my mind is the profile shape seemed to be almost a V or a slim U shape... it also could of been the years of wear too... one of the ones i tried had no finnish left and looked like it had been in the desert for 50 years... the other one i tried is in much better shape... a local Doctor owns it...
i hate most thicker necks myself... the mid 60's CS strat i own is the biggest neck i'd ever feel comfy with... My 76 Les Paul's neck feels really fat to me too..
Christopher Caruana
New member
Re: 1959 Les Paul
I have a gibson LP classic and they were gibson first try at a '1960' reissue. It has a VERY slim neck. The '59s have thick baseball bat necks....the slim necks didnt start coming on LP's untill 1960......hence the fact the classics have skinny necks.
I have a gibson LP classic and they were gibson first try at a '1960' reissue. It has a VERY slim neck. The '59s have thick baseball bat necks....the slim necks didnt start coming on LP's untill 1960......hence the fact the classics have skinny necks.
Re: 1959 Les Paul
i dont know if thats really true. the real '59 i played had a huge neck as big as a current 56/57/58 ri. the real '60 i played had a much thinner neck. the real late 60's ones ive had my hands on were a little bigger than the 1960 but not as big as the real 1959
currently gibsons 52-58 ri's have huge necks, the 59 has a smaller but still rounded neck and the 60 has the slimmer flatter neck
i dont know if thats really true. the real '59 i played had a huge neck as big as a current 56/57/58 ri. the real '60 i played had a much thinner neck. the real late 60's ones ive had my hands on were a little bigger than the 1960 but not as big as the real 1959
currently gibsons 52-58 ri's have huge necks, the 59 has a smaller but still rounded neck and the 60 has the slimmer flatter neck
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: 1959 Les Paul
I've owned a few real ones and also a '59 Historic Reissue.
The real ones feature Brazillian Rosewood fingerboards. That's one secret to why they sound the way they do. It's a must and the only reissue I've played that really took me back to 1970 when I owned some originals from '56, 58 and '59 is my buddy Rondo's '58 Gibson Plain-top Historic which does have a Brazillian fingerboard.
The '60 Les Paul had the thinnest, easiest to play neck. That's the one Clapton preferred and played with John Mayall.
The '58 had the biggest neck. The '59 had a neck between the '58 fat neck and '60 slim neck.
In terms of pickups, Seymour has said that the paf's from '57 and '58 were usually alnico 2 humbuckers. By '60 alnico 5 was used more often until after '60 it's all alnico 5.
But Seymour has also said that when Gibson started deviating from Seth Lover's original specs (alnico 2) they also used alnico 4 in some pickups.
I've owned a bunch and I love they way they look but I don't get the obsession some guys have for Les Pauls. They're heavy and sound dense, flat and lifeless to me compared to a nice ES-335. I like some resonance.
Lew
I've owned a few real ones and also a '59 Historic Reissue.
The real ones feature Brazillian Rosewood fingerboards. That's one secret to why they sound the way they do. It's a must and the only reissue I've played that really took me back to 1970 when I owned some originals from '56, 58 and '59 is my buddy Rondo's '58 Gibson Plain-top Historic which does have a Brazillian fingerboard.
The '60 Les Paul had the thinnest, easiest to play neck. That's the one Clapton preferred and played with John Mayall.
The '58 had the biggest neck. The '59 had a neck between the '58 fat neck and '60 slim neck.
In terms of pickups, Seymour has said that the paf's from '57 and '58 were usually alnico 2 humbuckers. By '60 alnico 5 was used more often until after '60 it's all alnico 5.
But Seymour has also said that when Gibson started deviating from Seth Lover's original specs (alnico 2) they also used alnico 4 in some pickups.
I've owned a bunch and I love they way they look but I don't get the obsession some guys have for Les Pauls. They're heavy and sound dense, flat and lifeless to me compared to a nice ES-335. I like some resonance.
Lew
Last edited:
richard parker
Active member
Re: 1959 Les Paul
Can the difference really come down to the type of rosewood the fingerboard is made of?
Could someone in a blindfold hearing test pick out the real 59 from a high quality re-issue on the basis of the fingerboard ? I'm not being sarcastic but I'd like to know if there are folks out there capable of doing this.
Can the difference really come down to the type of rosewood the fingerboard is made of?
Could someone in a blindfold hearing test pick out the real 59 from a high quality re-issue on the basis of the fingerboard ? I'm not being sarcastic but I'd like to know if there are folks out there capable of doing this.
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