Re: Early Gibson Les Pauls/Leo Fender Fenders
The Gibson bashing on this board...such ignorance.
Getting to the OP...
If you were to go buy a Fender Custom Shop 1960 Stratocaster NOS, it would come out of the CS as close as they can make it to a vintage 1960 model when it left the factory. I had a vintage 1960 Strat, and the Fender CS 1960 re-issues I've played have been dead-on accurate. They also do a 1965 Reissue with different features from the 1960, and from what I remember of my friend's 1965 Strat, it's spot-on too. Both of these FCS reissues are top quality guitars, and very expensive, though they are thousands less than what you would pay for a vintage Strat in today's market. Are they as good as the originals? On my experience, I would say yes. I would say that the QA/QC of the FCS instruments is VERY good, and while there are variations from guitar to guitar, my feeling is that they are MUCH more consistent than they were back in 1960-65.
The '70's reissues the FCS offers are also top quality, though they suffer from many of the same design changes CBS made to these guitars. I prefer the early '60's instruments, but others do have strong feelings for the '70s models.
Personally, I find that investing in vintage guitars is not without some risk. There are a lot of fakes and frauds out there, and I would rather spend less money on individual pieces and have a larger collection. I have eleven G&L Legacys, designed by Leo Fender, made in the original Fender factory, and I think these are the best value in a vintage strat on the market today--with the upgraded and improved hardware that Leo designed. I quit buying Fender-branded instruments in the 1990's. I think G&L's quality is better, certainly on a par with the FCS. I have owned a Fender-made guitar (Fender, Music Man, G&L) for my entire guitar-playing life.
As for Gibson...
Of the 55 guitars I own, I currently own eleven Les Pauls and three ES-335s. The oldest one is a 1996 Les Paul 1960 Classic Premium Plus, the newest is a 2012 ES-335. I play all of my guitars, and they all get gigged. Nothing sits in a glass case, or is a closet queen.
I own four Historic Custom Shop Les Paul Reissues. An R8, R9, and two G0s.
All of my Gibsons feel different, even between those of the same model. They are all unique. They all feel special to me. I don't buy junk; I don't buy guitars that I don't love. I buy guitars that feel right; that speak to me. I also love my Ibanez Ghostriders, even though I paid about 1/20 of what some of my LPs cost for them.
I have owned three other Gibson guitars: a 1975 Les Paul '55 Special Reissue, and a long neck ES-330TD and an ES-150DCN, both from around '69-'70. The were all nice guitars, though the ES-150 had some problems....problems that a good luthier could have solved. There weren't many around back in those days.
I like older Gibsons. I'm not much into Norlin-era models, but the Norlin guitar I had was terrific. I like the newer Gibsons. I think that around 1990--Gibson, Fender, Martin--all of them started a rebirth, and have greatly improved the quality of instruments over the ones they offered in the '70s. The Gibson Historic models have continued to improve in quality and they continue to get closer to the specs, feel and tone of the vintage models of the 1950s.
Of my Gibson Les Pauls, I like the Historics the best. One of the G0s in particular is an outstanding, spectacular instrument--fits me perfectly. They are the most expensive Les Pauls. Are they worth the extra money? To me, absolutely YES!!!!
Now, my rant...
No one has ever come up to me on stage when I've had a Les Paul in my hands and said, "Gee, you'd sound better if you had a Tokai/Burny/Epiphone/Agile/Jay Turser/Schecter/Esteban!" No one. EVER.
Not everyone can afford a Gibson, and I get that. I worked my butt off and scrimped and saved like you wouldn't believe to afford those guitars. Not everyone has they need for an instrument like this, I get that. I EARNED it. But don't think for a moment that I don't know how blessed I am.
If you can't afford a Gibson Historic, there are alternatives. And good ones too. But if you want one but can't AFFORD it, don't start WHINING how over-priced Gibsons are; how terribly they're made, etc. You might have to make some sacrifices; give up your metrosexual six-dollars green tea-infused caramel lattes, brown bag your lunch, and get a paper route.
I CHOOSE to own fine musical instruments. I don't have kids, a boat or a hot car; I don't take extravagant vacations; I don't ski, hunt, fish, camp or have a collection of Rolex watches. My career and my PASSION is music and guitars. It's how I make my living. Try this. Go on down to your local auto repair shop and start telling the mechanic how his Snap-On tools are over-priced POS--that they haven't made any thing decent for the last 25 years, and that the tools at Harbor Freight or Sears are just as good. And call me and let me know when you get out of the hospital.
If you want the best that Gibson has to offer, one of their Custom Shop instruments is the way to go. The Historic Les Pauls have very close to the instruments of the past. The '52, '54, '56, '57, '58, '59 and '60 models all have slightly different features, and I'd say that they are certainly more consistent than the vintage instruments. If you want a 1959 Sunburst Les Paul but don't have the $300,000 to buy one, then spending $6,500 for a Historic Reissue isn't such a bad deal. It's all a matter of scale. But not everybody wants or needs what a Historic Les Paul has to offer, and for many players, even pros--a Studio, Standard or Traditional is all they need.
But the biggest reality is, when YOU find that one guitar that feels really special in your hands; when you find the one that sounds PERFECT, just the way is it, without mods...that's the one you should buy...no matter the name on the headstock. And if it can be had at a reasonable price, consider yourself truly blessed.
Bill
