Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

N

Nikos

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The '57 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue Electric Guitar is the quintessential Les Paul at its finest. It's Custom Shop crafted to be accurate to '57 specifications in every detail including the CTS pots and bumblebee capacitors. It was the first Les Paul to feature humbucking pickups, and this one comes equipped with BurstBuckers. Carved maple top, mahogany back, and one-piece mahogany neck with the '57 profile and the original extended tenon joint. It features binding on body and neck, nickel hardware, an original ABR-1 tune-o-matic bridge, and the trademark antique gold finish.

What do you guys think about this Les Paul?? And the specific question that I have is: What does this means==> one-piece mahogany neck with the '57 profile and the original extended tenon joint

Thank you fellows!!

Nick
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

I kinda doubt the original had a maple top. I'm not a Gibson scientist, but still.

pre-60 necks are fat. A long tenon joint means the neck goes deeper into the body(*).

(*)at times that meant there was a separate piece of wood around the neck in the body. Must sound horrible.
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

I think that just the title of your thread made me ever so slightly moist...
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

Great guitar, but make sure you understand how fat that neck profile is before buying online. It's not like the 50's profile on Std's....it's a virtual baseball bat.
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

uOpt said:
I kinda doubt the original had a maple top. I'm not a Gibson scientist, but still.

pre-60 necks are fat. A long tenon joint means the neck goes deeper into the body(*).

(*)at times that meant there was a separate piece of wood around the neck in the body. Must sound horrible.
Click to expand...

There are many exmaples of flamed tops on 57s (and previous). The whole reason they driopped goldtops in favor of Sunbursts was to show off the maple tops. Many original 57s have (now)finishes where you can see the flame through them slightly or its quite apparent on the cap by looking into the pup cavities or control cavity.

Also your tenon stament makes no sense. Go take looksee at some long tenon pics.

Gearjoneser said:
Great guitar, but make sure you understand how fat that neck profile is before buying online. It's not like the 50's profile on Std's....it's a virtual baseball bat.
Click to expand...


QFT. The 57 neck is HUGE. Its makes a current production Standard 50s neck or 59 profile (like on SG standards) feel like a Wizard neck :D
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

uOpt said:
I kinda doubt the original had a maple top. I'm not a Gibson scientist, but still.

pre-60 necks are fat. A long tenon joint means the neck goes deeper into the body(*).

(*)at times that meant there was a separate piece of wood around the neck in the body. Must sound horrible.
Click to expand...

The "Les Paul Model" has always had a maple top. Always.

I hate posting this picture-

tenons%20lpf.jpeg.jpg



Regarding neck size- remember that the Historic necks are generally larger than *most* 50s necks.

In this pic- my 59 Special, my old re-necked 71 LP, and my 1998 R8:

normal_howbig.JPG
 
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Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

Make sure you go to a music store and make sure you're comfortable with a '57 neck. It is nothig like the "rounded '59" on my Les Paul Custom. It's VERY thick and big.

Aside from that, they're excellent guitars to buy USED. I wouldn't spend $3500 for a new one that is no longer made from 50 year old Honduran Mahogany, 50 year old brazilian rosewood fretboard, and 50 year old Michigan Maple top.

You can find them, as well as '58 plaintop sunbursts for about $2400 used, which is slightly more than a new Standard.
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

Thanks guys!!! I understand now... I'm gonna try it before doing something stupid.

Thaks very much!
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

JeffB said:
Barring early model Customs :D
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And the custom is not a "Les Paul Model."

:D

Before the "Standard" was known as the "Standard," the only thing to differentiate the model names was on the peghead- either the "Les Paul Model/TV/Junior/Special" screen or the "Custom" Truss Rod Cover.
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

I tested an amp repair using a '57 Goldtop RI a few years ago. Great sounding Les Paul. The neck was unusually big.
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

My '06 R7 is my number one guitar. It's a beautifully crafted guitar and it sounds everything like what a Les Paul should sound like.

I've bought a few more Historics and a handful of other guitars since I bought my R7 and nothing so far has surpassed it. I highly recommend attempting to find one, new you're probably looking at about $2500-$2600, you can find a used one for around $2000 and at either price I'd say they're worth every penny.

1024img0046ny9.jpg
 
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Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

A good friend of mine has one. Its a nice guitar. I think he changed out the pickups, put a set of AII pros if my meomory is right. It plays fine and sounds like you would expect a new Les Paul to sound. I think the year affects the neck shape. I've played a bunch from different years and all of them seem to have different neck shapes. You would be wize to go to a store and play a few to see which years neck fits your level of comfort.
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

uOpt said:
I kinda doubt the original had a maple top. I'm not a Gibson scientist, but still.

pre-60 necks are fat. A long tenon joint means the neck goes deeper into the body(*).

(*)at times that meant there was a separate piece of wood around the neck in the body. Must sound horrible.
Click to expand...

I would suggest reading up on your Les Pauls. ;)

As for the neck questions. The 56-58 all have the same large profile. To be honest I really like it. The size is kind of foreign in the beginning, but it actually supports your hand and wrist really well IMO.

Luke
 
Re: Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Reissue 57 R7

Big neck is better if you play a lot of chords at the gig, especially barre chords. Keeps your hand constantly open and rounded, which means less fatigue and cramping.

Small neck is better if you play primarily single note lines. It's a little easier to jet around on a smaller neck. (It also makes it easier for you to hang your thumb over the top and use as a 5th finger on some chords.)

That's just a rule of thumb, so to speak, and I've found I can get along fine with just about any neck, even though I have relatively small hands. But on a purely psychological level, there's something reassuring to me about bigger necks -- they feel more solid and stable and remind you that you have a "real guitar", not a toy.
 
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