Re: Gibson R7, R8, R9 ????
57 Reissues (R7) are normally humbucker goldtops with stop tail tuneomatic bridges.
56 Reissues (R6) are normally P90 goldtops with stop tail tuneomatic bridges.
54 Reissues (R4) are normally P90 goldtops with wrap-around bridges.
52 Reissues (R2) are normally P90 goldtops with trapeze style tailpieces.
58 Reissues is where the fun really begins. Why? Because there are all sorts of flamed bursts and plain top bursts, depending on year of manufacture. Humbuckers are the norm though. Overall, probably the thickest necks of all the reissues.
59 Reissues seem to have the best tops of all. THe neck is slightly smaller than most 58's, but not by very much at all. But, the best tops demand high bucks and expect to pay that if you get an R9.
Resale values hold pretty steady on all these, making buying a used one a no-brainer as you can usually recover your costs if you decide to sell.
Best bang for the buck are the R6 and R7's. If you dig goldtops, you can often find a used one for $1600-1800.
All the reissues have common features in construction. The long neck tenon allows more of the neck to be glued into the body, more square inches of neck to body contact and it does make a difference in tone. It's the way the old ones were made.
They truly are the best Les Pauls made. I'd rather have a used semi-beat up R7 than a brand new regular production Standard or Classic.
Pickups changed from 57 Classics to Burstbuckers in 2002. Some 02's have the BB's, some don't. That was the transition year.
Oh yeah, if you buy one, invest another 100 bucks or so and get the locking tonepros bridge and the locking studs that hold the stop bar in place. It's a great upgrade tone-wise. also, it'll protect the fiinish of your top when you change strings and the parts don't all fall off. I remember my first LP and the way the bridge hit the floor the first time I took off all the strings!
Most of the reissues from the late 90's on have the lightweight aluminum tail piece, so there's no real need to get the Tonepros version of that, just hte studs.
And, while your'e at it, if you want to go "all the way", get a set of Seymour DUncan Antiquity humbuckers for it and some CTS 500K pots, with a good quality tone capacitor.
Now get out there and buy one dammit!!!!
Typically come with slim taper necks and wraparound bridges. My #1 
