R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

D

DesertRose

New member
Hi all

I did save some cash to make payment for a 2001 R9. Its a Lemon drop finish with very detailed flames which, I loved very very much.
However someone happened to cut the queue and purchased it.

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Now there is another R9, built in 2004.
The color is Washed Cherry, it gives me the look of a vintage 1959 Les Paul finish ...
However, I realized from some other forums, year by year, R9s vary.
Eg. AAA top, AAAA top, neck recess, bumblebee caps, lifton case .. etc .. whatever. I'm not very technical with those.

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i need your advice to those who are familiar with R9s, any advice for that year's (2004) built? (comparing with 2001)
The price is not very far away from one another

Thanks
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

I am not completely sure what you are asking but it sounds like you were going to get an 01 R9 but now it's gone so you found an 04 R9 and want to know how it compares??

If that is the case I'll tell you this...

Gibson takes a boat load of un due crap on every internet guitar forum on the net...the Historic/VOS Gibson guitars are really amazing and almost every one of them I have played was a stunning instrument.

The more recent a Historic/VOS guitar is the more accurate it is to vintage as well...some of the late 90's and early 00 Historics still had zinc tailpieces, Classic 57 pickups (not amazing) and the wrong finishes...by 04 the tailpiece was aluminum (a plus) the pickups were Burstbuckers (far better than Classic 57's IMHO), and the finishes were still good. In 06 or so they changes the finishes again to stop finish bleed which most folks wanted but IMHO it was a bad idea so for me I won't have a Historic/VOS made past 2006 but that's a very nit pik thing.

If you can get the 04 R9 I say do it...I'd be willing to bet the sticker price it is a killer guitar!
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

MORE STUFF...

As for the grade of the top I don't think Gibson has ever really published that info on a per guitar basis...they are either flammed or they are not, if you want a wildly flamed top you just have to hunt one down likewise for a subtle flame.

As for the bumblebees NO current Gibson uses "correct" bumble bees...they look cool but are for the most part just a common cap on the inside, some guys upgrade them to old BB's or BB repros but FWIW, the fake BB's in my 05 Historic are just fine!

The Lifton case deal is also sort of a non issue...many folks that play reissue 50's Gibsons want the brown Lifton style case since that's what Gibsons came in, in the 50's but Gibson reserves the brown Lifton style cases for the top of the heap R9 LP's and R9 ES-335, everything else gets a black case...at least past about 2004 or so...I know that in 2003 you still got 2 cases with a Historic no matter what model. My friend bought an R6 brand new in 2002 or 2003 and got a black Gibson Custom, Art and Historic case AND a brown Lifton case, when I bought m R8 in 05 it was just the black case and only R9's were getting the Lifton case.
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

Hey bro

Thanks for the reply. You just gave me an insight about the zinc tailpiece and classic 57 PUs on earlier Gibsons.
Sorry for not expressing correctly initially.

What I meant was what you had mentioned.
and yes, I want a flamed top, the 2nd picture is the minimum (kind of flame) i would go for and with its vintage looks as well.

I will seriously consider this guitar.

Thanks again bro!

Shade
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

Good luck!

If you are buying mail order get several pics of the guitar form different angles...the flame will look different and change depending on the angle in most cases.

I don't know what year for sure Gibson made the big changes to the Historic guitars like tailpieces and pickups...they keep on making small changes, for example they switched the guardplate screws a year or so back and have still left off big changes, for example no Historic/VOS has the correct top carve save for a few signature guitars and most of the have neck shapes that were never used in the 50's but some folks don't even care about that stuff!

Just ask a lot of question to the seller and bring this thread back if you need to for more answers!
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

the cherry looks cooler. I don't think they made that lemon colour in 1959. Looks like the kind of finish people in boat shoes might like but its not as rock and roll as the cherry.


...what im saying is....even tho i know next to nothing about these reissues (although i played a goldtop R9...or R7..i dunno - but it was a beautifully resonant instrument) i think the one you are looking at now is way cool fwiw.
 
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Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

I am far more confident buying a Gibson Custom shop model, over the net, than I am any production model in hand. Some reissues are better than others but the worst Historic will trounce all but a few production guitars. I can understand the features may not be desirous,but sheer quality of construction, and wood is there.

On a personal note, I prefer the 2004 model based solely on looks. Over the years I have become a fan of subtle flame or none at all. In your face tops do nothing for me personally. That said I really love the tops where the red has faded out, too.
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

The cherry looks better color-wise and I got to tell you, the lemon drop has a much lighter color on the lower side. They have taken the photo from a suitable angle, but in person that probably looks a bit stupid. Uneven halves on flametops are not popular.
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

Thanks guys for your inputs

I just emailed the guy to send me more pictures of it.
I hope to post it up and see what other comments are there

Shade
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

Updates
More pictures sent in from the seller (shop)
He is honest enough to snap the dings as well

Take a look, there is a line going through from the stopbar down to the base.
It could be part of the finish, I'm not sure though.

Anyway this guitar goes for $3600

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Please shoot, any comments
thanks

Shade
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

I don't mind slight dings and general wear, but that gouge isn't very good and that line I'm assuming is a scratch in the finish, I can't believe it's part of the figuring in the wood? Unless it played and sounded killer personally I'd look elsewhere.... I certainly wouldn't buy without seeing it.
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

The line tracks the same contour as the grain... I suspect it's natural and just stands out more due to thickness.

Personally, I dig non-perfect finishes... particularly if it's a player and not a wall hanger.
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

The line looks natural to me. But it goes off the value when reselling.

Overall fair price. Not that I have a R9.
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

Thanks for the inputs guys.
True that tha player plays a part of it, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

I kindda kind old used historic Gibsons though, here's another one. I'm looking at,
R9 Made in 1996. Any good about it? Comparing to a later model.
(Zinc stop bars ... classic 57s ... etc) ?

This one goes for about $3900

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DS01910153_3.jpg

Shade
 
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Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

The first one, (the $3600 one) looks like a used, played but not abused piece...the line you are talking about looks like a mineral streak to me in that pic...a better pic would tell me for sure but base don those pics I say mineral streak. Looks good to me. I assume it's all original? What year is it?

The second one has a great top and I love the colour...mid 90's will have the zinc tailpiece which IMO needs to go, it also has Classic 59's which IMHO also need to go, it might have slightly bigger frets than new R9's (not sure when they changed) and there could be a few other small things that are different than a newer Historic/VOS (jack plate, switch tip, etc...mostly small stuff).

If I were buying one of those myself I'd go for the 96 model and then just swap out the tailpiece, pickups, small parts and move on but that's mostly because I like the colour so much and would likely in the end want to change the pickups anyway.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

the guy who invented fire said:
The first one, (the $3600 one) What year is it?

If I were buying one of those myself I'd go for the 96 model and then just swap out the tailpiece, pickups, small parts and move on but that's mostly because I like the colour so much and would likely in the end want to change the pickups anyway.

Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

The first pic is made in 2004.
And yes, I would prolly do the same with the 1996 model as well, changing the tailpiece to a historic one and PUs to something else.

I will be back with more pics should I add more to my scouting list

Anyway I won't be able to try out most guitars since they are located out of town. Just gotta base on reviews and suggestions to make a decision

Thanks!
Shade
 
Re: R9 LP advice needed quite urgently ...

The '96 would be the one for me! Stunning looking guitar.
 
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