Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

The originals have three significant features that the new reissue doesn't:
Real ebony fretboard
Long tenon neck joint
T-tops

I'd look for an old one rather than paying more than it's worth for a so-so modern copy. The originals (that's The Paul, not the Firebrand or the The Paul II) play well and sound massive.


Agree, Norlin made it's modifications to reduce price, but Henry's era makes inappropriate changes and charges MORE. Forever I will be offended by offering the Les Paul Custom as a Custom Shop Only guitar with a synthetic fingerboard. That **** is ridicules and an insult to Gibson's history. Just because Henry is not allowed to purchase Ebony, that doesn't mean there are not other real wood choices to go with. He's just lazy and doesn't want to offer affordable guitars.

I would take a 3 piece Maple Neck, Pancake Body and 3 piece plain top over any fake ebony fingerboard any day of the week. Plus Norlin era wood is now aged to perfection.
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

I would take a 3 piece Maple Neck, Pancake Body and 3 piece plain top over any fake ebony fingerboard any day of the week. Plus Norlin era wood is now aged to perfection.

Anyone who says pancake bodies sound inherently worse than single piece bodies is either dumb or has a hidden agenda.
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

Does the richlite stuff really sound/feel that bad? Or are people vehemently opposed to it just because?
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

Does the richlite stuff really sound/feel that bad? Or are people vehemently opposed to it just because?

Just because......

And despite probably only being a few $$ different to buy a fretboard of one vs the other, critics somehow want the guitar to be thousands cheaper due to no ebony.

There is a manic 'like it was in the 50's' mentality with most LP owners. Its in part why the 'Norlins suck' brigade exists. Many haven't even actually played any, they just hate because the next person does and they can do no better than parrot other's beliefs - beliefs that are most likely parroted in the first place.
It usually comes as a great shock that the 'golden age' of Gibson was responsible for the change to a volute, 3 piece neck, 3 piece tops, oversized headstock, pancake body, 14 degree headstock angle and move away from long tenon construction.
The second shock is that the latter part of the Norlin era was responsible for removing most of these and returning to more vintage specs.

Henry did absolutely nothing when he took over to the construction of a LP in the USA line to make it more vintage.....he kept the nashville bridge, short tenon, 3 piece top and weight relief rolling right along.
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

I would take a 3 piece Maple Neck, Pancake Body and 3 piece plain top over any fake ebony fingerboard any day of the week. Plus Norlin era wood is now aged to perfection.
I loved the three piece maple necks, never had to adjust any of them and they had a little more bite to them than the mahogany necks. Volutes made sense, too.
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

Does the richlite stuff really sound/feel that bad? Or are people vehemently opposed to it just because?


I am not against it, just not on a guitar you are gonna charge $5K for. Martin Guitars use it on there inexpensive line and thats fine. If I was looking to save money, which I some times do, than all good on a budget guitar. It's just ever since the mid 90's Gibson has over priced their stuff and i don't see justification to put Richlite on a guitar with that high a price tag. I bought a 2013 LPJ brand new for $490 and it came with a real Rosewood Fingerboard. If it had come with Richlite, I would have still bought it.
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

Richlite vs Ebony would be like pleather vs real leather on your Ferrari. Would you notice? Probably not. But that's not the point....I PAID for a Ferrari!
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

Just because......

And despite probably only being a few $$ different to buy a fretboard of one vs the other, critics somehow want the guitar to be thousands cheaper due to no ebony.

There is a manic 'like it was in the 50's' mentality with most LP owners. Its in part why the 'Norlins suck' brigade exists. Many haven't even actually played any, they just hate because the next person does and they can do no better than parrot other's beliefs - beliefs that are most likely parroted in the first place.
It usually comes as a great shock that the 'golden age' of Gibson was responsible for the change to a volute, 3 piece neck, 3 piece tops, oversized headstock, pancake body, 14 degree headstock angle and move away from long tenon construction.
The second shock is that the latter part of the Norlin era was responsible for removing most of these and returning to more vintage specs.

Henry did absolutely nothing when he took over to the construction of a LP in the USA line to make it more vintage.....he kept the nashville bridge, short tenon, 3 piece top and weight relief rolling right along.

Agreed, way too much cork sniping going on with Les Pauls. Everyone seems to forget that 50's Les Pauls were discontinued because they were a failure. They didn't sell well. They were plagued with design faults up until '56. By that time the damage was done. So Norlin brought back a failed guitar that, somehow was gaining a lot of interest in the used market. They made decisioned based on producing cost effective models. Why and how would they ever know there was a golden age in 1969?? The used market saw people buying up all old LPs and Modding them. So what basis did they have of any type of holy grail model??

You are right, Norlin woke up and reintroduced some very important design elements. Things started seriously changing by 1982. By late 80's Henry improved the USA line by doing most with book matched tops again. That was a nice improvement. The Golden age of Cork Sniffing hit in the late 80's-early 90's. Early to mid 80's no one was interested in LPs, Golden Age or not.

Just a side note: I think the Norlin Maple neck LPs are the best ones to play metal on. They just have that extra bite.
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

wtf is wrong with you people

Aceman buy the guitar, you'll love it
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

Richlite isn't all that "cheap". Less expensive than the better grades of rosewood and ebony but not less expensive than the lower cost fretboard blanks. At least not what it costs an individual to buy them. I don't know what the cost differences would be for manufacturers.
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

Had an old Firebrand. It ripped.

Anybody talking smack on all Norlin Gibsons because ‘muh uncle’s roommate’s pancake body’ needs to lay off the kool aid.
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

Had an old Firebrand. It ripped.

Anybody talking smack on all Norlin Gibsons because ‘muh uncle’s roommate’s pancake body’ needs to lay off the kool aid.

Amen!

BC rich glues a dozen pieces of wood together and it has GOD-tone. Gibson glues three together and it sucks....as if you can see it anyway. I have two Pancake LPs. A 73 and a 74 repro. They sound fantastic.

Maple neck win > pancake loss (Not that there really is any except according to the internet)
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

I have a much more extensive Walnut LP response in the other thread.
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

Amen!

BC rich glues a dozen pieces of wood together and it has GOD-tone. Gibson glues three together and it sucks....as if you can see it anyway. I have two Pancake LPs. A 73 and a 74 repro. They sound fantastic.

Maple neck win > pancake loss (Not that there really is any except according to the internet)

Your 73 has a maple neck? Mine’s maho.
 
Re: Well crack my walnuts!!!!!!

If you love T-Tops, sure. I don't. So win....duncans would go in anyway. 59's perhaps!

I like T-tops for neck position. At the bridge, not so much. But in a walnut The Paul they sound larger than life.

Not trying to dissuade you from buying the reissue. But if you can find an original one nearby, you might try it out and see how they compare feelwise. Since you plan on switching pickups anyway, feel is what really matters.
 
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