Gibson Custom Shop Les Pauls - pickguard gaps?

RandallFlagg

I've noticed that a fair number of the 2019 Custom Shop Les Pauls have small gap between the edge of the pickguard and the fretboard, historically accurate or poor machining tolerances of the pickup cut outs by the plastics manufacturer that Gibson are using this year?

What do you think?

bodhi

I believe the gap between the pickguard and the neck pickup's bottom right corner (or bottom left below) is historically accurate, e.g.



The reissue pic seems a bit off.

LordOxygen

Buy Les Paul, remove pickguard. 
Problem solved. 

terada

Original pickguards didn’t fit properly in a variety of different ways. Historic les Paul’s replicate this

Whitecat

Yup. Gaps everywhere are normal - and one wonders how hard they “tried” to replicate this or if it “just happens”... 

Blaendulais

i suspect if they tried they would fail so it must be chance

Snags

It's an expansion gap for when you're playing under hot stage lighting, obviously.

Ahem.

RandallFlagg

Blaendulais said:

i suspect if they tried they would fail so it must be chance

It's not deliberate, Historic reissue pick guards had no such gaps until recently, I think it's a new run of plastics being manufactured, or new CNC mapping for the pickup routing.

Danielsguitars

They're all over the place some have a gap both sides some don't, i can vouch for a montreux pickguard if you want a nice tight fit, no bloody good for the look of the old ones 

roberty

Dust catcher

ArchtopDave

It’s either a First World problem, or it’s Gibson’s solution to avoiding that annoying Pickguard rattle, that worries you so much.

sawyer

Is it supposed to replicate shrinkage? The Old plastics were susceptible to such problems I think? For all that money I would prefer it to fit perfect meself

RandallFlagg

It's not the gap around the pickup, that's always been there there to some degree or other, it's the gap along the edge of the fingerboard binding, past the neck pickup.  

terada

RandallFlagg said:

Blaendulais said:

i suspect if they tried they would fail so it must be chance

It's not deliberate, Historic reissue pick guards had no such gaps until recently, I think it's a new run of plastics being manufactured, or new CNC mapping for the pickup routing.

It came in as part of the 2015 'true historic' plastics I believe.

RandallFlagg

terada said:

RandallFlagg said:

Blaendulais said:

i suspect if they tried they would fail so it must be chance

It's not deliberate, Historic reissue pick guards had no such gaps until recently, I think it's a new run of plastics being manufactured, or new CNC mapping for the pickup routing.

It came in as part of the 2015 'true historic' plastics I believe.

I didn't see this gap on 2015 TH's

terada

RandallFlagg said:

terada said:

RandallFlagg said:

Blaendulais said:

i suspect if they tried they would fail so it must be chance

It's not deliberate, Historic reissue pick guards had no such gaps until recently, I think it's a new run of plastics being manufactured, or new CNC mapping for the pickup routing.

It came in as part of the 2015 'true historic' plastics I believe.

I didn't see this gap on 2015 TH's

Hmmm, I have definitely seen the gap around the bridge pick up from 2015. Perhaps the fretboard gap is more recent. 

Bridge gap on a 2015 easy to spot in this video:

terada

Ok here's a 2015 at Peach with it

https://www.peachguitars.com/guitars/electric-guitars/gibson-les-paul-true-historic-59-vintage-darkburst-used.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQjwoInnBRDDARIsANBVyAQE0am1eiRiZq3_1oDDI457Av6TpysB_7LicTf_4Fs6-BvDl7PBt0waArSLEALw_wcB

And another 2015:

RandallFlagg

terada said:

RandallFlagg said:

terada said:

RandallFlagg said:

Blaendulais said:

i suspect if they tried they would fail so it must be chance

It's not deliberate, Historic reissue pick guards had no such gaps until recently, I think it's a new run of plastics being manufactured, or new CNC mapping for the pickup routing.

It came in as part of the 2015 'true historic' plastics I believe.

I didn't see this gap on 2015 TH's

Hmmm, I have definitely seen the gap around the bridge pick up from 2015. Perhaps the fretboard gap is more recent. 

Bridge gap on a 2015 easy to spot in this video:

Gaps around the pickups have been there since 1952, it's the gap next to the fretboard I'm referring to, that bridge pickup gap is easily closed using the pickguard adjuster connected to the body. please read my opening post.

terada

RandallFlagg said:

terada said:

RandallFlagg said:

terada said:

RandallFlagg said:

Blaendulais said:

i suspect if they tried they would fail so it must be chance

It's not deliberate, Historic reissue pick guards had no such gaps until recently, I think it's a new run of plastics being manufactured, or new CNC mapping for the pickup routing.

It came in as part of the 2015 'true historic' plastics I believe.

I didn't see this gap on 2015 TH's

Hmmm, I have definitely seen the gap around the bridge pick up from 2015. Perhaps the fretboard gap is more recent. 

Bridge gap on a 2015 easy to spot in this video:

Gaps around the pickups have been there since 1952, it's the gap next to the fretboard I'm referring to, that bridge pickup gap is easily closed using the pickguard adjuster connected to the body. please read my opening post.

Apologies for any confusion, I'm talking about these ones which I have seen from 2015 onwards. Bottom two guitars are 2015 true historics.



Regarding the pickup gaps, yep these have been there since the start, but older reissues didn't have the gaps (at least not intentionally), which is why they were added. There was some discussion about this back in the R8 Peach thread. My personal experience is that pre 2014 my reissues have all been very neat, post 2015 not so.

p90fool

Do you people ever listen to yourselves? Get a grip, seriously.

RandallFlagg

p90fool said:

Do you people ever listen to yourselves? Get a grip, seriously.

mind the gap