Custom Shop Gibsons getting rarer

jimmyguitar

My 2015 ‘Hot Mod 55’ CS Les Paul. I had Yuuki refinish it and redo the inlays etc... just while we’re doing a show and tell! Never got round to my NGD but I’m over the moon with it 

RandallFlagg

jimmyguitar said:

My 2015 ‘Hot Mod 55’ CS Les Paul. I had Yuuki refinish it and redo the inlays etc... just while we’re doing a show and tell! Never got round to my NGD but I’m over the moon with it 

Love those mineral streaks, my dream 'burst has plenty with a honey colour top like yours

johnl

tony99 said:

johnl said:

tony99 said:

robmac5150 said:

chris45 said:

20 years ago custom shop was indeed a rarity.  Now it's another product line - how many of us who own Gibson / Fender CS guitars now ONLY look at CS guitars?

me, but I have had a couple of classics and a standard along the way so finding what I like and am prepared to pay for has been an enjoyable journey

any reason why you only look at CS Rob? I've never had one (would love one though) and I'm intrigued

I'm the same now, perhaps it's just my perception but my CS Les Paul is so far above all the USA Standards I've tried (not that they were in any way bad guitars) that it seems pointless buying one of those now. 

in build quality or sound or what? I tried a 2009 in a shop the other week, a les paul CS, and it was really nice but not like super special, granted I only had a half hour like and wasn't that clued up on the amp I was using

In feel mostly, and I appreciate there's potentially a bit of a pseudo-scientific "mojo" element to that. Certainly the finish seems thinner than on the standards I've tried, the weight and balance are a lot better (I've not played a Standard that wasn't slowly sliding off my lap) and my own guitar is incredibly resonant when unplugged. I've no idea if that makes a difference when plugged in but it does feel more "musical" in some way. 

tony99

johnl said:

tony99 said:

johnl said:

tony99 said:

robmac5150 said:

chris45 said:

20 years ago custom shop was indeed a rarity.  Now it's another product line - how many of us who own Gibson / Fender CS guitars now ONLY look at CS guitars?

me, but I have had a couple of classics and a standard along the way so finding what I like and am prepared to pay for has been an enjoyable journey

any reason why you only look at CS Rob? I've never had one (would love one though) and I'm intrigued

I'm the same now, perhaps it's just my perception but my CS Les Paul is so far above all the USA Standards I've tried (not that they were in any way bad guitars) that it seems pointless buying one of those now. 

in build quality or sound or what? I tried a 2009 in a shop the other week, a les paul CS, and it was really nice but not like super special, granted I only had a half hour like and wasn't that clued up on the amp I was using

In feel mostly, and I appreciate there's potentially a bit of a pseudo-scientific "mojo" element to that. Certainly the finish seems thinner than on the standards I've tried, the weight and balance are a lot better (I've not played a Standard that wasn't slowly sliding off my lap) and my own guitar is incredibly resonant when unplugged. I've no idea if that makes a difference when plugged in but it does feel more "musical" in some way. 

me thinks I need try a few more...

gibsongretschfan

RandallFlagg said:

I like my aged Custom Shop SG:

OH MY DAYS

you actually gave me a chubby


genuinely its beautiful, I never thought id like a green guitar until very recently when I seen a repaint LP on instagram but yours is even better than that. 

Drool bait

guitarmanessex89

Still a matter of finding a great one. The M2M R8 that I foolishly sold to a friend (guitar shop manager) is still the best LP I've ever played. We picked up the two R9s on the wall and they sounded absolutely dead by comparison when comparing them only yesterday. Big regret!

Ben_McCarthy

Unfortunately/fortunately I’ve been spoiled by nice guitars. I really struggle with standards now because they tend not have have the feel, fit and finish or sound of the custom shops.

I think the USA standards are built to cost and probably Gibson don’t want their standards to be closer to custom shop because they need to sell both...

Tex Mexico

Yeah, there's definitely a diminishing returns on investment thing going on. I'm looking for a CS Fender at the moment and there's a kind of two-tier feel to it where there are for sure some special and droolworthy guitars out there but they cost £4k+, and then there's also a lot of their output which seems like little more than AVRIs with a light relic job, and if even the cheapest used CSs run £1k more than new American Vintage, you just can't justify it.

As for the Gibson 56-57-58-59-60 RIs, it seems like since the cheapest new ones are around £4k now, anyone selling used wants £3k, often for a guitar that cost them £2.5k five years ago, and despite the fact that at any given time there's about 100 pre-owned listings over six months old. There's not enough demand at the prices people want, especially when you can still bag a 57GT for about £2k if you look hard enough.

So no, I'm not sure they're getting rarer, if anything there's so many gathering dust on Reverb I think they need to stop cranking them out in such large numbers if they expect buyers to feel like they're getting any exclusivity.

It does feel like the most recent price increases have tipped F and G CS from "our very best guitars" into "our guitars for rich guys".

johnl

Tex Mexico said:

Yeah, there's definitely a diminishing returns on investment thing going on. I'm looking for a CS Fender at the moment and there's a kind of two-tier feel to it where there are for sure some special and droolworthy guitars out there but they cost £4k+, and then there's also a lot of their output which seems like little more than AVRIs with a light relic job, and if even the cheapest used CSs run £1k more than new American Vintage, you just can't justify it.

As for the Gibson 56-57-58-59-60 RIs, it seems like since the cheapest new ones are around £4k now, anyone selling used wants £3k, often for a guitar that cost them £2.5k five years ago, and despite the fact that at any given time there's about 100 pre-owned listings over six months old. There's not enough demand at the prices people want, especially when you can still bag a 57GT for about £2k if you look hard enough.

So no, I'm not sure they're getting rarer, if anything there's so many gathering dust on Reverb I think they need to stop cranking them out in such large numbers if they expect buyers to feel like they're getting any exclusivity.

It does feel like the most recent price increases have tipped F and G CS from "our very best guitars" into "our guitars for rich guys".

57 Goldtop for £2k? Any tips on where to look? 

Tex Mexico

johnl said:

Tex Mexico said:

Yeah, there's definitely a diminishing returns on investment thing going on. I'm looking for a CS Fender at the moment and there's a kind of two-tier feel to it where there are for sure some special and droolworthy guitars out there but they cost £4k+, and then there's also a lot of their output which seems like little more than AVRIs with a light relic job, and if even the cheapest used CSs run £1k more than new American Vintage, you just can't justify it.

As for the Gibson 56-57-58-59-60 RIs, it seems like since the cheapest new ones are around £4k now, anyone selling used wants £3k, often for a guitar that cost them £2.5k five years ago, and despite the fact that at any given time there's about 100 pre-owned listings over six months old. There's not enough demand at the prices people want, especially when you can still bag a 57GT for about £2k if you look hard enough.

So no, I'm not sure they're getting rarer, if anything there's so many gathering dust on Reverb I think they need to stop cranking them out in such large numbers if they expect buyers to feel like they're getting any exclusivity.

It does feel like the most recent price increases have tipped F and G CS from "our very best guitars" into "our guitars for rich guys".

57 Goldtop for £2k? Any tips on where to look? 

Saw one on evilbay about 6 weeks ago for £1999. Not mint or anything, but legit. They do come up, people after quick sales.

Tex Mexico

https://reverb.com/item/31211455-gibson-custom-shop-historic-reissue-1957-vos-2004-gold-top

This one's £2.2k and is two weeks old. I reckon you could talk him down.

roberty

Tex Mexico said:

https://reverb.com/item/31211455-gibson-custom-shop-historic-reissue-1957-vos-2004-gold-top

This one's £2.2k and is two weeks old. I reckon you could talk him down.

Love those comedy size 57 necks. My LPC has one it's so much fun to play

johnl

Oh reissues. I thought you meant originals! I had my credit cards in front of me ready to go. 

Alex2678

Never owned a Gibson CS but I played one in a shop and it felt like the first time I’d held a real guitar

robmac5150

roberty said:

Tex Mexico said:

https://reverb.com/item/31211455-gibson-custom-shop-historic-reissue-1957-vos-2004-gold-top

This one's £2.2k and is two weeks old. I reckon you could talk him down.

Love those comedy size 57 necks. My LPC has one it's so much fun to play

as in super huge? not tried a R7