R8 Peach Deal

tomajoha · August 2020

terada said:

crunchman said:

tomajoha said:

I’ve seen more poor R8/R9s from the ‘2017 Blowout’ than good ones. Mostly due to poor QC: gappy tenons( like the worst of norlin era bad),
badly scraped binding with very pronounced lips,
sharp frets,
ALOT of file marks on the fretboard(like they’d used a rasp file for the final finishing)
heavy grain sinkage into seemingly very porous/pitted mahogany

As @hyperben points out: the ones I’ve played, although often quite ringy, the also sounded quite thin, and pups swaps didn’t resolve this issue.

I think all things considered this puts them in the ‘avoid year’ category for me which is a shame as they were relatively cheap( for a Gibson CS), had excellent specs and looked the real deal.

Ive gone back to a secondhand 2013 R8 which is impeccably built (for a gibson) and sings.

So for all those reading this zombie thread who missed out - you really didn’t IMO.

Now please can we close the thread? PRETTY PLEASE?

ps: I have nothing against norlin era Gibson’s - is take one over a 2017 one any day.

I'd have to differ. I've owned 3 Custom Shop reissue Les Pauls. Overall, the 2017 is the best of the three.

Also, this thread is not allowed to die.

Having played most of them , I would also disagree, I think maybe you've been turned off them due to starting the monster thread .

(also agree this monster thread should never die)

Probably very true Tereda - it is the thread that won’t die!

I agree they all have a great spec and there are some stunning looking instruments.

but even the R9 in your pic has the less-than spot-on neck join/tenon visible:

IMO that’s not great even for Gibson Let alone an R8/9 (and I’m a signed up Gibson fanboy)

Jalapeno · August 2020

Just a thought - why not change the thread name to just Les Pauls, or LP R7/8/9 ?

crunchman · August 2020

Jalapeno said:

Just a thought - why not change the thread name to just Les Pauls, or LP R7/8/9 ?

That wouldn't help @tomajoha much. As he started it, he gets a notification every time someone posts on it. I don't think you can turn those notifications off.

If he changed the title, he would still be the thread starter, and would still get the notifications.

tomajoha · August 2020

Thank you for your suggestions but I think @crunchman is spot on

stevebrum · August 2020

An R7 would have dragged me into this deal. Glad you’re all enjoying your R8s still!

BloodEagle · August 2020

I got one of the 2017 R8s from Coda if I remember correctly - it was genuinelly dreadful - sounded thin and weedy, the build quality was really not up too much at all, and I hated the neck - thankfully I was able to move it on for exactly the same price I paid within a few weeks

hyperben · August 2020

2017 was the most accurate year in terms of specs to date but that doesn’t necessarily make them play or sound the best as all guitars are different. All the 2017s I played played just great! It was the tone I never got on with. But this is just my opinion based only on the ones I played. All guitars are different and we all like different things so ‘your mileage may vary’ as they say. The 2019 model I stuck with sounds quite different from the 2017s I played (also sounds a lot louder unplugged) and suits me better.

HandwrittenHero · August 2020

hyperben said:

2017 was the most accurate year in terms of specs to date but that doesn’t necessarily make them play or sound the best as all guitars are different. All the 2017s I played played just great! It was the tone I never got on with. But this is just my opinion based only on the ones I played. All guitars are different and we all like different things so ‘your mileage may vary’ as they say. The 2019 model I stuck with sounds quite different from the 2017s I played (also sounds a lot louder unplugged) and suits me better.

The 2019 being unpotted might contribute on the different tone. Or just general variation. Think the 2019 is a touch more accurate to spec than the 2017 iirc, but obviously the 2022 will have another small tweak I'm sure. Ever closer. As you said, doesn't really mean best playability or sound, just preference.

terada · August 2020

tomajoha said:

terada said:

crunchman said:

tomajoha said:

I’ve seen more poor R8/R9s from the ‘2017 Blowout’ than good ones. Mostly due to poor QC: gappy tenons( like the worst of norlin era bad),
badly scraped binding with very pronounced lips,
sharp frets,
ALOT of file marks on the fretboard(like they’d used a rasp file for the final finishing)
heavy grain sinkage into seemingly very porous/pitted mahogany

As @hyperben points out: the ones I’ve played, although often quite ringy, the also sounded quite thin, and pups swaps didn’t resolve this issue.

I think all things considered this puts them in the ‘avoid year’ category for me which is a shame as they were relatively cheap( for a Gibson CS), had excellent specs and looked the real deal.

Ive gone back to a secondhand 2013 R8 which is impeccably built (for a gibson) and sings.

So for all those reading this zombie thread who missed out - you really didn’t IMO.

Now please can we close the thread? PRETTY PLEASE?

ps: I have nothing against norlin era Gibson’s - is take one over a 2017 one any day.

I'd have to differ. I've owned 3 Custom Shop reissue Les Pauls. Overall, the 2017 is the best of the three.

Also, this thread is not allowed to die.

Having played most of them , I would also disagree, I think maybe you've been turned off them due to starting the monster thread .

(also agree this monster thread should never die)

Probably very true Tereda - it is the thread that won’t die!

I agree they all have a great spec and there are some stunning looking instruments.

but even the R9 in your pic has the less-than spot-on neck join/tenon visible:

IMO that’s not great even for Gibson Let alone an R8/9 (and I’m a signed up Gibson fanboy)

I can imagine it has essentially ruined the notification system for you! Perhaps even I'd go off them if that were the case

.

In all seriousness I think @hyperben is right here, it's all down to what you bond with. Personally I played most of the stock in the south of the country. There were some absolutely sensational guitars, a couple that weren't as good as I would have hoped, with the vast majority being superb custom shop instruments.

One thing I noticed was that they consistently had accurate neck angles, which is a big issue for many Gibsons.

After all that I ended up with an R9 and R8, both Lemon (I would have preferred different finishes but in the end I stuck with the ones that played and sounded the best).

The neck tenon thing is a bit of an odd one. I was concerned about it at first, but once I knew it was only cosmetic I gave up thinking about it. At the end of the day I've gigged that R9 and it sounds ridiculous and is probably the easiest playing les paul I've ever picked up. I'd have hated to miss out on all the fun I've had with it just because of that mark.

But to clarify for those that aren't aware. These are tiny chips in the corner of the tenon from when the neck is set to the body. Some have them, some don't. The one on my R9 is the largest of any I came across. They are not exclusive to 2017 models, however are more visible on 2017 models due to the 'true historic' gap between the pickup ring and the fretboard.

That itself has been cited in other threads as an issue, which is not the case. The 'gap' is there on purpose and is visible on some original bursts too. I have seen no-gap les pauls with the tenon chips also. IIRC there was also some correlation between the serials and the gaps. Personally I don't care for the gap either way, and have R8's with and without it.

At the end of the day, I can't deny it would be easier if those chips weren't there, but they aren't unique to 2017.

HandwrittenHero · August 2020

tomajoha said:

terada said:

crunchman said:

tomajoha said:

I’ve seen more poor R8/R9s from the ‘2017 Blowout’ than good ones. Mostly due to poor QC: gappy tenons( like the worst of norlin era bad),
badly scraped binding with very pronounced lips,
sharp frets,
ALOT of file marks on the fretboard(like they’d used a rasp file for the final finishing)
heavy grain sinkage into seemingly very porous/pitted mahogany

As @hyperben points out: the ones I’ve played, although often quite ringy, the also sounded quite thin, and pups swaps didn’t resolve this issue.

I think all things considered this puts them in the ‘avoid year’ category for me which is a shame as they were relatively cheap( for a Gibson CS), had excellent specs and looked the real deal.

Ive gone back to a secondhand 2013 R8 which is impeccably built (for a gibson) and sings.

So for all those reading this zombie thread who missed out - you really didn’t IMO.

Now please can we close the thread? PRETTY PLEASE?

ps: I have nothing against norlin era Gibson’s - is take one over a 2017 one any day.

I'd have to differ. I've owned 3 Custom Shop reissue Les Pauls. Overall, the 2017 is the best of the three.

Also, this thread is not allowed to die.

Having played most of them , I would also disagree, I think maybe you've been turned off them due to starting the monster thread .

(also agree this monster thread should never die)

Probably very true Tereda - it is the thread that won’t die!

I agree they all have a great spec and there are some stunning looking instruments.

but even the R9 in your pic has the less-than spot-on neck join/tenon visible:

IMO that’s not great even for Gibson Let alone an R8/9 (and I’m a signed up Gibson fanboy)

To my understanding all original 58s had this gap, some 59s did. Could be right or wrong, but believe Pearly Gates does. You would obviously like to see it a bit tidier for the tenon though granted.

Fortheloveofguitar · August 2020

Still got my 2017 and love it. Only this morning have I installed a pair of double cream 1980’s DiMarzios

Jalapeno · August 2020

crunchman said:

Jalapeno said:

Just a thought - why not change the thread name to just Les Pauls, or LP R7/8/9 ?

That wouldn't help @tomajoha much. As he started it, he gets a notification every time someone posts on it. I don't think you can turn those notifications off.

If he changed the title, he would still be the thread starter, and would still get the notifications.

Yeah he can - just unclick the Star to stop notifications

tomajoha · August 2020

Jalapeno said:

crunchman said:

Jalapeno said:

Just a thought - why not change the thread name to just Les Pauls, or LP R7/8/9 ?

That wouldn't help @tomajoha much. As he started it, he gets a notification every time someone posts on it. I don't think you can turn those notifications off.

If he changed the title, he would still be the thread starter, and would still get the notifications.

Yeah he can - just unclick the Star to stop notifications

Unfortunately OPs can’t do that - I wish.

HandwrittenHero said:

tomajoha said:

terada said:

crunchman said:

tomajoha said:

I’ve seen more poor R8/R9s from the ‘2017 Blowout’ than good ones. Mostly due to poor QC: gappy tenons( like the worst of norlin era bad),
badly scraped binding with very pronounced lips,
sharp frets,
ALOT of file marks on the fretboard(like they’d used a rasp file for the final finishing)
heavy grain sinkage into seemingly very porous/pitted mahogany

As @hyperben points out: the ones I’ve played, although often quite ringy, the also sounded quite thin, and pups swaps didn’t resolve this issue.

I think all things considered this puts them in the ‘avoid year’ category for me which is a shame as they were relatively cheap( for a Gibson CS), had excellent specs and looked the real deal.

Ive gone back to a secondhand 2013 R8 which is impeccably built (for a gibson) and sings.

So for all those reading this zombie thread who missed out - you really didn’t IMO.

Now please can we close the thread? PRETTY PLEASE?

ps: I have nothing against norlin era Gibson’s - is take one over a 2017 one any day.

I'd have to differ. I've owned 3 Custom Shop reissue Les Pauls. Overall, the 2017 is the best of the three.

Also, this thread is not allowed to die.

Having played most of them , I would also disagree, I think maybe you've been turned off them due to starting the monster thread .

(also agree this monster thread should never die)

Probably very true Tereda - it is the thread that won’t die!

I agree they all have a great spec and there are some stunning looking instruments.

but even the R9 in your pic has the less-than spot-on neck join/tenon visible:

IMO that’s not great even for Gibson Let alone an R8/9 (and I’m a signed up Gibson fanboy)

To my understanding all original 58s had this gap, some 59s did. Could be right or wrong, but believe Pearly Gates does. You would obviously like to see it a bit tidier for the tenon though granted.

Some certainly did have the gap judging by the BOTB book but many did not, I personally don’t mind the gap either. The gap that bugs me is the gap between the tenon ‘tongue’ and the neck route that causes the same issue seen in teradas photo and one I’ve seen in many a 2017 blowout. As Terada also points it probably makes zero difference to sound and integrity I just think it looks sloppy. I personally have only seen this on Norlins, but never a Custom Shop from another year. It could be common in short tenon US les Paul’s too but their short tenon would make it impossible to spot and from what I understand the whole short tenon thing was meant to make neck fitting a bit easier for the factory. Anyhoos unless one of our luthier forum members chips in - I doubt it makes any odds and my point was simply that it shouldn’t be there on a guitar that cost either 2500 or 3500 with the discount. If someone doesn’t mind it and loves the guitar anyway then happy days - I’ll pull my neck in and stop being buzzkillington

Jalapeno · August 2020

tomajoha said:

Jalapeno said:

Yeah he can - just unclick the Star to stop notifications

Unfortunately OPs can’t do that - I wish.

@Digitalscream - shome mishtake ?

digitalscream · August 2020

Jalapeno said:

tomajoha said:

Jalapeno said:

Yeah he can - just unclick the Star to stop notifications

Unfortunately OPs can’t do that - I wish.
@Digitalscream - shome mishtake ?

No, you can't unsubscribe from a thread if you started it.

Thing is, as a matter of policy we don't just close threads because the thread starter doesn't like it any more - that would be chaos (and result in a lot of useful threads being prematurely closed). I'd suggest setting up an email filter to discard notifications for this thread instead.

crunchman · August 2020

digitalscream said:

Jalapeno said:

tomajoha said:

Jalapeno said:

Yeah he can - just unclick the Star to stop notifications

Unfortunately OPs can’t do that - I wish.
@Digitalscream - shome mishtake ?

No, you can't unsubscribe from a thread if you started it.

Thing is, as a matter of policy we don't just close threads because the thread starter doesn't like it any more - that would be chaos (and result in a lot of useful threads being prematurely closed). I'd suggest setting up an email filter to discard notifications for this thread instead.

Can you change which notifications you get?

If you go to notification preferences on your profile, you can change which things you get notifications for. I've turned off email notifications for everything other than private messages.

Brize · August 2020

As someone who's owned a boat load of Gibson CS guitars, the idea that the 2017 run is somehow inferior is bunkum. As others have noted, you get good and bad guitars in every year of production.

The great thing about the 2017 run of R8s was the more R9-like neck profile. The bad thing was the gap between the end of the fretboard and the neck pick-up ring, which is of course purely cosmetic but an irritation to those who have an eye for such things.

I have an earlier 2017 R8 that pre-dates the blow-out and doesn't have the tenon gap. I thought the pickups were far too harsh but a set of Monty's solved that.

Barnezy · August 2020

You're going to get bad sounding guitars in any year. It's not as if Gibson said "this year we're going to make the most accurate R8 ever, but let's use the mahogany over there, the batch that doesn't sound any good. We'll save the good sounding mahogany for 2019."

The likelyhood is they sold more R8's in 2017 then any other year as they were trying to raise cash. In any year there are probably more bad ones than good ones so the likelyhood to play a bad 2017 is higher. However some have got great ones and for £2,500, absolute bargains.

@tomajoha 's highlighting of a gap in a tenon joint.... well I'm no luthier but the gap I see is between the top of the tenon and the maple cap, not between the mahogany body and mahogany tenon. Given maple and mahogany are different woods and will therefore expand at different rates, I'd say it's probably wise to leave an expansion gap there. I don't think the necks were put in loose, the tenons and pockets would have been cut in a jig or by CNC, not by a bloke using his thumb to measure and then lining up the neck by eye whilst tring to secure it with a G-clamp. And there should be a 1/8" gap at the bottom, for expansion regardless.

As for the other flaws mentioned, it's the same stuff we had seen from Gibson for years. Nothing unusual about 2017. I've had far more expensive Gibson CS guitars from other years that have worse QC issues.

For those who bought one of these as their first CS guitar because it was cheap and when they recieved it thought "this isn't as nice as my Baja" well thats the reality of CS guitars. They aren't perfect, they are hand made, just like the originals. The Baja was smashed out on a CNC with another 500 that day. If you want handmade perfection you've got to cough up for a Collings I'm afraid.

Look how shody this looks!

Jalapeno · August 2020

crunchman said:

Can you change which notifications you get?

If you go to notification preferences on your profile, you can change which things you get notifications for. I've turned off email notifications for everything other than private messages.

Agree (unless you WANT them that is).

the option is - Notify me when people comment on my discussions email and/or pop-up (or none)

Hattigol · August 2020

Rather excited to announce a NR8D....http://https//imgur.com/gallery/yXpD1Qu

Hattigol · August 2020

Still can'r embed though!

tony99 · August 2020

@Hattigol ;

Hattigol · August 2020

tony99 said:

@Hattigol ;

Cheers @tony99 !

terada · August 2020

Flippin gorgeous. What weight?

Hattigol · August 2020

terada said:

Flippin gorgeous. What weight?

8lb 3oz

A previously unsold 2018 model.

Boromedic · August 2020

That's lush! Good score mate.

HandwrittenHero · August 2020

Hattigol said:

terada said:

Flippin gorgeous. What weight?

8lb 3oz
A previously unsold 2018 model.

Same weight and same year as my R9.

Looks great, really like that the flame lines up to cross the centre, but is mainly on one half, distinctive.

pmg · August 2020

Hattigol said:

terada said:

Flippin gorgeous. What weight?

8lb 3oz
A previously unsold 2018 model.

Exquisite

terada · August 2020

Hattigol said:

terada said:

Flippin gorgeous. What weight?

8lb 3oz
A previously unsold 2018 model.

That is perfect. Does it have an R8 or R9 neck profile?

Hattigol · August 2020

terada said:

Hattigol said:

terada said:

Flippin gorgeous. What weight?

8lb 3oz
A previously unsold 2018 model.

That is perfect. Does it have an R8 or R9 neck profile?

Slightly bigger than an R9 profile apparently. Not arriving until Monday.

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R8 Peach Deal

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My head said brake, but my heart cried never.