If there’s one thing all the big guitar builders have in common, it’s that every now and then they’ll each have a year’s production that really stands out. 2020 was one of those stellar years for the Gibson Custom Shop. Our 2020 R9 here is a perfect example of what happens when everything comes together absolutely perfectly.
Historic 1959
If you ask the google to tell you about an R9, you’ll get a response something like this: A Les Paul R9 is a Gibson Custom Shop historic 1959 Les Paul Standard reissue, the 9 representing the holy grail Les Paul year of 1959. Now selling for several hundred thousand dollars, understandably, few people can afford a genuine ’59, therefore the R9 provides the discerning player a modern, functional, and substantially more affordable alternative. This thing is modern, it’s functional, it’s more affordable, and about as perfect a recreation of the 1959 article as you’ll ever lay your hands on.
Tone to die for!
The entire electronics and wiring system is pure 1959 – “historic spec”: Vintage Tone Circuit, featuring Luxe hand-made paper-in-oil capacitors; vintage taper CTS pots; Switchcraft jack and selector switch; all wired up to a dynamite set of ’59 replica unpotted Custombuckers. Our original setup was with 10s, but we had a niggling suspicion: we pulled the 10s off and dropped a set of 11s on. OMG – pure vintage Gibson Les Paul tone to die for!
Specially selected
Then there’s the timbers. Prime among them, the specially selected lightweight Mahogany, which brings the R9’s weight in at an extremely comfortable 8lb 10½oz – you won’t be getting a broken back from this one! The flame Maple top is also hand-selected premium wood, the nitro Sunburst finish bringing out a subtle 3D shimmer in places. The historically correct long tenon Mahogany neck has the perfect 1959 profile, of that “just right” carve, along with the highly desirable 1-11⁄16” (42mm) nut width.
Perfection
Hardware is all spot-on, electronics, as noted above, there’s even the historically correct “binding bleed”, (see around the treble horn in pic # 7), where the dark Cherry of the back and neck bleeds slightly into the vintage cream binding – and, just like on the original 1959 models, will fade away over time. Little details / perfection!
Free courier delivery
Complete with its original ‘Cali Girl’ hard shell case, Certificate of Authenticity & case candy shown in pic # 7, your R9 is in superb, lightly played condition, and comes with our FREE COURIER DELIVERY to any address in Australia – generally 1 - 2 days on the east coast, more distant areas slightly longer. $100 airfreight to New Zealand, (usually 2 days), and $175 to the US, Canada, UK and mainstream European countries, (3 - 5 days)
Weight: 8lb 10½oz / 3.93kg
Just Guitars
