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2014 R9 or 2020 R8????

spidey

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Joined
Nov 21, 2003
Messages
3,265
Hi everyone
I’ve finally got enough cash to buy one of these.
Though I’ve played USA standard Les-Pauls for years I have no experience of custom shop reissues. I’m travelling to both this weekend to try them before I make a choice. They’re virtually the same price.
In your opinion is there a clear winner between the two? They both look great online. The R8 has a flame top.

Thanks.
 

EXPLRGAB

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Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Messages
108
2019 /2020...Gibson Custom Shop R8, R9, R0....Get one of those..Do not pick a 2014 over the 60th anniversary offersings.... Does Wildwood sell Internationally at Competitive Pricing..Find Out...They have my highest endorsement.
 

PHILBERT

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Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Messages
1,659
Pick the one that sounds and plays better for you. If there is no clear winner, get the 2020 R8. I like the look of the True Historic plastics. Those bone color pickup rings really look nice, and a lot closer to the real golden era bursts.

Phil
 

Progrocker111

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Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
4,013
2020 R8 - all 18s and 19s i have played were great, so hopefully are the 20s too. :) Plus some more historical details like rounded pickup covers or unpotted pickups with better caps are nice addition too. :)
 

GotTheSilver

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Joined
Apr 14, 2007
Messages
2,433
It always comes down to individual guitars, not years or specs. Play both and pick the one that sounds and feels best to you.

That said, if you were not able to play them and had to choose only the info you posted, I would say go for the 2020 R8. I have a 2013 R8 that is a really great guitar. I have enjoyed it for years. I bought a 2020 R9 earlier this year. It is an amazing guitar! I still love the 2013 and have no plans to get rid of it, but the 2020 is a better guitar all around.
 

rob livesey

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
655
Bear in mind the 2020 R8 will have skinnier frets than the R9.

2017 was the last year R8’s had the same bigger wire as R9’s.

I played a 2018 R8 and didn’t like the frets at all.

Rob
 

Ace139

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Joined
May 29, 2003
Messages
1,759
Pick the one that sounds and plays better for you. If there is no clear winner, get the 2020 R8. I like the look of the True Historic plastics. Those bone color pickup rings really look nice, and a lot closer to the real golden era bursts.

Phil

Nailed It :3zone
 

spidey

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Joined
Nov 21, 2003
Messages
3,265
Thanks for the input guys. The general feeling I'm getting is that along as both play, feel and sound similar and that there is no clear winner is that the R8 is probably the one to go for.
I'm aware that some people don't like the necks on the R8s, or the thinner frets. Of course both of these are a matter of personal taste and I'm open minded about these 2 things. I'm looking forward to trying them both. They are located roughly an hour's drive away from each other. Just hope I can remember the feel of the first one by the time I get to the second location!! :)
I've always wanted an R9 because all my heroes played real '59s. The R8 is probably prettier though to be honest. It's a lemon burst and looks just stunning. The R9 still looks great and is a bit cheaper.
If I come away with one of the guitars I'll be sure to post a pic.

More opinions welcomed if anybody else has got any thoughts.
Thanks.
 
Last edited:

Brek

Member
Joined
May 23, 2020
Messages
62
Thanks for the input guys. The general feeling I'm getting is that along as both play, feel and sound similar and that there is no clear winner is that the R8 is probably the one to go for.
I'm aware that some people don't like the necks on the R8s, or the thinner frets. Of course both of these are a matter of personal taste and I'm open minded about these 2 things. I'm looking forward to trying them both. They are located roughly an hour's drive away from each other. Just hope I can remember the feel of the first one by the time I get to the second location!! :)
I've always wanted an R9 because all my heroes played real '59s. The R8 is probably prettier though to be honest. It's a lemon burst and looks just stunning. The R9 still looks great and is a bit cheaper.
If I come away with one of the guitars I'll be sure to post a pic.

More opinions welcomed if anybody else has got any thoughts.
Thanks.

All things being equal playability wise, me? I would go for the R9, the build in those years is good, and the only slight difference to my mind is the plastics formula and the top hide glue, neither of which have any bearing on how it sounds. I am always the pragmatist when it comes to value, the R9 has probably already depreciated to its lowest price, if circumstances change, probably a quicker and easier no loss sale, where as a new R8 you’d stand to lose at least a grand, more likely £1500.
 

Torshalla

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Sep 26, 2020
Messages
196
Fully agree with Brek...
2013/2014 R9s are amazing, and that one has already depreciated as much as it probably can, so long as you don t trash it haha
i have 2 2013 R9s and 1 2017 true historic R8... all great guitars.
 

spidey

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Joined
Nov 21, 2003
Messages
3,265
Good points about the re-sale values. Hadn’t occurred to me! Thanks.
 

PHILBERT

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Nov 25, 2006
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I'm about to say some things that might rub some the wrong way, but it's my opinion, as I've tried for years to like Historics of the past, and came away disappointed every time except maybe once (an ugly tobacco G0 that vibrated like crazy).

I'm sorry, but hyde glue used on the top DOES (to my senses) have a very real impact on how these Les Paul guitars sound and respond, and in my estimation dynamics and overtones are greatly accentuated. I believe the hyde glue effects the connectivity of all the different pieces of wood, and makes the guitar "one". Until they started using this hyde glue, I never experienced that on Historics. Only vintage guitars had that going on (overtone growl and touch sensitive dynamics that kick ass and deliver something beyond just tone). And it's the reason I can now accept a modern-built Gibson Les Paul as being very close to the golden era guitars I have experienced first hand. That added dimension is a feel and expression thing that doesn't necessarily translate on compressed video demonstrations, but when you play one with a good organic amp that has clear harmonic breakup, through a good speaker cabinet, it's magic. Note definition and touch sensitivity are unmatched, and resemble what better examples of true vintage Gibson guitars have in spades. It's more than just "good tone".

There may be some that don't get that. Many amps and speaker choices won't pass those harmonics. Dr. Z and Trainwreck amps (over the top on harmonics) do it in spades, but so do healthy "old" Marshall and Fender amps. "Buzz" distortion is not the same as structured harmonic distortion. Some speakers over-filter, or have the wrong accent frequencies to showcase the real potential of a good guitar. These are just a few factors that can make or break what you can hear. Pickup selections and height adjustments can also help or hurt. Even hardware metal composition matters. But you need a good amp to experience the difference in wood and glue. Older Historics almost always sounded dull with a shrill top end to my ears. Gutless and irritating. Completely different than what a pile of 2018 and 2019 Custom Shop Les Pauls sounded like when I auditioned for my ultimate re-issue choice. I think they finally nailed it. True, it's a different top glue than they used in the golden era, but the effect is the same to my ear.

But I also acknowledge that great tone can be had even on USA Factory Les Paul guitars. Some of those "come together" well. I love my Trad Pro II converted to a Pro IV. It has great tone, but doesn't come close on dynamics and overtones. My 2018 '59 and Trad Pro IV are both keepers, but the Custom Shop '59 is super special...and the reason I feel now is the time to invest in a Custom Shop Les Paul. Just my opinion...

Phil
 

AA00475Bassman

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Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
IMO these 2019 - 2020 blow the Edwin Wilson era guitars out of the sand , the past two years production is a better guitar .

I do own several Wilson guitars .
 
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Torshalla

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Sep 26, 2020
Messages
196
I cannot comment on the 2019/2020... but I love my 2010 AFD VOS... I love my 2013 Joe Perry even more... I very much like my True Historic 2017 Slash 58 first std (which is 100% hyde glue)... but I still much prefer the 2013 Joe Perry. All are amazing guitars... but each guitar is different (wood) and each person has their own preferrences.
try both and let us know how you like them! :)
 

spidey

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Nov 21, 2003
Messages
3,265
So I set off this morning and arrived at the first shop at 10.30. Great shop specialising in top end and boutique gear. He brought the R8 for me to try and first of all I found the neck very cumbersome and awkward. After playing it for the best part of an hour while chatting to the shop owner I had started to get used to it and it started feeling more comfortable. However though it looked great and sounded great it just didn’t feel that special to me. We discussed the price and a couple of guitars I wanted to part exchange towards the purchase. The sums didn’t really add up for me. He also had a pre-historic which looked nice but I was running out of time so didn’t have chance to try it.

I set off to the next shop and got there at 1.30. Again, great shop. The guitar (this is the 2014 R9) looked stunning. I tried it and it instantly felt like ‘home’. We discussed prices and part exchange values on my guitars. This time the figures were much more what I was looking for. He did me a great deal so I took the plunge and have bought the R9!!!

Here she is..... what do you think?
 

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spidey

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Nov 21, 2003
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So, I set off at 7.30 on Saturday morning to the shop with the R8 and got there around 10.20. Great shop, all top end and boutique stock. If i'd had the money I could have spent a fortune in there! The R8 looked stunning. The neck was huge and frets did feel very high. Due to both of these points I initially found the guitar very awkward and cumbersome to play. After playing it for roughly 45 mins I had gotten a lot more used to it, though still not fully. Sounded great. I had a couple of guitars I wanted to part exchange towards the guitar but when we went through the sums, I was further adrift than I had hoped in terms of the cash I would have to put into the deal. Part of me was slightly relieved as I hadn't really bonded with the guitar, feel wise but might have gone ahead if the deal was in my favour. Maybe that would have come after time? I kept looking at it while we were discussing money though and it did look stunning.

So I then set off to the next shop to see the R9. Another great shop, very different to the first, still very high end in terms of stock but all second hand. I spotted the guitar on the wall as soon as I walked i and it looked breathtaking. He passed me the guitar and though the store owner explained that the neck was bigger than a typical R9, it felt instantly like 'home'. He looked at my 2 guitars and unlike the first shop was also happy to also make me an offer on a Marshall Class 5 I had in addition to the guitars. He made me a great offer that was within the budget I had allocated and I'm now the proud owner of a 2014 dirty lemon burst R9!!!!

It was a great day. Visited 2 great shops I had never been to before and both store owners were great guys. I'd recommend both shops.

Thanks for the input guys. I'm now in the R9 club!!!!
p.s. I tried to post a pic here over the weekend but it doesn't appear to have worked.
 

Torshalla

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Sep 26, 2020
Messages
196
Congrats!
nothing beats trying them out and feeling which is right for you if you have the chance... luckily it suited your budget too :)
enjoy her!
 

spidey

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Joined
Nov 21, 2003
Messages
3,265
Congrats!
nothing beats trying them out and feeling which is right for you if you have the chance... luckily it suited your budget too :)
enjoy her!

Thanks! Yes it all worked out just right. Looks wise, sometimes it reminds me of Bernie Marsden's Beast and sometimes Greeny, depending on how the light catches it.
Very happy!
 

E.M.

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Aug 6, 2016
Messages
141
That R9 looks killer. Good decision. I've owned a couple of 2013/2014 R9s and they are excellent.
 

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
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5,657
So I set off this morning and arrived at the first shop at 10.30. Great shop specialising in top end and boutique gear. He brought the R8 for me to try and first of all I found the neck very cumbersome and awkward. After playing it for the best part of an hour while chatting to the shop owner I had started to get used to it and it started feeling more comfortable. However though it looked great and sounded great it just didn’t feel that special to me. We discussed the price and a couple of guitars I wanted to part exchange towards the purchase. The sums didn’t really add up for me. He also had a pre-historic which looked nice but I was running out of time so didn’t have chance to try it.

I set off to the next shop and got there at 1.30. Again, great shop. The guitar (this is the 2014 R9) looked stunning. I tried it and it instantly felt like ‘home’. We discussed prices and part exchange values on my guitars. This time the figures were much more what I was looking for. He did me a great deal so I took the plunge and have bought the R9!!!

Here she is..... what do you think?
She is so beautiful and i have a 14R9 as well and they are great . Mega Congrats and play her in good health and enjoy !!!!!!!!
 
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