I’ve gone and bought the wrong guitar AGAIN! 😫

[El Gringo]

A fine Golden Beauty for sure . Looks amazing and looks like she is ready to Rock . Play her in great health and have tons of fun !

 

[MarcB]

we need more photos please MarcB

Sure.. I’ll post some tomorrow.. Inc the case etc

 

[Any Name You Wish]

Maybe its the light, but that gold looks dark. Sort of a caramel gold. I don't care too much for gold tops but I like this one. Congrats.

 

[MarcB]

Maybe its the light, but that gold looks dark. Sort of a caramel gold. I don't care too much for gold tops but I like this one. Congrats.

Yes that picture was a little dark.. that said it does have a darker hue than some of the standard range.

 

[renderit]

Love it!

Cayant go wrong wit a '57.

 

[MarcB]

Part one:

Here’s my overview and review of the 57 Gold Top Tom Murphy..

As some of you know, I’ve been enquiring and asking about the true historic range for just under a year since I’ve been on LPF
I joined the LPF a year ago (1 year anniversary on 1st Sept!) after I acquired a 60s standard from the Gibson demo shop, of which I was very happy with the playability and sound, which for me ticked all the boxes for a Les Paul.

During lockdown, I jumped in headfirst into the world of Les Paul, which obviously led me down the path of vintage guitars (and eventually buying the 60s standard as I was more a tele/335 guy)

Going down this rabbit hole and finding that the prices for custom shop models and ultimately vintage Gibson’s were much more than i was used too, I was quite shocked tbh.. as Fenders (my preferred choice of guitars for decades) are much cheaper..

And If you asked me at that time, if I feel that vintage Guitars are worth the money, I would’ve said lean “no” as I’ve always maintained the belief that Guitars are just tools that are there to make music. So to buy a guitar that is battered and worn would only create issues in playability down the line. That said I have come to admire and respect vintage guitars and the associated cost (you get what you pay for) and being a collector wouldn’t mind having one in my collection, but given I’m not a multimillionaire or even a dentist, it’s very unlikely that I would ever be able to afford a vintage Gibson. So to fill the void and in some way experience what all vintage Gibson owners say ..”there’s something about these old gibson’s”
I thought the next best thing would be to acquire a True Historic, as these were (allegedly) the closest to an original (in construction) you can get (at the time).

So with the help of the LPF I started a year long search and investigation on the true historic and soon realised that these were a very limited run of Guitars and at this point were commanding prices that were triple the amount of a USA standard and the more I researched the Guitars the more I really wanted one.


Of course, if you’re going down the vintage guitar or the vintage replica route the holy Grail would have to be the hallowed 59.. And after seeing several which I made very decent offers on that were denied, a true historic seemed a little elusive.

Then over the coming months the GAS for a TH actually dissipated and I convinced myself that having 20+ Guitars is more than enough and I do not need a true historic.

Then months later, I recalled one of my first recording sessions, outside of a band, and that the engineer pulled out an original 57 gold top, which was used for the guitar parts and being only 19 at the time I didn’t really pay attention or respect the originality, scarcity of the guitar (wish I had tbh) ..but that guitar created a core memory.

So 3/4 months or so ago.. I thought to myself I need a gold top and began looking at gold tops randomly and saw very view TH’s and lots of VOS versions popping up on reverb/ebay.

So I shifted my GAS from a 59 to a gold top TH but wasn’t really that committed to getting one anytime soon.

Fast forward a week ago and the guitar I now own popped up on reverb .. and the price point, location and abandonment from the previous owner spoke to me.. (I love those stray puppy rescue videos lol) .. So I bought it.

Pfft.. how one can be so fickle with their set objectives.

https://reverb.com/item/84172790-gibson-true-historic-1957-les-paul-goldtop-tom-murphy-aged?utm_source=rev-ios-app&utm_medium=ios-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=84172790

 

[MarcB]

Part two:

So here’s my review and comparison (to my USA standard LP/SG)

First impressions
Playing through a Vox AC30 the sound was definitely different from the Standard LP/SG. The attack and spank from the (custombucker) pickups was very noticeable. I also noticed that there was indeed a rasp from the guitar, which has always been mentioned by owners of original LPs.. was this because of the hide glue construction and the sleeveless truss rod? now I gotta add that maybe this was down to perception and my imagination.. but there is definitely a more woody/raspy sound in comparison to the 60s standard.
Overall I was quite impressed and happy with the sound (as it differed from all the other humbucker Gibson’s I own, which is definitely an objective and justification when acquiring another guitar)

Inlays
As mentioned in previous comments, the inlays had been swapped out by the previous owner for actual acrylic inlays, that he wanted to be “shrunken” to match the aged paint on the body.. but was then not happy with the result.









Playing the guitar.. theirs is no discernible difference between these inlays and those on the Standard model.
I had previously asked on the LPF (on a very old thread about vintage shrunken inlays) to post pictures as the previous pictures were not visible.

https://www.lespaulforum.com/index.php?threads/shrunken-vintage-inlays.171427/#post-2953753

This was to ascertain if these replacement inlays were akin to those original shrunken inlays.. and in my opinion, they are not.. now.. they are vintage looking whereby the inlay have a darker hue much like the originals (as for some reason on the custom shop VOS and standard range the inlays are always pearly white) but they definitely looked aged.

I noticed by researching originals that a high percentage of original Gibson Guitars, across most models, have inlays with a much darker hue with a lot more black swirls. So I would’ve expected more black swirls in the inlays..(why don’t Gibson do this on vintage models? I’m looking at you @matkoehler )
which these kinda have in comparison, all be it darker but not as per the originals.. your thoughts are welcomed.

The reason I say these inlays are not as per an original shrunken inlay is because they do not raise up from the fretboard ever so slightly. Also, the shrunken look is very, very slight.
I believe this was the issue with the previous owner and he was not happy with how they filled the gap between the fretboard and the inlay with wood filler which was then visible. I noticed on the original post that each inlay section on the fretboard was a little more shiny than those without and again.

I think the shininess of the inlay/fret board was maybe also an issue for the previous owner (see reverb post for example)

When first playing the guitar at the previous owners house, the playability of the fretboard was perfect. I had no issues at all.. as I was expecting some raised inlays tbh..

Yes, the shininess of the inlay sections was noticeable but I thought if I was to use Monty neck butter it should blend in better..(will update) and I initially thought the neck needed a bit of a neck polish anyway as it looked a bit dry.

So overall, I personally don’t see any issue with the inlay replacement.. but it does raise the question:

“did Gibson use actual acrylic inlay on the true historic?”
(Comment/answers below please)

As I would’ve thought given that Gibson went into such detail, on the plastics, etc that they would’ve used acrylic inlays? and if so, why the bloody hell did he spend over £250 on replacing them?

 

[MarcB]

Part three:
Minuet details
Upon getting the guitar home and looking over it in detail, I have to applaud Gibson on the minuet details achieved .. the pick guard is different from my standard. It has a sharper edge and the colour matches that of originals that I’ve seen online. The thumb bleeders are very pointy and would most definitely make your thumb bleed. The pick up rings are different in colour and size and definitely give the vintage look in comparison to the standard.

There are some things that I think have been missed by Mr Murphy though, in his ageing process .. which would be the knobs which appear to be new (no greening or cracks).. and the poker chip again appears to be brand-new..

The paint work is phenomenal in my opinion, I love the darker hue to the gold paint and the relic work is spectacular. Tbh I would liked to have seen some greening on the guitar and some more worn sections.. also I would expected a more deeper dish carve on the body.. given these were double wet sanded etc
but overall I’m pretty happy with how it looks.





















The control cavity has a R7 stamp, which would would mean that Mr Murphy would’ve picked a guitar of the line and then set about doing his thing.. but did he actually paint it.. or was a painted R7 when he got his fat fingers on it





Now when I buy a used guitar, I always approach the guitar with the suspicion that the previous owner has monkey’d around with it or changed aspects of the guitar.. and this guy was most definitely a monkey’er as he showed me a 335 that he put a custom-made plaque on and a bigsby..

(sidebar: he also showed me a guitar that he had made in China Which was a copy of an es295.. which he had put a Gibson logo on .. of which I “politely” gave him the speech about in years to come that some unexpected buyer would think he’s bought or Gibson.. he didn’t care..
inside I was seething grrr, but saying that.. the guitar was bloody awful and was completely the wrong size and f holes too big lol)

So please have look and let me know if you think he’s replaced these in comparison to your own Murphy’s.
As having the body, neck, head and now inlays relic’d, I feel the knobs, poker chip and maybe even the stop bar should be replaced for a more vintage look.

The pots are very questionable too.. as the volume pots only roll off from 10-8 and below that they’re no existent? And after reading old posts on the LPF

Thread 'True Historics - Linear or Audio Taper Pots?'

Mar 11, 2017

Hi all-

Maybe my searching skills need some sharpening, but I am not coming up with an indication of whether the True Historics use audio taper or linear taper pots.

Anybody know for sure?

Thanks.

• Sparta
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Gibson Custom/Historic Les Paul District

apparently this is a thing about THs pots and will be replaced (in time) for Nostalgic conversions centralab’s.

The case is battered and vintage looking.. but still does the job.. and adds to the whole vintage vibe lol.

 

[MarcB]

Part four:
Final summary
Overall for the price I paid which, I’m not afraid to say was £xxxx (removed for tax purposes).. I believe I’ve picked up a gem of a guitar that plays well, looks fantastic overall and would accrue value in time, given it’s signed by Tom Murphy.

The guitar itself has given me a glimpse of what an original Gibson LP would play like all be it a ‘cosplay’ version of an original.
I don’t want to downplay the Tom Murphy aged process but now having the guitar in my possession I do believe that in someway the whole commercial aged process is the guitar worlds version of cosplay.
As the one scratch on the back of my 60s Les Paul standard, which happened two days after I acquired it, has more meaning than the roadmap relic on the 57 gold top.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the look of this guitar and it gives me the vintage vibe, looks, sound and playability but somehow knowing that I didn’t put these little dings, scratches on the body and that the guitar didn’t age in my possession, the aging doesn’t really relate to me.

Anyway.. that’s it.. I’ll give the guitar an overall 8.5 out of 10.. and that’s a good score in my book.. and that’s because of the non aged parts and the crappy pots..

am I happy with it?
Damn right I am.. I’ve achieved in getting a true historic and a gold top.. which ticks two bucket list entries as I thought I needed a 59 and a gold top.. lol and I’m not a wealthy man.. so any time I get another guitar for the collection.. its a decent achievement for me. As there are many that would love the chance to even own a standard.. So I’m truly grateful that I can get any guitar for the collection, let alone a limited edition Murphy TH!.

So what’s next.. a 58/59 or another SG with ebony block..

Never say never.. but enough maybe enough.. lol.

.. thanks for reading and I hope I haven’t bored you all with my crappy review..

please feel free to berate and add doubts or concerns about anything.. and add your 2c worth below.
Even if you don’t like it.. coz as they say.. “never read your press, only weight it), I may even add more info as time passes and updates to changes as they happen… but for now I’m gonna just play her (in good health) and enjoy her.

Bonjour.

 

[1allspub]

Beauty! HNGD!

 

[Any Name You Wish]

Thanks for the write-up. Yes, you need the SG Les Paul, a '61. I'm a bit of an expert on GAS, so you should listen to me.

 

[MarcB]

Thanks for the write-up. Yes, you need the SG Les Paul, a '61. I'm a bit of an expert on GAS, so you should listen to me.

That’s really helpful.. thank you.

 

[MarcB]

Thanks for the write-up. Yes, you need the SG Les Paul, a '61. I'm a bit of an expert on GAS, so you should listen to me.

I have a 61 SG standard (I put a Les Paul truss rod cover on)

 

[Xpensive Wino]

Soon, soon....

 

[jb_abides]

Congrats again, and thanks for the impression/review.

RE Inlays: the factory TH had 'Aged' Cellulose Nitrate inlays. I don't know if they've recently or ever refined the formula post-TH for plastics... but the "plastics upgrades" persisted after the TH marketing was dropped, until today. So, still Cellulose Nitrate on current Reissues.

I've witnessed others remark some 'Aged' Reissues did not get appropriately aged plastics (or sometimes hardware)... I can't speak to the reasoning, rational, or differences there. It is less noticeable on VOS.

Enjoy!

PS > Yes, get a Reissue SG, mine is a cut above!

 

[MarcB]

Congrats again, and thanks for the impression/review.

RE Inlays: the factory TH had 'Aged' Cellulose Nitrate inlays. I don't know if they've recently or ever refined the formula post-TH for plastics... but the "plastics upgrades" persisted after the TH marketing was dropped, until today. So, still Cellulose Nitrate on current Reissues.

I've witnessed others remark some 'Aged' Reissues did not get appropriately aged plastics (or sometimes hardware)... I can't speak to the reasoning, rational, or differences there. It is less noticeable on VOS.

Enjoy!

PS > Yes, get a Reissue SG, mine is a cut above!

I would’ve thought that any historical reissue would have the historic plastics given Gibson now have the formula to make them..
So does the latest Brazilian board Ltd Ed have the historical plastics ?

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Part three:
Minuet details
Upon getting the guitar home and looking over it in detail, I have to applaud Gibson on the minuet details achieved .. the pick guard is different from my standard. It has a sharper edge and the colour matches that of originals that I’ve seen online. The thumb bleeders are very pointy and would most definitely make your thumb bleed. The pick up rings are different in colour and size and definitely give the vintage look in comparison to the standard.

There are some things that I think have been missed by Mr Murphy though, in his ageing process .. which would be the knobs which appear to be new (no greening or cracks).. and the poker chip again appears to be brand-new..

The paint work is phenomenal in my opinion, I love the darker hue to the gold paint and the relic work is spectacular. Tbh I would liked to have seen some greening on the guitar and some more worn sections.. also I would expected a more deeper dish carve on the body.. given these were double wet sanded etc
but overall I’m pretty happy with how it looks.





















The control cavity has a R7 stamp, which would would mean that Mr Murphy would’ve picked a guitar of the line and then set about doing his thing.. but did he actually paint it.. or was a painted R7 when he got his fat fingers on it





Now when I buy a used guitar, I always approach the guitar with the suspicion that the previous owner has monkey’d around with it or changed aspects of the guitar.. and this guy was most definitely a monkey’er as he showed me a 335 that he put a custom-made plaque on and a bigsby..

(sidebar: he also showed me a guitar that he had made in China Which was a copy of an es295.. which he had put a Gibson logo on .. of which I “politely” gave him the speech about in years to come that some unexpected buyer would think he’s bought or Gibson.. he didn’t care..
inside I was seething grrr, but saying that.. the guitar was bloody awful and was completely the wrong size and f holes too big lol)

So please have look and let me know if you think he’s replaced these in comparison to your own Murphy’s.
As having the body, neck, head and now inlays relic’d, I feel the knobs, poker chip and maybe even the stop bar should be replaced for a more vintage look.

The pots are very questionable too.. as the volume pots only roll off from 10-8 and below that they’re no existent? And after reading old posts on the LPF

Thread 'True Historics - Linear or Audio Taper Pots?'

Mar 11, 2017

Hi all-

Maybe my searching skills need some sharpening, but I am not coming up with an indication of whether the True Historics use audio taper or linear taper pots.

Anybody know for sure?

Thanks.

• Sparta
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Gibson Custom/Historic Les Paul District

apparently this is a thing about THs pots and will be replaced (in time) for Nostalgic conversions centralab’s.

The case is battered and vintage looking.. but still does the job.. and adds to the whole vintage vibe lol.

In Gibson's defense artificially aging the knobs so they look cracked would involve physical damage which would result in many of them breaking upon installation, or possibly breaking in shipping. At which point the guy who just paid extra money for a reliced guitar complete with cracked knobs would than complain that his aged and cracked knobs arrived broken.

I also imagine attempting to discolor the knobs unnaturally by introducing some pigment could affect the way in which they discolor with age to an undesirable degree.

Either way, since as you said they seemed to fret over all the other minutist details I feel this was more in the practicality and quality concern realm, and not an oversight.

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Part four:
Final summary
Overall for the price I paid which, I’m not afraid to say was £xxxx (removed for tax purposes).. I believe I’ve picked up a gem of a guitar that plays well, looks fantastic overall and would accrue value in time, given it’s signed by Tom Murphy.

The guitar itself has given me a glimpse of what an original Gibson LP would play like all be it a ‘cosplay’ version of an original.
I don’t want to downplay the Tom Murphy aged process but now having the guitar in my possession I do believe that in someway the whole commercial aged process is the guitar worlds version of cosplay.
As the one scratch on the back of my 60s Les Paul standard, which happened two days after I acquired it, has more meaning than the roadmap relic on the 57 gold top.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the look of this guitar and it gives me the vintage vibe, looks, sound and playability but somehow knowing that I didn’t put these little dings, scratches on the body and that the guitar didn’t age in my possession, the aging doesn’t really relate to me.

Anyway.. that’s it.. I’ll give the guitar an overall 8.5 out of 10.. and that’s a good score in my book.. and that’s because of the non aged parts and the crappy pots..

am I happy with it?
Damn right I am.. I’ve achieved in getting a true historic and a gold top.. which ticks two bucket list entries as I thought I needed a 59 and a gold top.. lol and I’m not a wealthy man.. so any time I get another guitar for the collection.. its a decent achievement for me. As there are many that would love the chance to even own a standard.. So I’m truly grateful that I can get any guitar for the collection, let alone a limited edition Murphy TH!.

So what’s next.. a 58/59 or another SG with ebony block..

Never say never.. but enough maybe enough.. lol.

.. thanks for reading and I hope I haven’t bored you all with my crappy review..

please feel free to berate and add doubts or concerns about anything.. and add your 2c worth below.
Even if you don’t like it.. coz as they say.. “never read your press, only weight it), I may even add more info as time passes and updates to changes as they happen… but for now I’m gonna just play her (in good health) and enjoy her.

Bonjour.

I agree. If I wanted the closest representation of a revered vintage instrument I would want it to look just like the day it was unboxed and put on the showroom floor, and not like it was dragged across the showroom floor out the door with a nice hit on the metal door stop then over the asphalt and concrete, and through the field outback. Then after that laid in the sun and rain for a couple months.

 

[MarcB]

I agree. If I wanted the closest representation of a revered vintage instrument I would want it to look just like the day it was unboxed and put on the showroom floor, and not like it was dragged across the showroom floor out the door with a nice hit on the metal door stop then over the asphalt and concrete, and through the field outback. Then after that laid in the sun and rain for a couple months.

I get the cracked thing.. but I’ve seen old knobs that have greened over time..

 

[Xpensive Wino]

I would’ve thought that any historical reissue would have the historic plastics given Gibson now have the formula to make them..
So does the latest Brazilian board Ltd Ed have the historical plastics ?

It won't be long now 'til you realise...

​

Don't fight it. Just save this search and wait...

https://reverb.com/p/gibson-les-paul-standard-burst-1958-1960