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OK--So the '07 Bursts sound great, What about the '07 Juniors???

LHakim

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Jul 15, 2001
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2,113
I'm in the market for a Junior--(haven't made up my mind as to single cut or dble cut yet) and have been following the threads talking about how good the 2007 Bursts sound which is apparently attributable (in part) to the wood Gibson is currently using. But what about the 2007 Historic reissue Juniors--has anyone bought or played one and concluded that this year's Juniors, a.) sound better than past ri. Jrs. and b.) sound closer to vintage Jr.s than ever before?
 

thin sissy

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Jan 2, 2006
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The only way to find out is to play a bunch :). Sorry for the boring answer, but you can't really buy a guitar after which year it was made, because there are good ones and turds in every year. So yeah, you can find a great 07 junior, but you might also find a great older junior too.
 

DANELECTRO

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Feb 24, 2003
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I can't speak for the '07 Juniors, but I have an '06 Junior that's wonderful. Tone is very comparable to a vintage Junior. The weight is about right at 7.8 lbs. The neck on mine is a bit chunkier than my 1957 Junior. I feels about the same as the typical R8 neck. Although it sounded great with the stock Gibson P-90, it's just my nature to tinker around with different pickups. I dropped a Lollar in it and I dig the tone even more. The Lollar is very glassy sounding. With a little overdrive, chords cut through clearly and almost sound as though I'm using a chorus pedal. I like the feel of the neck on my '57 better, but I actually prefer playing the reissue because of the larger frets and tuning stability.

57juniorri012600wy7.jpg
 

DANELECTRO

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blindfolded, could you tell the difference Dancelectro

The neck has a different feel, the weight is different (the Historic is actually lighter), the tone is not exactly the same, so yes, I'd be able to detect a difference between the two guitars. If blindfolded and asked to choose which one I like the best, I'd choose the Historic. Again, playability is better due to the larger frets, and the Lollar P-90 sounds fantastic. The P-90 in my Junior is a little thinner and edgier sounding than the Lollar. That's not to say that the Lollar doesn't have vintage tone, as it absolutely does. Vintage P-90s vary from one to the other, and the Lollar is like a cream of the crop vintage P-90. I have a 1960 Special which has an amazing pair of P-90s in it, and the Historic Junior with the Lollar is pretty much dead-on to the bridge pickup of that guitar.
 

LHakim

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Jul 15, 2001
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Thanks for all the responses so far! I've read that the Lollar P90's tend to be hifi or too polite compared to the 1950's Gibson dogears but I recently heard a historic reissue Junior with a Lollar P90 that sounded incredible and produced a really fat, rich, and wailing lead tone.

Danelectro, your Juniors look cool and that is so interesting that you give the nod to the historic.
 

AtomEve

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Joined
Aug 5, 2002
Messages
4,666
The one on the left looks more vintage correct yet the one on the right looks more beat. Which guitar is which?



I can't speak for the '07 Juniors, but I have an '06 Junior that's wonderful. Tone is very comparable to a vintage Junior. The weight is about right at 7.8 lbs. The neck on mine is a bit chunkier than my 1957 Junior. I feels about the same as the typical R8 neck. Although it sounded great with the stock Gibson P-90, it's just my nature to tinker around with different pickups. I dropped a Lollar in it and I dig the tone even more. The Lollar is very glassy sounding. With a little overdrive, chords cut through clearly and almost sound as though I'm using a chorus pedal. I like the feel of the neck on my '57 better, but I actually prefer playing the reissue because of the larger frets and tuning stability.

57juniorri012600wy7.jpg
 

jsamans

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Aug 4, 2007
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My '58 Jr. (refin) has that same really reddish rosewood board as Danelectro's '57. The other glaring difference is the more slanted tailpiece on the originals.

2lp.jpg


My '58 grunts and moans way better than any historic junior I have played -- it practically breathes. It really has a resonance to it that I haven't felt in any other guitar.
 

MRTONEMAN

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Mar 6, 2006
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How come, when someone prefers a Historic, others feel the need to rain on their parade? :laugh2:

I went looking a few years back for an SG.
Vintage SG's were not even that expensive then.
After alot of comparing, I ended up going with a Historic over Vintage.
All the SG's sounded good, but the Historic I ended up buying, played better. :)
 
Last edited:

AtomEve

Les Paul Forum Member
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Aug 5, 2002
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4,666
The one on the right is an all original 1957 Junior.

Rarely do I see a LP with a Braz board so light! Maybe it's the lighting!


I'd take the vintage one all day long! Both look like awesome guitars! :dude:
 

jholcomb

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Sep 10, 2003
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269
I had an orignal '59 Junior that was refinned Cherry. The original P-90 in it was hotter than hell, but never sounded very "musical" to my ears. My '07 DC TV Yellow Junior's P-90 sounds much, much better, exactly like the Junior sounds I've grown up with on records like Lou Reed's "Rock and Roll Animal". So go figure.

Always remember, your mileage may vary.
 

English Jim

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Apr 11, 2007
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I really like the P90's on my '60 Special. No plans to change them. It's a really nice gtr after I set it up properly. The 'Pleking' didn't stop it from fretting out in a couple of places or the intonation being wayyyy off. Now it plays and sounds great though.
 

Dino_k

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Nov 9, 2006
Messages
1,000
How come, when someone prefers a Historic, others feel the need to rain on their parade? :laugh2:

I went looking a few years back for an SG.
Vintage SG's were not even that expensive then.
After alot of comparing, I ended up going with a Historic over Vintage.
All the SG's sounded good, but the Historic I ended up buying, played better. :)

To demonstrate our clearly superior taste and refinement! :hee

Actually, the split seems to be 50:50 which just goes to show that "You need to actually play the guitars firsthand!!!!"
 
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