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Spec changes on Standards and Customs

Tim Plains

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Aug 1, 2013
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I was just curious if anyone knows how Gibson goes about changing specs every year. Is everything supposed to be changed across the board and all at once? Meaning, if something changes, does it change on all Standards and Customs from a certain date moving forward? I know R9s had different specs than the other Rs ~15 years ago but that was a different time.

The reason I ask is both my 2010 R7 Custom and 2010 '68 Custom came with corian nuts and fat/round pre-2009 necks…but if the specs changed in 2009 to nylon nuts and softer neck shapes, why didn't these two have those new appointments, and what if they didn't receive any/many of the other 2009 changes? The same could be asked about hide glue and every other spec change. If Gibson is now using hide on Standards, are they also using hide on Customs, or do people just assume that is the case?
 

KennyY

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Aug 9, 2001
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742
They used hide glue on the neck joint of the 20th anniversary 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue black beauties. I picked the 3 pickup version last year for a backup to my 2010 '57 Les Paul 3 pickup Custom.
 

MikeSlub

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Jul 15, 2001
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15,167
I was just curious if anyone knows how Gibson goes about changing specs every year. Is everything supposed to be changed across the board and all at once?

The answer is - it depends. Some guitars are in the production process as the old year ends and the new year begins and don't get stamped with a serial number until the new year. But if they make a really big deal about a spec change or design change as part of an "anniversary" year or "new specs on all 2014's" something like that, they are more careful to draw a line of demarcation for production that comes out with that new moniker and specs. :hank
 

Triburst

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Feb 12, 2006
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Mike, have you heard anything about when they actually switched from Burstbuckers to Custombuckers? I have a pair that came out of a late 2012 R9 (which went to Historic Makeovers and got Throbaks in the process). I put them in a '62 SG reissue that I bought at Gruhn's, and they sound great. They were stickered a little different than the Burstbuckers that came in my 2009 R9 as well.

Just curious -- they are what they are.:hank
 

KennyY

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Aug 9, 2001
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How do they compare tonewise?

The 20th anniversary one sounds much brighter. I think the fact is it much lighter (8.5 pounds) and have custombuckers have something to do with it.
I got it as backup and Gibson has problems sourcing ebony boards for Customs.

My playing style is pretty much in the jazz hard-bop camp (Burrell, Green, Montgomery), so I like a darker sound. My 2010 is much darker and I don't have roll the tone down. I think I might have to swap out the custom buckers or change the pots on the newer one, because it doesn't sound too great when I do roll down the tone.
 

Bowflex

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Mar 22, 2012
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127
At the end of 2013 they had some "transition" guitars that had a '13stamp but '14 specs. They came with special paperwork from gibson to verify that. I don't believe they had done that in prior years but I could easily be wrong. In '12 they had the factory bursts which featured some of the changes that were coming in '13 (custom buckers, aniline dye, and I believe an uncovered truss).
 

Tim Plains

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Aug 1, 2013
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Cheers guys.

Mike, I agree with your answer but again - mine are both 2010s. That's a at least a full year after the 2009 specs / nylon nuts would have been implemented. Strange, isn't it?
 

MIKE20

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Aug 11, 2004
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... In '12 they had the factory bursts which featured some of the changes that were coming in '13 (custom buckers, aniline dye, and I believe an uncovered truss).

where did these factoids come from?

the only one I know of for sure is the dye on the backs.
 

Bowflex

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Mar 22, 2012
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where did these factoids come from?

the only one I know of for sure is the dye on the backs.

Gibson's website. I just rechecked and there were two colors done. One color got custom buckers and the other had 57 classics. I saw a few when they first came out but only the ones that had custom buckers. As for the truss rod, the spec sheet says traditional which, to me, sounds like the original style. Of course my interpretation could be wrong which is why I did not say that one was for sure.
 

Uncle Gary

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Oct 15, 2006
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2,431
Cheers guys.

Mike, I agree with your answer but again - mine are both 2010s. That's a at least a full year after the 2009 specs / nylon nuts would have been implemented. Strange, isn't it?

I had '09 ES-335 "Anniversary", a '10 R4 Custom and a '10 ES-355 VOS reissue. All 3 came with Corian nuts. I've always assumed that the R8/9/0 standards, being the "flagship" models in the Historic line, get the improvements first. SOME of these improvements then trickle on down through the line, but not always at the same time, apparently.
 
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