Sigh. Botched reissue for Gibson. This time the 70's Les Paul Deluxe

[Gergo]

https://guitar.com/news/gear-news/gibso ... qxYjG9JARE

Been eagerly waiting for this, But...
Gibson does a 70's Les Paul Deluxe reissue that is almost NOTHING like a 70's Les Paul Deluxe. Really? I guess I am not surprised. A "70's Deluxe" with a chunky voluteless mahogany neck, no pointers on the control knobs, the wrong kind of tuning keys, and probably more. I guess they are just going with their "safe formula" that seems to be the way they do things in this new era for Gibson. What a disappointment. I guess I will just keep looking for a late 70's-mid 80's Japanese knock-off Les Paul Deluxe that is actually done the right way.

https://guitar.com/news/gear-news/gibso ... qxYjG9JARE

[BatUtilityBelt]

"with a price tag of $2,899"... yikes. But they did give it mini humbuckers, which I guess checks all their boxes for a Deluxe. I would quickly swap those out for some P90s anyway though, so I am not the target market.

[Chocol8]

Morons. Sad thing is the COVID buying frenzy will make them look good...temporarily.

[uwmcscott]

I suppose I’m in the minority here as a non-hater of Gibson but to me this is an improvement. Not period correct as a “reissue” but to be honest some of the things from the Norlin era are best left there. The prices are what they are, everything costs more these days.

[Chocol8]

I suppose I’m in the minority here as a non-hater of Gibson but to me this is an improvement. Not period correct as a “reissue” but to be honest some of the things from the Norlin era are best left there. The prices are what they are, everything costs more these days.

If you are going to do a reissue, the easiest thing to do is to get it right.

If you want to do something new, market it as something new. Maybe call it vintage modern, 70’s inspired with a modern twist, or something like that. Honesty is not difficult.

[Mossman]

It looks like it's the mini-humbuckers that make it a '70s RI and that's it. I don't know why people still think in 2021 that a volute is a bad thing... People would prefer their headstock to snap off, rather than have a volute? I don't get it.

They can keep the pancake body in the '70s, though... Frankly, I'm not even sure why they're even bothering to make a '70s reissue Les Paul. Who's waxing nostalgic for that period in Gibson's history? People didn't even want those guitars back then.

[Razzle]

I happen to have a REAL Norlin CSB Deluxe. The Norlins were hugely inconsistent, men has the pancake body, but a decent 2-piece plaintop. It’s got a 3-piece neck, and I really like the vintage (smaller size) frets.

I should buy one of these and do a real comparison.

I didn’t know about these re-issues.

[nomadh]

I dunno, tiny humbuckers, limited lackluster finishes? Seems like they nailed it. Do they weight a min of 11.5 lbs? Do they have that 50% glue 70s tone?

[Longblacktie]

My 75 deluxe is a monster. Perfect for hard rock and metal. I got it for less than 2k.

I think my Agile AL3100 prepared me well for the weight. Neither AL or deluxe seem heavy to me

The mini hum buckers were terrible. I’ve had P90s and other mini hums in there - all sounded better than the stock pickups

[BatUtilityBelt]

If you are going to do a reissue, the easiest thing to do is to get it right.

If you want to do something new, market it as something new. Maybe call it vintage modern, 70’s inspired with a modern twist, or something like that. Honesty is not difficult.

I agree with your basic premise, but these are not guitar builders we're talking about. They are corporate bean counters trying to figure out how to convince new buyers in the cheapest way possible. Fake some nostalgia with the least amount of effort? Done, let's go to the bar now.

[Mossman]

If you are going to do a reissue, the easiest thing to do is to get it right.

If you want to do something new, market it as something new. Maybe call it vintage modern, 70’s inspired with a modern twist, or something like that. Honesty is not difficult.

I agree with your basic premise, but these are not guitar builders we're talking about. They are corporate bean counters trying to figure out how to convince new buyers in the cheapest way possible. Fake some nostalgia with the least amount of effort? Done, let's go to the bar now.

I was going to (sarcastically) suggest that Gibson should do a reissue of the '52 Les Paul with the bridge-less design... Everybody loved that (especially Les Paul).





But then I found out they did that already back in 2002 for the LP's 50th anniversary.

[peskypesky]

ok, boomer

[Mossman]

ok, boomer

Huh?

[LightWingStudios]

https://guitar.com/news/gear-news/gibso ... qxYjG9JARE

Been eagerly waiting for this, But...
Gibson does a 70's Les Paul Deluxe reissue that is almost NOTHING like a 70's Les Paul Deluxe. Really? I guess I am not surprised. A "70's Deluxe" with a chunky voluteless mahogany neck, no pointers on the control knobs, the wrong kind of tuning keys, and probably more. I guess they are just going with their "safe formula" that seems to be the way they do things in this new era for Gibson. What a disappointment. I guess I will just keep looking for a late 70's-mid 80's Japanese knock-off Les Paul Deluxe that is actually done the right way.

https://guitar.com/news/gear-news/gibso ... qxYjG9JARE

I actually have a '72 in a Translucent Cherry Red finish (not the God awful Wine) and it's a killer. Minis RULE! My FIRST Gibby as a matter of fact. PANCAKE NORLINS WEREN'T ALL THAT BAD. Paid $650 for it back then. Still a small fortune in those days.

[idiotsdelight]

If you are going to do a reissue, the easiest thing to do is to get it right.

If you want to do something new, market it as something new. Maybe call it vintage modern, 70’s inspired with a modern twist, or something like that. Honesty is not difficult.

I agree with your basic premise, but these are not guitar builders we're talking about. They are corporate bean counters trying to figure out how to convince new buyers in the cheapest way possible. Fake some nostalgia with the least amount of effort? Done, let's go to the bar now.

I was going to (sarcastically) suggest that Gibson should do a reissue of the '52 Les Paul with the bridge-less design... Everybody loved that (especially Les Paul).





But then I found out they did that already back in 2002 for the LP's 50th anniversary.

I love that guitar and regret not setting my GT neck angle to accommodate the trapeze. Next time.

I'm with whomever said do it "right". Keep all the good things of the Deluxe and fix the things that shouldn't have been done.

Same for the trapeze LP. The RI's fixed the neck angle so you could top wrap the bridge like it was intended. Duh.

[Gergo]

ok, boomer

Not sure what your point is

[Gergo]

I dunno, tiny humbuckers, limited lackluster finishes? Seems like they nailed it. Do they weight a min of 11.5 lbs? Do they have that 50% glue 70s tone?

The tone on my 1978 Les Paul Standard is great. The guitar weighs in at a little less than 10 lbs. Love the neck and it plays like a dream

[uwmcscott]

I have owned a 73 deluxe and I also have a 2011 Gibson USA "reissue" deluxe - not a custom shop but a Gibson USA line guitar. Generally they don't even label Gibson USA guitars as reissues, and the one I have is even further from the actual design of a true Deluxe than the Custom shop one shared here. Mine is a weight relieved body, 1 piece mahog neck, and it even has a locking neutrik input jack instead of a regular one. Also came with the PCB wiring board setup they were using in a lot of guitars at the time. Having said that, the "features" that are missing that would qualify it as a reissue in true custom shop thinking ( pancake body, 3 piece neck, multi-piece top, wider headstock ) are not missed at all by me.

My 73 deluxe was a nice guitar no doubt and it had that retro mojo for sure, but the top was 3 pieces of horribly mismatched maple, and even the upper cap of the body itself was 4 separate pieces of mahogany - it looked like the Jenga guys must have put it together It was even pretty light ( just under 10 lbs ) for a Norlin era guitar.

But for me, the whole reissue thing is kind of an enigma anyway so I'm not going to get my undies up in a bundle about it if this particular one isn't true to form. We all know that the Gibson company is not what it used to be as well.

This is my 2011 deluxe "reissue" which I have in essence converted into my (relatively) poor-man's version of an R6. It has Budda P90's and also a wiring harness Tim made for me to replace the circuit board version.

[Mossman]

I love that guitar and regret not setting my GT neck angle to accommodate the trapeze. Next time.

I'm with whomever said do it "right". Keep all the good things of the Deluxe and fix the things that shouldn't have been done.

Same for the trapeze LP. The RI's fixed the neck angle so you could top wrap the bridge like it was intended. Duh.

That's pretty much what I was saying. If you're going to do a reissue, don't just take a standard Les Paul and slap a pair of mini-hums in it and call it a '70s reissue. Keep the volute, and lose the 9-piece, 12lb, pancake body. I just don't think I said it all in one post. But then I slid sideways into: "Who asked for this in the first place??" At least a '52 Les Paul Reissue is of interest to collectors, if not a mass market. Who, exactly, is the market for a half-assed '70s Les Paul? It's not accurate enough for collectors, and I'm not aware of any players who are pining for the good ol' days of Gibson in the '70s.

[Gergo]

I love that guitar and regret not setting my GT neck angle to accommodate the trapeze. Next time.

I'm with whomever said do it "right". Keep all the good things of the Deluxe and fix the things that shouldn't have been done.

Same for the trapeze LP. The RI's fixed the neck angle so you could top wrap the bridge like it was intended. Duh.

That's pretty much what I was saying. If you're going to do a reissue, don't just take a standard Les Paul and slap a pair of mini-hums in it and call it a '70s reissue. Keep the volute, and lose the 9-piece, 12lb, pancake body. I just don't think I said it all in one post. But then I slid sideways into: "Who asked for this in the first place??" At least a '52 Les Paul Reissue is of interest to collectors, if not a mass market. Who, exactly, is the market for a half-assed '70s Les Paul? It's not accurate enough for collectors, and I'm not aware of any players who are pining for the good ol' days of Gibson in the '70s.

I love some of the Norlin era Les Pauls. Two of the best Standards I have ever owned were Norlin era. They gave us some badass Les Pauls in my opinion. Norlin created: Les Paul Artisan, Les Paul Spotlight Special, The Les Paul, Les Paul Deluxe, Les Paul Artist, The Paul, Les Paul Firebrand.

I think they are all unique and pretty cool in their own ways

[andrewsrea]

I agree with @Mossman . Most of the 70's LPs were bricks with strings.

My friend has a 71 that isn't too bad. He got it for $900 and had it routed for full-sized humbuckers, as the original mini's were the worst of the leftover Epiphone batches and sounded thin. It still weighs a ton - pancake body, diecast (schaller) tuners, 3 piece neck, boat-paddle headstock and the volute. His has a 'meh' tobacco burst finish with a plain top.

Perhaps Gibson is testing the waters and following their methods? Which is, reissue and then advertise that the next reissue is more accurate then the last.

[RayStankewitz]

And this is why for now, I'll stick with either Epi LP's, the other higher end LP-styles or build my own. Gibson is driven by bean counters who aren't musicians and only look at the bottom line. My Agile AL3010SE with the GFS mini-humbuckers doesn't weigh too much and now with the upgrades, has bark and bite that I would put up against that new Deluxe reissue. I'm also under $600 total outlay and that includes the case.

the upside of this reissue is when the Covid-19 purchasers gain some clarity and realize this isn't what it should have been, we can grab them up at a discount. The Gibby L6 and Marauders are a classic example. Both could be had at one time for a song once the novelty wore off. Many of the the last Deluxe Gibby issued ended up as parts guitars on Stratosphere.

And to the guitar manufacturers; could you quit painting guitars black? Use some imagination, will ya?
(can you tell I'm sick of black guitars?)

[Mossman]

And to the guitar manufacturers; could you quit painting guitars black? Use some imagination, will ya?
(can you tell I'm sick of black guitars?)

Me too... When I was younger, a guitar could be any color, as long as it was black... but now, I have zero interest in black guitars. I have one black Jazz Bass and one black Tele, and that's more than enough for me.

I'll add to your plea to the manufacturers by saying: If you have to make black one of the color options, don't make the other one white... Or red. Give us something snazzy. I would have bought a Squier CV Deluxe Tele a long time ago if it came in some other color besides black and white.

[nomadh]

And to the guitar manufacturers; could you quit painting guitars black? Use some imagination, will ya?
(can you tell I'm sick of black guitars?)

Me too... When I was younger, a guitar could be any color, as long as it was black... but now, I have zero interest in black guitars. I have one black Jazz Bass and one black Tele, and that's more than enough for me.

I'll add to your plea to the manufacturers by saying: If you have to make black one of the color options, don't make the other one white... Or red. Give us something snazzy. I would have bought a Squier CV Deluxe Tele a long time ago if it came in some other color besides black and white.

We should start a club. No black, white or red guitars.

[Mossman]

And to the guitar manufacturers; could you quit painting guitars black? Use some imagination, will ya?
(can you tell I'm sick of black guitars?)

Me too... When I was younger, a guitar could be any color, as long as it was black... but now, I have zero interest in black guitars. I have one black Jazz Bass and one black Tele, and that's more than enough for me.

I'll add to your plea to the manufacturers by saying: If you have to make black one of the color options, don't make the other one white... Or red. Give us something snazzy. I would have bought a Squier CV Deluxe Tele a long time ago if it came in some other color besides black and white.

We should start a club. No black, white or red guitars.

Well, some red finishes are good (like CAR or trans wine), just not the boring, bright red you often see... Especially on the real low-end cheepies. I don't care much for Dakota or Fiesta Red, either... And Race Red makes me mean.