SeSSion diary
A Wealth Of Choice Adam gets his hands on some classic originals, but how on the money are they compared to his trusty reissues?
Gibson guitars and their imminent financial problems seem to be very much in the news at the moment. I hope this is all resolved in a positive fashion by the time you read this. As we all know, Gibson and their fluctuating fortunes (not to mention quality control) have been at the forefront of rock and jazz music since the 30s, a few questionable updates notwithstanding (robot tuners anyone? No, thought not).
I’ve been using a 1936 L50 for my current day job in the 42nd Street orchestra at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London’s West End, and I don’t think I can remember doing any studio sessions when I didn’t take at least one Gibson along.
I’m not a financial or marketing expert, so I’m not going to pass (much) judgement on the company’s business decisions, but I am a working musician and an enthusiast of the brand. But, equally I don’t have the income level of Slash to be going out and spending £200,000 on a real ’59 ’Burst.
I do, however, know a man who has been lucky enough to have several of these guitars pass through his hands. The gentleman in question is Clive Kay, and he very kindly invited me to his house recently to try his real ’57 Goldtop and ’59 ’Burst and put them up against my 2008 R7 and 2016 True Historic ’58.
I must admit my first emotion before I played them was of vague dread that I’d never again be happy playing my reissues after I’d played his guitars. I’d experienced something similar after I bought what remains my main guitar today, an original 1967 Cherry 335, which put my reissues firmly in the shade.
First up were the two Goldtops, my R7 and the real thing. Clive’s ’57 is one of the most fantastic guitars I’ve ever played, what a sound! Rich, clear and a good weight as well, with the kind of beautiful aged look that you can almost fake on a Les Paul (as long as you don’t pick it up, when it becomes obvious whether it’s relic’d or not). That being said, my R7 cost me £2,400 and is super-vibey and ‘ringy’, although I’m toying with changing the pickups as the stock ones are just a wee bit muffled, especially the neck pickup.
This has seemed, in my experience, to be the most common issue I’ve had with modern reissue Gibsons – that the pickups (most of the time) don’t quite cut it in comparison to say, Bare Knuckles or Seymour Duncan Antiquities, which are two replacement PAF style pickups I’ve used. When you’re paying anything from £3,000 to £9,000 for custombucker-equipped guitars, it really isn’t good enough.
Next up was the holy grail, the ’59 Sunburst. There’s no denying it, it was a thing of beauty, and there is something special about those old PAFs, at least the ones I’ve played anyway, and the way they interact with the old wood (which I think is a huge factor, the mahogany used these days is comparatively new) but how did it fare against my True Historic?
It did rather put my reissue in the shade at the time, but now I’ve replaced the stock pickups with the aforementioned Seymour Duncans, which sound great, I’m not convinced there’s much of a difference. And, for our purposes, ie studio playing, by the time the guitar has gone through an amp, a mic, a mixing desk, mastering, and onto an MP3, there is absolutely no difference.
Not to detract from the absolute magic to be found playing these guitars, but there is a very serious financial commitment here, and I for one will still be feeling very happy with my guitars for now.
The only real conclusion one can ever reach in this subject is that not all vintage guitars are great, while some are magical, and not all new Gibsons are vaguely disappointing, despite what various internet ‘experts’ would have us believe. In the end, if that extra magic makes you play better, whether the guitar is 60 years or six months old, that’s surely what counts most.
Thanks again Clive for your hospitality.