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Published on 09/04/11 at 19:07The Gibson R9 Historic Les Paul is a guitar that is designed and built by the master craftspeople at the Gibson Custom Shop. It came about as a guitar for the serious collector or player who wanted a near exact replica of the fabled 1959 sunburst Les Paul Standard, which many regard as the holy grail of guitars. It features many details that bring it very close to the original, such as the headstock decal, the pickups, the plastic parts, the finish, measurements, etc. It's really a guitar that the master builders went over with a fine tooth comb to make it as close to a '59 as they could. It features a mahogany body and neck, a highly figured maple top, cream binding, a rosewood fretboard with 22 frets and trapazoid inlays, Kluson tuners with tuliphead buttons, tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece, and a pair of Gibson Burstbucker pickups that are wired to period correct electronics, including the famed bumblebee capacitors.
UTILIZATION
The design, unfortunately for us modern players who like lighter and sleeker guitars, really was never one that was built for speed. The best Les Pauls are usually on the heavier side and this one is no exception. The R9 features no chambering or weight relief - so it's a pretty monster guitar. The neck is fairly beefy on it as well, which might be a turn off for some more modern players. The shape is the same as the Les Pauls of today for the most part. The neck heel is somewhat blocky, impeding upper fret access, and the nitro finish can get sticky after playing for longer periods of time.
Getting a good sound out of this guitar requires little to no work. It's one of the liveliest sounding guitars I've had the chance to try. They vary a bit from guitar to guitar but for the most part they're some of the loudest Gibsons unplugged that I've heard. This translates well to a great plugged in tone for both clean and distorted settings.
SOUNDS
The Gibson Historic R9 is simply a killer sounding guitar. Most modern Les Pauls are a bit hit or miss in their tones due to the chambering/weight relief or the pickups used. However the R9 just has a thick and pure tone that is what every Les Paul SHOULD be. When played unplugged, the notes bloom with a strong defined low end, biting midrange and a sparkling yet subdued top end that is totally Gibson. When the guitar was plugged in on a clean setting, I was greeted with a killer tone that was perfect for classic jazz or blues. This guitar has less high end than some USA model Pauls, so it doesn't do the funk/country vibe as well, but the classic Gibson jazz or blues tones don't get any better.
When hit with some distortion, this guitar is like a Lamborghini... it goes from 0 to 100 right away. The volume/tone pots are quite responsive and the guitar cleans up very well on even higher gain levels. The guitar is most excellent for classic rock tones like Jimmy Page's from early Zeppelin records or some late seventies arena rock like Thin Lizzy or Judas Priest. The pickups are quite dynamic and the guitar has a wonderful tone that sings with harmonics and overtones like a good Lester should.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the Gibson Historic R9 is probably the best example of a Les Paul that you will find without buying a vintage one. At about $5,000 new it isn't cheap in the slightest, but the quality is stellar, and the tones are everything I would expect from a killer vintage Gibson. They are a great guitar for collectors or serious players who want their own Holy Grail guitar.
UTILIZATION
The design, unfortunately for us modern players who like lighter and sleeker guitars, really was never one that was built for speed. The best Les Pauls are usually on the heavier side and this one is no exception. The R9 features no chambering or weight relief - so it's a pretty monster guitar. The neck is fairly beefy on it as well, which might be a turn off for some more modern players. The shape is the same as the Les Pauls of today for the most part. The neck heel is somewhat blocky, impeding upper fret access, and the nitro finish can get sticky after playing for longer periods of time.
Getting a good sound out of this guitar requires little to no work. It's one of the liveliest sounding guitars I've had the chance to try. They vary a bit from guitar to guitar but for the most part they're some of the loudest Gibsons unplugged that I've heard. This translates well to a great plugged in tone for both clean and distorted settings.
SOUNDS
The Gibson Historic R9 is simply a killer sounding guitar. Most modern Les Pauls are a bit hit or miss in their tones due to the chambering/weight relief or the pickups used. However the R9 just has a thick and pure tone that is what every Les Paul SHOULD be. When played unplugged, the notes bloom with a strong defined low end, biting midrange and a sparkling yet subdued top end that is totally Gibson. When the guitar was plugged in on a clean setting, I was greeted with a killer tone that was perfect for classic jazz or blues. This guitar has less high end than some USA model Pauls, so it doesn't do the funk/country vibe as well, but the classic Gibson jazz or blues tones don't get any better.
When hit with some distortion, this guitar is like a Lamborghini... it goes from 0 to 100 right away. The volume/tone pots are quite responsive and the guitar cleans up very well on even higher gain levels. The guitar is most excellent for classic rock tones like Jimmy Page's from early Zeppelin records or some late seventies arena rock like Thin Lizzy or Judas Priest. The pickups are quite dynamic and the guitar has a wonderful tone that sings with harmonics and overtones like a good Lester should.
OVERALL OPINION
All in all I think the Gibson Historic R9 is probably the best example of a Les Paul that you will find without buying a vintage one. At about $5,000 new it isn't cheap in the slightest, but the quality is stellar, and the tones are everything I would expect from a killer vintage Gibson. They are a great guitar for collectors or serious players who want their own Holy Grail guitar.