Talk to me about the Les Paul Moderns and Supremes.

  • Thread starter Thread starter GJgo
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GJgo said:
As it turns out, my local GC has a new one of these in stock so I played it. At first I was turned off by the neck size but after A/Bing it with 10+ other LPs on the wall I realized how much better it really is. That said being all Mahogny it was definitely darker than the maple cap LPs across the board- which sound killer for bluesy riffs, but I have a suspicion in a mid / high gain band setting the maple cap ones will cut better.

So, I went down the rabbit hole of the 57RI vs the 68RI vs the not-RI Custom. Did you know the 57's PUPs are unpotted, and the RIs both use nylon nuts which likely have something to do with tuning stability? Anyway long story short, for what I'm going for I decided the non-RI Custom is probably the one for me.... and it'll be here on the brown truck this afternoon. :cool: :rock:

On paper I wanted the white one till I found out they're made on the USA production line because they have to be painted over there. For that price I want an actual custom shop build, so that was a nope for me. Black it is!

I also spent a minute looking at Custom Explorers, but at the end of the day what I'm really after is the LPC TONE which I've yet to experience another guitar that does that particular thing.

Over the years I've had a ton of passive PUP humbucker guitars and have bonded with essentially none of them despite @Beyond Black continually telling me I need a good one. So, here's hoping this one fits the bill. :)
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Congrats on ya new guitar if you have decided on it :) yeah a Gibson is different i have not played a modern gibson yet for me gibson has gotta be traditional and vintage correct.... i just found a used 57 RI black beauty no cap all mahogany and i went down the gibson alley getting myself a 58 RI rosewood board with the maple cap and subsequently an R9... out of the stable i would say the 57 black beauty has more of a tighter snappier tone having that ebony board vs the R8 & R9... my R8 sound darker than the R9 thou despite both having rosewood and maple cap... but i have a feeling thatmy R8 probably has that madgascar fretboard that grain and color is very different? I would be wrong but if am right it could have been the madagascar rosewood sounding softer and darker...

Have not played a 57 classic before but am very happy with the gibson alnico 2 burstbuckers i got on my R8 & R9... its mid low output with nice tight lowend without too much mids yet not overly bright...

As for the nut... i heard gibson RI uses corian nut rather than nylon... thou many gibson purist would prefer nylon nut being vintage correct, so far i didnt encounter issues on tuning stability ... though i only know an improper cut nut will only resulted on tuning stability issue...
 
I have a few customs and a 2004 Supreme. All have changed pups as I dont really get along with Gibson stock pups. As was mentioned, the Supreme wouldnt be my first choice for modern metal as overall the attack is just not as tight/punchy on an extreme high gain amp. For a classic R&R sound is where it shines. Has the LP feel and really responds well to your right hand, no matter what pups are in it. I would prolly sell one of my customs over my Supreme if I had to sell any of them.
I also found that its much easier to find a good custom over a good Supreme. Not sure if this applies to the new ones though. Hope this helps.
 
hopkinWFG said:
Congrats on ya new guitar if you have decided on it :) yeah a Gibson is different i have not played a modern gibson yet for me gibson has gotta be traditional and vintage correct.... i just found a used 57 RI black beauty no cap all mahogany and i went down the gibson alley getting myself a 58 RI rosewood board with the maple cap and subsequently an R9... out of the stable i would say the 57 black beauty has more of a tighter snappier tone having that ebony board vs the R8 & R9... my R8 sound darker than the R9 thou despite both having rosewood and maple cap... but i have a feeling thatmy R8 probably has that madgascar fretboard that grain and color is very different? I would be wrong but if am right it could have been the madagascar rosewood sounding softer and darker...

Have not played a 57 classic before but am very happy with the gibson alnico 2 burstbuckers i got on my R8 & R9... its mid low output with nice tight lowend without too much mids yet not overly bright...

As for the nut... i heard gibson RI uses corian nut rather than nylon... thou many gibson purist would prefer nylon nut being vintage correct, so far i didnt encounter issues on tuning stability ... though i only know an improper cut nut will only resulted on tuning stability issue...
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According to Gibson (currenty), the 57 & 68 RIs use a nylon nut and the "regular" custom uses Corian.

Side note, the Moderns & Supremes are using Graph Tech nuts.
 
tallcoolone said:
Yup, it’s frustrating but the only way to be sure is to try before you buy. Esp with Gibsons. Buying online works for a lot of things but not Gibsons
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100%

That period of time in particular is really bad for gibson USA though

I returned two supremes in a row to musicians friend and then basically gave up

super expensive guitars with dead frets and broken truss rods lmfao
 
So I got the LPC. It is a gorgeous guitar no doubt, however there are (suprise?) some issues that I'm not cool with for a brand new guitar at this price point. Looks like it's going back.

A couple things I could look past if the tone was epic. There's a noisy pot- easy fix, but really? There's a step between the neck & the binding all the way up & down both sides. Also all the way up and down both sides the fret ends are bulging the binding out so it's lumpy. Makes me think they built it with un-cured wood and it shrunk.

The deal breaker though, the bridge pickup squeals so bad it's unusable. I can even make it sing by moving my hand position around. On the lead channel of my IIC+ it doens't quiet down until the gain is below 2.

It's really embarassing how much better ESP QC is...

So how is the tone? It's fine, much more full than my regular EMG guitars. That said it does not have the warmth and liquidity of the '57 RI Custom I played in the store, nor does it have the note clarity on complex chording from a tone I love to chase like 1987. That and the squeal could probably be rectified with a PUP swap, which is what I'd do if I'd bought this used.
 
GJgo said:
So I got the LPC. It is a gorgeous guitar no doubt, however there are (suprise?) some issues that I'm not cool with for a brand new guitar at this price point. Looks like it's going back.

A couple things I could look past if the tone was epic. There's a noisy pot- easy fix, but really? There's a step between the neck & the binding all the way up & down both sides. Also all the way up and down both sides the fret ends are bulging the binding out so it's lumpy. Makes me think they built it with un-cured wood and it shrunk.

The deal breaker though, the bridge pickup squeals so bad it's unusable. I can even make it sing by moving my hand position around. On the lead channel of my IIC+ it doens't quiet down until the gain is below 2.

It's really embarassing how much better ESP QC is...

So how is the tone? It's fine, much more full than my regular EMG guitars. That said it does not have the warmth and liquidity of the '57 RI Custom I played in the store, nor does it have the note clarity on complex chording from a tone I love to chase like 1987. That and the squeal could probably be rectified with a PUP swap, which is what I'd do if I'd bought this used.
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What pickup is in there? Recently got a 68 reissue- really been bonding with it. But the 68 custombuckers were yanked out on day 2 which was one day too long ?
 
GJgo said:
Given Gibson QC, I bet they forgot. It's unreal.
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Sorry to hear that... hope you got it all sorted out soon... but imo only the gibson CS are the way to go.... hope you find a true gibson CS soon !!
 
Well, hopefully the second time is the charm!! After retuning the regular new LPC and going through more play testing, I ended up buying a new LPC '68 RI Murphy Lab light aged. I sorted out that I like the maple cap more, and the 60s neck more, and from talking to guys it just seems like the Murphy RIs tend to be a lote more consistently good.

MUCH BETTER.

No quality issues, neck is straight as an arrow, comfy neck & killer playability. I mean, it's still no ESP, but it's by far the best Gibson I've handled in terms of playing feel & QC.

So how about the tone? The Alnico II 68 Custom PUPs are decent but not blowing me away, those may need to be upgraded. To be fair with a boost they turn it into a completely different guitar, but I think we can do better. @Bxlxaxkxe tell me more about where you went there?

Tomorrow morning I'm going into GC before they open & the store manager is going to let me shoot a comparo vid of the Custom 57 RI, this Custom 68 RI and the regular Custom I returned. :cool: Looking forward to a direct comparo against the Alnico III Custombucker PUPs in the Custom '57 RI as well as in the store manager's Standard '59 RI custom shop Murphy. I know those are unpotted & may not work with the gain I run, so we'll see. That aside I have a suspicion I'll like them more.
 

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bubucci said:
Chambered guitar can sounds good, but they don't work for heavier music as good as traditional full body or 9-hole relief. And they are prone to feedback much more.
Did you checked 'standard' Custom ? The are heavier than reissues but 498T pickups and thin neck profile make them perfect for rock/metal music and black custom looks just fantastic.
Cobra burst is pure perfection.
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Beware, nowadays the LPC or even the Modern Custom family have pretty thick necks, similar to 58. In the 2010s they had some runs with slim taper but not anymore. AFAIK only the SGC has a slim taper neck.
 
I have to use guitars that are weight relieved now or just naturally lighter. I don't mind it like i used to. I have a 9 pound Standard that I love but for gigs I even want lighter at between 7 and 8 pounds.
 
MetalGOD84 said:
Beware, nowadays the LPC or even the Modern Custom family have pretty thick necks, similar to 58. In the 2010s they had some runs with slim taper but not anymore. AFAIK only the SGC has a slim taper neck.
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It is not exactly Even Taper, it is slightly more C shaped neck. I had 2012, 2016 and recently played 2024 and they had almost identical shapes. My R9 has perfect shape but it has more meat than Customs. R8´s has noticably bigger necks.

Weight-wise I swapped my main gigging guitar LP Heritage 80, 10lbs for 8lbs R9 and it is fantastic guitar for gigging.
 
GJgo said:
Well, hopefully the second time is the charm!! After retuning the regular new LPC and going through more play testing, I ended up buying a new LPC '68 RI Murphy Lab light aged. I sorted out that I like the maple cap more, and the 60s neck more, and from talking to guys it just seems like the Murphy RIs tend to be a lote more consistently good.

MUCH BETTER.

No quality issues, neck is straight as an arrow, comfy neck & killer playability. I mean, it's still no ESP, but it's by far the best Gibson I've handled in terms of playing feel & QC.

So how about the tone? The Alnico II 68 Custom PUPs are decent but not blowing me away, those may need to be upgraded. To be fair with a boost they turn it into a completely different guitar, but I think we can do better. @Bxlxaxkxe tell me more about where you went there?

Tomorrow morning I'm going into GC before they open & the store manager is going to let me shoot a comparo vid of the Custom 57 RI, this Custom 68 RI and the regular Custom I returned. :cool: Looking forward to a direct comparo against the Alnico III Custombucker PUPs in the Custom '57 RI as well as in the store manager's Standard '59 RI custom shop Murphy. I know those are unpotted & may not work with the gain I run, so we'll see. That aside I have a suspicion I'll like them more.
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Glad ya find the path of light !!! Gibsons are still good !! But just that ya need to find with the right dollars lol have not tried the 68RI but i prefer a chunkier neck R7 BB !! Still a classic as ever !!
 
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