Gibson True Historic Les Paul vs Regular Custom Shop Les Paul 

Some people collect old postage stamps. Some people buy sports cars that they can't legally drive to their full ability. Some people run marathons. Some people raise honeybees. And some people spend thousands of dollars on replica vintage guitars. Everyone's got their thing. Live and let live.

Custom shop Les Pauls are just fantastic instruments. I have never played one that didnt feel or sound great. Money is subjective. People spend thousands on golf clubs, vacations, cars, you name it. If guitar is your thing why not? Instead of a week at an Island resort how about a Les Paul that will give a lifetime of enjoyment.

The problem I have is what is now a $7000US "True Historic" used to be a plain old Standard that you'd pull off the wall at a guitar store. Gibson are basically saying "we are going to charge you 3x the price for what should be standard features".

"Don't hate the people who can afford it" Spot on Rob! We work hard for money, there is no way in hell I could afford a £7k guitar but I work bloody hard to try and get myself to a point when I can!

Have you ever noticed how Rob and Lee's personalities are reflected in the way they play guitar?

Gibson Les Pauls: now featuring a lineup with Vintage Plastic.

The top on that True Historic is just drop dead gorgeous. The whole thing is, really.

Never seen the Cap get so into it before! Love it!

I’ve had 6 LPs throughout my life and they all had problems or didn’t sound quite right but when I finally got my custom shop R9 it was the best one ever! It’s worth paying the price! And yes I get inspired every time I touch it and its by far my favorite guitar I own!

It might be time for Rob to shave his head, never go full Devin Townsend.

Really digging the Captains leads of late. Reporting for duty sir!

Please never stop making videos like these. Absolutely fascinating to watch and great playing as well.

it's all in the fingers not the guitar.. Give Picasso a no. 2 pencil and a legal pad and he'd blow your mind.

Uh oh... A Gibson Custom Shop video... Cue the 'my epiphone is better than anything gibson can produce' comments... Cue the 'anyone who spends this much on a guitar is a moron (because I can't afford to, so why should anyone else be able to)' comments... Cue the 'Gibson can't make a proper guitar anymore (but I really wouldn't know because I've never played anything more than an epiphone)' comments...

Rob's outburst at 9:05 had my crying hahahah

I live in the U.S. and this video makes it worth staying up til 5 in the morning to watch. Cheers and good morning, guys!

A shame every guitar Rob plays sounds like it's being played through a Line 6 amp, the distortion is a fuzzy and nasty.

Just a comment about the price topic: I disagree with you. Big companies have all their costs reduced in comparison to an individual luthier. Gibson or Fender buy raw material and other supplies in big quantity, they have production lines that make bodies and necks even for custom shop models. They can make thousands of guitars every month, while a small luthiery can make only one ou two. All those factors will act to reduce the cost per instrument, not increase it. There's absolutely no reason for a guitar to cost the price of a car, other than the fact that you're paying for the brand on it. In other words, they charge that much because there's people willing to pay. I have nothing against people who can afford those instruments. If you can, good for you. But I do not believe that there's anything in a US$ 7.000 Les Paul that couldn't be in a US$ 2.000 model. Sorry about english mistakes.

Captain, I am very impressed with how far you have come in such a short period of time with your guitar playing skills! way to go!

The world doesn't really need yet another almost the same as the others Les Paul.

I think it's good that some guitars are so expensive. You need to be seriously invested in your playing to make such an investment, and the price guilts you into playing it a lot. Win win!

I’m fortunate enough but older so I’m able now to get my dream guitars..The custom shop les Paul’s R9 59 I have is bliss ..I have the 60’s standard from 2019 it’s a great guitar but the 59 vos..just feels special..either way these Gibsons are keepers👍🏻👍🏻

17:39 - holy cow, Lee has an absolutely fantastic touch and tone 👌

That one guy? Ben Crowe, at Crimson Guitars. He's the guy I would throw a bunch of cash at for a truly bespoke custom guitar.

I'm pretty sure an original 1959 les paul did not have a selector switch cavity cover that says true historic on it.

Seriously...you guys have the best guitar related channel on RU-vid. Thank you so much for providing hours of entertainment, and amazing insight on these beautiful instruments. You're product knowledge is top notch, and you guys have the choppy fingers to back it up, keep it up!!!

Glad the videos are still going to be forthcoming.Always entertaining.Rock on lee and Rob.

People will spend their disposable income on the things they love. If that happens to be guitar, I can definitely see justifying one of these.

thing is with guitars: most of them usually keep their value relatively well. if you buy a midprice BMW or Audi (or any other car in fact) the value pretty much halves the second you put it on your driveway. Things like computers become completely worthless in about a year or 2...would i buy a really expensive guitar if i had the means? i probably would. but as i am a student at the moment i'm quite happy playing a (much) lower priced instrument for the time being

I could fall asleep to the soothing sounds of these Les Pauls...

I love Rob's comments on people who make a decent living. It's refreshing to hear this day and age.

Don't we all want Rob to ditch the Victory in a video like this and play such an expensive Gibson through a Marshall? I might be wrong, perhaps it's just me. But such guitars in a "... vs ..." video should be played through a Marshall and a Fender amp.

I never like the tones that Rob gets with a Les Paul. I'm not in to slamming Rob on his own channel, usually he gets great tone but in the last two Les Paul vids he's done the tone hasn't quite been there.

My word Cap't,17:35,that playing is absolutely immense.I need more bluesy soul bending goodness!!

Rob - dude, video after video, you got mad skillz and soul!! Like the evals and the humor too.

Regular Custom Shop. It sounds so wrong ;D

LEE TOUCH HIS NOSE EVERY TIME HE TALKS ABOUT WHETHER IT IS WORTH IT OR NOT, OBVIOUSLY HE THINKS IT DOES'T

I've been waiting for someone to go in depth about this!!

17:20 This is so true! When i traded my Epiphone for a genuine Les Paul Standard, i was inspired to play again, and it still hasn;t worn off. Having said that, my new ML3-RC has done the same. The moral of the story is. We are richer for having THINGS and STUFF.

I'm no expert, but, those guitars sound like they are made out of wood.

8000 pounds is roughly $17000 Australian Dollars.... So no I wouldn't spend that much on a guitar. I would get multiple guitars, some nice amps and a decent home recording set up.

That end Jam was the best I've heard you two do, it was very beautiful.

Was literally just looking at the true historic gibson page and thought "has rob put up a new video?" And it's this, I was like WWOOOOOOOWWW

You guys are the guitar version of Top Gear!

The biggest thing they have in common is I cant afford either.

So my question regarding the "reenactment" '59 LP is; Is it painted in the same process as the originals and lacquered the same way so they will age and fade the same way the originals did? Will they morph into the Lemon Bursts and Tobacco Bursts, etc. like they used to?

You guys are Great, love watching! Thanks!!!

Hell no would i buy a £7000 guitar from a big company. I'd much rather go to a small luthier and have them hand make me a guitar completely how i would want it with far more involvement and personal connection with it and then probably have enough left over for a nice hand-wired Amp and Cab and some damn nice pedals.

Guys... Is this potentially the last video with Lee?

Your soloing was particularly tasty in this video, Rob.

The car was the Pagani Huayra and Hammond was talking about the entire shift lever mechanism. :) Good episode, that!

I always think of guitar as a bit like cars. You can spend £250 on a car that'll run fairly well but you can also buy a car that will cost a six figure sum. Its up to the person themselves to justify whether its worth the money. Also original vintage cars tend to be good investments, much like guitars. I think it's fair enough to say that you wouldn't spend that money on a guitar but I don't think it's right when people hate on others for doing it. At the end of the day, guitars are awesome and all that matters is that you have a good time playing it - no matter what the cost is! :)

30:15 Ooops not enough gain! I better turn it up a bit.

2:20 the Cap is all "would you fuckin stop" LOL

Holy shit Chappers your tone on this video was amazing

Gibson tapping into the mid-life crisis market, ££££££

I would get on a ten year loan for the one on the right.

I really enjoyed this video. Very educational to learn about some of the behind the scenes aspects of higher end guitars. AND a Top Gear reference!

white dove is an awesome track! listened to it 4 times already today, thanks for the download chappers!

So in other words I'll just keep my '08 R8 that I got used for $2600 in mint condition and save $6k. Gibson is getting awfully greedy.

I would like to see and hear (sorry if I missed it) the 2 guitars with identical settings and string sets played acoustically (not plugged in). I wonder if the true historic is actually louder acoustically or all this "hide glue", better construction, long tenon bla bla bla is just satisfactory to the "collector" who lives in us......and bad for our pockets.

Look forward to you guys doing what ya do as long as you can.

ive not seen rob go this long without his silverback in ages

I think it is more inmoral to keep a "guitarsenal" or keep a "collection" of guitars and amps, that you really don't play or simply cant play well, and that is worth way more than a Gibson true historic.

I can't stop crying -.- why am I soooo poor?!! WHY!!! stupid sexy LP ='( // Regards from depressed land \m/

Just got a custom shop 1960 reissue. It is a fantastic beast.

Exactly the point. When Lee says that an independent luthier will charge less because he has no marketing costs etc. that only means that you are paying for the brand name.

Who think chappers and lee should make a full blues/rock album? Or at least a professionaly recorded track

Next year Gibson will put out Ultra True Historic Les Paul and the year after that Super Ultra True Historic Les Paul. I mean come on how many times can you do a reissue? They have done these reissues for how long? Several decades? Is is that Gibson has done shitty reissues previously and basically don't know what they are doing or what. "This is closest replica" yeah and they'll say the same thing next year. And for that amount of money, I smell something fishy here.

Enjoyed it, good luck in Malta mate!

The Captain has improved his playing a LOT...! I like it...!

Porsche did 9/11

It's hard to watch videos of gear that you can afford.

I purchased a superb 2014 Les Paul Historic 1959 (the much maligned Southern Rock Tribute Les Paul Historic 1959 with the upside down heart at the bridge pick-up and a charitable donation included) from the nice people at Anderton's i.e. last years model for a discounted price using their excellent 0% finance over 3 years. I opted for a Gibson Les Paul over a Collings (despite the Collings superior build quality) or PRS DGT (not really a fan of PRS tone) because of the way they sound and resonate. But I also saw the way the Gibson winds were blowing in 2015, smelt the coffee, stumbled bleary-eyed over a few other hackneyed clichés and signed the finance agreement via the inter-web. Seven days to love it or return it. A try-out in a busy store rarely seems to gives me a balanced overall impression. Added to this Anderton's are 250 miles away. However, kudos to Anderton's for easing expensive instrument purchases with their 0% finance :-) Cynical me thinks Gibson are simply moving their high-end products in line with one percent economics: $250,000 vintage Les Pauls, $1.416 million Ferrari LaFerrari, $100 million New York apartments...... The True Historic plastics and pickup covers probably are more period correct (are they using paper in oil capacitors or is it purely cosmetic?) but over a number of years the new tooling costs become unimportant and the materials analysis cost simply a typical part of annual R&D. So it's really about using these new "True Historics" as a lever to bump up their high end product pricing structure and dilute the R9, R0, R8 etc by removing their long neck tenon joints. Gibson have noticed what luthiers are charging for old wood Les Paul copies and considered that the market can sustain a significant price hike. Les Pauls in the golden era were hand produced in relatively small numbers. Even some of these rare golden era instruments sound average: ask a truthful vintage guitar dealer. How many Les Pauls are now churned out per day or per annum? The stunning tops of the first run 'True Historics' appear to have become less stunning as production has increased! However, it is typically a mistake to 'buy with your eyes' when purchasing a musical instrument!

I actually have a '72 Gibson Les Paul which broke at the neck joint rather than the headstock. Quite a rare break. Guitar fell over sideways and broke there, Slammed a ton of glue in there and clamped it. Guitar still sounds great.

How much money does is really cost to make this? It's just wood, plastic, electronics, development and labor. I think someone is ripping people of because collectors went stupid with there pricing.

Still prefer a Strat.

receiving inspiration playing your Gibson LP should be reason buying one...its a good psychological thing to have a super LP

this is why I subscribe to rob chapman.. their les paul videos are top notch in terms of information and demos.

What Lee explained wasn't how prices are set. It explained how costs are distributed. Prices are set on a market, i.e. what are people prepared to pay for this kit? The question is then basically "can we afford to produce, market and distribute it with a reasonable margin?".

Rob we will def want some hangout sessions from Malta when you get settled in!! Good luck m8 and most of all enjoy yourself!

Great detailed review. Also and especially, I always love to see great smooth soulful playing on Les Pauls. Nothing compared to the tone and feel of a Les Paul in my opinion. Thanks guys!

I work at high end guitar store in nashville and the true vintage Les Pauls and the new collectors choice pauls are some of the best les pauls that have ever hit the market. It's a shame they are as high as they are but they are doing a killer job. That said, I still love my 2014 R9 :D

Love the captain's enthusiasm on this vid. 👍🏻

Captain Lee! Recently there was an article on Paul Kossoff's 59' Lemonburst in detail. That had a neck break back in the day. When they opened it up recently, they found where the long neck tenon ends, it had separated from the body. They believe it was to do with him throwing the guitar in the air at the end of a gig. Anyway, good review boys! I wouldn't personally blast 8 grand on a True Historic Les Paul. There is some excellent second hand bargains to be had now! I've got an R7 that does it for me at the moment! I'd like and R8 but can't justify the mega prices!

Comment from India !!! Watching Rob and Captain play and handle these expensive beauties gives me the royal experience which I could never afford! Cheers mates! :D Thumbs up for these two guitar Gurus!

Rob and Lee's Videos: Come for the Chappers, stay for the Captain.

Rob and Lee make a good point here. For years I have trawled the local clubs (we're talking mainly acoustic instruments here) watching people play cheap instruments that generally sound (and look) cheap. I never quite believe it when they look at someone else's Martin enviously as though they can't afford one, or do not consider sacrificing or saving up for one. Ok, some people cannot, especially when they're young (although I somehow managed to find a s/hand walnut Gibson SG going cheap for £100. - 2 weeks pay- it was 1975!). But my point is many people simply choose to spend their money on other things, cars, holidays, phones, media, beer.....whatever. So it's often a choice.Ok, musicians can still achieve great things with cheap instruments, and some cheap instruments are unbelievably cool bargains (the PRS SE Santana springs to mind) but the pleasure, pride and confidence from owning a top end or reputable instrument is inspiring and can sometimes take your playing to new heights. My feeling is always 'go for the best' as often the really dedicated among us try to do, without being too irresponsible! The good news is they often keep near their value. Final story. I was once lucky enough to own a shiny s/h National style resonator. A visitor I had noticed it propped on a stand in the corner of the room and asked how much it cost? When I told her, her jaw dropped. Apparently I could have gone on holiday for two weeks for that. I didn't have the heart to say this instrument had given me YEARS of pleasure.

At these prices a blind test has never been more warranted.

The opening jam: Free love on the freelove freeway, The love is free and the freeway's long I got some hot love on the hotlove highway, Ain't going home 'cause my baby's gone.

Lee should solo more, it's great when he really gets into it... also we need Bea on the mini drums more often :P

Thanks for the free track! Love it! awesome guitar playing as I was expecting! :)

As someone who's spent a large amount of money on a guitar, you're not only inspired to play such a beautiful piece of Americana, but the price guilts you into playing it as well. It's like an expensive luxury car that begs to be driven all the time. :)

I forgot how good their videos are!

That last jam solo by CaptAnderton was utterly fantastic!

18:02 How beautiful this little lick with a bend was ..Lee is not such a technical guy, but man..That was juicy!

Lee, you said something that really hit me right between my eyes, it really did hit me right between the eyes. You said: "I really love this thing." What with all the ribbing I've been giving you all this time, I gotta say, you hit it right on the head. That is a piece of the truth. Good on you, Lee, you've shown me that I'm not right all the time. And that you do speak truth sometimes. Now for your buddie...

I was in andertons store last week, was looking to try the les Paul standard with the posh quilt top, about £2800. Was in one of the great demo rooms and the assistant went to get me a les Paul standard to try..... Accidentally gave me a les Paul traditional, which turned out to be a happy accident as they say!! It was so much nicer to play with a fatter neck, sounded amazing (better than the more expensive standard). I don't earn a great deal of money but would happily spend £7-10 grand on a guitar if it felt as amazing as the traditional and sounded as good too. Ended up choosing a traditional les Paul and a deluxe strat for near enough the same price as I was gonna pay for a standard lp. Now just to wait for Xmas before I order them!!😀😀

I like these guitars, nice models. A musician I once new said "..if you got to ask the price of the guitar , you can't afford it.''

Hello. The CS9 is a step-down from the R9. I have a 2012` R8. Love it.