Well, well - wasn't this a joy to be around today! As I mention in the video - please forgive me for not playing them myself... we needed to hear these things at their potential and Aynsley was kind enough to play. Some crackles and things - we didn't fancy opening up a 59 Burst to clean the pots ;) Thanks Clive for bringing over these incredible guitars! cheers

Such a great comparison! Really amazing to hear these back to back.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It was amazing being in the room - hope i can pass on that to everyone 🤟🏼

Wow man… I love it when you get to “meet your hero’s” so to speak and it blows away any expectation, hype or other emotions! Fantastic content James, & Aynsley’s playing was beautiful in showcasing these guitars. Thank you

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, these heroes are truly alive and kicking and worthy of, if not the money (who is to say), the passion and the mythology they create! 👌🏽 oh boy… what a dream

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Some incredible tones from two incredible instruments. Stunning playing fro Aynsley Lister, as always

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

👌🏽 you’re welcome!

That Gold Top tops them all. Man! Does it sound incredible!

Always Loved Ansley’s playing, such an amazing feel for the guitar. Thanks for sharing James 👍

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Totally agree! My pleasure 🤟🏼

Well done Ayns and James, and thank you to Clive too of course. Very interesting demo. Looking forward to hearing the next two. I too prefer a Gold Top, especially one aged so nicely. Always a treat to hear Aynsley play.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It was a huge treat to be here int he room hearing this. Of course Aynsley being Aynsley, he doesn’t think he is anything special 🙄🤣

I would love to have been in the room to hear Aynsley play those old beauties. An experience I'm sure you will never forget. Cheers James

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

You know, i knew it would be special hearing Aynsley play in the room, but i was underprepared for how much better he would make everything sound. Really a special experience. Cheers Graeme

Thank you for sharing this amazing, for most of us unattainable or maybe once in a lifetime experience. I think you brought across the essence of these guitars very well.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I really had a blast listening to this in the room and getting to feel and play these guitars… a day to remember my whole life 😊🤟🏼

@nilsx3020

2 жыл бұрын

@@JamesOnGuitar I can imagine. I think the R9 was holding its own at least on the recording. I know it’s all about how it feels under the fingers in the room, but that’s law of diminishing returns at full play. Let’s wait how our R9’s sound in 30 or 40 years.

What an amazing experience for you, James. Certainly one to tick off your bucket list. The gold top just edged it for me over the burst, both were sublime. Your R9 is no slouch though. Hearing them in the room must have been very special indeed. Aynsley's playing is always so tasteful and he demoed the guitars in a way that allowed them to ring out, rather than showing off his considerable ability. Considerate playing, you might say. Really looking forward to hearing the same comparison through the other amps.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, i was blown away in the room - Aynsley's playing was just great to hear and to have the air moving that sound around me was an experience i'll never forget! cheers

How cool! Great video! I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with JD Simo here in Houston for about half an hour this past weekend with one of my closest friends and it was an absolute delight to talk about life and not just gear. I hope you had as great of an experience

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Oh wow how cool you hung out with JD Simo! Hanging out with Aynsley over the last coupla days was really great fun - and I learned a lot about playing, music and had a great time swapping life stories and basically having a private gig for several hours as we made a few videos other than this one. And the stories Clive can tell about a life of being around guitars are a marvel!! Cheers 🤟🏼

@okaytastic6691

2 жыл бұрын

@@JamesOnGuitar that’s great man!

I think the last time I heard Aynsley play “live” was when TPS did a pedal board build for him. This playing was so different; it really was as if he was intentionally allowing the tone of the guitar to be the star. He’s so talented-he could no doubt play a Squire through a Spark and make it sound amazing-this was something else. Anyway, I am really appreciative that you created this opportunity to hear him play.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

cheers! yeah - i mean when he was playing this, my hairs were standing on end. Yeah, he played through a lot of gear here - it all sounded amazing, but as you say he could definitely make anything sounds great! Believe it or not, but he said he was struggling with this Matchless due to lack of reverb...

Great video, and what an experience that must have been! To my ear, your R9 has a clarity at the neck pickup that many Les Paul’s lack (my 2008 R8, for example), but the real ‘59 has just as much clarity with richer harmonic content and greater dynamics. Amazing. Of course, I was rooting for the vintage guitars, but I think the difference was really audible and not just wishful thinking. Edit: I cannot wait to hear these on the Rift!

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

thanks! yeah it really was an amazing few hours. I feel great today just thinking back on it - and I am so glad these instruments lived up to it. Thank you - I was looking for an R9 with good clarity, although in the room it really was clearly muffled compared to the 2 vintage guitars. But in 60 years the R9 might improve! ;)

Amazing. I would’ve been terrified and may not have even held them! Probably couldn’t decide between the two but suspect I would prefer the neck of the ‘57. I personally find that one of the most important if not the most important feature of a guitar. Fascinating how much Aynsley tweaked the pots. I have so much to learn.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah i was pretty tense handling them and doing the filming of close ups! But it was worth going through the fear to know i’ve had some contact 🙏 yeah the neck and the way it feels is so integral isn’t it. I noticed his attention to the pots and also how purposeful it all was to get out of it what he wanted. Cheers 🤟🏼

Thanks for another great video. I also have a weakness for goldtops and thought the 57 was incredible.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers! Yeah, both of these guitars are the best i’ve heard and played (of course!) but the 57 was so beautiful in look and sound it even slightly trumped the 59 🤟🏼

Pretty amazing, thanks for sharing.

All sound great to me, playing was tops. I'd have to take the goldtop though if I'm honest!

Great video. These are the tones I aspire to. I’m pretty close with my R 8 going into the Sheriff 22 on the plexi channel with the gain at 9 and the master at 12. Sounds great set up like that, although very unforgiving to the slightest error and very loud in the house.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks ! Yeah the tones Aynsley was getting are the tones i’ve always aspired to. I do think some amount of loudness is key to it when you can manage to turn it up!

@garysmith2983

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks James, yes the volume certainly helps. I like the look of the MVP23, with its power scaling, not crazy expensive in the U.K. But it sounds very Marshall like also, which the Sheriff is a clone of. So not sure ?

Crivens that is some beautiful playing! Great vid :)

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah it blew me away to be honest! I keep listening back to this video! cheers!

@tom9239

2 жыл бұрын

@@JamesOnGuitar I’ve been really impressed with how you’ve been playing lately too. I’ve been on a plateau for like 25 years - is there anyone you’d recommend listening to for inspiration (I will be listening to Aynsley for sure!) I want to play like you guys but grew up playing punk rock so have a limited imagination lol

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

cheers! Well I tend to dip into the following for inspiration: Aynsley (of course), Kirk Fletcher, Josh Smith, Ariel Posen, Joey Landreth. All videos on Emerald City Guitars and Carter Vintage Guitars are fab for inspiration - some of the above players are on Carter quite often, and Emerald use a few fantastic demo guys. Those few minutes of playing can trigger off things in your mind. And then my favourite may well be Barrie Cadogan - he is a pro player, his band is currently Little Barrie. He became better known when he did the Better Call Saul theme tune. Find some vids of him demoing a 59 Les Paul for Gibson and also his own guitars, and his channel has tons of short clips on from the last 2 years in lockdown. Hope that helps

@tom9239

2 жыл бұрын

@@JamesOnGuitar awesome. Cheers for that. I’ll check them all out for sure. The playing in this vid made me quite emo haha. What a talent to be able to do that with a guitar.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

@@tom9239 i’m with you on that 🙏

Just curious, did you strum any of these unplugged and compare the natural resonance? Generally speaking, I’ve noticed a difference between the custom shop reissues and the 50s/60s standards. I’m wondering if a true 59 or 57 takes that even further?

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah we did - these were loud and clear when unplugged. I mean so loud and clear and lovely sounding when unplugged. And the sustain on both - through the roof

HC30 in the switch channel with that odd tube, is probably my favorite amp in the world. All three axes are fab. But that amp would make anything sound great ... that's the real star! Jesus saves! And time is running out. Choose LIFE. Choose Jesus. NOW. God bless.

Goldtops are my favorite of the Les Pauls. I like the 59 models(RI included) don't get me wrong, but there's just something about the goldtops.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

I love both - but a killer goldtop is just so damn good! cheers

I appreciate your honesty in evaluating the instruments. I’ve always wondered if the superiority people hear or feel playing one of the golden age LPs vs the reissues comes down to the guitars improve over time? The Gibson custom shop has some of the most skilled staff in the world, so the talent is there, but 60 years of playing and aging leaves you with pickups, pots, wood, lacquer, etc that has changed from when they were first built. Therefore, several decades from now can we expect todays reissues to be better than the reissues of 2080? And will the aliens or AI overlords allow us to compare them?

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

It is definitely a valid point! But i do feel that on the records produced with these guitars when they were only 10 or 20 year old guitars - they sounded better than guitars produced 10 or 20 years ago now. Could be a lot to do with wood stocks changing perhaps?

I let my wife play those randomly to me. And I guessed your R9 to be real thing and the 59burst to be R9. The Goldtop was pretty obvious from these 3. Not knowing its 3 Les Pauls, I would guessed that the 57 is 335. Congrats on haveing great guitar. PS: now I see, where your playstyle is comming from.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Hey, that's really cool - thank you! I am really happy with my R9 but it was a real pleasure to hear these guitars and play them a little!

I love the Old 57-60 Les paul's but am a realist knowing i will never own one so quite honestly i would be satisfied with a Good Re-issue. My problem is a good Re-issue burst starts at $6K (usd) new for a R8 and that is out of my budget. Buying used is always a gamble and with LP's you have to play them before buying. Last week i gave in to my Les Paul Burst craving and bought a 2022 Standard. It is no R9 but is a great guitar nonetheless. I am adding all the parts(Custombuckers,tall rings,etc) to it i can to make it as close to a Re-issue as i can get it. the final cost will still be way below what a CS would have cost me. Maybe in the future i wlill be able to get a R9.

I think they all sound good. I think the 59 and 57 sounds more muffled and the R9 has more clarity. Both the 57 and 59 seems to suffer from scratchy pots. Give the electronics on the R9 60 years and it will probably also lose clarity and sound more muffled. It can be hard to really compare with such long clips. You tend to forget how it sounded. Easier to compare short clips that are alternated. Seem most of the playing is done with the volume rolled back. Also there is so much you can do with the eq on the amp to compensate for differences on guitars.

@avivpinto4013

2 жыл бұрын

Muffled? No way. The vintage gibsons sounded clear and articulate and very warm with lots of character and texture to their tone.

What year was the R9 from?

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

This is a 2019 60th Anniversary

how heavy was the 59 burst?

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

I don’t know the exact weight but i was immediately surprised at how light it was!

THE 59 WOWWWW THE GOLDTOP GOOD THE R9 SHOULDNT BE IN THAT ROOM WITH THEM....ITS AMAZING HOW GREAT GIBSON IS TODAY AND THE 59 ESPECIALLY JUST CANT BE MATCHED! THE BLOOM, AND CLARITY.....

Part of me feels a bit upset for you man. I know it’s impossible to translate exactly what was happening in the room to KZread but I thought your R9 sounded fantastic, and I preferred it to the ‘59 burst from the recording. However, that ‘57 (even with the crackling volume pot on the neck pickup) was unreal. P.s. can anything be done with the pots on the R9 to give you a smoother taper?

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

You know, in the room it was quite clear the R9 was hotter and slightly less clear and dynamic. I really hope I can figure out the pots - i’ve noticed it on other new guitars too, the taper has a cliff in it where you drop too quickly. The 59 and 57 had such lovely tapering 👌🏽🤟🏼

@djt6546

2 жыл бұрын

VintageInspiredPickups in the US have good taper 280/550k+ pots. Joe Landreth, Matt Schofield & others work with them. I’ve used them in Fender CS strats and a JJN Gold Glory Epiphone together with new vintage wiring & 0.022u PIO cap to amazing effect. The JJN guitar originally reacted just as you’ve described. After the upgrade the taper and ability to control volume/power and tone was far superior which in turn made for a better playing experience. Thanks for this extra special series of videos James 👍

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks i’ll definitely have to look into that!

@benweekes2797

2 жыл бұрын

I’ll leave you to jump into that rabbit hole first 😂 I have a bit of panic about changing anything out on guitars I’ve had from Fender or Gibson custom shops! But I am intrigued

@djt6546

2 жыл бұрын

@@benweekes2797 I get that. In the beginning I suspect that’s how we all feel, then as a CS guitar collection grows and you start to get an urge to try different controls, you start looking at the mod components available. If the initial dabbling gets you a winning combination then you’re off… 🙂 But if you have no such modding thoughts and love your guitars as they are, why change them. They’re obviously great for you already. When I found on Strats that I like a Full Blend linear taper pot on the bottom tone control with the top tone as one Master tone, I then repeated it all on my CS Strats and my Silver Sky. Not to be flippant but after a while buying, trading, selling, collecting, you also start to see guitars all the same (vintage excluded of course). That’s a good advert for not spending $$$,$$$ or £££,£££ on CS guitars 😊 I’m sorry to say the price we pay on a new guitar often does not reflect the quality we get. From the big names at least. That’s why people say if I’m going to spend thousands, I’ll go boutique, so all my money goes into the guitar and not marketing and brand name… Ultimately if you are modding to get a function or something working properly, instead of expecting the guitar to magically be “better”, it’s a relatively safe journey. Changing PickUps is different. That really is pot luck and it’s common not to be happy with the change. With PickUps we hear and feel something we like in one guitar, but when we try to put that into another guitar it’s not the same. So if your guitar and its ecosystem of parts is not doing what you want, shake it up. But If it is then don’t touch it! 😊

Ugh, it's just wood and strings and magnets and wire, and yet we still can't seem to make a '59 Les Paul. That is so weird, with the science and resources we have. What is the voodoo!!!

I'm addicted to '59 Les Paul guitar porn...lol

What!

Don't sell yourself short. I was actually looking forward to hearing you throw down on one.....

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks man, and I really appreciate the sentiment! BUT, after just two years of playing I knew this situation was just a little too big for me. And I did struggle playing today when I tried - just not enough experience yet. I don’t normally shirk a challenge, but I knew i wasn’t quite ready yet👌🏽

Try Ron Ellis PAF Humbuckers to get closer to the old guitars.

@JamesOnGuitar

2 жыл бұрын

Hard to get though?!

@tsk.

2 жыл бұрын

@@JamesOnGuitar Yes, you have to wait a long time. But they are amazing.

@mattthrun-nowicki8641

2 жыл бұрын

Tried the LRP’s. Good, not great. Many closer PAF clones, IMHO