Is A Gibson Custom Shop Worth The Extra Money?!

It has been one of my longtime dreams to own a Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul. Now that I was finally able to afford one, I went and tested a few, and after some deliberation I ordered a limited Tennessee Sunset Burst 1959 Standard from Thomann. This gave me the comfort of trying out the guitar with my own gear and comparing it to my current favorite Les Paul: my Standard 60s which I upgraded with Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers, which has been played in for 2,5 years and set up to my liking. Comfort is a big word in contemplating buying a Custom Shop while trying at home, since they're so expensive. The big question is; are they worth that much money (to me)?

Sorry for the noice in the audio at the beginning of this video. While shooting the first day it turned out that the camera's battery had an issue, interfering with the audio. Ofcourse I couldn't redo my initial reactions, or at least I prefered keeping it real (with some noise) rather than faking in.

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[jasonchou]

Most authentic comparison I’ve seen between the Standard 60s and a Custom Shop. Great job on this video. Went and bought my Standard 60s today and will upgrade parts over time. Thanks for putting this together. Cheers!

[MikelBluni]

Experiences differ, as you’ve said. My True Historic 58 is the be all end all for me. Never could get along with the entire feel of Standards. After more than 100 gigs with the TH, it’s so broken in and fits like a glove. My experience: buy two cheaper guitars less, less pedals, save up and get a real good CS guitar and…don’t look back 👌🎸✌️

[ashleyjackson]

Gibson is a great brand . And the guitars definitely inspire creativity .

Custom shop is the icing on the cake .

[KelsterVonShredster]

My R8 is the finest guitar I've ever owned and I've owned over 100. It's so inspiring, worth every single penny. Got mine used so saved a lot. Best investment ever, zero regrets. Ironically my R8 has a thinner neck than the R9 I used to have.

[johnnewman]

Anyone who's looking for their Custom Shop guitar to be $5000 'better' than a USA version is probably going to be disappointed. Do the CS Les Paul's sound better? I think they do, but chances are if you recorded with both USA and CS guitars nobody would be able to tell which is which. The USA guitars are professional-level instruments. The CS guitars represent a different kind of value. When you buy a CS guitar you're buying an instrument that's made as close to the way they were made in the 'Golden Era' as humanly possible. Where I notice the biggest difference is in playability; the neck's on the CS LP's just feel noticeably better than the USA versions, especially with regard to the 50's profile. The USA 50's profile is too big for me to play comfortably, while the CS 50's profile feels absolutely perfect.
Buying a CS guitar also represents an investment in something that's made at the absolute highest level possible; in an age where so many of the things we buy are essentially disposable or made just 'well enough' to do the job there's something to be said for real craftsmanship. Anyway, just my personal take, liked the video and hope you treasure your new guitar.

[Jazzipad]

I think you’re right! The best guitar is the guitar you’re comfortable and you love to play with! I own an Epiphone Les Paul for more than 3 years which is a great guitar with its Gibson pickups (high end Epiphone). I do love to play this one. Since the end of August I also own a Gibson Les Paul Standard Limited Edition with Manhattan Midnight Blue colour, ebony fretboard, burstbucker pickups and special headstock with a crown (mother of pearl)… It was the Les Paul of my dream and I do think this is the Les Paul for me… it does sound great and it’s one of the most beautiful Les Paul I have ever seen! For some of people it’s just a standard one but for my case I prefer this one instead of a Custom Shop. Question of taste!

[harsanj]

Down to earth great player and an honest man. such a nice guy he is. I dont know why some people like him, the kindness is all over his face.

[tanukibrahma]

Nice comparison and honest review! I love my Gibson CS 2018 1958 VOS Les Paul for a wide variety of tones and styles from classic rock to country to jazz. Probably my favorite guitar of many over 50 years of playing. I especially like the large neck.

[cvfunnsixspeed]

Great video! I have a 60’s Standard USA Unburst that resembles a honey burst. Great figuring on the maple top as well. I purchased it at Gibson at their Gibson Garage. Point of my post is that I played a few CS LP’s while I was there. Great guitars no doubt but they felt marginally better than the 60’s standard USA model I ended up with. Granted, the staff at Gibson helped me pick out the Standard 60’s USA based on their opinions, but it was splitting hairs between my Standard USA 60’s and the CS examples I played for SUBSTANTIALLY more money. I felt the same watching your post. For a guy playing in his basement, it just didn’t make sense. You recording artists may justify the price point difference. Cheers!

[hughnguyen]

20 years ago a standard would be a precious thing to me. I still have my first LP, which is a Junior, for more than 30 years now. It is the most played guitar in my collection but I rarely play that guitar in the last 20 years. People’s taste and preference will change with time, especially, when they have options.

[JSW]

Thank you for a great unbiased opinion, it's been a big help.

[jwd]

I have played CS Les Pauls that I didn’t like as much as my 2018 Traditional… to me, the purchase of a CS guitar is you being able to treat yourself to a guitar that is gorgeous, but at best marginally better than a Standard Gibson Les Paul.

[deanmccaskill]

Awesome shirt!!
Just got an R9 yesterday! (2011) it’s awesome. I got a bunch of USAs and they are all awesome too but yeah I love it. I’m already pining for a Custom Shop Strat though.

[Aldo-Music-Channel]

Killer tone and amazing top on the 59, that is close to perfect 👍, cheers from Australia 🌏🦘😎🎵

[BITESIZEJONES]

I have an R8 but I still find myself playing my inexpensive Gibson SG special all the time. It's a Workhorse! sounds great and I don't worry if it gets banged up. Is a great playing custom shop worth owning you say ? Absolutely!!! Most people would agree it's dishing out the money that's the main concern for most.

[michaelheller]

I’ve owned and played many Gibson Les Pauls throughout the years. I’ve owned a lot of really great Les Pauls including a Jimmy Page signature. I don’t have my Les Paul’s anymore except for not to long ago I tried out a R9, R8 and a R0. Out of the 3 I purchased the R8. Unplugged you notice right away it rings the best. It feels just right in the hands, big fat neck. My hands aren’t large so I don’t know why it works best for me, it just does. The sound and feel is by far my #1! Everyone has to at least try what works for them instead of just having an opinion without trying it out? Yes you do spend a pretty penny. For me, I can’t put her down and that’s the only thing that matters.

[davidohara]

Great demo. I've recently acquired a 58 custom shop true historic and it's great. I was in the " is it worth it " ? camp for a long time, and couldn't see the difference. I've had and sold / traded a good few standards cos none of them were exceptional. The 58 is .

[vnvtraining]

Interesting as I had the same experience! Playing the same Custom Shop 59 VOS re-issue a few times at the local shop, 9k CND plus taxes…I loved it. Then I tried a few 60’s Standard and found one in Ice Tea and then had to buy it :) I did swap the pickups for a set of Bareknuckle Peacemaker. I’m super happy with my choice and i agree about the differences being so minimal but the difference in cost was just to high for me. I would love to own a Custom Shop one day!

[digbyranford]

I have a 59 custom shop and a standard from early 2000's. Everyone says the standard sounds better and it was £1400 compared to £4999. Obviously the custom shops are nice to own and historically accurate but im sort of over that, might sell the r9 for another standard and pocket the difference. Nice vid thanks!

[Gilyslas]

I have one, I just love it! Beautiful instrument, absolutely gorgeous. Nice vid thanks!