Evolution of Gibson Les Paul Reissues here at Norman's Rare Guitars

Jimmy Vivino, Conan's Band Leader, Keith Nelson from Buckcherry, Chuck Kavooras, Mark Agnesi, and Nick Dias on the couch with Norm discussing the evolution of Gibson Les Paul Reissues. If you're a collector, here's some very interesting information that you may not be aware of. What do you guys think?

[@jordantothesmith]

More group gear chat videos like this would be awesome.

[@45wyatt1]

jordantothesmith agreed

[@FloodExterminator]

I like the random Gretsch White Falcon lurking to the right of Norm xD

[@bobbyshmudra9225]

Kirk Wahmmett haha at 7:55 it looks like it wants to kill that Les Paul

[@callingkings9232]

Ready to step up as soon as a head stock breaks haha

[@clicheguevara5282]

Just straight boolin'

[@wilson4180]

As a person who loves Bursts and my les Pauls, I appreciate this video more than ever. Loved the Page story too.

[@simonteisen728]

Brilliant video! Would love to see more videos about the early reissues from the 80s and 90s. Keep em coming👍

[@bluebetty7847]

Thanks fellas, this is so much help for anyone trying to learn what really makes a difference in tone.

[@dannyboy8555]

This is f'n stellar...total treat! I know it's asking a lot, but to see these treats a little more often would be great! Thanks guys

[@darrtetzy]

Simply the most watchable video to ever come out of Norm's Rare Guitars.

[@matttucker3]

Guys I love this super nerdy in depth analysis thing keep it going for other eras and model runs!!

[@checocr]

Great video... awesome stories as well... thanks for sharing. My favorite guitars to play in over 30 years of trying many axes.... Lot's of love from a Gibson Les Paul owner and lover. Cheers from Costa Rica. Rock on!

[@bjdenil]

Norm we need more books. You should write one on the history of Les Paul's and include a chapter on re-issues. I'd buy it in a heartbeat...

[@buaidhnobas1ify]

I have learned more here than any guitar book or mag. PLEASE please can we have some more.

[@davidgrist6325]

Thanks to norm and the gang for their insight and experience, both of which make all the difference when the discussion is about guitars from their era! I've got a Gibson Les Paul. 58 cos,and very happy with it.. We can't recreate the wheel or the original guitars,as they were of their Time,but that's not important... playing them to the best of our ability and enjoying the journey is where it's at.. Great and very entertaining video.. All the best for now

[@azt3ca]

Great video! You guys should definitely do more of those. Cheers

[@gbeck1114]

Norm, thanks so much for posting these great videos!!!!! They are beyond entertaining......

[@michaelmerritt1722]

Just bought the 1982 Leo's Les Paul from Norman's last week. Beautiful guitar!! Thanks Mark.

[@markdouglas668]

I'd love to see what cool basses you've salted away. I remember fondly our hangs with Johnnie Johnson at Chicago Blues and elsewhere...

[@paulmassey4796]

So IS THAT the ANSWER?

[@MissChrissyM1]

Great Vid. Love Norm and his panel guests. My 21-year-old son will be starting his guitar lessons any day now. We found a good friend who is a Guitar! wizard who is going to teach him for 20 bucks an hour. That beats the $45 an hour that sylvan music wanted to charge. Looking forward to driving down to Tarzana to visit norms rare 🎸 🎸

[@balerjohnson3099]

I love all videos from Norm's ..Lots of information and great guitars ..Im gonna make it out there one day and buy a guitar.

[@surfneptune]

That was fantastic! Found myself yelling at the screen YES! I wanted Jimmy to finish his point when you all went off track on the robo tuners. Point of the day: Best sounding vintage pickups are not overwound, "hot" pickups.

[@kevinstevens5665]

Norm love your videos,Mark and the rest of your guys there are first class keep it going.

[@evelasq1]

Great to see you guys chatting away about Les Pauls since I do own one. Peace, Flood!

[@wildbill7]

great video Norm, love it!

[@paulsimmons5726]

Great round table, some very valid points. My favorites were Gibson's continuing problems making a proper 50's LP case and the story about Jimmy Page's '59's having their necks shaved down... I'm in agreement with you guys, I don't think the value of those guitars was hurt by Mr Page!!! Mark and Jimmy had the two coolest fades, beautiful wood and paint jobs!

[@DanLeRoy]

I remember hanging out at the guitar trader in red bank when i was in high school.. that place had some amazing vintage guitars.... it was like mini-norms🙂

[@SHERIFF8311]

great videos wish I could visit the shop, greetings from Spain

[@TURBOCAST]

Love to see more stuff like this! 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@robotsongs]

This is awesome, thank you!

[@DVRMNaitor]

What a great video guys! Make more of these, it would be awesome if you made a section with a nice title and good periodicity. cheers!

[@glassslide]

That was excellent, very informative, thanks!!

[@gaetanbastien3144]

Most interesting, thank you very much for this video... Hi Jen :)

[@thomasrichmond601]

Stop blowing my Mind!!!! My Lord, awesome info!! I live for this!! 👍

[@MatzaFTW]

More videos like this would be pretty cool. I don't even like LPs but this was great to watch.

[@colinrobertson4569]

Fantastic video. Thanks

[@jamescarter4175]

Great conversation!

[@qwe10poi]

I would love more vids like this!

[@goldTopDeluxe]

Great conversation. Glad you mentioned the neck thickness thing. I would love to buy a historic.. but those large necks are ridiculous. I've never played a vintage burst, but I always suspected the necks were not that big. Thanks for sharing.

[@gbaren]

Great show with guys that have a ton of knowledge about the build & tone of guitars. I would wager that many of those guitars play and sound as good or better than many originals. They just won't have the prestige.

[@avivpinto4013]

The whole show i look at the heritage 80..just beautiful ❤️

[@chris.p.9397]

this video is a plessure for every reissue player! pretty much the same topic me and my friend are always talking about! :D

[@promerops]

The remark towards the end concerning the importance of the player - a great player can make anything sound great - really says it all, I believe.

[@angelic_slayer]

Really really good. Thanks.

[@adamhanmer2231]

More vids like this please!! Maybe 1 a month on the evolution of different males and models???

[@hectorheath]

I could sit there all day listening.

[@skimmer521]

Nice chat, thx for the edgumication

[@MrStranger1944]

So much knowledge and so much talent. I can dig it.

[@r.miller4810]

Awesome stuff!

[@dimitrisxlp1478]

GREAT video

[@glennevans5824]

Very nice fireside chat...I guess comes down to age of wood and materials from 50's...lacquer not drying properly...all factors of the holy grail...but for most part...Gibson still put out some fine les Paul's....however ,very expensive.

[@mikeymojo8299]

Cool vid, Long live the Lester's 🎸 I live 10 miles from Redbank NJ

[@hulkslayer626]

Mike M. I'm sitting in Red Bank (at the Wawa they're renovating) while watching this vid lol

[@mikeymojo8299]

Hulk Slayer that's awesome. I go to the Downtown often, to catch my old band play. Stop in, I'll buy you a beer. screaming broccoli is the band, they're fantastic 🎸🍺🍺🍺

[@holmes1978]

I could watch this for ever so Cool !

[@ivorharden]

I played a 2003 Les Paul 58 reissue the other week. It was the first proper Gibson that I've ever played, and it sounded sweet through a Fender amp. The fat neck was so nice. Sadly I couldn't afford the £2700 price tag, but now that I have visited the top of mount olympus, I now want to live there.

[@holmes1978]

Loved it much Respect !!!

[@JohnDoe-pq8yw]

Cool man. I am a broke guitarist so I was jamming on my early '80s '59 Burny copy while watching. It looks just like Keith's guitar. This is the best show on TV.

[@winterlandboy]

Hey Jimmy V..Love the Prisoners of 2nd Ave

[@holmes1978]

Excellent Educational on the History!

[@jvin248]

Fun to see the alterations of the reissue concept over time. When are the Reissues of the Reissues arriving?

[@jasondevane592]

awsome i own a 2002 thoroughly enjoyed

[@TheDude4077]

More of these videos!!

[@huskvarsm]

i could listen to these guys all day les pauls i love i own one ok its a 2008 traditional but it has a great top and because it was only £1300 ive spent £500 more making it a guitar i love.

[@holmes1978]

This was the best can’t stop watching it lol

[@LarWolkan]

I get it. Gibson LP people can get passionate about their instruments same as Fender Strat people or classic car people etc. I can relate. Enjoyable video for me.

[@holmes1978]

Norms Undisputed WOW !!!

[@BoogiePunk]

You gotta make more of em history videos

[@jerrymorganjr]

I would love to see more videos about real bursts.

[@holmes1978]

I Love it , the case well said Sir !!!

[@JHil35]

Good vid guys 🤘🏻😁🤘🏻

[@AnAmericanGuitarist]

I used to own one of the Guitar Trader reissues. I miss it bad. I often wonder where it wound up or if the current owner even knows what it is. I sold it back to Guitar Trader after they relocated. I let it go back around 1990 to bring in some money. Never should have done that.

[@jimbonacum8917]

I really enjoyed this very interesting discussion. I think Jimmy Vivino made the most important point, namely that the player is more important than the instrument. Obviously a great player can play even better with a great guitar, but, for the average player like me (and I am being generous), even if I could afford a vintage burst I would still be confined by my limited talents. I also appreciated his remarks about the excessive use of effects. We all know that adding a bit of drive can make things seem to sound better than they really are. But if I could ask Chuck a question it would be this. With the advances in signal processing and recording technology to what degree is it possible to achieve the tone of ones dreams? If I want the sound of a vintage ’59 burst but I can't afford the instrument can I get the same thing by spending my money on the necessary effects and signal processers, which in the long run would probably cost less? And as far as Keith taking his vintage instruments on the road with him, if he feels that it helps him play his best more power to him. But as he points out very few of the folks in the crowd would know the difference. My overall point is that we love vintage instruments for many reasons. They are functional works of art that are a joy to own and play. But at the end of the day the best instrument is the one that best serves the needs of the artist and if you can get the sound you want from a Univox Les Paul well good for you. The story about Jimmy Page’s LPs is a good example. He is a working musician who modifies his instruments to enable him to play the way he wants. Did he “destroy” them with his modifications? I am sure it never entered his mind because he does not see them as collectors items but rather the tools of his trade. Remember it is not the sound but rather what you do with it. The best definition of music I ever heard was that it is “sound organized to express something.” So the sound does not matter as long as it the one you have chosen to express what you want to say.

[@chuckkavooras2160]

TO answer your question best as can be, to get the "tone of ones dreams", that person would have to work at it with whatever means possible or affordable to get what one hears in their own perception of sound. Some can get great vintage tones with modern guitars, and like Jimmy Page make people perceive a Tele is a Les Paul or vice versa. Look at Jeff Beck and listen to Jeff Beck....he even talks how he can get his newer modern Strat to sound better than any Les Paul...that's his capability. There are NO RULES on how to get tone, it is all relative to so many variables and individuals. You said it best with the comment about what best serves the needs of the artist.

[@jimbonacum8917]

Thanks Chuck for your response. I totally agree that it is the responsibility of (and also the challenge to) the artist to find their own special sound. And of course Beck is the perfect example. No matter the song he is playing or the instrument he is using you always recognize him as soon as you hear the first note. And of course that is because he is tremendously gifted but it is also because he is truly and honestly expressing himself. While we all learn through imitation the moment that you begin to find your own sound is when your journey as an artist begins. When I was young I was a huge Grateful Dead fan. I remember how proud I was the first time someone told me that I sounded like Garcia. But in time I came to realize that that really meant that it was time to stop trying to play like Jerry because I could never play his music as well as he could and that it was time for me to try and find my own voice. I’ve been at it for more that 40 years now with varying degrees of success. But that is the great thing about the creative process because it gives us a way to explore and find out who we really are.

[@NiqScott]

Never seen Norm so relaxed. He on intravenous Jack Daniels? If so, keep it up!

[@Syncopator]

I'm a little surprised there was no discussion of frets. The first good guitar I ever owned was a '73 Black Beauty that I bought new in '73. I still have it, though it's been through the wars at this point. I LOVED those flat "fretless" frets. The action and the comfort and what I can play on it is like no other guitar. And the frets have held up pretty well. But as far as I know, there are no current editions that have those frets-- if I'm not mistaken you just can't get them anymore. I'd buy a new/updated fretless wonder re-issue in a heartbeat. They should get over any disdain they have for "Norlin-era" designs and recognize there were some good guitars made back then...

[@divadgnol67]

Awesome!

[@TheGman858]

I'm definitely not a historical les paul guru had the pleasure of playing a real 57 gold top many years ago and have used that experience as a reference point for all other les pauls that I play i must say that the custom shop models from 2013 and on are AMAZING guitars and have a very similar feeling and sound

[@evanwelch3235]

What kind of burst finish is on the guitar that Norm was holding?

[@pablo9364]

we want the Frank. don't ban the Frank show . is there another Mr entertainment in the room?

[@mikeymojo8299]

pablo9364 need me some Stallone 🎸👍🏼

[@fonzimendoza1979]

pablo9364: He's busy polishing his brothers marble floors to payoff his last guitar.

[@jjchopper02]

pablo9364 Unfortunately this was the day he cleans Sly's pool.

[@ivorharden]

where's Frank Stallone ?

[@darrtetzy]

mrj33v3s - Frank's at home laying the prettiest 19year-old blonde girl any of us have ever seen.

[@ivorharden]

Darr Whyask brilliant

[@jjchopper02]

mrj33v3s Cleaning Sly's pool.

[@beeps123]

jjchopper02 Dude.. what the hell. LOL.

[@gmlasam]

Frank Stallone was working the cash register that day.

[@medikamensch]

Man, I'd love to see a blindfolded comparison between a reissue and the real thing. :)

[@Thomas8892Q]

Hey Norman, question for ya. What is the demand for an original 1932 Gibson L-00? What's the going price for one of these pieces of pre war American history? Thanks.

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

I love these vids from a few years back because you get to compare what was being said then to now. In 2024 the Gibson custom shop R9 is really close but still not dead on to a old original most say. Here's the problem though the guitar they used to make the clones was a original '59 named "Carmelita" so IF you have never played that burst you wont know if the neck shape is exact or the top carve is the same? Joe Bonamassa owned Carmelita at one point so he would know! Hey Joe whadda you think?😁

[@lptomtom]

This is just a bunch of cork sniffers circlejerking on minute details, but I loved every second of it!

[@TheMoodyedge]

All talking over each other. Great to listen to.

[@dananthony6258]

The greatest thing about Buckcherry was their guitar tone. That’s the one thing that punched me in the face. I instantly envied his tone . It shows how much of tone dude he must be. I loved the Gibson collectors video he did with Mark. If you haven’t seen it your missing out.

[@holmes1978]

Love it ❤

[@tayhut]

While I enjoyed this, I am one of those kids with the sharpie 2015 Les Paul deluxe(at near 40 years of age) and I love how it plays. Robot tuners are fine for home playing...you would probably need a spare guitar for broken strings at a gig though. I'm guessing these guys all drive model t fords as well.

[@19markz67]

Interesting discussion. Thanks. Stop living in the past and work toward making a better future.

[@Willtext]

So which year reissue is the most accurate?

[@luckymarshmallow2079]

great just like all your vids

[@niptodstan]

Norm should do this discussion again but discuss the best Les Paul alternative and who makes the best 'copy'. Derrig, Nash etc.

[@me-bk9er]

someone explain why the wrap around is done??

[@gersoncarlos3951]

I would like to mention about R9's from 2012 are made with sandwich rosewood scale cos Gibson had that restriction with rosewood, 2011 was a pretty good year and the new true historics of course.

[@darianbaxley8850]

no tele Tuesday? it's almost 10pm and hasn't uploaded

[@whodunitpros8555]

Epic!

[@MACHVCA]

All those guitars are so beautiful holy shit

[@jfish5120]

Red bank new jersey - represent!

[@LetArtsLive]

talk about drooling damn.I was so happy to get a 50s goldtop studio 2012 i think its when the govt took theie wood so what wood is used on the frets??

[@purplerocket666]

nice one

[@allaboutdatGDA]

what a likeable guy norm is. so next time they have a guitar round, they should ask each guy who their favorite les Paul wielding guitar player is.

[@RockHardRiffs]

LOVE the lemon bursts! great tidbit about Jimmy Page and his guitars. In the end, though....i don't think the 'general audience' gives a flying lizard what kind of gear musicians use....just as long as you sound good. it's tele tuesday!!

[@jonnybeck6723]

@21:16 Jimmy V. (a great plunker in his own write/right) is quoting some dude from Chicago... Mike Blossom or Bloom- something (?)

[@charlesholliday3860]

I just love guitar School

[@GuitarlosCarlos]

NEXT STOP NERD VILLE

[@mikeymojo8299]

GuitarlosCarlos absolutely. Joe already bought all the Fender tweeds 😂🎸

[@internetnow5243]

Carlos guitarlos is drug addict that behaved poorly with almost every musician he ever played with.

[@PCMESS]

Sunshine Winter how do you know? and who cares anyway

[@derael61]

Good ol boyz!