Gibson Les Paul Custom | Old Vs New

[@johnnewman8412]

'72 Custom has a maple cap I believe (all customs after 1968 have maple caps). The 57 reissue is all mahogany.

[@bottleneck1100]

I doubt anyone will read this (or care). I've built high end hifi and lived with tube gear and other gear for 30 years. I can tell you that capacitors drift in value. Also that ''orange drop'' caps which are seen as high quality in guitar-land, are ''get them out of there quick'' items in audio equipment.The ultimate sacriledge of changing pots and caps on that old guitar would make a massive difference.

[@GakCoUk]

bottleneck1100 We Care. Interesting to to know 👌🏻

[@chrisv2557]

Totally, people get obsessed over tonewood, nut material etc, while overlooking the pots and caps.

[@bobdillon1138]

The biggest difference will be the pickups made from materials that you can't get anymore.

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

It’s seen as part of the original sound. Who views it as hifi or hidef?

[@norbertrenner9181]

A lot of hype of old vintage guitars! The new one sounds phenomenal!

[@SKRooU2]

hype ? there are vintage Les Pauls that go for over $500,000 at auction and the sound is unmatched

[@hyperben1985]

Norlins don’t get the hype that the real originals get, perhaps because Norlins are sometimes a bit shit!

[@CoomerGremlinDGGfan]

​@@SKRooU2you are insane if you think 500k for them is justified. I'm sorry if you waste money on old junk.

[@AsphyxGr]

The oldie is more pissed than the new one, the low-midrange, attack and note separation is phenomenal. Hands down to the oldie.

[@sainphony]

Bare in mind - open caps PU vs closed PU, and PU itself are different. This is not correct comparison.

[@lukscar2000]

​@@sainphony Maple cap vs all mahogany

[@jimmyr1888]

I dunno, doesn’t he seem to be playing the 70s one harder?

[@AsphyxGr]

@@lukscar2000 agree, and definitely introduces the difference I mentioned in my first comment.

[@AsphyxGr]

@@sainphony sure it is not a right test, in my experience though a bigger difference in freqs is because of the additional maple top as well as the corresponding wood matching.

[@edgarkleinmann7386]

You can tell Joss spent tons of hours on Zakk’s Pentatonic Hardcore. And he pulls it better than anyone!

[@godtoHrD]

​@gordon9177 Let's hear it then

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

@gordon9177Which is why no one knows who you are. Me? I’m no one, too.

[@diego2246]

They are different: the R7 has a mahogany body and neck, while the 70s LP Custom has a mahogany body with a maple top. And if it is 75-ish it may have a maple neck as well.

[@dylandoge1627]

Different pickups

[@gameroftheyear1000]

The 70s les Paul are much much heavier with all that maple and the pancakes body with the maple between the two slabs of mahogany.

[@nickefgen9219]

I’ve got a 1984 studio Les Paul it’s white color but has turned a light shade of yellow and the clear coat has cracks running the length of the guitar it looks pretty cool, I was told finally it has the Tim shaw pickups in it, I like the sound that it puts out I’ve had it since 1993, I’ve always wanted the black beauty custom like you have in the video I’d much prefer the 1970’s model that you have there over having a reissue one

[@beefysinglecut]

The old one really has so great articulation.

[@theabnormalguy7800]

Damn that dude can play

[@curtisprice9806]

Should have installed the same pickups in the '72 for a FAIR comparison on older versus newer wood used in their construction......ebony, maple, and mahogany! That is what I would be very interested in.....of course muddy pickups will not sound better than articulate ones. That goes for higher or lower gain pickups! I replaced the pickups in all three of my early '70's LP Customs, and they all sound WAY, WAY better than the original stock pickups (which sounded bad to me)!!! Great pickups really do make a big difference, and experimenting which ones work best for a particular guitar model is also recommended.

[@monkeyxx]

this is the most spinal tap review I have seen in a good while, well done

[@benben-sl7hi]

Think I would go with the 70’s one. It’s kind of like asking what do you like better, analog or digital. Plus I have a 2001 LP Custom.

[@camilleduclos3452]

You got it totally wrong about the 1970-72 Les Paul Custom at 1min26 when you describe it. They have a maple cap (maple top) and what is call the infamous "pancake body" which consist of 2 pieces of mahogany with a tin layer of maple in between and also 14 degree angle headstock (the Norlin era Les Paul are considered by many to be the worst guitars Gibson ever made). The reissue is made of a one piece mahogany body (so there's no cap, the whole body is one piece) and they have a 17 degree angle headstock, they are 2 completely different guitars.

[@danielvalles9554]

I was thinking that too. And they OUGHT to have Tim Shaw pick ups, or at least have the possibility to have them, and that's something that should have been mentioned as well. Not to mention both of these guitars are, traditionally, "fretless wonders", which some people feel very strongly about..

[@10INCHCRUSHER]

Sad part is the Norlin era still Trumps most of today's les pauls from the last 10 years.

[@10INCHCRUSHER]

I knew someone that had a Norlin era cream custom. That thing was a serious beast.

[@scottwarner6357]

Sometimes they even had three piece bodies. Every one I’ve touched has had serious mojo. Randy Rhoads ripped a Norlin era. Killer guitars

[@stevenvandemsky7290]

Norlin guitars get a bad rap but are much better than most stuff from Gibson you can buy today

[@waynewhiteside]

I have a 71 and it has the same top-end bite like yours. Only difference I can see is mine has the witch hat knobs.

[@kestekianSOAD]

The new one sounds like it has more top end shrill, the old one sounds like it has lost that high end over time and in my opinion sounds a bit better

[@huntermcdougal5013]

New instruments always have a stiffness to them, they arent truly broken in. The 70s custom sounds articulate, warm and full of sustain.

[@nicoladolby2154]

For me the guitars sound almost the same. It would come down to the feel of the guitar. I'd go for the new one.

[@leonsparta]

no no, they dont. 70's one killed the new one for me personally... both great but in would pay the additional couple of grand to get the older one :)

[@jalan6473]

I agree

[@GrayHawK1]

Honestly I was the same way until owning a vintage Les Paul. After playing it for a couple years I took it up to Sam Ash and played along side a new one. The tone difference was huge. Before that I wasn’t able to pick up the difference in feel and tone. It was pretty shocking to me. I figured I’d hear a difference but not to that degree.

[@Seanmyers2000]

Shoot even if the new sounded better I’d still want the 70s because it’s been worn in

[@Chris66JTM45]

That early 70's LP Custom looks like it has the original 'T' tops and to me sounds the best ... should be easy to confirm the pickups identity as the gold covers have been removed so the embossed T's will be visible. Great earthy tone and playing btw.

[@jacobm7421]

The 72 seems to have those really compressed sounding pickups. Which the 70s gibsons are known for. While the 57 reissue is a more open sounding pickup. The gain they chose is what makes them sound more similar than they should.

[@TattooedCarrot]

Both are black Les Paul, but other than that they are very different guitars. The 70's has a maple cap and depending on the year also a three piece maple neck. The reissue is all mahogany everything. And different pickups.

[@blackie75]

My favourite guitar ever made, followed closely by the white version that Rhoades played. EDIT: Also, I preferred the pickups in the modern one.

[@gibbanz22]

I honestly liked the 70's les paul over the new one. The new one is a bit bright and brittle for my taste. Plus the 70's one looks cooler.

[@Rgunt8905]

It sounds bright because it's not broken in. Every new guitar goes through that.

[@CoomerGremlinDGGfan]

​@@Rgunt8905I don't understand why more people don't realize that

[@ashleyjackson8538]

The build quality of the new ones must be the best it’s ever going to be . Imagine if they get better over time .

[@yestoES355]

70s get bashed but they are becoming desirable now since they are basically vintage especially to me as a 19 year old. I’d say the 78,79 les Pauls that ditched the pancake body and kept the two piece top sound amazing. Especially the Kalamazoo made.

[@brianmacewan3846]

no question-- the old one. You always get that back note when you bend two strings at once but not on the old one.

[@robertthompson6302]

Pretty sure from 68 onward, regular customs had a maple top... this one, because it is a early seventies, would have a maple cap. The 57 re issue would be a mahogany top. Please correct me if you know for certain, for some reason this particular early seventies would be any different.

[@brianmacewan3846]

I have a 69 maple but I dont know if they All had maple tops. I do know its super heavy (custom)

[@dennisyoung6040]

Yes that is correct and the maple top will make the tone a bit brighter

[@kevinrixmusic]

No comparison. The old one sounds much better. Better crunch, tightness, vibe and note separation. New one is probably easier to play, but the notes and chords bleed into each other too much. Great playing!!

[@danmartinazzi]

is for the pickups man! ;)

[@RByrne]

I've played several of these recently, both new reissues and vintage(70s, early 00's, 68) and for me the best was the 68 Reissue and the regular custom shop LPC, both felt really good. Best vintage for me was the early 00s(05 I believe). I'll likely get a reissue, as like you said you get peace of mind, as well as all the case candy and stuff that's always nice to have.

[@harrykadaras9459]

The 72 sounds better to me. I've owned four Historic Custom Shop Customs - all nice but my 75, 79, 87, and 89 all were better sounding instruments - I don't know why. Besides the different pickups, 70s ones and 80s Shaws/ Bill Lawrence, I stick to vintage ones, especially because of the prices nowdays. I honestly believe the wood was better, even as late as 1989 - just my opinion. I understand that the Historics are supposed to be the same, if not better, but I am not buying it. Also the 70s and 80s had less quality related issues. I currently play an 89 black beauty with a Bigsby and it's amazing sounding...and half the price.

[@jimjim7008]

I disagree... The 90s had the best Gibson Les pauls ever. All the 70s I played in secondhand guitar shops sounded aweful compared to my '97 standard

[@harrykadaras9459]

@@jimjim7008 opinions areike..are Iike. Anyway, I bought two 1991 LP Customs, at the same time - both in black. They sounded completely dead, like made out of concrete. Not only that, they both had major quality issues (too long to list) I've also owned a 1994 and 1995, albeit a bit better, than the 91s, not even close to my 80s in tone. You're right about the 70s, they can be hit or miss, and there are many complaints about the stacked sandwich bodies. Etc, but my 75 was KILLER in tone. But I've read nothing bad about the 87-89, which were the ones built after the change in ownership, and quality improvements. Never had anything to complain about in those years, and I'm not talking one or two guitars, but around a dozen Ive owned and recorded with. Never owned a 97, but again I stated this was my opinion, and as you know this is very subjective- unless someone could buy like 50 LPs of each year and do a statistical study like a DOE (design of experiments) on tonal quality, manufacturing quality, etc. I would hope you'd agree that the 1950s and late 60s were overall superior in tone/quality....(?)

[@CoomerGremlinDGGfan]

​@@harrykadaras9459no one cares about your cork sniffery. Reading crap like this is just exhausting

[@HarryStoneDotCom]

Came for the guitars stayed for the insanely good playing. Balls to the wall rock and roll wanking - but so musical. Amazing! My compliments to the chef

[@reijerlincoln]

A 1972 Custom, or indeed any post-1960 Custom, has a maple cap. Not mahogany as the presenters are stating. Customs from 1954 to 1960 (and their reissues like the 1972 '54 reissues)are one piece mahogany, no cap.

[@ShredShed]

I'm not usually a fan of vintage guitars but I have to the pick 70's Lp. you ripped that one harder too

[@SKRooU2]

if you aren't a fan of vintage guitars you aren't much of a fan. You must not be very intelligent when it comes to guitars

[@djt6546]

I have a 50th anniversary CS ‘68 custom reissue and a 60th anniversary CS ‘59 reissue.The ‘68 sits tonally with more upper mids. A more brazen bite like sound. Basically hotter I guess. The ‘59 sits tonally with more lower mids when comparing the two guitars. I was wondering if the same characteristic would come through in this video given the 50’s reissue vs early 70’s comparison. Maybe Joss did feel a similar difference albeit the opposite way round in terms of the model years. I did not hear too much difference over my headphones. So again I come back to every guitar can be different so generalising doesn’t really help someone in the market. How you feel and how they sound on the day they are in your hands is the only way to know if you prefer one over another and if you’ve found a keeper. Thanks for the cool demo. Cheers 👍

[@BruceBurger]

Yep the old one sounds way better 😵🐻

[@yunglombardo4968]

The 70s Custom had a lot more clarity, the reissue was way warmer, but both did sound bad arse.

[@billhannum4117]

Holy sh......t !!!!!!! That's was killer man. That's the sound in my head that marshall with the boss super over drive is just on fire . Fantastic playing . Some one give this dude a record deal . Best demo of a custom I have seen . Bravo well done

[@bluarcher5941]

totally agreed. He kills it and I definitely respect his opinion regarding preferences. Great video.

[@DaveBlundellDB]

Literally gobsmacked - that guy knows how to tear up a neck. Bravo. Great review

[@JoshConor]

Too much showing off and noise. Technicality is not synonymous of sounding good

[@BradleyBemis]

You killed it Joss! 🤘🔥 Really enjoyed listening to this!

[@joegreen8928]

The 70's one is definitely brighter almost straty because of the maple cap. I do go with the historic for the all mahogany and ebony vibe.

[@sainphony]

Bare in mind - open caps PU vs closed PU

[@muzhaffarjalani9958]

@@sainphony ))))l

[@chrisdanner1173]

...and by the way, "black beauty" is the nickname of the 3-pickup version ;-)

[@steviesedge]

The 72... No contest

[@shreddievanhalen1]

This dude can freaking shred

[@tianoliveira]

He is Zakky Wildely shredding...

[@Strat57L]

🤣

[@rickamadeo4187]

Both sound great, but agree the new one sounds clearer and more vibrant, as much as I can tell from a KZbin video.

[@TVoltG]

I had an early 70's Black Custom with a history I won't share. To be honest, I never gelled with it.

[@mikecooper8465]

Yeah.ive got a 72 blk beauty also.the pkups are the-tops.its not allowed to go out anymore lol.😁...

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

HOT DAMN I LOVE YOUR PLAYING, BROTHA! Saw you in that 2019 Les Paul 50’s/60’s vid at the UK Gibson HQ’s. Great playing, man. 🤙🏼 I’ll take the 70’s Custom. For me, the 70’s Les Paul Custom has it going on. Edit: For complete transparency sake; I grew up around my Dad’s 1970 ebony Gibson Les Paul Custom. So I MAY BE just a wee bit biased.

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

And I now have a 2019 57 reissue like the one in this vid. Fantastic guitar.

[@josephhebel6981]

50s Les Paul customs had an all mohagany body but when they were reintroduced in 68 they put maple tops on them

[@troyfrost1980]

Second one here , it's cold out side . 😲 Cold man . Thanks TroyFrost / Troyster 😎 CoolRiffs 😎 Cool 🎸 🤘🤘 🤘

[@flipmcdonought5835]

Quite the chemistry between these two

[@kurtlonde5892]

oh.. what a nice brutal sound of the old one

[@Jam-m7m]

From 1968 mid 70 Gibson used my favorite pickups ever made T-top pickups

[@classicrocker889]

Some Amazing Guitar Playing , I have an old one that would smoke a newer guitar . People have been trying to buy it for years.

[@sammyold4708]

70s they had 3 peice necks and velute with far less headstock angle built proper like an ibanez prestige. Iv done dozens and dozens of headstock repairs on les pauls but never from that 70s era. Nice to know your headstock won't snap if you sneeze. If ur actually a player go the 70s!

[@wilhelmtheconquerer6214]

The '71(if original) should have T-top pickups, the same ones that Angus Young from AC/DC favours to this day

[@reverb508]

Jimmy Page also famously had one installed in the bridge position of his 59 Les Paul back in the early 70's.

[@cleverg1555]

I think the only differences between are the pickups and the age of the guitar, i think the new one it's more well build and it's more easy to buy a new one than a old one

[@jerbear1601]

Turn the pickups down a bit and the mud on the 72 will go away. The modern one has hotter pickups and obviously a newer setup, frets etc. I love the mojo of older guitars and pickups.

[@christopherdavis8248]

GAK your fucking back in BLACK!!!!

[@sugarlife485]

thanks for the clean sounds

[@1972Georges]

the vintage one costs probalby more then double then the new one. I also would go for the ne one.

[@whitecakez110]

Your speed picking clean af

[@erlinhld8745]

I can´t hear any difference. You got to play it yourself to feel it. I play a 1976 Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty and I love it.

[@livingabovethe12th]

The 72 has more character and openness in the top. The newer is hotter so its more distorted lending a sameness to it. Maybe with less gain the new one would sound more open. Funny compared to what you said the custom shop sounds muddier on this end of the internet.

[@Richard_Lush]

I assume the alnicos are unpotted in the CS. I noticed on my R8 the unpotted pick ups make a huge difference in tone. Way edgier.

[@danielshean6319]

Give me the 1970's any day...

[@peterellman9672]

dude is a monster player

[@Ludus4H1]

Of course there ar some differences in sound, just how cover on PU affect to sound? Less bright, more articulate?

[@donthewatcher8835]

my Epiphone Ebony Les Paul Custom with gibson 490r/ 498t pickups(replaced Probuckers)and orange drop caps, sounds like the 70's gibby you shred.................

[@OperationEndGame]

I’ll take both... More Paul is better than a Less Paul.

[@alexstrums]

Damn!!! I need (want😅) one of these in my life. To my ears, the ‘57 is giving me a SG vibe (articulate, more upper mids and less bass) due to it not having a maple cap. Both sound amazing though 😊 The SD-1 has got to be one of the best overdrive pedals of all time.

[@robtylerblack2617]

Not possibly because you can sell more new Custom Shops as they are on tap from Gibson, rather than the 70's which sounded so much better and only a one-off in stock. All business & profit. 70's wins hands down.

[@FelixIsMyName]

Only problem with the 1970's Les Paul's is that damn pancake body construction. I use to own a '79 Deluxe in black that had been gigged most of it's life, beat up to hell, but it played so lovely, but it was sooooo light. On the flip side, I have played on a 70's Les Paul Custom and again, it was really nice to play on and did sound good, but again the weight and balance of the guitar was really weird. I actually own a 2022 LP Custom 70th Anniversary (it's my 2nd one) , which has a 60's neck profile and a super low action and some of the hottest 490/498 humbuckers I've heard in a long time. My other 2022 LP Custom I had for a month, as the neck profile was like a 58/59 profile and I just couldn't get on with the guitar. Also spending over £4300 made me too paranoid to play the guitar. I picked up my current LP Custom 5 days ago for just over £3100 and it was mint. One real gem of a LP Custom's are the 2012 LP Classic Custom's , which were built on the Gibson USA production line. They have a baked maple freatboard , which if you oil them, goes to black and feels like ebony. I ended up putting in a set of 490/498 humbuckers and changed all the hardware to gold. It weighed 10.3lb's and had a very, very slim 60's neck. Bar there being no binding on the back of the guitar, you would never know you are playing a much cheaper guitar. I found one for sale stock at £2000 and after £300 to get it modded like I did, I think is a brilliant option compared to the massively expensive Custom Shop Customs.

[@ryanbodell458]

Is that massaad's axe?

[@1972Georges]

great playing

[@robertrogers7939]

New one kicks ass.

[@aviator_bryan]

Killer shredding, dude!!!!

[@JPDraves]

Nice, His points are tru, Id rather get the new to give it the mojo for when its old

[@danmartinazzi]

Change capacitors and pickups in the new one ... ;) and they will sound almost the same!

[@donaldkerrigan3357]

Great playing!

[@philipbeasley72]

Really couldn't tell the difference. The 57 maybe a bit more articulation. Some more that gibson mud in those pick-ups. But really couldn't tell.

[@heaart2145]

Both is more better!! Then ya gots a backup!😎

[@leeguitarmcr]

Would love to play that quick with precision. My hands won't f**kin allow it...even after all these years of playing! It's the Vintage one for me...the tone just seems fuller to me.

[@agriff4795]

The reissue Les Paul Customs beginning in 1968- 2021 are Mahogany with a maple top, only 1954-1961 and current Vintage reissue Customs are made of solid mahogany. The 1970's Gibson 490 pickups all used alnico II magnets and neither guitar has wax potted pickups

[@scaryfakevirus]

Have the pu covers been removed on this one? I found that this caused a lot of feedback one of my old 1980s customs. I think they are for screening, but I'm sure someone will have a view on that.

[@barns5345]

Dude the music of the soul

[@carloaiazzi6341]

The Les Paul 70 have the strings in warparound the Les Paul custom is the really Les Paul is the best!

[@JaimeCerrada]

They obviously will sound different. No PhD needed to notice that. Different wood (maple top on the 70s), no pickup covers, demagnetised magnets, "dry" capacitors ... Both sound killer to me.

[@progjsa]

Rippin!! Awesome guitars!

[@ImcGentengkaliSurabaya]

Nice sound vintage

[@beebesix]

Dude freakin shreds

[@hopper76b]

What’s the black box over the Alpi head ? Some sort of gear to crank out the ampli and do not destroy the house ? Can somebody tell me this ?

[@fuegosatsuma868]

theres no way he prefers the new models, i never met anyone that does !!!! its just that they dont sell 70,s customs at GAK

[@ben__ford9235]

I feel the same,.i dont believe him :/

[@Wargasm644]

Well, he explained why he liked the newer one. It’s really not that complicated. I’d play either. But there’s nothing wrong with a preference.

[@fuegosatsuma868]

@@Wargasm644 he's trying to sell the new model for the shop he is demoing it for lol

[@Andrei.x8]

Yo nice rock riffs man. Very tasty

[@DKprojects9]

I learned that gibson custom guitars don't come with toggle switch knobs. Guess you gotta buy those separate.

[@GeoffSweet]

Uh....mine did...

[@willwragg9707]

Ain't no Plexi like a 1959 Plexi.....? o_O It'll have to be a model number, right?

[@leebakprime2297]

Just pickups, pots and setup playability differences when plugged in.

[@grenade.turtle]

And woods...

[@hadtodoit2647]

Yep

[@cruelcriminal]

Credits to the player here. No worries about gtrs

[@jameslwashington1]

Thanks, very informative.

[@millershane71]

I just recently watched a video of a 70s Tele where the potting of the coils in the pickups had essentially deteriorated and needed to be repotted. Not that these in the 72 are unusable but just wondering if the aging has affected the top end and sound of the pickups. Did Gibson go to a less expensive potting in the 70s like Fender did? Please comment if you know. Thanks for the vid!

[@briankim4519]

what does potting mean

[@millershane71]

@@briankim4519 the material, like wax, that encases the magnets so that there isn't any sonic reverberation between the magnets when you hit a string so you only hear that note, that would be my best humble explanation. I guess they went on the cheap in the 70's on that

[@briankim4519]

@@millershane71 thats really good thing. so u can clearly hear the note wow. without any noise unnenessary

[@13vansman]

My ears prefer the sound of the 70-72