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R9 Brazilians, anyone get one?


Tortious

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On 1/28/2019 at 6:02 PM, jim777 said:

For a lot of people, it seems their eyes see "Brazilian" and their brain translates that to "MAGIC".

Not MAGIG but definitely VOODOO....

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Brazillian-Braschmillian..:

IMG_0886.JPG

IMG_0881 (1).jpg

Dang...It's strange how just a shift in angle can produce such different results. The grain came out great, but the color is better represented in the first snap. 

I gotta stop being lazy and use a real camera when shooting gear. This iPhone shit is NOT cutting it...

 

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Wow. I'm gonna guess that all had something to do with why they had no Gibson inventory pictured up until yesterday. Probably some Henry hangover bullshit that JC finally got around to fixing. Still, that's an assload of 'em. Bazilians.

And I went through every last one one and found something not to like about it. 🧐🤦‍♂️

The one I did find rather fetching was this R8. Someone else apparently did too, it changed to 'sold' about an hour after the pics went up.

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I still wouldn't mind checking some of these out to see if the QC is any better. Probably more effort than I'm willing to put in though. 🙃

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On 3/1/2019 at 5:25 PM, Tortious said:

DGS photos are too-good-to-be-true.  They could probably make a killing on selling lighting kits so that your guitars look like photos from DGS when they're at home.  :)

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With a quantity of 50 that sounds more like a run than a custom shop Geetar. Wish I was closer I’d like to see how a $9000.00 Custom Shop Gibson compares to a $1500.00 Hamer Studio Custom. A side from SC to DC... just quality of build.

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1 hour ago, Dutchman said:

With a quantity of 50 that sounds more like a run than a custom shop Geetar. Wish I was closer I’d like to see how a $9000.00 Custom Shop Gibson compares to a $1500.00 Hamer Studio Custom. A side from SC to DC... just quality of build.

The current number given on the DGS website is fifty-nine.  They're listed there as their own sub-category, just click on the menus.

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25 minutes ago, crunchee said:

The current number given on the DGS website is fifty-nine. 

Dang. For an, “endangered species” tropical hardwood, it seems that more than a few manufacturers offer BR as an option. Maybe they have huge stash piles squirreled away?

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There are a lot of details so here's a little something I wrote when I bought the Brazilian.  


Like a lot of guys, I have my own ideas about what constitutes a good Les Paul. My first quality guitar was a Les Paul - the instrument where I basically learned how to play, formed teenage bands, etc. It was a Norlin era '70s Les Paul Custom. Not exactly where I'm at now in terms of feel and tone but I loved the guitar at the time.

Once I started earning decent money as an adult I thought it was time to go guitar shopping. But I couldn't bond with any Les Pauls I came across and so gravitated toward a different type of guitar altogether. That was fine. I bought and sold many cool pieces over the years (still do but less frequently) but I always kind of yearned for a LP. Alas, I found a super cool 2002 R8 that sounded really good. The neck was a little clubby but I got used to it after time. Though before long a Grosh Set Neck, early/solid body, ended up unseating the R8. It sounded and played much better even with the same solid heft.

Much time passed and then I heard about the attention Gibson was paying to the new Historics, with the 2018s being the best yet. I had to try one - I had to try two! - but that comes soon. I got a killer 2018 '59 Historic from HOG. They were great. The guitar was better.

 

I was completely blown away since not only did it sound amazing but it played beautifully - it fit right in with my Thorn, Huber, and Grosh guitars. Seriously, this LP played as well as the others.
It was pretty light, just a hair over 8 1/2 lbs, and had a different sound from any LP I had owned or even played: airy and crisp throughout, dry, super resonate with a cupped sound to the individual notes - I think this is what others call a vowel quality - articulate bass, additive midrange, and sizzling highs. I like these pickups. The Indian Rosewood was an attractive chocolate with some streaks, and the top and VOS finish were great. A mixture of peekaboo flame, water marks, mineral streaks gave it an authentic vintage look as well. Just wonderful all around. I loved it.

It's weird, I loved it so much I considered selling it to get a Brazilian version. I couldn't help myself. If the next guitar was as good as this one I'd have it made, but if not, I'd be out a GREAT LP. It was a risk - too big of a risk! - so I bought the Brazilian before I sold the first guitar. HA! I'm crazy. I can't afford this but I had to. The new one came from Wildwood. They were great. The guitar was better.

I could not believe it. It was like the two guitars were siblings, very close in many regards. They looked similar with Honey Lemon Fade vs Dirty Lemon Burst on vintage style tops. The necks were almost identical. By the way, I love this new neck shape and size. The Brazilian came in at 8 1/2 lbs. and the fingerboard is beautifully dark with figuring. Overall, everything I said about the Indian applies to the Brazilian. Acoustically, they had some minor differences. The Brazilian is a touch brighter and open - not by much but it's there. The Indian is a touch more aggressive. Again it's a small amount but it's there. I actually liked the amplified tone of the Indian a bit better but a quick adjustment to the pickups in the Brazilian brought out its own characteristics equally on par with the Indian.

All in all, I preferred the Brazilian for its open and brighter sound while keeping everything else about the Indian that I loved. I'm really glad I took a chance with it. I sold the Indian for a good deal to a guy who really likes it. Truth be told both guitars are incredible. Are their minor to moderate differences worth the extra money? I think it's up to the individual. Though I will add, since the guitars feel and play very similar, and can be made to sound nearly identical, the extra cost might be more about the exclusivity of Brazilian Rosewood over any other factor. Either way, I highly recommend these 2018 Historics. Something special is really going on.

- Ken


G7Y8wil.jpg

 

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Hey Ken...Great review! And it has to be a good companion to the Grantura.

I have put the clamp on my wallet for "singlecuts" or I'd really want to test drive one.

On that whole Brazilian thing......I DO subscribe to the opinion that it adds a bit more to the equation. But it is nowhere near as scarce and unobtanium as the hype would make it. Four figures (or whatever) for an upgraded fingerboard? Hard to justify when there seem to be another dozen hitting dealers, seemingly, daily.

How to tell if it IS Brazilian rosewood? Not by sight......The SURE way to tell is that it burns sweeter than "ordinary" rosewood........

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On 3/22/2019 at 8:40 AM, pirateflynn said:

There are a lot of details so here's a little something I wrote when I bought the Brazilian.  


Like a lot of guys, I have my own ideas about what constitutes a good Les Paul. My first quality guitar was a Les Paul - the instrument where I basically learned how to play, formed teenage bands, etc. It was a Norlin era '70s Les Paul Custom. Not exactly where I'm at now in terms of feel and tone but I loved the guitar at the time.

Once I started earning decent money as an adult I thought it was time to go guitar shopping. But I couldn't bond with any Les Pauls I came across and so gravitated toward a different type of guitar altogether. That was fine. I bought and sold many cool pieces over the years (still do but less frequently) but I always kind of yearned for a LP. Alas, I found a super cool 2002 R8 that sounded really good. The neck was a little clubby but I got used to it after time. Though before long a Grosh Set Neck, early/solid body, ended up unseating the R8. It sounded and played much better even with the same solid heft.

Much time passed and then I heard about the attention Gibson was paying to the new Historics, with the 2018s being the best yet. I had to try one - I had to try two! - but that comes soon. I got a killer 2018 '59 Historic from HOG. They were great. The guitar was better.

 

I was completely blown away since not only did it sound amazing but it played beautifully - it fit right in with my Thorn, Huber, and Grosh guitars. Seriously, this LP played as well as the others.
It was pretty light, just a hair over 8 1/2 lbs, and had a different sound from any LP I had owned or even played: airy and crisp throughout, dry, super resonate with a cupped sound to the individual notes - I think this is what others call a vowel quality - articulate bass, additive midrange, and sizzling highs. I like these pickups. The Indian Rosewood was an attractive chocolate with some streaks, and the top and VOS finish were great. A mixture of peekaboo flame, water marks, mineral streaks gave it an authentic vintage look as well. Just wonderful all around. I loved it.

It's weird, I loved it so much I considered selling it to get a Brazilian version. I couldn't help myself. If the next guitar was as good as this one I'd have it made, but if not, I'd be out a GREAT LP. It was a risk - too big of a risk! - so I bought the Brazilian before I sold the first guitar. HA! I'm crazy. I can't afford this but I had to. The new one came from Wildwood. They were great. The guitar was better.

I could not believe it. It was like the two guitars were siblings, very close in many regards. They looked similar with Honey Lemon Fade vs Dirty Lemon Burst on vintage style tops. The necks were almost identical. By the way, I love this new neck shape and size. The Brazilian came in at 8 1/2 lbs. and the fingerboard is beautifully dark with figuring. Overall, everything I said about the Indian applies to the Brazilian. Acoustically, they had some minor differences. The Brazilian is a touch brighter and open - not by much but it's there. The Indian is a touch more aggressive. Again it's a small amount but it's there. I actually liked the amplified tone of the Indian a bit better but a quick adjustment to the pickups in the Brazilian brought out its own characteristics equally on par with the Indian.

All in all, I preferred the Brazilian for its open and brighter sound while keeping everything else about the Indian that I loved. I'm really glad I took a chance with it. I sold the Indian for a good deal to a guy who really likes it. Truth be told both guitars are incredible. Are their minor to moderate differences worth the extra money? I think it's up to the individual. Though I will add, since the guitars feel and play very similar, and can be made to sound nearly identical, the extra cost might be more about the exclusivity of Brazilian Rosewood over any other factor. Either way, I highly recommend these 2018 Historics. Something special is really going on.

- Ken

Wow, thanks for the info! A mighty, 8-paragraph screed worthy of django. Except, I continued reading yours after the first three words. Well done.

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