# Randy Rhoads Les Paul Custom



## ne1roc (Mar 4, 2006)

Yeah I want this. Lets all fight about this one now!

Gibson.com: Gibson Custom - Randy Rhoads Les Paul Custom


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

OG **** yeah.. But watch out for the Price tag..and i HOPE they don't do a Pancake version..LOL


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

wicked guitarist...but i don't really care for his tone...too bright for me...

nice axe though


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## ne1roc (Mar 4, 2006)

ezcomes said:


> wicked guitarist...but i don't really care for his tone...too bright for me...
> 
> nice axe though


I fully agree with the statement above.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Do they make them extra big so we can all feel as small as Rhoads was??


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

for $9800, i want it to make me play as good as him, and maybe do some other things i can't mention in polite company


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

ummm.. wasn't that guitar pretty famous for being an off-the-rack, totally stock Alpine White Custom?


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## Stonesy (Oct 7, 2008)

Wow! They went the full Norlin.
Pancake body.
Three piece mahogany neck.
Three piece 'highly figured' maple top.
Nashville bridge.
Bizzaro logo.
No mention or pic of a volute.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

1st comment on the link sys it all

Why make a guitar that no one will buy?
What I mean is, the Jackson RR5 is a Randy Rhoads signature too, and it's a great metal guitar.. but it doesn't burn a hole in your pocket that's big enough to fit a velociraptor in, it delivers sound and it looks like a bloody mean machine with the ivory and gold finish.
The Fender Clapton Signature costs 1/5th of this guitar, so does the Yngwie Signature and the Jeff Beck signature.
You can have all 3 if you want, and still have enough money left to buy a Marshall stack, so why, oh WHY will anyone in their right mind buy this guitar?
So, why build a guitar that no one will buy?
I love Randy Rhoads, and I love Gibson, and I love every other guitarist that has used Gibson, but I'm pretty goddamn sure that they didn't pay $9000 for their Gibson.
Besides, why buy this guitar when Randy never even used it?
It's a tribute.. he didn't design it, he never even touched any of the parts, and in all probability, Randy wouldn't have bought it himself if it cost him $9000.

Seriously Gibson, grow up, build a guitar that sounds good and is affordable to people who actually play on stage.. not to people who want it as a novelty to keep in their living room.


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## Stonesy (Oct 7, 2008)

There is more than 300 Randy fanatics in the world with the bones to pay that kinda money.
Cheaper to just buy a real '74, change the poker chip and get a pickguard engraved.


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## Tim Plains (Apr 14, 2009)

Stonesy said:


> Wow! They went the full Norlin.
> Pancake body.
> Three piece mahogany neck.
> Three piece 'highly figured' maple top.
> ...


Looks like an ABR-1 and it has volute. Click on "specs" and then check out the pictures.
Cool idea for them to reissue a Norlin. It'll probably have a MAP of $5,000.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Hehe, someone said "velociraptor" in this thread. Awesome!


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Yes it's an ABR1 as it should be. I haven't seen anything regarding the tenon - whether it's a trans (it should be) or just a long tenon as they use in Historics. But man, it appears to be dead on a 74 Custom.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

al3d said:


> OG **** yeah.. But watch out for the Price tag..and i HOPE they don't do a Pancake version..LOL


Hey--my Les Paul has the pancake body, and I love that guitar.Norlin era Les Paul & a late 70's CBS era Fender Mustang.
I might be a rebel.



mrmatt1972 said:


> It's a tribute.. he didn't design it, he never even touched any of the parts, and in all probability, Randy wouldn't have bought it himself if it cost him $9000.
> 
> Seriously Gibson, grow up, build a guitar that sounds good and is affordable to people who actually play on stage.. not to people who want it as a novelty to keep in their living room.


Gibson would have given him one, I guess. The VOS version is almost $3000 less, and they will go for less in the stores.
People paid $25,000 for a replica of EVH's Frankenstrat, sp who knows?

But I agree they are overpriced.



Stonesy said:


> There is more than 300 Randy fanatics in the world with the bones to pay that kinda money.
> Cheaper to just buy a real '74, change the poker chip and get a pickguard engraved.


Yup--see above.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

A Simple Answer to All this is "COLLECTORS". yes, there are a LOT of Folks with Money. As to your List of players...EVH's Guitar was 25 000$...Eric's Blackie was 27 000$, Malmsteen's was 17 500$, SRV's was 17 000$. and they all sold QUITE fast realy. Trying to find a Used Blackie is almost impossible. The Frankenstrat is another story, lots of collector bought them and some for investment but when EV did'nt do another album, the Fab faded fast. 

Jackson made a Signature replica of his first Jackson wich sells for between 10 000$ and 14 000$ basicaly. only 25 made doh, so very limited batch.

Not sure what you mean by Randy did'nt use it!..cause his LP was his main guitars for YEARS until he got his Jackson Demo. 

But still, you make very good point, but unless musicians completely stop buying those crazy ass priced guitars, they will continue making them..

Jackson Custom Shop Randy Rhoads Tribute Relic




mrmatt1972 said:


> 1st comment on the link sys it all
> 
> Why make a guitar that no one will buy?
> What I mean is, the Jackson RR5 is a Randy Rhoads signature too, and it's a great metal guitar.. but it doesn't burn a hole in your pocket that's big enough to fit a velociraptor in, it delivers sound and it looks like a bloody mean machine with the ivory and gold finish.
> ...


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## Toogy (Apr 16, 2009)

It looks awesome and I'll love to have one as a 1974 Gibson Les Paul is my "Holy Grail", but holy crazy price tag on that one!!


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I love the looks of this guitar, but I'm with the others who would rather buy an actually 74 Custom for significantly less than what this axe goes for.

However, I'm really interested in what these Super '74 Humbuckers are. Are they a new pickup from Gibson, or just a re-named existing pickup? No mention of them in the Gibson:Accessoriesickups section.


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## Alex Csank (Jul 22, 2010)

If you have lots of money to spend, why not get a 'Randy Rhoads' signature R.I. 1955 Beechcraft Bonanza F-35 as well?9kkhhd

I have never been a fan of 'Re-Issue', 'Replica' or 'Relic' guitars, as I much prefer the original products. On the other hand, I have no problem with honest 'copy' guitars (not counterfeits!), as long as they carry their own branding and are clearly labeled.

I like that '74 LP he used, and I'll bet that signature plays and sounds great. But I sure wouldn't want to fork over that much extra coinage just for a 'tribute' to Randy, especially when all profits go to the dealers and Gibson. Now, if there was a tribute/ signature guitar with some of the profits going to a charity, that might be something I'd consider.

Things are getting so confusing in terms of guitar values these days. Pretty soon, you will be able to buy a "Vintage Relic'd David Gilmour Fender Strat", a R.I. of the 'Partscaster' favored by the artist - the Fender Custom Shop uses a mid '60s style Alder body, a 1983 Maple "C" Shape 21 Fret neck and for Pups: 1 Fat '50s (Neck), 1 '69 Strat (Middle) and 1 Seymour Duncan SSL-5 (Bridge). Tell me that isn't confusing! How would you put a value on a signature custom-shop vintage partscaster guitar which has been artificially aged, and which is now 'used' and 'vintage'?!?!

Side note: I thought I had seen everything 'tacky', until this past summer when I went to a reception at a well-to-do guy's house near Washington, DC. He was very proud of his Squier 'Eric Clapton Blackie' with Eric's signature on it. He had it in a locked display case on the wall, complete with lights and such. I asked him if he played it and he said that he never played guitar, he just liked having a "collectible" guitar on the wall of his "home theater and man cave". I had to bite my tongue, as he was the host...and I was trying to be polite.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

a fellow over at the My Les Paul Forum made an interesting comment, other than just looking at this as an RR Sig guitar, it can also be looked at as a '74 Custom Reissue. Just by chance I guess, Randy chose (or was given) a fairly unique model:
- first year for Alpine White
- last year for mahogany neck
- second year for the reintroduction of the 17 degree headstock angle
- last year for trans tenon
- last year for stickered TTops
- last year of the ABR-1
- Anniversary Model (but not all had the anniversary inlay, his didn't, mine doesn't)
(some of these items drifted into '75)

'Street' prices are less than Gibson's posted prices btw, IIRC Guitar Center had them listed at $4999 and $6999.



> However, I'm really interested in what these Super '74 Humbuckers are. Are they a new pickup from Gibson, or just a re-named existing pickup?


They are brand new. There's a lot of interest in these, a recreation of the early TTop, 7.4K-7.6K, AL3s. I sure hope they release these to the aftermarket right away. I'm interested to hear them. However, I'm not a fan of wax potting, I don't believe the originals are.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

dwagar said:


> They are brand new. There's a lot of interest in these, a recreation of the early TTop, 7.4K-7.6K, AL3s. I sure hope they release these to the aftermarket right away. I'm interested to hear them. However, I'm not a fan of wax potting, I don't believe the originals are.


Thanks for the info! Yeah, that actually sounds really interesting. As for the wax, oh well, you could always just melt it out of the pickup, no?


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

I don't know, maybe. Maybe it doesn't really make a difference in tone. 

The stickered TTop in the neck position of my '74 Custom is one of the best sounding pickups I've ever heard. I hope these new ones come close to it. I might have to get a set for my Historic.


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

dwagar said:


> a fellow over at the My Les Paul Forum made an interesting comment, other than just looking at this as an RR Sig guitar, it can also be looked at as a '74 Custom Reissue. Just by chance I guess, Randy chose (or was given) a fairly unique model:
> - first year for Alpine White
> - last year for mahogany neck
> - second year for the reintroduction of the 17 degree headstock angle
> ...


I've got a '74 Custom (Black Beauty) with no Anniversary inlay. Where would I find the TTop sticker if it had one?


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

on the back of the pickup, up to '74 (maybe some early '75s) they have the patent # on a sticker, in '75 they started stamping the base plate with it. I don't believe there's a real difference between these, at least between 74s and 75s, I don't think the later ones sounded as good, but that could just be me.

here's a pic I found on the net


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

Alex Csank said:


> Side note: I thought I had seen everything 'tacky', until this past summer when I went to a reception at a well-to-do guy's house near Washington, DC. He was very proud of his Squier 'Eric Clapton Blackie' with Eric's signature on it. He had it in a locked display case on the wall, complete with lights and such. I asked him if he played it and he said that he never played guitar, he just liked having a "collectible" guitar on the wall of his "home theater and man cave". I had to bite my tongue, as he was the host...and I was trying to be polite.


i'm not sure i understand what the issue is with a Squier with Eric's signature on it? there are a lot of people with hockey jersey's like that...just because the article isn't worth anything, doesnt mean the signature may carry more weight for people...if i had a signature on a guitar for someone i loved, i'd put it up on display too...and all those people with signed jersey's that don't play hockey...they must be fools too eh...or autographed sports cards...

who are we to decide what carry's value to others?


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

dwagar said:


> on the back of the pickup, up to '74 (maybe some early '75s) they have the patent # on a sticker, in '75 they started stamping the base plate with it. I don't believe there's a real difference between these, at least between 74s and 75s, I don't think the later ones sounded as good, but that could just be me.
> 
> here's a pic I found on the net


Thanks, I'll check next time I have her apart.


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## Alex Csank (Jul 22, 2010)

ezcomes said:


> i'm not sure i understand what the issue is with a Squier with Eric's signature on it? there are a lot of people with hockey jersey's like that...just because the article isn't worth anything, doesnt mean the signature may carry more weight for people...if i had a signature on a guitar for someone i loved, i'd put it up on display too...and all those people with signed jersey's that don't play hockey...they must be fools too eh...or autographed sports cards...
> 
> who are we to decide what carry's value to others?


ezcomes,

I understand your perspective. I guess the point that I found odd was that this guy spent an awful lot of money for a 'Squier', as opposed to a 'Fender' Blackie and had it displayed under glass in a home worth a lot and with a fancy home theater/man cave. To me, that is like displaying a Wayne Gretzky signed Sherwood 'Junior' Hockey Stick. In other words, it isn't about the value, it's more about taste. But hey, some people like that kind of stuff...however, it doesn't mean that I am not allowed to find it 'tacky'.

In any event, this thread is about that Gibson Randy Rhoads signature guitar. I'm sorry I took it off-topic.

From what dwagar and others are saying, it sounds like this RR signature is really a great '74 RI.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

LOL..i guess you go trought New Brunzwick when you fly to Hawai hey!... and the RR Signature...is a Jackson mate..not a LP.. 



Alex Csank said:


> ezcomes,
> 
> I understand your perspective. I guess the point that I found odd was that this guy spent an awful lot of money for a 'Squier', as opposed to a 'Fender' Blackie and had it displayed under glass in a home worth a lot and with a fancy home theater/man cave. To me, that is like displaying a Wayne Gretzky signed Sherwood 'Junior' Hockey Stick. In other words, it isn't about the value, it's more about taste. But hey, some people like that kind of stuff...however, it doesn't mean that I am not allowed to find it 'tacky'.
> 
> ...


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## Alex Csank (Jul 22, 2010)

al3d said:


> LOL..i guess you go trought New Brunzwick when you fly to Hawai hey!... and the RR Signature...is a Jackson mate..not a LP..


I don't understand your post. the guitar being discussed is the Gibson, Randy Rhoads isn't it? The link from Gibson is here: Gibson-Custom/Randy-Rhoads-Les-Paul-Custom


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Alex Csank said:


> I don't understand your post. the guitar being discussed is the Gibson, Randy Rhoads isn't it? The link from Gibson is here: Gibson-Custom/Randy-Rhoads-Les-Paul-Custom


yes..but the RR Signature is first designated by This model., 









As for you going to new brunswick to end-up in Hawai is refering to your ability to completely go off topic easily..


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## Alex Csank (Jul 22, 2010)

al3d said:


> yes..but the RR Signature is first designated by This model.,
> 
> As for you going to new brunswick to end-up in Hawai is refering to your ability to completely go off topic easily..


Oh OK. Thanks for pointing out that the RR signature is actually a Jackson and that I had referred to the Gibson incorrectly. I'm sure that was an important point. About the NB/Hawaii line - I guess you just felt like you had to attack again, huh? Thanks. I appreciate your effort to make me feel welcome. You will note perhaps that I actually apologized for going 'off-topic' and brought my post back 'on-topic'.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Alex Csank said:


> Oh OK. Thanks for pointing out that the RR signature is actually a Jackson and that I had referred to the Gibson incorrectly. I'm sure that was an important point. About the NB/Hawaii line - I guess you just felt like you had to attack again, huh? Thanks. I appreciate your effort to make me feel welcome. You will note perhaps that I actually apologized for going 'off-topic' and brought my post back 'on-topic'.


Jesus man..don't be so sensitive...a Smiley after a sentence means it's all in good humor.


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