Yes! I just got this 1996 Gibson Custom Shop ’56 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue or commonly known as R6!
With the blessing of my mrs, we have invested in this near vintage pre-historic reissue Les Paul with the best pickups in the world (in my opinion), the P90s.
Some time back, I listed the R6 as a dream guitar to have, along with the R2 and R4. There are actually no R2s but there is a 2009 limited run Gibson Les Paul ’52 Tribute Prototype with the trapeze bridge. I was close to buying one from someone in KL. Though it has a limited number of pieces in the world, I was not sure about its investibility. Before that, I had actually eyed one local R6 priced at 5.2K. R6 is my preferred choice.
Then, I made offers to both the ’52 and ’56 owners at $700 below their respective asking prices. And both decided to take up my offer. The ’52 would have been 1K cheaper than the ’56 but I had to wait for the owner to come down from KL, it doesn’t command as much in the resale market and it has the trapeze bridge which looks cool but may not intonate well.
Therefore, I went with the R6. And she’s one gorgeous guitar that had been well taken care of by the owner in his 60s. I played her with my limited time and I must say she’s the guitar I’ve enjoyed playing the most in my life. I love her sound, her feel and her playability.
I want to pitch her against my Les Paul Special which had sounded the best in my arsenal once more. The R6 had won the first round. I hope I can keep her for a long time until her value appreciates.