Played a 2017 LP Traditional today

Bucket

It was really really bloody good actually.

This was a 2017 Traditional T, in cherry burst. I played it through a Blackstar ID in a shop, wasn't blown away by the amp but definitely was by the guitar. It wasn't incredibly light but it wasn't a boat anchor either. It had a nice full neck profile - not super fat, but not a toothpick like most modern Gibsons seem to have either.

It was really loud unplugged, so much so that I thought it was chambered and was surprised to find out that it wasn't. Hard to get an idea of the plugged-in tones through that amp, but I'm sure it would have sounded fine through my rig. And it was absolutely glorious to play - I was really surprised at how nice it felt, and how little I had to fight it like it sometimes feels I have to with LPs. Played like the proverbial dairy product. When I put it back on the wall, I had a quick feel of the honeyburst one next to it, couldn't pick it up because it was locked into the stand but felt the neck profile, lifted it to feel the weight, and strummed an open string to hear the resonance, and it seemed like the two guitars were fairly consistent.

Not overly keen on the look - the lack of a plastic ring round the pickup switch looks a bit odd, and the pickup covers are too fucking shiny like always, but I'm nitpicking. Wasn't expecting a non-CS 2017 Les Paul to be much cop given their reputation over the last couple of years, but I was wrong.

Very pleasantly surprised.

p90fool

I have to say I'm not remotely surprised, Gibson made some bizarre specification choices a couple of years ago, but not many people denied the actual build quality. 

I love Les Pauls and out of about 40 I've played over the last five years or so the only duffer was a '71 Custom, ironically the one I wanted most to fall in love with, and even that would've been fine with a little work. 

There are a couple of nice details on Custom Shop Historics, like thinner neck binding and some other more easily swappable parts, but oddly enough I think a lot of the bad reputation suffered by the Standards is the slagging they get from Historic owners trying to justify the extra two grand they spent. 

My own goldtop has rendered all my other electrics superfluous, but if I'm honest it's not a uniquely magical guitar, it was actually a fairly typical example among the dozens I played while shopping. 

Gibson Les Pauls are good guitars whatever the internet says, and there's a reason they're still doing world tours and platinum albums just like they always have.