2nd hand Gibsons....Any eras or years to avoid?

riffpowers

I'm looking round for a 2nd hand les paul. It'll likely be a les paul studio or something similar.
All the gibsons I've owned have been from the 90's. They've all been fantastic.

I hear people bashing Gibson's QC a lot, especially in recent years, so I'm keen to avoid any guitars that are likely to be poor.

For example, If I had the choice between a 2004  a 2014 or 2016 les paul studio I'd go look at the one that was likely to be best quality.

I'm interested to know which years to avoid, which might be better and if there's any bang for buck models out there,

Or does it not matter?!

RandallFlagg

1959 was a bit shabby. Avoid

Gassage

Generally, 1961- 2019, as a rule of thumb.

DB1

I've got some 1930's, 1940's and 1950's Gibsons, and they're all lovely. Similarly, I bought a 2018 ES-335 a few weeks ago, and it's superb. I have a 1998 Chet Atkins Tennessean and a 2010 ES-165 - all great, and a 2017 ES-275, which is excellent. 

I've had a few that haven't really hit the mark, but from assorted eras, so I think it's a case of taking each guitar on its merits. 

amarok1971

All i can proffer is that my 2016 50's LP tribute was the pick of the bunch in a shop, i deliberately avoided 2015 models because of the silly wide necks. My most played guitar at the moment is an 2013 SG 50's tribute, cheap, no frills but a great guitar.

merlin

I'm selling a 2014 120th Anniversary that is lovely. Just not for me! 

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/157081/fs-gibson-les-paul-traditional-2014-120th-anniversary#latest

FelineGuitars

Buy one that feels good and if needed get it fret dressed and serviced to play to it's full potential.

WiresDreamDisasters

And @FelineGuitars does excellent fret dressingses.

Tenebrous

No reason to avoid a guitar from any particular year, but plenty of reason to resist buying one without getting your hands on one first. Gibson's seem to heavily vary in quality, so you could quite easily find a stinker from a good year as you could find a cracker from a supposed bad year.

Just use your own hands/ears/eyes & judge each instrument as they come.

Legionreturns

guitars4you

avoid any LP between 1961 and 1966

Otherwise - Every era/period has good or bad days - Not sure what your budget is as this will have an impact - Some models/eras have acquired a hype that means you will pay more - And I don't just mean the 50's golden era - ie you'll pay a lot more for an early 70's LP Custom than something from the last 10 years or so - Neither are better as such, but one might be more preferable to one player

If I said play each and everyone and let your hands/ears decide that might not help you, with so many to choose from - Yet in reality it is the only/best option 

You mention you like 90's models - Then nothing wrong with that - I've seen good and bad - As a big overview you won't  pay over the odds on a 90' model as far less hype about them 

Ref comments by Jon at @FelineGuitars - Yes a good re-fret or fret dress can enrich the playing performance of many models from the 70's to 90's - Each to their own but I'm not a fan of the low/flat/wide fret profile - Prefer larger frets with a rounded top - But that is not a big issue to change

gusman2x

90s studios have a great rep, and all the ones I’ve played have been great. 

stimpsonslostson

Not wanting to state the obvious...
I'd suggest avoiding 2015 Les Paul models- horrible logo, hologram, temperamental  autotuners& WIDE neck. 
Some people probably don't mind these things, but they're a bit marmite (to say the least).
I found the neck gave me hand cramps if I played for more than 25mins. 
 

Jimbro66

Check the serial numbers and avoid any Gibsons that were made on a Friday afternoon

fretmeister

I had a lovely 1996-7 Les Paul Studio.

Long gone now. Needed rent!