Educate me on Les Pauls

Cols

fretmeister said:

Whatever you do - make sure you take off the scratchplate and then burn it so you are never tempted to put it on again.

It won't affect the value with any people who have taste and proper decorum.

I think I’ll remain joyously lacking in taste and proper decorum like this bunch of losers.

snowblind

stickyfiddle said:

The 2002-2007 Standards are my favourite non-CS Les Pauls - not because they're particularly better or worse quality, but because the specs just made for a properly good Les Paul for my preferences. The LP Traditional they did after that was also pretty similar, so worth a look. 

Goldtops are best  

Actually the very latest blacktops are also gorgeous

I have a 2006 Standard and its luvverly.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_Pqm7oEcUniQzh0V2lUUDh2RTNnZU16Mm5YakZXR1NfYWNv/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-nulrWbVFsUCCFDaWcA8GVQ

Scratch plate is sat in a box somewhere.

Stratavarious

I have a ‘92 Standard in Ebony (super cool look). I tried loads but anything new or blingier was either twice the price or did not play/feel as nice.     Play them the way you intend too when testing.. that can be dark, esp. if pickups are hot.  I like low wind pickups.

Go on the hunt with a budget and spend a few weeks looking.

Rowby1

Lots of great options if it doesn’t have to say Gibson on the head for that budget. Play a load and find one you like……it may say Gibson or it may not. Tokai, Maybach, Eastman all make great alternatives. 

Nerine

Guard on. 

Heathens. 

dazzajl

As one of those sad people that’s bought many Les Pauls in the hope that I’ll finally ‘get it’ I can add this perspective. 

If you buy a Gibson, you can get a great guitar but the odds seem to be that you won’t. I’ve not bonded with a single Gibson that I’ve owned but I have played one that’s absolutely the best guitar ever. Sadly it’s also a Murphy Lab Custom shop affair so costs as much as a medium sized town to buy. 

If you buy a Maybach or Eastman you’ll almost certainly get a great a guitar. Though those particular two makes have very different approaches to building guitars and I think you can feel that when you play them. Eastman build from a very ancient, traditional woodworking style and their instruments feel more connected to that heritage. Maybach seem to be more about making guitars like Gibson would have in the 50s. 

The PRS 594 is also a good shout. Very much a LP in more contemporary frock. 

Norlin4life

adamino said:

Overpriced
Quality control is shite
Chambered models feel like toys
New models feel plasticky unless you opt for the super expensive models for the corporate rich Peter Pan Syndrome types.

Lol. Whilst I’m certainly not a corporate rich Peter Pan type, I have had more Gibsons than most and I do tend to agree that the USA made guitars have a tendency to feel a bit plasticky and cheap, whereas the Custom Shop models feel like a real Gibson should. I personally think Memphis made the best guitars to come out of any Gibson factory since Kalamazoo, but that means going the semi-hollow route. 

I’ve had pretty much every iteration of Les Paul and 335/345/355 and have settled on a Pelham Blue 359 and a Silver Burst ‘68 Les Paul Custom. It’s taken too many duffers to get to these two, but I do still love the brand for some reason. Probably it’s the thrill of the chase

imalrightjack

I’d definitely try PRS 594, Feline or Patrick James Eggle. 

Dan_Halen

I’ve got a Maybach LP type and it’s exactly what I wanted the Gibsons I had to be. If I was to buy based purely on looks, spec, feel and what I’d like from a Les Paul it would be an R8, but think the price is just too much. After both trying to get on with a couple of standards, and trying to justify the price of an R8, I gave the Maybach a go and it completely killed my Gibson LP GAS. 

I’d look at those or maybe Eastman and Navigator to name another couple. Or if it’s a Gibson you want then just scratch the itch and go Gibson. The new standards I’ve tried played great, sounded great… just the feel, shine, weight and general vibe isn’t for me. All depends what you’re after really. 

swiller

I bought an eastman sb59 to tick les paul box. Still fine with that decision.
Fortunate to be able to borrow since xmas a 2004 .. a CS les paul custom and compare.
The eastman hands down beats the Gibson on build quality, finish and spec. The CS has appeal on the sound over the SB59, more the church organ than the sb59 synth and plays a bit better, but lots heavier.
Second hand id say Sb59 and perhaps pup swap to suit your own taste. £1500 territory. I think that option is way better than a S/H Gibson standard. If gibson is a must double the money and go CS custom or R8 imho. 

Jonathangus

A Goldtop, you say?  No affiliation:

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/265096/fs-trade-edwards-goldtop-lp-mij-reduced/p1

fastonebaz

 

duotone

@Norlin4life Have you had a chance to try any Heritage guitars? I'd love to know your thoughts on them. 
https://heritageguitars.com/

rhinofeet

If you can get on with the wider 2015 necks then they are good value as often priced lower. Changing out the robotuners and nut only takes an hour.

drwiddly

A purely personal viewpoint:
I've owned several Gibsons as well as Japanese and Korean copies. Also owned a Heritage H-150.

Pros:
If you want that big, humbucking rock tone, an LP is the way to get it.

They look cool as f*ck

Cons:
Many of them weigh as much as a small house and the crushing pressure on your shoulder and back gets old really quickly.

The upper fret access is terrible. Anything above the 15th fret is a struggle.

If you're used to playing Fender style guitars, the geometry is weird. The bridge seems high and everything slopes backwards towards the headstock.

The way the strings splay out between the nut and the tuners doesn't help with tuning stability.

If you sneeze too hard within 10 ft of the guitar, the headstock will fall off.

elstoof

It’s funny, I’m so used to playing guitars with a neck angle that fender styles feel flat and awkward, the strings are way too close to the body. 

Tuning stability is a non issue with a properly cut nut. 

Yeah they break if you drop them. Try not to drop them 

richardhomer

For years I tried (and struggled) with Les Pauls - I owned several. I’ve tried many alternatives, including various HSS Strat style guitars, PRS Customs, McCartys and a DGT.

Last year, I bit the bullet and bought a nice vintage style LP which had been fitted with BK PAF type pickups and 50s wiring. I played nothing else until I ‘got it’ and have since upgraded to an R8.

Yes, Gibson’s quality is ‘variable’ but ultimately if you want ‘that’ tonality, I don’t think anything else quite does it. 

ICBM

tone1 said:

After years of long and painstaking research, I have come to the conclusion that in the 99.9% of cases that I studied, I found that they looked best without the pickguard…..

In 100% of cases, they're also lighter without the pickguard













cheap-looking rattly plastic paper dart screwed onto the front of a beautiful guitar.

TimmyO

elstoof said:

It’s funny, I’m so used to playing guitars with a neck angle that fender styles feel flat and awkward, the strings are way too close to the body. 

Tuning stability is a non issue with a properly cut nut. 

Yeah they break if you drop them. Try not to drop them 

Same for me - I'm already not a good player, and those things catch me out. It's doubtless down to the one period I had of playing regularly was when my LP was my only guitar and it kind of imprinted on me.

I get that other people adjust between guitars just fine - I'm comfortable admitting that it's largely due to me not being a good player that makes it hard to adjust. 

thomasw88

If you're a label licker then get a gibson.  If you're not then try a shed of load of as many types you can.

     I've a  2014 standard (which several techs and some of my guitar playing pals  all say is  one of  the best les paul's they've ever played).  I prefer my older Japanese Tokai LC85 personally... but the gibson is lighter, and so I do use that quite a bit.

It's a very personal thing, so just go out and try a bunch..  or buy blindly and hope you like it