It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
Or, just base it purely on looks and see what sticks. No right or wrong. Just make sure you try a few to get an idea of what necks, hardware, pickups etc come on what guitars.
I have a 2014 Gibson LP Studio 120th Anniversary 'flame top' which plays as well as any LP I've tried ... but looks wise it wouldn't suit the purists having no binding and being blue burst. It has a peach of a 'just in the middle' neck, and is a perfect weight.
If it plays right and sounds right - it is right.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Gibson stabilised their lineup in 2019 after 6 years or so of annual "model year" changes, so 2019 to present should all be much of a muchness.
If you don't like skinny necks, you don't want a Classic and you don't want anything with a 60s neck.
The 50s/"vintage" C neck profile isn't that fat and is probably what you're looking for; the necks only get really fat when you're looking at Custom Shop 57 and 58 models.
So in current production, that points you towards the 50s Standard or the Slash signature models.
If you're looking at guitars earlier than 2019, it probably pays to look up individual guitars when they catch your interest - use Gibson's legacy website or the Wayback Machine to view old versions of their website to check specs on older models.
As a general rule on pre-2019, if you like a medium C, you'll probably be drawn to a Les Paul Traditional, which is what they called a "normal" Les Paul once they decided the Standard was to be the modern/flagship/innovative model. They did the Traditional from 2008 to 2019 and it generally avoided the yearly model refreshes* short of colour changes and a change from weight-relieved to non weight-relieved in 2012.
Before that, the Les Paul Standard from 2002 to 2008 came in both 50s and 60s neck variations (ie, medium or slim) and is generally held in high regard - it was a return to flame tops after the plain tops of the 90s Standards.
Hopefully that helps you get started or make sense of some of the things you come across! A £2k budget gives you your pick of the market short of dealer mark-ups on unusual or perceived "desirable" models.
*2015 is a weird year where Gibson decided every single model should have robot tuners, a brass zero fret net and a wider fretboard, which some people like, but most don't. I've tried one and found it easy to adjust to in isolation but very weird when coming from other guitars. So possibly avoid 2015, and by extension the 2016 and 2017 "HP" (High Performance) models, although there were normal "T" (Traditional") models to match in those years, so you could conceivably find a 2016/17 Traditional T.
If you are hell bent on a gold top then far less choice as not always in the price list and burst models seriously outsell a gold top finish - So you'll probably have to take longer over your search
I personally favour the 2002-2008 era LP's - But that doesn't mean you won't find a good LP outside such dates, for a similar price, that won't match a 2002-2008 model
Agree that IMO avoid 2015 and again IMO the 2016/17 HP models
If you want a good non Gibson that can match an LP, then a Jap Tokai is well worth checking out - Plus I've played/sold a few nice Eastman models - can't help you much on Maybach as not seen much of them
As an overview, based on your 2K budget go used - But that should not be an issue as many good LP's around £1500-2000
Maybach Lester: https://maybach-guitars.de/guitars/series/lester-series/
Tokai: https://tokaigakki.com/lineup/
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.
Lots of useful info here. Thanks to Timmypix for the long post.
Goldtops are best
Actually the very latest blacktops are also gorgeous
It won't affect the value with any people who have taste and proper decorum.
I’m so bored I might as well be listening to Pink Floyd