Gibson Les Paul Custom - Talk me into or out of buying

I was looking at a new Gibson Les Paul Custom in Ebony but reading through this thread it seems like the pickups would be too hot for me. Any thoughts on the PRS 10th Anniversary McCarty's vs. the new PRS S2's for 2024 that come with USA pickups and electronics? I am looking for something LP like, but with warmer tone as I don't play hard rock or metal.
And any idea why the 10th anniversary guitars didn't sell as well as expected?
 
SpudMan said:
I was looking at a new Gibson Les Paul Custom in Ebony but reading through this thread it seems like the pickups would be too hot for me. Any thoughts on the PRS 10th Anniversary McCarty's vs. the new PRS S2's for 2024 that come with USA pickups and electronics? I am looking for something LP like, but with warmer tone as I don't play hard rock or metal.
And any idea why the 10th anniversary guitars didn't sell as well as expected?
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Just swap the pickups in the lpc. Or get a 1957 historic reissue with the custombuckers.
 
SpudMan said:
I was looking at a new Gibson Les Paul Custom in Ebony but reading through this thread it seems like the pickups would be too hot for me. Any thoughts on the PRS 10th Anniversary McCarty's vs. the new PRS S2's for 2024 that come with USA pickups and electronics? I am looking for something LP like, but with warmer tone as I don't play hard rock or metal.
And any idea why the 10th anniversary guitars didn't sell as well as expected?
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Over the years I had three different Customs and on all of them I swapped out the pickups, using the Duncan JB and Jazz combination in one, and then the PAF and Jazz in the third one. My first one was back before all the replacement pickup companies were popular, they were just little ads in the back of Guitar Player next to replacement magnets so I went with the magnets. I eventually had to sell the last Custom to pay rent and it was snatched up by Julian Coryell who said he'd be using it in the studio. :)

I switched to PRS when I got in the mood to have another LP-type guitar, and bought an '08 DGT core model, and a '16 SC-245 with the 58/15TM pickups. Weight was an issue for me with the LPs, and the SC-245 isn't as heavy as the Customs were and sounds really good, but the DGT hits the early LP with PAFs sound really well. It's what I take if I'm going for the Les Paul sound most of the time.

There are a lot of great guitars out there. The PRS S2 series are a lot of bang for the buck and the McCarty's were whispering in my ear for a long time. The black-beauty look with the Gibson logo and the mother-of-pearl inlays with the binding is definitely classy and has a strong siren call so I understand that pull.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
Over the years I had three different Customs and on all of them I swapped out the pickups, using the Duncan JB and Jazz combination in one, and then the PAF and Jazz in the third one. My first one was back before all the replacement pickup companies were popular, they were just little ads in the back of Guitar Player next to replacement magnets so I went with the magnets. I eventually had to sell the last Custom to pay rent and it was snatched up by Julian Coryell who said he'd be using it in the studio. :)

I switched to PRS when I got in the mood to have another LP-type guitar, and bought an '08 DGT core model, and a '16 SC-245 with the 58/15TM pickups. Weight was an issue for me with the LPs, and the SC-245 isn't as heavy as the Customs were and sounds really good, but the DGT hits the early LP with PAFs sound really well. It's what I take if I'm going for the Les Paul sound most of the time.

There are a lot of great guitars out there. The PRS S2 series are a lot of bang for the buck and the McCarty's were whispering in my ear for a long time. The black-beauty look with the Gibson logo and the mother-of-pearl inlays with the binding is definitely classy and has a strong siren call so I understand that pull.
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Thanks, for me having been looking for quite a long time, given my limited budget, and wanting to get this right, I don't want to buy a guitar and switch out pickups. Unless of course I could get a really good deal. But unless one is plugged in at a local shop and informed when something comes in, that seems difficult to accomplish. I agree with you on the PRS appeal as I am long time fan of DGT and the S2's are priced very competitively. I just continue to wonder why the 10th Anniversary ones didn't sell well.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
No telling. They were a limited edition if I remember right, so maybe they sold out right away. I remember seeing a lot of interest in them.
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Actually my question is why they didn't sell out right away. I see one shop that has 5 of them in stock.
I would love a DGT, unfortunately no one local seems to have any in stock.
 
Okay - this is an oldish thread and my experience with a LPC is from the mid-70s, so not sure how relevant my comments are. But just in case . . .

I bought a used LPC Black Beauty "Fretless wonder" in 1975 (or was it 74?). I think that the LPC was a 72, but I'm not positive about the year. I know that it was built in the 70s. That guitar was HEAVY. I never measured the weight, but my recollection is that it was well over 10 lbs. I never thought that it sounded any good, even though I replaced the stock bridge pickup with a DiMarzio Super Distortion.

One day, after I had been practicing, I wanted to go out, so I left the guitar leaning up against my amp. When I came home later that evening the head stock had snapped off the neck. I had never dropped the guitar or bumped the head stock. The finish showed no signs of having been previously damaged or broken. The head stock was completely broken off. The break ran along the grain of the volute rise. I got it "fixed", but the guy that did the worked really sucked and it was never right. I eventually sold it for a pittance due to the condition.

The only thing I liked about the guitar was the action. It was effortless to play. But it was so heavy that I never really enjoyed strapping it on to play it. Around this time, after the head stock was "fixed", I broke my thumb. I completely trashed the back of the neck because I kept playing the guitar even though I was wearing a cast. If that guitar still lives, I can only guess the stories that have been made up to explain all the damage.

Clearly there is no disputing that construction techniques have a huge impact on tone. That being said, I have 4 Knaggs guitars that are as good sounding (or better) as any Les Paul that I've ever played, with the possible exception of a 59 sunburst that I got to play when I visited GIT in 1980. I only played that guitar for 5 minutes or so (it belonged to a student who was giving me a tour of the school), but it sounded magical. At least that's what my addled memory tells me.

The Knaggs Kenai J that I bought used for $1885 is an outstanding guitar. So is the Knaggs Kenai (no J) that I own. Both are roughly 7lbs, 8ozs (according to the build sheet), have large neck profiles, and sound killer, each with their own voice. It's true that they aren't Les Pauls. But I'd put my Kenai J up against any Les Paul flat top. You might like the LP better, but not because the Knaggs is deficient. It would just be a matter of taste. IMHO, of course. YMMV
 
lscottk said:
Okay - this is an oldish thread and my experience with a LPC is from the mid-70s, so not sure how relevant my comments are. But just in case . . .

I bought a used LPC Black Beauty "Fretless wonder" in 1975 (or was it 74?). I think that the LPC was a 72, but I'm not positive about the year. I know that it was built in the 70s. That guitar was HEAVY. I never measured the weight, but my recollection is that it was well over 10 lbs. I never thought that it sounded any good, even though I replaced the stock bridge pickup with a DiMarzio Super Distortion.

One day, after I had been practicing, I wanted to go out, so I left the guitar leaning up against my amp. When I came home later that evening the head stock had snapped off the neck. I had never dropped the guitar or bumped the head stock. The finish showed no signs of having been previously damaged or broken. The head stock was completely broken off. The break ran along the grain of the volute rise. I got it "fixed", but the guy that did the worked really sucked and it was never right. I eventually sold it for a pittance due to the condition.

The only thing I liked about the guitar was the action. It was effortless to play. But it was so heavy that I never really enjoyed strapping it on to play it. Around this time, after the head stock was "fixed", I broke my thumb. I completely trashed the back of the neck because I kept playing the guitar even though I was wearing a cast. If that guitar still lives, I can only guess the stories that have been made up to explain all the damage.

Clearly there is no disputing that construction techniques have a huge impact on tone. That being said, I have 4 Knaggs guitars that are as good sounding (or better) as any Les Paul that I've ever played, with the possible exception of a 59 sunburst that I got to play when I visited GIT in 1980. I only played that guitar for 5 minutes or so (it belonged to a student who was giving me a tour of the school), but it sounded magical. At least that's what my addled memory tells me.

The Knaggs Kenai J that I bought used for $1885 is an outstanding guitar. So is the Knaggs Kenai (no J) that I own. Both are roughly 7lbs, 8ozs (according to the build sheet), have large neck profiles, and sound killer, each with their own voice. It's true that they aren't Les Pauls. But I'd put my Kenai J up against any Les Paul flat top. You might like the LP better, but not because the Knaggs is deficient. It would just be a matter of taste. IMHO, of course. YMMV
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I truly appreciate the advice. Unfortunately I am retired and unable to afford all of these fine guitars like the Knaggs, which looks really, really nice. I wish I had bought my "dream" guitar before the pandemic when they handn't increased in price by a gazillion dollars.
 
skolacki said:
This might be the same pic @Andy Eagle posted awhile back. One of the reasons I’ll never own a LP. I don’t understand why Gibson will not improve the design given that breaks are not uncommon.
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Yup, i remember that thead. I don’t why they wouldn’t fix the problem. Or maybe they have , i don’t know.
 
unscarred said:
The issue still remains. I wouldn’t pay 3k+ for a guitar and worry about dropping it or put 10’s tuned standard and worry about the neck splitting. That’s just me.
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Lol....that's a bit like saying "there's no way I'm buying a Porche.....I might over rev it and blow the engine!" laugh.gif
 
I was actually looking to buy a gibson coz the older i get the more i like it, it’s just iconic. But when i tried to look for a used one, i’ve seen a lot of hair crack on the same obvious spot on these guitars. Not to mention the qc especially the binding part.
 
unscarred said:
I was actually looking to buy a gibson coz the older i get the more i like it, it’s just iconic. But when i tried to look for a used one, i’ve seen a lot of hair crack on the same obvious spot on these guitars. Not to mention the qc especially the binding part.
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What hair crack? What qc issues?

Sounds like a new one would be a better decision for you, given these things.

IMG_9216.jpeg
 
I bought the Collings in my sig after shopping for an LP and failing, no regrets, love it.

B u t, I've considered an SE DGT, because way less money, but nobody has one to try.
 
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