Gibson Les Paul Recommendations?

GM Arts

GM Arts

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Gibson Les Paul Recommendations? - NOW PURCHASED!

Probably the wrong forum for this question, but anyway ...

My son has always dreamed of owning a Les Paul since his early days of idolising Slash. He's finally saved the $ and is looking for guidance. He's not specifically after Slash tone, but is fixed on a traditional looking Gibson Les Paul (humbuckers, bound edge body, no onboard electronics, etc).

The Standard and Traditional models seem to qualify, there may be more. Anything we need to consider about these and similar models?

In my expeience trying out Gibsons, I've found the setup, feel and finish to vary from awful to awesome, so I know we'll need to try lots to find a good one. I'm also familiar with their Classic (PAF-style) and 490/498 pickups which I like a lot, for different reasons. I'm not familiar with the burst buckers and I've read many conflicting reviews, so I don't know what to make of that.

Anyway, all comments welcome :p
 
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These are just my thoughts in general on buying guitars (new or used):

  • Electronics can always be swapped out so it is best to hear the guitar unplugged.
  • When a guitar has a bad set up, the reason is that it happen to be the best someone could get it without putting serious time & effort into fixing it.
  • It doesn't matter if it is the greatest looking guitar in the world, if it is not comfortable it will not get any use.
 
There's nothing better than for you guys to go into a guitar shop and try them out. I did this in the end when I was shopping for a Gibson Les Paul and somehow it's like my favorite guitar at the moment. The middle position is the best clean tone I've ever had I think and the bridge it super articulate and snappy. The neck position has that Slash esque endless sustain. And the best part here is that this model costs 1/3 of what the 2012 Standard would've cost.

It's this one: Gibson.com: Gibson Les Paul Traditional 1960 Zebra

These 57 pickups are my favorite Gibson pickups HANDS DOWN! I was thinking a honeyburst or a goldtop and ended with the burst. I dunno if you can find one of these easily.

60's neck, 57 pickups, those frets that have the covers and weight relief. Amazing... :)
 
Clark Kent said:
There's nothing better than for you guys to go into a guitar shop and try them out. I did this in the end when I was shopping for a Gibson Les Paul and somehow it's like my favorite guitar at the moment. The middle position is the best clean tone I've ever had I think and the bridge it super articulate and snappy. The neck position has that Slash esque endless sustain. And the best part here is that this model costs 1/3 of what the 2012 Standard would've cost.

It's this one: Gibson.com: Gibson Les Paul Traditional 1960 Zebra

These 57 pickups are my favorite Gibson pickups HANDS DOWN! I was thinking a honeyburst or a goldtop and ended with the burst. I dunno if you can find one of these easily.

60's neck, 57 pickups, those frets that have the covers and weight relief. Amazing... :)
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awww men that honeyburst is soooo nice!!!
 
I bought a traditional recently (GC and Sweetwater were / was blowing them out). Was my first les paul, always wanted one, since I saw Ace in 1979... took home for a week, could not get into it... short scale, neck / string angle... took it back and found an 90's rg550 for $400.. much happier, plays and sounds better to me. I'm just a strat guy.

Moral of the story.. try them. I did find that some played better than others, mostly setup problems which were easily fixed.
 
Les Pauls are obviously not for everyone. Especially the thicker 50s neck. Still it's a pretty hefty guitar but so is the tone. :)

Traditional vs Standard - there are countless versions with different specs. The 2012 Standard has coil tap for both pickups and other cool stuff in it. That being said you most likely won't be using most of those split tones. If you can find the Zebra Traditional that I showed you can get it even cheaper than some Studio models. That's the one to go for if you want to save some cash and get the best possible tone. The downside is that you'll ding that guitar easily but then again if you're like me and like a guitar that looks like it has been played then it's a dream guitar. :D
 
Whatever your son does, be sure to shop around and haggle. Gibby is in trouble, Guitar Center is in trouble (hell, everyone is in trouble but the combination of those two has made for some sweet deals recently), you can get a great Les Paul for a fraction of what you would have paid a year ago. Cheaper than a lot of the used LPs out there now (those those have come down some as well).

Whatever you do, once you get it send it to Jay Kolanda at NTL Guitars in Nashville. Jay is a former luthier for Gibson's Pro Custom Shop (the Pro shop are the cats who work on the stars guitars, and Jay has done stuff for Frampton, Nugent, Zakk Wylde, Skynard, just a slew of big names). He'll make that baby 1,000,000% better even if it's tits to start with, and for an incredibly reasonable price. He's the only guy I trust to work on my geets- he's fast, amazing and never screws ya on cost.

Tell him Scott from Off Broadway USA sent ya.

NTL Guitar - Home

NTL.GUITAR@gmail.com
 
GM Arts said:
Probably the wrong forum for this question, but anyway ...

My son has always dreamed of owning a Les Paul since his early days of idolising Slash. He's finally saved the $ and is looking for guidance. He's not specifically after Slash tone, but is fixed on a traditional looking Gibson Les Paul (humbuckers, bound edge body, no onboard electronics, etc).

The Standard and Traditional models seem to qualify, there may be more. Anything we need to consider about these and similar models?

In my expeience trying out Gibsons, I've found the setup, feel and finish to vary from awful to awesome, so I know we'll need to try lots to find a good one. I'm also familiar with their Classic (PAF-style) and 490/498 pickups which I like a lot, for different reasons. I'm not familiar with the burst buckers and I've read many conflicting reviews, so I don't know what to make of that.

Anyway, all comments welcome :p
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Depends if he's set on a Gibson - the new high-end Epiphones feel BETTER than most Gibsons to me these days.

But regardless, check out the 'guitar gallery' on Sweetwater.com - lots of axes, lots of details. If nothing else, it's a great research tool on all the different paul models out there in Gibson land. Also: sweetwater service is 2nd to none, and you can always return/exchange any non-special-order item. Sweetwater Gibson Les Paul gallery

I for one would recommend one they sell there with the 'Page' setup: Coil taps and phase reverse - makes the axe far more versatile, and still no active batteries to worry about. However, the 'Page' mod can also be done on a cheaper LP after the fact.

Also: there are now a lot of Pauls with chambered bodies etc. - lighter by far, but similar tonality. Best thing of course is to take him to a store and try 'em - 'cause now they've got '59 style necks, 'slim-fast' necks, and everything in-between. He's gotta find one that feels good in his hands is the bottom line.
 
Nothing beats picking up and playing as many as possible. I had a beautiful heritage cherry sunburst that I got on Ebay (I don't follow my own advice very well) that I just couldn't find a way to like. I sold it on Ebay and bought a black Custom through Sweetwater and it's my favorite guitar now (and I have a great Suhr Modern, EJ Strat, and JT Variax). I lucked out on the custom, but I wouldn't be surprised if I found another made the same year that I didn't like.

The heritage cherry was a standard and I didn't like the feel or the sound. The custom is about as perfect a Les Paul as there could be for me. The only minus is that the body shape and heel thickness make playing way up the neck a bit less ergonomic than the Suhr, but I have learned to compensate for this. Mine also had some setup and tuning issues but these were easily correctable with a few basic tweaks.

The Les Paul is definitely a narrow tone/playability range compared to some guitars like the Suhr that are more versatile but what it lacks in flexibility it makes up for in every other department (tone, playability, looks, vibe).
 
Strumzilla said:
The Les Paul is definitely a narrow tone/playability range compared to some guitars like the Suhr that are more versatile but what it lacks in flexibility it makes up for in every other department (tone, playability, looks, vibe).
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Well the 2012 Standard has a wider range of tonal possibilities. Still... I play PRS most of the time and I love the versatility but I haven't been in a position where I really need the flexibility. It's bridge pickup 65% of the time, neck 34% of the time and 1% for all the other pickup positions. :) Maybe in a recording situation I might use the other positions more often but there's no way I'll mess with those settings if I plan to play a show with energy instead of just standing there playing tight.
 
Gibsons are great but, as some people have mentioned, it is best to play them in person and not just ordering one on the internet. I know I am probably going to get slammed for this comment but, Gibson's Quality can sometimes be a little spotty and nothing is worse then spending your hard earned cash on something unplayed only having it sound "dead" when you get it. It would be highly recommended that he try a few of them and hold out/keep saving until he finds one that really gels with him.
 
Clark Kent said:
Well the 2012 Standard has a wider range of tonal possibilities. Still... I play PRS most of the time and I love the versatility but I haven't been in a position where I really need the flexibility. It's bridge pickup 65% of the time, neck 34% of the time and 1% for all the other pickup positions. :) Maybe in a recording situation I might use the other positions more often but there's no way I'll mess with those settings if I plan to play a show with energy instead of just standing there playing tight.
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This is why I recommended the 'jimmy page' setup of coil taps and phase reverse. Played one once and was amazed how much more versatile an LP could be. Even so, though, I never bought one. Too damn heavy in general, too expensive, and in general I like oddball and off-brand axes.
 
svl said:
Whatever your son does, be sure to shop around and haggle. Gibby is in trouble, Guitar Center is in trouble (hell, everyone is in trouble but the combination of those two has made for some sweet deals recently), you can get a great Les Paul for a fraction of what you would have paid a year ago. Cheaper than a lot of the used LPs out there now (those those have come down some as well).

Whatever you do, once you get it send it to Jay Kolanda at NTL Guitars in Nashville. Jay is a former luthier for Gibson's Pro Custom Shop (the Pro shop are the cats who work on the stars guitars, and Jay has done stuff for Frampton, Nugent, Zakk Wylde, Skynard, just a slew of big names). He'll make that baby 1,000,000% better even if it's tits to start with, and for an incredibly reasonable price. He's the only guy I trust to work on my geets- he's fast, amazing and never screws ya on cost.

Tell him Scott from Off Broadway USA sent ya.

NTL Guitar - Home

NTL.GUITAR@gmail.com
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The OP's location is in...

map-australia-360x270-cb1351791921.gif
 
Did not notice that.

Still, if he buys it FROM America, have it shipped to Jay first, have it tweaked to perfection and then have Jay ship it Down Under. :)
 
I have to chime in and mention some similar comments as well.....

You really have to play a guitar and figure out if it is for you. A lot of us on here can certainly pick up a guitar and play it. But, does it really fit you, can you play it comfortably, is the scale the right size for you, do you like the neck, is it to heavy (as Gibsons certainly can be), etc.

I have owned a few LP's along the way and although they may be one of the coolest rock guitars, they just don't fit me. I prefer something different. I had always wanted one.....then I got one.....I played it....but figured out I liked the feel of something else.....then I ended up selling later. Just something to consider.....for any guitar purchased. Good luck
 
Thanks for the comments guys, really appreciated. 8)

I probably should have mentioned we're in the land down under, although noboby will be surprised to know our music shops are doing it tough as well.

And yes Clark, the Traditional zebra looks a great option for price and features.
 
svl said:
Whatever your son does, be sure to shop around and haggle. Gibby is in trouble, Guitar Center is in trouble (hell, everyone is in trouble but the combination of those two has made for some sweet deals recently), you can get a great Les Paul for a fraction of what you would have paid a year ago. Cheaper than a lot of the used LPs out there now (those those have come down some as well).
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They're blowing out the prices because they're end of line guitars. The 2013 models are around now, they're at the more familiar price. The 2012 models are better than the 2013 in my opinion, tho both pale to pre 2008. Anyways, take advantage of the end of line prices, they're only around til the stock is gone.
 
Drama, not quite right.

Gibby Nashville is possibly being shut down, they're in genuine trouble. Too many guitars, not enough players. You can find '13s at dirt cheap as well.
 
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