want a les paul, need advice

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was in germany last week and played this one and fell in love:
Gibson Les Paul Reissue 1955 2HB VOS Custom Shop Sunburst - Musikhaus Hieber Lindberg

now back in US and looking forward to buy one and trying to understand/learn more about les pauls.

the one i liked was a custom shop re issue 1955. custom shops i tired in store in germany fellt better quality than the standards and they look better. but also much more expensive.

what would you guys advice on les pauls. there are custom, standard, traditional, classic options. should i go with a custom or look for a standard. can the standards be as good as a custom?
the neck on the custom i played was kinda thick and i liked it...also dont know much about classic and traditional.

and is there any one out there who wants to sell one :) ?
 
First and for most you have to understand the differences between the Gibson lines.... Gibson USA and Gibson Custom Shop. Gibson USA are all the standards, traditional, classics. Gibson Custom Shop are the very expensive ones, the Historic lines, Collector`s Choice, Artist Signatures etc.

Wood choices and vintage correct appointments are the things that sets the custom shop apart from the USA line. IN general the USA line are heavy guitars, most of them have weight relief holes inside to cut down the weight, and for the most part they are not vintage accurate to how a Les Paul was originally conceive, having said that they are still fantastic quality instruments!

Custom Shop ones have lighter woods, Gibson hand picks and sets apart the best mahogany and maple lumber for that line, lighter instruments don't only help your back but makes the instrument some how much more resonant. The shape of the body, the neck and headstock is more accurate to the originals, more hand workmanship is use, solid pieces of wood are use, one solid piece of mahogany is used for the body and not 2 to 4 like on the USA lines, better pickups etc.

Now, will all of this justify the price between the two? well, thats up to you and how accurate you want your les paul to be! Before i knew all of this all i wanted was a Les Paul, i didn't know that lighter woods made better instruments so my first standard was heavy and i love it! because to me the heavier the better :).... and then that all changed when i finally could afford a Historic Custom Shop, from there i have owned 4 of them and bought 2 USA lines too. So, the differences in sound and feel are there just like cars... a VW beetle will take you from point A to point B just like a Ferrari will, its all about the experience you have traveling between the two points! ;)

Now, getting in to topic regarding your 1955 custom shop experience, i own 2 1955 reissues from a one Gibson called "1955 Year of Innovation" Gibson.com: Gibson 1955 Les Paul Custom Exclusives

I don't know if you felt this on the ones you played, but this 1955 line has a more of a "V" shaped fat neck, more to what old telecasters have and that truly sets then apart from the normal 1959-60's Les Paul. I just love the neck feel.

Here are the two:


 
thx nico, great information....i also loved the neck of 1955 re issue i played. it seems like its hard to find them. the store manager in germany told me there is just 200 copies of the one i played.
they dropped down the prive to 3300 euros which is around 4500 USD...is it a good price or you think i can find it for better price in US?

nicolasrivera said:
First and for most you have to understand the differences between the Gibson lines.... Gibson USA and Gibson Custom Shop. Gibson USA are all the standards, traditional, classics. Gibson Custom Shop are the very expensive ones, the Historic lines, Collector`s Choice, Artist Signatures etc.

Wood choices and vintage correct appointments are the things that sets the custom shop apart from the USA line. ...
Click to expand...
 
Semih Yanyali said:
thx nico, great information....i also loved the neck of 1955 re issue i played. it seems like its hard to find them. the store manager in germany told me there is just 200 copies of the one i played.
they dropped down the prive to 3300 euros which is around 4500 USD...is it a good price or you think i can find it for better price in US?
Click to expand...

You are welcome.

Here are some on eBay at fair prices:

Gibson Custom Shop 1955 55 Hotmod Les Paul goldtop R5 54 56 P 90 Wraptail P90 711106208800 | eBay

But this one is not from that run "Year of Innovation" so i don't know how the neck is, what i know is that its from 2012 and that years was not a good one for the fingerboard rosewood material.

Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop Historic 1955 55 re Issue R5 goldtop "2012" | eBay
 
Gibson has the worst customer service that I've ever experienced. Gibson warranty repair has had my 2013 Les Paul Traditional for 2 months, I've called them 5 times in the last 4 weeks to check on the status and each time I've been told that someone would return my call with an update, no one has called. If they would have returned my first call I wouldn't have had to make the subsequent calls.
5 weeks ago a Gibson repair tech confirmed that they have the guitar and he had it on his bench and what he was doing to resolve the problem on and now mysteriously no information other than it has not shipped back to me.
 
What do you think about the vos 1958 and 1959.

I liked them both, the store manager was saying the only difference is visual. But 59s are more expensive.

nicolasrivera said:
You are welcome.

Here are some on eBay at fair prices:

Gibson Custom Shop 1955 55 Hotmod Les Paul goldtop R5 54 56 P 90 Wraptail P90 711106208800 | eBay

But this one is not from that run "Year of Innovation" so i don't know how the neck is, what i know is that its from 2012 and that years was not a good one for the fingerboard rosewood material.

Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop Historic 1955 55 re Issue R5 goldtop "2012" | eBay
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Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
 
All I can say is I got a brand new 2014 Traditional Les Paul a few weeks ago from Sweetwater (Cherry Sunburst). Wow! What a guitar... It has a late fifties round neck, but suprisingly it's not huge...fits my hand comfortably and creates, what I believe more sustain. Also, is not weight relieved, but still only 9.01 lbs. So, it not that heavy. It also has what they call '59 pickups that sound great.
 
Semih Yanyali said:
What do you think about the vos 1958 and 1959.

I liked them both, the store manager was saying the only difference is visual. But 59s are more expensive.





Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

My first Historic was a 2002-1958 reissue, fantastic beast, fat neck, loved it!... had to seek it to pay bills and stuff, wish i did not but had no choice... :( I haven't tried a 59' yet....





 
favance said:
All I can say is I got a brand new 2014 Traditional Les Paul a few weeks ago from Sweetwater (Cherry Sunburst). Wow! What a guitar... It has a late fifties round neck, but suprisingly it's not huge...fits my hand comfortably and creates, what I believe more sustain. Also, is not weight relieved, but still only 9.01 lbs. So, it not that heavy. It also has what they call '59 pickups that sound great.
Click to expand...

I bought this 2013 traditional, great guitar but they over exaggerated the huge neck IMO, Its nothing close to the big fat necks from the custom shop, its almost uncomfortable to play with.

 
I personally would never buy a guitar with this type of stature online for apparent reasoning. That being said, if you plan to play and try a bunch of them... whichever one you immediately connect with is the best advice I could give. Good luck with your Les Paul quest.
 
I went shopping for a Les Paul several years ago, and came back with a PRS SingleCut. I hated the feel of the guitar (weight & balance), as well as the muddy neck pickup. The fit and finish seemed to be shoddy as well.

Given that and the spotty reputation both Gibson and the LP have had over the past several years, the dealer handed me a PRS to play.

The SingleCut was the opposite of the LP - balanced, good weight, and very articulate pickups.

It may be worth your time to play one or two while you're out LP shopping.
 
BTW, the 2014 Traditional I purchased direct from Sweetwater played identical to one I had tried at a local Guitar Center. Also played a 2013 '59 Custom Shop (for $5k) in Florida while vacationing. I liked the Traditional more...btw, we all bought our Axe Fx online...Sweetwater has a money back guarantee just like FAS.
 
xrist04 said:
Les Paul models are a real box of chocolates. Be sure to play every single one before making a selection.
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I would like to Echo this... It is very important that you try before you buy. I don't want to get in a pissing match but, IMHO I have been seaching for a Les Paul for a long time and the feel and tone differs from guitar to guitar. I have played some really nice Les Paul but, I just cannot find one that is actually for sale. I would never slap money on an ebay transaction with a gibson guitar.
 
i wouldnt buy online unless its a boutique store and i know the guy who sends me the guitar. yes i know, same brand, same model, same price...and still guitars are most times sound and and especialy feel different.

thx for the advices guys...
 
i know prs are real good guitars...played one couple of months ago and liked it....but i dont like the way they look.

plyall said:
I went shopping for a Les Paul several years ago, and came back with a PRS SingleCut. I hated the feel of the guitar (weight & balance), as well as the muddy neck pickup. The fit and finish seemed to be shoddy as well.

Given that and the spotty reputation both Gibson and the LP have had over the past several years, the dealer handed me a PRS to play.

The SingleCut was the opposite of the LP - balanced, good weight, and very articulate pickups.

It may be worth your time to play one or two while you're out LP shopping.
Click to expand...
 
I don't think there's a single "right" way to go with this, but I'll share my experiences. I wanted a Les Paul since I was a little kid, but when I had to chance to get one, I totally bailed out. I went to several music stores and tried every Les Paul in there. Traditionals, Standards, Customs, everything. Just didn't work for me. They seemed muddy, inconsistent, and somewhat dull... I ended up walking out with a PRS Custom 22. Totally different guitar, I know, but it had the crispness I couldn't find in a Gibson. A few years later, I was itching for a Les Paul once again, (admittedly based on looks) and found an ESP Eclipse that I fell in love with. The full-thickness versions look pretty damn close to a Custom LP, but in my opinion, play so much better. It's all down to personal preference obviously, but my suggestion is to check out some ESP's (note, I said ESP's, not LTD's). The quality control is on point, and I'm definitely a fan of the ebony fretboard that's been disappearing from the Gibson line. My $.02.
 
ok here is my story about les paul...since my childhood it was a dream of mine, love the way they look more than any other guitar. than 12 twelve years ago i started playing framus and bought also my guild starfire 1973.
both guitars covered all for me, had recording sessions in studios where they had vintage les pauls, fenders, telecasters and ended up recording allways with my own guitars.

and i never could find a les paul which made me smile and say "i want this guitar"....till 2 weeks ago in germany where i played the custom shop 1955 and several other 1959 and 1958 custom shops....those are great guitars. at least the ones i tried....and i want one :))) since 2 weeks its all i can think off :)
 
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