Advice on buying a Les Paul

Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

I like ebony, man. I've had that Epi Custom in Alpine White for nearly ten years. I'd like to not sell it because she's really heavy, and has always sounded and felt great. But I've had and been associated with the white guitar in my small circles for a long time, and I guess my mind wants the exact opposite. Sort of like a tattoo, you know it may not look good in one spot but your head is telling you go ahead you should put it there anyway.

I know there are tons of beautiful Les Pauls out there, but that black one tho...

For years I was stuck on Amber bursts and trans amber bursts. I do like other tops, but those nice graded tops in an amber finish really speak out to me too. But those are hard to find in the specs I want. 50s neck, push/push coils, good tuners. I gather you can change all of that stuff, except maybe the neck. I dunno, maybe I'm asking for too much.

I'm working as a sales consultant at a dealership (don't scoff) and I have customers come in all the time don't have a clue what they want... or they want too much in a car and expect to pay some low payment. I know I probably won't get everything I want on the first try so I'm trying to be openminded. Thing is, my open-mindedness has kept me from buying for years.

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Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

I have a Studio and a Signature T. I like the Traditional Pros too, I am partial to 60s necks but thats just my preference.
2k will buy you a really nice Les Paul in the used market. I got my Signature T on a blowout for $1400 and my Studio on sale for $729.
You just gotta shop around. A buddy of mine has several Lesters and he is always running across great deals. He scored a mutual friend of ours a really nice Custom for $1500.
 
Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

Hey guys, I'm saving up some money to buy a real Gibson. I'm sort of capping it at $2k. Not looking to spend any more dollars on a Custom shop that may only be different cosmetically, which isn't as important as playability, in my book.
Click to expand...

You don't have to spend 2k then.
 
Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

That's another nice feature I forgot to mention, the Traditional Pro II, and I assume the III, comes with locking tuners. I know the II came in ebony and they had some 50's and some 60's necks, idk about the III
 
Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

allbutromeo said:
That's another nice feature I forgot to mention, the Traditional Pro II, and I assume the III, comes with locking tuners. I know the II came in ebony and they had some 50's and some 60's necks, idk about the III
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They seem to be all the rave now. But every time I go for one off the rack at GC there is a loose, spinning, wildly out-of-tune peg thats just chilling in the store and every time I'm like... what the hell? So in short, 9/10 I've never been left with a good impression of locking tuners. I am very skeptical of them... in other words I guess I'm not looking for that in a guitar. It's cool if they come on one, and if they work with the particular model I buy, cool... if not then it's something I'll have to pull off of the guitar

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Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

Not trying to be offensive, buddy, I know you're just trying to help!

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Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

Jazzfiend101 said:
They seem to be all the rave now. But every time I go for one off the rack at GC there is a loose, spinning, wildly out-of-tune peg thats just chilling in the store and every time I'm like... what the hell? So in short, 9/10 I've never been left with a good impression of locking tuners. I am very skeptical of them... in other words I guess I'm not looking for that in a guitar. It's cool if they come on one, and if they work with the particular model I buy, cool... if not then it's something I'll have to pull off of the guitar

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Click to expand...
I have locking tuners on my Sig T and they are the cats ass. It never goes out of tune, my studio I have to tune the G string in the middle of lead passages and solos.
I have an LTDH1001NT with locking tuners and a locking bridge and that guitar is a rock. It never goes out of tune.
Give em a chance, I'm going to put some on my studio as well. Money well spent, string changes are lightning fast too.
 
Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

I'd confirm it started life as a black guitar before putting any money down. Solid black is the number one way to cover a multitude of modification disasters.


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Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

I think everyone pretty much covered my concerns.

I find that black beast appealing, but have a HIGH distrust factor and wouldn't go above 12-13 hundred - IF it was as advertised.

$2k gets all kinda used LP awesome. Play many - choose one. THE one.


I played a '73 once - saying NO was not an option. You'll know….
 
Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

When I am shopping for guitars on Ebay, I read ads that say "I have modded/upgraded the...." as "I have potentially destroyed/screwed-up the ....."
I also read ads that read "Reliced/aged" as "beat to he11 and worn out".
 
Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

best advice I can offer are 2 words 'Tokai' & 'Japanese'.
Might be inviting an industrial sized barrel of hate my way, but they're AT LEAST as good as any standard US production model
 
Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

regan said:
best advice I can offer are 2 words 'Tokai' & 'Japanese'.
Might be inviting an industrial sized barrel of hate my way, but they're AT LEAST as good as any standard US production model
Click to expand...

If someone really wants a Gibson LP they'll still want a Gibson LP. As good or better isn't always what it's about.
 
Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

Just to add my two cents, my latest Gibson I just bought brand new I got for under 2 grand. Good deals can be found if you look in the right places! Happy hunting.

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Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

regan said:
best advice I can offer are 2 words 'Tokai' & 'Japanese'.
Might be inviting an industrial sized barrel of hate my way, but they're AT LEAST as good as any standard US production model
Click to expand...

Nope - there are a ton of LP copy and LP style guitars that will equal or even out Gibson Gibson…

Darg1911 said:
If someone really wants a Gibson LP they'll still want a Gibson LP. As good or better isn't always what it's about.
Click to expand...

And this is absolutely true too!
 
Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

Aceman said:
Nope - there are a ton of LP copy and LP style guitars that will equal or even out Gibson Gibson…



And this is absolutely true too!
Click to expand...
Yes. I've wanted one for years. It's the way someone wants a specific car from a specific year. It's time.

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Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

That being said, and this maybe a chat for another forum, but a real quick explanation about active pickups. I've only had passives. I like my JB... alot... it can do pretty much anything. It may be on the sharper tinny side of sound sometimes, but I don't really care. It's cool. I like the output... or maybe I just like that it's a loud pickup and it colors my tone with this really aggressive mid rangey feel. It kinda sounds perilously treble, almost like Appetite for Destruction... if you mixed the body of Izzy's dark sound with Slash's way way way ice pick sound. Pretty cool.

Never had actives before tho. No idea what to expect. There seems to be a lot of love and an equal amount of hate towards them. Here we have some special X series EMGs with split coils. What are we looking at sound wise?

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Re: Advice on buying a Les Paul

Also, there are two things I know I'm not crazy about on a Les Paul:

It's a 60s neck
Push/Pull coils

I don't like 60s necks because I don't like 60s necks. I've played them, and yes they play faster... and yes I play fast. But my fingers are long and skinny and a 50s neck has always sat much better in my hands... call me crazy but I think they stay in tune better also... playing up top is kinda a challenge... but I've always preferred the feel of a larger neck. My Epi has a rather large neck, larger than a 60s and it's just always been comfortable for me. Is it the ultimate deal breaker for me? No... but i think I'd be more happy playing on what I know other than having to readjust to something new.

Any 60s neck enthusiasts out there, can I get an Amen?? What do yall think?

Also, push/pull pots aren't my favorite. They tend to slip when you're on stage. Understand that I don't really sit around with these things, when I buy guitars they go straight to the stage, so they have to react fast. Push/Push are more effective in my opinion, because you can just give em a slap and they're on or off... no digging your sweaty fingers under a slick knob with a pick in your digits trying to pry it into a single coil mode. Push/Push is just like... boom, it's on... boom, it's off.

Now this specific Paul gets the exception because it's outfitted with those grooved aluminum knobs. Those are heavy duty and won't slip like the amber top hats that are originally on these newer Standards. So basically, whoever pot those on could have used black speed knobs like you get on Customs, or the antique witch hats like you get on the old Black Beauties of yesteryear. But these are aluminum much like you would find on a Telecaster or a G&L. Which means pushing and pulling would actually be just as easy as push/push.

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