Are $8K to $10K CS Les Paul's really necessary ?
- Thread starter JMP/HBE
- Start date
Well, you could equally take a Kia out to an open track day as a Ferrari. It certainly wouldn't be necessary to have the faster car, and you could equally push each car to the limits of its ability. But the two would not offer the exact same experience. If you were after ultimate speed, the Kia would hardly suffice.
Although guitars and cars are not really a like for like example, there is some truth to the fact that the chassis on a $2000 production line Gibson is not the same as the most exclusive reissue. If your personal preference was for the experience or tone the reissue offers, even with the identical hardware it is probably the cheaper would not quite get there.
But as we all know, guitars are unique as personal playing style. Even someone who thinks they might only like what the top of the range model can do, a cheapie can surprise quite often.
And lets not forget the psychological aspect - the 'red bull gives you wings' aspect. A muse has a powerful affect on artistry.
Although guitars and cars are not really a like for like example, there is some truth to the fact that the chassis on a $2000 production line Gibson is not the same as the most exclusive reissue. If your personal preference was for the experience or tone the reissue offers, even with the identical hardware it is probably the cheaper would not quite get there.
But as we all know, guitars are unique as personal playing style. Even someone who thinks they might only like what the top of the range model can do, a cheapie can surprise quite often.
And lets not forget the psychological aspect - the 'red bull gives you wings' aspect. A muse has a powerful affect on artistry.
JMP/HBE
Well-known member
In my 20's or 30's i might be inclined to agree but at almost 60 having played a ton im not so sure.
eclecticsynergy
Well-known member
Of course they're necessary - Gibson's just keeping up with the $10K masterbuilt Strats...
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Nice try - but a swing and a miss. The REAL question is can I take something cheaper, and go 180mph around the track. A Kawasaki Ninja will do just that at a fraction of the price. Now, your @$$ will not be swaddled in rich Corinthian leather (more likely you are wearing armor-hide leathers), and you don't get a cool lion keychain to show your friends - but yes - it performs the same and is a lot cheaper.
And, if you used your ears and hands, in a blind test, you would probably find that out of ten random Gibsons that the most expensive was never the best, the one that sounded the best, or the one that gave you the best "experience"
Good tone is where you find it. Overall, a $2k Gibson is better than a $400 Epiphone. But a $8k Gibson is better than a $2k Gibson? Nah. That's just pride talking. If you have not played a few Epiphone Elitists - then hush child! Those guitars were EVERY bit as good as any Gibson Custom I ever picked up and only $1k. In fact - they were SO good they stopped making the Slash model. Guess why? Yep - not a damn bit of difference between then and the Gibson one. Well, the headstock was different, maybe the QA on the Epiphone was better!
I actually OWN an $8k Gibson CS, as well as real 73 and 79's that were Plain Jane Standards. One has a SuperD and the other has A Duncan Distortion. The ONLY difference is the pickups. They all play fantastic. And for the record - the nut on my 79 was cut badly of spacing. Not so bad it needed replaced - but it was visually obvious. But the 73 and the Frehley, with SuperD's? You couldn't tell the difference between the two consistently at all. They play the same, feel the same, and sound the same, except for the pickup in the 79 (and a dinged fret). That and the neck feels different because the finish is worn off.
Might they sound different? Of course. And again, in the blind test you might find th stock y2k Les Paul is actually BETTER in terms of some minute bit-o-tone or feel or whatever.
The only thing "Getting you there" is knowing that it is a Gibson and stupid expensive, if you are honest with yourself.
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Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Amen. Those things are made to make money. There is likely not $200 in parts and labor difference.
superpete
Well-known member
there's always a point of diminishing returns on guitars. once you get up to the $10k Les Paul, you aren't paying for better tone. Beautifully flamed maple tops, aged finishes, artist fees, fancy case candy, and limited runs don't make guitars sound better, but they do make them more expensive.
eclecticsynergy
Well-known member
Heritage Series (R8s & R9s, etc) are non-weight-relieved, and they too have the long-tenon neck joint.
voggin
Well-known member
Not only do they make Gibson money, they are probably intended to create a "halo effect" over the rest of the products in the line. Sort of, "see what we can do?" After all, with the production rates, there's still a lot more money in cranking out the standard line than the Custom/Murphy stuff.
A lot like the wood library PRS stuff. Which is probably even less different from the core models than an R9 is from a new standard. And the Martin heavily decorated abalone crazy stuff they make now and then for $50K. Which probably don't sound as good as the plain all-wood stuff. The marketing message is, "See what great craftsmen we are?"
I could never afford one, but if someone has the money and the desire, good for them.
A lot like the wood library PRS stuff. Which is probably even less different from the core models than an R9 is from a new standard. And the Martin heavily decorated abalone crazy stuff they make now and then for $50K. Which probably don't sound as good as the plain all-wood stuff. The marketing message is, "See what great craftsmen we are?"
I could never afford one, but if someone has the money and the desire, good for them.
ErikH
Well-known member
The one part that you all leave out is the difference on how they are made in the Custom Shop and the time and labor. They are made by master craftsman, not somebody working on the line where Joe glues the necks and bodies, Sandy puts on the filler, and Tony puts on the binding, etc., etc.. The custom shop guitars are built by one of the master craftsman, start to finish. They CNC the body and neck, they sand it, they paint it, they do it all. Their time and labor costs money. More than the standard production line. It takes a lot longer to make a CS guitar than it does a standard production line guitar because of the attention to detail.
If somebody wants one, good for them. Most of the time they're collectors.
If somebody wants one, good for them. Most of the time they're collectors.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
They only exist to make the rest of the products look affordable.
JMP/HBE
Well-known member
I know someone who worked in Gibson's CS. Whoever made guitars were whoever showed up that day.
Not hardly like the ESP CS in Japan.
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
The neck on that guitar is as likely to warp as any other Les Paul.
- 3 piece maple doesn't warp....not really.
Might I treat it better? Perhaps. But that has NOTHING to do with the quality of the instrument itself.
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