Best "classic" Les Paul color?

Best "classic" Les Paul color?

  • Gold Top

    Votes: 19 18.1%
  • Ebony

    Votes: 13 12.4%
  • Heritage Cherry Sunburst

    Votes: 21 20.0%
  • Desert Burst (+ Tobacco Burst... very similar)

    Votes: 12 11.4%
  • Wine Red

    Votes: 10 9.5%
  • Honey Burst

    Votes: 13 12.4%
  • Ice Tea (+ Light-Burst... close enough lol)

    Votes: 17 16.2%

  • Total voters
    105
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

Women dig wine red, and some of us know that so we dig wine red cos it attracts women. It's either a wine red guitar or a Hello Kitty guitar.

Maybe the wire red is the hello kitty guitar, if you know what I mean.
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

Light/Ice Tea Burst for me.

Desert is too dark and Honeyburst seems kinda bland. Ice Tea/Light Burst looks just "right" to me.

...and it reminds me of Jimmy Page's Les Paul. That's where my obssession began.....
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

For me it's Ebony. With the binding and cream appointments, it's like the guitar is wearing a tuxedo. LOL Just classy.
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

The first time I saw a Les Paul really featured was Slash's re-finished Standard on the Sweet Child o' Mine video.

I loved that faded look. My preference is for the un-burst or Lemon Burst like the Peter Green model.
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

Ebony, followed by gold top.

When it comes to bursts, it'd have to be tobacco/vintage sunburst:

P_3832_L00.jpg


But my Standard is Latte Cream:

IMG_0950.jpg


Boy, would I love to have a 345 in that color!
 
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Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

Rootbear and Goldtop, I have always had a soft spot for the goldtops... but when it came down to it, I love flamed maple too...
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

I voted Heritage Cherry... but aren't alot of the other bursts variations on how an original would fade anyway?
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

If Heritage Cherry always looked like your pic, I'd choose that color. Unfortunately, a lot of them look more like clown bursts with WAYYYY too much red and not a smooth enough transition. I also like Desert Burst, but not if the dark is TOO dark and not if the whole upper bout is nearly blacked out. I would normally then choose Honey burst, but the color you posted seems too light for my taste....so Iced Tea is just right to me, again, based on your pics.

+1. There's an art to getting the colors and blending right on a sunburst, but when it's done right, it's hard to beat.
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

Goldtop is so killer. But I'm biased hehe....

Iced Tea burst is so dope too. Plaintop Iced Tea R8s have to be one of the classiest looking guitars out there
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

I voted honey burst, mainly as its the closest to the un-burst (faded) '59's like Page's #2. Thats if we're talking LP standard, with some subtle flame.

If its a LP Custom, then Wine Red for sure. Thats my #1 dream gibson which I still hope to get soon. I have a wine red studio as a consolation at the moment (and a honeyburst 60's tribute - love that colour!!)
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

as long as it's NOT the teardrop shape, the honeyburst looks superb... although i love my gold top. it was a tough choice.

824e649e.jpg
 
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Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

I am surprised heritage cherry sunburst is the winner here. I have always found it to be one of the most hideous possible finishes. Once all the red fades, it is great, but until then...YUCK!
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

Goldtop (My dream 1st LP color)
Wine Red (a close second)
Desert/Tobabbo Burst (for third place)
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

The heritage cherry looks best to me, however, I would pick that latte one over the classic.
 
Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

If Heritage Cherry always looked like your pic, I'd choose that color. Unfortunately, a lot of them look more like clown bursts with WAYYYY too much red and not a smooth enough transition.


I was going to bring this up, but in a positive light.
If you look at pictures of vintage Les Pauls when they were new, most (if not all) of them look like that. However the awesome, vintage, divine dye they were using to finish the guitars back in fiddy nine was ultra-violet sensitive (aka sunlight makes it fade) and over the years and gigs and smoke and such, they turned into what we now call honeyburst and lemonburst and light burst and unburst etc. However the plethora of names, these are all modern inventions, they're basically like prefaded jeans. Just like every acid wash, light blue, pre-tattered pair of jeans was based on a super dark Levis 501...every "mojo"-flled, chipped, buckle rashed, Lemonburst R9 was based on a clownburst. (sorry, denim is the other thing I nerd out on besides guitars, so if that analogy was confusing just ignore it)

EDIT: Just did some research to check my facts, and they produced Tobacco Burst as well, same fading properties applied.
if anyone is a massive Les Paul nerd like myself, this page is full of wonderful little goodies that only the nerdiest of the nerdy will care about. If you read about how the finishing process changed through Gibsons "golden years" (58-60) and how they turned into the finishes that are really common today.
http://home.provide.net/~cfh/lpsun.html

I wish they would make an R9 with a really gaudy clownburst that would fade over time, but that will never happen, so given the options I think my favorite finish is a good example of a slight aged heritage cherry, not too washed out and not too clowny.
 
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Re: Best "classic" Les Paul color?

You left out nicely aged White that is now a nice Creamy color! YUM!!
 
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