Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

[evan47]

I am gassing for another Les Paul sometime later in the year and am hoping to find a good used deal but am a little cautious as to which year/model to go for.
I do not want anything too old and worn but I am a little concerned about gibsons recent reputation re quality and so called innovations like compound radius necks, 2 piece bodies, laminated fretboards, auto tuners and adjustable nuts.
What would be the safest bet for something akin to a less paul standard (not an exotic custom shop or reissue) thet wont break the bank?
Here in the UK a decent used LP standard sells privately for between £1400 and £2000 dependent on its grade of top and its condition but which years are best avoided?
Also, are are models such as the traditional, classic etc worth looking at as an alternative to a standard?
Another option I am considering is getting a builder such as Gordon Smith of the UK to build a bespoke copy, good idea/bad idea?:smokin:

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

Get a real Gibson off the used market. It's already lost all the value it will, & it will hold where it is or appreciate going forward. Older Classics with a one piece back's or a Traditional are more LP than just about any modern Standard. The biggest thing is finding a neck you like, on a guitar feels alive.

 

[evan47]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

Yes, I would rather a used one as I do not want to be hit by the instant drop in value as soon as it leaves the shop,,,,,,,,been there and done that 5 times with les pauls.
The 60s style slim taper neck is the one am looking for hopefully without weight relief.
The most important info I want is to when did things start to go downhill with gibson quality? I have heard that around 2006 things started to go awry.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

Generally that will be right on years, however that is just spec and policy change there will still be many good post '06 guitars but you may have to dig deeper to find them. It takes a while to get up to speed on which years are good for which model.

Don't discount Classics with weight relief holes. I have a hand picked one that has beaten a few custom shop guitars. They have the 60's neck and the bridge I like for a LP.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

I think you want to avoid the 2015 models. That’s the year they had robot tuners and adjustable nuts. I own a 2015 LP Special which I got for a reasonable price, but I’ve sunk a bit of money into it too....replaced the brass nut with a graphtech, replaced the robot tuners and also replaced the bridge with a Schaller. All in all I spent about $175 in replacement parts but it’s a great guitar....now. It does have the wider, flatter fretboard which took a little getting used to but it’s not that bad.
Now, I also have a 2012 LP Standard AAA flametop blah, blah.
Of course I’ve replaced the pickups and I had to also replace the nut. But this is hands down the most phenomenal sounding and playing guitar I’ve ever put my hands on. It’s a special instrument in so many ways.
It’s got the compound radius which is wonderful and the slim taper neck which a lot of people complain about. But I think it’s a more comfortable, faster medium C shape. Don’t let the word “slim” fool you into thinking it’s like an Ibanez Wizard Neck. It’s NOTHING like that. Much, much closer to the Fender shape than one might think.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

There are no "years to be avoided." I really wish people would stop asking this dumb@$$ question. These things are not grown on vines like grapes for wine dammit.

With the exception of a thick or thin neck, they have been built the same damn way for nearly 70 years as far anything your ears or hands can tell. And contrary to the internet BS - 9 out of 10 are built just fine. And even the QC challenged ones are still built like a rock. Don't get me wrong - for $2k they should be effing perfect every time...but still.

Pick one up, and play it. If it feels good, and sounds good, then buy it.
Don't be pissy about the action or the pickups. Those get adjusted and pickups get changed.

So unless there is something you DON'T want - like rob tuners, or coil taps etc....just find one that feels, sounds, and yes - for that money - looks good.

I could blindfold you and hand you a short tenon maple neck non-weight relieved one with PG's and then a a weight relieved long tenon robo tuner non weight releived one with BB1/2's and you probably couldn't tell the difference.

How do I know this? Because if you had actually played enough of them - you would have asked the questions you did. where is Bruce - he'll back me up up on this....

 

[evan47]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

There are no "years to be avoided." I really wish people would stop asking this dumb@$$ question. These things are not grown on vines like grapes for wine dammit.

With the exception of a thick or thin neck, they have been built the same damn way for nearly 70 years as far anything your ears or hands can tell. And contrary to the internet BS - 9 out of 10 are built just fine. And even the QC challenged ones are still built like a rock. Don't get me wrong - for $2k they should be effing perfect every time...but still.

Pick one up, and play it. If it feels good, and sounds good, then buy it.
Don't be pissy about the action or the pickups. Those get adjusted and pickups get changed.

So unless there is something you DON'T want - like rob tuners, or coil taps etc....just find one that feels, sounds, and yes - for that money - looks good.

I could blindfold you and hand you a short tenon maple neck non-weight relieved one with PG's and then a a weight relieved long tenon robo tuner non weight releived one with BB1/2's and you probably couldn't tell the difference.

How do I know this? Because if you had actually played enough of them - you would have asked the questions you did. where is Bruce - he'll back me up up on this....

I bet your great fun at parties.
Wind your neck in and calm down dude.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

There are no "years to be avoided." I really wish people would stop asking this dumb@$$ question. These things are not grown on vines like grapes for wine dammit.

With the exception of a thick or thin neck, they have been built the same damn way for nearly 70 years as far anything your ears or hands can tell. And contrary to the internet BS - 9 out of 10 are built just fine. And even the QC challenged ones are still built like a rock. Don't get me wrong - for $2k they should be effing perfect every time...but still.

Pick one up, and play it. If it feels good, and sounds good, then buy it.
Don't be pissy about the action or the pickups. Those get adjusted and pickups get changed.

So unless there is something you DON'T want - like rob tuners, or coil taps etc....just find one that feels, sounds, and yes - for that money - looks good.

I could blindfold you and hand you a short tenon maple neck non-weight relieved one with PG's and then a a weight relieved long tenon robo tuner non weight releived one with BB1/2's and you probably couldn't tell the difference.

How do I know this? Because if you had actually played enough of them - you would have asked the questions you did. where is Bruce - he'll back me up up on this....

He said he didn’t want robot tuners or adjustable nuts....they came on the 2015 models.
Hence HE should avoid that year.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

I bet your great fun at parties.
Wind your neck in and calm down dude.

Right? Always SO ready to fight. SMH

 

[Silver]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

A buddy recently bought a 2017 Les Paul Traditional HP... it has the contoured heel and auto-tuners. It's a really nice guitar!

He bought it for £1500 new, in the UK. You can still get them new for that price.

 

[evan47]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

A buddy recently bought a 2017 Les Paul Traditional HP... it has the contoured heel and auto-tuners. It's a really nice guitar!

He bought it for £1500 new, in the UK. You can still get them new for that price.

Yes, a more modern take on the les paul concept is nice ( I currently have a pair of LTD ec1000s, one with a contoured heel and love them both just as much as the gibsons I previously owned ).
What I dislike about the HP model is the silver fittings but I suppose I could easily get them changed.
What kind of weight relief is on the HP model?
At a push I would get one as a modding platform.
The 2018 HP does not appeal due to the rear mounted pickups.

 

[voggin]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

I'm with Ace. Other than 2015's (which were actually very, very well made, but had features that were not very popular) they are all good. Really, the two main issues you have to decide on are the neck shape and thickness, and the weight. Just look for one with the neck you like and the weight you prefer. I have a chambered one from 2010 (see my avatar), which I like, but some people prefer a really heavy one, that "feels like a Les Paul" to them (70s ones can be very heavy).

Used is definitely the way to go. Used studios, in particular, are great value. Everything you need in a Les Paul without the bling. I got a used one a couple of years ago for $400. Feels, plays and sounds every bit as good as my Standard, though not as pretty.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

Decide what features are important to you (neck shape) and what you want to avoid (2015 models) and then start watching the auction sites and classifieds.

Don't get hung up on "resale value" over getting a guitar you will enjoy. I have owned many used Les Pauls and I even purchased a new one because it was the right guitar. Now, ten years later that same guitar is worth what I paid for it.

Point being, shop for a guitar and not a price.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

We all agree - Robo tuners suck.

That said - you are already worried about weight relieved and you haven't even heard the guitar. There is no correlation between solid, weight relieved, and chambered, and tone. Just weight, and honestly, not that much. Gibson "weight relieved" and "short tenon" and everything else for years before anyone even knew.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

While I agree with most of what Ace has to say on them i disagree on some of the points. Pickups for sure make a big difference. PG's and BB's are in the same range. However I've never liked Gibson's ceramic offerings, but I think their Custom Buckers are amazingly close to a real PAF and sound great.

They're are good guitars from just about every era, but if you're concerned with resale value there are years and models that just take too much of a hit on value due to perceptions. '15 with the scrawl sig. and hologram, the 120th 12th fret inlay guitars, the '12s CS guitars with laminated fretboards. Sure they may be great guitars, but they get beat up in the second hand market for some of that stuff.

The '02 standards have a good reputation b/c of their nicer than usual tops and BB p/ups etc... for sure some of those guitars are dogs, but spec and year does make a difference in the perceived value. So why not just skip those things that buyers use to beat sellers down on price for. Even if used values are close to the same, if you have a 13-14# Norlin Custom it can be harder to move than a 8-9# R8 even if you can prove that the Custom sounds better.

Internet shopping for a LP is a roll of the dice, try before you buy! A dog is a dog regardless of year, and a keeper may come from anywhere, but some models and years seem to trend toward being easier to find a keeper.

 

[justFred]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

Don't buy one that was built on Monday...

 

[AlexR]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

There is certainly a lot of truth in the 'there are no good years' in terms of quality or consistency of either tonal outcome or feel.
On the other hand QC/checking for the most part has been on a steady decline for the finishing touches side of the guitar (binding scraping, painting etc) but even in that area you can find a lot of immaculate guitars as well as poor ones. In that way if you are OCD about the fine details then you might need to go through a lot of guitars before you get something that doesn't bug you. That said you can have some stunning sounding instruments that most people would happily own and overlook small 'flaws'.

Of late most of the models followed fairly well established 'norms' of Gibson construction.....as in the dimensions all followed what was typical for the neck and body shapes. Only the ill-fated 2015 year deviated, with an extra wide and flat backed neck profile that most found extremely uncomfortable. The nut too had issues with premature wear, and was a proprietary one that you might have to replace with a Gibson part to fix.


In short - you simply need to play a few different models to find what you like best. Neck shape and profile is the most critical aspect......other parts can be changed out if you find a model or individual instrument that is absolutely right.

 

[dave74]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

I thought Gibson closed down,,,,,,,,,,?











j/k

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

I like the Les Paul Traditional, which is essentially the same as the Standard of past decades. Personally, I go for the 50's neck and Kluson tuners, because they sound and resonate the best.

 

[jmh151]

Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?

Buy used and play it for yourself before you buy.

Some say 70s pancake bodies are turds, some love them. A lot hate robot tuners, I love them. Within one year you can get some Les Pauls that are dark, some are bright, some are heavy, some are light, all irregardless of body routing. Quality control is pretty good these days, though you definitely want to take it to your own setup done