Re: Les Paul, best recent models, and which ones to avoid?
Ace is right. 2015 aside (and plenty of people like the 15's FWIW), there are no good years or bad years. I've spent a lot of time over at My Les Paul the past 6 months or so since this board isn't as busy as it once was, and I've learned a lot.
There are great guitars built every single year, and many more good Les Pauls than bad ones. Also, remember that what I consider a so so top and a sound that is a bit too bassy will be someone else's perfect Les Paul. There are very, very few built that truly sound awful or are completely unplayable due to QC issues. Gibson isn't THAT bad, even now. Most of the belief that Gibson quality sucks comes from false internet rumors repeated ad nauseam. Yes, there are a few bad ones every year, but your chances of getting one is very low.
If you can't play before you buy, it's not the end of the world. I've bought every Les Paul I've owned over the internet and they've all been really good to fantastic. Unless you buy certain year model Traditions like Joe suggested, every USA model Les Paul will be weight relieved. Weight relief began in the early 80's. Traditional's are most like the Standards of 10+ years ago, but the new standards with compound radius are starting to gain a loyal following. No, it's not traditional, but it works for many other guitars, so why not on a Les Paul.
Just do your research and decide what features you want and don't want and then shop from there. One of the absolute best buys out there are the 57' Reissue LP 's. You can get them in the low to mid $2k range US, are not weight relieved, made with lightweight wood and custom shop quality. The catch is you need to like gold or maybe black.
If I were not buying a reissue, I would look for a Traditional or Classic with the features and top I wanted, or perhaps a Standard from 2011 or earlier. I can't remember exactly what year they started messing with the Standard's features. I wouldn't give a 2nd thought to weight relieved or not. It's nice to have if that's important to you mentally I guess, but no one can tell the difference, and I mean no one. You will likely change pickups, especially if you're a member of this board, so don't worry about what pups come with it. Custombuckers only come on Reissues if my memory is correct. You may want to upgrade to an aluminum tailpiece or an ABR, or maybe you want locking tuners and new pots and caps, but the little things can be changed if you so desire.
Again, just decide on the features important to you, find one with a top and color you like and then buy it, regardless of the year. You're 95% sure to get something you're really happy with. The worst possible outcome is you don't love what you get and need to resell it and try again. You'll likely be out very little money and only some time.
