Les Paul Models?

[Greyum]

Hi,

Wondering if anyone can explain (or post a link) explaining the fundamental differences in Les Paul models?

Standard
Special
Custom
Special II
Studio

(There is an option for me to purchase a used Gibson Studio for a great price but I have no idea why it's cheaper than say a Custom or Special)

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Oldish but still applicable ...

http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/Les-Pauls-Which-Model-is-Right-for-You.aspx

 

[RorySquier]

Re: Les Paul Models?

I have a Gibson LP Studio that sounds fantastic! It has a chambered body for an airy tone. I wasn't planning on buying a guitar that day but I was trying a bunch of Les Pauls (mostly over-priced LP Standards) and the LP Studio had a great tone to it and the play-ability felt real good. Gibson LP Customs are probably the most expensive because of the extra binding on both front and back of the body...binding on the neck and head-stock with an ebony fret board which drives the price up dramatically.



;>)/

 

[Artie]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Oldish but still applicable ...

http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/Les-Pauls-Which-Model-is-Right-for-You.aspx

Nice link. Thanks Darg.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Les Paul Models?

I can't keep track of all of the models. It is like Fender...I can't keep up.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Les Paul Models?

The Studio, The Standard, and the Custom are essentially exactly the same guitar, and the differences are mostly "bling" factor.

Exception - The custom has an Ebony fretboard (or used too....). The special/special II family is skinny (II???)

Now- as mentioned- too many models and variations to keep up with. Pickups could vary all over from 490/98s to BB1,2,3's to 57's to 496/500t's and more.

I'm going to say ignore chambering, weight relieved, etc....most People can't tell audibly that it is the case. They were doing that years before anyone knew. People didn't go "You know - these Les Pauls sound different!" The sonic mojo of maple/mahogany/rosewood varies a bit no matter what. They are all in that that thick, darker, lower mid pushed rock guitar zone with hum buckers.

I always say a Les Paul Studio is all the Les Paul you really need.

 

[PS412]

Re: Les Paul Models?

$, $$, $$$, $$$$, $$$$$. That's what my tired ears tell me anyways.

 

[Greyum]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Okay, then I’ll focus on the Studio or Special II, I don’t need all that fancy looking stuff.

 

[posite63]

Re: Les Paul Models?

I haven't tried a Studio in recent years, but I'm quite certain it's a couple steps up from the Special II. I bought a Special II off the local classifieds recently and only kept it a week before flipping it. Not a bad guitar by any means, but there's a reason it's on the low end of the price scale.

If all you're looking for is something to play with no frills, the Special II is perfectly acceptable. If you are hoping for a bit more guitar in your hands, I'd consider investigating the Studio further.

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Id get a used classic or traditional. All the bling of the standard for a lesser price tag

 

[Aceman]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Studio is the real Les Paul. Special is Less Les Paul. Cool along w/ Jr's etc. but something else.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Les Paul Models?

The Studio, The Standard, and the Custom are essentially exactly the same guitar, and the differences are mostly "bling" factor.

.

Thats an incorrect assertion. The Standards use Gibsons premium grade woods and appointments- the Custom even more so. The studio is a downgraded Les Paul- not a real Les Paul actually, and of very little real tone and playability of a Std. or Custom., but the legions of people who can afford a Jr./Spcl, or Studio are enormous, and they want to hear exactly the kind of BS you just said, that their studio is as good as a Standard, but it's only The inlays, or binding that is the difference- HOGWASH! ( Now don't get me wrong , the studio IS a cool guitar, especially with upgraded pickups but it AINT no Std..)

AND..the reason Gibson started Weight relieving is cause they ran out of lighter better grade old stock Mahogany that could be used w/o weight relief. The older non weight relieved ones sound better, thicker, and just cause YOU cannot tell, don't assume that there is no difference, because there is huge difference.

I get a kick out of Acemans posts..what he *thinks he knows, and what he actually knows are two totally different things.

 

[esandes]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Chambered bodies are a blasphemy. That's why I chose the custom shop 57 reissue which is now called the historic line.

 

[PS412]

Re: Les Paul Models?

I have a custom from 07, when I played the line up at time of purchase, the custom did sound.... fuller?.... thicker?...better.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Greyum, the Les Paul line has become so vast over the years that it is really hard to explain the differences in all the models in a single post. So here are some basics, and some ideas for homework.

The Gibson Custom Shop Historic Reissues seek to recreate the original Les Pauls of 1954 through 1960. Each year has slightly different specs. Each year since the introduction of the reissues, Gibson has gotten closer to the original specs. For my money, they are the best guitars Gibson makes. Very spendy, but they have a certain vibe that the Gibson USA productions models do not have. These are solid body guitars, and Gibson uses their lightest mahogany billets for the bodies. The vibe is delicious...and very addictive. A Holy Grail guitar.

The Gibson USA models...another long list that can be hard to figure out. The Gibson website is your best bet for comparing models. You'll find solid, weight-relieved and chambered guitars. Some will have a typical '50s neck profile while others feature the 1960 "Slim-Taper" neck. And various levels of trim, binding, inlays, tuners, bridges, etc. Lots of configurations to wade through.

First, just play a lot of Les Pauls. If weight is an issue due to a bad back or other reason, consider a chambered model. Do you like the '50s or the '60s neck? How much bling do you want? (I prefer the crown inlays, and neck and body binding of the original Les Paul Standard.)

Pick up some books. Tony Bacon has several on the Les Paul. Iwanade's "The Beauty Of The Burst" is a must for fans of the originals, and there are others. Log into the Les Paul Forum. Listen and learn.

And the flame maple top? Some find them gaudy, others demand them. I have both flame and plain sunburst tops. If you're thinking about long-term investment, my advice is to buy as much flame as you can afford.

Check E-bay "Completed Sales" for prices on comparable guitars, or the "Vintage Guitar Price Guide".

Above all...enjoy the journey, and have fun! Good luck!

Bill

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Chambered bodies are a blasphemy. That's why I chose the custom shop 57 reissue which is now called the historic line.

My Supremes are chambered and sound identical to the Custom model, though a full pound lighter AT MINIMUM. My chambered Elegant has the same feel, resonance and sustain of my two weight-relieved 1960 Classic Premium Plus guitars...and they actually weigh within an ounce or two of each other.

My two Classic Antique models are chambered and really light for a Les Paul...one is less than 8 lbs. Yet they have incredible resonance and sustain, rivaling my four Historics. Strum a chord and the neck vibrates like crazy on all these guitars. The CAs have a thick, punchy tone...pure Les Paul.

The weight of a Les Paul has been an issue since their introduction in 1952. While some clamor for lightweight guitars, others insist that only a 12 lbs. Les Paul is a "real" Les Paul. My Historics all weigh in at around 9.1 lbs. And you and I know what a great feel our Historics have.

But, a chambered Paul is hardly blasphemy. I'm really happy with mine, and I'm sure many others like the reduced weight on their backs and shoulders. And they sound and play great too.

As always, the player needs to find the guitar that speaks to him or her, specs be damned.

Bill

 

[RorySquier]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Chambered bodies are a blasphemy. That's why I chose the custom shop 57 reissue which is now called the historic line.

How are chambered bodies a blasphemy? Explain yourself. I hope you are not another one of these cork-sniffers. I guess that's why B.B. King sounded so awful on his semi-hollow bodied ES-335 (sarcasm there).



;>)/

 

[RorySquier]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Here's a video demonstrating a chambered LP vs. a non-chambered LP. I think the black one is chambered. Can anyone tell the difference?

;>)/

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Les Paul Models?

Hi,

Wondering if anyone can explain (or post a link) explaining the fundamental differences in Les Paul models?

Standard
Special
Custom
Special II
Studio

Traditionally:

Standard: eventual terminology for what was originally just called the "Les Paul Model." Carved maple top, rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays. Single binding on fretboard and top of body. Usually dual humbuckers, but came with dual P-90's in the early days of the Les Paul guitar.

Custom: a slightly modified "Model." Carved top. Multi-ply binding that also goes on the headstock. Ebony fretboard with rectangular inlays. Gold hardware. Available with either two or three pickups. Mostly humbuckers, but early models had single coils (one P-90 and one Alnico "staple" pickup). Top was originally mahogany, but they have mostly been made with maple tops for decades (except '50's reissues). Color is traditionally black, but in the '70's they introduced sunburst, white, and wine red ones. Other colors too, now.

Studio: a more modern sub-model. Shorter carved top. Unbound rosewood board with dot inlays (exceot for white models, which traditionally had an ebony board with dots inlays). No binding on body. Basically a Les Paul Model/Standard with a few cosmetic features deleted.

Special: No carved top. Two pickups – traditionally soap-bar P90's, though many have humbuckers these days. Bound rosewood board with dot inlays (originally; not all have fretboard binding these days). Traditionally had wraparound tailpiece, but most have stop-tails these days. Available as a double cutaway.

Special II: I have no idea, so let me substitute it with the Junior: Special minus the fretboard binding and neck pickup, and the one P90 is a dog-ear, not a soap-bar. Even today, most still have the wraparound bridge.

I will also add the Deluxe: This is a '70's variant of the Model/Standard that had mini humbucker pickups, and usually a gold-top paint job.

Many of these descriptions have been thrown to the wind in recent decades, and confused terribly by all the sub-models and variants thereof, so who the hell knows these days. But everything that exists today is based off of these basic model differences.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Les Paul Models?

I get a kick out of Acemans posts..what he *thinks he knows, and what he actually knows are two totally different things.

Dude - I have four Les Pauls right now and I'm 50. I got my first when I was 12. You can quote all the technical crap you want.

With the exception of the slight snap/bite in the highs from the Ebony board, I could record 12 tips with a Studio, a Standard, and a Custom all with 59's in the bridge - and you would never be able to tell which was which. Rory's video brings it home. Those two guitars sound different - but you assume the same pickups, we don't know that. And I could as easily find a chambered vs non-chambered that sounded opposite of that, and even two solids that were different.

A Les Paul is a thick Mahogany body, single cut, maple topped, 23 3/4 scale guitar with a Tune-o-matic bridge and a humbucker. The end.

Hell - you couldn't tell one of my Dean Cadillacs from a Les Paul standard, or any of a number off guitars built the same way.