Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

[Seraphial]

Hey guys, thinking of heading to the states for a holiday (either Texas or NY) and thinking about taking the plunge and buying my first LP. I'm tossing up between the Traditional and Standard. Though I've heard a lot of people say good things bout the Trad, I'm in two minds as the lower weight and long neck tenon of the standard is swaying me. Anyone tried them out? Any thoughts?

Also, as I'm going to have limited time doing my shop, anyway have any tips LP shopping? Or specific shops with a good selection?

 

[orpheo]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

I'd buy a warmoth les paul, not a gibson...but if I HAD to choose, knife to my throat, I'd take a traditional. solid body huh, not a semihollow without fholes.

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

Hey guys, thinking of heading to the states for a holiday (either Texas or NY) and thinking about taking the plunge and buying my first LP. I'm tossing up between the Traditional and Standard. Though I've heard a lot of people say good things bout the Trad, I'm in two minds as the lower weight and long neck tenon of the standard is swaying me. Anyone tried them out? Any thoughts?

Also, as I'm going to have limited time doing my shop, anyway have any tips LP shopping? Or specific shops with a good selection?

Traditional. Thats the closest you will get to a true LP unless you go the Reissue route. Traditionals are weight relieved (9 swiss cheese holes in body) as to where the Reissues are solid. One thing I find interesting is that the Traditionals and the Reissues both weigh between 8 and 9.5lbs regardless of the Traditionals being weight relieved and the Reissues being solid.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

Shopping is the easy part, it's buying a Les Paul that is a b!tch.

Just forget about the whole neck/weight thing. That is ALL A BUNCH OF CRAP!!!! If it sounded like angels, but weighed 10.1 lbs, would it matter? If it sustained for days but had a short tenon, would you pass on it?

Pick one of each up, play it and listen. If it sounds lively, balanced, and sustains, buy it. I don't care if it's a pancake body, 12lbs, randomly chopped with a chisel weight relieved, 2 piece top with bolts!

Stop the madness - good gravy man! It's about feel & sound, a maybe a little bit of looks. I don't care if it was made with plywood & play dough! It's two LP's - how different can they be...

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

Im a traditional guy myself. Any of the weight relieved ones Ive played havnt sounded right. Honestly, it could just be me cuz they are different. But, I did hear that they originally started relieving them at random with no thought to the tone and they didnt sound as good. Now, supposedly, they have perfected the way they do it to where sound isnt an issue, but Im not interested. Even though I should be as I have had 3 back surgeries and the heft of my 11 lb burny about kills me.

 

[J Moose]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

You really just need to play a bunch as no two are exactly alike... even among the same model & finish.

Where to shop? Well... where are you going to be?!?

There's still a handful of really great guitar shops in NYC and none of them have "center" in the name...

 

[smauk43]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

I bought a Traditional Plus a month ago. Played a few Standards. I honestly didn't see much difference other than price. I couldn't tell a whole lot of difference in the weight of any of them either. So for me the 57 classic pick ups and about $400 made the difference. Play some of both and see what you like while forgetting what you heard or read about weight differences.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

Pickups aren't worth worrying about, especially since most of us change pups like underwear.

Just take all of your money, play every LP under that amount. Find the locations of every Guitar Center, & Sam Ash in the cities you go to. NY & Houston must have half a dozen of each. Plot a course on Mapquest.

 

[lex666]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

IMO, there isn't a whole lotta difference between the Traditional and Standards except the price. The bodies are probably the same, the biggest difference being in the feel of the neck. I'd concentrate on finding one that felt and played right in your hands.

 

[metlking]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

Shopping is the easy part, it's buying a Les Paul that is a b!tch.

Just forget about the whole neck/weight thing. That is ALL A BUNCH OF CRAP!!!! If it sounded like angels, but weighed 10.1 lbs, would it matter? If it sustained for days but had a short tenon, would you pass on it?

Pick one of each up, play it and listen. If it sounds lively, balanced, and sustains, buy it. I don't care if it's a pancake body, 12lbs, randomly chopped with a chisel weight relieved, 2 piece top with bolts!

Stop the madness - good gravy man! It's about feel & sound, a maybe a little bit of looks. I don't care if it was made with plywood & play dough! It's two LP's - how different can they be...

Yes! Stop the madness! There's too much of the placebo effect going on with Les Pauls. "This one has swish cheese holes, it must not sound right" Play it, when you find "the one" you will know............

 

[HighGain]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

IMO, there isn't a whole lotta difference between the Traditional and Standards except the price. The bodies are probably the same, the biggest difference being in the feel of the neck. I'd concentrate on finding one that felt and played right in your hands.

Not true. The Standard is chambered and the Trad is old style weight relieved with the swiss cheese holes. The Standard has BB Pro pups and the Trad has 57 Classics. The Trad has Tone Pros bridge/tuners and speed knobs, the Standard doesn't.

For the life of me, I can't figure why the Standard costs more. The Trad is the better guitar, imo.

 

[Stevo 42]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

If you are heading to Houston or Austin, I can hook you onto some good guitar shops. Both have GCs as well.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Les Paul shopping - shopping tips and standard or traditional?

Hey guys, thinking of heading to the states for a holiday (either Texas or NY) and thinking about taking the plunge and buying my first LP. I'm tossing up between the Traditional and Standard. Though I've heard a lot of people say good things bout the Trad, I'm in two minds as the lower weight and long neck tenon of the standard is swaying me. Anyone tried them out? Any thoughts?

Also, as I'm going to have limited time doing my shop, anyway have any tips LP shopping? Or specific shops with a good selection?

I own a Standard (1990) and a Studio (2003). The standard is a much nicer playing guitar & sounding guitar over the Studio. I have never played one of the traditional. I have had both of these guitars for quite some time and am happy with them.

 

[ehdwuld]

Mincer
me thinks this is spam

 

[ErikH]

When the time comes when I can get a Goldtop, I plan on going to every store in the area that has one with cash in hand. A Goldtop has been my grail LP for a while now. If I could have 3 Les Pauls, it would be a Goldtop Standard, an Ebony Standard and the Tobacco Burst I have now.

 

[jeremy]

spam bump of a 11 year old thread, nice. i love my traditional but i played a ton of lps before i took the plunge and this one just had it. i was originally planning on a 57-59 ri but got a great deal on this trad and it did all the things i need a lp to do.

 

[Artie]

spam bump of a 11 year old thread, nice.

That might help explaining his visiting the United States . . . from Colorado.

 

[Securb]

I play my Goldtop Standard more than any other Les Paul, that might be because it is newest. The Custom Lite is 2nd when it comes to time plated.

 

[Mincer]

Those Custom Lites would be my pick for favorite LP, btw.

 

[Securb]

Those Custom Lites would be my pick for favorite LP, btw.

Yes, I know you have been converting thy brother's Les Paul for a while. If you played the guitar it would be game over. Shredder's action and WLHs make that guitar a beast.