Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

[Jeff_H]

My new Lew Paul arrived yesterday while I was out of town. Got my hands on it this afternoon. This is the first Les Paul I've owned, although I've played many. I've always loved Les Pauls, but have been a harsh critic of Gibson's quality in recent years. I had even decided about 8 months ago that I was going to have a Heritage custom built because of Gibson's quality issues.

Maybe I just got lucky with this one (thanks TC), but the quality on this guitar is OUTSTANDING!!! The feel of the neck is the most striking aspect of the guitar to me. It's the 50's profile, but it's not so big that you can't get your hands around it. The frets are smooth and level, and the edges are not sharp....as so many of the models I've picked up in guitar stores have been. It's just a dream to run your hands up and down the neck.

All other area's of this guitar are excellent as well. Neck joint is perfect, with no finish issues. The nut is set correctly, the binding is just right, the inlays are all matched with no extra glue showing, no spaces around inlays, ect. The body is a very nice one piece with nice tight grain on the back, and the maple top is just right for me. It has plenty of flame, but is not overbearing. The flame varies greatly depending on the angle from which you view it.

The burst finish is done just right IMO. It fades out very evenly, not light to dark with no transition area. Also, the finish remains translucent all the way to the edge. With the way the top is cut and finished, it looks like it could be an older instrument, something that I really like. Don't get me wrong, it's nice and shiney, and nothing is wrong with the finish...it just looks vintage. In the pics TC posted, the finish looked to be a light burst of the Heritage Cherry variety. In fact, it looks more like an Iced Tea, or really light Desert Burst....no red at all on the top, which is just fine by me. Heritage Cherry is my least favorite finish for a Les Paul.

I have put the pups in and strung it up (a set of Seth Lovers), I just have to solder them in tomorrow. The guitar has a nice resonant tone unplugged, which tells me it's going to sound awsome thru the Marshall.

So it's time for me to admit that Gibson does in fact build some fine instruments in the standard production line. I knew the Custom Shop did, but this is a very plesant suprise for me. Thumbs up for Gibson on this one!

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

This comes as a surprise for me, as well, but then again...it came from TC

New gear rocks! Have fun with it. What pickups will be going in?? APHII?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

All the criticism is BS. It's like a guy driving a Hundai saying "oh, those Corvettes are over rated....look they're made outta fiberglass!" :laugh2:

Now repeat after me...."Only a Gibson is........(you know the rest). :fing25:

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

So it's time for me to admit that Gibson does in fact build some fine instruments in the standard production line.

I don't doubt there's good stuff to be had, it's just inconsistent. The problem is that in the Gibson price range, inconsistency should NOT be an issue.

BTW, congrats on getting a good one!

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

All the criticism is BS. It's like a guy driving a Hundai saying "oh, those Corvettes are over rated....look they're made outta fiberglass!" :laugh2:

The criticism is well-deserved, and it has nothing to do with jealousy, or anything like that. It's more like a guy looking at Corvettes, and saying, "Oh, those things might be worth the price tag if only the finish wasn't a piece of sh*t on every other one, and it wasn't scratched, etc..."

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

It's a numbers game. They make 50,000 times as many guitars as a company like McInurff or Heatley, therefore there will always be a few turds in the bunch.

I'll agree that most need a pro setup, including a nut job, upon the first purchase.
After that, you're getting a guitar that wrote the book for others to copy and attempt to improve upon.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

GJ, you're preaching to many deaf ears. I'm getting to the point where I'm just going to save my breath.

Buying used is cool especially if it comes from a guy that you trust, that can set up a guitar well. He'd have not bought it in the first place if it was a dud.

Good score. That's a nice guitar.

 

[MrHeavyMetal]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

...My new Lew Paul arrived yesterday while I was out of town. Got my hands on it this afternoon. This is the first Les Paul I've owned, although I've played many...

Once you go Gibson Les Paul, you won't go back. :burnout: :burnout: :burnout:

 

[mrfjones]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

hate to disagree with some of you guys but i have had / played les pauls and i won't get a standard or even a classic. i have played some historics i liked but i have played historics i don't like too. I am with Scott F on the idea that if you are going to buy a guitar like that then you should get a very clean used one as it is most likely not a dud, but i have also come to the conclusion that i want certain sounds and to get those sounds i have to change so many things on a gibson les paul. It would cost me so much money to do so that i might as well get my guitars custom built and save myself some money. So for me, Mrheavymetal is right, i have played gibsons and i won't go back to them.


Congratulations on a good guitar for you Jeff, it is a beauty too.

 

[MrHeavyMetal]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

...So for me, Mrheavymetal is right, i have played gibsons and i won't go back to them...

hey dude, geeeeeeeeze. you know what I meant.

for people like you I should have said: "Once you go Gibson Les Paul, you won't go back (to any other guitar)."

 

[take2]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

I think he was being facetious.

 

[mrfjones]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

take2 was right, i was being facetious. i think if you find a good les paul and you like the sound of it then get it and play it, but they don't make the les pauls that i want and i haven't been real impressed with most gibsons i have played, even good ones. I have found better guitars than gibsons for about the same price, it is all in what fits with you.

 

[MrHeavyMetal]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

take2 was right, i was being facetious.

you weren't being facetious. you were saying I implied what your opinion was which was anti Gibson. ok ? I am pro Gibson product. end of story.

please leave me out of your personal opinion. Thx.

 

[Gary Ladd]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

It took three, yes that's -3- Gibson LP Supremes from Musician's Fiend before I got one that was "right"

Numero Uno: AAA top was total crap, binding was cracked and painted over in spots.

Numero Deux: Saddles were seriously cut off-center (think like 50% off-center...LOL) and as bad as the first one was at least it had tone, the second one was a total dog tonally, it even had truss rod buzz (if you've never heard of that, consider yourself lucky). Oh, and the nut was crookedly cut on the ends. :laugh2:

Numero Three: ***BINGO*** perfect in every respect, too bad I spent over a month sorting through MF Gibbys to find one that was acceptable...

Moral of the story: I'll never, NEVER, EVER!! buy another guitar sight unseen... :smack:

 

[Curly]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

congrats on a nice LP, Jeff

I took a few things in to my luthier today, and asked him to check the set up on my new Goldtop. He took a look, and gave it thumbs up - no need for any work.

I'm also gonna put Seths in mine ... I think Gibson kinda missed the boat putting BBs in all their LPs. I'm gonna switch the pots, too, and do a 50s wiring scheme.

enjoy, Bro!

 

[Farkus]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

I've heard plenty of great sounding Les Pauls. I've got nothing against the guitar or people who play them.

Of concern to me is not really the tone of the guitars so much as the build quality. I was lucky enough to be on good terms with a Gibson dealer a couple of years ago, and I was there one day when the new axes were unpacked to put on display. To make a long story short, 3 or 4 out of 5 had flaws. Mostly broken binding and cracked pickup rings, which can be changed, but then it's not 'stock'. One of them was a total loss. It had a cracked neck when it arrived. The boxes had no sign of external damage at all. These weren't 'specials' or low end models, these were Standards. Three out of five were returned to the factory. I think that Gibson could do better.

That said, I wouldn't buy a new one from a large retailer because the thing may arrive as if it were drop shipped from the factory (like those I descibed above). Especially not at the prices that Gibsons go for. I'd certianly buy used first.

Mark

 

[Quencho092]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

the only things i would rag on gibson for is the squared, edged fretwork. My ideal gibson would be a used LP studio with seth lovers, and a professionally done fret dressing-now that would be a great LP.....

No way i'd pay that much for something that i would mod though. At least the pup's in my strat were those special samarium cobalts, so i got to sell them for 160 bucks, which helped me cover the cost for my surfers-net total for my am strat with duncans-$1010.
LP studio-$1199, plus 200 bucks for seths-1400. It would also be quite difficult to sell those crappy Gibson pups, so there's not much value there. Plus the cost of a good fret dressing and you're in the 1480 range. Les Pauls go hand in hand with Godly tone, but it would simply be too painful for my wallet. Just no longer seems to be a reasonable price for the cheapskate musician like myself.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

I'm more or less from the "Only a Gibson is good enough" school but I understand the bitching to an extent.

I am psyched for you Jeff, glad it is a winner!!!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

Honestly, most players go in circles. Play a LP for awhile, move to a G&L, segue into a Fender Custom Shop, buy a boutique, realize that was to fancy schmancy, go back to LP, get bored, to to a MusicMan, realize you wanna Tele etc etc etc. It's almost silly to argue about guitars. It's like debating which meal is the best to eat for the rest of your life.

The reality is that you're just lucky, and industrious, if you have the ability to jump between a Custom strat, Dean Hardtail, and Les Paul. A luxury.

 

[MikeRocker]

Re: Les Paul - Time For Me To Eat Some Crow

Now repeat after me...."Only a Gibson is........

...Satanically overpriced?
I went the other way, my first electric was a Les Paul, but now I'm more of a Fender guy. This whole Gibson elitism is really ridiculous and tiresome. It's like people get this "my guitar is better than yours" attitude 'cause they want to feel better about how much $$$ they spent. Play what you play. There are a lot of people making a lot of great music on a lot of different kinds of guitars, and having played and owned many, I'd have to say that many brands are "good enough."