The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

[Gearjoneser]

I went into Sam Ash today and the clerk who knows me instantly threw the new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite with thin body, 50's neck, and rosewood fretboard in my hands. Price $1500.

I got instantly excited, since my favorite looking LP's are black Customs, and my favorite fretboard is the rosewood you get on Standards.

As usual, the 50's neck felt like home to me, and the body felt more like an SG body. Pickups were the usual 498T/490R, which I usually change out for Duncans.

Looked great, felt great, and sounded really good......but......would it pass a neck heavy test?

I purposely put a nylon strap on it, just to gauge how it would hang. Yep, it's lightweight body, 50's neck, and Grover tuners does cause the guitar to hang on the neck heavy side. To me, that's an important thing, because I don't want to let go of the neck and have it slide toward the ground. I also understand that leather straps are better on guitars like SG's and these.

Overall, The Gibson LP Custom Lite is everything you'd like in a Black Beauty and Standard combined into one guitar, with a thin body that lessens the weight quite a bit. It's a guitar that kills me because it's everything I like about a LP with a sleeker feel. However, the neck does dive a bit when you let go of it with a nylon strap. A 3" leather strap is what would want to use with it. The mini switch in place of the 4th knob looks a little off as well, although I like it's function. That makes this guitar a real divisive piece. It's got a lot of plusses, so you've got to decide if being slightly neck heavy is an issue for you. This is why SG's have the strap button at the heel.



http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-USA/Les-Paul-Custom-Lite.aspx

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: The new LP Custom Lite

Re: The new LP Custom Lite

Wow! Gibson are copying the ESP Eclipse! :naughty:

 

[jmh151]

The new LP Custom Lite

The new LP Custom Lite

It's very similar to the Les Paul Custom Lite from the 90s, except that had an ebony fingerboard, i think no inlays, and a basswood/ chromyte center section. I don't know what the extra switch is for, back then I thought it was a coil tap, which would be senseless now that Gibson is using push/ pull pots.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

I just sold three grand worth of camera equipment; if that guitar had an ebony board, I might just go in to Sam Ash tomorrow and get that very one. I'm fine with rosewood in general, but not on a black beauty...or any black guitar, really.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

An LP should not be light, imo. They made SGs and Jrs for that purpose.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

To me, it's like the difference between a PRS McCarty and PRS Custom 22. Similar guitar with around a half an inch removed from the back.

Ebony would look more correct, but more than half the Gibsons we all play have rosewood, so it's fine with me.

If I owned the guitar, I'd probably put a half pound of lead in the electronic cavity and use the guitar with a 3" leather Franklin strap.

 

[JeffB]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

I almost bought one of those pinkish colored ones back in the day. Great giuitar. I too would need ebony on a custom. Rosewood on a custom would be like having dot inlays on standard....ick..imo, of course.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

I could never afford one, but on the off chance that I did win the lottery, I'd be buying a cement block before I buy a weight relieved LP Custom. When I dick around on Musicians Friend looking at the different guitars, they post the weights of the different serial numbers, and I always pick the one that weighs like 10 and a half pounds.

 

[Mincer]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

I actually might buy an LP if it were a lot lighter. But the balance issue is a big deal for me too. I won't buy any neck-heavy guitars.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

Say what?

I have yet to experience a Lester with neck dive. They tend to be heavy all over.

 

[Push to Shuv]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

I need to find one of these

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

I dig the looks, and the price isn't bad for a new Lester. I can always change the pups. I would need to check out the neck dive though.

 

[tubecrunch]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

My Gary Moore bfg (chambered) has neck dive. Changed the Grover's to klusons and it helped a lot. Doesn't hang exactly like my lp custom, but I can live w it now. I also added a vibra mate/bigsby. Made a tiny difference in the weight.

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

They need a more affordable version with P90s as a companion to this one. Staple version would be cool but would drive the price up as these pups are more expensive.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

I tried the guitar again, after now knowing all it's specs.

If Gibson is listening, make this guitar with no weight relief holes. A bit more weight is all it needs, because the guitar itself is great if the neck doesn't dive.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

Sounds like it needs a middle pickup and a Bigsby... :ban:

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

I got a better idea. Just make your regular Black Beauties $1500 F'ing dollars like they should be!

It's already been proven by this model that you can. :fing2:

Really? $2500 more for an ebony board and half an inch of mahogany you don't have to plane off?
:33: :18:

 

[B2D]

Re: The new LP Custom Lite

Re: The new LP Custom Lite

I went into Sam Ash today and the clerk who knows me instantly threw the new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite with thin body,

Boo.

50's neck,

Boooo!

and rosewood fretboard in my hands.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Wow! Gibson are copying the ESP Eclipse! :naughty:

Hahaha yeah no kidding. That was my first thought as well.

 

[Adieu]

Re: The new LP Custom Lite

Re: The new LP Custom Lite

Wow! Gibson are copying the ESP Eclipse! :naughty:

no it's not... the ESP Eclipse Standard has got a delish narrow-thick neck and crazzzzy good precision build, nice woods, amazing hardware, and looks beautiful too. gibby, at sub-LP Standard pricing, has clunky necks, crap hardware, sloppy sloppy sloppy construction with pokey frets and uneven edges and stuff, and the wood choice is beyond meh. and yeah, I got one of those recent Studios gathering dust in the garage. even EMGs couldn't make that thing useable for anything. First guitar I've ever seen to affect EMG's sound in a baaaad way.... so very unlike the ESP Eclipse, which somehow manages to make EMGs sound lively and tastey!

...did you, perhaps, mean "Wow Gibson are copying the LTD EC-50!" ????? :bs2:

I could never afford one, but on the off chance that I did win the lottery, I'd be buying a cement block before I buy a weight relieved LP Custom. When I dick around on Musicians Friend looking at the different guitars, they post the weights of the different serial numbers, and I always pick the one that weighs like 10 and a half pounds.

THAT. except you prolly meant Sweetwater, right? They're the ones posting serials and weights and individual pictures of actual guitars.



On a side note: if it's costing like a Studio (overpriced as that is), that ain't no Custom, no matter what they call it. Even before the whole weight relief thing, it's still not a Custom. Comparing it to other customs is pretty pointless... well, maybe Epiphone Customs lol. And not the Elitists, mind you, those have a decent chance of actually being good!

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: The new Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite

I could never afford one, but on the off chance that I did win the lottery, I'd be buying a cement block before I buy a weight relieved LP Custom. When I dick around on Musicians Friend looking at the different guitars, they post the weights of the different serial numbers, and I always pick the one that weighs like 10 and a half pounds.

Just curious, have you ever actually tried a weight relieved Les Paul? The degree of WR varies slightly with every guitar, and more so with the time period the guitar is from. I used to be an anti-weight relief snob, until I took the forum's advice and tried a bunch of weight relieved models. I can honestly say the difference is negligible and can easily be tweaked to sound "normal" with the amp's EQ, or even the guitar's tone knob.

What it really comes down to is: Does it feel right? Does it sound right? Does it play right? Even if we can be 'spec junkies', those are still the most important factors.

And if you can't afford one, do what some people do (I'd be one of them) and build your own guitars. You get the exact specs you want, the process is fun, more wallet-friendly, and the feeling of finishing the guitar and about to play it for the first time is more exciting than the thought of the secks (Well, at least for me. Just depends if you can tame yourself haha).