Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

[black sunshine]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

i gotta say i totally agree with the op.
i have 2 gibbsons 1 lp 1 sg,of the two i like the sg much better.
i have not bought either of the guitars,the sg was a gift from my ex wife the lp was to pay a debt off that someone owed me.

don't get me wrong i like both of them but never would i spend the money on one in the 800$ price range let alone over 2 grand.

my problem with gibbsons or guitars in general is that they are way too conservative,it's the 21st century and they still pretty much make the same designs since the 40,s and 50,s.

i want to be able to access all the frets on a guitar easily,that should be standered affair by now,i want a light weight guitar that sounds amazing and never goes out of tune.

to be totally honest i like some of my project guitars much more then the brand name ones.

 

[formula73]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

I guess it just doesn't apply to you. If you don't like the features of a Les Paul, then they're obviously not for you. That's like asking why that bulletproof SUV with the whale penis seats and artistic vodka costs 3,000,000 euros or whatever. I understand why it does (I bet whale penis isn't cheap LOL) and the same can be said for a Les Paul: carved maple top on mahogany body, inlays, binding, setneck. All that labor and material adds up. Add the name and heritage on top of that and you get one pricey guitar.

 

[ravendouglas]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

we're pissed off at you because you keep missing the point.

think of it this way: every time you think about a guitar, and think about a Custom Shop, feel free to add about $1,500 to the price you think they will give you. that will bring you closer to the actual price (but its still probably low).

no..i get it.......i just dont like it.....not real concerned about who is irritated at my opinions of gibsons buisness model.......i have never said anything detrimental about gibson guitars,or les pauls....i want one . i will have one.

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

My wife bought me a 58 Reissue about 10 years ago that cost $2500 or so. It's the greatest guitar I've ever touched. I then bought a 56RI gold top and another 57 at one point.

The Custom Shop Guitars are top notch no doubt. :approve: I have a 2010 58 Reissue in Ebony.... :naughty:

 

[uOpt]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

I have a 2010 58 Reissue in Ebony.... :naughty:

Pics!

I'd hit that instantly if I could fine one.

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

Pics!

I'd hit that instantly if I could fine one.

Excuse the picture quality as the cameras used weren't the greatest....... :bling:

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

I was originally set on Faded Tobaccoburst but none were available. After being offered that beauty I couldn't turn it down (especially after TattooedCarrot said it was a great player). I was on the phone with Saul at Centre City Music when Jason happened to be playing it. Unfortunately, Saul is no longer a GIbson Dealer though.....

 

[AudioWonderland]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

It is an exaggeration, but you can get a better guitar with less money than the Gibson. Every way I add it up, I can get an Epiphone Les Paul Studio, replace every frikkin' part and have a guitar better than any Gibson Les Paul. I'm not starting this argument. You can trash me if I want but I have every justification.

BS. You have no justification.

How much did you pay for the replacement wood? The assembly? The finishing? That's what I thought. You got nothin'. Go build one and tell how much you would charge for it.

You all seem to be missing the critical point of the original post. They bought a vintage LP in mint shape for 5k. That is not expensive at all considering the price of new ones.

 

[distortionhead]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

actually i was talking to my friend at elderly music and he said that the 5500 the old man paid was very reasonable and he has seen some vintage gibbies go for 15k plus and as much as 25k. He also said that he went to a trade show and gibson had a real deal Kalamazoo les paul made at the K-Zoo plant. That was on display in mint condition and was said to be worth near 100k This is what he said i dont know i never knew that the les paul was made in the K-Zoo plant.

 

[AudioWonderland]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

actually i was talking to my friend at elderly music and he said that the 5500 the old man paid was very reasonable and he has seen some vintage gibbies go for 15k plus and as much as 25k. He also said that he went to a trade show and gibson had a real deal Kalamazoo les paul made at the K-Zoo plant. That was on display in mint condition and was said to be worth near 100k This is what he said i dont know i never knew that the les paul was made in the K-Zoo plant.

Thats pretty much my point

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

It is an exaggeration, but you can get a better guitar with less money than the Gibson. Every way I add it up, I can get an Epiphone Les Paul Studio, replace every frikkin' part and have a guitar better than any Gibson Les Paul. I'm not starting this argument. You can trash me if I want but I have every justification.

LMAO!!! You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

 

[Dr.K]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

I have a question for some of the Gibson lovers. Please don't misinterpret this. I have wanted a Les Paul for some time. I own or have owned several mid priced MIK guitars and they have been decent instruments. I've not had any problems with bad sound unplugged, or finshes. (I always change pickups)

So, today I go to the local GC after work and pull a black $1300 Studio off the rack. Now this Studio is about 2x the money I've ever paid for any MIK. Well the finish is horrible the fingerboard edges are finished but look like wet pavement the frets feel rougher than my $200 Indonesian Ibanez. WTF! This thing costs 2x what my MIK Michael Kelly Patriot Premium costs and it feels and sounds worse unplugged than my $200 Ibby. So the question is why? Why would I even want to pay that kind of money for this? Just for the record I still want a Les Paul but how can I justify paying for this kind of quality and more importantly how can Gibson justify this kind of quality?

 

[IanBallard]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

My Chinese Squier Affinity, before my extensive mods, sounded and felt nearly as good as the US-made Fenders at that store to me. The neck is FABULOUS with very nice fretwork, pearl dots (didn't see Fenders with those) and most beautiful rosewood grain I've seen on any guitar. It called my name, man! It was like a magick wand in Harry Potter. The body, I'll admit isn't as nicely sanded as the US Fenders but has a cool, THIN sparkle-black finish I've never seen on a Fender.

Guitars, be they foreign or domestic, are still assembled and finished by imperfect human beings and considering how many they crank out, you're going to run into junkers.

I've heard the Studio models are practically like Mexican Fenders. They don't put as much effort into them, hence the price.

 

[Dr.K]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

I also played an Epi Dot right out of the box. It didn't even have a price tag on it. It was twice the guitar the LP was and it only cost $400. That thing was a beaut', gorgeous flame maple top and it almost went home with me. Why do the foreign guitars have such better quality?

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

I also played an Epi Dot right out of the box. It didn't even have a price tag on it. It was twice the guitar the LP was and it only cost $400. That thing was a beaut', gorgeous flame maple top and it almost went home with me. Why do the foreign guitars have such better quality?

Part of your answer is in your sig... Theres more to quality than just what you can see.

Doesnt excuse the studio but does highlight things like cheap guitars with nice maple tops that turn out to be a 1/32nd of an inch veneer.

 

[The Dali]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

I've put at least $1,400 into the Epiphone, and it's still not as good as the Gibsons I've played.

Bro, I don't know how you could have possibly put $1400 into an Epiphone... Unless you made a lot of bad decisions.

Once your upgrades double the initial cost of the instrument you need to ask yourself, "why bother?"

 

[IanBallard]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

I also played an Epi Dot right out of the box. It didn't even have a price tag on it. It was twice the guitar the LP was and it only cost $400. That thing was a beaut', gorgeous flame maple top and it almost went home with me. Why do the foreign guitars have such better quality?

I don't think that's always the case. The top-shelf Les Pauls I've played blow any Epi I've touched out of the water, tonally and feel-wise. I also don't think my Squier could compete with a Custom Shop Fender with the more carefully selected woods and more attentive details. Maybe now it's a bit closer, but it's more like EVH's POS Frankie than a "real" Stratocaster. It sounds awesome though, but it took a new bridge, better nut and my SD hybrid Custom/59 to do it.

 

[IanBallard]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

Bro, I don't know how you could have possibly put $1400 into an Epiphone... Unless you made a lot of bad decisions.

Once your upgrades double the initial cost of the instrument you need to ask yourself, "why bother?"

My mods far exceeded the initial price of my guitar and I'm a happy camper. But I think, comparatively, Squiers are a better cost-to-quality ratio than Epis. Agiles blow the doors off of Epis for half the price.

 

[The Dali]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

Come on dude, you don't think gibson could know $500 off it's price?

They could, but why? They are selling at the current price. Pricing is not just based on the production and manufacturing cost of a guitar.

 

[The Dali]

Re: Why is the Les Paul so over priced?

I have a question for some of the Gibson lovers. Please don't misinterpret this. I have wanted a Les Paul for some time. I own or have owned several mid priced MIK guitars and they have been decent instruments. I've not had any problems with bad sound unplugged, or finshes. (I always change pickups)

So, today I go to the local GC after work and pull a black $1300 Studio off the rack. Now this Studio is about 2x the money I've ever paid for any MIK. Well the finish is horrible the fingerboard edges are finished but look like wet pavement the frets feel rougher than my $200 Indonesian Ibanez. WTF! This thing costs 2x what my MIK Michael Kelly Patriot Premium costs and it feels and sounds worse unplugged than my $200 Ibby. So the question is why? Why would I even want to pay that kind of money for this? Just for the record I still want a Les Paul but how can I justify paying for this kind of quality and more importantly how can Gibson justify this kind of quality?

If you would compare the same instruments I think you would find a different result. The Gibson is a STUDIO so the finish is going to be basic. The fretboard is going to be basic, with no binding. You are comparing it to a guitar with all the bling to blind you. If you took both guitars, got them setup with a proper luthier, the Gibby would likely outplay the MK. The MK looks nicer and has the binding, but what do you want? Bling or soul?