First Gibson Les Paul (Page 1 of 2)

I actually had to look this up. Cannot believe it. What a cheap-ass guitar they are throwing out now. How can any of these prices be justified?!

I feel very sorry for people buying these new stock models with chambered bodies, cheap pcb (cannot replace pickups easily either) and thick finishes.

Thanks for the informative reply! I'd definitely prefer a heavier guitar..I always thought the traditionals were lighter than the standards. What the 50's neck shape like? How would you compare the 57's to the burstbuckers? Is there even a large noticeable difference between a Gibson and Epiphone?

Thanks!

Hey thanks Devan! Cool story - I'd love to keep the guitar for the rest of my life:)

Also great advice...forget about all the details and just find one that I love playing - i will do exactly that

Have a good day!

The difference in burstbuckers pros vs. 57' classics is power.  The pro's are way more powerful then the 57' classic.  The classic is just that a modern design to copy the classic PAF pickups from the 50's.  They are a lot more balenced then the original PAF's from coil to coil.  They have since come out with burst bucker 1, 2, and 3 which are more exact replica's of the PAF.  Classics are wax potted to protect the coils from micro feedback at high volumes Burstbuckers 1,2,3 are not wax potted and offer a more open airy sound we all know and love.  BB1's are under powered less turns to replicate the inconsistant winding process they used in the late 50's.  BB2's are how they are supposed to be wound with the exact amount of turns on the pickup.  BB3's are hotter and over wound to replicate the over winding inconsistant process.  Burstbucker pros however are a step in a modern direction they are wound hotter like the Burstbucker 3's and offer wax potting. 

So to review Classics are a much more 50's style tone we all know and love, while Burstbucker Pro's are more of a modern humbucker with some vintage charicteristics.  But honestly both sound fantastic.  50's neck is round like a big C, some like it because they think it has more ton being a Fat neck.  This is true but then again a lot of people prefer the 60's shape because its more comfortable to smaller hands to play.  I have average sized hands and would wear a medium sized glove and I absolutely love 50's necks.  The fatter the better.  It can make bar chords a beast at first when your not used to a big fat neck but you'll learn to use it and won't even think about after a couple of hours.  Then you will switch back to another guitar with a smaller neck and it will feel like a tooth pick! 

Whats the difference between a gibson usa vs an epiphone?  Epiphone is a lot of bang for the buck but build quality is really like compairing apples and oranges.  Its like saying what the differences in Custom Shop vs Gibson USA?  The attention to detail is much higher the more you spend.  The frets are leveled and crowned better, the finish has a better quality, the woods used are premium compaired to the old epiphone that uses cheaper inferrior woods.  The neck are smoother, the parts are better.  Epiphone is good for people who want that Les Paul but can't afford Gibson.  I had a Epiphone JB Signature model and it played great, but it did not feel like a Gibson to me.  It had the sound and it some what had the look.  But every time I played it in the back of my mind I kept wishing I had a Gibson, I had 5 in my life time. 
I agree you should check out used Gibsons.  As I said before I've had 5.  A Les Paul Classic, a SG Standard, a USED 89 flying V, a used refinished 68' ES-335, and a Les paul special dc.  The SG was amazing and I'm going to get her back in the spring.  One thing I'll say is about all of these guitars I sold I bought basically brand new full price.  My prized SG was $1100 new, I got $800 for it.  My Les Paul Classic was modded out big time and I tried to remove the finish at one point that didn't work well, I paid $1600 new for it and got $1200.  I traided the V for a Telecaster and lost big time.  The 335 was vintage but not original so I paid $2000 and got $1200 for it.  My friend got a Joe perry model and hated the sound so he swapped the pickup out.  It was about $5000 new and he got $2500.  My point is take the advantage of a buyers market.  Lets face it, its a poor economy and people are selling to make ends meet.  I did that for 4 years and I'm just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  So do your homework ask questions shop around but most important is make sure you get what you want.  If you settle for less your going to always say the grass is greener.  A new 57' custom Historic is $3700 to 3900, on ebay now $2400 exact price of a Les Paul standard +top http://www.ebay.com/itm/03-Gibson-Les-P … 3a6f5a7e4b  and you can find these all year long free shipping and everything else.  Good Luck make us proud and when you get that new guitar do me a favor and play the living day lights out of it!

Early happy birthday!  All of this can be information overload, so as others said, take your time, find one that speaks to you.  Here are some links that may be helpful to you:

Before you buy your first Les Paul
http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/gibson- … ad-me.html

Les Paul 101
http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/gibson- … 101-a.html

Lots of sales here
http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/buy-sell-trade/

Jim

I wouldn't aim for a heavy guitar, but I wouldn't go for the current standards either.
Definitely check ebay and see if there is a les paul from before 2005, if you can get an older Classic (with the ABR-1 bridge as opposed to the Nashville) try go for that. The finish is far better than the newer models (really quite a thick finish on them now and they can literally peel! I know from experience, still considering refinishing my classic (2005))
Anyway, the lighter the better. Far better acoustically and will have better mids. Assuming you're going for that kind of tone. I know that some people do like a heavy les paul as it can be more aggressive sounding, Slash for one likes them fairly heavy. But remember, a light les paul still isn't light. Light for a modern Les Paul is around 8lbs, only the custom shop ones come in under 8 really. Not like Teles where you can get one weighing just over 6lbs.

Anyway, to sum up...lighter is better tone wise and try find an older les paul from late 90s or early 2000.
Hope this helped.

Are you in Cambridge UK or US?
There's a few so there may be confusion here. I'll check ebay for certain models that could be good.

Well, if you're able to...a wee trip to London would be a good idea. Try out Vintage and Rare guitars, they might have a couple of 90s and early 2000s Les Pauls