Gibson Les Paul choices

Another gibson les paul custom user here, and absolutely love it to bits. I tried a mass of guitars including custom PRS 22/24's, ibanez jems/js's, custom shop stratocasters (these played absolutely amazing but sounded pants) but none of them came close to the tones and feel of the LP.

On a budget however, i would stay away from the low end gibsons. Find a 2nd hand epiphone that plays nice with fast action and stick some seymour duncans in it :)
 
Thanks everyone for the replies so far - some really helpful thoughts that I'll pass on. He seems (so far) to have settled on the LP style. AFAIK, Yamaha isn't one he's tried, though. We've also heard similar comments about Gibson quality control.

It's a huge amount of money to spend, and not something that's going to be repeated in a hurry. If he's anything like me when buying new 'toys', it's hard to resist the temptation to make a quick decision just so you can it home to play with...

And I really must resist drooling over drum kits while taking him round music shops, or it will get *really* expensive :D!
 
I borrowed one for about 4 months a few years back loved it for 5 minutes but i felt like a proper muppett. Felt like Graham Coxon playing in Kiss
 
I've owned 3 Gibson Les Pauls, 2 studios and a 1968 custom, sound is fantastic, quality control is dire. I will never buy another.

For a premium guitar you expect premium quality, the rise in quality is very evident on most makes of guitar the higher the price tag. Not so much with Gibson.

If you pick up 5 studios, each one will play slightly different. Uneven frets are common, the mahogany used for the body comes from african trees which the density of the wood changes throughout the tree which results in slightly different tones in the guitar depending in the part of the tree used (only select woods and trees were used before their popularity rise).

If you have any 'buts' about a Gibson you've picked up, don't buy it.
 
dmpoole said:
Seriously, take a Line 6 Variax 700 for a test drive and have the world of sound at your fingertips.
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I played a 500 in the US a few months ago, wasn't expecting much but they're not too shabby, I was impressed.

I might consider one, haven't had a new guitar in about 16-17 years.
 
A friend of mine took a trip to the Gibson factory whilst in America and he told me that the guitars were being put together in such a slap dash fashion. "A brute with a drill'' is his exact words.
 
I keep saying for years - if Line6 Variaxes were made to look like a normal stage instrument rather than Chinese copy of Guitar Hero Soviet Gulag Edition they would be flying off the shelves like bread and butter. I know there are "Variax repackaging" services out there, but it's not the same...
 
v0n said:
I keep saying for years - if Line6 Variaxes were made to look like a normal stage instrument rather than Chinese copy of Guitar Hero Soviet Gulag Edition they would be flying off the shelves like bread and butter. I know there are "Variax repackaging" services out there, but it's not the same...
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People also associate line 6 with carp thanks to the spider modeling amp range.
 
I've played a few Les Pauls (Mainly Epiphones bu one Gibson Standard and I love them. Never found the neck to be a problem but then again, I've got proper man hands. They can take a while to get used to with the weight issue but the tone is to die for and one day I will have the Les Paul standard (If I ever make a billion quid it'll be a '58 or '59 standard) I've always promised myself.

Maybe it's because my two favourite guitarist in my formative musical years were Jimmy Page and James Dean Bradfield but for me it's always been the guitar to aspire to.
 
+1 on the James Dean Bradfield influence...Will openly admit my custom is Alpine White and i got it through John Bonhams sister (Debbie/Debs/Deborah) because she is an artist and got it for me...landed up with a retired racehorse too
 
wonko said:
Hi folks,
Often surprised by the collective knowledge here, I thought it might be worth asking if anyone knows about Gibson Les Pauls.
Bit of background: my son is pretty hooked on the guitar and looking to take a step up to something like a new Gibson Les Paul Studio. He has already narrowed the search and tried the likes of Ibanez, and seems to be heading towards the Gibson.

It seems that there is also a 'raw power' version of the Gibson LP Studio, which he hasn't yet tried. He's intending to find a shop with the 'raw power' one to try alongside the normal Studio (if anything that costs that much can really be called 'normal'...), but it would be really useful for any opinions on what to expect (apart from a £200 difference).
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main thing is how serious your son is regarding the guitar, i assume he has the basic understanding of playing .. its very common for newer players to want/copy the same guitar as their fretboard heroes!!

in my experience and considering ive got a full range of different guitars from a 70's Les Paul Gold Top Deluxe, a Charvel, an Ibanez Jem 7v, a Fender Bullet, a £50 Dean S3 and my new Gibson Custom Black Beauty Pron guitar plus various others... ive never found a guitar as good as a Gibson Les Paul..

i would recommend you let your son decide on the guitar he wants and encourage him to grab a Gibson Les paul, it will last forever unlike gimmicky ones *cough* .. the 'Studio' is extremely versitile when it comes to rock or metal, its clean tone is rich and deep but it wont sound as bright as say the fender or telecaster... it all depends on his influences and musical direction.
 
Again, thanks for the replies. To answer a few of the questions above :

He's been playing for a couple of years, mostly rock and metal stuff, and already has a cheapish strat and Epiphone LP. It's rare if he doesn't pick up a guitar in a day (almost always the Epi on his knee), so am not concerned that whatever he gets would be well used, but just want to make sure he's done the right research and considered all the options.

We've trekked round various music shops (which is what started all this off in the first place!) and he has tried Gibson LP studio a few times against the likes of Ibanez, LTD, and others. Throughout he has leant towards the Gibson LP studio, both from the 'feel' and the sound.

The quality control comments are an obvious concern, so will be cautious here.

The Line 6 variax isn't something he's considered, so we'll be looking for anywhere localish to try one. Love the 'Guitar Hero Soviet Gulag Edition' description; they do look odd...

He's also seen the suggestions on getting better pickups on an Epiphone LP (which he's already got) - if the Line 6 variax looks interesting then this would be worth looking at.

Still looking for a 'raw power' version of the studio, and maybe will try to find one to try over the next couple of weekends.
 
I cant see myself playing anything other than a Gibson or a Fender. If you can find a standard faded go for it, mine absolutely rocks.

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