Gibson questions

Karl

Karl

Karl

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Hi,

I'm interested in buying a Gibson Les Paul (Somehow), and I'd like to know a little bit more about the different kinds of Les Paul from someone who's actually had a go on them. I'm not looking to buy online or anything, just a bit of research.

What's the difference between a Les Paul Studio, and a Les Paul Standard?

Also, what's the difference between a Les Paul 60s neck and a Les Paul 50s neck?

Cheers,

Karl.
 
Studio's were designed to remove the fancy looks of the standard les paul and to create a guitar that still had the fundamental qualities of a les paul. Nowadays, most LP studios look like the real thing apart from a few cosmetic differences. For example, the studio's have no binding or the same top finish as a standard. Apart from the pickups too, there isn't that much difference between the two models. The studio uses the 490-R and the 498-T which were what the standards were fitted with up until 2002, when they were replaced by Burstbucker Pro's. :)

The 50's neck was the first neck type developed in the mid 50's and used by a lot of the great guitarists over this period. In the early 60's, gibson developed a slimmer and "faster" 60's neck for a different approach to playing. Ever since then, they are the two types of neck that are fitted on the LP's. The majority of necks sold come with the 50's profile. I like the 60's for speed and easier bending, but you loose some of the ability to hold and sustain notes when using vibrato because you have less space in between the strings to do so. If you have a decent technique this wont matter anyway.

Best advice is to go and try some.
 
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Sounds like the 50s neck would suit me more then, as I'm an acoustic player at heart and I'm used to quite large frets. Neither am I Johnny FastFrets, so that sounds more me.

That's extremely useful information, cheers! One other question. Do you reckon that Gibsons are over-rated, and if so (Epiphones aside) would you choose a different model over Gibson as a cost-cutter? Like a Yamaha?
 
There is a lot of hype about Gibsons, and a lot of people **** them off and call them overpriced. However I disagree.

I've owned a few guitars over my time, inc an Epiphone LP Standard, very nice it was too, but I've recently got my first proper Gibson LP (a 97 Classic) and I have to say it's fantastic.. they may be overpriced and expensive but I personally can see why. Worth every penny.

There are a few "copies" that are well rated, in particular the Agile and Tokai, both are well respected but I've not played either. Although I've heard that th eolder ones of each are better than current models.
 
Can't really comment too much on the Les Paul but I have both an Epiphone SG Custom and a Gibson SG Special, build quality wise there isn't that much in it, that's an upper range Epi compared to the basic stripped down Gibson, however plug them in and there is a world of difference, the Gibson has a much fuller sound and generally sounds clearer played clean and growls a damn site more with the humbuckers pushed up.

Shop difference is about £450 in this case (I got my Gibson cheap) I'd say it was worth it if you are planning a long term hobby, a band etc etc, but just for the odd bit of noodling around it's possibly not worth the extra, you can stick some new pups in the Epi as well.

Les Pauls are a little bit love/hate I always wanted one but having played them I was put off, I couldn't really see where my £1300 was going when compared to say an SG (comfier/better weighted for sitting or standing) so I couldn't justify the purchase (went away with a Strat anyway:))

I'm not attempting to sway you from a LP, because they are great for the right people, if you're spending Les Paul money though I would recommend playing every type of guitar in the shop to make sure you aren't making a mistake, good luck:)

Oh let's also not forget that having Gibson on the headsock IS a damn site cooler than Epiphone, no matter how many people claim that they don't care what they look like:cool:
 
Karl said:
Hi,

I'm interested in buying a Gibson Les Paul (Somehow), and I'd like to know a little bit more about the different kinds of Les Paul from someone who's actually had a go on them. I'm not looking to buy online or anything, just a bit of research.

What's the difference between a Les Paul Studio, and a Les Paul Standard?

Also, what's the difference between a Les Paul 60s neck and a Les Paul 50s neck?

Cheers,

Karl.
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Hi

I assume by the questions, you haven’t played many yet or fully started to look for one.

Aside from the technical specs, which others have mentioned, I have always found noticeable variations in playability between Gibson’s even the same models in the same shop. Each one really is unique imo.

Set your budget and go out and play a few. When you find one you like then buy it. Gibson’s shouldn’t be a mail order effort either. Someone else may say they all play similarly and I am talking rubbish but for the sort of money they command try them out.

No one can tell you how a Gibson plays or feels, and you may find you prefer a studio to a standard equally you may find you don’t like them at all after trying them for a while.

Also make sure you try them on a decent amp (the same one in all places if possible so pick a common make).

So a studio costs £750 ish from GAK and a Standard £1400 ish and a Custom £2k. Have you considered any other guitars in this price range like PRS?

You may find you go out to buy a standard but prefer the studio as well, just because its ½ the price shouldn’t put you off :p.
 
If you haven't played a Les Paul before, make sure you try one strapped on. They're not exactly light and if you're playing for long periods stood up it may be an issue.
 
IceBus said:
If you haven't played a Les Paul before, make sure you try one strapped on. They're not exactly light and if you're playing for long periods stood up it may be an issue.
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Really?

I've seen a lot of people play them for long periods without any problems, I thought it was something experienced in older models?

I've played a friend's old Ibanez Les Paul which was nice.

You're right, I've not tried many and I've never tried a Gibson. I was aware that you should really play anything you're going to buy and I have never set mail-order in my sights, just wanted a few questions answered. :)

I've never even heard of a PRS, so I guess that is definately another one to choose from! I've never really liked the look of Strats even though people who play similar stuff to me and who've influenced me tend to play them.

I'm likely to play the guitar clean more often than not, so I'd like something that's going to sound good to that effect. I'll keep looking but I won't be able to afford for a little while at least.

I'll have to hang on for a little longer just so I can be considered a serious buyer!

For a decent guitar, what sort of amp is reasonable for practice for a good guitar? My thoughts are that you probably can't buy a Gibson and then a 70watt nobrand to practice on?

Cheers,

Karl.
 
Karl said:
Really?

I've seen a lot of people play them for long periods without any problems, I thought it was something experienced in older models?
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They are heavy beasts, I can't use one because of a neck/back injury and I find that style of guitar too uncomfortable over long periods due to the weight.
 
I agree there.. they son't seem that much heavier.. but give it an hour.. my Telecaster feels like it's made of paper!
 
Definitely check out the PRS SE range - my SE singlecut rivals my American Tele and American Strat for build quality. They're probably the best bang for buck mid-range guitars out there.
 
If you are playing clean then the single coils of a standard strat may be better suited, even though you may not like the shape (neither did I particularly) you won't be able to deny that it fits like a glove when seated or standing. Have a go, there's no harm in trying:)

As for an amp, what's it for? practice, gigs, recording, home or studio? I would be tempted to shave a bit of your budget off a guitar and grab a decent valve amp.

I'm not talking break the bank budget but a few examples:

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/vc30-212/378

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/peavey-valve-king-212/68977

obviously not mail ordered but you get the idea:)

when talking Les Paul prices, that will still leave you around £800 for a guitar.

Hey presto:

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/gibson-les_paul_studio/1061

although personally I would go for either:

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/gibson-sg-standard/1081

or

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/fender-stratocaster/975
 
From my experiance, the lower end PRS guitars (i.e. The SE varients) are not very nice to play on. Granted the one i tried at Sound Control wasnt set-up, it most certainly didnt win my vote for a guitar costing over £400. The original PRS guitars are really what made their name, but these come at a price of usually over £1500, and the custom range's go over well over £2000. If you want a PRS, save up and get the real deal because the difference in price (>£1000) does reflect the quality from the SE range.

As for weight, LP's are heavy! Don't know the specs (check the Gibson website), but i can bet that you wont be able to play one for a sustained period of time without thinking 'this things ******* heavy' :D

The tone just about makes up for the weight! ;)
 
Slightly off topic, which one is this one?

n6698065032414071209gs3.jpg
 
I sent an email to someone I know who knows a bit about this, and he diverted it to his colleague who sent me this. It might help others, so I'll put it up here:

Advisor said:
Hello Karl,
What do you mean by over rated? Over priced, maybe? Well, it's true that you can buy a very similar guitar for less money. Mahogany body, carved maple top, set mahogany neck and two humbuckers - ESP, Tokai, Yamaha, Vintage, Tanglewood, Epiphone - everyone makes a classic single cut.


Unless you go for a boutique £2k+ guitar, what you won't get on anything other than a Gibson is nitrocellulose lacquer (only important if you care about that kind of thing) and virtually assured resale value - quality guitars hold their value well. Also on the real Gibbo, the pickups and pots are better, the woods are better, you get a hard case...


To be frank, with deals at as little as £1,299, new Les Paul Standards are cheap if you're a serious player and as long as you go and play it and check it over (Gibson's QC is a little erratic at times). These are pro musical instruments, not amatuer/enthusiast guitars.
If you want something to jam on, or simply to give you a flavour of the real thing, get an Epiphone Les Paul Standard (£389 full retail). 90 per cent of the fun for 30 per cent of the cost. It sucks that diminishing marginal returns works that way! You want the extra 10 per cent, you have to pay for it - just be thankful you're not trying to justify the five-grand VOS 59 Reissue. 110 per cent of the fun for 300 per cent of the price!


Cheers for now
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Sound advice, keep in mind that he says the wood is better, the pickups are better and the pots are better, I assume that a Gibson will have a bone nut as well, all of these things are really unquantifiable as far as value go because depending on the Gibson QC and quality of the wood, the tone with the same hardware can still vary considerably, adding pickups to an Epiphone is no doubt a simple job but you can't change the wood that it's made from. That said, only the most critical ear will realistically be able to tell the difference that the wood makes.

I have a friend who is a hobby luthier who claims that wood can take a very long time to dry out and will vary from year to year from the same type of wood (much like vintage wine crops differ I suppose) and that the longer it takes, the better the wood will sound, partly due to its natural resistance to changes in humidity and temperature. A little irrelevant but it made sense to me.

So again it's a little like a decent wine, you could have a really nice £4 bottle or a £30 bottle which is only nicer if you can personally tell the difference, and even then you might still go for the £4 bottle because it's much better value.:)

And just to stress the point that you yourself made, they will both sound crap through a crap amp. Again, the flip side of this is that with a decent amp you are more likely to hear the difference between good and bad wood.

It's all about balance.....and stuff :D
 
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I mentioned the weight issue and got:

Advisor said:
Ah, the old weight issue. True, some Les Pauls can be incredibly heavy, especially some of the 70s, 80s and 90s ones. That's what you're paying for with the custom shop stuff, because the original LPs used lovely light Honduran mahogany and big leaf maple, and that's what they're using now.
Again, make sure you try out a few - I've played lovely light new standards, and really heavy ones. In fact some of the new ones are 'weight relieved' for this very reason (chambers in the body, basically).
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Sweetloaf said:
Sound advice, keep in mind that he says the wood is better, the pickups are better and the pots are better, I assume that a Gibson will have a bone nut as well, all of these things are really unquantifiable as far as value go because depending on the Gibson QC and quality of the wood, the tone with the same hardware can still vary considerably, adding pickups to an Epiphone is no doubt a simple job but you can't change the wood that it's made from. That said, only the most critical ear will realistically be able to tell the difference that the wood makes.

I have a friend who is a hobby luthier who claims that wood can take a very long time to dry out and will vary from year to year from the same type of wood (much like vintage wine crops differ I suppose) and that the longer it takes, the better the wood will sound, partly due to its natural resistance to changes in humidity and temperature. A little irrelevant but it made sense to me.

So again it's a little like a decent wine, you could have a really nice £4 bottle or a £30 bottle which is only nicer if you can personally tell the difference, and even then you might still go for the £4 bottle because it's much better value.:)

And just to stress the point that you yourself made, they will both sound crap through a crap amp. Again, the flip side of this is that with a decent amp you are more likely to hear the difference between good and bad wood.

It's all about balance.....and stuff :D
Click to expand...

Sound advice. Thanks very much! :)
 
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