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Differance between Les Paul tribute vs tribute plus?


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A quick Google search shows the Epiphone Les Paul Tribute is sold as a Plus Top style guitar only. As far as I can discover in my short search, Epiphone never made a "plain top" Epiphone Les Paul Tribute electric guitar. Although they are called "Les Paul Tribute" guitars, as far a my searches have shown, all Epiphone "Les Paul Tribute" electric guitars are made with a "plus top" (AAA grade Maple). Or something like that...lol

 

 

 

PRODUCT FEATURES

  • Vintage deep-set glued in neck
  • Carved hard maple top
  • Gibson USA '57 Classic™ humbuckers
  • Push/pull series parallel switching
  • Resonant mahogany body with Classic Les paul design Upgraded hard maple cap and AAA flame maple veneer Gibson USA '57 Classic humbuckings with series/parallel switching Grover locking tuning machines Hardshell case included

SPECIFICATIONS

Body Material mahogany Top Material Carved Hard maple Neck mahogany Neck Options 1960s SlimTaper™Neck Join tVintage "Deep Set" glued-in Dimension s24.75" scale Nut width1.68" Fingerboard rosewood with pearloid trapezoid inlays with 22 medium jumbo frets Fingerboard radius12" Pickups Gibson USA '57 Classic Humbucker 4-wire (neck) and Gibson USA '57 Classic Plus Humbucker, 4-wire (bridge)Controls Switchcraft 3-way pickup selector, Neck Pickup Volume, Bridge Pickup Volume, Neck Pickup Tone (push/pull/series parallel), Bridge Pickup Tone (push/pull/series parallel) Binding Fingerboard 1 ply, cream Bridge Locktone Tune-o-matic™/Stopbar Hardware Nickel Machine Heads Grover® Locking Rotomatic 106 Series 18:1 Tuners

 

 

More comments ?

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A quick Google search shows the Epiphone Les Paul Tribute is sold as a Plus Top style guitar only. As far as I can discover in my short search, Epiphone never made a "plain top" Epiphone Les Paul Tribute electric guitar. Although they are called "Les Paul Tribute" guitars, as far a my searches have shown, all Epiphone "Les Paul Tribute" electric guitars are made with a "plus top" (AAA grade Maple). Or something like that...lol

 

 

 

PRODUCT FEATURES

  • Vintage deep-set glued in neck
  • Carved hard maple top
  • Gibson USA '57 Classic™ humbuckers
  • Push/pull series parallel switching
  • Resonant mahogany body with Classic Les paul design Upgraded hard maple cap and AAA flame maple veneer Gibson USA '57 Classic humbuckings with series/parallel switching Grover locking tuning machines Hardshell case included

SPECIFICATIONS

Body Material mahogany Top Material Carved Hard maple Neck mahogany Neck Options 1960s SlimTaper™Neck Join tVintage "Deep Set" glued-in Dimension s24.75" scale Nut width1.68" Fingerboard rosewood with pearloid trapezoid inlays with 22 medium jumbo frets Fingerboard radius12" Pickups Gibson USA '57 Classic Humbucker 4-wire (neck) and Gibson USA '57 Classic Plus Humbucker, 4-wire (bridge)Controls Switchcraft 3-way pickup selector, Neck Pickup Volume, Bridge Pickup Volume, Neck Pickup Tone (push/pull/series parallel), Bridge Pickup Tone (push/pull/series parallel) Binding Fingerboard 1 ply, cream Bridge Locktone Tune-o-matic™/Stopbar Hardware Nickel Machine Heads Grover® Locking Rotomatic 106 Series 18:1 Tuners

 

 

More comments ?

 

 

The first run of the Tribute1960s had a plain top = no flame veneer.

 

I bought one of the first run in faded cherry I can say for a fact identical to the "Plus" model.

 

I bought a wine red Plus Top and had both guitars at the same time. I sold the Faded Cherry Burst off as I wanted red in the first place and when the Plus Tops came out with that color option bought one.

 

Same identical guitars minus the flame top. 57s, malloy caps, push pull pots, locking tuners.............identical.

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The first run of the Tribute1960s had a plain top = no flame veneer.

 

I bought one of the first run in faded cherry I can say for a fact identical to the "Plus" model.

 

I bought a wine red Plus Top and had both guitars at the same time. I sold the Faded Cherry Burst off as I wanted red in the first place and when the Plus Tops came out with that color option bought one.

 

Same identical guitars minus the flame top. 57s, malloy caps, push pull pots, locking tuners.............identical.

 

When did you get the "first run plain top" ? How long ago ? If that was the only run of "plain top" Tributes, your guitar may be a guitar that not a lot of were made, maybe. Got a pic, of both ? msp_smile.gif

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The 1960 Tribute (plain top) had a 14" fretboard radius, specs for the current Tribute Plus say 12". The pre-Plus model had different color options as well (e.g. no midnight sapphire).

 

It is confusing because the Epiphone website seems to pretend this guitar never existed....it doesn't show up under Out of Production, and only the current model is featured as the Les Paul Tribute Plus Outfit. The earlier plaintops were specifically sold as "1960 tribute". Even though the trussrod cover on the Plus says 1960, it isn't officially part of the model's name.

 

And of course neither is to be confused with the "1960Les Paul Standard" they did a few years back.

 

A google search for something like "epiphone les Paul 1960 tribute -plus" will return some dealer pages of the discontinued plaintop, forum threads, and reviews.

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The 1960 Tribute (plain top) had a 14" fretboard radius, specs for the current Tribute Plus say 12". The pre-Plus model had different color options as well (e.g. no midnight sapphire).

 

It is confusing because the Epiphone website seems to pretend this guitar never existed....it doesn't show up under Out of Production, and only the current model is featured as the Les Paul Tribute Plus Outfit. The earlier plaintops were specifically sold as "1960 tribute". Even though the trussrod cover on the Plus says 1960, it isn't officially part of the model's name.

 

And of course neither is to be confused with the "1960Les Paul Standard" they did a few years back.

 

A google search for something like "epiphone les Paul 1960 tribute -plus" will return some dealer pages of the discontinued plaintop, forum threads, and reviews.

 

it is confusing...lolunsure.gifmsp_blink.gifmsp_sleep.gifmsp_laugh.gif

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The 1960 Tribute (plain top) had a 14" fretboard radius, specs for the current Tribute Plus say 12". The pre-Plus model had different color options as well (e.g. no midnight sapphire).

 

It is confusing because the Epiphone website seems to pretend this guitar never existed....it doesn't show up under Out of Production, and only the current model is featured as the Les Paul Tribute Plus Outfit. The earlier plaintops were specifically sold as "1960 tribute". Even though the trussrod cover on the Plus says 1960, it isn't officially part of the model's name.

 

And of course neither is to be confused with the "1960Les Paul Standard" they did a few years back.

 

A google search for something like "epiphone les Paul 1960 tribute -plus" will return some dealer pages of the discontinued plaintop, forum threads, and reviews.

This might happen when researching for Limited Edition, Limited Run, or Special Run guitars. It is the case with two Gibson Les Paul guitars of mine, too, and they even never appeared on the Gibson website.

 

Same may apply to many factory special request instruments of several brands, made exclusively for a certain dealer or retail chain. E. g. the Epiphone Negative Series made for the Canadian Long & McQuade shops belong here.

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Usually the "plus" means a nicer finish. My LP Standard Plus is the one in my avatar.

It has a flame maple finish on it.

But I am not sure about the Tribute model.

[thumbup] Seems correct to me. The "Plus Outfit" of the current Epiphone Les Paul 1960 Tribute Plus Outfit obviously refers to the top veneer. Veneers on multipiece backs are common also on other Epiphones coming stock with translucent or transparent finishes.

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When did you get the "first run plain top" ? How long ago ? If that was the only run of "plain top" Tributes, your guitar may be a guitar that not a lot of were made, maybe. Got a pic, of both ? msp_smile.gif

 

Sorry no pic of both.

 

The necks felt the same a shallow fat/wide D shape to them.

 

I think my Cherry Burst was a 2010 or 2011?

 

My wine red one is a 2012.

 

My dealer had the 1960 Cherry Burst in the back room new in box never opened or on the floor. He cut me a good deal as it was from the first run and the dealer knew and had ordered and had on the floor the "Plus" with the flame tops, so could not move the plain tops he had ordered as the new ones with the flame looked "better" no wine red though so took the great deal on the unopened Cherry Burst.

 

Then after buying the Cherry Burst found a wine red listed as a return on one of the major onlines and took a chance and ordered as figured if problems would just box up and return.

 

The wine red showed up in mint condition and do not know why was listed as used.

 

So had both at the same time and for awhile the Cherry Burst got left at our practice space but then realized I was keeping the wine red at home and getting no use so sold the Cherry Burst and the wine red to practice and my Gibson gold top stays home.

 

Nice guitar both of them. Both necks felt the same regardless of the specs...........so.

 

I actually kind of wish I had held onto the Cherry Burst as I did like that finish in a plain top rather than the flame they offer it in now.

 

The wine red however looks best to me with the flames.

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  • 3 years later...

Just stumbled on this thread - here's a picture of an Epiphone Les Paul 1960 Tribute (non-top) model:

 

20170805_152747_zpszdfbuezf.jpg

 

20170805_152758_zpsehzdnz1a.jpg

 

20170805_152831_zps4f9qf75s.jpg

 

20170805_152813_zpsa6ncgoci.jpg

 

I stumbled on this by accident on Gumtree (I'm in UK) for £305 and snapped it up. Not seen another 'non-top' model for sale - though not been looking that hard. Not sure if they're rarer than the top models, it seems trends changed soon after the launch of the Tribute model and they quite quickly switched to adding a veneer.

 

Some more random pictures..

 

20170805_154249_zpsvthznjkp.jpg

 

20170805_154306_zpszq3xj0cs.jpg

 

20170805_154324_zps5lakwjgw.jpg

 

20170805_154411_zps8xk3jr5h.jpg

 

Just for completeness, the nearest to this in the 'top' range is the faded cherry sunburst, I believe:

 

IMG-20170805-WA0000_zpstvzlgwlx.jpg

 

Richard

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  • 3 years later...

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