Bluesy69 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Hey guy's I'm new here and I was wondering what new and veteran players here thought of all the latest innovations on these LP standard HP models. I must admit I was a bit of a traditionalist at first and I was pretty much against all these things Gibson was doing such as the GeForce tuning, the weight relief, the wider necks, the shaved heel joint. However recently I found myself in the market for a new Les Paul standard and I went to my local guitar shop and tried out the Traditional model with NONE of the above listed changes, and for the first time in my life the guitar felt really heavy and the heel joint really felt like more work to get around and get those high notes. It also doesn't help that I'm rounding the corner to 50 years of age, so that probably has a lot to do with it, back in my teens twenties and even thirties none of that used to be an issue. Today I found myself understanding and even accepting these changes as a better fit for me and a guy my age, so I ordered a 2017 Les Paul Standard HP in the Bourbon burst finish. What do you guy's think of all these LP changes ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 I haven't had a chance to try any, but just to echo your comment on the weight of LPs. I'm on the front porch for 60.. (about 4 weeks away..) I've definitely notice my 95 LP Standard at 10.5 lbs feels a little bit heavier some nights... my 02 lp isn't as heavy, (just over 9)... But yep... the back can feel slugging these around.. makes me appreciate my SGs a bit more than I realized... back to the topic. Would like to see how the auto tuners do actually work.. they seem to have a "love em or hate em" kind of thing going on. let us know how you get along yours whenyuo get it, and love to see a photo or two if ya can. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 I just bought the Standard T but I did check out the HP. I like the weight of mine and the HP seemed fairly close. I liked the cutaway in the back of the neck for easier reach to the higher notes but after playing so long without it, it felt weird to me. I can't say about the sound because I didn't actually plug the HP into an amp when looking at it. I don't know how I feel about this whole auto-tuning thing. When I was teaching guitar (and still do occasionally), one of the first things I'd teach people are the parts on the guitar and how to tune it properly, using different methods. It might be a nice feature if it can be turned off too. As far as the weight, I'd played older Les Pauls with no weight relief and although the weight was fine, the T and HP still have a decent weight to them and the sound in mine is pretty good. That's my .02, which may or may not be worth .02. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american cheez Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 i really dig the modern weight relief. i think the new heel is, well, i just think "it's about time!". i've only played them in the stores, so i can't say my opinion counts for much. for a traditionalist who wants an old school LP, there is a guitar for them. but gibson, like any guitar manufacturer, needs to try to innovate. otherwise, they get stagnate, and others will pass them by. no one really wants that. not the stockholders, not the ceo, not the end user. just my opinion, but the only thing i don't really like is the robo tuners. the IDEA is completely cool. but for me personally, i would rather see what the longevity is like. (hypothetically) if the system changes in the future after after the current set needed wears out, they might not cleanly retrofit. they might, i have no idea. i'm not real big on the circuit board instead of actual wires. (i know they've been in the lp for decades now) i don't believe any hokus pokus about tone of the board vs. actual wire. the switching options and quick disconnects are great. but when a pot goes bad, i don't have the skills to replace it on the board. i just don't do that sort of thing often enough to get good at it. so my weak soldering skills make me prefer actual wire. ymmv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottpaine_69 Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 2017 Gibson Les Paul Standard HP BAD EXPERIANCE!!!! First! I'm not a hater of the new tech. I have 4 Les Pauls and my main guitar is a 2015 Gibson Les Paul Classic with the super wide neck (wider than the 2016/2017 HP's), the G-force (which I've grown to love) and the zero fret nut. I first ordered a 2016 HP but the neck wasn't to my liking so I sent it back and waited for the 2017 line. I ordered a 2017 Gibson Les Paul Standard HP (Blueberry Burst) Looked great but didn't work. When I removed the guitar from the case I noticed the case was full of sawdust (great for the finnish) I plug it in and when I rolled the volume knob up it wobbled. Then I noticed all 4 knobs wobbled. Then I check out the push/pull options and the bridge tone did NOT work. I took off the back plate to the control pocket to check the dip switch settings and that's when I noticed EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG!!! The circut board and knpbs were cramed in the control pocket so tight the circut board was bending because it didn't fit. They even tried to make it fit. They had HAND CHISLED OUT A CHUNK OF THE CONTROL POCKET AND LEFT CHUNKS OF WOOD AND TONS OF SAWDUST INSIDE THE GUITAR. I set it back. Even though I was worried that I would not get use to the smaller neck I ordered a 2017 Gibson Les Paul Standard T and with the rolled binding on the fret board and asymetrecial slim tapper neck I was able to go from my 2015 to the 2017 T with no problems. Plus I like heavier guitars and the standard T weighed in at 10lbs. 4oz. and the HP was 7lbs. 11oz. The hp being so light made it feel like a toy guitar (I like heavier guitars and theat's my opion). Back to the topic. I'm not the only person to find jacked up control pockets on the 2017 HP's I've had a couple of other people tell me of the exact same experiance. One perso said they saw one in a shop with a clear back plate on the control pocket so people could see the dip switch and that guitar had chunks cut out and filled with saw dust and wood chips. I did have somebody say to me that no body would see the inside of the guitar so it's not even considered a cosmetic issue. It still an issue! The electronics are not going to work well with tons of saw dust and a bent circut board. If your paying over $3200 for a guitar there should be NO PRBLEMS THAT BIG! Here is a pic. of my jacked up control pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 no one really wants that. not the stockholders, not the ceo, not the end user. There are no stockholders. They can do whatever they want, they serve themselves as a privately held company. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megafrog Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 I think ultimately it comes down to the candy that comes with the guitars. The case that comes with the 2017 Standard HP Les Pauls is the aluminum case I believe and that retails for $699 in and of itself. Do you like a lot of chrome on your guitar? HP has you covered there with chrome to the max on the knobs and pickup rings. The finish of the HP guitars is a bit nicer as well. My personal favorite is the neck heel joint. That is a very nice touch that gives easier access to the higher frets. I personally like the G-Force tuners and have them on 3 guitars currently. If you like those tuners, that makes a HP an easier choice. Many people hate the tuners and if you do and you can do without the chrome overload and a slightly nicer finish, go for the T, it is more affordable and in general, an awesome guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 2017 Gibson Les Paul Standard HP BAD EXPERIANCE!!!! First! I'm not a hater of the new tech. I have 4 Les Pauls and my main guitar is a 2015 Gibson Les Paul Classic with the super wide neck (wider than the 2016/2017 HP's), the G-force (which I've grown to love) and the zero fret nut. I first ordered a 2016 HP but the neck wasn't to my liking so I sent it back and waited for the 2017 line. I ordered a 2017 Gibson Les Paul Standard HP (Blueberry Burst) Looked great but didn't work. When I removed the guitar from the case I noticed the case was full of sawdust (great for the finnish) I plug it in and when I rolled the volume knob up it wobbled. Then I noticed all 4 knobs wobbled. Then I check out the push/pull options and the bridge tone did NOT work. I took off the back plate to the control pocket to check the dip switch settings and that's when I noticed EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG!!! The circut board and knpbs were cramed in the control pocket so tight the circut board was bending because it didn't fit. They even tried to make it fit. They had HAND CHISLED OUT A CHUNK OF THE CONTROL POCKET AND LEFT CHUNKS OF WOOD AND TONS OF SAWDUST INSIDE THE GUITAR. I set it back. Even though I was worried that I would not get use to the smaller neck I ordered a 2017 Gibson Les Paul Standard T and with the rolled binding on the fret board and asymetrecial slim tapper neck I was able to go from my 2015 to the 2017 T with no problems. Plus I like heavier guitars and the standard T weighed in at 10lbs. 4oz. and the HP was 7lbs. 11oz. The hp being so light made it feel like a toy guitar (I like heavier guitars and theat's my opion). Back to the topic. I'm not the only person to find jacked up control pockets on the 2017 HP's I've had a couple of other people tell me of the exact same experiance. One perso said they saw one in a shop with a clear back plate on the control pocket so people could see the dip switch and that guitar had chunks cut out and filled with saw dust and wood chips. I did have somebody say to me that no body would see the inside of the guitar so it's not even considered a cosmetic issue. It still an issue! The electronics are not going to work well with tons of saw dust and a bent circut board. If your paying over $3200 for a guitar there should be NO PRBLEMS THAT BIG! Here is a pic. of my jacked up control pocket. That is a great shame. I haven't yet tried a 2017 HP model, but if I was in the market for another, the HP would be the first option. Now I'm going to keep what you say in mind and be wary! Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 I haven't opened the plate on the back yet to check mine out. Mine's a T and not an HP but it would be interesting to see. I heard when looking at serial numbers on guitars and cars, don't buy guitars or cars bought on a Monday or Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 All that chrome makes them kind of gaudy, I don't care for the string spacing and the GForce stuff doesn't do it for me. I wouldn't buy one but that's why they make the Traditional line up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottpaine_69 Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 All that chrome makes them kind of gaudy, I don't care for the string spacing and the GForce stuff doesn't do it for me. I wouldn't buy one but that's why they make the Traditional line up I'm pretty sure that the string spacing on the HP's is the same as the traditional line. At least the 2015 models with the wider necks still have the same string spacing as the traditional lines. All they did was make the necks wider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american cheez Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 There are no stockholders. They can do whatever they want, they serve themselves as a privately held company. rct re enforces my point further then. thanks for the assist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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