blackdeuce Posted November 2, 2017 Share Posted November 2, 2017 Greetings, I recently acquired two 2015 Gibson ES Les Pauls. Both made in Memphis with certificates, etc. My son wants to gig/record with one and we'll probably save the other back. He's indifferent about which one to play (he's cool with either). Both are lemon burst. One has standard MHS pickups. It's like new in the Gibson cardboard box. Doesn't appear to have been played. It has the nicer wood grain of the two guitars. The other is a limited production model with Dimarzio double creme pickups and VOS hardware. I haven't verified it with Gibson, but one internet seller listed it as having been one of 150 made. It's in nearly new condition. Everything is included except the Gibson cardboard box. Real light pick marks on the pickguard, but otherwise mint. One would think that the model made in limited quantities might be worth more years down the road, but not necessarily. Does anyone have an opinion on which would be better to set back as an investment? I realize that it's probably a crap shoot. My son has several other guitars that he plays, but not an ES Les Paul. His Les Paul Standard is one that gets played a lot. He plays everything from country, classic rock, rock, pop, etc. They are also writing and recording their own material. Thanks for your time. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdeuce Posted November 3, 2017 Author Share Posted November 3, 2017 Does anyone have an opinion? My son is taking one of them home with him the weekend. Thanks for your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dReit1 Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Without seeing or playing either guitar it is impossible for me to judge one from the other. Going strictly from your post, I will agree with you that the one that is maybe a limited run might have better value as a collector guitar. And since your kid doesn't really care which one he gets, I would think the answer is self explanatory. Either way it sounds like he's going to be the winner while you are the one waiting on the chicken dinner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdeuce Posted November 3, 2017 Author Share Posted November 3, 2017 Thank you for the reply. I thought I had uploaded photos, but I think I accidentally erased them. They are now attached. They hadn't been cleaned when the photos were taken, so the chrome on the bridge looks hazy. The guitar with the MHS pickups is the nicer looking of the two. It may come down to a coin toss. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 I am a confirmed fan of MHS pickups and given the guitar with them is indeed the nicer that is the one I would keep. Nowt wrong with Dimarzios but MHS is king for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitfall Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 In light of the fact that the two guitars are very similar, any opinion of which is more desirable must be very subjective. If it were me, I would prefer the MHS - because I personally like the look of the darker fretboard, and it's things like that which will sway any potential purchaser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdeuce Posted November 4, 2017 Author Share Posted November 4, 2017 Thanks for the comments. My son came home last night. He played the ES with the Dimarzios and really likes it. It sounds great. He's going to take that one to play. Gibson replied to an email today and confirmed that the model with Dimarzios was made for a limited time, but he couldn't say how many were made. I'm guessing that there weren't many made, but I don't know how a guy would ever confirm it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdeuce Posted November 6, 2017 Author Share Posted November 6, 2017 I did find out that the Dimarzio double cream pickups are made to Gibson specifications. Dimarzio tells me that they are most similar to the Air Classic neck model (DP190). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnappi Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 I too like the MHS pups and had a chance on a sale at CME to buy either in lemon burst and chose the one with MHS. The likelihood of Gibson making the LP-ES long term is unlikely because they themselves call it a limited run and either git (MHS or DiMarzio) will probably be desirable latre on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdeuce Posted November 22, 2017 Author Share Posted November 22, 2017 I did have a second conversation (by email) with Gibson. I mentioned that an internet seller had advertised that there were only 150 made with Dimarzios. He said that his records indicate that less than 150 were made but he couldn't say exactly how many. He called the Dimarzio pickups "Custom Buckers". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdeuce Posted November 22, 2017 Author Share Posted November 22, 2017 I too like the MHS pups and had a chance on a sale at CME to buy either in lemon burst and chose the one with MHS. The likelihood of Gibson making the LP-ES long term is unlikely because they themselves call it a limited run and either git (MHS or DiMarzio) will probably be desirable latre on. At their prices, both were great deals. CME bought Gibson's remaining inventory at a discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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