Phil OKeefe

I already have a really nice Cherry Casino, so I'm all set, but a friend of mine really wants one of these in Ebony. IMO, they're really cool guitars.

In retrospect, since Duane is a moderator, I probably should have sent my comment to him via PM instead of posting it in public. While I still think his comment was leaning in a political direction and could have led to further OT political discussion, I wasn't trying to harass or embarrass him, and if I did, then I sincerely apologize. Again, that certainly wasn't my intention.

Duane, your comments and opinions about Pete were fine, but please leave the political comments out of the discussion. You're certainly entitled to your POV, but this isn't the proper forum to express political opinions like these. Thanks.

IMO, in recent years, there have been worse (cheating) scandals in MLB than Charlie Hustle betting FOR his team to win (never against it), and those players all got a slap on the wrist. While I think he deserved to be severely sanctioned, he paid the price, and I think if the standards have changed since he was banned, then he should be held to those new standards. He was a truly great player. I saw him play against the Dodgers multiple times, and he always gave 110%. Now that he's gone, I think he should be allowed into Cooperstown. YMMV. RIP Pete Rose!

While I love the look of the J-200, I've never owned one because I've never found one that had a neck that I was able to bond with. For that reason, I'd probably sell that one if I was in your shoes. But then again, it is a Jumbo maple body, which is different than the dreadnought-sized mahogany bodies on other two. While they do have the same body woods, there is a difference in sound between the round shoulder Banner J-45 and square shoulder Hummingbird IMO, so they're not quite as similar as they might otherwise seem. Picking between those two would be harder for me, but if you think the J-45 is the best of the three, then sell the J-200 or the 'bird–whichever one you like and play the least.

Looks like it turned out great, Duane!

Personally, I've never been a fan of intentionally destroying/breaking guitars, no matter who is doing it, the value of the guitar, or the reasons for them doing it. YMMV.

Back when I purchased my first Gibson, minimum wage was around $3.10 an hour. I don't recall the exact price, but I think The Paul cost me in the neighborhood of $650. Divided by $3.10 an hour, it took about 210 hours to pay for it. Actually more, when you consider the taxes, etc. that are taken out of paychecks, but let's set that aside to make the comparison a bit simpler. Today in California, minimum wage is $16 an hour, or $20 if you're working in fast food. Let's stick with $16 an hour for comparison's sake. A new Les Paul Studio is $1,599. Divided by $16, and again ignoring taxes, it would take about 100 hours to pay for one. Again, a Gibson Les Paul Studio is more along the lines of a guitar a high school kid is going to be looking at, not a limited-run model from Gibson Custom like the B.B. King ES-355. And there's just no comparison IMHO between a late 70s/early 80s The Paul Firebrand and the current Les Paul Studio in terms of features, quality, etc. It's also cheaper to buy a new Les Paul Studio today vs. The Paul I purchased back when I was a teenager, considering the current minimum wage here in California and the amount of hours you'd need to work to pay for it, and not just in terms of the price of that guitar adjusted for inflation.

The first Gibson I owned/purchased was with money I got from a job at a local music store when I was in my teens. It was a The Paul Firebrand. It was under a grand for the guitar, and I bought it along with a Fender Vibro Champ. I had about half what I needed for the pair saved up, and my parents loaned me the rest, which I paid back over the next few months - with interest. Personally, I think that most kids starting out or looking to move up to a nicer guitar are going to look for something like a Les Paul Studio (which were recently re-introduced; they list for $1,599, and it's a much nicer, and, adjusted for inflation, more affordable guitar than my Firebrand was), a Faded, or something along those lines. The B.B. King "Rumble in the Jungle" ES-355 (or any ES-355, for that matter), really isn't a beginner's guitar, a "my first Gibson" guitar, or even a journeyman working player's guitar. Neither is the Gibson J-45 Orville Artisan. Do any of you honestly think that a guitar like that would be a good choice for any of those purposes? Again, that's not what - or who - it was designed for.

😢

Glad to hear he's going to be okay. He sure is a cute little guy!

Hello, and welcome to the forums! Just my personal opinion (nothing official), but that looks like a typical Les Paul Classic to me. What was making you think it was built in the Custom Shop – the LPCS? If I had to guess, that probably refers to the finish: Les Paul, Cherry Sunburst, and not the Custom Shop. In your shoes, I'd contact Consumer Support, give them the serial number, and ask them about it. They should be able to confirm what exact model it is and where it was made. https://www.gibson.com/en-US/Support/Contact 1-(800) 444-2766

In 1981, 1-499 were used in Kalamazoo, while 500-999 were used in Nashville. Your serial number indicates to me that it was probably the first guitar made on that date in Nashville. For more detailed serial number information, please check out this page: https://www.gibson.com/en-US/Support/Serial-Number-Search Welcome to the forums!

Hello, and welcome to the forums! I've never seen a Les Paul Studio with anything resembling that in between the pickups. Also, look at the pickup mounting rings. The neck pickup's ring has been cut and is missing a section, while the bridge pickup ring is broken. If I had to guess, it looks like someone tried to route it out between the pickups–maybe in an effort to add a third pickup? Whatever they did, it looks like they did a hack job of it. It's definitely not stock.

No disrespect to JY intended.