BB,
I support you in this.
The bottom line is that each player has their own set of preferences, and if you are going to spend top dollar for a great Gibson Les Paul, it ought to be exactly they way you want it.
My own personal preferences would dictate that I never buy a G-force guitar in the first place, since I am not a fan of ANYthing on the headstock of my guitars, even a clip-on tuner or spare capo.
It's a strange pet peeve of mine.
Re; tonal qualities with and without the extra weight on the headstock.
If it sounds better to you with the lightweight (standard) Gibson tuners, then that's all that matters.
I knew one player who refused to wipe-down or apply wax or polish to his guitar because to do so would 'wreck the perfect tone' of that guitar.
(It was a mid-1970's Gibson SG.)
Who was I to argue with him?
It was his guitar, and he knew what he wanted.
I just knew that I never wanted to play his SG, since I didn't feel safe touching it without a current tetanus shot in my medical records.
:unsure: :mellow: