Les Paul Goldtops

[gconley]

hey guys, Im in need of some good advice. I have started a new job and want to give myself a gift that i have been wanting for years...a les paul gold top. my problem is i have actually never played one, i just know that i want it and need it lol. I'm in love with them. i don't really know where to begin to get one. I'm in chicago and called some guitar centers and none have them, they said its a special order. the problem is that i don't know what i want exactly, i just know i want a gold top and i can spend around 2 grand and i want the white pick guard with it lol.

 

heres an example of one that i love from justin derrico

 

 

anybody in the chicagoland area know where i can check some out?

 

i also want a new one, i don't want an old one. I'm not sure if gibson makes new models based off old one though. I'm sure you guys can see that i really need some help.

[pippy]

...I...called some guitar centers and none have them, they said its a special order...

Eh? Special Order? A Les Paul G-T? Nonsense.

 

Type 'Gibson Les Paul Standard Gold Top Chicago' into google and it should bring up dozens of dealerships in your area.

 

P.

[cjsinla]

I believe this is the type of Les Paul he is playing, a 2012 Les Paul Traditional. They are not making the gold ones this year and I don't believe they made them last year either. You can pay big bucks for a custom shop one or you can buy a used Traditional off of eBay like this one here.

 

 

 

Gold Top

[pippy]

Well that's a surprise. Apologies might be in order!

 

I thought there must be some mistake as, surely(), the LP (Standard or Trad) G-T is one of the mainstays of the Les Paul line but there does NOT seem to be such an offering in the 2014 range! Re-Issues, Yes, but not in the current regular USA-line range.

I'm actually quite shocked by this discovery!

A Studio model exists and there were G-T's available in the 2013 line-up but unless I'm reading the home-page wrong I can't find a USA-line G-T Standard or Trad!

 

I've even taken my own advice and tried to find one in the UK but I'm getting a lot of 'Out of Stock' notices.

 

Anyone know better?

 

P.

[gconley]

Eh? Special Order? A Les Paul G-T? Nonsense.

 

Type 'Gibson Les Paul Standard Gold Top Chicago' into google and it should bring up dozens of dealerships in your area.

 

P.

 

the g-t stands for gold top I'm assuming? the problem with some of these that I'm finding is they are used and from years ago so the prices are insane. I'm gonna have to contact gibson and see what they say.

[gconley]

I believe this is the type of Les Paul he is playing, a 2012 Les Paul Traditional. They are not making the gold ones this year and I don't believe they made them last year either. You can pay big bucks for a custom shop one or you can buy a used Traditional off of eBay like this one here.

 

 

 

Gold Top

 

thats my price range but whats the difference between a standard and traditional. also, is it gonna be hard to find one for that price with no scratches or anything marks? i just can't see paying that much for something that even has one scratch on it, even if its on the back. maybe I'm asking too much but this is all new to me. i know les pauls are expensive but I'm just gonna have to be patient and really educate myself before i jump on this.

[RainboGuy]

I would try calling Chicago Music Exchange to see what they have in stock......odds are decent they have some there....if not you might try asking them where else in Chicago-Land you might look for a Goldtop....

 

Also, before you make a final decision on a Goltop, you might want to check out this thread: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/112629-2013-les-paul-standard-goldtop/

 

I just bought a new 2013 Goldtop Standard, and it's a KILLER!!!

[cpatter328]

Guitar Center has a Traditional Pro II that is great. I am unfamiliar with the Chicago area but according to the Guitar Center web site there are three stores in Illinois that have them in stock. I have one and I love it.

[deeman]

I would try calling Chicago Music Exchange to see what they have in stock......odds are decent they have some there....if not you might try asking them where else in Chicago-Land you might look for a Goldtop....

 

 

I was going to suggest them as well. My wife is out of town at a baby shower this weekend. I plan on spending my saturday afternoon there.

[eagletree]

Like you, I wanted a Gold Top. For me it was to commemorate my long gone 72 Deluxe I bought almost new in 74 or 75. I looked at used vintage, and the guitars were pretty junky for the price and too big a risk. I could not get a commitment that the truss rods were intact and frets in serviceable condition. I decided on new.

 

I just purchased a 2014 Traditional Gold Top from Sweetwater, they have at least 4 left. Wildwood is also advertising the same guitar at the same price. I also found one in the UK at a few dollars less, but shipping would kill that and then some. With the ones at Sweetwater, some of the serial numbers appear to show them as very late 2013s. The one I selected is squarely in the 2014 builds even using the new Gibson serial number scheme for 2014. Oddly these guitars do not have the 120th fret inlay. All these are at premium prices presumably due to having the bigsby. The hard tail is included so the vibramate / bigsby can be removed. This came in at somewhere between 2100 and 2499, I couldn't tell because I combo'd the sales with an SG Baritone (that was the guitar I actually needed) and got a bit off.

 

If you are only interested in Humbuckers, these will not work. All are P-90 with Bigsby on the three sites I found them on. If you don't mind spending a lot extra, EMG makes a faux P-90 that actually contains a 60X and and 81. That could convert this configuration to a very potent metal/rock machine. Personally, I have plenty of HB guitars, I'm excited to be getting the P-90s.

 

I also purchased a 2013 60s Tribute Gold Top a month ago (which I liked playing so much, it is what made me unable to resist purchasing the Traditional). The Tribute is a great guitar which I will be keeping too, though not usable out of the box as it required truss adjustment, bridge adjustment but oddly no intonation changes. It also required filing fret edges a little. Finally it required a couple of days of polishing to bring out it's "vintage" gloss (it arrived in a flat nitro finish that looked crude). After polishing, it does not have the beautiful look of the Traditional, but it has it's own charm with a very natural subtle shine that shows the back wood well. The gold top is glossy now, but not high gloss, and it doesn't appear there is enough finish to risk fully rubbing it out. It has no binding, but the hardware is good and the pickups were shocking in how good they were for non-actives (they are Burstbuckers and much better than either my Seymour Duncans or Dimarzios on a couple of other passive guitars I have). If you are interested in this inexpensive of an LP Gold Top, there are many new ones still available out there, plus several used ones that I presume are returns from people expecting a perfectly setup guitar (impossible at that low price in a US built guitar). There were several on Amazon last I looked. Mine was a little less than 1080, but there are a few going at less than 900. They are great guitars if you don't mind the setup and lack of binding, and the best thing going if you (like me) don't want one of the, perhaps higher quality, fake imports. It's replaced my daily player I keep by my monitor while I work.

 

I'm already loving my Tribute and expect the Traditional in on Wednesday.

 

Hope you find a Gold Top with the specs you are looking for. I am with you, I love Gold Tops, there are probably more in my future.

 

P.S. As someone said, I could not find any record that Gibson built an consumer level Gold Tops in 2014 even though I searched for several days. But the Traditional I have being shipped now, proves they did. I'm going to try and contact Gibson to find out more information when I get around to it. I will get it in hand and look it over before I start serious research.

[cjsinla]

thats my price range but whats the difference between a standard and traditional. also, is it gonna be hard to find one for that price with no scratches or anything marks? i just can't see paying that much for something that even has one scratch on it, even if its on the back. maybe I'm asking too much but this is all new to me. i know les pauls are expensive but I'm just gonna have to be patient and really educate myself before i jump on this.

 

These days the Standers seem to have extra features and the Traditional's or more like they made them in the old days. Many of the Les Pauls have weight relief on them which means there are some hollow spots inside. For the last two years, the Traditional's have been made without weight relief. But I am not sure how they made them in 2012. Also, the Traditional's seem to have the 50s style neck and the Standards have the 60s style neck. Also, these days, the Standards have extra features like coil splitting and compound radius necks. Also, again, the Traditional's are made more like they made them in the late 50s with a couple of modern improvements. You probably need to take your time and play a few of them and see what you think before you buy any guitar. There will always be Goldtops arround, it just might take a little bit of time to find the one you like.

[Jimi Mac]

If there are no GoldTops out there, you can bet it's temporary.

 

Get to your shops and try out Standards, Traditionals, and any other models they have. Check out 50's & 60's necks if your local shop has both and see what feel you like best for yourself.

 

Then when the right GoldTop becomes available you'll know if it's the one for you or not. Then go play it and be sure everything works and there are none of the defects/scratches in it that you don't want and buy it, play it, and love it!

[not_the_dj]

There's a limited edition Traditional Goldtop (P90s, 60s neck and a Bigsby) that's been listed on a few sites in the UK.

 

Link to GAK

 

[gconley]

I would try calling Chicago Music Exchange to see what they have in stock......odds are decent they have some there....if not you might try asking them where else in Chicago-Land you might look for a Goldtop....

 

Also, before you make a final decision on a Goltop, you might want to check out this thread: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/112629-2013-les-paul-standard-goldtop/

 

I just bought a new 2013 Goldtop Standard, and it's a KILLER!!!

 

That's a gorgeous guitar, what's the specs on it and how much did you pay? Was it brand new?

[gconley]

Like you, I wanted a Gold Top. For me it was to commemorate my long gone 72 Deluxe I bought almost new in 74 or 75. I looked at used vintage, and the guitars were pretty junky for the price and too big a risk. I could not get a commitment that the truss rods were intact and frets in serviceable condition. I decided on new.

 

I just purchased a 2014 Traditional Gold Top from Sweetwater, they have at least 4 left. Wildwood is also advertising the same guitar at the same price. I also found one in the UK at a few dollars less, but shipping would kill that and then some. With the ones at Sweetwater, some of the serial numbers appear to show them as very late 2013s. The one I selected is squarely in the 2014 builds even using the new Gibson serial number scheme for 2014. Oddly these guitars do not have the 120th fret inlay. All these are at premium prices presumably due to having the bigsby. The hard tail is included so the vibramate / bigsby can be removed. This came in at somewhere between 2100 and 2499, I couldn't tell because I combo'd the sales with an SG Baritone (that was the guitar I actually needed) and got a bit off.

 

If you are only interested in Humbuckers, these will not work. All are P-90 with Bigsby on the three sites I found them on. If you don't mind spending a lot extra, EMG makes a faux P-90 that actually contains a 60X and and 81. That could convert this configuration to a very potent metal/rock machine. Personally, I have plenty of HB guitars, I'm excited to be getting the P-90s.

 

I also purchased a 2013 60s Tribute Gold Top a month ago (which I liked playing so much, it is what made me unable to resist purchasing the Traditional). The Tribute is a great guitar which I will be keeping too, though not usable out of the box as it required truss adjustment, bridge adjustment but oddly no intonation changes. It also required filing fret edges a little. Finally it required a couple of days of polishing to bring out it's "vintage" gloss (it arrived in a flat nitro finish that looked crude). After polishing, it does not have the beautiful look of the Traditional, but it has it's own charm with a very natural subtle shine that shows the back wood well. The gold top is glossy now, but not high gloss, and it doesn't appear there is enough finish to risk fully rubbing it out. It has no binding, but the hardware is good and the pickups were shocking in how good they were for non-actives (they are Burstbuckers and much better than either my Seymour Duncans or Dimarzios on a couple of other passive guitars I have). If you are interested in this inexpensive of an LP Gold Top, there are many new ones still available out there, plus several used ones that I presume are returns from people expecting a perfectly setup guitar (impossible at that low price in a US built guitar). There were several on Amazon last I looked. Mine was a little less than 1080, but there are a few going at less than 900. They are great guitars if you don't mind the setup and lack of binding, and the best thing going if you (like me) don't want one of the, perhaps higher quality, fake imports. It's replaced my daily player I keep by my monitor while I work.

 

I'm already loving my Tribute and expect the Traditional in on Wednesday.

 

Hope you find a Gold Top with the specs you are looking for. I am with you, I love Gold Tops, there are probably more in my future.

 

P.S. As someone said, I could not find any record that Gibson built an consumer level Gold Tops in 2014 even though I searched for several days. But the Traditional I have being shipped now, proves they did. I'm going to try and contact Gibson to find out more information when I get around to it. I will get it in hand and look it over before I start serious research.

 

i couldn't find anything on sweet water that was in my price range, all the gold tops were over 4 grand.

 

i did see the guitar center traditional though, what do you guys think about it? what turns me off is the chrome tuners and the pickups. I'm not sure how i like that pickup setup. the plek setup is new to me too, what do you guys think about this? visually the pickups just look ugly and so do the chrome tuners. is that what i have to settle for at the price range or can i find what i want for 2 grand?

 

i am definitely gonna call around to some guitar centers to see if i can go check one out and I'm gonna check out chicagos music exchange too.

 

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-Les-Paul-Traditional-Pro-II--50s-Neck-Electric-Guitar-108261850-i2654153.gc

[eagletree]

i couldn't find anything on sweet water that was in my price range, all the gold tops were over 4 grand.

 

i did see the guitar center traditional though, what do you guys think about it? what turns me off is the chrome tuners and the pickups. I'm not sure how i like that pickup setup. the plek setup is new to me too, what do you guys think about this? visually the pickups just look ugly and so do the chrome tuners. is that what i have to settle for at the price range or can i find what i want for 2 grand?

 

i am definitely gonna call around to some guitar centers to see if i can go check one out and I'm gonna check out chicagos music exchange too.

 

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-Les-Paul-Traditional-Pro-II--50s-Neck-Electric-Guitar-108261850-i2654153.gc

 

The Sweetwater units are here http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LPTDP6GTCB/. Full list 2499. I believe these are identical to the UK model shown in not_the_dj's posts. The UK model I found was 2452 in USD. That is the type I bought.

 

The Guitar Center model you showed at 1999 is a very different guitar and approximately equivalent in price after taking into account different options. Among other things, the GC unit has a 50s neck and Humbuckers, while the Traditionals at SW and the UK store, have the 60s neck (this is odd for Traditionals), P-90s, and a Bigsby. Depending on what you are playing, either might be more useful than the other. Neither of these units precisely match the Traditional you showed in your initial post (the ebay unit).

 

Most people would have a preference for the neck style that might drive their purchase. It would be a good idea to try both neck styles at your local store (even on just non-goldtops) and get a feel for which you like. It's a noticeable difference. While how a given instrument plays is mostly up to the competency of the tech doing setup, the neck shape is permanent and impacts play. Beyond that Humbuckers versus P-90s are also major decision point.

 

It sounds as if you expect to play the instrument prior to purchase? That's likely impossible for either of these particular units. With online purchases from the major sellers, usually they offer some sort of short term return policy to send it back immediately if what you receive doesn't suit you. Verify that policy at whatever store you choose before doing anything. I did that with GC and an Eclipse I purchased in 09, they took it back no questions asked, after I tried it out for about 8 days. Just saying there usually isn't much risk in not playing the instrument depending on the specific companies return policy. But to do that safely (that is, avoid, if possible, the potential of paying return freight), it's best to be well versed in advance, about the significance of the options like neck and pickups.

[charlie brown]

IF I were in the market for a "Gold Top," these days...I think this version would be my first choice!

 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LPTDP6GTCB/

 

 

CB

[RainboGuy]

Gconley:

 

I got the 2013 Les Paul Standard Goldtop 3 days after a newbie guitar player brought it back to the music store because it was "too much guitar for him" and he traded it in on a new Taylor Acoustic...so basically, I got a virtually new, mint condition Les Paul Goldtop for a used guitar price....and basically, if you can find one in mint condition, that's the way you want to buy them, IMHO.

 

I've seen them online anywhere from $1,899 to $2,199 even thought "list" price is $4,099.

 

Feature-wise the guitar has:

 

Locking kidney bean shaped 18:1 Grover tuners

 

An assymetrical neck.....fatter near the bass strings and a tad thinner near the treble strings...VERY cool and MAJORLY confortable

 

A one-piece Rosewood fretboard (and it's VERY nice)

 

A compound radius neck which goes from 10" at the nut to 16 " where the fretboard joins the guitar body....this one feature alone BLEW ME AWAY...

 

A Tone-Pros locking bridge and and Tone-Pros locking tailpiece....these make for an extremely stable platform, add more sustain, and give you scratch-free string changes...plus, once locked-in, they stay where they are so there is no bridge or tailpiece "drift"

 

A Burstbucker Pro 1 in the neck and a Burstbucker Pro 2 in the bridge.....along with AWESOME switching options including coil-tapping for single coil tones, individually or together, an Out-of-phase control for use when using both pickups, and a really cool direct bypass mode that send the treble pickup directly to the output jack, bypassing the tone and volume controls for an "Instant Lead Tone".

 

Take your time if you can actually playing the Goldtops that you see in music stores....when one talks to you and says "You've got to have me and can't leave the store without buying me....Take me...I'm yours"....THAT GUITAR IS THE ONE TO BUY......You will know it when it happens!!!

[RainboGuy]

Oh...and I forgot to add that the workmanship and finish on the guitar is impeccable......with an oustanding and superb overall finish and the finest binding I have ever seen on a Les Paul and it also had "nibs" at the ends of the frets, which I like........as I understand it, Gibson discontinued "nibs" with 2014 production line guitars.......

[not_the_dj]

Oh...and I forgot to add that the workmanship and finish on the guitar is impeccable......with an oustanding and superb overall finish and the finest binding I have ever seen on a Les Paul and it also had "nibs" at the ends of the frets, which I like........as I understand it, Gibson discontinued "nibs" with 2014 production line guitars.......

 

The Traditionals still have the nibs

[eagletree]

The Traditionals still have the nibs

I just received my 2014 Traditional Goldtop a couple of hours ago (from the model group this thread discussed) and you are right, to my surprise, it has nibs. Here is a photo of my 60's Tribute and the new Traditional side by side (makes me want to clear coat the tribute and buy white plastic and gold knobs). Sorry I can't take less blurred photos. This new one was perfectly set up out of the box. The P-90s sound great.

[not_the_dj]

I just received my 2014 Traditional Goldtop a couple of hours ago (from the model group this thread discussed) and you are right, to my surprise, it has nibs. Here is a photo of my 60's Tribute and the new Traditional side by side (makes me want to clear coat the tribute and buy white plastic and gold knobs). Sorry I can't take less blurred photos. This new one was perfectly set up out of the box. The P-90s sound great.

 

Looks great...and without the anniversary 12th fret marker

[eagletree]

Looks great...and without the anniversary 12th fret marker

Thanks, it looks just beautiful to me this way, but I suppose it may be worth less down the road when everyone is considering the 2014 inlay as collectable. Course I don't care, that will be my kids problems, I'll probably never sell another guitar ;).

[Jimi Mac]

i couldn't find anything on sweet water that was in my price range, all the gold tops were over 4 grand.

 

i did see the guitar center traditional though, what do you guys think about it? what turns me off is the chrome tuners and the pickups. I'm not sure how i like that pickup setup. the plek setup is new to me too, what do you guys think about this? visually the pickups just look ugly and so do the chrome tuners. is that what i have to settle for at the price range or can i find what i want for 2 grand?

 

i am definitely gonna call around to some guitar centers to see if i can go check one out and I'm gonna check out chicagos music exchange too.

 

http://www.guitarcen...850-i2654153.gc

 

The Plek system is a great thing! I think it helps put every new guitar at a very good, playable, and nearly standardized starting point. It simply puts new guitars the best possible starting point for action and setup right out of the box for the neck and body of that particular guitar. It is like an automatically performed detail job done by a luthier on a new guitar. But it is simply an accurate starting point. It is not a final outcome of any guitar, but the best possibly place to start from...

 

Find what you like and follow your heart...