New Addition To The Stable - An LPJ

[ajay]

I sold my last Les Paul 33 years ago. I bought it new, and played in a garage band off and on for six years. I had to move to Oregon from Illinois for a job offer that I couldn't refuse. I had to sell my LP to help finance the move. Life is funny sometimes. The guy who bought it was our Rythm player in the band. Nine years ago his Brother was dying of kidney failure, and I was a match. Anyway, after the kidney transplant, I was recuperating back home,, and I got to play my old LP enough to know that I wanted another one, and my old one was unavailable.. I had two nice Advanced Jumbos, but nothing to plug in and crank up some gain.

Three days ago the right Les Paul, a 2014 LPJ showed up on Craigslist. I couldn't believe it. An honest description and a smooth transaction on Craigslist. It turned out to be better than the description, the neck is straight as an arrow, and since he had strap locks on it, I even got the lock strap and a really nice Gibson Gig Bag. The price was way more than fair, and I'm a happy guy. Let's just say that even though I had decent callouses, my fingers are sore, and my forearm muscles are shot. It's so great having a Les Paul again, and even if I get another one this LPJ isn't going anywhere. No more LP's will part company with me. Here's my new favorite Gibson. It's great to be back.

[jdgm]

Great story - many congratulations!

[jaygl]

Congrats! You got yourself a beauty LP there. Enjoy.

[ajay]

Thanks! I'm hoping to join the LPJ club.

This is a great guitar. The deal was so good that I couldn't refuse. I think that these LPJ's have to be the best deal on Gibson guitars period. I don't even mind that Gibson routed a bunch of holes in it. It feels great strapped on, and sounds fantastic with these '61 Tribute Zebra Pickups. It's a pretty good match to my Vintage Sunburst Advanced Jumbos too. I am in love with this guitar. I'm selling one of my Advanced Jumbos to cut more playing time into my practice schedule for this Junior

I can't believe that Gibson puts out such a great guitar at these price levels. I hope that my LPJ will let me join the new LPJ club. With the carved Maple top and dual pickups, the Junior guys don't think it qualifies. Even though Gibson calls it a Junior, the true Junior guys call it a Special. I can see their point. I had a little Epiphone Junior that had one pickup and a flat top. It was a cool little guitar for $100, even if it had a bolt on neck.Now I'm going to have to buy a Junior with a flat top and one pickup so that I can join the Club. I sure hope my wife understands that I screwed up when I bought this one. Oh, well. Time to break out the Credit Card. I'm going to be sleeping on the couch for a while.

[Mr. C.O. Jones]

Congratulations to your new Lester!

I own a LPJ and they are awesome. The experience I made was that nothing in the LPJ's pricerange, felt or sounded nearly as good. And if you wan't to join a club there was a LPJ club on this forum. I guess LPJ's don't fit in any other club because they are LPJ's not Jr.'s nor Studios. I'm very happy with mine, one piece back, beautyfull cherry satin, and of course a killer tone.

Yours looks awesome by the way, love the zebra buckers! Good they stoped to put those awfull plastic covers on the PU's!

Enjoy bro, and don't let her go!

[Mr. C.O. Jones]

J-Porn!

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/114995-the-lpj-club/

['Scales]

They seem to be good guitars, especially for the money asked - i don't know why they are called LPJ's - to me that was a mistake, cos these seem to have nothing to do with juniors or specials, but I'd see them more like a stripped down Studio - which should mean a great guitar for the rough and tumble of gigs as well as playig at home. i can imagine them getting punished at punk gigs and just rocking on for example - and the option of just swapping pups if you want something different sounding/potency. i'd have called them Studio X or Studio Jr or something like that though. enjoy

[Mr. C.O. Jones]

Striped down Studio comes pretty close. And I agree the J was a bit missleading. Of course there was the Journeyman theory, kind of like the idea. But if that was true, they should have put it that way on the truss rod cover. I think that it would have looked much better than the buttugly LPJ.

[IanHenry]

Congratulations mate, I hope you have many happy years with your new Les Paul.

 

 

 

Ian

[ajay]

Thanks Everyone. The cool thing is, it was just a hair over $500. Every time I plug it in, I realize what a deal it was. And this thing is spotless. Amazing in these days of rocketing Gibson prices.

[HEADKNOCKER]

Congrats ajay

Saw another post about a Standard Premium Plus that had a P in the thread & nothing else..

I assume this 2014 LPJ was the answer to that thread Huh!! "OH YEAH!!"

Sounds like it's been a long time coming for your return to the Gibson Les Paul..

And at just over 5 bills you should be dancin a jig.. A grand less than the Standard + some..

 

Gary/Hk

 

 

 

1994 Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite MIII

[ajay]

1433929348[/url]' post='1665808']

Congrats ajay

Saw another post about a Standard Premium Plus that had a P in the thread & nothing else..

I assume this 2014 LPJ was the answer to that thread Huh!! "OH YEAH!!"

Sounds like it's been a long time coming for your return to the Gibson Les Paul..

And at just over 5 bills you should be dancin a jig.. A grand less than the Standard + some..

 

Gary/Hk

 

 

 

1994 Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite MIII

 

Yes, it just floored me how much Gibson I got for so little money. Yesterday. guy wanted to trade me a Premium Plus for one of my Advanced Jumbos, but He backed out when I asked him bout a screwdriver divot that He was trying to hide with fuzzy photographs. He denied that there was a divot even though I was looking at it in every photo. I knew that two good Craigslist deals in one week was beating the odds severely.

[HEADKNOCKER]

Yes, it just floored me how much Gibson I got for so little money. Yesterday. guy wanted to trade me a Premium Plus for one of my Advanced Jumbos, but He backed out when I asked him bout a screwdriver divot that He was trying to hide with fuzzy photographs. He denied that there was a divot even though I was looking at it in every photo. I knew that two good Craigslist deals in one week was beating the odds severely.

 

Roger that..

I've had a few great deals but few & far between..

 

There was the $400 Les Paul Custom, The $75 Kramer Duke Bass, The $55 Jackson Rhoads Professional, The $125 Charvel 3B Neck Thru..

Hey wait a minute.. I need to start searching Craig's List again..

[ajay]

Well, We made the trade, and I got my second Les Paul in one week. Before that I was without a "Lester" (I like that!) for so long. It's ironic that my LPJ is the plainest of plain tops, but I love the tone, look, and feel. And it has '61 Zebra pickups. No more Strats will be played at gigs. I will probably sell my Fender. I've always been a Gibson guy? The Les Paul Peace that I traded for yesterday has a really fancy "Peaceful Orange" top, with a LOT of quilted Maple, and a love the tone, look, and feel. So this fancy LP also has the same 61 pickups, only this one has chrome covers that keep the pickups a secret. I was thrilled that it wasn't Brilliant Red. I'm not. "Red" guitar guy.They don't really sound exactly alike either. The "Peace" Les Paul has more sustain at the same settings. The cool thing is that I can take the LPJ to practice, and let it be the workhorse, and then take my fancy topped LP to special gigs, or venues where it is more likely to get stolen. We play a few clubs where we don't dare go outside for a. smoke without someone staying inside to keep an eye on the equipment, and even then anything's possible. I'll feel better about playing the LPJ at those gigs. As part of the trade for the "Peace", the guy threw in a Roland Cube 40 watt guitar amp to sweeten the deal. I can leave my Mesa Boogie home on the nights that we play at The Boondocks, and run my Roland through the board. It actually has a surprising amount of Kick for such a small amp. All in all, Wow! What a guitar week! I'm thrilled, and my head's spinning! And now I'm really thrilled that I didn't sell my Kalamazoo acoustic. I would have been forced to take my Brazilian AJ to gigs. My Kallie sounds great through the board. It's so great to have my choice of two Les Pauls now. I just took the cover off, and found that it's been converted to hand wiring by Hamiltone in Buffalo. They used to do all of Stevie Ray Vaughan's axes. I feel exactly 33 years younger now. I went from one Black DeLuxe to two "Lesters". It only took me three decades and change!

[Golden]

"The experience I made was that nothing in the LPJ's pricerange, felt or sounded nearly as good."

 

 

 

How do you all like the maple neck with the pups?

[ajay]

I really like the maple neck. Combined with the satin finish, it just seems like there's no resistance after playing a full-gloss mahogany neck for years. I haven't played an electric in so long I'm relearning how to utilize the variety of tonems that you are afforded with two pickups.The guy that traded me was upset that he had to get a setup because the action was too high. I felt like tellin' him, "This is a Gibson Buddy. It ain't no Taylor!"

[sparquelito]

I love a maple neck.

 

And ajay, I really dig your guitar.

The tobacco burst finish in flat tones is nice, and I really like the naked pickups.

[ajay]

Thanks. I like this guitar better than the 2014 Peace in Peaceful Orange. The action is too low on the fancy one, and I'm going to take it to someone who knows what they're doing. I like a guitar with enough height to work at the strings, and I've never been a crazy bender guy, so I don't need a low action. I should have kept my AJ. Even though it's the 120th inlay and every examination says Gibson, I'm still "Chibson Paranoid". No more new guitars for me that have all of the Chinese Controversy. I can't stand the pressures of the black market. How can You be sure anymore? I looked at the Gibson page that reveals Chinese copies and their shortcomings. It passed every test, and I'm still nervous. I didn't have the counterfeit pressure with my LPJ. They're not copying the entry level guitars. I saw something online that showed how they take a picture of a superb premium top, and make a thick decal of these gorgeous tops. I took my Peaceful Orange "Lester", and held it in the sunlight. I was like, is this a decal or the real deal. Crazy times in the high-end guitar market for sure. What's going on now is going to get worse. The time will come when You need to go to Nashville to pick up Your Gibson, just like going to Bowling Green to pick up Your new Corvette. It's just getting crazy in this world that we live in.

[rct]

Even though it's the 120th inlay and every examination says Gibson, I'm still "Chibson Paranoid". No more guitars for me. I can't stand the pressures of the black market. How can You be sure anymore?

 

The proliferation of fake guitars is highly exaggerated. Don't buy out of the trunk of a car at a rest stop and you can be pretty sure you'll be ok.

 

rct

[ajay]

Thanks! It makes me feel better. Gibson has a page that shows conclusive areas to compare, and every one checks out. The way that they're talking, they have reached the point in China where they are getting very close to making a perfect clone. I had my 2014 LPJ to compare the 17 degree angle of the peghead, and the 120th inlay was an absolute match. I'm sure that it's the real deal, but You CAN buy a 2014 Peace body in Peaceful Orange on eBay. The electronics are not a PCB, but the wiring in there looks almost exactly like the wiring on the Traditional. It does not have push-pull pots though, but the Peace guitar just has Two Volume, Two Tone, and the Three-Way toggle. I would prefer that it was bone stock, but it is supposed to be hotter than the standard wiring according to Hamiltone. The original owner thinks that I'm crazy to not want it hand wired, To each their own I guess. I think that Gibson's engineers I'm sure that a lot of people stripped and sold all of the Peace stuff. I do like the Peaceful Orange though, and the neck pickup area is extremely smooth and lacquered, and it says PO in black marker pen.

[Silvercrow]

WOW! Good on 'ya ajay! From nothing to LP nirvana! Gotta love that!

 

Not hijacking...but could I PM you with some questions on the Blues cube amp? I've been wanting to get one but know of no one who personally owns one. Thanks!

 

Brian

[ajay]

Hi Brian! You can PM me all day! I'll plug it in and try to answer Your questions while I'm hooked up to it! All that I can say is BUY IT! For $279, the amp has everything from crystal clear to Death Metal KAARUNCH!

I have had the Micro Cube Bass amp for a year now, and I was running my LPJ through that one at low volume until I picked up the 40 watt Roland. The Roland Micro Cube Bass is fun on guitar, but with the Roland 40GX there's no holding back, and it has awesome rich tones, and the effects work great. I got the Peace rolling along with a perfect match to Edge's U2 sound. For the money, that alone is worth it to me. I haven't even begun to touch the effects combinations on the 40GX, but when I get the Electro Harmonix Pitch Fork I should have all that I need for a WALL of sound. I live 60 miles from Buffalo, and if You're anywhere close come on over and plug in.

I really love the little Bass Micro Cube for the 6AA battery power source. If I had the nerve I could busk with that little amp. If You have any specific questions, let me know, and I'll try to get You a specific answer.

 

Time to jam! The funny thing is, Even though the Peace is fancy and has hotter tone, I think that I actually like the LPJ better. It's more my style. I can't wait to see the Peace in ten years, or whenever the Nitro starts to yellow over those cream bindings and trim. It should be a pretty cool looking guitar when it ages. I wish that they hadn't, (or the first owner hadn't installed the pickguard. It seems a shame to drill a hole in that top. I would think double stick tape would work just fine. 3M has some tape that would hold a man's weight, and comes right off with rubbing alcohol. Oh, well. You can't win 'em all. I taped pmy wife's front plate on her VW Convertible 12 years ago with 3M double stick, and it's still there!

[ajay]

Here are a few shots. One thing that's great is that I live with my iPad, and I have the iRig to plug direct into my iPad, and I bought a few pedals. This new model has an input specifically for IOS, so I can run the effects on my iPad directly into this amp. I love modern technology, and I'm old.Also, I can't say enough about the pedal, Pitch Fork by Electro Harmonix. Check it out on YouTube. It is a fantastic system.