Lungimsam Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 I am a bassist and have been reading this forum for a little and am finding the LP guitar discussions interesting. But it seems there are so many LP variants, how do you pick?I guess takes a lotta research to find one with just the right features you could want. And colors? I saw one model that comes in like 15 different bursts?!?!?! How on earth do you decide? I guess I would start with neck profiles and see which worked best for my hands, then once I figured out that much find the model that has that neck profile and also pups I liked the sound of, then decide about color, and hope I didn't land on the model with the 15 burst options or I'd be in decision paralysis. Anyway, I am enjoying the convo and finding the insight into the LP players' world very interesting. My only LP stories: 1. When I was a kid I know a guy who had a gold top, iirc, with custom airbrushed paintings on the back. I wonder whatever happened to it. 2. Back in '88, the singer from Cinderella bought a bunch of speakers ( like 5k worth) from a mail order retailer I worked for and he tried them all out with the same gold top LP. I don't remember the model year. The finish was all cracked up and checked up. Interesting guitar to look at, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eracer_Team Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 My guitars have picked me, I don't pick them. I walk into a store wander around, don't get any feeling. Next day walk into the same store wander around don't get any feeling. One walk in, one day, and a guitar whispers try me. That's the one I pick up. Could take months of this process Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 so many?? where do you shop? LOL! when I bought my oldest LP in 1995, the shop had two Standards a gold top with Ceramic Pickups, and a Wine Red one with 490R/498T pickups I did not like the ceramic pickups, but the Wine Red LP just seemed RIGHT to me. I went back and forth tho with both of them for a while. The shop owner left me alone and the store was quiet. I finally picked the wine red one and he said "that'd be my pick too." he didn't like the Ceramics either. My second les paul sight unseen, I traded a custom shop strat straight up for if from EM Shorts.. Turns out, it's been one helluvah great LP for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 Get one in your price range and in a color you like. You can always change pickups and then its a different guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01GT eibach Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 I went to GC on Dec 26 to return a red Ibanez my wife brought me for Christmas, but I did not want. While there, I went in their little "reserve room" and played this great Les Paul. Uncovered pickups, coil taps, plain gloss top with satin back, fast neck, Grover locking tuners. "What is this Les Paul? " Answer: "It is a Trad Pro. No one has even played it yet. We just put it out". It was awesome and a thing of absolute beauty (still is, actually), and -- oh yeah -- it is $400 less than a Standard. Really? I knew I was not leaving without it, and they knocked another $100 off of the price. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcticsg Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 I’ve always gone with the Standard models. Same deal with the SGs. Except for the 2019 and newer Modern SG Standards. Not my cup of tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveT2 Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Picked one up, put it back, nice guitar and all but wanted to try another Repeat Third time was the charm 2016 Trad Desertburst Cue up Oct of 2019 Had to order a 50s Style with P 90s, without a tryout which means Goldtop. Awesome guitar. Glad I took the chance 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Natural Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 On 2/5/2020 at 10:32 PM, Lungimsam said: ... How on earth do you decide? .... Eeenie, meenie, minie, mo.... (Plus, it has to be a leftie.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 ideally its just the way Eracer_Team described. You know the right guitar pretty quick after handling / hearing it. It chooses the player. However, I have bought 6 guitars mail order. Only one was a out and out disaster. A hybrid Flaxwood from Thomann. It sounded as horrible as it handled. Of the other 5, I've been really exceptionally lucky. My Les Paul was actually bought via Amazon. It turned out to be a better guitar than the identical model I had tried out locally. Money choose the finish. I preferred the look of the teaburst but bought the fireburst because it was a couple of hundred quid cheaper. Easy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 In 1970 I really came to admire a guitar player that I saw frequently in a local band. He played a Les Paul so I figured if I ever wanted to approach his playing level that is the guitar I should have. Shopped around and found a '68 Gold Top that was affordable for me at the time. Played it for about 25 years before trading it off. I soon realized I had made a mistake and was so used to a Les Paul that I really needed to go back to that model. So with several big box stores in my area I just went out played a lot of them until I found one that felt really close to what I had before. Since then I have traded a few in for different ones, but always played them before purchasing. In 2017 I took a chance a bought a LP Standard on-line from Sweetwater without playing it first and I guess I lucked out because it has become my number 1. It took a little getting used to as it has a compound radius fingerboard, but once I got used to that it is probably the easiest playing LP I ever owned. But overall I'd suggest getting out and playing as many as you can to determine what feels right to you. As a working musician the color was never as important to me as the feel and the tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Many years ago, As a young broke Musician my Band buddies & I went searching for an Electric Guitar for me. After looking at several new ones & realizing I couldn't afford a new one we started looking in Pawn Shops in Wash. D.C. After a long search that yielded nothing but Guitars I couldn't afford I spotted a Guitar up on a Shelf in the back of the Shop. Almost I visiable because of the boxes & stuff in front of it. What's that? I asked. The Proprietor said, Awh, you don't want that old relic. I asked to see it & he got it down. It was pretty dinged & scratched. Nothing like the new a Guitars I was lusting for.. The neck seemed ok. So I asked how much? He said, how much do you have? I said, $75.00. He said, coincidentally that's how much it was. LOL.. Turned out to be an early 50's Gibson Les Paul Jr.. with P90. One of the best Guitars I've ever owned. Foolishly I sold to our Lead Guitarist because I wanted something better.. LOL again... I've had several since but that was one of the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 I know that it's always a good idea to play them first but sometimes that's just not practical depending on where you live and what you're looking for. I have never played any of my guitars before purchase. I know a lot of people have had problems but I've never gotten a bad guitar. Some that had setup issues but that's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhwildbill Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 I go in and cruse the local GC and if I see something that looks nice I take it and give it a try. Most of the ones I've owned have been on sight first and if it 'feels' right I seriously consider it. Sometimes the impulse buy wears off and I've traded a couple in but for the most part I've been lucky. The only time I've bought a Guitar without trying it was the 2019 Modern (second from left) when I got obsessed via a guitar magazine. Knowing GC has a satisfaction policy and finding it at a price I could pass I went for it and been very happy with her. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 1 hour ago, nhwildbill said: I go in and cruse the local GC and if I see something that looks nice I take it and give it a try. Most of the ones I've owned have been on sight first and if it 'feels' right I seriously consider it. Sometimes the impulse buy wears off and I've traded a couple in but for the most part I've been lucky. The only time I've bought a Guitar without trying it was the 2019 Modern (second from left) when I got obsessed via a guitar magazine. Knowing GC has a satisfaction policy and finding it at a price I could pass I went for it and been very happy with her. Really nice guitars you got there... Make the pic less pixelated, I demand it! 😛 haha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhwildbill Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 How's this? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhwildbill Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 And thanx brother. 😁 Still working out the posting photo thing on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 29 minutes ago, nhwildbill said: How's this? Very nice! Glad you liked your new Modern - looks very classy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhwildbill Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 It's really a beautiful product, you can't tell in that photo but the finish is "metal flake" like. Lightest LP I own with that weight relief and the pups really do their job. But sometimes I do just put it on the stand and stare at it. Only guitarphiles really understand. 😄 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 (edited) I'll briefly describe why I had to have them. (Why I later sold them would take up too much space, and make me sad.) * 1977 - I saw Jeff Lynne with ELO in the 1970's (on the television) playing a gold top Les Paul, and I had to have one. So I got one, used, at a local music store. Loved it. * 1996 - I was longing for a black Les Paul, and ended up ordering a Studio, brand new, from Zzounds. Great guitar! Heavy though. * 2012 - Saw this Copper Top hanging on the used wall at my local Guitar Center. Fantastic guitar! * 1996 - The Sully Erna just struck me as the coolest thing ever, and I got one brand new for a good price online. * 2017 - I got drunk, and ordered a brand new Faded, in the Worn Bourbon finish. Wonderful guitar. A fitting name for the finish. * 2019 - Always coveted a BFG with P-90's. Ordered it from Sweetwater, and never looked back. The best Les Paul (for me anyway) ever. 🙂 Edited February 14, 2020 by sparquelito 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 12 hours ago, sparquelito said: * 2017 - I got drunk, and ordered a brand new Faded, in the Worn Bourbon finish. Wonderful guitar. A fitting name for the finish. #🙂 That's the one that made me sit up straight and clean my glasses. You must have a better pic. Love to see it?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 Eeny, meeny, miney, moan, Pick an LP for it's tone If it hollers make it your own Eeny, meeny, miney, moan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) Process of elimination.. Figure out what sound you want and start eliminating hardware. Look at what guitarist that get the sound you like and look at their guitars. For me the field is narrow because I have come to using P90 tone machines. I don't even own anything with humbuckings any longer... Edited February 15, 2020 by mihcmac 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 10 hours ago, merciful-evans said: That's the one that made me sit up straight and clean my glasses. You must have a better pic. Love to see it?! Here you go, sir. I sold her to the son of a good friend. He's a college student, and quite a good acoustic guitar player. Kid wanted to branch out into electrics, and the Les Paul was a dream of his. 🙂 The SG Naked and the Hondo Les Paul I have since sold off as well. :( 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, merciful-evans said: That's the one that made me sit up straight and clean my glasses. He said it had......er...... (whisper)....... 'swampy mojo'. Ahem. I picked my LP - I wanted a Custom - on the basis of "it's got P90s and if it plays as good as it looks......" off eBay. And it does. And more. Thus childe jdgm to the dark Gibson forumme came... Edited February 15, 2020 by jdgm 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 16 hours ago, jdgm said: That is a beautiful Custom. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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