edensdad Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Hello, I'm new around here. I'm getting ready to buy a les paul. I just sold a PRS for $1650 that I had for a few years. So once I'm done paying paypal/ebay, I should have about $1500. I've found some nice Standards on Ebay and a few music stores, but I could also get a new studio for $1200-1300. For the money would you go for the new Studio or a 5 or 6 year old Standard? Thanks, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 What sounds best to your ears? Do you prefer something new? Do you mind buying a guitar without having tested it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 From a fancy PRS to a stripped-down Gibson? The guitars are pretty much identical if you're comparing used Standards to new Studios. It's a matter of cosmetics. Can you live with a Plain Jane guitar? I say buy used, get more guitar for your money. If you decide to sell, you may get it all back. Not gonna happen if you buy a new Studio and decide to sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bill Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I say buy used' date=' get more guitar for your money. If you decide to sell, you may get it all back. Not gonna happen if you buy a new Studio and decide to sell.[/quote'] +1 This is some excellent advice! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Arcadius Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 IMHO, buying a guitar from the Internet is not a wise way to go. And between used & new, I choose new. A new one that you can actually play / feel / hear before you buy it. Just my opinion though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aradem4 Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 If there is a guitar center near you then you can get a les paul studio there for 799.99 but only for the faded cherry and faded brown ones. they are the same guitars as the more expensive ones it is just the they dyed it instead of a full paint job. I dont have one but i am hoping to get a gibson special faded sg pretty soon. but if you have at least $4,000 dollars and you want a les paul then go to guitar center and check out the les paul axcess. it is the only less paul with a whammy bar and rush guitarist, alex lifeson uses one and so does my friend. P.S. oh one more thing I wouldnt order a les paul off of the internet. when les pauls are shipped, very very often the arrive broken beyond repair. i know, it happened to one of my friend that ordered one on guitarcenter.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcmurray Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 What sounds best to your ears? With the same pickups, the standard and studio will sound identical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 A Les Paul Studio is a "student" model guitar. A Les Paul Standard is a professional model guitar. For the same price you'll be getting a far superior instrument in the used Standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 If there is a guitar center near you then you can get.... ... screwed like a $2 whore. Nice Peter says it all for me - with some profanity added for emphasis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-0s3V4xAsA Do yourself a BIG favor' date=' go find a good independent dealer who carries Gibsons. Maybe even pay a little more if you have to, but I doubt it. Independents LOVE to get sales from Guitar Center's crooked/moron sales "professionals" on commission. I'd buy from Ebay before I bought a new guitar from GC. Bought and sold many guitars there with great luck - from doing my homework. If you apply at least as much intelligence research into your online purchase as you [i']should[/i] at Guitar Center, you can do just fine in the world of Ebay and Craig's List. If something looks fishy, don't buy it. For that matter, I'd eat a bucket of cat sh!t before I bought another guitar from Guitar Center. I only have 20 years of experience with them, so your results may vary. [lol] when les pauls are shipped' date=' very very often the arrive broken beyond repair. i know, it happened to one of my friend that ordered one on guitarcenter.com. [/quote'] Betcha a hunnerd bucks it was broken before it ever left Guitar Center. Seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dp71 Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 A Les Paul Studio is a "student" model guitar. A Les Paul Standard is a professional model guitar. For the same price you'll be getting a far superior instrument in the used Standard. In what way do you mean it is a "student" model guitar and not a "professional" model guitar? The only difference between my studio and a standard is the binding. Exactly the same woods, save that mine has an ebony fretboard, treated, carved and glued together in exactly the same way, save for the binding around the body and fretboard. That is, mahogany body with carved maple top, multiple layers of nitrocellulose finish. Exactly as a standard. The same pickups, in my case 490R 498T, which standards were equipped with previously (correct me if I'm wrong). The same hardware. And of course the range of looks (sunbursts, other colours etc) is more .. eh .. developed in standards than i studios. But I fail to see that there's anything other than a difference in looks. Avoiding cosmetic niceties and luxuries is what makes the studio cheaper. But does that make it a non-professional guitar? Or is there something else that I'm missing? Watch mine in action:-) (non-professional action, just having fun): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdCl5vQSaHo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6H2sT59EAk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 To answer your intial question...IMHO...Les Paul Standard!! Used but not abused. And...always, play any guitar, you're interested in buying, FIRST...if at all possible! It will save you all kinds of time, money, and heartache, in the long run. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba_leon Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Standard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzboy Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Go with a used standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamman Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 It depends on what year the standard is . a few years ago say 2005 or so the standard was a much better guitar. imo. worth the money. but i tryed it first. you can find a good guitar in any store if you try enough of them. play as many as you need and you'll know when you've found it. imo you need to play an axe to know if it's a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edensdad Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 Thanks for the advice. I played both yesterday and found a beat standard that I really loved the sound/playability of, but it was too scratched up for my taste. The studio I played had trouble holding tuning, but the strings were toast and I'm sure that had something to do with it. I did notice the standard feels more solid and is a little thicker in the body. I have other guitars and I'm in no hurry, so I'm going to wait and see which one grabs my attention. From a fancy PRS to a stripped-down Gibson? I had a McCarty with a rosewood neck for 2 years and I love the workmanship, it was totally a piece of art. However it never sounded good to my ears no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise. Maybe other PRS models sound better, I actually liked a CE22 I played, ina strat kinda way, but the benchmark my ears grew up hearing is Jimmy Page and Alex Lifeson, so I don't care if there's no quilt top as long as it plays well and has that sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildobbin Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 main difference: burstbuckers or Alnico 498T/Alnico 490R. Plus all the binding, yada, yada... Studio is far more versatile than a Standard (in my opinion): can get a great jazz sound, pretty passable blues one & dime it through the right amp & it'll break all yer windows... I'd go for the Studio from new. Not the faded variety, they won't hold their money. You can scout about & get a second-hand Standard but I'd play 'em all first. Just my two cents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I had a McCarty with a rosewood neck for 2 yearsHowever it never sounded good to my ears no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise. Yeah.... I have a killer PRS Custom 24 that I ordered and waited over two years for, another work of art. I rarely play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 With the same pickups' date=' the standard and studio will sound identical. [/quote'] Really? ;-) Do all LP Standards (always) have the same pickups as the (new) LP Studios? And the wood also has the exact same quality for all instruments? The fingerboard? And of course all are equally solid/chambered/"swiss-holed" ... You know what I meant... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbonesullivan Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 if you are buying used from the internet, buy from a retailer like BCR guitars, Dave's Guitars, Elderly Music, etc. They are reputable and honest about condition. THey don't sell trashed used guitars. With ebay is always a crap shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dp71 Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Really? ;-) Do all LP Standards (always) have the same pickups as the (new) LP Studios? And the wood also has the exact same quality for all instruments? The fingerboard? And of course all are equally solid/chambered/"swiss-holed" ... You know what I meant... My studio is from '92. In the 1991 catalogue the standard has 490/498 pickups, mahogany body/neck, rosewood fingerboard, maple carved top. The studio has 490/498 pickups, mahogany body, maple neck, ebony fingerboard, maple carved top. 2008 standard has burstbucker pros, while the studio still has 490/498. Studio Faded has burstbucker pros. All have mahogany necks, unlike the '92 studio (maple) The studio faded has all-mahogany body. I think they all have chambered bodies nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FennRx Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 standard. or save a few hundred more and get a used Historic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hthomas Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 standard. or save a few hundred more and get a used Historic thats what you should do bro +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcmurray Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 A Les Paul Studio is a "student" model guitar. A Les Paul Standard is a professional model guitar. For the same price you'll be getting a far superior instrument in the used Standard. No. The only difference between the two is binding and pickups' date=' and the pickups on both models are of the same monetary value. Student model... LOL. Really? ;-) Do all LP Standards (always) have the same pickups as the (new) LP Studios? And the wood also has the exact same quality for all instruments? The fingerboard? And of course all are equally solid/chambered/"swiss-holed" ... Studios have the 490/498 set, whereas the standard has burstbuckers. The wood, construction, fingerboard, swiss cheese is exactly the same on both models. The latest standard however has an asymmetrical shaped neck, more color options and binding - this is the only difference. If you saw both models on the production line prior to painting and binding, you would not be able to tell the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarJunkie Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet... Why not buy a used Studio and get a nice little tube amp? Or you could just blow the extra $750 you save on candy and strippers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamman Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 maybe he should consider a traditional LP- non chambered. the ones i've tryed are nice and feel and sound good. I'm no expert on all the different LP's but i like the old school better. although a used historic would be the best option. keep looking untill you find the the one that's right for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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