Introducing the Les Paul Studio 50’s Tribute – Limited Run from Gibson USA

[jacknikkels]

How are the frets on the Tribute?

[truetone6]

While I wait for Musicians Friend to send my Goldtop I bought a new(used) amp.Do you think Gold goes with Brown?

 

[T Bone]

While I wait for Musicians Friend to send my Goldtop I bought a new(used) amp.Do you think Gold goes with Brown?

 

Sweet Super! 1963? ('60, '61 and '62 come to mind too, been too long for me to remember the detail changes/intro years).

 

The Gold Top will look almost as good as it sounds with that amp (which will be incredible!).

[truetone6]

Sweet Super! 1963? ('60, '61 and '62 come to mind too, been too long for me to remember the detail changes/intro years).

 

The Gold Top will look almost as good as it sounds with that amp (which will be incredible!).

 

Thanks T-Bone! This actually a "Frankstein amp". It is a 1961 Fender Super 6G4-A chassis in a 1961 Fender Pro 6G5 cabinet so whereas a stock Super is a 4 ohm amp that runs 2x10 in parallel at 8 ohms each and a stock Pro runs a single 15 at 8 ohms,this amp is running a single 15 at 4 ohms.

 

The original tranny was changed to allow this chassis to fit in this cabinet with the 15" speaker. These was all done more than 30 years ago because that is when the last owner bought this amp from a studio in Nashville.

 

It's not a collectors item but I think it is pretty cool anyway.What a sound! Gotta love that phase shifty "Harmonic-vibrato". Oh,and check out my "Paper Jamz" Brownface!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sparky scott 29]

You may consider it not a collectable, but I'd love to have it.

You really, or just me, don't see all that many classics around.

But, then again I'm in a very rural setting.. Only 1 guitar or music store for 40 or miles away.

[truetone6]

You may consider it not a collectable, but I'd love to have it.

You really, or just me, don't see all that many classics around.

But, then again I'm in a very rural setting.. Only 1 guitar or music store for 40 or miles away.

 

I sure hope they are a Gibson Dealer!

[sparky scott 29]

I sure hope they are a Gibson Dealer!

 

Nope they are not a Gibson dealer.

I would have to google or something like that to see where the nearest dealer actually is??

[RobG]

A chip? I hope it's not that bad. Did it come that way?

P.S.

I know a place where you can get a switch for only $ 3.00.

 

It's about the size of a matchstick head. It's visible but not bad enough to say I don't want it. Will probably chip it or ding it eventually anyway....stuff happens.

 

If I had chance to pull guitars out of boxes at a store to pick and choose, I might have been turned off by the blemish at first on this one and not even plugged it in. I didn't have that opportunity and feel pretty fortunate to have what I've got. It sounds sweet.....except in the middle position...where it sounds exactly like the neck pickup......kidding.

 

A $3 switch sounds a little shady. Thought Switchcrafts pretty much cost $20ish?

[sparky scott 29]

That was my take on the switch as well. I'll let stuff settle down a while before I decide what I am going to do.

Sorry about the chip.. But, now you can say it has its own personality.....

[RobG]

Yep, I linked that page a few pages back. The one in the guitar is the left column, second from top (price there $11.79). I bought it's twin off the wall branded "Allparts" at GC for $14 and change. $20 to switch them out, with tax just over $35. Well worth it, no shipping, no hassles... arranged in advance to have it done while I drooled over the R7, R8 and R9 up on the wall (among others). Plus in my case, I in fact made my switch worse, so at that point, it wasn't Gibson's responsibility.

 

Now enough with the damned switches!!!

 

Thanks for the link!

 

How long did it take to switch out the switches?

[gd_nc]

For those that have thier 50s tribute, how much does yours weight? Mine is at 7.5 lbs. My 2008 Les pauls standard in comparison is at 9 lbs. My 77 Les Paul Standard goldtop is at a whooping 12 lbs.

 

Yep. My 84 custom is just a hair under 12. Complete back breaker. I'm all for chambered bodies.

[T Bone]

 

Thanks for the link!

 

How long did it take to switch out the switches?

The actual work is a 10-15 minute job. But since we tried the other first, and it didn't work, and he had to figure out why it wasn't working, it took much closer to an hour. He didn't change the price he'd quoted me on the labor. And since I ended up with the cheaper switch, I saved about 10 bucks there.

[T Bone]

Thanks T-Bone! This actually a "Frankstein amp". It is a 1961 Fender Super 6G4-A chassis in a 1961 Fender Pro 6G5 cabinet so whereas a stock Super is a 4 ohm amp that runs 2x10 in parallel at 8 ohms each and a stock Pro runs a single 15 at 8 ohms,this amp is running a single 15 at 4 ohms.

 

The original tranny was changed to allow this chassis to fit in this cabinet with the 15" speaker. These was all done more than 30 years ago because that is when the last owner bought this amp from a studio in Nashville.

 

It's not a collectors item but I think it is pretty cool anyway.What a sound! Gotta love that phase shifty "Harmonic-vibrato". Oh,and check out my "Paper Jamz" Brownface!

 

It's a very cool piece!

 

About a dozen years ago (maybe 13?) I went broke in business. Sold off my collection, the largest part of which was 17 amps. 13 of those were vintage Fenders, ranging from 1949 (yep, the original Chanpion 600) to 1964. Only had one of the brown Tolex, a Princeton, the only thing I ever managed to buy from Gruhn's in Nashville. Also had 6 tweeds, two white Tolex (both Tremolux's) and a couple of reverb units. All way cool stuff. One of the cleanest vintage amps I had, and it was a tone monster, was a little Gibson Skylark from about 1956. Man, I miss all those old amps! And the '62 Strat, the '67 Firebird III, the '57 Les Paul Jr.... .

[sparky scott 29]

Hey T,

How's that case you just bought?

Isn't that a older piece? If I remember correctly, it had the pink lining??

If so, it screams '60s?? What was it?

[T Bone]

Hey T,

How's that case you just bought?

Isn't that a older piece? If I remember correctly, it had the pink lining??

If so, it screams '60s?? What was it?

I bought this case for the 50's Tribute. It wasn't as pictured or described in the ad, and did in fact have a pink lining. But it also didn't fit the Les Paul at all, as seen in these pics...

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, the Seller was cooperative. I sent it back, got a full refund and eventually even got the return shipping returned as well (all this took several messages, but it got done).

 

I ended up buying this one for Linda Lu. And this one arrived on Friday for the Gold Top.

[sparky scott 29]

Forget about the case, great guitars... That a tv?? The Les is also a beautiful wood grain.... Excellent as a matter of fact.

What was the seller saying the case fit? Maybe a SG?? Or is it a totally different kind of critter.

I also need to get a case for my '50's.. I haven't really looked real hard yet, prob. some off the wall hard case from China I will prob. end up getting.

I'll have to figure out who's got the best price... It will just be a around the house protector more than likely..

That case really looks big.. acoustic maybe?

[T Bone]

Forget about the case, great guitars... That a tv?? The Les is also a beautiful wood grain.... Excellent as a matter of fact.

What was the seller saying the case fit? Maybe a SG?? Or is it a totally different kind of critter.

I also need to get a case for my '50's.. I haven't really looked real hard yet, prob. some off the wall hard case from China I will prob. end up getting.

I'll have to figure out who's got the best price... It will just be a around the house protector more than likely..

That case really looks big.. acoustic maybe?

The ad for the case in part carried this description "escpecially designed to fit a Gibson Les Paul or Les Paul style electric guitar very snugly". After several messages back and forth (even after I returned it and got my initial refund), the Seller claimed it should fit and asked "what kind of Les Paul" I had. . After that, I sent him the pictures. He claimed they must've gotten off spec from his supplier. Even said he had his warehouse manager go through a bunch and that they varied, some were fine, and others were different sizes. I think it was B.S. The ad also depicts a combination lock, which wasn't on the one he sent. Said it had changed and he'd thought he'd removed that pic from the ad (and yet he still has not-current ads still show it).

 

The TV Yellow guitar is a 2009 Robot Les Paul Jr. Special, Gibson's page on it is here. Very cool guitar, though the Robot's are frowned on by many. It has a lot of traits I like (including P 90's ).

 

I really wanted something out of the ordinary for at least one on the 50's Tributes. Ended up going Gibson. Just haven't found anything else that fit as well and had good support for the neck (two neck cradles). Also you want the padding to slope up properly at the back as the body approaches the neck (look at a side profile and picture the neck sitting flat, the body slopes upward to meet it).

[Riverside]

I played a Honeyburst at the Sam Ash store in Ontario, CA this morning.

 

I was not impressed - it felt a bit clunky, and had four pieces of mahogany making up the body.

 

With that, I cancelled my longstanding back order for an HB. I haven't yet decided whether or not to cancel the GT order, but I probably will.

 

The anticipation has been fun; I hope you all get what you've ordered and enjoy them.

[charlie brown]

Yeah, I often wonder, if the anticipation created here, leads to unrealistic

expectations? But, a lot of people seem to like the '50's Tribute's. So...???

Time will tell. If it's not all I expect (and I'm pretty realistic, about them,

at that price point), I'll opt for something else. But, I think it will be fine,

really. Hope so, anyway.

 

CB

[jacknikkels]

I played a Honeyburst at the Sam Ash store in Ontario, CA this morning.

 

I was not impressed - it felt a bit clunky, and had four pieces of mahogany making up the body.

 

With that, I cancelled my longstanding back order for an HB. I haven't yet decided whether or not to cancel the GT order, but I probably will.

 

The anticipation has been fun; I hope you all get what you've ordered and enjoy them.

Interesting. Since most of the buyers of the Tribute on this forum are owners of other Les Pauls, how do you rate this gutiar by comparison? Or is it simply a sort of economy Les Paul? I mean, what's the average price of a Les Paul today: $3000? I mentioned the $850 Tribute at a guitar show a month ago and there were a few guys that hadn't heard of it and didn't believe Gibson was producing a new Les Paul at that price point.

[turtle]

Ok how do I find out where the goldtops are going? Guitar center says they are not getting them. Sam ash said the skews are out of the computer so probably getting none. I really want one of these.

[SunDogAZ]

Interesting. Since most of the buyers of the Tribute on this forum are owners of other Les Pauls, how do you rate this gutiar by comparison? Or is it simply a sort of economy Les Paul? I mean, what's the average price of a Les Paul today: $3000? I mentioned the $850 Tribute at a guitar show a month ago and there were a few guys that hadn't heard of it and didn't believe Gibson was producing a new Les Paul at that price point.

 

Just an FYI. For years, maybe going back to the early 2000's, Gibson has produced faded / worn Les Pauls and SGs and have they been priced modestly ($700 to $850) as compared to standards, classics, customs, etc. They lack binding, are solid mahogany (no plain or flame maple cap on the LP), have rosewood fretboards (some of the earlier SGs have an ebony fretboard), silkscreened logo in the headstock, set neck, and are finished with a thin satin nitro (I think it is nitro) allowing the wood grain to come thru. They are the working mans Gibson and are constructed just as well as other Gibsons. The pickups are either Burst Bucker Pros (LP) or 490R / 498T (SG), hardware is the same, and the LPs even have trapezoidal fretboard inlays. Some of the earlier faded SGs had little crecent moon inlays instead of dots. I have had 3 of the faded SGs, I still have one of them, and my very first Gibson was a faded LP, which I still have. Let me tell you, these guitars, while lacking in the the finer aesthetics of their higher priced siblings, are just great instruments in their own right.

 

The Les Paul 50's tribute series are exactly the same as the faded LP's, but with P90's and 5 different finishes. To boot, the gold top and the honeyburst (and maybe the cherry burst) models have the maple cap showing on the sides, which gives the effect of binding, but is not really binding nor meant to be considered fake or faux binding. It is simply the cap showing thru the finish, which looks great if you ask me. For what it is worth, the faded LPs and SGs are worth the money and I am sure that these 50s tributes will also be well worth $850.

 

 

SunDogAZ

[jacknikkels]

Just an FYI. For years, maybe going back to the early 2000's, Gibson has produced faded / worn Les Pauls and SGs and have they been priced modestly ($700 to $850) as compared to standards, classics, customs, etc. They lack binding, are solid mahogany (no plain or flame maple cap on the LP), and are finished with a thin satin nitro (I think it is nitro) allowing the wood grain to show thru. They are the working mans Gibson and are constructed just as well as other Gibsons, the pickups are either Burst Buckers (LP) or 490R / 498T (SG), hardware is the same, and the LPs even have trapezoidal fretboard inlays. I have had 3 of the faded SGs, I still have one of them, and my very first Gibson was a faded LP, which I still have. Let me tell you, these guitars, while lacking in the the finer aesthetics of their higher priced siblings, are just great instruments in their own right.

 

The Les Paul 50's tribute series are exactly the same as the faded LP's, but with P90's and 5 different finishes. To boot, the gold top and the honeyburst (and maybe the cherry burst) models have the maple cap showing on the sides, which gives the effect of binding, but is not really binding nor meant to be considered fake or faux binding. It is simply the cap showing thru the finish, which looks great if you ask me. For what it is worth, the faded LPs and SGs are worth the money and I am sure that these 50s tributes will also be well worth $850.

 

 

SunDogAZ

Good points. I've looked at those Gibsons under a $1000 over the past year and have not been attracted to them, either with the plain finishes or the playability, personal preferences really. This will be my first Gibson in 30 years. I like the idea, the P90s, and the way this guy is constructed. The price is icing on the cake. To be sure, this guitar does not look 'cheap' to me.

[Riverside]

I may have just experienced a bad one - I have a faded studio, and it's just fine. (Although it does have a one-piece mahogany body with nice grain on the cap).

 

I still have the GT on order - I may just have to wait and see with that one. I'm not so in love with the idea of it being a GT to be willing to put up with a four-piece body.

[jmjohnson]

Since most of the buyers of the Tribute on this forum are owners of other Les Pauls, how do you rate this gutiar by comparison? Or is it simply a sort of economy Les Paul? I mean, what's the average price of a Les Paul today: $3000? I mentioned the $850 Tribute at a guitar show a month ago and there were a few guys that hadn't heard of it and didn't believe Gibson was producing a new Les Paul at that price point.

 

 

It seems more and more the 50s Tribute may be one of those guitars where you have say "it is really good...for the money". They sound really good, play fine, and are set-up well (if not too high a bridge) and can look pretty damn cool; the P90s make them somewhat unique and the old school electronics are really nice, but it seems overall it is the low price that is selling 'em.

 

I think like any other guitars you should check 'em out 1st before buying. See if the one you are looking at is worth it to YOU. Differences in the amount of factory wear, scratches, switch issues, multi-piece (4 or maybe even 5 piece) backs, obvious flaws, high bridges, etc. could all matter to a buyer. There now seems to be some fairly wide variances in different samples.

 

I had passed several times for other guitars before I finally bought mine, and I still kind of feel that way...the one I bought is a nice guitar with no issues, worth having because of the P90s and to have a very good lower-cost guitar for traveling with, but 'you' may better off putting your money towards something else.