willows Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 I haven't been playing all that long but my love affair with Les Pauls dates back to my first time seeing one, in the hands of James Patrick Page. Currently I have a Greg Bennett Samick Avion 3 Gold Top. I have replaced the pickups with Duncan Alnico Pro 2's, CTS Pots, Switchcraft toggle switch and Sprague orange drop caps. Howevever, there is no substitute for the real thing! The time has come! At this stage I am looking at the Les Paul Traditional Cherry Sunburst model with the '57 humbuckers (classic neck, classic + bridge ) AA maple top, mahogany back, Tonepros Kluson Vintage Style Tuners and the Plek setup. I am unsure of the neck style. It retails here in Melbourne Australia for around $3200.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackie Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Buy it !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 I haven't been playing all that long but my love affair with Les Pauls dates back to my first time seeing one, in the hands of James Patrick Page. Currently I have a Greg Bennett Samick Avion 3 Gold Top. I have replaced the pickups with Duncan Alnico Pro 2's, CTS Pots, Switchcraft toggle switch and Sprague orange drop caps. Howevever, there is no substitute for the real thing! The time has come! At this stage I am looking at the Les Paul Traditional Cherry Sunburst model with the '57 humbuckers (classic neck, classic + bridge ) AA maple top, mahogany back, Tonepros Kluson Vintage Style Tuners and the Plek setup. I am unsure of the neck style. It retails here in Melbourne Australia for around $3200.00. Given the options, I would say go with the Traditional Cherry Sunburst It's a great guitar, very versatile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artie Owl Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Play longer before you get a LP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Buy it. Your playing will improve more rapidly than otherwise because you will want to play more often and for longer. You will feel your playing will need to justify the guitar's beauty. Play longer before you get a LP Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artie Owl Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Well, when you start driving you don't start with the Ferrari when you fist get your license, it's hard to appreciate its power and style if that's all you've ever driven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Buy it. Your playing will improve more rapidly than otherwise because you will want to play more often and for longer. You will feel your playing will need to justify the guitar's beauty. Why? +1 A great guitar will make you never want to put it down, thus learning faster and easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 I haven't been playing all that long but my love affair with Les Pauls dates back to my first time seeing one, in the hands of James Patrick Page. Currently I have a Greg Bennett Samick Avion 3 Gold Top. I have replaced the pickups with Duncan Alnico Pro 2's, CTS Pots, Switchcraft toggle switch and Sprague orange drop caps. Howevever, there is no substitute for the real thing! The time has come! At this stage I am looking at the Les Paul Traditional Cherry Sunburst model with the '57 humbuckers (classic neck, classic + bridge ) AA maple top, mahogany back, Tonepros Kluson Vintage Style Tuners and the Plek setup. I am unsure of the neck style. It retails here in Melbourne Australia for around $3200.00. What are you unsure of about the neck style? Is it too big for your hands? If so, you can always look for a Les Paul with the '60's slim taper profile. Mine feels great... but if you want to stick with the Traditional, you'll have to get used to the bigger neck profile, not a deal breaker in my mind. Trad's are great... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 Well, when you start driving you don't start with the Ferrari when you fist get your license, it's hard to appreciate its power and style if that's all you've ever driven. All I can offer is my personal experience. Regarding cars; I agree wholeheartedly. Playing guitar is (I suggest politely) a very different proposition. Perhaps I'm wrong. I have been before. What I do know for certain is that after I bought my pre-CBS Strat in Dec 1979 I played it 10x more than I had ever played any other guitar before simply because I loved everything about the instrument. The 'Vintage Guitar' scene had yet to be invented but even as a young guy I had a feeling for the history which the guitar had experienced. When I got it I thought it was already Very Old (15 years!). I had it for a further 24 years! Buy the guitar of your dreams as soon as you can afford it. From that day forward you will approach the instrument in a different frame of mind. It's Love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzboy Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Buy the one that sounds good, plays good, and that you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chase1410 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 All I can offer is my personal experience. Regarding cars; I agree wholeheartedly. Playing guitar is (I suggest politely) a very different proposition. Perhaps I'm wrong. I have been before. What I do know for certain is that after I bought my pre-CBS Strat in Dec 1979 I played it 10x more than I had ever played any other guitar before simply because I loved everything about the instrument. The 'Vintage Guitar' scene had yet to be invented but even as a young guy I had a feeling for the history which the guitar had experienced. When I got it I thought it was already Very Old (15 years!). I had it for a further 24 years! Buy the guitar of your dreams as soon as you can afford it. From that day forward you will approach the instrument in a different frame of mind. It's Love. I completely agree...I havent been playing for long either, but i cherish my two Les Pauls like no other, and can still feel and hear the quality compared to other cheap brands. I practice at least 3 hours a day, and have come a LONG way since I've began. I felt really old getting back to playing ( starting playing again on my 20th B-day) but its the best decision i have ever made. A few months later my parents helped me buy my first LP, and i truly think it has made me play more, and just enjoy playing more as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 A good quality guitar is good. <grin> Seriously, I'm a firm believer that feeling comfortable with a given instrument is most important. There are lots of LP styles if you're convinced that's what you want - but each individual instrument will just plain feel different. At your level of learning the instrument, you're also developing some body habits that will affect your playing the rest of your pickin' life. For example, I started on a classical guitar and to this day prefer a relatively flat and wide fingerboard and a neck that's relatively thin fingerboard to back. But I also ended up playing a lotta bluegrass and folkie stuff, so I also like a neck width that I can pop my thumb onto the bass strings, which is why I went through a number of steel string acoustics - and why I don't care for Fender necks at all. What you play now will make a huge impact on how you play later. I wish I had the cash when I was starting on guitar to get better instruments in a way, but in another way I got to mess with a lotta different kinds of guitar. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowdiddley Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Buy it. Your playing will improve more rapidly than otherwise because you will want to play more often and for longer. You will feel your playing will need to justify the guitar's beauty. Very good advice sir. Well, when you start driving you don't start with the Ferrari when you fist get your license, it's hard to appreciate its power and style if that's all you've ever driven. I could think of worse things to have to drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artie Owl Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Pippy; I agree. I also agree that I played my SG more than any other guitar that I owned because of how it sounded, how it made me feel. I guess my comment was a little off the mark. Oft times around here I see people who have things they've got no worldly right having (mostly "daddy's car" kind of things or where people are simply given things for no reason other than they have a want for it.) Though since we're all human I guess we all get like that from time to time. I guess if you can afford it go for it, but treat her right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 If you can comfortably afford it then go for it. You'll absolutely love it. With that being said I would practice on an acoustic more than a LP in order to get your finger strength it. It's kinda like training in high altitude. Once you get good on the acoustic you'll be flying on the LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chase1410 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Pippy; I agree. I also agree that I played my SG more than any other guitar that I owned because of how it sounded, how it made me feel. I guess my comment was a little off the mark. Oft times around here I see people who have things they've got no worldly right having (mostly "daddy's car" kind of things or where people are simply given things for no reason other than they have a want for it.) Though since we're all human I guess we all get like that from time to time. I guess if you can afford it go for it, but treat her right. I completely get your point as well...A Gibson should only be in the hands of one who truly appreciates it. It shouldn't be used as a bragging right, but rather as your personal weapon to create musical warfare..A Gibson should be treasured, and treated like gold, If you do not appreciate owning a Gibson, then you shouldn't have one. I've been seeing alot of people trying to find the cheapest Gibson they can find, just so they can have a GIBSON...but thats not the point! The brand doesnt make the guitar, though it may send you in the right direction...I choose to own and buy Gibson due to there quality and craftsmanship, not there logo, and not for the sake of having one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Actually I'll come back to my "the one" sorta thing. Mother Maybelle played her old Gibson archtop acoustic for decades. It was "HER" guitar. I tried playing it and with those heavy strings and high action for the way she'd played for probably 30 or 40 years, I couldn't. Period. So "Gibson" doesn't necessarily mean that much in terms of playability for how one wants to play what kind of music with what kind of technique. That's definitely not to "dis" that old archtop. It simply was for another kind of playing and playing habit than what I had. It is/was perfect and of high quality for what it was doing. Were she to have given it to me personally, even at age 20-21 (that was a long time ago when I met her!), I'd have had it set up for lighter strings and a clip-on pickup of some sort - which basically what I did with a cheaper archtop at about the same period of time. My point isn't so much that "the new guy" does or does not "deserve" a Gibson. It's like cars but not necessarily the Ferrari thing. If you can afford a great car, that's cool whether you're a good and experienced driver. The real question is whether you are getting a car and car "setup" that is appropriate for what you'll use it for. In my 20s and 30s, for example, I preferred a full size (nowadays considered excessively huge) but high-powered American car, preferably with four doors. It carried people or band equipment quite well. It went far faster than the law allowed and one could sleep in it comfortably if stranded. Now... 4-door Jeeps, preferably the larger version - but now mostly because it's much smaller than the old full size Jeeps but still is safest in winter conditions here. Guitar choices are fairly similar sorts of decisions. If the new player can afford a Gibson of a style that reflects what he wants to play, super. If not, I'd say go for the Epi. Rocketman has a great suggestion to include an acoustic there somewhere. I'd personally preferred a very light-strung Gibson-style neck acoustic for anybody I've taught years ago because then the "kid" could switch to about anything. The weakness to that is that the dynamics of an acoustic are quite different in ways. New guy: No matter what you get, make sure the place you get it from gets it set up so you can play it easily for the style you want to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG FAN Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I would be considered a "beginner" player, my 2nd guitar was my Gibson SG Special after owning an Epi for about a month. I know what I like, which are Gibson SGs, so I just went for it. It's about whatever it takes to keep you motivated and improving, If that is a Gibson Les Paul, go for it and don't look back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 BTW, any person who considers himself a beginner: Welcome to the club. When you stop learning, you should strongly consider a deep and centuries-long study of the roots of various sorts of lawn grasses. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Buying my SG early in my "playing career" was probably the best thing I could have done. Now I guarantee I will be playing for the rest of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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