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New Les Paul model


LarryUK

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Posted

90830_l.jpg

I've just found this on the net. Various dealers have them.

It's a Les Paul Classic Custom. It's only £1399. Over £300 less than a Traditional.

The only down point is that 'Baked maple' fretboard. Could it be stained to be darker? A wood dye?

But you can pay almost that for a studio. Bargain really.

Posted

I've seen them....Nice Gibbys......Baked maple is quite hard but isn't sealed, so, it should be stainable.......

 

C.B. has a LP with a nice dark Baked Maple board...........

 

If they source maple from Alaska they can call them " Baked Alaska Fretboards " [smile] ....

Posted

Yes; they're a great buy.

 

There's a three page (so far) discussion about them over in the Les Paul section. Here's the link;

 

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/75512-new-les-paul-classic-plusclassic-customs/

 

I hated the colour of the baked maple board as shown but, happily, the 'boards do seem to come darker than shown in the promo shots I've seen. There are a couple of very nice looking guits in the aforementioned post - C.B.'s (as Damian mentioned) included.

 

As it happens I'll be in the Denmark St. area today and might have a nose around...

 

P.

Posted
I wonder if you could use wood stain? Would it mark the binding?

I'd be more worried about it marking the inlays!

 

Have you had a chance to scan through the other thread yet, lashurst? Some of the 'boards appear to be almost as dark as rosewood (but not as black as ebony) and, as one poster has mentioned, a dose of 'Fret Doctor' darkens it still further.

 

EDIT : Here's C.B.'s absolute stunner of a Gold-Top Custom. I'm sure he won't mind my posting it here...

 

Just bought this one, last week! I like the fingerboard, just fine!

It IS one of the darker ones, though.

 

DSC_0012-2.jpg

 

DSC_0005-3.jpg

 

DSC_0008-2.jpg

 

Awesome guitar, at a great price point! What's not to like/love?

 

CB

P.

Posted

100511548_f.jpg

90830_l.jpg

I've just found this on the net. Various dealers have them.

It's a Les Paul Classic Custom. It's only £1399. Over £300 less than a Traditional.

The only down point is that 'Baked maple' fretboard. Could it be stained to be darker? A wood dye?

But you can pay almost that for a studio. Bargain really.

I think the Wine red would look better with the cream plastics like the Trad I've put up.

Posted

.

 

Over on the LP subforum there's a couple of thread's on this new good lookin' model, as well as baked maple fretboards.

 

CB's Custom GT CC has the baked maple, but a darker shade that looks very nice. The black and gold is a killer combo.

 

 

.

Posted

 

As it happens I'll be in the Denmark St. area today and might have a nose around...

 

P.

 

last time i went up denmark st (tin pan ally) was about 3 yrs ago looking for a gibson les paul...not one shop up there had any [cursing], said something about a distribution problem and no guitars where coming to england :(

 

a bit different to 1998 when i bought my first les paul up there in (soho soundhouse/turnkey)...gibsons everywhere! [drool]

Posted
last time i went up denmark st (tin pan ally) was about 3 yrs ago looking for a gibson les paul...not one shop up there had any [cursing], said something about a distribution problem and no guitars where coming to england :(

There seemed to be some problems with distribution rights. At that time if you wanted to buy a new Gibson in central London you had to go to Macari's; around the corner from Denmark Street on Charing Cross Road. They have now (around the start of the year) opened a second branch in Denmark Street proper. Both these branches have Gibsons. The CCR branch seems to have the most Lesters - there's usually eight or nine in the window.

 

Almost all the dealers in the Street are owned by one business/holding group so don't think you can trade them off against each other price-wise. It's now, effectively, a Cartel.

 

For an interesting selection of used guitars, Gibsons amongst them, Wunjo Guitars (about 5 yards along the road from the D. St. Macari's) is hard to beat. They've usually got things such as a few mid-'60s / mid-'70s ES-330s and so on. I bought my '93 R9 from them and they were very friendly and accommodating. At my request (once they knew I wasn't wasting anyones time) they re-strung it with Rotosound Pure Nickel .011's so I could try it out with my favoured make and gauge of strings. Nice bunch.

 

P.

Posted

Thanks, for the kind words, guys! The new "Gold Top" is awesome! The Baked Maple fingerboard is

actually quite nice (both in color, and playability)! As most of you know, I have an '80 Custom,

that I bought new, back then. It's heavier, than the new "Classic Custom," and a bit different

"feel," too. The Classic Custom, to me, is like a cross between a heavier "Classic/Standard," and

a Custom.

 

The tone, from the Classic '57's is TO DIE FOR..IMHO. I recently changed out my 2000 Les Paul Classic,

stock pickups, for '57's, and heard the tone, I had been missing (think Early Clapton, Mike Bloomfield)

right away. Obviously, I'm NOT "Clapton or Bloomfield," but at least I can now get that basic tone! So, when

I saw the Gold Top CC, and found out it came with "Classic 57's, as stock pickups, my fate was sealed!

 

The neck is (to me) a '60's profile. Very comfortable, and fast! The action, was spot on, for how

I like it. My dealer always does an excellent set-up, for me...but, in this case, they didn't need

to. They did change strings, to my preference, but that was it, this time. And, I was lucky, in that

it came with the darker colored fingerboard. I put some lemon oil, via a rag, on it, wiped any excess,

and it looks amazing! To me, it feels great, too...hard, like ebony, but a bit warmer, tone wise.

By warmer, I mean not quite the "spank" that an ebony board gives you...more like the rounder (softer?)

tone one gets, from Rosewood. So, I personally, have no problem with "Baked Maple," especially the

darker versions.

 

Cheers,

CB

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