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My first LP is on the way


Dg77

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Well after much research and the help of the vets here, I've decided on the standard traditional plus in heritage cherry sunburst. I went to 3 different stores today and tried a bunch of LPs. I wasn't a fan of the slim 60s necks, and the asymmetrical felt weird to me, it had a "bite" into my hand for lack of a better word. So that narrowed the field. I love the tone of the 57s so narrowed it even more. The standard traditional plus just felt great in my hands. I almost walked out with one from the first store, but wanted to see all of my options so I went to some others. I also saw some blemishes,in the one there.....it had a few too many swirl marks in the finish for my liking, and it had a nice gash in the tailpiece. They were willing to knock off a few bucks, but I thought better of it and wanted it to be as pristine as could be considering the price.

 

Long story short, I ended up ordering a new one from guitar center that will come from their warehouse. I'm nervous about the top, but if I don't like it, I can return and order something else, but I'm pretty confident that I'll be blown away based on all the pics I've seen here and the other forum. I liked the ice tea finish too, but looking at the pics of all the serial numbers available, nothing stood out so I decided to be surprised when I open the box next week.

 

On a side note, I did so much research and learned so much here, I had to explain to the sales rep that the trad pluses he showed me with coil taps were a GC exclusive and although they were the same price, I don't need the taps and I'd rather have the pick guard....their exclusives dont have the guard. Also the heritage cherry was not available in the 50s neck,as an exclusive, the 50s neck was only available in ice tea, light burst and honey.

 

I will post pics when I've it......

 

Thanks everyone for your help!

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Sweet choice man... and good on you for being fussy.. for that price, so you should... Its well worth taking the time to find that perfect guitar, I hope the one you get next week is what your looking for.. if not it will be worth keeping up your search to find that one thats waiting for you... (for some of us its more like five :P )

 

Ahhh that new guitar buzz... theres just nothing like a day speant looking for your perfect baby..

 

Will certainly be interested to see what you end up with.. I have NEVER regretted buying a Les Paul even though alot of people out there ***** about the prices... For me, a guitar of that quality which if you look after it could last your whole life. You cant even put a price on the joy that will bring you..

 

Rock well my friend :)

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imageyza.jpg

 

Here ya go.....with a cell phone in poor lighting...it's a beaut IMO!

 

My only concern is some small splinter-like marks on the fret board. It looks like imperfections in the wood. Not all wood can be perfect and they don't effect the strings at all. They are stained with the rs of the board so I know it's not damage.....it's like my 18k kitchen cabinets, there are going to be some characteristics tha are naturally in the wood. So I'm not deeply concerned, just a characteristic of the guitar at this point. As Long as it isn't a long term problem, I'm ok with it.

 

The top is perfect. The back is perfect. The action is perfect right out of the box. The hardware is perfect. My playing needs work, but it'll get there lol.

 

 

More pics later.......

 

 

Oh and plek sticker.....im wondering if it will affect tone....leave it on or toss it? Lol

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Here ya go.....with a cell phone in poor lighting...it's a beaut IMO!

 

My only concern is some small splinter-like marks on the fret board. It looks like imperfections in the wood. Not all wood can be perfect and they don't effect the strings at all. They are stained with the rs of the board so I know it's not damage.....it's like my 18k kitchen cabinets, there are going to be some characteristics tha are naturally in the wood. So I'm not deeply concerned, just a characteristic of the guitar at this point. As Long as it isn't a long term problem, I'm ok with it.

 

The top is perfect. The back is perfect. The action is perfect right out of the box. The hardware is perfect. My playing needs work, but it'll get there lol.

 

 

More pics later.......

 

 

Oh and plek sticker.....im wondering if it will affect tone....leave it on or toss it? Lol

 

WOW thats a sweet top... well done that looks awesome, a fine specimen... And with the small imperfections on the fretboard, your probably right its just the wood grain.. Plus if it doesnt effect the playing then it just adds character :)

 

Sweet.. look forward to more pics (put some up of the fretborad if you can)..

 

Happy playing man..

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More pics...of the fretboard issue.....what do ou guys think? It looks to me like when they planed it, it chipped away and they finished it out. It is smooth, but there is definite cavities in the board. Doesn't seem to affect playability. I'm torn on this because I love everything else about it, but I'm not sure this is "normal" or acceptable.

 

 

 

imageund.jpg

 

imageurr.jpg

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Its certainly unusuall I just check mine and only my Bonamassa featured it on the first fret high E side

It looks like a finishing wax that wasn't removed during the buffing process.

Needless to say it shouldn't be a huge issue.

 

Another feature of my fretboards is mini holes thought some of which are lines. As far as I know this is a common aspect of rosewood...

 

Edit: its also on my Epiphone "Asian" Rosewood

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Its certainly unusuall I just check mine and only my Bonamassa featured it on the first fret high E side

It looks like a finishing wax that wasn't removed during the buffing process.

Needless to say it shouldn't be a huge issue.

 

Another feature of my fretboards is mini holes thought some of which are lines. As far as I know this is a common aspect of rosewood...

 

Edit: its also on my Epiphone "Asian" Rosewood

 

 

It's not a wax, those areas are kind of gouged out, like a cavity of sorts. I suspect either from a tool or the word splintering during production.

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.... Here ya go.....with a cell phone in poor lighting...it's a beaut IMO! ....

 

Yes, a beautifully flamed top with a nicely done burst. Gorgeous.

 

Congrats. . B)

 

 

As for the fretboard - I've seen this issue quite a few times over the last year or so and it's been brought up on the forum before - I remember Charlie Brown (I think) ran across a few looking for one of his LP purchases. Seems to me the factory is taking the fretboard blanks to close to the final dimension with their planers, leaving some with planing divots showing in the finished fretboard. While some my feel smooth, these depressions left from divots are apparently getting missed in the buffing step. I've seen some fretboards with bad enough divots that they should've been rejected by Q/C. Your's appear to be minor and more of a cosmetic issue, but some buyers would reject a fault like that. If you are satisfied with everything else about the guitar, and these fretboard spots feel okay to you, you could decide to keep the guitar and have those fretboard spots buffed a bit so they wouldn't be so noticeable. Or, you should be able to exchange it for another guitar - which might open another can of worms if it doesn't measure up to your original purchase. I would probably keep it because everything else seems great and I like those dark grain bands running down the fretboard, but that's me. You have to decide what you're willing to accept. . B)

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Yes, a beautifully flamed top with a nicely done burst. Gorgeous.

 

Congrats. . B)

 

 

As for the fretboard - I've seen this issue quite a few times over the last year or so. Seems to me the factory is taking the fretboard blanks to close to the final dimension with their planers, leaving some with planing divots showing in the finished fretboard. While feeling smooth, the slight depressions left from divots are apparently getting missed in the buffing step. I've seen some fretboards with bad enough divots that they should've been rejected by Q/C. Your's appear to be minor and more of a cosmetic issue, but some buyers would reject a fault like that. If you are satisfied with everything else about the guitar, and these fretboard spots feel okay to you, you could decide to keep the guitar and have those fretboard spots buffed a bit so they wouldn't be so noticeable. Or, you should be able to exchange it for another guitar - which can open another can of worms if it doesn't measure up to your original purchase. I would probably keep it, but that's me. You have to decide what you're willing to accept. . B)

 

Yeah that's pretty much the exact issue i think I have. They don't hinder anything and feel smooth in playing (not feeling it when bending right on top of them or sliding over them). If I hadn't gone over it with a fine ooh comb, probably wouldn't have even noticed it. I don't really want to exchange it as I love the top and I know that good tops are hard to find these days or so it seems. Then I'd run the risk of not liking it or possibly or something else not being right....and without seeing it first, it's risky.

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It's not a wax, those areas are kind of gouged out, like a cavity of sorts. I suspect either from a tool or the word splintering during production.

 

I just had a close look at my 2008 Standard.. It also has similar fretboard with tiny slithers.. I always thought it was just the grain of the wood as Rosewood has quite a big grain.. Ive had it for about 8 months now and its never caused me an issue for a second... they havent got bigger and theres no cracks.. so I reckon you will be ok with it

 

See the top right of the pic where its a bit out of foucs you can see the small holes

DSC01164.jpg

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I just had a close look at my 2008 Standard.. It also has similar fretboard with tiny slithers.. I always thought it was just the grain of the wood as Rosewood has quite a big grain.. Ive had it for about 8 months now and its never caused me an issue for a second... they havent got bigger and theres no cracks.. so I reckon you will be ok with it

 

See the top right of the pic where its a bit out of foucs you can see the small holes

DSC01164.jpg

 

Thanks for sharing rab! I'm sure it'll be fine as well. I have about 2 hrs of play on it and haven't noticed any trouble with it. When I first noticed it, I thought "how the heck did qc miss this?". But after reading about other people seeing similar marks, I am less concerned with it. I would hope that it was noticed and deemed acceptable during inspection. In any ase, i suppose somewhere down the road like 10 years from now if I ever need to re-fret, I can address it then. It's just too pretty to give up for something that isnt a major problem.

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Well after much research and the help of the vets here, I've decided on the standard traditional plus in heritage cherry sunburst. I went to 3 different stores today and tried a bunch of LPs. I wasn't a fan of the slim 60s necks, and the asymmetrical felt weird to me, it had a "bite" into my hand for lack of a better word. So that narrowed the field. I love the tone of the 57s so narrowed it even more. The standard traditional plus just felt great in my hands. I almost walked out with one from the first store, but wanted to see all of my options so I went to some others. I also saw some blemishes,in the one there.....it had a few too many swirl marks in the finish for my liking, and it had a nice gash in the tailpiece. They were willing to knock off a few bucks, but I thought better of it and wanted it to be as pristine as could be considering the price.

 

Long story short, I ended up ordering a new one from guitar center that will come from their warehouse. I'm nervous about the top, but if I don't like it, I can return and order something else, but I'm pretty confident that I'll be blown away based on all the pics I've seen here and the other forum. I liked the ice tea finish too, but looking at the pics of all the serial numbers available, nothing stood out so I decided to be surprised when I open the box next week.

 

On a side note, I did so much research and learned so much here, I had to explain to the sales rep that the trad pluses he showed me with coil taps were a GC exclusive and although they were the same price, I don't need the taps and I'd rather have the pick guard....their exclusives dont have the guard. Also the heritage cherry was not available in the 50s neck,as an exclusive, the 50s neck was only available in ice tea, light burst and honey.

 

I will post pics when I've it......

 

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

I think you will love the guitar,

 

I bought a tradional pro instead but i did like the ice tea finish and covered pic ups. but i also liked the locking tuners and coil taps. was a hard choice for me just like it was for you. hard deciding on a new gibby.

 

I must say that i had some issues latley with gibsons bought throught guitar center with flaws in the finish ect. had them order me one and ship to the store. this one was no exection but minor in nature it had the usall marks along the sides were they set in the case. small area's but i took it home being that i bought it before christmas guitar center had a extended return policy date that would let me wait till the end of this mounth to return it if i didnt like it or found probles. all i can say is take your time looking it over and point out any promblems if there are any. if you dont like it just have them order you a new one. they will keep doing it for you. took me 3 times on a sg standard but it worked out in the end

 

well i must say the tradition pro played great right out of the box and still does. the locking tuners are awesome. i have no tuning issues at all with them or the guitar. the coil taps are pretty good for what they are but i could have done with out them. i am going to have covers put on my picups though.

these traditional searies of guitars are great deals. i would reccomend them to anyone.

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I think you will love the guitar,

 

I bought a tradional pro instead but i did like the ice tea finish and covered pic ups. but i also liked the locking tuners and coil taps. was a hard choice for me just like it was for you. hard deciding on a new gibby.

 

I must say that i had some issues latley with gibsons bought throught guitar center with flaws in the finish ect. had them order me one and ship to the store. this one was no exection but minor in nature it had the usall marks along the sides were they set in the case. small area's but i took it home being that i bought it before christmas guitar center had a extended return policy date that would let me wait till the end of this mounth to return it if i didnt like it or found probles. all i can say is take your time looking it over and point out any promblems if there are any. if you dont like it just have them order you a new one. they will keep doing it for you. took me 3 times on a sg standard but it worked out in the end

 

well i must say the tradition pro played great right out of the box and still does. the locking tuners are awesome. i have no tuning issues at all with them or the guitar. the coil taps are pretty good for what they are but i could have done with out them. i am going to have covers put on my picups though.

these traditional searies of guitars are great deals. i would reccomend them to anyone.

 

 

Did they make you return them before ordering you a new one? Would be nice if they just ordered one and let you see it first. I'm going to take it over to the local,GC, 1 mile from my house just to have them look at it and see what they think. I've been putting it through its paces all day with no troubles, other than poor technique....lol

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OK, here's an update on my fretboard situation. I've been playing the hell out of the guitar, as much as I can, to make sure it wasn't a problem. It hasn't been an issue, but the more I looked at it, the more spots I started seeing. I would venture to say that half of the frets had one of these divots on it, if not more. Some were minimal and wouldn't have bothered me in the least, but there were 3 or 4 good ones in there that I just didn't like the look of. My primary concern was that over time, the board would suffer more wear and tear and those spots would worsen to the point of cracking the fretboard severely.

 

So, I took it over to GC and had their manager look at it. The tech wasn't in, but to be honest, I wouldn't trust their techs with a major decision like this anyway. At first, the manager thought it was just a bit dried out and recommended oiling it, but as he looked closer, he too realized the severity of the divots and said there's no way it should have left the factory like that (good job QC - another victim in the books).

 

The end result is I had them order me another one. While I loved the top on the one I had, I just couldn't bear the thought of the divots eating away at it and myself and ultimately ruining my experience with my first LP. I'll take my chances on the new top being as killer as this one was.

 

I know that alot of people hate GC, but in no way can I blame them for any of this and they were actually quite helpful in picking out a guitar, but also with this whole ordering and reordering fiasco. They couldn't have known about it since the guitar came from their DC as will the new one. Sorry for the long read....and thanks to all those who chimed in. I'll post pics of the new one when I get it (Friday).

 

....to be continued

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Did they make you return them before ordering you a new one? Would be nice if they just ordered one and let you see it first. I'm going to take it over to the local,GC, 1 mile from my house just to have them look at it and see what they think. I've been putting it through its paces all day with no troubles, other than poor technique....lol

Well i didnt even leave the store with the first 2. i had them shipped to the store so i could open them there. they ordered as new one and sent them back. takes 3 or 4 days to get another from them. they wount order one with out you paying for it first. but if you dont like it you can get your money back or order a new one.

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Picked up the replacement.....this one is perfect! The top is alot like the last one as far as grain and the fretboard is free of all divots. Does have a nice grain to it and some of the small pinholes that from my understanding is characteristic of rosewood. Otherwise flawless.

 

imagegmn.jpg

 

imageyes.jpg

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.

Another beautiful top.

 

And you're happy with the fretboard.

 

Looks like you exchange worked out great.

 

Congrats. . B)

 

.

Yep, the right thing to do and it worked out beautifully. I couldn't be happier!

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