46845 Posted November 24, 2008 Posted November 24, 2008 hello everyone, i have a question for those of you that own a gibson les paul. i am planning to buy one soon (budget: €2000 - €3000) but i'm having trouble choosing between all different ones available. how did you choose wich one is best for you? did you decide by simply trying them or are there some easily describable differences wich helped narrowing it down to the one thats fits you the best? any help would be appreciated.
MikeRom Posted November 24, 2008 Posted November 24, 2008 Must be the holidays are coming up eh? Lot of folks shopping for new Gibby's. Not that there's anything wrong with that, just making an observation. Lots of great Les Pauls out there for sure. Comes down to what you like best for the money you have available and if it fits your musical style. Putting hands on tho is the absolute best way to judge. Worth a look in that price range -the new Traditional or the new Standard. Have fun shopping!
mr newhaven Posted November 24, 2008 Posted November 24, 2008 hey 46845 (change your name by the way!!...hahaha j/k) you will get a lot of different answers on this one! i chose my les paul by playing several at the store...doing online research to see how others rated the guitars (i narrowed them down to 3 models) and just went for it...I am soo happy with my Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany by the way... here's what i say...if you can play a bunch at a music store...do it! if the music store just helps you narrow down what kind of pickups you want or what finish you want...take that info and start searching online... for example...lets say you love the LP Classic...go online and read a bunch of reviews...I am sure you will find hundreds of thousands of them...go on YOUTUBE.com...watch video reviews and see how those work for you as well... also look into what exactly matters to you in a guitar...(i didnt care about the finish on mine...in fact i liked the idea of a non-finished guitar...very basic...very old looking...that is why i went for the VM les paul...that and a bunch of other factors...but i knew from the configuration that i liked the burstbucker pro pickups...other studio models didnt come with them and i didnt want to spend $200+ to outfit a new axe with them so this was a simple choice...) i dont have any issues with buying instruments online sight unseen...alot of people say this is a big no-no...i have bought 2 guitars site unseen and have had great luck with them...and in my opinion...each guitar feels/sounds is a little different and you are supposed to pick one that sings to you...but when you unwrap that huge box that comes in the mail and open that case for the first time...i doubt that you wouldnt be satisfied... with the budget you are talking about...get an '08 standard. they are brand new...have great pick-ups and a KILLER neck...i dont think they would be cost prohibitive and all and all most people would agree that they are amazing guitars...if you want something a little sexier i guess you could get...actually, the 08 standards are pretty damn sexy as is my guitar...(look up gibson vintage mahogany on google in worn cherry and you'll see what i mean...and they are cheap as hell!) i hope i didnt steer you wrong...ultimately its your money...spend it in a way that you will feel satisfied about when you are done!
46845 Posted November 24, 2008 Author Posted November 24, 2008 thanks a lot, unfortunatly i won't be able to try out many becouse here in holland it's hard to find gibsons in this price range (there are usually just the cheaper ones) also remember that i stated in euro's, so my budget is up to around 3800 dollar. as for looks i pretty much decided already that it's going to be an ebony. also are there versions with a smaller body? when i saw europe live this summer john norum was playing a very sweet ebony les paul and it seemed to have a slightly smaller body but i could be mistaken, this would be great for me, both becouse i think it looks really sweet and becouse i prefer playing on guitars with a smaller body (i'm currently playing an ibanez from the S series so yeah ) as for the 08 ones i'm not sure, i'm choosing a les paul partially becouse of its classicness (is that even a real word?) but i have yet to see a 08 for real thought. but i'm definatly not interested in one of those with glowing buttons etc (yes i know not all of them have that). but i guess a 08 with a classic look would be fine...
SRV-Zeppelin Posted November 24, 2008 Posted November 24, 2008 Depends on your playing style and sense of style. I settled on a Standard after months of mindlessly pouring over the Gibson USA website and finally tried a couple out along with other models. Just go with what feels right, and read what guitarslinger and mr newhaven had to say.
ian c Posted November 24, 2008 Posted November 24, 2008 hey 46845 (change your name by the way!!...hahaha j/k) you will get a lot of different answers on this one! i chose my les paul by playing several at the store...doing online research to see how others rated the guitars (i narrowed them down to 3 models) and just went for it...I am soo happy with my Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany by the way... here's what i say...if you can play a bunch at a music store...do it! if the music store just helps you narrow down what kind of pickups you want or what finish you want...take that info and start searching online... for example...lets say you love the LP Classic...go online and read a bunch of reviews...I am sure you will find hundreds of thousands of them...go on YOUTUBE.com...watch video reviews and see how those work for you as well... also look into what exactly matters to you in a guitar...(i didnt care about the finish on mine...in fact i liked the idea of a non-finished guitar...very basic...very old looking...that is why i went for the VM les paul...that and a bunch of other factors...but i knew from the configuration that i liked the burstbucker pro pickups...other studio models didnt come with them and i didnt want to spend $200+ to outfit a new axe with them so this was a simple choice...) i dont have any issues with buying instruments online sight unseen...alot of people say this is a big no-no...i have bought 2 guitars site unseen and have had great luck with them...and in my opinion...each guitar feels/sounds is a little different and you are supposed to pick one that sings to you...but when you unwrap that huge box that comes in the mail and open that case for the first time...i doubt that you wouldnt be satisfied... with the budget you are talking about...get an '08 standard. they are brand new...have great pick-ups and a KILLER neck...i dont think they would be cost prohibitive and all and all most people would agree that they are amazing guitars...if you want something a little sexier i guess you could get...actually' date=' the 08 standards are pretty damn sexy as is my guitar...(look up gibson vintage mahogany on google in worn cherry and you'll see what i mean...and they are cheap as hell!) i hope i didnt steer you wrong...ultimately its your money...spend it in a way that you will feel satisfied about when you are done![/quote'] kinda cruel on your local music store isnt it ?? use there guitars for free ... use there amps for free .... use there expertise for free ... then buy online because its cheaper !!!!
mr newhaven Posted November 24, 2008 Posted November 24, 2008 kinda cruel on your local music store isnt it ?? use there guitars for free ... use there amps for free .... use there expertise for free ... then buy online because its cheaper !!!! i guess it is cruel! but luckily we live in an open and free market...i have bought a couple of guitars from guitar center...the les paul being one of them...so i do not feel too badly about not buying all my guitars from bigger retailers...i also live near a bunch of them so i go there for strings...picks...straps...etc...they get enough of my money not to make me feel too bad. also selection is a problem with big retailers...the benefit being that if you are pro-big retailers they can pretty much order anything for you but then why pay a middle man to do what you can for yourself on their own website!?? i am a firm believer in doing things the right way most of the time...but why settle for whatever is in the store when you can use the store like a tool to get a better idea of what you want and then find it exactly online? i dont think anyone feels bad doing that...and i dont think i am the only one that does that...seeing as though this kid is from Holland i have no idea how to guide him otherwise...he has a deep enough budget to pretty much get whatever he wants...i dont want him throwing away his hard-earned money to help make corporate overhead! i myself am a small business owner and frequent local music shops and luthiers whenever i can...luckily for the bigger guys out there they have a larger market in those stores other than guitars so im sure they do alright! *******Ebony is a tricky color to pull off******** if you gig on stage with it alot i find that the black shows mucho mucho fingerprints and can detract from the guitar playing...if you get an ebony and gig with it...polish it before you go on stage!
46845 Posted November 24, 2008 Author Posted November 24, 2008 haha my local guitar shop really doesnt have the right to complain about that indeed! i spend most of my money there already so i'm sure they wouldnt mind. as for the ebony, thats a good tip, but it's not gonna keep me from getting an ebony becouse they are just too damn sexy :P maybe i'll even go for a mat one, i've seen one of those before and looked pretty awesome. but enough about looks, what really matters offcourse is what it can do. anyone knows a site with a good overview with the technical differences between the different types?
MikeRom Posted November 24, 2008 Posted November 24, 2008 are there versions with a smaller body? when i saw europe live this summer john norum was playing a very sweet ebony les paul and it seemed to have a slightly smaller body but i could be mistaken' date=' this would be great for me, both becouse i think it looks really sweet and becouse i prefer playing on guitars with a smaller body (i'm currently playing an ibanez from the S series so yeah :P ) quote'] Really depends on how big the player is. On me it looks pretty big. On Ted Nugent, not so much. Bodies are all relatively the same size.
tepidy Posted November 25, 2008 Posted November 25, 2008 Stick with a custom and you wont go wrong although you still have to try them and see which one fits.
SRV-Zeppelin Posted November 25, 2008 Posted November 25, 2008 *******Ebony is a tricky color to pull off******** if you gig on stage with it alot i find that the black shows mucho mucho fingerprints and can detract from the guitar playing...if you get an ebony and gig with it...polish it before you go on stage! This is very' date=' very true. I make sure I wipe down my guitar after every time I play it and I [b']always[/b] polish it before going on stage. I find Gibson pump polish works just fine for eliminating prints.
RichCI Posted November 25, 2008 Posted November 25, 2008 did you decide by simply trying them or are there some easily describable differences wich helped narrowing it down to the one thats fits you the best? Both. I like a guitar that feels lively - it has to shake in the body and neck. If it doesn't do that, I try another. Gibson Les Pauls, like all guitars, vary a bit because wood varies. For me, I wasn't looking for a particular model of Les Paul, I just know how I like a guitar to react to my playing so it was just a matter of finding a Les Paul that did that the best, regardless of the model.
ChanMan Posted November 25, 2008 Posted November 25, 2008 I started by playing everything. Fender, Ibanez, Schecter... of course, Gibsons. I then played all the Gibsons I could. I found the Standard gave me the tone I was looking for, so then I started looking for which finish. Once I decided on a Desert Burst, it was just a question of finding the right one. All in all, it took around 18 months. (and I ADORE my LP)
SRV-Zeppelin Posted November 25, 2008 Posted November 25, 2008 (and I ADORE my LP) Well you'd better, with a finish like that!
ckledzepplin Posted November 25, 2008 Posted November 25, 2008 if you don't want to spend an arm or a leg don't talk to tim(r9)
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.