GeeTar Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Guys and gals, I am looking for some advice on a Christmas Les Paul for my son. He is a pretty good guitar player. I.... well, I am pretty good at buying them. So obviously, the usual advice to go out and play them does not apply to this case and also, given the bewildering array of Gibson/Epiphone LP's I think I have narrowed it down to: Epiphone LP ultra pro or Epiphone LP tribute plus which brings up the other problem with playing them, they are very hard to find. So any advice would be appreciated, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat-o-steve Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Personally, if you can afford an LP Ultra series Epi, then you could buy him a REAL Gibson LP Studio Faded for not much more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTar Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Personally, if you can afford an LP Ultra series Epi, then you could buy him a REAL Gibson LP Studio Faded for not much more. I appreciate the advice yeah i was thinking the same thing the satin Gibson LP's seem like great deals on American made gear, but it appears to have the thicker 50's neck. there seems to be a bewildering amount of Gibson anniversary issue LP's that seem nicely priced but the next stop seems to be the regular studios with some great deals at slightly over a grand, but my young teenage son actually goes places and plays and so I was thinking the Epi's made a little more sense at about half that price. the tribute plus with a solid body, gibson pickups, and case seems like a lot of guitar for the money, but perhaps a little heavy for a skinny kid but the ultra pro (not Ultra II or III) with chambered body (like the Gibson faded) and that nice Belly Scarf seems like a pretty comfortable guitar to play thanks again for the thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristof_w Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 My tribute plus weighs in at exactly 10lbs, so it IS pretty heavy. However, after playing it for a few days, you get used to it. And it's definitely a very good guitar ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTar Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 My tribute plus weighs in at exactly 10lbs, so it IS pretty heavy. However, after playing it for a few days, you get used to it. And it's definitely a very good guitar ! Thanks, I haven't read a thing from anyone who didn't like theirs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthemBassMan Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 If you get him a guitar, also get a wide leather strap to go with it. I have a Clayton 3 1/2" leather strap that I switch between my Lester and bass. It spreads the weight over a wider area so it's a lot more comfortable over a long period of playing. L8R, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTD Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Have you thought about getting your son a gift card to the local music store? Then he can go play several and see what he likes. He may even want to take what you give him and add a little more of his own money to buy what he really wants. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTar Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Have you thought about getting your son a gift card to the local music store? Then he can go play several and see what he likes. He may even want to take what you give him and add a little more of his own money to buy what he really wants. Just a thought. not a bad idea, no i hadn't thought about that on the other hand, a lot more exciting to open a package with a guitar for Christmas instead of a gift card.... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTar Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 If you get him a guitar, also get a wide leather strap to go with it. I have a Clayton 3 1/2" leather strap that I switch between my Lester and bass. It spreads the weight over a wider area so it's a lot more comfortable over a long period of playing. L8R, Matt good idea, maybe a gift card for that, although some day a genuine epiphone deluxe leather strap is supposed to show up courtesy of a rebate coupon from a bass.... I keep looking in the mail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryintolearn Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Have you seen these? not far off price wise. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LPST5HCB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTar Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Have you seen these? not far off price wise. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LPST5HCB that is a screaming deal! seems like every time I turn around there is a sale on another Gibson but I keep looking for the 60's thin neck, thanks for the link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bongoscot Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I played around with an Epi Ultra and I was pretty impressed with the quality of it. I would be pretty happy to open one up for Christmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PakWaan Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I doubt you could go wrong with either. I've got a couple high end Gibsons, but bought an Epiphone LP Standard recently because I fell in love with the quality and playability. It's a really impressive product at a great price point. I was very pleasantly surprised! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spamonkis Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Find someone who knows guitars to try the instrument out first if it must be a surprise. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY! Guitars are made of wood and any wooden instrument can be a dog, regardless of factory quality control. I have seen Mike Tobias throw an instrument he hand made into a trash can (after salvaging the hardware). If it can happen to him as selective and knowledgable as he is about wood, it can happen with anybody. Also, you say a gift card would be disapointing compared to opening a guitar. Imagine how heartbreaking it would be to get a beautiful instrument only to discover that it will never play well. Chances are your son would never even tell you, he would just say thank you and live with it (and not play it much). God bless, Spamonkis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markini Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I have an Epi LP Ultra. very good build quality in my opinion. I did have the frets leveled, and polished, but played fine with the factory setup. Only major change was a Gibby '57 neck pup change out. The guitar plays easy and sounds great. It is not quite as good as my Gibson my Custom Classic. Then again it costs about a 1/3 of a CC. It is a beautiful sunburst finish. These guitars can be purchased fairly cheap say $400 to $500 with nice hard case used. Heck there might be a few floor models (2010) still out there new/old stock for about the same prices. The main reason I purchased this Ultra, was that a friend of mine purchased one and I played it and went wow.. Disclaimer this is a MIK not a MIC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Septic Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 because younger players seem to find it necessary to "personalise" everything, I'd get him the cheapest MIK I could find from the mid 2000s (only because I think they are generally reliably good) and give him some cash to experiment for himself with reasonably priced upgrades.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Also, you could take a look at the prophesy series epiphone les Pauls. They are pretty nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTar Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 Also, you could take a look at the prophesy series epiphone les Pauls. They are pretty nice. I hadn't considered that model, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTar Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 Happy New Year! Wanted to thank everyone for their advice. Had it delivered to guitar center locally, setup by a pro in town, and my son didn't have a clue until he opened the case. He is very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greybeard Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Happy New Year! Wanted to thank everyone for their advice. Had it delivered to guitar center locally, setup by a pro in town, and my son didn't have a clue until he opened the case. He is very happy. Congratulations on the new guitar for your son. Looks like you got the Tribute Plus for him though I can't read the words on the truss rod cover. I've got one just like it and hope he likes it as much as I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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