Which Gibson Les Paul to get tomorrow?

A

amt7565

New member
OK- I was at GC today and played an Epiphone LesPaul Gold. Loved it! One thing I miss is the unreacheable high frets and the lack of a tremolo arm, Anyway the sales guy told me that considering the special Labor day sales tomorrow, he would be willing to give me a $500 discount off of an original Gibson Les Paul itself.

I am tight on budget, so I like to know what the Gibson experts here think about this selection-if I decide to get one tomorrow.

Which one should I consider?

1. Gibson-Lespaul Studio
2. Gibson-Lespaul Vintage Mahagony
3. Gibson-Lespaul special SL humbucker

Advise and opinions are appreciated.
Thanks.
 
amt7565 said:
GC...sales guy...sales...discount
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Why is GC always having a 'sale'. I've never seen a guitar not on 'sale' there.

Do you have any other shops in you town? If you do it might be wise to shop there because every guitar at every GC I have ever been too has been like that slutty girl from back in HS...that one that every one fucked for the first time but no one wanted to keep....ya you know what I mean. ;)
 
But for reals.....what kind of 'deal' was he offering on the Studio? If the 'deal' is based off of the MSRP, then you are wasting your time since you are not getting a 'deal', but simply the everyday price. Check out www.musiciansfriend.com and then look at what they are gonna offer you....I would expect the 'deal' to be somewhat lower than that price, and then tell them you don't like paying taxes because you are not down with that and let them choke on it for a while....but whatever you do, don't walk out of there having paid the INTERNET LISTED 'SALE' PRICE + tax and noteven get some extras.

Every guitar center sales man, minus a rare sales manager or two (and even that is iffy), are simply $8/hr morons who learned 3 chords and then quit playing but realized they new just enough to sound like fucking morons while selling a guitar to someone who knew even less and doesn't realize they sound like fucking morons.
 
amt7565 said:
tight on budget.....Gibson
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Go used if you can hold out a while for one to pop up. But that $1100 for a studio will get you CLOSE to a used Les Paul Classic. That IMO, is worth so much more.

The Studio series can be good, but they are generally cheaper guitars with a Gibson logo on them. But then I have one lol.....so good ones are out there. -but generally speaking, anything that says LesPaul and is cheaper than the "classic" model, is a overpriced Epi that some claim isn't even as good as the higher priced Epis.
 
in defense of GC. they can be a very good resource for fine instruments if youre already an informed consumer. they usally have a nice selection that you can try out for yourself before you buy and they have a nice and easy return policy if youre not satisfied with your purchase. the salesman usually cuts me a nice break if i ask "can u do better on the price?".

the only gripe i have with GC is that sometimes the salespeople talk out of their ass if they really arent familiar with a product.

besides that, its always cool to have a GC nearby.



I just recently did my research and bought a new les paul a couple of weeks ago. i was able to get a beautifuly flamed cherry sunburst LP standard for $1900 from GC. i am very happy with it.

out of the three u mentioned i like the studio (especially in the sunburst) but you should just try them out and find out which feels best to you (obviously)
 
Thanks folks!
I like GC. I don't buy most of stuff there now because I am getting everything on the internet- but I have spents $1000s there over several years.

A great advantage over GC is that you can go and try out any and every instrument you want! A luxury which no other store in the world can provide. So I am glad there are 4 GCs within a 45 mile radius of me!

Is $700 for a Gibson Studio a good price?

Thanks.
 
I kinda like that vintage mahogany studio...and its cheap. Burstbucker Pros in there.

700 is great for a new studio!

H2H
 
Play them all and find the exact guitar you like. Gibson's QC is such that choosing based on a particular model is a very big mistake.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Hard2Hear said:
I kinda like that vintage mahogany studio...and its cheap. Burstbucker Pros in there.
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Burstbuckers are a significant upgrade from the pickups in the LP classics IMO. My standard has Burstbuckers.
 
Hard2Hear said:
I kinda like that vintage mahogany studio...and its cheap. Burstbucker Pros in there.

700 is great for a new studio!

H2H
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Is it the studio that normally sells for for $1100 and the MSRP is more than that? Then yes. Otherwise its an even cheaper version. I can't keep up with all the new models Gibson is releasing, but anyting that ends in 'special' or 'faded' is on the lower end of the scale.
 
KKM1 said:
Burstbuckers are a significant upgrade from the pickups in the LP classics IMO. My standard has Burstbuckers.
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My friend just got a Standard Premium Plus with BurstBuckers....outside of how much better it plays, the sound is unbelieveable. I am considering swapping those pups into mine.
 
It can be hard to stress to someone who hasnt bought a lot of guitars how much money you can save buying used, I didn't get it until I saw my friend get some really nice deals and now I won't buy anything new. For less than the price of my Ibanez Noodles Signature I got a slightly used Gibson SG Standard.
My advice is go to the big guitar stores (GC, L&M in Canada) and just play everything, find something you like and then look around for it used. I agree with outlaws in that a used Classic will be close in price, and a much better guitar than a Studio.
Light obviously has a lot more experience with this than me, but I've found that there isnt a huge range in quality of the les paul classics, theres still some that suck, but theres no where near the range of quality that there is in the studios. Some studios can be pretty close to a classic, some can be worse than an epiphone.
 
You did not mention what pricing you got from GC.

For what it's worth, online firms sell the LP Studio new for about $1200. New Gibson LP standards start at about $1800 online.

LP models sometimes considered most desireable include Goldtops, Customs, Classics, and Standards. There are lots of used LP models on EBay in the $1500 range and up.

With Gibson guitars, many older used models are better built than new ones from recent years. Your best bet might be to look for stores with used models you can try out. You may well find a better more sought after model that way than the GC new studio model approach.

Ed
 
Thanks Everyone-
I am going to GC today. If I decide to buy one I might get the studio for $700.00. I will also look into the Epi's.
 
classic and studio

I managed to purchase a LP studio for $600 used quite a few years back before MARS music went out of business. Last year I found a used LP classic for $1400 at the local GC and purchased it immediately. The sound of the LP classic, in my opinion, is much better than a studio. If you could manage to find a used LP studio and invest that little extra money in new pickups, you may be able to make out on that deal. Either way, good luck with the guitar hunt, there are good deals out there.
 
amt7565 said:
OK- I was at GC today and played an Epiphone LesPaul Gold. Loved it! One thing I miss is the unreacheable high frets and the lack of a tremolo arm, Anyway the sales guy told me that considering the special Labor day sales tomorrow, he would be willing to give me a $500 discount off of an original Gibson Les Paul itself.

I am tight on budget, so I like to know what the Gibson experts here think about this selection-if I decide to get one tomorrow.

Which one should I consider?

1. Gibson-Lespaul Studio
2. Gibson-Lespaul Vintage Mahagony
3. Gibson-Lespaul special SL humbucker

Advise and opinions are appreciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Because of their construction, each of these is going to sound quite different than the other.

The Studios are Mahogany body with a carved Maple cap and the 490R/498T pickups. The Vintage Mahoganys are Mahogany body with carved Mahogany cap and the Burstbucker pickups. Both have a rosewood fingerboard. So, I'd wager that the Vintage Mahogany is going to sound a bit "darker" than a Studio or even a Standard, since the basic difference between the Studios and Standards is the lack of binding and the finishes...and now the Burstbucker pickups (Standards used to come with the 490R/498T pickups). The Special is Mahogany with no cap and the 490R/498T pickups, but because of the thinner body, it should be brighter than the Vintage Mahogany.

I do agree, however, with many in this thread who have suggested buying used. I picked-up a used 1990 Studio in July for $550.00 with a HSC (pic here).

Someone mentioned the Classics...just keep in mind that they have a slimmer neck and hotter pickups (496R/500T ceramic magnets), so that may not fit your particular playing style.

You do need to play several and see which one(s) towards which you gravitate.

I'd also recommend checking out the Les Paul Forum and going to the "Sunburst Pub". Just do some searches...there are plenty of threads about the differences between Studios, Standards, Classics, Reissues, etc.
 
yeah....

Man, I feel you pain. I am saving up for my next Gibson. Its a tough chioce.. Do I want a Les Pual Studio, Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Deluxe, Les Paul Standard Limited Edition (beautiful finishes), Es-335, or ES-335 satin....

LUckliy I'll have to save up for a while so I have more time to decide.....

any suggestions for me, guys?

Anybody have an opinion on the sound of the Deluxe vs, the other Les Pauls?
 
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