2 guitars or 1

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Krystof01

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Ok; here's the deal. Would you buy say a Gibson SG special and a Les Paul Studio or just get one guitar like a Les Paul Standard. The two first guitars amount to the value of the one guitar.

I don't want the answer like; no I'd buy this guitar (maker/model) instead. What I'm after is the opinions on quality over quantity.

By Buying a Gibson you are getting away from epiphone quality craftmenship (I assume). Is there a justifiable reason for buying one guitar in this situation instead of the two? is there really that much of a difference in sound; surely were talking very marginal. What would you do hypothetically speaking? (guitar based only please).

Any thoughts?,
Krystof.
 
This aint the answer you want. Sorry.

Take the blind taste-test. Epi standard / Gibson studio.

Just guessing...you probably don't like the way the studio looks. You'll never be happy. It'll be on ebay in a month.

Anybody got a Gibson headstock I can glue to my Epi?:D

Good Luck.
 
It would be nice to have two very different sounding guitars....like a Gibson LP and a Fender strat. That will give you many more options than 2 Gibsons (no the SG doesn't sound exactly like the LP, but neither will give you that nice fender single coil sound).

If it's a choice between the two gibsons, then just get the LP Standard. The studio is a lightweight and doesn't stack up IMHO. The SG Special is in the same league. Many guys will swear by their studios, but please go play one! Don't listen to the "the only difference between a studio and a standard is the trim" bullshit. If you believe it, you're an idiot.

Better yet, you might look for a used Custom which has an ebony fingerboard which I just LOVE, and an 1/8" extra mahogony in the body. Play em before you buy em though, Gibson QC leaves a lot to be desired.

A lot of people, myself included at times, think they can "get away" with stuff because they're "just recording". That is, cheap instruments should sound great if you're just recording them, right? WRONG. That's the weirdest way of thinking. The better your sources, the better your recordings. You can get away with crappier instruments in a live environment before you can get away with them in a recording environment.

The simple fact of the matter is that 10000000 crappy guitars will never equal one nice guitar. That's not to say that one guitar will do it all, but save your money and buy quality. Sometimes of course you have to make a purchase in a pinch, but if you've got the money for an LP Standard, then get one.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Well I'm one of those who Slackmaster said not to believe regarding the LP Studios. (sorry). And contrary to what getuhgrip said, I happen to like the looks of my Studio, which was a major factor in me buying it. Everyone seems to have the same boring looking Les Pauls, with an aweful-colored (usually mismatched) trim around the body and the binding on the neck, and I believe it adds nothing to the appearance. I would rather look at the beautiful wood grain under the more translucent finish of my '94 Studio, and that is something I couldn't find on the other LP models.

For the record, the Studio is not a thinner guitar. It apparently was thinner for several years, but that is a thing of the past. Just take a look at Gibson's website and they declare that the full-sized body is back. Therefore all the hardware is identical, including body dimensions, so to what would you attribute sonic differences?

Also for the record, there are far fewer Studios for sale on ebay as there are any other LP model. A quick search will verify this, which you are encouraged to do.

I gig with the Studio and thoroughly enjoy it, enough so that I've been keeping an eye out for a spare. Check them out.
 
First, get a really nice guitar, then (and this is something I'm recently finding out) Save up for another type of amp. One that is unlike the one you have. I have opened up a whole new arsenal of tone this way. I realize this isn't exactly an answer to your question, but think about it.
 
I agree that if you're gonna have 2 guitars,one should have the Gibson sound and the other the Fender (single coil) sound. 2 amps would be nice as well.
 
I guess that I would get the Standard.Unless you need a backup for gigging.Then I'd get them both.I dream of a Goldtop with P90s,oh well got to save for a new mic and pre instead.

Good luck
Don
 
pchorman,

Are you implying that the Studio and Standard are identical because of the specifications? Therefore the 300-500 dollar price difference exists for no reason? In other words, all guitars made from the same type of wood will sound the same, given the same pickups? I would disagree.

I can't stand studios. But we could have this argument all day long. :)

Slackmaster 2000
 
Slackmaster: it is my understanding that the Studio's pickups, all other hardware, the body, neck material, and their dimensions are the same at least as the next higher end version (maybe the fretboard is different. It is typically rosewood on the Studio). If I'm wrong, just set me straight. If I'm right, what else would be responsible for its sound? Certainly not cosmetic details.

One aesthetic detail that may amount to a non-negligible cost difference is the time spend in selecting and machining the book-end matched halves that make the guitar top. The factory might pay less attention to this on the Studio, thus making a big dent in cost savings.

To me, the added cost of binding isn't worth a few hundred bucks, and I cannot tell where else the company could have saved the money. It is cheaper for Gibson to maintain commonality in these parts, rather than tailor (or "customize") them for the different product lines. This way, a guitar body or neck or saddle could equally likely end up on a Custom or a Studio or a Standard, wherever the demand in production happens to be on any given day. It would be nice if a former factory employer chimed in here to set the record straight on their production practices.
 
My .02

Krstof01 ,

You used to could get a LP Classic for about $1300 with a nice sunburst finish...I think they've gone up a bit now though. I played a LP Studio that had the greatest action of any guitar I've ever played. Effortless bends with no buzz and low action. There is some sorta cachet about owning the 'real deal' though. Plus some LP's seem to hold they're resale value. Best bet is go to a music store with both, and A B them.
 
Wood selection (age, density, etc), craftsmanship, and quality control play a big part in any guitar's sound. Go down to the music store and pick up 3 gibsons of the same make, and I guarantee they will play and sound at least slightly differently. Now play a standard and a studio. If you can't feel the difference, then that's cool...I mean it is all about the individual player, and there's nothing wrong with us disagreeing.

The only reason I'm being such a dink about this is that almost every time I go into the music store to try out an amp or something, they ask "what kind of guitar do you usually play at home" and I'll say, "a les paul custom", and they'll hand me a freakin STUDIO. At this point I'll usually make the cheapskates at least haul a standard down for me and they'll grumble and moan. The difference between a custom and a standard ON PAPER is pretty slight, some extra weight and a better fretboard, but the difference in playability is considerable. The difference between a Standard and a Studio ON PAPER is pretty slight as well, just some trim, but the difference in playability is considerable.

At any rate, always play a gibson before you buy it. I live in Bozeman Montana so I get to meet a lot of guys who work at Gibson Acoustics here in town, in fact I went for a job interview there once, but it's a real sweatshop. Anyhow, in recent years it's rumored that Gibson quality is going downhill. I've heard stories of them using wood that's not properly aged and treated, hiding blemishes, and things of that nature...quantity over quality. And these are $1500 guitars too, not cheapos. I'm not sure if the same holds true at the Gibson electric factory, but it is the same company. I notice a difference between LP Customs when I play them often times, and none of the new ones seem to play as well as my 1980...and 1980 was not a good year for LP's...so...each guitar must be judged individually I suppose.

Slackmaster 2000
 
This post is merely to give you an idea on LP current pricing.

At GuitarTrader.com the prices are as follows:

LP Studio - $890
LP Classic - $1279
LP Standard - $1619

I don't work for them, just an FYI. By the way, the new studio plus is a nice guitar. Played one this weekend and would have bought it IF I had the $.

H2H
 
To answer the first question, no - don't get them both, as they are both undistinguished generic Gibsons, and as such pretty pointless and semi-redundant buys. I would say that between the two poor options presented, get the good Les Paul, if you can find one, which I am beginning to doubt. I've been looking at hideously expensive Gibsons lately and I have to say that after all these years, Gibson still can't make more than two decent guitars in a row without screwing something up and shipping the result. I own several Gibsons, have owned many dozens, but I doubt I'd ever buy another one.

And as to another point:

# The simple fact of the matter is that 10000000 crappy guitars
# will never equal one nice guitar. That's not to say that one
# guitar will do it all, but save your money and buy quality.

Mere money won't buy quality. If people realized this, Gibson would be out of business tomorrow. So would Fender.

As I've said before, possibly my all-time favorite guitar ever is the DeArmond M-77T I bought recently at GC for a song. It does just what I always wanted a Les Paul to do, but never did, and I've had somewhere between 20-30 Les Pauls of various models in the past 35 years or so. This particular M-77T is a _great_ guitar, flawless in every way.

Thanks to a major reversal of fortunes, I can now afford any guitar on the market, but I just don't see the point of spending a lot on a production guitar from a company that hasn't got production down yet and merely peddles their name.

# Sometimes of course you have to make a purchase in a pinch,
# but if you've got the money for an LP Standard, then get one.

If he's got that much money to throw around, I say go ahead, but at least try to find a decent example and not buy some $2K piece of firewood.
 
Thanks for the replies and please keep them coming.

I'm not desperate to buy a new guitar at the moment; just enquiring as I probably will be buying within a few months.

I'd always play a guitar before buying and know full well about Gibson QC; and many other companies.

Oh well, maybe I'll by a nice fender telecaster, or maybe a strat, nah I'll by a ......................

Hey bongolation:
"Thanks to a major reversal of fortunes, I can now afford any guitar on the market".

Do you want to buy me a guitar?
 
Well at the moment I have:

Epiphone black beauty
Epiphone casino
Yamaha Pacifica 821 d

Martin D1
2 other guitars that are so bad (my first 2) that are almost unplayable now.

As you can see I have two epiphones. The casinos fine; I play it a lot and the black beauty's kind of nice (les paul style/three humbuckers) but it isn't the 'real' thing. So I'd probably want to get a LP standard or something, not the studio as it's the in between guitar (price wise).

The yamaha; well I bought that secnd hand. I wanted a guitar with a tremolo system (floyd rose), 24 frets, low action, light but not an Ibanez. I don't really play in this style (super fast shredder etc) but it's nice to have that diversity there; something a little different.

The Martin is one of the nicest acoustic guitars I've ever played. I played it along side high end taylors and gibsons but this was the pick of the bunch (and half the price (almost)). It's back to the QC again, the taylors/gibsons were probably below par, the Martin was so much nicer than other D1's I've played. (it was quite funny really. Everyone I spoke to in that shop at the time wanted it but really just couldn't afford it. I was planing on spending around £400-£500 on and acoustic for recording; this was £780. Because I was bulk buying (I bought the casino/martin/Korg D16/mics etc I ended up walking out with it for £580 (they lost the chart for pricings and I had taken it off the guitar-I told them I had seen another D1 in another shop for £600, I walked out a ver happy guitarist))).

Oh yeh, back to the guitars topic (sorry-reliving past glories). I need now to elivate more to the higher range of guitars-price/quality (though they don't go hand in hand). I'm likely to be getting 1 or 2, even if they equate to the price of 2 Les Paul standards. I don't want a vintage strat at the moment so it looks like either/and a Telecaster (any opinions on which), an SG, a LP or a PRS (if I can find one old enough to not be a mass produced one (before 94/95 I think)).
 
# Hey bongolation:

## "Thanks to a major reversal of fortunes, I can now afford any
## guitar on the market".

# Do you want to buy me a guitar?

Hmm. Did you help _me_ out when I was down? 8-)

Nah, nobody did. Well, only one guy, and if he ever needs a kidney or anything, he can have one of mine.

I will pass on this advice, though: I spent about a half-hour looking at a store full of Les Pauls yesterday and I did not find ONE that had the purfling done right, even on $4000 models. I mean _awful_.

Come to think of it, I don't think I have EVER seen a Gibson with the purfling done even half-decently, not even to the standards of some $200 Indonesian cheapie.

No wonder they're dropping it on many models. If you can't get this simple procedure down after about eighty years, I say you might think about dropping it, huh?

Gibson QC...wow, talk about oxymorons...
 
I happen to like the looks of my Studio, which was a major factor in me buying it.
Click to expand...

Wasn't picking on the looks of your guitar, pawdner.:p
Just making an observation based on my own experience.

I wrestled with a similar decision before grabbing an epi les paul....Do I want the studio with the smaller traps and no binding (and to me it would have been because it said Gibson) or do I want the Epi Standard because I can't possibly afford the Gibson Standard? Tug, pull, twist...oh what do I do??!!

Took the blind taste test.

Anyway, when I can't hear the difference, sometimes it boils down to "what do I like to look at."

We couldn't put our guitars in a race because I think they'd just sit there!:D



Go Epi. Go Studio! Go Navy!
 
And to be quite honest, you can find some pretty descent Epiphones around. The QC being what it is even moreso on these than the Gibsons. If you are willing to wait-ie not desperate for a new guitar you will probably find that some epi's are not far ehind the studio's, only marginally due to materials used.
 
There's a really nice vintage shop in Doncaster you might want to go to to check out the vintage 'vibe'.

My other thought on your dilemma is buy the best and you're never disappointed - one great guitar is always going to be much more satisfying than two pretty good ones.

Of course, two great guitars would be the preferred option.

;-)

foo
 
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