my 1st les paul

[toyL]

…I’ve been playing the same 64’ gibson sg for 26 yrs now and I love it, but, I’ve wanted a les paul ever since the first time I played my friend’s standard when I was 16… that was 24 yrs ago, and I can still remember how easily it played and how awesome it sounded thru his fender (showman?)…god knows I’m not complaining about the sg, but there’s just something about the les paul that my sg just doesn’t have…so, seeing as how I’ll be retiring soon (at age 40) I’m thinking it’s time that I go ahead and “celebrate” the occasion by buying myself a les paul—maybe a custom, maybe a standard, but nothing less…the only question is whether it’ll be new or used…of course, I’ll be sure to play the hell out of whatever I look at before I fork over the geets, and I’m well-schooled on what to look for as far as the condition of the instrument goes—whether it’s used or new…but, I definitely want some input from some of the members of this forum…there’s a collective depth and breadth of knowledge on this forum that no one person could possibly possess, so tell it like it is—tell me about gibson les pauls (customs and standards)…are there certain yrs to stay away from?…what are your thoughts on the various woods and materials used?…the one thing I’m sure of at this point is that it’ll have dual humbucking pickups…thanks.

 

[Wide Awake]

A great source of information is the Les Paul Forum. There are people there with incredible knowledge of everything Gibson and you can spend days going through the archives and learning about Les Pauls. www.lespaulforum.com

 

[toyL]

thanks Wide Awake...I had no idea there was such a place.

 

[flash2ace]

buy a heritage les paul youll get twice the guitar and they are actually worth the money they are asking for them unlike the gibsons of today which are way overpriced imho.

 

[KaBudokan]

Well, if I were going for a LP-style guitar, I would definitely look at a few other options - mainly Heritage, Hamer, Mcinturff, and Baker (especially Baker!).

However, I can definitely understand wanting a "real" Les Paul, as there is something terribly cool about them, especially if you've been dreaming of one for a long time. If I were buying a new one and had the cash, I would check out the Historic 58s and 59s - they're supposed to be absolutely killer. As always, you should play them to find the one you like.

You may also be able to find one used for a better price.

 

[TheGuitarMan]

Yes. Heritage all the way...

...and since the guys at Heritage used to work for Gibson before ownership changed 15 years ago, they do make "real" Les Pauls.

 

[Henri Devill]

Les Paul...Man I remember my fist!It was a 74 Tabacco sunburst Standard{reissue} I got it in 76 used I paid $300.50 bucks for it...Man I loved that guit!Like you know you gotta play one,it will either talk to you or not..I've had so many guits I can't remember half of them.LOLBut I'll never forget my first Lester!Wish I could afford one now..Good luck



Don

 

[Pier Calacino]

I own a wine red 77 Les Paul Standard that I baught new, So that dates me to about your age toyl.

but anyway, I really love it and it still looks and plays great!
If you can get yourself one from the 70's in good shape, I think you will have a gem!

I really don't know who the new ones rate, I have only heard that they are not as good as the old ones? What ever that means.

Good Luck

Pier

 

[DaveM]

gotta agree with the heritage. Once you play one of those and compare it to a Gibson, you'll never buy the Gibson brand again.