Best Les Paul or Les Paul style guitar for under $1K?

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ledvedder

ledvedder

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I've never been much of a Les Paul guy, mostly due to the weight. But, man, I'd love to have a sunburst style one, or something like it, just because. I already have a few Wolfgangs, a few strat style guitars, and a tele. What would be some of the best ones that would be available for under a grand?
 
ESP Eclipse if you don't wanna deal with the weight, Edwards if you don't mind it and want a full thickness LP. Can find either for $750-$850 used most of the time.
 
It so happens I went in to Sam Ash yesterday and they had 4 2016 Les Paul Studios.

They come with Burstbucker Pro Pickups, Kluson Tuners (No Robo-Tuners), Satin Finish with Nitro, 50's Style Neck.

I was surprised how good it played and sounded.

I bought the one with the Fireburst Finish.

It was only $799 brand new, but it comes with a Soft Gibson case.

No biggie, I will buy a Hard Case for it.
 
Steinmetzify":1yxjd466 said:
ESP Eclipse if you don't wanna deal with the weight, Edwards if you don't mind it and want a full thickness LP. Can find either for $750-$850 used most of the time.
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This. I have both and they are fantastic. The Edwards is definitely heavy like a LP though. Both the ESP and LTD Eclipse's are nice too. My LTD has a Floyd and the ESP a standard style tune o matic. I can't say enough about the Edwards though. Fantastic guitars for the money.
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The very best value for a Les Paul style guitar under $1K is to go pickup a used Gibson Les Paul Studio. You can find them anywhere from $500 to $700 in great condition (usually), and you'll have have a couple hundred bucks left over to swap out pickups, swap out hardware, or even repaint it using the colors you want.

I like some of the other LP styled guitars out there, but there's always a shortfall with them. For example, I really like the ESP Eclipses, but they are thinner than actual Gibsons, and the ESPs never sounded as resonant as an actual Gibson Les Paul.

If (for some reason), you're of the mindset to buy somebody other than a Studio, I'd have to advise you to spend some time with the Epi Les Pauls. They're great playing guitars that can go toe-to-toe with any other foreign made guitar line (LTD, Dean, Jackson, Ibanez, ect.), and since they can actually build a Les Paul to spec (except for multi-piece bodies and dat headstock), nowadays I'd prefer an Epi LP over any other "middle line" LP copy.

With that said; with your budget, I wouldn't even consider anything else...I'd buy a used Gibson Les Paul Studio and be thrilled. I'm of thr mindset that a budget guitar by a top manufacturer is better than the best guitar possible from a "middle line" manufacturer. I suppose it's similar to advice on real estate...always buy the cheapest house in the nicest neighborhood rather than the most expensive house in a cheaper neighborhood. You'll get more from your investment too! A Gibson has a two or three piece back, made of higher quality wood, with nitro paint, and better playability. There's always a plethora of Studios on the use market; so go pick your favorite color!
 
Edwards LP's are great guitars. I have two Edwards LP's and love them both. A lot of guitar for the money. They both play and sound as good as the Gibson LP's that I've had. Better than some. Biggest difference is that the Edwards have a poly clearcoat instead of nitro like Gibsons, which is fine by me, it's not sticky.
 
I have a esp ec1000 ctm full thickness body and it is a great guitar you can pick up for well under a grand if you look around. Only draw back to it is the neck is very thin which may be great if your into that. Iv always been a fan of the big neck gibsons personally.
 
what 4406cuda said. I just got a '16 studio faded for 700ish. Nice guitar for the dough. I've had several Edwards and ESPs, but prefer this studio. Took me back to my first Les Paul- a used studio I paid about the same $ about 25 years ago (accounting for inflation).
 
Beyond Black":2qq2u5i3 said:
Edwards LP's are great guitars. I have two Edwards LP's and love them both. A lot of guitar for the money. They both play and sound as good as the Gibson LP's that I've had. Better than some. Biggest difference is that the Edwards have a poly clearcoat instead of nitro like Gibsons, which is fine by me, it's not sticky.
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I agree..love my Edward LP Custom copy....highly recommended!!!
 
I bought a Edwards LP JS from a RT member and I think it is one of the best I guitars I have ever bought/played.
 
I know some will scoff at this, but I've played a few Epi LPs and none could touch the Agile 3010 I had. It was as good or better than a studio IMO. 300 new.....but an Edwards is a step up for sure.
 
Edwards, Greco, Burny, Orville, Tokai, Agile, or the new Electras. I've heard a lot of good stuff about the new Electra guitars.

Here's a link to a new Electra on Reverb for $600.
https://reverb.com/item/876957-electra- ... lack-ebony

Here's an old Electra that I wish I could buy. This one is the exact same guitar my father had when he was in high school. I'd love to buy it and give it to him.
https://reverb.com/item/318887-electra- ... s-sunburst

I've got an Agile that plays 10x better than any of the 2015 LPs I've tried out, and I paid next to nothing for it.
Here's a nice "custom" Agile AL on Reverb for $600.
https://reverb.com/item/1318473-agile-a ... o-sunburst

You can get new Agile Guitars direct on rondomusic.com. They've got a model with Stainless Steel frets, which looks nice. Check out their superstrat models too (last few pages).
http://www.rondomusic.com/AL30012tsflame.html

Here is a vintage Orville LP on Reverb for $995 that looks REALLY good. It's got a great top on it. Coming from Chicago Music Exchange. Free shipping, so technically it's in your price range.
https://reverb.com/item/337920-orville- ... -1993-s626

You could always get a used Les Paul Studio, if you don't mind the lack of binding and such. Shouldn't be hard to find one in your price range. You might be able to find an old ESP Eclipse with the full thickness body. Those are great, but I don't know if it will come in under $1000.

EDIT: The pre-lawsuit Ibanez LPs are great. There are a bunch of Reverb right now that fit your budget.
https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=ibanez+les+paul
 
Racerxrated":1n7envof said:
I know some will scoff at this, but I've played a few Epi LPs and none could touch the Agile 3010 I had. It was as good or better than a studio IMO. 300 new.....but an Edwards is a step up for sure.
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This. My Agile is great, and it's not even the top of the line model. AL-2500 in SIlverburst.
 
Epiphone Goth Les Paul
Got it for $120 in a pawn shop. Typical price is around $200 - $250 used on Ebay.

 
I have an old korean Epiphone Les Paul that I love, plays better than any real Les Paul I had. Problem with them is the head stock screams, "I couldn't afford a Gibson"
 
BrokenFusion":3gk63swh said:
I have an old korean Epiphone Les Paul that I love, plays better than any real Les Paul I had. Problem with them is the head stock screams, "I couldn't afford a Gibson"
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:lol: :LOL: :rock: :lol: :LOL: :rock: :lol: :LOL: :rock:
 
Edwards without a doubt. I'd rather have an Edwards than a Gibson studio.....shit I'd rather have an Edwards than most any 2015 LP. My friend just got one and for the money it's not bad. I compared it another Historic R0 my friend just got and the Edwards does have a more modern compressed sound but it's loaded with Duncans. It was in the ballpark though.
 
+1 for the Edwards. Not sure how their product line was affected by the ESP product restructuring but prior to that, a lot of people even considered them better guitars than ESP.

I'm not sure if the LP shape's got the density of a Gibson, but it'll be very well made. The price is a steal.
 
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