Gibson Les Paul Classic?

[Rex Rocker]

I love my Gibson Les Paul Tribute, but I think it's time to go to the next step up. I love the tone of my Tribute, but I've never really bonded with two aspects of it: The fat neck and the burst finish.

So yeah, they did use to have red or black Les Paul Standards, but not anymore. All of the current ones are bursts that end in yellow, which I don't particularly love. Which is a shame, because I like flamed maple as much as anyone.

I also need a 60's neck. I grew up playing Ibanez. I don't mind mid-sized necks like the ESP Thin U, but the Gibson 50's is just too clunky-feeling for my taste. Plus I've never really found a direct relation between neck thickness and tone. My old Ibanez RGA121 had the Wizard Prestige neck, and it sounded great. Not like a Les Paul, but great in its own right.

I don't necessarily love the ABR-1-style of bridge these come with, but they also mount using Nashville-style inserts, right? So that can be fixed. Same as the vintage-voiced pickups.

But what I mean to ask is how is the overall quality in these? Is it comparable to the Standards or is it a step down? What can I expect from these?

Also, I do appreciate how stable the neck in my Tribute is. I mean, after all, it's a big old piece of maple. Is the 60's mahogany neck going to be more sensitive to temperature changes and whatnot?

Thanks!

 

[BenPerkins]

I love my Gibson Les Paul Tribute, but I think it's time to go to the next step up. I love the tone of my Tribute, but I've never really bonded with two aspects of it: The fat neck and the burst finish.

So yeah, they did use to have red or black Les Paul Standards, but not anymore. All of the current ones are bursts that end in yellow, which I don't particularly love. Which is a shame, because I like flamed maple as much as anyone.

I also need a 60's neck. I grew up playing Ibanez. I don't mind mid-sized necks like the ESP Thin U, but the Gibson 50's is just too clunky-feeling for my taste. Plus I've never really found a direct relation between neck thickness and tone. My old Ibanez RGA121 had the Wizard Prestige neck, and it sounded great. Not like a Les Paul, but great in its own right.

I don't necessarily love the ABR-1-style of bridge these come with, but they also mount using Nashville-style inserts, right? So that can be fixed. Same as the vintage-voiced pickups.

But what I mean to ask is how is the overall quality in these? Is it comparable to the Standards or is it a step down? What can I expect from these?

Also, I do appreciate how stable the neck in my Tribute is. I mean, after all, it's a big old piece of maple. Is the 60's mahogany neck going to be more sensitive to temperature changes and whatnot?

Thanks!

Love mine, I’ve got the black one. Quality is great. It’s more functional than the Standard. With the coils split, almost get a P90 tone. I would go with the 60’s Standard if you don’t need the switching options. Regarding the neck and temperature change, someone else will need to speak to that. If you’re looking for one LP that can do pretty much everything though, I’d go with the Classic.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Thanks! Yeah, I'd probably rip the whole elelectronics apart because I tend to like higher output pickups and no tone knobs, but I've also got a 500T that I could just drop in for simplicity's sake.

 

[Geo]

Yes, yes, yes

 

[BenPerkins]

Thanks! Yeah, I'd probably rip the whole elelectronics apart because I tend to like higher output pickups and no tone knobs, but I've also got a 500T that I could just drop in for simplicity's sake.

I thought the same - I usually go with SD WLH’s. But the stock pups aren’t that bad, at least for what I’m playing. I play early John Mayall era Clapton to Black Sabbath.

 

[skoora]

If you find a LP classic from the 90’s, they came with 500’s in the bridge.

 

[ClintN667]

I have the ebony 2022 classic. I love it. I did put suhr aldrich in it. Speaking of which I need to go pick mine up. It's been sitting at a jam place for the past couple weeks. Need to pick it up before it walks off. I spent a weekend trying out single cuts and the standard 60 and classic won between all the ones I tried. The classic one between the 2 due to price point. I couldn't see paying an extra 500 for a slightly better guitar between the few examples I tried

 

[BenPerkins]

Heritage Cherry Sunburst looks nice

 

[Giblesoqul2001]

Not sure if it matters or not. The new classics are Weight Relieved.

 

[rsm]

IDK. What about SG?

The SG Modern is looking sweet IMO; wish there was an alpine white / snow white option. or Firebird VII.


Though I'd get another Ibanez or ESP for the price of a Gibson...

 

[Rex Rocker]

IDK. What about SG?

The SG Modern is looking sweet IMO; wish there was an alpine white / snow white option. or Firebird VII.


Though I'd get another Ibanez or ESP for the price of a Gibson...

I like SG's, just kind of more case-specific. I prefer Les Pauls overall.

I like ESP's as well, but they just don't sound the same as Gibsons for some reason.

Not sure if it matters or not. The new classics are Weight Relieved.

No problem at all. My Tribute I think is more chambered insided, and it sounds killer.

Heritage Cherry Sunburst looks nice

Not saying there's anything wrong with Cherry Burst, but I'd rather have it be black or red for my taste. That's why I'm looking at Classics rather than Standards.

Because I like the feel of satin finishes in Gibsons. So for the same price of a Classic, I could get a Standard Faded with a nice top. But I just don't gel with burst finishes. I don't know. I think I can live with black rim borders in a burst finish. It's just the red to orange to yellow fade that I don't gel with.

 

[Rex Rocker]

If you find a LP classic from the 90’s, they came with 500’s in the bridge.

That could be an option as well. I like the idea of a new guitar, but those 90's Classics had even thinner necks, didn't they?

 

[skoora]

That could be an option as well. I like the idea of a new guitar, but those 90's Classics had even thinner necks, didn't they?

They are definitely skinny. I could never play them for too long without getting left hand discomfort. But I prefer a nice rounded C neck and don’t like Wizard or Jackson neck’s either. I would have really dug an all gold one but the neck was a deal breaker.

 

[rsm]

I had a black '78 Les Paul Custom I purchased new when I was a kid, my first real guitar. Thing weighed a ton, my shoulder and hand would go numb after playing for a while from the weight on the strap. Long gone, but if I could justify the price, it would be an alpine white custom, even better with 3 pickups and no bigsby:

 

[romanianreaper]

They should do white Classics with gold hardware too.

 

[Giblesoqul2001]

I had a black '78 Les Paul Custom I purchased new when I was a kid, my first real guitar. Thing weighed a ton, my shoulder and hand would go numb after playing for a while from the weight on the strap. Long gone, but if I could justify the price, it would be an alpine white custom, even better with 3 pickups and no bigsby:

View attachment 173437

78 LP Custom. Damn nice first guitar!

 

[rsm]

78 LP Custom. Damn nice first guitar!

first real guitar; think I purchased it in '78 or '79, with a "loan" from my grandparents.

my guitar teacher worked at the store, Brian's Guitars in New Haven, CT. The day I was there looking at guitars, Paul Stanley showed up at the store. My guitar teacher introduced me to Paul, and I played part of Hotter than Hell; Paul asked for the guitar, and showed me how to play it right.

 

[Giblesoqul2001]

first real guitar; think I purchased it in '78 or '79, with a "loan" from my grandparents.

my guitar teacher worked at the store, Brian's Guitars in New Haven, CT. The day I was there looking at guitars, Paul Stanley showed up at the store. My guitar teacher introduced me to Paul, and I played part of Hotter than Hell; Paul asked for the guitar, and showed me how to play it right.

Cool story! I probably would have shitz in my trousers.

 

[rsm]

Cool story! I probably would have shitz in my trousers.

Apparently all kinds of famous guitarists stopped at Brian's Guitars when in town, or traveling between NYC and Boston, it wasn't a long drive from NYC once you got out of the city. It was too far from me at that age to go there frequently and hang around.

The encounter with Paul was brief, probably around 3 minutes. My recollection after all these years: he wasn't mean or "nice", he wasn't arrogant or a dick, but I got the impression he was in a hurry to get his business done, and was a little miffed that my guitar teacher interrupted him to introduce him to me, I had what was to be my new LP sitting there, and that's when I did the HtH riff, and he asked to see my guitar, and showed me the riff, handed the guitar back. He picked out a few guitars, I recall Brian (the owner) asking "do you want these shipped to the usual place?" or something like that, then he was out the door.

My guitar teacher met many, I can't remember all of them.

 

[skoora]

My first real guitar was also a 78 Custom. A bright tank. Never bought a 70’s LP again…lol