Les Paul advice

[Wayniac3]

So if you really want a Gibby I would not discount some of the older used Studios. Having said that, if someone told me that years ago I would have laughed cause Studios to me were a poor mans Gibson, entry level..etc. and I was definitely an admitted snob about such things.

Fast forward and my buddy picks up this wine red Studio used. It is one of the best sounding LPs I've ever heard. He has been offered double what he paid for it and just wont sell it. About a year later another buddy picked up a JB studio that is a monster. He is a flipper so I eventually wound up with it and it is a great sounding guitar and plays great.. I had a 1973 LPC and those two Studios just killed that guitar. They are not all like that so if ya can try before ya buy, but if you find the "ONE", definitely worth it. FWIW I do have 2 customs, a Supreme and that Studio for reference.
Good luck!

I had an early 90's wine red studio that killed - never should have sold it. One half of the body had some figuring on it - was an odd looker, but played & recorded great.
Some of the studios were sleepers, for sure - and like you said - they were overlooked or looked down upon..

 

[Scumback Speakers]

I've been happy with early 90's Orville guitars from Japan. You'll want the 57 LP Custom Reissue they made. I just sent this to my buddy Harry Troupe in Maui after he lost all of his gear in the Lahaina fire.

 

[JohnnyGtar]

But I did try some Epiphones over this last weekend and holy hell they have gotten a lot better. I like the 60's necks so I tried 2 of the higher end models and both were fucking fantastic. Seems like they always get a bad reputation but if I had my eyes closed and played it against my Gibson I'm not certain I could identify which was which.

Gibson's new management really improved the quality of Epiphone instruments. My Les Paul Trad Pro IV is an amazing value. Sounds killer, built like a tank and it looks sexy as hell. And it has a maple cap, not a veneer!

 

[JohnnyGtar]

youd be happy with a 78-80 The Paul.
not a back breaker though. not pretty either but the rock
walnut body, ebony board and T Tops

can be had all day for about $1400

I was in 2 different bands in which the guitar players used those guitars. Those guitars scream. I'd love to own one.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

The problem is, the days of being able to go to stores and try a bunch are really over. Even in big cities, chain stores have limited stock that isn’t VOS or stupid money editions and we all know what’s happened to sole proprietorships. It’s taking chances online and relying on a return policy, if available, these days.

Yah, sadly true. Back in the 70s and 80s I used to drive to Veneman Music in MD once a year or so, since the big NYC stores wouldn't pay attention if you weren't a star. Veneman's knew who I was (and they knew I was there to buy). They'd let me try every LP in the store, even opening newly arrived ones. I'd try about two dozen of the same model, find a handful that were extra lively, and take my pick from those. Got some great guitars that way. Veneman's was a good place.

Sadly it's a very different business now. I think there are few stores anywhere in the country with that kind of stock today.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

youd be happy with a 78-80 The Paul.
not a back breaker though. not pretty either but they rock
walnut body, ebony board and T Tops

can be had all day for about $1400 with a chain saw case if you're lucky

Great model - IME the only Gibson that made T-tops sound huge. It was the walnut neck, I think, not just the body.
Many don't know that along with ebony boards, they also had a long tenon neck joint.
Until about ten years ago nobody knew about these and they were selling for about $300.
People got hip to them and prices went up, but they're still a great guitar.

The original The Paul was replaced with a cheaper model called the Firebrand - similar looking but without ebony or long tenons.
Now that The Paul is in demand again, I've seen more than one eBay seller trying to pass off a Firebrand as a The Paul.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I've been happy with early 90's Orville guitars from Japan. You'll want the 57 LP Custom Reissue they made. I just sent this to my buddy Harry Troupe in Maui after he lost all of his gear in the Lahaina fire.

Orvilles are good guitars. Made to official Gibson specs, just with metric hardware and Japanese pickups.
Most of the 90s Masumoto City humbuckers are pretty awesome, and many of the Orvilles were built by Fujigen.
Very good wood, and high build quality.
The deluxe line (called Orville By Gibson) had nitro finishes, US spec hardware and real Gibson pickups.

I have a quilt top Orville in a custom finish and I like it a lot.

PS: They're named after Orville Gibson, the founder of the company. Orville was a flashy dresser back in the 1890s.
I can only imagine what this would've looked like in color...

 

[romanianreaper]

I had an early 90's wine red studio that killed - never should have sold it. One half of the body had some figuring on it - was an odd looker, but played & recorded great.
Some of the studios were sleepers, for sure - and like you said - they were overlooked or looked down upon..

Yeah, I'm with you dude. I had a 93' Ebony Studio and someone bumped it and broke the nut. Instead of fixing the nut, I sold it to a friend. I tried to buy it back years later and couldn't convince him, lol.

 

[Speeddemon]

I find the "only buy Gibson" a bit narrow minded, especially given the amount of substandard (for those prices) that Norlin era Gibson produced back in the day.
I've owned a few early 80's Greco's, still have 3 Burny's from the 80's (and sold a few too) and I've had Les Paul aficionados offer their Gibson as a trade for my Burny's. Full maple cap, fret edge binding, no weight relief (my '83 Randy Rhoads Custom is probably close to 11lbs). Sure, I replaced the electronics and the nut to a Tusq one, but aside from the nut, I've done the same to my Gibson V.

The main thing about the (early) 80's Japanese copies (whether it's Greco, Burny, Tokai or Orville), is that they're built a shit ton more consistent than Gibson was capable of in that era and it's debatable in other eras too.

Don't get me wrong, if you DO find a great Gibson, it's glorious. But getting a great one is a lot more trial and error than buying 80's med/higher specced Japanese ones.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I agree with @Speeddemon that a Gibson logo on the headstock is not necessarily a guarantee of excellence.
Also agree that back in the 80s (and maybe the first half of the 90s), MIJ build quality was more consistent than Gibson.

That said, I feel your chances of getting a genuinely bad Gibson are negligible.
IMO with Gibson it's not really a matter of good ones vs bad; it's more about outstanding vs just okay.

I feel strongly that (short of truly awful builds) the individual pieces of wood matter as much as the brand - maybe more.
Wood has individuality, and great wood will be lively and toneful regardless of brand.
I own several inexpensive guitars that have the magic. And I've owned a couple of Gibsons that simply didn't.

FWIW, I've played a few pretty dead vintage Strats too, and build quality had little or nothing to do with it.
Some wood is simply not musical. And you can't know that until it's been made into a guitar.

 

[DanTravis62]

If you want a Gibson Les Paul, nothing besides it is going to scratch the itch.

ESP/EDWARDS/TOKAI/Epi are all good to great guitars in their own right but it doesn't ever have the same feel and vibe as a legit Gibson Les Paul, so I get it. They all have different finish specs, different necks, different construction methods. You're always going to feel like it isn't quite there.

For your price range, I would get a trad pro or the standard silverburst that got posted.

At least for me, those are the most consistently solid models. Specific years can be great too - 2012-2014 for trad pros, late 2000s standards, and basically everything made in the early 90s is gonna be killer.

One in a while you can find a studio that absolutely kills, though most are just on the "okay to good" range. They're pretty rare and people either don't sell them, or they sell it and regret it.

 

[glpg80]

I recommend a Les Paul classic. Non chambered and full weight with a 60’s style neck. If you want 50’s style baseball bat then get a Gibson traditional. I have a standard, a traditional, and a slew of real customs with maple necks. I also have an edwards 50’s neck with maple top and ebony fretboard. It sounds great for the cost but it doesn’t compare to my Gibson traditional or Les Paul standard and it’s not even in the same galaxy as the Norlin brothers.

Long story short for the money grab an edwards as a workhorse. If you want something a bit nicer you can hang onto for a long time then get a traditional with rosewood. The beefier neck and non chambered body will more than make up for not having ebony and I say this from currently owning all of the models mentioned with experience.

 

[glpg80]

Also there were a few years that the gibsons had richlite fretboards due to having their Indian rosewood and top shelf ebony confiscated due to no paperwork. It was temporary and later years were resolved. Years noted are 2012 through 2019. Not all models had it but they had to have something to make guitars so that’s what the did. I have a 2018 and 2019 traditional and standard that are not richlite but I believe studios may have been during those last years I purchased mine.

 

[Techdeth]

It’s a crap shoot. Like everyone says…try them out. Pass on the studios imo. It’s purely a mental thing for me concerning studios. I personally like the Japanese les Pauls…my Greco is a monster.

I love all the lees Paul’s but customs can be awesome

 

[Tone Junkie]

My advice is go to local music stores and try them out. See what you like. Gibson has so many variants these days it’s hard to keep track.
I would suggest a well loved guitar. Not so well loved that the frets are gone. If you don’t mind a little wear and tear they’re usually broke in and wood settled.
When buying used people usually purchase on condition. So the more dings and wear generally can save you some money. Which I find hilarious because people pay huge amounts of cash to buy a Murphy aged model.

Just make sure the truss Rod is in good working order. Had a buddy buy a old custom. He brought it over I set everything up. We went to adjust the truss Rod and it was bottomed out. Especially if you buy an older one. If you buy one online ask seller.

 

[War_in_D]

I would suggest a well loved guitar. Not so well loved that the frets are gone. If you don’t mind a little wear and tear they’re usually broke in and wood settled.
When buying used people usually purchase on condition. So the more dings and wear generally can save you some money. Which I find hilarious because people pay huge amounts of cash to buy a Murphy aged model.

Just make sure the truss Rod is in good working order. Had a buddy buy a old custom. He brought it over I set everything up. We went to adjust the truss Rod and it was bottomed out.

I'm always a little suspicious of a guitar when it's got some age on it and it's in pristine condition. It suggests to me that nobody wanted to play it.

Great point on the truss rod as well. Regardless of if you buy online, or in person be sure to take off the cover and visually check the truss rod nut. If you see a lot of threads sticking out, you might want to give that guitar a pass.

 

[Tone Junkie]

I'm always a little suspicious of a guitar when it's got some age on it and it's in pristine condition. It suggests to me that nobody wanted to play it.

Great point on the truss rod as well. Regardless of if you buy online, or in person be sure to take off the cover and visually check the truss rod nut. If you see a lot of threads sticking out, you might want to give that guitar a pass.

Unfortunately with my buddy had to take it to a luthier. They removed the fretboard and installed a new truss Rod. The good side to the story was they relevleled the fretboard and put in stainless steel frets which are basically forever frets. I think Gibson should put them on all their guitars. It was a 1974 custom. Guitar was amazing after it was fixed but almost 1200.00 later.

 

[Greazygeo]

It baffles me guys talking about the 80’s Japanese copies. I started playing in ‘80 and my first guitar was a Japanese LP copy, thing was not good. Played tons of them back in the day, they were all not very good. Pick one up every now and then and they still just feel cheap.
I play all kinds of stuff, but if you have never had a LP I still think get the real thing if you can swing it.

 

[JackBootedThug]

It baffles me guys talking about the 80’s Japanese copies. I started playing in ‘80 and my first guitar was a Japanese LP copy, thing was not good. Played tons of them back in the day, they were all not very good. Pick one up every now and then and they still just feel cheap.
I play all kinds of stuff, but if you have never had a LP I still think get the real thing if you can swing it.

I understand what you’re saying. I was a diehard Gibson snob forever. I don’t have Gibson money and my Greco really is that good. I have a top of the line studio here right now and the Greco smokes it in every aspect. I’ll post a pic of the studio…not the best picture but it’s a standard without binding basically. Same pups as the Greco. It’s a good guitar but my other is just better.

 

[VonBonfire]

I was starting to settle into the idea of a Gibson LPS 50's with some waiting involved $$$ but something came up and I placed a bid on a copy. We'll see how things play out today.