Talk to me about the Les Paul Moderns and Supremes.

GJgo

GJgo

Well-known member
Do they sound right? How's the QC?

So I've never owned a Les Paul. I've played a few of them, and with their baseball bat necks and rosewood boards it's never been my thing feels-wise, though they definitely have "that" sound. A while back I was in a local store & picked up a new Studio Session that had a much thinner neck profile and better upper fret access that I actually enjoyed playing, and it got me thinking. Also an ebony board which I much prefer. PUPs were Alnico II though, too light for me.

I'm a hard core ESP fanboy and have enjoyed a few Eclipses in the past. IMO FAR better craftsmanship than any LP, but... they don't sound like a LP. They sound like an ESP. ...which I like, but I have lots of them. With their thinner bodies & thick poly even if I dropped some PAFs in them I doubt it would be the same tonal experience, though I have no doubt I'd prefer the playability.

..So I've been doing some research and came across a couple LPs I'm interested in- the Modern Figured and the new Supreme- which is the same specs as the Modern just with sexier cosmetics. They have ebony, real MOP, Alnico V, upper fret cutout, it's checking all the boxes. While they do have a PCB for the 4 push-pulls, I'd prefer traditional solder wiring however what the push pulls do looks very cool & useful.

Here's the couple I've got my eye on.
Modern Figured
Supreme special edition This one's a real stunner..

Unfortunately no stores in my area have these in stock. Comparing these to something like a Standard 60s, are the Moderns still going to sound like a LP?

I have played a 57 RI Custom, and honestly did not care for it at all. the neck was huge & in my way.

Looking around at non-Customs that come with ebony & MOP the list is short. The one other that checks some boxes is the Adam Jones sig. I have a feeling the bridge PUP is almost too hot, but it does hold some interest..
 
I’ve got an LP Modern for sale if you’re interested. Not exactly a figured top, but looks killer IMO

LP Freak

Thread '2021 Gibson Les Paul Modern'

Decided to put this one up for sale. I pulled out the PCB board and pickups and rewired the guitar with CTS pots. I also threw in a set of Slash 2.0 pickups which were a huge improvement. It’s a good weight at 8lbs 3oz. Overall the guitar and case are in excellent condition. It sounds and plays great. $1975 PPG or Zelle
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I’m thinking that what you like about LP tone is the inherent LP tone, and not necessarily the PAF’s. I can’t see you being a PAF guy. Lol
 
The Moderns/Supremes aren't going to be exactly similar to the 50s/60s standard, but they aren't that far off. Biggest things for me are on the PCB and modern chambering, sometimes the tone can be a bit "airy" sounding depending on the particular guitar. The Moderns/Supremes I have seen have been pretty good QC-wise, but duds are always out there. There are some thin-neck '57/'68 RI customs that pop up from time to time, late 80s/90s/00s studios with ebony boards, Norlin-era stuff, but they won't have the updated heel unless you go for an Axcess. Production customs and the AJ Standards will be pretty close too.

Gibson has been ramping up collaborations with artists over the past few years. They might have some more signature announcements or additions to their Modern lineup at NAMM.
 
LP Freak said:
I’ve got an LP Modern for sale if you’re interested. Not exactly a figured top, but looks killer IMO

LP Freak

Thread '2021 Gibson Les Paul Modern'

Decided to put this one up for sale. I pulled out the PCB board and pickups and rewired the guitar with CTS pots. I also threw in a set of Slash 2.0 pickups which were a huge improvement. It’s a good weight at 8lbs 3oz. Overall the guitar and case are in excellent condition. It sounds and plays great. $1975 PPG or Zelle
IMG_0448.jpeg
IMG_0450.jpeg
IMG_0451.jpeg
IMG_0019.jpeg
  • Like
  • Love
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That’s fucking beautiful.
 
Mr. Chainsaw said:
The Moderns/Supremes aren't going to be exactly similar to the 50s/60s standard, but they aren't that far off. Biggest things for me are on the PCB and modern chambering, sometimes the tone can be a bit "airy" sounding depending on the particular guitar. The Moderns/Supremes I have seen have been pretty good QC-wise, but duds are always out there. There are some thin-neck '57/'68 RI customs that pop up from time to time, late 80s/90s/00s studios with ebony boards, Norlin-era stuff, but they won't have the updated heel unless you go for an Axcess. Production customs and the AJ Standards will be pretty close too.

Gibson has been ramping up collaborations with artists over the past few years. They might have some more signature announcements or additions to their Modern lineup at NAMM.
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I own a few Norlins, a standard, a traditional, and have played the modern series.

I didn’t really feel a difference at the heel. It’s still a Les Paul and not a super strat so it will help but it wasn’t jaw dropping like picking up a Tom Anderson.

+1 to the airy comment. 100% agree they are modern chambered and have an odd (to me) thinness/airy attitude to them. Either you love it or hate it. Personally since I own and regularly cycle others mentioned they look great but I wouldn’t want one in regular rotation for metal. Blues maybe, but not metal.

Go grab an Edward’s and put some hot pickups in it. That guitar I sold was every bit as good as my standard but had an ebony fretboard. I sold it with a bone nut conversion and Grover locking tuners.
 
Other guys here can recommend for this criteria better than me, but I liked a bunch of the old Japanese LP copies of various brands I’ve tried better than any of the US line of Gibsons I’ve tried that were made in the last 25 or years or so. The custom shop Gibson’s are in general a lot better though IME. I’d also go with a rosewood board one, but not imo a huge factor
 
I played a handful of LP and SG Moderns back in 2019 at a local shop near me that gets lots of nice Gibsons. I was super excited to check them out and really wanted to like them, but I didn’t dig them at all. They looked and felt cheap - the fit and finish was subpar, wobbly pots, didn’t resonate well, etc. With the exception of one SG Modern that was actually pretty good, the rest sort of had a budget model feel and look. I realize that sounds overly harsh and a bit like hyperboles, but the rest did not match the price tag at all.

For reference, they had a couple of LP Classics there that were nicer overall and costed less. The Standards they had at the time were also much nicer. Maybe they’ve worked out the kinks on the Moderns since I played those, but I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable rolling the dice on a LP Modern sight unseen after my experience.
 
I'm a Les Paul worshipper and have had various Standards, Classics, and Studios over the years and have played Customs and Moderns.

I actually liked the Modern I played a few months ago but didn't feel and sound like what I was used to with a Les Paul. Not sure why. It sounded great but probably felt more like an ESP than a Gibson.

I've owned Gibson Les Pauls since 1993 and my first American guitar was a 1993 Gibson Les Paul Studio. For some reason, I like that mid-tier Les Paul range. The Custom is too heavy for me. I like about an 8 pound Les Paul.

I love Esp Ltd guitars but the Eclipse isn't a Les Paul. Even if I got an Edwards, I'd want a Gibson Les Paul. If you haven't been a Les Paul guy, I'd go try some. I'm a 60s neck person but some like the bigger necks.
 
@LP Freak hey thanks, yours does look pretty killer. For this purchase I am planning on using my Gear Card since it's empty right now, saving my cash for a pair of 1960TV cabs I have on backorder.

So today I went to the local & played 10 or so LPs. Trads, 50s & 60s Standards, Classics, even a Murphy burst 58 Custom & a black 57 Custom (which I'm changing my tune on after comparing them all- it's very good). Unfortunatley, in that perspective the two Customs (both with Alnico III PUPs) just flat out had better tone & feel than the others- though there was one 60s Standard burst that did stand out and was maybe 90% there.

I also played a bunch of Epis just because, and they were all junk in comparison. No suprise, but had to see. Also played the Studio Session again, and it definitely did not have THAT LP tone.

I have plenty of great metal guitars. I think I'm looking for a killer passive PUP 80s rock guitar.

@Jack Luminous I havne't seen those before- the neck joint looks amazing!
 
The '57 RI LPC is my fav guitar. I don't mind the '68 LPC, but I slightly prefer the all mahogany body with the ebony board.
 
I wonder about thinner neck LP’s too as my standard is basically unplayable for me, I’m wondering if I can have the neck shaved down like Page did or something.
 
Might be a little off topic but i just bought an Epi Prophecy. Coming off Ibanez and SuperStrats for years. So far, after getting it setup to my liking, i like it.
Lots of tones to be obtained with the Fishman Fluence pups
 
GJgo said:
Do they sound right? How's the QC?

So I've never owned a Les Paul. I've played a few of them, and with their baseball bat necks and rosewood boards it's never been my thing feels-wise, though they definitely have "that" sound. A while back I was in a local store & picked up a new Studio Session that had a much thinner neck profile and better upper fret access that I actually enjoyed playing, and it got me thinking. Also an ebony board which I much prefer. PUPs were Alnico II though, too light for me.

I'm a hard core ESP fanboy and have enjoyed a few Eclipses in the past. IMO FAR better craftsmanship than any LP, but... they don't sound like a LP. They sound like an ESP. ...which I like, but I have lots of them. With their thinner bodies & thick poly even if I dropped some PAFs in them I doubt it would be the same tonal experience, though I have no doubt I'd prefer the playability.

..So I've been doing some research and came across a couple LPs I'm interested in- the Modern Figured and the new Supreme- which is the same specs as the Modern just with sexier cosmetics. They have ebony, real MOP, Alnico V, upper fret cutout, it's checking all the boxes. While they do have a PCB for the 4 push-pulls, I'd prefer traditional solder wiring however what the push pulls do looks very cool & useful.

Here's the couple I've got my eye on.
Modern Figured
Supreme special edition This one's a real stunner..

Unfortunately no stores in my area have these in stock. Comparing these to something like a Standard 60s, are the Moderns still going to sound like a LP?

I have played a 57 RI Custom, and honestly did not care for it at all. the neck was huge & in my way.

Looking around at non-Customs that come with ebony & MOP the list is short. The one other that checks some boxes is the Adam Jones sig. I have a feeling the bridge PUP is almost too hot, but it does hold some interest..
Click to expand...
Afaik they are both chambered. I'd either get an '68 Reissue, or an early 2000 Gibson Les Paul Custom. Do you know Trogly from YouTube? He has most of the Gibson Models covered.
 
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