Need advice on Gibson Les Paul purchase..

[Lev]

Hey all,

It's been a while since I posted and I have moved overseas ever since.. which means I don't have access to quality guitars and I need your advice

I'm primarily thinking about picking up a Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro but don't have the opportunity to play one.

I want something to help me get soft but thick blues/jazz tones as well as good ol' rock sounds. I don't want something as edgy and bright as my Soloist, almost the opposite in fact. Also, I'm only interested in 60's necks, since I have smaller hands. A Les Paul Standard seems a bit pricey which is why I'm looking at the Traditionals.. Classics also seem interesting.

If you have any suggestions or advice I'd really appreciate it, thanks!

[Rupe]

The Classic has the slim taper neck, although you'll probably want to swap pickups for the tones that you want. Buying any Les Paul without playing it first is too big of a gamble IMO...they are more "hit-or-miss" than just about any other US guitar on the market, and have been for many years.

[DonP]

The Classic became the Traditional Pro. Same guitar, sort of. In fact, when they first came out Gibson didn't have Traditional Pro truss rod covers, so they were shipped with Classic truss rod covers.

Of course there are spec changes compared to the Classic. Different pickups, finish, etc.

I played a Traditional Pro when they first came out. I couldn't get a bad tone out of the bridge (didn't mess with the neck), but I mostly play metal.

[Lev]

Buying any Les Paul without playing it first is too big of a gamble IMO...they are more "hit-or-miss" than just about any other US guitar on the market, and have been for many years.

Yeah I've heard about this which has me a bit worried. Do you know whether the issues are usually cosmetic or do they actually have issues with tone/playability, or both?

I'm not too picky about cosmetic problems. On the other hand, if one Les Paul sounds completely different than another, or neck shapes and sizes vastly differ than I might just have to ditch the idea all together. I've read the Les Paul and Gibson forums extensively, but I'd like to see what you guys think before I make my final decision!

[AdamFisher5150]

From what I've seen/played and from working in a guitar shop, the majority of Gibsons in general have at the least cosmetic issues and are often plagued with rubbery necks, bad fret jobs (not sure about that now as they are using PLEK on a lot of their models), and various other bizzare problems. Sometimes they're fix-able, sometimes not. Most recently I saw a Custom Shop les paul that had a finish that charged up static electricity, and would send small surges into the pots and pickups. The only solution would be a total refin, and seeing as it was a custom multi-colour burst and a custom shop instrument that seems a bit rediculous. My father special ordered a Les Paul custom in the mid-late seventies and they drilled the T-O-M posts at such an angle that it was impossible to intonate the E, A, and G. The only fix is to fill the hole, re-fin and re-drill. Problems like this have plagued Gibson's USA production line for decades. That said, they do make some nice guitars but I find they're always diamonds in the rough. I picked up a killer 2008 Explorer, which albeit has some minor factory finish flaws (especially around the neck joint, which seems to be the most common area with gibsons...) plays awesome and has a great neck.

I would say it's essential to play and fully inspect any Gibson you intend to purchase. I mean inspect it, you never know where a problem can arise from.

[pro-fusion]

You might consider Heritage. http://www.heritageguitar.com

They're pretty much the "real" Gibson, anyway, since they are made in the old Gibson factory in Kalamazoo by many of the old Gibson craftsmen.

You could get a Heritage H-150 with a '60s neck profile for a reasonable price that will blow away any production Gibson (and come pretty close to Custom Shop quality). Heritage will do all kinds of customization for you, including whatever neck profile you want. The biggest Heritage dealer is Wolfe Guitars in Florida, and they have a massive stock of H-150s. http://www.wolfeguitars.com

Another Heritage dealer, Foxes Music, orders most of their Heritage LPs with '60s neck profiles--I know, because they told me that in person and because I played a bunch of 'em. Nice guys, and willing to deal. http://www.foxesmusic.com

[k65h]

If price is an issue, you may want to look at some MIJs.

Tokai
Edwards (ESP)
Bacchus Duke
Greco
Epiphone Elitist.
Orville
Burny (Fernandes)

I really like my ESP Edwards Les Paul Custom John Sykes replica.


It's a poly finish.
But Edwards also offers the LT series which is laquer top coat.
There is also the Jimmy Page relics, which are all nitro.
I got mine through
http://www.ishibashi-webshop.jp/shop/c/c10/
Towards the upper right side is an "in English" tab for international orders.

another site
http://www.kurosawagakki.com/tags/instrument/1

The Edwards and basic mij Tokai hold their own against a production Gibby.
If you want to get into Gibby RI territory, then look at Tokai LS150 and above.
Or Navigator (ESP).

The Bacchus Duke are really nice. But, are not exact copies.
Different headstock shape.

Visit here:
http://forum.japanaxe.com/phpBB3/

Or here:
www.tokairegistry.com

If you wish to learn more about the quality MIJ copies.

[Gank]

I really like my ESP Edwards Les Paul Custom John Sykes replica.

Damn, that's sexy!

[Lev]

Thanks a lot guys, lots of good advice here. Will be making a decision over the next few days