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Gibson Les Paul Standard vs. Custom : How different??


Vinchester

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**This is not a Gibson bashing thread.

 

After a trip to guitar stores last week where I tried a couple of Gibsons, I have come to like the Les Paul Traditional, which they say have replaced the LP Standard product line (But aren't they the same thing at same price? :confused: ) And with a couple of comparison with other brand names, I realised the Real LP's not such a huge leap of $$$ from the mid-price guitars I usually buy. Therefore I might save up to buy one in the future.

 

Then I looked up the catalog and saw LP Customs priced 50% higher. Definitely out of my purchasing power, but I'm curious. Okay they are hand-built, but are they worth it? Better hardware? Even higher-grade wood?

 

The difference in method and extent of weight-relief? Any significant effect on tone? :rolleyes:

 

Give me your take on this. Thanks! :wave:

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A few months ago I was fortunate enough to buy pretty much whatever guitar I wanted..I tried lots of different models from Suhr, Tom Anderson, Fender Custom Shop, ESP, as well as a load of Gibson LP Studios, Standards, Traditionals and Customs. I also tried Ephiphone, ESP LTD, Washburn and a few others to make sure I wasn't missing a bargain somewhere.

 

After loads of playing, I walked out with a Gibson Les Paul Standard 2009 (Goldtop), not the cheapest, not the most expensive, just the best sounding and feeling to me. The biggest difference in feel with the Custom for me, was the ebony fingerboard on the Custom..which was great, the Customs were also heavier and sounded good..though the Standard I picked just seemed to have more sustain (unplugged and plugged) and sparkle..I just didn't bond with any of the Customs I tried.

 

Others I'm sure will tell you more about the differences. FWIW, every single Gibson I tried was a good guitar. No QC issues whatsoever..and I must have played 20.

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Now, aside from the ebony board, it's bling: gold hardware, extra inlays and extra binding. The Standard's fret markers are MOTS, the Custom's is real MOP.

Back in the day (and in the Historic lineup) the Custom was all mahogany, without the maple cap of the Standard.

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Thanks for your input and glad to see you're from England. I'm going to study there (Cardiff duh) this September :) Definitely wanna look at the huge selections at guitar stores there! Might also buy something courtesy of weak Pound Sterling :p

 

Personally I'm not impressed with LP Studios or Explorers or the V. but I love the more expensive LPs.

 

Does your Goldtop have the Classic pups on it? or Burstbuckers? How do you like its tone?

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Well, to start, the Traditional uses the old swiss cheese weight relieved compared to the new Standards chambering. There are a few other little tweaks, but in essence, the Traditional is made like the LP Standard was before 2008.

 

As for the Custom. More ornate cosmetics -- 5-ply binding and rear and back binding, gold hardware -- and an Ebony fretboard are about the only differences to justify the premium cost; ultimately the LPC is priced where it is because Gibson has dedicated that is the price point it will fill in the line-up (Gibson doesn't price guitars as commodities, cost of labor and materials are inconsequential to price point). The LPC has its own slightly unique thick neck carve (must major Gibson models have neck carves to evolved over years, so the LPC and LP and SG all have their own feel) and once again a few tweaks. A few years ago the LPC's were all folded into the Custom Shop, but despite the Custom Shop decal, they are all made on the same assembly line in Nashville that they have been for decades.

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Thanks for your input and glad to see you're from England. I'm going to study there (Cardiff duh) this September
:)
Definitely wanna look at the huge selections at guitar stores there! Might also buy something courtesy of weak Pound Sterling
:p

Personally I'm not impressed with LP Studios or Explorers or the V. but I love the more expensive LPs.


Does your Goldtop have the Classic pups on it? or Burstbuckers? How do you like its tone?

 

Cardiff is a pretty fun city :)

 

My Goldtop has Burstbuckers..I recorded this short clip the day I got it..just a bluesy kind of thing (though that's not really my style)..I love the tone..this is just through a Pod XT..it sounds killer through a "real" amp.

 

http://www.box.net/shared/brqt7jqlq4

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A few years ago I heard that all Gibson guitars with Custom in the name were going to be Custom Shop guitars. As mentioned in a previous post, this was probably to position it for a higher price.

 

You mentioned the LP Studio. I have a '94 studio with an ebony fingerboard. The finish was removed from the guitar during a broken headstock repair.

 

In my opinion, this is as good as a LP Custom without any of the fancy stuff. It is a two piece body with a three piece top and no binding. If you were to "rate" the top the way PRS does, it would be a zero but this thing is all Les Paul. It's heavy, its solid and it rocks.

 

The ebony fingerboard on the Custom (and my studio) seems to make it better suited to Jazz than some of the rosewood models (subjective).

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Hi Onelife,

Yeah according to what Wyatt said up there about the LPCustom it makes sense. It's probably just more visual beauty and marketing ploy.

I accept that some LP Studios can rock as hard as Standards. Lots of good reviews about them :) But from the three 2010 Studios I tried last week I found that their extensive weight relief and chambering weaken the tone. Maybe they are not built the same as your '94 any more :(

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Customs and traditionals dont have Burstbucker Pro's. The Customs has all the bling and ebony board, different pups....is that all worth the price difference??? You decide. I have a 2004 LP Standard and its all the LP I want or need. Sold 2 before and decided this time around to just keep it and stop going round in circles selling LP's and then months later buying one back! I have some history with doin this!!! Get yourself your favoured LP and stick to it!! I dont think though that you can go wrong with any of the big 3 Gibsons LP's - the Trad, Standard and Custom. The Studios are nice enough to, but me personally I'd miss some bling.

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I would rather have an older Les Paul Custom than a new one. Different years had different features. For example, my '79 Custom has a solid, one-piece body. No weight relief. No chambering. It also has a maple neck and neck volute. The new ones are all mahogany and I THINK (not 100% sure) that some models are weight-relieved. And no more maple necks. No more volute.

 

Some people HATE the Les Pauls with maple necks and volutes. But I love 'em.

 

I prefer the Customs because of the ebony fingerboard, the neck carve and the added aesthetics. I also got my '79 for a couple hundred less than a new custom shop Custom.

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I like Standards.

 

Never liked all the bling, I hate gold hardware,am not keen on Ebony boards and the Norlin era 13 pound, 7 piece bodied boat anchors I encountered were uniformally unimpressive.

 

Now a nickel hardware double bound standard with the custom headstock inlay might be cool.

 

:thu:

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I like Standards.


Never liked all the bling, I hate gold hardware,am not keen on Ebony boards and the Norlin era 13 pound, 7 piece bodied boat anchors I encountered were uniformally unimpressive.


Now a nickel hardware double bound standard with the custom headstock inlay might be cool.


:thu:

 

See, this is what I was talking about. People who bash Norlins really have no idea what they are.

 

My Norlin Custom is a solid, one-piece body. It has nickel hardware, too. There are great Norlins out there. But if you lump them all into one boat you miss out on the years that were awesome.

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See, this is what I was talking about. People who bash Norlins really have no idea what they are.


My Norlin Custom is a solid, one-piece body. It has nickel hardware, too. There are great Norlins out there. But if you lump them all into one boat you miss out on the years that were awesome.

 

 

Nobody's saying they are all {censored}. But to think that the production was as consistent during the norlin years as previous or even post..is just ridiculous. They did a lot of stupid things to the les paul and it did have an effect. The volute was the only thing they actually improved. Pancake bodies, poly, rocker neck joints,...there was a legit reason the japanese copies found so much love even from pro's like Billy Gibons and Joe Perry...they knew the USA stuff was {censored}.

 

And the way mosiddiqi described buying his is the way everyone who wants a great LP should do it. Screw the label. Play a bunch...if the best happens to be a 900 dollar studio..then accept it mentally and buy it...if the best happens to be a 5k historic...well...bear down and make payments.

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Nobody's saying they are all {censored}. But to think that the production was as consistent during the norlin years as previous or even post..is just ridiculous. They did a lot of stupid things to the les paul and it did have an effect. The volute was the only thing they actually improved. Pancake bodies, poly, rocker neck joints,...there was a legit reason the japanese copies found so much love even from pro's like Billy Gibons and Joe Perry...they knew the USA stuff was {censored}.


And the way mosiddiqi described buying his is the way everyone who wants a great LP should do it. Screw the label. Play a bunch...if the best happens to be a 900 dollar studio..then accept it mentally and buy it...if the best happens to be a 5k historic...well...bear down and make payments.

 

 

Nobody said the production was consistent. Just pointing out that there ARE great Norlin-era LPs out there. And going out and playing a {censored}-ton of guitars to find the one you want should be a given at this point. Being a smart consumer is the only way to find what's right for you, regardless of the product.

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Cardiff is a pretty fun city
:)

My Goldtop has Burstbuckers..I recorded this short clip the day I got it..just a bluesy kind of thing (though that's not really my style)..I love the tone..this is just through a Pod XT..it sounds killer through a "real" amp.


http://www.box.net/shared/brqt7jqlq4

 

Nice! I like your solo style in this a lot. :thu:

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Nobody said the production was consistent. Just pointing out that there ARE great Norlin-era LPs out there. And going out and playing a {censored}-ton of guitars to find the one you want should be a given at this point. Being a smart consumer is the only way to find what's right for you, regardless of the product.

 

 

no argument there..

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See, this is what I was talking about. People who bash Norlins really have no idea what they are.


My Norlin Custom is a solid, one-piece body. It has nickel hardware, too. There are great Norlins out there. But if you lump them all into one boat you miss out on the years that were awesome.

 

Well, as someone who grew up in that era, and played MANY Norlin era Gibsons, I think I have a fair idea whether I liked 'em generally or not, and I didn't particularly.

 

I'm not saying they were all shit, and all the Norlin era Gibbos I have played have been better for me than those horrible POS 70's Strats I was unfortunate enough to check out.

 

I would NEVER insinuate a blanket judgement that ALL guitars of a certain type are shit..you've got an LP custom you love...I BET you I wouldn't like it as much as you do...if I did like 'em, I'd have one.

 

I'm glad you like your Custom, but personal choice and opinion being the wonderful things that they are, we dont all have to agree.

 

I dont like Customs much anyway, not just Norlin era customs, and the ones I have encountered have hardly been masterpieces of the Luthiers art.

 

But as you say, what the fuck do I know, I love Tokais and Edwards and other copies that do what they are supposed to with no excuses.

 

This was the last one that I lived with for a year or so...it's owner loves and adores it, and whilst it's pretty it's heavy and dark and soupy and FOR ME, my LP DC faded slays it as a P90 guitar in playability and tone.

 

Your mileage may vary, but in general I know what a lot of Norlin era Gibsons were...like 70's Fenders...a Fantastic guitar design ruined by accountancy and cost cutting.

 

bb8.jpg

 

bb9.jpg

 

Please bear in mind, that this guitar lived with me for over a year, and I could have had it here, for nothing, permanently.

 

I gave it back.

 

I have been offerd the chance to gig this guitar whenever I like, and I've used it once.

 

Dont like'em much, get over it.

 

:thu:

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I would rather have an older Les Paul Custom than a new one. Different years had different features. For example, my '79 Custom has a solid, one-piece body. No weight relief. No chambering. It also has a maple neck and neck volute.


Some people HATE the Les Pauls with maple necks and volutes. But I love 'em.

 

 

 

Yes, Back in the day, I really liked everything about those late '70s Customs

except one thing -- the weight (!).

 

The Gibson Steve Jones LP Custom Signature model, and probably a couple of

other signature models, have the one-piece body and all the features of the

late '70s models.

 

 

 

 

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Now, aside from the ebony board, it's bling: gold hardware, extra inlays and extra binding. The Standard's fret markers are MOTS, the Custom's is real MOP.

 

 

 

For the uninitiated who might stumble upon this thread some day:

 

 

MOTS = Mother Of Toilet Seat (i.e. -- plastic)

 

MOP = Mother Of Pearl

 

 

;)

 

 

 

 

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Coming from somebody who has never played a real Les Paul Custom, what I think of when I think of one is that it'd be heavier (literally), darker-sounding than a normal Les Paul and being more receptive to gain.

 

Of course, I could be completely wrong. I'm thinking of the tone Alex Lifeson or Randy Rhoads gets with a Custom, compared to, say, Warren Haynes or Duane Allman or all those other hordes of people who've slung Les Paul Standards.

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