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Gibson Les Paul Heirarchy?


orbm1

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Ok...

 

It may be a dumb question but I do not know the answer and I cannot find it anywhere...

 

here it is:

 

what is the heirarchy with Gibson Les Pauls?

 

Maybe:

 

Studio

Classic

Traditional

Standard

Supreme

Custom

 

is that alright?

 

my friend tells me that the top of the line of the Gibson LP are the Supremes, not the customs, and that traditional and classics are "better" than standards...

 

So, I do not know.... anybody...

 

Thanks in advance :wave:

 

ps. I am asking because my friend has a beautiful Supreme and he says that his is the top of the chain in LPs, but I am telling that the top of the chain are the Customs....

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...and that traditional and classics are "better" than standards...

 

 

Indeed better should be in quotes.

I remember playing a Standard, Custom, and Studio Plus. The Studio Plus was the nicest in terms of sound and feel, and it was the cheapest.

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ps. I am asking because my friend has a beautiful Supreme and he says that his is the top of the chain in LPs, but I am telling that the top of the chain are the Customs....

 

 

I don't like that ugly crap they put on Supreme headstocks.

 

Where do all the R-4s, R-8s and so forth fall in this analysis?

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Indeed better should be in quotes.

I remember playing a Standard, Custom, and Studio Plus. The Studio Plus was the nicest in terms of sound and feel, and it was the cheapest.

 

Agree...

 

but still, the question remains...

 

Is there a hierarchy?

 

if supremes are "better", why customs come with COA?

 

I do not know...

 

(inside me, I want customs to be the top of the line, because I have one!;))

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Agree...


but still, the question remains...


Is there a hierarchy?


if supremes are "better", why customs come with COA?


I do not know...


(inside me, I want customs to be the top of the line, because I have one!
;)
)

 

Any Custom Shop Gibson should come with a COA regardless of whether it is 'better' than a non-Custom Shop Gibson or not.

 

If the Supreme was not a Custom Shop model, then it won't come with a COA. Up until about 2003 the Customs were standard production models that were not made in the Custom Shop and had no COA.

 

As to whether the Custom or Supreme is 'better', I'd say that is personal preference more than anything else...

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Ok, I will like to clarify something...

 

 

I am not trying to discuss which guitar is better... I totally understand that is a personal preference...

 

What I am trying to understand is which guitar is top of the line...

 

I know that there are RI and VOS, BUT, if we understand why the melody makers are cheaper than the studio, and studio

 

Thanks!

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You might as well simply look at the list price and see what that says (whether or not it really means anything). What would be even more interesting would to place all kinds of models, sig LP's, etc. and see what people think. As to why a model is priced the way it is, that's no simple thing to figure out. The signatures, for example, probably include the cost of the endorsement which is worth nothing when you think of it. My Gary Moore sig LP was roughly the same price as a standard when it came out. And it is basically a standard with no binding either on neck or body. That should have been a saving for the buyer but it wasn't. The saving was for Gibson. Or did Gary Moore get something for his name on the trussrod cover?

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Ok...


It may be a dumb question but I do not know the answer and I cannot find it anywhere...


here it is:


what is the heirarchy with
Gibson Les Pauls
?


Maybe:


Studio

Classic

Traditional

Standard

Supreme

Custom


is that alright?


my friend tells me that the top of the line of the Gibson LP are the Supremes, not the customs, and that traditional and classics are "better" than standards...


So, I do not know.... anybody...


Thanks in advance
:wave:

ps. I am asking because my friend has a beautiful Supreme and he says that his is the top of the chain in LPs, but I am telling that the top of the chain are the Customs....

 

That may be the ranking by price, but with the exception of the studio, they're pretty much different flavors of the same thing. I wouldn't say price is an indication of quality though. Of all those I think the Traditional is the best.

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Customs are supposedly better than Supreme and the rest of the Gibson USA division, because they're built in the Custom Shop.

 

 

That doesn't necessarily make them better, only more expensive. I didn't like the Custom I had all that much. Again, it's another variation. Different inlays, more elaborate binding, arguably inferior pickups, ebony board.

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Classic=Traditional.

not the same guitar but, the Traditional took the place of the Classic which is below the Standard after it was discontinued.

 

 

for carved top LP's

 

bfg (gone)

studio

classic (gone)

traditional

standard

dark fire

2008 standard

classic custom (gone)

supreme

 

the custom shop is separate line really. an off the shelf custom is priced above the supreme, but doesnt have higher end features.

 

theres also variations of the models listed - like the robot studios which cost more than a standard but are not "better".

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for carved top LP's


bfg (gone)

studio

classic (gone)

traditional

standard

dark fire

2008 standard

classic custom (gone)

supreme


the custom shop is separate line really. an off the shelf custom is priced above the supreme, but doesnt have higher end features.


theres also variations of the models listed - like the robot studios which cost more than a standard but are not "better".

 

 

the older standard is gone too replaced by the 2008-spec Standard.

there was also the Goddess which didn't last long.

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the older standard is gone too replaced by the 2008-spec Standard.

 

 

still listed on gibsons site.

 

the traditional is NOT the classic though. the tradition is an "old" style non chambered standard by the description. the classic was a lower end guitar that was also chambered.

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