Members dparr Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I love Gibson! I own two Les Paul's and a ES-335, all very old. If I was to buy those types of guitars today I would go with Hamer. Hamer gives you an outstanding guitar for the buck. Very good quality control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zozobra Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I have an SG. Its okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Norton666 Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I still firmly believe that the reason there are still some people out there NOT playing Les Pauls is because they havent played the right one yet. Once you play a good one , nothing else will do . That being said , there is not way on earth I would pay the kind of money Gibson is getting for the current models. With Gibson , a good rule to live by is buy used , buy used , buy used. You can get early 90s models for $1200ish all day long and they will outplay the {censored} out of a new Standard. If you want a Les Paul , get a Les Paul , dont half ass it , but.......DONT BUY NEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Actually I think the entire popularity of the Gibson Les Paul over the decades had to do more with the performance of the humbucker pickup than with any inherent superiority of design of the guitar itself. Humbuckers were found to push tube amps into distortion better and they caught on in the late 60's (instead of late 50's when they were a commercial flop and discontinued). Since this was more of an accident (in that these guitars were being played in a manner the designers never intended) I really can't give THAT much credit to Gibson. If you invent a pancake syrup that is AWESOME for waterproofing lumber, does that make you a scientific genius? Les Pauls have that thick sound that's great for blues, rock and maybe jazz...but it's not the only guitar that can achieve it these days. Most of the sound a guitar makes is from the electronics....and the idea that it has to have a certain headstock logo to achieve a certain sound is a marketing myth these days. The design of the guitar itself is a little dated to compared to modern improvements. Kind of clunky and heavy with a tendency for the headstock to snap off because the truss rod surfaces at that end (and one-piece Honduran mahogany not being of the quality it used to be) My favorite guitar? Those neck-through koa Carvins that you see on Ebay for around $800. The fingerboards are compound radius ebony. Neck-though (which in my opinion is a better construction than glued in or bolt on). Solid koa which has sound and weight properties of the best Honduran. Locking tuners and a smoother transition from neck to body. mADE IN usa TOO. What's best is that you can buy 4 of them for what Les Pauls are selling for. Thank God some people ignore them and would rather spend that $800 on some "entry level" Gibson instead. Here's one. Drop in your favorite humbucker (one thing about Carvins I don't like is their pickups, but that's true of a LOT of brands including Gibson)http://cgi.ebay.com/CARVIN-KOA-SC90-Solid-2-piece-KOA-Body-and-Neck-/280686760995 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TurboRotary13b Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I still firmly believe that the reason there are still some people out there NOT playing Les Pauls is because they havent played the right one yet. I dont think so. Ive played quite a few and I just dont like them. I really dont like the look and Ive never felt a neck that I really liked on one of them.. My soloist has the fattest neck I would EVER want. I prefer lightweight guitars with super thin necks. The opposite of virtually every LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 It's mainly that thick heavy clunky body that I don't like. Nothing elegant or ergonomic to it at all compared to modern guitar designs. I can see being a hard rock guy in the 70's using one because it had humbuckers in it that gave a great overdrive sound that other guitars didn't have....but these days there are lots of other options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FastRedPonyCar Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I played a hagstrom swede not too long ago in nashville that IMO smoked dozens of les pauls I played at the guitar center. It really wowed me to be totally honest. The setup was EXCELLENT, the tone from the stock pickups was nice and it just played really well and resonated nicely. I liked it so much, I kinda want a viking deluxe. I know that Pat Smear from the foo fighters pretty much plays all hagstroms at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mcmurray Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Nah, I'm paying for the oversized chambered body, 27" scale, blank ebony fretboard and a killswitch or two (Buckethead signature LP). Cost me $1800 delivered, best bang for the buck Gibson ever imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wizard of Ozz Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Smell that Gibson hatred... Yummy! I just bought 2 new 1958 Historic Reissue Les Pauls and a new 2011 Explorer in the last couple of weeks... And after owning around 20-30 Les Pauls (including other Historics) over the last 20 years... I think currently Gibson is making some of the best guitars they have produced a looooonng time. Both Custom and regular production. Oh... and... If you want the LP tone... Buy a LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaXu Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 There is no magic thing Gibson does that nobody else is doing. They don't have wood from the magic forest assembled by magic elves and pixies. What they have is an aesthetically pleasing guitar design (actually several!) and a good marketing department. They sell a lifestyle product and it's apparently working based on how many "nothing but a Gibson will do" answers are in this thread. On their best day they make a really good guitar, but that doesn't mean they make a better guitar than other manufacturers. There are many two humbucker, mahogany and maple, 24.75" scale guitars that sound like most perceive a Les Paul to sound. Many are very similar designs, but only few are as good looking as the Gibson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Having toured and interviewed for a position in the Gibson Custom Shop and watching them work for a few hours, I have no {censored}ing idea how most of them got their job, and I have no idea how in the hell they sell guitars for so much money.Maybe they have their job because every CS Gibson I've played to this day has been really awesome. Perhaps I'm just lucky.Matter of fact, the production Gibsons I've owned were all great guitars so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NixerX Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 FTR.. Any Production guitar needs to be properly set up...if you aren't doing that you are failing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wizard of Ozz Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 On their best day they make a really good guitar, but that doesn't mean they make a better guitar than other manufacturers. There are many two humbucker, mahogany and maple, 24.75" scale guitars that sound like most perceive a Les Paul to sound. Many are very similar designs, but only few are as good looking as the Gibson. Care to name a few? I've played or owned just about all of them (PRS, Collings, McNaught, Huber, Heritage, Tokai, Hamer etc.) and they don't sound the same to my ears. There's a reason it's one of the most copied solidy body designs around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lucius Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Anyone play those chinese knockoffs?? Cheers, Lucius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EdgeOfDarkness Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Yes I am, because I can....anymore questions ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AdInfinitum Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I own about 50 guitars from PRS (CU24 and CE24), Gibson (LP Custom, Standard, Steve Howe, ES-335, SG), Fender (CS Strat, 1973 Tele), Parker (MidiAxe and Fly), EB (Wolfie and Steve Morse) , Ibanez (RG770), Rick, Carvin and Steinberger, including some doublenecks. By far, IMHO, Gibson's quality and value are well worth it. A lot goes into a Gibson, including the thickness/quality of the wood, glued in set-neck, ebony fretboard, Mother of Peark headstock and frets and body/neck binding. As people have said, you just have to find the one that speaks to you. I've played lots of Fenders in the past and finally found a strat that works for me (only took 30 years of looking). As much as I love my strats and teles, do you really think that attaching a bolt on neck to a slab of wood with some single coil pickups (Fender) compares to the labor in making a Gibson or PRS??? If anything, Fenders are WAY OVERPRICED based upon labor/time/material costs. That's why they keep releasing every single variation of these guitars and slapping on a famous players' name just to increase the cost and perceived value of the instrument. In fact, my favroite strat is a Mexican 50's where I replaced the pickups with the David Gilmour pickups). Sounds awesome, even better than the Custom Shop one. Case in Point - the new James Tyler Variax - made somewhere near a M*A*S*H Unit in South Korea. It sort of looks like a Les Paul Standard, but compare the two. The JTV just feels "fake" and "cheap" compared to a real Les Paul. Something about those Korea guitar necks and fretboards (even if bound) just feels FAKE/CHEAP to me. Does the JTV sound good - YES. Does it sound as good as my LP Custom when just playing through the pick-ups (off-the-rack 2005) - NO, not even close. And I'm not talking about a Real 59 Burst here, just a regular 2005 Standard. The only guitar I feel that is underpriced are my Carvins. Solid Body, ebony fretboards, unique pickups. They play and sound great. In fact, after my 83 LP Custom, my favorite guitar is my Carvin 612 doubleneck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P. Wallace Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 I bought my Gibson LP without even plugging it in. It is so resonant with very healthy sustain. I've tried other similar priced guitars and they don't even come close! Also, I think I have magic PU in mine cause the feedback it produces is very musical not harsh or overpowering. As for less expensive MIK guitars, I don't even bother to try them so I couldn't give you a comparison. It might not affect tone, but the poly finish on those Schecturds make em look cheep though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillyCorgan Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Almost 10 years after i ditched my Les Paul Standard i still can't find one that can hold a candle to my '01 PRS Singlecut. I've tried so many vintage and modern ones over the years from early-mid 70s Customs to 90s Classics/Standards. It just can't be dethroned as my #1 recording guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MatchFive Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Don't buy a Gibson, buy a Tokai or something. The Japanese take more pride and usually do things better than Americans when it comes to crafting/machining things, and since they aren't so pompous about such things, they are usually much cheaper. Having toured and interviewed for a position in the Gibson Custom Shop and watching them work for a few hours, I have no {censored}ing idea how most of them got their job, and I have no idea how in the hell they sell guitars for so much money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P. Wallace Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Schecturd is the Line 6 of guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MatchFive Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 http://www.rondomusic.com/electricguitar-ss15.html Agiles are great guitars.. Even the AL-2000 that runs for $225.00 is a well built good playing guitar.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members -Assy- Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 Schecturd is the Line 6 of guitars. I kind of agree with this. It is one of those things where you pick the gaudy-ass looking pile of mid-quality mahogany and ebony/rosewood with seymour duncan pickups off of the wall, and you are like "well... it plays pretty much perfectly... but I don't want to be seen in public with this". Same with a Line 6 amp. I often find myself enjoying a lot of the sounds in combination with the sheer {censored}ing ease of dialing the amps in, but, I would never buy or own one (I do have a podxt live, but that is a bit different). I do have a Schecter Classic, from back before Schecter took off with the little douchey metal head kids with rich parents and metal-zone boosted single rectos. It is an extremely nice guitar, one of the best players I have ever come across. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MatchFive Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 A friend of mine had a Gibson LP Studio that had the fret ends sticking out so bad that you could have sawed a tree down using the side of the neck.. Why he did not file them down himself and fix it is another matter..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members -Assy- Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 A friend of mine had a Gibson LP Studio that had the fret ends sticking out so bad that you could have sawed a tree down using the side of the neck.. Why he did not file them down himself and fix it is another matter..... Didn't want to damage the collector value Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jnurp Posted May 31, 2011 Members Share Posted May 31, 2011 comparing a schecter to a Gibson is like comparing having unprotected anal intercourse with a hairy man who is full of taint to making love to a beautiful woman who is in the bath waiting for you....Its like night and day my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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