hi,

sorry i know this is a fender site, but wanted to get some opinions.

planning to buy a les paul. just rang my guitar shop to see how much the standards are. £1700. wot the hell, how much!!!!?

why the hell are they so much? for the same money i could get a top model epiphone les paul and a brand new american deluxe and ma bus fare home as jim bowen would say.

i dont think its worth it. gonna go and play one friday. anyone got one? what you think.? think im gonna go epiphone tho.

cant believe they charge that for the standards? maybe when i play one, i will see why. but its gonna have to be pretty dam good.

is it because les pauls died? or have they always been over priced?

many thanks

louis

I find it difficult to justify their prices also. There are a few Gibson hollowbodies and semi's I would love to own but at the prices they look, like I said, can't justify it.

I also hate those bound fret boards where the fret ends are plastic, kind of limit the instrument in that you would have to 'baby' it with no option of neck replacement.

Great guitars but awful prices.

You will be very happy with Epiphone I'm sure. Fantastic instruments, reasonable prices.

Good luck,

CC

Definately not worth it. Quality control on LPs is bad, too. Every guitar is different.

Still, I love the sound, and the response of a good one. There's gotta be another way. Used? Epiphone? There's gotta be a homeless tweeker with 4 kids, maxed out credit cards and an up-coming court date you buy one off of real cheap.

You're smart for not jumping in, man.

If I was going down the Gibson path, I'd probably go with a 335.
So beautiful.

Good luck, Louis.

All new Gibson models have been waaaay overpriced for many years now. I would suggest getting a used LP Standard if you really need to have "Gibson" on the headstock. Otherwise find a decent upscale Epiphone LP.

_________________
Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

get an epi lp they rock i'm waiting on a classic wiring and pots/switch kit arriving from the usa , it sounds good just now but i can't wait to put this in , oh mines is a 03 epi lp standard , i love it , also got an sg400 as well

_________________

paid $1000 for a studio model back in the late 80's. i love that guitar. just a thought for you to keep in mind. they are HEAVY. your shoulder will get sore after a gig. for me, it's a good sore.
yes, they are overpriced.

Used is the way to go if you are looking for a GIBSON LP.

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

+1 Definitely used
You may want to look at the LP Standard Fadeds...incredible guitars, a bit lighter, a satin nitro finish, and Burstbucker Pro pickups. A bit cheaper than the Standards and just as good.

_________________
Current Gear: Ron Kirn Barnbuster Tele,
Marshall: 1971 SuperLead 100>1997 1960-TV, bunch of pedals
and a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe named Veronica

If I was rolling in money I'd no way buy a new Gibson Les Paul,with the quality control issues Gibson has been plagued with in recent years I'd rather buy a good used one.I'd be more willing to buy an Epi 59 Les Paul like the one I played recently that was 1/3 the price of a Gibson and The Best Les Paul I've ever played Bar None.Epiphone also makes a Les Paul Custom Prophecy and EX models with Gibson USA made Dirty Fingers or EMG 81/85 pups,coil tap,quilted maple cap,Strap Locks and an optional Floyd Rose.There are also great Burney,Orville and Love Rock etc. Les Pauls that can excede the current(and some older)Les Pauls in every manner except cost.So if you want a great Les Paul and don't want to pay extra for the Gibson name on the headstock there are better and cheaper options out there.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Hi louis1: by overpriced I guess you mean a Gib LP Std costs a fair bit more than a Fender Am Std Strat - is that it?

It's true. Where you and I live a US Strat is currently around £775 / $1,177, while a Gib Paul Std is around £1,700 / $2,583, not helped by the current exchange rate which favours exports, not imports.

I think the problem here is with the word "Standard". Those are entirely different guitars and a heck of a lot more in the way of man hours goes into the Paul than the Strat. Kinda the point of the Strat's design, to make it very cheap to mass produce, after all.

If it worries you a lot try building a guitar with the LP's appointments, particularly the set neck joint, the carved top, the flame maple front and all that binding. Tot up the hours it takes and then work out how many pennies per hour you can pay yourself for that seventeen hundred asking price...

Another way to look at it is to compare the price of the Paul to almost any other serious instrument out there. Take a look at the price of professional level violins for instance, or oboes or double basses. That'll make your eyes water. For that matter, see what a high quality classical guitar costs.

Mind you, if you must have that Gibson badge and you want to buy new there's still deals to be done. Here's a Les Paul Standard Traditional for £1,299:

http://www.nevadamusic.co.uk/Guitars/El ... keyword%7D

Not bad - and if you are in London then I saw the same model, including sunbursts, in Macaris for around the same price not two days ago...

Good luck - C

My complete lack of being able to find a les paul (even their customshop models) which meets my idea of how a decent guitar is built, has me looking to Japan or China for one.
From what I've seen of 05-08 LP's I couldnt justify paying £600 for a standard never mind £1700. The simple fact is that nearly every Japanese manufacturer builds better for a lot less. Stronger headstocks, so when you drop it, it dont break off. More neck support at the body joint so its not eternaly going out of tune. No stupid holes drilled into the body under the maple cap.

The faded's and studio's just dont come in decent colours for the money they cost. I cant justify £1K for a studio with a colour thats not my first choice. Theres only the wine red with gold hardware that I like the look of. Even thats not in my top 3 colour choices.

_________________
No no and no

'Tis mine!



And when I watch this, value for money just ain't on my mind...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKUBTX9kKEo

...Flippin' value for money. It ain't very rock and roll, is it? Is a red Ferrari value for money?

Let's rock - C

Ninja, I remember you saying something about the neck binding (frets,etc.) that bothered you. What was it? Can you refresh my mind?

I bought an '03 Standard Plus new in '03. It slowly revealed itself to be a truly awful guitar. It began to fall apart after about a year or so. Frets lifting and neck binding delaminating. Pots crapping out. I'm never going down that road again. My Epi Les Paul is the complete opposite. Great fit and finish and great feel and no issues. Of course the electronics have all been swapped out so that helps. Still, the Gibson had serious issues that were not electronics related and not humidity related either.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Dang!! That's a shame!!