No, that's not exactly it either. Don't confuse a maple cap or veneer with a laminate. I know it's confusing. Think of it this way, both terms pertain to a an object whose surface layer is one thing and the rest is something else, but "veneer = genuine" while "laminate = looks like".

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

[quote="way cool jr"]is the tribute gibsons answer to fenders reissue supro?

Don't know. It depends on how you look at it. These two Epi Tributes came out after Les Paul passed away, but the 59 LP is supposed to be the "Holy Grail" of tone. Any way you look at it's a sweet deal. Gibson electronics in a well made guitar for around $800. The 1959 is a limited edition. Limited to 1,959 guitars and has Gibson Burstbucker pups and the other Tribute is a 1960 Standard with Gibson USA '57 Classic pups. I've tried both and like I said IMO are exceptional instruments. If you've ever only played Fender or Squire guitars, you may not like the feel of them and the tone may be foreign to you. I've played all kinds of guitars in my lifetime and played about 6 of 7 years before getting a Strat. The Strat too little getting used to just because the scale length was longer and the strings were a little harder to bend and you're always fighting a spring loaded trem. You get used to it and adapt pretty quickly.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

hum....... im still out to lunch on the whole squire guitar co too.
i am excited to try the new john5 squire tele though.
they say its very promising, unlike any squire tele before it,
which is what john5 set out to do when he designed it.

I've heard some great sounds come from stock Epi's. There's a lot of variables involved. Amp, playing style and technique to name a few. Many players I seee on youtube drown their guitars in distortion, dump the mids and wank away. I seen some great instruments sound bad in the hands of some players. The pups in the Epi's are actually pretty decent. Not as hot as other Buckers, but decent enough. It's the pots, jack and switch that fall a bit short. Squires and some of Fenders MIM are the same way. Not bad playing or sounding guitars, but you would think something like a pup selector that gets used all the time would be of better quality.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

agreed

i would agree with you mate , when i done my epi lp i changed everything and left the pups in , it sounded not to bad , still a bit muddy on the neck pup then i found these http://www.axetec.co.uk/axetec%20guitar ... ps_102.htm
nowhere near as hot (high output) as the stock epi pups , and the sound is something to behold when it's plugged into the jcm800 , put it like this , billy gibbons would like it and with the 50's style wiring , roll of the vol and it cleans up nicely . i liked the set up so much i done my epi sg as well , i put irongrear hot slags in it , i might change it to the blues engine as well though

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The Les Paul was destined to be a great guitar due to the input of Les Paul and Ted McCarthy,each man was a genius in his own right.Sadly the newer Les Pauls don't live up to the standards to which the older ones were built.A friend of mine spent 3 grand last year on a new Les Paul Deluxe and has had nothing but trouble with it especially with tuning. He has brought it back to the dealer several times and is now considering shaking it and buying an Epiphone 59 or 60 reissue Les Paul.I played a 60 reissue a few months ago and it was the best sounding and most comfortable Les Paul I've ever played the neck was actually slim compared to the Gibson baseball bats.Check out the Epi 60 reissue Les Paul and you'l love it.

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'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.

Even the old Les Paul's didn't live up to Les's vision. Les told me at the Iridium that he never understood why Gibson used high impedance pickups. His guitars are all heavily modified by Les himself and he rewound his own pups and they were low impedance. He told me capacitance will kill your tone. The problem isn't just with Gibson, it's with Fender, Grestch, Jackson, LTD you name it. I've even tried Custom Shop Strats that wouldn't stay in tune. Doesn't matter what you pay for them. I don't think anyone can cut a nut anymore.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

I'm not being negative, just stating a fact. Today's guitars are probably not the best ever made and that's why it's not accepted as fact.
Most of my guitars are vintage 35+ years old and were acquired long before they were vintage not because I have a bunch of money. I'd never spend the outrageous sums of money on a so-called vintage instrument.

Today's guitars are much more consistent but not necessarily the best ever made by a long-shot. I seriously doubt that every mass produced guitar is 100% quality inspected. That's where the problem lies. Maybe fifty or a hundred problem guitars get out the door because a router bit goes bad or there's a computer glitch in the CNC machining center before the problem is caught. Maybe if the nuts are supplied by an outside source had a problem and didn't catch it in time.There's not enough human interaction to make them the best.

My Mom & Pop shop set them up before you leave with whatever string gauge you need. Most big box stores hand you a box and send you on your merry way. They figure if there's a problem you'll bring it back. I'm there worst nightmare. I won't carry a guitar out in an unopened box. I try it out thoroughly through one of my amps before I leave the store. Then it leaves in a case. I don't consider my income "disposable".

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

thats the way it should be.
the guitar will be perfect in my hands before it leaves the store.

LP's are priced way to high for me, but you may want to try Schecter's Solo 6 custom, they look real nice especially the dark burst version to me, or try out an Ibanez AR300 (if you can find one at a decent price) or a Yamaha SG (1000 or 1500 model) I'll be looking for one or both of these in the future, but for now I'm absolutely loving my new Fender American Special HSS Fantabulous!!!!

I know what a maple cap is... I am not confusing it with laminate...
To me a laminate is what they use on hollowbodies like the ES-335 or ES-175.... That is what I think of when someone says laminate... I am hoping that is what you are referring to also...

I have an epi les paul right now that has a veneer and it's a very thin layer of what appears to be real wood... So, I know what that is also...

Please disregard my statement about epis using laminates.. I don't want to get into a long drawn out discussion revolving around semantics...

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In Reference to Blues Legend RL Burnside:
After a heart attack in 2001, Burnside's doctor advised him to stop drinking; Burnside did, but he reported that change left him unable to play.

i really like the les paul classic, but over here they are about £1600 or $2330. Bit to rich for me. Nvm

i plugged into a 212 deville while at guitar center, so i know what the sound should be, but the bass was way too bassy, and the treble was too bright. just not something i would be happy with as far as "my" tone.

but for me, the LP has always been the ideal guitar, the template of rock and roll. and to actually give on an honest test drive and NOT like the tone, it really kind of depressed me a little lol. iv wanted one for years just to come up dissapointed.

BUT! on the other hand..... instead of buying one les paul, i could buy two telecasters

even my wife, who knows nothing about tones or gear, says the tele is a better choice. im talking a regular 3 tone sunburst american standard tele.

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Guitars: American Standard Strat, American Vintage 52 Tele, Gretsch Power Jet

Amps: Frontman 212R, Hot Rod DeVille 212 w/ Vintage 30's, AC30 w/ Greenbacks

Pedals: Boss Tuner, XOTiC AC-Booster, MXR Phase 90, Line 6 DL4

To be honest I prefer teles over les pauls. If I had the choice between a tele or a les paul to my spec, I would choose the tele every time.