Les Paul Questions

[DonP]

My 78 Les Paul was a stone cold Les Paul killer - played better than any other Les Paul I've ever played. Still got rid of it though - traded it for a Strat.

My final LP guitar is a 1977 Custom I got in Jan 2006. Three piece maple neck, solid body, fantastic guitar. Zak and Sykes can't be wrong...

Was yours a Custom or a Standard?

Mine is great for 70's rock up to GnR, but doesn't do Metal too well. Neither does the CR8 or the 1956. But my other 3 LP's can take it up to Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Dio...

[Chad]

DonP: Aren't chambering and weight relieving two different things? Chambering is actually a "feature" with some finesse and purpose. Folks like Tom Anderson offer it as an option. Weight relieving is simply drilling holes (swiss cheese) in wood that is too heavy to bring the weight down. They have been doing that for a LONG time. I can't remember exactly, but I'm thinking the 70s. And I don't think they officially told people they were doing that up until recent years.

Man, I love the way Les Pauls look and sound, but after playing something like a Soloist, a LP feels like a cave man guitar. Restricted fret access. Not as comfortable. Some are overly heavy. Etc.

BTW, I have one Les Paul. A 2000 R9. But I don't play it much because of the reasons in the previous paragraph. I'd probably like an Axcess, but haven't tried one.

[Trem]

I'd probably look at some of the japan model les paul style guitars, esp, burny, edwards ect unless it has to be a gibson. I personally don't like their guitars.
I love a classic flying V for looks and cause my idols play them i've just never played a gibson i liked playability wise and the workmanship of the ones i've checked out in the past was pretty horrible if you ask me especially for the price and from such a "historic" and iconic company.

[Grandturk]

Was yours a Custom or a Standard?

Mine is great for 70's rock up to GnR, but doesn't do Metal too well. Neither does the CR8 or the 1956. But my other 3 LP's can take it up to Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Dio...

Ah, there's the old girl...

I don't get the " can only do such and such" music. I played everything on mine and it sounded great. Shockingly good through my Boogie - really gutsy and cutting.

Very versatile.

[Twitch]

Thats ^^ a beaut for sure. Black and cream binding. Grrr.

[roodyrocker]

I have several Les Pauls and each is a bit different than the next. DonP gave a pretty good summary of the different ones. The necks are all over the place in size depending on the model. Weight is a big issue with most Les Paul owners, most prefer lighter weight. weight doesn't bother me and one of my Les Pauls, a Midnight Manhattan Blue LE, tips the scale at 12.3 lbs. The chambering vs. weight relieved issue is a personal preference type of thing. Some won't own a chambered LP but I do have a couple like that and they sound perfectly fine. I also wouldn't discount the Studio models either. I have a Studio in Blue Teal Flip Flop with Duncan pickups swapped in. It sounds pretty heavy and the price on the Studios is right. And btw, Studios are USA made too. They just do away with some of the fancier stuff like binding and so on. If you want a higher end Les Paul for a reasonable price sometimes you can find a Norlin era LP for less. The misconception being that these aren't as good as other LP's. Again, this is false too and if you find a Norlin era LP at a price you like and it sounds/plays great then go for it.
But perhaps the biggest piece of advice is that the amount of fake Les Pauls on E-Bay and Craig's List is alarmingly high! Beware what you're buying. In fact its probably a good idea to check on the mylespaul and lespaul forums BEFORE you buy. Those guys will tell you if you're looking at a fake made in China if you simply post pix or a link to the auction you're looking at.

[straycat]

I have an 09 R8, 05 standard,81 custom,83 studio, 2010 50's tribute and a 99 classic and all are different to some degree but all play fantastic and sound huge.
Upgrade the electronics first off that's the only weak spot on any L.P.IMO.The light weight tail piece helps as well.

[DalyTek]

Why has no one recommended an Agile yet? From what I have seen, Agiles are super affordable and rival Gibsons in build quality and features.

[Twitch]

Weight is a big issue with most Les Paul owners, most prefer lighter weight. weight doesn't bother me and one of my Les Pauls, a Midnight Manhattan Blue LE, tips the scale at 12.3 lbs. The chambering vs. weight relieved issue is a personal preference type of thing. Some won't own a chambered LP but I do have a couple like that and they sound perfectly fine.
But perhaps the biggest piece of advice is that the amount of fake Les Pauls on E-Bay and Craig's List is alarmingly high! Beware what you're buying. In fact its probably a good idea to check on the mylespaul and lespaul forums BEFORE you buy.

The weight wouldnt bother me at all. My Kelly is pretty heavy compared to my other guitars. It is one big chunk of Poplar.
This obviously shows where I was misinformed before now, but I always thought "chambering" was standard procedure on a Les Paul. IIRC, the chambering is on the wings anyhow, as opposed to being the "swimming pool" that your p/u's sit in in a Strat.

As far as where Im looking for one, Im gonna be dealing locally where I can actually visit the instrument in person. I have 2 GC's and a Sam Ass within an hours drive of here, so Im not too worried about them being fake second hand, unless GC is selling fakes, which could happen. At any rate, Id have no problems posting pics here or somewhere else before I pull the trigger.

[DonP]

DonP: Aren't chambering and weight relieving two different things?

Absolutely. There are mixed reviews about when weight relief started, but sometime between 1984 and 1986.

[DonP]

Upgrade the electronics first off that's the only weak spot on any L.P.IMO.The light weight tail piece helps as well.

Now that's an interesting spot too. I am against upgrading blindly unless it needs it. I upgraded my Classic with 520K push/pull CTS pots, and my G0 with 550K pots, but my other 4 don't need it.

You only need to upgrade when you have a muddy guitar IMO, and I could see just upgrading the neck pots and leaving the bridge pots stock if needed.

[DonP]

The weight wouldnt bother me at all. My Kelly is pretty heavy compared to my other guitars. It is one big chunk of Poplar.
This obviously shows where I was misinformed before now, but I always thought "chambering" was standard procedure on a Les Paul. IIRC, the chambering is on the wings anyhow, as opposed to being the "swimming pool" that your p/u's sit in in a Strat.

As far as where Im looking for one, Im gonna be dealing locally where I can actually visit the instrument in person. I have 2 GC's and a Sam Ass within an hours drive of here, so Im not too worried about them being fake second hand, unless GC is selling fakes, which could happen. At any rate, Id have no problems posting pics here or somewhere else before I pull the trigger.

Fakes are getting better all the time. Which GC? Indy or Cinci?

[DonP]

Why has no one recommended an Agile yet? From what I have seen, Agiles are super affordable and rival Gibsons in build quality and features.

Sorry, but I had to If you believe Agiles sound just like a Gibson and are way better, go for it. You'll save lots and lots of money. If an Agile is all you can afford, go for it. It's better than nothing.

[DonP]

I'd probably look at some of the japan model les paul style guitars, esp, burny, edwards ect unless it has to be a gibson. I personally don't like their guitars.
I love a classic flying V for looks and cause my idols play them i've just never played a gibson i liked playability wise and the workmanship of the ones i've checked out in the past was pretty horrible if you ask me especially for the price and from such a "historic" and iconic company.

That's cool. If Japanese ones do it for you then go for it. I already mentioned two Orville by Gibson LP's being sold on the MyLP classifieds. One is $1250 ans the other is $1300. But that's within striking range of a Classic....

I've seen plenty of crappy Gibsons too. They are the ones being sold at GC and Sam Ash that sit there forever. If those are the only Gibsons you've ever seen, then no wonder. The good ones I have picked up were brand new shipments that hadn't been snatched up yet.

[Twitch]

Fakes are getting better all the time. Which GC? Indy or Cinci?

I have GC Indy, and Greenwood. I have a Sam Ass in Indy. These are within an hour or so. Theres also GC Terrahaute, Ft. Wayne, Evensville and Cinci within 2 hours or so of here.