Gibson Les Paul Custom - Standard

[sully]

there are two pawnshops on ebay right now, as we type.

yogadork (man, i miss that guy) sent one to me years back to check out for a few weeks. it was a nice guitar, but too small for me, and i didn't like the wide, flat neck that it had. (from what i recall). that said, they're incredibly well made.

sully

[shreddermon]

Yeah, those two on the 'bay aren't the greatest lookers. Gotta go for a Deluxe model - think LP Custom. Bound body, neck & head, ebony fretboard, etc. And, oh yeah, their necks are 25.5" scale length. So no "feel adjustment" when switching from your strats.

[pro-fusion]

In my experience with Gibson, no two of 'em play or sound alike. Personally, I wouldn't worry about all the authenticity stuff--my two favorite LPs were late '70s-early '80s guitars with maple necks. But due to the inconsistency, I would recommend only buying an LP that you have a chance to play first or one you can return with no hassle if it's a dud.

[khabibissell]

You hit that desciption spot on with what I think about mine, except I stuck EMGs in mine.

Wow! I've never seen a white standard. That guitar looks sweet with the white EMG's. Nice!

[Twisteramps]

I wouldn't own another LP unless I could play it first, way too much difference from guitar to guitar, never mind what era it came from.

Having said that, I finally sold my '06 LP standard. It's a nice guitar, but trying to play very high up on the neck was a total pain. When it comes to Gibsons, I much prefer SG's. Sure the bodies are crazy thin, but the fret access is so much better.
Pete

[GoPoundSand]

Shawn,

I had to go through a few LP Customs before I found one with a thicker" neck. It seems the new ones vary a bit. Mine is a 2006. I had a 2004 but sold it because the neck was a little too thin.

If you like chunkier necks, try the Standards 50s necks. The Standards, since 2002, come in two sizes -- slim 60s and fat 50s. The fat 50s is far more comfortable.

Another issue is one of "chambering." Since late 2006, Gibson started a different type of weight relief on the Standards that makes the newer Les Pauls pretty light. I have had a few just over 8 pounds. The problem is that they are basically chambered to reduce the weight. To me and many other Les Paul fans, this affects the tone negatively -- makes them sound darker, muddier, not as snappy or not enough attack on the notes. This is why all my Standards are between 2002 and 2005. Here is a thread from the Les Paul Forum with links to other threads and pics.

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139318&highlight=chamber%2A

I hope this helps. Feel free to PM me with any questions. I have 5 Les Pauls and am a big fan.

-GPS

[DoubleA]

Wow! I've never seen a white standard. That guitar looks sweet with the white EMG's. Nice!

From what I've been told they only made white standards in 1988 and 1989, and they where less than 200 made. I have no clue if that info is true or not. I've only seen one other than mine and it was an 88 like mine is. So it may be true.