Les Paul education

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Ventura":5hmwsc9x said:
That's right - there is no right and wrong when pertains to "opinions", so as long as it works for the worker, it's the right thing to do.

That said, I love my Lesters, and have gone through many. Interestingly enough, the ones I've kept are the solidbody customs and reissues. So it goes.

Thanks for the clarification on that receptacle. It was haunting me no end.
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Yo V! That is so funny man. It is almost like you were at the music store with me. That is exactly what I tell my wife when looking at the 14th guitar i need. It just works, gotta have it. It's the right thing to do.. :lol: :LOL:

Of course so is that $600 Coach purse for her. But since I don't carry a murse, of previous discussions, I'm saving money.

Stirring the shit there....

Who had the murse anyway?
 
I personally prefer the chambered ones... I think they sound better. Of course, the weight is nice too.
 
On my 2 Les Pauls, both are on the heavy side. I got a new more accurate scale, so I need to weigh them again. My '03 Standard LE, weighs more than my '73 LP custom. Not sure if the Standard is weight relieved or not, but its a heavy guitar. My '73 custom has the dreaded pancake body and is from the norlin era, but I really like it.

I will say I miss my '95 LP studio, nice and light. I too long for the days when there aren't 50 current LP models, its very confusing these days.

The luthier I take my guitars to for setup said that Gibson started the weight relieving and then chambering to offset the more 'wet' woods they were using. He mentions that current woods are cut, dried in a furnace and made into guitars, they don't have much old growth already dried wood anymore, thus they need to take some weight out of this new wood. Can anyone confirm if there is any validity to what he is telling me?
 
that could quite possibly be true. kiln dried lumber is usually slightly higher in moisture content than air dried. they set the kiln to turn off when the wood reaches a specific humidity level. in the case of hardwoods for furniture it's usually around 13%. that helps avoid twisting.. cupping.. checking and shrinking as the wood will continue to dry after it's been removed from the kiln. the continued drying is a slow process however.
 
LP Freak":f5qmqm8g said:
:lol: :LOL:
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Hey at least I'm trying to broaden my arsenal unlike some people I know.

Tele, Strat, LP Special, Standard LP. Bases covered.
 
I think chambered or non chambered doesn't matter much. There are great one and boat anchors in all of them. The new chambering is much less wood that the older chambering. They have 3 methods, 9 holes (refereed to swiss cheese) chambering (almost like a semi hollow body) and the new chambering method.

I have a 2012 Traditional plus that has the swiss cheese relief and that is about as close to old school as you can get. It still weighs in at 9.6 pounds.

I personally don't have an issue with heavier guitars. If Randy Rhoads weighing in at about a buck ten can sling a heavy Norlin era LPC so should other people who don't have a back or shoulder issues :) If people didn't bitch and moan about weight Gibson wouldn't have started weight relief.
 
blackba":cxujla68 said:
On my 2 Les Pauls, both are on the heavy side. I got a new more accurate scale, so I need to weigh them again. My '03 Standard LE, weighs more than my '73 LP custom. Not sure if the Standard is weight relieved or not, but its a heavy guitar. My '73 custom has the dreaded pancake body and is from the norlin era, but I really like it.

I will say I miss my '95 LP studio, nice and light. I too long for the days when there aren't 50 current LP models, its very confusing these days.

The luthier I take my guitars to for setup said that Gibson started the weight relieving and then chambering to offset the more 'wet' woods they were using. He mentions that current woods are cut, dried in a furnace and made into guitars, they don't have much old growth already dried wood anymore, thus they need to take some weight out of this new wood. Can anyone confirm if there is any validity to what he is telling me?
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In a round about way, this is truth. Fact is, high quality timber is becoming less and less readily available (unless the price goes higher, and profit margins lessen), and as mentioned above in my first reply, the heavier woods are less desirable from a "resonance" point of view; so - sneaky or not - Gibson removed that extra weight by drilling holes in the wood. This leaves lighter Les Pauls, which may lead the player to believe everything is well and fine on the surface - but it's not tackling the real issues at hand - which are - quality, resonant, tonewoods for the build.

So ya, more or less, there's some truth and validity to this.
 
OK new wrinkle:

2008 Standard faded (like the ones in the posts above) refinished gold top. Looks good with Rio Grandes - $1250

2009 (I think, could be '08) Standard Plus - cherry sunburst all stock - $1350

Brand new Gibson Traditional Pro - black from GC - $1210

Which one do you go with?
 
Brand new Gibson Traditional Pro - black from GC - $1210
 
IF you can put your hands on each one that would be the way to go but since you are asking Im going to guess you cant play any of them first.
In your case Id probably go with the brand new one so you can return it if it sucks!!!
 
fuzzyguitars":v3rua0o2 said:
Brand new Gibson Traditional Pro - black from GC - $1210
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+1 I would go with that one too. Sounds like a great price and you can return it if you don't like it. :)
 
boost":25n9wl18 said:
LP Freak":25n9wl18 said:
:lol: :LOL:
Click to expand...

Hey at least I'm trying to broaden my arsenal unlike some people I know.

Tele, Strat, LP Special, Standard LP. Bases covered.
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I'm just laughing at how many years it took to see the light. :bash:
 
People bitch about the clambering and or Swiss cheese construction mainly due to the fact that it is not period correct to how lp's were originally built in the 50's etc. as far as tone and playability, I think that they can sound and feel great with clambering or Swiss cheese type. It makes the guitar lighter and can add can compliment the tone in certain examples. There are duds and gems in all examples. As long as its a one piece body I don't mind as long as it sounds nice.
 
Play a guitar if you like it, buy it. If you don't like it, don't buy it. It is as simple as that. Fuck what anyone else thinks.

-Alex
 
I just played a '58 RI at Maken' Music. All I can say is it was one of the best sounding LP's I've ever played.....and I've played a few. :D
 
Played a few Les Paul's this weekend:

57 Goldtop Black back - nice 50's neck. Played and felt great. Because of what it is, it's more of a collector piece as it is mint. I'm not looking for a case queen and this one is. It's also $1,000 out of my range so...nice guitar though.

2012 Standard - 50's neck on this one. Felt good, I liked it but didn't care too much for the top. Wasn't matched very well.

2012 Standard Plus top - Asymetrical neck, tone pros everything, etc. Liked the cheaper Standard much better.

Tradional Pro's - First off GC online quoted a price on Friday. On Sunday the guy in the store couldn't match that. Sale ended on 10/3 but didn't get the site updated until 10/6. Oh well no big deal as I thought the ones I played were very cheap feeling. Did not like these at all. The satin back and neck I didn't care for at all. The Agile I just sold felt better than these, no lie.

Played a few Studio's just to see. They were about what I expected. Move along.

So thanks to all on this thread for info regarding the different models. Looks like I want a Standard Goldtop preferably with a 50's neck but would consider the others. I didn't find that big of a difference between the asymetrical and 60's neck though in feel. The 50's you definitely knew you had something in your hands.

So the hunt for a Goldtop goes on. Anyone got one, hit me up.
 
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