C
C1-ocaster
New member
Added to the small collection, a brand spankin new 2013 Gibson LP Standard Plus AAA top.
I've been wanting an LP Standard, but their pricing is steep.
IMO, they are overly priced in comparison to other manufacturers, and the quality those companies can put out compared to Gibson.
Still, there is something about that TONE that comes from an LP.
If you want it, then you'll have to decide if you're willing to pay.
There are excellent deals on 2013 clearance Gibsons, and I found a VERY sweet deal at Sweetwater.
I was going to get a regular AA LP Standard, but for just a little bit more I had my choice of a few AAA's.
On Sweetwater's website they show you a few in stock guitars so you can choose the one you want.
I found a few and then decide to make the 2 hour drive to see the store and to see the LP's in person and play them, then decide.
The Sweetwater store is amazing, great facility. Guitar Center can not compare.
Nearly all of the guitars on the walls are perfectly set up and CLEAN very unlike most of the you know who stores.
I choose 2 desert burst LP AAA's and 1 honey burst AAA and played all 3.
WOW. TONE and TONE and TONE. That's what a Gibson LP has, TONE.
All 3 were really sweet. The one that I thought looked the best with the best flame actually had the highest action and didn't "speak" to me as much as the other 2, a desert burst and a hone burst.
The one I picked plays amazingly. I much prefer the slim taper 60's neck of the current Standards.
The negatives:
All is not perfect with my LP nor the other 2.
All 3 had the consistent "ting" when tuning the G string, just as they've had for decades. It's unbelievable that Gibson hasn't addressed and corrected this. But, seems for 2014 they may have a solution as they are now using a different type of nut made of or with graphite, which may help.
The high E strings also had a slight "ting" when tuning as well.
The volume and tone knobs are VERY inconsistent. They have different heights and feel on all 3 LP's. A couple of knobs were even sitting slanted. Small detail, but come on. The LP Standard Plus sells for $3000. No excuse for inconsistent knob feel and installation.
Still, the electronics work great and have usable changes in volume and tone. The coil tapping is pretty cool and there are some interesting and some great tone options.
Those are minor things. The major issue I have is the LACK of quality where the neck sits in the body.
I posted a couple picts below. All 3 of the LP's I was checking out had the same roughness on the edges where the neck meets the body. It's wavy, orange peely, and plain butt ugly. There really is NO excuse for this.
If you're going to claim that American made is better and thus necessitates a price premium, then there is no excuse for doing such a poor job on the construction.
There were a few other LP's in the showroom and out of 6 only 1 was really smooth and done correct. A couple were somewhat acceptable and the rest, like mine, are bad.
The last thing is a very minor issue and something I have a question about.
I posted a pic of the back of the headstock where the serial number and manufacture year are stamped.
On my LP the serial number is readable but faint, but the manufacture date is barely barely readable.
Will this make a difference if I ever sell it?
I don't plan on selling it, but I would like to hand it down in the future to a niece or nephew.
The issues on the guitar are minor and didn't stop me from buying one.
Mostly because I got a fantastic deal on my choice of LP.
If I had to pay full price I would probably have been a lot more picky and gone through their whole stock until I found a perfect one, which shouldn't have to happen btw.
It is about tone and playability and that's why I chose the one I have.
After playing the 3 I thought looked the best, it came down to the one that "spoke" to me and felt right and sounded great.
Heck, all 3 sounded great, but mine played the best.
The nicest looking flame top played nicely too, but it's action was way too high for my liking. I could have corrected that at home, but I like my choice.
I've been wanting an LP Standard, but their pricing is steep.
IMO, they are overly priced in comparison to other manufacturers, and the quality those companies can put out compared to Gibson.
Still, there is something about that TONE that comes from an LP.
If you want it, then you'll have to decide if you're willing to pay.
There are excellent deals on 2013 clearance Gibsons, and I found a VERY sweet deal at Sweetwater.
I was going to get a regular AA LP Standard, but for just a little bit more I had my choice of a few AAA's.
On Sweetwater's website they show you a few in stock guitars so you can choose the one you want.
I found a few and then decide to make the 2 hour drive to see the store and to see the LP's in person and play them, then decide.
The Sweetwater store is amazing, great facility. Guitar Center can not compare.
Nearly all of the guitars on the walls are perfectly set up and CLEAN very unlike most of the you know who stores.
I choose 2 desert burst LP AAA's and 1 honey burst AAA and played all 3.
WOW. TONE and TONE and TONE. That's what a Gibson LP has, TONE.
All 3 were really sweet. The one that I thought looked the best with the best flame actually had the highest action and didn't "speak" to me as much as the other 2, a desert burst and a hone burst.
The one I picked plays amazingly. I much prefer the slim taper 60's neck of the current Standards.
The negatives:
All is not perfect with my LP nor the other 2.
All 3 had the consistent "ting" when tuning the G string, just as they've had for decades. It's unbelievable that Gibson hasn't addressed and corrected this. But, seems for 2014 they may have a solution as they are now using a different type of nut made of or with graphite, which may help.
The high E strings also had a slight "ting" when tuning as well.
The volume and tone knobs are VERY inconsistent. They have different heights and feel on all 3 LP's. A couple of knobs were even sitting slanted. Small detail, but come on. The LP Standard Plus sells for $3000. No excuse for inconsistent knob feel and installation.
Still, the electronics work great and have usable changes in volume and tone. The coil tapping is pretty cool and there are some interesting and some great tone options.
Those are minor things. The major issue I have is the LACK of quality where the neck sits in the body.
I posted a couple picts below. All 3 of the LP's I was checking out had the same roughness on the edges where the neck meets the body. It's wavy, orange peely, and plain butt ugly. There really is NO excuse for this.
If you're going to claim that American made is better and thus necessitates a price premium, then there is no excuse for doing such a poor job on the construction.
There were a few other LP's in the showroom and out of 6 only 1 was really smooth and done correct. A couple were somewhat acceptable and the rest, like mine, are bad.
The last thing is a very minor issue and something I have a question about.
I posted a pic of the back of the headstock where the serial number and manufacture year are stamped.
On my LP the serial number is readable but faint, but the manufacture date is barely barely readable.
Will this make a difference if I ever sell it?
I don't plan on selling it, but I would like to hand it down in the future to a niece or nephew.
The issues on the guitar are minor and didn't stop me from buying one.
Mostly because I got a fantastic deal on my choice of LP.
If I had to pay full price I would probably have been a lot more picky and gone through their whole stock until I found a perfect one, which shouldn't have to happen btw.
It is about tone and playability and that's why I chose the one I have.
After playing the 3 I thought looked the best, it came down to the one that "spoke" to me and felt right and sounded great.
Heck, all 3 sounded great, but mine played the best.
The nicest looking flame top played nicely too, but it's action was way too high for my liking. I could have corrected that at home, but I like my choice.
