Onza_Jk

Love les pauls, but i cant afford one yet :P

Webslinger

I love my black LPC. It was my first decent guitar and a deal I could not pass-up. But to be honest, the action was never so great on it. I'll never sell it, but I wish it played better.

radiomatts

It's funny.... I have a 1981 LP Standard that I bought in 81 for $500.00 with the case! When was the last time you walked into a store and bought a guitar that came with a hardshell case?

This LP has been through the wars with me. On tour, being played by toddlers while I wasn't looking...everything. You name it. It still kicks some serious ass.

I went into Guitar Center last summer to play this guitar through a Vintage Modern with two JCM 800 4X12 cabs. Couldn't afford the stack, but the guys at GC let me just play what I want. Anyway, the manager of the guitar department thought I was trading in my Paul and on the spot offered me $2400.

I nearly choked.

By the way, outside of Custom Shop stuff, Gibson Les Pauls are terrible now. They just don't feel right. All that weight relief crap is a crime too, and I love the fact that Gibson wasn't telling anyone about the chambering right away and then got caught because of that incident at GC in Hollywood. Just my opinion, but I'd almost have an Epiphone LP Ultra II with a few mods over most the the LPs Gibson is putting out. They're whoring out the Les Paul name with all the custom versions. Do we REALLY need a Neal Schon model Les Paul, or a Billie Joe model Junior.

Hell, does Joan Jett really need a model of her own?

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steelhorse

Nice rigs guys!

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Webslinger

Im not familiar with this story....can you elaborate?

radiomatts

Sure thing. A kid bought a Les Paul at G.C in Hollywood, but didn't buy a case for it. GC in their infinite wisdom charges list for Gibson cases. Anyway, he walked out of the store and dropped the guitar. For whatever reason the maple cap popped off partially, but enough to reveal the chambering. Gibson hadn't disclosed that anywhere that regular production model LPs were chambered. The kids family sued GC and Gibson and won. Gibson is now indicating which LPs are chambered and which are not.

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steelhorse

When I bought my 2008 Standard (the gold top in the photo above) I knew in advance it was chambered. I have several other LP's and I believe all of them are weight relieved to some degree and the goldie is lighter but not by much. The feel is wicked nice and the sound is fantastic. I haven't changed a thing, don't need to. My other LP's I've swapped pups, electronics and added tone pros.

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steelhorse

That totally sucks ass. What is wrong with these companies, they don't think eventually someone's going catch them?

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RiverRatt

I don't know what's wrong with Gibson. Did they not learn a lesson with Norlin? Public demand for a Les Paul made like the old ones is what brought the Les Paul back into production. I believe they came close with the historic line, but the Gibson USA line seems to be headed in the wrong direction. It wasn't chambering or asymmetrical necks that made the Les Paul the icon that it is. IMHO, Gibson's "improvements" to the line seem more like marketing ploys than actual innovations.

You can't point the finger at Gibson without giving Fender a mention, either. I think those Road Worn guitars are ass-ugly. Back when I was in the music business, we used to call those "blems" or "factory seconds".

Sorry for the rant. I haven't had much sleep lately.

Webslinger

I hadnt heard of that, when was this? Hasnt Gibson been actively advertising chambered bodies on certain models going back at least about 5 years or so. If anything, maybe it was a trade secret for a very short time to see if it caught on? In any case, I'd think you'd be able to tell as soon as you picked the guitar up that it was lightened.
Loyal Gibson fans understand that LPs are heavy, but everybody else had been bitching about weight for so long, you cant blame Gibson for doing something about it. Yeah, purists dont like the idea of chambered bodies but I've read only good reviews about sound? Different tone, yeah maybe, but nothing bad that I've read.

psphill27

I just played one of the new 2008 standards last month. Looked really nice and was light, but I didn't like the tone as much as my 2000 model which is heavy as lead. I'm not saying it sounded bad, but I like the sound of the denser wood better. Just my opinion.

Webslinger

Why are the Norlin-era guitars so disliked?
Ok, I understand that many US products from he 1970s were not made as well as earlier or later vintages...this goes for almost everything. But are Norlin models all that bad?

As far as Pauls go, I know for some of them they used stacks of body slabs (pancake-design) instead of just a body & cap. Maybe this wasnt good for sustain, but they also redesigned the neck & volute...but that was actually for a stronger fit, was it not?

I've never played or handled a 50's LesPaul so I cant personally compare my 70's LPC one, but to me it seems to be crafted just as well & solid as any post-Norlins (1985+ maybe?) I've seen alot of Pauls in stores from the late 80s through today, with fit & finish problems that definatley should have been caught by QC before they left the factory.

The only complaint I have with mine is that I could never get the action as low & fast as you'd expect from a Custom. Other than that it's great?

RiverRatt

I've had several Norlins and I liked every one of them, especially a 1979 Custom that was unreal it was so nice. They weren't necessarily bad guitars, but looking back, there were several bad business decisions that probably did more to hurt Les Paul sales than to help. IMHO, the asymmetrical necks, chambering and two-piece backs from today sound like they are right out of the Norlin playbook. Having to buy a Les Paul Traditional to get a Les Paul Standard makes about as much sense to me as New Coke did 25 years ago.

Webslinger

I just read online somewhere, that back in the 70's, Norlin (through the Selmer company of Europe) as a marketing strategy would "lend" instruments to bands (famous or not) for advertising purposes.
When the instrments were returned, they were in certrain degrees of use & abuse, some not immediately visable. It seems that there were over 1000 LesPauls in a warehouse in England that the Gibson factory refused to accept back.

I can imagine that Norlin may have done the same thing in the US through Chicago Musical Instruments Co. I would hazard to guess that CMI & Selmer werent about to deystroy & write-off all that stock. It's possible they repaired/refurbished these insrurments and they got back out into circulation.
When problems later arose and local repair luthiers examined these under store-warranties, they found what they thought was poor factory workmanship?
This could be one reason for the bad rep?

dmnall

I love Gibson Les Pauls and I just bought my first Les Paul yesterday *Saturday* off a guy in Ventura that had 2 of them up on Craigslist.. I originally went down to look at his Mahogany Studio but he really wanted a little more then what I wanted to pay for it for having a chunk out of the headstock but he had an Arctic White with gold h/w studio for a bit more *550 for the Mahogany and 900 for the Arctic White* but the white one had the 5th fret inlay starting to come out *it needs to be re-glued* which I did manage to talk down to $ 600 for it with a gibson hardshell case! I have it down at Instrumental Music waiting for my old Math Teacher from HS to do the repair job for $ 30!

Here is a couple of shots of my new baby!







Enjoy,
Charlie

Metallon

These are just too pricey here in Sweden. I think an LP Custom goes for at least 2,500 USD in Sweden. They go up to like, thrice that amount and more. Kind of sick. I'd love a Black Beauty or something to the effect.

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RiverRatt

I remember those bands! We had one come to my high school back around 1979-1980. This was in a town of maybe 1,500 people, so it was a real novelty to have an actual band in town, even if they were unheard of. I remember both guitarists playing a Sonex. It was like an hour-long advertisement for Norlin products.

wullie

I have an 82 Standard that is all beat up and I love it, I bought it on ebay and struck gold, it is a player not a display item. I gig my gear regularly and am not too gentle after a long night. I put WCR Moore/Greene pups in it and it sounds and plays great.

PeterC

I'm new here so I'll make my first post a pic of my les paul. The missus got it me for xmas and it's awesome.

Vintager12

That GUY on the right is les paul . He is the daddy of les paul guitars . Its all his idea...
But its a nice joke !


AND I LOVE LES PAULS

coldsteal2

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tim warner

I'm still trying to figure out the "dirt" on my 1995 Jimmy Page Les Paul.
Some people say that by 1997 they changed everything to make them cheaper(not to sell cheaper though) and Jimmy Page got pissed off and cancelled his deal with them, but when you ask a Gibson rep, THEY DON'T KNOW NOTHIN . Just like Sgt Schultz.

Things that make you go ,hmmmm

cadaver_occulta

That is FREEKIN GORGEOUS!!! One question tho. Where could I score a pickguard like that?, One like that would look sexy on mine (although mine isn't a Gibson...it's a Jay Turser....But it plays great anyway )

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Vintager12

Maybe you better ask who dont likes the Gibson les paul, But then you dont get any reply's

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thrashforlife95

pauls have a great tone

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stax

Ted McCarty is responsable for the Les Paul, they put Les' name on it for endorsement as Les was the biggest guitarist of the day. Les wanted a solid maple guitar and didn't like the shape or the gold paint, but the money was to good to pass. Ted convinced Les that a maple cap would be better, Ted invented the ABR and more.

Les Paul's have been weight relieved since the early 80's (chambering is new as of the last couple of years), several holes are cut around the mahogany back, know as swiss cheese, this has been know since the 80's.

I also bought my first new Les Paul in 1981, at cost from a relative that owned a music shop and it was a bit more than $500 ($500 was what a Strat sold for at the time).

Stop spinning yarn guys!

Webslinger

There’s a lot of different strings to this ball of yarn…..Well the way I heard it, your both right.
What I’ve read was, yes, Les Paul’s original design was not the guitar we see today. He wanted more of a larger-bodied “jazz guitar” like the old Gibson L series except with a solid center beam that the neck would be set-into and the sides would be hollow. His prototype was a very similar Epihone Archtop which he cut up to become the famous “Log” guitar
(I assume we are all familiar with). The Gibson company originally rejected this idea, but a short time later he was called back by the new president of Gibson, Ted McCarty and given another chance. I not sure if Ted actually invented anything personally, or was just involved in the R&D of some very sucessfull innovations. But in any case, he was an intuitive coordinator who put the right people on the right projects. Ted was leaning toward the slab-design being used by Leo Fender. Niether Les nor the brass at Gibson wanted that. I think the compromise was a slab cut into the shape of a traditional guitar, but 2/3 size with a top-cap, and that’s what we have today. (with the exception of 61-68 when Gibson put the LesPaul name on the SG model...I heard that Les HATED that!)

Who knows for sure, but that seems plausible??

ptate

Me.

My babies:

Custom Shop Custom (Randy Rhoads fanatic)
1970 Cherry Sunburst Deluxe with case tags, price list, catalogue etc.
1970 Deluxe Goldtop

Oh, and some Marshalls......... 2204 (80's), AVT150 Tribute and 1952 Chicago Music Corp Amp (rehomed in a bluesbreaker style cab I built).

wareagle

i REALLY want a white custom! if you find it stolen...dont look at me.

les pauls have such a full rich tone.

ptate

Hey Wareagle,

Dig the blue Plus Top and Super Lead.....Unusual

I've had Original Epiphone Les Pauls (bolt on neck), through to their custom plus models. In addition, A beautiful Gibson Les Paul Faded 50 (just sold) and the ones above; BUT none of them compare to playing a white Custom. For some reason, you feel like a rock star when it's hanging off your neck........

Long live Randy........