Tokai love rock FTW! Found one locally. Mine is a LS 150. Changed the pickups to Rio Grandes BBQ (pretty hot but I'm in Texas). I set the action really low (why not its a rep) to be my shredder LP and its a solid chunk of wood. Sounds great unplugged and plugged. Took a while but found one for under $1k. They are out there.
Mine was a late '70s or early '80s.. With the 5 Piece Diamond Headstock, like Gibson.. Don't know anything about the newer ones..
I traded my last Gibson Les Paul Custom in on a brand new Ibanez Artist AR-100 double cut in 1981. NOw I wish I'd kept it. Never found a better guitar for me than the AR-100 (have one for my main player today), but the Gibson would be worth soooo much money now. I picked up a Davison Korean made Les Paul in a pawn shop for around $500 that played so much like a GLP it was uncanny. Still couldn't abide the hump. It's a friend's favorite guitar now. Cheers
Figured I'd name drop the Agile AL-3100. http://www.rondomusic.com/electricguitar.html They get some great feedback from all of their stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax0Q_ydvHA0
Only one other member mentioned TOKIA , and these have to be seen to appreciate !! Heads & tails above a Epi or several others listed above .
I would probably buy one within 30 mins of playing a few. But where the heck can you buy them? I mean really try them and buy them? Nowhere near me, so I'd be opting for the Epi. I can try those out all weekend and pick one.
No where I know of to try but you can buy them here http://global.rakuten.com/en/search/?sid=chuya-online&tl=211040 or eBay
my Austin for under $300. plays & sounds great but could use a better toggle,the stock one is kinda stiff.
Tokai Love Rocks are out there around that price. I played a blonde Tokai 335 over the weekend that is as good as any guitar, Gibson or not, I've ever played; it was killer in every way.
I will second this! My SG1000 set a new standard in what quality means - both in construction and tone. If you can't jive with the shape, Yamaha makes a LP copy under the names Studio Lord and Lord Player. Some of the Lord Players have the traditional Gibson headstock [if that matters to you]. I would recommend a Studio Lord in a heartbeat. I have a SL700S that is pretty awesome. Other brands to look out for are Edwards [a division of ESP], Greco, and Tokai. Cole
Used Gibson Special and they come with different pickups as well. I feel that the Tributes suggested are a great idea also. You can get one new with a gig bag included ( I suggest getting a Gibson or after market hard case eventually ) I seen real sweet ones at both Sam Ash and GC. Do you like humbuckers or P90s with your LP?
Anything MIJ will be excellent. MIK are hit and miss. Edwards, Tokai, ESP/LTD, all good. I've played maybe two or three Epiphones that I'd call really good. The rest were all forgettable... very forgettable. For the OP's budget, a real Gibson, either lower line or used will be their best bet. Faded, Tribute, Studio's are all good buys. And some cash to spare.
Mmm dunno, if we were talkin about 4-5 years ago I'd totaly agree with that, but latey I've noticed more and more players satisfied with QC on MIK and MII instruments and unsatisfied MIJ guitar customers. E-II is a good example of that
Well, if you're going to get a Les Paul then that means you are looking at a Gibson … otherwise it's a single cut style guitar. Snobby? Maybe, but it's the truth. Having said that, there is no reason why you can't find a great Gibson Les Paul priced not only within your budget, but maybe even priced more aggressively than you have in mind. If you are ok buying it used, I'd go to places like the website created by Sam Ash where they sell used instruments. I just took a look, and I'm seeing several pages of great looking Gibson LP's priced as low as $499.00. Here's a link to get you started if you're interested: http://used.samashmusic.com
This is true, lots of people have complained that the quality on e-2 is not what it was on standard series. I have not had hands on one so I cannot verify but there is a lot of that talk out there, but there was a lot of bashing Gibson this year too and i think the quality was stellar. Could be just that people don't like the name.. Anyway I haven't heard any complaints on LTD models, and they are Korean at best Indonesian at worst. I have an Indonesian viper and I can't say a bad thing about it, had a Korean model and again, couldn't say a bad thing.. I have 2 Japanese ESP's and they are the best I have ever played, so I would definitely say that Japan has it locked up, just buy a used one and you'll be fine. Thanks for the link, I didn't know they had that. I thought only GC had used stuff
I have to cast a vote for an Epiphone. I have played quite a few of those that were very nice guitars. An Epiphone Les Paul with some upgraded hardware will get you a very nice guitar for under a grand.
