Gibson Les Paul Studio or Epiphone Les Paul Standard?

[LPJones]

Originally Posted by sdiggz

I was trying to answer the original thread "gibson les paul studio or epiphone les paul standard". rather new to this sorry

Not a biggie, from the way you answered I thought you were the original poster, and then I checked the names and they were different, so I was confused and needed to ask the question.

Its all good

[dcmey]

Originally Posted by ZoomZilla

Maybe you got a good one then. Common sense would tell you that a high end Epi should be better than a low end Gibby, but every guitar is unique, so maybe the VM is a good axe. I will try one out next time I am at the Gibson store and do an A/B on an elitist vs. Gibson Studio.

I played on high end epis in the store before trying the VM. The VM blew me away. The only thing lacks is a fancy paint job, and a binding. I actually like the worn cherry look that mine came with. I actually like VM's better than regular studios.

[Kuroyama]

I own a Vintage Mahogany and a Les Paul Special (P90). I havent had a chance to put the Special against Maple topped P90 LPs, but Ive heard my VM against Epis. High and Low end.

I cant see paying that much for an Epi when a Gibson VM can be had for so much less and IMO sounds so much better. Still, I recommend you try for yourself.

And... when shooting out, put everything on the same amp under the same settings.

Good luck, and enjoy.

[dave]

Originally Posted by Kuroyama

I own a Vintage Mahogany and a Les Paul Special (P90). I havent had a chance to put the Special against Maple topped P90 LPs, but Ive heard my VM against Epis. High and Low end.

I cant see paying that much for an Epi when a Gibson VM can be had for so much less and IMO sounds so much better. Still, I recommend you try for yourself.

And... when shooting out, put everything on the same amp under the same settings.

Good luck, and enjoy.

Sorry, I think they are pure UGLY! I would love to get a Gibson LP for the price of the VM, but I can't stand the look. Epis give most of the tone, vibe, & feel plus pretty finishes. That's why I didn't get a VM.

[needlespauls]

Oh man, the VM Studio is the absolute best guitar out there for the money IMO. My local shop still sell the Worn Brown for $699 with case, and $749 for the Worn Cherry with case. HOW CAN YOU BEAT THAT? I still went with an 06' Standard, as it overall sounded the best to me, and hell it doesn't look too shabby either, but I spent $1200 more on it than I would have on the VM Studio. The one thing that I actually prefer on the VM Studio over the Standard is the FEEL of the faded finish. MUCH smoother, WAY faster, WAY less sticky than the Standard's nitro. That feel of the finish, the quality of the guitar (pertaining to that you actually found that "right one" for you), the woods used, and the BB Pro Pickups, and the HSC, is the best "Player's LP" value period. I like to consider myself a "player", as I have played live extensively in the past and am going to be again in weeks, play daily, and record often. BUT, buying my first LP this year after wanting one for so long, I had to satisfy my "first LP bug" with a real deal Standard that was up to "my standards". It's much nicer of a guitar than I've ever owned, and it is inspiring to play. The VM Studio where not universally inspiring by its looks, is a JOY to play and hear. This guitar will be my #1b guitar, and may actually get more play time where I would not be afraid at all of dinging it up. Hell, I'll still buy an Epi Custom eventually though, as they are still GREAT guitars.

[jeremy9222]

Standard !!!! A Paul isn't a Paul without a binding :P or thats how always saw it

[sdiggz]

hey guys I can't figure out how to post pics that are not from a website. I took some shots with a camera, then uploaded them onto my mac, and when i click the little yellow box with the mountain, it asks for a URL. Bobbo said there is a help thread in the intros section and I can't find either so i just put one of my pics as my sig

[voxac30dude]

Originally Posted by Carroll1218

Hi all,

I plan to upgrade my old guitar+amp. I'm going to get some sort of marshall amp, but on to my main question. I really want that gibson les paul sound and I'm deciding between the Gibson Les Paul Studio and the Epiphone Les Paul Standard. The Gibson LP Studio is in the $1300 range, but I might be able to find it a little cheaper (seen it go for $900-1000, and I could always get one used), while the Epiphone Les Paul Standard is $550-600. Is the studio really worth it over the standard?

Buying the Epiphone LP Standard would allow me to spend more money on a good Amp and I'm looking to get a Zvex Fuzz Factory to go along with my Digitech RP-350. I'm not sure how much of a quality/tone difference there is between these two guitars though. I might get a more expensive Epiphone if i end up going with that, some kind of Epiphone Les Paul Custom for example. I also read that an expensive Epiphone is always a better choice than one of the lower-end Gibsons.

I'm also considering getting the Musician's Friend - Buy musical instruments, music gear, musical equipment online... (Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Custom Silverburst) because I really love the silverburst finish. How does it compare to the others?

Also, apparently the only difference between the Gibson Les Paul Studio and the Standard is that the standard has Grade A maple and slightly different looks while the studio has regular maple. If this is true, why not go for the studio?

If anyone could add their opinion or anything to help me out, that'd be great. I'm not really sure what to do and just considering all possible choices, but the price of a Gibson LP Studio ($1300) would be as high as i could go.

Thanks!

Edit: Also curious about the differences between the tone of the Plus-top and the Plain-top of the Epiphone LP Standard. Plain-top is $100 cheaper, and slightly heavier since its 100% mahogany, while the Plus-top is more expensive, but a mix of mahogany and alder with a Flame-top.

dude if i were you i would get the epiphone les paul plain top and use the other half of your money to get a tube amp. DON'T SETTLE FOR A SOLID STATE AMP THEY SUCK!!!!. you should get a peavy classic 30, fender hot rod deluxe or a vox ac15. they usually sell in the $600 price range. a good tube amp will make a decent guitar sound really awsome. the plain top sells for about just under $500. have fun hunting for gear

[dcmey]

Originally Posted by voxac30dude

dude if i were you i would get the epiphone les paul plain top and use the other half of your money to get a tube amp. DON'T SETTLE FOR A SOLID STATE AMP THEY SUCK!!!!. you should get a peavy classic 30, fender hot rod deluxe or a vox ac15. they usually sell in the $600 price range. a good tube amp will make a decent guitar sound really awsome. the plain top sells for about just under $500. have fun hunting for gear

A Vox AD30VT or the 50 watt are very nice hybrid amps. They are solid state but have tubes in the pre amp which gives that tube sound at a reasonable price.

[goldencd]

Elitist. ebay used.



Then take the extra money you save and buy a set of WB pickups. Will beat most standards and studio (except dcmey's )

[ninny404]

Originally Posted by sdiggz

hey guys I can't figure out how to post pics that are not from a website. I took some shots with a camera, then uploaded them onto my mac, and when i click the little yellow box with the mountain, it asks for a URL. Bobbo said there is a help thread in the intros section and I can't find either so i just put one of my pics as my sig

Upload the pictures onto Photobucket

[sdiggz]

Originally Posted by ninny404

Upload the pictures onto Photobucket

thanks!! ya blitherin' Ninny ya! lol, just testin out my Dublin slang

[sdiggz]

YEAH, my stoner ass figured it out! better pic coming after my pump polish comes in the mail. sorry bout all the posts

[lightningmonkey]

This is only my opinion but here it is:

Buy the VM for $800-$850 tops GC or Ash. Buy it in terms of simply tone and resonance, don't worry about fret edges and stuff you can take care of. Buy an SD Phat Cat and stick it in the neck. Put the Burstbucker Pro from the neck in the bridge of another guitar you have that you are bored of. Get the VM set-up with Martin Darco 10s. And then, for under $1,100 you've got an amazing guitar that can do a bunch of great things, that feels great and sings and not only that, it will cut through like a bolt-on.

[scary pete]

This boards become predictable! I read the topic and new people would recommend the Elitists and then later the VM Studio! lol!

That aside, I have an Elitist, and couldn't be happier. I don't know if I'll ever need another LP.

[needlespauls]

Originally Posted by scary pete

This boards become predictable! I read the topic and new people would recommend the Elitists and then later the VM Studio! lol!

That aside, I have an Elitist, and couldn't be happier. I don't know if I'll ever need another LP.

I KNOW I don't need another LP, but I'll eventually have 3-4. I can't help it!

[mao101]

For me, I use an Epiphone Les Paul Custom and I gotta say that it's a kickin' ass guitar. Sure it won't have the feeling of the real Gibson but at least a part of the sound with more Mids and Bass. Even if Epiphone and Gibson are the "same" company, they have their own qualities too. If you like a sound with highs added, then go to gibson and if you prefer more mids and bass sounds, go for the Epiphone. For a question of quality, sure Gibson guitars have more but if you're like me and thrashing a little your instruments, I'm sure you'll be heart-broken when your Gibson will have a little scratch or dent.

It's a question of taste, just try all the Les Pauls you want, and buy the one that matches you the most. Sure a good amp is nice but you'll use your guitar directly with your fingers so I think it's better to get the guitar you really want.

For the sound, you have an RP-350 you can adjust to get the perfect sound.

My personnal choice would be a guitar between 600$ and 1300$ like my Epi LP Custom (kind of 7-8-900$) and to buy a nice amp to fit that. If you know that a great guitar with cheap amp sound good, a cheap guitar and great amp sounds good I'm sure a med guitar in a med or good amp will sound awesome.

My personnal advice now : Don't choose a guitar for the price but for the sound you're lookin' for and the comfort of this guitar. I'm used to Mexican Fenders and Epiphone guitars so I'll use them for a long time. This is what I think!

[ElhazGuy]

When I was looking for my new guitar, I happened to try a bunch of them (mainly LP's), of course. I can tell you the Gibson Studio I tried had a "weaker" sound than the Epi Std.Plus I tried right after that with the same rig.

My main doubt was between a Black Beauty and a Std.Plus. Although I wanted mainly basses and mids, I also wanted some trebs, so the Std.Plus gave me exactly what I needed.

[The_Sentry]

I dunno man...

My Studio is still my "go to" guitar...even over all of my Epi's, my archtops, my strats, or my Gibson Les Paul Custom for gigging.

That '59 neck profile and the tone of it with the SD blackouts make it the "I have to do well today" guitar...