Vintage brand Les Paul information

[redcoats1976]

Originally Posted by dennistruckdriver

A Les Paul is a particular model of guitar, made by Gibson, or Epiphone, designed in part by the MAN himself, Lester William Polsfuss.
Anything else is NOT a Les Paul guitar!
YOU get over it!

epiphone???is that really you,Dennis?the pod people havent got to you,havethey?

[snaredrum]

Originally Posted by River

Is that a really thick cap? That looks strange to me. Nicely finished, but strange.

does this one have wilkinson marked pickups? are the machine heads metal tulips or green tombstones?

[mojotop]

Hey snaredrum, I really love the tombstone-comparison! Never heard ´bout that! I called them tulips for decades. That´s over now. Ever thought about calling the old grover-heads 'fart-beans'??

[snaredrum]

Originally Posted by mojotop

Hey snaredrum, I really love the tombstone-comparison! Never heard ´bout that! I called them tulips for decades. That´s over now. Ever thought about calling the old grover-heads 'fart-beans'??

they are referred to as kidney beans, funnily enough

[Goran2812]

i went to a local guitar shop where i usually buy stuff and tried a Vintage V100 Honey Burst...
The first thing that struck me was the weight of the damn thing...
The guy that worked there told that's the heaviest guitar he ever held in his hands... lol
Other V100's are not that heavy,so i gave it a try... he pluged the guitar in a VOX Night Train amp... jeeeez... the sustain is out of this world! the sound is a killer...

i left him all the money i had at that moment so the guitar wouldn't be on sale anymore... XD
it's waiting for me until i get my hand on the rest of the money...
i was in love when i started playing... can't wait to bring my baby home

[dennistruckdriver]

Originally Posted by Goran2812

....can't wait to bring my baby home

Good luck!

[Goran2812]

Originally Posted by dennistruckdriver

Good luck!

tnx

i'll have a photo shoot when i come home with the guitar
i like that honey burst finish more than the cherry sunburst...
the cherry is to red for me... honey hits the spot

[Borderlineblues]

I have a Vintage brand v100 ikon.It does not have a maple cap like this one.It's just flame veneer top.

[EooN_PL]

I was REALLY tempted to buy one of these 100's, but one guy in a music store in Dublin talked me back into epiphones. He kinda convinced me , that epi is still a gibson brand and so is supervised by them which leads to a better final product. Then he let me mess around a bit on an EPI slash goldtop he had in stock and bam - here I am with an Epi.

Funny thing - on that same day I talked to this guy, I've been to three other music shops in Dublin and none of 'em had Vintage v100 in stock (plus the "convincing" shop, which makes four).

[Borderlineblues]

Tis is my 1st post -just trying to get to grips with it all.Here is a pic of the V100 ikon.

[Annoying Twit]

Originally Posted by EooN_PL

I was REALLY tempted to buy one of these 100's, but one guy in a music store in Dublin talked me back into epiphones. He kinda convinced me , that epi is still a gibson brand and so is supervised by them which leads to a better final product. Then he let me mess around a bit on an EPI slash goldtop he had in stock and bam - here I am with an Epi.

Funny thing - on that same day I talked to this guy, I've been to three other music shops in Dublin and none of 'em had Vintage v100 in stock (plus the "convincing" shop, which makes four).

Today I was in a shop, and was told that I wouldn't notice enough difference between my V100 and an Epiphone to make changing worth while.

[Goran2812]

before i went to this shop and tried the V100HB i went to another place and tried a Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top in Trans Amber... i was really hot for the thing when i looked online and got informed about it,but when i came to the store... nothing... you know when you take a guitar in your hands and expect a lot from it and it doesn't deliver?
or the feeling "that's the one i want"... nothing for me... the sound was not anything special, in fact the V100 to me seems a lot hotter, the neck suited me better and was more good looking to the eye... heh.. can't wait to bring her home... aaaaaa

[Annoying Twit]

Ah, "HB" = "Honey Burst".

That's a really nice looking guitar.

[Goran2812]

here are some nice pics i found online... actually,the only pics that look good... heh







like i said... honey hits the spot...

[Goran2812]

got my baby home today... with a killer vintage case too...
needs restringing and some polish and it'll look awesome
got some flaws tho... some glue on the 22nd fret, that can be removed,and a little red dot by the rhythm treble switch... who cares! i don't
got a good discount on it and i'm very very pleased and happy

[Annoying Twit]

gorgeous!!!

[Borderlineblues]

I have replaced my V100 ikon now with a Tokai LS130 seb. One thing i do miss about the V100 is though ,the amount of bass it had.I had a SD Phat Cat in the bridge pos,and palm muted bass notes would leap out of the speakers .It did go a lot lower than my my GM sig and the LS130 seb.I thought that maybe due to the all mahogany construction. The maple top was about 0.25 mm thick !.

[northlight]

Originally Posted by Borderlineblues

I have replaced my V100 ikon now with a Tokai LS130 seb.

Sounds like a NGD thread waiting to happen, with plenty of pics to boot!

[Cpt_Gonzo]

V100 Player here...Icon series. Already posted these pics before but I'll do it again, just to feed you with pics.
Astoundingly light for a LP-style guitar, feels great, plays great.
The pickups are hot. I'd compare them to the SH-6. They sound great through my DSL401 anyways.
Only problem is that the trussrod "rattles" around, but i guess that can be fixed by simply tightening it. The neck actually handles the string tension pretty well.

[snaredrum]

well as we're posting pics, here's my v100 iced tea (with custom pickups)

[Cpt_Gonzo]

That's a beauty snaredrum!

What pickups are those?

[Annoying Twit]

Originally Posted by Borderlineblues

I have replaced my V100 ikon now with a Tokai LS130 seb. One thing i do miss about the V100 is though ,the amount of bass it had.I had a SD Phat Cat in the bridge pos,and palm muted bass notes would leap out of the speakers .It did go a lot lower than my my GM sig and the LS130 seb.I thought that maybe due to the all mahogany construction. The maple top was about 0.25 mm thick !.

This reinforces something I'm thinking about my V100. I bought it for a cheap price. So, you'd think that if I was prepared to pay double or triple what I paid, that I'd get something much better. But, after trying out some guitars, it seems that I'd have to put down some very serious money to get something significantly better. Like a LS130. Which is a pretty high end Tokai to my eyes. Did you find that you needed to go that far up-market to significantly improve over the V100?

[Supernovaa]

Great thread. Here are my 2 (excuse the somewhat poor photography!)











Incredible guitars for the money. Half the price of an Epiphone and double the quality. Thinking of picking up a Lemon Drop later on in the year

[L60N]

Half the price fir double the quality? Wow that's a bold statement!!

I had a play of various vintages on the trade stand at the NEC this year. I was disapointed with:

Quality - they felt to be made out of cheaper materials when compared with epiphone (I don't own an epiphone btw). The wood on the icon tele' felt almost like balsa, very soft and light. The fret inlays on the v100 were all over the place, it looked aweful (I wish I'd taken a picture). I couldn't beleive they would show such crap craftsmanship on a trade stand!

That said, both the tele' and the v100 sounded sweet,really sweet..

I think I'm more comfortable with "you pay for what you get" in this instance.

[EtriX]

Originally Posted by L60N

Half the price fir double the quality? Wow that's a bold statement!!

I had a play of various vintages on the trade stand at the NEC this year. I was disapointed with:

Quality - they felt to be made out of cheaper materials when compared with epiphone (I don't own an epiphone btw). The wood on the icon tele' felt almost like balsa, very soft and light. The fret inlays on the v100 were all over the place, it looked aweful (I wish I'd taken a picture). I couldn't beleive they would show such crap craftsmanship on a trade stand!

That said, both the tele' and the v100 sounded sweet,really sweet..

I think I'm more comfortable with "you pay for what you get" in this instance.

I think they are as so many other cheaper guitars, the big problem is inconsistency, there are some real gems and some duds. I've had the fortune of only playing gems.

[Borderlineblues]

Originally Posted by Annoying Twit

This reinforces something I'm thinking about my V100. I bought it for a cheap price. So, you'd think that if I was prepared to pay double or triple what I paid, that I'd get something much better. But, after trying out some guitars, it seems that I'd have to put down some very serious money to get something significantly better. Like a LS130. Which is a pretty high end Tokai to my eyes. Did you find that you needed to go that far up-market to significantly improve over the V100?

Hello,well i wanted to upgrade parts on the v100,the machine heads and the bridge would rattle,i had changed the pickups already. The other guitarist in my band had an LS80Q,so i knew how good the Tokai's were. There is a difference between the LS130 and LS80 of course and i would have grabbed a LS80 if one was around at the time.The Tokai's that i have played are good step up from the V100. However....if i come across a V100 gold top with P90s on the cheap i would still grab it.

[markanini]

Sure build quality is nothing to write home about. But, what is in this price range? On my gold top model I disasembled the p-90s and learned they were stacked, yet they hum! The wiring and PU cavities look like birds nests. Nut was a little to high but an easy fix with some sandpaper at hand. Frets are nice and level. Construction and materials seem great! I tried LP copys and LP-alikes from LTD, Ibanez, Rally, Hagström, Epiphone and the Vintage was the only guitar that you could feel vibrate when you played it. It had the proper clarity thanks to a real maple cap and it sustains for days like and LP should. The goldtop model also has a chunky and well rounded neck profile. I love it. I'd choose it over a Gibson Les Paul Studio faded any day.

[Supernovaa]

Put together a short comparison video of both of my V100's that some of you might find interesting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNMKkpkHzpc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNMKkpkHzpc

[Borderlineblues]

Originally Posted by markanini

Sure build quality is nothing to write home about. But, what is in this price range? On my gold top model I disasembled the p-90s and learned they were stacked, yet they hum! The wiring and PU cavities look like birds nests. Nut was a little to high but an easy fix with some sandpaper at hand. Frets are nice and level. Construction and materials seem great! I tried LP copys and LP-alikes from LTD, Ibanez, Rally, Hagström, Epiphone and the Vintage was the only guitar that you could feel vibrate when you played it. It had the proper clarity thanks to a real maple cap and it sustains for days like and LP should. The goldtop model also has a chunky and well rounded neck profile. I love it. I'd choose it over a Gibson Les Paul Studio faded any day.

Yours had a real maple cap then,mine was just a veneer.
There is a pic of the Tokai's maple cap in my albums.
How do some people manage to upload such large pics ?.

[markanini]

Are you sure, no maple under the veneer? I'm gonna have to scrape some of the black paint from the PU cavities to make sure on mine but owning a couple mahogny-only and mahogny/maple before it sounded like mahogny/maple to me. Then again it could be the south-east asian mahogny substitue that has a simmilar sound to the classic combo on it's own. Is yours made in Indonesia?