Opinions on 2015 Les Pauls?

[Lloyd_m]

Well I love the neck too and the guitar is great! It's really just the nut (and G-Force if you don't use it) that might become a problem in the long term, but a nut replacement isn't that big of a deal.

If you love the guitar, returning it because of the nut might not be necessary (there is a 50% chance that you would have had to replace the nut with a pre-2015 Gibson anyway, as the regular nuts aren't that nicely cut either).

 

[R8 Pilot]

I bought a Double Cut and like it. The neck is freakishly wide. I like it as something different but they shouldn't have done it across the whole range, as it is really unlike other Gibsons and too wide for many players I would think.

Otherwise, the build quality is outstanding, great finish, much nicer rosewood than on recent years. The new P90s are really sweet, and give the guitar a unique voice. The G-Force is more accurate than the older tronicals I've played with. The case is cheap, in that respect a big step down. But for way under a thou it's nice to have a case and glossy finish and neck binding. In this respect the double cut is a good value, even if you pay full price (I didn't).

So I have been buying new Gibson's every year since 2011 when I converted from that Fender Guy to a full on Les Paul guy.

The 2015 Range stopped me in my tracks when I played a Standard,Traditional and Classic and I just felt the neck too wide.

The scribble I disliked but it would not stop me buying,the G Force is fine as I have a mini Etune fitted to one of my Trad Pro 11's for lazy times but that 2015 neck was hurting..

So I walked into a Gibson Store today and for the first time played a 2015 Double Cut Special Cherry and a VS and they both just clicked with a great finish,tone and some nice binding down the neck

Plugged it in and the P90's sounded great and this model just felt really good.

Don't know why as I knew/thought I hated the 2015 neck's but it just came to me straight away on this model..so would I buy one at a discounted price...on this model absolutely as the above quote accurately describes my thoughts after today.

 

[drock5000]

so here is my take on this.......I have been a gibson fan for many years and was fortunate enough to have enough $ to buy my first studio a few years ago. I now own a couple studios along with a 2012 traditional and most recently a 76 custom.

I am a big fan of the 50s neck profile, and unfortunately there are very few options with the 2015 lineup unless I want to blow $4k plus on a custom. The G-force tuning, coil splits, etc........I'm personally not a fan although I do know people that like them. As far as the signature headstock logo, I can't stand it.

If and when I invest in a brand new Gibson, I am after tradition. I want something that has that traditional les paul look and feel. That is why I'm not a fan of the 2015 lineup. According to a guy I know that works at Sam Ash, we're going to see more of the same with the 2016 lineup.

I think if Gibson would go back to the basics they would probably sell a lot more guitars.

 

[Perrygoround]

If you don´t take into account the new neck and nut, imagine for a second being a player that actually like the new width of the neck, and if you forget about the cosmetic issues regarding the new logo and sticker, and if you found the G-force as a practical thing that may be usefull... well, imagine yourselves in that starting point for a minute... Now that we are into a position in which we accept those changes, if we focus just on the sound of the guitars, the electronics and the woods... for those of you who own or had tried a 2015, do you found them to sound as good, even better or worse than previous years models? Is there any improvement, a fall down or are they just about the same as they have allways been?

 

[rlefty]

 

[bwgray]

Well here's my two cents.

This year I purchased my very first Les Paul - The 2015 Les Paul Classic. It has the wider neck, it has the boost, it has the robo tuners. It is simply an excellent guitar.

I've very much been a fender man for about two decades, and still love my strat and tele. This guitar is literally twice the instrument of the fender - the tones it can dial in, the feel, the sustain. The robo tuners work great actually...not 100% perfect (sometimes you have to redo) but it's still far faster than a manual check and tune when playing - less than 10 seconds typically.

I'm not a purist, I'm not a bells and whistles guy - I'm all about the tone. If it sounds great, feels great, and has great pickups, it will typically sing...and this baby does. =)

 

[rwandering]

I returned my 2015 Standard today. I returned it because: 1) it wouldn't stay in tune very long (mostly the low strings going out of tune). 2) when bending the 1-4 strings, I would get lots of pinging from the nut. I don't know if it was actually coming from the nut or from dragging on the zero fret.

I'm sure there are plenty of great 2015's, I'm just not sold on the new tech.

I'm getting a 2014 Standard Plus . . . would have it now, but the one I played had a scratch on the fretboard I couldn't live with. Another (supposedly pristine) one is being shipped . . . of course, I'll have to check that out closely before I decide to keep it.

 

[Homebrew]

Well i gotta say i tried out the 2015 les paul lpm's and i really like the combination of the 50's rounded neck with the slight wider fb. it just fit right. i can overlook everything else, when the gforce dies it can be replaced with regular keys.

i did give a less favorable review in the past but now stand by my latest observation

 

[stgreg]

I hate the 2015's.. but did take note of the Traditional Pro III. Only has the robot, no hologram, no brass nut, regular pickguard w/bracket and Les Paul logo is back to normal. I may or may not pick one up... might be too similar in specs to my Classic.

 

[moreles]

There's an avalanche of opinions out there, but what the heck -- here's one more. I visited 2 guitar shops today -- a big GC, and a local store -- with interest in adding another LP to my group of player's guitars. Having read some good things in recent years (about the Traditionals, especially, because I can't make myself drop an additional $2K for a non-standard model) I was somewhat hopeful that I might find a good new Gibson. I was unsuccessful. The Traditional I encountered had a cheesy, too-thick, machined finish worthy of a cheap copy. Though the top is solid wood (not the veneer found on most Epis) and that is a big plus, the workmanship was worse than what I usually find on PRS SEs and some Epis and other imports. I would not consider paying cash for something made to such a low standard. The upscale LPs are fantastic in most respects -- anyone want to give me a Beano? -- but I think it is disgusting and even immoral for Gibson to do such a half-assed job on its mainstream guitars. The new LP logo is ugly -- it looks smudged, even though it isn't. If you need G-force to be in tune, heaven help us. Those units are designed to protect the guitar from its player, not to provide good coupling. The zero fret is ugly and necessitated only because Gibson's workers no longer possess the skill to cut nuts (a tough task) properly. Zero frets have been around for ever, and are hardly the end of the world, but it's simply true that they were never a real draw for the majority of players, and are being forced on consumers now because they're way easier to install on the assembly line. I'm sure all this is fine with many buyers, and that's great. In my case, I had hoped I might get an impressively made, beautiful current Gibson, but was completely turned off and disappointed. Thanks heaven for Reverb, Gbase, and eBay, where better instruments abound. I'm going to get an older Traditional and convert the crap chrome to nickel. Easy.

 

[tzd]

I hate the 2015's.. but did take note of the Traditional Pro III. Only has the robot, no hologram, no brass nut, regular pickguard w/bracket and Les Paul logo is back to normal. I may or may not pick one up... might be too similar in specs to my Classic.

These are the 2015 models so far that are done right (except for the need to replace the GForce). All are dealer-exclusive and/or limited runs:

Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro III Electric Guitar | Musician's Friend

Gibson Les Paul Studio Deluxe III Electric Guitar | Musician's Friend

Gibson Les Paul Special Pro Electric Guitar | Musician's Friend (Hey it's $100 off at $899 right now)

Gibson Les Paul Traditional Classic ABR 2015 Electric Guitar Iced Tea | SamAsh
Gibson Les Paul Traditional Classic ABR 2015 Electric Guitar Ebony | SamAsh

Gibson Limited Run Les Paul CM 2015 Electric Guitar | SamAsh (The only one with 50s neck)