Help not waste money.

[Jesse Johnson]

Hey there. I’m new here so please don’t rake me over the forum coals. Long story short. Used to own a ‘06 ish Les Paul Standard. I literally gave it away. It was awful. This was in ‘06. Fast forward a closet full of Teles and Strats later and I desperately want a Les Paul. I don’t know where to begin. I don’t want any gimmicks or what not. (Robots, active pickups, coil tapping, locking tuners) what year? What neck profile? My hands are used to Fender “modern C” and their “deep C”. I have about 2500 to spend. I’ve read 2013 and current Les Pauls are good. I’m lost. Any tips would help. Thanks!

 

[ElChoad]

Your best bet is to try them until you find the right one. There are a LOT of options out there. By the way, locking tuners are not a gimmick. They are great.

 

[Jesse Johnson]

Your best bet is to try them until you find the right one. There are a LOT of options out there. By the way, locking tuners are not a gimmick. They are great.

Agreed! I have them on all my Fenders. It’s hard in these stupid covid times to find places to sit and try them. My best bet was Wildwood guitars bring they are in my state. We have a local shop that’s great but get LPs once and a while. Unfortunately, I’ll most likely have to buy sight unseen. We will see. I’ve been playing for a good while. I get it, make sure it’s a good fit.

 

[tzd]

Let’s start with what did you not like about the 2006 Standard? Did it have a 50s neck or 60s neck?

 

[ElChoad]

Ad much as I hate to say this, go to a Guitar Center or two. Hopefully the ones in Colorado are better than the Iowa ones. The Standards now come in '50s and '60s styles. You might have good luck with the '50s style.

 

[E.T.]

+1 would be helpful to know specifically what you didn't like about the '06..

 

[peobryant]

A new '50s or '60s Standard seems to be what you're looking for. A classic Les Paul, no weight relief, no coil taps, robot tuners or anything like that.

That being said, it shouldn't be a massive difference from an '06 Les Paul. If you hated that guitar so much that you gave it away, why do you think you'll like another Les Paul? Have you played other Les Pauls and enjoyed them? If so, what was it that you disliked so much about your '06?

Also, Wildwood is a fantastic place to buy a Les Paul from. I bought both my Les Pauls from them and have nothing but great things to say, about the guitars and the shop.

 

[Rocco Crocco]

Used Traditional is where I would start looking. The Traditional Pro has coil splitting and some years have a boost switch.... avoid those.

 

[afireinside]

My favorite are 2013 and 2014, 2016 Plaintop traditionals and 2017/2018 traditionals. (Not traditional pros, they are nice but have push pull pots, slim 60s necks in general) And 2019-2021 (2022?) Standard 50s.

All thoes particular years are all solid bodies (no weight relief) 50s necks (2014 in particular were beefy 59 profile others were regular 50s) 2017 and 2018s have a neck similar to your Fenders youve asked about (halfway in between a 60s and 50s neck)

Be patient used asking prices are crazy ive grabbed 2 2014s and a 2014 for around $1400 shipped the last.year and a from Guitar Center used site. But a well priced (under $1500 sell fast!)

Also look into a new updated 2020 Heritage H150 has the same neck your talking about!


This site is a wealth of every traditional Gibson has made knowledge!

Models

[:en]Gibson Les Paul Traditional[gallery type=thumbnails size=medium columns=4 ids=229,231,434,450,233,459,432,235,310,239,1601,1439,312,1437,1478,469,374,477,465,246,314,316,448,1599,453,379,430,1680,436,1528,1584,1586,2164,2293,2160,2158,2286,2312,2321

www.gibsontraditional.com

 

[Jeremiah]

do NOT let that money burn a hole in your pocket, if you do this right, you won't need nearly that much. try Try TRY as many guitars as you can in person. Visit every Guitar Center, Sam Ash, big box store you can and tell them to pull whatever catches your fancy off the wall. Do NOT be bashful and if they start sighing and sucking their teeth that is THEIR problem, not yours.


Now is the tough part, you've picked out your perfect model and year. You know what you want, that's fine. Go on Reverb and Guitar Center used (hey I've had great luck, sue me) and find it. People swear there are dogs and keepers, that has not been my experience. I buy used, and if I don't like something on a guitar, I change it out. I've never bought or played a "dog". I've purchased and played guitars that were in need of fresh strings and a setup. What this means, is you can be patient and wait for someone to sell that model, in that color, at a reasonable price. I personally wouldn't pay more than 1600 for a non Custom shop Les Paul, I suggest you don't either. If you are patient and make offers, you will be successful.

 

[JohnnyN]

If possible try it before you buy it.

 

[ElChoad]

Don't be afraid to try something that is a little different than what you want. In 2014, I bought a Trad Pro II with a '50s neck. I still have it to this day. After a year and a half, I swapped pickups and the nut on it. A couple years ago, I decided to wire it properly, as I never used the push-push pots, and did all straight pots and PIO caps. NOW it is perfect.

 

[Pop1655]

Wasting money is part of the journey. Makes you appreciate the right one when it finally shows up.

 

[rfrizz]

Agreed! I have them on all my Fenders. It’s hard in these stupid covid times to find places to sit and try them. My best bet was Wildwood guitars bring they are in my state. We have a local shop that’s great but get LPs once and a while. Unfortunately, I’ll most likely have to buy sight unseen. We will see. I’ve been playing for a good while. I get it, make sure it’s a good fit.

If you do buy sight unseen, make sure there is a good return policy. I think Guitar Center will let you order a used instrument from another store, and you can return it if it isn't for you. You'll be out around $25-$50 for the shipping, but that's better than being stuck with a $1700 guitar you don't like.

 

[MP4-22]

A new '50s or '60s Standard seems to be what you're looking for. A classic Les Paul, no weight relief, no coil taps, robot tuners or anything like that.

That being said, it shouldn't be a massive difference from an '06 Les Paul. If you hated that guitar so much that you gave it away, why do you think you'll like another Les Paul? Have you played other Les Pauls and enjoyed them? If so, what was it that you disliked so much about your '06?

Also, Wildwood is a fantastic place to buy a Les Paul from. I bought both my Les Pauls from them and have nothing but great things to say, about the guitars and the shop.

Me too, they are great and I swear their inventory is better or maybe they just check the guitars over before they get to the player.

mid you don’t want to be left dissatisfied they really are the place to shop. They also give you a free “real setup” with strings of your choice and supersoft cotton t shirt….

OP pick up a 50’s wildwood select standard and be done with it.

 

[rjwilson37]

A 2006 Les Paul Standard had a 60's Slim Taper neck, so I would look into a new Les Paul Standard 60's guitar for yourself. With all of the Black Friday Sales, you should be able to get some kind of a discount, not much but at least a little bit. If you buy from Sweetwater, you usually have 4 to choose from in the color you like. Those 4 will be listed with a weight and you can see the top from a few different angles and choose the one you like best. Sweetwater has in stock right now, Burbon Burst, Iced Tea and a Sweetwater Exclusive Lemon Burst that looks kind of like my avatar.

 

[01GT Eibach]

... I don’t want any gimmicks or what not (robots, active pickups, coil tapping, locking tuners) what year? What neck profile? ...

LOL ... Coil-tapping/splitting and locking tuners -- in my opinion -- are not "gimmicks". Coil-splits are facilitated by a special type of two-position potentiometer that short circuits one of the humbucker's coils -- a feature that does not have to be even used, and can often be found to be useful occasionally in certain circumstances. And the "locking feature" on locking tuners is only real noticeable when you are changing strings because of how much easier it is to do so. However, yes, the robo-tuners, active pickups, and active boost circuits are in the "gimmicky"/"un-desirable" file for me too.

It sounds, though, you are looking for a very "traditional" Les Paul, so a new Les Paul Standard would be perfect for you. These new Les Paul Standards have no weight reduction, ABR1 bridge, and traditional hand wiring. I prefer the 60s variety, but if you like a slightly fatter neck (which it sounds like you do), then the Standard-50s would likely be perfect for you.

 

[hotshot]

I second the idea of a standard ( I bought one myself). And Sweetwater is a fantastic to shop. If you go that way you won't be sorry.

 

[rjwilson37]

Agreed! I have them on all my Fenders. It’s hard in these stupid covid times to find places to sit and try them. My best bet was Wildwood guitars bring they are in my state. We have a local shop that’s great but get LPs once and a while. Unfortunately, I’ll most likely have to buy sight unseen. We will see. I’ve been playing for a good while. I get it, make sure it’s a good fit.

As I stated in my post above, you can at least pick a weight and see the guitar you will be getting when you purchase from Sweetwater, they have some nice Gibson Les Paul Standard 60's in stock right now.

 

[moreles]

Don't let others convince you of anything. Listen and sort through to find the bits of what we say that actually apply to you. For instance, some guy may love coil taps, but if you're used to playing good Fenders, you may not need or want tapped PUs on your LP. Ditto for locking tuners, essdential for some players, superfluous for others. I know how to install strings properly, so do not need locking tuners on tremless LPs. Or my Collings w/ Mastery trem. But those are secondary details for most of us. I think if you can assemble a list of the features that you really require and want, and identify the years/models that match up, you may well be successful buying online. I've only bought 3 guitars online, but since I don't buy on impulse, screening instruments and sellers took time but was no big deal, and (maybe I was lucky?) everything came out very well. I like good used guitars because there are way more of them available than you can find new, and if you sort through those available, you can find the ones that have been used and played in sufficiently to reveal their stable, more settled nature -- they've grown up -- something you cannot know with a new guitar. A well maintained used guitar that has been played sufficiently is a really good thing. And 2500 should get you a really fine instrument. Good luck.