Luthier to build Gibson Les Paul?

[sebass]

Hi guys. Is there any Luthier her that can build me Gibson Les Paul Standard or custom with same wood Gibson uses and same specs, pickups etc?

How much would that cost and would the sound be exactly same?

 

[T_Dub]

I'm pretty sure the consensus is that it would cost more than a Gibson, because it'd be handcrafted and most likely better than a real Gibson.

 

[Vistoluk]

I'm pretty sure the consensus is that it would cost more than a Gibson, because it'd be handcrafted and most likely better than a real Gibson.

+1

I'd
never say it'd sound exactly the same but if you have the same dimensions/pups it would be damn close.

 

[David Collins]

And of course it would be illegal.

If you want a guitar of the same woods as a Gibson, and same specs, pickups, etc, and you want it to say Gibson on the headstock, you could always buy a Gibson.

 

[ExNihilo]

The only people that can build you a Gibson Les Paul Standard is the Gibson guitar company. But, if you are looking for a guitar that is extremely similar to one these, you should know that this question has been asked many times on this forum. The answer is: PM a luthier and ask him privately.

 

[sebass]

oh....i thought the whole point of getting a guitar from luthier is to have it made cheaper then you would buy it at the store. Obviously Gibson charges arm and the leg for brand and labor.

 

[sebass]

I live in chitown. Any really really good luthiers that are from midwest or should i just go with best of best. Any recommendations? I'm really clueless about this. "Extremely close" i can live with... lol
How is the finished product? Does it have finish like from the factory or it it raw wood?

 

[OldBenKenobi]

oh....i thought the whole point of getting a guitar from luthier is to have it made cheaper then you would buy it at the store. Obviously Gibson charges arm and the leg for brand and labor.

No, the point of getting a guitar from a luthier is getting a guitar of exceptional quality and made with you in mind. It costs more because its usually either one person or a small team working on the instruments and putting in a lot more work and time than Gibson puts in. Gibson guitars are made in a factory whose goal is to produce as many guitars as possible while maintaining a certain level of quality. Gibson guitars are mass produced and cheaper to produce. Gibson upcharges for the name but not the labour.

If you want a cheaper alternative to a Gibson with a good level of quality buy a Japanese Les Paul. The "Other Les Pauls" board mainly deal with them.

 

[Bob1]

No, the point of getting a guitar from a luthier is getting a guitar of exceptional quality and made with you in mind. It costs more because its usually either one person or a small team working on the instruments and putting in a lot more work and time than Gibson puts in. Gibson guitars are made in a factory whose goal is to produce as many guitars as possible while maintaining a certain level of quality. Gibson guitars are mass produced and cheaper to produce. Gibson upcharges for the name but not the labour.

If you want a cheaper alternative to a Gibson with a good level of quality buy a Japanese Les Paul. The "Other Les Pauls" board mainly deal with them.

Exactly....Its custom and hand built.

Tokai, I believe is cheaper.

 

[alk-3]

oh....i thought the whole point of getting a guitar from luthier is to have it made cheaper then you would buy it at the store.

Hahaha! Thats the best one I've heard all day.
What do you think would cost more, a car from a factory or a hand made car to exact specifications? Is this a joke, or did you actually think that?

 

[180gROC]

oh....i thought the whole point of getting a guitar from luthier is to have it made cheaper then you would buy it at the store. Obviously Gibson charges arm and the leg for brand and labor.

So you really thought having an instrument hand crafted to your specs by someone who has dedicated his life to making individual pieces of wood come alive in song one piece at a time with his bare hands and the player constantly in mind should be cheaper than factory built instruments built for profit first and players somewhere down the line of priorities?

 

[gator payne]

oh....i thought the whole point of getting a guitar from luthier is to have it made cheaper then you would buy it at the store. Obviously Gibson charges arm and the leg for brand and labor.

Ahaaaaaaaa! No!

The point is to get it handcrafted with attention to detail that factories cannot provide. A factory buys wood in huge quantities, has production techniques and assembly line construction methods that drive the cost way down but in return they do not have the ability to pay near as close attention to every detail on every instrument. A luthier on the other hand for the most part treats each and every instrument as an individual project. His or her livelihood depends on the ability to produce a near flawless instrument. If they can’t then they don’t stay in the craft very long because their reputation is everything. I think I recall reading that Gibson has about 35 man hours per instrument. A luthier on the other hand will have near 100+ man hours per instrument.

 

[emoney]

Wait.....I thought you luthier guys all sold your guitars for like $200-$300. Are you
telling me that's not the case????? So does this mean I won't be able to build myself
a '59 Replica for around $50.00??

 

[sebass]

Hahaha! Thats the best one I've heard all day.
What do you think would cost more, a car from a factory or a hand made car to exact specifications? Is this a joke, or did you actually think that?

I'm glad i can entertain you today. What u said is completely irrelevant.
Does luthier has funds of big corporations? NO!!!! He's making his living off of making better quality products with the fraction of the cost of the factory produced instrument. Otherwise why would i employ his services? The same reason guitars are made now in china is the reason cause some people just don't want to pay arm and a leg for a product. How is he going to make his living? What's the sell/leverage here? I understand the quality might be better but at the end of the day it always comes down to costs. Period. Why do people build house with POS shingles when brick is much better and more appealing. It's simple. Costs.

Basically i want a excellent copy of real Gibson Les Paul for price of Epiphone. If it can't be done. It's simple. I won't employee luthier services. No biz for him. Everyone loses then.

 

[76Custom]

How much would that cost and would the sound be exactly same?[/QUOTE]

Gibson couldn't produce 2 Les Pauls off the production line that sound exactly the same.

 

[emoney]

I'm glad i can entertain you today. What u said is completely irrelevant.
Does luthier has funds of big corporations? NO!!!! He's making his living off of making better quality products with the fraction of the cost of the factory produced instrument. Otherwise why would i employ his services? The same reason guitars are made now in china is the reason cause some people just don't want to pay arm and a leg for a product. How is he going to make his living? What's the sell/leverage here? I understand the quality might be better but at the end of the day it always comes down to costs. Period. Why do people build house with POS shingles when brick is much better and more appealing. It's simple. Costs.

Basically i want a excellent copy of real Gibson Les Paul for price of Epiphone. If it can't be done. It's simple. I won't employee luthier services. No biz for him. Everyone loses then.

this isn't real, is it?
If it is, maybe you should look up the word "Luthier" first. Start there, and
then re-visit your question. What you're proposing is equal to asking Michaelangelo
to paint the oustide of your house. In this logic, he should do it "cheaper" than a
professional house painter because this isn't what he does full time. Does that
make sense?

 

[landsharkey]

Basically i want a excellent copy of real Gibson Les Paul for price of Epiphone.

You should do a quick calculation of just the parts and materials needed. I think you will find the parts + materials alone will be more than a new Epiphone.

 

[T_Dub]

Do you realize how much the materials for a Les Paul cost? Just in components, wood etc you're talking like $800-1000. Then put in 100 hours of work, and even at $20 an hour which is probably below reasonable, you get to $3000 for the finished product. It all comes down to time. How can you expect someone to pay that much for materials for your guitar, spend 100 hours working on it, and not want to get paid a fair wage?

 

[ExNihilo]

Here is a rough idea of just the price of parts, no labor:

Honduran Mahogany body blank: $130
Honduran Mahogany neck blank: $90
Eastern Maple Top: $80-335
Indian Rosewood Fingerboard: $20
Brazilian Rosewood: ? $100-300?
Cellulose Inlays: $150
Holly Veneer: $10
MOP Inlay: $25-50?
Vintage Binding $80
Pick Guard: $60-?
Poker Chip: $30
Pickup Rings $10-300
6 ft. 154 fret wire: $15
Truss Rod: $25
Kluson Tuners: $70-?
Sheptone Pickups: $300
RS Guitar Works Vintage Electronics: $125
No Wire ABR-1 Bridge: $125
Studs and Bushings: $40-100
Aluminium Tail Piece: $130
Bell Knobs: $30
Truss Rod Cover: $60
Control Plates: $60-80
Finishing Supplies, Tool Wear, Glue etc.: $200

This just gives you an idea....

 

[alk-3]

Does luthier has funds of big corporations? NO!!!! He's making his living off of making better quality products with the fraction of the cost of the factory produced instrument.

where are you getting your statistics? gibson buys lumber by the truckload, luthiers buy it basically per guitar.. we pay A LOT more than gibson does for our lumber, and every other part of the instrument.. A LOT more..

Otherwise why would i employ his services?

uhh, you wouldn't because you obviously cant afford it.

I understand the quality might be better but at the end of the day it always comes down to costs. Period. Why do people build house with POS shingles when brick is much better and more appealing. It's simple. Costs.
.

apparently with you it's all about costs, but to many other people, it's not about cost, its about quality. there are a lot of people willing to pay much more for an item of much better quality.

Basically i want a excellent copy of real Gibson Les Paul for price of Epiphone. If it can't be done. It's simple. I won't employee luthier services. No biz for him.

Sounds like the luthier wins because he can spend his time working for people willing to pay for his product, instead of people like you who are completely out of touch with reality.

Everyone loses then.

There's only one loser taking part in the conversation.