NGD + info: Les Paul Custom Lite - Almost everything you want to know about it.

[kherman]

Wow, the Gibby's even thinner than an eclipse. thanks for sharing.

 

[fiveightandten]

LPCL vs. SG...

- The body of my '70 SG is much lighter and smaller and thinner
- The nut of my SG feels about two necks away compared to the LPCL
- The balance of the LPCL is much better than my SG
- Picking hand location is a little different... Not a lot, and certainly neither is better or worse... But, slightly different.

The Custom Light feels like a Less Paul that's ergonomically improved. The SG feels... Well, like an SG.

That's a good point about the neck length. The bridge and tailpiece on the SG are farther forward, so the nut is farther away from your body. It's farther back on a LP. One more reason why this LPCL is much more of a LP than SG.

It has the stock pots, but I'm not sure of the values to be honest. The coil tap sounds about the same as before, but with the additional capability of having one pickup split at a time (both tone knobs are push/pull). I've always liked the Tele sound of a neck humbucker and bridge single coil. Generally the single coil sounds are more noticeable when you roll off the volume a bit.

Cool. Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure if the 50's wiring would make the CT tones overly bright. It sounds like it's a good route to go if you want 4 knobs.

Incredible write-up as it says it all. Very well written and you hit the nail on the head. I buy and flip guitars all the time but I now have two keepers and this is one of the two. It is more than a guitar: It is a piece of art, it is a family heirloom, and it is something I take great pride in. I modded mine to look like Steve Gaines' Custom. Cheers mate and welcome to a very small club in America. Think about this: 325 million Americans and 249 of these here. So, every 1.3 million Americans own one of these masterpieces. Not bad for most of us commoners!

Thanks! The info in your older posts helped me out a lot in getting info on these guitar. But it's tough sifting through lots of threads, so I figured we could get a lot of info in one place.

Nice stats. Where does the 249 number come from?

I have the later model, the Custom Light (not Lite, btw), with the burst finish. Basically, the same guitar with a different finish option.

I love mine, but only after ridding myself of the notorious 498T bridge PU. Put a Seymour Duncan WLH in there, and it is now one beefy, toneful machine. Coming from a Strat background, I appreciate the body thickness (thin) and the tummy cut. Very comfortable, and sits right where I want it without fatigue.

Not a lot of noticeable sound difference between this one and my regular LPs. It's there, but you'd never notice it on a galloping horse. Way better than an SG, any day.

Don't get me wrong. I loves me some thick LPs, but the Lites are very underrated. Not in this thread maybe...

EDIT: A good comparison would be an ESP Eclipse. The newer ones have thinner bodies like the LP Lites, and three knobs as well. I recently acquired one, and it is a very nice addition to the family. Fretwork is amazing on it, with Jumbo frets, which are an acquired taste. I also had to change out the pickups, though. Put some Dimarzio 36th Anniversaries in there, and it kicks butt now.

The Classic Custom Light (my mistake calling it "lite! haha) is sweet with its burst finish. That's a great looking guitar. Good comparison with the Eclipse.

Awesome review!
And huge THANK YOU for comparing the Studio body width to the Standard.

There are still those who insist that they are the same width!
The very first Studios may have had the same width, but as a whole, from the 90's up, is what we see in the pic.

Thanks...and yeah, I can definitely feel the difference in body thickness between my Studio and Standard. I didn't know they were different sizes, but felt it from switching between them, and confirmed it. It's a 1/4" difference. That's not small!

HNGD, 5,8&10. The LPC lite does look sweet.

Thanks!

nice guitar,and a very good comparison.ive noticed my LP junior(which also has the lightness/thin thing going on)also resonates and sustains like a mofo...enjoy!

Thanks!

Absolutely gorgeous and nice write-up! Congrats, HNGD and play her in good health!

The CT sounds pretty good. Looking forward to hearing how the Buckers sound.

Post some pics of her here too if you're so inclined: http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/gibson-les-pauls/248323-post-your-black-beauty-les-paul-customs.html

Thanks! I'll get some comparison clips up. But right now I just have that old PODxt and my laptop to record with. It just doesn't sound good enough. I didn't really consider this a "real" black beauty. But I suppose it could be considered so.

I just got one of these too. I love it so far. HNGD!

Congrats...hope you're enjoying yours. I just got done playing it for like an hour, and swapping back an forth with the Studio and Standard. The LPCL is pretty bad***. Enjoy!

 

[Follow My Head]

Nice guitar... Doesn't Chad Kroeger play a Custom Lite?

Not sure if Chode does, but Soundgarden's Kim Thayil definitely does. I think it's the only LP he plays, actually.

 

[AlanH]

HNGD and thanks for posting this with all the detail.

In my ignorance, I turned down trying a LP Less Plus the other week at a music store. It just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover.

I drooled at the Diablo Premium Plus SGs that came out few years ago with the carved, flame maple caps. Unfortunately I never bought one. It would be interesting to see how these compare with the LP Lites/Less Plusses....

 

[fiveightandten]

HNGD and thanks for posting this with all the detail.

In my ignorance, I turned down trying a LP Less Plus the other week at a music store. It just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover.

I drooled at the Diablo Premium Plus SGs that came out few years ago with the carved, flame maple caps. Unfortunately I never bought one. It would be interesting to see how these compare with the LP Lites/Less Plusses....

Yeah, i've never seen a Less Plus in the flesh. I've only ever seen 2015s, and I can't deal with the wide neck. But they're darn cheap now. Musician's friend has them for $1499, brand new.

Those carved top SGs look pretty cool as well. I haven't played one of those either. The guy above made a good point about the SG necks being longer because the tailpiece is farther forward. I'm sure they still feel like SG's and hang on you in the SG position. The thin LPs still hang like a LP does.

There are a lot of cool options out there these days, for a bit of variety, or for people looking for something that's a bit out of the box with respect to the traditional formats.

 

[AlanH]

Yeah, i've never seen a Less Plus in the flesh. I've only ever seen 2015s, and I can't deal with the wide neck. But they're darn cheap now. Musician's friend has them for $1499, brand new.

Those carved top SGs look pretty cool as well. I haven't played one of those either. The guy above made a good point about the SG necks being longer because the tailpiece is farther forward. I'm sure they still feel like SG's and hang on you in the SG position. The thin LPs still hang like a LP does.

There are a lot of cool options out there these days, for a bit of variety, or for people looking for something that's a bit out of the box with respect to the traditional formats.

I think you're right. The Diablo can give the SG player the LP looks and some of that tone whereas the Less Plus and Lites allow LP fans to experience SG light weight.

I've been willing to try alternative features in buying my LP Signature 2014 and I really like them.

 

[jojo]

Great thread and killer guitars !!

 

[circles]

I like these. If I were starting from over scratch...

 

[SkaneatelesLake]

Thanks! The info in your older posts helped me out a lot in getting info on these guitar. But it's tough sifting through lots of threads, so I figured we could get a lot of info in one place.

Nice stats. Where does the 249 number come from?

I have spent the morning looking and it appears I was off by one on the number made. Gibson limited the number made to 250 total with somewhere around half staying in America. If I find anything else out, I will post it.

 

[Axis39]

First Gig Report - Got to play my neck little black wonder last night with the band. I host a couple of open mic/Blues jams each month. First Tuesday Blues Jam was last night. I grabbed the LPCL and my '59 Bassman RI and off I went.

How was it you ask? One word: Wow!

What a great playing and sounding guitar! Plays like freaking butter! She growls! The weight was super nice. The guitar was so comfortable, all night! I really love the slightly wider neck too.

I will say, I struggled with clean headroom all night... But, the growl was nice, just the same!

Definitely a winner!

 

[Zoobiedood]

I remember the early 90s ads with the pink one. Even though it was pink, it still looked cool, and I always though the concept was a great idea. They really should expand the line- I think there is a market for an LPCL in different colors that looks like an LPC from the front.

 

[fiveightandten]

I have spent the morning looking and it appears I was off by one on the number made. Gibson limited the number made to 250 total with somewhere around half staying in America. If I find anything else out, I will post it.

Cool, thanks for the info. I've seen a lot of conflicting info. I read somewhere that 400 total were made, with 250 going to the states. I couldn't find anything on the Gibson site to back that up. We definitely know there aren't a lot of them floating around though, at least that much is clear. Haha.

First Gig Report - Got to play my neck little black wonder last night with the band. I host a couple of open mic/Blues jams each month. First Tuesday Blues Jam was last night. I grabbed the LPCL and my '59 Bassman RI and off I went.

How was it you ask? One word: Wow!

What a great playing and sounding guitar! Plays like freaking butter! She growls! The weight was super nice. The guitar was so comfortable, all night! I really love the slightly wider neck too.

I will say, I struggled with clean headroom all night... But, the growl was nice, just the same!

Definitely a winner!

Awesome Thanks for sharing, John. I'm in 2 bands, and both of them have been on hiatus since I got my LPCL. I *still* haven't used in with the band, and it's been a week.

Do you have other LPs in the stable to compare it to?

I remember the early 90s ads with the pink one. Even though it was pink, it still looked cool, and I always though the concept was a great idea. They really should expand the line- I think there is a market for an LPCL in different colors that looks like an LPC from the front.

Gibson has/had:
-LP Custom Lite in black, white, and wine red
-LP Classic Custom Light in vintage sunburst
-LP Less Plus in Desert burst, fire burst, and heritage cherry sunburst

There are a few options out there for thin LP's. But, yeah, if you want the look of a custom with the diamond inlay on the headstock, the 2013 Custom Lite is what you have to get.

 

[Axis39]

Awesome Thanks for sharing, John. I'm in 2 bands, and both of them have been on hiatus since I got my LPCL. I *still* haven't used in with the band, and it's been a week.

Do you have other LPs in the stable to compare it to?

I have a '13 50's Tribute (that's for sale) and had an '08 Traditional+.

So, to compare to the traditional.... Tone-wise: the Traditional (57/57+) was a little easier to coax clean tones from. I think the pickup EQ was a bit better balanced, not as extremely different. Not that it's a bad thing, but it was tough for me to balance (first time out though...). Granted, I didn't have the '59 Bassman when I had the LPT. I have already been in discussion with Mr. Plummer and am ordering some Zhangbuckers here in the next day or so. I love this guitar, but I need a little more from the pickups. I'm not the high gain of a guy.

Feel/comfort-wise: There is No comparison! The LPCL kicks the others to the curb! Mine is 7.8 lbs.. Both the 50's Tribute and LPT weigh around 10 lbs. funny how different 2 1/2 lbs can feel after three or four hours of playing! The upper fret access is better in the Lite. I think the action and feel are a lot better on the Lite than the 50's Tribute! The neck is wider on the Lite than the other two. For me, that's a bonus, I have long fingers and big mitts. More spacing works for me. The neck on my Lite is also thicker, front to back, than the 50's Tribute. Which, I also like. Even with the bigger neck, I thumb wrap about half the time, maybe more. Like I said, long, clumsy fingers.

I've got a gut these days too (it's Hell getting older) and the Lite sat in the right place. It was similar to my Tele in the way it sat... Bridge, pickup placement, etc. Although, being thinner than the Tele made for a nice comfy night (My Tele has contours, so it's not like it's uncomfortable!). It was similar to my Gretsch 6129, Sparkle Jet, as well (definitely not tone-wise!).

So, this guitar will definitely make it into the top of the gigging rotation!

 

[flamesarewicked]

I found one just like this that im looking at buying.. The les paul custom has been on my bucket list since I've started playing 20 years ago.. Im all for the lighter body..the price of a regular custom model is out of my price range so this may fulfill my bucket list albiet a variation of the custom. I had a sg supreme before and i loved it but i had to sell it. I loved the neck on the sg which was the 60s style neck. This one has the 50s style neck doesnt it? How does that neck compare to the 60s style? If ya did a blind fold test on this one and a normal custom, could ya tell the difference?

 

[jestremera]

Excellent guitar. Sam Ash (Springfield, N.J) has an ebony model on closeout for $1299

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

Hey Paul what do you think of the left handed LPCL?? = NICE!!
I had a 88 with ebony in black on black, They are really nice guitars..

Pesky damn G string

 

[SkaneatelesLake]

Again, I love this guitar. Best value in a guitars out there. However, that is not why it is good. For those of use that suffer neck or back pain that is horrific, it allows us to continue playing when we are having bad days. I bought mine and love it, but recently offered to trade it to a fellow member on here looking for one of these because of a back injury. Ultimately, he we didn't trade, but I promised when I bought it to pay it forward. These are very special guitars.

 

[fiveightandten]

I found one just like this that im looking at buying.. The les paul custom has been on my bucket list since I've started playing 20 years ago.. Im all for the lighter body..the price of a regular custom model is out of my price range so this may fulfill my bucket list albiet a variation of the custom. I had a sg supreme before and i loved it but i had to sell it. I loved the neck on the sg which was the 60s style neck. This one has the 50s style neck doesnt it? How does that neck compare to the 60s style? If ya did a blind fold test on this one and a normal custom, could ya tell the difference?

The neck is on the thicker side of things, but it's not as thick as most full-bodied customs i've played. Though there are a few things to keep in mind about neck profile:

-A *lot* of neck profile feel of the round over. You can have 2 necks that are the same thickness from the back of the neck to the top of the board, but if one has a wider roundover, it will feel significantly thicker.

-Customs have been made for a long long time, so there is a good amount of variation in the necks. A friend of mine has a 70's Custom that has a thinner neck than my LP Custom Lite. I know another guy that has a 2003 custom with a damned baseball bat neck.

The LPCL will likely be just fine for you unless you're the type of guy that needs to play a 60s neck. I can't really say, "I could/couldn't tell the difference blind between this and a regular custom", as there's too much variation in custom neck profiles. The LPCL has a very comfortable neck though. I'm able to go between the LPCL, my SG 61 RI (very thin 60's neck), and my 90's LPs (medium and thick necks) without any issue. It's a middle of the road carve that's on the 50's/thick end of things.

One thing to note about the LPCL vs an SG is the overall positioning of the scale length of the guitar. SG tail pieces are set farther into the body. Consequently, the end of the neck is noticeably farther away from your body. The LPCL may have the body thickness of an SG. But it has the bridge positioning, scale length positioning, and carved top of a LP. It's definitely more LP than it is SG, without a doubt.


I hope that helps.

 

[Axis39]

Yes, the SG is so different than any LP! I don't think so much in tone as many report, but certainly in hand position, upper fret access and certainly how far over THERE the nut is! LOL

My SG feels very different from my LPCL in the left (fretting) hand position. The right (picking) hand sits in a little bit different position too, now that I really think of it. But, they both hug the body nicer than a regular LP does. They sit in tightly in a really comfortable way. Kinda like a Strat v. Tele.

Neck size... Unfortunately, I have very little experience on a regular Custom and certainly nothing recently. I love the neck on my Lite. It is a nice, rounded, 50's kinda profile, with a touch wider fretboard. It fills the hand nicely, but is nowhere near as big as my Tele's baseball bat size neck.

It is a nice middle of the road, thicker front to back than a 60's slim taper, size neck. The shoulders are fuller than the 60's necks I've owned/tried. It is just comfortable. It has become one of the favorite necks of all the guitars I've owned over 30+ years.

 

[flamesarewicked]

i have a 2016 LPCL arriving tuesday.. for 2016 they went back to the traditonal custom diamond inlay on the headstock and it has the 2 vol 2 tons knob setup on them... im looking forward to its arrival to say the least...