Please help identify this Les Paul

[iprichard]

Bought this on eBay the other day. It hasn't arrived yet but I'm a bit nervous. Seller said it was a 78, so I originally asked about it in the Norlin section, but I'm being told it is not a 78 over there, based on the screen printed logo and the top. Is anyone awesome enough to know anything about it by looking at these two photos?

I'm honestly not picky about Les Pauls, as long as it is not a fake or a studio, I don't see how I can go wrong at under a grand.

Anyone have any info or guesses without more info?

1978 Gibson Les Paul | eBay

 

[Howard2k]

Does that even have a binding?

 

[bobswinea]

Well, I am no expert but I am no novice either. I don't see any binding on the neck or the body. That would lead me to believe that it is most likely a Studio.

 

[SonicBlur]

Yep...looks like a Studio that's been in a blender....but if it plays good, who cares!

 

[Lebo]

studio plus maybe

 

[scottyk]

I understand why you're a bit on edge.
Pretty crappy pictures and poor description of "something."
Hope everything works out for the best.

 

[TheNoodler]

Not only that, but I'd say with 85% certainty that the "aging" on it was done with sand paper and a flathead screwdriver.

 

[MUSTANGCAT]

My two cents! I don't claim to know squat about Les Pauls! I have been really confused because when I ask when the Studio came out, people post in the 80s or 90s. I could swear that Studios were around past the mid 70s. I remember seeing them at the old Fullerton Music back around 77-78 around there. They were around $450+ or so I believe. I say it may be a 78 who knows! Is it a pancake body? You should maybe contact Gibson with the serial. Also I recommend looking in a book by Tony Bacon called "The Les Paul Guitar Book." A friend of mine who was a prominent local gigging musician back then had one of these studios. It was a nice light gray or silver color. It sounded awesome as well! I also remember Cheap Trick had their first and second albums out back then. According to the book it says that Studios came out in 1983. If I run into my old friend again, (He is still around somewhere!) I'll have to ask Fred about his old Lester! I heard he lost everything, poor guy!

 

[TheZ]

Someone just paid over $900 for it. How could anyone shell out that kind of money when it's an ad like that?

 

[Sinster]

The person who is selling might be interpreting the serial number wrong.

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/gibson-les-pauls/266098-fyi-serial-number-information-newcomers.html

Check this thread out as well.
http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/gibson-les-pauls/50210-gibson-les-paul-101-a.html

 

[Metlupass2]

Why would you buy that without asking him anything. That is the dumbest description I have ever read for a guitar. He did it from his phone.

If the photos dont say it here goes nothing... Selling my les paul, works great, sounds just like a gibson should... Which is awesome
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[acstorfer]

It better be considerably less than under a grand. Maybe $700.00 for it.

 

[egrassel]

oh no man - you got had

 

[John Scrip]

I'd have offered him $400...

 

[MrWrong]

Looks like a Studio to me.

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

Post more pics (and serial number) when you get it and you'll learn a little more about it. If the guitar sounds and feels great, it doesn't matter all that much of you paid a little too much for it.
We'll see. Later!

And Welcome to MLP!

 

[Paul46]

Jeez, I wouldn't have bid on that with someone else's money.

 

[NRBQ]

My two cents! I don't claim to know squat about Les Pauls! I have been really confused because when I ask when the Studio came out, people post in the 80s or 90s. I could swear that Studios were around past the mid 70s. I remember seeing them at the old Fullerton Music back around 77-78 around there. They were around $450+ or so I believe. I say it may be a 78 who knows! Is it a pancake body? You should maybe contact Gibson with the serial. Also I recommend looking in a book by Tony Bacon called "The Les Paul Guitar Book." A friend of mine who was a prominent local gigging musician back then had one of these studios. It was a nice light gray or silver color. It sounded awesome as well! I also remember Cheap Trick had their first and second albums out back then. According to the book it says that Studios came out in 1983. If I run into my old friend again, (He is still around somewhere!) I'll have to ask Fred about his old Lester! I heard he lost everything, poor guy!

Well clearly if you saw a Gibson Les Paul in 77 or 78 it wasn't a Studio that didn't exist until 83. Must have been another model whatever you saw.

 

[audiocheck]

I had a Gibson 1978 catalog when I was a kid. I pretty much memorized it. Nothing like that in it. So my guess is the person misread the serial number and it is a studio model, or it is some limited special run they did for a music store. I can't tell if the top is a deep dish or not, if it is deep, it would not be a '78. Also looks like a 2 piece top, pretty sure there was non of that in '78, let alone on an unbound cheaper model.

upon another look, it looks like the top is deep. I would say this is late 80's at it's oldest. Good chance it is from the 90's!

 

[Ansen]

I had a Gibson 1978 catalog when I was a kid. I pretty much memorized it. Nothing like that in it. So my guess is the person misread the serial number and it is a studio model, or it is some limited special run they did for a music store. I can't tell if the top is a deep dish or not, if it is deep, it would not be a '78. Also looks like a 2 piece top, pretty sure there was non of that in '78, let alone on an unbound cheaper model.

upon another look, it looks like the top is deep. I would say this is late 80's at it's oldest. Good chance it is from the 90's!

Another indiz to me, for an early 90's Studio, could be the G bounded i-dot in the Gibson logo (like they do originaly in the 50's)..

Looking at the two piece flame top, i also suggest it's not older than '92, maybe one of the first premiums.

The serial will tell more, apart from that, it's all spekulations..