Super confused... Help

[Zohran]

I just wanna say one thing, that I need a les paul as close to vintage specs as possible without having to pay for a reissue. I have no budget for Historics.
By being close to vintage means the color, weight and everything else.
And these trads are killer guitars imo.
So I have these two guitars in my list which I really liked!
The problem is
1. Cherry Burst is 4.4Kg (9.7lbs) which is not an average weight of a vintage les paul and it kinda bugs me. Its not about me feeling it heavy or not but its about being close to vintage era stuff.

2. Honey Burst has AAA flame top cause its Trad Plus Limited model and I think it is not vintage color(idk) and is kinda expensive than the Cherry for the Plus top. I wish it had a red back, so it looked real vintage. But the weight of this is 4.09 Kg (9.0lbs) which is an average weight for a vintage era les paul for that vintage woodier tone.
I have no idea what to do.
Been posting a lot on this forum.
Please don’t get irritated guys. Just motivate me and give me right opinions so I could go for it.
I have the cash in my hands, just wanting to spend it on THE ONE.
I dont think I will buy another les paul so I need an overall vintage kinda beast for the rest of my life.
Thanks!

 

[Daniel.S]

The cherry burst. Wood does nothing to the tone just adds more or less weight.
Get the one you think looks the best.

 

[DylanLP]

This is entirely personal and you the one who should decide. Give yourself time and you may end up with ebony, plain top cherry/honey sunburst..etc. My advice to you is give yourself time since you are ‘super confused’ till something takes over your heart and mind.

Personally, plain tops in cherry sunburst are my favorite looking les Pauls. I’m not a fan of flame tops.

 

[Thundermtn]

The clown burst looks ridiculous, that one has a Norlin era look that I don't care for, just my opinion. However neither of them are even close to having vintage vibe. No pickguard, high polish, light colored fretboards, bridge, p/up selector ring, etc. etc. A much better choice that isn't priced to the moon would be a pre-snot green inlay LP (early 90's) Classic.

So picking a LP should go like this.

#1. Does the neck fit your hand perfectly.
#2. Does it sound good and feel alive in your hands (is it highly resonant)
#3. How does it play?

When you find the right one you'll know, and it will not sit quietly and let you waffle between choices. You will HAVE TO HAVE IT.

The backs on vintage guitars are't always vibrant red, those dye's had color fade. Totally dismissing color is hard to do for some people but unless you just sit around looking at it most of the time all you'll see is the neck binding and dots. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[King Minimoose]

The cherry burst. Wood does nothing to the tone just adds more or less weight.
Get the one you think looks the best.

I hope you're just joking...

The clown burst looks ridiculous, that one has a Norlin era look that I don't care for, just my opinion. However neither of them are even close to having vintage vibe. No pickguard, high polish, light colored fretboards, bridge, p/up selector ring, etc. etc. A much better choice that isn't priced to the moon would be a pre-snot green inlay LP (early 90's) Classic.

So picking a LP should go like this.

#1. Does the neck fit your hand perfectly.
#2. Does it sound good and feel alive in your hands (is it highly resonant)
#3. How does it play?

When you find the right one you'll know, and it will not sit quietly and let you waffle between choices. You will HAVE TO HAVE IT.

The backs on vintage guitars are't always vibrant red, those dye's had color fade. Totally dismissing color is hard to do for some people but unless you just sit around looking at it most of the time all you'll see is the neck binding and dots. Good luck on your hunt!

I agree with Thundermtn. All Gibson guitars are different and you will know when you find the one. I would suggest that you look into Edwards Les Pauls if you want a reissue that won't break the bank. I got one recently and I'm extremely happy with it. Made like vintage Lesters and better than the majority of Gibsons I've played. There is plenty of info on this forum if you are curious, though I'll warn you that there is a lot of information out there about Japanese LPs.

 

[frozenotter]

I'd normally say "honey", but the cherry has such a beautiful flame pattern. The honey has that ugly (sorry) pointy look that I can't stand.

 

[Rotorhead]

It all depends on if you want to look cool like Ace or if you want to look cool like Slash.

Me, I'd go for a tobacco burst or straight up black and make my own way.

 

[filtersweep]

The clown burst looks ridiculous, that one has a Norlin era look that I don't care for, just my opinion. However neither of them are even close to having vintage vibe. No pickguard, high polish, light colored fretboards, bridge, p/up selector ring, etc. etc. A much better choice that isn't priced to the moon would be a pre-snot green inlay LP (early 90's) Classic.

So picking a LP should go like this.

#1. Does the neck fit your hand perfectly.
#2. Does it sound good and feel alive in your hands (is it highly resonant)
#3. How does it play?

When you find the right one you'll know, and it will not sit quietly and let you waffle between choices. You will HAVE TO HAVE IT.

The backs on vintage guitars are't always vibrant red, those dye's had color fade. Totally dismissing color is hard to do for some people but unless you just sit around looking at it most of the time all you'll see is the neck binding and dots. Good luck on your hunt!

Agree. The red is shot way too thick- too wide, and should be more transparent with more amber.

 

[MSB]

asking the internet which one you should buy is like asking which girl you should date.... put your hands on them and grow a set and decide for yourself.

 

[Daniel.S]

A

I hope you're just joking...



I agree with Thundermtn. All Gibson guitars are different and you will know when you find the one. I would suggest that you look into Edwards Les Pauls if you want a reissue that won't break the bank. I got one recently and I'm extremely happy with it. Made like vintage Lesters and better than the majority of Gibsons I've played. There is plenty of info on this forum if you are curious, though I'll warn you that there is a lot of information out there about Japanese LPs.

Absolutely not. Trying to help the man with the correct information.

 

[harrie 0492]

honey, BEAUTYFUL TOP DO IT

 

[PierM]

.

 

[kakerlak]

Are these in a shop where you can inspect them in person? If so, let your eyes, hands, and ears decide for you. As for weight, 9.7lbs isn't totally out of range for fifties Les Pauls, though it is on the heavy end. As for color and maple grain, neither of these two Traditionals has much of a "vintage" feel to it, though that's really subjective and just my opinion. Yes, you will see actual vintage LPs with all the red faded out of the tops and backs, for that matter, and I actually think the honeyburst one is a little more vintage-looking than the cherry.

As far as these two guitars go, I don't feel like the top on the honeyburst is much stronger than the other one, so if it's priced at a substantial premium over the cherryburst, it'd tend to push me in that direction. I look at these two as guitars that ought to be priced about the same and, if that's the case, I'd check them out in person, if possible and, if not, would lean towards the honeyburst.

 

[Razzle]

Well the most important thing is playability, play 'em. Then it's looks, PUs can be changed.

On looks, I'd absolutely go with the honey, that one is pretty nice.

Love CSB's but they are absolutely the most common top out there. If you get a CSB, IMO it should have a killer top exceeding others (since the CSB's are everywhere).

 

[bad565ss]

Based solely on the tops I'd go with the cherry. I've never liked angled chevrons.

 

[Roxy13]

Your first (and perhaps only) Gibson LP is a big deal. Try to see as many as you can and I think when you find "the one" you will know.

 

[Thundermtn]

If the wood didn't matter the Custom Shop Historic guitars would not have employees that spend so much time just sorting their lumber.

How it's cut and constructed makes a difference, specifically in stiffness. Luthiers wouldn't use the word "tap tone" when selecting pieces unless it gave results. Wood matters less in electrics than acoustics, but it still matters. There is a reason guys will hunt for old Honduran Mahogany from 50's era boats and homes and reclaim it for guitars.

 

[Thundermtn]

Another thing you could do is go on a mini vacation to a guitar town. If you go to Nashville, Chicago, LA, etc... you could play dozens and dozens LP's in what ever finish you want. Or go in and ask the employees for the best 5 guitars for whatever your budget is. I went through about 40 in just one store. I didn't find the guitar I was after there, but when I found the one I KNEW it was better than the 40 I had played to find it in about 2 minutes.

 

[azzapeel]

Zohran...... problem solved..... get this one. Much nicer with pickguard and switch plastic.

 

[BKS]