Talk me into buying a LP Standard instead of a Tribute

[Gridlock]

Depends on your budget. If you can afford a new (or used) Standard ‘50s or ‘60s, they are definitely nicer guitars.

 

[spartacus slim]

My own personal preference would be for the gloss Standard, purely because it’s the quintessential Les Paul in terms of aesthetics.

But it’s clear you had the most fun playing the tribute and really enjoyed the feel of the satin neck. And surely having fun actually playing these guitars is what it’s all about in the end!

Something to consider is that you can grab a Standard on the U.K. used market for around £1600, which gets you the ‘real deal’ for £500 more than a new Tribute. A used tribute would probably cost you £700-£800.

 

[Wuuthrad]

WARNING- Ignore the cork-sniffers! Seriously.

Get the guitar that plays best and sounds best to you. Looks really don’t matter that much (at the end of the day) to borrow your popular colloquialism.

A guitar is a musical instrument not furniture.

Standard - sticky gloss that will degrade, mahogany neck that bends. Lower output pickups.

Tribute- Satin finish that will shine up with play or Virtuoso polish, and a Maple neck which is stiffer and stronger. Higher output pickups.

Also “standard” is very conformist, whereas “tribute” is a tip of the hat, and possibly more classy depending on who’s wearing it!

 

[AJK1]

None of them
Get a Classic

 

[Thundermtn]

The Gibson Les Paul that was not a real Gibson Les Paul at all but a top-notch replica of a 59. Slash did not like his tone when they were making the AFD album, and his manager went and got him that Les Paul Copy for $2500. That was it for Slash and the rest is history, Slash found his tone and that is another one of the things that put Gibson back on the map for a lot of guitar players. You want that Warm, Smooth, and Full tone that a Gibson Les Paul can give you.

Or a real Gibson that got used, formerly belonging to Joe Perry from Aerosmith. Imagine that..... the same thing I'm talking about also inspiring Slash to get a LP, and the exact one from the hands of one of his biggest inspirations. How cool is this guitar? Effn off the charts!

 

[TXOldRedRocker]

Buy a Standard, gloss finish. End of story. Unless you want a gloss finish Classic. Alternate ending.

 

[Blues scale]

Update: I bought the 60s Faded Standard.

I played one fresh out of the box at a different store. It was set up perfectly and didn’t have a single blemish.

The Tribute I’d been demoing sold at the weekend, so I couldn’t compare them. This made me realise it was time to poo or get off the pot, so I just bought the Faded there and then.

I got a price match of £1,800 ($2,230), which I think was a good deal. It’s not like these things will get any cheaper.

Will post pics when it arrives by delivery later this week. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[hotshot]

Way to go !!! Congrats HNGD !!!!

 

[1allspub]

Once in a lifetime purchase? Then 1000% get the Standard. Not even close!

Trust me, the Tribute will not satisfy if you know you really want a Standard. And in the end getting the Tribute will cost you more as you’ll just end up selling it at a loss in a few months or couple years and buying the Standard anyway (especially if you start hanging around here ). And by then Standards will have gone up even more and you’ll get dinged from both ends.

Just get the Standard. The shiny/sticky neck goes away after a few hours of playing, but the bound body and neck and the knowledge that you own a “real Les Paul” (as you say) will last forever.

As someone said above… buy once, cry once.

 

[Jay4321]

Glad to see somebody's out there actually trying the things first, it's becoming a dead art

 

[Thundermtn]

Hells yeah! Congrats

Have your new strings ready, and if you want a little help with setup etc. tell us how it needs to sound or play different in your NGD thread.

 

[mjross]

Like auto makers "de-optioning" vehicles
The "LE" used to be "Limited Edidion" or "Luxury Edition"... "CE" or "City Edition" may still be available in other countries.
But now the LE is the base model... the options moved to the SE, XLE, and Limited... and now they've added "Platinum" because the Limited is no longer the top of the line.

Fender has done the same. You don't get a hard case until you get into the $1700+ range except for the LP Junior/Special.
You don't even get a gig bag from Fender with the $1000 Deluxe Player now.

But again, the Gibson soft case is miles ahead of the basic gig bag that you get from other makers.

The new Gibson soft cases are damn nice IMHO! I purchased several of them for gig transport instead of beating up those expensive Reissue cases. I find that the protection is more than adequate if you handle your own guitars (not suitable for touring), they are my favorite soft case!

 

[mjross]

Update: I bought the 60s Faded Standard.

I played one fresh out of the box at a different store. It was set up perfectly and didn’t have a single blemish.

The Tribute I’d been demoing sold at the weekend, so I couldn’t compare them. This made me realise it was time to poo or get off the pot, so I just bought the Faded there and then.

I got a price match of £1,800 ($2,230), which I think was a good deal. It’s not like these things will get any cheaper.

Will post pics when it arrives by delivery later this week. Thanks for all the advice.

Very cool, congrats!

 

[mudface]

Buy the Standard Bee-Otch !!

 

[Brazilnut]

I think the new Fadeds are beautiful one and all. Good purchase! Play it for many years, brother!

 

[Blues scale]

Cheers guys, much appreciated.

In case anyone ever reads this thread in future: I maintain that the Tribute is a great guitar. I realised that one of the reasons the neck is so smooth is actually because it has no binding, which just adds a slight bit more friction to the Standard Faded if your thumb is catching it. Obviously it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me, I was just really paying attention to it to figure out why they felt different.

As Jay says above, I didn’t want to buy a guitar without playing it, and the Tribute is actually now OOS in all the stores I’ve checked in London, so whoever bought that last one in stock may have done me a favour…

The Faded really does look great IRL. I don’t care if it’s technically unfinished. You don’t wait for caviar to hatch into fish before you eat it.

Hopefully I can post pics at the weekend.

 

[AJK1]

You played one at a store but bought one online ?

 

[Blues scale]

You played one at a store but bought one online ?

No, I didn’t want to carry it on the underground (subway) during rush hour, so arranged delivery.

 

[1allspub]

Solid choice, the Faded. All the right stuff for a proper LP and a cool finish (and a few $ cheaper). Well done and congrats! Can't wait to see it!

 

[AJK1]

No, I didn’t want to carry it on the underground (subway) during rush hour, so arranged delivery.

Fair call