Which are the best non Gibson Les Pauls

[gl3nnium]

I own a Les Paul copy but i have to admit it's a pretty damn good one...also at a fraction of what a real Les paul would have cost me in my neck of the woods.

Im pretty sure it's a japanese made SX Les Paul. complete copy down to the headstock with same setup. Ive seen other brands like Burny (japanese models) that are almost as expensive as Gibsons.

I got to wondering what the best copies were and what were the worst...value for money comes into it too so cheap isnt necessarily bad....The SX Les Paul i bought was so close to a gibson in look, sound and feel that I couldnt believe my luck...build quality was exceptional..there must be other hidden gems out there too surely.

 

[capt_goodvibes]

Orville By Gibsons are very very nice Guitars

 

[Lysol]

Tokai Premium, ESP Navigator, and Edwards are my favorites.

 

[GammyBird]

All the major MIJ companies have lower end models as well as high-end models...there is a FAQ thread.

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/other-les-pauls/167868-_mij__faq_-_links.html

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/other-les-pauls/159619-mij-catalogs-thread-56k-warning.html

That should keep you busy for a while

 

[GammyBird]

While I'm at it....Bacchus, Burny and Greco

 

[old mark]

I have 2, both are good...one is great.

I have a 1990's Samick Artist Series LP type...Has a flame top, gold hardware, VERY heavy mahogany body, mahogany neck. Sounds good - loud, hot pups and plays very well-rosewood board, nice frets. Good electronics and pups...Maybe a step below a Gibson, but maybe not...but I paid all of $300 for it.

Greco 1980's Mint LP Custom. Near exact copy of my Gibson '74 LP Custom that I sold years ago and can't afford to replace. Also has rosewood board, pickups and electronics, hardware and wood are first rate...IMO, this guitar is nearly identical to my early 70's Gibson, but slightly heavier and with better frets. I think the neck is a little faster, too...I am very very pleased with this Greco, and paid a little over $650 for it. I can't speak for other Japanese LP's-this is my first, probably not my last. I may buy myself another one for my birthday in August.

I would recommend either of these to anyone who wants a high quality instrument without paying at least a grand to get it.

Samick made guitars are really super values, especially the older 1990's versions when they made the Artist series...I have 3 of them, an SG/Les Paul, a Les Paul type, and a jazz guitar resembling a high end Gibson. ALL of them are excellent guitars, close to or at the Gibson level at a small fraction of the cost. Some of the LP types have different shaped cutaways, mine does, but there is little difference otherwise.

mark

 

[garweft]

It's pretty much impossible to go by the name on the headstock. As someone said a few posts up each company had higher and lower cost models. Some companies have also been producing guitar in companies other than Japan with varying quality. Additionally, a lot of the companies produced their best guitars within certain years.

My best advise would be to read some of the threads on each brand. Tokai, Burny, Greco, Orville, and Bacchus are pretty popular, but there are so many more that produced quality instruments. It all depends on what you are looking for. And be very careful when buying on ebay. Way to many sellers have the production year and country wrong.

I have always wondered who people thought produced the closest thing to a '59 or '60 Les Paul (brand, model, year).

 

[rastafred]

Agile

 

[Les Paulverizer]

By far the best non Gibson Les Pauls are made by The Heritage, up in Kalamazoo, everything else doesn't even come second. Period.

I have one, my go-to guitar, an H150 with a SEYMOUR dUNCAN '59 at the neck and a Gibson '57+ at the bridge, and which is roughly their version of a Standard and only the very best (and I mean stuff like Hamer USA, Gibson Custom Shop, etc etc) come close.
I mean, I've had quite a few Les Paul's so far, including a '54 (done "oxblood"!) and my second go-to guitar is a vintage one, with a couple of superb '50 pickups, so I guess I can safely, honestly and humbly assume that I know what I'm talking about.

Supreme American craftmanship, and they don't even cost that much...

 

[emptyisvarah]

everything is subjective. IMO.

 

[Zenzeypher]

Greco for sure, Id put my current one above my previous 75 Gibson Deluxe.

 

[gibbykohner]

Agile

+1

 

[tonebone]

Replicas.

 

[Thomas/Sweden]

Late 1979 Solid Top Tokai LS 120 Reborns.

 

[tonebone]

I thought the best MIJ were Tokai 200's and Greco 1800's? Or Greco 2500's - if they really do exist.

Of course, there's supposed to be Burny 250's, also.

 

[SingeMonkey]

By far the best non Gibson Les Pauls are made by The Heritage, up in Kalamazoo, everything else doesn't even come second. Period.

Is it because of the Yankee-juice they spritz them with at the end? Or is it the Bald Eagle feathers they use to stir the finish?

 

[tonebone]

I own a Les Paul copy but i have to admit it's a pretty damn good one...
Im pretty sure it's a japanese made SX Les Paul. complete copy down to the headstock with same setup.

I've never seen a SX with the correct headstock. Or one that was MIJ.

Please elaborate.

Ive seen other brands like Burny (japanese models) that are almost as expensive as Gibsons. ....

Burny's are still a bargain compared to old Greco's, Tokai's and new Navigators.

 

[UITA]

Funny how you can always make out the threads that have been moved here!!! Chuck in the other LP area init!!

 

[Frails]

Of the one's I've owned, I liked the Greco Standards and the OBG Custom's the most. I realize that's a big generalization but speaking overall.

 

[Gabriel]

By far the best non Gibson Les Pauls are made by The Heritage, up in Kalamazoo, everything else doesn't even come second. Period.

I have one, my go-to guitar, an H150 with a SEYMOUR dUNCAN '59 at the neck and a Gibson '57+ at the bridge, and which is roughly their version of a Standard and only the very best (and I mean stuff like Hamer USA, Gibson Custom Shop, etc etc) come close.
I mean, I've had quite a few Les Paul's so far, including a '54 (done "oxblood"!) and my second go-to guitar is a vintage one, with a couple of superb '50 pickups, so I guess I can safely, honestly and humbly assume that I know what I'm talking about.

Supreme American craftmanship, and they don't even cost that much...

Great guitars indeed. Too bad the headstock looks like a dick. I got no issue with what's written on it whatsoever but the shape is laughable.

By the way, in case you haven't, try an Orville, high end Tokai, navigator. They are not cheap but they are great Les Paul's with the correct shape.

If were talking single cut guitars in general that remind of the LP, then PRS and Nik Huber make some of the best non-gibson LP-ish guitars.