Gibson Les Paul Classic Antique - opinions

Hey guys,
after owning 2 Standard Faded LP guitars (both '05 models) for the last year, I'm thinking of buying another Gibson - this time a Classic Antique.
From its specs this seems to be exactly what I'm looking for in a Les Paul.
Can some Classic Antique owners chime in and share their enthusiasm or disappointment?
Basically what I'm wondering about is:

1.)Are those good for Blues-Rock/Rock/Metal (e.g. Slash, Gary Moore, even Iron Maiden, Satch etc.)

2.)I know those are chambered and I'm pretty interested to play a chambered guitar vs. my 2 solid bodied ones (I know those come with 9 holes). Any downside on the chambering like less attack or maybe less sustain?

3.)Did you leave yours stock? Or did you change pickups (and if so, why) and the electronics?


P.s. Right now there's not ONE single store carrying one of those in a 50-mile radius otherwise I would have tested one myself. Just gathering opinions over the net for now.

I 've just bought one with the mahohany top. The balance and weight is worth getting one for. The chambering doesn't seem to effect the sound at all. My guitar has a slightly more satin feel to the finish than my 05 standard, this makes the guitar feel more played in which is great. I love the paf pickups too, they dont have quite the same bite as the burstbuckers but I usually roll the treble control back on the burstbuckers anyway. Gibson seem to have got things spot on and I would highly recommend this guitar. It would be a great alternative to your faded standard, go for it.

Hi I got mine from the Rockshop about 2 months ago Brand new 07 Honeyburst and I just love this thing as for rock it kicks total ASS.
This is my first Gibson so I can't help you with the 2nd or 3rd question.
When I bought it I tried out a few standards and the classic was the best sounding Kickass rock and roll from them all.But thats just my opinion.
Try one out there has to be a few around if your in Germany.I'am in the Baden-Baden area. Here's a pic

Stew:2zone

Schneidas15 said:

Hey guys,
after owning 2 Standard Faded LP guitars (both '05 models) for the last year, I'm thinking of buying another Gibson - this time a Classic Antique.
From its specs this seems to be exactly what I'm looking for in a Les Paul.
Can some Classic Antique owners chime in and share their enthusiasm or disappointment?
Basically what I'm wondering about is:

1.)Are those good for Blues-Rock/Rock/Metal (e.g. Slash, Gary Moore, even Iron Maiden, Satch etc.)

2.)I know those are chambered and I'm pretty interested to play a chambered guitar vs. my 2 solid bodied ones (I know those come with 9 holes). Any downside on the chambering like less attack or maybe less sustain?

3.)Did you leave yours stock? Or did you change pickups (and if so, why) and the electronics?


P.s. Right now there's not ONE single store carrying one of those in a 50-mile radius otherwise I would have tested one myself. Just gathering opinions over the net for now.

Click to expand...

Take a look at the classic antique "registry" thread here

I love my classic antique (everything still stock). The chambering gives the guitar a nice resonance that goes well with the lower output 57 classic pickups. Definitely flexible enough to range from blues to classic metal without a problem. I haven't noticed any lack of sustain or attack.

Definitely worth a look - value-wise, these are among the best values in the LP line.

I've got a wine red Classic Antique. I left mine stock. I see no reason to change anything on it. (although I have been considering installing the pickguard. I'm not sure why)

My answer to question 2 is...I have found no downside to the chambering. The guitars are lighter weight, and the ones I have played and own, sound incredible.

Some people dislike the chambering because it is not the "traditional" solid body guitar, but if you accept it for what it is, I think you will find it to be a great sounding Les Paul.

Greetings,
I bought the "bargain" model, the faded cherry mahogany top classic antique. I really love it. The classic '57s are very nice and the guitar plays excellently. It is a lovely piece of wood, quite resonant when played unplugged. Great sustain and wonderful sounding tone. Weighs a tiny bit over 8 lbs, much lighter than my Deluxe but that is not an issue for me. As others have said it is quite versatile and great for a number of styles of music.

I would recommend it. Good luck in your search.
Regards- Tralf :2zone

Looks like WurstBurst beat me to it as I was going to point you the CA "registry" thread I started. I'd also do a forum search for "Classic Antique" as there are several of them on here now.

I agree with all of the above regarding them being a great value, no problems with the chamber (although a couple of people did report some "wood chip rattle" issue early on - but I think they sent the guitar back to Gibson to fix and I haven't heard of any issues since then).

I love my CA and find that it sustains great (maybe even better than my Custom, which is a heavier, more 'traditional' Les Paul solid body). I really like the Classic 57 pups (also have them in my CS-356. Let me know if any specific questions and I'll be glad to help ya' out if I can.

Oh, I recommend you talk to some of the LPF dealers listed below (Centre City is where I got mine) and Saul (CC), Matt, the Wildwood guys, etc. are great to deal with and should be able to hook you up with just the right guitar if you can't find what you want locally.

And, I always love showing off my "baby" - I actually named it after my son - not the traditional female naming but I thought it appropriate as my 8 y/o is a Les Paul fan - gotta' raise 'em up right ya' know!!

I think you guys have some killer guitars!

If I wasn't such a big neck snob, I would probably have one.

I haven't been here in awhile, so thought I'd chime in and say hello. I love my Classic Antique. I actually think the chambering adds to the tone. And, I love the '57 and '57 plus pups.
I do have one question, can anyone tell me what kind of caps are in this model? Not that I want to change anything, just curious about how they compare to other caps in Gibson LP's.

Stew said:

Hi I got mine from the Rockshop about 2 months ago Brand new 07 Honeyburst and I just love this thing as for rock it kicks total ASS.
This is my first Gibson so I can't help you with the 2nd or 3rd question.
When I bought it I tried out a few standards and the classic was the best sounding Kickass rock and roll from them all.But thats just my opinion.
Try one out there has to be a few around if your in Germany.I'am in the Baden-Baden area. Here's a pic

Stew:2zone

Click to expand...

A friend of mine bought a honey burst CA just like yours about 6 years ago. I played it a few times too. Great neck, very fat juicy sound, classy looks too, but unfortunately his guitar suffered from tuning problems, probably due to a badly cut nut. He sold it after 1,5 years because of this, but I think it's still one of the best USA LP series Gibson has made in recent years.

I love my Classic Antique! It still remains one of my best sounding LPs. I really like the chambered tone. Im hoping to add a chambered historic to my collection one day.