2015 Les Pauls, what are they smoking?

im left puzzled as well Cliff, my guess, Gibson wants to dip its toe in the water and see how it feels, agreed on the price thing too.
so long as the don't do what Cogs said and make a ES 175 7 string! then Henry J will be shot for sure!

What year did Gretsch start making the Van Eps 7 string? Late '50's? Early '60's? The Pizzarellis, both father and son play 7 strings. It's a low A or B. Different game than what shredders do with it. Jazzers add bass notes to chord melodies with the low A. Very cool.

7 strings?

C'mon now.

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Someminabich! I used to say peeps got more talent in their little finger than me. He comes in with one finger and 3 strings and makes me want to sell my guitars! Damn!

Hi everyone, only my second post but felt I had to respond. I've had my 1990 Classic All Gold from new and it's been my main guitar all this time, I do at least 60 gigs a year and always have four guitars in my arsenal for alt tunings and sounds. Never needed to replace my goldie it suits me perfectly, I'm a slim taper man, cutting to the chase I just bought a 2015 Junior in TV yellow to replace my SG which I hardly played and I have to say I love it. If I was buying a historic or collectors choice I would want authenticity but I don't collect and sound and feel are everything and this sounds and feels great. The neck will always polarise opinion but for me it's perfect and I actually like the width. The nut is great and makes set up a cinch and the logo looks fine to me. I do think the G force should have been optional but mine is working well and after 3 gigs and some really smooth tuning swaps I am coming round, although I may still swap them out. As far as sales go the dealer I got this from has sold 4 in the last month and luckily the TV yellow was the last one so here in the UK they are selling. Apologies for being a bit controversial as a newbie but it is a great guitar.

Cliff Gress said:

I think they are drinking too much whisky.

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John Fogerty model.

Irish or maybe Scottish family Tartan colors for Fogerty tribute ?

251blckgrds said:

Irish or maybe Scottish family colors for Fogerty tribute ?

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no idea, but it does match his shirts.

hoss said:

Aha, you may be on to something. They might have decided to target rich guys who can't play.

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I'm taking this one a little personal. I'm not a great player but I can tune a guitar on my own. Apparently that counts for something (maybe not to Gibson) and I have lots and lots of disposable income. Yep, it must be me they're after............and I'm new around here.

dtw576 said:

At least that would show there are still kids getting into playing guitar. I'd hope and expect that the majority of guitar and amp sales are not to the diehards that inhabit this forum. A healthy used market would go counter to my pessimistic view that "we" are the last generation of musicians (amateur through pro) and that the younger crowds are not interested in investing themselves in music skills anymore. I hope I am totally wrong about that. Remember when every block in the neighborhood had at least one or more garage bands?

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I went to a local piano dealer to find an experienced piano tuner. I noticed that he had a full inventory on the floor and out of curiosity asked him how sales were doing. He said he rarely sells a new piano. His primary source of income is tuning and repairing existing units that folks already own. He also noted that it appears that young folks today don't have the time to learn how to play anymore nor the desire to. This new generation wants what ever it may be right now. It's rare to find a young person today that is interested enough to invest the time (years) it takes to become proficient in playing a musical instrument.

never mind theres plenty of very good to mint used pre 2015 les pauls for sale so no worries

When i purchased my guitar today (2013 LP STD) i got to have a good look at both the 2014 and 2015 model LP's.The new logo and neck on the 15 was a real turn off. The 14 '120' logo was not overly offensive in the flesh but both IMO are a step away from what makes LP's popular. Im a traditionalist at heart and since I was a kid I have loved the way gibson have created instruments that apart from the year they were made, they pretty much have stayed the same with maybe subtle differences. Its what has made the brand so iconic. I dont like the fact they have changed the neck profile. I dont like autotune on any guitar, i dont like the fact they have removed the fret nibbs. I like tradition. Tradition is what made me want to own a Les Paul, apart from all the obvious other benefits. BUT each to their own. Whatever curdles your cream I guess

kingrex said:

I went to a local piano dealer to find an experienced piano tuner. I noticed that he had a full inventory on the floor and out of curiosity asked him how sales were doing. He said he rarely sells a new piano. His primary source of income is tuning and repairing existing units that folks already own. He also noted that it appears that young folks today don't have the time to learn how to play anymore nor the desire to. This new generation wants what ever it may be right now. It's rare to find a young person today that is interested enough to invest the time (years) it takes to become proficient in playing a musical instrument.

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Hence the Tuners,,,,so Henry went by a study of demographics that may have shown this to be prevalent. Sad that our kids are so damn lazy...

Both of my daughters have the abiltiy, and have access to any of my gear, anytime. But they would rather look at electronic devices that stir some sort of pleasure chemical in the brain faster....

One of them borrowed my acustic two or three nights a week to go play and sing at a coffee house one summer, and started to get pretty good....but when it got complex and started to turn into work, instead of instant gratification with her peers....it ended....

I should have raised them on a farm....that way they would have apreciated the world a little better....:dang

kingrex said:

I went to a local piano dealer to find an experienced piano tuner. I noticed that he had a full inventory on the floor and out of curiosity asked him how sales were doing. He said he rarely sells a new piano. His primary source of income is tuning and repairing existing units that folks already own. He also noted that it appears that young folks today don't have the time to learn how to play anymore nor the desire to. This new generation wants what ever it may be right now. It's rare to find a young person today that is interested enough to invest the time (years) it takes to become proficient in playing a musical instrument.

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One of our local music store chains, Buddy Rodger's, just liquidated all their stringed musical instruments and amps. I stopped in to one of their locations expecting to see the usual array of stringed instruments and maybe some old odd ball six string which they usually had a few of. There was nothing left in the store for a guitar player. I spoke with the manager and he said about the same thing. Younger folks, and the public in general, aren't buying enough musical gear to keep them afloat. They were a local Cincinnati family owned business for over 50 years...

They do strictly school band rentals and repairs now. :dang

I hate to be redundant but I’ll share my recent experience. For some time I’ve wanted to add a LP Special with P-90s. I jumped at the 2015 LP Special in Yellow.

The good:

1. The guitar looked great and had excellent fit and finish.
2. It set up perfectly with no problems.
3. The new P-90 were fantastic in all settings and on all amps.
4. The new case was very useable and gave more storage than its predecessor.

The bad:

1. The GForce tuning system was awkward and took more time than manual tuning (than a guitar with manual tuners).
2. Manual tuning was somewhat impossible and high risk of breaking the tuning gears.
3. Could not execute “before nut” bends without knocking out intonation. So no Iron Man live….
4. Fingerboard size and string tension (overly light) were weird for me.
5. The silly hologram sticker looked like my little brother took my guitar on the road and added it. I could not imagine 30 years from now – this sticker would add to vintage value? The PRC has already counterfeited it and added to their contraband guitars.

I sold the guitar for a loss and picked up the fantastic Paul Landers LP (awesome instrument!)

My first post here, and this seems a good thread to start on.

I've been playing guitar for a few years now, I had formerly played brass instruments for many years, my first real job was playing in the Disneyland band. But when I relocated to Japan some years ago, I found that playing the trombone or trumpet was not easy. My first couple of apartments were small, and there was little I could do to avoid annoying the neighbours except to walk to the riverside to practice, or rent a studio. Brass instruments take fairly consistent practice to keep one's tone, and I found that with so few opportunities to play, I might as well give it up.

A friend of mine recommended that I try playing the guitar. A couple of my relatives were and are well-known musicians, and quite good guitar players. I decided to give it a try. I went to a nearby recycle shop (something like a thrift store, except that they buy the things they sell) which had numerous guitars hanging in the back. None of the guitars were expensive, they were a collection of Yamaha, Morris, and lesser-known brands. I knew nothing about guitars, and I mean nothing, but from a young age, I have always had a sixth sense for quality. Of all the guitars hanging in front of me, one seemed to stand out, it was a Yamaha L5. It did not really look different from the other Yamaha FG guitars on the wall, it was no more expensive than the others, but it simply felt good. I bought it, and took it home.

After learning to play a few songs on the Yamaha, I thought I would get an electric guitar. I went back to the recycle shop and bought a Japanese made Fender Stratocaster. It was not the prettiest guitar they had, but it had the best action, and it was cheap. Soon thereafter I bought an old Fernandez Telecaster from an online auction. When I received the Tele, the first thing I thought was "what a piece of crap". And it was, it was made back in 1970 when the Japanese were first starting to copy American guitars. From a collector's standpoint it is a great guitar, not many still exist. But from a players standpoint, it was crap.

I went to a used guitar shop in Tokyo, and was looking at Gibson SG guitars. There were Standards and Specials, Fadeds, and numerous non=Gibson copies. I tried out many of them, and ended up taking one home with me. The guitar was an SG Gothic. Some may cringe at the thought of buying a Gothic, but I loved the simple, no-nonsense design, and the ebony fretboard. And of all the guitars I tried out, it was the one which had the best "feel". Unfortunately, our Jack Russell terrier tried to play with it, knocking it out of it's stand, and breaking the neck. I was able to fix the neck cleanly enough, but something about such a flaw in the guitar bothered me enough that I decided to get another SG. The second one was the "Faded" model with the ebony fretboard and crescent moon inlays. This guitar was and is amazing. It sits next to my desk at the office, and when I get caught up with my work, I practice a little while.

After playing the SG for more than a year, I decided to get a Les Paul. In Japan (and probably everywhere else) a Gibson Les Paul is expensive. But I found there was a guy who made Gibson replicas using Tokai Love Rock guitars. All of the external parts are changed to real Gibson pieces, and the sound and playability are pretty good. Of course anyone could look closely and tell it was not the real deal, but I enjoyed it all the same. Even so, I decided that I would like to have the real thing. My SG is my favourite guitar, it is just a pleasure to play. The Gibson Replica looks good and plays good, but there is no real "magic" to it. So I decided I would get the real thing.

Last Friday I decided to buy a new Gibson Les Paul. I had $5000 in my pocket. I had not looked at any brochures, nor had I visited Gibson's website. I know what a Gibson Les Paul is, and I wanted to buy one. So, I headed to the big Gibson store near Jimbocho in Tokyo. I got off in Ochanomizu, and looked though the used guitar shops, and even paid a visit to ESP's shop. The ESP shop was amazing, they had an assortment of different woods and materials, you can choose anything you like. Words like "endangered" or "on the threat of extinction" mean little in Japan, quality means a lot. Half of the woods and materials in the ESP shop could not be imported into America. For the fun of it, I priced a custom-built ESP Navigator Les Paul. A Honduran mahogany body and neck, a gorgeous flame maple top, selected by me, ebony fret board, abalone inserts, and, for God's sake, genuine ivory bindings and other trim parts, no plastic. The total price? About $5000.

But, I wanted a Gibson. I continued to the Gibson shop, went to the back wall where the Les Pauls were hung up, and looked at a Standard. The first thing I noticed was the ugly "Les Paul 100" signature on the headstock, looking like it had been written by a 100 year old Les Paul (after a couple drinks). Much to my dismay, all the new Les Paul guitars had the same signature. I then notice the "Minneytune" system, which was also attached to all of the guitars. I am not a fantastic player, but I do know how to tune a guitar. I know what a Les Paul is, and a new Les Paul was what I wanted. But I didn't want what Gibson now calls a "Les Paul". I told the salesman "thanks" while muttering "but no thanks" under my breath.

I decided to walk back to the ESP shop and order a Navigator. But before leaving the store, something in the corner caught my eye, a nice looking Tobacco Burst Les Paul, and above it a sign which said ”デッドストック？レスポール 1989年 250,000円". ”デッドストック”　means, "new, old-stock", 250,000 yen equals about $2000. I asked to look at the guitar, and as soon as I held it, I thought "magic". I counted out my money, and took the guitar home.

I can't imagine what Gibson are thinking. If I, a customer who has money in his pocket, and wants to buy a Les Paul, can't bring myself to buy one of their new guitars, then there is indeed a problem.

Unfortunately, after visiting the ESP store, I now have irresistible urge to buy a Navigator... I think my '89 Les Paul will soon have a younger Japanese cousin.

Went out and purchased my first les paul. Initially My intentions were to buy a new traditional or standard but after some due consideration decided to go with the LPM in heritage cherry. Yeah, its a 2015 with the auto tuner and funny signature but boy I was really impressed with the appearance and feel of this guitar. As noted before (many times) the neck is a bit wide but you get used to it rather quickly. Being new to the electric guitar scene I can't really say much regarding the sound. So far it's a work in progress. What sound quality I have been able to create at this point is quite good so I'm optimistic that with time I'll be able to access what this guitar can really do. The auto tuner works well. I'll admit that that was the one thing that really worried me about the 2015 models. So far so good. I'll post a pick soon.

Hell might as well throw caution to the wind...................let Henry remake THIS one.

Rex Bogue. Ibanez later copied the design.

A buddy of mine( in his 40s, strat player with one LP, a very good guitarist and works in a music store) asked me why Gibson had put the Min E Tune on the production models, said he couldn't work out how it might be an advantage to have the thing attached like that and added that at least it could be removed and have a regular set of tuners put on.
Weeell I said, that's what a lot of people feel.
Then we talked about the plethora of models from both F and G which was very different to the old days..........conclusion, play what you like but there's too too much stuff available with (what seems to be) a decreasing number of players worldwide:hmm