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NGD: 1990 Gibson Les Paul Classic

bern1

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 23, 2004
Messages
1,275
Also, thos inlays look really classy. I keep hearing how the Classic’s inlays are all green or yellow, but Redwine’s looks great. Maybe just certain years??
 

kips2

New member
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
Messages
411
I have a 2003 Coppertop Classic. Piss yellow inlays, but the copper finish is to die for. I think I posted pics here a few years back.
Also, what sets this type of Classic apart is its neck size, which is not really skinny at all.
 

Brian Krashpad

Active member
Joined
May 16, 2016
Messages
211
Congrats!

I have a '99 Classic, probably my nicest guitar (I more recently got a doublecut TV Yellow Special with a bound ebony board that roughly ties). I am VERY happy with the LP Classic, and the greened inlays do not bother me one bit (they are very similar to what the shark fins on my early '90s Ric 620 look like naturally).

Have fun, I do!

82407484_10158301170173879_5022722931344539648_n.jpg
 

Trans-Am

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
4,686
You can't really go wrong with the Classic's right from the start. How many times they have reissued the reissue that was supposedly been deemed to be a pre-historic before it blew up.:dude:

Congrats and Cheers to all Classic Owners alike, may you enjoy them forever!:peace2
 

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Señor Verde

Active member
Joined
Jan 13, 2005
Messages
619
Congrats! I had a couple Classics from around 2000 and they were both very nice. I just couldn't get along with the Slim-Taper necks. Too bad for me really, they looked great, were solid, good sounding and reliable guitars.
 

mrbeasty

New member
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
114
I have a ‘96 “1960” Classic Goldtop. I purchased it new, in 1996, as a late teen, using all my savings and borrowing money from my father. I was saving for an EBMM EVH but after meeting someone who had one I realized I did not like it at all. The same guy also had a Goldtop Gibson Classic and I fell in love with it. So I went to the store he got his from to look for one. I liked the Honeyburst more, but that was more money than I had, so I, too, got a Goldtop. I was thrilled yet there were a number of things than I quickly came to dislike about my guitar and it took me years to sort it out.

The stock neck pickup (496R?) is nice IMHO, but the bridge (500T) was horrible. Not knowing where to begin (and broke) I changed the bridge pickup first. It helped but still was not right. Since then I probably tried a dozen pickups in it, settling with EMGs for a long time. Eventually, a few years ago, I returned it to passive pickups and went with ~500k pots and ‘50s wiring. A great part of my problem had been the muffled factory 300k pots!!! It was a major improvement.
Still, the guitar was a bit dull compared to other Les Pauls, so I replaced the 1” ABR steel posts with 1.5” brass ones. Things got yet a little better but still not great. By that point I had better guitars, so it went into storage.
Last year I pulled it out and noticed that the bridge was collapsing so I ordered a new Faber ABR bridge, some steel tailpiece posts, and a light aluminum tailpiece. Aaaah! Miracle! After 23 years it finally sounds great. I had long suspected the Gibson parts to have been the culprit and I should have changed them a lot sooner!
Conclusion: if you get one, it’s a great guitar, but change everything! They suffer from all the stereotypical Gibson handicap: 300k pots, heavy tailpiece, ceramic pickups, etc.
Essentially, all the same adjustments everyone talks about in this thread.
 
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