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Which Les Paul to buy?

BadCat

Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
89
Am looking to buy myself a Les Paul. Have been a Fender Stratocaster player most of my life so i am a newbie to Les Pauls.
See there is some quite distinct tonal difference between the Standard Les Pauls and the custom shop guitars i have played which is why i want to go the customshop route.
First guitar: 1958 VOS 2013. Stunnigly beautiful guitar. Primary burst. Tonewise i liked the guitar played clean but it lacked somehow when playing distorted i found. Just not the insane tonal character i found in some other Les Pauls. Pricepoint: 4500 USD.
Second: Then i tried a 1959 VOS 2013 model. Ok looking guitar, tonally i preferred it to the 1958 but did play it through another amp so difficult to compare. Pricepoint: 6000.-
Third: Another VOS 1958 2013 ok looking, beautiful tone, better than the first 1958 but not as good as the 1959 model.
Fourth guitar: Then i tried a Gabby: FANTASTIC guitar. Really cool looking Gabby. I have seen some Gabbys on the net that didn`t look too gorgeous imho but that guitar is beautiful. Tonewise: Best tone i ever heard from a guitar. Problem: Price: 8100 USD.
Fifth guitar: Another 1959 VOS 2013: Tonewise: Very fine sounding guitar but couldn`t compare her directly to the others so a bit difficult to say how good that guitar was compared to the others. Downside: Not the most beautiful Les Paul i have seen but the price is really good: 4500 USD

And here comes my question: When investing such much money i would want to buy a guitar that i really love in every aspect. I ealier on have owned a Ramirez Elite classical guitar. Fantastic guitar in every aspect. Problem you can`t avoid scratches due to long fingernails and so on. So i almost got paranoid since i was more concerned with me not making scratches than actually enjoying playing. Since i am not a proffesional musician i have to pay the guitar form my dayjob earnings i am a little concerned that i would get the same paranoia with the Gabby as with my classical guitar which i sold in the end. I could pay for the Gabby but that is a major investment for me.
Another option would be a 1959 VOS that is looking stunning. Can`t play it since it is in a store 2000 km away but all the 59 VOS guitars i played so long sounded fantastic.
I know that is somehow a hopeless thread but maybe someone can in one or another way chime in with some good ideas/ suggestions.
Another option would be to wait and hope for better exchange rates here in Europe but who knows if that or when is gonna change. By the way what is the reason for the price difference between the 1959 and 1958 models?
 

shred

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 13, 2003
Messages
4,667
If you think you are going to play it regularly as your primary instrument for years to come, I would advise you to get best guitar possible regardless of price.

The key factor in an expensive guitar purchase is: Will this guitar unequivocally become your #1?

The mistake a lot of people make is they like the idea of a particular guitar more than the reality of the guitar itself. Unless you have unlimited funds, there's no point in overextending yourself financially to buy the 3rd or 4th best guitar in your collection. That being said, if the Gabby is easily the best guitar you've ever played, I'd go for it. I wouldn't compromise on an R9 you only felt ok about to save a few thousand dollars.

On the other hand, if money is a major concern and I wasn't sure if LP's were for me, I'd buy a really good sounding/playing used R7 or R8 for the same price that I could sell it for tomorrow. Then I'd take some time to see if I liked LP's better than Strats in the long term. Perhaps you'd ultimately be happier investing in a Masterbuilt Strat :hmm

For me, I always know within a few seconds of playing a guitar if I'm going to love it. I've never had a guitar that didn't blow me away immediately become a favourite. Remember to be patient, there's always another great guitar coming down the pipe :2cool
 
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Guitardon

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 3, 2002
Messages
2,134
It sounds like you have a lot to chose from where you have been able to play, feel, see and hear the guitars. I seldom let price drive me, I go for the one I like the best. If you are going to use it and keep it then why worrying about playing it and putting scratches on it. You don't sound like the investor type so buy the one you like and play it. Also like the other post said you can pickup a used R7 to see if the Les Paul sound is for you and probably come close to breaking even if you don't like it.

You could look at some of the CC models, they come with simulated wear and tear. If you put a little dent or scratch here and there you won't notice it:spabout
 

BadCat

Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Messages
89
I agree with you since i have gone through a LOT of guitars through the years, sitting now with my number one guitar which is a custom shop 1957 strat with some very special pickups. By far the best electric guitar i owned so far and i sold allmost all my other guitars since they can`t compare. So yes i agree on that it`s worth to buy the best guitar right away.
I will use the Les Paul for bluesier/ jazzier stuff and the Strat which is a HSS Superstrat for rock/ instrumental music. The Strat is a dream to play and the sound is just :jim:dude:. But no guitar collection is complete without a Les Paul. Find Strats and Les Pauls complement each other perfectly. I was really fortunate with my Strat. It`s a team built Strat but i can`t think of a better instrument. The pups are fantstic http://www.kloppmann-electrics.de/en/pickups/.
Thanks for the replies and help!!
 

N¡co

Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
60
No one here can tell you which guitar to buy if we can't see them or better yet listen to them.
I would try to find a good used R7 or R8 from 2013 or 2014 because some are better sounding than the R9's, which tend to look better because of the flamed top.
And they're the best bang for the buck. Also this will be your first LP. No way I'd spend north of 8k on my first Les Paul. Plus its always easier to sell the "cheaper" guitars, and you won't take a hit compared to more expensive instruments
 

GotTheSilver

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 14, 2007
Messages
2,433
About a year ago, I bought a used R8 for $3300. I knew as soon as I played it that I was not leaving the store without it! I paid almost twice that for my R9, which I am now planning on selling because I prefer the tone of the R8. You could take two different lessons from this. 1) A guitar does not have to be the most expensive one to be the best sounding or the right one for you, or 2) When you play "The One", you know it, and nothing else will do.

For me, the priority of the criteria in choosing a guitar are as follows:
1. Tone (eventually, you will not want to play a guitar that does not sound good, no matter how beautiful it is!)
2. Playability (if your hand hurts after 10 minutes because the neck is too thick or thin, you won't play the guitar)
3. Looks - we all like a nice looking guitar, but the other two qualities come first. I can enjoy playing a less than beautiful guitar!

As for price, well, it all depends on what you can afford and are comfortable with. I would love to own a $30k 1959 ES-335, but that just ain't gonna happen! Still, if I found The One, I would rather stretch my budget and be happy for years, than settle on something I will always know is not my heart's true desire just to save a few bucks. Eventually, you forget about how much you paid for something!
 

Guitardon

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 3, 2002
Messages
2,134
If I found The One, I would rather stretch my budget and be happy for years, than settle on something I will always know is not my heart's true desire just to save a few bucks. Eventually, you forget about how much you paid for something!

Plus if you really don't love it, it will be on eBay in a short time at a loss. At least for me I have bought guitars I shouldn't have and ended up selling for a loss because I pushed the parameters of what I wanted to stay in a price range. Then woke up to the fact that I really didn't like the guitar.
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
2014 R9 @ Dave's . they just got some really nice ones in the past couple of days (new ones)
 

lloydloar

New member
Joined
May 17, 2015
Messages
26
A consideration for the Gabby is that since it's a Collector's Choice guitar, it has "custom" Custombuckers. I have two different Collector's Choice guitars and they both sound very different than the regular production custom shop reissue guitars (i.e., R7, R8, R9). I generally prefer Custombuckers to Burstbuckers, and think they're very good humbucking pickups, but the pickups in my CC guitars are completely different (read amazing)!

That could account for some of the tonal difference you experienced between the regular reissues and the Gabby. The custom necks and the aging on the CC guitars also combine to enhance the playing experience. Personally I don't enjoy playing my standard reissue les pauls as much as I used to since I acquired my CCs. YMMV. The other nice aspect of owning a CC guitar is that you don't have to worry about putting nicks, dings or scratches on them. It sure makes using them for what they are (instruments) a lot more enjoyable.
 
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