If you had £800 to drop on a used Les Paul Studio...

Bennyboy-UK

I know I’m a Hamer fanboy, but this could equally be a Yamaha SG, a Tokai, an Orville, a Dean, all sorts... I’m just going on what I know well.

sw67

I have a 94 - great guitar. Ebony fretboard , fat neck and sustain. Had it from new and its the only guitar i will never sell.

Lodious

The OP has made it pretty clear what they want. Would anybody get all this 'I know best shit' if they wanted some high end gear like a Huber or a Lazy J? If they like the simple aesthetic of the LPJ, posting a Hamer which looks like it belongs on a 80's Athena poster is probably not what they are after is it?

Bennyboy-UK

That’s me told, cheers Dad.

CountryDave

CasperCaster said:

@CountryDave had a lovely wine red one for sale a while back. Not sure if it sold or not, but he wasn't asking as much as £800 for it!

I put it up in the ads this morning. £550

Aidanspaghetti

Yet again I say.... Buy a Tokai (Japanese)

usedtobe

Those 2016 50s/60s tribute t jobs that Amazon were churning out for 4-500 notes are great for the money. Similar vibe to the studio, imho..

WezV

Lodious said:

The OP has made it pretty clear what they want. Would anybody get all this 'I know best shit' if they wanted some high end gear like a Huber or a Lazy J? If they like the simple aesthetic of the LPJ, posting a Hamer which looks like it belongs on a 80's Athena poster is probably not what they are after is it?

Because this is a discussion forum.  A good balanced discussion will include alternative viewpoints and suggestions.

i think we would get the same thing on a Huber or Lazy J suggestion thread

dont let it offend you

Fuengi

I'm all for better value alternatives, but I tried a family friends Les Paul Studio and loved it. 

I really don't like the Standards, they look garish to me. The Hamer falls solidly into that category also, but thanks for the suggestion. 

gusman2x

90s studios are ace. I have one with P90s, but wish I'd picked up a white one with HBs at the time.

Nunogilberto

I would honestly just try a few from across the years and see which one sang to me/felt the best. You could try an early 90s model (reputed to be generally good) and find it might not appeal to you as much as a 2007 model, say.

sgosden

sw67 said:

I have a 94 - great guitar. Ebony fretboard , fat neck and sustain. Had it from new and its the only guitar i will never sell.

you mean like this one I have for sale for a very reasonable price?

*Shameless sales plug*

Lodious

WezV said:

Lodious said:

The OP has made it pretty clear what they want. Would anybody get all this 'I know best shit' if they wanted some high end gear like a Huber or a Lazy J? If they like the simple aesthetic of the LPJ, posting a Hamer which looks like it belongs on a 80's Athena poster is probably not what they are after is it?

Because this is a discussion forum.  A good balanced discussion will include alternative viewpoints and suggestions.

i think we would get the same thing on a Huber or Lazy J suggestion thread

dont let it offend you

Yeah, you are right, it probably sounded harsher than intended, for which I apologise.  That said, when the viewpoints are expressed as 'unless you must have the name on the headstock', that's pretty condescending to the OP. I honestly don't think people would so dismissive if it was high end gear the OP was looking at. 

Fuengi

Nunogilberto said:

I would honestly just try a few from across the years and see which one sang to me/felt the best. You could try an early 90s model (reputed to be generally good) and find it might not appeal to you as much as a 2007 model, say.

This is the problem with buying used, I find. I haven't got the time to drive around London and the South East trying used guitars. I need to try to narrow down the field or go to a used dealer.

The used guitars I've bought previously were such bargains I've either kept them or sold them for a profit (see list below). But they have always been opportunistic purchases becasue they were cheap and I knew I could sell them on if i wanted to.

This is different becasue I want a particular model - ideally a red wine or cherry wood Les Paul Studio but want to only look at the ones i'm serous about buying. Also the funds are not available at the moment. 

My previous used purchases;

Sigma DR28 - £125
2009 MiM Olympic White Strat - £220*
Burns Dual Sonic Telecaster - £175*
Fender MiM Deluxe Fat Strat - £180
1970 Kiso Suzuki Takeharu - £10
Squier Tele Custom - £140
Crafter GAE15N - £160

* still got these. Everything else used and sold for a profit or break even.
  

Fuengi

Lodious said:

WezV said:

Lodious said:

The OP has made it pretty clear what they want. Would anybody get all this 'I know best shit' if they wanted some high end gear like a Huber or a Lazy J? If they like the simple aesthetic of the LPJ, posting a Hamer which looks like it belongs on a 80's Athena poster is probably not what they are after is it?

Because this is a discussion forum.  A good balanced discussion will include alternative viewpoints and suggestions.

i think we would get the same thing on a Huber or Lazy J suggestion thread

dont let it offend you

Yeah, you are right, it probably sounded harsher than intended, for which I apologise.  That said, when the viewpoints are expressed as 'unless you must have the name on the headstock', that's pretty condescending to the OP. I honestly don't think people would so dismissive if it was high end gear the OP was looking at. 

No offense taken whatsoever!

Always interested in opinions, especially as I would guess that the vast majority of this forum has infinitely more experience of playing guitar than I do.

I’ve pretty much made up my mind that I’d like a LPS though and they are affordable enough and I don’t see the value in a standard. Just want some received wisdom as to what to look at and what to avoid having heard lots of negative things about Gibson quality control since around 2004.

Nunogilberto

Fuengi said:

Nunogilberto said:

I would honestly just try a few from across the years and see which one sang to me/felt the best. You could try an early 90s model (reputed to be generally good) and find it might not appeal to you as much as a 2007 model, say.

This is the problem with buying used, I find. I haven't got the time to drive around London and the South East trying used guitars. I need to try to narrow down the field or go to a used dealer.

The used guitars I've bought previously were such bargains I've either kept them or sold them for a profit (see list below). But they have always been opportunistic purchases becasue they were cheap and I knew I could sell them on if i wanted to.

This is different becasue I want a particular model - ideally a red wine or cherry wood Les Paul Studio but want to only look at the ones i'm serous about buying. Also the funds are not available at the moment. 

My previous used purchases;

Sigma DR28 - £125
2009 MiM Olympic White Strat - £220*
Burns Dual Sonic Telecaster - £175*
Fender MiM Deluxe Fat Strat - £180
1970 Kiso Suzuki Takeharu - £10
Squier Tele Custom - £140
Crafter GAE15N - £160

* still got these. Everything else used and sold for a profit or break even.
  

Yes I agree, you can’t go trying umpteen private sellers’ guitars before you make your mind up and certain dealers won’t always have more than one model in stock at one time.

Maybe it’s worth finding one that had a used example from whenever, so you can line it up against a new mode and see how they compare.

Otherwise, try a random one. If it feels and sounds good, that’s the one you want...

Snags

Probably no use to you, but I've got a stock wine red Studio, 1998. It's not for sale, but I live just north of London (Hertford) so if you happen to be in the area you'd be welcome to have a noodle. At least then you can rule one in or out.

horsehead

I saw a white faced LP with P00s the other day and thought "great, making something cheap that will appeal" then saw it was a custom.shop at £4000!!!