Hankering after a Black Les Paul custom.

DrJazzTap

A black les Paul custom with gold hardware has been my grail guitar for as long as I can remember. Lately I've been thinking about taking the plunge and part exchanging a lot of my guitars for one. A second hand les Paul custom is about 2k. 

Question is if I got rid of the prs and some of my other guitars is it worth the gamble? Gibson's qc is questionable at the best of times. And I'm guessing a black custom can only do a few recognizable tones. Is A black les Paul custom worth the mark up over say a traditional? Or is a cheaper option to get a Japanese copy?

RMJ

Bit posh for Brizzle innit?

DrJazzTap

RMJ said:

Bit posh for Brizzle innit?

I'll hide it from the neighbours 

JD50

Just do it, life is short..... 
2k for a grail guitar is worth it.

Schnozz

It's a shame Cathedrale doesn't have another Edwards!

I would recommend a Yamaha SG1000 and they do Black/Gold - I've had x5 now and they're ridiculously consistent, but I prefer my Lag RR2000 in Black/Chrome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knzXNXqeFAc

guitargeek62

I’m in exactly the same bucket. I’ve got a nice LP already, and I don’t need or want two of them, but I’d really like a black LPC one day.

DannyP

For half price you could get something like Guitar No. 8 on this page

http://www.japanguitars.co.uk/Page 2 Orville By Gibson.html

It's just a question of whether it would truly scratch the itch.....

But, without knowing where you stand financially, it might be worth a few months of hardship to have for your dream guitar for the rest of your days.

boogieman

If you want a Gibson, then buy a Gibson. In my experience buying something that looks similar will never make you happy, even though it sounds the same and maybe plays better.  

sawyer

As said above. Buy what you really want or you won't be happy. This is true with all things in life.

Skipped

We now have an unbroken run of Gibson making the Les Paul Custom for 50 years. In fact it is pretty much exactly 50 years. But they are not all equal.

Here are my thoughts. If we sat you down (OP), blindfolded you, and then handed you 20 Les Paul Customs from various years, my hunch is that the guitar judged by you to be the best playing, best sounding Les Paul Custom. with the best weight, could easily be the same guitar that I would pick in the exact same test.

Probably not the early Norlin.

Probably not the '68 with the $18k price tag.

No - my bet is that the winner would be one of the Historic Re-issues. 1993 onwards. Vintage format serial number. Exact spec varies.

Forum members will probably disagree about just how much over your budget this guitar would be in a private sale. But you should bargain hard and it would be worth it. Just my opinion.

chrisj1602

I've had three of the custom shop models (not the reissues) and they have been great. I just moved them on in my cycle of wanting then not wanting a Les Paul but it's probably what I'd get again.

ICBM

DrJazzTap said:

And I'm guessing a black custom can only do a few recognizable tones.

A Les Paul Custom can do any sound an electric guitar can make* apart from the Strat in-between sound, and you can get a rough approximation of that with a phase switch.

(*Close enough to work in any musical context and that the audience won't care, rather than close enough that a guitar obsessive might not be able to tell, but still close enough.)

One great guitar is better than a collection of OK ones.

Gerz6558

I had a white 89 Gibson Les Paul Custom (which a London guitar shop is trying to shift for £3500 as we speak, WTF), and I've just bought a 2018 Goldtop classic (the one with P90's). I'd say I don't feel like I'm missing my custom at all.

But I would also agree with others here, go and scratch your itch. You'll always be wondering otherwise. Glad I did, but don't really miss it or feel like my 2018 is a downgrade. The customs are a les paul in a tux and that's about it, nice ebony boards though.

vale

his supreme excellency (mad) luke haines of the auteurs used his lp custom all over the first two auteurs albums to maximum ronson-esque effect. nice spiders-y solo here at 03m05s.

99% of britpop i totally despise (maybe why i have time for luke) but the auteurs were a bit apart. they were like saboteurs inside the machine, installing viruses and flooding toilets.

and this song was basically pulp's 'common people' before common people. i think better.

"that c*nts really got it sussed, selling wine, selling drugs, you can get so far with a perishing wit... (the money's in trust, isn't it?)".

anyway, they are the only LPs i like the look of. they look deadly and dark. not cheesy rock..

breezytele

If budget concern steers you towards MIJ, then I’d recommend considering
‘Greco Mint Collection’,

~1987-92.   Generally good/excellent  QC,  

although no one would expect every one to be a keeper.
Theyre not chambered and weights vary

Hattigol

Gerz6558 said:

I had a white 89 Gibson Les Paul Custom (which a London guitar shop is trying to shift for £3500 as we speak, WTF), and I've just bought a 2018 Goldtop classic (the one with P90's). I'd say I don't feel like I'm missing my custom at all.

But I would also agree with others here, go and scratch your itch. You'll always be wondering otherwise. Glad I did, but don't really miss it or feel like my 2018 is a downgrade. The customs are a les paul in a tux and that's about it, nice ebony boards though.

Richlite these days, I think?

FelineGuitars

Schnozz said:

It's a shame Cathedrale doesn't have another Edwards!

I would recommend a Yamaha SG1000 and they do Black/Gold - I've had x5 now and they're ridiculously consistent, but I prefer my Lag RR2000 in Black/Chrome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knzXNXqeFAc

nice but heavy enough that you have to factor in the cost of the regular trips to the osteopath.

Winny_Pooh

I'd never play one but they do look Rock n Roll

jeztone2

I've got one of these. Even after having a refret & a set of Bare Knuckle Cold Sweats fitted, its half the price of an LP Custom.

https://flic.kr/p/M92ZHo

stonevibe

My current one.

https://i.imgur.com/nm9Gsuu.jpg

TTBZ

I've been gas'ing hard for one as well! Much prefer Customs to a standard. Probably my "grail" guitar as well - just can't decide whether I want a classic black and gold or a nice silverburst!

You won't be limited tone wise, you can play everything on an LP! Used to use my epiphone (loaded with BK Mules) for all the covers in my old band. If you got some good splittable humbuckers it'd be even more versatile. It won't do the strat out of phase sound but to me thats a very good thing.