OK, I've been converted to Les Pauls...

ICBM

joetele said:

I think this might be the guitar (not the exact one of course) - looks identical to the one last night apart from missing a scratchplate.

It's not missing, it's been disposed of .

tone1

I’ve had a couple of Les Pauls over the years and never really bonded with them..... until recently picking up a p90 loaded Goldtop....It’s fantastic. Effortless smooth bends where I’ve even got time to add a bit of vibrato. Something I found harder to do on a Strat. Even playing sitting down it’s comfy and stays put without wearing a strap.... Can you tell I like it? 

joetele

tone1 said:

I’ve had a couple of Les Pauls over the years and never really bonded with them..... until recently picking up a p90 loaded Goldtop....It’s fantastic. Effortless smooth bends where I’ve even got time to add a bit of vibrato. Something I found harder to do on a Strat. Even playing sitting down it’s comfy and stays put without wearing a strap.... Can you tell I like it? 

I do like the P90 Goldtops - great sound from them, too. The Epiphone one looks nice. 

tone1

Mine’s a Navigator Les Paul P90 Goldtop... I think made by ESP

TTBZ

joetele said:

How about some of the Epiphone LPs? How are they for tuning stability and quality compared to Gibbos? 

I had an Epiphone LP Custom as my main guitar for years and I loved it. The stock pickups were changed for BKP Mules and rewired to 50s style, that's all I really needed to do to it. Sounded awesome and played really well. Still not sure why I got rid of it really. Did a lot of gigs with that one and it never let me down. 

That said I'd probably still opt for a Gibson mainly for the looks, chunkier neck and higher quality feeling finish. Although the Epi Custom Pro seems to have a thicker neck than most of their LPs and the stock pickups are alright.

impmann

Those mid 90s Studios are wicked guitars - if you can find one that doesn't weigh the same as Wales.

I've owned three - I bought one new that genuinely replaced a Les Paul Custom. The LPC was a three pickup and was SHIT (sounded crap, utterly overweight etc etc) and I bought a black n gold Studio that wiped the floor with it. I kept that a while, tbf... I only sold it because I needed to the pay the rent (hard times and all that).

The last one I had wasn't a monster weight, and only cost me £425. It still sounded amazing though - I don't know if its all to do with the ebony board but if I was looking for one, that's what I'd be searching out.

joetele

Definitely considering a decent Epiphone, too they've been quite well regarded in recent years

Phil_aka_Pip

If not having "Gibson" on the headstock is no biggy, then you might like to consider Tokai. I've got one of their ES-335-alikes and it's not quite the same as my real ES-335 but it is a very pleasant guitar in its own right. Tokai have a good rep for their Gibson knockoffs, and buying one won't break the bank either. Worth considering

ESBlonde

If your mate will give you the Seriel Number of the guitar you tried, you can look it up on Gibsons webpage to get the date and specification. Then go forward from there. I suspect you've already been given all the pertinant details above.

BUT as with all Gibsons, seek them out and play them first, they really do vary, although sometimes it's as simple as a tweek in the setup to get it just right.

Good luck with the hunt.

Kalimna

A quick thread hijack here. I am sortof on the lookout for a 90's Studio to have a play around with. Not too bothered about condition. However, if it has had a neck break/repair, what might the indicators be that it has been done well vs poorly?

Cheers,
Adam (proud owner of a mid 90's cherry sunburst LPC)

pintspiller

Try as many used as you can. Travel if necessary. Take your time. Used gear doesn't shift as quickly as you might think. Don't be afraid to let any passed that you not 100% on. If you keep their number they may still have it a month or two later.

TTBZ

Another non Gibson to consider might be Boult guitars. I know a few people who have played them and they seemed to like them. Kinda seems like semi-custom shop without the huge price tag. I'm leaning in that direction at the minute.

Anderz

I had a new wine red studio for a week around 1994. You could get white and wine red at the time. I liked the studio. I took of the original black scratch plate. My ordered Explorer arrived and so the studio went back. The price was the same.

I later in 2001 bought a new Les Paul custom historic and sadly could not see a future with it.

Still both Les Pauls were very good for the money to an extent.

ICBM

Kalimna said:

A quick thread hijack here. I am sortof on the lookout for a 90's Studio to have a play around with. Not too bothered about condition. However, if it has had a neck break/repair, what might the indicators be that it has been done well vs poorly?

It can be difficult unless you know who did it, but essentially if the joint is very tight and you can't see the glue as more than a line, and there's no obvious 'step' that you can feel (although this can have been sanded out) then it's probably been done right. It's easier to spot a definitely bad one, it's usually quite obvious.

Sometimes you will see two strips of wood inlaid either side of the truss rod, this is usually a sign that a professional has done it - although there are many pros who don't if the break is clean and it goes back together well. You can usually see this sort of thing even if it's been finished over in a solid colour, if you look under a strong light - there's usually some sinkage around the joins.

roberty

There's a lp studio project in the classifieds (no affiliation). Good way to start is by taking one to bits and putting it back together

Welcome to the dark side! Really fun guitars to play, especially above the 15th ;-)

Kalimna

Thanks ICBM - your comments confirm what i suspected, particularly with regard to extra reinforcement splines.

Roberty - i hadnt noticed that one, do you have a link? (My forum search skills are weak)

Cheers,
Adam

Kalimna

Roberty - scrub my comment, ive just had a look and it's right there. Doh!

sgosden

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/119192/fs-90s-gibson-les-paul-studio-black-withdrawn-whilst-on-loan-to-a-friend?new=1

Sounds like you want the LP studio I had for sale untill yesterday when I agreed to loan it to a mate untill Christmas :P 

Aidanspaghetti

Just throwing my tuppence into the ring but I wonder if that was one of the cheaper Love Rock models you had? The Japanese models are fantastic and are a million miles from plasticky.... every bit as good as a full blooded Lester in my experience. You will of course get lemons everywhere and maybe you were unlucky, but don’t discount Tokai on one bad experience (possibly on a lower scale model).

Kalimna

Sgosden - indeed that would have done the trick. Plus, I'll be driving past you this coming weekend. Which doesnt happen often as i live near Stirling! Thanks anyway

Adam