Advice - Need a Non Terrible Les Paul

Fiftyshadesofjay

I do wonder if the string gauge and how hard you strum is something to do with it. I definitely give it some welly when I play live. 

Maybe thinner necks dont help?

To be honest I do still really want a Les Paul, it’s just the whole expensive guitar roulette that puts me off.

thegummy

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

gibby said:

Hi there...thought I'd chuck my "2 peneth worth" in. How are you tuning the guitar? I've read thro all the posts,with comments about the nut slot issues and wrapping strings around the posts correctly etc; they're all valid, but do you tune "up to pitch" only (under tension) or do you tune back "down to pitch" if you've gone slightly sharp?  I've owned many GIbson LP's, (and still do), and as long as I've tuned up to pitch they've been fine.Never had any issues, but I do generally have the bigger necks and most of my current LP's are older, from 1975 - 1998.I've had a 2008 and a 2011 Standard, but both sold on due to chambering/weight relief; otherwise they were lovely guitars. I have 2 LP's you would call probably call "slim 60's" necks, but they aren't that thin TBH. Wouldnt say tuning stability on Gibson is any better or worse than my PRS's or Fenders..in my experience, so far

I’ve tried all the tricks to be honest. Having the nut re-cut, using nut sauce, tuning up to pitch. Standards tend to come with Locking tuners.

Strangely, on the Fender website they say that for locking tuners one should tune down to pitch, the opposite of tuning up to pitch on non-locking tuners.

Despite that, I always tune up to pitch even though all my guitars have locking tuners. If the string is sharp I go back down below then up to pitch.

Of all the strings on all the guitars I've played for a significant amount of time, it's only the G string on Gibson Les Pauls that have been particularly more problematic than any others. My own experience only includes a small handful of guitars and only 2 or 3 Les Pauls so my sample size isn't big enough to mean much - it's the fact that it then ties in with what is often reported - both by randoms on forums as well as high level pro players whom I respect; that's what makes me think the problem is inherent to that design.

breezytele

I’m another satisfied owner of mij Les Pauls.
(I have had one ‘dead’ one which lacked sustain/tone etc. I had one disappointing Gibson LP too)

if you do go down that route, be aware that the familiar names Greco, Tokai, Burny etc.,
started mass producing cheaper model ranges from elsewhere in Asia, over recent  years.
 

It is no longer enough to assume , for example, that if it says Tokai, that it is actually made in Japan...

As a generalisation, I’d recommend a 1980s MIJ. They often have slim necks too.
my two ‘Mint Collection era ’ (approx 1983-1990) Grecos are keepers. 

They should also be well within your budget

TTBZ

I have only owned one MIJ Les Paul (a Pearl one made in the 70s Tokai factory) and it was better than a lot of Gibson’s I’ve played. Huge sound, sustain and effortless to play. The neck was fairly narrow but for me that’s a good thing. A mate also had a MIJ Tokai which I thought was better than his Gibson LP Standard.

tony99

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

gibby said:

Hi there...thought I'd chuck my "2 peneth worth" in. How are you tuning the guitar? I've read thro all the posts,with comments about the nut slot issues and wrapping strings around the posts correctly etc; they're all valid, but do you tune "up to pitch" only (under tension) or do you tune back "down to pitch" if you've gone slightly sharp?  I've owned many GIbson LP's, (and still do), and as long as I've tuned up to pitch they've been fine.Never had any issues, but I do generally have the bigger necks and most of my current LP's are older, from 1975 - 1998.I've had a 2008 and a 2011 Standard, but both sold on due to chambering/weight relief; otherwise they were lovely guitars. I have 2 LP's you would call probably call "slim 60's" necks, but they aren't that thin TBH. Wouldnt say tuning stability on Gibson is any better or worse than my PRS's or Fenders..in my experience, so far

I’ve tried all the tricks to be honest. Having the nut re-cut, using nut sauce, tuning up to pitch. Standards tend to come with Locking tuners.

Where can I buy nut sauce and can it be used on all nuts ?

crunchman

tony99 said:

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

gibby said:

Hi there...thought I'd chuck my "2 peneth worth" in. How are you tuning the guitar? I've read thro all the posts,with comments about the nut slot issues and wrapping strings around the posts correctly etc; they're all valid, but do you tune "up to pitch" only (under tension) or do you tune back "down to pitch" if you've gone slightly sharp?  I've owned many GIbson LP's, (and still do), and as long as I've tuned up to pitch they've been fine.Never had any issues, but I do generally have the bigger necks and most of my current LP's are older, from 1975 - 1998.I've had a 2008 and a 2011 Standard, but both sold on due to chambering/weight relief; otherwise they were lovely guitars. I have 2 LP's you would call probably call "slim 60's" necks, but they aren't that thin TBH. Wouldnt say tuning stability on Gibson is any better or worse than my PRS's or Fenders..in my experience, so far

I’ve tried all the tricks to be honest. Having the nut re-cut, using nut sauce, tuning up to pitch. Standards tend to come with Locking tuners.

Where can I buy nut sauce and can it be used on all nuts ?

https://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/accessories-c2/guitar-care-c56/big-bends-lil-luber-ultra-nut-sauce-5cc-guitar-nut-lubrication-care-p3261

Some graphite from a soft pencil will probably be just as good, and a lot cheaper.  A tube like that will last for years though, so it's not an outrageous expense.

imalrightjack

PRS singlecut all the way for me.

Seziertisch

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

gibby said:

Hi there...thought I'd chuck my "2 peneth worth" in. How are you tuning the guitar? I've read thro all the posts,with comments about the nut slot issues and wrapping strings around the posts correctly etc; they're all valid, but do you tune "up to pitch" only (under tension) or do you tune back "down to pitch" if you've gone slightly sharp?  I've owned many GIbson LP's, (and still do), and as long as I've tuned up to pitch they've been fine.Never had any issues, but I do generally have the bigger necks and most of my current LP's are older, from 1975 - 1998.I've had a 2008 and a 2011 Standard, but both sold on due to chambering/weight relief; otherwise they were lovely guitars. I have 2 LP's you would call probably call "slim 60's" necks, but they aren't that thin TBH. Wouldnt say tuning stability on Gibson is any better or worse than my PRS's or Fenders..in my experience, so far

I’ve tried all the tricks to be honest. Having the nut re-cut, using nut sauce, tuning up to pitch. Standards tend to come with Locking tuners.

This is probably worth a look, though I am not crazy about it aesthetically.

The principle behind it seems sound and presuming there isn’t any chicanery behind the review it seems to work 

https://youtu.be/Yop14lP8E_s