Best ‘bang for the buck’ Les Paul?

BoomSpike

I know this is a huge can of worms, but still. 

In terms of sheer ‘bang for the buck’ value vs quality / tone / etc what is the best option for a Les Paul? (Used or new)

When I say Les Paul I mean a Les Paul ( or similar copy) not a H/H singlecut etc. 

Are Japanese models all they’re cracked up to be?

Genuine question, hopefully not the start of a flame war....!

andy_k

Budget??

BoomSpike

andy_k said:

Budget??

Say a grand. Give or take. 

chrisj1602

I’d be looking at Eastman, not the exact LP shape but they are great guitars.

viz

2nd hand deluxe? I’ve seen them go for 1500

underdog

Gibson Les Paul tribute are good guitars, to be honest I'm not sure of the price of a used Les Paul these days but for a grand I'd imagine you would have a lot of choice.

gubble

Best bang for your buck is a Vintage V100.

If you're going Gibson though a 90's Studio.

John_A

For well under £1000 I'd go Japanese Tokai or a Gibson tribute

designerseye88

Vintage Japanese all the way, Tokai, Greco, Navigator if you can find them. Alternatively modern Japanese guitars by Bacchus, Momose & Crews are all generally very good. 

brooom

Greco Mint collection EG59-50, in particular if you find a light weight one.

Jason

Orville or Orville By Gibson, Greco, Burny, never had a bad one, all cost less than a grand, currently have 3 Greco (LP, SG & V) and an Orville (LPC)

enjo

Love my tribute. An LP without the blingy bits.

stonevibe

I'd agree with the go Japanese for a Les Paul, ideally an '80s one, but even the modern ones are nicer than the majority of the cheap Gibson models on offer.

fretmeister

used ESP eclipse.

Although I have to say, a mate has an Epi custom and it's nicer than any Gibson I've owned.

Aornic

I owned two Gibsons before but my search ended after getting a Tokai LS150.

guitargeek62

I'll echo the others again, a used MIJ model of pretty much any heritage will be the simplest place to start. I'd also keep an eye out for the new-wave of premium MIC builds like Eastman though, as these represent ridiculous quality for any money and will stand up to the best.

dazzajl

Best bang for buck LP is the Vintage V100, of some variety. 

AndyJP

I vote for a second hand Les Paul Traditional

Logie

I'd go for a Gibson Studio Premium Plus. You can get them for around the £800 mark and some of the root beer/ natural flame tops look fantastic and give off that Gary Moore sig vibe. I think they made them up to 2007. Failing that, an early 2000's Classic for around £1000 would fit the bill. If you're not bothered about it being a Gibson, Japanese Tokai's are very good and for your budget, the higher end newer ones will be affordable.  

Cranky

I have never played an LP or any copies.  But I want to play/own an LP Special with p90s, which is also one of the cheapest and lightest models.

ArchtopDave

As has been said in "Threads" like this before, first decide whether the guitar has to have "Gibson" on the headstock. If it has to be a Gibson, then no other brand needs to be considered. Secondly, you probably need to try some out in order to find the guitar that suits you, as there is significant variation in a number of factors both in sound and build. They're my favourite solid bodied electric - currently I have an Epiphone, three Gibsons, a Trussart, and one that I made. They all have their own personalities. The Epiphone was the first one I bought, and I should really sell it, as it's the one that I haven't used for a while. It has a lighter tone that the Gibsons.