Best ‘bang for the buck’ Les Paul?

monoamine

The sweet spot is actually Edwards. You dont seem to find them here in the UK but the construction is unreal can be had for more like £500 shipped from Japan.

For context I've been into MIJ Les Pauls since 2006 and have owned about 20 over the years, both high and low end.

Adey

If you can find one, the Washburn WP50 and WP80 are excellent Les Paul copies from Japan at the end of the 80s. Can be had for £500 tops generally.

Wish I hadn't sold my 80. Still got the 50

Logie

There's a 50 on FB at the moment. It's £575 and I think it's in Gloucester

Snags

For everyone saying "Vintage V100", is that stock, or is it "Vintage V100 with a new bridge, pickups, switchgear etc."?

Not being pissy, genuinely interested. I've got a 90s LP Studio (by chance, I wanted an LP, and it was the 90s when i'd saved up enough money to buy one, but couldn't stretch to a Standard), but am often intrigued by things with a little more visual sparkle. So a pre-loved V100 could be an interesting compare and contrast, but only if it's as-it-comes, not a modding platform (no time for poncing about at the moment).

dazzajl

Snags said:

For everyone saying "Vintage V100", is that stock, or is it "Vintage V100 with a new bridge, pickups, switchgear etc."?

Not being pissy, genuinely interested. I've got a 90s LP Studio (by chance, I wanted an LP, and it was the 90s when i'd saved up enough money to buy one, but couldn't stretch to a Standard), but am often intrigued by things with a little more visual sparkle. So a pre-loved V100 could be an interesting compare and contrast, but only if it's as-it-comes, not a modding platform (no time for poncing about at the moment).

Depending on where you get it from, it could be perfect out of the box or in absolute dire need of a decent setup. It won’t need anything replacing though, the Wilkinson hardware and pickups are fabulous 

gubble

Snags said:

For everyone saying "Vintage V100", is that stock, or is it "Vintage V100 with a new bridge, pickups, switchgear etc."?

Not being pissy, genuinely interested. I've got a 90s LP Studio (by chance, I wanted an LP, and it was the 90s when i'd saved up enough money to buy one, but couldn't stretch to a Standard), but am often intrigued by things with a little more visual sparkle. So a pre-loved V100 could be an interesting compare and contrast, but only if it's as-it-comes, not a modding platform (no time for poncing about at the moment).

My Vintage V100 has stock pickups and controls. I would say it's 100% stock but it's had a replacement jack socket and is due a replacement pickup selector. These parts weren't junk they've worn out over the past 8 years from being played every day and up until March 2020 - gigged most weekends.

For reference mine is a 2011 V100 Paradise  - which is their take on the slash model, it has the older style heel and a colour that is far closer to the Gibson AFD than what vintage are producing now.

I purchased (from this forum a few years ago) a 2016 Gibson Les Paul Studio - the faded black satin one. It was my first Gibson, I tried so hard to bond with it, but I couldn't. It not only felt less premium than the Vintage, it didn't sound as musical either unplugged or hooked up to an amp. So the USA built Gibson that Mark Agnesi told me I had to play to be authentic wasn't anywhere near as good as a mass produced £300 Chinese knock off.

In summary - my V100 is great, it's been gigged hundreds of times, on lots of recordings, i'm happy with the hardware and the pickups. It's bloody heavy though !

dazzajl

gubble said:

Snags said:

For everyone saying "Vintage V100", is that stock, or is it "Vintage V100 with a new bridge, pickups, switchgear etc."?

Not being pissy, genuinely interested. I've got a 90s LP Studio (by chance, I wanted an LP, and it was the 90s when i'd saved up enough money to buy one, but couldn't stretch to a Standard), but am often intrigued by things with a little more visual sparkle. So a pre-loved V100 could be an interesting compare and contrast, but only if it's as-it-comes, not a modding platform (no time for poncing about at the moment).

My Vintage V100 has stock pickups and controls. I would say it's 100% stock but it's had a replacement jack socket and is due a replacement pickup selector. These parts weren't junk they've worn out over the past 8 years from being played every day and up until March 2020 - gigged most weekends.

For reference mine is a 2011 V100 Paradise  - which is their take on the slash model, it has the older style heel and a colour that is far closer to the Gibson AFD than what vintage are producing now.

I purchased (from this forum a few years ago) a 2016 Gibson Les Paul Studio - the faded black satin one. It was my first Gibson, I tried so hard to bond with it, but I couldn't. It not only felt less premium than the Vintage, it didn't sound as musical either unplugged or hooked up to an amp. So the USA built Gibson that Mark Agnesi told me I had to play to be authentic wasn't anywhere near as good as a mass produced £300 Chinese knock off.

In summary - my V100 is great, it's been gigged hundreds of times, on lots of recordings, i'm happy with the hardware and the pickups. It's bloody heavy though !

Guessing that Gibson is my old guitar? It was really nice, well made, nicely finished and sounded good too. It’s also one of three Gibson LPs I’ve had that I didn’t  enjoy as much as the used V100 I got for £200. Sometimes ‘better’ isn’t better 

Creed_Clicks

Gordon Smith ?

Rocker

Try a few Epi LPs, buy the one that feels and plays best in your hands.  Fit good humbuckers and replace all the electrics with a kit from @sixstringsupplies.  Buy a decent strap and cable and you will have a pretty good guitar for way less than a grand....

NelsonP

2019 Les Paul DC Tribute 
£400 used and a lot of bang for that.

Or is this cheating? I mean it says Les Paul on the headstock and everything.

AndyJP

I did get to try a Yamaha SL500. Think SL stands for Studio Lord lol. Great guitar and they go for good prices. Well worth a look.

Fortheloveofguitar

Japanese Epiphone with Gibson Headstock

Jalapeno

For value, another vote for the Vintage V100, if it HAS to be TV Yellow .....

https://vintageguitarsrus.com/products/vintage-v132-reissued-electric-guitar-tv-yellow

gubble

dazzajl said:

Guessing that Gibson is my old guitar? It was really nice, well made, nicely finished and sounded good too. It’s also one of three Gibson LPs I’ve had that I didn’t  enjoy as much as the used V100 I got for £200. Sometimes ‘better’ isn’t better 

Yes it was. I wanted to love that guitar so much. The childhood dream of having a REAL Gibson had been achieved. I had it sat on a stand for days just looking at how awesome it was. A real Gibson - that I now owned. I bought a Gibson hard-shell case to match it. I was really pleased that I'd achieved the object of my desires.

I also gigged it for the next 8 or so months using my V100 as a backup chopping and changing. My heart was saying use the Gibson but each time I picked up the V100 it had this magic that was missing from the Gibson. 

Side note - I bought the les paul from @Dazzajl without telling my wife, she went nuts at me (even though she knew i'd been saving for one) and it became known as 'The Homewrecker" guitar. When i sold it i put the money towards a mini convertible for her. If i bring it up now she's still annoyed with me

Keefy

Jalapeno said:

For value, another vote for the Vintage V100, if it HAS to be TV Yellow .....

https://vintageguitarsrus.com/products/vintage-v132-reissued-electric-guitar-tv-yellow

I had one of these. I paid (I think) £169 for it new from Music Warehouse in Colchester in the early 2000s. Ironically, when I got my actual Les Paul, this was one of the guitars that got the boot!
EDIT: Because the Gibson urinated on the Vintage from a great height. This model is a very different proposition from Vintage’s take on the LP Standard.

RaymondLin

Jalapeno said:

For value, another vote for the Vintage V100, if it HAS to be TV Yellow .....

https://vintageguitarsrus.com/products/vintage-v132-reissued-electric-guitar-tv-yellow

An Epiphone version costs exactly the same...would you still not get that instead?  Albeit with wrapped around bridge but has binding.

BlueStrat

Fiftyshadesofjay said:

One of the Coda blowout FGN’s like this - https://www.coda-music.com/electric-guitars/fgn/fgn-neo-classic-ls-10r-fcb-21524.html

FGN build quality for £800 new, these look great

Onpar

fretmeister said:

used ESP eclipse.

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

I have an Epi custom and its very nice. I took the lacquer off the back of the neck and got a bone nut installed. Recommend these. 

Cranky

Jalapeno said:

For value, another vote for the Vintage V100, if it HAS to be TV Yellow .....

https://vintageguitarsrus.com/products/vintage-v132-reissued-electric-guitar-tv-yellow

Dammit.  I thought I'd scratched all my itches.  I didn't know they made a TV Yellow one.  It even has p90s like the Gibson.  Is it 24.75" scale, too?

Why do I love yellow so much?

Kittyfrisk

Cranky said:

Jalapeno said:

For value, another vote for the Vintage V100, if it HAS to be TV Yellow .....

https://vintageguitarsrus.com/products/vintage-v132-reissued-electric-guitar-tv-yellow

Dammit.  I thought I'd scratched all my itches.  I didn't know they made a TV Yellow one.  It even has p90s like the Gibson.  Is it 24.75" scale, too?

Why do I love yellow so much?

You had a pet banana as a child?