Current Les Paul Customs

Neil

Fellix said:

Didn't they loose most of their wood stock from when they go raided that time when they had dodgy Rosewood supplies?? I don't know why it's still being used on some of the LP Customs. The baked Maple my Classic Custom has is really nice and dark after it had several coatings of "Lemon Oil" . It really feels as close to Ebony/Rosewood as I could tell. ................


Fellix said:


This evening my friend and I, put a fresh set of D'addario NYXL strings on and gave the guitar and baked maple fretboard a really good cleaning. I then "lemon" oiled and I was still amazed at how wonderfully smooth, with a deep dark black/brown colour.  I really like how the baked maple board feels and looks so much like a nice slab of Ebony. I guess they only did the "Classic Customs" as a stop gap after they have their wood supply removed. I guess the process is slow and eats into profit margins.

You keep putting oil on that fretboard, you are going to be picking up the frets off of the floor.

Fellix

Neil said:

Fellix said:

Didn't they loose most of their wood stock from when they go raided that time when they had dodgy Rosewood supplies?? I don't know why it's still being used on some of the LP Customs. The baked Maple my Classic Custom has is really nice and dark after it had several coatings of "Lemon Oil" . It really feels as close to Ebony/Rosewood as I could tell. ................


Fellix said:


This evening my friend and I, put a fresh set of D'addario NYXL strings on and gave the guitar and baked maple fretboard a really good cleaning. I then "lemon" oiled and I was still amazed at how wonderfully smooth, with a deep dark black/brown colour.  I really like how the baked maple board feels and looks so much like a nice slab of Ebony. I guess they only did the "Classic Customs" as a stop gap after they have their wood supply removed. I guess the process is slow and eats into profit margins.

You keep putting oil on that fretboard, you are going to be picking up the frets off of the floor.

I was meaning during it's life time, not in one sitting  

artiebear

Sounds like you should be looking for a pre 2011 LP Custom to be on the safe side, thus ensuring an ebony board guitar. They started using Richlite 3rd to 4th quarter of 2011. I wouldn't care too much about the custom/ non custom shop thing as a 2002 Custom ( Gibson USA) and 2004 Custom ( Custom shop decal on back of headstock) are exactly the same guitar ( A bit like calling every guitar out of the Memphis facility "custom shop" , where truth gets lost in marketing ). 

As for Richlite, it feels ok, plays ok, may have a subtle effect on tone, in the way that fretboard material always does. Its very durable. As yet I haven't heard how well it refrets, it will be interesting to see. 

The classic custom doesn't sound like it would be what you're looking for. Apart from the baked maple board, which seems to play well but just looks wrong to me, they also have a two piece back, less binding, and plastic rather than the usual Custom pearl inlays, Still a good guitar for the money, but not a Les Paul Custom.

There are Alpine white LPC's out there , hope you find the one.

xscaramanga

Voxman said:

jonnyscaramanga said:

Didn't realise it was Richlite until after I'd bought it.

And any anxiety over the resale value and/or quality of guitars with Richlite boards comes largely from people stoking that anxiety on forums, often without actually having played one. 

No, it's nothing whatsoever to do with 'stoking' anxiety, how it plays, feels, or sounds - I'm sure it's great.  But resale value will be noticeably less with a Richlite board as compared to an equivalent Custom with an ebony board. And I think if you were being totally honest with yourself I truly believe that you'd prefer to have found out that it had an ebony board.

As has been said, there is nothing wrong with Richlite per-se  but it should not be used on a Custom.  Gibson screwed up, and are doing the best they can re damage limitation to extol the virtues of richlite - I know it's not a message you want to hear because you have a Custom with a Richlite board but it is a fact of life that certain manufacturing changes can impact on values. LP's during the Norlin period are generally less desireable, pre CBS and late 60's Fenders are more desirable than modern versions, and LP Customs with an Ebony board are already more desirable than those with a Richlite board.  Sorry about that, but it's the truth - doesn't mean it's not a great guitar - I'm only referring to residual values on resale.  

Yes, but my point is that so far I've heard very few people who've played them say they actually think Richlite is inferior. They're just worrying about what *other* people might think, and as a consequence people are cautious about overpaying for a Richlite board guitar. So we're worrying about the opinions of traditionalists who may not exist in enough numbers to actually affect demand.

If it is actually a perfectly good fingerboard (and no one here has argued otherwise), that fear is irrational. 

I'm not even saying you're wrong. I think resale will be lower on the Richlite guitars (especially if Trump installs a head of the EPA who doesn't believe in conservation, and Gibson starts churning out ebony again). But I'm saying that this lower resale value is based on the assumption that other people would prefer ebony, and there is little evidence that's true. Doesn't appear to have affected demand for the new ones, based on prices.

robdynamite

artiebear said:

Sounds like you should be looking for a pre 2011 LP Custom to be on the safe side, thus ensuring an ebony board guitar. They started using Richlite 3rd to 4th quarter of 2011. I wouldn't care too much about the custom/ non custom shop thing as a 2002 Custom ( Gibson USA) and 2004 Custom ( Custom shop decal on back of headstock) are exactly the same guitar ( A bit like calling every guitar out of the Memphis facility "custom shop" , where truth gets lost in marketing ). 

As for Richlite, it feels ok, plays ok, may have a subtle effect on tone, in the way that fretboard material always does. Its very durable. As yet I haven't heard how well it refrets, it will be interesting to see. 

The classic custom doesn't sound like it would be what you're looking for. Apart from the baked maple board, which seems to play well but just looks wrong to me, they also have a two piece back, less binding, and plastic rather than the usual Custom pearl inlays, Still a good guitar for the money, but not a Les Paul Custom.

There are Alpine white LPC's out there , hope you find the one.

Thanks very much for the input, you seem to get my viewpoint.

I'm strongly considering a second hand model as long as it's in good condition so it's going to be a long haul. I might resort to reverb.com at very worse case.

I'd ideally take the guitar on the left in this video *swoon*

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnxLcFa27o4

But i've really appreciated everyones help so far!

DrJazzTap

I would say you need to get what you want. My friend lusted after a dual rectifier for years. He finally thought "fuck it" and went for one. 
He spent several hours comparing it to the considerably cheaper peavey 6505 in the store. He came away with the dual rec. 

robdynamite

RandallFlagg said:

Why can't Gibson use Ebony? Martin use it on their standard range and higher acoustics.

just noticed your name. good to see another King fan lurking on here

robdynamite

just to slightly bump this thread as I'm currently hunting for my ideal guitar. What is the general consensus of Les Paul customs around '99-2011(just before they started using richlite)?

SteveRobinson

I have a 2011 in my workshop with a baked maple 'board. I think I'd prefer Richlite TBH,

BloodEagle

I've got a 2009 with an Ebony board for sale - salesmanship aside it's a fantastic guitar 

57Deluxe

Well I have a classic White LP Studio with an ebony board... and that is excellent sounding too! All the LP tones you could want... Fills that 70s need...

http://i60.tinypic.com/1zyu5gz.jpg

jdbwales

My #1 guitar for 15 years is a '99 white Custom. The best guitar I've ever played, full stop - Customs from this time period are heavy but have a wonderful neck profile (bigger than a 60s slim but still really fast), medium jumbo frets and a massive sound. Seriously, this is the loudest and most powerful guitar I've ever played, it's like it has a built in boost.

Mine has survived a live situation headstock break and repair with no issues whatsoever, and is still gigged at least once a month. In terms of upgrades and such, the stock 490s were chucked years ago in favour of low output PAFs (It's powerful enough sounding with those without the need for high output pickups) and rewired with CTS pots including a push pull tone for coil split, tailpiece and posts were upgraded to locking Faber and bridge saddles were changed to Graphtech. The basic body and neck are glorious and with these upgrades it's the perfect guitar for me...so yeah, '99 is a good bet!

absolutpepper

I'll throw my hat in the ring about the classic custom vs custom custom debate. I'll preface by saying that I don't own a custom but I have a goldtop classic custom. The CC is not made in the custom shop, nor does it have the same appointments as a custom. It's a fabulous guitar in its own right but to my eyes it's a US standard production model made to appear like a custom. I've certainly played full fat customs that don't feel as nice as my CC. That being said, I have a total hankering for a full fat custom so there's obviously a bit of me that feels the CC is not ticking all my boxes (this is probably more of a psychological thing than anything else)...but I'd never trade or sell my CC just to afford a ref custom. I do object slightly to the mex vs USA fender comparison, I'd say it's fairer to say a USA standard fender compared to a custom shop fender.

all in all, love the CC...think of it differently to a reg custom...wouldn't sell it...but still want a full fat custom hehe

robdynamite

cheers for the input all, I'm still hunting hard for my ideal White Custom (not a CC)

brownovich

Just to add another voice to the Classic Custom clan, i've had a wine red one for years and absolutely love it, its been my number 1 since i bought it.

As many have said it is different to a full fat Custom in a few ways but in my view sounds and plays great. Looks that part too especially now it's aged a few years and picked up some gig wear! I also prefer the Chrome hardware, never been a fan of gold.

I've also owned a few guitars with Richlite boards and honestly haven't ever had a problem. I do totally understand the concerns over resale value though (that said i once sold a Gibson Midtown Custom with a richlite board for almost as much as I paid new which kinda puts paid to that argument!)

Biggest piece of advice is to do as others have said and try as many guitars as you can. If this is your holy grail guitar and you come across "the one" just say fuck it and buy it, you won't regret it. ignore what everyone says! Sometimes a guitar speaks to you and thats all that matters. Ebony, Rosewood, Maple, Richlite, who cares if the guitar makes you feel awesome.

happy shopping!

ennspek

If it's your ultimate once in a lifetime dream guitar there's also the True Historical think about.

I shall run away now.

robdynamite

ennspek said:

If it's your ultimate once in a lifetime dream guitar there's also the True Historical think about.

I shall run away now.

sadly I'm not a millionaire

robdynamite

brownovich said:

Just to add another voice to the Classic Custom clan, i've had a wine red one for years and absolutely love it, its been my number 1 since i bought it.

As many have said it is different to a full fat Custom in a few ways but in my view sounds and plays great. Looks that part too especially now it's aged a few years and picked up some gig wear! I also prefer the Chrome hardware, never been a fan of gold.

I've also owned a few guitars with Richlite boards and honestly haven't ever had a problem. I do totally understand the concerns over resale value though (that said i once sold a Gibson Midtown Custom with a richlite board for almost as much as I paid new which kinda puts paid to that argument!)

Biggest piece of advice is to do as others have said and try as many guitars as you can. If this is your holy grail guitar and you come across "the one" just say fuck it and buy it, you won't regret it. ignore what everyone says! Sometimes a guitar speaks to you and thats all that matters. Ebony, Rosewood, Maple, Richlite, who cares if the guitar makes you feel awesome.

happy shopping!

Thanks mate, I agree. I just haven't found any anywhere remotely near me to try yet. The hunt is tough!