No, I’m not taking a poll.
But I do have to say that people are passionate about Les Pauls on either side of the fence. The haters REALLY hate them, and the lovers REALLY love them. I’m one of the lovers; always have been. But it wasn’t until recently that I could actually afford one. Yeah, I know, I could’ve gotten a Les Paul Studio for a great price, but for me, a REAL Les Paul is a Standard or Custom, and they don’t come cheap.
Most haters’ problems that I’ve read about have to do with the high price Gibson charges for these guitars; and they all point to the fact that the LP requires a high price to pay when there have been known quality issues. I’ll give them that. There were indeed quality issues back in the 90’s, but I think those issues are less of a problem now. I’ve personally examined a good many in the last few years, and haven’t seen any quality problems with the ones I’ve played.
The lovers on the other hand, love the Les Paul for a variety of reasons. For me, there’s a certain magic in the tone and feel of a Les Paul that I just can’t describe. And since I got my R8 (’58 Standard Reissue) and ’59 Replica, those are pretty much all I’ve been playing, with the exception of my Yamaha acoustic when I do my solo acoustic gigs. But in the studio or when I’m playing with my band, I go to my Les Pauls. Just can’t get enough of ’em.
Admittedly though, I was a hater, and it was an unreasonable hate. I couldn’t believe how much those guitar were! The prices were on par with boutique guitars. I just couldn’t understand it! I paid less than that for Goldie, my custom Saint Guitar Goldtop! But then I met Jeff Aragaki who is a Les Paul collector, and that completely turned my world upside-down. As they say, information is power, and Jeff was loaded with information about Les Pauls, especially how to get them for much more reasonable prices than retail. And armed with that information, I was able to procure my R8 and ’59 Replica for under $2000 each.
But besides price, I was also a bit intimidated by Les Pauls. After all, at least to me, those are the guitars that defined the sound of rock and roll for me. Part of me didn’t feel “worthy” to play a Les Paul, so I told myself I hated them. But Aragaki came to the rescue again, and had me play several of his LP’s, including a ’53 that he had upgraded to ’57 specs. Needless to say, I fell in love, and now I’m hooked on Les Pauls.
Guitar Gear 
I’ve never been a fan of playing Les Pauls, but that’s been based on technical things. I love the sound of a good one.
The short scale, and Tune-o-matic bridge just don’t sit well with me as a player. I find playing higher up a bit cramped on the 24.75″ scale, and I don’t like the feel of the Tune-o-matics under my hand.
Playing a good one blew my mind away though. A good friend of mind got himself a LP Traditional earlier this year, and he lent it to me to review for my blog. I set it up with new strings for him for the privilege.
Whilst I felt awkward by the short scale at first the tone of the guitar just blew me away! I soon forgot about it, and the Tune-o-matic, and was just astounded by the tone of the thing. The 57 Classic pair of pickups were capable of the sweetest, and most heaviest tones. I couldn’t believe how heavy the guitar sounded considering the relatively low output of the pickups. It was just massive.
Now if I had enough money to just blow on guitar and gear (I definitely don’t, and the wife would kill me) I would definitely get one just to have that proper Les Paul sound in my arsenal.
You can definitely find deals out there. I got mine for under $2k, and simply just took my time. The deals are out there. You just have to be patient and set the price you’re willing to pay. Two grand was my limit.
Ha ha, yeah 2K is 2K too much right now! lol!
Besides, I’m in Australia, they are a lot more expensive here.
One day I may have one to keep in the studio for when I just need that LP tone.
Yeah. It sure was that way for me for a long time. But I waited and saved my gig money, and finally got a couple. Believe me, it took many years.
For me, the issue for me isn’t cost, but weight. An LP is just too damn heavy for me to strap across my back for an entire show. I’ll take an SG over an LP any day (and, not to bring it up again, SGs are less expensive).
If I was strapping on six or seven different guitars during a show? Sure, I’d have a Paul around for some songs. Same with going into a studio. But if I’m picking a minimal number of guitars to take to a gig, besides the Ovation acoustic (which isn’t going to get used too often), I’d pick a Telecaster (for a single coil sound) and an SG (for the rocky ‘bucker tone). If I were down to one electric, it’d be some sort of super-Strat with the ability to single-coil the buckers. The Paul would be one of my last choices to gig with – too limited in tone, too heavy.
Yeah, weight is definitely an issue, and anything over 9 lbs is outrageous, which is why I took a long time to get my first one, which ways 8 lbs, 14 oz.. My replica is a bit heavier at 9 lbs, 4 oz., but it sits so well that I don’t notice the weight all that much – plus I play with 4″ wide straps, so that helps A LOT.
I have to agree with you on the Studio. I have owned one for the last 2 years and it is NOT a $1300 guitar. It is put together very sloppy. The fingerboard doesn’t even line up with the neck properly. Something I didn’t even notice when I bought it. Now that I own a couple higher end Ibanez and my Taylor acoustic I see how sloppy the Studio is. I just wanted a Les Paul and had the money for a Studio. Played it and it sounded great. I have been toying with the idea of selling it, but whenever I get ready to I play it one last time and fall in love with the sound again. I’ll probably just keep it until I can trade it in towards a custom. My advice to anyone wanting a Les Paul is to keep saving until you can afford a higher end model.
Years ago, when I first considered getting a Les Paul, a friend of mine (not Jeff Aragaki) told me not to waste my time with a Studio. If I was going to go that route, it would be better to get the top-of-the-line Epiphone because it was better made, and had much better chance at resale.
OK, spill the beans. How do you get a 59 replica for under two grand?
Purely luck. I was in the right place at the right time. My buddy had two and needed to unload one, and I got it for what he paid. 🙂 It’s a real beauty and worth at least twice as much. It was made from old growth wood, has a legal Brazilian rosewood fretboard, and boutique PAF’s (I believe Wolf Tone). It’s been slightly aged, and the only thing missing from it is a Gibson logo – which I’ll be having put in shortly.
I was actually going to put it up for sale, but every time I play it, I don’t want to part with it, so it’s here to stay! 🙂