Les Pauls

Zoton

So what's the difference exactly between a les paul studio, standard, custom, and classic?

Doctor J

http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/lespaul/index.html

They have a Les Paul supreme model at the moment which appears to have taken the place of the custom.

Custom was nice, binding on the headstock and the back of the body, gold hardware, ebony fretboard... mmmmmm

A mate of mine just put a deposit down on this 99 standard


I was pushing him towards this 88 Custom

Zoton

Okay after briefly looking at that site, the only difference seems to be in the colours, pickups, wood used etc, but those vary with each model. Are there common features for studios and common features for standards?

Are epiphones a good brand?

Doctor J

It depends on your perspective.

Are they decent beginners guitars? Yes.

Are they anywhere near as good as the real thing? No.

They're not made by Gibson. The materials (woods, electronics, hardware, etc) aren't even near the same quality as the real thing. If you're looking for a Les Paul, buy second hand from the USA and for just a little more than a new Epiphone, you could have a real Les Paul.

Zoton

But buying one that you havent tried out first would be foolish would it not?

Doctor J

I would disagree. So far I have bought a 92 Rickenbacker 4003, an Ibanez SR3006 and a G&L 5 string bass, all without playing them and saved approximately €3000 on what I would have to have paid for them here. I had never even played a Rickenbacker bass before I bought it. I just read about them, I talked to the seller (and checked them out thoroughly) and took a gamble. Same with the 6 string Ibanez. I was told by the shops here that they could get one in, but I'd have to buy it first and it would cost me more than double what I paid for it anyway. You can try out Les Pauls in Waltons. Decide on the model you like and then find a cheap one abroad. Talk to the seller, ask questions. If it's in good nick then I say go for it.

disgruntled

I've bought guitars over the net before without playing them too. You are taking a chance but the amount of money you can save makes it worth risking. I recently picked up a 93 Gibson LP studio on ebay for €600 and it was fine no problems at all.

Stifler

what's a good site for buying guitars over the web then

dabhoys

The main difference between all the various les pauls is as follows.

Custom - Ebony Fretboard, Square Pearl Inlays. Pearl inlay on head stock. Bindings. It has mahagony body and maple top. The hardware is either gold or nickel. different pick ups not sure of the models

Classic - Rosewood FB, Trapzoid Pear inlays, 50/60 tapered necks, Vintage Tuner, usualy nickel hardware. Mahagony Body and maple top. opened pick ups. Not sure of model. the models are based on early les paul models.

Standard - Same as classic only with different neck profile and covered pick ups. Has usualy metal tuners now adays. But the big difference between the classic and standard are the necks.

Studio - Rosewood fretboard, Dot inlays/ trapzoid can have either, Solide mahagony body. No maple top. hence the cheaper price. It just one solid piece. I've played a plenty les paul studio's They have great playability and that. The only difference to is there a little bit muddier then a standard or that cuz it has no Maple top. but the difference is minimal and not a bad thing at all

As for the Custom no being on the site nemore. As of this year the Customs are only going to be made by the Custom shop. Hence the Supreme seems to be the production replacement for Custom which is a shame the Custom is such a better looker and will cost a massive fortune

As for buying equipment on the internet that I've never played. Well I bought both my amp and guitar off ebay and had no probs at all. But I took me time I researched everything and I've done alot of business on ebay so I know how to avoid the hardship of being ripped off.



The PRS is the guiar I bought off ebay and the amp. I bought the Fender in a store. But I got my PRS for €900 and the amp the same and I save about €4000 and both we're in mint condition. The PRS had about an hours worth playing on it!! I would highly recomend the internet. The Doc's bass's they are beautiful. I can assure you they are lovely and all bought wit out ever been played

I would highly recommend shopping around and ebay is a great tool. Especially with the conversion rate at the moment...

disgruntled

musicstorekoeln

thomann

Ebay

The buy and sell is also good too.

Doctor J

For second hand bargains try these

www.chrisguitars.com

www.topshelfmusic.com

www.the-music-connection.com (the place to go for Rickenbackers)

or try http://www.austinmusicinc.com/ - it searches shops in the USA and checks their stock. So search for a Les Paul Custom, for example, and it'll search loads of shops and return with links to loads of Les Paul Customs.

Doctor J

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3711757268&category=33037#ebayphotohosting

Or buy that one cheap, then sell it again for more and get a Gibson

Zoton

Okay how the hell did you manage to get a prs mc carty for €900? What about customs etc.?
What kind of fool would sell a €2500 guitar for €900?

fitz

I know someone who bought from this guy without incident.

http://www.chrisguitars.com/gibson.html

Check out the 2002 Faded Les Paul Special.

With the current exchange rate, it'll probably cost at most, €50-100 more than the dollar value.

Do the math yourself....

That's still a lot cheaper than rip-off ireland.

Zoton

Been looking around Ebay, some very nice deals.
If you buy from america you're liable for 21% tax with customs yeah? If you buy within europe there's no tax though?

Doctor J

You're more likely to find a better deal in the states, especially second hand. With the exchange rate as it is, the dollar price is roughly what you can expect to pay in €€€ including shipping and taxes. Sometimes the taxman doesn't cop them coming in, however, and you can get away without VAT. In my experience, it still works out cheaper than buying in Europe.

All told, my Rickenbacker bass cost 1200, they're €2500 in Musician and Waltons.

The G&L 5 string I just bought cost €326 ( though I may get snaered for €60 or so tax when it's delivered ).

The Ibanez 6 string bass cost me €1028 total. Musician quoted me over €2000 for one.

Zoton

I've found some les pauls within europe for around €700 - 800, very nice ones too, and a goreous PRS, but if i have to fork out an additional €300 on taxes it just aint worth it.
So whats the maximum you can expect to pay for taxes etc for US originated goods?

Any guides for sussing out sellers on Ebay?

Doctor J

In Europe (EU states) you won't be charged import duty, just whatever the rate of VAT is of the sellers country (usually included in the price already).

From outside the EU is 6% import duty and then VAT 21%, I think.

I'd say the golden rule, whether it's Ebay or an online retailer, is speak to the seller before you buy. Make sure they give you a land phone number which you can call them at. Call them, talk about the instrument. Ask for more pictures (some Ebay scammers use pics from other auctions). Make sure you agree all the details on the phone, then confirm it all by e-mail before you apy for anything.

Zoton

Would you recommend using things like escrow?

dabhoys

I did indeed get a beautiful PRS McCarty for €900, I got it off ebay it was in spanking good condition. Even if you get a Les Paul for 700 and have to pay 300 more on it your still getting a les paul for 1000 which is hell of alot cheaper then what they are here. I paid for all my stuff on ebay with a credit card. Make sure you read there feedback. I've made some very high priced purchases on it but part of the thing is to take your time and research it. Read feedback, see what methods of paymets they accept. You can sus out the dodgy ones. If you win the auction. Make it a point to phone the seller. Keep all e-mails etc. In the unlikely event of being ripped off you need all the evidence you can keep. You've got to take all the safe routes. But credit card with PayPal is great. Very good for protecting from fraud. To be honest the majority of people on ebay are genuine but you just got to read the situation

Zoton

If i find something i like over the coming months i'll pm you with the link/details for yer opinion/advice if that would be okay?

Eoin Madsen

Originally posted by dabhoys
Studio - Rosewood fretboard, Dot inlays/ trapzoid can have either, Solide mahagony body. No maple top. hence the cheaper price. It just one solid piece. I've played a plenty les paul studio's They have great playability and that. The only difference to is there a little bit muddier then a standard or that cuz it has no Maple top. but the difference is minimal and not a bad thing at all

Not so, the LP Studio has a maple top just like all the other LPs (except the smartwoods). The difference between the standard or custom and the studio is in the grade of maple in the top, which is based on it's age as far as I know. Also the studio top has no binding. I'd disagree with your claim that it sounds muddier, a friend of mine has one. It certainly doesn't play quite as nicely, but the sound is remarkably close to that of a standard.

dabhoys

Sorry my bad I was confusing the build spec of the PRS McCarty and Standard McCarty.

I have nothing against the Studio. There lovely guitars l liked at buying one and I'm still thinking about it. From what I can see there the just the most basic version of the Les Paul. No frills guitar with ornementation.

There lovely guitars. I'd give them a thumbs up any day

dabhoys

If i find something i like over the coming months i'll pm you with the link/details for yer opinion/advice if that would be okay?

Sure no problem man...

Zoton

Cheers, have already found some beauts, but the time jjust aint right unfortunately. As a newcomer to this whole eBay phenomenon, does the quality of goods vary a lot from week to week or is it generally pretty good no matter what time of year?

dabhoys

The old ebay is weird. I waited two months for the right one when I was buying my Mesa Dual Rectifier. But with the PRS I just saw it and wasn't going to miss it. But I had been just looking and I saw it wasn't missing it. Just be patient take your time. The right one will come along. Don't get worried. Just keep searching each day and use the watch feature to watch auction etc. To see prices. Ebay is great way to get a idea of the true 2nd hand value of things...

Zoton

Trying to register now, and its really beginning to test my patience.
After i input my details all i get is that cannot find server crap, then when i refresh the page it just says there was an error in the data and to go back and check the fields are filled in.:mad:

dabhoys

There server is rarely overloaded. Like its not often its slow. So just take your time and do it right trust me its worth it. I'm a massive fan of it. But like I said taking your time is the key. But good things come to those who wait

Zoton

I've done it from scratch 6 times now and it still gives an error.
Gonna give up for today and try tomorrow.:mad:

dabhoys

Just one word of advice. Sellers aren't keen on low or zero negative feedback buyers. There very weary of it. So when ya do register try buy a few things before you buy the guitar. To boost your feedback. Even a few cd's or something frome England. Just in the long term it benefits when your dealing with genuine sellers. Another thing is register your credit card now with paypal. Becasue there is a month safey fraud thing in it that won't let you use it over a certain mount like $50 untill you enter this code. Just in case its not your card. It will explain it on there for ya. But you could be snookerd if ya win an auction and can't trasfer payments due to that

Zoton

Yeah could be awakward alright, since i'll be usin the girlfriends card to make my purchases. Hmmm...should be an interesting conversation. "hey sweety you dont mind if i use your credit card to buy an €800 guitar do ya?":D

Doctor J

If you don't have a rating just contact the seller and explain your situation. Maybe give them a way to contact you personally and establish trust.

dabhoys

yeah thats true doc. They sometime ask that 0 feedback users contact before bidding...

Zoton

Ah yeah i'm a trustworthy guy, Like Jack T Colten in romancing the stone

How could you not trust this face