LP Custom/Standard v's LP Studio

Ger the man

Does anyone know what the differences are between the custom/standard and the studio apart from appearance? What is it that makes them that bit cheaper? Is there any difference in tone?

Cheers

deaddonkey

the custom originally was all mahogany, no maple top on it as far as i know. i dunno about now, i think it has hardware always now.

studio and standard: same thing, it's only the binding on the standard that's extra, it's the same chambered mahogany body.
p.s. the gibson les paul is no longer a solid body guitar unless you dish out for the historic series.

Quattroste

Is it not the Studio that is the mahogony only body? Any studio I have tried has been awful. Think Bacchus or Tokai for you LP's. Both are solid body guitars and the higher end versions of both are far superior to the Gibsons Standards AND for quite a bit less. Bacchus do some fantastic looking LP's. Search on EBAY for Bacchus make sure you search worldwide.

darrenw5094

The studio is a stripped down version of the Standard with no maple cap.
Standards can be bought for about €1350 second hand on ebay...if that's your fav.

I have an Edwards Les Paul too....plays the exact same as the Gibson. Built as good as, if not better. Import one from Japan for about €750 all in....p&p and tax.

deaddonkey

nope, the studio has and always has had a maple cap. the only difference between it and the standard is cosmetics.

boycey

I would also add more care and attention goes in to the guitars as you go up the price range, theres definitely more than just 'cosmetic differences'. Better and more attractive woods and pickups all come in to play, as well as a higher standard of fit and finish.
Now admiitedly Gibson Quality Control isnt the best, but having owned three Gibsons now I can honestly say they were all just a few tweaks away from becoming lovely lovely guitars, and theyre not 3k custom shop jobs.
Probably opening up a can of worms but there seems to be a million and one heads out there saying my wannabe (insert guitar of choice) is superior to a Gibson- to me though they all lack a little something though and wouldnt tempt me away from my gibbos. My Orville is very good but again I'd rather my real Les Paul.Played a nice Tokai and an Edwards, nice guitars but still wannabes. Havent played a Bacchus yet though and they get good reviews. Just my 2cents!!

Quattroste

Boycey. Would you care to explain why the non Gibson Les Paul's are wannabe's. I know you said it's "just your 2cents" but is that it? Nothing more than an opinion or do you base it on some evidence. Where do you feel the other guitars fell down or lacked in comparison. Was it the price tag and the logo or was it elsewhere?

Ger the man

Thanks for the info - Ive found some very interesting articles on quality control (or lack of) at the Gibson plant...not so sure now.

Jack Vegas

Some studios have a maple cap and others don't.

Speaking purely in Gibsons, no Studio can touch a Standard.

Doctor J

Quattroste wrote: »

Search on EBAY for Bacchus make sure you search worldwide.

That advice should come with a health warning

I'm sniffing around for a P90 equipped Les Paul and, one thing is for sure, it won't be a Gibson.

Methinks me and the Duke are going to meet in the not too distant future

boycey

Quattroste,
just stickin up for the Gibsons!
By my way of thinking if you base your look, and indeed your whole reason d'etre (or whatever the word is) is to ape something else then surely that makes you a wannabe. You obviously think the recipe has been improved upon whereas I dont, just differences of opinion. I did say I felt they lacked something and for me that was sound and feel- no other scientific evidence to give. Its all in the eye of the beholder. Not slagging off anyone elses gear, as I said just my 2cents. I dont use the word wannabe in a derogative way, just from my playing experiences so farI'd rather a gibbo.

darrenw5094

I own 2 Gibson Les Paul Standards and an Edwards Les Paul Custom JS.
I was trying to sell the Edwards to cover the cost of the second Gibson, but now i have decided to keep it.....feels and plays every bit as good as the Gibson.

As far as wanabees goes.......Edwards are top quality for a fraction of the price....the only problem is that some people will look at it and think it's cheap crap because it's not a Gibson.

My main guitar for gigs is the Lightburst Gibson LP.....but i would use the Edwards anyday. I have seen them for less than €500 + p&p and tax.
That's well worth the cash. :cool:

boycey

Darren your former sig said it all for me. ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES.
Truthfully speaking my LP isnt my favourite of my bunch. Nor is it the most expensive. My modded squier tele customII is probably on equal pecking order. Love them both, no brand snobbery, no elitism. I just think when the OP was about Gibson Les Pauls why say my x or y is a better guitar? For me it has to be a Gibson when it comes to Les PAuls. Thats just the way I feel. My Orville is probably better built and more historically accurate.Doesnt mean I prefer it though. I think thats about 6cents worth now!!

It wasn't me!

Just to note, whatever about Gibson bodies being chambered, if you go back a few years you'll get a solid one. I've a '93 and it's a real back-breaker. Quality control was less suspect then too, so you'll likely get a good guitar in an early 90's one. Sounds and plays like a dream too.

Quattroste

Doctor J wrote: »

Methinks me and the Duke are going to meet in the not too distant future

You must have big pockets Doc. I'm going to resist on the LP as I reckon my Tokai can keep me going here. However, I am been drawn to a Bacchus Bass and I never even played bass before

Boycey,
That's fair enough on the Gibsons. I guess the "wannabe" tag did stir something in me. Basically I always wanted a Gibson LP but when I eventually got one I was quite dissappointed. Having tried the Tokai route and purchased a high end Tokai I got a LP that I cannot fault in any way. As mentioned above I have done the same with a Fender Strat and a Bacchus Strat. I guess at this stage I have become disheartened with the Fender and Gibson brands and feel there is more to guitaring life then striving towards the mainstream brands. I am also developing a passion for Japanese guitar brands.
Still though there is many a day in work spent searching for a Gibson ES335 with my name on it (and yes I have the Tokai version )

darrenw5094

boycey wrote: »

Darren your former sig said it all for me. ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES.
Truthfully speaking my LP isnt my favourite of my bunch. Nor is it the most expensive. My modded squier tele customII is probably on equal pecking order. Love them both, no brand snobbery, no elitism. I just think when the OP was about Gibson Les Pauls why say my x or y is a better guitar? For me it has to be a Gibson when it comes to Les PAuls. Thats just the way I feel. My Orville is probably better built and more historically accurate.Doesnt mean I prefer it though. I think thats about 6cents worth now!!

Yes...that's my motto alright. My #1 will always be the Gibson alright over the Edwards. Cranked up with a Marshall is the stuff. But Edwards will do the job. You should try one out to see what you think of them. I think you would be impressed.

My main gibson is a '93 which might have been a good year (just like a fine wine) fpr them. But i would never swap it for an Edwards.

boycey

Thats the stuff lads, wasnt trying to annoy anyone. I suppose the thread stirred something in me too!!

BTW Quattroste I want a shot on your Bacchus now, you can try out my ES333!!

Quattroste

if you can pry it from my hands you can try it

maximumleo

Apart from cosmetics, the diff between standard and studio are the neck choices and the pickups.

The studio has the option of the 50's neck only (thicker), wherein the standard has both the 50's and 60's (slimmer) necks as options. Personally, I cannot get used to the 60's necks, so the studio was the choice for me (cheaper == more cash to spend on stuff ).

The pickups in the studio are the 490R (neck) and 498T (bridge), while the standard has the BurstBuckers. Personally, I love the Studio's pickups. I play a lotta varied stuff (from Lizzy to Dream Theater) and I am happy with these pickups for that. I will say that they get muddy at high levels of gain (DSL Lead channel Mode2 @ 6+) but I like the thick neck pickup sound so I can deal with it.

If you are a 50's neck person and require genre typical pickups, then I'd suggest getting the studio and sticking in a set of Dim's, SD's or *shudder at the thought* EMG's (sorry if you like EMG's, I just think they sound way too treble heavy ). Whatever way you look at it, it is cheaper than a standard or a custom, plus you will have the tone you like.

If a 60's person, get the standard. If you don't like the neck, then there's no amount of savings that will make you happy (unless of course your an undergrad/postgrad :cool:).

deaddonkey

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Just to note, whatever about Gibson bodies being chambered, if you go back a few years you'll get a solid one. I've a '93 and it's a real back-breaker. Quality control was less suspect then too, so you'll likely get a good guitar in an early 90's one. Sounds and plays like a dream too.

your 93 is weight relieved.
all les pauls except the reissues have been weight relieved since the mid 80s.

loki_atwa

Sorry to come a little late to this discussion but i picked up a 70's yamaha lp copy (lord player) on the cheap, these are fantastic guitars. I thought i was a fender guy but by god it feels like there is no frets and the neck is perfect, its so addictive to play.

Check the prices for a yamaha lord player; they can be had cheap but just play a few and find out what you like, the name on the headstock doesnt mean much after all really does it?

boycey

Does anyone here have one of the yamaha SG series? - they were touted as the Les Paul beaters back in the day. Ive never had a chance to play one, they seem to be really highly rated. I dont think of them as a Les Paul, just loki's post made me think of Yamahas.
PS 'Lord Player'- I love that name!!

loki_atwa

goddamn i want a yammy sg id take it over a gibson anyday

freshcream

I have one of those sg,s its the 2000 model bought it for 150 about seven years ago its plays poorly but sounds cool very bright i also have an sg special which i bought in 03 it plays much better but sounds terible, and I have a lespaul standard (04) with burstbuckers it is the best guitar I ever had and I have had a lot, it won't do metal well, but I don't play metal anymore I have had a studio which did play metal very well but was crap at evreything else I also have or have had several other Gibsons YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR and then you won't have any problems with your gibson and remember if you buy a second hand gibson thats been set up well and you pay 1500 for it then you can sell it in a few years and get 1500 for it I have made quite a few quid doing this its how I get money for more and more guitars I currently own 12 guitars 8 of which are worth more than a grand and all are good in one way or another.

Rustar

freshcream wrote: »

and you pay 1500 for it then you can sell it in a few years and get 1500 for it I have made quite a few quid doing this its how I get money for more

How do you make money by buying something for 1500 and selling it for 1500?

Reminds me of The Change Bank....

"How do you people make a profit if all you do is make change????"

"Volume."

Quattroste

freshcream wrote: »

I have one of those sg,s its the 2000 model bought it for 150 about seven years ago its plays poorly but sounds cool very bright i also have an sg special which i bought in 03 it plays much better but sounds terible, and I have a lespaul standard (04) with burstbuckers it is the best guitar I ever had and I have had a lot, it won't do metal well, but I don't play metal anymore I have had a studio which did play metal very well but was crap at evreything else I also have or have had several other Gibsons YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR and then you won't have any problems with your gibson and remember if you buy a second hand gibson thats been set up well and you pay 1500 for it then you can sell it in a few years and get 1500 for it I have made quite a few quid doing this its how I get money for more and more guitars I currently own 12 guitars 8 of which are worth more than a grand and all are good in one way or another.

And the longest sentence in the world award goes to......... :pac:


Some SG's on EBAY various prices depending on the model. I believe the SG2000 was the raved about model from the past

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Yamaha-SG1000-SG-1000-Early-80s-MIJ_W0QQitemZ130209250839QQihZ003QQcategoryZ33049QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ie/Custom-Yamaha-1996-30th-Anv-SG-2000-SBG-2000-008_W0QQitemZ150230786149QQihZ005QQcategoryZ33049QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

freshcream

I diden't say that I did, I said that I could, or more to the point anyone could. although ebay is making it harder, besides the point is good gibsons hold their money without any doubt.