Need Help Choosing The Right Les Paul

MicroCube

Currently I am using a Squire Telecaster Custom with humbucker pickups. I thought that I can get the best of both worlds with the neck and agathis body of a telecaster and the pickups and controls of a Les Paul. The guitar plays brilliantly but has its drawbacks. Now I am planning of buying myself an Epiphone Les Paul but having some difficulties on the type I need to purchase. Old school rock and blues is mostly what i play so a Les Paul will be more appropriate for my style.

Looking at the thomann website I got a little overwhelmed on the number of variation of the Les Paul Standard. Should I go for the Standard one with the mahogany and alder body or go with the Standard Plus with the solid mahogany body with alnico humbuckers? Will the solid mahogany with alnico pickups sound a lot better than the Standard? What is HCS, VSB and E-guitar? Any tips or advise will be greatly appreciated.

Doctor J

What's your budget?

BuddhaJoe

MicroCube wrote: »

What is HCS, VSB and E-guitar? Any tips or advise will be greatly appreciated.

HCS = Heritage Cherry Sunburst

VSB = Vintage Sunburst

E-Guitar = Electric Guitar

johnboy8

if you dont mind second hand,you could find yourself a bargain on here or gumtree or buyandsell.you may even get yourself a gibson for the same price as a new epiphone(depending on your budget)there are a few sg's for sale on this site at the moment for decent money.

MicroCube

My budget is around 300 to 500 tops. I would not mind paying the extra money for an LP standard plus as long as I know that the additional cost is worth it. So thats what the VSB, and HCS stand for I thought it was something technical. SG's are brilliant guitars but I am not to inclined on buying them because I think it only suits certain styles(rock and Heavy mental).

Thanks lads for your replies.

Dord

MicroCube wrote: »

My budget is around 300 to 500 tops. I would not mind paying the extra money for an LP standard plus as long as I know that the additional cost is worth it. So thats what the VSB, and HCS stand for I thought it was something technical. SG's are brilliant guitars but I am not to inclined on buying them because I think it only suits certain styles(rock and Heavy mental).

Thanks lads for your replies.

My favourite is Tobacco Sunburst (TSB). :cool:

You should look at other Les Paul models other than the Standard. Check out the Junior & Special also. I have an older Junior and absolutely love it, the sound is unreal.

Sorry, just saw your budget... no Gibsons then... oops! The guitar I have is a Gibson, the Epi version is totally different.

darrenw5094

Edwards Les Paul.....best value LP around for the cash.
You might need to stretch that budget for a new one, but second hand might be possible.

spoonbadger

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=78482&cat=16

+1 on the edwards. And you should check out that link. Brilliant guitar for uber cheap.

(not my ad but mods feel free to delete if this is spam/advertising.)

Dord

spoonbadger wrote: »

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=78482&cat=16

+1 on the edwards. And you should check out that link. Brilliant guitar for uber cheap.

(not my ad but mods feel free to delete if this is spam/advertising.)

GET THAT GUITAR! :eek:

NoQuarter

i got a "vintage" led paul and it plays beautifully and sounds great, hard to come by though!

Dord

king-stew wrote: »

i got a "vintage" led paul and it plays beautifully and sounds great, hard to come by though!

Is it heavy?

Doctor J

As has been said, that Edwards will blow the **** of any Epi standard.

Zangetsu

Thats a purty guitar

kranog

Doctor J wrote: »

As has been said, that Edwards will blow the **** of any Epi standard.

I dunno bro....I've played one of these...
http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=79433&cat=16

It's a very nice epi indeed...

Granted, it's got active EMG's which give a more heavy tone than what the dude might be looking for...but at that price...he could do a lot worse!

I'd say try them both if ya can mate...

Doctor J

We'll agree to differ Chrisso, the Edwards are a step or two above those Epis, in my experience, no doubt about it.

MicroCube

The epiphones LP's with the EMG pickups are indeed very flexible sounding guitars. But I am more into the classic look and feel. Gibson's will be way over my budget but Epiphones will do fine for now. I actually already made my choice I am going for the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus VSB. Thanks everyone:D

http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=45&CollectionID=6

NoQuarter

Dord wrote: »

Is it heavy?

Bahaha, DOH!

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

MicroCube wrote: »

The epiphones LP's with the EMG pickups are indeed very flexible sounding guitars. But I am more into the classic look and feel. Gibson's will be way over my budget but Epiphones will do fine for now. I actually already made my choice I am going for the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus VSB. Thanks everyone:D

http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=45&CollectionID=6

I have an epie LP standard with the same pickups and finish, great with overdrive, but just ok played clean. im thinking of a pickup upgrade at the moment!

boycey

One thing to consider with Epi vs Edwards is the neck profile. The Epi's usually have skinny lollypop stick necks whereas the Edwards tend to have big manly clubby baseball bat type necks. It could ruin an otherwise great guitar if you dont like the neck profile.
FWIW I'd say Edwards all the way at that budget, but you should be keepin an eye out for used Burny's, Tokai's, Orvilles and Greco's too.

darrenw5094

I can't believe the Epiphones are mentioned in the same topic as Edwards. The Edwards is in a different class to any Korean Les Paul.

That Edwards post on Adverts is painfull to read. Some guy offered the seller €250 for the John Sykes Edwards LP.......those guys are ruining the site with pathetic offers like that. The brand new retail value on the Edwards would be realisticlly over a grand surely.

RICARDO1982

. Some guy offered the seller €250 for the John Sykes Edwards LP..

That was me Darren... I put in a higher offer of 320 afterwards.
Thats the price i am prepared to pay for a third hand gibson les paul copy....

IF its that good put your money where your mouth is and buy it yourself.

Dord

darrenw5094 wrote: »

That Edwards post on Adverts is painfull to read. Some guy offered the seller €250 for the John Sykes Edwards LP.......those guys are ruining the site with pathetic offers like that. The brand new retail value on the Edwards would be realisticlly over a grand surely.

I agree. I hate when that happens. I had it when I was selling my Tele a while back.

Ishibashi dropped their prices on Edwards recently so it comes in at about €650 all in (excl. case). Previously it would have been bang on a grand.

RICARDO1982 wrote:

. Some guy offered the seller €250 for the John Sykes Edwards LP..

That was me Darren... I put in a higher offer of 320 afterwards.
Thats the price i am prepared to pay for a third hand gibson les paul copy....

IF its that good put your money where your mouth is and buy it yourself.

Where did you get that it was third hand from?

The Edwards guitars are made by ESP in Japan. Great quality guitars.
Used, it's worth about what the guy got for it (€500).

RICARDO1982

Dord wrote: »

Where did you get that it was third hand from?

The Edwards guitars are made by ESP in Japan. Great quality guitars.
Used, it's worth about what the guy got for it (€500).

Said third hand because the guy who is selling the guitar now for 480
Bought it earlier in the year off another guy on adverts( same pics )
Then the person who buys it will be the third owner...
As earlier mentioned by someone else a new one from ishibashi
is 650... so why pay 480??????
For the sake of 170 you could have a brand new one
but if the third hand one was cheaper ...........

Voodu Child

RICARDO1982 wrote: »

As earlier mentioned by someone else a new one from ishibashi
is 650... so why pay 480??????
For the sake of 170 you could have a brand new one
but if the third hand one was cheaper ...........

The Edwards guitar on Ishibashi is 77,280 yen (€650). Shipping to Ireland will be 18,000 Yen (€150). Once the guitar arrives from Japan, you'll pay approx €200 in customs/vat.

That's €1000 in total.

CianRyan

RICARDO1982 wrote: »

Said third hand because the guy who is selling the guitar now for 480
Bought it earlier in the year off another guy on adverts( same pics )
Then the person who buys it will be the third owner...
As earlier mentioned by someone else a new one from ishibashi
is 650... so why pay 480??????
For the sake of 170 you could have a brand new one
but if the third hand one was cheaper ...........

voodoo_child wrote: »

The Edwards guitar on Ishibashi is 77,280 yen (€650). Shipping to Ireland will be 18,000 Yen (€150). Once the guitar arrives from Japan, you'll pay approx €200 in customs/vat.

That's €1000 in total.

At the risk of sounding like an eejit...

OWNED!

Creeping-Death

kranog wrote: »

I dunno bro....I've played one of these...
http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=79433&cat=16

It's a very nice epi indeed...

Granted, it's got active EMG's which give a more heavy tone than what the dude might be looking for...but at that price...he could do a lot worse!

I'd say try them both if ya can mate...

That les paul looks uber sweet, mate of mine got a '59 goldtop les paul (reissue) for 550 notes about a year ago, and he hadnt the foggiest what he was buying, so id say he couldve haggled.. anyways tis a guitar that'll do ya for absolutely anything, a tad top heavy though...

darrenw5094

voodoo_child wrote: »

The Edwards guitar on Ishibashi is 77,280 yen (€650). Shipping to Ireland will be 18,000 Yen (€150). Once the guitar arrives from Japan, you'll pay approx €200 in customs/vat.

That's €1000 in total.

It's true value would be about that new alright.....second hand price of €480 is good for the eventual buyer.

The term second hand means used. To suggest that it's third hand and therefore even lower value than second hand value, is just a bit daft.

And guys, don't forget to add the shipping and tax of 21%+ when quoting a price from a website. €480 is excellent price for that Edwards. This is not a third hand Gibson Les Paul copy......probably a superior used replica would be more realistic.

punchdrunk

Don't forget the Duty of 3.7% which is charged on the total aswell

also slash played a "copy" of a les paul on AFD :pac:

Darkstrike

punchdrunk wrote: »

also slash played a "copy" of a les paul on AFD :pac:

Yup, heh, Gibson make a four or five grand signature model of a knockoff of their own instrument!:pac::pac::pac: