James-Italy Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 Hey guys! The Ebay deal fell through on the Jimmy Page Les Paul, but I've got the fever and there is only one cure. Luckily, my local music store had a new Black Les Paul Custom and a Wine Red Les Paul Standard for me to try. I prefered the sound of the standard and I'm not fond of black guitars. The difference was only @400 euro ($425) between the two. So, Goodbye Hamer Strat-copy, Steinberger, and an old 12string Fender laying around and HELLO! Les Paul Standard! Couple of photos: New In Case Front Bodyshot Head Back My Gear My Attempts at Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 Oh, James, man- congratulations! That's a sweet guitar. Beautiful color and funky-cool top. That's a nicer finish than on my "Ruby" w/ soapbars. "Keep us posted" on how she sounds w/ different tubes in your Univalve, how (and if) you play differently on the Standard than on the Wolf, and such. BTW, which Stienberger did you have? And what were its pros'n'cons? See ya, and in the words of the immortal Homer- "Mmmmnn... Wine-Red Standard... !!!" -k Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbrock1san.rr.com Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 Beautiful guitar James. Congratulations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Keelan Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 That's a beauty James! bon appetit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James-Italy Posted April 5, 2003 Author Share Posted April 5, 2003 I'm sorry if I wasn't very clear in my original post. As most of you can imagine, I was pretty excited and really wanted to get playing, hence the incoherency of an excited 38 year old with a new toy. Before I even plugged it in here at home I posted to share my excitement with you (before I even had dusted/polished it you can see in the photo). My wife doesn't appreciate guitars and I don't play in a group anymore so I don't know who else to tell. I apologize if I came across as a "show off" which is exactly the impression I had when I read re-read this post now. I'm very fortunate now that my profession affords me the possibility to buy nice things- but I try to remember what life was like before I had spending money. No sob stories about how hard I work etc etc. There are many people who work longer and harder than me and haven't been as fortunate. It's very easy to cross the line between sharing your excitement and showing-off. I'm hope I haven't. I really just wanted to share my excitement! The Impressions of the Gibson Les Paul Standard, from an amateur and not very good guitarist. Playability: Ive read quite a bit over the last few days about how the Les Paul has a much different neck than most guitars. Words used by many people to describe it were: Fat, neck like a 2x4, curved like a violin, and even baseball bat. My impression is that yes, its larger than say my Peavey, but not so much as to make me feel uncomfortable. The back of the neck has a strong lacquer finish and it does seem to stick at times. The Wolfgang is the exact opposite with a very smooth sanded neck. So far I havent really been bothered by the lacquer neck, but it does require a slight lifting of your left hand when moving quickly up and down the neck. Im not sure if thats good or bad, and at my level it doesnt bother me at all. Its a heavy guitar as everyone knows, but I had expected it to be even heavier than it really is. It doesnt feel much heavier than the Wolfgang. Luckily it hangs just fine on my frame and Ive no problems when Im playing it sitting down. The action is nice and low (in my opinion) and the spacing between the strings a little wider than what Im used to, but again not that noticeable. In fact, thats a big plus for my fat fingers. I can hammer-on a little more aggressively since I feel more confident Im not going to hit the neighboring strings. The frets also seem slightly higher, invisible compared to the Peavey, but when Im playing I can feel it. It doesnt hinder me, and it seems a little easier to bar than some guitars Ive played. The combination of the slightly wider spacing between the strings and slightly higher frets make for an incredible combination when playing bluesy/slow rock leads. Its just so easy to bend and slide and hammer. Almost magical. In a weird way, it felt today like the Les Paul was telling me slow it down man, close your eyes and just FEEL it. Were in this together. Probably also the sustain and tone that add to the effect, but more on that later. Im not sure this would ever be the guitar for a speed demon, but man do I understand now why so many blues/rock heroes have been playing it all these years. My Gear My Attempts at Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James-Italy Posted April 5, 2003 Author Share Posted April 5, 2003 Tone: Oh man, sustain sustain sustain sustain. Woodsy. Bluesy. Sustain sustain sustain. Get the point? The pickups dont seem any hotter than the Wolfgangs, but different. There is a point where I can get the Les Paul to sound like my Peavey. But there are areas yet to be explored with this Les Paul that Im sure the Peavey will never find. The Wolgang has his area where hes top dog, it just occupies less space than the Les Pauls. I dont think Id ever be able to get a Stat type of sound out of this Les Paul, but why would I want to? This is a different guitar with different tones. If I wanted a strat sound, a Fender Strat does it better than anyone else probably. Im surprised the tone is much more Blues/BluesRock than just Rock, as Id been led to believe. If youve never played a Les Paul, you really outta try it. WHY DOESNT ANYONE ELSE DO THIS? The thing that struck me immediately with the Les Paul was 3-way switch and the 2-volumes pots and 2-tone pots. Ive never had a guitar setup like this before, but it is so simply incredible if you think about it. I dont understand why most guitars arent setup this way. Each pickup has its one tone and volume so you create a kind of mix when youre in the middle switch setting. A flick up or down on the switch moves you to either pickup alone (Gibson calls them Rhythm and Treble). Want a hot sound from the bridge pickup especially in the lead, but want to muddy it up a little in the rhythm parts? Easy- mix in a little of the second pickup, say 4 or 5 on the volume pot, switch in middle- when the lead comes flick the switch to treble and mud is gone. You get the idea I hope. It make for very versatile playing. The only disadvantage is youve now got to control 2 volume controls instead of 1 if you use both pickups. For people who adjust tone using the volume switch this could be a big problem. I tend to make very small adjustments in volume during play, so for me its just a huge advantage. Looks: It's Wine Red which I like very much. The other finishes that I like are the Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Honey Burst, and Trans Amber. The Trans Amber is too close to my Wolfgang so I don't think I'd buy another guitar that color. The pearl inlay on the fretboard is very classy and the workmanship is top class. In conclusion: The Gibson Les Paul is a classic. It deserves to be a classic. If you stop and think about it, other guitar manufacturers have been trying for over 50 years to replicate the sound of this guitar. There are many beautiful wonderful sounding guitars out there. Maybe some have succeeded. Maybe some have surpassed the master, but Im happy to own not only this great guitar, but also a piece of history. I wish I had bought one years ago. Ive owned Charvel, Jackson, Kramer, and Hamer guitars when they were all the rage. Now, I wouldnt probably even plug them in if I still had them. They were love affairs at the time and its strange that Ive forgotten just about everything about them. I dont think Ill ever forget the Les Paul or the Strat. These are real classics and as unforgettable as first loves. As much as I like this Les Paul, Im not going to give up or stop playing my Wolfgang. They are different guitars and I enjoy the sound from both of them. I did look at a few PRS models today, but didnt try any of them out. I was mistaken to think PRS was a strat copy. Ill probably end up with one someday. And a Fender Strat. And a its a never ending story isnt it? My Gear My Attempts at Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James-Italy Posted April 5, 2003 Author Share Posted April 5, 2003 Originally posted by CaevanO'Shite: Oh, James, man- congratulations! That's a sweet guitar. Beautiful color and funky-cool top. That's a nicer finish than on my "Ruby" w/ soapbars. "Keep us posted" on how she sounds w/ different tubes in your Univalve, how (and if) you play differently on the Standard than on the Wolf, and such. BTW, which Stienberger did you have? And what were its pros'n'cons? See ya, and in the words of the immortal Homer- "Mmmmnn... Wine-Red Standard... !!!" -kThanks! I'll try to keep you up on how things are sounding. I had the Steinberger small all black guitar with a body about the size of a shoe box and a headless neck. David Bowie used it in an old music video. It wasn't really a great sounding or playing guitar, but it was perfect for when I was playing live. It is so small it travels really well. And more importantly, on stage- especially small ones, you're not always banging it on mike stands and drums and bass players. I've always been the lead singer and played guitar when we needed two guitars. The tremelo would always go out of key if I didn't keep it locked. The sound was versatile but nothing special. I won't miss it, even if we shared a lot of good times together. My Gear My Attempts at Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 Congratulations! You found a beauty. And with Gibson creating their own European distributor, you should get far better customer service than Europeans received in the past. Can't read the serial number off the card or headstock. Do you mind listing it? Just curious what year it is. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 5, 2003 Share Posted April 5, 2003 James, I just smiled and chuckled to myself as I read your awesome triple-post. I've been there, man! Don't worry about coming off as a "show-off" as you stated, your adolescent-like enthusiasm, exuberance might be better, is very apparent. And just plain great! It feels good to know someone feels good! I've got two Les Pals, one that you already know about, the cherry-sunburst "Classic-Premium-Plus" that I referred to when you were asking for opinions on the JP/LP on E-Bay (I told you that you'd LOVE one!)and a "Gem"-model with P-90's and a Ruby (plain, but w/ some odd figure) top. Sort of a "Special" with a carved top. And I only was able to afford them by happenstance, being in the right place at the right time twice in four months. The Gem was a dealer-package-trade, the Classic a case of a guy trading in a Christmas present from his girlfriend (I can't believe he did this, what a cool gift!) for two used Fenders (not "vintage") and the store owner feeling unusually generous and giving me an incredible deal on it. Get one of the wide Planet-Waves straps, the sliding action on the shoulder-pad makes the LP seem a little less hefty, and i! BTW, though it's solely cosmetic, I think Gibson's Wine-Red finishes look absolutely stunning with all-gold hardware. I want to get a Wine-Red Les Paul Deluxe- w/"mini" humbuckers -with gold hardware to "round-out" my little Les Paul collection. Feel free to e-mail me sometime, I'd like to swap more guit-stories (especially about a few standout, "I'll-never-afford'em" LP's) and such. REAL, REAL GLAD FOR YA- -k Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James-Italy Posted April 5, 2003 Author Share Posted April 5, 2003 Fantasticsound, No problem. Model Purchased: Les Paul Standard Product Code: LPS-WRCH1 Color: Wine Red Serial Number: 00661331 I read off the Gibson website it should mean built 66th day of 01 and 331 signifies a Bozeman Montana build. CaevanO'Shite, Thanks man. Once I get to know this girl a little more, I'd love to pick your mind some. Thanks again for the help. My Gear My Attempts at Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 Take care of it! I've got a '93 Standard in natural maple, bought to replace my '77 in natural maple which some dipshit stole. Sigh. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DangerousDanimal Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 Those guitars are absolutely impossible to play sitting down and they need a Floyd Rose. I want to get a SG and stick some EMG81's in it and a floyd rose and play it through a Peavey 5150 and VHT 4x12. No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_dog Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 hey man i dig it I would put some purple carpet on it though and gold hardware pimped out les paul what could be better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 mark_dog, ya need some bling on these things, DagerousDanimal wants a wang onnat thang Pimpin' aint aesy! mark_dog, ya gotta go ta pimphats.com You'll eather die laughin' or find the suit ta wear for your next Company Downsizing! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_dog Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 bling bling bitch i dig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_dog Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 http://www.pimphats.com/images/000_000_00suit_purppurphallolrg.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James-Italy Posted April 6, 2003 Author Share Posted April 6, 2003 Mark-dog, that calls for a huge..... YEAH MAN!!!! My Gear My Attempts at Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 Originally posted by James-Italy: Fantasticsound, No problem. ...I read off the Gibson website it should mean built 66th day of 01 and 331 signifies a Bozeman Montana build...Mostly correct. That's one odd looking acoustic guitar... Bozeman only produces Gibson's acoustic guitars. The 331 actually means... absolutely nothing to someone outside the factory, and little to those IN the factory as well. Different models begin this last 3 digit number at 100, 200, 300, etc. to define what order it was completed. Problem is, they don't tell you what models begin at what number. So no one can be certain how many guitars Gibson produces except a worker checking the books. They are very protective of production numbers, although unauthorized books have listed older stats. Gibson is a privately held company and doesn't share many financials and production stats. that are public knowledge, by law, for publicly held companies. I'll have to check the Gibson site to see where the confusion lies. Again, congrats on a wonderful instrument. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franknputer Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Schweet!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Too cool, James! Welcome to the Les Paul club. I agree, there's lots of other really great guitars out there, and I own some of 'em, but most of the time I see no reason to reach for anything but my LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gato Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Now what you need is .. another Les Paul Standard ¡¡¡¡ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Mark_dog- I told ya ta check Pimphats.com! Tedster- man, I'd flip-out if one of my oh-so-dear-to-me axes was stolen. Kicked ta tha curb, bling ganked an' hassled by tha dipshit! -I'd like to know your comparison of the '77 and '93 LPs that you have owned. Fantasticsound- cool info on Gibson Serial #s! Lee Flier- what exactly is that LP with the soapbars in your "avatar"? What year, etc. ? It looks killer. What different P-90 style p'ups have you tried, and waddya think? And, yeah, Keef rules! I'd love to meet him. All this Les Paul talk, not to mention that I've been playing on one a lot the last three days (a lot of unplanned jams with other folks... how cool is that?) has... made me want to get a Tele! Wierd, hugh? I love my heavy-strung LPs, but for some reason I've got a Telecaster-with-10's jones! Again, cool cool cool cool cool guitar, James! -k Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Caevan, My LP is a 1952, and apparently one of the first 200 made. It doesn't even have a serial number. I did replace the original trapeze tailpiece with a stop tailpiece - pretty much a must if you're actually going to PLAY the thing. And yes, the P-90's in it are absolutely unbelievable. There just aren't any other pickups that act like the ones in the 50's LP's! Overall it's pretty hard to imagine a better guitar, I haven't ever found one anyway. But hey, Tele's are cool too! I have a '68 butterscotch Tele that I love... although I don't play it much these days because our bass player borrowed it and won't give it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Lee- cool, cool, cool. I know what you mean. I mean, I really know what you mean! Not only have I played a number of LP goldtops, Customs, Juniors, and Specials of '50's vintage in stores, a friend- an elderly gentleman who lives up the road -has a sweet old '52... and he's the original owner! He had it stored away for a long time; he had given it to his son, who I had once known, and sadly, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. When I found out from his grandson that he had "...a guitar just like yours (my '96 sunburst) only painted gold on the front..." that "wouldn't play in tune", I wanted to check it out, and he invited me up to the house. Well, his grandson had apparently twisted the tuners 'till the strings were near breaking, thinking that you were supposed to do that, not knowing that they needed to be tuned to specific pitches. The old gentleman was pleased to talk and hang out, and I offered to tune'r up. I happened to have my two late model LP's and a '67 blackface Fender Pro-Reverb in the car, so I brought them in and put new nickel-wrap strings (the old ones were literally black) on it after a good clean and polish, and then adjusted the neck's truss-rod. Plugged into the Pro-Reverb, it sounded sooooooooooo sparkly and pretty!!!!!!!! "Grandad" took the guitar for a while, and it became clear that some debilitation had taken much of the strength and manual dexterety from his hands; he couldn't play a chord or note, but I could tell that he once could. He brushed the strings this way for a while, making a wind-like sigh come from the amp. I sat quiet out of respect untill he smiled and handed it back to me. He had me finger pick on that for hours, and would comment that "It's been a long time since the old bird sang like that, yes it has..." and such things. He's still got it, and once in a while I play it again when he feels like it. I like the tone of those tubular trapese bridges so much that I would send one to Gibson to have the neck reset and keep the original bridge intact if I owned one. I do own a '97 Gibson Les Paul "Gem" with a Ruby finish, gold hardware, and stock P-90's that I set-up for open-D, with a wound 3rd and a mixed set of gauges to even the tension a bit. You are correct about the old, original soapbars; my impression is that age is partly responsible for their tone being different from newer ones. The stock ones in mine leave a bit to be desired, as the neck p'up sounds a bit too muddy and the bridge p'up sounds a tad anemic and thin. No matter how I try to rweak them set-up wise, it almost seems like a position-calibrated pair was put in the wrong locations- br. switched for neck and vice-versa. I think that I will replace them sometime, but I haven't decided on what to try. Thanks! See ya, -k Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Ok, James, I see where the Blue Book of Electric Guitars, 6th edition, lists the use of various number schemes to denote the factory of manufacture. That information may be out of date, and Gibson would be in no hurry to correct it. They didn't want us to mention which models were manufactured in Memphis when I worked there. The plant was still brand new and the workers and workmanship were suspect, as one might expect from a new factory with some experienced builders and some inexperienced. That brings up another point. This edition of the Blue Book was published in 1999, when Gibson built: Electric guitars in Nashville. OAI (Original Acoustic Instruments) products such as banjos, mandolins, and other bluegrass instruments two doors down the road Custom Shop instruments in the same building as OAIAcoustic guitars in Bozeman, Mo. Now: Electric guitars are built in Nashville and Memphis. OAI instruments are built in a factory inside the Opry Mills Mall, directly across the parking lot from the Grand Ole' Opry House. The Custom Shop remains in it's old building, to my knowlege. Acoustic guitars are still built in Bozeman. They must have changed the numbering system for those last 3 digits at some point, and no information is given in the Blue Book as to whether OAI uses identical numbers to the Nashville electric guitar factory. This may happen based on the idea they build totally different instruments. In the computer, we had to look at a totally different database for OAI or Custom Shop instruments, so identical numbers would appear only on the appropriate database. Even if they merged databases, a single search would bring up both records and you'd know in an instant which instrument you were looking for. I'll see if any of my buddies can shed some light on this clouded numbering system. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James-Italy Posted April 8, 2003 Author Share Posted April 8, 2003 Caevan, Cool story man! Neil, Thanks. I'd be curious to know what you you find out. My Gear My Attempts at Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 9, 2003 Share Posted April 9, 2003 Thanks, James. I was a little concerned that it would sound too corny &/or made-up, but it is what it is and it is the truth. -k Lee- this is in no way a put-down to you or your beautiful '52, even Les Paul himself has complained that the '52s had too shallow of a neck-angle and a resulting problem when strung as he intended; but, not only do I think that the trapese bridge/tailpiece has its own tonal attributes, I would wrather see a pro-, Gibson factory neck-reset on one of these underappreciated axes than a replacement bridge that may neccessatate drilling and/or plugging holes in the top. What I mean is that as more of these early LP's are bought to be played- due to their relative inexpensiveness compared to later models with stop-tails and/or tune-o-matics, humbuckers, sunbursts, etc. -original trapese tailpieces may get tossed to the point of making authentic examples of this great axe even more scarce. And, when properly set up with a neck-reset, or even just "under" strung (giving a low action but making muting-at-the-bridge impossible), they sound so good! That bridge just puts a whole different type of magic in the mojo! Wadda you think, do neck resets unacceptabley alter an axe's tone or status vs. switching to a stop- or tune-o-matic- bridge? How much, if at all, was your beloved '52 altered for this? What do you think of all the collector (as opposed to player) hype around these, and other, great old guitars? Who will win the next "Subway Series?" Thanks, all... Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite, Leprechaun, Esq. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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