Finally finishing stripping the paint off my Les Paul Special - it was a faded black

[old mark]

model, made in 2002 in Nashville. It looks great now, just plain mahogany with oil finish rather than the poorly finished paint which made it so cheap to buy...It sounds and plays just fine, and I am thinking it will become my all time favorite guitar, beating out several way more expensive Gibson and Gretsch guitars I used to own (but no longer feel are worth the money).

If you like the Gibson solid body sound, I recommend finding a used Les Paul Special - they are a flat top, LP shaped all mahogany guitar with the standard LP piups and control setup, and generally can be found under $700.

(Gibson no longer makes the "faded" version - they were too good to be sold so cheaply.)

mark

[kysrsoze]

1. If there are no pictures, it didn't happen :D

Let's see what it looks like. I imagine your Special sounds a lot like my friend's Gibson SG - that thing is fantastic.

LPs are awesome. I've got a Gibson LP Studio, a heavily modified Epiphone Custom w/ Gibson 57/57+ pickups, and an Epiphone Special SC (mahogany slab too) with P90s - all great guitars. I haven't played the Gibson faded yet, but I've heard they seriously rock. I dind't know they discontinued them.

You really don't need to spend the money on a Standard to get a great sounding and playing guitar.

[old mark]

2. I have several SG's, too, none Gibsons, but one Korean Samick and one

Chinese Epiphone SG/Les Paul Custom, with the 3 gold humbuckers. I'm looking into the LP Studios as well - they seem like great guitars.

I have owned several Gibson LP Customs, including one from the late 1960's, and these new guitars seem better to me - I think it is the CNC manufacturing processes...

FWIW, the "real" Gibson SG Les Paul Custom ('61 re-issue) lists at over $6,000 - I don't think ANY solid body guitar is worth that much.


Sorry, no pics - it's not really finished yet.

mark

[kysrsoze]

3. I agree - I think overall quality is pretty darned good these days.

People seem to have beefs with almost every period of manufacture except the late 90's. I think every manufacturer turns out some duds. I've played a few Gibsons that were so-so, some fantastic Epis, even rather nice Squiers. I recently played about a dozen new Fenders one day and they ranged from great to just bad... and price was not a predictor of playability/tone. I was more than a bit shocked.

At the end of the day, it would be too hard for me to justify paying more than two grand for any guitar, and even that price is WAY more than the averaged I've paid for all mine.

Post up those pics when you finish it.

[here_is_to_hope]

4. Martin guitars of the

late 1970's are known to have issue's due to the amount of Cocaine use at the Nazareth factory.
Quite a few Luthiers have broguth this up and in my experience, those martins from that period due suffer from fit and finish issue's.

[kysrsoze]

5. OMG. That's hilarious. Well... not for the owners, I suppose.

[Bonhomme Richard]

6. I have one and it is my favorite guitar. For 25 years I played a Strat

and in a goofy mood I bought the Les Paul Studio. The day it arrived I had a gig that night and figured I would get used to it later. I decided to try it before the gig and it felt as if I had been playing it for years. Needless to say I used it that night at the gig. Love it and now it has a permanent spot on my guitar tree next to the Strat. I play them depending on the sound I want.