The Les Paul thread
- Thread starter budda
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Close - that was my mom’s first cell phone. My first was a sony erikson.
Real question to all you Les Paul owners, what about fretwork? I like low action and it seems like most Gibsons can't deliver on that aspect, most of them seem to have poor leveling, fretboard humps towards the heel etc... What's your experience ? I used to have a 2013 Signature T (basically a Trad with a 60's neck) and sold it and kept my MIJ Tokai Love Rock partly for that reason. It's an immaculate guitar. But I'm thinking about getting a 2nd LP again so wondering what my options are
Levelling is a case of bringing it to a tech and any guitar will likely require it (ship from factory to your house and the wood is gonna move more likely than not). Cant say ive noticed any humps on any of mine, but bring a straight edge to the store I guess?
Also what is “low action” because my low action may be your high action.
soliloquy
Well-Known Member
Proper setup is needed. Could be any combination of:
1) but too high
2) bridge too high
3) neck not straight
4) frets not leveled
5) all of the above
All of my Gibsons have been fantastic in that regard.
Was your 2013 the last Gibson you owned? I ask because I had been shopping Gibson for years and didn’t actually bring one home until 2018. I’ve run into zero fret leveling issues since then.
I will say I had played quite a few Gibsons before that which were fantastic, but I wasn’t in the market for them at the time.
If you have the chance to hit a guitar store I recommend trying some out, bearing in mind they will probably need a setup.
Full disclosure: I sold my Les Paul after I grabbed an E-II eclipse. I still want an LP at some point though. I still have an SG.
Hmm weird. Gibson advertises they PLEK all of their guitars. I have a Special P90, Robot V, and a Custom Shop Custom Flamed. All have great fretwork and super low action (by Ibanezrules definition).
No issues with necks, truss rod, etc.
That said, I was shocked when I contacted their customer service to complain about poor setups from the factory (nut slot cut wrong, bridge height so high it looked like a violin, etc). I don’t require it set up perfect but it should have been good enough to test the guitar before shipping. CS response was they don’t set up guitars that’s for the buyer to do because we all have different preferences. Their explanation is kind of funny on its face regarding nut slots. They said they ship with 10s but cut small (to 9 lol)? That way I can put 9s on or use a file and put 11s. Not sure that makes any sense but that was the reply lol.
But in the end file the G slot and add some nut sauce or use a graphite pencil. I use my “string stretcha” and wind properly. Haven’t had any G string issues since on any of mine.
TLDR what do I know I love the min-e-tune and robot tuners on my Gibsons.
Nitrobattery
Well-Known Member
1979 Les Paul Custom with 6100 size stainless steel frets, Suhr Aldrich pickups and a TonePros bridge.
2015 Les Paul Traditional with a 57 Classic Plus/57 Classic set.
2015 Les Paul Traditional with a 57 Classic Plus/57 Classic set.
Recent! I bought it from them about a week ago.
Was it the GO that had been up for a few weeks then? Looks familiar for when I was watching for R7’s.
It doesn’t have the G0 serial no. or the “GC LP” designation on the cert, but the color is almost identical to the G0’s made in the mid 2010’s. I seem to recall something about the run being sold through multiple dealers in 2014 so they got R0 serials and certificates.
Also I must’ve missed it, do you still have the G0?
I ended up selling it as I reached for my 96 standard first. Great guitar, zero issues. Just didnt bond and dont know why not.
First and foremost trying in stores is absolutely out of question, I'm lefty and live in France. I generally don't like my action above 1.25mm on the treble side and 1.50mm on the low side, lower than that is nice. Stuff can happen in shipping etc sure but generally leveling is not affected in my experience, I've toured with ESPs without any leveling problem. Also fretboard humps mean a refret since you have to level the fretboard itself and I've seen that on several righty gibbies.
Last I owned yes, tried a brand new Classic last year but it was Factory setup so hard to really know about the leveling. It was at least decent for sure. Again trying in stores isn't gonna happen. The only store that carries Gibson in the french riviera expects to get a new batch in 1-1.5 years... I've heard the recent ones are much better though and that Classic was nice.
I did the first 3, that's how I knew there were problems
I went through ordering 5 Gibson HP SG guitars back in 2017 before I gave up. They’re much better now that HJ is gone.
TBH there’s a lot of other companies that make LP style guitars that have similar mojo but less QC issues. If you’re looking for the vintage vibe and you want it to have instant credibility (unlike me with my Epiphones lol) then buy a Heritage.
Ignore the fact that Eastman are MIC, they’re legit high end guitars for decent money.
Lastly if you enjoy ESP then why not go that route. LTD, E-II, and ESP have all been consistently good for me. All companies make their QC duds but it seems rarer for the ESP umbrella of guitars.
As for ESP I'm considering an Edwards, would also like a 2nd Eclipse but that wouldn't scratch the LP itch. Not a fan of Eastman's looks, nor Heritage I guess but that could still be an option. I could also get a 2nd Tokai or another MIJ such as Burny or Greco but I wanted to see if Gibson could be worth it before taking another route
Again, not a thing in France. The only lefty thing they have 99% of the time is an entry level Epiphone, and the only lefty store in France is 900km away and they don't get Gibsons. That's the problem for us lefties who want a Gibson, they seem very variable in quality from on example to another and you can't try them so you have to buy to try (it's true for most guitar purchases to be fair though) so the more info the better
