Les Paul tributes

[Papaoneil]

I’m sure I’ll get flamed for this on here lol but it’s ok. I’ve had the itch for a les Paul. Keep in mind I’m not a stage player just a hobbyist in his living room. These look pretty nice and have charm but does anyone on here actually have any experience with them. I know Gibson isn’t the best on quality control (or at least used to be) but are they worth it for a living room joe perry wannabe lol

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Most folks I know love thier Tributes and the ones I've had my hands on have been solid for the price.

 

[USMarine75]

Gibsons can be AWESOME guitars. (I have a few myself)

Yes... They've had a history of QC/finish issues, most notably under their former CEO HJ. That said, they have always prioritized tone over aesthetic. I have played Gibsons with issues, but even the bad ones sound great.

The recent 2021 models under new CEO JC look to be having less issues. With that said, most Gibsons are handbuilt (the tops aren't fully machined) so there are always more issues with tool marks, especially with the binding. The Tributes, Specials, and Juniors are all fantastic guitars for the money and sound as good (or nearly) as any CS Custom for a fraction of the price.

I'm a huge fan of their pickups, especially the 496/500 and Classic.

Most non-QC issues with Gibsons (e.g. tuning) are solved with a properly cut nut (they had major problems with this in the past), proper setup, getting rid of the brass nut on older models (Gibson Customer Service will send you a titanium or boneite one free), and winding your strings properly (up and not down). Robert Baker has done some good (fair) videos recently about Gibson you might want to check out.

My recommendation with Gibson is try before you buy if you can, or buy from a place with a good return/exchange policy.

 

[DudeManBrother]

You just need to play the one you plan to purchase. You can find a Tribute that outplays a Custom or Standard, and vice versa. Overall they are an exceptional value and well worth grabbing if you find a good one.

 

[Shoeless_jose]

I will echo what all others have said. Also I feel like sometimes the QC issues that do exist get overblown as people look for a reason to justify why they have an Epi or an Agile instead of a Gibson without making it seem like price is the reason.

Tributes are great calu

 

[Shoeless_jose]

value though* sorry hit reply with my giant finger.

I just finishes repairing headstock crack on my Les Paul so very much in love with my Gibson again at the moment.

 

[Papaoneil]

I appreciate all the comments. I’ve only owned one Gibson personally (les Paul special) but played plenty and I’ve never came across one with issues but for the most part they were all older. They look legit and everything so I assume that they would be good but you know the internet lol. I’ve never been steered wrong especially with Max’s input so I’ll go for one. My local shop is a Gibson dealer so I should be good to go if they got a shipment in. They were out due to stimulus being spent locally

 

[Apex1rg7x]

I've had a couple LP Tributes and they have both been solid guitars. A couple small upgrades can take them to the next level imo.

 

[budda]

They are decent, but people sell used ones for more than they went for new and that bugs me . You can probably find a mid 2000's studio for around the same price.

 

[stevexc]

I've got one of the newer LPJ Tributes and I love it. It's a very basic guitar (but fortunately came with a basic pricetag to match) but it plays and sounds great. That said, had I not had the opportunity to try it out I wouldn't have gone for it, and I did throw a few bucks in upgrades into it (locking tuners and an adjustable bridge).

 

[USMarine75]

The LP Special Tribute P90 is awesome. And you can pick them up for $899 new in red or black stain. Gibson stock P90s are fantastic pickups too. And you can always get an overwound Lollar or BKP Stockholm if you want for higher gain applications.

 

[mlp187]

Dude my LP tribute is THE SHIT. I fucking love it. It’s a 2019, so it has dots instead of trapezoidal inlays, and it has a slim taper maple neck. I can’t say enough good things about it. I think you’ll do great with a tribute. I live next to a GC so I’ve had my hands on several of them, and they were all fantastic. I also have a a tribute SG, if that helps.

 

[NotQuiteWes]

It's my favorite guitar I own. Mine is 2017 Tribute HP. I bought that model specifically for the access heel. It's been modded since, hipshot tuners replaced the robo-tuners and I put in a custom set of Alpha/Omega pickups. Those are the biggest changes among a few others.

 

[yan12]

Well I will be the one getting flamed, but I say it this way. I have a Gibson LP from 1976. I like the look of the single cut and as most folks, I love THE SOUND. But that's it.
The engineering of the instrument is an unmitigated disaster. They applied European hollow body instrument technology and made it solid due to the success of hollow Gibsons. I have built 5 guitars for myself now, all disasters and learning experiments, but how Gibson has sold so many I won't ever understand.

Neck angle wrong and bad. This means break angle over bridge needs to be elevated which then means headstock tilted to get break angle over nut. Spread the strings out wide to have 3x3 tuners...binding nut slot. Just so many geometric challenges. Many newer versions have solved some of this and copies like ESP, etc are very well made. But it left a bad taste for me.

So because I personally can't keep one in tune I gave up on that design. Iconic, magnificent tone, legendary...but I hate them. Most folks love the LP and hate me because I love strats, teles, and superstrats. That's life.

I had to laugh my balls off when Ben Eller made his video about finally using a LP in his mix...by the end he had replaced tuners, nut, added string trees, new pickups, bridge...you get the idea. It is a wonderful instrument for no modern type of playing like huge bends and aggressive antics, but nobody uses them that way. If I was going to buy a new Gibson LP, I think it would be the traditional but not a step further.

 

[USMarine75]

It is a wonderful instrument for no modern type of playing like huge bends and aggressive antics, but nobody uses them that way.

Greg Koch, Buckethead, Matt Heafy, Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wylde, and Bjorn Gelotte all disagree with you.

 

[Shoeless_jose]

It's my favorite guitar I own. Mine is 2017 Tribute HP. I bought that model specifically for the access heel. It's been modded since, hipshot tuners replaced the robo-tuners and I put in a custom set of Alpha/Omega pickups. Those are the biggest changes among a few others.

make the pic work haha sounds awesome

 

[NotQuiteWes]

Here ya go, finally figured out how to image host. Along with the Hipshot tuners, Zebra Alpha/Omega pickups it also has Hipshot knobs, 4 way push/pull pot configuration from a 2017 LP Standard HP, and a blank truss rod cover.


And this was stock when I received it from Sweetwater.

 

[Shoeless_jose]

Here ya go, finally figured out how to image host. Along with the Hipshot tuners, Zebra Alpha/Omega pickups it also has Hipshot knobs, 4 way push/pull pot configuration from a 2017 LP Standard HP, and a blank truss rod cover.


And this was stock when I received it from Sweetwater.

That is awesome love that the Pickups are Zebra total sleeper haha

 

[wakjob]

Heck yeah...I'm no Gibson fan boi...furthest from it, but the 50's Tributes that came out like a decade ago were fantastic!

 

[bigcupholder]

A Tribute or any other cheap Gibson is a great guitar if you find one with decent fretwork and a properly cut nut. It's been awhile since I've really looked at new Gibsons in depth though - 10-15 years ago (faded back then, before the tributes) it was rare that you'd find good examples but maybe they're better now.

I've played one recent Junior DC tribute and it was decent, but the neck was too thick for my liking. I'd actually like to try the bass version some day.