Les Paul Traditional Gold Top

[Jizzmasterzero]

I'm going to have a look at (and hopefully buy) an LP Trad Goldie on saturday.
Unfortunatly I have never played one, let alone pick one up.

Is there anything I should look out for quality wise, are gibsons QC department pretty good nowadays?

Is there much of a tone difference between a standard and traditional?

Sorry for all the questions but for a guitar at this price i don't wanna go home with a potential duffer.

Ta

Andy

[surfnorthwest]

The quality should not be a issue, but like any guitar look for flaws and pay attention to the neck and frets. A good guitar tech can fix anything you find.

Most important IMO is to get some where quite and listen to the guitat umplugged, take a couple of other LPs with you to compare when you do this. Take your time and do not be rushed, this is a lot of money. I find some noticable differences between LPs, get the one that plays, feels, sounds best to you.

[aristotle]

Yeah...there isn't much with Les Pauls that's the sort of thing lurking under the hood. Any issues will likely be evident on inspection and playing.

The LP traditional gold tops are a good value in comparison with historic reissues...and from what I've seen, there isn't any obvious difference in quality. Particularly with gold tops, where the top is all covered up anyway. Some people aren't jazzed about the 57 Classic pickups that come on these. Pickup swaps, even if you go hog wild on them, still leave you with a load of cash left over compared wth an R7.

Even though these things are plek'd, my experience is that frets, nuts and bridge saddles are all over the map. Nothing that can't be easily sorted out, but who wants to bother with a new guitar? I don't notice any diference though between the traditionals and the reissues in this regard though.

[kissfanps]

Totally go for it.

I want a gold top trad really badly.

[guitarest]

Yeah bring someone with you who knows what they are doing, way too many counterfeits on the market and if your not knowledgeable about the guitar you could be spending allot of cash for a card board guitar from china.

[jab]

probably took me a year to pick my LP. My advice is to try as many as possible, because they really do all feel and sound different. I don't know why, but they do. Perhaps the custom shop is more variable though. But if you're ready to go gold, and you find one and it sounds and feels great, go for it. You can always sell it if you get buyer's remorse. For what it's worth, I ended up with a Wildwood Spec Historic 1958. A real (expensive) tone machine. Didn't get a good deal on it, doesn't have a ton of flame, nothing special other than it feels like I'm playing a Steinway. It's a different animal. All of a sudden my strats and teles feel like toys.

I see in your signature you have a VM and JCM800, and no LP. When you put Marshall and an LP together this lightbulb goes off like, "ah, there's that sound I've loved all my life".

[Jizzmasterzero]

Well I went to GuitarGuitar today to try out a few LP Classics and Traditionals, I went with an idea of how much I could afford and what type of LP I wanted.

I tried 6 different guitars altogether but none of them felt right to me so I didn't get one............... I got this instead

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I now see what you mean when you say that no two LP's are the same.

The original price was £2100 I think, but the manager of the shop said they had just dropped to £1899 which was sweet but the problem was I didn't have enough money for it, luckily he let me put a deposit down untill I had the rest of the money.

It's already boxed up in the back of the store with my name on it, all i have to do is wait two weeks to get the rest of the cash and she's mine.

Good Choice? not that you could change my mind, I love it!!!!!

On a side note, Mikey at Birmingham's GuitarGuitar is one of the nicest people I have met, super helpful, listened to me and got me exactly what I wanted.
He stayed with me for 4 hours bringing me different LP's to try and not once looked bored.

Thanks for all the great advice to everyone who answered the first post, I will never buy a guitar online again, if I had bought the Traditional online I would have been really dissapointed.

Regards

Andy

[surfnorthwest]

Congrats man, she is beautiful. I played your cards exactly right when buying that guitar, I wish more people would take the time and do that when searching out a Les Paul. You can see that each LP might feel different and sound a but different, you know when you found the one when you sit there and say "WOW".

Guitar like that will last you a lifetime, they are a fair investment.

[jab]

congrats, she's a beauty, great color. I love that feeling of "when you know it, you know it" with guitars. Bringing home your first LP is right behind bringing home your first baby, and just ahead of bringing home your first puppy. My Golden Retriever's name is Gibson by the way. If I have another, he'll definitely be Marshall (child or dog that is).

[gtrman]

Nice looking LP .... very good choice.
It's always better to get the one you want instead of buying something less expensive and be halfway satisfied.
Then you will end up selling it anyway .. this one is probably a keeper

[exotl]

Boy is that a beautiful guitar - almost hurting to the eyes after looking at all the faded studio lps I've been contemplating recently!

... what about the pick guard - does she come without or did you have 'em undo it?

[Jizzmasterzero]

The pickguard hasn't been installed yet.

I won't want it installed either as I prefer the no pick guard look, Especially with a top like that.

Thanks for the nice comments.

I could be picking her up sooner than I expected as the wife has kindly donated some of her old jewlery from a previous marriage. Should fetch a good price.

I will post better pictures when I finally bring it home (hopefully Saturday).

Will possibly do a review on the line 6 spider jam, which I hope I bring home at the same time.

[Wildone]

Congradulations, a new Les Paul is as good as a new puppy. I really wish I could find my first Les Paul I owned, sold it off long ago in the 80s for a pointy guitar because that was what was cool back then. :cuss

[guitarest]

Congradulations, a new Les Paul is as good as a new puppy. I really wish I could find my first Les Paul I owned, sold it off long ago in the 80s for a pointy guitar because that was what was cool back then. :cuss

LOL, my first one disappeared and I have no clue what happened to it. I hate it when that happens. I also had a original Ibanez LP Lawsuit Black Beauty; she got sold (I think cant remember that one either damn its been decades) when I got my 71 SG/LP Custom and a USA Strat. Then I picked up my first LP Custom which was donated to the guitar gods because of Katrina. This is so sad..........

To the OP; very pretty lady and you are so correct even though they are same models some will talk to ya more than others. Love that lil PLEK sticker on her; mine had one also although couldn't really tell the difference.

Congrats on the new Lester; hopefully more pics to follow soon......

[sikter]

Congratulations!
Really nice looking guitar!

I need to add the comment regarding a pick guard.
Some people prefer to have it, other not to, it's fair deal but Gibson should design a different
pick guard bracket with no screws involved for assembling.
There are ALWAYS other ways to design things. Look at a car interiors today!
I would love to use my Les Paul without pick guard sometimes but just can't stand screw holes when pick guard removed.
Sorry, I am probably sick but for sure not the only one.
Sick people are allowed to play too.