Sorry and I'm coming back home

[jjpish68]

For the past two weeks I have had this crazy idea that I needed a Les Paul and was even willing to sell or trade my 15 year old SRV to have one. So I started hanging out on the LP forum and put my SRV up on the classifieds for sale or trade etc... The more I looked the more I thought these prices are rediculous it appears that all used LPs are either $1800 or $2500 and they are all rare or limited or some term to make them special

I even saw Epiphone Les Pauls for $900 - $1450 oh and they were rare, limited and special too...

So I have regained my sanity and once again know that a Fender Guitar or two or three or four or.... IS ALL YOU NEED!!!!

[Jazzerstang]

Congrats. Gibson is an enigma.

[Verne Bunsen]

There's room for everyone in my collection! My Teles get along great with my Les Paul.

[soulman969]

I think the Les Pauls and the 335's where the only good idea they ever had. Most of the rest look like they got the body design from a Picasso painting.

[rebelwoclue]

My Les Paul does fine in my herd as well, although she's outnumbered...(maybe that's why she behaves herself)
"Once you go tele..."

[Weaselcoon]

I like Les Pauls ok. Ive just never played one that I just HAD to have. Id take a 335 any day over a Paul.

[krowbot]

The 52 tele is my main weapon. However, I can play much faster on the Les Paul. Each have a special purpose to me.

[csadams5]

My 1993 nighthawk standard holds a special place in my heart. I sold my Les Paul and kept the nighthawk. I put it dead center between a tele and a Les Paul as far as tone and functionality. Great guitar.

[daveandshelle]

I love my 335 just don't play it anymore..wouldn't sell it either have had several offers and some still standing..I know if I sell it I will never lay down the cash to get another one...

[OzShadow]

I always hated the way a LP rested on me when I was sitting. They always seem to weigh a ton too.

[Green Lantern]

My take on Les Pauls (and kinda' Gibsons in general) is that they often aren't good enough to justify the outrageous prices you often see them for. When I tend to prefer Fender guitars, which are usually much more reasonably priced, I can't see why I should pay so much for a Gibson.

That said, I like Gibsons. I have a Gibson SG that I'm really attached to (which I got for a reasonable price, by the way), and I think they're generally great guitars, but if they expect me to plop down the type of cash that is being asked for them, those guitars better start doing magic tricks on top of being awesome players and having great tone.

So, long story short, I like Gibsons, but I like Fenders more, and Fenders are much more reasonably priced, so, as logic would dictate, I have considerably more Fenders than I do Gibsons. And I'm not a cheap skate on gear. I usually buy high end, U.S. made stuff, but Les Pauls are still too damn much for what they are, in my opinion. I mean, just browsing eBay right now, I see Les Paul Standards are like $2000. What the hell is that? I understand they're not "bolted together guitars," but still... That's just dumb. It's not that I don't have the money to afford them and I'm bitter about that. It's more like they're just not great enough to me to pay all that much, even though they're still great to me.

[jjpish68]

Green lantern

That was my point exactly. I do like Gibson and would like a les Paul but the pricing even for used is way out of whack. I can't justify paying more for a used lp the same or in most cases more than I paid for my EC or SRV Strats or either of my 52AVRI Teles.

[cynic79]

It's a bit unfair to compare the price of a Les Paul to even an American made Telecaster. One is a bolt-on neck guitar with a flat body. The other is a set-neck guitar with a carved (and often flamed) maple top, as well as neck and body binding. Of course the latter is going to cost more!

If you are willing to forego some of the "bling," a Les Paul Studio costs less new than a 52 Tele Reissue. The Les Paul Trad Pro isn't too much more than that.

[Telepi]

Perhaps the used GLP prices are a result of the new fretboards coming out.
Some people are very traditional about their LP's and want rosewood. With the new ones being made of "baked maple", richlite (recycled paper) and even two piece veneered rosewood, maybe the used market got a boost?

But $1,000 + for an Epi? That's crazy man. Just crazy.

[Clinchriver]

Originally Posted by Weaselcoon

I like Les Pauls ok. Ive just never played one that I just HAD to have. Id take a 335 any day over a Paul.

I sold the two that I have had and not missed either. My 335 dot is "oh so nice" I've looked at the Les Paul build thread and I think I'll build two at the same time.

[Torz Johnson]

I always wanted a Les Paul Standard but when I had the money for one I couldn't find one that I really had to have. I like the Traditionals too, but again the reality of having one in my hands fell short of the dream of owning one. I bought a new EJ Strat and pocketed the rest.

I do have a LP Special that I love, probably because its overall vibe is much closer to the Tele than to the more ornate LP models.

[Mike Eskimo]

The price of the average good+ LP is the reason I never got one.

And then, as Torz already said, sometimes the dough/money/loot doesn't coincide with actually finding one you like.

My dream LP (the only one I went nuts over) was one they had at Elderly for a year or so. A '58 historic custom shop w/ a huuuuuuge neck.

The average Les Paul forum guy would have hated it though - it was chambered !

I loved it but didn't have the $2800+ to buy it.

I did have a straight up LP once but bought it just to flip.

A '79 LP Custom w/ 3 pickups.

Bought it in September and sold it in December. Made my Christmas that year and it was soooo heavy and the neck so small I never played it in those 3 months...

[H. Mac]

Having Gibsons is really important, because the more I play them, the more I appreciate my Fenders!

[Hiker]

I watched an auction recently on TV. It featured a Les Paul Junior.

It was an beautiful, original 1955 with replacement tuners, and the original tuners were included with it.

They pre-auction estimate of value... only 3,000 (you heard that right), and it sold for $4,500 U.S. It seems obvious that plenty of owners (of more recent models) don't want to accept a few dollars less than their 'goal' for their precious guitar.

[noah330]

As much as I like my Fender guitars my Gibson is still tops. The deal is they haven't made any really special Les Paul models in many years where as Fender made nice guitars up until about 1991 (taking out about 1974 - 1985 or so).

If you ever get the chance to play a real Les Paul it's a great experience.

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