Les Paul Standard.... your opinions please.

IamWILSON · November 29, 2011, 11:45:44 PM

Any of you own a nice Les Paul Standard? New or old. I've been wanting one lately, and the way I see it is I can buy a brand new one for around $2,500, or a mid-70s for around $2,500. Seems to me getting a vintage one should always retain its value and is probably a better quality made instrument. Your thoughts?

fulltone1989 · November 30, 2011, 01:09:13 AM

Quote from: IamWILSON on November 29, 2011, 11:45:44 PM
Any of you own a nice Les Paul Standard? New or old. I've been wanting one lately, and the way I see it is I can buy a brand new one for around $2,500, or a mid-70s for around $2,500. Seems to me getting a vintage one should always retain its value and is probably a better quality made instrument. Your thoughts?

Although not a standard, I have a Studio from 2000 that I upgraded the electronics and hardware on, and I really like it. Got it for cheap, I put some upgrades into and it's been a quality axe of mine.

manicstarseed · November 30, 2011, 02:47:55 AM

One warm summer night, my wife and I were playing WoW until 4 in the morning, she comes running to the basement...FREAKING that the front door of the house has been open all night (8+ hrs). My visceral reaction is "OH MY GOD! Is my guitar still there?" She just looked at me and asked if I gave a crap about our son.

I got my 1976 Les Paul Standard in 1986 for $500. I love it. I loaded it with a set of SD Pearly Gates PUPs, mostly for the coil split. Brightened it up a little. They are a little hotter than the SD 59s. I would not classify it as a "nice" Les Paul. The color is a burgundy stain with cream treatments (binding/ pick-guard). It is not a book matched top, the "splice is obvious and I am not even sure if its maple. The back came with belt buckle gouges in the back. A previous owner replaced the Grovers with Schallers tuners and the bridge is unlike anything I have ever seen, NOT a tune-a-matic. I love the tone, darker than others I have played. Heavy, but that's to be expected.

Is there a specific question you have?

Pics added..

Bridge... any info would be appreciated

IamWILSON · November 30, 2011, 03:47:38 AM

Well that's some interesting insight to a '76 Les Paul Standard, which just happens to be one of the ones I'm interested in for sale locally. It looks like its been "well used," but the guy is a blues musician so I actually see that as a plus. By email correspondence, he says he put Grover tuners on because they are more accurate and it sounds to me like he put SD '59s on, but he's calling them '59r's. But he also says he has all the original parts still. Another used one for sale locally is an '88 Standard for about $750 less! Considering either of those, or going to play some new ones, or am I better just sitting this one out?

Manic, how do you like the neck on yours?

manicstarseed · November 30, 2011, 10:54:31 AM

The neck is fine and straight/true. I have smallish hands and never really had any issues. It is not as thin or narrow as a standard Fender.

manicstarseed · November 30, 2011, 08:51:22 PM

Quote from: IamWILSON on November 30, 2011, 03:47:38 AM
... By email correspondence, he says he put Grover tuners on because they are more accurate ....

Huh.. I thought Grover is the manufacturer of the stock tuners. I wonder if he replaced them with after-market, superior Grover tuners?

Anyway, I would like to clarify that I like the neck and have never had any issues yet.

picture_of_nectar · December 01, 2011, 02:32:54 AM

Dude for $2,500 you could score a nice Custom Shop Historic on the 2nd hand market.

I saw a killer R9 go for $2,800 on TGP the other day and those usually run around $3,500. R8s are going in the low $2k range all the time. General consensus is some are better then others and it usually takes people a few try's to find "the one."

Do some research on the time period if you are looking at an old one. They wern't all created equally.

For a new one ~$2,000 I would buy a Traditional Plus over a standard. They are pretty nice.