Thinking about looking into a Vintage Gibson Les Paul when the income is here...

Better snag one sooner rather then later eh :-)

But heres my dilemma, i know there has to be a HUGE difference from a brand new gibson and a vintage. I have played 00's models.. to me = Sh*t... truly a hunk of expense that you will never get back. I have also played a past guitar instructors late 80's and was a BEAUT! the feel.. solid.. THE BEST bar none to a les paul i have ever played...

Why i think that is= i remember hearing that traditionally Les Pauls= a Jazz Guitar... Solid.. Smooth.... warm, and the best thing out there for some crunchy brutal sustain for metal of sorts, And now there more mass produced, more of a high treble' like tone, thats light.. and in a sense.. Weak

The guitar if i could find one( and if it would be a good buy, with the quality of the instrument and well... how god that year actually is to a Vintage snob) would be 1988.

haha Yes indeed 1988, a special year, that i am STILL trying to get a box of Special smokes from.. that will probably get harder to find then this DREAm guitar! lol


So there it is... What are your thoughts.. any one out there that may be able to assist?

THANK YOU!- in advance
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Are the new Les Paul's made out of inferior products. It seems to me if it was made out of the same type of wood and the same pickups were used and it was adjusted and tuned correctly it would sound the same. I am not speaking from experience, I am just asking. I have a few friends that have Les Paul's from the late 90's and they love them. I am just a bass player, so I am not real educated on vintage guitars.
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same here thats why i ask =]
Hopefully we can both get some answers hahahaha
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I think you need to play every guitar you are looking at purchasing. There is a huge difference in the quality from one to another. Even cheaper types of guitars have some real gems out there. So play as many as you can and when you find it, you will know it. It will sing to you!
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What are '87 and '88 Les Pauls going for? [$]
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any wheres from oldd beat up hogs *500$ or so to great conditions near mint 1000-2000$

There not so hyped like the 50's models... so the multi thousand of dollers wont be there... but it still isnt a cheap guitar in that aspect.

I know the smartest thing would be to try it out before buying it.. but its the whole "will i find that guitar.. that year in my walk threw life" haha in front of me.

Still seeing if there is any Vintage Gitbox master in here that may know some tips on years from other years in the Les Paul speak.


( Gotta apologize, heads still ringing from 2 band rehearsals today, one with Deathroned, and another for this Beatles tribute show im playing in the end of the month... lol ROUGH day =] )
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As far as older Gibsons go I would stay away from he 74-84 era when they first shifted from the old Kalamazoo plant to the Nashville plant. That was a tough time for the Gibson co. Things turned around in 86 when Juszkiewic took the reins so by 88 they were hitting their stride again.

I haven't played any new Gibsons in the last couple years but I can say that in 2002,2003,2004 they were putting out guitars that were really, really well made and sounded great. If it were me I would look for something in that era, maybe someone got a new one and stuck it in the closet, never played it much. Those are the deals to look for.

If you really want something this super high quality check out the "Heritage" line. Those are classic Gibson guitar styles produced in Kalamazoo just like the 50's and 60s. The company is owned by ex-gibson employees.
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Thats what im talking about !!!

Thanks alot- this is what i was looking for :-)

Well, now my quest continues... to Find my sweet beauty of a L.P :-)


What models/years do you got under your belt?

(thanks ***)
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Not much to speak of. I have a 99 or 2000 LP Special but that's it. I would like to get a nice(r) Les Paul someday but I don't really play enough to justify it. I am more of a Strat guy anyway.
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If interested I have a 2006 American Fender Strat Sunburst with abalone fret markers.

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thats one nice looking strat man, I normally never thought about snagging one my self, but that is tasty as all hell!
What... you play guitar but dont dig it anymore? Gotta be some reason why you want to part with it
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