Les Paul GuitarsI have held a few and picked for a few minutes but never really had the time to expl

Never played an Epi one I liked other than the short lived Elitest line.

Played and own/owned more than a few, having a couple in the herd is a must have for me.

My current fav is a lovely flametop from 2013, it's on the right:




and in front:




It has coil taps & boost, one of the best playing/most versatile  LP's I've used. A keeper for sure.

Seems to me I remember seeing Les Paul models with hollowed out spaces in the body to lighten it. Don't remember the year/s

Looks like you run a music store

Cool, thanks!!!

Been working on guitars for over 40 years, 99 out of 100 factory fresh usually need a better nut.
I'm talking full replacement, not just tweaking.
Bone or ivory mammoth tusk are my first choices.

One of the cheapest items on a guitar that can make or break it, yet most folks even guitar techs ignore it more or less.

Not only is there usually an issue with slot binding affecting tuning stability issues, but the string spacing & height

as well as the fall back and angling to the respective tuners is more often than not bad overall.

I have had various Lester’s over the years. Most of them have been heavy. I’m primarily a strat player and although the Lester is a nice change , not so much if the guitar is too heavy. Love the sound and how they play. I have had a few Epis and recommending running the racks and coming to your own conclusion about them. The nut is the weakness of Gibson’s, but easily remedied. Finding a lighter one , if that’s a deal breaker , is a big part of the battle. I bought a Tribute LP that has the ultra modern relief and weighs less than 8 lbs. I would say if trying a bunch is an option , do that. Otherwise make sure a good return policy is in place.

Don’t necessarily expect the Les Paul to replace your tele and you’ll be fine. Look at it as an added dimension to your tool box . It might replace it, but if it doesn’t , that’s ok.

IMHO, Les Paul burst's are one of the prettiest looking guitars ever made. I had a 71 Deluxe....it was heavy, but played and sounded fantastic...

I've only owned tele's for the last 7 years or so...and one of the big reasons is simplicity and location of controls....I'd have a Lester in a minute if they made the controls like a tele.....

but then it wouldn't be a Les Paul..

Another really fine Les Paul-alike is the PRS Bernie Marsden model. Even the SE (import) version is amazingly good.  I have the SE and it's a favorite of mine because it has huge bang for the buck:



A really affordable way to get into a Les Paul is a 50s or 60s tribute model. The general difference between them is the neck carve; the 50s is fatter and the 60s is skinnier. Pick what you like and go from there. I have a 50s trib goldtop with P90s and it's a fantastic player.  The reduced price reflects in the lack of dee-lux appointments like super glossy finish, binding, headstock inlay, etc.  But the basic ingredients are all there and they sound the business 100%.

One thing to consider is the pickups.  It's difficult to say what's best because they all sound fantastic.  The best advice is to take a look at the instruments of players whose music you like, and see what their guitars are equipped with.  That can help you decide whether you want full-size humbuckers, P90s, or mini-humbuckers as used on the LP Deluxe models.  Many modern-production models have unique switching options for even more tone selections such as coil splitting, phase switching, series/parallel coils, etc.  Some players use this stuff and love it, but I have found it mostly unnecessary since I tend to prefer basic controls.

I have a '96 LP Classic 60 in cherry sunburst. It is everything a Les Paul is most known for: killer looks, killer tone, and it's heavy. I replaced the snot green tuner buttons years ago because they look nothing like what's supposed to be on a Gibson. I don't play it much anymore because of the skinnyish neck.



This one is a more recent-production (2014) R8 from the custom shop.  It's chambered and weighs in at 7.2 lbs--lighter than my CS Telecaster.  The chunkier neck and lighter weight makes playing it a real pleasure.  It is everything a Les Paul is supposed to be, but there's something else in the recipe that I cannot define; it is a holy grail guitar because it stays in perfect tune, plays in perfect tune, and sometimes seems to play itself.  It is really a magical beast of a guitar.  I cannot imagine a better Les Paul than this one.

Does your '84 have bound body and neck? My '84 does though it's a sunburst. People call 'em a "studio standard" sometimes 'cause of the binding. I think the studios started in "82 and had the binding for a while.

I posted this in Peegoo's Brian Ray thread, but it's worth posting here, and well worth the 34 minutes of your life.

This is the dream Gibson collection, some of these Les Pauls and 335s are one of ones.

Unbelievable collection. John Shanks.

I like Les Paul Studios. They are "real" Gibson Les Pauls, just a bit thinner and no binding. They are also cheap enough so that it's not the end of the world if they get dinged up a bit.

That being said, I'm very intrigued by those Les Paul Tributes. They seem really nice.

I had a Historic Gold Top and sold it, could not bond with it at all. P90's rock, even in a much  lesser model.