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View Full Version : Played some nice Les Pauls yesterday.



Plank_Spanker
September 21st, 2008, 04:53 PM
I had some time to kill and went to GC to do it. I played a new Standard, an Axcess, a Supreme, and a Classic.

The new Standard was nice - played great. The tone pots don't have the same linearity to them that the pots on my Standard have. They sound like they're rolling right off around 4. The clear control cavity plate is a little cheesy, but overall it was a nice guitar. The locking tuners are a nice addition.

The Axcess was beautiful - much nicer looking in person than pics on the web. I love the body contour on the neck heel and the small heel. The fit of the Floyd was nice, as was the nut. It's a well built guitar. This guitar is a "rocker". I really like it, even if I'm not a Floyd user.

The Supreme was pure eye candy. It has a chunky body. The flame on the back of the one I played was as nice as the top. The lack of a control cavity plate is a show stopper for me. It's a collector's piece. While it played nice, I just don't get the figured back and the lack of access to the pots. It's definitely not marketed to the "players".

The nicest player was the Classic. The one I played was done in some sort of antique burst with aged looking binding. It played great and felt really good to me. Short on the eye candy, but long on the mojo.

As far as "Plek" goes, I really didn't experience any out of body nirvana from that. The Plek'ed guitars played nice, but not anything above what I own now.

It was an fun and informative way to kill some time.

Spudman
September 21st, 2008, 10:54 PM
I mentioned in the Geoff Tate thread that I tried out an expensive 58 Les Paul reissue and although it was nice I didn't get any wowee factor from it either. Good thing huh? Saves us a ton of cash that way.:D

hubberjub
September 22nd, 2008, 10:57 AM
Was it one of the 2008 Les Paul Standards? How did you like the asymetrical neck? They are supposed to be pretty comfortable.

Plank_Spanker
September 22nd, 2008, 12:21 PM
The Standard was a 2008. The neck felt fine to me, but I've never been too picky about necks.

Rocket
September 22nd, 2008, 01:14 PM
I played a LP asymmetrical neck 2 weeks ago. I found it initially foreign feeling and slightly clumsy but became tolerable after a short time. I suspect that it would become second nature if I bought it and played it regularly.
The problem I see is what would I do with the rest of my guitars if I became used to it? It's different enough to be a permanent adjustment, (for me anyway.)

hubberjub
September 22nd, 2008, 02:48 PM
That is my feeling as well. After having played the guitar for 18 years I have become pretty familiar with a traditionally shaped neck. It might be a benefit for a good guitarist. I think it would just throw me off.

ZMAN
September 22nd, 2008, 04:18 PM
Interesting: I thought they were showing the clear control cavity plate on the web site to show the new electronics. How did the weight on the Standard feel. I just bought a 96 Standard and it runs about 9 Lbs. My new Studio is probably 7.5 lbs. They adverstise a plain or flame maple top, but I have yet to see one with a plain top.
If you go on Musicians friend's web site and look at the Gibson Standard in pictures 13 and 14 they show a cross section of the neck profile, and the way they have strenthened the neck joint.

hubberjub
September 22nd, 2008, 04:36 PM
I saw the new longer tennon. I was never worried about my Les Paul breaking there. The headstock has always been their weak point. Both of my Gibsons have headstock repairs.

Plank_Spanker
September 24th, 2008, 10:48 AM
Interesting: I thought they were showing the clear control cavity plate on the web site to show the new electronics. How did the weight on the Standard feel. I just bought a 96 Standard and it runs about 9 Lbs. My new Studio is probably 7.5 lbs. They adverstise a plain or flame maple top, but I have yet to see one with a plain top.
If you go on Musicians friend's web site and look at the Gibson Standard in pictures 13 and 14 they show a cross section of the neck profile, and the way they have strenthened the neck joint.

The weight felt pretty close to my Standard - around 8 pounds, and the clear control cavity cover isn't just for demo models. It's tinted dark.................just looks strange to me.

ZMAN
September 24th, 2008, 03:33 PM
I talked to my guitar tech and he has 2 or 3 coming in hopefully in the near future. I asked him about the plain tops and they are only on the solid colors which makes sense. He figures the new neck is something he had always looked for in a guitar. He is one of the better players in the area.
Should be interesting to see how they stack up against the older models.