LP Custom players school me on what to avoid

[Nick]

I am in the market...

As I have started writing loads of material for a post metal (cult of luna, isis etc) band that will get to work after lockdown, if lockdown ever fucking ends here. I'm looking at esp full thickness eclipses and LPC'S. Don't want to be caught playing a superstrat in that genre...I am not a fucking savage after all....

I have no clue about gibson other than I have always liked silverburst lpcs but I am not putting down 5-10 k for one so I will need to accept another finish.

What years should I avoid? When were gibson good/really shit etc

Please give me all your anecdotal info for me to sift through

[dpm]

Late 80's, early 90's were generally pretty good. They had to try in that era because they weren't cool.
That said, you need to look carefully at any guitar of that age. Fret wear? Has it been refretted? What's the work like? Has the headstock been repaired? Quality of repair? Don't let that stop you, a good headstock repair is incredibly strong and will reduce the cost of the guitar.
More generally, they're patchy, but a decent one from a "bad" era could be a good buy.

[Leon]

I'm going to be super helpful by saying that I have no idea

My Les Paul is my favorite player. It's a 2013 Studio model, and all I really know about it that makes it different from most others is that it has a volute on the neck. I've played it so much that I just had it refretted, and I'll never sell it.

[Nick]

Late 80's, early 90's were generally pretty good. They had to try in that era because they weren't cool.
That said, you need to look carefully at any guitar of that age. Fret wear? Has it been refretted? What's the work like? Has the headstock been repaired? Quality of repair? Don't let that stop you, a good headstock repair is incredibly strong and will reduce the cost of the guitar.
More generally, they're patchy, but a decent one from a "bad" era could be a good buy.

Yeah I'm well versed in stuff like fret wear and general upkeep. I'm more interested in finding out when ones coming out the factory were likely to be duds.

I'm absolutely not ever going to buy anything that's been fucked up and repaired though, marks on the finish are enough to put me off.

[Nick]

Also be interested in anyones thoughts on best neck profiles? I assume the current ones are all fixed profile for whatever the spec of a 2021 lpc is. But what is the difference between 50's/60's etc

[Leon]

The Epiphone I had with a "60's slim taper" profile was too thin for me. It was very Ibanez "D" shaped. My '13 studio is much more comfortable.

[Nick]

The Epiphone I had with a "60's slim taper" profile was too thin for me. It was very Ibanez "D" shaped. My '13 studio is much more comfortable.

Because its wider/fatter?

I like ibanez profiles so maybe 60s is for me

[Leon]

Flatter, for the most part.

Yeah, you may like it! It was a "Tribute Plus" model, and was actually fairly nice for the $450 I paid for it.

[dpm]

marks on the finish are enough to put me off.

Fair enough. Gibson finishes are easily damaged so you'll want to look at fairly recent stuff IMO. I haven't been in repairs for a while so the last 5 to 10 years I haven't really looked closely. Definitely avoid early 2000s.

The ESP stuff has tougher finish and is generally better built

[Leon]

The ESP stuff has tougher finish and is generally better built

Is the same true of Edwards?

[Nick]

Fair enough. Gibson finishes are easily damaged so you'll want to look at fairly recent stuff IMO. I haven't been in repairs for a while so the last 5 to 10 years I haven't really looked closely. Definitely avoid early 2000s.

The ESP stuff has tougher finish and is generally better built

Thanks, good to know. I do prefer the set in heel carve they use on most of the eclipses to be honest. But aesthetics are where true tone lies as we all know and the look of a lpc is undeniable

[dpm]

Is the same true of Edwards?

Should be. Info I'm seeing is that all the finish work is done in Japan

[Budda]

LPC's should all be the '59 profile (only shared with the Studio's, oddly enough) as far as necks go. In between the 50's thick and 60's slim, and a personal favourite. That's going off memory though - google the specs of any given year and it should come up.

As for which years to avoid - there's always gonna be gems and duds. Don't buy sight unseen and you should be fine.

[Alan]

I have 3 LPC's ('87,'94,'03) currently as well as an Edwards I'm probably going to sell at some point. For the record, the Edwards is in the ballpark but to me it doesn't quite feel the same in my hands. It is a really nice guitar though. I've done a lot of research but am by no means an expert, so take it all with a grain of salt.

Neck sizes vary by the year and model, on top of being hand shaped. 60s style necks will be thinner, while 50s style necks thicker. The 68 reissues tend to be on the bigger side. Norlin era tend to be on the thinner side. While Norlin era (70s to early/mid 80s, though nothing really changed build wise till '88ish) guitars get a bad rap, there are just as many great ones out there as there are dogs. Some of the 70s era have fretless wonder frets, which are narrow and really low. Norlin era guitars tend to be on the heavier side as well, some pushing 12 or 13lbs. Even outside of that area, some will push 10 or 11lbs as well.. they tend to be heavy guitars.

Gibson pots tend to be crappy, and in a lot of cases test out to be between 230-300k instead of 500k for a typical volume/tone put. I've swapped the harnesses in all of mine and it made a difference.

The big thing is to be careful of fakes. There are a ton of them out there with people trying to pass them off as real Gibsons. The usual telltale signs are:

Upper bout misshapen
Lower horn misshapen
Epiphone hardware
Headstock not the right shape
Customs should have mother of pearl inlays and headstock logo/diamond, not plastic
Unless they were refretted, Gibson's will have fret nibs along the edge of the frets
Gibson's have an acorn nut for a truss rod adjustment

My personal preference for years are the late 70s up to 2002/2003ish. I've read that the new ones built from 2019 to now are really great too. But there are duds in every era unfortunately.

[Ryan]

I'm quite partial to the late 70's/early 80's ones with the maple neck and Volute, but there's lots to look out for in those as well... not to mention they're getting silly expensive these days as well. The modern ones are just as hit and miss as the old ones really, but the advantage is that they're easier to find an play lots of of and that's probably where I'd start... when lockdown ends of course...

I've also got a Japanese Epiphone LPC-90 that has the Gibson headstock that's a bloody great Les Paul, has a polly finish so you're less likely to get marks like you would with a lacquer finish on a Gibson, again the prices seem to have gone a bit wild on these, but if you can find one for under a grand I'd definitely go check it out. Theres also plenty of other old Japanese brands worth checking out like Burny, Greco and Tokai, if you're not married to getting a Gibson.

[Markus]

I'm quite partial to the late 70's/early 80's ones with the maple neck and Volute, but there's lots to look out for in those as well... not to mention they're getting silly expensive these days as well. The modern ones are just as hit and miss as the old ones really, but the advantage is that they're easier to find an play lots of of and that's probably where I'd start... when lockdown ends of course...

I've also got a Japanese Epiphone LPC-90 that has the Gibson headstock that's a bloody great Les Paul, has a polly finish so you're less likely to get marks like you would with a lacquer finish on a Gibson, again the prices seem to have gone a bit wild on these, but if you can find one for under a grand I'd definitely go check it out. Theres also plenty of other old Japanese brands worth checking out like Burny, Greco and Tokai, if you're not married to getting a Gibson.

All Japanese Tokai's I've played are nice - and I own a Greco LP Standard, which is cool.

New Tokais are actually available as well, even in Europe. Musamaailma in Helsinki have a bunch of them for sale, including some cool LPCs

https://www.musamaailma.fi/en/kitaristi/sahkokitarat/perinteiset/tokai-lc-107s-ebony-black-sahkokitara-kotelo

https://www.musamaailma.fi/en/kitaristi/sahkokitarat/perinteiset?gtr_bodyshape=260&series=155%2C135&valmistaja=75

[Nick]

Yeah there are a few of the Japanese ones floating about reverb. I'd likely go with an esp over one of them

[Markus]

Yeah there are a few of the Japanese ones floating about reverb. I'd likely go with an esp over one of them

Have you checked out Navigator, ESP's high-end traditional LPs?

Fujigen also make some under their own brand

https://fgnguitars.com/eg/neo-classic/nlc20emh/

[Nick]

Have you checked out Navigator, ESP's high-end traditional LPs?

I have now. There are a couple of beat up ones on reverb. In fairness part of what I like about lp customs is the look of the binding/inlays and most specifically headstock logo so I'd likely go with gibson assuming I find one I like the feel of and if not, just go with an eclipse which I know I'll like.

[Lozek]

Keeping an eye on this thread as I've had LP custom GAs attacks for many years

[Lozek]

I've also got a Japanese Epiphone LPC-90 that has the Gibson headstock that's a bloody great Les Paul

Just so you know, I have dibs on your guitar, agreed with Matt. I made him an offer on it about 10 minutes after you decided to take it back, therefore I am next in line to the throne.

[Ryan]

Just so you know, I have dibs on your guitar, agreed with Matt. I made him an offer on it about 10 minutes after you decided to take it back, therefore I am next in line to the throne.

I think I remember him saying that when I bought it back from him. Hopefully im not stupid enough to sell it again, but I’ll let you know if I am.

[Budda]

Forgot to mention heritage 157s in this conversation.

[jacksonplayer]

I'd need to have a sense of what your budget is to give you any realistic advice.

I'd generally want to play any Gibson before I'd be willing to plunk down that much money for an LPC, regardless of era.

If you're adventurous enough to shop from Japan, there are tons of great lawsuit LPCs under various brands. Some of them are dead-on feature-wise, including ebony boards and MOP inlays. They run the price spectrum from stupidly incredible deals (My FGN NLC-200 came from Japan to my door for about $900) to just as expensive as Gibson (ESP Navigator). A new Tokai LC-230 is a full-feature LPC, not the cheapo 100-series version with the rosewood board, but a new one will set you back about $2500. Of course, that's a little over half of what a new Gibson LPC costs. Looking for this Tokai used on Japanese sites would probably be a decent path to getting a good deal.

The full-thickness ESP and LTD Eclipses look LPC-ish, but they don't sound much like a LP...

The Heritage H-157 is a great suggestion. Just know that they can vary quite a bit. My old one was an 11 lb. beast that wasn't especially great sounding, but others I've played are where you want them to be. You'll have to look for a used one, as Heritage has pared back its product offerings and isn't currently making the 157, other than a few custom orders.

[Nick]

I'd need to have a sense of what your budget is to give you any realistic advice.

I'd generally want to play any Gibson before I'd be willing to plunk down that much money for an LPC, regardless of era.

If you're adventurous enough to shop from Japan, there are tons of great lawsuit LPCs under various brands. Some of them are dead-on feature-wise, including ebony boards and MOP inlays. They run the price spectrum from stupidly incredible deals (My FGN NLC-200 came from Japan to my door for about $900) to just as expensive as Gibson (ESP Navigator). A new Tokai LC-230 is a full-feature LPC, not the cheapo 100-series version with the rosewood board, but a new one will set you back about $2500. Of course, that's a little over half of what a new Gibson LPC costs. Looking for this Tokai used on Japanese sites would probably be a decent path to getting a good deal.

The full-thickness ESP and LTD Eclipses look LPC-ish, but they don't sound much like a LP...

The Heritage H-157 is a great suggestion. Just know that they can vary quite a bit. My old one was an 11 lb. beast that wasn't especially great sounding, but others I've played are where you want them to be. You'll have to look for a used one, as Heritage has pared back its product offerings and isn't currently making the 157, other than a few custom orders.

My budget is pretty reasonable but obviously id rather not pay the 4k or so they want for a new one....

I had a look at the heritage stuff and I am not a fan of the headstocks. Look like nice guitars though and annoyingly dont have scratchplates which is something i would rather not have on a LP.

Looks like i just need to wait out lockdown and then put my hands on one and see what I think.

I know i will like an eclipse as it will have a far more familiar feel as i am used to superstrats and I have owned a 1000 series Ltd EC before and liked it.