les paul..which is the most famous of them all

brazmonki

Just a random question that popped into my head.

What is the most popular Les Paul model? (Sold, preferred, on paper - it does not matter what angle you take)

nick

Desired is probably a '59

singemonkey

Probably an Epiphone LP Standard.

vic

brazmonki wrote: Just a random question that popped into my head.

What is the most popular Les Paul model? (Sold, preferred, on paper - it does not matter what angle you take)

The sunburst models of '58-'60. These are the most collectable and they fetch (or use to fetch) ridiculously high prices.

vic

singemonkey wrote: Probably an Epiphone LP Standard.

although the Tokai LP's are also increasing in popularity ?

brazmonki

vic wrote:
brazmonki wrote: Just a random question that popped into my head.

What is the most popular Les Paul model? (Sold, preferred, on paper - it does not matter what angle you take)
The sunburst models of '58-'60. These are the most collectable and they fetch (or use to fetch) ridiculously high prices.

Ok, thought about this question more and realized that this can not be answered as one guitar being the ultimate. You simply have to divide it into categories. So can one say that the 58-60 are the "most desired to be collected" LP?

brazmonki

I think that because Gibson LP are so popular to copy (epiphone, tokai, esp etc) let's stick to gibson. ? or this conversation might just get out of hand... ?

vic

brazmonki wrote:
vic wrote:
brazmonki wrote: Just a random question that popped into my head.

What is the most popular Les Paul model? (Sold, preferred, on paper - it does not matter what angle you take)
The sunburst models of '58-'60. These are the most collectable and they fetch (or use to fetch) ridiculously high prices.
Ok, thought about this question more and realized that this can not be answered as one guitar being the ultimate. You simply have to divide it into categories. So can one say that the 58-60 are the "most desired to be collected" LP?

Yes definately...... although the '57 Goldtop (these have humbuckers) and the '53-'56 P90 goldtop models are also desireable. The '52 and early '53 models are not good players due to a poorly designed bridge system.

brazmonki

right, thanks vic ?

What would you guys then say is the most famous, i.e. what do the most people play on/own?

this is getting interesting as I like LP's, and trying to learn more about the rich history.

BTW, check this info I got from wikipedia about the man himself (never knew what SG meant and now I do! ? ):

The arrangement persisted until 1961, when declining sales prompted Gibson to change the design without Paul's knowledge, creating a much thinner, lighter and more aggressive-looking instrument with two cutaway "horns" instead of one. Paul said he first saw the "new" Gibson Les Paul in a music-store window, and disliked it. Although his contract required him to pose with the guitar, he said it was not "his" instrument and asked Gibson to remove his name from the headstock. Others claimed that Paul ended his endorsement contract with Gibson during his divorce to avoid having his wife get his endorsement money.[27] Gibson renamed the guitar "Gibson SG", which stands for "Solid Guitar", and it also became one of the company's best sellers.

shaundtsl

If I had to say, I would have to agree with singemonkey and say the most popular played one would be the epiphone lp standard due to affordability. I had one until a few months ago and I knew more people who had epiphones lp's than gibson lp's.

vic

brazmonki wrote: right, thanks vic ?

What would you guys then say is the most famous, i.e. what do the most people play on/own?this is getting interesting as I like LP's, and trying to learn more about the rich history.

BTW, check this info I got from wikipedia about the man himself (never knew what SG meant and now I do! ? ):

The arrangement persisted until 1961, when declining sales prompted Gibson to change the design without Paul's knowledge, creating a much thinner, lighter and more aggressive-looking instrument with two cutaway "horns" instead of one. Paul said he first saw the "new" Gibson Les Paul in a music-store window, and disliked it. Although his contract required him to pose with the guitar, he said it was not "his" instrument and asked Gibson to remove his name from the headstock. Others claimed that Paul ended his endorsement contract with Gibson during his divorce to avoid having his wife get his endorsement money.[27] Gibson renamed the guitar "Gibson SG", which stands for "Solid Guitar", and it also became one of the company's best sellers.

Well, if we talk only Gibson, I would say the "Gibson Les Paul Standard", that means the non-customshop models due to being more affordable than the expensive customshop ones

brazmonki

vic wrote:
brazmonki wrote: right, thanks vic ?

What would you guys then say is the most famous, i.e. what do the most people play on/own?this is getting interesting as I like LP's, and trying to learn more about the rich history.

BTW, check this info I got from wikipedia about the man himself (never knew what SG meant and now I do! ? ):

The arrangement persisted until 1961, when declining sales prompted Gibson to change the design without Paul's knowledge, creating a much thinner, lighter and more aggressive-looking instrument with two cutaway "horns" instead of one. Paul said he first saw the "new" Gibson Les Paul in a music-store window, and disliked it. Although his contract required him to pose with the guitar, he said it was not "his" instrument and asked Gibson to remove his name from the headstock. Others claimed that Paul ended his endorsement contract with Gibson during his divorce to avoid having his wife get his endorsement money.[27] Gibson renamed the guitar "Gibson SG", which stands for "Solid Guitar", and it also became one of the company's best sellers.
Well, if we talk only Gibson, I would say the "Gibson Les Paul Standard", that means the non-customshop models due to being more affordable than the expensive customshop ones

Is the studio not cheaper? i.e. more affordable?

singemonkey

brazmonki wrote:
vic wrote:
brazmonki wrote: Just a random question that popped into my head.

What is the most popular Les Paul model? (Sold, preferred, on paper - it does not matter what angle you take)
The sunburst models of '58-'60. These are the most collectable and they fetch (or use to fetch) ridiculously high prices.
Ok, thought about this question more and realized that this can not be answered as one guitar being the ultimate. You simply have to divide it into categories. So can one say that the 58-60 are the "most desired to be collected" LP?

Yes. And out of the three years, 1959 is the most prized. And out of the '59s, the flametop '59s are the most prized. This is mostly because that year is generally regarded to have the best neck shape (not too fat like a '58, but not too thin like a '60) of all of them.

So a '59 flametop in good condition can go for upwards of $400,000. But it's a little irrelevant now, because there are few people rich enough to actually play them (i.e., not care if they get damaged and devalued) so they're mostly purely collector's items now. An exception would be Jimmy Page - who has so much freakin loot that if both his '59s were nicked, he could just buy two more.

aubs1

brazmonki

vic wrote:
brazmonki wrote: right, thanks vic ?

What would you guys then say is the most famous, i.e. what do the most people play on/own?this is getting interesting as I like LP's, and trying to learn more about the rich history.

BTW, check this info I got from wikipedia about the man himself (never knew what SG meant and now I do! ? ):

The arrangement persisted until 1961, when declining sales prompted Gibson to change the design without Paul's knowledge, creating a much thinner, lighter and more aggressive-looking instrument with two cutaway "horns" instead of one. Paul said he first saw the "new" Gibson Les Paul in a music-store window, and disliked it. Although his contract required him to pose with the guitar, he said it was not "his" instrument and asked Gibson to remove his name from the headstock. Others claimed that Paul ended his endorsement contract with Gibson during his divorce to avoid having his wife get his endorsement money.[27] Gibson renamed the guitar "Gibson SG", which stands for "Solid Guitar", and it also became one of the company's best sellers.
Well, if we talk only Gibson, I would say the "Gibson Les Paul Standard", that means the non-customshop models due to being more affordable than the expensive customshop ones

What I meant to say was "Let's use Gibson as the LP is most famously linked with Gibson guitars"

ezietsman

If you say "Famous LP", two comes to mind first (in my mind)

Pearly Gates owned Billy Gibbons

The '59 Burst owned by Peter Green and then Gary Moore (Moore owned it for a long time before selling it for a lot of money).
You can hear this guitar on the same song in two different pairs of hands if you listen to these clips:

First up, Peter Green

Then Gary Moore

Then there is also the "Appetite for Destruction" Les Paul that Slash used on that album that is famously NOT a Gibson, although it says Gibson on the headstock.

singemonkey

I'm trying to get what you're asking. The most famous (played by more famous players than any other - or players are famous for playing them) LP is the '59 LP Standard: Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Peter Green, Martin Barre, Billy Gibbons, etc., etc..

The most popular Gibson LP? It is quite clearly the Gibson LP Studio because it's considerably cheaper than any other kind of LP.

The most famous existing individual guitars? Jimmy Page's no.1 '59 LP Standard, Peter Green/Gary Moore's '59 Standard, Billy Gibbons's "Pearly Gates" '59 LP Standard, etc. All the ones Gibson has made sigature models of.

What Gibson LP would players buy if price was no object? Most would opt for Custom Shop reissues of the '50s LPs.

brazmonki

singemonkey wrote: I'm trying to get what you're asking. The most famous (played by more famous players than any other - or players are famous for playing them) LP is the '59 LP Standard: Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Peter Green, Martin Barre, Billy Gibbons, etc., etc..

The most popular Gibson LP? It is quite clearly the Gibson LP Studio because it's considerably cheaper than any other kind of LP.

The most famous existing individual guitars? Jimmy Page's no.1 '59 LP Standard, Peter Green/Gary Moore's '59 Standard, Billy Gibbons's "Pearly Gates" '59 LP Standard, etc. All the ones Gibson has made sigature models of.

What Gibson LP would players buy if price was no object? Most would opt for Custom Shop reissues of the '50s LPs.

yep, this pretty much answers everything. all fields that I can think of. thanks man! ?

Reinhard

I'll toss Mike Bloomfield and Duane Allman's Bursts into the mix as well. Also one can't forget the Beano burst either.
When it comes to famous left handed Les Pauls, Sir Paul McCartney's burst would qualify. He still plays it live too. Almost forgot about Paul Kossoffs's burst, the there is the mongrel burst Mark Bolan played. Some famous guitars the lot of them.

tonerider

singemonkey wrote: So a '59 flametop in good condition can go for upwards of $400,000. But it's a little irrelevant now, because there are few people rich enough to actually play them (i.e., not care if they get damaged and devalued) so they're mostly purely collector's items now. An exception would be Jimmy Page - who has so much freakin loot that if both his '59s were nicked, he could just buy two more.

Not THAT easily! To my knowledge only 643 Gibson Les Paul Standards (including Goldtops) were made during 1959. Total sunbursts made between 1958 and 1960 numbers only 1700. First you have to FIND one. Most are locked away in vaults in the US and Japan or the Smithsonian, and off course those that belong to the very lucky few. ?