Epiphone Les Paul Studio vs Epiphone Les Paul Ultra iii

Kaige-Evans · 2014-09-30T10:19:51+00:00

Hi all, I am shopping for an Epiphone LP and Marshal Music seems to be the only supplier here in SA for Epi's & Gib's Between these two Epi's which on...

Epiphone Les Paul Studio vs Epiphone Les Paul Ultra iii

Kaige-Evans

Wow, thank you for all the advise Banditman.

I appreciate that you took the time to read & reply to my query. To be very honest regarding the matt & satin finish on the Gibson, I love it, I am not a glossy kind of fan.

I am not a pro player at all, this will be in fact my very 1st "self bought" guitar which will 100% be used for studio recording. I don't do gigs & I am mainly a vocalist who plays a little bit of guitar, so going over the top would be a waste. I am merely looking for a nice quality guitar that won't lose too much value the moment I swipe my card.

If I could ask some more advise on the Gibson Les Paul 60's Tribute if we could put the matt finish aside. Looking at the quality, the burstbuckers and wood quality, do you reckon that it is a good deal?

I will definitely shop around a lot more but am very intrigued by the LP 60's Tribute.

EDIT: I must also mention that I am not looking to modify the axe in any way very soon. I currently have a Kramer Neptune which I want to refurbish and play around with as soon as I have a new Les Paul replacement.

ezietsman

Kaige Evans wrote: I am not a pro player at all, this will be in fact my very 1st "self bought" guitar which will 100% be used for studio recording. I don't do gigs & I am mainly a vocalist who plays a little bit of guitar, so going over the top would be a waste. I am merely looking for a nice quality guitar that won't lose too much value the moment I swipe my card.

This is no excuse not to have a good guitar.

Kaige Evans wrote: If I could ask some more advise on the Gibson Les Paul 60's Tribute if we could put the matt finish aside. Looking at the quality, the burstbuckers and wood quality, do you reckon that it is a good deal?

Not really. They are OK as guitars go. You will lose a lot of money on it if you buy it brand new, as Singemonkey pointed out. I'd listen to him and banditman and go for a second hand instrument. You usually get something that is well looked-after, that has had a setup and so on. The new Gibson LP Studios are made from wood that is hardly any better than matchstick wood. Most definitely go for a Tokai Vintage (models LS92 to LS115), 2nd hand Gibson LP standard or one of those ESP Eclipse guitars, if you want a Les Paul style guitar.

Kaige-Evans

ez wrote:
This is no excuse not to have a good guitar.

Ok ok lol, so buying "new" is basicly a bad idea... even with a limited lifetime warranty? So where would I shop for a mint condition Les Paul? How do I know whether it is a good deal and what do I do if something that is out of my control goes wrong?

ezietsman

Kaige Evans wrote:
ez wrote:
This is no excuse not to have a good guitar.
Ok ok lol, so buying "new" is basicly a bad idea... even with a limited lifetime warranty? So where would I shop for a mint condition Les Paul? How do I know whether it is a good deal and what do I do if something that is out of my control goes wrong?

I guess the same thing the rest of us do. Look at enough of them to know when they are in good knick or not. Not much to go wrong on electric guitars, plus on the second-hand instruments most factory niggles would have been sorted out by the previous owner if not, a setup will fix it. They're not like laptops or phones. You don't need a warranty for a guitar. Don't drop them or bang the headstock against stuff (Les Paul headstocks break REALLY easily). Check for things like cracks near the headstock, how worn the frets are (frets wear down), assume the strings are old (you replace them every month yes?), make sure all the knobs work without crackle, check all the pickups make sound. Turn the tuners and see if they're smooth. There's a 101 things one can look at. DO NOT assume a brand new Gibson doesn't have problems. They were just on a ship for a number of weeks and into South Africa and the climate is different so their setups are probably shot anyway. The shop should fix them but after a change like that they need a while to settle so they may need another tweak anyway.

IceCreamMan

Kaige Evans wrote:
ez wrote:
This is no excuse not to have a good guitar.
Ok ok lol, so buying "new" is basicly a bad idea... even with a limited lifetime warranty? So where would I shop for a mint condition Les Paul? How do I know whether it is a good deal and what do I do if something that is out of my control goes wrong?

its unlikely something horrible will go wrong, guitars are robust devices....if you buy cleverly the likelihood of something failing is slim. never have I had to make a guarantee claim on a guitar...ever......

worst that could happen is that a pub or switch fails , in either case the cost of replacing it would be vastly less than the initial purchase price anyway.

but of course check stuff when buying second hand , like anything really...

ppl have mentioned Tokai's in this thread previously, I am a vocal supporter of the brand...u get top class instruments at great prices and even more so when buying them second hand......

and if you wanted anything specifically checked, there is a wealth of knowledge on the forum too who are too happy to share this knowledge.

Kaige-Evans

Thank you all for great advise, I am trying to keep an open mind here so I am going to look into some Tokai's and other LP shape guitars. ?

ZarK

Some very good advise given already...

+100 for a MIJ Tokai or PRS SE. The Tokai will look and sound like a Les Paul, the SE will have its own voice. Both are highly recommended. I'd take a second-hand example of either without any hesitation over a brand new Epi LP...

Kaige-Evans

Okay

So browsed a bit, did some homework on Tokai and I admit, they do seem to be a very good quality built guitar. I in particular like the Tokai LC 98 (wine red) & have been scouting to try and find some prices but these seem scarce. I guess I will have to search some more.

Thank you all so far!

Just something I saw while browsing for different brands :? thoughts? http://musicworx.co.za/product/epiphone-les-paul-gibson/

ZarK

Kaige Evans wrote: So browsed a bit, did some homework on Tokai and I admit, they do seem to be a very good quality built guitar. I in particular like the Tokai LC 98 (wine red) & have been scouting to try and find some prices but these seem scarce.

A great place to start would be to contact Lance (Tokai SA here on GF): lance@tokaiguitars.co.za

AlanRatcliffe

Kaige Evans wrote: I in particular like the Tokai LC 98 (wine red) & have been scouting to try and find some prices but these seem scarce.

Click this link to PM Lance Weiner. The local Tokai distributor. He'll tell you where you can find an LC98 or arrange to hook you up through one of his dealer stores.

Secondhand, they don't pop up that often. That's because a) they're not as common as Epis and b) most folk who have them keep them.

Kaige-Evans

Thank you Lance/Alan

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