To me, the deep "bluesy" sound of a Gibson Les Paul from those 2 humbucker pickups, the feel of the 50's style neck,
the quality components and good looks, far surpasses any guitar I have ever played.
I took my Stratocaster into Guitar Center. I found a good amp with two inputs.
I adjusted my guitar to sound as deep/beefy as possible and then found a Les Paul, adjusted it the same way and played them back-to-back. The Les Paul sounded so much better.
I guess being patient, shopping at multiple websites and multiple music centers, in multiple states, paid off.
I believe I landed a good deal on a new Gibson Standard Les Paul 50s-neck (Ebony/Black).
I verified that Gibson sells their guitars to their dealers at 1/2 their list price.
The dealers normally advertise them at 1/3 off list price and sell them at their cost when they are not meeting the Gibson quotas.
The best deal I was offered was from an out-of-state dealer in Tennessee.
I was offered 40% off list plus shipping (Gibson list price is $3,178 for LP STD 50s-neck Ebony).
I was offered $1,899 plus $30-shipping. I almost took this deal.
I kept looking on eBay and found an even better deal. I had been watching and bidding on other Les Pauls for weeks.
They were all going for close to what I would pay at Guitar Center (Sam Ash lost their Gibson dealership, because they could not keep up with Gibson's numbers).
I found the brand-new (2006) LP on eBay. A musician bought it on 5/16/06 at a Guitar Center for $2,235 with sales tax.
I have copy of his receipt.
I won the bidding at $1,351 plus shipping on 5/24. That was $884 less than what he paid 2-weeks before.
I told the guy that I still like the clean and crisp sound of a Strat, but also like the deep & chunky sound of a Les Paul.
I told him that I thought it is easier to make a Les Paul sound like a Strat than to make a Strat sound like a Les Paul. He agreed.
Many talk about how heavy a Les Paul is, compared to a Stratocaster. My Les Paul only weighs 2-pounds more than my Strat (LP=9lbs - Strat=7lbs). The LP is around 28% heavier. With a 3” guitar strap the 2 extra pound is OK.
There are deals out there. :cool:
Dennis Logan
Keep the Blues Alive
Fender Stratocaster EC spec
Gibson Les Paul Std 50s neck:cool: