So your interested in buying a Gibson electric guitar? Congrats, I consider a Gibson to be one of the highest quality instruments on the planet.
The craftsmanship, sound quality, and overall construction is nothing short of amazing. The problem most consumers have however is simply finding out which guitar us right for them.
One of the problems with the Les Paul line is that there are simply a ton of models out there which offer both subtle and/or drastic variations. Truly, there is a Les Paul out there fit for everyone. . The first step to buying a Les Paul is figuring out what you value in a guitar.
Binding:
Most people don’t realize this but I would say only about half of the current Les Paul lineup has binding. What is binding? Binding is custom white and black plastics which are hand molded and shaped around the edges of the body and headstock of the Gibson. Basically, it gives the guitar an amazingly detailed look which is not easily replicated by other guitar makers. Binding is expensive and will drive up the overall cost of your instrument quite a bit. Take a look at Les Paul’s Black Beauty model for a clear example of binding. If this is something you can live without (it adds nothing to the instrument’s sound) than you can score yourself a less expensive Les Paul. Check out a Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany for an example of a non- binded Les Paul.
Neck Size:
Another commonly overlooked element of a Les Paul is the size of the neck. Luckily for us, they only come in two flavors: 1950s and slim 1960s style. What is the difference? Having played extensively with both, I will say that in my opinion a slim 1960s neck gives you a Les Paul which feels much more contemporary and allows for faster soloing as well as easily fingering high beyond the 12th fret. On the other hand, the 50s neck feels more robust and vintage. Try each out at a store and then decide for yourself. The wider neck is better suited for jazz and blues playing than the thinner neck, which I do prefer for rock music.
Finish:
Gibson offers almost an endless array of colors and finishes on their guitars. These can be rich and thick finishes and also thin, non existent ones where vintage wood is the focus. Again, since this is aesthetic only it us largely a matter of taste. All finishes will stand the test of time.
Pickups;
Gibson is smart to offer a ton of different pickups on their Les Pauls in order to appeal to a large market. Most Les Paul pickups are based upon the Humbucker design which offers amazingly deep lows and incredibly fast output. Some pickups sound hotter than others and thus it us important you try as many pickups as possible. Another pickup design that is popular is often found on the Vintage reissue Standard Les Pauls. The PAC pickup offers a fresher sound and is one of the newest pickup designs by Gibson to hit the market.
Tuners:
Until very recently I would not have included this as a consideration since Gibson did not offer anything but classic Grover Locking Tuners on all Les Paulsacross the board. However, with the advent of Gibson Robot Tuners ( I am not kidding) Gibson has delivered cutting edge technology to the market. Basically, the robot tuners automatically tune to whatever you want by automatically adjusting the tuners on the fly. Yes, this technology will drive up the cost of the guitar up dramatically but it is a good thing to consider. Gibson knows that most guitarists are lazy and this technology should appeal to everyone!
Final Words:
These few considerations should arm you with some basic info when you hit the music stores and actually start looking at these instruments. Don’t be afraid to let your ears make the decisions either. If you like what you hear and the guitar is feeling right, you may have a winner. Buying a guitar is a lot like buying shoes, they just have to feel right. Good luck and remember that with a Gibson you can’t really make a bad choice.
