Wanted a Gibson, tried a Gibson, now unsure

Wasnā€™t aware of the PRS single cut. SUPER similar.

Feel is so important. I think I have to try SGs as well. I go back and forward between acoustic and electric all the time and even with 10s my strat feels like it wants a light touch.

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I have a Fender Player Telecaster HH (with two alnico humbuckers). Also have a Gretsch G5420T with two Filterā€™trons, although thatā€™s a bit different.

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Iā€™ve been experimenting with strings on the LP for a while. Recently, I put 11s on it. Itā€™s still early but I like them so far. Previously I had 10ā€™s with heavier bottom strings. I liked the tone on the lower strings, but they were not balanced between highs and lows. The 11ā€™s have better balance with rich tone on the lowers and strong, bright highs.

I use 12s on my acoustic. Moving between the 2 guitars seems easier.

Weā€™ll see how I feel in a month.

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@jkahn
If the guitar is in tune but open chords etc. sound sharp (and you are not pressing too hard) it will undoubtedly be that the nut slots have been deliberately kept high in the manufacture. Such is the way of things. It is easier to have nut slots filed down a fraction then it is to replace a nut if they have been taken too low.

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Good luck with your search JK, if hope one speaks to you. :slight_smile:

I love the LPā€™s and I would like to get one down the line.

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The thing is that there are lots of LP shape guitars out there with less weight, different shape necks and different pickups. My opinion on a Gibson is that if you want the holy grail then be prepared to pay for it. Normans rare guitars has plenty of them of different prices; so has Andertons in the UK; best thing to do is go have a look see.
An old Gibson is an investment, but newer ones not so much.
But donā€™t rule out the alternatives; there are lots of really good ones!

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I remember people saying the exact same thing in the early 90s, sigh

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Maybe so but itā€™s the 50ā€™s and early 60ā€™s ones that fetch the big money, the newer ones have been made using mass production techniques so there is more of them about, rarity is an expensive commodity!

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The Telecaster HHā€™s look great, Iā€™m curious, do they sound big-humbucker rockā€™nā€™roll like the LPā€™s do? The humbucker on my squier strat doesnā€™t at ALL sound big rock - it sounds like a single coil with less hum. But thatā€™s a budget guitar, etc etc vs a Fender.

Thatā€™s very interesting @Richard_close2u and not something I thought of. So that might indicate the guitar wants a luthier setup? I would have though that for how expensive the Gibsons are they would try to send them from the factory in a decent condition.

Iā€™m hoping one speaks to me as well! Iā€™ve been drooling over them for a while. Thatā€™s why playing this one shocked me, I expected to just want it.

I definitely wonā€™t be looking for a vintage one, I wouldnā€™t know what Iā€™m looking at and would for sure make the wrong choice! Not to mention theyā€™re extremely expensive. TBH Iā€™m more in favour of the consistent QC that mass production techniques can bring, Iā€™m after a great guitar that plays well rather than a classic.

In that case I donā€™t think that you will go wrong with a Studio model, if itā€™s playability and sound that you really want they take some beating; thatā€™s where my money would go if it had to be a Gibson.

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Iā€™d say the Tele HH has the big rock sound, but itā€™s not exactly the same as as LP. To my ears the Tele HH has more mid-emphasis and less bass emphasis. (Personally, I consider that a good thing; a tone with a lot of mid-emphasis tends to cut well.)

Hereā€™s a video demoing a Tele HH and an Epiphone LP back to back. Later in the video he adds more gain. You can hear a difference, but I suspect you could dial in almost the exact same tone on either guitar if you add EQ, et cetera.

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Not sure if I can add to whatā€™s already been said, but I own a Gibson LP studio. I absolutely love mine! Iā€™ve had no issues as far as tuning, intonation etc, but mine was checked out for those things prior to purchase.

I will say re: the neck that I do have to make sure and keep it clean. For some reason the finish tends to pick up dirt/sweat/grime easier than my other guitar (a Fender player strat) and it can get a bit ā€œstickyā€ after Iā€™ve played it for a while. But thatā€™s an easy enough fix.

Overall, I love mine and I am very happy with my purchase. I never thought I would end up with a LP, so Iā€™m happy I tried one just to see what it was like.

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Wow, that was an awesome video. Real good way to compare the two. Clean the differences were more obvious to me, with a bit of gain they were extremely similar. Listened through my AirPods pro.

Tele HH is on my wish list, this makes me want it more.

That sounds like what I felt in the store. I think this particular guitar has been there a while.

What do you clean the neck with?

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That definitely could be it, especially if it has been played by a lot of people.

I use a clean microfiber cloth for when it just needs light cleaning and Gibson guitar polish when it needs a bit more help. I bought them both online through Gibson.

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I couldnā€™t stop thinking about guitars (a standard day I think :rofl:), today I went to my local guitar shop at lunchtime to try a few more guitars. Including a couple of LPā€™s.

Gibson LP Tribute - finish a bit ugly, felt better than the Studio I tried, but didnā€™t sound right.
Gibson LP Standard. Awesome. Felt great, sounded great. Too expensive though!

Tried something else that was HH. Loved it, ended up buying it! I didnā€™t mean to buy another guitar yet but with that one in my hands I couldnā€™t resist! :scream: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :rofl:. Not saying what it is until I get it home and take some photos sometimeā€¦

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Canā€™t wait to see, what youā€™ve boughtā€¦ happy NGD! Enjoy it and let us see your new family member!

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Happy NGD, JK. Oh you tease. Get the picture posted, man!!! :smiley:

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Happy NGD! Excited to see what you ended up getting.

Out of curiosity what finish/color were you testing out with the tribute? Not a huge fan of the Tobacco burst or the cherry burst, but I love the iced tea and honey burst ones!

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