Need opinions: Les Paul Double Cut Faded.

[Stringz]

A local shop has one of these for $450 and I wondered if it was worth it. $450 seems kind of low for anything with Gibson on the headstock apart from a Melody Maker. Reviews seem mediocre at best for this model. Construction and parts selection seem to be popular gripes. Most feel they are not up to USA made guitar standards. Should I grab it, or pass on it?

[mockoman]

Pros: Good sounding,cool looking axe.

Cons: That faded,unfinished finish feels rough in your hands,and where your forearm sits on the body. It can be polished smooth,though,especially on the back of the neck.

The price is right,so go play it,and if there are no major problems,like a broken neck or headstock,it's worth it.

The one I owned had a major dead spot on the G string at the 12th fret,so I didn't keep it.
Mine sold new for $550,and I think they eventually went up to about $700-750.

[Stringz]

Pros: Good sounding,cool looking axe.

Cons: That faded,unfinished finish feels rough in your hands,and where your forearm sits on the body. It can be polished smooth,though,especially on the back of the neck.

The price is right,so go play it,and if there are no major problems,like a broken neck or headstock,it's worth it.

The one I owned had a major dead spot on the G string at the 12th fret,so I didn't keep it.
Mine sold new for $550,and I think they eventually went up to about $700-750.

I'll go down Monday and check it out. How would you buff up the finish to stop it from rubbing off? I notice the faded finish tends not to last very long in places that get touched a lot before it wears out.

[shark_bite]

I wish I could get one for that price. The finish will rub off, but it's like any relic-style guitar - you're kind of supposed to expect that. I thought it was really cool actually, natural wear without fake relic-ing. Just hyper-accelerated. Anyway, I would not consider that a con of the guitar - I had one for a while and it always feel really good. My gripe (and if you've done a search here you've probably seen it in print somewhere else) is that the quality was terrible. I had a LOT of issues. The worst of which I never though could/would ever happen - a tuner exploded while I was in the middle of a face-melting solo. Anyway, I got rid of it for $550 after having paid closer to $800 new. Probably more. I hated losing that money. And I liked that guitar, I just couldn't deal with the quarterly trips to the shop. But if that one's used and it's already been looked at (sharp fingerboard corners, fret ends, etc) and things check out, it's probably a great deal. The only other thing to keep in mind is it's not the world's strongest neck joint, so it's pretty easy to play out of tune if you're pusing too hard on the back of the neck.

All that said, I'd still try it one more time.

[Stringz]

I wish I could get one for that price. The finish will rub off, but it's like any relic-style guitar - you're kind of supposed to expect that. I thought it was really cool actually, natural wear without fake relic-ing. Just hyper-accelerated. Anyway, I would not consider that a con of the guitar - I had one for a while and it always feel really good. My gripe (and if you've done a search here you've probably seen it in print somewhere else) is that the quality was terrible. I had a LOT of issues. The worst of which I never though could/would ever happen - a tuner exploded while I was in the middle of a face-melting solo. Anyway, I got rid of it for $550 after having paid closer to $800 new. Probably more. I hated losing that money. And I liked that guitar, I just couldn't deal with the quarterly trips to the shop. But if that one's used and it's already been looked at (sharp fingerboard corners, fret ends, etc) and things check out, it's probably a great deal. The only other thing to keep in mind is it's not the world's strongest neck joint, so it's pretty easy to play out of tune if you're pusing too hard on the back of the neck.

All that said, I'd still try it one more time.

Did you post that on Harmony Central? I remember reading those same words there.

[shark_bite]

Yeah, one of my very few attempts to contribute a body of knowledge I used to have a lot more respect for. But it's a real crap shoot reading reviews there. You never know what anyone's using the stuff with or what their level of playing/hearing/understanding is. So now I just stick to TGP for opinions. That and my own two ears.

[YYZ]

It's a good price. They're going upwards of $600 on Ebay. I have one and it's got a lot of sustain and an open airy tone, especially with the p-90's. I got used to the faded feel at the neck. But, as mentioned you have to try it out for yourself. Here's a pic. with her sisters. She's the definitetly the "mahogany headed step-sister" but she's a keeper. And very light weight for gigging I might add, which is perhaps the main reason why I have her.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c143/JRphD/100_1335-Copy.jpg

[Stringz]

After a little more researching, I am not surprised this model wasn't more successful. Looking at the Studio, Junior, and Melody Maker, this model seemed to infringe on the territory of all three. Why would you buy a Junior with one P90, or a Melody Maker with it's more Fender like single coil(s) when you could get this with two P90's? The Studio line was pricier and those who prefer P90's to humbuckers would likely buy this instead of the Studio double cut (which is probably why Studio DC's are rarely seen). It's no wonder that Gibson kept raising the price until they managed to kill it off.

[bluesjuke]

If you want a nicer one you'll have to find a used one made until '98 IIRC.
These had the gloss finish and neck binding.
I also believe te neck was slightly larger too.

Next step is the CS models after that.

The aforementioned run around $1000. and up.

I enjoy playing the Fadeds in the store but never enough to buy one.

[mockoman]

Here's how I polished the back of the neck-wet sand (1000 grit),then rubbing compound.
Check over @ the LesPaulForum,some guys did the whole body with good results.

I agree with Bluesjuke-the earlier ones from the 90's,with neck binding,are nicer.Some of those have P100's,tho,not P90's.

I eventually moved up to a Historic single cut,but it was a lot more money-$1300,used in 2004...

[Mattbedrock]

I've got an '03 that I paid $600 for. I didn't like the faded finish, so I oversprayed it and polished it out. It is light, comfortable guitar with that great P-90 sound.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj91/Mattbedrock/LesPaulSpecialDC.jpg

My only gripe is that I prefer a bound neck or better finished fret ends.

[Stringz]

I've got an '03 that I paid $600 for. I didn't like the faded finish, so I oversprayed it and polished it out. It is light, comfortable guitar with that great P-90 sound.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj91/Mattbedrock/LesPaulSpecialDC.jpg

My only gripe is that I prefer a bound neck or better finished fret ends.

Did you do a complete refinish or just spray some clear over the faded to harden it?

[8Painting]

Check for dead spots on teh g string around the 12-14th fret

I had one, took it back, tried out another one, same problem, same spot, i dont know what it is about them.

Nice guitars for the price... but...you know, the whole dead spot thing is a killer.

[Warthog]

Very interesting. I recently bought two of these, and they both had a significant dead spot at the same place, g-string at the 12th fret. I want to love this guitar, but that's a deathly place to have a dead spot. Originally bought to use for slide, but it doesn't make a difference. It's not the fret. It seems to support the resonance theory of dead spots, and may even be related to this design. There doesn't seem to be a reasonable fix, either. Someone cheer me up.

[whitehall]

I had two of them , a red one and a yellow one. You could carve your name into the finish of the yellow one with your fingernail. Not bad guitars but the finish was very uneven. P90's on the red one were very noisy. I replaced them with P100's ....big mistake. I wound up selling both of them off.

[Stringz]

I had two of them , a red one and a yellow one. You could carve your name into the finish of the yellow one with your fingernail. Not bad guitars but the finish was very uneven. P90's on the red one were very noisy. I replaced them with P100's ....big mistake. I wound up selling both of them off.

Well, the one I was considering was put on layaway by someone before I got there. Argh! Anyway, the faded finish is supposed to be soft so that it wears off and gives a reliced look. Fadeds also look dull. I prefer a guitar to remain new and shiny looking as long as possible, though, so I want something with a hard finish. If a faded finish can be sealed in clear coat to protect it from wear, I wouldn't mind doing that. Probably be easier than stripping to bare wood and refinishing.