MF's Gibson USA Les Paul for $849.99...?

[Timmo]

So a friend of mine calls me over to check out this Gibson Les Paul from Musician's Friend that he bought for his son for Christmas.
It is a USA made Gibson and only comes in a washed out cherry satin finish and they are selling it for $849.99 with a Gibson USA hardshell case.
Needless to say I could not wait to tear this guitar to pieces not only by playing it but by being the "guitar snob" I am known to be. I'm working on this though...........times change.
Anyway, here are some observations:
I am one of those guys that happens to like my Les Paul's to have some weight to them ( how weird is that?) and this LP lacks a little in weight and it's not the loudest/chunkiest LP I've ever played HOWEVER,
For the money..........WOW ! Best 'bang for the buck' I've seen in years for a USA made piece.
Comes stock with Gibson Burstbucker 2 & 3 humbuckers which are very articulate with a great vibe and sustain forever.
The setup out of the box was wonderful! I didn't think Gibson even knew how to do this sort of thing anymore. The fretwork is great, no sharp edges, all seated well, neck straight as an arrow with just the right amount of relief, et., etc. I could go on but you get the pic.
Now I know how the price is kept down.
For example, 3 piece body, 3 piece neck, 2 piece mahogany top, satin finish, etc. but I was and still am very impressed with this product and Gibson deserves a BIG THUMBS UP for it.
Nice to see a more affordable USA made Gibson Les Paul made available to us "kids".................
Now, if Gibson could just get their Historic line of Les Pauls to play this well out of the box they just maybe on to something.

 

[tennisplayer]

I went in and bought one 2 weks ago. I posted here about it but got no responses. I agree with you, mine is simply perfect. Great value.

 

[Timmo]

I just felt compelled to pass along what I think is a true bargain these days amoung all the high priced gear that gets so much press here.
Yes, a 'great value' no doubt.
Heck, I even like the color and finish.........
:AOK

 

[Bluedawg]

Rumor has it at the Les Paul forum that Gibson has invested in at least one PLEK machine. That may explain the good fret work.

Maybe we'll be seeing better fret work out of them now.

I hope.

I'll have to keep an eye out for one of those LPs.

 

[Chiba]

Why would they buy a PLEK, take the time & expense to get somebody (or multiple somebodies) trained on it, and then use it only on their cheapest instruments? Doesn't make sense to me - you'd think they'd be all over announcing the 'new addition to the custom shop' or whatever, touting its praises for improving the quality of either ALL their guitars or at least the high-end or historic ones.

--chiba

 

[NuSkoolTone]

Well I don't know much about the system itself or fretwork, but I would guess it either

a) Gets the job done faster

or

b) Yeilds more consistency

or

c) both

If "c" is correct I could see gibson saving some $$$
since time is money, and more consistency might be quicker QC or less QC needed regarding fretwork.

Even if these crazy ideas are correct, I'd be shocked to see Gibson pass any savings on production costs to the consumer!

 

[rpavich]

I just bought an ES335 Custom shop in faded cherry satin finish..I'll keep you posted on if the quality is this good...

mine was cheap also...1599.00 as opposed to the 2500+ ones in regular finishes..

bob

 

[A440]

custom shop 335 for that price ?? I think the satin finish is a std 335.

correct me if I'm wrong !

 

[rpavich]

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[A440]

thx bro. brain fart on my end

I thought you meant historic

 

[rpavich]

No problem A,
I'm just hoping that the quality is ok...you know the Gibson horror stories...

bob

 

[twoheadedboy]

There's still some deals to be had from Gibson. The $650 Les Paul Junior I got is amazing. Needed a new bridge, but it was still an amazing deal.

 

[trouw2112]

I bought one of the vintage mahogany cheapy LPs and it's a keeper. I have had tons of LPs including premium models and custom shop models. Quite a few people dissed these models when they came out, but I would take this guitar for 850 over a standard for 2000+. It sounds great, the worn brown finish is cool looking, in a stripped down kind of way. The weight is good and the feel of the back of the neck is the smoothest of any LP I've played. The guitar is very resonant and the fretwork and inlays are perfect. The pickup cavity cover doesn't sit quite even with the body, but I can live with it. Maybe I just got a good one, but I would check them out if you get a chance.

 

[buddastrat]

Sounds cool. Have any pics. I haven't seen those. I prefer a raw or satin feel and wondering what Gibson puts on the neck to protect it. ??

 

[trouw2112]

My camera sucks. The finish is a thin satin matte type finish. The wood isn't sanded as fine as I would like, but it still feels better than glossy nitro IMO

[/IMG]

 

[trouw2112]

The worn brown is made for GC and the red for MF. I got mine on Ebay for 850 new with OHSC. I changed the bridge hummer to a Duncan JB, aside from that she was great right out of the box.