A Huge generalisational Question.

[Matt77]

Save up until you have enough for a Les Paul.
In the meantime, buy a 2nd hand epi or tokai that you can sell when you get the real deal. You will get most of your money back for the 2nd hand epi or tokai; just view it like a rental

[dave_mc]

Granted. I wasn't trying to say you won't lose money, just trying to say that Gibsons tend to gain it back again faster than most.

sure :)

[Bradock PI]

If the money was there and someone said they wanted to get a Gibson I would say go and buy one now, but since we are talking about finance here thats why I advised the copy (SH) + bkps.

I was not talking about buying something just to sell I was talking about saving for the Gibson and then when you have the £1400 or so in the bank and the copy to sell you can really determine if the Gibson is worth the difference. You will know what you gave up to have it.

Then there is no chance that 6 months down the line you are paying for something you dont want anymore.

[HTH AMPS]

buying a brand new guitar is like throwing a 1/4 of it's value down the drain soon as you leave the store - they don't hold their value at all. 

be smart and play some used guitars, you'll save enough to buy some BKPs and have change left over.

I've only ever bought used guitars except my first guitar and a Les Paul classic plus bought for £1600 and sold a couple of years later for £1250.  All my other guitars have been used and when sold I've always made my money back.

[morgasm]

$%&# it get the Gibson :lol: If you can definitely afford the monthly payments and you definitely want the Les Paul that much...
Let's assume you're getting about £5 an hour, and the LP Standard is rocking up to about £1400 nowadays, that's 280 hours of work, that's 16800 minutes, that's 1008000 seconds of your life. If 11.7 solid days work is worth a Gibson to you then do it!

Also make sure you check what you're paying APR-wise on a finance gig... Anything more than 0% and ur getting ripped off! :lol:

+9999

[morgasm]

i have a custom shop warren haynes les paul and i love it. theres something a bit magical about a good les paul i think. its not my main guitar at all and i could point out some design flaws that have been with the les paul forever but there is still something magical about it... i know that sounds like a stupid spiritual thing to say but its true ! when i wake up and look at my guitars the les paul gives off a nice warm glow of goodness which other (arguably better) guitars dont. im pretty sure i wouldent get that from an epiphone... i would pay the extra chunk for the smiles.

[dave_mc]

buying a brand new guitar is like throwing a 1/4 of it's value down the drain soon as you leave the store - they don't hold their value at all. 

be smart and play some used guitars, you'll save enough to buy some BKPs and have change left over.

I've only ever bought used guitars except my first guitar and a Les Paul classic plus bought for £1600 and sold a couple of years later for £1250.  All my other guitars have been used and when sold I've always made my money back.

to some people, it's worth the extra to get something which you know is new. As long as you know that you're paying more and are ok with that, that doesn't make you stupid. it's just a different opinion.