LP Gas

[dragonfire709]

I've been trying to repress it for a while, but its official-I have Les Paul Gas. I have always wanted one, but never been in a band where an LP would really suit. Now my covers band is starting to pick up a fair amount of gigs I reckon I can justify another guitar.

I've been doing a bit of research and due to the use/types of venues we play and the fact that Gibsons dont seem to be as good as they used to be, I'm going to go down the Japanese route. There was a lovely Tokai on Ebay with a beaut of a quilted top, but that finished early  :(.

My real question is which of the big 3 (Tokai, Burny or Orville) should I concentrate on hunting down?

Cheers

Roy

[marauder]

Even though I dont need to spam it, as he's paid me, Juansolo's Edwards is really nice.

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=25325.0

[Philly Q]

Well, don't rule out Greco or Edwards.  Or if you have the money, Bacchus or Navigator.

If you're looking for a new guitar, reasonably priced, MIJ Tokais are probably the best in current production (IMO).  The Burny name has resurfaced recently but I think the current ones are built in China(?) - they're lower priced than Tokais, certainly.

With older models, it's all very confusing because different brands were made at the same factory, or one brand was made at different factories (e.g. Burny were made by Fernandes, Orville were made at Fujigen and Terada, I think some were even made by Tokai).  And then (as now) they made lots of similar-looking models at different price points.

So, I don't think one brand is better than another really - but some guitars have better specs than others.  Research all you can!

[HTH AMPS]

buy an older Gibson, the early 90s ones are great - my Les Paul is a '91 (or '90, can never remember which) and is great.  also played other 90s Gibsons that were spot on.

you'll still get the 90s ones for sensible money and if you get a '91, you already have a 20-year old vintage instrument  :lol:

mind you, this 1990 Orville LP Custom for £400 is worthy of serious consideration... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORVILLE-Gibson-MIJ-Les-Paul-Custom-Black-Guitar-1990-/220837425529?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item336aefb179#ht_17017wt_1139

this one might be worth the extra if the lass in the picture comes with the guitar... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gibson-Les-Paul-1958-Custom-Shop-/120765151205?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1c1e29f7e5#ht_500wt_1156  :lol:

and a '93 Standard which looks in tasty condition... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GIBSON-LES-PAUL-STANDARD-1993-/250878429270?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a69850856#ht_500wt_1156

[Sancho]

I just bought an Edwards John Sykes model Les Paul from Richtone Music in Sheffield. Good service.
The guitar itself is quite nice, definitely great value for money, but I'm not selling my Gibsons to buy more Edwards, if you know what I mean. She's definitely a step above Epiphone, but she isn't in the league of my Standards (a 93 and 00 or thereabouts)
Still, if it's a more affordable LP you're after, I definitely recommend Edwards. I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on one of their V's as well.

[dave_mc]

^ yeah, i'd agree, regarding edwardses. I'd take one sight-unseen over a gibson sight-unseen, because of the better qc, but if you can pick through a bunch of gibsons to get a "good" gibson, then you could probably do better with a "good" gibson.

Also the usual "they're not 100% made in japan" comment applies. The (2!) edwardses I've tried didn't/don't seem to have quite the mojo of some of the other MIJs- whether that's because they're not MIJ, or it's merely psychological, I don't know. However, I should point out that I thought that when I thought they were 100% MIJ, so how much is psychological, I don't know.

I have tried tokais which i'd take over any gibsons i've tried (not tried the custom shop ones, i mean the standard production US gibsons). And as far as i'm aware, they are 100% MIJ (well, the japanese-made ones, anyway, there are cheaper non-MIJ ones).

What philly's saying is worth paying attention to- while I haven't tried the others like burny or greco etc., a lot of the time they're made in the same factory, so it might boil down to which you can get a hold of most easily.

Also his warning about different models at vastly different prices looking very similar is worth paying attention to, as well. While even the cheapest MIJs are still good guitars by any stretch of the imagination, you don't want to be paying $1500 for something which is worth $500. Obviously :lol:

And any time a seller isn't sure of the model, they usually conveniently seem to assume that it's one of the dear ones... :roll: :lol:

[Telerocker]

I would look at used LP Classics from the nineties and change the (ceramic) pickups.

[dragonfire709]

I'd forgotten about Greco and Edwards-will add them to my search. I had spied the black Orville, and originally had decided on a black custom, but I havke seen some Tokai 'Standards' with some lovely tops which changed my mind-like this one;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300590009252?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_1022wt_932

I cant go too mad, so my budget is around the £500 mark, which probably rules out any Gibson, but the wife is (surprisingly) encouraging me so may be able to up that a wee bit. Maybe I'll need to thin out my collection a bit!!

Cheers guys

Roy

[Twinfan]

If you can find one, try grabbing a "Signature" Les Paul.  I used to own one, and PhillyQ now has one, and they're superb for the money.  They're around £350 if you can find one, made in Japan, and real "sleepers".

[Philly Q]

If you can find one, try grabbing a "Signature" Les Paul.  I used to own one, and PhillyQ now has one, and they're superb for the money.  They're around £350 if you can find one, made in Japan, and real "sleepers".

Yeah, they are really good - made as a limited run for Tanglewood, built at the Fujigen factory (like some Orville/Orville by Gibson models and Japanese Epiphones).

The only trouble is finding them on eBay - put "Signature" in the search and you'll get far too many results!  :lol:

I think Brow mentioned there are one or two NOS ones at his local guitar shop.

[gordiji]

the tokai's that replicate the construction of the late 50's lp's are the range  LS135 and up.the 150's are available
but about £1200. (i don't know about the vintage 'reborn' tokai's).i think they're v.good value and don't care what's written on the headstock.
i'm not sure you'd find a second hand one less than about 750 though.
the lower range (100ls down) aren't made like a traditional lp but then again neither are the cheaper gibbo's.
tokai's have fat necks, edwards thinner.the edwards maybe better value as they not as well known as tokai ,haven't looked into how they're made though.the ones for about 800quid are probably great.
richtone's a good starting point for sussing out the ranges/specs/prices of both brands.

[gordiji]

i'd be looking closely at jaunsolo's edwards in 'seconds out' if i were you!

[dave_mc]

(a) the lower range (100ls down) aren't made like a traditional lp but then again neither are the cheaper gibbo's.

(b) the edwards maybe better value as they not as well known as tokai ,haven't looked into how they're made though.the ones for about 800quid are probably great.
richtone's a good starting point for sussing out the ranges/specs/prices of both brands.

(a) yeah, exactly. While I'm not saying for a second that the cheapest MIJ Tokais are completely vintage accurate, they're at least as accurate as the gibsons at a similar price. It always mystifies me when people say the MIJs aren't accurate to Gibson specs and then advise going for a cheap gibson instead. Because they are? :lol:

(b) i'm honestly not convinced edwardses are worth £800 (richtone has some offers on at the moment, though, but not on any LPs iirc). When I got mine, they were more like £400-£500, because of the weak yen, and that's about right, if you ask me. A bit cheaper than the MIJ Tokais, and with name-brand pickups, but not 100% MIJ, sounds about right. £200 more than the MIJ Tokais? If you ask me the MIJ tokais (or maybe even those signatures, if you can find NOS ones around the £400 mark) are probably better value when they're cheaper than the edwardses.

[Sancho]

I paid mine 800 euro. Now that I have her set up with my regular strings, I'd say she's definitely worth it.

[dragonfire709]

Thanks all the words of wisdom-thats given me a lot to look at. What is the deal with the Gibson Classics? Although I'm not a name snob, it would be nice to have Gibson on the headstock!

I have being eyeing up juansolo's. it looks like a good'un, but dont know if I can free up that kind of cash at the mo.

Cheers

Roy