anyone ever use the lp custom lite?

[littleredguitars2]

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-USA/Les-Paul-Custom-Lite.aspx

Ive been really curious about these.  I know that they don't come with ebony finger boards but I think the rose wood might help make up some Smoothness That may be lost in the weight relieving.  Not even the normal les Paul customs come with ebony anymore  . They use richlite now.  So basically I'm just wondering if this les Paul custom lite really will sound like a les Paul custom when it comes down to it.

[Alex]

So you're effectively getting an ESP Eclipse sans the ebony fretboard, great neck and extra jumbo frets, top craftmanship and Gotoh hardware, but with the worst bridge humbucker that Gibson actually makes? I don't know, that really depends on the price point and how much you need to have Gibson on the headstock (or how averse you are to flag inlays).

I'm sorry, but for me, this would be a defnite NO. If you want a Gibson Custom, for me  it would have to be full thickness, MAPLE neck & EBONY fingerboad (because otherwise you might as well buy a black Studio or Standard) and 57 humbuckers. The only things that fit are the mahogany/maple body and the look at first glance. I'm pretty sure you'd get a better deal on a used Gibson Custom in black.

[Dave Sloven]

If you want a thin Les Paul shaped guitar go the other direction and get one of the recent Melody Maker LPs.  At least they were cheap and they have their own distinctive sound.  A great punk guitar.  I saw the guitarist from Malaysian punk band Vaarallinen (I know, weird for Malaysian band to have Finnish name) the other week here in Adelaide.  That thing cut through the mix like a m*th*rf*ck*er.  Would make more sense than having a low-fat version of a Les Paul Custom.

[Philly Q]

So you're effectively getting an ESP Eclipse sans the ebony fretboard, great neck and extra jumbo frets, top craftmanship and Gotoh hardware, but with the worst bridge humbucker that Gibson actually makes? I don't know, that really depends on the price point and how much you need to have Gibson on the headstock (or how averse you are to flag inlays).

I agree about the ebony, I'm no fan of the 498T/490R, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with Gibson's hardware (although I do prefer Gotoh to Grover, it's hardly a deal breaker).  I totally disagree about the neck, the Gibson neck shape is far preferable to the ESP (personal opinion, of course).

A thinner, lighter Les Paul Custom was almost a brilliant idea.  If this had an ebony - or even richlite - board I'd be all over it (I would, though, pull out the stupid coil split switch and add a second tone control).

Horses for courses.

[littleredguitars2]

So you're effectively getting an ESP Eclipse sans the ebony fretboard, great neck and extra jumbo frets, top craftmanship and Gotoh hardware, but with the worst bridge humbucker that Gibson actually makes? I don't know, that really depends on the price point and how much you need to have Gibson on the headstock (or how averse you are to flag inlays).

I'm sorry, but for me, this would be a defnite NO. If you want a Gibson Custom, for me  it would have to be full thickness, MAPLE neck & EBONY fingerboad (because otherwise you might as well buy a black Studio or Standard) and 57 humbuckers. The only things that fit are the mahogany/maple body and the look at first glance. I'm pretty sure you'd get a better deal on a used Gibson Custom in black.

you make some solid points.

i'm not saying i'm gonna run out and buy one. just curious if it was even worth the $1500 price tag

[Philly Q]

So you're effectively getting an ESP Eclipse sans the ebony fretboard, great neck and extra jumbo frets, top craftmanship and Gotoh hardware, but with the worst bridge humbucker that Gibson actually makes? I don't know, that really depends on the price point and how much you need to have Gibson on the headstock (or how averse you are to flag inlays).

I'm sorry, but for me, this would be a defnite NO. If you want a Gibson Custom, for me  it would have to be full thickness, MAPLE neck & EBONY fingerboad (because otherwise you might as well buy a black Studio or Standard) and 57 humbuckers. The only things that fit are the mahogany/maple body and the look at first glance. I'm pretty sure you'd get a better deal on a used Gibson Custom in black.

you make some solid points.

i'm not saying i'm gonna run out and buy one. just curious if it was even worth the $1500 price tag

An original 1950s spec Les Paul Custom would have a mahogany - not maple - neck and a mahogany body without a maple top, but I assume Alex was expressing a personal preference for a maple neck and maple top.

This is a fair point for anyone who wants a "proper" Les Paul Custom, but that's not why Gibson have introduced the Custom Lite.  It's meant to be a lighter, more manageable LPC for those who find a traditional LPC too heavy and unwieldy.

So yes, if you "just" want a Les Paul Custom, look out for a used example.  The Custom Lite shouldn't be dismissed as some kind of bad "copy" of a Custom, it's a different guitar aimed at a different group of customers.

[Alex]

An original 1950s spec Les Paul Custom would have a mahogany - not maple - neck and a mahogany body without a maple top, but I assume Alex was expressing a personal preference for a maple neck and maple top.

This is a fair point for anyone who wants a "proper" Les Paul Custom, but that's not why Gibson have introduced the Custom Lite.  It's meant to be a lighter, more manageable LPC for those who find a traditional LPC too heavy and unwieldy.

So yes, if you "just" want a Les Paul Custom, look out for a used example.  The Custom Lite shouldn't be dismissed as some kind of bad "copy" of a Custom, it's a different guitar aimed at a different group of customers.

I actually know they were all mahogany first ("fretless wonder")  :D, but figured that information wasn't relevant to the OP. To my knowledge Gibson hasn't made them that way for a very long time, except for some expensive custom shop runs. Who'd nowadays want a guitar anyway with extra low frets?

[Alex]

So you're effectively getting an ESP Eclipse sans the ebony fretboard, great neck and extra jumbo frets, top craftmanship and Gotoh hardware, but with the worst bridge humbucker that Gibson actually makes? I don't know, that really depends on the price point and how much you need to have Gibson on the headstock (or how averse you are to flag inlays).

I agree about the ebony, I'm no fan of the 498T/490R, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with Gibson's hardware (although I do prefer Gotoh to Grover, it's hardly a deal breaker).  I totally disagree about the neck, the Gibson neck shape is far preferable to the ESP (personal opinion, of course).

A thinner, lighter Les Paul Custom was almost a brilliant idea.  If this had an ebony - or even richlite - board I'd be all over it (I would, though, pull out the stupid coil split switch and add a second tone control).

Horses for courses.

But the neck is the best part on the ESP! Great playability even past the 12th fret.

[Alex]

Totally unrelated to all the points above, I wonder if this is a sign that Gibson is no longer getting enough quantities of Ebony wood to put Ebony fretboards on "cheaper" guitars (i.e. non-Custom Shop models). I also wonder if it's only a matter of time till we see other manufacturers increasingly reserve real Ebony only for the top prize model.

[Philly Q]

I know Gibson have been having trouble getting supplies of ebony - and rosewood - since their run-in with the US authorities over (allegedly) purchasing illegally harvested timber from Madagascar and India.

Hence the use of baked maple, obeche and richlite fingerboards.  They were also using laminated rosewood boards, even on Custom Shop models, for a short time (pretty much the whole of 2012 I think, my own LP probably falls into this category, although it's impossible to tell without removing the nut  :? ).  Even the current Custom Shop Les Paul Custom (but not the more expensive '57 reissue) has a richlite board.

It doesn't seem to have noticeably affected other manufacturers though.

I know Taylor Guitars have bought an ebony mill in Cameroon to to try to make sure supplies are used in a more sustainable manner.

 

[dingleberry]

Had a few custom lites come through my shop, while playing them you felt a difference in weight/feel but in a blind tone test back to back vs a full-weight custom you couldn't definitively tell a significant difference

[littleredguitars2]

Had a few custom lites come through my shop, while playing them you felt a difference in weight/feel but in a blind tone test back to back vs a full-weight custom you couldn't definitively tell a significant difference

That's what I was trying to find out.  Thanks!

[oncesolemn]

It's interesting how many comments are written on several threads actually, regarding a genuine dislike of the Gibson 498 ..A notable Les Paul user in Billy Duffy appears to have harnessed its capabilities rather well over the years don't you think?-and seems very happy with it!..(check recent interview in Guitarist).. or it could simply be that it is Billy playing it of course!

I'm no guitar legend, but never had a dramatically bad experience with the 498 that preceded my change over to our preferred brand of pickups..

Does evryone here hate the 498 then?!

[littleredguitars2]

every guitar i've had with a 498 in it just seemed like it could sound better. i've always had other guitars with different pickups that sounded better

[Philly Q]

I thought Billy Duffy used Duncan JBs, in both bridge and (rather strangely) neck positions?  He certainly did during his long hair rock god phase, circa Sonic Temple.

The 498T is OK, I think it probably suits Les Pauls rather better than SGs, even though Gibson use it in both.  Personally I always find it rather "messy" sounding, that's a very unscientific description I realise....

(And yes, that is probably largely down to my own very limited capabilities, as I've been reminded whilst playing for a couple of hours this morning  :| .... no 498s involved there, though)