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2018 Les Paul Classic

Elmore

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 10, 2003
Messages
1,853
That looks pretty good to me. Especially that top carve. Like a '68.
 

StSpider

Active member
Joined
Aug 24, 2002
Messages
2,148
I love that these come with the ABR bridge like the good old days of the Les Paul Classic. Too bad about the slim taper neck..
 

Aahzz

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2002
Messages
399
I love the slim taper neck, but am not a fan of the P90s. I want my Lesters to have humbuckers.
 

Thundermtn

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Messages
548
I think this will be a hit. Great balance of desirable features at a price point that is fair for what they're offering. I've been wanting to add a P90 setup to my group and this one is nice looking. Can anyone confirm that the new classics are not weight relieved now. I was only able to find that spec. in one article.
 
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clearmudd

Active member
Joined
May 26, 2016
Messages
499
Yeah,...those are very cool, pelham blue with the black plastic is on my radar!
 

jb_abides

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Messages
5,274
That's why God and Seymour Duncan created stacked coil P90s.

God => Stecked P-90s, Devil => G-Force ... Charlie, your on a roll :salude

OP, not only do Staked P-90s aim for noiseless single coil Gibson sounds, there are actual Soapbar Humbuckers from many pickup makers, SD, DiMarizo for example. :hank
 

charlie051

New member
Joined
Oct 21, 2017
Messages
29
God => Stecked P-90s, Devil => G-Force ... Charlie, your on a roll :salude

OP, not only do Staked P-90s aim for noiseless single coil Gibson sounds, there are actual Soapbar Humbuckers from many pickup makers, SD, DiMarizo for example. :hank

Lol...I know. Some days just go places. I've become a fan of Dimarzio's most recent pickup designs. Many ways to quiet things down and still retain a good single coil sound. I'd be reluctant to do so on a valuable 50s or 60s guitar. On modern intruments? :hmm No reason not to, imho....especially if it's THE ONE you just have to own.
 

charlie051

New member
Joined
Oct 21, 2017
Messages
29
God => Stecked P-90s, Devil => G-Force ... Charlie, your on a roll :salude

OP, not only do Staked P-90s aim for noiseless single coil Gibson sounds, there are actual Soapbar Humbuckers from many pickup makers, SD, DiMarizo for example. :hank

Imho, what's great about SD, Dimarzio, etc. is that in modern non-vintage guitars, you can sound great and almost eliminate that stupid 60 cycle hum without routing your guitar. We should all be thankful for those guys. :dude:
 

dcdefend

New member
Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
29
I've been thinking about getting a Les Paul Goldtop with P90s and this seems a good option without the price of an R6. This sites I've looked at say it is not weight relieved. Maybe, Gibson has done something right for a change.
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
Can someone please explain to me the reason why Gibson USA loves to use the "Slim Taper Neck" This neck profile to me is just wrong .I would think that the 59 shape would be the most popular one ? Is it because the powers that be (Henry) want you to spring for the Custom shop offering with that specific profile ?
 

Thundermtn

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Messages
548
I think it has to do with selling more guitars.

The Classic has until this year been kind of the entry model into a real Les Paul. Maybe not so much anymore with the Studio having a bound FB, but they're both a lower end guitar built to hit a price point. With so many other companies having slim necks the LP Cl is not instantly too fat for someone that is moving up from an import guitar, it makes them an easy transition.

Some people actually prefer a slim neck so having a slim offering is a good move, if you want a fat neck there are several other ways to go.

I played a couple '18 classics this past weekend and they both played great. The necks of those two were a little fatter by feel than my '01 Classic and very comfortable without feeling too slim. They were much different from each other in tone and weight though with the lighter guitar having a brighter tone with more snarl with the volume maxed, the controls would allow for a great range of usable tones. The heavier one was really warm, and slightly muddy sounding, the tone knob needed to be maxed out for my ear. They didn't have the GT version but the black was nice looking, the blue doesn't look any better in person to me but is accurately represented in shade of color by the pic's from Gibson. Both were quality built, I was looking hard for flaws and didn't find any on either guitar. Necks were decent stiff for their size and the binding job was really comfortable, better than on my older one for sure.
 

qcvol

New member
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
Messages
238
I just bought a black one from Wildwood. The slim taper neck isn't as slim as the 1995 Classic I had. This is my first guitar with P-90s and I love them.
 

grimlyflick

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 27, 2005
Messages
1,276
I think it has to do with selling more guitars.

The Classic has until this year been kind of the entry model into a real Les Paul. Maybe not so much anymore with the Studio having a bound FB, but they're both a lower end guitar built to hit a price point. With so many other companies having slim necks the LP Cl is not instantly too fat for someone that is moving up from an import guitar, it makes them an easy transition.

Some people actually prefer a slim neck so having a slim offering is a good move, if you want a fat neck there are several other ways to go.

I played a couple '18 classics this past weekend and they both played great. The necks of those two were a little fatter by feel than my '01 Classic and very comfortable without feeling too slim. They were much different from each other in tone and weight though with the lighter guitar having a brighter tone with more snarl with the volume maxed, the controls would allow for a great range of usable tones. The heavier one was really warm, and slightly muddy sounding, the tone knob needed to be maxed out for my ear. They didn't have the GT version but the black was nice looking, the blue doesn't look any better in person to me but is accurately represented in shade of color by the pic's from Gibson. Both were quality built, I was looking hard for flaws and didn't find any on either guitar. Necks were decent stiff for their size and the binding job was really comfortable, better than on my older one for sure.

I think you’ll find many will disagree with the Classic being a lower end/entry level Les Paul.

The slim necks and hotter pickups were aimed at the hot pickup/Wizard neck players who may be thinking of moving over to a Les Paul. Replace the pickups and it’s on par with a modern Standard.

I had a slim neck 2006, and still own a 2017 along with my 2005 Classic and apart from a few spec differences there’s nothing between them.
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
I think you’ll find many will disagree with the Classic being a lower end/entry level Les Paul.

The slim necks and hotter pickups were aimed at the hot pickup/Wizard neck players who may be thinking of moving over to a Les Paul. Replace the pickups and it’s on par with a modern Standard.

I had a slim neck 2006, and still own a 2017 along with my 2005 Classic and apart from a few spec differences there’s nothing between them.
I agree 100% with you that when I bought my premium plus classic in 1994 I first swapped out the pickups for Gibson 57 Classics and except for the slim taper neck and the Swiss cheese holes this was a really good guitar for me and if I had known better I would have swapped out the wiring harness for some 500K pots and better caps which I might still do .Put it this way for the price point back in 1994 for me it was the next best thing until I bought my historic 2014 R9 . Far from an entry level guitar .
 

Thundermtn

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Messages
548
You guys didn't understand what I was saying, and are using older classics for your example. I love my older classic!

The older ones are great guitars, and you could get them with one piece backs, dark boards and great tops and an ABR bridge. The smaller neck, price and p/ups helped get Ibanez players on the Gibson bandwagon. I never said they were inferior, just that they had some features that made sense to import players. I was one of those guys. When I picked up a .93+ neck R8 it was so giant I wouldn't even strum it, felt it and immediately hung it back on the wall.

The new ones don't have the great specs the old ones did. They are multiple piece bodies, and are dramatically more affordable than a standard. They are not typically topped that great. I'm just pointing out that they don't have the tennon, bridge etc.... that are considered the top shelf features that come with CS guitars. That doesn't make them bad, it just makes them more affordable, thus an easier "entry" into a LP.

An Epiphone is an entry LP.
 
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