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90 's les paul standard quality

frenchphil

Active member
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May 30, 2010
Messages
1,223
hi! just a praise for my 1993 standard.

i bought it used 3 years ago after having owned r8 r9 and let me tell you the quality is superb.

it s 27 years old and evrything is flawless the nut the neck the pups rings the plastics the hardware

you just cant spot a default everything is set nicely the top carve is superb the finish is tobacco burst think the joe perry burst

i dont know how to post pictures sorry

the neck is incredible not to big more 60's style but not too thin it s not sticky of course

i only changed the pickups because the 498 et 490 sound too big and muddy to me i put a set of bkp the mule

the finish on the headstock is just fine no craks or bubbles like it happens sometimes in these years i m lucky

it s my main guitar

i also play my strat and my 1987 es 335 with shaw pups a totally different world but after a while when i get back to the standard i m always amazed at how good it sounds and how punchy

it s a beast but i can tame it when i want

congrats a million times for the quality of these guitars around that time
 

Ccapilla

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Joined
Oct 7, 2018
Messages
17
I think the mid-90s were just a generally good era for much of what was coming out of Gibson USA. Sure there are some dogs in the bunch, but generally those guitars don’t get enough credit. My main has been a 1996 Special DC and it consistently surprises me how good it is and how well it has held up. Especially something that could be found hanging on the wall at Guitar Center for under $700 at the time.

I’ve got some finish checking on the headstock which was common of that era, but everything else holds up surprisingly well and I’ve kept it over much newer and/or ”nicer” (i.e. more expensive) guitars from Gibson or other manufacturers.

It’s just good.
 

Sol

Active member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
775
My '92 standard is a case in point..
My session work was built partly on the superb way this Les Paul went to tape. I bought it new, and within months of my first session it had paid for itself due to the work I got as a result.

I don't know what it is about these' 88 - 96 Les Paul's, frankly I don't really care, they are what they are, but I totally relate to your passion for these mid 1990s guitars.
 

Sol

Active member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
775
I think the mid-90s were just a generally good era for much of what was coming out of Gibson USA. Sure there are some dogs in the bunch, but generally those guitars don’t get enough credit. My main has been a 1996 Special DC and it consistently surprises me how good it is and how well it has held up. Especially something that could be found hanging on the wall at Guitar Center for under $700 at the time.

I’ve got some finish checking on the headstock which was common of that era, but everything else holds up surprisingly well and I’ve kept it over much newer and/or ”nicer” (i.e. more expensive) guitars from Gibson or other manufacturers.

It’s just good.
This is a late reply Ccapilla, but just a brief note to say that my own 1996 Les Paul Special D/C in TV yellow, is perhaps the finest playing Les Paul I have, and those P90s with genuine sand cast alnico 5 magnets produce a range of tones I couldn't live without.
 

frenchphil

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May 30, 2010
Messages
1,223
im lucky i also have a 1987 es 335 , a fender american strat, and a chinese prs with p90.

all different pickups and guitars so i can change sounds , different tone, etc etc.... no matter what i keep coming back to my 93 standard.....i think it is when you can compare to other guitars, that you finally can make up your mind; until that , you just dont know and keep searching for tone, or you just think that there is a better guitar out there..... well there is not
 

Sol

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Oct 26, 2001
Messages
775
When you have the option of several fine electric guitars from Fender, Gibson and PRS, but find your inner compass drawing you to one over all other options you have found your primary instrument.
I've always wanted an es335 but it's never happened but know if I'd come across one before my 1992 Les Paul then today I'd probably be playing one. I'm so tuned into the Les Paul at this point that nothing else feels 'right' on my shoulder.
 

frenchphil

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May 30, 2010
Messages
1,223
When you have the option of several fine electric guitars from Fender, Gibson and PRS, but find your inner compass drawing you to one over all other options you have found your primary instrument.
I've always wanted an es335 but it's never happened but know if I'd come across one before my 1992 Les Paul then today I'd probably be playing one. I'm so tuned into the Les Paul at this point that nothing else feels 'right' on my shoulder.
i also always wanted an es 335 and i got a good one from a good era i think it s different more subtle sounds incredibly vintage like a trip back in the 50s especially on the neck pickup . the shaw pups are low output too bad you cant try my es because i m selling it right now. i have played it a few month at home and it s a fine guitar , it has been completely set up by a real luthier
 

Big Al

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Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
Well, you're gonna like what ya have, right? Everyone with a whatever year model is gonna pipe in a give testimony how that year or that era guitar is just the cats pajamas! Go figure, who'd a thunk it? Spec's change over the years. Sometimesin a big way, sometimes in small, eensy weensy ways, but for some they add up to a whole that is just right, you know, Goldielocks right. And every little Goldie one of us has a just right one of our very own.

I'm old enough, and was lucky enough, to play the whole gamet of Lesters from '52 till now and they all are good. Can't really say any stood out as turd vintage, even 2015 as much as they were dumped on, were still well made, good looking and playing guitars. A good case can be made for the validity and utility of every year. That is remarkable.
 

NINFNM

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2018
Messages
75
I also own a 92 that amazes everyone who plays it, open and bright sounding, ands It's 8,5 lbs with an in between 50's-60s profile (0,82"-0,96")
I would say it's more a matter of the woods used rather than the QC standards. It was not cosmetically flawless or perfect, but it sound better than any other I've tried. Today it's beat to hell and back:

lp2.jpg
 
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Sol

Active member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
775
Your '92 is even more worn than mine, and mine gained a Bigsby b7 (Neil Young style) Shortly after I bought it which raised the weight from 9lb 3oz to 10lb. I thought mine was light at just over 9lb but yours is featherweight for the period, thanks for sharing.
 

Sol

Active member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
775
No good period of manufacture delivers uniform quality, anymore than a bad period produces uniform junk.
However, as the yrs go by, patterns begin to appear that, over time get noticed by discerning guitar players looking for quality used instruments.
 

Big Al

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Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
The descerning guitarist looks for instruments that feature specs they deem most important and then find an example that they find most desirable. It is a personal choice and not a universal consensus.
 
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