Hi,
I've read a lot of bashing of the 2015 LP lineup and to be fair, Gibson made a huge mistake. I don't think it was the radical changes alone because that is a matter of personal preference. I suspect it was the lack of choice and the 29% price increase that was the major insult to what could have otherwise been a minor injury.
Well.. I have to sincerely thank you all for the bashing you gave Gibson and the wider guitar community who voted with their wallets and boycotted the lineup because the effect of that was to provoke a massive price reduction to deal with the backlog of slow moving stock here in the UK (and probably everywhere else), with the result that I have recently walked away with a stunning specimen of a 2015 Classic in Cherry Burst for less than the price of a USA bog-standard Fender, or any other guitar in that same class. In fact, as I traded a Strat I never played much anymore, I only had to add a couple of hundred quid. So I feel like I have walked away with a lot of guitar for the money.. so again Thanks!
Here is my quick take. The fit & finish on the one I got is flawless, In fact I've never seen such precision on an LP before. It's almost PRS like. I had to sniff it just to make sure it was nitro.. and yes.. it has that sweet sweet smell (you know what I mean). Moving onto the features that seem to polarize people;
The wider neck. This one is probably the biggest issue for many as you cannot undo it. I like it. I'm no shredder, but I appreciate having a big flat fretting space. It doesn't suit the monkey-grip style of holding, but I find it excellent for thumb behind the neck playing.
The zero fret adjustable nut. This is a great feature and I hope they keep offering it (if you want it) because I find it hugely practical for getting the guitar set up exactly how you like it.
The GForce tuner. This is no biggie because you can remove it if you really don't like it, but I say give it a chance because in my experience so far, it really does work! Although manual tuning is easy enough, you forget it is there until you need to re-tune. I told myself I would remove it, and maybe I will one day if it breaks or stops working, but until it that day, I am enjoying the convenience.
The Logo. Ok it is fugly, but you get over that really quickly because you don't see it when playing. (That's what you got a guitar for in the first place right
The hologram. Yes, it's a bit cheesy but you forget it is there even quicker.
In summary. Because of the price drop, I think it is a great guitar for the money because I like the different features and care less about the visuals. I should add at this point that I have an R7 Goldtop and an Ebony Custom. Both as traditional as they come so I still have that fix. I may even go as far as to say that if you have never owned a Les Paul, do not go for the 2015 as your first because it's not 'traditional' in feel or vibe and you owe it to yourself to have that experience. But if you already have those in your stable, I think the 2015 does bring something different to the mix that has some real utility to it.
(To overstate it for clarity, ONLY now.. after the big price drop)
So back to the question on the thread, does anyone else actually like the 2015 LP?
Regards,
Malc
I've read a lot of bashing of the 2015 LP lineup and to be fair, Gibson made a huge mistake. I don't think it was the radical changes alone because that is a matter of personal preference. I suspect it was the lack of choice and the 29% price increase that was the major insult to what could have otherwise been a minor injury.
Well.. I have to sincerely thank you all for the bashing you gave Gibson and the wider guitar community who voted with their wallets and boycotted the lineup because the effect of that was to provoke a massive price reduction to deal with the backlog of slow moving stock here in the UK (and probably everywhere else), with the result that I have recently walked away with a stunning specimen of a 2015 Classic in Cherry Burst for less than the price of a USA bog-standard Fender, or any other guitar in that same class. In fact, as I traded a Strat I never played much anymore, I only had to add a couple of hundred quid. So I feel like I have walked away with a lot of guitar for the money.. so again Thanks!
Here is my quick take. The fit & finish on the one I got is flawless, In fact I've never seen such precision on an LP before. It's almost PRS like. I had to sniff it just to make sure it was nitro.. and yes.. it has that sweet sweet smell (you know what I mean). Moving onto the features that seem to polarize people;
The wider neck. This one is probably the biggest issue for many as you cannot undo it. I like it. I'm no shredder, but I appreciate having a big flat fretting space. It doesn't suit the monkey-grip style of holding, but I find it excellent for thumb behind the neck playing.
The zero fret adjustable nut. This is a great feature and I hope they keep offering it (if you want it) because I find it hugely practical for getting the guitar set up exactly how you like it.
The GForce tuner. This is no biggie because you can remove it if you really don't like it, but I say give it a chance because in my experience so far, it really does work! Although manual tuning is easy enough, you forget it is there until you need to re-tune. I told myself I would remove it, and maybe I will one day if it breaks or stops working, but until it that day, I am enjoying the convenience.
The Logo. Ok it is fugly, but you get over that really quickly because you don't see it when playing. (That's what you got a guitar for in the first place right
The hologram. Yes, it's a bit cheesy but you forget it is there even quicker.
In summary. Because of the price drop, I think it is a great guitar for the money because I like the different features and care less about the visuals. I should add at this point that I have an R7 Goldtop and an Ebony Custom. Both as traditional as they come so I still have that fix. I may even go as far as to say that if you have never owned a Les Paul, do not go for the 2015 as your first because it's not 'traditional' in feel or vibe and you owe it to yourself to have that experience. But if you already have those in your stable, I think the 2015 does bring something different to the mix that has some real utility to it.
(To overstate it for clarity, ONLY now.. after the big price drop)
So back to the question on the thread, does anyone else actually like the 2015 LP?
Regards,
Malc
