What were Gibson thinking?

Innovation?
 
Since my wife gave me the okay, I've been shopping for a Gibson Les Paul for a week or two and it soon hit me that I was better off with anything pre-2015.
 
I'd find one that fits my budget, take a closer look and realize that there was something that turned me off. Typically, Min-Etune. I absolutely don't want that battery powered chunk of plastic on the back of my headstock, and there were quite a few guitars which would have been perfect otherwise that I had to discard.
 
Or then, a so-called new twist on the classic design - replacing a knob with a switch. What the heck?
 
May sound superficial, but if one's going to put 2k on a guitar, it seems legitimate to get one that's quite exactly what they want. If I pay for a Gibson Les Paul, I have a clear image in mind of what I want, and I am aware I'm also paying for the name. As such, the last thing I want is a new twist on a classic design. I'm paying for classic. I'm not going to get 12 of these in my life - even less now considering the way they inflated their prices in 2015.
 
If I wanted something else, that somehow looks like a Les Paul but different, honestly, I probably wouldn't buy a Gibson. 
 
Rant off...

I've wanted one for a long time, too, but the escalating prices keep putting it farther out of reach. I hope I'll get one some day. For Christmas I got an Epiphone Standard Plus Top Pro. It's got a flamed honeyburst top. I really like it. I know you have a couple Epiphone LP's already. Good luck on your search.

First world problems, eh ? ;)

ampfixer
I feel bad about your situation Rain. I just sold an classic style 2013 SG for $900 CDN. Things are soft up here so used guitars are readily available. If you didn't need a master volume I could definitely hook you up with an amp for a fraction of what you'll spend in the USA.
 
I built an amp I call the 59. IT's essentially a JTM45/tweed bassman head. I can't use it because it's just too loud for an apartment. It looks amazing (in my less than humble opinion) is all hand wired and will handle all sorts of different tubes. No one that I know wants a powerful amp and the lack of a name scares off the rest. I was trying to sell it for $500 and got no takers. The output transformer cost $200. It sits as eye candy in the living room.
 
The gear market is a mess right now. Everyone wants American quality but will only pay Chinese prices.

Well, it is what it is. Sure I could get a better deal under different circumstances, or if I really wanted to be patient. I can't say that I need a new guitar or an amp. The Gibson SGJ does a great job and my Epiphones cover a lot of sonic ground. Likewise, between the POD HD and a couple of little amps, I have everything covered for what I do, that is, to write and record demos.
 
There are tons of options out there which could also be worth looking into - ESP has some pretty interesting guitars, Epiphone also has a couple of guitars that are a bit more expensive but nowhere near as pricey as Gibson's. 
 
But the truth is that whatever I buy, I'll be wasting more money on alternatives than if I go and spend $3500 and get my Marshall+Gibson Les Paul. Because that's the rig that I keep coming back to, no matter how many guitars and amps I own. I'll always want that.
 
And now seems to be the right time, because after that we have the house and renovations and all the rest. It's now or never, as the song goes.
 
The good thing is that I'll be happy with a rig that isn't necessarily top of the line. I mean, a Les Paul Custom would be super nice, but I'll be 100% with something humbler.

I really love to watch Phil x play guitar and got to speak with him a couple times via phone and email. He can get any tone and feel he wants and simply kills at classic rock type stuff. He used to be an ESP endorser but I think he's now a Yamaha guy. I can tell you for sure that the next guitar I get will not be  Gibson or Fender. The only guitar I really miss is a Yamaha electric I had. They put a ton of thought into the design and used great materials. OF course I wanted a REAL guitar and got rid of it. Biggest mistake ever and I'm searching for another.
 
Musicians and gear are much like teenage girls and fashion.

https://www.gbase.com/gear?q=Gibson+Les+Paul&minYear=&maxYear=&cat=Guitars

Zonno
I like Les Pauls a lot, they look great, but for that money....
 
I'd buy a second hand well built Epiphone, with a good neck.
Bring it to a Luthier, get rid of the pick-ups, get new pots and Seymour Duncans in it.
And then you'll have a great sounding guitar.

I do have those. The Epi LP traditional comes with great sounding pick ups and has that fat neck that I love. My standard is also my go to for some things.
 
But I still want my genuine Gibson Les Paul. The Epi will always be a substitute for what I really want, and for as long as don't have exactly what I want, I'll keep on wasting money on alternatives and upgrades, always dreaming of my LP.
 
And since I now can afford it...
 
Another things is that the hardware on most Epiphones is crap - my sweat burns through that pseudo chrome in no time, and the damage is not just cosmetic. Unlike with Gibson, finding replacement parts for Epiphone can be tricky. Anyway, I'm not and I don't want to be a luthier. I just want that guitar I've wanted for so long.
 
Lastly, the day I buy the farm, my wife can resell the Gibson.
Epiphones that I'd put 1k on would still be worthless, in terms of market value. 
 
 

Thanks Julien!
 
I've heard a couple of Studios which I actually liked better than some Standards. My brother-in-law has one, I'm not sure what he put in for pick ups - it rocks though. As a matter of fact, my first pick was a very affordable used white Studio - but the seller found a buyer before I could buy.
 
The one I'm looking at now has a pair of 57 - which is what I want. Oddly enough, I'm also back to my first love in terms of color pattern - which I wasn't expecting to find in those price ranges.
 
Another one I'd be curious to try was the Custom lite - a slimmer version of the LP. But it has min-etune and that weird 3 knobs + 1 switch thingie... I know it's silly, but if I'm to pay $1500 or more for a guitar, I'd rather pick one that's exactly how I want it. Classic. Gibson can be creative elsewhere just not on my guitar.
 
 

Leadfoot
I've wanted one for a long time, too, but the escalating prices keep putting it farther out of reach. I hope I'll get one some day. For Christmas I got an Epiphone Standard Plus Top Pro. It's got a flamed honeyburst top. I really like it. I know you have a couple Epiphone LP's already. Good luck on your search.

I have the same color Epi Les Paul.  I switched out the stock pick ups for Seymour Duncan Jazz Pickups (I like super clean) and tapped the coils with a push-pull knob.  Very versatile.

That's one I own.
http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Les-Paul/Les-Paul-Traditional-PRO.aspx
 
Mine's Heritage Cherry burst, though.
Neck pickup is a Pro Bucker, Epi's version of Burstbucker.
Bridge has Alnico Classic Pro, Epi's version of a 57.
 
I love the sound of that guitar, and the neck. 
It has coil-spliting, which is nice but I really don't use it much. I'm a humbucker guy.
 
The workmanship on the guitar is actually very sloppy. And the switch ceased working correctly a little while back. But I love the way it feels and sound - they had a bunch of them but the minute I took this one in my hands, it was like an old pair of shoes. 
 
Check out the rough job and even tool marks at the heel and on the contour - made even more obvious by the otherwise lovely satin finish.

 
Or some paint that went over the binding...
 

 
Not as clear on a picture, but this looks like someone wiped paint off the binding... It's darker and reddish.
 

 
 
But it plays so well that for that price, I could not not buy it.
 
Still, by comparison, my (cheaper) Standard and my Riviera P-93 look flawless.

I need to try this one... Even though it's not that classic Les Paul
 
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-GIB-LPCT14-LIST
 
Truth is, if it had the classic configuration and no min-etune, this thing would be very high on my list. 

jamesg1213
My '79 LP Standard..
 

 
Had it nearly 20 years now, damn I love this guitar!

That's really close to what my '76 looked like!  Ah, memories...

I've got a Studio Plus, but have always wanted to get back to a Standard.  I had one in the early 80's Vintage Sunburst that I wish I never sold. 
 
As mentioned, the prices are starting to get out of reach on a new LP.  I saw the new thin model advertised and went to a local GC to try it out.  They had to get it down from up high and when they handed it to me, it had the auto tuner on the back of the neck.  I grimaced when I saw that.  How ugly.  Big turn off....I can tune my own guitar.  I've managed to find a way for the last 35 years.  The next thing I noticed was the width of the neck.  They grew.  It was uncomfortably large.  I handed it back without ever plugging it in. 
 
I told the sales guy, if Gibson asks why they are not selling, tell him that as a musician of 35 years, I hate the changes made on one of the worlds most loved instruments.  If I buy something, it will be used.