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

 
Something from my Youtube channel.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO_Li1Y-bG0&list=UU8iaJ_l--aj-qUlNCiuSoKQ Neck tenons on the regular LPs and the Historic LPs.
 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8iaJ_l--aj-qUlNCiuSoKQ
 
J

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. 
 
 

Remember that the LP Studio models did not have a maple cap but are all mahogany and the pickup choices are different, some high output pups sound a little muddy while others shine. You can't go wrong with a JB in the bridge on any of them but I had a 91 Studio with ebony fret board that had a PAF PRO in the neck and without the maple cap it was MUD. I put Classic 57s in it and it made a huge difference. It also had a coil tap on the neck and I really liked that, a cool darkish Strat sound on board!
Happy hunting!
J

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.
 
 

Meanwhile...
http://www2.gibson.com/Ne...T-Mark-Lui-Guitar.aspx
 
Liberace signature?

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.

In 1980 I was hell bent on getting a LP. I had a 70's 3 bolt strat at the time that I wanted to trade. I went to Ed's used guitars in Miami and played Les Pauls all afternoon. There was a '79 LP custom BB that I kept going back to but it was out of my price range. My buddy (our drummer) insisted that I get the BB but I told him I couldn't swing it. He pulled $200 out of his pocket and said pay me back whenever. Well I still have that axe, talk about sentimental value. F.w.i.w... my buddy has haS a great career in music and comes through town every once in awhile:http://www.ludwig-drums.com/features/interviews/damico2008.php
 
Rocky

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've only had three Les Pauls.  The first was a '76 in your typical "Play that funky music/Jimmy Page" burst finish.  The second was actually my favorite (an emerald studio dual-cut that I patterned all my customs around) and a Classic.  I don't have any electronic pics of the '76, but here are the other two!