Today was the first day of our weekend and we had 2 things on the schedule.
 
 
First, drop by to the NSPCA in the hope of adopting a 4th cat. We'd seen a few pics of baby cats they had for adoption and were quite enthusiast about 3 little sisters, black and all. 
 
Second, visit Guitar Center for me to try a couple of SGs, and as my wife decided while we were on our way, buy one.
 
We spent an hour at the shelter, going from room to room and back and forth trying to see if anything magic happened. As it turned out, none of those cats was ours, none of them really clicked w/ us. Or then, they had issues w/ other cats, which isn't an option for us.
 
Oh well, that'll wait. We'll try to locate other shelters on the web tonight. On to Guitar Center.
 
They didn't have the SG I was looking (Black G400 Pro) for but they had quite a few of them, including the very similar Faded G400. I've tried them all - almost. The Faded was the worst of the bunch, certainly one of the worst guitar I've played in a store in years. The others ran from passable to ok. I even tried the Gibsons. 
 
Nope. Just not for me. I realized how accustomed I had become to the weight of the Les Paul, how it sits firmly against you and makes you feel totally grounded. I also realized that just because they had similar bridges didn't mean that I'd feel at home playing a SG. 
 
What really disappoint me was that this ruined a potential chance for me to add a different axe to my arsenal for a very reasonable price and to have something I can work on improving. I'd see little point in buying a second Les Paul Standard or some cheaper models. 
 
I've seen a few interesting used Les Pauls - one with EMGs and a Floyd like tremolo - but I'm too much of a traditional-style fan. 
 
Anyway after discussing it for a bit and looking at my options, my wife figured out that maybe we could put a bit more on the guitar, which would allow me to maybe grab one of the "pro" series Les Paul - mine's a standard. So we'll probably visit one or two music store again tomorrow. 
 
I'm thinking one of these would be nice.
 
Ebony, totally similar to my current standard LP but different stock pick-ups. But I have a thing for duplicates. :P
 

 
Or then, a long time fantasy, but totally outside my usual palette - the Heritage Cherry Sunburst :
 

 
I love that flat type of finish - not sure how you call that? -  I think it'd be the opposite of your AAA Maple type of finish... Reminds me of my old hero Ace Frehley's main Les Paul in the mid 70s.
 
If I can find one of these and if it's as nice as my current standard, I'm sold.
 
They also come Goldtop, but the above two are my main picks for the moment.
 
And as I was drooling over a couple of Gibsons they had on display, my wife vanished in the bass dept. for a minute and came back with a tiny shortscale Squier Bronco Bass. It was dirt cheap. Probably not the best option for recording, but she wanted a bass NOW and I had somehow hijacked the budget by switching from a SG to a LP. 
 
Anyway, it's her first bass. :) And it's fun to play. And I had lots of fun giving her a quick lesson - she knows theory, so I can explain how it works and she picks it on the spot. I've already taught her Seven Nation Army and she sort of figured out THE riff she's always wanted to play on bass - the chrus in Zeppelin's Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. 
 
She rocks, man! :P
 
 
 
 

I can't believe you haven't visited Ed Roman's guitar wonderland yet...
 
(BTW - "A Day For Disappointments"  Sounds like a good album title!  LOL.)

Now that you mention it, I guess I could use that. lol
 
Roman - from what I saw on the web that's way beyond my budget. Maybe after I get the first authentic Gibson Les Paul, which isn't happening anytime soon.

Note to self in regard to the finish on the Heritage Cherry - they call it plain top. I dig flame top for certain colors, but for heritage cherry and tobacco, plain top it is for me.
 
OTOH, after further research, it appears that there are a few differences between the traditional and the standard - which could probably convince me to grab the ebony one, even if it's similar to my other LP.
 
The pick ups themselves seem to be getting pretty favorable reviews, especially the neck pick up. Personally, I think the ones on the standard were ok, so it'd make sense if these were a bit better. The biggest difference though is probably that you can coil-split them. 
 
It has strap lock - nice, but not essential for me.
 
The finish on the back of the guitar and the neck is quite different - satin they call it. Seems it gives it a different feel. 
 

Just a comment...  Strap locks became essential for me when my '76 Les Paul came unhooked and dropped right onto an antique table belonging to a friend's mom, damaging both.  That was around '79 or '80.  I haven't been without 'em since!

I guess I've been lucky. The only guitar I've (unwillingly) dropped was my Squier strat, just a few days after I brought it home. Went bang on the concrete floor, luckily enough, directly on the strap button which got pushed a few mm into the guitar. Still usable.
 
These days I play sitting down most of the time, but who knows... It'd still be nice.
 
The more I read about this guitar the more I can't wait to see if I can grab one tomorrow (or later today, as it is). One minor thing I'm also curious to see is the hardware. Considering my issue w/ the chrome hardware on my LP, I wonder how nickel parts would react on the new one.
 
I've been checking owner's pictures and I get the impression that the cherry finish is actually pretty much a case of hit or miss. I've seen many which didn't look all that nice. Maybe better not to build my hopes up.
 
OTOH, the red wine one appears to be a tad lighter and much better looking than on Epi's web site. Sort of see through. Gorgeous. I like red.
 
The gold top doesn't come across as good - doesn't seem as deep and rich. 
 
But the ebony looks better and better all the time. If this new guitar is to become my new No 1, in theory, it HAS to be black. ;)
 

A fourth cat..

We're still working on that. ;)
 
 
We'd have 12 cats and 6 or 7 dogs if just for me.
 
 
Bats, possums, rats, horses, baby cows... You name it. 
 
But cats are the best, at least until someone figures out how to make miniature baby cows. :P

Rain there is a pattern emerging here. Multiples of everything. You don't have and ark do you?
Guitar shopping is such fun. Especially when you know you can get one and not just wish you could get one.
Have fun.
It is very cool you can share this adventure with your wife.

A pattern there is, definitely. Even for cats. I always end up trying to find black or black and white ones. Which is a good thing because it seems that people don't adopt black cats. People are stupid like that, what can I say... I'll just build my own ark, w/ nothing but black cats on it! And pitbulls and snakes and bats. lol
 
It's awesome to be able to share the passion with my wife, indeed. But that's why I'm with her - she's the most amazing person ever.