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Looking to fool around with a traditional build (maple/mahogany) LP for a while, not necessarily to keep. Never had one, would like to see what it's like. Saw this "LP Classic" in the local CL. At $1600 ask price, what would make this model relatively less expensive compared to others?
Gibson Les Paul classic honey burst - musical instruments - by owner - sale - craigslist
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07-01-2025 11:44 AM
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Good price..
Do some research on the difference: Classic vs Standard..lots of info on the net.
Depending on the year of the Classic..there are different pickups, colors, push pull tone nobs and weight relief features.
I have the 2006 Classic with PAFs ..it can jazz..fusion and hard rock..and look pretty in wine red.
New..paid 2k..
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Pretty much, there are three main Les Paul models that have stood the test of time, the Standard, the Custom and the Studio. The other models, like the Classic are mostly a variation of one of the three. The Standard is the main Les Paul model and the Classic is a downgraded version of the Standard. That means a lower level of woods and hardware. That said it is still a higher level of cosmetics than a Studio. I would check the specs on any Classic that I was looking at and make sure that the neck profile, bridge and pickups were to my liking. A Classic will get you the traditional woods (Maple top on Hog body and a Hog neck) and sound of a Les Paul Standard. Lesters make a great jazz guitar with forever sustain, but with the short scale, the sound can be a bit "Tubby" for some. And they are generally heavy. While there are chambered Lesters that are around 7 pounds, there are non-weight relieved models that can get up to around 12 pounds.
HTH
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I'd consider a Heritage H-150 as well...they just dropped their new prices to $1999.
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I like that it’s priced used locally, and I can try it out.
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I was a Les Paul guy for about 10 years. It was the first nice guitar I ever had. You know how that goes: it took a few years before I actually used it in real situations, ie., in a band, playing multiple sets. At the end of the night my left shoulder would get numb. I found out later mine was middle of the range: maybe 9-9.5 pounds. If I ever owned another one it would have to be down around 8 at the very most. And those are not common: a chambered LP is not a Les Paul.
I have to believe a skinny guy like Jimmy Page was suffering a little during the 70's. And in the 80's, once he got cleaned up he could be seen playing lengthier gigs with a tele.
I would find out how much it weighs before even going! But that's just me.
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I have never seen a Les Paul Classic with that headstock. I would do some serious due diligence to make sure that guitar is not a "Chibson"
Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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The "Les Paul Classic Antique" model has a bound headstock. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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Not only heavy in weight but way too thin a neck profile at least for me. I would go for a Standard or Deluxe that weighs less than 9 lbs
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For just a casual trial of the LP, I would get an Epi. My son bought one long ago, and gave it to me for awhile. It played very easily, and the sound was what I thought a Les Paul should be, but it weighed just short of a metric ton. He eventually took it back to give to his brother-in-law, and I didn't argue about it. My Tele clone is way too heavy for me.
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I remember when classics with the green inlays were $1000 all day.
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I second this! Originally Posted by Slapthatplank
Unless you want your guitar to say Gibson on the headstock, a new H-150 standard is the smart buy in my opinion. Plus the tops they have are pretty nuts.
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Ah, but which would sell easier when (if) I am done with it? Originally Posted by jazzloverfat
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No doubt, the Gibson will be easier to sell. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
The Les Paul Classic Antique was a chambered model with a slim 60's neck and 57 Classic PUPS. It sounds like the guitar you are considering might be pretty cool overall but bear in mind that the chambered Lesters do sound a bit different from the rest. That said, I have not found any difference in tone between the weight relieved Lesters and those that do not have the weight relief.
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Looking at the listing and how it's written or not written I get a bad feeling, especially on CL. I would be cautious and ask lots of questions and ask for case candy including COA. That tweed case also.
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Last edited by Fear the Reaper; 07-03-2025 at 08:37 AM.
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It's actually a pawn shop in town that's been here for a few decades. Looks like a one-piece back, which is pretty cool. Originally Posted by Fear the Reaper
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GIBSON LES PAUL CLASSIC ANTIQUE (LPCA) for sale - Price and Used Value Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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If you're looking for the "classic" LP experience (i.e., nice-looking top, non-skinny neck profile, gloss finish, binding) at reasonable cost, I think the best bet is a Traditional. For a few years in the 2010's Gibson re-named models in a confusing way. The Standard became the "hot-rodded" version with coil splits, compound neck radius, and other non-canonical features, and the specs that had previously been associated with the Standard became the Traditional. More or less, given the year-to-year vagaries of Gibson specs. These Traditionals are plentiful at $1500-ish (sometimes less). Classics can be very similar, but the year-to-year spec changes are even more bewildering so you have shop carefully.
FWIW, My LP journey ended with a goldtop 2013 '50s Tribute with P90s, which was the closest I could get to a mid '50s LP at a price I was willing to pay ($900). No bling at all, but it plays and sounds great and is just under 9 lbs ("swiss cheese" weight relief). They also make them with humbuckers. The neck is particularly nice on this guitar.
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@ John A., thanks, good info to know. It looks like the Traditional also has a pg, which I prefer. Seems like most of the Classics do not.
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I think pickguards are among the year to year vagaries. It’s easy enough to add one. Mine doesn’t have one, but I don’t find myself missing it (despite having one in my semi and my archtop). Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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Although it is common to pooh-pooh the Norlin era, I love my '74 Deluxe and have not shopped seriously for another Lester since acquiring it in the early 80s. I know virtually nothing about all of the price-reduced models that Gibson experimented with in recent decades, but I can still offer some helpful tips.
- First off, PLAY IN PERSON before you buy, because Gibson QC has been all over the map for decades. You never know whether an individual Gibby is going to be a dog or a keeper. I played at least 200 LPs to find "the one."(I spent months visiting every music store in a 50 mile radius!) I'm not talking about cosmetics. I mean the one in a couple hundred that has a neck like buttah while the others range from forgettable to actually unplayable.
- I have no personal experience playing Heritage but they are well-known for consistently high-quality builds. You should definitely check out the Heritage LP. Might save you a lot of time shopping that you could spend actually playing.
- Before the current plethora of model variations, the big three were Standard, Deluxe and Custom. Standard has a wider neck than the other two. I *think* (but am not positive) that the Custom had the same neck profile as the Deluxe, but with ebony fingerboard instead of rosewood. According to my pal Google, these woods are still being used but are less common than they once were due to sustainability concerns. I had a Custom before the Deluxe and found that the rosewood fingerboard warmed up the tone noticeably. All three have 24.75" scale length.
- Yeah, those old-school Lesters are heavy, but a nice, wide one-piece leather strap goes a long way towards making that a non-issue. I could definitely feel pain after a 3-4 hour gig with the Custom, but have had no problems with the Deluxe, which weighs a couple (?) pounds less... but still feels like a rock in comparison to a hollowbody of any kind.
HTH
SJ
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Yeah, back in HS in the mid 70's(!) my friend had one of those burgundy Deluxes with the small pickups. I had a walnut 335, funny, we both kinda coveted each other's guitar. Originally Posted by starjasmine
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I think the small pickups were unpopular because they had lower output than standard-sized humbuckers, and we had yet to enter the era of all-the-gain-you-could-ever-want-and-more amps.
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The headstock doesn't say Les Paul. Is that of any significance?
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Good luck with your search.
[Based on experience I kinda think of CL is almost a modern version of a Pawn shop. In others words to "Fence" items acquired by dubious means.]
I would take my own amp if you are going to try it out.
Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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