Would this be good entry level Guitar Gibson 2008 Standard model

[goldenwave77]

[QUOTE=Ghostofachance;641323]Yeah, well, the Stratocaster also would have been relegated to the dustbin of oblivion if it hadn't been for a certain guitarist whose name suddenly escapes me...I think it was "James Hendrickson" or something like that.[/QUOTE]

Simply not true.

Fender Musical Instruments was the largest producer of guitars in the world. Most of this was due to the Stratocaster, and this was a runaway hit long before anyone ever heard of Jimmy Hendrix. (I think the tele is a better design for several reasons, but it has always been less popular...maligned as a "country twang" machine..."too difficult to play"---though why this should be so is never explained.)

There were something like 3600 "classic era" Les Pauls made...humbucker models made in the years 1957-ish to 1960 or so, before it was taken out of production. (I've seen this approx. number bandied about by the fetishistic collectors who think owning one of these is like dying and going to heaven.) Fender was sold to CBS for $12 million 1964 dollars, which is probably $40 or $50 million today...excess cash flow was probably $10 million per annum: That's a lot of Strats, (some teles and basses), and some amps (the profit margin on amps is lower, I'm pretty sure.)

Strats and teles are popular for a reason. Leo F. figured out how to make pretty good playing instruments that could be mass-produced, cheaply, with a bandsaw, and a router. The bolt on neck is engineering genius---infinitely adjustable, replacable, and cheap to assemble and produce.

The Les P. is a weird design. It is sort of an "anti-tele". I can imagine how it came about. I think the people at Gibson said (in 1952)...we need a solid body...it can't look too much like the competition (a tele), so the smaller shape was born...it can't be too twangy like the competition (the tele)--so let's try mahogany for mid-range...wait it's awfully thuddy and mid-rangey--how about a maple cap ?, and for the neck....bolt-ons are cheap and we don't want to compete price-wise for a cheapie production model like the other guys...besides we're the Gibson company, maker of fine archtops--we damn near invented them, so it's gotta be a mortise/tenon neck, like a real guitar...voila the Les Paul was born.

But it fell flat on its face....expensive to produce and sell...heavy...mid-rangey....the notes kind of mush together on chords unlike a semi-hollow or hollow body...later on, when humbuckers were invented, these kind of helped give it a lot of oomph-but it was still a flop....in the later 60's, James Marshall, the British ex-drummer couldn't get sufficient spare parts for the Fender Bassman amps he was selling...he had a geekie electronics friend look at the amp circuit---"Hey we could do that, but our British valves (tubes) are different, so we have to tweak the circuit"....lo and behold, the Marshall amp was born...and NOW, hey you oughta hear this thing when you plug one of those Les Pauls into it....wow, sounds great....well, that's pretty much the story in a nutshell.

[Toat]

I'm just laughing at the people who said a telecaster is better than a les paul as a solid body jazz guitar. The ignorance, and fetishization of the status quo, of what the "masters" did around here is retarded.

If you want a solid you body that goes twang and can double use on country western night, go with a tele. If you want a dark full respectable jazz tone a la Martino or Methany, a les paul will do. Yes I think Edward Bickert and Tim leach have horrible tone, good players just lazy in their instrument choice.

[goldenwave77]

I think a Guild Bluesbird gets you a lot closer to a true jazz tone. Lighter, cheaper and more flavorful tone.

I've owned Les Pauls...they're OK...they're just not the last word on this subject. And for someone just getting into this, they probably shouldn't be the first word.

Have to go now. Time to go put together a bookshelf, and I need to drive some screws with my butter knives.

[drbhrb]

I'm just laughing at the people who said a telecaster is better than a les paul as a solid body jazz guitar. The ignorance, and fetishization of the status quo, of what the "masters" did around here is retarded.

If you want a solid you body that goes twang and can double use on country western night, go with a tele. If you want a dark full respectable jazz tone a la Martino or Methany, a les paul will do. Yes I think Edward Bickert and Tim leach have horrible tone, good players just lazy in their instrument choice.

And Frisell, and Ted Greene, and Mike Stern, and Julian Lage and so many others...

The term "respectable jazz tone" hints that you may have a rather narrow minded definition. I'm sure all the greats that have played teles did not just happen to trip over a tele on their first trip into a music store say "well I guess that one will do".

[ronjazz]

Sorry, Toat, looks like you are the one with the problem. Tele is the ultimate soul music and blues guitar, and Ed Bickert has spectacular tone, as does Ted Greene. I'm sure that great guitarists like Bickert, Leach, Stern, Greene, Frisell and Lage got there by being "lazy".

[AlohaJoe]

Tim Lerch - Jordu

Sounds fine to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlqUH33FxXA

To the OP, play a bunch of guitars if possible. Get the one you can't put down. If your hands and ears love it you can play anything.