Gibson Les Paul Studio Vintage Mahogany

[thechamp96@hotmail.c]

Has anybody ventured across the border to pick up a Gibson Les Paul Studio Vintage Mahogany?

This guitar gets phenomental reviews and is the best-value carved-top LP available ($899US).

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-Les-Paul-Vintage-Mahogany-Electric-Guitar-103371357-i1149476.gc

Apparently this guitar is only available in-store through Guitar Center, online through Musician's Friend and available through a few other retailers.

sdsre

[zontar]

If I was looking for a solidbody electric in that price range--I would give it serious consideration. There are a few others in that range if you click on the "View All Gibson Items Like This" link in the link you posted.

At the very least, it's worth a test drive.

[guitarzan]

i had a vintage mahogany LP for awhile. i did like it's super heavy ballsy tone but the cleans weren't as nice to me. i had a bit of a problem dialing in the pickups. the burstbucker pros are not short on highs. they can scream.
in a good tube amp they can sound sweet. and the fat neck is heavenly except for a few rough fret edges.
a very nice guitar with a woody feel , i like that. i fell out of love with mine but i wouldn't mind scoring another or a BFG.

[guitarzan]

i bought mine at Musicstop which is now under L&M.

[thechamp96@hotmail.c]

Cool... I'm anxious to get down to Guitar Center and try one out. I'm used to fairly thin profile necks so I'm a bit concerned that the '59 rounded neck won't be comfortable for my stubby fingers.

I've also heard that the VMs are not very carfully quality-checked, so you have to try out a few different guitars before you find one that is high quality- I've read about problems with the neck, fret edges, and finish blemishes. Ah well, next time in the US I'll check one out.

[Budda]

GC in canada? what?

you should play a few models of wahtever guitar you buy, by any manufacturer - some will be better then others.

i have a regular LP studio, would not sell it for the world.

[guitarzan]

Cool... I'm anxious to get down to Guitar Center and try one out. I'm used to fairly thin profile necks so I'm a bit concerned that the '59 rounded neck won't be comfortable for my stubby fingers.

I've also heard that the VMs are not very carfully quality-checked, so you have to try out a few different guitars before you find one that is high quality- I've read about problems with the neck, fret edges, and finish blemishes. Ah well, next time in the US I'll check one out.

they only had the one when i bought mine, but later i think they had three more come in. there was a difference in the weight and how they were setup. i found the varied set ups to be strange. one had the polepieces staggered like a strat pickup. must have been done by a former Fender employee ha.
the brown one was lightest and i liked its tone more than mine.
as for the fret edges, it wasn't real bad but it could use attention to make it perfect. quality was good, not outstanding but good.
as for the fat neck, i am sure you will be quite comfortable. it isn't as bad as you would think. in fact skinny necks are more painful to play IMHO.

[zontar]

I love chunky necks on a guitar--that's one reason I love Gibsons and 1970's Ibanezes.

Then again I love the tiny neck of my Mustang.

[twoonie2]

Had one of these before - very very good guitar for the money - you won't be sorry going ahead with that purchase!

[fretman57]

I bought mine from Musicians Friend for a great price. It badly needed a setup out of the box but after a couple hours she was sounding and playing sweet! Tone chambers in that mahogany body not only lighten it up but provides blessed tone either acoustically or plugged in. The Epiphone Bob Marley Limited Edition "One Love" Les Paul is also an excellent buy for the buck!
Don't hesitate to buy this guitar! It will be going up in price!

Scotty

lofu

[thechamp96@hotmail.c]

Very cool... How did you find ordering through Musician's Friend? Did you encounter any unexpected fees? Right now, the Vintage Mahogany can be ordered for $957 including shipping (I'm assuming there are no additional fees?). That is a pretty decent price. I've never ordered a guitar over the internet before and I'm a bit apprehensive since I won't be able to try it out first.

Does anyone have any experience with making returns through MF or other online retailers (particularly US-based retailers)? I believe you have to pay for shipping on all returns?

[Seakayak]

So I take it that in spite of our dollar being close to parity with the US dollar in recent months, Canadian guitar prices (at large dealers) are still more than American prices??

[thechamp96@hotmail.c]

It depends... There seems to be a lot of variability in pricing. However, on the whole, you can generally get some good deals by going south of the border.

For the LP Vintage Mahogany, it is only available through US distributors (GC, MF and a handful of others). So you have to go to the US to buy it, or you have to order in from a US online retailer. Both of which are a bit of a pain, but are presumably worth it for such a great-priced instrument.

[cknowles]

So I take it that in spite of our dollar being close to parity with the US dollar in recent months, Canadian guitar prices (at large dealers) are still more than American prices??

For Gibson branded guitars especially. The Sole Canadian importer is Long & McQuade they can sell every Gibson/Epiphone that they import at their inflated prices since they have no direct competition.

No, I'm not bitter, however I'll do my Gibson shopping across the border.

Guitar Center in Buffalo is typically $200 to $500 lower than Long & McQuade for the identical instrument.

[Hamstrung]

On an interesting side note I was recently in Florida and while touring as many music stores as I could fit in, went into the Guitar Center in Tampa Bay. Upon purchasing a small accessory the sales clerk asked for my phone number. When I told him that it was probably a waste of time since I was from Canada he said that GC was planning to expand "internationally". He didn't say Canada specifically nor provide a timeline but one could easily assume Canada as a logical expansion market for a major US chain. Not that I'm a big fan of chain stores or anything but it would put L&M on notice and possibly increase competition in that area. Unfortunately it would also put more pressure on the Ma & Pa operations that I generally prefer to do business with. Of course this tid bit of info was coming from a sales clerk so you also have to consider the source.

[Blues Jr]

Long & McQuade sells the Vintage Mahogany. Last time I checked it was selling for around $950 in Mississauga, but a few locations had it up over $1k.

I have a VM and I think it's a great guitar. I found a brand new on Ebay from a seller in northern NY State, who just as my luck would have it was coming up to Toronto for a weekend. I met up with him, and paid $650 cash in US Funds which at the time was par. I thought it was a great deal, and it turned out to be an awesome guitar.

I put a little Tru-Oil laquer on it, and added cream parts. Looks great:rockon:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c287/Mariodf/Nov14155.jpg

[cknowles]

Man that's beautiful!
I love the cream accents on that mahogany.

[thechamp96@hotmail.c]

Blues Jr, I didn't know that L&M carried the VM- I haven't seen one in Ottawa yet but I'll definitely keep my eyes open.

Wow, $650 with no S&H is a phenomenal deal! Congrats on that one! If only I could be so lucky....

On a sidenote, L&M generally has some pretty good deals on LP Studios (usually around $1K).

[Blues Jr]

Man that's beautiful!
I love the cream accents on that mahogany.

Thanks! It is a nice guitar..

Blues Jr, I didn't know that L&M carried the VM- I haven't seen one in Ottawa yet but I'll definitely keep my eyes open.

Wow, $650 with no S&H is a phenomenal deal! Congrats on that one! If only I could be so lucky....

On a sidenote, L&M generally has some pretty good deals on LP Studios (usually around $1K).

Yes, that was a good deal. If your patient enough, sometimes you can luck out on Ebay. I don't think L&M calls the guitar a Vintage Mahogany. It's listed as a faded Studio or something like that. I've seen them quite abit in the L&M stores around Toronto.

[thechamp96@hotmail.c]

I went to Steve's Music in Ottawa today and to my suprise (and delight) they now carry Les Paul VMs! They had two; one worn brown and one worn cherry. I played them both and fell in love. Both were set-up perfectly and I didn't notice any problems with the fit and finish on either (although the worn brown had nicer seams on the back and cap than the cherry). I was excited that both were set-up well, especially since I've heard a number of criticisms about the inconsistency of quality control from online reviews.

I was blown away by how light and well-balanced these guitars feel. The satin finish is pretty wicked too.

One complaint... I'm not a huge fan of the '59 neck, especially with my stubby little fingers- I only wish that they offered a 60s neck on these as well.

The price was $969, which is very reasonable, considering that the price at US retailers is $899.

:banana:

[Blues Jr]

I went to Steve's Music in Ottawa today and to my suprise (and delight) they now carry Les Paul VMs! They had two; one worn brown and one worn cherry. I played them both and fell in love. Both were set-up perfectly and I didn't notice any problems with the fit and finish on either (although the worn brown had nicer seams on the back and cap than the cherry). I was excited that both were set-up well, especially since I've heard a number of criticisms about the inconsistency of quality control from online reviews.

I was blown away by how light and well-balanced these guitars feel. The satin finish is pretty wicked too.

One complaint... I'm not a huge fan of the '59 neck, especially with my stubby little fingers- I only wish that they offered a 60s neck on these as well.

The price was $969, which is very reasonable, considering that the price at US retailers is $899.

:banana:


Cool, it's a great guitar:rockon2: