No Standard

Nothing special here, just the typical LP Standard headstock.

But I've been wanting to do this all along since I did it with the other guitar. The truss rod cover is now a blank version. That 'Standard' label there invites pre-conceived opinions about the instrument. If it's a good one per se, it should be good regardless of the suggested tier it's from. I also do not wish to be seen as somebody who made it in life because I own a certain Gibson model from a certain tier. I believe in letting ability & commitment speak for my accomplishments. 

Epiphone 2020 (2)

It's a little early to say but I'm saying it anyway - Epiphone's 2020 lineup is easily the steal at Winter NAMM. Everyone's a little skeptical when it comes to the new headstock outline especially when some early hints of them debuted in the signature models late 2019. We are now assured that the Casino type dovetail version won't be the staple of the revision, this Kalamazoo-esque early design is it. 

Folks, the Inspired by Gibson collection basically apes the current Gibson Original versions & I've featured two of them here - the Les Paul Standard 50s. They simply look the works. I will entice you into considering one for future acquisitions by stating the fact that it's only USD 599 vs the Gibson version of USD2,499. That's merely a quarter of what you need to spend should you be going for the Gibson. My take os that, the Epiphone wins it in terms of value-for-money (had always been the case) & a possible put off might be coming from the pickups. They won't sound too shabby but they are the compromise when cost-cutting is involved.

The LP Custom version if you think they stopped at the Standards.

Looks like everything is falling nicely into place for the Epiphone camp & their re-think at the close of 2019 was well considered & helmed by good leadership. We can say that nothing much happened in terms of fresh ideas. Re-iterating existing ideas with a little twist is risky; it's a 50/50 take on the current success in terms of sales figures, Folks, if you don't already know, Epiphone instruments are the revenue-making units in stores everywhere. It's partly due to the Gibson affiliations & partly due to the fact that quality got better along the way. Loyalists would tell you that the clipped dove tail headstock version is not an entire put off especially so when you value other details in the package. 

Standard desire

Good morning, folks. Starting the week with this entry which should have happened earlier. This was my final acquisition for 2019. After more than 15 years, what Gibson offers is finally to my liking. I had always wanted a no-frills Les Paul Standard in my arsenal & I already had one but this one really lived up to my expectations. I came close to buying a '57 reissue years ago & prices in those days were unlike the ransom amount today. I'm also not a fan of extravagant flame tops & such so a plain gold top finish like this one is sheer attraction to me.

Looking forward to replace the truss rod cover. Having a 'Standard' label there, to me, means nothing. A good guitar will defy labelled expectations. 

These, to me, are crucial. I used to dislike Burstbuckers. My other Standard has Burstbucker Pros in it & those are hard to beat. I'm not a fan of vintage tones. I can make do with any pickups but they must sound good with crazy amount of distortion pumped into them. Before this happened, the BB Pro was my standard for LP pickups but the strange thing is, the same BB Pro in an LP Special sounded way off, almost repulsive. It all boils down to pickup-instrument chemistry & in the case of this LP Standard, it's awesome chemistry to say the least. These are the BB 1 & 2, the demure sounding duo in the BB range but they exceeded my expectations. 

I should be doing a full appraisal for this one soon. Soon is when I actually have the time to do so & working in the right frame of mind. Have a good week ahead, everyone. 

Heritage?

Folks, the 2019 LP Standard 50s from the newer Gibson Original collection, is now available at Swee Lee. The 60s version is also available, same listing price as well. Anyway, Swee Lee should be mindful of that labelling there because there's no such thing as a 50s Heritage Electric Guitar at the official Gibson webpage.

This should be the correct reference. Thank you for keeping the price true to the manufacturer's suggested listing. In any case, it's a no go from me. Will buy something else. If you are keen, be informed that limited quantities are in store. How limited is limited? If there's an active interest for both models over this weekend, they'll be sold out by Monday. 

Current Standards

We end February on a reassuring note. In the spirit of keeping things objective, Gibson had streamlined the Les Paul Standard to a few sensible models WEF 2019. The one you see here is the LP Standard 50s.

This one is the LP Standard 60s. These two anchor models are definitely worthy of the manufacturer's recent resurgence, thanks largely to the new CEO pulling the brand name out- surely but slowly- of a bleak quagmire. With the above iterations of the LP Standard, the LP Traditional would be phased out & that's a very objective move. The rationale- the LP Traditional is what a historic Standard should be, a true reflection of tradition & in the current scheme of things, is an overlapping model. With that, the 2019 LP Standards are now devoid of the weight relief body & would manifest the true feel of a Standard. 

In the mean time, these models have yet to be cataloged in the Gibson records & the 2019 line up at the official web page are the final iteration of the 2018 models. This is happening because Gibson, under the former CEO, had announced the 2019 models a little too early (back in August 2018) & had to honour the distribution of those models. Similarly, the later models are not available at the stores here just as yet. We are anticipating an official release in spring/ summer. 

I'm definitely holding back till these make their way here. I've been wanting a deserving LP for the longest time & had been distracted along the way.