Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards
...A few changes include: - A 50's and a 60's Spec Les Paul Standard. Basically, the current Traditional will be the new Standard (Traditional is dropped)
- A new "Modern" Les Paul and SG line. Basically similar to the current HP Line (which is dropped)
- A drop in price. The Les Paul Standard will be priced less than the current Traditional Les Paul
- Some nice Specials and Juniors
Lots of other changes that will come up in this thread...Your thoughts? |
In order:
- Been looking for a reasonably-priced, lightweight "second-run" '60 LP Standard (SG-style Slim Taper neck, chrome-dome knobs) for years - couldn't find an original back in the day, and don't need to pay $7K+ for dead-on historical accuracy in what I know is going to be a player's instrument, so I'm looking forward to checking one out;
- Not my cuppa tea in either tone or looks, but they sell well to a certain type of player so it's a good move to keep them in the pared-down lineup;
- In the words of David Crosby, it's been a long time coming - frankly, I never saw any justification for Gibson's price structure under Henry J., and I'm glad someone is finally restoring some sanity to the mix;
- IME these instruments were always the best bang-for-the-buck during the Henry J. era, and if they can not only restore them to their rightful place in the LP/SG hierarchy but make evolutionary changes that improve tone/playability/QC without mucking up the classic cosmetics of their mid-20th-century forbears (that Marauder-style pickguard/control panel on the 2019 LP Junior has to go, and soon
), they're going to sell them by the shipload...
I realize it's a transition period for Gibson, but I'd also like to see them bring the same sort of common-sense product positioning/pricing to their ES lineup in the not-too-distant future. Similarly, if Mark Campellone can produce an all-solid hand-carved archtop for $5K on a small-shop basis I see no reason Gibson, with its considerable resources, can't reintroduce its classic carved jazzboxes - from the entry-level L-50 to the Super 400, along with their respective -CES versions - at prices that would, on the lower end of the line, put them in the same bracket as the highly-successful Loar and Eastman instruments; there's been a renewed interest in archtops over the last 20-25 years, neither Guild not Gretsch are stepping up to meet the demand, Heritage has unfortunately become a shadow of what they might have been - and while they'll never recapture their '30s-40s market dominance, I just have a gut feeling that more than a few folks who are currently eyeing up a J-45 or J-200 could be easily swayed to a similarly-priced L-50 or L-5 respectively, should they be readily available...