Thoughts on the Les Paul Standard 50s P90?

[BoneDigger]

https://www.gibson.com/en-US/Guitar/...-P-90/Gold-Top

Any thoughts on this guitar? Anyone played it? I think Frank and Dru have a similar model? Anyway, I am not looking to buy anytime soon, but this might end up being a future purchase. I have watched YouTube videos. Just wanted opinions.

[dreamingOM]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

https://www.gibson.com/en-US/Guitar/...-P-90/Gold-Top

Any thoughts on this guitar? Anyone played it? I think Frank and Dru have a similar model? Anyway, I am not looking to buy anytime soon, but this might end up being a future purchase. I have watched YouTube videos. Just wanted opinions.

I’m not a Les Paul guy but I’ve always liked the crunch and fat clean tones you get from a LP. But I’m a P90 guy, so this will definitely rock and will definitely sound nice and fat for cleans.

Ive always found Les Pauls a bit “small” and wonky when playing sitting down.. I’m not a big guy, I’m 5’11 but they feel small. they’re nice when standing up, however, I’ve found that anything more than 8lbs is just too heavy for me. Maybe I got used to playing my hollowbodies more, and lighter solid bodies. The chambered bodies are lighter, but I wont go to the differences of chambered and non-chambered bodies, tonally. I wont be able to tell anyway. Purists will argue, but I’m not going to.

If you’re wanting for some LP feel and tones, id just recommend the studios instead although the standards will be really nice if you want the bling (bound body and fretboard, etc etc). They’re less money, plenty used, and you get the same LP feel and vibe.

[Chickee]

That’s a beautiful Lester you are eyeing right now, BD. Keep in mind that model has the stop bar tailpiece, not the wrap around bridge many people look for with these old gold top, P90 reissues. Also, I don’t know your preference but this bad boy has that original LP big fat 50’s era neck profile, so if you don’t gravitate to big neck guitars you will not like this particular model.
Good luck with your next guitar search.
frank d.

[BoneDigger]

Thanks guys! Honestly,I am not sure if it would be a HUGE upgrade to my current LP. It's a ton of money to drop in a guitar for not a huge difference in tone. I am currently using an IBG Epiphone 60s upgraded to SD Phat Cat P90 pickups. The Phat Cats add so much clarity to the tone, and I am enjoying them. But they are not what I would call a true P90 voice.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

...It's a ton of money to drop in a guitar for not a huge difference in tone...

Dru and I (and possibly Frank) have the limited-run 2011 LP Studio '60s Tribute goldtop/P-90 which, thanks to the revealed PRS-style "binding," looks like a sweet under-the-bed '56 that got played in smoky honky-tonks for a few years, managed to avoid the flying beer bottles, and got put away around the time Elvis came out of the Army; sounds like a P-90 Les Paul should - sweet when you want it (got flatwound 10's on mine - this one'll do jazz, and in nearly 60 years of playing it's the best surf guitar I've ever had ) and mean when you need it to be - but thanks to the internal body relief doesn't weigh like a '50s goldie (mine's probably in the 8-lb +/- range), and the Clapton-approved first-run '60s-style Slim Taper neck means it handles more like an SG than an LP. Kinda hard to get these days for obvious reasons, and IME when they do come up for sale they can command as much as a $300-400 premium over the equivalent burst models for a primo example, but if you're lucky enough to find a clean one they're still a bargain at around $1K less than the Standard P-90 - here's a pic:

[BoneDigger]

Sorry Steve, not sure why I thought it was Frank? I have looked and the 60s tributes are hard to find!

[Dru Edwards]

Todd, Steve beat me to it. Mine weighs 7.68 lbs and sounds fantastic. It rocks. I use 9s on my electrics but this one I kept 10s on it, which was what was on it when I bought it used from Long & McQuade 7 years ago.

As far as the Standard, that looks like a sweet guitar. As mentioned, the 50s neck can be a little hefty which may, or may not, bother you.

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Dru and I (and possibly Frank) have the limited-run 2011 LP Studio '60s Tribute goldtop/P-90 which, thanks to the revealed PRS-style "binding," looks like a sweet under-the-bed '56 that got played in smoky honky-tonks for a few years, managed to avoid the flying beer bottles, and got put away around the time Elvis came out of the Army; sounds like a P-90 Les Paul should - sweet when you want it (got flatwound 10's on mine - this one'll do jazz, and in nearly 60 years of playing it's the best surf guitar I've ever had ) and mean when you need it to be - but thanks to the internal body relief doesn't weigh like a '50s goldie (mine's probably in the 8-lb +/- range), and the Clapton-approved first-run '60s-style Slim Taper neck means it handles more like an SG than an LP. Kinda hard to get these days for obvious reasons, and IME when they do come up for sale they can command as much as a $300-400 premium over the equivalent burst models for a primo example, but if you're lucky enough to find a clean one they're still a bargain at around $1K less than the Standard P-90 - here's a pic:

[M Sarad]

My 2020 TV Special sounds great with P90s.
So do my Jr. and PRS MCCARTY..