Well. It's a Les Paul at least, I think.

[Cagey]

or they could do something like this..
Heritage 150 custom

Heck, now you got my Heritage GAS going again

It's fairly easy to cure. Just check their price list. Although, in my experience, that doesn't exactly cure it, it just causes a lot of angst <grin>

 

[m4rk0]

I really Like Les Pauls, but I have never seen a GIbson Les Paul I really liked...  but there are many others that make great LPs

this is one of the best looking LPs I have ever seen! (bennedetto Benny)

https://www.justgreatguitars.com/product/Electric/Solid-body/Thinline/2000-Benedetto-Benny.aspx

or the Benny DeLuxe:

Collings also makes great LPs:

 

[Cagey]

I really Like Les Pauls, but I have never seen a GIbson Les Paul I really liked...  but there are many others that make great LPs

There's no question that almost anybody can make a better Les Paul than Gibson, but you have to admit that they created an icon and did make a few good representatives of the thing. Back 100 years ago when they actually had luthiers working for them in Kalamzoo, MI, they turned out some fine work. Unfortunately, the modern stuff is barely suitable as trade bait, as even the Koreans do a better job of it. If they sold the things for the $125 they're worth, you could understand and forgive them. But, somehow, they seem to think they're worth thousands. And to be fair, I suppose they are, considering there are still a few people who will pay that for them.

 

[stubhead]

I either know or know of a whole pile of people who got caught floating very large inventories when the economy blurped - all different kinds of stuff. If I remember right (?), it was just prior to that that Gibson was trying to force dealers to make a minimum "purchase" of a horrendous amount of Gibson-only gear, in essence a desire to close out other manufacturer's dealings with a particular store. It was ridiculous, in some cases - telling a strip mall, storefront dealer with an inventory of 70 guitars that he had to buy $400,000 worth of Gibsons, or lost the "right" to sell them. They lost a lot of dealers... I keep wondering if there's some giant warehouse out in the desert somewhere, packed to the roof with all these weirdass mistakes the machine keeps pumping out. Area 52, maybe. Gibson's "Guitar-of-the-Month" promos, all those backwards guitars and horrible mutant guitars. Seriously - nobody bought this stuff, right? :icon_scratch: Who is financing this lurching, dying monster....

do dee do dee do dee <-(Twilight Zone theme song....)

 

[iamdavidmorris]

I think Gibson needs to focus less on R&D and this nonsense and refocus their efforts on their QC. It would be much more appreciated in the long run than these gimmicky ugly *** creations.

*cough* Firebird X *cough*

My favorite part of the description is, "To protect this finely-crafted instrument, Gibson has developed a unique case that can survive a fall from a six-story building."  That's the job I want.  I want to be the tester that throws these things out sixth story windows.

 

[NLD09]

I think Gibson needs to focus less on R&D and this nonsense and refocus their efforts on their QC. It would be much more appreciated in the long run than these gimmicky ugly *** creations.

*cough* Firebird X *cough*

My favorite part of the description is, "To protect this finely-crafted instrument, Gibson has developed a unique case that can survive a fall from a six-story building."  That's the job I want.  I want to be the tester that throws these things out sixth story windows.

Knowing Gibson, they probably just accidentally dropped one from 6 stories somehow and noticed that it survived the fall.

 

[whitebison66]

I'd take the job and throw them out the 7th floor window. My service to humanity.

 

[Steve_Karl]

I really Like Les Pauls, but I have never seen a GIbson Les Paul I really liked...  but there are many others that make great LPs

this is one of the best looking LPs I have ever seen! (bennedetto Benny)

https://www.justgreatguitars.com/product/Electric/Solid-body/Thinline/2000-Benedetto-Benny.aspx

or the Benny DeLuxe:

Collings also makes great LPs:

Those are very classy ... elegant even.

 

[Superlizard]

*cough* Firebird X *cough*

My favorite part of the description is, "To protect this finely-crafted instrument, Gibson has developed a unique case that can survive a fall from a six-story building."  That's the job I want.  I want to be the tester that throws these things out sixth story windows.

Hear hear.

Rumour has it this particular tester dude accidentally grabbed Henry J. by mistake and threw him out the window; he landed on his head.

It wasn't long after that that the oddly-shaped guitars with wonky paintjobs started appearing in their catalogs...

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

When learning to play as a teenager in the early 90s, for the longest time I never saw a real one.  The town I lived in, the music stores were mainly a few mom and pop stores and pawn shops that dealt in used stuff.  A Les Paul certainly wouldn't have been in there on the wall with Hondos, Harmonies, etc., etc.  I didn't know any body with one.  If I saw one in a real music store, they wouldn't let me play it.  Magazine ads with Randy Roads or Tommy Shaw playing one, the thing looked huge.  Since getting older and up to my fighting weight, wearing or playing one now, it looks like a toy on me.

 

[Graffiti62]

I either know or know of a whole pile of people who got caught floating very large inventories when the economy blurped - all different kinds of stuff. If I remember right (?), it was just prior to that that Gibson was trying to force dealers to make a minimum "purchase" of a horrendous amount of Gibson-only gear, in essence a desire to close out other manufacturer's dealings with a particular store. It was ridiculous, in some cases - telling a strip mall, storefront dealer with an inventory of 70 guitars that he had to buy $400,000 worth of Gibsons, or lost the "right" to sell them. They lost a lot of dealers... I keep wondering if there's some giant warehouse out in the desert somewhere, packed to the roof with all these weirdass mistakes the machine keeps pumping out. Area 52, maybe. Gibson's "Guitar-of-the-Month" promos, all those backwards guitars and horrible mutant guitars. Seriously - nobody bought this stuff, right? :icon_scratch: Who is financing this lurching, dying monster....

do dee do dee do dee <-(Twilight Zone theme song....)

That's why you really only see Gibsons being sold at Guitar Center--the company can stuff a warehouse and feed it to their own stores on an as-needed basis, a lot like the Walmart philosophy. From what I've heard, they're also trying to do the same thing to small shops who want to sell the higher-end (a.k.a. not cheap Les Paul and SG clones) Epiphones. Its sad to see when a small shop wants to showcase a couple of really nice pieces that have serious brand recognition that a greedy monster like Gibson wants to squeeze the life out of them.

This has meant, however, that Fender has won some serious ground, especially with expanding Gretsch beyond the 6120 and Jet lines, and are more than happy to supply small quantities of equipment to the little guys. In addition, Fender's staff in Mexico is getting much better at building guitars, which means a small shop can sell the Mexican Fenders at a reasonable price, and small stores get a street cred brand to put in their window.

 

[stubhead]

And another weird thing - Gibson has had a few reissues that actually made sense - the Jack Casady hollow bass, the Nighthawk, the EM-2 - and they're selling them as Epiphones. I remember the line that the Casady bass came out of - it was a Gibson Les Paul hollowbody with active pickups, actually designed and used by Les Paul, unlike every other Les Paul than the "recording." It's like they're ashamed of the few innovations that they made that DID make sense. :icon_scratch: Wouldn't want to pollute the product line with anything useful....

http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=347&CollectionID=18
http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=298&CollectionID=18
http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=116&CollectionID=12

 

[Validity]

H-H-H with Dean headstock  :tard:

 

[big bob]

The only place that sells Gibson's in the town where I live is best buy. Yea that's about right.

 

[erogenousjones17]

We're getting a Best Buy here in town (two of them actually, though I'm not sure why). I wonder if they'll stock guitars.  :dontknow:

 

[AutoBat]

Most Best Buys carry little things like the Maestro brand  (cheap electric & acoustics) and some bare essentials.

About a year ago one of the forum members said his store was spearheading an actual full-on guitar section though.