NGD. 1959 Les Paul Standard

[Epison]

Glad the picture will help you guys secure some deals!

Like I said, I bought this a couple weeks ago due to GAS and a deal is a deal. I debated if I wanted to keep it due to the weight and THICK neck (it makes my Yamaha Pacifica feel like a feather), but I'm thinking for the price I got the guitar/case it'd be stupid to return it at this point. I'm better off keeping it for a while to see if it grows on me and if not I can probably sell it for close to what I paid.

I bought my 50s standard lemonburst at sweetwater after 2 years of constantly checking for a light one but none were even close. All 50s and 60s models and dirivitives are between about 8 Lbs 10 oz and 9 Lbs 6 oz There are never any light ones. BUT, a few weeks ago i was doing my almost daily check at sweetwater and saw the lemonburst at 7 Lbs 13 Oz !!! Needless to say i was floored after checking for a couple years and bought it as fast as i could. Well, the weight range i described earlier is apparently a pretty hard fast rule because when it arrived it felt a lot heavier than they listed and sure enough it was 8 Lbs 15 Oz. I had a return authorization and was ready to send it back, but it hit me......as much as i love the thing aside from the weight, i'm not going to find lighter. So do i want to live with the weight or never get a standard ? I then went and looked at every LP gibson and epi make at sweetwater ad sure enough none were light A few were a few ounces lighter, but they were colors or models i didn't want so i kept it. Been using a thick wide strap and it no longer bothers me much and i don't even thin abut it when playing. As for the thick neck, i was a thin neck guy til i got my epi TV yellow special in 2020 and to you i say just keep playing it. I not only got used to it, but i actually came to prefer thicker necks to the point i sold my thin neck guitars and got other models of them with thicker necks ! And the neck on my new 50s standard is at east as thick ad i love it. They actually helped my playing.

 

[EpicJim]

Glad the picture will help you guys secure some deals!

Like I said, I bought this a couple weeks ago due to GAS and a deal is a deal. I debated if I wanted to keep it due to the weight and THICK neck (it makes my Yamaha Pacifica feel like a feather), but I'm thinking for the price I got the guitar/case it'd be stupid to return it at this point. I'm better off keeping it for a while to see if it grows on me and if not I can probably sell it for close to what I paid.

I saw the picture after I've purchased the guitar. I noticed the $599 SALE label and thought it was LP Standard 50s or 60s Epi first. Upon close inspection when I realized it was a 59 I grabbed it.

As for the guitar, that is my exact feelings too... Unless I passionately hate this guitar I'll keep it... If you consider only the value of its case at $130 that means I paid for the 59 Epi LP only $469 !!! For that kind of money I can keep it even if the guitar didn't work, then use it as a decorative piece on my wall!

 

[BGood]

I bought my 50s standard lemonburst at sweetwater after 2 years of constantly checking for a light one but none were even close. All 50s and 60s models and dirivitives are between about 8 Lbs 10 oz and 9 Lbs 6 oz There are never any light ones. BUT, a few weeks ago i was doing my almost daily check at sweetwater and saw the lemonburst at 7 Lbs 13 Oz !!! Needless to say i was floored after checking for a couple years and bought it as fast as i could. Well, the weight range i described earlier is apparently a pretty hard fast rule because when it arrived it felt a lot heavier than they listed and sure enough it was 8 Lbs 15 Oz. I had a return authorization and was ready to send it back, but it hit me......as much as i love the thing aside from the weight, i'm not going to find lighter. So do i want to live with the weight or never get a standard ? I then went and looked at every LP gibson and epi make at sweetwater ad sure enough none were light A few were a few ounces lighter, but they were colors or models i didn't want so i kept it. Been using a thick wide strap and it no longer bothers me much and i don't even thin abut it when playing. As for the thick neck, i was a thin neck guy til i got my epi TV yellow special in 2020 and to you i say just keep playing it. I not only got used to it, but i actually came to prefer thicker necks to the point i sold my thin neck guitars and got other models of them with thicker necks ! And the neck on my new 50s standard is at east as thick ad i love it. They actually helped my playing.

I was lucky to find a '59 of 8Lbs 2oz.

 

[aarono2690]

I saw the picture after I've purchased the guitar. I noticed the $599 SALE label and thought it was LP Standard 50s or 60s Epi first. Upon close inspection when I realized it was a 59 I grabbed it.

As for the guitar, that is my exact feelings too... Unless I passionately hate this guitar I'll keep it... If you consider only the value of its case at $130 that means I paid for the 59 Epi LP only $469 !!! For that kind of money I can keep it even if the guitar didn't work, then use it as a decorative piece on my wall!

Yeah the more I think about it the more insane this deal is. Just dropped it off to my local guitar shop to have it setup - going to keep it!

I was browsing some other guitar forums to do research on the guitar earlier this month. So many guys paid $700-900 just for the guitar and they thought they were getting an amazing deal. $600 for all of this is just bonkers.

 

[spupilup]

Here is my latest after dealing with AMS and Guitar Center.

After talking with a rep at AMS, they agreed to give me $20 off the $745 I paid from my guitar and a $50 gift card taking the total cost down to $675. The alternative was to return the guitar for a refund.

I called the salesperson I spoke with on Sunday first thing Monday and started to place my order for a brand new $599 1959 Les Paul Standard. (By the way, she expressed no concern about whether the guitar was bought in store or through the mail.) As she was entering the order into the system for a guitar that would be shipped from a store in NYC that had a number in stock, up to my local store in Danbury, CT, she kept encountering a problem with her computer accepting the order. She said she would call back later. A couple of hours later she called to tell me that she could not complete the sale. She informed me that a directive had been sent, by corporate, to all stores at the very beginning of October instructing them to remove the sale tags as a mistake had been made in the pricing. (She even called a store that she had a connection with in Plano, TX and was told the same thing, the sale was no longer valid.). That's probably why, in an earlier post, Aaron mentioned that some stores had already taken down the signs for the sale. Yesterday, I called a couple of stores in CT (even one that I knew had inventory of the guitar) and was told the same thing and after a long time on hold with corporate, was similarly informed that the sale had been stopped several weeks earlier.

I guess those that were lucky enough to grab one of these guitars for $599 happened to do it early enough or from a store that hadn't bothered to remove the sale tag. I imagine whomever the salesperson was who completed a recent sale must have figured out a way to override GC's computer system.

The bottom line for me is that I will keep my guitar and I'm happy to do so. I put a good bit of time and effort into sorting it out and, as I mentioned in my original post, I am very happy with the way the guitar looks, feels and sounds. Maybe I wasn't fortunate enough to get a $599 deal but I did pay a helluva lot less than current retail so I'm not going to lose any sleep over "one that got away" for less.

 

[spupilup]

Aaron, you have to learn how to set up your own guitar, it's not that hard and it will save you a fortune over time. Had I charged someone for the set up on my guitar, including leveling the frets, polishing them, filing any rough fret ends, filing the nut (low E was a little messy on mine), intonation and truss relief, it would have easily been well over $100. Spend $20 on Dan Erlewine's book on "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great" and slowly equip yourself with even some basic tools. Before you know it, you'll be doing all that work yourself.

 

[aarono2690]

Aaron, you have to learn how to set up your own guitar, it's not that hard and it will save you a fortune over time. Had I charged someone for the set up on my guitar, including leveling the frets, polishing them, filing any rough fret ends, filing the nut (low E was a little messy on mine), intonation and truss relief, it would have easily been well over $100. Spend $20 on Dan Erlewine's book on "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great" and slowly equip yourself with even some basic tools. Before you know it, you'll be doing all that work yourself.

I will learn eventually. I take a while to dive into things. I’m mostly a drummer and it took me a long while with tuning drums, etc. I just wanted to play and not get bogged down with maintenance early on.

 

[Equalphone]

I will learn eventually. I take a while to dive into things. I’m mostly a drummer and it took me a long while with tuning drums, etc. I just wanted to play and not get bogged down with maintenance early on.

Buy a $100 Epi Special and learn how to analyze and fret level on one of those. Also learn how to upgrade the nut. Sell for what you paid or more. Do a few and get good at it.

 

[spupilup]

I can sympathize with Aaron. The thought of taking sharp objects to your newly acquired instrument can be daunting. When I started playing back in '71, it was on a bass. There were no YouTube videos to watch so you could learn how to properly intonate a guitar or adjust the truss rods (yes, plural) on a Ric 4001. (And, I'll tell you right now, the Ric 4001 presented many obstacles when it came to intonation and neck adjustment, that's why so many bassists hate them.). You'd have to actively seek out help from someone willing to teach you how to do the work otherwise, you had to rely on a good shop. Now, between the many quality books, videos and help from boards like these, the average guitarist has a wealth of information at their fingertips. The best way to truly fall in love with your instrument is by learning how to bring out the best in it and that includes learning how to care for it, not simply how to play it.

 

[spupilup]

BTW, Aaron, you have to start up a NGD thread. Show off your new Les Paul. Let us see how gorgeous the flame is on the maple veneer. These guitars are too pretty not to show off a little!

 

[bobalu]

A labour of love makes it more valuable! You now have a beautiful guitar. Enjoy!

 

[spupilup]

You folks lucky enough to get one of these guitars for $599 have to remember that a pair of new Gibson Burst Buckers retail for $300. The Gibson Burst Buckers aren't even standard on a genuine Gibson Les Paul Tribute or Studio which retail for $1300 and $1700 respectively. With those guitars all you get are a pair of 490's in the Tribute and 490R/498T pickups in the Studio. Those pickups, at least to my ears are not in the same league as the Gibson Burst Buckers in the Epi '59. A $3000 Gibson Les Paul Standard 50's will get you the same pickups your got in your $599 Les Paul.

 

[RanchCracker]

As I read along at all the work you were putting into that guitar, I was thinking, "Hmm...I don't know?". The instant I saw the picture it completely changed my perspective. That's a gorgeous guitar; sweet top! This is a great story for pointing out the time, effort, and money devoted towards being a guitar player. Learning to play is only part of it. Granted, it's the most important part, but there's so much to learn about guitars, and amps, and sound, and on and on. Tools are another important facet, and learning how to use them. My impression is that you tackled these repairs without any concern at all that you could create additional damage. That's a huge benefit to have. Know how, experience and the right tools. You knew there was a risk of more frets coming up, but they didn't, and small consequence if they had. It's not like you dove in with your trusty channel locks and a ball-peen hammer! That same guitar was returned time and again by guys that lacked the ability and the confidence to make it work. Most, if not all, of them probably ended up settling for a lesser guitar. Here's the best part of all this. It may sound like there's really a lot of extra knowledge and experience that contributes towards making you a better guitar player. There is. In fact, that's probably an understatement. If you're cut-out to be a guitar player, the day will arrive when you will realize: "I don't HAVE to learn all this stuff." "I get to." I'm not saying that you'll never be a real guitar player if you don't feel that way. It takes time for most people to get to that point. You might find yourself so busy with work or school (or a million other things) that you don't even have time to practice. Once things settle down you may find that all you want to do is play. Then play. Use that enthusiasm whenever you get the chance. I just stopped rambling long enough to realize I'm preaching to the choir. We're all so wrapped up in our guitars and stuff that when we've run out of people to tell about it, we go online and write about it! I have a funny picture to add here. Awesome guitar!

 

[aarono2690]

BTW, Aaron, you have to start up a NGD thread. Show off your new Les Paul. Let us see how gorgeous the flame is on the maple veneer. These guitars are too pretty not to show off a little!

I’ll get around to that soon! Thanks for the reminder.

 

[EpicJim]

You folks lucky enough to get one of these guitars for $599 have to remember that a pair of new Gibson Burst Buckers retail for $300. The Gibson Burst Buckers aren't even standard on a genuine Gibson Les Paul Tribute or Studio which retail for $1300 and $1700 respectively. With those guitars all you get are a pair of 490's in the Tribute and 490R/498T pickups in the Studio. Those pickups, at least to my ears are not in the same league as the Gibson Burst Buckers in the Epi '59. A $3000 Gibson Les Paul Standard 50's will get you the same pickups your got in your $599 Les Paul.

Lucky does not even describes it... Burstbuckers at $300 + Case at $130 = $430... So, that means the rest of the guitar was $169...
Try to explain that???

 

[spupilup]

Lucky does not even describes it... Burstbuckers at $300 + Case at $130 = $430... So, that means the rest of the guitar was $169...
Try to explain that???

I think that’s why Guitar Center ended the sale early and anyone who bought one of these guitars after the first week of October was extremely fortunate. I know I paid about 12% more than that for mine and feel like I really scored. My ‘59 is a beast.

 

[3bolt79]

I called Guitar Center’s 800# and the sale was confirmed. I called AMS and sent them the photo of the sale tag, the GC sale # and confirmation from GC that I could have a guitar shipped to a store near me if I place an order tomorrow.

I provided AMS with all the info right down to the name of the person at GC who confirmed the sale and offered to help me with an order tomorrow! Ball’s in their court now. If they don’t make this deal worthwhile I’ll send the guitar back. I’ll keep everyone abreast of what they offer.

Zzounds just matched a sale price on a Jackson I ordered today. MF had them for 10% less.

 

[3bolt79]

Spoiled is ordering 5 guitars from a mfg and having exactly none of them need anything to play immaculately right out of the box. I'm 5 for 5 because unlike most mfgs, theyve hired their own luthiers to set up each DLX Plus guitar before they're shipped. Technically, I'm actually 7 for 7 because the 2 that I returned were also set up perfectly.

That's spoiled. That's why I own 5 of this company's guitars. They're all superb guitars that play incredibly well. 3 LP-style, 1 T-style, and 1, 355-style guitar. The 2 I returned were another LP-style and a 335 Dot-style guitar. Both had cracks in the necks. One was below the headstock and the other was at the neck-to-body joint.

All of my EPI IBG’s have needed a fret or two knocked down or a pokey fret end or two sheared with a bevel file, but that’s it. It’s been minimal.

None of mine have needed anything major and all played well out of the box.

Here’s some pics…
All IBG’s


All bought since March.

 

[28 Flathead]

y new Les Paul Day.@

spupilup​