[sach_160]

hi guys,

i'm looking to buy a vintage les paul standard, custom or deluxe, or an es335 from the early 70s. i've searched online for info but haven't found what i'm looking for - something that says what to watch out for, i.e. what are the best and worst guitars in this period... i know gibson standards were dropping then, but of course a 60s gibson is out of my price range ($3000).

I'd love to hear anyone's opinion on what a good model/deal would be (from a playing point of view, not investing) and what are ones to avoid from this period...

so far the best thing i've found is a les paul custom from the 70s, all original for $2000...

any help much appreciated, thanks!

sache

[jedistar]

For market values check out www.gbase.com - they sell a lot of gear for a lot of US based shops...

[jules]

Originally Posted by sach_160

and what are ones to avoid from this period...

I don't think you should need to avoid any 70s Les Paul or 335 more than any other.

Its true that all Guitar manufacturers cut some corners, and made some cheaper guitars in the 70s, but these affected the lower end guitars far more than the likes of Les Pauls and 335s.

I think the crucial thing is to find one thats in good playing order as possible

The golden rule of buying a guitar on line is patience. Give yourself a couple months studying ebay, gbase etc, and don't jump on the first deal you see.... Perhaps you should visit some guitar stores and try some of these guitars - a Les Paul Custom and Deluxe are different, as is a 335. Probably best to get the one you REALLY like rather than settling for the one that comes up!

Let us know what you find

[sach_160]

thanks for the advice jules

i have tried out vintage les paul standards, customs and es335, and yes the 335 is a different beast but they all sound great, so being a lefty i was kinda
going to settle for whichever one came along first...

but i kinda thought about it more, and i play through a buddha superdrive amp currently with a 78 tele, and on the distorted channel, even with treble on full, the tele kinda loses its definition more than i'd like - when you're playing rhythm, each chop isnt as clearly defined as i'd like it to be, so i'm worried that with a les paul standard it'd sound even muddier/lacking definition... so maybe i should go for a deluxe, or the es335... or maybe i should just look for a distortion pedal!

what do you think man?

thanks for the help!


sache

[jules]

Ok didn't realise you were a left-handed player - I guess that does limit your choices somewhat - and potentially put up the price of whatever you are hoping to get

I haven't used a Buddha superdrive - but perhaps thats part of the definition-loss problem. If you are going to try new guitars you should try them through the same amp to get a decent comparison - not always possible I know. I would have though that if your tele is sounding undefined, other guitars will too

[sach_160]

hey man,

yeah the buddha amp is superb... the distortion is simply the finest i've heard, deep - jagged, warm, but any kinda distortion loses guitar definition i guess - i've just gotta keep it a low kinda breaking distortion when i'm playing complicated chops...

i went guitar trying again today, and have decided the es335 is the one for me... they're very hard to find l/h as far as i can tell - the only one i've seen is:

http://used.guitarcenter.com/usedgear/d ... escription

i heasr the easrly 80s dot reissues were great... and though i'm not a fan of black guitars, maybe i should take this as it seems a good price... what dya reckon dude?

again, thanks for posting.

sache