# can anyone school me on the Les Paul Classic



## snaps (Aug 14, 2011)

Hi folks, I am wondering if anyone can school me on the Les Paul Classic? If I understand correctly this model was made in the 1990s and is now discontinued. How does it compare to the standard or traditional available today. I am curious what players think of the Classic model.Please excuse my ignorance on this issue. 
Thanks in advance


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

Hey there...your starting point is here...

Les Paul Classic Premium Plus


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

everytime i hear Les Paul Classic...i just get a weird feeling thinking about those green inlays on the neck..


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Not the greatest picture, but you can see what al3d is talking about here:









The early ones didn't have the snot green inlays, nor did the late ones, and I forget the years involved...but the middle years that had them I believe was the majority.

Classics are really well respected players, well put together etc etc. They have a pretty slim neck, as they were originally intended to replicate a 1960 and in fact some classics have 1960 engraved in the pickguard. Mine was an awesome guitar, and looked real sweet, but it was super heavy and the inlays bothered me (wouldn't now, wish I had it back) so away it went. I think I traded it in the same deal as the Strat in the picture, for my Historic which ended up with a twisted neck that I couldn't get warranty on, so yeah, not the best deal I ever made 










You can see in the pickup cavities some information about the guitar - the neck HB is for HoneyBurst, and the bridge says LPCP which is Les Paul Classic Plus (a step up from basic, a step down from Premium Plus as in the article linked above)


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

The models with uncovered pickups are likely the 500T/496R ceramic pickups...

Gibson Les Paul Classic Electric Guitar: Shop Guitars & Other Musical Instruments | Musician's Friend


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Robert1950 said:


> The models with uncovered pickups are likely the 500T/496R ceramic pickups...
> 
> Gibson Les Paul Classic Electric Guitar: Shop Guitars & Other Musical Instruments | Musician's Friend


I think they all were, I know mine was and they were covered. I really liked them, especially the bridge...nothing like a PAF but could really bring the ROCK.


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

The one I owned was beautiful...it had a smaller headstock and low serial number just like a '59 Les Paul...the only difference was that it had a slimmer 60's style neck profile...

These guitars were very accurate recreations of the '59 Les Paul...Gibson moved to larger headstocks...green inlays...classic truss rod covers...etc...to thwart the criminals from making a few minor alterations and passing them off as the real deal...

Here's mine..but as they say..pics don't do it justice...


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## Tim Plains (Apr 14, 2009)

Classics were made all the way up until (I think) 2008. They have weight-relieved bodies (swiss cheese holes) and short neck tenon, the '07s and newer are chambered, slim (slimmest you'll find on a LP) '60s neck, 496/500 ceramic pickups, 500k tone/300k volume pots.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

AreNine covered most of the specs, but I'll toss in that a few of the Classics I've tried were pretty heavy. I remember a Goldtop I tried when I was shopping for my current Std that must have weighed 9.5lbs or more. I guess it was an older swiss cheese model.

Personally, I prefer the fatter necks anyway. If I had to buy a Les Paul today, I would probably opt for the Traditional. But hey, that's me.


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## theroan (Oct 7, 2008)

The Les Paul Classic was made from the early 90's to 2008. The later ones are chambered and the earlier ones are swiss cheese weight relieved.
They have a few defining characteristics.
- Vintage green inlays
- Hot ceramic pickups
- ABR bridge
- Slim 60's neck

Most come in plain tops but there are the premiums and plus' that are flamed. 

I think that the stock picups are terrible, but there are some who do like them. The big complaint is the asthetic of the green inlays, again, personal preference. To me they are every bit as good as a Standard I would say that the wood quality smokes the traditionals. The Traditionals will weigh twice as much.

If want a real Les Paul and want a little more than what a studio offers, go for a Classic.


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

From Vintage Guitar magazine, May 1998, Eric Shoaf's definitive article on the evolution of the Les Paul Classic:

"Late in the decade, Gibson's head of research and development, J.T. Riboloff, designed a reissue Les Paul based on the popular and collectible 1960 model. The key difference between this guitar and other Les Pauls in production at the time was the slim neck profile. In addition, Riboloff added other features to make the instrument faithful to the original such as a narrow headstock, thin cutaway binding, aged fingerboard inlays, inked-on serial number, nickel hardware, vintage-style logo and aged binding on body and neck.

The Les Paul Classic, as it was to be called, did have a couple of concessions to marketing such as a truss rod cover with "Classic" and pickguard marked "1960." The pickups came with no covers so the coils were exposed, another characteristic to differentiate it from other Les Pauls, though this was fairly realistic and a tip of the hat to those who traditionally removed covers to get a better tone on their old Pauls.

The Classic was introduced in 1990 with a retail price of $1,529. The least expensive Les Paul Standard at the time was the ebony finished version costing $1,169 while the sunburst model was $1,399. The Classic's higher price was justified by its reissue-yet-modern vibe and was further enhanced by availability in several sunburst finishes, and in bullion gold on the top, sides, back and neck. Most of the tops on sunburst models were plain and no extra effort was made to use fancy wood on these.

An immediate hit for Gibson, the Classic was tweaked further as time passed. The first change was the addition of a curly or "Plus" top in April 1991. Using maple which was deemed lacking in figure for the vaunted '59 reissue line, the Classic received nicely flamed tops and the designation Les Paul Classic Plus. Pricing was also adjusted as the Classic rose to $1,699 and the Classic Plus debuted at 2,099. By way of comparison, the '59 Reissue listed for $4,199 at the time. The Classic line continued to be a popular seller.

The success of the Classic and its new brother, the flamed top Classic Plus presented some difficult marketing problems for Gibson. The fact was that in many ways, the Classic was more of an accurate reissue than the '59 Les Paul of the early 1990s which still had a wide headstock, bright fingerboard and inlays, and wrong tuner bushings. The '59 did have a beefier neck and a highly flamed top, but the issue was further clouded when some highly figured Classic Plus models came to market. Wood grading is not an exact science, and some of the tops rejected for '59 reissues were in fact quite highly figured. Others had only mild flame. But with just a few easily obtainable parts, a blank truss rod cover, pickup covers, and a new pick guard, the owner of a particularly flamey Classic Plus could have a guitar that appeared to be just as nice as a '59 reissue while saving over $2,000 in the process.

Customers weren't the only ones who noticed this. Dealers were equally aware and they had a further beef with Gibson. As previously mentioned, tops on the Classic Plus ran the gamut from fairly mild flame to highly figured. A dealer ordering four Classic Plus models from Gibson might receive two which were nicely figured and two which were much less flamey. But the price was the same for each and explaining the difference to customers wasn't easy. The dealer gripes became louder in 1992 when the Historic Collection was announced. Dealers receiving the Historic Collection franchise were required to place a cash deposit with Gibson in order to participate in the program. Included among designated Historic Collection instruments was the Les Paul '59 reissue which, at that time, had not yet been reconfigured to Historic Collection specifications. Some dealers felt that a premium was being charged for a guitar which wasn't as faithful to the original as lower priced offerings.

Further, in 1992 a 1960 style slim tapered neck was mated with a '59 reissue body to create a Les Paul 1960 reissue which some customers confused with the Classic Plus until they checked the price tag. Worse, some dealers may have felt compelled to pass off a tarted-up Classic Plus as a 1960 reissue in order to improve profitability.

To complicate things even more, the Classic line was extended again in early 1993 with the introduction of the Premium Plus model. Responding to complaints about top grading, Gibson set up yet another line of figured tops which were nicer than "plus" tops but not as nice (in most cases) as '59 reissue tops. For dealers, the basic concern still remained: these guitars were almost like reissues for a lot less money. The only real difference between the Plus and Premium Plus was the top and the fact that the Premium designated guitars had no pickguard installed. It was delivered in the case pocket. The buyer also paid a $500 premium for the Premium Plus compared to the Plus.

While having the appearance of corporate bumbling, Gibson was actually trying to work out the differences and, also in 1993, they managed to get it right. The Historic Collection '59 Les Paul introduced that year was the most accurate reissue of the model to date in details which went far beyond appearances. The '59 has become the most popular of Gibson's Historic line. Still, for those who wanted the look of a '59 without the cost there was the Classic Premium Plus with a few changed parts for a lot less money. But Gibson solved that problem as well in mid-1993 when the decal on the headstock of all Classics was changed from "Les Paul Model" to "Les Paul Classic." This finally differentiated the Classic from other Les Paul models in a way which couldn't be easily tampered. Late in 1993 the binding in the cutaway of the Classic was widened, a further distancing from the '59 reissue.


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