http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-burst21aug21,0,4735841.story?page=1&coll=la-home-center
Still debating if I want a Les Paul or a Telecaster as my first electric in almost 20 years.
Why is this an “either / or” decision. Clearly, the answer is to get both (and a Strat, and an ES-xxx). I’d go for the ES-345 myself ahead of a Les Paul.
I would recommend a Les Paul from the early to mid-'90s. Fine guitars. They were made almost as good as the originals at that point. But after the late '90s, they went down hill every year since.
I traded my brand-new 2005 white Custom for a 1966 ES-335 carcass 12-6 string conversion (yes, some friggin’ idiot cut down the damned headstock). But it’s a Kalamazoo, MI 335, and I will never get rid of her. Meanwhile, she is now a player, which means I can do anything i want to it, including put DiMarzio Super 2 pup in the bridge. I had to rheam the already amply abused headstock for my so-called “Vintage Spec” push-in bushing tuners, which made me cry.
You can still get a pretty nice '70s Tele for under $2500. I would get them while I can for those prices. The '70s stuff is going quickly…
Though a '70s Paul is heavy, they are quirky. I predict that they will be off the hook in 15 years TOPS, as Gibson never produced the pancake bodies again, and many rock heroes (Ace Frehley, Peter Frampton, Pete Townshend, amongst others) were playing them.
You couldn’t pay me to buy a modern Gibby or Fender these days. They just don’t have the soul. You could end up with a mid-to-late '90s Paul for the same price and have a better guitar than a modern Gibby. '90s Fender re-isssues are also a good way to go (particularly the Japanese ones), as far as players go.
I traded an LP for a 335. I love the sound. You can play a hot, hot pup in the bridge and not have it howl, yet still play the amp. No, you won’t be able to play your dimed Super Reverb as effectively as Nuge played his Byrdland (Byrdlands have no block like a 335 does), but you can play you amp pretty effectively with the hollow sides.
God, I wish I could afford a Blonde 1962 Byrdland. I think Nuge has all of them from that year.
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