Not again! I had to return another Les Paul

[@foesfly3047]

The Gibson Les Paul Standard is the favorite, from my arsenal of 4 diverse electrics. But it is not the one I play the best or most often. Jimmy Page is by far, the biggest reason why I have huge affection for it. I am fortunate to have found this Desert Burst with beautiful and interesting flame along with a non-traditional burst that follows the body’s shape more closely, even near the neck-joint, rather than the typical pear-shaped burst. All my guitars are hanging on display in my den/music room. So I enjoy seeing them all every day. But I have an emotional connection with the LP through my love for Zeppelin’s music. A lot of other LP players have similarly added to my fondness for it, but none as much as Jimmy. I have a Customized USA Strat that looks good and sounds great, but I rarely play it. Also an Earnie Ball MM Petrucci Family Reserve that adds the most diversity to the bunch. But the longer 25.5” scale is not optimal for my small, busted up hands. Enter the PRS Custom 22. The 25” scale is the most comfortable and its ‘Slim Profile’ neck shape is the most playable of any I’ve ever tried. So I choose to play it more often than the other 3 combined. But there are days when I feel compelled to play the LP or the Strat or Petrucci and they are a joy. So I wouldn’t give any of them up. Your Rootbeer LP Maple Top was absolutely an exceptional beauty and I would have kept it for that reason, especially since you said the price was right. Gibson corporate seems to think beautiful figuring should only be on their very expensive, limited edition models. Sorry for the long post. Stay Awesome 😎 🎩♠️

[@richhwang4230]

Great insight to your own experiences 👍. I’m going to keep looking at them. Actually found a potential candidate New Year’s Eve but it was gone the next day (must have been a good one) :) Take care now and thank you for stopping by 👍

[@johnwhitaker545]

To this day I still don’t understand how people buy guitars online or through a catalog. I’ve gotta play it before I even consider buying it. That’d be like getting one of those mail order brides lol.

[@richhwang4230]

It’s worked out well for a few instruments I have, but I’ve returned many of them. With the Used instruments I shop for, NGL….the pricing is usually 75% to half of retail, so that is the bait. It’s amazing when it works out! When It doesn’t….this is what happens 😅

[@johnwhitaker545]

@@richhwang4230 you know… in hindsight my comment was a little hypocritical because 15 years ago I bought a couple Les Pauls from an eBay seller who I’d done my research on and obviously trusted enough to fork over around $5k. He offered a 100% refund/return guarantee and they both turned out to be keepers. So, actually, I do get it. There wasn’t a Gibson dealer local to me at the time so… yeah… I’ve rolled the dice too. Sorry for that negativity. Good luck in your pursuit.

[@aminahmed2220]

What a great video have a wonderful day also merry Christmas ❤😊

[@richhwang4230]

Thank you! You too!

[@Darth.Shredder]

Kudos to the seller/dealer who let you return a guitar 3.5 weeks later because you couldn't bond with the neck. I guess that's one of the things we take for granted with places like Guitar Center, etc., that allow this. It seems that someone like yourself should probably not buy online. If you can't find anything local, then maybe plan a road trip or keep an eye out for guitar shows. Buying online, shipping things back and forth and hoping for something to blow you away out a box is wishful thinking and wastes a lot of time and effort on both sides.

[@richhwang4230]

100%. The future ability to return will bring me back for sure. With most of the local stores gone nowadays, difficulty of trying in person is increased. But as important as these instruments are to us who play, it may be worth it to put the extra effort into driving a little further to put my hands on it before laying down the cash. Have I learned my lesson? Maybe 🤔

[@shelbyavant5081]

Yeah, it doesn't take 3 1/2 weeks.

[@rodrossi9749]

Rather than ship guitars back and forth, have the seller use a profile gage. It will save a lot of postage and not waste as much time and effort by both you and the seller . Everytime a guitar ships you rick damage regardless of how well its packed.

[@rockerbuck967]

Les Pauls seem to be that way. I've played ones like butter, and some were a struggle from the get-go. There's one for you out there somewhere. And it may not be an actual Gibson, either - don't get hung up on the name on the headstock - that's a horrible way to choose a guitar. I have a Les Paul Special that will stay with me to my dying day. Just one big slab of mahogany and nothing else. And I make music with it with the passion when I first started 20 years ago. Good luck to you, dude.

[@richhwang4230]

Agreed 100%! Thanks for the well wishes, I’ll keep trying.

[@tracymcelhenie3988]

Neck profile is easily changed to your spec ,sand the neck to your liking ,,,you only live once.

[@BBQROCKSTAR178]

For me….the neck is everything! Neck isn’t right, guitar’s not right! Looks are way down the list for me….. 1. Neck geometry 2. Tuning stability 3. Weight 4. Vibe 5. Sound 6. Looks

[@richhwang4230]

I kept telling myself “keep playing it, you’ll get used to it”. Nope. I can’t do the assymetrical neck. Really have to have 60s slim taper.

[@AmericanNationalist852]

I've never played a Les Paul I enjoyed playing. I really don't get people's love for them.

[@richhwang4230]

It’s mostly nostalgia, I was pretty set on them as a kid, but truthfully am much more a fender guitar player as most of my other videos show. Once I tried a strat, that was that.

[@AmericanNationalist852]

@@richhwang4230 i definitely get it. I was always an ESP fanboi, like for 20 years, but I bought my first Strat 2 years ago and now I'm hooked. Started with a MIM, loved it, then sold it to get a Pro II, and then had it scalloped. I also have a YJM strat now, too, but honestly my Pro II still gets played 99% of the time. My other guitars gather a lot of dust now lol they're still great and all, but my goodness i can't believe i went that long without a proper neck p'up.

[@justinshepherd8603]

I got a epi standard 60s it’s a amazing guitar

[@mikew42906]

After searching for the perfect guitar or many years I have come to the conclusion there is no such thing, you just adapt to the one you are playing, simple.

[@richhwang4230]

Agreed, in that There is always a certain amount of adapting with everything. Personally for me there’s some sort of a threshold of what I will and won’t adapt to, and it takes time to either cross the threshold or turn back. I’ve returned many that I couldn’t bond with, and am very thankful for no-hassle return policies.

[@richardjones2811]

Shame you sent it back, a quick adjustment to your fretting hand thumb would have made it a match.

[@richhwang4230]

I tried hard, but just couldn’t 100% adapt. The quest goes on 👊

[@staggs5034]

Japanese Tokai Love Rocks are my favorite Les Pauls. Check em out on my channel. I own 2 of them. The build quality is on par with high end American guitars. Best frets I’ve ever played. Slick, smooth, and wear well. Very resonant guitars. They are a 1/3 of the price of a Gibson.

[@anniedarkhorse6791]

And the reason for returning them was.......? I'm not clicking through this again. I'm assuming it was the necks (50s or 60s?). Maybe you should retitle this to 'I don't like Gibson necks'. 8 minutes is a long time to take from people to listen to your life story. Hence the 24 up-votes.

[@richhwang4230]

Neither, asymmetrical profile on this one . Didn’t care for it. Perils of online purchases. I love the 60s profile and hoped it’d be somewhere in between, on this one it turned out to be a bad guess. The previous one had a hidden partially busted headstock held together by string tension, and the seller wouldn’t work with me on repair cost. So it got returned as well. Later I encountered the same guitar online, again, being represented as something it wasn’t….. There’s one out there somewhere. Have a great day.

[@richhwang4230]

Ps. I’ve probably returned twice as many fenders, because they either had truss rod problems, other defects, or felt sonically dead in one way or another.

[@itsgmani]

I’d call that the Peggy Bundy.

[@markpell8979]

Brother, you own the guitar, not vice versa. If you bought this Les Paul to enjoy and not just as an investment, and loved everything else about this one, it would not have been 'sacrilege' to reshape and refinish the back of the neck to your liking. It's wood. That's not hard to do or have done. I could've done it for you in a few hours. (Edit: After watching and listening to you play, you are obviously a good player and to me, the neck profile didn't seem to be a problem for you. You even said, "This is cool." Did I miss something? I hope you don't find yourself regretting you let this one get away.)

[@martymcpeak4748]

Buy yourself an ESP Edwards and get a great guitar from the jump. I have an Edwards E-LP John Sykes model that is better quality than any Gibson I've ever owned. it has the true Les Paul size hardware layout and even the open book headstock. real ebony board finished beautifully. you shouldn't settle or conform your playing to an inferior qualify Instrument if you have to play 100 of them till you find the one... Cheers Brother

[@noonecares7730]

Hell ive had ltd 200s that play better than the gibsons ive tried out.

[@JamieToddBand]

I hate your video. This guy is a MONSTER player and we barely get to hear you! Protest!

[@richhwang4230]

I’ll try to do better next time sir. And thank you ❤

[@stuartliggitt8401]

Buy a PRS

[@richhwang4230]

I’ve only picked up like 2 or 3 of them, so far no luck, will keep trying.

[@anniedarkhorse6791]

Soulless guitars.

[@toddneary]

​​@@richhwang4230- DGT? 594? The all mahogany Standard seems to do the LP Custom classic rock 'mid' thing really well if that appeals to you.