Hassouni said:
marcusnieman said:
looktoyourorb said:
a used LS150 flame top, this should tick all boxes in terms of feel and quality (exceptional)..
A new one (now an LS160 I believe) is still a bargain considering it's pretty much the same as an R8
R8 or R9? I thought they were more like the latter, in terms of neck profile etc - or do you just mean it isn't flamey like an R9?
I'm curious, the 160 has lacquer over a poly sealer, right? Does that still let the wood breathe and age? I'm not going for 50 year tone*, but it's still a valid question I think. I couldn't care less about flame tops.
*The tones that inspire me are from the mid 60s to the early 70s, when Les Pauls were 5-15 year old instruments, not 50 year "relic" what have you...
Yeah the LS-160 is like the R8 because of the plain top, the neck profile on all the Tokai LPs is virtually the same across the range. Tokai have gone for something close to the 59 profile, maybe slightly smaller than some R9s, and of course 2009 was the year when Gibson finally produced a Historic with the correct slightly V shaped LP neck like the originals.
The problem you're going to have is that the originals were made of old growth Honduran mahogany using the less dense wood from higher up the trees, and this just isn't available on lower priced guitars these days (it may not be available on any newer guitar no matter what price). If you believe that the wood will ultimately decide how good the tone will be then it's got to be old, lightish mahogany, or maybe spanish cedar like the early 50s LPs.
From the sounds of it, your best course of action is to have a replica made up using old mahogany, maple and brazilian rosewood. It's actually not as expensive as you might think, but it may not be easy to find a builder. There was somebody on this forum who got a replica and promptly sold most or all his MIJ LPs.
I believe your tone quest will ultimately be unfulfilling for the main reason that the amps and speakers used in the past had a hell of a lot to do with the tones people were getting.
I reckon there are newer guitars that sound great, and you don't have to go through the vintage guitar crapshoot (if it's cheap there's something wrong with it), but ideally if you can audition a few guitars there's sure to be something that takes your fancy. You could do a lot worse than a LS-160, but also look at the HLS versions which have the late 50s shallower neck angle and more vintage correct control placement and looks (some have veneer flame tops though).
You are correct about the lacquer over poly situation, this is par for the course for most newer Japanese guitars up to 200 to 250k yen, higher in some cases.
