Dude!!!! You are awesome. I have learned so much about working on and setting up guitars. Thanks for sharing your expertise!!! Keep up the great work!!!
My nearest L&M store hired a really solid tech away from an independent store in the area. He did work on a purchase under warranty and he did work on my father's acoustic. My issue with the stores is that they tend to take for granted that the manufacturers ship them error free. They slap the electric guitars up on the wall under hot lots. Invariably, it's too dry in the store and anything up on the wall for long gets some neck shrink and fret sprout. Doesn't matter the cost of the guitar or the brand. The only humidity controlled space is for the premium acoustics and that's an institutional problem.
Gibsons have ALWAYS needed setup! From the time I started playing in 1974 when I started gigging. I did play an R7 once that WAS perfect! Still yes they are expensive but they are factory guitars. Problem is now I see a lot of guys that have never played a well setup guitar. I had a great luthier repair guy at 14 that was a master. Find a good repair guy before you buy any guitar. I set my own up and have for decades. Everyone needs to know how to do basics. Setup for the way YOU play.
I recently purchased a AIO Wolf LP750T purple burst for $598 with a ($200 list) SKB hard case for an extra $100. This thing came out of the box completely set up (straight neck, low action, correct PU height, intonated and was even in tune.) It was totally plug-n-play! It's a better player than my Epiphone LP that I bought 12 years ago and, although I've never owned a Gibson LP, I'm okay with that!
Hi Dave, I do my own set ups to a certain point. I just had my LP in the shop for a bridge, fret level and a bone nut. When it came back it played like a million bucks. What I did with the stop tail piece is, not only to get the strings off the back of the bridge but also take a lot of the break angle out of the treble side so I can bend strings easier, I am losing the strength in my fingers on my left hand so I can't bend the .010, .013 and the .016 the way I'd like. So I went to a set of E/B 9.5 to .046. That's the set with the extra light on the treble side and the normal gauge on the bass side, And with the angle taken out of tail piece I have a wonderful Les Paul that I can't put down. And I learned it all from you, thanks a million.
Working on a Rogue "LP shaped object" I bought my son years ago when he began taking lessons. Nice little project guitar. Did fret leveling, (my first), and full set up. Fixed low E at nut, but need to duplicate across to high E. Have some "crackling" in electronics. Will be checking wiring and ground. Installing new pots, 5-way super switch, and orange drop cap. Bridge pickup housing sits at an angle. Will trim with dremel and sand flush. The stop bar was one problem I had with this $85 beauty from day one. One post had bushing hole drilled too big. Fixed it after purchasing without redrilling. As a result have to adjust it down to the deck. No problem though as the strings have plenty of clearance where bridge is concerned. When I am finished I will post some pics on Dave's Facebook page.
On the bright side, that's a nice top and good looking burst. Several years ago, I got a really good deal on a chambered R8 and it's a fantastic guitar.
I picked up a 2021 LP 50s Standard a few months ago. Frets were perfect, nut was cut correctly and smoothed on the edges, binding had no bleeding and the top is quite nice. The neck like this one though was almost completely straight, the action was too low (that's usually rare) and the pickups were too high. After a complete setup she plays amazing I haven't had to adjust anything as we moved from Winter to Spring. (That's a Slash model which are about 3K US, the 50s Standard is about 2.5K)
My Les Paul straight from the shop had all kind of pinging and detuning nut problems. Had to get a tusq nut installed to stop it being a guitar shaped object. 🌴
Always Tusq my go to when replacing nuts. I've got a few Fenders with bone and they're fine (bit of nut sauce occasionally) but Tusq ends the pinging forever :)
String Butler for me and I swear by it now. Makes the strings straight through the nut fixing the catching problem totally. Old design, closed mindedness and buyer and maker resistance to evolving the design for the better. I love my Les Paul but they need to fix these problems at that price.
I love this. Absolutely take it back if it doesn't play right out of the box! Hell, I bought a Am Std Telecaster from Best Buy (not sure if they did in America's hat, but they sold instruments at some stores here in the states) I told him to set it up for 10-42, and they took it in the back and half hour later, perfectly set up (to my personal liking) guitar. If Best Buy could do it, and asked when I purchased if I wanted anything special set up wise, what can't every guitar shop do the same?
I had this happen to a new Player Strat that I bought a few years ago from a dealer. The neck was bowed, the nut needed to be recut and it had a sitar sound on one of the high strings. It also wouldn't hold tune so I put on a roller string tree, locking Fender tuners and changed the bent steel saddles to block saddles because there was a low spot causing the sitar sound. Then it went to my luthier who did some awesome work on it to get it playable. I told the dealer about it and they said they were sorry if I was inconvenienced and to let them know how I can be helped in the future. Nice.
Call me crazy but the I personally love, LOVE getting a new guitar just so I can do the set up. Other than playing the guitar the set up is most enjoyable. Gibson Les Pauls and Explorers are perfect for this experience. They usually provide you with quality wood and hardware to craft it exactly to your preference. A blank slate if you will...
I heard (from Gibson) that they leave the nut high so that people who use a slide don't have to change the nut. Anyone wanting to play normally will have to cut the nut slots lower. Make of that what you will.
I have a USA 2021 Slash Les Paul in Amber Apatite finish. Its an awesome axe. Its a 50's LP with Slash-Buckers and the Slash branding on back of heaadstock and from factory, it comes with a Slash Truss Rod cover. I own a 2021 50;s LP Standard which is about 10 lbs, and the Slash model is only 7.9 lbs. I love the fat neck on it as well. Mine was not dialed in out of box either but some basic setup and its playing like it should.
I love my '22 Slash. Best guitar I have ever owned. My 60s Standard is close though but I like the fat 50s neck the best and the Slash Buckers are killer sounding!
Hi Dave, Enjoy your visa. If you can see six tenths of a thousandth of an inch then I'll stop using 2mm for base string height. Millimetres rock. Keep up the good work.
Great Job. I live in Detroit and I travel to Canada regularly. I love it. Seems like the guys at L&M did the 'free' setup and it wasn't quite up to par. I've purchased two Gibsons over the last few months that were perfectly setup. An ES-335 and a SG Modern. I was floored by the setup job. Of course they PLEK everything there these days. In the states a lot of guitars are purchased from Sweetwater and they have their own inspection process for new instruments down there. Hopefully , everyone is ending up with a nice playing guitar. Keep up the great work. I really love your channel. Canada rocks.
I'm assuming he means L&McQ, Long is a person, McQuade is a street, Jack Long's store located at the corner of Yonge and McQuade. Pete Traynor started behind L&McQ, on McQuade Street, building cheap amps for struggling musicians.
April is Gibson month at L& M I picked up a Black SG Standard bass at the Vancouver location to add to my collection... 😀 the only tweak I had to do was a quarter turn the truss rod.
I bought a brand new 2022 Gibson SG 61. It had lacquer overspray up to 1/4" into the fretboard, between the 13th and 17th frets on the bass side and some on the treble side. I returned it. Bought a new Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s and returned it because it had severe fret problems and the nut had not been cut cut right nor reduced in height...at all. Beyond that, the "slim profile" neck measured 95 at the 1st and over 1" at the 12the fret. It was huge. If I wanted a 50s neck, I would have bought a 50s standard. Replacement 60s needed some nut material cleaned out that was actually causing a sitar like sound on multiple frets. When they sanded the top of the nut down, they left hanging chads (hehe) in three of the slots. There was also metal shavings attached to two of the bridge saddles. Fortunately, the store I bought from had no problem taking the first two guitars back and heavily discounting the third (just shy of 18%), so I'm now a happy camper.
I stopped going to Schlong and Mcquade a long time ago!! Horrible customer service over a $4000 dollar purchase! That's how they treat you after YEARS of business? Yep!! I buy all my strings etc online now and any big purchases are from Cosmo Music!💜
When I was in retail we would inspect the deliveries and send em back if the QC wasn’t acceptable. After it leaves the factory damage can happen in shipping, receiving and at the retail shop. It’s not the company’s fault that no one’s checking their merchandise. It’s the retailer’s issue and shouldn’t be seen by the customer.
They come in a neutral setup - best to get a paid setup - worth paying. My guy cut the nut properly. They do this so people can set them up as they want.
@@larryburwell8550 I just went upstairs and weighed my 93 American Standard. Only 8.8 lbs. My back tells me it weighs more, but i guess not. I also weighed Carvin V220 and it was 8.8 lbs too. I pulled out my SG but didnt run upstairs with it. It's light as a feather. My next guitar will be a non-chambered LP Standard. I've been trying lots but haven't found "The One" yet.
I’ve found that if you lift the tailpiece off the body even just a little bit the guitar will sustain longer. I think if the tailpiece is on the deck it kills the vibration. IMO
Great video Big Dave, I guess the pleck machine doesn’t do nut height? Thankfully my 20 LP standard came well set up with no issues. Question?? How do you know if the truss rod is fighting to keep the neck straight? With strings off is the tension at zero? Thanks for the hard work, sandwich time.
A plek machine is basically a vertically mounted CNC machine that uses micro-measurements to remove impurities from the frets with a tiny little router bit type thing. It's not really equipped to work on nut height (as far as I know don't kill me if I'm wrong :D)
Bridge saddles are extremely important and especially if you like to bend. Rollers might be a better choice but I have never tried them to see if there is a difference.
Especially with the price tag of a Gibson. It's ridiculous. I have an Epiphone Les Paul studio that sounds better than my Gibson LP Standard. It shouldn't be that way.
This has been my same experience with two of these. My current Les Paul Standard plays fine now but it took some work to get it there. I got a special deal on it after spending a ton of money with a company building a recording studio so the price was REALLY low. That's the only reason I didn't return it and just kept working with it. If it were full retail price there's no way I would have kept it.
Just bought my 1st US made LP today, mine was only 2 grand thou, 2 grand UK I always think new guitars need a set up anyway, so 1st thing I'll do when I get it is take it to my guitar tech.
Just bought a brand new Epi 59 LP, it arrive two days ago. Fit and finish was really nice, if you like poly satin. Electronics are same USA electronics they put in USA LP's. Plug it in and it sounds fine, especially with gain. However, the frets were really gritty and action was set too high. Relief was fine. Lowered the action and the high register frets buzz after about the 17/18th fret. So yeah if you want to tear everything down, redress the frets, polish them all and do your own set up it can be a good guitar. But when I AB it against my LP double cut, a LP Traditional, 53 LP it is by far the bottom of the barrel in tone. Not enough that anyone at a gig would notice, but I certainly notice it playing it. I've played at least a dozen different LP Epi's over time at GC, a couple have been really good, most pretty blah and 2 of them flat out didn't work, as in no sound, off the wall. There's no free lunch with these.
I love my Epiphone Gold Top but there is nothing like my Gibson Traditional. They are extremely close but when you play them back to back it’s noticeable. And I have Gibson USA Burstbuckers in my Epiphone with proper Les Paul pots and wiring.
I still don't understand how as a guitarist, that people don't know how to do a setup on their own instrument and set it to their playing style. It's not that difficult and you don't need a bunch of fancy expensive tools either. No offense Dave, I know you make a living at doing this stuff.
I payed money once to have my guitar set up, I was 20 , it came back worse so I taught myself , I’m 52 now and I’d never take my guitars to a tech , no offence Dave . All guitar players should know this stuff as part of owning the instrument
I agree to a point, but I always support my local luthiers like Dave because when things go wrong they are invaluable. Try fixing a 1986 L-5 that has sat in a case for 20 years, with the glue dried out and the bracing coming away. And new pots (failing) and switching (failing) whilst not de-valuing the instrument or changing its character, and with access through the f and pickup holes. Few guitarist I know could do that unless they happen to be a cabinet maker by trade.
I started playing only about 4yrs ago & bought guitars that were a bit more expensive than my experience/talent warranted, I wanted to be sure I could sell them easier & get good resale. I was reluctant to do anything but change the strings, so I got my first two guitars (American Special Tele, American Tele Deluxe) set up at L&M. The tech at my local L&M is fantastic & will give advice that saves me money. I wish they gave you a free set of strings for your first setup, though. I'm waiting 4 months now for an in-warranty neck replacement on a Mexican Strat, so it's good to get a "certified" tech to do one service at least so they can handle Fender's warranty stuff if the product is defective. I just wish it didn't take less time to get a kidney or liver than it does a replacement maple neck. Having a second, cheaper guitar is great to learn setup on. Now I'll do my own setups & I can replace any hardware (except pickups on a semi-hollow, I'm not a masochist). The only thing I'm nervous about is treating/replacing frets. I want to get a full kit so I can learn to solder a new control panel & pickups, crimp & prep frets, etc. L&M can charge like $400 on a full re-fret, and the cost of the tools & materials you need for that are like ~$300 at Stew-Mac. I still have no idea how to tune or service a Floyd Rose, but I'll cross that schitt bridge when I come to it!
Agree 100% The things are made of wood, which changes all the the time That’s why there is a adjustable bridges and truss rods Also not everyone uses the same gauge string as the leave the shop with Guitar did not need any fret leveling Think Gibson did good on this on
I have both a Les Paul Studio and an SG Standard. My preference is to put the stop bar to the deck. On both guitars, the string contact the back of the bridge in that configuration. So, I over wrap them both. I don't care about feel, I wouldn't be able to notice anyway. I just don't want the strings touching the back of the bridge. They both play fine and I've done it for years now.
Maybe I'm reading this video wrong, but a new Slash Les Paul seems to have brought dark clouds into your world. I'm no fan of Les Pauls myself & also find them overpriced, but jeezuss, the contempt you seem to have for this instrument is bordering on hate. Maybe I'm reading the sarcasm wrong, so don't take this as trolling - it's just that this basic setup is like you're playing Whac-A-Mole with a sledgehammer. You sound like me when I'm doing my taxes!
Epiphone all the way if you want the authentic shape. Put in your choice of pups, set it to your liking, and rock on. Go swimming in the pile of cash you saved later...or even buy 3 more guutars and still have money left over, for say an amp or an eq pedal. Unless of course you absolutely MUST have that name on the headstock to feed your ego and/or protect your image...or you enjoy having to be super careful with the nitro finish only for it to eventually do what it does anyway.
Too Funny ! Dave is a very humble individual ! I've been playing for 50+ years, and I never use measurements ! 5 / 64 th ? Measurements ? I smile ! I can only say I use EB 10s strings on all 20 + plus guitar s ! I've never swapped pickups etc! And, I never paid someone in a guitar setup ! Too Funny ! Guitar s are imperfect, so please learn basic setup skill ! Remember, if your tone sucks, then it's in the mirror not the gear 👍
I have owned over 20 custom shop les pauls and i sold them all. Collector's choice, top of the line models. The only Gibson I kept was a 1986 prehistoric reissue. It's the only one that actually sounds and feels like a vintage LP. Gibson went backwards imo. Also it's 8.6LB granted most from that time are also boat anchors. This one is light and perfect.
I had a LP in 1971. It was heavy, with sloppy binding, and it went out of tune if you looked at it. I got rid of it; some fool has likely paid a big price for that piece of crap. I think it may have been a 1960 Standard; we weren't obsessed with the year back then, other than realizing the pre-CBS Fenders were superior to the CBS shit. I also had a 1972 Tele, which wasn't as good as the MIM Tele I bought a few years ago.
Aggravating that for the price on these things, they are not set up. I expect it with a guitar under a grand, but not on a guitar I spent 4K on. I own an early 90's LP Studio model, it's like wearing an anchor around your neck lol.
recently picked up a $300 beater squier affinity Jazzmaster for my kid, and other than a slight tweak to the truss rod and some new strings, it was damn near perfect out of the box. if chinese slave labor can do that, then some hungover hillbilly probably on meth in (wherever they make gibson these days) can do it too
@@DavesWorldofFunStuff yeah I did…I know that the “free” setup wasn’t free. But the person who did it looked like he rushed though it w/out taking the time to do the work properly.
Me too!!💯 HARLEY BENTON! It came set up better and with actual tools to set it up and make adjustments! My 2016 Gibson Es-335 I got a shitty set up and a C.O.A that looks like it was written by a 6 year old!🤣 I got it sent away and plekd for free because I flipped my lid on the asshole in the store! Unacceptable on a guitar of that price range!💯
The cartoon character means it's a 'Slash' (of Guns n' Roses) signature guitar. I have a nice lemon burst 'Slash' that I love; but it did need a little fiddling with the bridge to get it to play right out of the store. I have a half-dozen Les Pauls and each has its own character.
Hi Dave, I have only bought a new Epiphone Les Paul and a USED Gibson LP from 1979. The strings I use are 10's. What gauge strings do these $4000 Les Paul's come with? I only ask because when you are fine tuning the nut slots, are you using the files for 9's or 10's? I am no expert, but don't some guitars come with 9 gauge strings?
Long & mcquade setups aren't great had my fender setup when I got it and had terrible fret buzz ended up just seting it up myself. Setting pickup hight is tricky what hight do you set noiseless fender pickups at? Is their a trick to it?
L+M had a deal a couple years ago...buy 3 packs of strings of a certain brand, get a free setup!! Good deal, right? 3 days later, i got my guitar back...with a new set of strings installed. That was it. They didn't even wipe the fretboard. Had it advertised as a $40 value in the promo, but when i complained, they insisted that was what their setups include. Also just dropped $1500 on a new Fender, and it immediately needed a full setup... Nut filed, tremolo lifted, action corrected, intonation adjusted. Why the fuck do they not do a full setup on new guitars? At least any that are over $1000!!!
The time and therefore the money we have to pay for something is not right is not good enough. The more money spent the less that should be wrong, wouldn't except a car that wasn't 'set up'.
IIRC, for a Special Edition LP 'Std' with the proper Nut Slot Heights cut from the factory, Gibson charges an extra $1,000. Otherwise, you get the 'regular' Nuts, w/ the slots cut by the Cross-eyed guy in Bangladesh that Gibson pays $0.25 a day, that go on all the other Les Pauls.🙃
I bought a 2018 Les Paul classic brand new and it was a bit of a mess. I don’t want to mention the name of the store but it starts with ‘Guitar’ and ends with ‘Center’. It had dings all over and the strings were rusty lol. Made them give me a bunch of money back to make it right. To be fair Gibson was not at all at fault for this.
Uncle Dave...I have always lived my life with some Mantras. One of those is that "nothing is for free". Or "you get exactly what you paid for". "If it sounds to good to be to true, it probably is". And "if something does not make sense, it is bullshit". $4000 CDN for that LP huh? Inflation. Hey kids, companies don't raise the prices or shrink their shit because they want to make more profit; no. It's your shitty currency losing value. Here in the States, the real number is 1-1/2% to 2% per month of lost purchasing power. Fistbump Uncle Dave
It’s Friday night, I’ve a beer open and Dave has a Gibson to work on. Happy days.
Dude!!!! You are awesome. I have learned so much about working on and setting up guitars. Thanks for sharing your expertise!!! Keep up the great work!!!
My nearest L&M store hired a really solid tech away from an independent store in the area. He did work on a purchase under warranty and he did work on my father's acoustic. My issue with the stores is that they tend to take for granted that the manufacturers ship them error free. They slap the electric guitars up on the wall under hot lots. Invariably, it's too dry in the store and anything up on the wall for long gets some neck shrink and fret sprout. Doesn't matter the cost of the guitar or the brand. The only humidity controlled space is for the premium acoustics and that's an institutional problem.
Correct!
Gibsons have ALWAYS needed setup! From the time I started playing in 1974 when I started gigging. I did play an R7 once that WAS perfect! Still yes they are expensive but they are factory guitars. Problem is now I see a lot of guys that have never played a well setup guitar. I had a great luthier repair guy at 14 that was a master. Find a good repair guy before you buy any guitar. I set my own up and have for decades. Everyone needs to know how to do basics. Setup for the way YOU play.
I recently purchased a AIO Wolf LP750T purple burst for $598 with a ($200 list) SKB hard case for an extra $100. This thing came out of the box completely set up (straight neck, low action, correct PU height, intonated and was even in tune.) It was totally plug-n-play! It's a better player than my Epiphone LP that I bought 12 years ago and, although I've never owned a Gibson LP, I'm okay with that!
Hey Dave. You never fail to entertain.
Thanks
That guitar is beautiful!
Hi Dave, I do my own set ups to a certain point. I just had my LP in the shop for a bridge, fret level and a bone nut. When it came back it played like a million bucks. What I did with the stop tail piece is, not only to get the strings off the back of the bridge but also take a lot of the break angle out of the treble side so I can bend strings easier, I am losing the strength in my fingers on my left hand so I can't bend the .010, .013 and the .016 the way I'd like. So I went to a set of E/B 9.5 to .046. That's the set with the extra light on the treble side and the normal gauge on the bass side, And with the angle taken out of tail piece I have a wonderful Les Paul that I can't put down. And I learned it all from you, thanks a million.
@@ChrisLee1353-c6e didn't know that they(tone pros)made those. Oh well, next time I swap out a bridge, maybe I will try one.
Working on a Rogue "LP shaped object" I bought my son years ago when he began taking lessons. Nice little project guitar. Did fret leveling, (my first), and full set up. Fixed low E at nut, but need to duplicate across to high E. Have some "crackling" in electronics. Will be checking wiring and ground. Installing new pots, 5-way super switch, and orange drop cap. Bridge pickup housing sits at an angle. Will trim with dremel and sand flush. The stop bar was one problem I had with this $85 beauty from day one. One post had bushing hole drilled too big. Fixed it after purchasing without redrilling. As a result have to adjust it down to the deck. No problem though as the strings have plenty of clearance where bridge is concerned. When I am finished I will post some pics on Dave's Facebook page.
On the bright side, that's a nice top and good looking burst.
Several years ago, I got a really good deal on a chambered R8 and it's a fantastic guitar.
Tobacco?
@@matttherrien9608 My R8? It's sort of a honey/iced tea colour.
I am pretty sure that if you buy a LP model that starts with an R, it should be flawless.
@@therapist6328 I agree.
FREE SETUP! Worth every penny!
I picked up a 2021 LP 50s Standard a few months ago. Frets were perfect, nut was cut correctly and smoothed on the edges, binding had no bleeding and the top is quite nice. The neck like this one though was almost completely straight, the action was too low (that's usually rare) and the pickups were too high. After a complete setup she plays amazing I haven't had to adjust anything as we moved from Winter to Spring. (That's a Slash model which are about 3K US, the 50s Standard is about 2.5K)
Video Guide
1:00 -14:20 -- Basic Setup Techniques
14:20 - 18:48 -- Ravi Shankar's greatest hits
Lol
My Les Paul straight from the shop had all kind of pinging and detuning nut problems. Had to get a tusq nut installed to stop it being a guitar shaped object. 🌴
Always Tusq my go to when replacing nuts. I've got a few Fenders with bone and they're fine (bit of nut sauce occasionally) but Tusq ends the pinging forever :)
String Butler for me and I swear by it now. Makes the strings straight through the nut fixing the catching problem totally. Old design, closed mindedness and buyer and maker resistance to evolving the design for the better. I love my Les Paul but they need to fix these problems at that price.
had the same problem with my 2021 es-335 the nut was to high
I love this. Absolutely take it back if it doesn't play right out of the box! Hell, I bought a Am Std Telecaster from Best Buy (not sure if they did in America's hat, but they sold instruments at some stores here in the states) I told him to set it up for 10-42, and they took it in the back and half hour later, perfectly set up (to my personal liking) guitar. If Best Buy could do it, and asked when I purchased if I wanted anything special set up wise, what can't every guitar shop do the same?
I had this happen to a new Player Strat that I bought a few years ago from a dealer. The neck was bowed, the nut needed to be recut and it had a sitar sound on one of the high strings. It also wouldn't hold tune so I put on a roller string tree, locking Fender tuners and changed the bent steel saddles to block saddles because there was a low spot causing the sitar sound. Then it went to my luthier who did some awesome work on it to get it playable. I told the dealer about it and they said they were sorry if I was inconvenienced and to let them know how I can be helped in the future. Nice.
My 9 month old always smiles and cracks up when he sees your face. Lol
Call me crazy but the I personally love, LOVE getting a new guitar just so I can do the set up. Other than playing the guitar the set up is most enjoyable. Gibson Les Pauls and Explorers are perfect for this experience. They usually provide you with quality wood and hardware to craft it exactly to your preference. A blank slate if you will...
yer crazy
I wish you lived in my neck of the woods Dave. You really know what the heck you’re doing. Good guitar techs like you are hard to find.
Wow you must live on your own island
@@oceanchief2388 Nope, just not many good guitar techs in my area.
@@oceanchief2388 *_"WILSON!!"_*
I heard (from Gibson) that they leave the nut high so that people who use a slide don't have to change the nut. Anyone wanting to play normally will have to cut the nut slots lower. Make of that what you will.
nice excuse
@@DavesWorldofFunStuff You mean you think they may not have told the truth? I'm shocked at your cynicism Dave ;-)
@@jonniegibbins They actually said that to you? I would have told the guy he was full of Shite and I'll buy my guitar somewhere else!
Gibson Les Paul guitars look great and mostly sound great.
If only they costed great
@@thenameless3271 yes, I agree.
Everything has it's price tag though
Back in the day the Yamaha SG2000 was called a 'Les Paul Killer'.
@@stringrip back in the 90's I had a Yamaha sg200. It was a very good guitar
I have a USA 2021 Slash Les Paul in Amber Apatite finish. Its an awesome axe. Its a 50's LP with Slash-Buckers and the Slash branding on back of heaadstock and from factory, it comes with a Slash Truss Rod cover. I own a 2021 50;s LP Standard which is about 10 lbs, and the Slash model is only 7.9 lbs. I love the fat neck on it as well. Mine was not dialed in out of box either but some basic setup and its playing like it should.
I love my '22 Slash. Best guitar I have ever owned. My 60s Standard is close though but I like the fat 50s neck the best and the Slash Buckers are killer sounding!
For $4,000 a guitar should be setup as if you were about to go live in front of 30,000 fans.....
Long and Mcquade is HORRIBLE!💯
Well it better come with 29,996 fans as well because I am a few short.
Set up for who? We all have different preferences.
Rhyno D...it amazes me that NO matter what crap Gibson puts out, there will always be people who defend them...it makes my brain hurt!!!!
Setups are personal preference.
Good video and Dave, we like you from accross the pond.
Glad you enjoyed it
Hi Dave, Enjoy your visa. If you can see six tenths of a thousandth of an inch then I'll stop using 2mm for base string height. Millimetres rock. Keep up the good work.
Great Job. I live in Detroit and I travel to Canada regularly. I love it. Seems like the guys at L&M did the 'free' setup and it wasn't quite up to par. I've purchased two Gibsons over the last few months that were perfectly setup. An ES-335 and a SG Modern. I was floored by the setup job. Of course they PLEK everything there these days. In the states a lot of guitars are purchased from Sweetwater and they have their own inspection process for new instruments down there. Hopefully , everyone is ending up with a nice playing guitar. Keep up the great work. I really love your channel. Canada rocks.
I'm assuming he means L&McQ, Long is a person, McQuade is a street, Jack Long's store located at the corner of Yonge and McQuade. Pete Traynor started behind L&McQ, on McQuade Street, building cheap amps for struggling musicians.
I recently got a Reverend that's just sweet, but they do their own once-overs before they ship 'em back out.
The free setup wasn't the issue. The nut, which is supposed to be part of the PLEK process checks, was not cut correctly.
Nice-looking tobacco Sunburst!
Dave you've come a long way since you mailed out listing. I'm still with you. God Bless. Jersey AL. !!
April is Gibson month at L& M I picked up a Black SG Standard bass at the Vancouver location to add to my collection... 😀 the only tweak I had to do was a quarter turn the truss rod.
"L & M"...? That some Canadian-only dealer or am having a brain fart for some name I'll feel like a nimrod for not figuring out sooner..?
I bought a brand new 2022 Gibson SG 61. It had lacquer overspray up to 1/4" into the fretboard, between the 13th and 17th frets on the bass side and some on the treble side. I returned it. Bought a new Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s and returned it because it had severe fret problems and the nut had not been cut cut right nor reduced in height...at all. Beyond that, the "slim profile" neck measured 95 at the 1st and over 1" at the 12the fret. It was huge. If I wanted a 50s neck, I would have bought a 50s standard.
Replacement 60s needed some nut material cleaned out that was actually causing a sitar like sound on multiple frets. When they sanded the top of the nut down, they left hanging chads (hehe) in three of the slots. There was also metal shavings attached to two of the bridge saddles.
Fortunately, the store I bought from had no problem taking the first two guitars back and heavily discounting the third (just shy of 18%), so I'm now a happy camper.
Its a Slash Collection Les Paul Standard.
Always adjust the truss rod with the strings on and IN TUNE. The neck needs to have the tension on it before you adjust it.
Im planning on buying a gibson les paul custom later this year, wish me luck lol
don't do it
I stopped going to Schlong and Mcquade a long time ago!! Horrible customer service over a $4000 dollar purchase! That's how they treat you after YEARS of business? Yep!! I buy all my strings etc online now and any big purchases are from Cosmo Music!💜
Been going to Cosmo since before the huge store was built. My Tele I bought there in '93 is going with me, in my casket!
When I was in retail we would inspect the deliveries and send em back if the QC wasn’t acceptable. After it leaves the factory damage can happen in shipping, receiving and at the retail shop. It’s not the company’s fault that no one’s checking their merchandise. It’s the retailer’s issue and shouldn’t be seen by the customer.
shipping didnt leave nut slots not cut properly. just sayin'
I’m not sure the store should be working for free as the Gibson QC department.
I recently bought a Gibson sg special 2019 from LM wrap around bringgot a good deal but got really bad tuning issues especially the G string.
LP’s and Strats are the main reason I play bass because I would be tempted to buy them.
They come in a neutral setup - best to get a paid setup - worth paying. My guy cut the nut properly. They do this so people can set them up as they want.
Oh dave you remarked about the weight. We les Paul players love the weight. It's a les Paul. Played them since 1976. I have 6
@C.Nash I use 4 inch strap us I'm 6'3 210
No pain, no gain. From a heavy af Telecaster player.
@@therapist6328 I don't know how much a tele weighs my 76 les Paul weighs is over 10 pounds 81 custom weighs 9.5 and 89 black standard 9.8
@@larryburwell8550 I just went upstairs and weighed my 93 American Standard. Only 8.8 lbs. My back tells me it weighs more, but i guess not. I also weighed Carvin V220 and it was 8.8 lbs too. I pulled out my SG but didnt run upstairs with it. It's light as a feather.
My next guitar will be a non-chambered LP Standard. I've been trying lots but haven't found "The One" yet.
@@therapist6328 non chambered should weigh 9 plus to 10 plus id never buy a chambered I love all that mahogany and maple top
Gibson probably had Slash do the setup.
He'd do a better job
Ya know, they probably did now that you mentioned it.
The cartoon is to tell you where the neck/ headstock break will occur !!
Yep !!
when it breaks, you hang a slash top hat over the decapitation, and noone is the wiser
I’ve found that if you lift the tailpiece off the body even just a little bit the guitar will sustain longer. I think if the tailpiece is on the deck it kills the vibration. IMO
If its straight from the store it's gonna be a good video
lmao
The Slash appetite LP’s are beautiful! I want the anaconda green one. My holy grail. 3k American plus tax….
Great video Big Dave, I guess the pleck machine doesn’t do nut height? Thankfully my 20 LP standard came well set up with no issues. Question?? How do you know if the truss rod is fighting to keep the neck straight? With strings off is the tension at zero? Thanks for the hard work, sandwich time.
A plek machine is basically a vertically mounted CNC machine that uses micro-measurements to remove impurities from the frets with a tiny little router bit type thing. It's not really equipped to work on nut height (as far as I know don't kill me if I'm wrong :D)
Ur cool man, you've been around & know what ur doing! + ur mellow &seem easy 2 get along with! Thanks.
I appreciate that!
A little bit of lubrication of the truss rod nut from the factory on a new, 4000 dollar guitar wouldn't hurt!
Bridge saddles are extremely important and especially if you like to bend. Rollers might be a better choice but I have never tried them to see if there is a difference.
Hi Dave what measurement do you use for the string height ?
Thanks Philip
It’s crazy to get guitars from the factory, brand new, that need significant work.
Mackenzie & Marr are a good example.
Especially with the price tag of a Gibson. It's ridiculous. I have an Epiphone Les Paul studio that sounds better than my Gibson LP Standard. It shouldn't be that way.
@@treeherder2201 Ya, especially since Gibson owns Epiphone! lmao
This has been my same experience with two of these. My current Les Paul Standard plays fine now but it took some work to get it there. I got a special deal on it after spending a ton of money with a company building a recording studio so the price was REALLY low. That's the only reason I didn't return it and just kept working with it. If it were full retail price there's no way I would have kept it.
Just bought my 1st US made LP today, mine was only 2 grand thou, 2 grand UK I always think new guitars need a set up anyway, so 1st thing I'll do when I get it is take it to my guitar tech.
Good video. What's the thickness of the feeler gauge you use for the string clearance?
I think he mentioned .020"
4 grand? lol wow!! no way!!! im happy with my 2- perfect epiphone les pauls!!
Just bought a brand new Epi 59 LP, it arrive two days ago. Fit and finish was really nice, if you like poly satin. Electronics are same USA electronics they put in USA LP's. Plug it in and it sounds fine, especially with gain. However, the frets were really gritty and action was set too high. Relief was fine. Lowered the action and the high register frets buzz after about the 17/18th fret.
So yeah if you want to tear everything down, redress the frets, polish them all and do your own set up it can be a good guitar. But when I AB it against my LP double cut, a LP Traditional, 53 LP it is by far the bottom of the barrel in tone. Not enough that anyone at a gig would notice, but I certainly notice it playing it.
I've played at least a dozen different LP Epi's over time at GC, a couple have been really good, most pretty blah and 2 of them flat out didn't work, as in no sound, off the wall.
There's no free lunch with these.
I love my Epiphone Gold Top but there is nothing like my Gibson Traditional. They are extremely close but when you play them back to back it’s noticeable. And I have Gibson USA Burstbuckers in my Epiphone with proper Les Paul pots and wiring.
I loves me my Єpipɧoɳe 𝓛𝓮𝓼 𝓟𝓪𝓾𝓵.
I still don't understand how as a guitarist, that people don't know how to do a setup on their own instrument and set it to their playing style. It's not that difficult and you don't need a bunch of fancy expensive tools either. No offense Dave, I know you make a living at doing this stuff.
I payed money once to have my guitar set up, I was 20 , it came back worse so I taught myself , I’m 52 now and I’d never take my guitars to a tech , no offence Dave . All guitar players should know this stuff as part of owning the instrument
I agree to a point, but I always support my local luthiers like Dave because when things go wrong they are invaluable. Try fixing a 1986 L-5 that has sat in a case for 20 years, with the glue dried out and the bracing coming away. And new pots (failing) and switching (failing) whilst not de-valuing the instrument or changing its character, and with access through the f and pickup holes. Few guitarist I know could do that unless they happen to be a cabinet maker by trade.
I started playing only about 4yrs ago & bought guitars that were a bit more expensive than my experience/talent warranted, I wanted to be sure I could sell them easier & get good resale.
I was reluctant to do anything but change the strings, so I got my first two guitars (American Special Tele, American Tele Deluxe) set up at L&M. The tech at my local L&M is fantastic & will give advice that saves me money. I wish they gave you a free set of strings for your first setup, though. I'm waiting 4 months now for an in-warranty neck replacement on a Mexican Strat, so it's good to get a "certified" tech to do one service at least so they can handle Fender's warranty stuff if the product is defective. I just wish it didn't take less time to get a kidney or liver than it does a replacement maple neck.
Having a second, cheaper guitar is great to learn setup on. Now I'll do my own setups & I can replace any hardware (except pickups on a semi-hollow, I'm not a masochist). The only thing I'm nervous about is treating/replacing frets. I want to get a full kit so I can learn to solder a new control panel & pickups, crimp & prep frets, etc. L&M can charge like $400 on a full re-fret, and the cost of the tools & materials you need for that are like ~$300 at Stew-Mac.
I still have no idea how to tune or service a Floyd Rose, but I'll cross that schitt bridge when I come to it!
If you have any brains and mechanical ability, you can setup a guitar. Guitar shops and Guitar Center especially are ripoff artist and crooks
Agree 100%
The things are made of wood, which changes all the the time
That’s why there is a adjustable bridges and truss rods
Also not everyone uses the same gauge string as the leave the shop with
Guitar did not need any fret leveling
Think Gibson did good on this on
I have both a Les Paul Studio and an SG Standard. My preference is to put the stop bar to the deck. On both guitars, the string contact the back of the bridge in that configuration. So, I over wrap them both. I don't care about feel, I wouldn't be able to notice anyway. I just don't want the strings touching the back of the bridge. They both play fine and I've done it for years now.
strings touching back = break strings
That's my exact philosophy.
New it was a November burst when I first saw it
I'm very angry! I don't know what's going on! But I'm still very angry!
More Les Pauls please.
She’s a beuty! Now go get some Grovers on there and some strap locks
Thanks Dave
Thank you sir
Maybe I'm reading this video wrong, but a new Slash Les Paul seems to have brought dark clouds into your world. I'm no fan of Les Pauls myself & also find them overpriced, but jeezuss, the contempt you seem to have for this instrument is bordering on hate. Maybe I'm reading the sarcasm wrong, so don't take this as trolling - it's just that this basic setup is like you're playing Whac-A-Mole with a sledgehammer. You sound like me when I'm doing my taxes!
Epiphone all the way if you want the authentic shape. Put in your choice of pups, set it to your liking, and rock on. Go swimming in the pile of cash you saved later...or even buy 3 more guutars and still have money left over, for say an amp or an eq pedal. Unless of course you absolutely MUST have that name on the headstock to feed your ego and/or protect your image...or you enjoy having to be super careful with the nitro finish only for it to eventually do what it does anyway.
Dig the Bill Lawrence shirt
i hadnt heard of him til i heard the Unleash the Archers cover of northwest passage. took a deep dive and have been enjoying it.
Curious what the feeler gauge was to check string height at nut ? 22/1000?
.020
Too Funny ! Dave is a very humble individual ! I've been playing for 50+ years, and I never use measurements ! 5 / 64 th ? Measurements ? I smile ! I can only say I use EB 10s strings on all 20 + plus guitar s ! I've never swapped pickups etc! And, I never paid someone in a guitar setup ! Too Funny ! Guitar s are imperfect, so please learn basic setup skill ! Remember, if your tone sucks, then it's in the mirror not the gear 👍
That is a super nice top.
Love the shirt. Bill Lawrence was the Nikola Tesla of the guitar world.
I have owned over 20 custom shop les pauls and i sold them all. Collector's choice, top of the line models. The only Gibson I kept was a 1986 prehistoric reissue. It's the only one that actually sounds and feels like a vintage LP. Gibson went backwards imo. Also it's 8.6LB granted most from that time are also boat anchors. This one is light and perfect.
I had a LP in 1971. It was heavy, with sloppy binding, and it went out of tune if you looked at it. I got rid of it; some fool has likely paid a big price for that piece of crap. I think it may have been a 1960 Standard; we weren't obsessed with the year back then, other than realizing the pre-CBS Fenders were superior to the CBS shit. I also had a 1972 Tele, which wasn't as good as the MIM Tele I bought a few years ago.
you know best dave, you is da man, dude
Thank you.
That rusty car joke made my day! Thanks for the laugh Dave!
That's a sweet guitar. Now. It was a four thousand dollar dog pre-Dave.
The top on that one is VERY nice.
Tobacco yes?
@@matttherrien9608 Slash November burst. Not all of them are that nice though.
I think the muppet is Slash from Guns and Roses fame Dave... And I hope you never stop learning
Best episode ever.
$4000 it could at least come with a metal jack plate instead of the toilet seat plastic 😅 still a beautiful nonetheless 👍
I can't say much nice about LP's except I dig the tobacco/flame finish on this specimen.
Aggravating that for the price on these things, they are not set up. I expect it with a guitar under a grand, but not on a guitar I spent 4K on. I own an early 90's LP Studio model, it's like wearing an anchor around your neck lol.
they sell BLING..not function
@@DavesWorldofFunStuff there's a lot of people that love the Gibson Les Paul Bling
@@stevenkimsey7039 And the touted re sale value.
recently picked up a $300 beater squier affinity Jazzmaster for my kid, and other than a slight tweak to the truss rod and some new strings, it was damn near perfect out of the box. if chinese slave labor can do that, then some hungover hillbilly probably on meth in (wherever they make gibson these days) can do it too
Why are you buying 4 grand guitars and not having it setup to your preferences? That makes no sense to me.
Dave the person who did the free setup was definitely out to lunch or didn’t know what they were doing. Love the vid & channel.
no free setup..he passed..knew bette..dids you listen?
@@DavesWorldofFunStuff yeah I did…I know that the “free” setup wasn’t free. But the person who did it looked like he rushed though it w/out taking the time to do the work properly.
the intro to welcome to the jungle is going to sound good on that guitar.
4k for a guitar you have get set up ? I have paid £400 for guitars made in Asia that were perfect from the dealer.
Me too!!💯 HARLEY BENTON! It came set up better and with actual tools to set it up and make adjustments! My 2016 Gibson Es-335 I got a shitty set up and a C.O.A that looks like it was written by a 6 year old!🤣 I got it sent away and plekd for free because I flipped my lid on the asshole in the store! Unacceptable on a guitar of that price range!💯
@@THESESSIONROOM I have some real cool HBs too
The cartoon character means it's a 'Slash' (of Guns n' Roses) signature guitar. I have a nice lemon burst 'Slash' that I love; but it did need a little fiddling with the bridge to get it to play right out of the store. I have a half-dozen Les Pauls and each has its own character.
Hi Dave, I have only bought a new Epiphone Les Paul and a USED Gibson LP from 1979. The strings I use are 10's. What gauge strings do these $4000 Les Paul's come with? I only ask because when you are fine tuning the nut slots, are you using the files for 9's or 10's? I am no expert, but don't some guitars come with 9 gauge strings?
New Fan from S Calif .....
Good job Dave!
I love you Dave. I love your channel.
Long & mcquade setups aren't great had my fender setup when I got it and had terrible fret buzz ended up just seting it up myself. Setting pickup hight is tricky what hight do you set noiseless fender pickups at? Is their a trick to it?
L+M had a deal a couple years ago...buy 3 packs of strings of a certain brand, get a free setup!! Good deal, right?
3 days later, i got my guitar back...with a new set of strings installed. That was it. They didn't even wipe the fretboard. Had it advertised as a $40 value in the promo, but when i complained, they insisted that was what their setups include.
Also just dropped $1500 on a new Fender, and it immediately needed a full setup... Nut filed, tremolo lifted, action corrected, intonation adjusted.
Why the fuck do they not do a full setup on new guitars? At least any that are over $1000!!!
At most if not every Guitar store set up means "it's in tune and ready to go"
You say check string height at 12th fret but it looks like you're checking it around the 14th or 15th??
looks like but not
The time and therefore the money we have to pay for something is not right is not good enough. The more money spent the less that should be wrong, wouldn't except a car that wasn't 'set up'.
All basic adjustments, but for 4k this sucker should play decent out of the box. At this price point you expect better.
IIRC, for a Special Edition LP 'Std' with the proper Nut Slot Heights cut from the factory, Gibson charges an extra $1,000. Otherwise, you get the 'regular' Nuts, w/ the slots cut by the Cross-eyed guy in Bangladesh that Gibson pays $0.25 a day, that go on all the other Les Pauls.🙃
I had to lower two nut slots on my £100 Gear4music Telecaster copy too. These things can happen ;)
I bought a 2018 Les Paul classic brand new and it was a bit of a mess. I don’t want to mention the name of the store but it starts with ‘Guitar’ and ends with ‘Center’. It had dings all over and the strings were rusty lol. Made them give me a bunch of money back to make it right. To be fair Gibson was not at all at fault for this.
Why would you buy a new guitar with dings?
@@Chewwy153qt I bought it online and the condition wasn't disclosed. They gave me enough of a discount that I ended up keeping it.
Uncle Dave...I have always lived my life with some Mantras. One of those is that "nothing is for free". Or "you get exactly what you paid for". "If it sounds to good to be to true, it probably is". And "if something does not make sense, it is bullshit". $4000 CDN for that LP huh? Inflation. Hey kids, companies don't raise the prices or shrink their shit because they want to make more profit; no. It's your shitty currency losing value. Here in the States, the real number is 1-1/2% to 2% per month of lost purchasing power. Fistbump Uncle Dave
Great channel
Let's drink beer on this Friday's live show!