
Originally Posted by
archnacorda
My two-cents...bahala nang OT...
I don't have the money for an original Gibson Les Paul, but I like the look and the feel of having an LP around my neck. The weight of an LP requires that I sling it low, near my pelvis, and ideal for the way I play rhytm guitar.
If I have a John Hu LP, as well as any LP clone, my first thought would be the neck alignment. I wouldn't expect anything great as far as the PUPs are concerned since it would definitely be NOT Gibson humbuckers but generic PUPs.
I would treat any LP clone, for as long as it is a solid-body and the neck is aligned properly, as a FIX-IT-UPPER guitar. The kind you save money for, in order to upgrade the PUPs. The kind of guitar that you won't be afraid to bring and play anywhere for fear of it getting dropped or scratched.
When I went to Nash's place to look at his LIVE LPs and Telecasters, my first act was to see if the neck was properly aligned and the string action was basically alright. When me and my son plugged it in, we noticed that the heavier Tele had a sound closer to the original Telecaster "twang" than the lighter body Tele....I really didn't bother much with the badges. It's the sound that counts, not the look...
But I do acknowledge that the Gibson badge/logo does have a big impact. But then again, one can have the best original guitar and play it sloppily.....in the end, it's what you can do with your axe that's more important than the axe itself....
If you want to have the best of both worlds, it's okay to have an inexpensive LP clone, specially if it is a well-built John Hu copy, then save up and upgrade the PUP's....and if someone asks you about your guitar, be honest enough to say that it is just a copy...then proceed to blow them away with your guitar playing skills....sooner or later, they will stop thinking about your clone LP and start admiring your playing skills...
PEACE......