Gibson les Paul for gigging?

Question

Hi. Im 15 and in a band. We play songs like Muse and Nirvana basically rock songs. But when we are old enough we hopefully want to start gigging. At the moment i have a fender strat starter kit (came with amp and everything). Anyway i was hoping to get a new guitar that will last, have a great sound, look good. So im looking at gibson les pauls. Is there any particular les paul that has a PAF-pickup which can be used for giging?

Answer 1

I don't think you need a 1400$+ guitar for gigging if you're only 15.

Get an Epiphone, they're great quality for the money and have a very decent gig-worthy sound. You should always get a guitar that you play first, and get one that sounds good rather than just looks pretty. I also recommend ESP, LTD, Jackson, and Ibanez as good to decent quality guitar brands that can serve in the meantime.

Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio both make gret PAF style pickups. I strongly recommend buying your guitar first, then shopping around for some custom pickups. It may cost more, but you'll get much higher sound quality in the end.

Quite frankly, your ears haven't developed to the point where you would truly appreciate the subtler qualities of an instrument like that... and being as young as you are, you are surely bound to scratch it up, dent it, etc. A guitar like that will usually appreciate in value over time, but only if you keep it in relatively good condition. Let's be honest, mate, at that age, that ain't gonna happen.

On the other hand, if you get a transition guitar, one that is very usable but may not have the prestige (or the price tag) of a higher end guitar like that, you are able to take some risks with it, play some of the dingier clubs that you'll end up playing, drop it a few times, scratch it, etc, and it'll be okay, because it's not like you spent over a grand on it, right?

Also, remember that a great guitar will sound like c**p through a crappy amp, a crappy guitar can sound great through a good amp, and a great guitar and a great amp together are like liquid love poured in through your ear-hole.

Saul