RL> next year and I'll install them for free).  It 
 RL> won't quite be a true Les Paul Standard, but it'll 
 RL> be a lot closer than the Studio Lite.  True, it 
 RL> won't say "Gibson" on the headstock inlay, but from 
 RL> 10 feet away it will look pretty close, and will 
 RL> have the same neck inlays and body and neck 
 RL> binding.  The only difference in construction is 
 RL> the Epiphone has only a thin maple veneer top, 
 RL> where the Gibson is a true carved maple cap (the 
 RL> Gibson LP Custom has no maple cap at all).  The 
 RL> body is still mahogany, though not quite as dense.  
Well from all the messages I have recieved on this topic I have dropped the 
idea of the studio lite and will get instead the regular studio model. I 
agree that the loss of mahogany would really lose sound tone after all. 
However I also think that if the Epiphone has only a thin maple cap that too 
may be a tone loss. So I will get the studio which has in essence the les 
paul body but with out the binding. There is about 600 dollars difference in 
a studio and and a standard and that is a lot to pay for some trim. I will 
make the down payment next friday. I like to get a new guitar in Jan to start 
off the year. 
 RL> Don't lock yourself into buying new.  It won't be easy, but you 
 RL> should be able to find a used Les Paul Standard in 
 RL> good shape in the price range you're looking for.  
 RL> You're getting ready to spend a lot of money... I'd 
 RL> hate to see you settle for something less when a 
 RL> few extra bucks or a little more time can get you a 
 RL> much better piece.  I've been there, and in all but 
 RL> a couple of cases, I've been sorry that I didn't 
 RL> spend the extra bucks or buy used.
 If I could find a standard second hand I would but too often in this town 
they are stolen and I just don't like to buy someone else's gear. The pawn 
shops here don't check at all and I have known about my luthier that had some 
clients gear stolen and they found it that same day in a pawn shope 3 blocks 
away. The law is they have to hold stuff for a year but it is rarely 
followed. So I just settle for the studio at 1175 CDN. 
--- Maximus 3.01
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