Hello Lee!
On 01 Jan 98, Lee Waun wrote to Rich Lockyer:
 LW> However I also think that if the Epiphone has only a thin maple cap
 LW> that too may be a tone loss. So I will get the studio which has in 
essence
Not as much as you'd think.  It is true that the Epiphone is only a thin 
veneer, but the LP Custom has no maple cap at all (but does have an ebony 
fingerboard).  The early Studios also had no maple cap (and only dot inlays). 
The difference in tone between the Epiphone and Gibson comes from the 
Epiphone's mahogany being not as dense... they are noticeably lighter than a 
Gibson (but still heavier than the Studio Lite).
 LW> the les paul body but with out the binding. There is about 600
 LW> dollars difference in a studio and and a standard and that is a lot to 
pay
 LW> for some trim.
That trim makes a BIG difference in appearance.  The LP Custom has binding on 
both sides of the body and around the headstock... but I agree that the 
Studio is the way to go if you want an affordable "working" guitar.
 LW>  If I could find a standard second hand I would but too often in this 
town
 LW> they are stolen and I just don't like to buy someone else's gear. The 
pawn
 LW> shops here don't check at all and I have known about my luthier that had
 LW> some clients gear stolen and they found it that same day in a pawn shope 
3
 LW> blocks away.
Pawnbrokers are the scum of the earth.  They'll pay you bottom dollar no 
matter what it's worth and charge you up the wazoo no matter what it's worth. 
 One of the guys here had a pawnshop try to sell him a plywood Korean Squier 
for something like $400 w/o case.  At the time, you could buy one NEW for 
about $250 from Guitar Center without haggling the price at all.  A Mexican 
Standard Strat was $400.
 LW> The law is they have to hold stuff for a year but it is
 LW> rarely followed.
A year?  Wow.  Hard to imagine they can afford to hold the inventory that 
long. I think it's 60 or 90 days here.
 LW> So I just settle for the studio at 1175 CDN.
Not a bad price at all.  Are you getting chrome or gold hardware?  Try to 
talk them into a case, or at the very least, a gig bag.  I like the look of 
the chrome hardware, but if you're planning on swapping pickups and want to 
keep it looking stock, nickle covers are about $11/pair compared to $22/pair 
for gold (figure about $30CND for gold).
C-ya! Rich
--- GoldED 2.40
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