Les Paul Tribute vs Les Paul Standard... How Different ARE They 

Second that.

Love my tribute. Just scraped the paint away on the maple cap to give a faux binding. Looks so good.

Maybe that's why Gibson calls it the "Tribute." I don't think there's a better value for the money in the entire guitar world.

It appears to me that he's comparing a Gibson LP Standard with a Gibson LP Tribute.

Hundreds of brilliant guitar players over the past 60 years would disagree with Yngvie.

@@dowaliby1 Les Paul players only want to look like someone else who plays one. It's all about joining a club, nothing more.

Nope 👍

Those two guitars may be a lotta things, but crap ain't one of'em.

@@dowaliby1 Have you seen the Tribute? Very cheaply made.

@@shanewalton8888 finish is exceptional on mine, smooth neck which is satin, tuning stability is perfect, fretwork perfect, pickups sound crystal clear, fairly light compared to other les pauls. Are you joking or have you never actually played one? “Cheaply made” is such a lie.

@@macbeth642 It is funny how some people think that when someone has a different opinion than them that they must be lying. Yeah, I have owned Gibsons over the years. Five in fact. And I was shocked how horrible the Tribute felt compared to a Standard or a Studio. Tribute to mediocrity maybe. Who would buy these when you can get an LTD EC-1000 series for about the same price that looks and feels ten times better? The Yamaha Revstar is also a much better built guitar at a lower price point. Glad the one you got was better, but the ones out this way are a waste of cash.

Interesting opinion. I just happen to disagree with it.

But wait, my understanding is that the newer tributes are PLEK'd. How could they then be undressed and sharp?

@@dowaliby1 You will have to ask Gibson Quality Control. All I can tell you is what my guitar's frets felt like until I did what Gibson didn't.

But Bryan, in fairness to Gibson, only within the last couple years or so did big changes in Gibson's upper management take place and the company has reportedly become really focused on the quality control issues that had been plaguing the company. Maybe I'm mistaken, but it appears that your Tribute was from 5 years ago, at a time when the old management was in place, and Gibson certainly wasn't PLEK'ing Les Paul Tributes back then. Sweetwater charges close to $300 if you want PLEK'ing done to any guitar they sell. It is a highly precise and advanced computerized fret dressing and set up that makes a huge difference in the frets, intonation and overall playability of the guitar. I know because I had it done to my Epiphone Les Paul and the frets and playability are like a dream.I will be receiving my new Tribute this week and we shall see -- I will report back with my findings. If I am unsatisfied, then back it goes.

@@dowaliby1 All I know is that besides the 2017 Tribute, I currently own a 1991 Les Paul Studio, a Y2K Les Paul Classic, a 2006 SG Supreme, and a 2014 SG Special 120th Anniversary model. None of those guitars have plek'd necks, and none of them have any problems whatsoever. I have owned other Gibsons going all the way back to 1962 models, and this 2017 Tribute is the ONLY one that ever had a stinker neck. All of the rest of my guitar collection could go, but you would NEVER get my LP Classic away from me.

@@bryansimmons4550 I am glad to hear that you've had excellent success overall with your Gibson guitars. I'm not saying that a guitar must be PLEK'd in order to avoid a problem, but only that: (1) if an instrument is PLEK'd (which Gibson now does with every Les Paul, and did not do with the Tribute in 2017), the chances of having any problems with the frets are next to none; and (2) that Gibson has upped its game immensely as far as quality control since the time your Tribute was manufactured in 2017. You are fortunate to have those SG's - they are beautiful. An SG Standard wa my very first electric many years ago when I started out, and unfortunately I let it go. It's just a matter of time until I get another SG..

The SD's are a bit hotter to my ear 👍

Don't apologise for having a different opinion, mate 👍

Right. And saying one guitar is "better" than another is like saying strawberry ice cream is better than vanilla.

@@JRobsonGuitar I can’t afford either, I have a Mexico Fender player.

I had one. It would never stay in tune. Thankfully, my guitar tech, who was well aware of its tuning problem took it off my hands for cheap with his eyes wide open. Otherwise, I would never have been able to sell it to another musician in good conscience. Hope you've had better luck with yours.

@@dowaliby1 I put a string butler on all my Gibsons and it does the trick. I’ve had 4 different models over the years.

@@dunboozin Good tip, thanks!