Les Paul improvement ideas?

[Madison]

Won't go into too much detail at this point.
A friend of mine has connections through a well knows large Japanese guitar manufacturer.
He is seriously considering producing a reissue line of Les Paul guitars.
There is plenty of access to original USA and MIJ LPs to fabricate/duplicate ideas from.
He was asking me to ask around wheat people would like to see in a Les Paul style guitar, outside of Japan.
What would be important to you in a guitar if a new LP series came out?
I believe the base price would well be in the ball park for any decent LP and go up depending on options.
Any and all ideas are taken into consideration.
Thanks.
Peace.

[Platefire]

well other than good quality materials and construction that would rival gibson quality, a re-arrangement in volume/switch/tone. I have a Epi Les Paul Special that was given to me that plays surprisingly well considering cheap materials/construction and I love the volume/switch/tone control arrangment as shown on the attached Epi special pix. I like to do volume swells and the volume in this location is great for that. I don't really need two tone controls, so only one needed for me. A good quality instrument with this arrangment would be my choice. Platefire

BTW-I kinda like the thinner body also

[Ritchie200]

I owned two LP's from the early 70's.  If you looked at them wrong, they went out of tune.  I could drop and drive nails with my LP Jr. and it was rock solid.  Even a thin little SG I had was better.  The best LP (style) guitar I ever played was an Aria - GET THOSE PLANS!!!!

Maybe produce some models with soap bars on them.  Dont skimp on the finish - nothing says cheeze like a crappy sunburst.  Pretty top wood a plus.  GOOD tuners.  GOOD nut.  GOOD quality binding.  GOOD abalone inlay.  GOOD wood.

And last but not least, I INSIST on trying out any model you guys come up with!

Jim

[thermion]

spline for headstock reinforcement
chambered body for resonance/ weight reduction
string-thru-body
stutter switch on lower bout
graphite nut
those steinberger gearless tuners look pretty sweet plus everything else ritchie just said!

[SILVERGUN]

chambered body for resonance/ weight reduction

+100

-Comfortable tummy cut (pay attention to where the guitar sits on the hip)
-Heel contour (better upper fret access)
-Solid rosewood or ebony neck with NO FINISH
-Stainless frets
-Master volume, closer to the bridge for pinky swells
-Best bridge you can find (guitar should project even when unplugged)

Put me down for one.....

Check out the heel contour on this Alex Lifeson Model:

[Madison]

Thanks for the input.
I'll let you know when something happens.
Peace.

[Slimtim]

To be honest i think this is a bad idea.the les paul has been copied,altered and straight up counterfeited to no end.I bet that there's 15 company logos at least on lp types coming out of factories right now and that's on the lowball guess.gibson/epiphone alone have around 50 models out at any given time i bet.we already have companies making lp on the high end,low end and everything in between at every price point with all combinations of hardware.Hell for well under 2k i can have a 1 off custom 59ish lp built to my spec here in the U.S. even and if i had that cash i would go that route.And the sad part is we are in a economic recession running head first into a global depression the likes of which have never been seen.The world doesn't need another les paul guitar.we need more les paul thinking people.Don't get me wrong i love the les paul guitar,i really do.i love it just the way it was from around 53 when the wrap around came to mid 69 when gibson started cheaping out on their customers to increase profits.So if he is serious i would say cut and piece the wood the way gibson use to.then add the best damn pickups and hardware ever made or let the customer have choices of pickups and hardware.then see where you stand.compare to what's out there and run the numbers to see if it will make money.

[thermion]

oh and a battery-powered us debt clock inlay at the 12th fret...get it.?.fret!

[Ed_Chambley]

At least 30 year old Mahogany. 2, 59 Voodoo PUPS with coil taps with 50's wiring and a .15 cap for the neck and .22 bridge.  ABR bridge and stop tailpiece.  Ebony Fretboard Compound Radius 10- to 14. Nut/E.O.B   1.700/2.080.  Late 60's slim neck.  Matching pickguard made from the exact same section if the top where it looks invisible from a few feet away.

No chambers, solid.  True Bone Nut.  Jackplate with stereo jack wired as a single jack to cut down on having to retention the jack.  No barrel jacks.  17 degree headstock tilt.  Block inlay.  Standard scale.  All colors should have double binding and please don't beat it up.  Nice shiny and new.  I can beat it up myself.

BTW, the description above is the exact spec Heritage built me one in 2002 except for the PUPS.  Yes, they will do the satin finish neck. I have this one and an older Gibson.  Very difficult to tell the difference.

Also, I had a Ibanez in the 70's.  Gold top Les Paul.  Best knock off I ever played.  Open book headstock and all.

Out of all the Les Paul and other Gibson copies, I still prefer it to say Gibson.  People rag on Gibson these days about their build quality, but the can still get almost $4000 for a Black Beauty.

[Slimtim]

i like that heritage h170 double cut.well they all look pretty sweet.

[eleventeen]

Why not make a 25.5" scale one? That's one reason why I left Gibson many years ago except for L-5-level guitars.