f5joe said:
I am baffled by some of this conversation. Not only is the Tokai numbering system difficult, there is no one "Gibson Les Paul Standard" to compare to.
Am I the only one that see the Gibson Les Paul Standard as any one of many different production eras and quality levels? :-?
Well there's no point including the 58 - 60 originals, because they're $300k plus! Also, the 70's ones have appreciated quite a lot recently.
Most people appear to think the OP was looking at currently available type stuff, so for Gibson you've got Gibson USA and the Custom Shop.
Obviously for Gibson USA you've got Standards, Traditionals, Studios, and Classics in the mahogany with maple cap configuration, but as far as I know most of them are weight relieved.
For the Custom Shop you've got the Replicas (Historics): R2, R4, R6 through to R9 and R0. There's also some CS serial number Black Beauty LPs out there that are made in the Custom shop but are not R7s or R4s. Very nice guitars, but a new buyer wanting a LP could get a Tokai LS-150 with a plain top and pretty much the same specs as an R9 for way less than half the cash. There's one on ebay right now with a nice weight of 8.8 pounds, in tobacco, looks really nice.
If we're going to talk second hand there's thousands of LPs out there from both US and Japan. Probably better to discuss these when the OP finds something they like and it's relevant to the forum.
My own choice would be to go for the LS-150 or a Bacchus LP over any 70s Gibson or any current production Gibson USA model unless you can play the guitar first and you really love it. But my view is coloured by the fact that I'm fed up with vintage guitars that turn out to be old and ***** or just totally average (yes got burned).