The flat head engine can be improved. Can the '57 - '60 Les Pauls be improved ?

Are they chambered ?

Gibson should reimburse you the cost of the set-up.

If the '59 was a POS? Yep.

I play'em. I don't pop them out of the case twice a year to brag.

When you get a little experience under your belt, you'll come to realize that old does not always equal better.

No doubt the '59 would sell for more, but I'd bet good money that almost any '08 LP would outplay it.

Just as a side note to this dicussion,

I have played many guitars in shops that were dreadful, but I knew from experience what to look for as far as problems that could not be corrected. Set ups do not consern me. Hardly any new guitars come properly set up, so don't judge a guitar by that. You will only be passing up some of the best guitars out there.

When you decide a guitar has potential, but does not yet play well, ask the dealer to either do the set up, or knock off the price of a good set up. You have nothing to lose even if they refuse, but if they do refuse, just let them know that it will affect your future patronage.

And that is all well and good, but a $2000 guitar shouldn't be upstaged by a $300 guitar. I have been playing for nearly 30 yearsso believe me when I say I know the difference between a good and bad playing guitar. This was a gift for christmas, had i walked into a store and picked it off the shelf I wouldn't have put 5 minutes into it before hanging it back up. It was THAT bad.

BTW, I looked at Gibsons site regarding the plek "setup":

Revolutionary Plek Set Up

The 2008 Les Paul Standard is one of the first models from Gibson USA to utilize the revolutionary Plek machine in setting up the guitar. The Plek is a German-made, computer controlled machine that carefully measures each fret, along with the fingerboard height under each string, and then automatically dresses each fret, virtually eliminating string buzz and greatly improving the overall playability of the guitar. This pioneering process does in minutes what it takes a luthier several hours—sometimes even days—to accomplish. Every fret is accurately aligned, and the guitar is properly intonated, leaving the instrument “Plek’d” and amazingly playable.


So yes, you are right it is cutting the frets (and the nut if I recall correctly) but the statement "Every fret is accurately aligned, and the guitar is properly intonated, leaving the instrument “Plek’d” and amazingly playable." was just plain wrong in my case.

I really want to reiterate here that I am not knocking this guitar. I love my les, but I barely bothered to take it out of the case until I took it to get a proper setup done.

If anything that should be an indication how much I like it. Normally i would throw a guitar up on the bench and tweak and fiddle with it until I had it where I liked it. Not this one. This one I didn't even want to mess with. I was unhappy about having to spend money for a setup, yet I was more than happy to pay a pro to work on this guitar instead of taking any risks or chances with it.

The flat head and the 426 hemi/440-6pac/427/429 shot-Gun-Hemi/428
Get-it Dude. Some times they change and just turn to **** in some Area's

I got the 2008 Standerd, it is the 50's Ice Tea with AA flame Chambered body no strap locks or locking tuners.
I found out the guitar was discontinued because of the new features I just mentioned. I called gibson about this guitar and they did say it would made the guitar and oddball because it was half year. , also 2008 and 2009 are commemorative years 58-59 my guitar is awsome I love it it reminds me of Billy Gibbons Pearly Gates. The guitar is very light and has unreal tone. I'm glad i bout the guitar when i did and think it is a great guitar.

I have had had many lust over the guitar because it looks aged with that big thick 50's neck
I love it.

i paid £1480 for my (old) 2008 standard...love it!