Davison Les Paul?

ncjeepinyj · 02-01-2010, 09:00 PM

Anyone on here had any experience with these or know of anything good or bad with them? Im really wanting a Les Paul style guitar but all the locak deals are slipping away from me. Guy on Craigs list puts an Agile on there then after i email him and we agree on a price he reilsts it for less with out any of the accessories . An epiphone on Ebay 30 minutes from my house ends 6 days early after i email the guy and ask if i could just pick it up if i won the auction and he said pick up was fine. Im thinking a cheap Davidson may be all im supposed to own.

Franx · 02-01-2010, 11:38 PM

I had a Epi LP 100 and a LP Special II. Personally I didn't like either one. Both of mine were pretty nice guitars but I never wascmfortable with them as i am with my Squiers.

ncjeepinyj · 02-02-2010, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Franx

I had a Epi LP 100 and a LP Special II. Personally I didn't like either one. Both of mine were pretty nice guitars but I never wascmfortable with them as i am with my Squiers.

I played an Epiphone at the local music shop and fell in love with it but didnt have the money for it. It was a Les Paul Standard with a flame top if i remember correctly for like $499. I want a Les Paul BAD but still cant justify paying too much for a guitar gight now until i pay a few bills off. Thats wht i was asking about the Davisons, i can get one for about $150 shipped, new.

YeahDoIt · 02-02-2010, 09:01 AM

Ncjeepinyj, if you play using a lot of overdrive distortion then lots of humbucucking pickup type guitars might sound close, perhaps almost exactly like a Les Paul. I noticed small sound differences when playing clean between my Les Paul Standard and a Lyon Stratocaster copy with a humbucking pickup at the bridge.

I remember owning a Hondo Les Paul copy. It sounded good, not as nice as the Les Paul, but looked way better and I paid probably half of what a used Les Paul might sell for at the time. The Hondo had a bolt on neck, I suspect that is one reason the guitar is less expensive and sounds a little different.

ncjeepinyj · 02-02-2010, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YeahDoIt

Ncjeepinyj, if you play using a lot of overdrive distortion then lots of humbucucking pickup type guitars might sound close, perhaps almost exactly like a Les Paul. I noticed small sound differences when playing clean between my Les Paul Standard and a Lyon Stratocaster copy with a humbucking pickup at the bridge.

I remember owning a Hondo Les Paul copy. It sounded good, not as nice as the Les Paul, but looked way better and I paid probably half of what a used Les Paul might sell for at the time. The Hondo had a bolt on neck, I suspect that is one reason the guitar is less expensive and sounds a little different.

The Davisons have a set neck which is unusual for in that price range. Most others i have seen with a set neck start about $200. But it doesnt matter much because it now says both auctions ended and i know there was atleast a week left and it still says more than 10 available. I dont think i am supposed to own a Les Paul. My search is back on again.

jdrews · 02-05-2011, 02:20 AM

Bought a Davison LP clone off ebay about a month ago. It looks great and it feels great. Has a nice heft to it. The neck feels right in my hands too. Fairly fat. The "photo finish" looks pretty friggan nice up close.

Now to the bad part: The electronics and pickups are crap. One of the pickups was dead, the other squealed and sounded like a tin can. The pots make scratchy noises when turning.

But I knew all of that when I bought it. I expected crappy electronics. Was planning on gutting it and building my own LP by just using the body and some of the hardware. Replaced all the pots and switches and pickups. Sounds great now. Grabbed a LP electronics replacement kit and some pickups from GFS (guitarfetish.com) for around $100 more. I put in a GFS '59 Vintage Alinco V in the neck and a GFS Fat Pat in the bridge. Highly suggest the GFS 59 if you're into the clean sound. Nice and warm and it's fairly loud. The Fat Pat is 14k but it's surprisingly quiet compared to the neck pickup. Not to the point where you can't use it though. It has a mean crunch when driving some nice distortion on an amp.

All in all, I spent around $230 and got a really nice LP clone. On top of that I had a fun little project and a guitar I can say I built (ok, kinda).

Well that's my two cents. Enjoy!
Oh some pictures:
http://jondrews.com/sets/folder/davison_lp

dmitri · 02-05-2011, 10:12 AM

I would save the bones and buy a new or used AL2000 for that.

You get:

solid pups and electronics vs crappy pups and electronics
solid mahogany body vs unknown wood body
maple veneer vs photo top
grover tuners vs unknown tuners

and you only spend a few bucks more. Seriously, I hate to sound like an Agile fanboi or something, but they really do make the best LP style guitars anywhere near that price point that I have found.

jdrews · 02-05-2011, 09:43 PM

Just looked at the AL2000. Kinda wish I had seen that before I bought the Davison. Looks like a really good deal.

In any case I'm happy with my guitar now and I got a fun little project out of it. I wanted to do some soldering and whatnot.