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I'm almost certain somebody posted this before, but the search function proved useless.

Anyway, here are some Les Paul related questions:

1. What's a good year?

2. What's a good model?

3. How should it sound? (I've only heard/played imitators)

4. When do I know a good deal from a bad one? (What's a good price for a studio, a standard, a special edition, etc...I'll be surfing the pawn shops)

5. What are some overlooked models?

6. What should I look for in the hardware? (i.e. tuning machines, pickups, switches, knobs, etc,)

7. Got any care and feeding tips for LP's?

8. Any other qualities I missed?

Wow, tall order.

I'll answer a few and these are my opinions.

There is no magic year or bad year. Within each year, there are good ones and bad ones.

You should play the guitar unplugged. It should sound quot;alivequot; and it should vibrate your rib cage. Take you fretting hand and lightly hold the back of the headstock and strum like you're playing. The neck should just be highly resonant.

Check the weight. If it feels too heavy (more than 10lbs), you might develop back issues! In my opinion, there is no relation between tone and weight. I've played plenty of great heavy ones and plenty of light weight stinkers.

Make sure the strings aren't dead and dirty. GC has a terrible time keeping decent strings on their guitars.

Check ebay completed listings to see what is a good deal and what is not.

Tuning keys on Lesters that I've played have all been good. Pickups usually get swapped out pretty quick on mine. That's why I'm more concerned with the unplugged tone. YOu can always put pickups in to sound great amplified. BUt a stinker unplugged is hard to get sounding great no matter how good the pups.

Care? Keep the nitro finished wiped down, keep the sweat off the body long term or the finish will cloud up there (like where your arm rests). Dunlop 65 puts a good shine and treats the nitro well.

If I was buying today, it'd probably be a mid-90's model, although I personally have a soft spot for the 70's models. A nice overlooked LP is quot;The Paul,quot; which is a neck-through walnut piece weighing about 6 lbs.

I specifically wanted a 70s model because I wanted old wood and action that was well broken in Last year, I found a nice 77 standard and I love it. The action is super low and the strings don't buzz.
The neck is a bit thick at the higher frets. That might not be cool for someone who likes to solo on the high notes a lot, if they have short fingers.
The LP snobs don't seem to like the late 70s models but I have more fun being a rocker than a snob.

Two more care tips -

Fit straplocks - you don't want to drop a Les Paul.

Don't lean it against amps, walls etc. If it falls over backwards you're looking at a snapped headstock. Can be fixed but best avoided!

I think buying used is a good idea. With a used guitar the chances are that someone has paid some individual attention to setting it up properly, and it's easier to assess a guitar that's been broken in IMO. If it's already got a ding or two you won't feel so bad when you add another one. Make sure you get out and play a few - get the feel of slim and fat necks to see which you prefer.

Spend some time browsing at the Les Paul Forum too. As with all internet forums (even this one ) you don't have to believe everything you read, but you get a wide range of opinion there, and you're bound to pick up some tips about what to look for, what to avoid etc. The Sunburst Pub is a good place to start.