Are you still looking for your Les Paul? If you are willing to spend that sort of money then you had better have a pretty good amp to play it through.
The Heritage guitars are pretty much the best Les Pauls about and well within your range for the new ones and possibly half that for the used ones. Try getting in contact with the Heritage guys (I think the guy is called Ramesh) through the GAS station forum if you´d like to test drive one and take your amp if you can carry it. That´s the best way to see if it´s what you are looking for.
for that amount of $$...i´ll go for the standard, unless u want something different from the norm, then get the other series, like the flying V? SG? Gothic?