Gibson Baldwin LP Signature

Plywood body, bolt neck, wraparound bridge. The unholy trinity of crappy guitar features. (Bolt neck is only OK if it's something like Fender, with the Fender quality)

Looks like a Les Paul, but really is nothing more than a cheap copy.

This is not the Custom Shop Joe Perry guitar at Musician's Friend that the link at the top takes you to. This is a cheap Best Buy/Circuit City guitar-like thing.

It sounds like a cheap plywood copy. Pickups buzz and squeal. Doesn't sound good thru a cheap amp like the ones at Best Buy.

Action is low, so low that it buzzes. Raising action didn't work. Intonation is way off.

Finish is lumpy, frets cut me...I don't want to go on anymore, I'm feeling painful typing this.

Neck is wobbly. Frets seem to be wanting to fall out of the fretboard, and I can't blame them. This calls itself a Gibson? Gibson should disassociate themselves from this wobbly junk.

I hate how Gibson puts their name on this turd and lets it be made in the Gibson Qingdao plant (the one making the current Epiphones, with the EE serial numbers). It should be "Baldwin Baldwin Music Education". If you want a cheap Les Paul (or SG) think Epiphone, and forget the "Special" models, they're as bad as this. Get at least the LP-100 (or better yet, a Studio) or a G-310 (better yet, Vintage G-400).

I bought this about 6 months ago on impulse, (always wanted a Les Paul)and didn't expect a lot dispite the claims on the package about being "professional quality" Cherry sunburst color looks very nice and is holding up well. Good fit and finish on everything else except the bolt on neck which has several shims under it to get the action even close to where it should be. Chrome tuners very hard to get precise adjustment. Wrap around bridge has intonation way off I order a bad dog tune-o-matic style. Gibson claims it has an alder body on the website. Maple neck with rosewood fretboard w/22 frets. Made in China

I've been playing a Washburn D12CE cutaway elect. acoustic since I sold my Strat 15 years ago and got the bug for elect again. Play mostly rock-Red Hot Chile Peppers,SRV, REM, Zep,Tom Petty, America, some Jimmy Buffet, Eagles, Little Feat, David Allen Cole- needed something for heavy stuff. Played through either my Laney HCM30R watt 1 X 10 or a Line 6 Spider II for the effects. The humbucker sound petty good for what they are and could be upgraded cheaply enough.

Now for the bad part its assembled in China and sold a dept stores so there was no proper set up. I've been tinkering with it for a while and it still won't hold a tune. the factory strings were very light and med boomers helped but the fixed bridge is a pos. Every nut and screw on it was loose and the bolt on neck never seemed to be part of the body. Its starting to come around and I hope the bad dog bridge fixes the intonation (the G is still sharp even at the limit of the factory bridge adjustment)

I don't gig and only play for fun. The hardware seems durable enough. Looking for another Strat, but I do like the fat humbucker sound, might use this as a backup.

Gibson gives a 5 year warranty a website and toll free number for support. The box has Gibson's name all over it leading you to believe its real but on the guitar the only label is on the neck plate and signature series on the headstock http://www.gibson.com/Products/GBME/Signature/Products/Signature%20LP/

Ok this is Gibson/Baldwin's music education series made to be cheap for entry level beginners, but its enough to discourage a newbie. I have been playing since the 60's and started with a Gibson SG. I have a Laney HCM30R, Line 6 Spider II 15 and a Berringer GM 108 for low volume practice and the Washburn acoustic. Other stuff has come and gone over the years but I only miss the Strat. This thing is ok for $100 but you can do a lot better for not much more think Epi.

OK..I paid 99 bucks for this guitar. Didn't expect too much. It's essentially a Les Paul with a bolt-on neck and a Les Paul Junior type 'wrap-around' bridge/tailpiece. Made in China [ where else for a C-note? ]. First, the bad stuff: the frets appeared to be cut off the fretwire roll and just smashed into place with any attempt to remove the protective coating or even dressing the ends. These frets will cut into your hand, no doubt about it. Finish is fine, but top has some weirdly mismatched pieces with the grain running in opposite directions, etc. After diaassembling the guitar, I spent a couple of hours dressing the fret ends and polishing them with some 000 steel wool. After that they were fine. I put the thing back together and put some good quality strings on it [ GHS Boomers ]. I set the action and checked the intonation---it was OK, surprisingly.

Regardless of the other reviews, This guitar is solid wood--don't know what kind, but it's fairly heavy. The pickups were a mild surprise as they sounded pretty good, about like an Epiphone LP. It had good sustain and a fairly clean tone. The tuners are sealed and seemed to keep the guitar in good tune, although they are certainly noy Gotohs or Grovers. I played this through a tube Crate with a 70 watt Celestron speaker--it sounded amazingly good for a $100 guitar.

Set-up??!! Haha! A couple of knobs fell off in the box and one humbucker was loose in it's fitting. They might have used wire off of a screen door on this thing it was so bad. But these issues are easily corrected...whadda expect for $100.00 ?

I haven't played thing thing every day for a year, etc. Most cheap Asian-produced guitars use paltry electronics so I wouldn't expect the pots and switch to hold up very well...but these can be replaced with better stuff anyway. This is a practice guitar and not a gig axe, but after some work it would be a great beginners axe. It does have a very solid feel to it.

Don't know, but I fully expect customer support to be non-existant. You are on your own on this one, but need I repeat--it was $100.00.

If you're willing to put in some time and effort on this guitar it can be a good practice guitar or beginner's axe. After about 5 hours of labor and set-up it played well and sounded very good. If you don't mind this struggle, then it's a really good bargain. If you don't like messing with the instrument or feel that you can't do the work necessary, then avoid this guitar because it is not very playable in it's 'raw' form.

Sort of like a real Les Paul, with the body shape and 2 humbuckers, but that's where the similarities end. Plywood body, bolt-on neck, wraparound stoptail bridge (no tune-o-matic), and an overall cheap feel. The instrument is around $200 in stores like Best Buy and Circuit City.

The pickups are horrid, and the plywood body can't be doing wonders for the sound.

Can't intonate the wraparound stoptail bridge or set it up any. Frets cut my hand. Bad wood. Overall cheap feel.

Tuners are cheesy, finish feels sleazy, this is cheesy-feeling.

This isn't going to be in a guitar store, and one would be laughed at for taking this to a guitar store, so no service.

This is the worst Les Paul ever, not even worthy of the Les Paul name, much less the Gibson name. Get the Epiphone Les Paul Special II ($150) or the LP-100 ($200), it's a better deal.

CHERRY SUNBURST LES PAUL WITH DOT INLAYS AND MAPLE NECK AND ROSEWOOD FRETBOARD WITH 2 OPEN HUMBUCKER PICKUPS AND CHEAP TUNERS. MADE IN CHINA!

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?VERY WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

What amps and effects are you using it with? JUST A FENDER AMP!

Is it noisy?NO

Rich/Full sound? Bright sound? NOT A BAD SOUND FOR THE GUITAR! NOT A REAL LES PAUL, BUT I THINK THE SOUND ISN'T TOO SHABBY!

How well was the guitar set-up at the factory? (How was the action?)THE ACTION WASN'T BAD. THIS GUITAR WAS MADE IN CHINA. THE FRETS AREN'T THE BEST AT ALL. FOR THE MONEY, I WOULD'VE EXPECTED IT TO BE CHEAPER, PROBABLY $100 BUCKS! I'M ALRIGHT WITH THE PRICE.

Did the guitar contain any flaws?THIS IS THE END RESULT, END PRODUCT OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE U.S. IS TOO LAZY TO BUILD THEIR OWN QUALITY GUITARS FOR PEOPLE TO AFFORD QUALITY GUITARS. THEY HAVE 'EM BUILD FOR PENNIES HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD AND ONLY DOCTORS AND LAWYERS CAN AFFORD THE $5 LES PAULS WITH PLASTIC TUNERS. GO FIGURE!!!

Will this guitar withstand live playing?WHO KNOWS!?!?! I'VE PLAYED KOREAN MADE GUITAR THAT STOOD THE TEST! I'M SURE THIS COULD! IF NOT, IT'S THE ONE YOU BREAK ON STAGE!

Does the hardware seem like it will last? PROBABLY!

Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing?WHO KNOWS THESE DAYS!?!?

Can you depend on it? I WILL DEPEND ON THIS GUITAR FOR JAMMING AT HOME AND JUST HOME USE ONLY!

Would you use it on a gig without a backup?THIS WOULD BE THE BACK UP IF I NEEDED TO SCORE SOME FOOD!

CUSTOMER SUPPORT, HMMMMMMMM........BEST BUY ISN'T IN THE GUITAR BUSINESS, THEY JUST SELL THESE THINGS AND KNOW NOTHING ABOUT 'EM! IT COMES WITH A 5 YEAR WARRANTY.

THIS GUITAR IS JUST A PRACTICE GUITAR.

COOL FINISH. WHERE CAN YOU GET A CHERRY SUNBURST LES PAUL COPY FOR $149? IT'S UNHEARD OF. IF THEY WOULD'VE HAD THESE 15 YEARS AGO, I WOULD'VE BOUGHT ONE. I WAS LOOKING AT THE EPIPHONE LP JUNIORS AT GC AND THOUGHT ABOUT ONE FOR $99 BUCKS, BUT THEY JUST LOOKED VERY CHEAPLY MADE. THIS GUITAR WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY COOL. IT'S A LITTLE HEAVY FOR SUSTAIN. THIS IS STRICTLY A PRACTICE GUITAR.

WELL, THIS MODEL AND PROBABLY SOME OF THE OTHER 'GIBSON' MODELS THEY SELL AT BB ARE BEING DISCONTIUNED.

I ACTUALLY PURCHASED THE FLOOR MODEL BECAUSE IT WAS IN BETTER CONDITION THAT THE ONE IN THE BOX. PRETTY SAD, BUT TRUE.

AT 129.99, I'M HAPPY WITH IT! I'VE SPEND $4 GRAND ON GIBSON LES PAUL CUSTOMS AND STANDARDS AND MANY, MANY GIBSONS AND WAS NEVER HAPPY WITH THEM. IF I WAS, I'D STILL HAVE 'EM TO THIS DAY.

I'M CONTENT FOR THIS LES PAUL FOR LESS MONEY!

THE POORMAN'S GIBSON - GIBSON BALWIN!