Gibson '58 Les Paul VOS

My '58 is a 2008 model made in the USA custom shop. Standard features for a Les Paul; 22 frets, maple top/mahogany body and neck, rosewood fretboard, 2 humbuckers, tone and volume controls for each pickup, and a 3 way pickup switch. Finish on mine is tobacco burst with a plain top. The neck was important in my decision to go with the '58. It's BIG. I find bigger necks to be much more comfortable for me. Came with all of the standard custom shop stuff; certificate, case, strap, cable, and adjustment tool for the truss rod. This guitar doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but many useful tones can be dialed in easily.

I play a lot of different styles of music and this guitar can cover pretty much all of them. From classic rock to metal to blues to jazz to country...this guitar can do a great job with all of them. I use this guitar with a Mesa/Boogie F-30 combo and (for quiet/headphone practice) a Vox Tonelab SE. It sounds great through anything I've plugged it into. The sound really surprised me at first...I expected the overdrive sound to be big and thick/creamy (which it is), but I didn't expect the clean sound to be so clear. With my Mesa/Boogie set up for a good overdrive sound, the guitar can become very clean by rolling off the volume controls. I know a lot of people modify these guitars with different pickups/electronics and so on, but, so far, I have not felt the need to change a thing!

This is where a huge difference can be seen between Gibson custom shop and production guitars(in my experience, although, not in all cases I'm sure). The finish was perfect, all adjustments (action, intonation, fretwork, nut) were just right (for .10 guage strings). All controls work well and the guitar looks great.

There is no reason that, with reasonable care and maintenance, this guitar won't last for many, many years. I'm sure the finish will become thinner and more worn over time, but I don't have a problem with that, in fact, I'm kind of looking forward to it! I did change the strap buttons to strap locks, as I do on every guitar that I own. It is easily dependable enough to use at a gig without bringing a backup.

I have never had to deal with Gibson regarding this guitar, but I did have an issue with another Les Paul Standard that I used to own. They exchanged the defective guitar with no problems at all. I'm not sure how much Gibson had to do with this and how much my dealer (Long and McQuade in Burlington...Who are always FANTASTIC to deal with!) had to do with it, but the problem was resolved to my satisfaction.

I have been playing guitar for over 30 years, and I have owned dozens of guitars. I currently own another Gibson '58 VOS, a Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion, a Gibson EDS-1275 Doubleneck, a PRS Custom 24, a Fender '52 Tele Reissue, and several other acoustics/basses/keyboard intruments. I love everything about this guitar and plan on keeping it for life. Before getting the '58 VOS, I went through 5 different production Les Pauls over the course of 3 years and was not happy with any of them. My dealer was kind enough to order in 3 of these, so that I could pick my favourite. They were all excellent guitars, but I took the one that sounded and felt best to me. I think it is unfortunate that these guitars are priced the way they are...I feel that everything Gibson makes is overpriced, but the quality is outstanding and the guitar sounds, looks, and feels amazing.

Mine is a 2008 model finished in ice tea obviously built by hand in the good old US of A by the luthiers in the Gibson Cutom Shop. I bought this guitar new.

Features of this guitar are Solid honduran mahogany body and neck (with long tenon neck joint), plain carved maple top, Busrtbucker #1 and #2 humbuckers, CTS 500k pots and bumblebee caps. Ultra large jumbo frets and I believe the original 58's were the thickest necks you can get on a Les Paul and this may not be to everyones taste as this has the fattest neck of any guitar I've ver played, however, as I have very large hands and fingers, this suits me perfectly. Fretboard is Rosewood. Other parts are Gibson deluxe high ratio tuners and tune o matic bridge. For potential buyers, you might also want to note that these guitars are not weight relieved in any way and are seriously heavy - 9.5 lbs is probably a good guess as a minimum!

These guitars are built to be historically accurate to a 1958 Les Paul standard and have a lightly aged patina look both on the body and neck plus also the hardware has been aged (even removing the screws for the strap button reveals that these have been deliberately aged and have some rust on them! the attention to detail is incredible).

The 58 VOS comes with a shed load of case candy in the black Gibson Custom shop hardcase including various tags, certificate of authenticity, manual, lead, picks, polishing clothes etc etc

My style of Music is very much blues and rock and this particular guitar suits my style down to a tee. I play in a couple of different hard rock bands and run this guitar through an Orange Rockerverb plus a limited number of stomp boxes as well.

What can I say about this guitar? The tone of this thing is absolutely incredible and it has more sustain then any other guitar that I've ever played. When I first purchased this, I was able to compare it against another new 58 VOS in stock and this was the better sounding of the 2.

Upon picking it up, the first thing that you notice is that even acoustically, this guitar is very loud and sounds superb unplugged. It's one of the very few guitars that you can pick up and strum acoustically and know that it is going to sound superb plugged in.

Actually plugging it in, the guitar doesn't fail to disappoint in any way. Played in a clean channel, the sound is very warm and woody but exceptionally full. Definately no tinniness here.

Put through an overdriven amp is where as you would expect this guitar really shines like any good Les Paul. On the bridge, you can get a nice biting edgy crunch tone but then drop it into the neck pickup and you get a really thick smooth lead sound that sustains forever that's very akin to Slash's sound.

The tone and volume controls are a bit of a first for me on a Gibson Les Paul (having owned studios, classics and standards in the past) as rolling on and off with the volume and tone controls actually does something! Having the CTS 500k pots and bumblebee caps makes a world of difference to the tone and abaility to shape your tone from the guitar versus the usual crappy Gibson 250k pots and ultra cheap caps made in the far east that Gibson use in their main production guitars.

If I were to be "fussy" in any way as a pointer for potential buyers of this guitar, if you have no idea how to balance the EQ of your amp and guitar together without having the correct amount of midrange to presence or treble in a high gain situation, the burstbuckers will give you a very honky midrange sound (particularly in the neck pickup position) which is exactly what would happen with the original PAFS. Some people actually like this but most won't and if they are none the wiser, they will blame the guitar/pickups when this is actually down to user error and not the guitar as I am sure people would mark it down in the sound category for their own personal failings. Remember, these pickups are replicas of low output unpotted pickups back int he days when high gain didn't exist.

Sound wise for me, a definate 10,

Straight out of the "box", the actual setup of the guitar was absolutely spot on and a real testament to the improved quality of Gibson using the PLEK machine to cut the nut and level the frets plus final tweaks by a luthier. The action was super low, however as a rarity, there is still lots of tension in the strings which is great and makes it play like a proper guitar.

Most people will take a guitar to an average tech and ask for a low setup on the action. What they usually get back in return is a low action with floppy strings that have very little tension and usually buzz somewhere on the frets. As for the setup, this was 100% perfect - low action, plenty of tension and not a single buzz anywhere.

On the finish front, again, the finish and attention to detail is incredible even down to ageing of the smallest of screws. I've owned A LOT of guitars over the years including hand built customs from Washburn and Fender and whilst it is hard to seperate custom shop stuff sometimes, I can honestly say that the Gibson would be the winner based on setup and attention to detail. The quality of woods used is absolutely first rate. Although the 58 is a plaintop so there's nothing to see visually, looking at the grain of the mahogany and the fretboard plus the sound, you really know the difference in the wood compared to a standard production guitar.

Another thing which I've never had on any guitars before from the factory is that Gibson have actually taken the time to adjust the pickup pole pieces to perfection! Normally, guitar manufacturers don't even go there....

Again, if I were to be stupidly picky for the sake of it, the only thing I could pickup is that when the guitar was strung, whoever strung it, didn't pull the strings through properly which resulted in some notching of the strings at the tuner and initially the guitar kept dropping out of tune as a result. Restrung the guitar near straight away - problem solved!

I had no doubt that this guitar is built to last a lifetime, however, there's a couple of bits to pick up to be aware of:

Over time, any guitars hardware starts to age, however, as all VOS guitars are lightly aged to start with, this just adds to the character of the guitar but on this basis, it will probably wear quicker then another guitar.

Secondly and this is a general point to note, all nitro finishes are very suscetible to sweat marks and work their way under the finish and leave a white cloudy mark - all Les Pauls seem to get this. Due to the aged process this guitar is even more susceptible then normal. I gigged this guitar on the first day I bought it and after one very sweaty show I looked at it the next morning and there was a white cloudy mark where your arm rests on top of the body. I managed to solve this quickly (see customer support) but remember to always wipe down the body and the neck every time you use it.

As for the other parts, strap buttons are solid as a rock. I did replace this with locking buttons straight away, however, when I unscrewed the buttons, I quickly found out that Gibson use screws the size of what you'd probably use to bolt a wooden house frame together - No danger of these working loose!

Would I use this without a backup? Never. Not on the basis of the guitar itself, however, I've had all sorts of incidents in the past from the casual break a string right through to a guitar falling out of the stand and snapping clean through the headstock so to not have a backup in a live situation would be really stupid! Apart from the unexpected as above, I have no doubt this will be 100% relaible.

On a general note again for potential buyers. If you want to keep the aged patina finish in the nitro, you need to use a rough wool (i.e. one of those old itchy jumpers) to polish with to keep it looking aged. If you use a traditional polish and smooth cloth and buff it too much, it is possible and many owners do due to personal preference polish out the aged finish to a traditional glossy normal finish.

With the hardware, again, if you want aged, just a gentle wipe over as if you use a metal cleaner, you willl end up with shiny non aged hardware.

I think the warranty is a lifetime limited warranty to the original owner (must get round to sending it off).

I did contact Gibson Europe after one day of owning this guitar as after the first night and gigging with this guitar, I found a sizeable white cloudy sweat mark under the nitro finish which you couldn't wipe out. I dropped them an email explaining what had happened and received a very understanding and helpful response within 4 hours.

They told me to buy some of their Gibson Vintage reissue polishing cream which I subsequently bought pretty cheap on Ebay. I gave the guitar a very light polish with this and the sweat mark came straight out no problems without any real effort so job done! The cream also helps to retain the aged patina finish so each time I gig with it now, I always wipe the guitar over with the smallest amount of the polishing cream and it comes up beautifully.

Very impressed with the quick and knowledgeable response which solved my problem immediately without needing to take it back or send it off. This is the only time I've ever had to deal with Gibson directly.

I've been playing for around 15 years and have this year really found my sound in this 58 VOS and my Orange Rockerverb. I also own a Fender Strat, Jap Tokai 59 replica and a Gibson SG and have owned plenty of other Gibsons and Tokai Les pauls in the past. Amp wise, I also own an Orange Tiny Terror and a Marshall JTM.

For me, buying this guitar was the best guitar decision I've ever made. It really is a fantastic guitar and a real keeper and it's easy to see how people are paying hundreds of thousands of ??/$'s for the originals if the VOS guitars are even the slightest incling to go by.

If this guitar was lost or stolen, I'd be distraught to say the least and would buy another without hesitation. If this were the case, I would definately go for another 58 being a massive Jimmy Page fan and the flame tops of the 59's and 60's whilst stunning in that respect don't really appeal to me.

With this guitar, I love the whole package, I love the real heavy weight and the sustain that atrracts, the baseball bat neck and the aged finish, there's nothing that I dislike about this guitar. It's kind of sad, but it's the sort of guitar that's easy to just go and sometimes open the case just to have a look at it!

I purchased mine in April for about $3,200 and was happy to sell it in July for $2,000. In the 42 years I've been playing, I have never been so disappointed or frustrated with a guitar. I did not mind the $1,200 loss. In fact, I'm glad it is gone.

Simply put, regardless of the price or the reputation of the Gibson Custom Shop, this guitar was a dog. It looked and sounded great, but it would not stay in tune.

Two or more strings would be seriously out of tune by the end of a song, and that's with no string bending. Even without playing it, the slightest pressure on the neck from a guitar stand, from the neck rest in the case, or from leaning it up against an amp or would result in most of the strings being a quarter step or more out of tune. Tune it before bed, and it would be so far out of tune in the morning that it seemed reasonable to blame gremlins for detuning it.

In addition, the intonation could not be properly adjusted. The bass strings could not be brought within 7 cents of each other, and for the trebles, it was 9 cents.

In three months, I tried several sets of strings, and took it to an experienced guitar pro 4 times. Every aspect of this guitar was gone over repeatedly ??? the strings, bridge, saddles, nut, truss rod, even the stop tailpiece and tuners, with a great deal of attention given to each. The pickups were lowered to minimize the magnetic pull on the strings, and I even tried new pickup frames that were shorter, so that the magnets could be moved even further from the strings. Lowering the pickups helped a little, but did not work, and overall, the guitar was still a dog.

It was strung with really heavy strings ??? maybe 13s or 14s - when I bought it, and although the Guitar Center salesman could not explain a reason, he verified that I could return it in the 30 day trial period. The problem was obvious as soon as I got it home and put on a set of 10s, the string gauge that the Gibson specs recommend for this guitar. Every string buzzed like a sitar. Although I had planned to return it if the tuning did not stabilize during the trial period, near the end of it, I was tied up with a family emergency for several weeks and missed the return date.

I did not go the warranty route. First, there was no reason to think that Gibson would do it right the second time when they such a poor job the first time. After all, the basic attribute of the Custom Shop is supposed to be a very high level of quality control. Second, there was at least a chance that Gibson would be defensive, and put more effort into defending itself and wasting time than in fixing the problem. Third, there was a chance that even if Gibson was cooperative, the fix would not be effective.

In other words, after dealing with this dog guitar, the potential frustration and disapppointment with the warranty route seemed like a good way to make a bad situation worse.

I disclosed the nature and extent of the problem in great detail to the guy who bought it. He plans to reset the neck. I hope it works for him.

I have many other guitars, including two older Gibsons and one from the Gibson Custom Shop. All of them are fine. The point of my review is simply this:

A potential buyer might be wise to avoid assumptions about the relationship between the purchase price and quality, or about the infallibility of the Custom Shop.

If you buy one of these, I hope you are much happier than I was with mine.

This was one of the first batch of 58 VOS. I got it right after they came out.
The bumble bee caps (sprague black beauties) are active pretty much between 0 and 3 for tone so you have to dial v.careful for the sweet spots. That said they probably help get the original tone better. There's no point me scoring for features cos a les paul is a les paul. It also has the holly headstock. A druids wand was made from holly, so this has real magic.

I wrote a review a year ago but it didn't paste up. One year later I am pleased to announce that the newness is going and the guitar, which sang better than any of the 10 les pauls i've previously owned (including a real '68) right out of the case, is singing even more. How exciting this guitar is starting to age real nice. Compared to a real 1959 (I A-B'ed them)it holds it's own very good, it even has a kind of aged output, not as loud as a modern standard. If you like the Les Paul tone you won't go wrong with one of these. It also likes the treble on the amp cranked and doesn't ever sound weedy.

NB** Top Tip, to keep the patina from being polished away, only polish the guitar with rough wool, you know the kind that Granny makes an itchy seater with.

Pleased to say its looking better and better. Nice thin skin which is chipping off here and there and getting some good credibility dings. I'm useless at keeping guitars in new condition anyway. I have a photo in the gibson book (japanese) that looks the same as an old 59 so they got it right. Some finish is bled into the binding so I'm docking one point, although even in the old manual it says that this can happen. Also worth mentioning is an odd bit of flame here and there, in keeping with the plain tops of old.

I fell over right on the neck really hard and gashed my shin on a table at the same time, I couldn't get the 58 out the way so fell right on it and it clattered across a chair with my holding it and my weight falling onto it. At that moment I thought I'd bust the neck for sure but there were only two very minimal dings. You wouldn't even see them unless I pointed them out. I was so surprised to find out that this light weight mahogany can take a 15 stone man falling right on it.

no need

Considering what a 1958 would cost you this is the bargain of the century.

it's a les paul, you know what the features are by now. 2 'buckers and 4 pots. This guitar is slightly body heavy meaning that on my knee I have to lean it a little towrds the neck. My freind's real 59 just sits on your lap balanced. Although I checked the weight against some famous Les puals and Joe Perry's was a bit heavier. Heavy guitars have tone though. On the strap it is fine. The big neck is cool for doing Kossof vibrato, but I heard Kossof liked a slimmer neck.

Clean into a blackface fender it get's the peter green tone almost. Many say 'I nailed the tone' but if you listen to Greeny properly you will know that once he let his 'paul go he never sounded that way again, same goes for Clapton. Having said that this is a bargain les paul compared to a real 58-60 LP. I compared it to a real 59 and it was right in the ball park.

I cannot fault the action and set up. these things are done by laser now (plek) so the human eye/hand is very happy. It even sounds like it was buzzed (Feiten) but i just think that is because of the accuracy of the plek machine. the finish is cool. Ive dropped it a couple of times so it's starting to look a bit more authentic. To the moaners who polished off the patina, take this tip. POLISH WITH A RAW SHEEPS WOOL CLOTH patina returns, hey presto.

I dropped it bad and it survived although I nearly had a heart attack. This thing is built. although all 'correct headstock angle' Les pauls are vunerable.

never needed.

I have been playing 20 years. I have classic amps and a couple of Fenders. I have owned about 10 'Pauls over the years. Even a 68. I had a custom authentic black 68 custom but it was 10 lbs and killed my back. After I got this though, I kept saying it felt like my first guitar. The 68 I had was not a patch on this.

Great range of tones.

This is hands down the nicest Les Paul I've ever played or owned, and I've owned several. The tones from this guitar are absolutely killer, and everything from the pickups, to the smooth range of the volume and tone controls, to resonance of the wood, just works together to yield some of the best tones I've found on any guitar, bar none. I love how if you really get on the neck pickup with the tone control on 10 you'll hear it biting through, then rounding out into a beautiful singing tone. The bridge pickup has a nice raw edge on it fully open, then rolled off it yields some sweet blues tones ala Jimmy Page in Since I've Been Loving you. Bliss.

The setup on the few VOS guitars I've played have been unreal, and this one is no exception. I'd give it beyond 10, if it were possible. Never expected this kind of playability out of a Les Paul. Ultra low action.

I gave this guitar a ten on features because it is what the name implies V.O.S - Vintage Original Stock guitar. Mines an ICED TEA finsh. The finsihing and workmanship on this guitar is flawless - absoloutly beautiful. The hardware is slightly aged (some are aged abit more others less). The top is not flamed and is plain (like Jimmy Page). As someone below mentioned if this guitar was flamed it would be at a RRP of $5000+ easily. Features are as follows:

Carved plain maple top
Solid, non-weight relieved mahogany back
Single-ply cream binding on top
ABR-1 bridge, lightweight aluminum
1-piece Mahogany neck with long tenon
22-fret rosewood fingerboard
Holly headstock veneer
Early '50s rounded neck profile
Acrylic trapezoid inlays (accurate shape and color)
Nickel hardware
Burstbucker 1(R) and 2(T) pickups
Bumblebee caps
CTS pots
Vintage tulip tuners
24-3/4" scale
1-11/16" nut width
2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way selector switch

The sound is just holy (or unholy if you want). The burstbuckers are beautifully voiced for Blues to hard rock. They are tight sounding, not to "airy" and give you the sound you expect from a original 58 Les Paul - TONE & MOJO. I have been searching for THE LP sound for over 12 years now. YES IM VERY VERY PICKY!! - that and I live in Australia so good les pauls are usually snapped up by artists before they hit the self. There were 2 58 VOS in the store when I went to try them. I picked the iced tea because it had EVERYTHING PLUS MOJO! The cherry red was nice and looked more accurate because of its colour but couldnt hold a candle to the Iced tea one i bought in the tone department (everything else was spot on). I am thinking im very lucky because this one has that "intangable" property - MOJO- that makes it stand out above everything else.
Don't let the EARLY 50's neck profile description put you off!! I have SMALL hands and find it the most comfortable LP neck I have played. It feels played in and extremely playable all over the neck. As I said i have got here a guitar that has EVERYTHING PLUS MOJO. The cherry red I played felt comfortable and enjoyable to play. But the iced tea resonated and the note could be felt solidly through the neck to my hands and sounded solid and toneful to my ears. Sustain never an issue... sustain for days.
The sound ? Sounds like a good 58 Les Paul - absoloute tone. No BS!

Factory setup + store tweaks = excellent. Nothnig more to be said.

Had it 3 months now and I wouldnt buy it if I thought it was going to fall apart. The workmanship is beautiful and Solid. I imagine years and years of playability.

have needed it so far so no score.

Im not going to be a poser and list my gear. Lets just say I have been looking for a LP for 12 years and this was the fruit of my search. Well worth the wait. Im a tone freak and simply must have the best. Lets face it, gibson - and all companies, cannot make the same product consistently. I go looking for "the one". yes i am patient and yes I have spend some money over the net looking for it. But im happy. I would hate to loose this guitar as it has that something extra. would I buy it again...? In an instant. Gibson is onto a winner here...

This guitar is an 06 R8. Beautiful top. Mine has the Iced Tea finish. It's shiny, but not glossy. It has the standard bells and whistles - burstbucker pickups and all. It looks like they've been aged a bit. I think all of that is on Gibson's website. It came with a really nice custom case. It's very basic, but that's what I wanted. One really good thing about it is the fact it's a lefty.

It sounds great. The bridge pickup is clear - maybe a little brighter than I like. It sounds ok clean, but it sounds best with a little crunch. The neck pickup has a good sound to it, also. It has a nice midrange. The neck pickup sounds much better clean or slightly distorted than overdriven, I think. It can get a little muddy. The middle position is where it's at. I like to play classic rock and blues, and this guitar is just right for that. I might replace the pickups someday, but I like these pretty well. The guitar has really good sustain. I also have a 96 Les Paul Standard and a 54 Strat RI. It feels a little lighter than the 96. The neck feels a little chunkier, too. I've played this guitar through my 64 Bassman, 76 Marshall 50 watt, and JTM 45. It sounds different but good with all of them. I don't typically use effects. I have a fulldrive 2, but I haven't seen a need for it. I used to have a 67 Deluxe Reverb. I wish I still did.

It was perfect out of the box. There's no unusual buzzing or anything like that. Action's great. I can't find anything wrong with it. For what it cost - I'd expect no less.

I can't see anything that would go wrong with it. It's seems to be pretty well built. I'd really hate to bump it into something and damage that beautiful top, though.

Never dealt with Gibson.

I've been playing on and off for around 12 years. I've recently really gotten back into it. I have 2 other guitars and a few amps. I hope I would never lose it. If it was stolen, I think I'd have a hard time finding another lefty. I hope that never happens, but I'd buy another if it did. I really can't say it's a great value. My other Les Paul cost me around half as much and sounds almost as good. It's not really an economical guitar, but I love it for what it is..

all standard vos specs as per gibson website for this 2006 vos 58 custom shop work of art.burstbuckers,aged hardware,plecked to perfection!!!vintage vibe goin on!!

beautiful les paul tones,excellent sustain,resonence, un plugged or plugged in to any and all of my present amps,marshall jtm,fender blues deluxe,fender deluxe reverb,peavey delta blues210, and any other amp tried it thru,freinds marshall stacks,super reverbs,etc gibson les paul heaven.!!!again great sustain,full round tone like ya want from a les paul..

action right out of the box was great,just tuned up to pitch after a lil tweaking this guitar has stayed in tune for days!!!still cant belive,the neck is very comfortable rounded 50s shape,nice rounded shoulder,awsome feel not quite a 57 bat neck but for me perfect..the finish was almost perfect,aside from some bleeding on the binding which ya cant really see and kind of adds some character,the finish is iced tea abosutely killer!!!nice wood grain, very vintage vibe goin on nice weight 9 lbs 2 oz and the pleck job really makes a big difference in the tone,feel,and playabilty of this guitar

this guitar is made very well gibsons custom shop is making a great product,for the money you would expect this quality

havent had a reason to contact them....

overall this is one on the best guitars i have ever owned,playing over thirty years and still cant play but i want the best guitar i can afford,when daddy treats himself he treats himself!!presently own a 91 lp custom,2000 335 dot,2005 sg std,2000,lp std. and a bunch of other asorted guitars over the years this gibson vos 58 les paul is the best so far..the road goes on forever so ya need alot of guitars. i will eventualy get a vos goldtop 57 or 56 and a 59 vos 335 in time and will look to gibsons custom shop for them..

I got my 06 R8 last week from Saul of Centre City Nusic, great guy to deal with. It wieghs in at 8.9lbs. The plain top is beautiful and has a one-piece mahogony back and a one-piece mahogany long-tenon neck (great sustain). This guitar is built just as it was back in 1958. The iced tea finish has an aged look. Gibson is now pleking the VOS guitars and the feel of this guitar is what sold me. It has the Burstbucker 1 and 2 pups, they work great. The 50's fat neck is very comfortable.

Nice cleans to singing sustain, and all territory in between, it can't be beat. I've had PRS's and they seem thin sounding in comparison., I use it with a variety of tube amps. The pupand switches are very quiet. I have had several Gibsons in the past and m=none compare, this is definitely a keeper for me. I used to think I was a tele only guy, not anymore. I have no dislikes with this guitar.

The actionright out of the box is amazing, if you play reall hard, you might need to raise the action, but I like the way it came and I play pretty hard at times and have not had any buzzes. I am toally satifified with the fit and finish, I believe Gibson is doing these guitars right.

I don't foresee any problems, I don't gig, so that is not an issue.

I have called Gibsons 24/7 customer service department with a couple of questions and they had the answers.

I've been playing guitar for 40 years, and have had all types of gear, I now have a tele, a strat, and the Les Paul. If stolen I would definitely replace it, I never thought my tele would set in the guitar stand as long as it has in the past week.

The R8 is a great value if you shop around.

Wow where to start. 58' VOS. It Feels Old. It does not play, sound, feel, or even look like a Fakey Relic job, this guitar it just has that look. THe neck is fantastic, the frets are perfect, the binding job is amazing, gibson really really did a fantastic job on this vos 58 Reissue. tulip tuners, bumble bee cap, gold knobs. Its authentic.

Its cheap too, if this had the slightest bit of flame it would be $3000-5000 depending on the flame quality. If you can look past the flame appeal and just look at it for Function and vintage charm you will love it till the end my friends.

Standard les paul hardware / electronics line up -.
2 burst buckers, 2 vol, 2 tone, 3 way, hard tail, tunomatic bridge.

cant beat the classic.

WOW. Can you say Pure led zeppelin, allman brothers, pure as hell classic sound. It screams with Every danm amp I've plugged it into, even my stupid little headset korg ax thing I use for playing at night sounds good with this guitar. Its really Mind boggling why gibson doesnt put this hardware / electronics package in every LP guitar. Its quiet too. I have a few "telemundo" amps that pick up "telemundo" and this guitar doesnt do that.

Solid bridge pickup , usually gibson bridge pickups to me sound muddy not the case here. what ever they did they fixed it.

Perfect setup. Frets are amazing. Pickups are good.
I dont like the vintage height rings there a bit annoying when palm muting but you can adapt to that easily.

The nitro finish - smells, feels, looks old.
has that "Candy" smell :)

Come on its a Gibson LP, if you can break it then you are truly a special person.

Its gibson. I've called them 1 time, My question was answered in 40 minutes. At least the Hold music was good.

Look- 50+ year old design. Its solid, if you have $2240 get one.
I'm enamored with this guitar, i have 1 other 59' LP and this by FAR is a Nicer neck, its lighter weight and really will give you a unique stage look, its not a LP Standard that Guitar Centre has 90 of hanging on a wall . I've been playin for about 15 years, I've played 100's if not 1000's of guitars in my experience this is in my TOP 5 of axes of all time.

1 real 59 LP
2 62 SG LP
3 57 Strat
4 59? ES-175
5 this Vos.

I purchased this a few weeks ago, so it's a 2006 model. It's made by the Custom Shop by Gibson USA. It has a boatload of original vintage features: Tulip keys, CTS pots, bumblebee caps, 50's fat rounded neck profile, ABR bridge, Burstbuckers 1 and 2, etc. The finish on mine is washed cherry burst and the hardware comes stressed, so the whole model has the "aged" look. This model has a plain top but it does have some horizontal figuring. You can see the grain come through the paint throughout the whole neck and body. Real nice! It comes with a 50's style plush lined case, and tons of (unnecessary) documents; plus a Custom built certificate, a cord and care kit.

It sounds absolutely great. I play 60's, 70's and 80' rock. I use it with a modified Bassman top and Mojo bottom loaded with 2 Celestions. It is a very powerful, but smooth sounding guitar thanks to the Burstbuckers. For my tastes, I had to lower the bridge pup a bit because I like a smooth thick LP balanced sound-I like playing Allman stuff a lot. The knobs and switch are quiet. Without plugging it in, mine sounds very musical and sustains beautifully. Plugged in, it sounds complex and full and easily gets the LP sounds you're looking for, across all ranges and styles. It definately rocks! The pups are very distinctive and growl when you ask them too, yet, are also silky smooth too. I love them. The fat neck was important to me as I can't stand the thin necks on most other Gibsons. I'm certain any pro player would love this axe too. This guitar sounds good with my pedals although its' a bit powerful for my Fulltone OCD.

The action was set up nicely from the factory. The dealer I bought it from in Tennessee messed around with it a bit before he sent it to me, and I eventually adjusted it to my own liking. At all times, the intonation remained exact and low chords sound excellent and in tune. The dealer also said he adjusted the neck slightly to provide relief, before he sent it to me. Upon my own inspection, the neck seemed fine. You can tell that extra care was taken at the factory to ensure the intonation and fit and finish would be as good as possible. Not perfect, but easily the best LP I have ever owned or played. As I said before, this guitar has the aged look. I know a lot of players out there will think I'm retarded but I think the whole aged look-relic thing, especially with Fenders, is generally, well, retarded and a laughable ripoff, from the manufacturers standpoint. If I'm buying the axe brand new and laying down 3 grand, I prefer a shiny new untouched guitar, thanks, and I'll be the one to distress it. I'd also prefer if the guitar came with a new platic molded case too. The guitar looks like an authentic '58 and has the vintage vibe. Why did I buy it then? Read on.

I don't play out, just at home. After about a month or so it's still solid and seems to be getting easier to play. I use Black Diamond strings(10's)on my guitars. They always sound clear and last a long time. I'm sure the guitar would easily stand the rigors of the road, if you are so inclined. The tulip keys hold the strings in tune pretty well to my surprise. The rest of the guitar and finish seems like it will hold up well, but I do have a nick on it already, so like any other guitar, you have to be careful. Hell, the hardware is already rusted and aged anyway, right? Yes, I would use it on a gig if I had to but believe me when I say I would not let it out of my sight for a freakin' minute. I would probably keep this one at home due to the expensive value of it, and used something cheaper for regular gigging.

I haven't had the need to contact Gibson, so I can't say. I'm not happy with the dealer I bought it from but I love the guitar. The dealer I used shipped it poorly-he wrapped the Gibson box with a thin outer cardboard-paper layer and sent it on its' way. It arrived a bit ripped up. The guitar was fine, though. The Gibson box he used was from another guitar-real tacky and I was truly shocked about the lack of attention that they supposedly promised. The case had a strap hanging out of it too. Would probably purchase from Musicians' Friend the next time, for overall peace of mind. The guitar has a lifetime MFRs warranty, I think.

I have been playing over 30 years, semi-professionally, as I have played in a few bands over the years. At this time, I just play for self-satisfaction at home. I also have a homemade SRV Strat ( I had to sell all of my other axes to help pay for this LP ! ) If this guitar was stolen, I would cry. I bought this guitar for some very specific reasons: 1) The fat neck 2) The Burstbuckers, specifically, I prefer the 1 and 2 models which this guitar has. Gibson puts them in the '59 VOS too. The value of this model, while very expensive, seemed evident to me which is why I bought it. The price on this model is much lower than the '59 VOS which is very similar save for the figured top and bigger frets. I was tempted to order a new custom Carvin or get a nice new McCarty PRS or a new Gibson Custom Shop 336 at this price ( sigh!) but for the type of feel and (especially) sound that I wanted, it had to be this model, and I am happy to report that I was not dissappointed. It's worth the money! I just felt those other brands would not ultimately deliver the sound I was looking for.