Gibson Les Paul DC Studio

Made in 1999. I love the simplicity of 2 humbuckers (I believe a 490T and a 498T), 1 switch, 1 Volume, 1 Tone control. My guitar is finished in a gloss cherry sunburst with a mahogany neck, body and a carved maple top. The access to the higher frets (not that I'm up there that much)is excellent and the neck has a vintage Les Paul feel i.e. slightly chunky but very comfortable. I just bought the thing last week in virtually unplayed condition and I can't put it down.

The music styles that I've worked in for last for the last 40 years have included R&B, Blues, Funk and little Country. I finger pick, flat pick and occasionally attempt slide. This guitar suits all those styles very well. The pick ups sound great with a warm tone and a little bite that you expect from a Gibson humbucker. I've been playing the guitar through a 1965 Fender Tremolux, a reissue Vox AC15 and a 2004 Soldano, Astroverb 2X12 combo with no pedals or outboard effects and it sounds great through all.

The construction and finish is as you would expect from Gibson. No problems. At first I was a little concerned about proper intonation with the wrap around, stop bar bridge but with the action height and neck properly adjusted and a set of .010's, it plays in tune all the way up the neck. I didn't care for the look of the black pickup rings, switch tip and knobs with the cherry sunburst so I changed to cream rings, switch tip and gold knobs. Much prettier now.

I intend to use the guitar for live performances and feel that its up to it. As with any Gibson or Epiphone product I'll have to be careful in protecting the headstock. They break very easily if the guitar falls. The Gibson strap buttons should be changed immediately to a locking type. I've heard complaints about the tuners/machines but haven't had it long enough to note any issues. .

This is the 3rd Gibson guitar I've owned, but I've never owned a new one. The only dealings I've ever had with Gibson customer support was an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a replacement neck for an Epiphone Sheraton. They were pretty much dicks about the whole thing but I'm not going to trash this guitar rating because of them.

I've been playing for 48 years, professionally on and off (mostly on)for 40 years. My current amplifier line up is a 1965 Fender Tremolux, 2005 Vox AC15 reissue, 2004 Soldano Astroverb 212 combo and a 1962 Vox AC4. My other guitars are Fender 1996 Standard Stratocaster, Fender 1952 Reissue Telecaster, Epiphone 2002 Blond DOT with Bigsby, Yamaha 2008 CPX700, National Reissue Triolian, 1986 Alvarez Yairi and 2008 Fender Jazz Bass. Lot's of PA and recording gear. I bought this guitar because I was working on something were I needed a solid body, humbucker kind of tone and sustain. I was looking at LP Standards and Studios when I stumbled into the DC. I'm very glad that I did.I love the light weight,simplicity, sound and feel of the DC Studio. I've been pretty much a Fender guy for the last 23 years but if my Les Paul DC were lost or stolen I'd have to get another one

1998 Les Paul DC Studio in heritage sunburst. Details already covered by others. IMHO the features that set it apart from other guitars in this price range are the sweet 50's taper neck, the nice, solid, resonant body, and the 24 fret neck. Light, easy to play, with a rockin set of humbuckers. Lovely Gibson lacquer finish. Great stage guitar.

Sweet little guitar. I play it through a Mesa F-30 and occasionally a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. No noise. The tone control is actually useful on this guitar (unlike the tone controls on many Les Pauls which should be called "mud controls"). The bridge pickup on its own is a bit bright if you are sitting by yourself noodling around, but cuts through when the rest of the band is going at it. The middle position is classic humbucker growl, the neck position has a kind of woody sound, which is more appealing that it sounds on paper. These are rock guitars, probably not the best choice for, say big band standards or jazz?

Bought this used so unsure how it came from the factory. No flaws per se. The headstock paint could have been applied a little better I suppose. These were not the top of the Gibson line in the first place so let's be fair. Action and pickup height are adjustable, no problems there.

These bad boys were made for gigging. I don't bash guitars around, but I don't worry about this one (but who doesn't take a backup to a gig?). It's solid. The neck feels less vulnerable to the dreaded headstock crack than the typical Gibson, but I am convinced the dinky strap buttons are a scheme by Gibson to kill off old guitars so they can sell new ones. Get strap locks. The lacquer is still beautiful 10 years after leaving the factory.

N/A

I own several other much more expensive guitars, and this is the one I play most often. It's simple, no nonsense. What was Gibson thinking discontinuing this model? One of the best guitar purchases I've made.

This was made and sold only in '97, from what I have been told and have read online. As for the construction, it is a very simple, solid-bodied guitar, with a little weight to it. The fretboard has the usual Gibson jumbo frets. There are two Gibson, chrome humbuckers, with a tone control, volume, and three-way switch. In my 10 years playing it, I have only had to fix one loose wire. The stock tuners are the Gibson vintage boxs (bad idea). If you don't plan on collecting or selling it, and you just intend to play it a lot, like I do, switch the stock tuners with some Grover Rotomatics. I got the chrome ones, and they look good, work well, and are a whole lot more solid than the boxs that come with it. The original tuners have a tendency to pop open after some use. This is the only issue I have had with the guitar. The features are simple, but they meet all my needs. The bridge differs from the other Gibson DCs, as it is just a wrap around bar, with no tune-o-matic piece between it and the pickup. I like this whole lot more, considering, palm-muting is a large part of my solo playing, and it is much more comfortable to rest your hand on the smooth bar than on those sharp tune-o-matic pieces, not to mention how easy it makes it to achieve hard muting as well. It has 25 frets, and as usual with cutaways, the design makes it convenient to reach all the way up the neck. I have the wine red colored model, and it is my favorite looking guitar I have seen.

I have had this guitar for over ten years, and it has always sounded incredible. I have played many different styles on it, and it does its job wonderfully. Obviously, the amp has more to do with crafting your sound to a particular style, but this guitar puts out a great sound to work with. It is only noisy when your amp is not properly grounded (so it is not actually a noisy guitar). You can achieve many kinds of sounds by adjusting the switch and tone control. It always puts out a full, clear and warm sound. Different strings will produce different results with regards to thinning the sound out, but these pickups are warm, quality humbuckers, giving you a fat sound. Coincidently, I use heavier-gauged D'Addarios (my preference), and it is a perfect compliment to the guitar. Although, using heavy strings will definitely show the poor quality of the tuners. Even medium strings will pop the boxes open if you use a dropped-D tuning every now and then. Still, that is a feature issue, not sound quality.

I am not a pro luthier or anything, but it seems reliably built, considering I have had no issues with the construction of the body at all. Again, the tuners suck, but I explained it all in the last two categories. The action is fixed, and perfect for ease of use, with no buzzing or anything. The finish is a smooth gloss, and like I said before, with the wine red color, it is my favorite looking guitar I have ever seen. The wrap-around bar without the tune-o-matic piece makes palm-muting easy and comfortable. Other than the tuners, everything is reliably built.

I have played mine for over ten years, and it has been completely reliable. It is my main guitar for everything. I have an Epiphone Les Paul for alternate tunings live, but other than that, I have had absolutely no need for another guitar. I started playing it when I was 12, however. So, I carelessly played it while wearing an exposed belt buckle, which on any guitar will result in belt-rash on the back, if you keep it at your waist. The finish has lasted great through everything, and aside from the rash on the back and an accident I relive over and over in my nightmares, when a belt was dropped on one of the cutaways, there are no flaws in the finish.

If you do the usual maintenance on it, it will work perfectly for a long time.

I have no idea about any of the warranty business because it was a gift, and I have never had any reason to call customer support.

As I said, I have had it for over a decade, and it is without a doubt the perfect guitar for me. To play it as long and constant as I have, new tuners are a must, but a set of Grover Roto's later and I could not be happier with it. I live in fear that one day I will have to replace it because they are only available very rarely on eBay, and it has been a great guitar, on top of which, it now has a lot of sentimental value attached to it. I have played plenty of guitars, and this is the best one for everything I need. If I ever see this model and color again on eBay, if I have the money, I will buy another just to have a backup.

1998 finish is either nitrocellulose or very thin polyurethane, its a double cutaway semi-hollowbody guitar with a wraparound tailpiece, vintage style gibson deluxe tuners, 59 style thin taper neck (awesome) Made in the USA w/ 24 frets and a carved maple top. Master volume, Master tone, three-way pickup selector, 490r and 498t gibson alnico pickups with single conductor wiring. (sucks) Two Piece Mahogany back and one piece mahogany neck with the most awesome sounding indian rosewood ive ever heard.

stock it was OK, for the price sounded real good, but with a few simple modifications the thing sounds FAKING AWESOME!!!!

First, installed tone pros locking studs to increase sustain($30)
second, changed stock gibson 300k volume pot to 500K to add clarity
third, bypassed useless tone control.
fourth, removed cover from bridge pickup

was a 6, now its a 10, and it only cost me 40 bucks extra.

its got an airy kind of resonance, even when palm muting this thing has some crazy sustain. it sounds like a PRS CU24 with better pickups with the mods

bought it used, setup sucked from guitar center. top is unflamed maple, but it sounds good. the thing is used, and looks like it was played. its got a bunch of scrathes and belt rash, but the neck is straight, the frets are really nice, but the vintage tuners suck.

ehh it falls short here. the pickup rings are cheap and so are the tuners,(already broke one) the bridge is cheap, and the finish is thin. (but i see that as a good thing) OH and the strap buttons, CRAPPPY!! it was missing one when i got it so i replaced it at guitar center, but the one original is so cheap and badly designed that i cant beleve they would even put it on a Gibson, let alone any guitar! i would not gig with out a backup with this guitar.

used, never bought anything gibson before.

ive been playing 8 years, i also own a 94 prs ce24 and a takamine acoustic. if this guitar was lost or stolen, i probably wouldnt buy another. i bought it because i got a great deal on it and this guitar has some charater to its tone. i wish it had better tuners, and strap locks.

1995 Les Paul Studio,DC(Double Cutaway),made in the USA,22 frets, mohagany semi-solid body with hollow chambers,carved maple top like a Les Paul Standard.The body is contoured like a Strat, for playing comfort and has 2 490 Series Gibson Humbucking pickups, 1 volume and 1 tone control, wrap-around stop tailpiece which acts as bridge, 3 way pickup selector toggle switch.One piece mohagany neck with rosewood fingerboard, dot style fret markers, standard Gibson/Kluson stles greenish plastic tuners.

This guitar sounds phenominal...to my ears, a cross between an SG Standard, Les Paul Standard and ES 335, which fits my style of blues, jazz and southern blues/rock perfectly.
There is no question that the wrap around,primitve stop tail piece/bridge method on this guitar contributes to this guitar's excellent sustain and fat, creamy tone.
This guitar mates well to my Fender Deluxe Reverb,Marshall Bluesbreaker Reissue and Vox AC 15,but it just SINGS with my 62 Brown Priceton Amp.The only effects used are reverb and delays.The guitar has a fat,rich,creamy sound...a more rounded version of the SG, slightly softer than a Les Paul Standard and very similar,but different than my 335.
Given the straight forward pickups and controls you can get a very surprising amount of tone variation by experimenting with your amp volume, guitar's very responsive volume and tone control. you can easily achieve a Robben Ford, Dickey Betts fat/creamy sound or you can get a brighter counrty flavored telcaster or strat middle pickup sound.
I discovered this guitar by accident while auditioning Vox amps and fell in love with the sound and feel of this instrument.
I have the action set relatively high for both standard and open tunings for straight playing and slide, the contoured body is great when standing or sitting, and the weight is not overbearing which is sometimes the case with single cutaway Les Pauls.

The action was very high at first, which for my slide playing was perfect.However I love the sound and feel so much I had the action brought down slightly so I can also move to standard tuning and play in "normal" position.The pickups are adjusted PERFECTLY and sound very balanced.The fit and finish is perfect, as is the fretwork.
Only the gold Gibson logo on the headstock could have been a bit brighter,easier to read, but that is not a complaint!
The color is a transparent emerald green which is perfectly applied,nice maple grainn visible in the top,far from my favorite color,but when I tried this guitar I just fell in love with it's sound,so the color is meaningless to me,in this case.

This will be my playing out Gibson so I can keep my old guitars home.
This guitar is solid in everyway except the tuners,which look cool but are never great tuners on Gibsons... I've typically replaced them on my other Gibsons & Epiphones with Grover or Shaller, but have not done so,yet on this guitar.

Not applicable

I've been playing almost 40 years,own an arsenal of GIbson,Fender electrics, an assortment of Fender,Vox and Marshall smaller combo amps and Gibson,Martin,Guild, Dobro and Taylor Acoustics.
I'd be curious to play the other variations of this model with tune-amatic/adjustable bridge,stop tail piece and individual volume & tone controls for each pickup...just to hear the difference between this model and my other Gibsons.
I love the sound, weight and comfort of this guitar, it's sound is amazingly versatile, and for a US made guitar is an excellent value in todays' crazy, overpriced market

Made in USA. 1998. 24 frets. Mahogeny neck and back and maple top.
Slightly thinner than regular LP and chambered - much lighter but
without any audible loss in sustain. 2 knobs - volume and tone
and 3 way pickup selector. I like the simplicity - pickups are
well balanced so no need for individual controls. 490R/498T HBs.
Double cutaway - altho access to 20-24th frets is not easy if
your hands are not slim enough to fit in the cutaway.
Slim tapered'59 neck - one the friendliest I have seen on LPs.
Wraparound bridge. Very nice cherry sunburst finish - looks much
nicer than most photographs.

Here is Gibson page with specs:
http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/lespaul/DoubleCutStudio.html

I traded SG '61 Reissue for this guitar (and Gibson Blueshawk).
LP DC Studio for me does all that SG would do and more. Granted -
I do not play Sabbath type of music but for classic rock or jazz
I like Studio better. Especially for clean tone and playing with
fingers. SG has Classic 57s on it and 490/498 to my ears sound
more interesting. Especially both pickups engaged. My main amp
is now in the shop so I only had a chance to check this guitar
in more jazzy setting - played thru Polytone. It does not sound
like 335 but it is definitely usable as jazz guitars. Chords sound
very nice - it resonates in very pleasant way. When this guitar
arrived it had some Gibson 10s strings on it. They did not sound
too good - dark und muddy lows and bright metallic and hollow
sounding trebles. I immediately put Pyramid strings on it - 10s -
and it made huge difference in sound. As for the wraparound bridge
- many people complain about intonation - personally I would not
trade THE SOUND of this bridge for better intonation. And as it is
the intonation is almost perfect.
There is not much variety in sound this guitar makes - all three
positions sound much closer than on many other guitars but the tone
is rich and usable as both clean and distorted (took this guitar
to friend who has Marshall and it can wail and growl like best of
them). Dislikes? Tuners are soso - could stay in tune better.

I bought this guitar used and it arrived with flawless setup.
I did not like Gibson strings it had on it so I replaced them
with Pyramids.
Finish is very pretty and neck does not get sticky like one on SG.
There are slight finish imperfections where neck joins the body -
visible only if you look at reflection of light.

I would take it o play live but general impression is that
it is less sturdy then SG or regular LP. Mosly b/c of slimmer neck.
Hardware looks durable. Finish - it is 1998 w/o one ding or scratch
so chances are it is better than it feels. Strap button are smallish
but work well with Dunlop's ERGO LOK strap locks.

Been playing 30yrs - 6yrs electric guitar. Other guitars I use
are: PRS Custom Soapbar, G&L ASAT Bluesboy and (soon) ES-335.
If it was stolen I would consider another LP Studio - looks like
it can work as a backup for 335 but with voice of it's own.
I like the way it resonates on chords. I do not "hate" anything
about it but I wish it could play slightly better on E,B strings
above 15th fret (like PRS). As far as comparing to other guitars
- the fretboard is not as perfect as PRS but neck is better. PRS
is better guitar for blues (P90s !) but LP sounds much better when
playing jazzy/fingerstyle stuff.

This Les Paul Studio is 22 frets, maple over mahogany, 490/498 pickups plenty hot enough for me, wine red, gold hardware, 24 3/4 scale. 3 way switch for versatile tones,

Sounds very rich, noisy when my hand is removed from any metal, it could be a cord etc; but I don't think so. Love the sound. Studio or not it is the real LP sound and vibe.

The action is not as low as I would like but I can't because of fret buzz. I adjusted the truss rod which didn't have any tension on it. 1/2 a turn and it pulled into place beautifully. The nitocellous (whatever) finish smudges easily, it is a soft laquer for sure. The back looking in a glare is sanded unevenly. The rest of the finish is fine. The position markers on the side of the neck are odd looking but ok. The gold sure does oxidize quickly, oh well

I haven't had the guitar that long but would trust it's reliability without a backup I would baby it because of the glued in neck.

Out of my 9 guitars; it's my #1. Not because of neck action but a strange thing; despite the slightly higher action this thing is made to play fast, to thrash without hinderance. The tone is great, the looks are to be proud of. I would replace it if lost/stolen/etc;
This has the fat '59 neck. Often have to use string ease because of the finished neck.

I have had this guitar for about a year now,and I must say one thing.The people who say that this guitar sounds like a solid body Les Paul must have be tone deaf from cranking their amps too much.The only similarity between the two ends at the head stock.Logic alone will tell you that the two guitars differing as much as these two in structure,weight,is going to sound different.

The sound? Very nice.well balanced,just very nice,crisp,slightly reminicent of the big brother ES 335.The tone is warm enough to play Jazzy side of things.You know why Paul Reed Smith guitar with similar construction is such a hit.You can really hear that woody,a tad nasally tone of Larry Carlton of the 80,s sound,when you overdrive tube amp.However,will not handle as well as a solid body Les Paul in the extream high gain stuff.

Here,the only thing that bothers me this the way the guitar balance when strapped.It tends to be a little neck heavy.So,some readjustment time is necessary when going to this ax from a heavy guitar.

Probably not as soild as an all solid body guitar,but should to fine.

I have owned three Les Pauls.I have been generally pleased with them.However I have always used them with some sort of overdrive/distortion,never really liking the clean sound that much.Well, this one has its own unique character that I think has more diverse musical application than the solid body counter-part.The clean sound of this guitar with a tad of compressor and reverb is absolutly beautiful and will never be duplicated with a brick heavy Les Paul.

This Les Paul appears to have been made in the last year and a half. It is the standard fair in flip flop teal. I'm thinking it's probably some sort of mahogany. It has either a roswood or mahogany fretboard. Non locking cheap looking tuners. I'll give it a 6 because it was just an average guitar.

I do not own this guitar, I tried it out at a local music store. It sounds o.k, nothing super special about it. The action was very high and it didn't intonate just right. It kind of had a dark sound thru the JCM800 at the music store. I didn't like the way it sounded through a fender solid state amp.

The action was horribly set up. The strings were very high off the fretboard and the intonation was off. The pickups were just installed into the guitar and didn't seem like they were high enough to get decent tones. Now Gibson this is where you need to start reading these reviews. The finish on this guitar was awfull. There were very visible sanding marks on it under the paint. This type of workmanship is indicative of rushed work and shoddy craftmanship. I've seen Japanese Jacksons with smoother finishes and better action for a third of the price. In all fairness, I have seen the reverse as well. If Gibson guitars are going to command such high prices, then the craftsmanship should be better. Does Gibson even have a quality control department anymore? If they do then they are fucking off too much and letting substandard workmanship leave their factories. This is why one day Gibson will be a bankrupt name of the past.

I couldn't tell you if the guitar could stand up live night after night. The setup was so poor, I don't think I could give it an accurate and honest test. In the past, I've had tunomatics break alot of strings and wouldn't gig without a backup anyways.

Never dealt with Gibson, and judging from this guitar's craftsmanship, I never will.

I have been playing since I was thirteen and am 37 now. I would not purchase this guitar. I've tried several high end Les Pauls models here lately, and I am not impressed with the overall workmanship. Gibson should be ashamed and never of had let this guitar leave their factory. Evidently they have some problems. That's why one day your Gibsons will have the name Yamaha, Sammick, Fender or Korg stamped on their headstock.

i'm guessing my model was made late 90's. it's quite light compared to othe gibsons and their clones due to the cavities inside. this is good so i will not get a sore back and shoulders after a show. the tuning machines stay in tune very well. whenever my band plays live i only have to tune up like once in between our whole set (mind you we play a loud, heavy, and thrashy type of music). the wraparound bridge is kind of annoying but if you get a good intonation job or do it properly yourlself it shouldn't be too much of a hassle. the neck is also insanely comfortable. i love the slim taper.

It fits alot of rock based styles. I play mostly emotional hardcore stuff (heavy (but not metal) riffs with jazz times and quiet spacey indie rock soft interludes) and this guitar works beautifully. it can get heavy, which is something i really need, and if you turn the tone knob down to about 5 or 6 and the pickup switch set to middle, you can get a really beautiful clean tone out of it. mostly a rhythm guitar but you can get some really great lead tones out of it.
i play it through a reverend 40/60 hellhound combo with a 12" reverend alltone speaker which is hooked up to a homemade 2x12 vertical cab also with reverend alltones. i use an ibanez tubescreamer for a bit more gain and a boss ce 2 chorus.

when i got the action from the person i bought it from it was REALLY LOW but that may have just been their personal preference. i now have it set it up at a reasonable height, not so high to where its stiff and not so low to where it'll buzz. there a few dings here and there but thats expected with used instruments and continual use of them. the black finish is really nice and classy on this instrument.

i've thrashed this thing across stage back and forth on stage. it can take a beating. it still stays in tune though! you do have to be a little more careful since its not as dense as a regular lp, but you'd be careful with a regular lp.... right? the paint is a little thin (since its a "studio" model after all) so it'll chip more.

never had to deal with them, but i've heard good things

i love this guitar. it is one of the smartest purchases i have made. its perfect for my playing style. its light enough for me to be comfortable (im a fairly thin guy, a regular lp would weigh me down after constant movement and play) with and the sound is both unique and pretty good at nearly emulating lp tones. its a real shame they put these guitars out of production. i got mine only a year after the line stopped, so they weren't really hard to find then. now it takes a bit more patience. i guess current owners are catching on how this is a great guitar. truly a steal.