Gibson Les Paul Standard Double Cut Plus

I've owned music stores, and still deal in guitars a little. I can not tell you how many Les Paul Guitars I've had in the last 20 years ever since I switched from 335's. When I found this Amber DC AAA top at the Dallas Vintage Guitar Show last year, I've not put it down yet. I tis my number one gigging guitar. With 24 frets, easy access beyond octive position, and a nice easy comfortable neck, this guitar is fast and accurate. The Nashville style bridge allows for longer swing to tune and dial in the bridge. Mine had god hardware, and unlike other Gibson gold hardware, what is on this guitar is staying in great shape without the normal tarnished look. I like the grover mushroom button tuners. The top is split butterflied, and the back is one piece solid mahogany. The body is chambered, and has and 498t and 490r humbuckers, which I really like. Nice combo. Neck is smooth, and fat. The bridge will give you a sunburn.

This is the second double cut I've owned. The first one three years ago, was a blue one. I did not like it at all. This Amber one has a better feel, fast neck and the AAA top will match any PRS or Hamer DC. I like the chambering, as in the neck I get more of a 335 purr, than the normal chunky Lester sound. I do wish the neck and bridge PU had a blend knob, for the B and N PU's. One tone and volume is just like a Tele, which is my second guitar. I am so pleased with the sound of this guitar, as I play blend of Blues, Jazz and Roadhouse.

Action is perfect. I use DR 10's, and this guitar just loves them. The finish is first cabin, and the overall craftsmanship is great. Not like a lot of the flawed stuff coming out of manufactures today. This guitar is 2002 model. They didn't make may of these, and the Plus was the AAA top. I get compliments on this guitar at each show we do on the tours. At festivals we see and bump into a lot of other touring bands, and it never fails that guitar players go nuts over the looks of this guitar. They also said it sounded great while we were doing our sets.

Well, it is a Gibson, but I am the second owner. I take care of my equipment, so I don't imagine anything going wrong. I also do guitar repair for a few guitar shops, and keep my gear in perfect gigging condition. It's a Gibson, and bound to appreciate in value as time goes by.

Gibson did send me a web page explaining the chambering, and how it looks under the maple top. I thought that was good of them to send it to me, after I contacted their customer service dept by email.

I've owned hundreds of guitars for my own personal use, and had thousands of them in my guitar shops back in the 80's out in California. I sold a vintage 1976 Les Paul, to pay this one off. The guitar is also feather light. Don't let them fool you. It doesn't have to be two tons of slab wood to sustain, as this puppy will sustain as long as you want to hold the note. Also, at the end of the gig your strap hasn't cut of your blood circulation leaving a permanent gouge in your shoulder. Ha. I need three things out of a guitar. It has to turn me on when I open the case and look at it. It has got to stay in tune all night on the gig. It just has to have a neck I don't think about when I play ??? the neck has to disappear in my mind???s eye. This does all three.

2005
Rootbeer finish
Carved figured AAA maple top
Chambered mahogany body
Mahogany neck
'60s-style slim taper neck profile
Rosewood fingerboard
24-3/4" scale length
24 frets
Pearloid trapezoid inlays
Single-ply fingerboard binding
Gold hardware
Stopbar tailpiece
Tune-o-matic bridge
Amber top hat knobs
Grover kidney tuners
490R Alnico magnet neck humbucker
498T Alnico magnet bridge humbucker
One volume, one tone, and three-way pickup switch

Pretty much all you need...

This guitar sounds absolutely amazing playing any number of styles.
I'm playing with Ernie-Ball Regular-Slinky Strings, through an Orange AD140 and an Orange Overdrive 120 with their corresponding cabinets.
I normally use about 18 pedals, but for the purpose of sound testing the guitar i'm playing the guitar straight into the amp with a monster cable.
Overdriven, the tone hits that Fall of Troy/ At the Drive-In sound right on the head, rich, full and agressive with much clearer note articulation than in a standard les paul; this has a little less middle and more bite, though it's not as bright as an SG.
For cleaner sounds the guitar just sings, it's a very colourful and musical sounding guitar. What I mean by this is that the sound has tonnes of character to it. You can hear every little nuance of your playing!!! on the neck pickup it's a very bluesy sound, even with some hollowbody characteristics coming out - maybe the chambered body. It's very sweet sounding, not the neck tone i'm used to hearing, but it's really nice; generally neck sounds can be too fat and bassy - this is still very warm, but alot clearer note-to-note(to keep the neck joint from being liable to breaking gibson moved the neck pickup over closer to the bridge).
The only thing that i'd say people would really miss on this guitar is the absence of independant volume and tone controls for each pickup, which i suppose can limit to an extent the tones available, but generally speaking i can play everything from classical baroque to oldschool jazz to weezer pop-punk to modern progressive stuff like tera melos, and it always sound top notch :]
A 9 because i suppose it can't do it ALL...

Setup on arrival was sub-standard. It had a very high action and the notation was out. worst part was the fret crowning though. the frets were practically square, and would even stop my fingers if i wasn't paying close enough attention.
i've since had a full setup including a stoning and re-profiling for the frets.
It's astounding... It's the best player out of all my guitars, it's just amazing to play now.
The Rootbeer finish is stunning. it's also very very dark, bordering black, unlike many photographs of these guitars on the net which show a much paler colour. The best thing though is that when the light hits this guitar just right, the flame in the maple just pops out through the finish and i just smile everytime i pick it up, haha.

I've gigged this guitar a few times so-far. However, after alot of general playing the gold plating on the hardware has begen to wear in where i rest my hand on the bridge, but i'd expected this from the number of people that has mentioned this problem with the Gibson hardware.
i play my guitars hard, and generally jump and spazz about alot on-stage so you can trust in my saying that this guitar is solid!!! I'm pretty absessive about looking after my guitars and have Dunlop Straplocks on all of them, but were it to fall i can imagine it handling it unscathed :]
But i say again, this is a solid guitar.

Never had to deal with Gibson???

I have been playing guitar for over 2 years, and have played bass for 7 (though the last 2 don't really count as much since i switched :b).
I use This guitar alongside a Gibson Les Paul Doublecut Faded in TV Yellow, a Gibson SG Classic (the reissue with p-90s) in Classic Cherry, a Gibson SG Standard in Natural Burst, a Gibson SG-X in Canary Yellow, a Gibson ES-135 in Sunburst, a '70s Gibson Marauder in Natural Maple, a Gibson Les Paul Studio in Natural Swamp Ash and a Fender '65 Mustang Reissue in White.
I play through an Orange AD140 twin channel head with a modern Orange cabinet (4x12 Celestion vintage 30s), and an '70s Orange Overdrive 120 head with the origional cabinet (4x12 Celestion "Greenbacks").
My pedalboard consists of;
an Ernie Ball Volume Jr. - Boss TU2 - Dunlop Bass Wah - EH Big Muff Pi - Ibanez TS9DX - Boss PH2 - Digitech Whammy 4 - Maxon AD 999 - Boss DD3 - Boss DD6 - Boss DD5 with FS2 extension - Line6 FM4 with expression pedal - Line6 DL4 with expression pedal - Boss NS2 - Morley Little Alligator.

I've pretty much put together my dream setup over the past 2 years and this guitar pretty much finishes the lineup. If this thing were stolen or lost i would probably cry a whole bunch before ordering another one, same colour and everything. I've had it for a couple of months now and it's my favourite guitar no question, and i've built a decent selection to pick from.
You will not be disappointed with this guitar, it's just a phenominal piece of kit.

Bought this great guitar as an impulse buy in I think 2000. It was on sale new for $999 at Guitar Centers and I just could not let that deal go. In fact, the salesman was sorry cause he was going to buy it. My guitar is stock and gorgeous.....a blue burst with gold trim. Only thing I miss is my Floyd Rose, which I have on other guitars.

I play the classics - Deep Purple, Sabath, Zep, GNR, Van halen etc. This guitar can play it all...deep warm and unbelievable sustain. I was a Fender guy until I got this. Definitely a premium guitar. I do like the sound of the Les Paul Standard a bit more. Not at all noisy like my single coiled Fenders.

No issue....every thing worked as it should...color is awesome. Only problem was I roughed guitar up and broke the pick-up holder...I was a bit shocked cause I did not hit it hard. Anyway...easy fix and no other issues at all.

This guitar is solid in every way. No issues.

This is a great premium guitar. Compares well to the other great guitars but it is not the best...all a matter of taste. The guitar can do it all...I play it through a Line 6 AX2 combo and a Marshall Half Stack and it sounds great. I own a Peavey EVH,a Custom Carvin 127, and 2 Fender Strats. I prefer This guitar over the EVH (though on some songs I play the EVH cause it is the best choice) and it simply sounds better than my Fender Strats. The Carvin w/ the Floyd Rose is an even match though the tone of the Gibson is a tad better. I played 2 guitars I might like better. I played a Gibson les Paul Standard (New) last week through a marshall combo and its was simply unbelievable....and over $2 grand. I know I like that guitar better. I also played a Music Man Axis through a vintage marshall halfstack - a $2000 head and it realy rocked. Not sure if I like that guitar better but it is in the same league. Bottom line, a great guitar at a decent price....a very good value. Killer looks and Killer sounds!!

Les Paul Std. DC plus, 2005, made in the USA. 24 frets, Mahogany neck and body with flamed maple cap on the body. Gibson 490R & 498T Humbuckers, volume and tone control. Grover tuners, all hardware is gold plated. The color is amber and the top is the nicest flamed maple top I have ever seen! ( and I've owned several PRS's with ten tops)

I went to my local music store to purchase a PRS (they had a wide selection)and while I was trying the different models the saleman asked if I had ever tried the LP DC, so I picked it up and was immediately impressed by the light weight and the beautiful amber top. The neck was a nice fit for my hand and the guitar had a wonderful sound unplugged. The guitar has a huge range of sounds plugged into my amps (Super Reverb, Vibroverb, Sewell Texaplex), the front pickup can be very warm and jazzy sounding if you turn down the tone control and bright and punchy if you turn the tone control up. The bridge pickup is pure rock and roll and loves to push your amp into overdrive, very nice midrange and tight bottom end. I noticed that several people who have written reviews here trash the stock pickups, I have found that if you spend some time adjusting the height and polepieces and the pickups actually sounded better than the PRS pickups to my ear. I'm very happy with the stock pickups and intend to stay with them. Overall I find this a very good guitar for a working musician and a joy to play!! This guitar was $1000 less than the PRS I was looking at and in all honesty the Gibson had a nicer flame top so I bought it on the spot.

I looked this instrument over very well and could not find any flaws, you have to be careful with Gibson's because at times there quality control can really vary, but this particular guitar was as good as any I've seen and equal to the PRS in quality of fit and finish.

If properly taken care of it should last me a long time.

Never dealt with Gibson, my dealer E.M. Shorts in Wichita, Kansas is excellent and always takes care of the customer.

I've been playing for over 30 years and have had one of every guitar made and this guitar and my "57" Goldtop I bought 2 years ago are amazing and rival any of the vintage guitars I've owned in the past. If stolen I would get another one. This guitar covers more sonic range than a Les Paul or an SG and is very easy to play, and is probably the most underrated guitar in the Gibson lineup as far as I'm concerned.

24 fret
1 volume 1 tone 3 way tone selector
pick up config is the gibson stock H in the neck and i put a Duncan Pearly Gates in the bridge.
it's a double cutaway..i'm sure you know what's on it
i got it with the brown leather hardshell case

sound is decent....i play rock and classical (2 extremes i know) but yeah it's not that bad. only problem i had was..i play through a marshall tsl 100 (which is a piece of utter crap...do not buy this amplifier......MARSHALL IS SLACKING OFF AND DOES NOT MAKE AMPS LIKE THEY USED TO....THE PEDAL ON THIS AMP HAS BROKEN 3 TIMES IN A SPAN OF 2 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and the stock bridge pick up was squealing like somebody was getting murdered due to microphonic problems. that's why i installed a duncan pearly gates...the pearly gates is zebra so it even looks nicer. neck pickup...is still stock..i might switch that out soon cause it's very punchy and sounds basically like poop. rich sound...sustain could probably be nicer. overall i like the sound.

i love the action on this guitar...i just got it reset up and it's a dream. everythings fine..but i bought mine from an independently run store so they take good care of their instruments and customers. already i put some dings in it but it just makes it more my own. pick up selector....i wish there were more options with this....cause on my previous guitar i had a 5 way selector. and i used all 5 sounds. but oh well.

i've only had it for about a week. i'm planning on putting some strap locks on it only because i swing it around my body at shows. i always use a back up guitar anyway because breaking strings on stage is not fun. but yeah it seems like a very dependable guitar. i trust gibson.

well i went back to the shop i bought it at they were so helpful...if you're on long island get in touch with the store Music Services. it's on the corner of wantaugh avenue and sunrise highway.

i've been playing around 5 to 6 years now...i normally played through an ernie ball music man axis supersport...i love that guitar. the custom dimarzio's are something i learned to appreciate. i wish i knew that the stock pickups were pieces of shit before i bought the guitar. i wish it came with nicer pickups because the duncan i installed was an extra 60 bucks. but oh well.

Wame as all the others. This one, however, has a gorgeous deep green finish (jalapeno burst, I believe it's called) that I've never seen or heard of before. I've tried looking for others with this color, but to no avail.

I suppose I'm rather ecletic in what I play, although rock tends to be the standard fare. I play it through an Ernie Ball volume pedal and straight to my Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 602. I used to play it through an old Yamaha (G-50 III, I believe - from the 80s), which still sounded pretty good, but the amp makes such a difference. Even with the one volume and one tone, I'm able to get most any humbucker sound I want. Generally a rather bright, yet full sound, but again, the amp has a lot to do with this. It's chambered, so the sustain is a bit lacking, but I shouldn't complain (this was a birthday gift).

Got it used, so I don't know how factory set up is. Guitar Center sets all their stuff up perfectly.

I play at church weekly, and it's been amazing. Held up wonderfully so far. The gold had begun to tarnish when I got it (September 23, 2002). Also had a few belt buckle scratches from the previous owner, but I don't care. The sound is really what matters! I put strap locks on it, so there's no chance of this one coming loose. I'd advise putting strap locks on every guitar - they're a great investment. The only reason I'd use a backup is in case I break a string; I have no concerns about its reliability.

I've only been playing about 4 years (electric for closer to two years), but this is one heck of a guitar. I took it in to Guitar Center a while ago to test some effects, and half the staff must have come up to me and remarked on how good it looked and sounded. If stolen/lost, I'd get a new one provided I had the money (I'm a poor student).

2001, US made
* Carved AAA quilted maple top, mahogany back
* Translucent Black
* 24-fret, 24 3/4" scale,
* '59 slim-taper neck, single-bound rosewood fingerboard w/
trapezoid inlays
* 490R and 498T Alnico mag humbuckers
* Gold hardware w/ Grover tuners
* 1 vol, 1 tone, 3-way p/u selector

I play heavy rock and blues.I have 3 full DSL 100 stacks and a Randall half stack.I usually use my boss pedals but have about 4 or 5 other multi effects.The sound is beautiful. I pretty much gave up on Gibson many years ago and I'm now enjoying their quality once again.I have a few PRS's and now 2 beautiful Gibsons.Sound wise this guitar is really giving my Custom PRS a run for it's money.

Action is great just needed to be lowered a tad and it was fine.The only flaw on the finish was right were the body met the back of the neck. It was not finished very well and you see rough wood under the finish(it doesn't bother me).

It's a Gibson so I'm sure it will pass the test of time but only time will tell!!!!

N/A

I've been playing over 30.This is a perfect example of Gibson quality.Pick one up and enjoy this sweet piece of art work!

2003 Les Paul Standard Double Cut Plus with 24 frets, it has a Drop Dead Gorgeous Translucent Amber carved figured AAA maple top. Even with simple controls (1 tone / 1 volume), the 490R and 498T Alnico magnet humbucker pickups and chambered mahogany back provides unbelievable sustain and tone that revels the heavier LP Standard and Custom Models. It has a maple ?60s style slim tapered neck for fast action and brilliant gold plated hardware.

I used to play professionally on the club seen for about 6 years and had numerous studio gigs. I play a variety of music (alternative, blues, contemporary, jazz, pop, r&b, and rock) and the guitar handles them all very well. I use a BOSS GT-6 as the preamp connected into the returns of 2 - 50Watt Fender Princeton Chorus Amps to get the stereo effect. Even though there is only 1 volume and 1 Tone control, the guitar can produce a large range of tones.

The guitar was setup near perfect from the factor with the low strings a little higher off the neck (to eliminate buzz) than the high strings; however, I did have to adjust the intonation. The pickups where setup perfectly and there where absolutely no flaws in the Translucent Amber finish.

I have only had the guitar for about 6 weeks; however, I can say that everything appears to be of the highest quality, from the hardware to the finish. Even though I know I could depend on the guitar, I always have a backup when I gig (just in case a string breaks).

Lifetime warranty; however, I have never had to use it.

I have been playing for about 27 years. Over the years I have played Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Gibson Explorer, Gibson LP Standard, Ibanez, Yamaha, and quite a few more. In my opinion, this guitar has all of the tone of the higher priced LP Standard/Custom and is easier to play than the others that I have played (especially the high notes, 24 frets).

Les Paul Standard Double Cut-away, 24 frets(jumbo!), binding on neck and body, rosewood fingerboard with nice inlays(the best professional detailed fretwork and neck I ever seen or played besides the Gibson Firebird VII), gold hardware, grover tuners, AAA flame top(BAD ASS MEGA 3-D.. the best I ever seen), chambered mahogany back, 490R+498T pickups with master vol, tone and 3 way switch, includes case.

The sound is great. I thought I would swap the factory installed pickups. Keep in mind a Good amp has alot to do with it. I used a Vox 120 Valvetronix. The chambered body produces alot of resonance.

Everything was set up properly. There was fret buzz, but once you play on it and break the strings in and re-tune it was just dandy. The finish on this guitar is superb. It has a great neck.. 59 slim taper. PLEASE NOTE I have a complaint! The body is a double cutaway, but my hands are too big to grasp the neck around the base of the neck. It kind of defeats the double cut-away for me. If it was NOT for this I would have kept the guitar. I sent it back because of this. This is the only beef I have with the guitar.

I'd suggest installing straplocks on any guitar that costs $1000+ The guitar is pretty much great all around. I didn't partake in trying to damage this to check durability!!!!!!

Sometimes Gibsons answers email and sometimes not. It depends who's working that day. I had my email answered within 5 hours.

Gary Taylor at 02/23/2002 wrote about punching small holes in a replacement control plate and installing it on the guitar. I went to Guitar Center today and had them make one. It cost $15 and I am floored as to how much better the mids sound - all the cloudiness is gone. The guitar now also has better volume when played unplugged.

Great recomeendation, Gary. Worked like a dream.

Will submit a full review once the guitar has had it's first aniversery with me.