Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany

Real les Pauls have a maple top added to a Mahogany body giving it added brightness. This Vintage LP is all Mahogany--sounds awesome but a little dark. Sounds like a cross between a Les Paul and an SG. Still a screamer!

Like the other reviews however I absolutely recommend
you replace the strap buttons with normal size or locking, as this its
only flaw--you'll hate yourself after reading this and then have the
guitar go crashing to the floor.

Make the choice in confidence. After playing every guitar I could get
my hands on, including Les Paul Standards, and reading all the
reviews, I settled on this Gibson Vintage Mahogany LP. Great neck
response and feedback, especially playing loud thru my old tube Super
Champ! Tunes perfectly, great action, has kick *** humbuckers, and in
some ways I actually like it better than the Les Paul Standard: The
neck is thick like a 50's neck, but slightly narrower. The frets are
thin/medium and round, not fat and ground down flat-- sterilizes the
sound a little.

2008 Les Paul Vintage Mahogany, mahogany body and top, chambered for weight relief. Modded by Andy Brauer of North Hollywood.

Andy Brauer mods turn the stock LP Vintage Mahogany into absolutely one of the best Les Pauls you can get, as follows:

1. Replace Burstbuckers with Sheptone AB Custom humbuckers
2. Replace bridge and tailpiece with TonePros bridge and tailpiece.
3. Replace tuners with TonePros Kluson tuners
4. Upgrade capacitors with bumblebee caps

Cost of the above upgrades adds $700 to the cost of the guitar, when you factor in the labor.

I also recommend getting a high end instrument cable like the Evidence Audio Melody cable, it makes all the above mods significantly more noticeable. I also had Andy add coil-tapping for single coil operation.

Yes, the stock LP Vintage Mahogany is quite a guitar, and quite a value. But when you consider that the mods above bring your total investment to about $1,500, and you've got the best-sounding Les Paul west of the Pecos, that's quite something. This guitar simply sings like the world's best opera singer.

Oh, and get a Bonnie Blue pedal while you're at it. Icing on the cake.

Everything is top notch on this guitar. The neck is something to die for. You may want to compare different models in the store, I cherry picked my guitar from about 3 or 4 guitars, and thought the neck on the one I wound up choosing was the pick of the litter.

So far, so good.

Haven't needed any customer support.

The Les Paul is still my choice as best guitar ever designed. Strats, Teles, SGs and other kinds take a backseat, in my opinion. This Les Paul will not disappoint.

I now own 2 (1 worn cherry, 1 worn brown. Mahogany body and top provide warm sounds. Regardless of what some people say a nito lacquer finish sounds better than a gloss paint finish. The finish that is on this guitar allows more vibration of the sound through the body. These have Alnico V Burstbucker Pro pickups. These are the same pickups that are in the LP Standard which continues to shape rock so why not own a similar guitar for less than a 3rd of the price. The main differences are a 59' neck compared to an asymetrical neck and the Standard has a maple top instead of mahogany. These are the only 2 things that would make tonal difference.

Made in the USA for under $1000 is awesome. 59' neck is thicker than the Les Pauls im used to but it has a great feel to it.

Why pay more for binding when binding has absolutely NO effect to the sound of a guitar. Call Gibson, theyll even tell you the same thing.

This guitar sounds amazing! Fat tones with the ability to get dirty sounds from it. I play hardcore rock and this guitar screams while maintaining note clarity. I played this guitar side by side with a normal studio (490R/498T pickups) and the Vintage Mahogany won hands down.

I play through a Peavey Valveking head and Crate cab with Celestions. The tone is amazing, mesa guys compliment my sound all the time. You can make any guitar sound bad on the wrong amp setting sbut when used right this guitar runs with the best of them.

My 2 LP VM were set up great and no complaints whatsoever on the neck or finish. Great guitars!

Havent had the first one over a year a but its 3 years old and holding up great. Gibson makes guitars to last.

Great customer support from what Ive experienced. Ive only called to ask questions though.

Buy it, as long as you have some since on how to set an amp then this guitar will not let you down. If they came out with a 3rd model of this id buy it in a heartbeat!

Nothing bad to say about the guitar, Im in love with my Les Pauls!

All features are as stock, including the pickups which are perfect and hot. No need to change to anything else!

I play blues and blues-rock as well as some southern rock (I am in my mid 40's and grew-up south of Jacksonville Florida,so what do you expect?)so it fits my style perfectly. Playing thru my Rockman x-100's till I get another amp. the downturn in the economy hit my gitar and amp collection hard. The tone is awesome, deep and rich compared to my late Fenders.

The finish (what little there is) is perfect as is the set-up. I won't have to do anything to this guitar other than restring on the regular intervals. Still don't know if I'm supposed to oil it's finish with anything though, guess I'll call Gibson about that.

Seems solid.

I'll see when I contact Gibson with my inquiry about finish care.

Started playing 40 years ago and haven't gotten much better in that time! I have insured it for more than replacement cost as I would need to replace it immediately with the same guitar. It to me is like Linus and his blanket, when I am at work I think about getting home and playing. (I'm like a junkie!)
I bought this off craigslist when I had a reversal of fortune. When the economy went south I sold my Strat and my Tele as well as all my amp collection. Now I'm wondering if I've been playing the wrong brand, It feels and sounds that good! I sold my Martin D-28 during this time and got a Taylor in trade. I'm convinced I was playing the wrong brand there!

My Les Paul vintage Mahogany is an 06 with the darker brown finish as opposed to the cherry finish. I played it with the burstbucker pros in it for 2 years and then replaced them with a Seymour duncan alnico 2 pro in the neck and a Gibson P-94 in the bridge. The old pickups didnt break or short out i just wanted a change. The neck is super thick and beefy. Mine came intonated from the factory and I have never had one problem with anything. No cold solders or tuning problems. For 800 it has all great features that are work horses for the les paul enthusiast.

I have a vast musical style varying from delta blues to guns n roses to metallica and this guitar suits them all very well. I run it through a marshall jcm 900 and carvin v3 and it just screams. The harmonics pop out of it and has a wide range of natural dynamics. The Rhythm pick up is a bit bassy from the factory but the trebel and both of them mixed sounds super full and thick and crunchy. The body resonates really well.

When i recieved it from the factory it was intonated perfectly and the action was great. I dont like my action super low so i dont think it would be "shred" ready but for hard rock and blues it was a great string height that I so much as set my other LP's up to match it. Everything was set up perfect with the bridge and saddles. The fit was great. Nothing was flawed. The only thing is after playing it live for 3 plus years of 2-3 gigs a week the finish has come off on the top of the neck (because of my thumb ring) and the finish on the back (from belt buckles) and under the trebel pickup (where i plant my pinky)

This guitar is a straight up work horse ready for anything. I have beat it up and used it on tour many times. The hardware is still as solid as the day it was made. Again the finish wore off in some places but that goes with most guitars after the amount of use that this guitar has been through. I can depend on this guitar more than any other I own. I have a premium plus les paul, a slash signature les paul, a duesenberg, and a fender strat and this is my first choice when I can only bring one guitar.

I have never had to call Gibson because I have never had a problem with it!

If lost I would definetly buy another one. Its a total beast and a definet add for anyone especially if you are a touring or gigging musician. Now im going to go back to playing it.

Others have mentioned but notable features - 59 rounded neck, BB Pro pickups and a satin finish.

Fantastic! For the price - just perfect. I bought one of these some time ago and immediately loved it. BB Pros really sing, can get very bright but very musicial. I play through a Mesa Boogie Roadster and the amp itself has loads of tone and the LP matches it nicely. Recently I purchased another one at a steal of a price and swapped the pickups for some P-94s and I am very pleased with the result! Curious why Gibson doesn't make more guitars with P-90s these days...

Finish - very nice. I like the satin feel especially the necks. No drips anywhere, very nice all around.
Action - always needs slightly adjusted, I mean we are dealing with preference here... adjusted the pickups to my liking and I was happy.

I have gigged with my first one numerous times, no issues what-so-ever. Play it at band practice (and otherwise) regularly. Gibsons hold up and don't let you done when you find one that fits you.

I have dealt with Gibsons Customer Service a few times, questions about wiring, models and etc... all emails answered quickly. I am pleased with them.

I have been playing about 14 years now and I love the setup I am using, which is rare for some. I liked the original guitar so much I bought a second so that should tell you that I like it quite a bit! For the price you can't go wrong.

This is my first solid-body guitar--so I'm not sure what features are standard to most rockers! :-) Seriously, the neck feels great--the access up the neck bast the 15th fret is good. The standard Les Paul shape is cool. The Mahogany looks good with the simple "oil stain" rather than the hard clear finish. I'm still struggling with the tune-o-matic bridge. I've spent an hour and a half trying to get the strings in tune at the 12th fret (with the harmonic). I view that more as a problem with the vendor from whom I purchased the guitar (Guitar Center)--or the "class of vendor" (drop-ship unopened cartons from the factory or warehouse vendors, as opposed to full service vendors [like Elderly Instruments] who do the initial set up before shipping an instrument).

WOW! Sounds great even through my little Behringer amp!

It looks sweet. Fit and finish fine. No loose knobs. But the bridge had not been set up for the strings installed at the factory.

I think that this will do well as a gig guitar. It would be an alternative for me since I'm usually playing bass or acoustic guitar. Got it more to fool around with and record with.

Standard Gibson Warranty.

I'm very well pleased with this as my first solid-body electric!

Your typical Les Paul deal with the difference of a mahogany top. Mine is red, four-piece back. Being a working man's guitar, it could actually have simplified controls down to one volume & one tone. Having BurstBuckers on this model easily makes it a pro's back-up (if not main) guitar.

The BurstBuckers produce nice, well defined vintage sound. The mahogany top, chambered body and a satin finish contribute to a warm, open tone, more on the darker side of the spectrum, compared to the LP Standard. Loads of sustain, plenty of character. This guitar just sings with the right amp. I play it via Gibson & Fender tube amps and it sounds great through both breeds. It works best for blues and classic rock, but it can also handle jazz and hard rock with ease. Could be a bit too dark through certain amps.

Mine was fine, but I had to go through a few to find it. The setup was within the specs.

Seems well-built. Had it for over a year, played a lot of gigs and jam sessions with it. Been on the road including flights - all is fine so far. The trhee-way switch started mulfunctioning after some time, but the problem was easily fixed by some cleaning and adjusting.

My prior experience with Gibson was fine.

I have been playing for over 20 years, useing and owning a variety of guitars and amps. Compared to a Les Paul Standard or a Studio, this guitar sounds darker and looks (and is a lot) cheaper, but certainly can get one through a gig with ease. It certainly sounds richer and deeper than an SG. They need to be hand-picked and listened to before a purchase as they all sound different. Mine was second or third I have tried. It works nicely both in studio and on stage. It simply radiates warmth. It was complimented numerous times for its tone by professional musicians and audience.

AD: The round warmth of a carved mahogany top on a mahogany back first debuted in the famous 1957 Custom Black Beauty. Now Gibson brings this fabulous wood combo back with the added vintage edge of Gibson's Alnico V BurstBucker Pro humbuckers. Designed especially for the new Gibson Les Paul Standards, these pickups provide pure tone lovers with stunning humbucking tone on their electric guitars. A '59 rounded Les Paul mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and trapezoid inlays is fast yet substantial.

I don't know what these guys are complaining about - This guitar is a great deal! It features $250 worth of Burstbucker pickups which some more expensive models do not even have. There is no need to ever change pickups, as these are the same ones in the new 2008 Standards, which sell for $2600. There is no maple top which contributes to its slightly deeper sound (it is actually great sounding) and it is very light compared to other boat anchor Les Pauls and it is very comfortable to carry around. This is weight relieved and may contribute to it's nice sound and sustain. Test one out and see. The true sound of a Les Paul is more a function of it's 24.75" length than it's thickness, so if it is slightly thinner than more expensive models it makes up for it with its light weight. I think this is the best deal out there on a Les Paul. If it can be found on sale for $200 off regular price, (like I got mine on Labor Day Weekend at GC) then it is a steal! Maybe your complaints about the fit and finish contributed to it's lower pricing - thanks! It has trapezoidal inlays in the rosewood neck and the tuners are fine, it has a nice black pick guard and the worn brown is by far the best color (no offense to the faded cherry owners). The finish is hand rubbed (not sprayed lacquer) so you can probably just rub it down with Tung Oil or Minwax Antique oil finish. Scratches in a lacquered surface will always show and are not easily fixed, in this case it doesn't really matter, just rub on some scratch cover, or you can even sand and repair with some simple stain and oil finish. Mahogany is a fairly hard wood, so it shouldn't dent that easily, but you probably just need to go a little easier on this guitar because it has no protective shell. No decorative bindings and the only decoration besides the inlays is the word "Studio" on the Truss rod cover. The stitched Gibson Case for the Worn Brown has the white plush interior, the faded cherry guitar has black I believe.

Sorry, but this model sounds much better than some higher LP models! A-B them and see for yourself! it probably will be discontinued soon, as it is too good a deal! FYI: Paint and lacquer does not improve the sound of a guitar. Great pickups!

Found a new one, still in the box, and on sale to boot, bought it, then took it straight to my luthier, clean bill of health right off the line! Everything was adjusted properly. The luthier was even impressed with it!

It's a Gibson, you know the deal, get strap locks immediately as you do not want to drop them unless you wish to have the neck repaired. The finish will wear, but anyone can hand rub these, especially the Worn Brown as this is a common stain. What you give up in durability you make up in sound quality.

Salesman wanted me to pay $70 extra for an extended warranty, no thanks! The limited lifetime warranty from Gibson, or just take it to your local luthier. You can actually call Gibson and get a customer support rep who will speak to you for some time if necessary. I have had good experience with Gibson.

Gear: Gibson 1991 SG Junior with an Iommi pickup, Fender Hway 1 Strat with custom 69 pickups, Ibanez RG270DX with Iommi/bridge, Fender SCN/mid, Gibson Angus Young/neck, Dean Dime O Flame, Fender American Standard 1997 Telecaster, Black Pearl custom made MacPherson Guitarworks Acoustic, Dr Z Maz Jr., Marshall DSL50/1960BV, Marshall AVT 50H/Custom Cab - Rock and Metal - If I had the cash to spend I would have probably gotten a new 2008 Standard, but this one is a reasonably priced winner.

2007 made in USA (of course)
"Burstbuckers"
All Mahogany
"Satin" finish
no case (Guitar Center special)

The 2007 vintage mahogany was engineered with body chambers (hollowed out) that not only make it very light, but actually improve resonance.

"Burstbucker" pickups sound even better than vintage

...all together, this guitar sounds fantastic

This guitar is put together perfectly. CNC (computer) routing fits all the parts together tighter than a glove.

Mine has no anomalies (flaws) in any of the wood and the bookmatching is flawless.

What I unpleasantly discovered are little nicks Gibson put on it to artificially make it look vintage (relic). If I wanted a relic, I would have bought the the full job.

But the main reason I'm marking this area way down is the thickness of the body is about 25% less than a standard Les Paul - therefore, to the experienced, it doesn't look or feel like a real Les Paul.

other than the traditional headstock worry, it's built to last

don't know (sold it)

I would rather pay a little extra for a standard thickness body (the feather weight doesn't bother me near as much) - even though it's sounds exceptional, the LP feel isn't there and isn't I guitar I want to own.

Don't waste your time on this guitar. Buy the the next level up - you'll be happier.