Gibson Les Paul Classic

Standard LP setup with a slim 60's neck.

I actually like the sound of this guitar with the stock pickups. In case this makes you think I'm not any good then, I've been playing for 20 years and I've studied classical guitar at the university level. I suppose if they are too hot, you could lower them some.

This guitar was purchased used and the only thing I've done is leveled off the 14th fret to get rid of some string buzz. Other than that, the setup was perfect. The action is decent and the neck has the right amount of relief.

The tuners work great and stay in tune perfectly. If you're having tuning problems, try using some lubricant on the nut. I think it's called guitar lube. You can also buy paint and plastic safe lubricant from hobby stores. Or buy a thing of graphite powder for lock lubrication. I can play for hours without going out of tune.

I have had to re-solder the ground wire in the control cavity (Remove ground buzz noise in the amp) and the volume control is starting to make noise. Both easy enough to fix.

What is up with all the guitarist not being able to setup their own guitars?

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I've been playing for 20 years. I would buy this guitar again if it were lost or stolen.

I can't say I'm a big fan of LP controls. It makes it more difficult to cut the volume when finished playing or performing volume swells during leads. I wish it had better access to the upper frets. I love this guitar for the sound and the sustain.

Made 2003 has all the features as other reviews light burst color

I'm with most of the serious players this guitar pickups are TOO HOT for most players and too muddy I'm having them changed as I write this review for the pro. it's ok to be a hot pickup but hot and muddy is a very bad combonation! I'm playing thru a Mesa Lonestar amp 1/12 combo

I loved the the neck on this guitar but the set-up was bad for a Gibson, while my pickups are being changed my tech is doing the set-up as well. The finish was good but no guitar goes without flaws! I have PRS,Strats,G&L,Yamaha,Ibanez Benson, and all of them have flaws.

The guitar is very heavy don't know if will take a hit like a fender and really don't want to know. I'm going to replace the strap buttons when it returns. If your smart you will never go to a gig or session with one guitar, I bring three.

no dealing with them yet!

I've been playing for 34yrs, My other review show some of my gear I used different pedals depending on the work. If the guitar was stolen I would buy a Standard and save some money. I say that because of changing out the pickups. Gibson should really take a good look at there pricing, Too high and still have to have work done on it.

2001 Honey Burst Gibson Les Paul Classic. Rosewood fretboard, yellowed trapezoid inlays, single ply binding on neck and body. Les Paul Classic on headstock, Classic inlaid on trussrod cover, Gibson inlaid on headstock in plastic MOP. Four gold tophat knobs. Yellowed pickup selector switch, cream plate, open coil 496R and 500T pickups. Slim 60's neck. Mahogany neck and body, maple cap on top. ABR-1 Vintage Tune-o-Matic bridge.

Great sound. A bit better than my Les Paul Studio. Pickups are hot, good for distortion. Pickups clean up decently, neck is good for blues. Pickups don't sense pinch harmonics very good.

Plays excellent. Stays in tune well. Nothing wrong here.

Very solid, I will take a point off because of the Gibson headstock breaks that occur so easily.

Never dealt with them.

A very nice guitar. A step up from the Les Paul Studio and most guitars on this planet, but not on the level of the Standards, Customs, or Custom Shop Les Pauls. Mine is pretty light and is an excellent guitar. I highly recommend it.

This is a 2005 Gibson Les Paul in honeyburst, made in U.S.A. Let's quickly go over the features:

* Manufactured in: Nashville, TN

* BODY Top Species: Carved maple
* Back Species: Mahogany
* Binding: Single-ply top

* NECK Species: Mahogany
* Profile: 1960 Slim taper
* Peghead Pitch: 17?
* Thickness at 1st fret: 0.800"
* Thickness at 12th fret: 0.875"
* Heel Length: 0.625"
* Neck Joint Location: 16th fret

* FINGERBOARD Species: Rosewood
* Scale length: 243/4"
* Total Length: 18.062"
* Nut Width: 111/16"
* Width at 12th fret: 2.062"
* Frets: 22
* Inlays: Yellow Pearloid Trapezoid
* Binding: Single-ply

* HARDWARE Plating Finish: Nickel
* Bridge: ABR
* Tailpiece: Stopbar
* Knobs: Amber Top Hat
* Tuners: Green Key

* ELECTRONICS Neck Pickup: 496R ceramic magnet humbucker
* Bridge Pickup: 500T ceramic magnet humbucker
* Controls: Two volume, two tone, three-way switch

* CASE Exterior: Black Reptile Pattern Hardshell
* Interior: Dark Grey Plush with Black Shroud
* Silkscreen: Silver 'Gibson USA' logo

* STRINGS Brite Wires .010-.046

The guitar came with straplocks which is a must for heavy Les Pauls. I'd like to mention that Gibson should make their body top 1 piece, if you're paying for over 100 dollars for a guitar, it shouldn't have 2 piece top, same goes to PRS...

The stock pickups are decent but not excellent, again, a guitar of this price range shouldn't need aftermarket pickup replacemnets. The nature of the pickup is hot, almost too hot. The output often distorts going through a clean channel, but it's ok, cause this guitar wasn't made for Jazz. The distortion sounds fat, perfect for rhthym, however, the extreme output of the 500T muffles things up a little. The lead sound is kicking, it cuts through the mix and it screams. What the 500T lacks is harmonics, doing fat squels might be more diffcult. I've played 2 Classics with the same pickups going through 2 different stacks. One was a MESA triple Rectifier, the other was a Peavy half stack. There are no complains going through a MESA, sounds fat and the amp clearly made the guitar sounded better. The Peavy sounded decent too but lacks warmth and character which could be a combination of the amp and the guitar. Les Pauls are generally good for most types of music except maybe Fusion. I think by this time you guys know that this is not a shred machine, so let's not dig into it...it's twice as hard shredding on a Les Paul than say...an Charvel. The rhythm sounds ok, nothing facy, just your typical distortion sound. I gave this section a 4 because the pickups are not articulate, which is something very important. No reason for a top notch guitar like this to have mediocre pickups.

I'm going to omit the set-up section because everybody's different so there's no point going into it...Pickups were adjusted probably for a Les Paul, bridge pickup going right up against the strings leaving only maybe 2 inches distance. I also gave this section a 4 because the finish on my neck wasn't even, it wasn't smooth, which is pathetic for Gibson to allow this type of craftsmanship out through factory.

Can not commend on this section yet because I've only had it for a month. Finish seems well done but any Les Paul (or guitar)will have dents and scratches from time to time, if you play the damn thing that is. Strap buttons as I said before were replaced, because stock buttons were terrible, Gibson needs to fix this issue, childish mistakes for a guitar in this price range. Les Pauls are fairly dependable but should not use it without a backup, shouldn't play a gig with no backup guitars period.

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I've been playing for 10 years, full time music student. I also own a U.S.A. Jackson Kelly and too many American Strats. Try to avoid buying a Les Paul online, Gibson's quality control is mediocre at best. Make sure you try it before you buy it, inspect the neck and feel if it's a soild guitar to your judgemnt. Didn't even mention Les Paul has a bad reputation for crappy headstocks that might snap if you drop it. Overall I think this guitar is excellent, but not in this price range. Not only did Gibson fail to improve in their quality, they've also managed to jack up the price for Les Pauls...not acceptable.

2001 classic wine red very nice top for a classic.It had stock parts when i bought it. Now has new bridge picup.The stock picups are way to muddy for my taste. I got rid of the slopomatic for a tone pro bridge and tail piece.Well worth the investment. Makes a huge diference.The picup in the bridge now is A sreanin demon it cleaned up the mids alot very good tone with this guitar.

I play blues to thrash. In stock setup i was not happy,after changes it is absolutly amasing. Very balanced and full. It can cover any style of miusic. The dislikes are the stock picups and poor setup . I had the fretes leavled and recrowned , do it if you can $$$$$$$$$$$$$ well worth the $$$. The stock setup was ok but once setup by a pro it will play like custom.......

setup was ok for a production guitar but can be made to play very well. The stock picups do suck, but I hve always changed out picups with seymores anyway. There the best picups for the money!!!!!!!!!!!! The top on my guitar is very nice the best that i have seen on a classic. The only flaws i had were poor setups.

never used

once setup well worth the money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just bought a used 2005 Les Paul Classic with a unique "Guitar Center Exclusive" color of "Light Burst". This guitar is just plain gorgeous. The back and neck are slightly red in color with an excellent display of the mahogany wood grain. The maple top is unique in that it looks marbleized. Definitely an unusual wood grain pattern. Stunning. Hard to describe actually but so far every person that has seen it has been equally fascinated with it. To my knowledge the pick-ups are the stock 500T in the bridge and the 496R in the neck position, however the previous owner put nickel plated pick-up covers on them. I like the looks of it too much to remove them. The tuners are great and more stable than the typical Grovers or Schallers. The fret work is the best I've ever owned in my 21 years of guitar playing. The 60's neck profile is really nice. It sort of flattens out in the back in a very comfortable way. It just feels "right".

Stellar tone. I raised the bridge pick-up slightly and lowered the neck pick-up a little. I generally like the bridge pick-up to be a little dominant over the neck pick-up. These two pups seem quite balanced now and they complement one another perfectly. The 500T is quite a versatile number. Plenty of output but never harsh or noisy. It is never muddy either. It's definitely a nice tone whether it is clean or distorted. The neck pick-up is smooth as butter. After I lowered it a bit I eliminated any mud or boominess. Lowering it also seemed to enhance the higher frequencies as well. It sounds exquisite now. Before I bought this guitar I had always been most fond of Gibson's 57 Classic pick-ups and I thought I might replace these at some point. Now that I have played through these pick-ups a while I have completely changed my mind and I plan on keeping things the way they are. Leave well enough alone. Imagine getting the best of both worlds between 57 Classics and say a Duncan JB. These are high quality pick-ups if set to the right height. The incredible resonance of the body certainly helps things as well and I have heard many comments so far about how well this particular guitar sounds unplugged. Some guitars have it, others don't. This guitar came from good wood. Words fall short of its tonality.

The first thing I did once I brought it home from the store was to change the strings and give the neck a good cleaning. Not that it needed a cleaning. As a matter of fact I find it hard to believe that the previous owner ever touched this guitar. It could have had a "New" tag on it and I would've never caught on. In the course of changing to new strings, I needed to make some slight intonation adjustments to the bridge and a couple of minor tweaks to the truss rod and I may still tinker with all of that after a while (I'm terribly picky). That being said, the neck is awesome and the fret work is top notch. The gloss finish is beautiful and it looks like the $2800 that it retails for. The folks who made this guitar had to spend some serious time on it. I've spent a lot of time looking for imperfections and have come up short. Also the neck binding is extremely well done and prevents any sharp edges from the frets' ends. This is one of the nicest Les Pauls I've ever seen.

Seems more than solid. I installed locking straplocks since I can't fathom dropping this from a loose strap. That would be tragic. Past that it is built like a tank. This particular guitar weighs in at a hefty 9.75 lbs so you could chuck it through a windshield if needed and it would survive. Of course that would also be tragic, but you get the point. When I changed the strings I popped out the pick-ups for a closer look and admired the stout wiring and soldering. Well done. Should last for years before needing any repair.

Once I got this jewel home I called Gibson's 24/7 hotline to check out the serial number. The fellow I spoke with was very friendly and seemed to like his job. He was very helpful and didn't seem to be in a big hurry to get finished talking to me so that he could answer the next phone call (unlike most other customer service reps from other companies I've had to deal with in the past). Not that it matters but he had a pleasant southern accent and seemed a real gentleman and glad to be of service. No complaints there.

This is easily the nicest guitar I have ever owned. I've played for almost 21 years now and I have been giving guitar lessons for roughly 8 or 9 years (full-time for the past 4 years). I've played many many guitars (including other Gibson Les Pauls) and this particular instrument is truly special. I wouldn't trade it for a PRS, a high-end American Fender, Baker, Ernie Ball, Brian Moore, Warrior, Zion, or whatever else. Not that any of those are bad, but when you find something that is as good as this, you hang on to it. After 21 years of playing I feel like I have finally "arrived". Can't beat that feeling.

Go to Gibson web site for the skinny on this guitar. It's one solid, well made guitar with some mass to it.

Simply put - wonderful. I play rock and blues. Full of tone and plenty of sustain. Lows can get muddy, but a tweak on the amp solves it. Fairly quiet at all volumes. Cable can make a big difference. Enjoy it most playing lead. Very easy to bend notes, vibrato, and super sustain. Not a shredding device.

Tops in fit and finish. Love the action. Just right for me. 1999 model and still has plenty of luster after all these years. Great fit and finish. Neck straight and true. Bought used and set up by tech prior to receiving. No fret buzz. While I was skeptical of the stock tuners, this baby stays in tune. Not bothered by humidity changes.

This thing is a rock. Chrome finish still good although some signs of age. Replaced stock strap buttons with locking ones.

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I love this guitar and would be heartbroken if I lost it or if it were damaged. It plays so well and has such a handsome solid appearance. Mind you the current retail price is ridiculous, but one can easily find a good deal on a used one. Some people give it bad rap claiming one is simply paying for the Gibson name. However, let me tell you that it's worth it because there's such a wealth of information and resource regarding the LP. It's so easy to get replacement/mod parts and accessories for it. The true value of a guitar to me is the appreciation and enjoyment I always get whenever take this baby out to play it.

1999 Heritage Cherry Burst - Made in the USA. Got it off of eBay for $1000. The privious owner really didn't play it much at all. As soon as I received it I took it to Zion guitars and had Dale Brown set it up - his shop is 4 miles down the street from me. Otherwise much better condition than most I've seen that are 2004/5 models hanging at Guitar center. Everything on it is stock from the factory except the strings and the pick-ups.

I really love the guitar. I didn't care too much for the ceramics very much...for certain types of music they have application, but I found them to lack versatility. I swapped the pickups Seymour Duncan (Alnico II pro in the neck and JB in the bridge). It suits my style of playing better, has a far better range and covers classic rock and blues perfectly. I run it through a TSL100 head and 1960V cabinet. I can't think of a better combination than a Gibson paired up with a Marshall 1/2 stack. For effects I use a TC Electronics G-Major and a BBE Sonic maximizer. There is nothing I dislike about the guitar - aesthestically or audibly.

I got lucky here. I had a 2003 Copper top that took me 4 tries with Musician's friend to get it right. The first one looked like the frets were put on in a 7th grade woodshop class - glue all over the board...the nut chipped, and file markes in the board that I couldn't relate to. The second one came to me with somes aged bridge and stop tail piece (I'll tolerate the vintage vibe just so far) and the neck was not set even (it didn't affect the playability, but I found it unacceptable - now I'm thinking quality control issues at Gibson). So, back it goes...Three times a charm...not EVEN. The third one comes back with some much orange peel on the neck and headstock I didn't know whether to play it or squeeze it...Fourth one finally came to me fine... I eventually sold it (divorce is expensive!) for exactly what I paid for it. I was determined to get another as soon as I could manage - I took a leap of faith with eBay and I couldn't be happier with how things turned out - it was, as you can see, easier than my experience with Musician's Friend... The top is fairly figured...not one ding...no worming on the back...It made me wonder if it had ever been played much at all. I think the mid to late nineties were a better year for the Les Paul Classics than more recent years....this one is really cherry.

Very solid and built like a Hummer.... The strap locks are a little lame, but I don't run around like a fucking idiot when I play and have never found this to be an issue...but for the money (the new ones and the Standards with a price tag north of $2000) Gibson might want to look at the competitive landscape a bit more dilligently. The headstock needs extra caution - if it's being commandeered by an idiot jumping around while playing

I've spoken to Gibson several times...they are very helpful, knowledgeable, and available via phone.

Looks great...sounds Better than it looks.

This is a 2005 Les Paul Classic, vintage sunburst. It has a 496 and 500 pickup setup. Aged plastics and trapazoid inlays. Two volume controls and two tone controls. I give a 10 because of the versatility in tone using the toggle switch and tone knobs.

This guitar sounds smooth as silk. Toggle switch down makes a great scorching lead. Middle toggle makes that creamy lead. I feel that any guitar is only complimented by the amp that the player uses. Compared to other guitars using similar style pickups, this rocks the house.

This plays like butter. It's not like a strat where a play can wrench the guitar to get sounds (that's a totally different animal, which I also love playing). This guitar seems to allow fingers to glide across the fretboard like it's ice. The neck isn't quite as fast as an ibanez wizzard neck, but it's got a great feel to it. The finish is great. It's not birds eye triple flame burst pinstripe leopard skin finished... In my opinion it's awesome... I tend to like guitars simple, clean, and sharp looking... something that looks good to be played, not to have behind a glass case on display.

Extremely sound... Gibsons tend to be very reliable. Finish will most likely wear like any other guitar.

None needed so far. The warranty on this guitar is for a year or two.

I have to say, I'm sick of people bad mouthing Gibson guitars... First, if a les paul standard cost the same as an American std. strat, some of the complainers would stop... Second, I'm sure that the quality and single handed workmanship has faded since the 1950's... well duh... if ALL guitar companies spent the time and effort to create a guitar like they did at one time years ago, the price would be astronomical today, compared to the demand of today's market... Third, when playing a gibson and an epiphone back to back, there is quite a difference... not that epiphone is a lesser guitar... but some people say "if you change the pickups and..." well then that's fine... go for it... Finally, I have an old gibson es 175D and now this les paul classic and I'd have to say that they are both unique and quality. Overall, I give this guitar a 10 for it's classic style, great tone and finish, and playability.

made in early 2004 in usa
22 frettes.496r and 500t pick ups,slim 60 neck ,mahogany body in 2 pieces!!!!! instand one like before
i' m surprise , i never read some one who complain about it.les paul classic were better built in the 90' s
maple top cooper finish.
gibson case

i don' t like those pick up.it' s not the sound of the legend.
it's only great if you play metal.i have replaced stock pick ups with duncan antiquity.
guitar sound great with new ones

action was so low for my playing but it' s not important.every one should do the action he loves.
no flaws on mine but i see new ones whith it!!!it' s not great from a legend company.mine is perfect.as i wrote before , i don' t like the 2 pieces body instand one piece.
because of this i only give a 6

no probleme about it.the finish is little fragile but it's nitro like all gibson.
for the rest , it' s a les paul.you can count on it

sorry , i don't know

i have owned about 5 classic les paul.i think i don' t buy a new one actually.the level of building is less better than the 90 ' s.
i love

the slim 60 neck. but i prefere definitively the older, better build with better selection woods.