Gibson Les Paul DC Studio

1999 NOS Les Paul Studio Double Cutaway. 24 Frets. Chambered Mahogony body w/Maple top. 1-vol, 1-tone, 3-way selector. Standard LP dual-humbuckers (490R and 498T) with chrome nickel covers. Transparent Emerald Green nitro-cellulose laquer finish. Wrap around bridge/tailpiece. Vintage style Gibson tuners. Wide-medium-chunky solid Mahogony neck w/medium frets. Gibson brown leather hardshell case included.

I play original Christian rock and roll and classic rock / blues. This guitar is well suited. Fantastic LP meets Strat sounds. Neck position is very clear, warm, and nice. Neck is fat and agressive. Combination is very cool and has a little bit of a P90/P100 sound to it. Very quiet. Brighter than your regular LP due to chambers. Very sweet and versatile sounding. Think PRS. I think this could easily become my main guitar. Sounds great through my Line6 AX2.

Last 2 LP's I have brought were set up poorly and the factory seems to be letting them get out of the door with some imperfections that should not pass QC. In ant event, this one is no exception and on this particular guitar the nut was cut way too shallow so that there was too much clearance between the string and the first fret. A little help from our freindly neighborhood repair shop (http://www.steviebs.com/) fixed that. Changed the strings and tweaked the truss rod and bridge myself with some excellent results. Works great with 9's or 10's. 10's intonate a bit better. As with my last LP purchase, the fretwork could be alot better but it is adequate. My G&L and even the Dearmond that I just bought are much cleaner in that dept. The Dearmond is half of the price (Hope your listening Mr. Gibson)!! All else is what you would normally expect from a high quality instrument. Finish quality is excellent. Wood grain in the top, back and neck is very nice althought no flame top. I have seen some LPDC Studio's out there with birdseye's in the tops. This one just has a nice grain to it. Nice color - Emerald Green. Feels and sounds excellent (after tweaks). Very comfortable to play. Very light compared to normal LP's. Comes with the nice borwn leather "pigskin" hardshell case with the pink lining. I love these cases :-)

I have yet to use the guitar to play out but I have had it at rehearsal and it passed the "does the band like it" test (whew). I will be using it to gig with very shortly along with my tried and true '92 G&L Legacy and my new Dearmond Jet Star. Don't have any worries. I'm sure it will rock.

Gibson Gold Warranty. 3 Year in-store warranty (Sam Ash). 30 day satisfaction guarantee (Sam Ash).

Been playing 20+ years. Own lots of other gear. Very satisfied with purchase - a brand new LP Studio with case for $750 out the door - fantastic IMO. If it were lost or stolen I would replace it or upgrade to the DC Standard/Pro. This guitar should give PRS something to think about though Gibson has a little ways to go to match the quality of PRS in the final finish dept. For the money, I am satisfied. I love the sound and comfortablity. A pleasure to play. placement of 3-way selector takes a little getting used to. Overall, a really great LP for 1/2 to 2/3 of what you would pay for something equivelent.

Well, it is a pretty simple design, two humbuckers, a wraparound bridge, gibson tuners, 24 frets, a volume knob and a tone knob, and a three way switch. Put this over a mahogany neck and body with a maple top with sound chambers and you got yourself a simple, elegant guitar that you can get very nice sounds from, that is why i give it an 8...

I play fusion, jazz, rock, funk, and blues, and this guitar handles all of them very well. I was actually surprised it could handle funk well becuase it seems that the tone chambers give the les paul a brighter sound. And you usually don't use a les paul to play funk in the first place! The Neck pickup is wonderful, and sounds very jazz-esque (ala 335) and serves me wonderfully for playing jazz and softer stuff. It is also really nice for rythm parts in rock, and gets a nasty low end that kicks ass for the heavier stuff. The Bridge pickup is a great lead pickup, and is able to reproduce everything from santana and mclaughlin-esque tones to tom morello's tones... it very versatile. I might also add that the sustain is great, and it sounds beefy without the guitar being that heavy!

The action was great, and the pickups were adjusted well. No problems here.

Well it seems to be a sturdy, well built guitar -- i don't think i would have problems with this one at the gig. Then again the reliability is as good as its owner...

Never dealt with them.

Overall, this is a simple, but nice guitar. It is not going to turn heads like a PRS or a Fly Deluxe, but it is certainly a great sounding guitar for the money. It looks great (the maple top is very nice), sounds great, and the versatility makes it worth buying another one. It is too bad gibson discontinued this line, but if you find one used, get it! It is a helluva deal.

I think you know the features(1998 model, cherry sunburst(I think)....). I give it a nine beacause it doesn't have the maximum possible features.

I play heavy metal and rock. The sound that this "piece of wood"
creates (using it with a PEAVY Audition 110 (25W)) is amazing, great, fantastic........

The set up was fantastic and so I didn' t change anything

I think that guitar will last forever, but i wouldn' t risk it to use it on a gig without a backup.

I didn't have any problem till now.

If I had now the money I would by a second one for backup.

Made in 97 in USA, mahogany body and neck, ALMOST book-matched maple top, ruby stain with nitrocellulose lacquer, rosewood fretboard, 24 frets, Gibson 490R and 498T humbuckers, 3-way switch, wrap-around tailpiece, low-profile neck heel, Gibson "vintage" plastic tuners. Thinner and lighter than a LP Standard with a slight dished area in the back...Assets: comfortable body and neck shape, convenient master controls, high quality in a simple design...Liabilities: no tune-o-matic bridge, delicate finish, plastic tuners, goes out of tune quickly with note-bending.

Used with solid-state Crate amp. Plenty of harmonics and feedback with treble pickup (making it hard to control and useful for rock only), but versatile if neck only or both p/u's selected. I try to equalize the balance by increasing treble gain and decr. bass and mid (on the amp). The tone becomes sweeter as you move up the neck, especially if you add a fast chorus. Not quite articulate enough for jazz but has great sustain. I try to put an edge on the tone by using brightest-sounding strings I can find.

Since I bought the guitar used, I cannot say how well it was set-up at factory. All materials on guitar are good quality except for those goofy plastic tuners Gibson likes so well. The top was not perfectly book-matched.

This guitar is very well-built except for the tuners and the delicate nitrocellulose finish, which scratches and cracks way too easily. With its aggressive sound and high output but relatively light weight this is a great guitar for live playing. I do not hesitate to play it without a backup.

Have never dealt with the Gibson company.

Prior to this guitar I have owned a Japanese Strat and an Epiphone LP standard. This Gibson double cut has spoiled me...I never want to play a single-cut or tremolo style guitar again. If this guitar was lost or stolen I would definitely look for a replacement with the same features. Sometime I may see about putting in some Gibson or other high-output, hum-canceling single coil pickups...They would brighten up the tone and give it more of an edge. If you're not in love with fancy fingerboard inlays, white binding or flamed tops (they're really quite easy to live without), this is definitely the best value in a Les Paul.

This was made in 1996, 24 frets, and everything else is about identical to a les paul standard except that it has a mahogany top.

Depending on my mood, I'll play anything from Jazz and Blues, to Metal and Hardcore. This guitar is perfectly suited for any of those, especially the more rock side. I play with a JCM 900 and it sounds perfect

The action was a bit high from the guitar center, but i fixed that. Everything else seemed fine

The humbucker switch seems to have trouble from time to time. The strap buttons are a bit small, and the guitar seems to fall a bit. It will definetely last a while though

I haven't had to talk to them

This is a great guitar between beginning and advanced stages. I'm only 16, but I sound good to almost anybody. Eventually I'll probably get a Les Paul Standard/Custom or a PRS, but this should suit me for a while.

1997 modle, its gibson so its made in the U.S. its got 24 frets, 3 way selector, one volume and one tone. the pickups are awesome! one 190r and one 169t. they get a really fat sound. mine has a transparent forest green finish, very nice.

i play a type of music called "emo". if you have never heard of it its like alternative, "spacey" drone rock, hardcore, and soft mellow music all roled into one. this guitar suits me perfect. it can get clear crisp high sounds to really really fat deep sounds. i use an ibanez powerlead distortion, boss digital delay/reverb, crybaby wah wah, and a boss chorus. i run all that through a marshal JCM 900 head and an ampeg 4x12 cab. i also play in a alternative hardcore band and this guitar is great! when i got it everything was set up perfect, strings were not too low or too high. overall you can't go wrong with this sound.

everything was perfect from the factory. no complaints

the strap buttons basically sucked. so i ended up putting quarters on the strap buttons to keep it from falling off me. so far this thing has stayed in tune better than any other guitar i've ever owned. it has fallen off me a few times when i was jumping around and has hit the floor really hard but it has always stayed in tune. this is by far the best guitar i've ever played, in my opinion you would'nt need a back up but it never hurts to have one.

customer support is great. gibson is the best company to buy from. they won't quit bugging me about if i like the guitar or not. it came with a lifetime warranty so if it ever screws up they will be there for me.

i've been playing for 7 years and this is the guitar i've fallen in love with. i have played every style and this thing fits all of them. the only thing i would ever do is get another one or two. this is the best value for an awesome guitar.

Most people have probably already named the features , so I won't bore you . But I will say it's easy to use this guitar , and that's the way I like it . Not many James Bond do-dads here but isn't that good?

It sounds like a regular Les Paul , maybe a bit sharper , being that it's not as massive , it get's a Fender bite . But it's deffinitely a Les Paul . I play in an emo band and play some punk stuff , and the sound is great , it can get jazz if you want it , and blues are easy , but ofcourse , it can nail all forms of modern rock . Whether metal , punk , ska-core , emo , hardcore , it can get it , but I think rock sound really comes from the amp .

The intonation as far as I've gotten has been pretty good , a little bit of a problem on the high e , but most guitars have probs on high e . The pickups are cool , not noisy , but the neck could get warmer I think . The bridge sounds so insanely great though that it totally makes up for it . It fits well too , and I'm a small guy , I had an Lp standard , but it hurt my back , so I got this , and it's great , it feels like a lighter PRS.

It's a tank , but the angled headstock may cause probs if ur usin' a gig bag instead of a case.

Never dealt with 'em .

Overall I recomend this guitar to people with bad backs that want Les Paul sound . Plus it's a good price .

USA-made Gibson (don't know the year), 24-fret slim taper neck, mahogany body/maple top (chambered body), one volume-one tone, 3-way selector, dual humbuckers, black double cutaway, stop tailpiece only, vintage tuners, etc. etc. (Check out Gibson's web site if you want more specs.) Very basic, so not a lot in the features department, hence the low rating (although I like the guitar this way).

I play your typical rock/blues stuff. I don't play punk or metal (not since 1991 anyway). I have found this guitar to be a lot more versatile than I originally expected. I play through a Fender Blues Junior - basically a 15W tube combo. It sounds great overdriven as you may expect (suitable for any 60's & 70's rock), but it also has a very nice clean tone. Coming from a Fender background, I was a bit skeptical about this, but it has totally delivered. The pickups have the dynamic range I was hoping to find with a single-coil sound (even when played fingerstyle a la Mark Knopfler, which I do often), and they have a bit of a bright edge due to the chambered body (although it's still very much a standard Les Paul sound). It just sounds sweet. I'm leaning a bit towards jazz right now, and it also fits the bill very nicely for that. Of course, I imagine if you ran it through a Crate amp with a couple of DOD pedals, you could make it sound like crap. I must say it's still not as mind-blowing as a PRS, but for $699, it'll work.

Well, black paint can cover up a lot, and I did see a bit of funny-colored stuff on the nut as well as a slight chip on the headstock. Of course, that could have been just about anything, and it didn't make much difference to me. No intonation problems at all. I don't see what the problem is with that anyway - I've never seen an acoustic guitar with a tune-o-matic. Nice action without being obnoxiously low - very playable. Only beef is that the neck pickup buzzes (physically) when you hit the right notes. Not that it matters once you plug in, but it's just a bit annoying when you're dinking around without an amp.

I don't really want to have to put this guitar to the test (and hopefully I won't). Again, coming from a Fender background I'm used to guitars being something like Sherman tanks. You heft a Strat and you just know that it ain't gonna break. This thing, I'm not so sure. I'm paranoid about the angled headstock (especially because it came with a most unhelpful gig bag), and the set neck will take some getting used to. It definitely doesn't have the weight of a Standard, and I've got a feeling that this thing might splinter if it were subjected to some real abuse. Finish-wise I have no issues - actually, I wouldn't mind seeing what the wood looks like on this thing. I would never use any guitar without a backup, and this one isn't going to change my mind about that. But the whole problem with this category is that all different types of people will be reading this. So if you're into thrash or punk or whatever is cool these days, don't use this guitar. Something will happen to it. However, if you're not into whatever is cool these days, you'll be fine. (I'm not really an old fart - I'm only 26!!)

I e-mailed Gibson support about an article in the Amplifier featuring the DC Studio (worth reading, BTW) asking about a rather cryptic reference to a type of bridge Gibson was reissuing... anyway, somebody got back to me within 24 hours and was very helpful. Hopefully I won't need to contact them about anything more drastic.

I've been playing since I was 17, which is... nine years. Like I said above, I've got a Strat and a Tele, both of which sound undeniably flat in comparison. (I still love the Strat neck however.) If this guitar were stolen, I'd use that as my excuse to buy a PRS (and hock everything else I own to do it, I suppose). I love the sound of this guitar - after playing this, my Tele bores me and my Strat annoys me. The bridge sound is sharper than either Fender, the neck is plenty fat, and the in-between is so sweet - definitely my favorite clean setting. I bought this guitar b/c I wanted a Les Paul that didn't feel like a Les Paul (there's a bit of Strat in the design, right down to the belly cutout). I don't find the one vol - one tone to be a limiting factor; if you ain't got it in the fingers, you ain't gonna get it with knobs & pedals. (Listen to some old vinyl sometime and you'll know what I mean.) A great guitar and a nice PRS starter (I hope) :)

Most who have posted have already listed the features, so I will not do so again. I will say that this guitar does not have a plethora of fancy features, but that is what makes it so great. It sounds absolutely awesome, feels great, and gets the job done without a load of un-needed gadgets.

I am using this guitar with a Marshall JCM900 half stack with only one effect- Stereo Chorus. My band plays heavy rock/alternative, and this setup suits me deliciously. This guitar can get any sound I want. Clean with a taste of chorus, and it sings like a choir, and switch to the neck pickup and kick in the Marshall distortion and metallica never sounded better. It is easy to get good overdriven blues tones as well with the neck pickup, and the gain toned down a bit. This guitar can easily accomodate any sound you want, unless you want a really bitt strat sound, and lets face it you arent going to get it with a Les Paul of any calibur.

This is a beautiful guitar. Mine is translucent green, showing off the beautiful maple top. This is not a standard or custom, so it is not perfect, but for a guitar under a grand, one could not ask for anything mor as far as looks go. From the factory, the action was a bit high, but a little tweaking worked wonders. Also, any one thinking of buying one of these gems, invest in some 10 gauge strings, it will make this guitar sound better, and feel better. It probably would not be a bad idea to do it at the music store, and have their tech adjust the truss rod right then and there. They will be so thrilled with your business, they will do it for free. Free is good.

THis is a solid piece of gear. I use it as my sole guitar. I traded a strat and a fernandes for this thing, and am not worried about gigging with only one guitar in the least.

My only contact with gibson has been through their website. They have a forum section, and all of my questions have been answered promptly. I have only good things to say about Gibson so far.

Again I love this guitar. I have been playing for 18 years+ and have owned many a guitar over the years from Kramers to Fenders. This is by far the best guitar I have ever owned. If I had the $$ I would get another one, or maybe two.

this is a follow up post to my previous notes on this guitar last fall. Not that I am clairvoyant, but in my post I mentioned this guitar would either become more expensive or be discontinued. Well guess what? Both events have taken place. Gibson has discontinued the Studio version leaving only the "Standard" model (gold harware, flame top, high price). They are also coming out with a "Les Paul lite/Light?" not to be confused with previous "lite" version. The new one look, from the top to a LP Standard until you look at it sideways and see it is thinner waist offset and has the "tone chambered" innards , sort of like my Studio??eh? Marketing at its finest is at work. P.S., if you find a DC Studio and want outstanding LP tone and vibe for around $700 new , buy it. I have bought a second one as a spare. Aslo , don't take my word alone. Read the other posting on this guitar found here. this must be a trend not limited to Gibson alone. Fender has done this twice in two years with the Strat: big push with Jimmy Vaughn endorsing the Tex-Mex, then dropped, replaced with big push for the California Strat (verysimilar guitar but $300 more), then dropped after less than one year....whew......now we have the 50s and 60s strats from....Mexico....Jeez guys ..slow down by the by, the California was the best one for the money, of course its is gone too.

still sounds like one of the best Gibsons ever...

still fabulous

Since the last post, I have used this guitar almost exclusively and like a good Gibson, it is getting better as it breaks in.

Again, Still a 10: too bad its gone.