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.

Manufactured in Aug '98,wine red, I bought it new and it has been my primary axe since. I am giving this an 8 because of the POS wrap around bridge. I had a Leo Quan bridge put on it several years ago and it was well worth the 65 bucks... It has individual ajustable string saddles. I would recomend this to anyone who owns this guitar. The studs for the leo quan are the same specs as oem so you can put it back to original anytime. I have pics that I can email to you if you would like to see what it looks like installed.

I have been playing for 8 years, play a lot of different styles, and can use this one for almost anything. I wish it would have come with 4 conductor pickups so that I could put a coil tap in the bridge position to get a few more sounds out of it. I personally think this guitar has a sound all its own compared to other LP's.

After 4 years the finish has clouded up on the upper half of the guitar, this is probably more my fault for sweating to much and not cleaning it as often as I should... I can't really speak for the setup from gibson as I play 10's and always have to get the guitar setup for them as soon as I buy it.

Has never failed me once with heavey use, I always have more than one guitar though... it would be stupid not to.

Never had to deal with them.

Other than the bridge - which is easily fixed - This is a great guitar.

1998,USA made Gibson Les Paul DC Studio. Configuration is same as others, nothing extra. Emerald green finish. Lightweight. A very playable guitar. Have'nt had a problem with the plastic tuners other than they look a little cheezy. Love the double cut body.

This is one melodic sonofabitch. The resonance is incredibly rich. Shines on chord work. I prefer a solid body for lead. Played through a Marshall valvestate 2000 and Digitech Genesis 3 set to value 15 for fullness.

The neck had a little to much relief, quick turn of the nut, drop the bridge and done. Pretty good shape otherwise. Good balance.

Looks like it will stand the test of time, all instruments require a little care so don't drop it...

blagh, blagh, blagh "have you tried our website?"

Love it. Will buy another just to have. For me it does what I want as do my other guitars.

1998, made in USA, 24 frets, arched maple top, one volume, one tone, 3-way, 2 gibson Humbuckers, mahogany back and sides, rosewood fretboard, came with a wrap-around bridge (though I had a Bigsby installed), beautiful wine red finish

This has one of the best humbucker sounds i've ever played. It's not as chunky as normal LP's (which is a good thing), it has plenty of bottom end and the middle position is gorgeous and super responsive. Turn the tone down a little and it's close to an ES335 or the like, not as airy, but much more powerful. The lead pickup is not as sharp and piercing as other LP's ive played which is the only drawback in the sound. Great for clean, strummy sounds, great dirty and overdriven. I play jazz, fusion, rock and they all sound great though this guitar. I had a top mounted bigsby installed a little less than a year ago and it has only improved the happiness I experience I have playing this guitar. The action is lower, the tone is fuller, but still funky. Man, bigsbys and LP's are great together. I highly recommend it.

The action has always bugged me a little bit. it seemed like no matter what I did it was still too high. i've been told that living in Seattle, with the ever-changing weather from day to day, hour to hour really affects guitars negatively. The neck is well-finished, but a little sharp at the edges which makes scaling the neck quickly a problem. With the bigsby, though, the strings were moved farther back and the action has been lowered significantly. I like a really deep, bassy sound in the neck pickup, so i raised it a little and that made all the difference.

Despite some frequent string busting on nights of gigs a few monthes ago, it holds out well. I used to play 12's on this, then 11's, but I think that 10's satisfies both tone, intonation, longevity, and ease of palying for this guitar. I always use D'addarios. I always have a backup. I have a DeArmond S73 and a newly purchased Fender 69 Tele Thinline RI. Strap buttons are a little small, gibson straps fall right off them. I had to have the pickup selector fixed because there was some shorting out, but it turned out that just a couple screws were loose. no biggy.

I've dealt with private guitar techs and they've been the most help. I wouldn't recommend going straight thru with Gibson because most likely it will require a lot of shipping and time without you Gibby. My suggestion is to go to a Guitar center and ask for a name of a private guitar in the area. That's how i've found the two dudes who worked on my Gibson and I was more than satisfied with the results each time.

The sound of this guitar is truly the best part about it. It is a modest looking guitar, very pretty, but pretty plain. I wish it had a Gibson pickguard on it (the LP style, not the SG style). As far as humbucking sound goes, thsi one is terrific. The only other guitar i've played that has a good/better sounding humbucker is a PRS McCarty hollowbody, but it's like $2000 and in general, I think PRS guitars are not very attractive at all. Every guitar has the exact same body look and feel to it! No personality. The Gibson DC has a ton of personality and it gets a lot of attention wherever I go. Rare guitar, they don't make the studios anymore. I'm sure it will be a collectors item in like 2030.

1997 USA-made Gibson Les Paul DC Studio, basically similar to a Les Paul Studio with a few key differences. What makes this model stand out is the 24-fret neck, double cutaway, and tone chambers. The Studio model (discontinued in 1998) also has a wraparound tailpiece rather than the standard Gibson tune-o-matic deal. This model exists today as the Standard DC Plus, which is much more expensive but SOUNDS EXACTLY THE SAME (same pickups, body, wood, etc.) These guitars are hard to find nowadays (probably because no one wants to sell them). I was fortunate enough to find one of these in Gibson's classic Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish. So yummy. I give this guitar low marks for features because it has a simplified control layout (only one volume and one tone), plus just the typical Gibson three-way selector. But I should add that "more features" does not always equal "better guitar" (play a Parker Fly sometime and you'll see what I mean). In this case, simple is better.

For me, this is about as classic a sound as you could ask for. I am a sucker for Gibson's standard Les Paul pickups (490R, 498T), as for me they capture the best of the "Gibson sound." Others have said that the pickups are dark-sounding, and I would certainly agree with that. They aren't what you would call "chimey," though the mid position is just sweet sounding. But I already have a Strat, you know what I mean? If I want "bell-like" yada yada, I'll just reach for the backwards F. I use this guitar for jazzy or bluesy music, as well as old-school overdrive stuff (think old AC/DC. For that, it's perfect. I wouldn't use it for real heavy metal stuff or clean rhythm strumming (Byrds, Beatles, Petty, etc.) just 'cause there are other guitars out there that do a better job for that stuff. But if you want a straight-ahead, natural-sounding "medium" (not PAF, not hot ceramic) Gibson sound, this is a great choice. Again, if you can find one!

Well, I bought this guitar used, and I had a bit of a misadventure with a certain shipping company (hint: not UPS). Basically they dropped it on its head, and the guitar did what any decent Les Paul would do in that situation - the neck cracked. After a long and arduous period of general confusion and, honestly, incompetence, I was able to have the thing repaired by the store I bought it from and had it sent out again. I should be quick to point out that the store I bought it from (The Guitar Den in Florida) was absolutely excellent and went above and beyond the call of duty to get this guitar to me. I would highly recommend them to anyone in the market for a used guitar (www.guitarden.com). Anyway, it's not "as new" now, but it looks pretty darn good. The guitar was also very well set up (looow action!!) BTW. As for the guitar itself, it's typical Gibson quality - pretty good but nothing stunning.

I certainly hope this guitar will last! I don't plan on abusing it any more than it has been already, that's for sure. As far as reliability, it's about the same as any Gibson would be. So I'm not as cavalier about it as I would be with my Strat, but providing that I take care of it, it should be just fine.

N/A

I've been playing for ...oh, twelve years I think. I play professionally now and have done so for the past two years. I actually used to own one of these and foolishly sold it. Then again, I now have a much cooler-looking one (the first one was black). :-) For me, this is a better Les Paul than a Standard. It's lighter, more comfortable, and has almost the exact same sound. The only differences come from less body mass (though this is nicely offset by the tone chambers) and the fact that the pickups are slightly closer together. However, this second difference actually makes for a sweeter in-between sound, if you're into that sort of thing. I am. It's a sweet axe - it won't do it all, but if you're looking for that, go buy a PR$ or something. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a great utility axe that can handle classic Gibson tones (rock, blues and jazz), it's hard to find a better value for the money. (Shoot, why do you think Gibson discontinued this model and replaced it with one costing twice as much? It's not because the DC Studio wasn't selling.) I agree with Ed Roman on this one - the DC Les Paul is one of the best and most creative moves Gibson has made in a long time.

97' Transparent dark ruby red / Gibson's sweet sounding 490R & 498T humbuckers / one tone - one volume control / rosewood fret-board...etc.
Got it through a local ad, the guy that had it didn't care for Gibson's, it needed a good setup bad (I mean bad), I straighten the neck - set the intonation and the pickup height, then I had to compared it to my 82' Les Paul Std, I did it for two week's, then put the Std back in the case, and give the shoulder a rest. I love my Cherry Sunburst Les Paul Std, but it weight it's toll on me through the long set's, This is one of the best model's Gibson has made, sense the SG that didn't break your back after 4 Hr's of Play time...
I love the feel the sound the auction looks awesome Yes it's to bad they retired this baby but who knows that could change in a heart beat too.

Again it sounds Awesome and fits all styles of music, I play everything from Blues - Classic rock - Alternative - Metal.
It produces a niece clean overdrive that cut's right through, nice full reach tones and plays like butter.

The wraparound bridge was ok, and is ok, if your ok with the D-G-B string being a little off tune of each other, but I cured that with a adjustable bridge/tailpiece, I got from SMD, and it made a big deference, and a lot cheaper then a PRS wraparound bridge, after this fix I would have to give it a 10.
It now feels & sounds better then sex... well almost.

This is a well made gibson guitar, and the finish looks great. I use strap look button on all my guitars, I don't want to drop my baby. This is one of my favorites, and has taken the place of my 82' Std, I like my girls a little light these days.

never dealt with them.

I been playing for 26 years sence I was 13 that maks me 36 wow I FnOld. I say it again,it feel's it palys it sounds Awesome. Things I wish I had,one in every color it came in.

My first stray away from Fender in 15 or so years, a great re-introduction to the Gibson family...Though I believe that this model has been discontinued, what a shame.
A very cool variation on the Les Paul.
DC w/ a maple top
2 Humbuckers
Tone & Volume. Stripped down and ready to rock.

Sounds really cool, especially w/ the simple wrap-around bridge, which, by the way, intonates perfectly regardless of what those other whiners say about it.
Bet it would sound cooler w/ a couple of those Gibson p-94's

Plays great, the '59 slim-taper neck feels small for a Les Paul
Finish is average for a Gibson, not great, not bad...

I have used this guitar exclusively for 6 months now, feel so confident about it that I don't even bring a back-up.
The wrap-around bridge has no sharp edges to break strings on.
Though it isn't as ridgid as my Fenders I don't feel like it's too flimsy.

A bad som-bitch that I would miss dearly if something ever happened to it.
Cranked through a full stack of marshalls it's well, traditional.
I play loud fast punk rock & roll.
I recently met a guy who has only owned one guitar in 18 years, a black Les Paul Custom. I admired his dedication to his instrument and hope to have the same with this Gibson.

I got this one about 2 years ago.It has a transparent ruby red finish on a mahogany body with a carved maple top. Neck is mahogany
with a 24 fret fingerboard...which I think is great...not many gibsons offer that! It has one volume control one tone control and a 3 way toggle switch. The humbuckers are a 490R and a 498T. So far so good. What I don't like about it, is the intonation defection which comes from the IDIOTIC wrap-around bridge! I found this to be a big problem, cos when the guitar was tuned right, and I went up the neck..it sounded aweful, so I had to spend 1000NOK (about 110$) to replace it with a PRS bridge with intonation possibilities for each string. It has a hollowed out back, which makes it very light on your sholder compared to other les pauls. Which is good.

I play all kinds of music, from hard rock to country and blues. And I've found out that this guitar is very flexible. The sound I get when I play it through my POD is great! I can get very heavy tones from it, and a nice clean sound, especially when using the bridge pickup.
Whats not as good, is that I think its a little quiet compared to other les pauls I've tried. This can be because of the hollowed out back, but as long as I turn the volume up it's not really to complain about.

Everything is great...except for the wrap around bridge !

This guitar has a sligh problem staying in tune.

never had to deal with them.

I've been playing for about 8 years, and tried alot of guitars. For me this guitar was a bit hard to get used to, but not its the only guitar I use. It's not as comfortable as I wished it was, but with the sound i get from this baby, it's worth it.

Mine is a 98, emerald green finish. Mahoganey body, maple top. Mahoganey neck with 24 fret rosewood fretboard. Hollowed out sound chambers in the body so it is a little lighter. Double cuttaway body like the old specials. 2 humbuckers, 490 and 498. Alnicos. 2 knobs, 1 tone, 1 volume. Pickup selector in the same vicivity. Very simple and straight foward. I like that.

I mostly play rock, hard rock, and blues. Have 7 amps including a 66 Fender Bassman, Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 100, Fender Tone Master, Yamaha T100 Soldano designed head, Mesa Heartbreaker, and VHT Pittbull. WOW!! This thing rocks!!! Very resonent neck and body. You can just feel it vibrate when you strum an chord Has that perfect Les Paul sound. Sounds very similar to my 80 Custom. Maybe a little brighter because of the chambers. Sounds great clean with the neck pickup. Bridge can get that great crunchy rock sound like a Les Paul is known for. You can go from a sweet warm clean to raunchy crunchy overdrive with the volume control. Not super versitile, but it's a Les Paul.

The emerald green is beautiful. Just as good as my PRS. Set up perfect from the factory. THis is my first guitar with a wraparound bridge. I really like it. Smooth action, fast neck. The neck is just the right thickness. Not too thin, not to fat. Not the flame top version like the standard but the maple top is very pretty with some figuring.

I would take this live in a heartbeat. Very well built guitar. The new Gibsons really are great. Some people knock them but I love the new stuff they are making. Everything is solid. Seems very dependable.

I've emailed Gibson probably 6 times with different questions and they always get back to me in a few days or so.

When the standards came out I always wanted one. I just love the DC look. I really love it. Sounds great, good weight, plays like a dream. I've been playing for 13 years and this is a great addition to my large collection of guitars. I would buy one again in a heart beat. I highly recommend these especially for the price you can get them used.

1999 dc in red...beautiful maple top with some grain, mahogany body with sound chambers, lightweight...24 frets..wraparound bridge, wish it had a tune-0-matic but for the price it stays in tune ok..put heavier gauge strings on and have it professionally dialed in...what do you want for around 600 bucks i guess. Nice rosewood fretboard, played nice right out of the box but I did have it set for .010's right away. A very basic guitar but all u need and looks good... pickups sound great.. 490r and 498t in bridge, i like gibson humbuckers, fat tone.

Use it with a jcm900 50w and 1960a cab...great together for that rock sound...really like the 498t pickup...too bad gibson doesnt make affordable guitars like this anymore...the 496r gives me a decent clean and blues rock sound....but use the 498 and volume control the most..i plug right in and only use my tube screamer and acoustic pedal with it...i also have a lp classic and lp standard and this is lighter and looks good and fun to play, so much so i drag it on stage once in awhile but this guitar i got for a practice workhorse and its done the job.

action was good out of the box but i had my tech set it up with .010's right away, action needed to be lowered and it was kinda a bitch to dial in with just that wraparound bridge but i am a simple guy and it seems fine to me...pickups were set up good and i love the neck..plays nice...real pretty guitar, mine is red and you can see the grain in the maple top...nice for a cheap guitar..overall came very clean and set up well.

had it a year...its a gibson...its well built...i take care of my stuff too...bass player bashed into it hard..only a small paint ding..
would gig it w/o backup...overall once again a decent guitar

came with warranty card...never sent it in...

been playing over 20 yrs...have a lp classic, charvel/jackson model 4, lp studio, gibson songbird deluxe, ibanez destroyer 2, ibanez acoustic and fender tele...for the price id buy one again..needs tune-0-matic bridge but overall great gibson for the price but they are gone...thought about selling it because i have so many guitars but i really do like it

It's a real shame that Gibson discontinued this model. I bought mine in 2000, and it was one of the last of the 1999 DC Studios made before production ceased. It has a transparent ruby red finish on a mahogany body with a carved maple top. The set neck is mahogany with a 24 fret rosewood fingerboard. It has minimal gingerbread, which is what I like - no binding, just a volume and tone control, and a 3 way toggle switch. The covered humbuckers are a 490R and a 498T. The tuners are vintage style Klusons. It has a simple wrap-around bridge. In other words, it has everything you need for great tone, but not costly extras which only add to the cosmetics. As for me, I like it simple.

The sound is the classic signature Les Paul tone. I play through a Mesa Boogie .50 Caliber and a Fender Deluxe Reverb RI. My other axe is a Fender American Std Strat. With this setup I can get any sound I need. The LP through the Mesa gives me that heavy overdrive for ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, and Cream tunes. It also does a fair approximation of Santana. The Strat plugged into the DRRI does what I need for blues.

I had to do very litle adjusting. Straight out of the box, she was ready to play. I only needed to lower the pickup height a little.

It has served me without a single problem for the past year. I can't ask for more.

N/A

For most of the past twenty years, I've been a Fender guy. But I've needed that LP tone from time to time and I could never get it from a Strat. This LP Studio is perfect for what I wanted. An affordable, good looking Les Paul with that unmistakable tone. I love it!

I believe mine is a 1999 model. This is the year they were discontinued but I was able to pick one up a few months ago from Samash.com. There are quite a few differences from a traditional Les Paul. The most obvious diffence is the body style which has double cutaways instead of one. The body also has some hollowed-out "tone chambers" which give it a nice light weight. It has the normal two Gibson humbuckers (490R in the neck and 498T in the bridge), however there are only two knobs, one for tone and one for volume, and the pickup selector switch is down next to the knobs instead of up next to the rhythm pickup. I prefer this setup since I like to keep all my knobs maxed-out and I find the pickup selector to be in a much better position for me. For me the features are perfect, but for some people they might be lacking. It's all subjective.

I play mostly modern rock/alternative and the guitar is perfect for this. I run this guitar through a Tech 21 Trademark 10 combo. I've only used effects with this guitar on a very limited basis, so I'll just comment on the sound running straight into the amp. The sound is not noisy at all. I can get that great Les Paul crunchy rhythm tone without the weight. The weight doesn't seem to detract from the thickness of the tone. Very full sound. The guitar works very well with clean and distorted sounds, for both lead and rhythm. However, there is not a wide variety of tones you can get from this guitar. Don't expect anything close to the sparkle of a Strat. This thing can only make that classic Les Paul sounds, but it does it so well I have to give it a 10.

Straight from Sam Ash, the action felt a bit high and the guitar was somewhat difficult to play compared to my Strat with 10's. This was quite suprising to me because the Les Paul was supposedly strung with 9's from the factory and in addition to the fact that it has a shorter 24.75" scale compared to the 25.5" scale of a Strat. I replaced the strings with Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10's, however, and the guitar feels great now. This is really odd and I can't really explain the difference in feel between the two brands of strings, but I can't complain since a simple change of strings was all it took to make the guitar feel perfect for me. The pickups were adjusted perfectly and the finish (translucent emerald green) looks beautiful and the wood has a nice pleasing grain. The frets were set perfectly with no sharp edges. The nut was cut well and the electronics feel and work perfectly. My only (small) complaint is that there are some thin, circular cuts through the finish into the wood under the bridge screws. This isn't really a big deal though and is unnoticeable unless you really look closely under the bridge. Other than that, I have nothing but good comments about the build quality of this guitar. Some people seem to think Gibson's quality isn't as great as it used to be, but this guitar was built fantastically.

This guitar will definitely hold it's own against any other Les Paul and is built quite solidly. As with all Les Pauls though, just make sure not to drop it on the angled headstock. It seems like most people have gotten by for years without dropping their Les Paul, so hopefully I don't drop mine either. The strap buttons seems solid, so I doubt I'll have a problem. The finish seems quite durable and, even though I can't say for sure, I'm going to bet it will last quite a while. The hardware is top-notch too. I would definitely gig without a backup.

I haven't dealt with Gibson's customer service (which I guess is a good thing).

This is a fantastic guitar and fits my needs perfectly. It doesn't have tons of fancy cosmetic extras, but it's very elegant and nice on the eyes and does what it does well. A lot of people seem to think this is one of the best values you can get from Gibson today. It's very affordable compared to other Gibsons but it doesn't seem like they've cut corners (a lot of cheaper Gibsons have very thin bodies, but not this one). If it were stolen, I would definitely buy another one. I've been playing for about 6 years, and my only other electric is an American Standard Strat, and I feel like the two give me a complete range of tones. I didn't really consider any other guitars before buying this one because there weren't really any others that appealed to me. I've had my eye on the DC Studio for a few years now, and just recently had enough money to buy one, so I figured I'd grab one new while I could.

gibson tuners, wraparound bridge, lame gibson pickups. Nothing special. Not bad, just nothing special. You can't really do anything with this except play guitar.

This guitar sounds great and plays great. It's a Gibson for christssake!! A les paul sound, without all that weight! I popped a duncan JB in the bridge and this is officially my favorite guitar.

The action and setup right from the factory was just fine. I do have issues with the finish though. It seems as if you just look at the thing funny it will get a ding! I have to be very careful not to scratch it or breath on it or whatever, the finish could have been a little more durable. I guess this guitar being a "studio" model wasn't meant for anything but playing it in a studio enviroment, where it doesn't matter in the least what your guitar looks like.

Like I said, it's a les paul dc "studio", so I guess it ain't as tough as it's more expensive sisters.

overall, it plays and sounds great. It stays in tune well and in the end that's what really matters, right?

What we have here is a 1999 model Gibson Les Paul Studio DC. This is a very lightweight (for a les paul) guitar. It has two humbuckers, one volume and one tone and a 3 way toggle. It has 24 frets. It was made in the USA. It has a semi-hollow chambered body. It has a LP junior style wrap-around bridge. It really doesn't have too much in the way of features. It does however have a really easy to use layout without the clutter that a 4 knob les paul has.

I am very happy with the way it sounds. It is not overly "Les Pauly" though it is a les paul and does sort of sound like it. It is chambered and has a little bit of hollow jangle, but not too much. While it does not sound like a Fender, if you like the Fender sound you will like this too. If you want a les paul, to play G&R or Aerosmith or some such this is not your guitar. It will not do Korn or limp Bizkit or anything like that. It it a good guitar that is hard to put in a niche.

Ok, after having worked at PRS the finish does not impress me, but then again I dont care about that. I mean if I am going to play a guitar on stage it will eventually get nicked up, so why pay 3 times as much to get a mirror perfect finish??? About Gibson necks, I know why Gibson moved from Kalamazoo to Nashville. It was so they could be closer to the Loiusville Slugger baseball bat Co. since they supply the necks. I was playing my bandmate's les paul standard a few days ago, and I thought I was in purgatory. Not only did it weigh a ton and have a big round neck that was impossible to play it also sounded bad. Anyway, this guitar plays good--not as good as my Mustang, but good. It is a very skinny, easy to play neck for a Gibson, the action can be set very low and fast. The bridge I do kind of wonder about though. It is a LP junior wrap around type bridge, that has no built in compensation. It is just a regular stop tailpeice with the strings wrapped around it. However I am using 10's and the intonation is dead on so go figure. Still I may replace it later with a PRS style adjustable bridge out of Stew Mac.

As for all of that, this is a professional guitar and I don't see any problems on the horizon.

About me, since who I am and what I play tells you what to think of my review. I have been playing guitar for about 12 years and before that I played bass (both upright and electric), violin, trumpet.... etc. In the time that I have played guitar I have had Martin, Alverez-Yari, and handmade (Everett) acoustic guitars. For electrics I have had a 1964 Fender Mustang, a Carvin, a Gibson ES135, a USA Telecaster, a Charvell, a USA made Hamer Special, and a Gibson Marauder. For amps I have had a silverface Fender Vibrolux, an old Hiwatt 100 watt head and 4/12 cabinet, several Carvin amps, a silverface Fender Bassman head and cabinet, a Blues DeVille, a Mesa triaxis, a Sovtek mig 50 head and cabinet, and a Fender Acoustasonic Jr. I worked at PRS in the finish shop for 11 months. I play original music that is somewhere between U2, Smashing Pumpkins, and James Taylor. While I have had two other Gibson guitars in the past I hated them both. I am a fender man at heart and generaly hate the Gibson sound, but I bought this guitar off Ebay on a whim.
If it were stolen or lost, though, I might replace it, or I might get a USA Strat. For the going rate used, you really can't go wrong...they are the best deal out there for what they are.

1997, bought used. From the other reviews, you know all the details. I really love the wraparound tailpiece, I'm getting really used to how my hand feels resting on that. Dig it! I think it has a slim taper neck, I love how it feels. I'm not going to rate this category, because I don't guitars for active electronics, whammy bars, notes that play by themselves etc; to me it's a stupid category.

Awesome. It's funny to me, all the flack Gibson has taken over the years for shabby quality. I guess I always just find the good ones! Nearly every Gibson I've ever played, sounded and played awesome. This one is no exception--I absolutely love the AlNiCo pickups that come stock on this guitar (490r and 498t I think); very fat, very smooth, very crunchy. I wouldn't change 'em for nothin'!

No issues at all. Again, surprising: aren't Gibsons supposed to be crappy guitars? Neck feels really great, tone and volume controls respond really well. Stays in tunes and intonates spot on. Not very heavy.

I think it'll hold up fine, but only time will tell. Will probably throw strap-locks on it if I keep it (I buy/sell/trade constantly).

Never dealt with.

Just an awesome value. This is a great rock 'n roll guitar. The translucent wine red finish looks great over the maple cap. Beautiful axe.

This is a 1999 Les paul dc studio made in Nashville TN. Black-Ebony finish. Contoured body, 1 volume, 1 tone, 3 ways switch and wrap around stop tail piece.
2 gibson humbuckers 490 & 498T.
24 frets mahogany neck with dot inlays.
It has gibson deluxe tuners. It comes along with the brown Gibson HSC which is awesome!
A sober looking guitar, but nicely finished.

It is LOUD ! and highly playable: the double cutaway plus the 24 frets make it a dream to play and its weight finally brings the Les paul sound on stage without the 2 tons guitar and the post-gig destroyed shoulder :)
I played it through a fender blues junior and a couple of marshall valvestate (vs100R stack and 8230 combo) and it sounds definitely good through all of them. I have a little preference fo the fender with a boss ds1 distortion.
No big complaint except the weird position of the switch.. i guess it is because i was used to a classic lp switch...

No ding, nothing ! perfect finish... Gibson !

I only got it for 4 month now but i guess it will last

I really think that this guitar is a great deal: you've got a real Gibson w/ a real Gibson sound at an affordable price and it has not the inconvenients of a classic les paul. You also have less setting on it but who cares? when i play i'm already busy enough with the strings and the pick to play with the buttons... ;)