Gibson Les Paul Special SL

Les Paul Special SL was made in USA around 1998. It's very simple, not like that Ibanez or Jackson crap. It has a mahogany body, rosewood fretboard with 22 frets, 498T & 490R humbuckers, nickel hardware, ebony finish, flat top, 2 volume/tone and 3 way selector. Personally, the only difference between the Special SL and the Studio is the fact that the Studio has the carved top and trapezoid inlays.

I love the sound of this guitar. Sure it's not the sound you'd get out of a $1500 Les Paul, but if you had that amount of money to spend you wouldn't be reading this review anyway. The Special SL comes very close to that classic LP sound. Yes, the pickups are not grounded, but a visit to your friendly neighborhood guitar repairman can fix that. Let's put it this way. I've owned an American Strat and a Jackson PS-4, and the sound beats both of them hands down. I currently run it straight through a Marshall 100w Valvestate head w/4x12 Celestion cab and it blows out the windows. I get a nice heavy growl out of the 490 along with crisp clear leads out of the 498. I mostly play punk and power pop, and this guitar suits me great. I've gotten everything from classic blues to death metal. With the pickups not grounded, this guitar deserves a 5, but grounded it gets a 9.

I got the guitar used, and it needed some help to get everything set to where I like it. Unlike an Ibacrap with a Floyd Rose, I could set up the Tune O Matic bridge myself. I had to replace the volume/tone knobs because they kept falling off. I also noticed the pots where off center, but so what. Like I said, please have your pickups grounded. Other than that, this guitar looks and feels great. Like it's more expensive cousins, the neck feels like a dream, it almost plays itself. The tuning pegs are solid and stays in tune after allot of punishment.

This guitar is solid and withstands live playing without a problem. I trust it, but always gig with a backup. The hardware is very durable and will last for some time. I don't know where others got their LP, but this has all Gibson hardware. The finish seems fine to me. Just like any other guitar, I'm sure to polish it when I change strings. I don't see any major problems down the road.

I emailed Gibson with a few questions when I was planning to purchase the guitar and got a reply within two days. I was shocked that a company as big as Gibson would be so cool. I'm not sure about the warranty. Like I said, I got the guitar used.

For a 400 Les Paul, you can't beat the sound and quality. Like I said, I feel the only difference between the Special SL and the Studio is the carved top. I've been playing for about five years and have been through a few guitars, and this is the best axe I've owned. I plan on keeping it for a while. If stolen, I would buy another in a heartbeat. If you have the money to spend, please get yourself an LP Standard. For the rest of us, the LP Special SL will suit just fine.

Made in USA, 1998. Rosewood fretboard, no bindings, dot inlays, mahogany body/neck, 22 fret, 498T & 490R nickel pickups, nickel hardware, cinnamon red finish, flat top. Basically, Gibson's bottom of the line.

Very poor sound, straight into a Marshall 100w. It has a very thin, tinny sound, with spurious harmonics that totally clash - unlike the full, rich, harmonious growl from most Les Pauls. This SL is about the worst, cheapest sounding guitar I've ever heard or played. Basically, imagine what a Douglas Fir 2x4" with humbuckers would sound like - that's it. There is no grounding wire either, so the 60hz hum is overwhelming.

Poor/high action, pickups touched the strings, poor intonation, hardware mounted off-center and crooked, pots wired all wrong (volume & tone), no grounding wire, strap button screws were stripped, ad nauseum...

Thin UV cured finish, and hardware looks like cheap import type, with no Gibson markings. I wouldn't use it to practice with, let alone perform. It'll make good firewood, though. The firewood I usually use would make better guitars.

Even though the quality of their instruments is very poor these days, Gibson is very good about customer service. They are quite responsive and helpful. Kudos to them for that!

If it were stolen or lost, I would pity the fool who ended up with it. I've been playing numerous years and have owned numerous guitars. I still have a few $5 garage sale specials that out rank the SL in all aspects.

Black Ls Paul Special Sl- pickups are chrome. Not exactly sure which ones they are. On the Gibson Web ssite has picture of different pickups

I have owned a 71 Deluxe and 73 Standard. This Special is easily my favorite. Clean and raunchy. I Tried it through a friend's Carvin 112 Nomad with a Powerlead effects box: sounded incredible! I actually sold my 71 LP a week later.

I puts 9's on since that's how it . The best feel I've ever had( Actally been using 10's for about 10 years prior.)

My guitar was made in america in 1998, it has 22 frets, a solid, flat topped mahogany body, 2 volume and tone, and a 3 way selector. it has what i'm told by gibson to be 2 p-100 stacked humbuckers, but mine has two chrome covered buckers, i was told that because i bought it at gc, they had had them custom made with different pickup covers, but i think they're totally different pickups, so i'm not sure what kind of pickups they are. the fret board is rosewood with pearl dot inlays. the finish is solid ebony. its shaped like a les paul, except for the flat top, it has a tune a matic bridge, and gibson tuners, no coil tap though.

the guitar sounds great for 400 dollars. It doesn't have the best crunch sound around, but in part becuase of the heavy mahogany body, it has a simply amazing creamy class rock sound when a lot of distortion is on. I can get amazing lead sounds, through my boss ds1 into my peavy audition 110. when i put the amp's overdrive on, i get a great pete townshend sound, straight out of baba oreally, or bargain. when clean or distorted, it has a very full sound, but if you but it on the bridge pickup and turn up the tone, you can get a very nice sharp sound. its at the very least adaquet for just about any style i can think of.

The finish is nive, but plain, the action is pretty high, but i've left it that way to completely avoid buzzes. the pickups are really high, but i like them like that. the finish had a few dead spots, but nothing big.

the guitar seems pretty solid to me. but id always gig with a backup

well, i'm not sure about the warrenty, but when i emailed them with questions, they were quite helpful and informitive.

i've been playing about a year and a half, i had an epiphone that i got used, which was kinda falling apart, i had my eyes on the fender big apple strat, or taking an epi les paul and replacing pickups and tuners, but the strat cost 750, and the epi would have cost 650 fixed up, and this was 400, i actually like this one better than the big apple strat, cuz i love les pauls, i love the sound, and i love the feel. also, the big apple was too bright , and it had a trem, and not a tune a matic, if it were stolen, i'd definetly get it again, also, i just like having a guitar that says gibson on the headstock, its a wonderful thing. this is no prs or les paul standard, but hell, for the price, it s the nicest thing out there.