Gibson Les Paul Special SL

This guitar was made in the year 2000 at the tenessee plant in the USA. If i remember how to read gibson serial #'s correctly, it was at least. It has a natural finish and mini trapazoid inlay. Rosewood fret-bourd, gibson stock tuners, tune-o-matic bridge, flat mohogany body, and the standard 490t and 498r humbucker pickups. It is pretty much just a stripped down les paul standard.

Goddamn does this thing sing. This guitar sounds amazing. I plug it straight into my amp with no affects or anything. Obviously i have used affects with it but even still. Also the combo of this guitar, my amp, and my pedals are superb. I have played it through various amps like fender, marshall, line 6, hartke, peavey, etc... and the sound is great in all of them. I love the sound on this thing. I play in a band and when i really crank up the amp at gigs, this thing is awesome. It doesnt get muddy oranything at extreme volumes.

The action was perfect and every thing else was perfect when i first bought it.

This thing is rock solid. It can handle anything.

n/a

I highly recomend this guitar. It plays, sounds, feels like any other Gibson and it is nearly half the price of them. I do wish it had a pickgaurd though. Once i again, i strongly suggest you get this guitar if your ever looking for a gibson.

Made in the year 2000 in the usa at the nashville tennesse plant. Its got 22 frets and a flat body made out of mahogony. The pickups are the standard 490r and 498t humbuckers. It has a tune-o-matic bridge. The guitar is pretty much a les paul standard stripped down. Oh and it has mini trapezoid inlay.

It sounds amazing in any amp i plug into without any type of effects pedals or anything. I have played through fender, marshall, line 6 amps and more and it sounds amazing in each and every one. It has a full rich sound when it is on the clean channel and sounds kind of bright on distortion. It sounds good on almost any styles of music i do play or attempt to play. Absolutly no dislikes here.

Ther guitar was perfectly set up when i purchased it. The pickups were adjusted just right and had no flaws in it whatsoever.

This guitar is like a metal wall. It can withstand almost anything. It is very very durable. It is also very reliable. I play in a blues band and bring it to every one of my gigs (with no backup) and plug straight in to my amp for a few hours.

never used gibson customer service before.

I have been playing guitar for several years now andhave owned many guitars before this. This guitar has evolved into a personal favorite of mine over theyears i have owned it. I also own many fender guitars as well. I love every inch of it and have absolutly no dislikes at all. This guitar is just as good as any other les paul standard, classic, or deluxe ive ever played. Although i do wish sometimes it had a pickgaurd. I highly recommend this guitar because it rocks hard and is the same as any other gibson les paul for almost half the money.

OK, so...there are 60-some other reviews on here that describe this guitar. Mine is no different. The guitar is dead-stock with the natural finish. If I remember how to read Gibson serial #'s correctly, this guitar is a '98, made on May 15th, and either the 20th or 120th one made. I was given this guitar along with an old Tech 21 Trademark 60 amp and a bit later a Boss GT 8 processor by friends of mine. If you are wondering how I came to be given all of this equipment, it is a God thing and I will gladly explain that to you if you email me. Having some time on my hands one day, I was nosing around a local music store and spotted an old Roland JC-120 and thought that I would try it out. Always did love those amps. Conveniently, a guitar was already hooked up to the amp, so I asked permission and sat down to play. After a couple of minutes, I realized the star of my little show was the guitar I was playing. I was amazed. Inquiring further, I found out that the guitar was on consignment for 500 bucks and had been there for 6 months. If I had had 500 bucks, I would have bought this guitar immediately. My friend then walked in the store to trade some of his equipment and asked if I would like one of the guitars? He then gave me his guitar and amp, which he told me he had been led to leave at home and not sell on the trip he was on that found me in the store playing on one of these incredible little Les Pauls.

Features? It is a Les Paul without a maple cap...no muss, no fuss. The "Tons of features" that goes with the 10 score is it's absolute lack of features and the functionality of the ones that are there.

My musical styles on guitar have always been blues, R&R, and pop. Gibson has always fit the bill, especially the solid body line. I have loved Les Pauls since the very first day I laid eyes on them. I am, always have been, and always will be, a Les Paul person. My first "real" guitar was an SG that I got in 19sixtywhatever. Since then I have owned all of the "standards" (LP, Tele, 335, Strat, ad nauseum) and have always felt that the solids and semi's from Gibson are the best. As mentioned, I play Les Pauls. I have seen in reviews that people refer to this guitar as "thin". Hmmm...try a Fender or a Firebird. This guitar, while not a full blown LP, is somewhere between an LP and an SG. I love both of those guitars and love dearly the sound of this little guitar. Noisy? Either your guitar is broke or you have single coils. Sounds are whatever you need on this piece...I am using it through the aforementioned Trademark 60 and get all of the tone I want or need. Throw this GT 8 thing in there and there is no end to the tonality. Also, maybe I don't understand the "what kind of sounds does the guitar make" question, but, so far, it makes guitar sounds...nice ones.

I have heard complaints about the finish, about how it gets gooped up. Well, keep a rag handy. I usually wipe off between songs and sets and have since I played my first pro gig in '63. Goopey...please...spare me. "ya know, dude...I played a sweaty rock gig in an overcrowded and painfully hot nightclub, spilled beer all over my guitar and threw it in the case because this hot chick with earrings in her face and pink hair was all over me and I just can't figure out why my Gibson Les Paul Special SL was goopey when I opened up the case 2 days later to rehearse. Must be Gibson's fault..." 8^)

Everything on this guitar was excellent when I got it from a guy who his meticulous about his guitars.

Like most any Gibson guitar I have ever encountered, played, and/or owned, they are pretty solid. From the top to the bottom, Gibsons pretty much will take anything you throw at them...EXCEPT...THE OLD HEADSTOCK/NECK ISSUE!!! That issue with the Gibson solids has never quite been addressed, as far as I know. Yes, for a minute or two there was the flirtation with the volute. There is no volute on this neck. The necks on these are the ever dangerous slim taper job, so keep it in a case when not playing it, not on a stand.

Other than that, there is no need for a backup instrument other than breaking a string. Gibson guitars don't need any backup.

Never had to deal with Gibson. Any issues I have ever had stemmed from cosmetic or pup changes. This piece is used, so no warranty.

I have been playing since 1960. First guitar, then in '63, I switched to the electric bass (Fender Bass in the Local #47 Union Directory in those days) where I have done most of my professional work over the years. I have always doubled, though, and have been successful because I realize that the two are separate disciplines. Also, I love the guitar in all of it's forms from flamenco to funk. There is that personal and friendship thing about a good guitar that always lays there at the foundation of it all. They go with you and stay with you. There you are sittin' around the campfire at the beach and you reach over and pull out of the case your...clarinet? Steinway baby grand?

Compared to other guitars I have owned, this guitar, surprisingly, would be #1. I had a 20th Anniversary LP that was an extremely special instrument. Every guy that ever played it wanted to buy it. It used to be #1. I will die with this guitar, I adore the little thing that much. I would replace it if it were ever to go away.

If I have learned anything in my years of playing, it is that good musical instruments that "fit" you are rare and special. It doesn't matter what others think. I have already had people disparage this guitar because it isn't a "real" Les Paul. I think 49 years of playing and buying/selling guitars and basses experience will speak a different story and I just hope that people realize that. This guitar may not be for them, but we should be careful not to choose an instrument because of any other reson that it "fits". After all, it is music we are making.

Model ??? Les Paul Special SL (Worn Cherry)
SL stands for Sans Laquer. This is a new finishing method for Gibson.
SN: 00492620 SN FORMAT: YDDDYPPP (PPP 500-999 indicates Nashville Production)
My guitar was born in February of 2002.
Retailed for $999.00 bucks.
Paid 599.99 from Guitar Center on 09/09/02 for Guitar and Gig Bag.
Body ??? Solid Mahogany (Fore that warm, fat, Les Paul sound)
Set in neck provides outstanding sustain.
Neck/Profile
Mahogany/1960 Slim taper
Fingerboard/Inlay
Rosewood 22 frets/Pearloid Dot Inlays
Scale/Nut Width
243/4"/111/16
Bridge/Tailpiece
Tune-o-matic/Stop bar
Neck Pickup 490R
Bridge Pickup 498T "Hot Alnico"
Controls: Two volume, two tone, three-way switch
17 degree heastock pitch., Neck joint at 16th fret, Gold top hat knobs, Green key tuners.

Flat top guitar, the lightest Les Paul ever made!

I love this guitar. It sounds more open than other Les Pauls. I liked the stock pickups OK, but opted to have my guitar luthier install a calabrated set of BurstBucker Pro's in it. I like it even better now. I also had strap locks installed, metal pickup rings, metal jack plate, custom knobbs, and new Planet Waves locking tuners, and tuning stop bar. Looks and plays better than stock to me. The fretboard was too dry for my liking when I baught it so I gave it the Dr. Ducks Ax Wax treatment. Loaded the fretboard up, and let it drink it's fill over night. Much nicer now.

This guitar has a super sound and just calls to you to be played. It is better than a $4,000.00 Paul you might want to let sit in the corner in fear it might get dinged. This is a players guitar, not a collectors. I have no doubt that it will even sound better with age, especially being played the entire time. This SL Special has it's own voyce in the Les Paul quire, and it's a darn good one at that. When you play this guitar un-amped, you can hear it better than the other Pauls. The vibrating notes can be literally felt in the neck better than any other guitar I have played. This guitar is special and will be in demand as long as Gibson makes them. The light weight must also be stressed. It takes it from the unuseable catagory to useable. The faded Cherry is my favorite finish. Looks good with red juled knobbs too!

I love flat top guitars, and the faded cherry is just fine with me. It was set up for me by a pro and still playes fine. It does have super sustain.

This slabber is a tank. I think it will last longer than I will if taken care of.

Never used Gibson customer support but it has a Guitar Center garentee.

This is a fine guitar and should be respected by the world! Killer sound with a Killer price. American quality too. Gibson Rules!

Year - 2002 Les Paul Special SL
Manufacture - USA, Nashville TN.
Neck - Mahogany/Rosewood, Mini-Trapazoid Inlays, 22 Fret, Slim Taper 60's
Body - Slab, Solid Mahogany
Finish - Ebony
Controls - Std. Les Paul 2 vol, 2 tone
P/U - 490R/498T
Bridge - Std. TOM, added a TP-6 tuner tail piece
Tuners - Gibson Kluson Green Key

SOUND:
I bought this guitar mainly as a back up - but - you can NEVER have too many guitars ;). I play mainly Heavy Blues/Heavy Rock, so its pretty much a perfect type of guitar for that. I play through a Laney TFX300 with an Extension Cabinent, all Loaded with Emenence Modeling 12's. I have a BOSS Blues Driver and a Digitech Hotrod (set to DS-1) as well as a Dunlop Wah, but I usually just run through the Laneys Drive 2 circuit with a little Chorus on. The sound is as good as you can get from a flat top Gibson. My 2005 LPS sounds richer, probably from the added mass of the maple cap and thicker body, but this Special SL performs and sounds as advertised. It will run the full gambit of Les Paul sounds, just not as full or rich as a Standard. I'm not a huge fan of the stock 490R/498T Humbuckers. The 490R is WAY too bassy and muddy sounding, even with the tones set to treble, while the 498T is just "ok". I usually just play through the 498T. I have a Duncan Hot'59 on my SG90 Double and I think it would wake this thing right up. I'm a much bigger fan of the Burst-Buckers on my '05 LPS, as far as "stock" pick-ups go. SOUND RATING 4 for the 490R, 8 for the 498T.

ACTION,FIT & FINISH:
I bought this guitar second hand via eBay from a lady in Arizona. I live in Pa. and it shipped during late spring. Needless to say, going from the dry air of the desert to the humid air on the east coast, the guitar needed to be set up again. I wouldn't call that a defect in any way, in fact I would say that the guitar held up excellent, which is a tribute to Gibsons renewed committment to quality control in the manufacturing process. I will say that I have owned and played quite a few factory fresh Gibsons and Mr. Juszkiewicz, please hear me out - your set-up guys/girls should be sent packing. They all need to be set up again and I have yet to find a Gibson that has a properly intonated G string. I do however realize that you need to set up a guitar to tailor your individual playing tastes anyway so I won't really hold that against it. That being said, a trip to my luthier set her up perfectly. I also added a Gibson TP-6 fine tuner tail piece to it just for giggles. It works great and is helpful during live playing.

Fit and finish were excellent, with no real issues to note. Even the selector switch is solid (amazing). I will say this though, the saying is true - NEVER OWN A BLACK CAR OR GUITAR!. This thing gets dirty quick and you will be cleaning it every day. If you dont, you get this white film build up over the top of the body and especially the neck that makes it unpleasant to look at much less play. The color is thick and well laquored and the Nitro-cell finish is great because you can have nicks and dings repaired by a pro easily. One thing I will say about Gibson in general - it appears that they are stamping in the USA and serial numbers sometime during the painting process instead of before. Recent models I have looked at, all have the paint/finish chipped up it that area. Its a minor complaint and on my '88 SG90 Double, you can barely see the numbers because the finish is so thick, but there must be a way to fix this.

The only other finish type thing to note about this guitar is that I didn't like the way the stock tan pick-up rings, switch cap, ring and gold knobs looked, so I switched them out to all black.

RELIABILITY/DURABILITY:
Yes its a Gibson and a solid one at that. It will probably outlast me and the next soul that owns it. As has been said before, you are a fool not to spend the $15 on strap locks and you do need to be careful about the neck when you are swinging that thing around or while its on a guitar stand.

I've deal with Gibson in the past (but not with this guitar) and they are great people. Their ship times are a little slow though for such a huge company

I've been playing for over 20 years and have primarily been a Gibson man for most of them. In addition to this LP Special SL, I have a 2006 Les Paul Standard DC+ in Trans Red, a 2005 Les Paul Standard in Desertburst, a 1988 SG90 Double in Turquise, a 1996 Peavey Firenza P90, A 2002 Ibanez AEF500 Semi-acustic, a 1979 Washburn D12 acustic, and a 1966 Epiphone FT-79 Texan. If this guitar was stolen or broken, I would probably step up to a Les Paul Studio model rather than replace it. For the money I paid for it, it really is a fantastic value, I will admit.

My LP Special is a 2001 model, American made; if you click on the link for "pricing @ Musician's Friend", that's my guitar, a mahogany plank, with black finish (they call it ebony), chrome hardware, & mini trapezoid inlays. From the reviews I've read, there seems to be some confusion about this model; some people are clearly reviewing the LP Faded Special, and one reviewer seemed to be reviewing the LP Deluxe Special. The mini-trapeziod inlays are found only on the Musician's Friend version.

The hardware and electronics are standard Gibson configurations, which every Gibson player can recite by now - "Tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece, with two humbuckers, two volume and two tone controls, a three-way switch, amen." The pickups, as everyone loves to point out, are the same ones you'd get on a more expensive LP or SG model. The neck is described as a "60's slim-taper neck"; I'm not sure what that means. I remember some really skinny Gibson necks back in the 60's, but this neck feels pretty much like a standard LP neck, except for the finish.

The finish gets mucked up pretty quickly, especially on the black guitars. I keep a polishing cloth handy, for giving the neck a rub every so often. It's not a terrible finish, but it's not what you'd expect if you've been playing other, more expensive Gibson guitars.

The tuners were Kluson-style Gibson tuners, with the green plastic tuning heads; they're supposed to look like vintage parts, but I don't see the point of vintage parts on a modern hybrid guitar.

I got the guitar used, so there were no accessories. If you buy one new, it comes with a gig bag.

Like so many other reviewers, I took the tuners and strap pegs off right away. I put Grover tuners and Schaller strap locks on all my solidbodies. (I think every player should use strap locks, no matter what your guitar cost; for $15 or $20, it's like guitar insurance.) The Grover tuners add mass to the headstock, which helps add sustain; they're also better than the stock tuners. I also replaced the tailpiece with a Schaller fine-tuning tailpiece. The Schaller tailpiece adds more mass to the body, again for more sustain. I like the Schaller tailpiece more than the Gibson TP-6, and I had one lying around from a blow-out sale at Guitar Center, just waiting for a guitar to come along. The Schaller pegs fit right into the Gibson threads, so it's a simple mod.

Overall, I give the features a 9. I mean, come on, seriously, it's not a "10" guitar, and it's not trying to be. The tuners are just okay, the finish is funky, and it looks kind of like a parts guitar, with all the creme parts on the black finish. So what? If all you care about is the cosmetic appeal, spend $500 or $600 on an Epiphone LP, but for the price, the American-made Special is a lot of guitar. If I'd paid a lot more for this guitar, I might be less generous with my scoring.

My style is heavy electronic guitar, influenced by people like Robert Fripp, John McLaughlin and the Residents. I want massive sustain from a heavy, solid-feeling guitar, so I love mahogany planks with humbuckers. The LP Special gives me the clean, slightly dark tone I like as the cornerstone of my sound, but it also delivers nice jazz tones and even some bright country sounds, which I don't use. If I wanted twang, I'd play a Tele.

My main effects rig is a Boss GT-3, which I also use for amp modeling. My main amp is a Roland JC-90, which I set for a clean tone. Coming out of the GT-3, I run the signal through a bunch of delays and loopers, to stack sounds; it's a sick set-up. Using my LP Special with the GT-3's effects and amp models, I can get a wide variety of guitar sounds; using the LP Special through the JC-90, with no effects in the signal chain, I can get all the classic clean LP tones, from dark to bright. It would be interesting to try the LP Special with a Marshall amp, for example, to see if delivered the classic Clapton sound.

I give the sound a 10; it's solid, it's the real Gibson sound, and it didn't cost me $2000.

I bought the guitar used, so I can't fault Gibson for the set-up, or anything else that I needed work. I had the action lowered a bit, and replaced the pickup switch. The nut slots look a little high to me, but my repair guy says they're fine, so I'm not worried about it. I do some serious string-bending, and I've never had a string slip out of the nut. The finish is the weak point, but I can live with it. I'd give my LP Special a 10 for action and fit, because I've tweaked it to my liking, but the finish really deserves a 7, maybe a generous 8, so I'm going with an 8.

I try to treat my gear well, amd this guitar seems solid enough to last. I have faith in my Grover tuners; I gave the stock tuners to my repair guy, for spares. Vintage geeks like the look.

The strap buttons seemed fine, but I always put Schaller strap locks on my guitars; that way, I don't have to wonder if my guitar is going to drop. The finish seems to be holding up after nearly three years of playing; check back with me in 2007.

Can I depend on it? It's my main guitar, how's that for an answer? IMHO, only a very poor or a very brave musician goes out on stage without a backup instrument; mine is a Gibson Les Paul Faded Special, with the Worn Cherry finish. I like these guitars.

Can't say; never had to contact them.

I been playing since the first British Invasion, before BBD's. I have a pile of gear, including a couple of Ovations, a bunch of delay/loopers, and a Les Paul Faded Special.

There was nothing to ask about this guitar but the price; I saw it, I played it, I bought it. If something happened to it, I'd order another black one from Musician's Friend, (yes, I'd actually pay full price for a new one) and play my Faded Special in the meantime.

I love the simple, brute-force technology behind this guitar; it was meant to play, not to be looked at. My only complaint is the same one I have about all LP-type guitars, the placement of the pickup switch. Sometimes, when I'm using both hands on the neck, Stanley Jordan style, the switch gets in the way.

I've played a bunch of Gibson, Hamer and Heritage guitars over the years, as well as a few new model Epiphones, and the PRS Santana SE models. (I told you I love mahogany planks; Hamers are my favorites, if anyone cares.) While the LP Special SL doesn't quite measure up to guitars in the $1200-and-up range, it's a great guitar for the price, and it may even become a collectable model, in twenty years or so. There isn't another American-made guitar at this price to compare it with, except for the Faded LP, which is essentially the same guitar with slightly different cosmetics, or the Faded SG, which has fewer features (no pickup rings, no pickup covers, and a really rough finish, at least on the ones that I tried). If you're looking at Epiphones, most of what you get is cosmetic. No, I'm not one of those dickweeds who think that all Korean guitars suck, but for the money, I really think that you're better off spending $650 (or $750, the price keeps changing) for the stripped-down Gibson than spending $500 or $600 for a dressed-up Epiphone. If you find an LP Special used, for under $400, like I did, you almost have to buy it. "BOB" will smite you, if you don't.

I give the LP Special a 9 for overall rating in its price range, but I got mine cheap. If I'd paid more like $700, I'd probably still give it at least an 8.

This is a 2000 made in Nashville, TN. 22 Frets, solid mahogany, typical LP setup 2 HBs 4 control and a 3way toggle. I'm not sure what the pickups are, this is an Artist Endorsement model. I've been told they were burstbuckers. The stock HBs are 490r and 498t. I beleive they are stock. The finish is natural, it has a UV coating, not an oil based paint. The bridge is a Nashville tune-o-matic with the lightweight stopbar. 60s profile neck. The fretboard is rosewood with mini trapezoid inlays and wide jumbo frets. Tuners are the Gibson deluxe, but the head is drilled for 10mm replacements (which I replaced with nickel rotomatics). It came with a gig bag.

I play mostly blues / boogie, classic rock, some jazz and bottle neck slide. It fits my style, blues men have been using specials for nearly 50 years. I use a Hiwatt DR50, Marshall AVT50H, Marshall 20 combo. I run through 2 10" Fanes and 2 12" Legends. I don't use effects much, but I have a compressor I use occasionally. There is no noise, none, no peculiar pops / hisses. Sounds like a LP studio. The sound is okay, sounds as good as my LP Standard and slightly better than some of my older Gibsons. It is not my best sounding guitar however.

I bought this used, from a lady who had an AE. She said she had it for 3 years but never played it. It was set up by gibson USA, the action was rather high, but tweakable. Hardware was well routed and installed. There was a problem with the neck and fretboard. The nut, was junk. People I showed it to did not believe it. It was high and mis-mounted. I think they glued it up with super glue. I had a heck of a time getting it off. Also, the frets were actually sharp and badly need of levelling and dressing. I took it back to Gibson twice and also did some filing on these myself. Now they are better, nice and shiny. But not the best Gibson I've ever seen. The nut I replaced with a Tusq ivory unit.

This instrument is built like a tank. It isn't as heavy as a custom or standard, but heavier than a studio lite. Finish? It's really too early to tell SL means, sans laquer. This is a new finishing method for Gibson. It looks like it will last. I replaced the strap buttons with a Shaller locking system. I do that with all my guitars. I can depend on it. I play in several tunings, so I always play with atleast 2 guitars.

Gibson charged me for the fret dressing, originally. They didn't charge me the second time I took it back. Since it is considered used there was no warranty.

I've been playing 45 years. For the past 25 years, I've played Gibson almost exclusively. Yes, I would buy another one. I can hardly put this guitar down since we got the bugs out. It still needs about another year of break-in, but I think it has the potential to be a great guitar. I can't beat the deal I got on it. This special had hardly been played. I got it for half price. This is not a `57 Special by no means. Gibson needs to work on their QA. However, overall I'm happy with the guitar now, and the more I play it the better I like it.

2002 Made in Tenn. USA BABY!! Mahogany body and neck no maple cap, contour on the back. Standard Gibson hardware, 2 humbucking pu's.Came with a heavy duty gig bag.

Rock and everything else. Running through a Behringer GMX212 Sounds great. Brighter than my Les Paul Standard. Can get excellent tones out of this.

I usually always change the set-up on any guitar I get. Finish is nice and black and flawless good all the way around.

I would lead a charge into war with this beauty. I always bring a backup for string breakage. Only bad thing is the black finish is hard to keep clean. But that is because it is black, so I deal with it.

It is a Gibson, lifetime warranty. Had several of Gibson guitars never had to use the warranty yet.

Gibson Les Paul Special with Humbuckers. 498 and 490 alnico's, solid mohogany body, slim tapper neck, what else could you really want. Mine is the natural finish , of course no curved top, but at the end of the day when its all said and done, does that really matter. Especially when you are talking about 550 dollars versus 2000. Come on, I mean seriously. Don't buy another Les Paul, this is the one. You are gonna need a locking strap system for sure, thats it.

Incredible sound. This is the best guitar I have ever owned. I have been playing for about 9 years in a semi small town (only 2 guitar shops) and really the only guitars that they sell are Ibanez and Strats. So I have had a lot of Ibanez. The stores would have like 2 Pauls and they were always like 2400 and 3000 dollars. I would play on them from time to time, knowing I could never spend that kind of money on a hobby. Then I saw the Special hanging on the wall one day, and at first didn't give it a chance because I had played Epiphone LP's before, and they feel like toys, and sound the same. I had some time to kill one day, and figured I would give it a shot. That was the best disicion of my life. It sounds every bit as good as the 3000 dollar guitars, but at a fraction of the price.

Action isn't spectacular like an Ibanez S series I have, but I really can't complain about it, its still better than most. Its a natural finish, and non-glossy, which I like. Most finishes I see always look dirty because of the finger prints and this one you don't have to worry about that.

Gibson product made in America, do I need to say more?

Never had a problem, can't see ever haveing one.

Don't buy a 2000 dollar guitar. Don't do it. And don't buy a 500 Epiphone Les Paul. Just don't do it. The Gibby special is the beautiful medium you have been looking for. Great quality and sound for a great low price. If something happens to mine, I am going out and buying another one, for sure.

As per the other reviews, p100 pickups. Cinnamon red, 1997

I read with amusement the reviews from the bedroom champions. I stared out on a 54 les paul goldtop that a neighbour owned and I got to play as a young guy. I bought a les paul sg ( three humbuckers) and thought i had the rock world by the tail. However I was missing something. Many years later I picked up a tele and thought ," that is the sound." However in overdive mode it was missing something. then I discovered the difference between p 90s ( the old les paul) and single coil( the new tele) sounds. I gotta be frank...this took a long time as I was gigging and changing amps every year.Now with the benefit of those years i assess this guitar. It is the nice balance between the P 90s and the single coils. It is an IMPROVEMENT when played live as it has the output I want and the tones I need. Sure I look back on the old les paul and wonder how it would compare today. But heck, I don't think Gibson is stupid. I see the new guitars as smart designs. Vintage guitars that are not reintroduced and not reintroduced for a reason. I left the old P90 hehind and have embraced the new p100s. They are quietand they ROCK through my marshall JCM 800. Nuff said

Quality is excellent. If you think vintage is the answer you should try the old gibson vibrato tailpiece that relied on you mechanically bending a piece of steel. i thought it was normal to tune between every song Eghads. Keep the 63 reissue too.

It is a great looker. I love it. Add straplocks. That is how I got rid of the 63 les paul sg. In two pieces.

Gibson quietly improves everything it makes. I am astonished at the value of this guitar, quality versus price, no one can touch them. And they haven't gone to another country to cut their production costs. That speaks volumes for me as they realize that a skilled and well paid domestic workforce is the key to survival. No MIJ or MIM here!!!!!!!!!! See their new acoustic guitars if you want something special.

Nicest guitar for a working musician that I have ever played. If it was ripped off I'd be sad and then after a proper mourninbg period. I'd replace it with the same thing. The nbew generation of guitar players has fantastic value offered to them in this model

You know the features- the only issue for those who are contemplating buying is that some of the stuff on this gitfiddle is junk- i replaced the plastic cord input with a steel one, the strap buttons were switched immediately with schallers, and despite what everyone else here thought, i thought the tuners were ugly low quality plastic junk, and replaced them with locking tuners. just for looks, i replaced the white pick up rings with black ones, and the selector switch accessories with black ones as well. with all those switch outs, it looks better, and is a bit more reliable. i'm not complaining though, it's a wonderful instrument for the price.

Sound is stellar, I'm so in love with this guitar.

Finish is weak, but i bought it to play, not stare at, and I'd rather sound good than look good. Factory set up was ok, but i had it set up by a pro a year ago and it still feels perfect. I did have to have some work done on the nut, the B string tended to pop out when i bent it too far. All in all very nice.

I think it will last forever with the minor mods I've done. I would gig without back up no problem.

N/A.

What i have here is a 2002 les paul special with "worn finish". I rocked on this thing at a sam ash and had to have it. It came stock with 490 and a 498 pickup. It has a worn cherry finsih. It looks good. It is basically a stripped down basic les paul.

ok. mine probably sounds much different than yours because of all the mods i've made. I have sperzel tuners, a shaved neck, and emg pickups(81&85). so mine kicks the shit out of the stock version. it's very quiet. once you remove the laquer and shit of that neck its smooth as fuck.

i hade my action set up so it's all good. the finish is cheap as fuck. it dents really easy. just to give you an idea most gibson guitars have 11 coats of finish. this ax has 2. it does allow to actually hear the guitar though. which is a nice feature. it's my stage ax, but i've put alot into it as well.

no problems. built like a tank. if you dragged it through hell, it would only get hotter.

n/a

ive been playing 5 years. i have a standard fender strat, an ibanez rg series, and and esp mh-300. this paul is my ax of choice.

Gibson Les Paul Special SL. Made In America (we still make the best guitars, by far) 2002. Standard Les Paul configuration: Two humbuckers, 22 frets, three way toggle, two volume two tone. All mahogany guitar, no maple cap. Natural finish. I like natural or transparent finishes because usually the best pieces of wood are used for these guitar (no way to hide the flaws). Pickups are alnico magnet 498T and 490R. The 498 has an alnico V magnet, so I guess this is sort of Gibson's version of Duncan's Custom V. The pickups are alright, nothing special, just alright. The tuners are inexpensive Gibson non-locking. This guitar needs locking tuners. More on tuners and pickups later. Neck is classic style slim taper. It is IMHO perfect in size, not too large like a custom or a studio, but not too small like an Ibanez. Scale is of course standard Gibson 24 3/4.

First, remember this is a five hundred dollar guitar, not a five thousand dollar guitar. FOR THE PRICE, this guitar sounds awesome. It has a very full rich, mahogany, sound. I play hard rock/heavy metal (think Metallica crossed with Dream Theater). I use it with either a Peavey 5150 or Marshall JCM 900 amp and two celestion G12-75 speakers. First let me say that these speakers are, well, nothing special. They are not Vintage 30's or Greenbacks. I'm getting a new cab very soon. Going through the 5150 there is a lot of hiss, of course everything has a lot hiss through this amp. I love the sound of this amp, but the hiss has got to go. Fairly quiet going through the Marshall but not EMG quiet. It does work fairly well for my style of music. It will work very well, after I make some needed modifications. I play most of my music on the high gain settings and live, I dial back the guitar volume (as opposed to switching channels) for a cleaner sound. For Studio I just track in parts and use different amps for clean and dirty.

I bought it used so the action was fantastic. It was very low, just the way I like it. The closer to the fret board the better for me. Everything was in good shape. I do need to send this guitar to a tech to fine tune everything, dress frets etc. I should say that almost every guitar needs this done to it, at least I think it does. This guitar does need some modifications to bring it up to standard for a professional musician. More about this later. Just as a sidenote; I hate the the pickups covers, those have got to go!!!!!

It is a Gibson, should withstand live playing for the next two centuries. Hardward is fine, but I think a Tone Pros locking Bridge would be a great investment. I hate the fact that the bridge and tail piece fall off when you're cleaning the guitar. Put strap locks on. This is a must with any Gibson. I can depend on it, but I'm not stupid, I would never gig without a backup unless I couldn't afford a second guitar. DON'T drop this guitar. You will break the neck at the headstock. The angled head stock is this or any Gibson's weak point. Other than that, very durable.

I've talked to Gibson customer support several times about various issues, not necesarily pertaining to repairs. I have three Gibsons and none of them have ever needed to be repaired. They are quite friendly and helpful, but again, I've never tried to use a warranty.

OK, here we go. I've been playing for ten years or so. I'm entering my last year of music school. This is only pertinent because it means I play quite a bit. I also work part time in a music store so I get to play a lot and I mean a lot of guitars. How good is this guitar? Depends on who is playing it. It only matters if the player likes the guitar not the rest of us. That having been said, let me say that compared to other five hundred dollar guitars, this one is the best that I have played. Epiphone isn't close. ESP/LTD, not close either. PRS Santana SE; not a bad guitar, but not on this level either. PRS Tremonti SE: I have to be honest here. I have read all the reviews on this guitar and even played one at the NAMM show, and I'm not as impressed as everyone else is with it. I think this Les Paul is a far better piece of craftsmanship. I think the wood is better quality, the hardward is certainly better quality and the pickups are far superior( and I don't even like the pickups that much). I have read reviews that say this will run with a Les Paul Classic, Standard, Custom or an american PRS. This is simply not the case. I have played a number of these guitars and this one isn't in that class. It is 1/3 the price as well, so I wouldn't expect it to run with those dogs. It does a decent job of keeping up with them considering that it is 1/3 the price. Quite honestly I have a 70's Vintage Explorer and it eats this guitar alive. It is no contest. I bought this guitar strictly as a stage guitar, not a recording guitar and it is adequate for that. Actually, I bought it for a backup stage guitar and it is more than adequate for that purpose. This guitar needs and will very soon get locking tuners, new pickups and a Tone Pros locking bridge. The tuners are ok, but this guitar goes out of tune far too often for me. The pickups are again adequate, but I have Seymour Duncan Invaders and Dimes on my other guitars and they are far superior. The tone is much richer. The bridge coming off everytime I re-string just annoys me. The changes, predominantly changing the tuners, will make this guitar useable in the studio if I wish too use it. I probably won't though because tonally the Explorer is far superior and my guitar tech is modifying a super strat style guitar for me, specifically for that purpose. It might sound like I'm complaining about this guitar, but I'm not. I was a little disappointed with it at first, but then I remembered how much this guitar cost me (not much) and decided to just enjoy this fine instrument. If you're looking for a single cut guitar and you have a limited budget, I would give real consideration to this guitar. It is the best guitar that I've played in it's price range. If you can afford a two thousand dollar Les Paul Standard than buy that. It is superior to this guitar(no contest). But if you're looking at an Epiphone Les Paul or one of the various ESP/LTD's or a PRS SE or even an SG special or Les Paul Studio, definitely look at this guitar before you buy. I think it is better than the korean guitars and can give the studio a run for its money. Bottom line; great guitar for the money. If you can afford a Les Paul Standard, Classic, Custom, an american PRS, Baker or anything else in that price range, buy it. If not condsider this guitar as an option.

Mine is the 27th electric guitar produced at Gibson USA, Nashville TN on October 26th, 2002, per the serial number 02992527. The features are standard Les Paul, minus the sequins. These guitars feature the same mahogany body & neck, and the same functional hardware as the Studio Les Paul. It is a real Gibson LP guitar, which is the most important feature of all. I am giving it a 10 here because for me, it is exactly what I was looking for.

I've had about 10 electric guitars starting off with a Silvertone with a built-in little tube amp in the case to and 1987 Ferrari Red American Standard Stratocaster. My favorite guitar off all of them over these past 20 years was a 1981 or 82 Gibson 'The Paul' Firebrand that I bought while in the Army in Germany in 1982. I loved it, it had such a sweet, mellow tone but could also scream. It never sounded shrill. A very close second were the 87 Strat that I bought new and an older Guild electric that I bought used. I LOVED those 3 guitars, but I think the Gibson and the Guild had the better sounds, and the Strat was basically just too sexy to walk past, and had that awsome Strat sound. I guess I'm just an old humbucker. Anywhooo, my guitars are all gone now and I started thinking to myself, Lord, I love to have another Gibson, nothing fancy, just a sweet little American made Gibson with all its humbucking glory...but I assumed it was impossible due to the cost.

I walked into a music store and there she was; 'Made in USA', two chrome plated humbuckers, chrome tune-o-matic bridge and stop piece, you know, a beautiful, if a little plain, guitar. I picked it up and started playing it, and knew immediately I was buying one. The one in the shop was set-up by a pro, and when I took mine out of the box I was rather disappointed at the high action and rough frets that reminded me of fish bones sticking in my hands. And the 'faded cherry' paint job got old REALLY fast, at least as far as I was concerned. But...knowing full well that withing my arms rested a diamond in the rough I proceeded, after much agonizing indecision, to head for the work shop...

10. Rock solid, no bells, no whistles. But; take head with your Gibson electric lest you break it's neck! That was the sad, unfortunate fate of my 'The Paul' and oh, how I mourned!

Gibson is really prettt decent for a huge company. I called and spoke with a customer service rep. and we talked for 10 minutes and I never felt rushed. The dude I was speaking with loved Gibson electrics, and it was obvious.

Well, down in the shop the paint job with its' waxy coat came off, and the wonderful mahogany body and neck are a joy to behold. It's in the process of getting an oil finish, and if you'd like to see it email me at geos999@hotmail.com and explain to me how to do it and I'll gladly oblige. Also, I carefully smoothed out those rough frets and oiled and polished the rosewood finger board. Gone is the chinsy plastic "rythym/treble" ring around the toggle switch, and those toy guitar volume/tone knobs are being replaced with Gibson gold speed knobs. I am so in love with my guitar, I never thought I could feel this way again. If you are a Gibson humbucker fan, you owe it to yourself to pick one up at this price while you still can. I am very grateful that Gibson is producing a no-frills players piece like the Les Paul Special SL. An answer to my prayers. Thanks, Jesus.

This guitar is great. It was made in the great USA.Its got two gibson humbuckers.Two volume and two tone nobs (hehe nobs). Its got a three way selector. I like both the pickups but for different uses.Its got a nice black finish but let me just say the finish is why its a little cheaper than the other gibson les pauls.Gibson non locking tuners.It came with a gig bag.

I pretty much play punk,ska,classic rock and this guitar is perfect of course its a gibson duhh!! (dont worry i love fenders too)I play this out of a line6 spider (also awesome). Its not noisy unless your playing it duhh its a punk/rock guitar (humbuckers keep the hum down)I can get any sound i want out of this guitar.I cant find any dislikes yet all likes.ITS GREAT TO HAVE A REAL GIBSON LES PAUL FOR YOUR FIRST GUITAR !!!!!

It was set up perfectly from what i know about it.Pickups were just right. the pickups were a little loose but i tightened them right up.

Ive never played it live (im 15).Im sure it probably could. Let me tell you something this guitar can take a beating my strap came of my guitar when i was playing and it slipped and when it crashed all of its wieght went on one of the tuners and bent it. i was freaked out by then i mean this thing was my baby. but i think i seem to sound better (im not recommending dropping yours though)

Never delt with them no probs yet

Ive been playing for maybe a year and maybe half was with this guitar. I would probably get this guitar again but if not i would probably stay with gibson maybe fender.I love my humbuckers. I compared it to other gibsons same sound just different finish.I wish it had ....... i cant think of any thing. ITS JUST PLAIN AWESOME!!!!

I bought mine used and it looks to be a 2001 model, sold as a Les Paul Special SL, though it has chrome covered humbuckers so it may be an HB model. It's a pecan/caramel color and has cream pickup rings and selector cap, mahogany body and slim-taper neck (faster than my LP Classic), dot inlays, and maybe medium-jumbo frets. No pickguard, no frills, just a plain old stripped-down meat and potatoes Les Paul. I can't compare it to a higher priced Gibson, because these are inexpensive.

I play hard/modern rock in my band and gig regularly. I also play blues and clean jazz. I'm using this guitar through a Marshall VS265, as a backup system for my Les Paul Classic and Mesa Dual Rectifier. The tone on this LP Special challenges that of my LP Classic, but the Classic is still better. The guitar has a whole lot of singing, liquid sustain. The neck pickup is very warm, but clear. The bridge pickup is very smooth, if perhaps a little on the bright side. Selecting both pickups gives a better sound than on my LP Classic, it's more chimey/twangy and serves clean funk/rhythmic styles better- kind of in the way some may use the in-between position on a Tele. This makes it a very versatile guitar. The overall tone is well balanced. You get very nice rock and metal tones, as well as sweet jazzy cleans and twangy stuff as well. I can't seem to put the darned thing down- it just sings and sustains with Les Paul tone!

I've had a handful of problems with Gibson's quality control over the years. One day they seem to be on the ball, and the next day they're slacking again, especially in the area of fretwork. However, this guitar played great in the store before I bought it, and once I got it home I raised the action to 2.5mm bass, 2.0mm treble, and put GHS Boomer .010's on it. Neck relief= .008" @ 7th fret. This is my setup for all my guitars. This one has no buzzing even with very low action, and has excellent fretwork. The nut and hardware are great. The finishes are quite fugly in my opinion, but that's ok for the price. The tuners are VERY responsive- a tiny adjustment makes a lot of difference. Everything else on it seems pretty solid. My only gripe is something that is typical with Gibson's that I wish they would fix: the bridges on alot of Gibson's are too far forward. They need to bring it back at least 1/8" farther so you can intonate them w/o having to adjust the saddles all the way toward the back of the guitar.

It's used and has clearly been played to death, so I'd say it's holding up well.

If they made perfect guitars, we wouldn't need customer support.

I've been playing and gigging for 24 yrs. I own a bunch of Fenders and Gibsons. If you want the Les Paul tone at an inexpensive price and don't want to settle for an Epiphone (I don't like Epiphone guitars in the least), then try these real Gibson's. They sound almost as good as a $2,000.+ Les Paul Standard or Classic, and much better than an Epi. These are perhaps the best bang for the buck Gibson has ever put out. I like the newer red color I see on the new models.

2002, it's a faded model, American made (oooh, quality). Flat top, solid Mahogany body and neck, Rosewood Fretboard, Mother of pearl inlay. 490 & 498 humbuckers. Satin Finish. Gibson Deluxe tuners. No nonsense guitar nothing that isn't needed (the way I like it).

Perfect for My music (Blues, Classic rock, Rock) Playin' it through an old silvertone 100W head and Crate 4 12" cab, with a Korg AX1G effects unit. makes ya wanna cry with the tones I can get. Big fat sound, The only noise there is, is the noise I make myself. Excelent sustain.

I haven't made any adjustments since I bought it (except tuning), low action no buzzing. pickups set up fine. Satin Finish hides the fingerprints and scratches well.

This Guitar is Like a rock, and as heavy as one. Ive used it in gigs and have had no problems. I think it can take a beating and still kick. But it isn't that old, time will tell.

Don't need 'em

I've Been Playing for about four years, out of my eight guitars this is my favorite. I'd cry if it were stolen, but then I'd go and buy another one just like it. I really like the sound of humbuckers and the feel of the neck. No complaints. I got it because it's what I've been wanting for a long time, and then HEY! It's on sale! So I bought one and I love it! When I even think about this guitar I feel like dancin'. Great guitar.

Black finish. I called around and found out why these are so much cheaper than the other Les Pauls. First off, it is NOT a carved body like the real LP's. It has a flat surface. Second, They use a different finish than the real LP's. Without having to put on a Laquer finish by hand (like the standards that take 10-17 days to complete), they use a cheaper polyurithane finsish (which takes about 4 hours) Thus, less labor time = major savings to the consumer. Also, the inlays are plastic instead of real pearl. It took me forever to figure it out, since Musiciansfriend had no idea why it was cheaper. Gibson was able to tell me. Also, this guitar is made specifically for sale at Musiciansfriend. Hope this helps.

Great sound. Same pickups as the Standards and Customs.

Finish is kind of cheap. Gets pretty bad fingerprints and forearm marks on it from playing. but not noticeable from stage. I've had to adjust the neck on mine a few times since i got it, kind of bends up alot. Maybe its just mine. (i like my action low, which may be a factor)

Guitar has been fine since i got it a year ago. Strap buttons are too small, didn't hold strap very securely, so i put on Dunlop Strap Lock system. (great)

Overall, I love this guitar! Been playing 10 years. Don't spend your money on a real LP when this is good enough!

Mine was a 2001 model, made in the USA. Flat-top, mahogany body, 2 standard pickups, read the other reviews for details.

I've been playing for 6 years, and it was all on a strat. This was my first humbucker guitar. I'd been lusting after the LP for years; it seemed that it was the ultimate guitar. guess what---I HATE IT!
the sound is perfect les paul, so it's not the guitar's fault. it's my fault for buying the hype. this guitar sound really fat and dark. clean playing is practically muddy compared to the strat; distortion is thick as bricks. yes, it's perfect les paul, but I guess that just isn't the tone for me. still, it's extremely quiet. I'm well aware some people like this type of tone, but my personal taste is for cleaner, lighter sounds, so that's how I rated it.

setup was just fine from the factory. of course, I adjusted it to my liking. it's an american made gibson, so it's top-quality. however, the tuning keys are a different story. they are awful. they're the green "vintage" type keys, and they do NOT stay in tune. you'll definitely have to change out the keys. that was the only real problem.

such a solid instrument. don't worry about this category.

?

I wish I hadn't bought the hype about les pauls. sure, they're damn fine guitars, but they simply are not my style. the necks are too big and strangely shaped...I like the smoother strat necks. the frets are high and sharp...I like rounded, low frets. and forget about playing it comfortably when sitting down. and that damned single cutaway is a pain. It's simply an entirely different guitar from the strat, and you'd better be damn sure you want this style. I sure don't. please email me for more opinions; I'm glad to help.
axlroseusa@netscape.net

Flat-top, mahogony LP. Mini-trap inlays, vintage tuners, cream plastic parts -- no bindng. 490 & 498T hums. Nice, clean-looking player's LP with the familiar layout.

The guitar is nice and quiet, even at stage volumes. Pickups are quite powerful, but very bright -- I have to EQ the head to near-flat to get a tolerable, listenable sound; but when it's dialed in, it sounds great. My live stuff is nearly all bridge-only, hi-gain work, but man - that neck PU also sounds great through a nice clean amp.

I'm rarely satisfied with a vrand new setup, so I gave it the usual treatment -- adjust the truss rod and action, install new graph-tech saddles (these are amazing -- I can't stress this enough), re-intonate, set pickup height, etc... Oiled the fingerboard (lemon oil), and sanded the neck using 1500 - 2000 grit 3M wet-or-dry to get rid of the horrible tackiness found in stock form. The guitar is an absolute top-shelf player now... I can't put it down. It's already been paying its dues at shows and been working out great. Interestingly, this was a "Scratch and Dent" item from MF, but there was nary a flaw on it when it arrived. It was in perfect condition.

Get yourself some strap locks -- this should be required. The finish (this one's ebony) is prone to scratching and gumming up, but will surely last a while. Hardware is pretty solid, though I tend to tighten everything a touch when new anyway -- you'd be amazed sometimes at how many new guitars arrive with loose knobs, tuners, etc. With those saddles and new strings, I'm confident without a backup, though I usually bring one for the hell of it anyway...

I don't deal with the manufacturers. If it's something I can fix, I do the work. I've heard a lot of horror stories about MF, but I've had pretty decent luck with them, though their packing is typically horrifying.

Playing 15 years -- modded Big Apple strat, another strat rip-off, Epi Les Paul Deluxe, Takamine acousteic, Fender Musicmaster short-scale bass, Mig-60 and 2 Mig50h heads, Marchall 4X12 cab, Crate Vintage Club with 3X10s (great clean sound).

For the money, this is a great guitar. A little time spent setting it up will yield a very nice, highly playable genuine Gibby for not much dough. It does what you want it to, reliably and in style. Sure, there are some cheapie tuners and a plastic jack plate on the guitar, but these are minor compromises for what overall is a solid bargain. For less than half the cost, this LP has edged out my beloved Big Apple as my main guitar. Unless you're ardently anti-Les Paul, you really can't go wrong...

This is a a stripped down Paul. It is made of a slab of flat mahogany body and neck mine is a natural finish that sort of looks like butterscocth in low light. It's either a 2001 or 2002 made in the u.s. It has 22 big frets. You can tell that it was sloppily made but it has good tone and a fair price compared to the other Les Pauls. It has a 400R and 480T pickups that aren't to bad. It has a thinner 60's neck. It came with a Gibson deluxe gig bag.

I play electrified blues, classic rock(Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Beatles etc.), hard rock and metal(TOOL, A Perfect Circle, Metallica), and rock/alternative(Nirvana, Soundgarden, Weezer, STP). I think it sounds pretty good the mahogany body gets that really deep sound. I'm running it through a Crate GX-40C and it sounds good. The treble pickup makes some buzz but is isn't that bad.

The action from the factory wasn't too bad but it wasn't the way I like it so I had it set up. All of the Hardware seem to be installed alright. As I said they did a somewhat sloppy job of putting it together. There are a few minor flaws that are barely noticeable that have been sanded out of the wood. The frets are okay. I like the Gibson Deluxe tuners on it.

I haven't tried it live yet but it feels good. I haven't had it for a long time but it's solid. I always take backups on gigs but I think I can depend on this one

Lifetime warranty. Haven't dealt with Gibson

Bottom line it's a good guitar I like the sound and I like the feel if it were stolen I would replace it. I only with Gibson would make and affordable guitar like this in a carved top.

2001 USA GIBSON LES PAUL SPECIAL SL -BASIC LES PAUL CONFIGURATION W/490 & 498T HUMBUCKERS, MAPLE BODY W/BLACK FINISH. Trapezoid inlays. Gig bag included. -just a bare bones Paul without any frills...Just the way I like it. Got it for $500.00 from Musician's Friend on line.

It suits my style real well. I play mainly harder rock & heavy electric blues, i.e. Zeppelin, Old VH, Randy Rhoads, Zak Wylde, Metallica, & Hendrix. I play it through a Peavey Triumph 60 ultra gain tube head split with a Rocktron Rampage 50c solid state through a Behringer Cab w/4X12 jensens in it. I basically just use the built in distortion, reverb & chorus of the amps and maybe a splasy of delay from a cheap Ibanez pedal I have. I sometimes employ a Wah as well. Haven't had any problem w/noise & it gives a rich full sound, kinda dark which I like. Also pretty smooth and creamy. Sounds great acousitcally as well. Again, I am only rating this guitar verse other $500 guitars. For the price, it's a great buy. IMHO it beats the hell out of the Paul's three times the price. Gibson is making a killing out of selling production guitars at handmade/boutique prices. Especially for the younger players or those that don't have the cash flow to buy a $1,500 Les Paul or high end Fender/PRS - this is the guitar for you, plus it's Made in the USA which is a bonus. I like the sound overall but am thinking of putting on GHS TNT Boomers to see if that works even better. Right now I have on nickel wound .09 guage strings - just not beefy enough for me.

The factory did a great job of setting up the guitar....Although I never hold a factory accountable for a set up as I feel that is the job of the individual musician who buys it. Unless I personally custom order an axe from a dealer and tell them exactly how I want it, I don't expect them to be mind readers. This guitar was in tune right outta the box! Amazing. Everything was in proper order - no major flaws. Only bitch I have is that the back of the neck seems to smudge and hold hand grime real easy......a minor annoyance.

This guitar is a tank. The finish isn't the best, especially on the back of the neck...smudges real easy. Overall though for the money, who cares, I don't mind a few chips on this baby - gives it character.
Would never gig without a back up now; that's not to say that I never have in the past.

This is not a slap at Gibson, but Musician's Friend basically sucked dealing with on this guitar. It was supposed to be shipped within a week and when it wasn't I called MF who then said it was on back order for a month. Again, never came in, I had to call again when they should of called me to let me know. Anyways, took 4 months to get this guitar, after getting the run-a-round from MF. Maybe other people have had better luck w/them but I found them to be pretty incompetent. MF really needs to work on its customer service, I haven't bought anything since from them. I've ordered through American Musical Supply since and they do a much better job I've found.

I've been playing for 16 yrs. and have been in almost as many bands in that time. I also own a Gibson M-III, Gibson ES-330TDW, Fender Telecaster, and an Ibanez AEG-10 Elect/Acoustic. If this guitar was stolen I'd be going to jail to for handling business on the idiots who took it. I have always wanted a Les Paul but could not validate paying $1,500.00 - $2,000.00 for one - the Special SL is a good decision for those who want to own a Paul but don't want to fork out a large amount of hard earned cash to do so.

OK, so I've owend this beut for four months now, I changed the strings for the first time yesterday and decided it's time to give my review.Mine is a 2001 model made right here in the USA which I have to say is the primary reason I bought it.it has mini trapazoid fret inlays on a very fast slim taper neck, is natural in colorand weighs about 8 lbs.It is made of a couple of slabs of mahogany it has a 490 and a 498t alnico humbucker. klauson type gibson deluxe tuning pegs.and a tune-o-matic bridge. Basicly its a striped down single cutaway Les Paul all of the nessecity's none of the glitter.I hate glitter so it scores high in my book.

Great sound,I play it through a tradmark 60 and I also have an electar tube 10 for the living room. It even has a much better acoustic tone then any other solid body guitar I've played!Great for sitting in front of the tv and playing so go to your local music store pick up a les paul (studio, classic special or smartwood any will do) and hear it for yourself.

Set-up was perfect absolutly no complaints there,however there are so pretty rough spots in the finish primarly on the sides of the headstock and where the neck meets the body.Also there are some rough spots in the edge of the fretboard they appear to be from fileling or sanding.I assume the neck would'nt pass QC on a higher priced paul but perhaps thats why they are so inexpensive.Again this is strictly cosmetec and does'nt effect the overall playability one bit, and is not noticable from 2 feet away.

I am sure it will outlive me!I bought a SKB hardcase (PERFECT FIT) for it just to make sure. I have changed the strap buttons with schaller strap locks, like just about everyone else did. I also changed the black plastic jack-plate with a nice nickel one I bought for about $8 from my local store.I was thinking about changing the tuning pegs but the gibson deluxe's are working great.

The gibson warranty is cheesy, but I know that they do stand behind there products.they went above and beyond for a friend of mine absolutly top notch.
On the other hand screw you musiciansfriend! they suck Hands Down the worst friggen company I've ever delt with!! This was the second guitar I bought from them and I said I woud'nt by one after the first I should of stuck to my convictions, they caused me more aggrivation then anyone should have to deal with, and then overcharged me!Those friggen losers suck!You should'nt do business with them ever !...
Had I not fallen so head over heels in love with this guitar it would have been on its way back to them the next day! My rating here is stritly based on www.musiciansfriend.com and in no way reflects gibson.

I've said all I need to say except I've been playing on and off for 15 years with a 8 year lapse in the middle I've had tons of gear and as far as guitars go this is my favorite I shall cherish it untill the day I die and play it more then any other. I love everything about it.It has everything I need and nothing I dont.
If it was stolen I would grab my gun and become a vigalante death machine untill I found it, and believe me I would find it!

this guitar is a whole lot cheaper than the fancier gibson LPs. And it sounds so sweet.Its us made,24.75 scale, mahogany body, rosewood fingerboard, 2 kick ass sounding humbuckers and a three way toggle swith. Its got a natural finish. its got a tune-o-matic bridge and a stop tail piece. the tuners i really don't like. it does get out of tune but not that much. i gonna eventually replace them though. when i got this i got a sweet gibson LP case,which is shaped to the guitar, for almost half the price.

i play alot of punk and it sounds great on this guitar and i play alot of metal and old rock. this guitar suits every style of music.
i'm using a crate tube half stack and it sounds great. i have an effects processor but i only used it for noise reduction for my fender strat and my ibanez, but i don't need it for this guitar i use it occasionally for more the effects and it sounds great. its got a better sound tone than the epiphones, the epiphones have a mushy tone.
the sustain is great. the only thing is there is the tiniest bit of fret buzz but that can be fixed. another thing is the plastic jack which i'll be putting a new one on, i'll be putting all gold hardware on and taking those parts that came with it and putting together a guitar from scratch.My fender and ibanez are still in commission though. i'll be putting a floyd rose on it and lace sensor pickups or dual humbuckers on it or something. i put the dunlop straplock system and now i can jump around in my room without worry bou it falling off.

the guitar is set up pretty good. the toggle swith is up top so i always hit it and swith it up. i'm used of playing a strat. i always leave the volume off of one of the pickups so i can play rage against the machine. i don't see any flaws nothing seems offset or loose. my uncle who plays guitar inspected told me there nothing wrong with.

i haven't really play on stage before but i goin 2 this summer w/my band, so i'll see. the finish looks great. it looks like it would last. i'm not worried about my finish just the sound really. so if in 30 years the finish looks like crap i know the guitar i still gonna sound good as the day i bought it. like i said i put the dunlop straplock system on it because the strap buttons were a little small. i definatly depend on it and i would use all the guitars we do alot of tuning down and i swith guitars often so i don't have to keep tuning my guitar up or down. it looks like it can take a beating.

i haven't dealt w/ the company and i haven't gotten it repaired at all. it got a lifetime warranty on it.

i've been playing for 5 years and this is the guitar i've been waiting for, for a while. i wanted a les paul for the longest time and i finally got one at a great price. before i bought this guitar i asked if they had it in another color and they didn't but i went to guitar center a week later and they had it in black and it was the same thing but it was about $400 more. i'm giving my first kid this guitar that how much i love it and im gonna have him pass it down generation to generation. i want my kid to expierence this guitar.

2001 USA made Les Paul Special, Solid top mahogany guit fiddle. Came with 2 490 pickups. Typical stripped down les paul.

Sound, okay this is where this puppy excels. I love the LP sound and this unit has it. Not quite as good as a maple top but pretty darn good.

Here is the fly in the ointment. The set up is fair at best, I have had to set up low end guitars before so this was as I expected. The Klusion tuners are a joke, this will not stay in tune. Pitch the Klusions and slap on a set of Grovers. The biggest problem is the neck, this is purely a personal opinion so it is up to you but, I hate 24.75 inch scale and I hate a fat neck worse this has both. If you love a Strat feel this is the wrong guitar for you.

No idea probably will last forever if left in the case and never played. If you take care of it and do regular maintenance this should last your lifetime.

Cant say about Gibson, but I bought this through Muscians Friend. I sent it back after about 2 weeks, I am jsut too much of a TELE, STRAT kind of a guy. They took it back no questions asked. I like to support my local music shops where I can but these guys do a great job.

I have been playing 25 years, my first guitar was a 62 LP Special. I was trying to recapture my youth with this, but the guitar missed the boat. If you are a Gibson fan this is a good ax for giging. If you broke it you wouldn't cry nearly as hard as a LP Standard. If you are like me and love a Strat, save your money.

This is a 2001 Gibson Les Paul special SL with humbuckers natural finish. If you want a frilly-pretty Les paul-don't look here. If you want an awsome players guitar with great tone. Read on! It features the typical les paul set up: Twin humbuckers, three way selector switch, two volume, two tone knobs, ste neck construction, yadda, yadda, yadda. The body and neck are made of solid mahogany and the fretboard is made of rosewood. Its not as heavy as the more expensive maple capped LP's and is very comfortable. Tuners are the Gibson Vintage style. Neck scale is 24 3/4. Accessories that came with the guitar are: 1) A high Quality Gibson Gigbag(the best Ive seen to date) very well padded and lined on the inside with the same fuzzy stuff used to line cases, and 2) a tool with a philips screw head on one end and a Hex socket on the other(for adjusting truss rod)

This guitar is as versatile as all the other LP's and will suit any style from Rock,Blues,Metal,country,Jazz,punk,etc. I'm using this guitar straight into a Marshall JCM800 1/2 stack. The tone is to die for! The tone is warm, full and rich. Its not as bright soundidng as Gibson's other maple capped guitars, but this can be made up for simply by adjusting the EQ on your amp.

The action was a tad high for me, Not much, but this is easily adjusted. The finish is not your typical Gibson finish, instead of using their Laquer finishing techniqes(which takes 11 days to complete and is expensive), Gibson used a poly finish(takes 5 days to complete) Poly finishes are used on mostly all modern guitars today. This finishing technique allows Gibson to sell these LP's well below $1000.00. I didn't have any ground problems, or any problems with fretbuzz. The pots and selector switch operate smoothly. Bridge pieces and tuners-ok.Pickups are Ok and are the same ones used in the more expensive Les Pauls. The nut is plastic and this may bother some, but it suits me just fine. The only thing that I didn't like on the guitar was that the guitars jack plate is plastic. I've seen plastic jackplates crack and brake by simply having the guitar cable bumped. It appears to be the same size as the other Metal jackplates that Gibson uses, so I'll definitly upgrade to a metal Gibson jackplate.

This guitar is definitly a Players guitar and appears to be built like a tank, it's the guitar to last you a lifetime. The Poly finish should withstand years of playing. Ploly finishes are very durable,more so than the more expensive laquer finishes. The straps buttons are very small, so I'd reccomend buying larger buttons or better yet, straplocks. Very dependable guitar, It's gonna be my main axe. I'd be comfortable it on a gig without a backup, making sure it had new strings prior to the gig.

This is my fourth Les Paul, I've never had to contact Gibson for anything. The warranty on this guitar is for the lifetime of the ORIGINAL owner. With a warranty like that, you can't go wrong and for this I give them a 10.

I've been playing for 15yrs and this is my fourth Les Paul. I've owned a '78 LP custom, a 79 LP standard(kalamazoo), and a '95 LP custom, JCM800 50 watt head and cab. This guitar is my favorite of them all! It sounds, plays, and feels just like the more expensive Pauls. It just lacks all the pretty stuff, like binding and gold hardware etc. This is a real meat and potatoes guitar, and I love its simplicity. As they say: "Less is more", and I think this statement applies well to this guitar. If it were lost or stolen I'd cry and get another one. I want to be buried with guitar when I die! LOL! I'd reccommend this guitar to anyone wanting a Les Paul. Its a great value for what its worth. I just wish I had known about these guitars before I plunked down the cash for my other Les Pauls! I'm looking into getting another LP SL, maybe the Black one. I just wish it came with straplocks, a metal jackplate, and a hardshell case. Well that's my $.02, gotta run! I got a Les Paul SL to play! Do yourself a favor and buy one.

two pickups, two volume, two tone, frets...it's an electric guitar.

I play mostly power pop/punk type stuff. The sound is like a big thick slab o' meat with the volume on ten, cleans up really nicely around 2-3 without petering out and sounding wimpy. I run it through a Peavey 5150. No grounding issues for me.

Okay, the polythene pam finish is a bit cheesy and there's a couple of small (tiny) flaws right where the upper part of the fretboard meets the body. Doesn't clean up real well. I had to dick with the action and tightened up the truss rod a bit. The actions just a tad high, not much, but it's fine. Also, I haven't changed out the tuners but really need to. The standard ones that come with it are pretty sucky. But, even though this may sound contradictory considering my comments, but the guitar is very, very playable and I use it for my main gigging instrument.

I've been banging on this thing, and I truly mean banging on it for several months now. It seems solid enough. I trust it in live situations. The only flimsy part of the guitar is the tuners. Why Gibson uses these (and they put them on more expensive Les Pauls) is beyond me. But, tuners are an easy, fairly cheap replacement.

Haven't dealt with the company at all.

Been playing twenty-four years. I have a Strat with Seymour Duncan JB Juniors, a Carvin SC90, and a SG Pete Townshend model. I now have two Les Paul Specials, as I said, they are my main gigging instruments. They're solid enough to withstand live use and they sound great, plus they're not so expensive that I'm worried about dinging them up as I get pretty active on stage. If they are truly limited editions and you want a Les Paul sound I highly recommend grabbing on of these. You may have to tweak it a little but it's a great guitar after you get it set up properly.

Plain & simple Les Paul. The standard config. two vol, two tone, three way. two gibson Humbuckers. I am one who looks for the most bang for the buck. I don't care is the top on my guitar is a 10 or AAA. Its just a slab of Mahogany with a three piece quarter sawn neck. It just has to sound good & play good. This guitar is the real deal. The work on it is better than most of the higer end models. I could not find a flaw. The body is almost one piece. (one little two inch wide piece on the lower side of body.) Mine is finished in natural clear coat. came with a Gibson padded gig bag.

Nothing sounds better than a Mahogany guitar thru a Marshall. Sustain for days. I have only had it for a few days but this one is going to be around for a while. The clean sound is some what dark but that is what to expect from a all mahogany body guitar.

no flaws, only complant is Gigson needs to round the edge of the nut a little more a couple of sharp edges there.

built like a tank. with the three piece quarter sawn nuck it not going to be moving much. this is how Gibson need to do the rest of there guitars.

I have never delt with Gibson on this guitar but from past experance they need to work on it.

I have been playing for 15 years now. I have owed four other LP's & with the exception of my Gary Moore(the only other LP I still own) & an orginal 57 Goldtop a friend owns ,this is the best playing & sounding LP I have come acrossed. Don't have a lot of dough but want a USA made Les Paul go out & find one of these. I would recomend buying the Natural finished ones due to you will get a better piece of wood. The Black colored ones are multi pieced bodies.

USA made Gibson Les Paul Special, Scratch N Dent $399 at musicians friend, H/H pickups, 490/498 just like lp studio and standard, mine is ebony with a big chip right where your forearm rests on the body(where the curve would be on a strat) The chip doesnt bother me one bit, cuz this axe still sounds awesome and I got $100 off of the lowest price I had seen it before($500), and this guitar is not made to be a looker anyway...would be nice if it had grovers, Ill probably put some on soon, and Id like a bone nut instead of plastic, but for the price I shouldnt complain. Tuners dont stay in tune very well, but I want to put grovers on anyway. The gig bag is nice, but I may buy a $50 musicians friend hard case for it. I play mostly rock, blues and this guitar is awesome. You cant go wrong with a gibson les paul. The pickups cost about $230 alone, why not just buy the whole guitar for $400-600?

Gibby> pedals(mostly boss and a tubescreamer>fender hot rod deluxe
Look out, best clean tone you ever heard(the amp helps alot!)I have not played a LP studio or standard extensively, and never through this amp, so I cant really compare to those, but it sounds great anyway.

Action was good, paint job kinda half ass it seems. Others have said they like the paint, maybe mine is bunk so thats why I got it so cheap. The neck seems like its unlaquered or whatever its called. the neck builds up fingerprints and hand mung very quickly and if I clean it with a watered washcloth, it never seems to have a good luster, just a dull matte look. I may have to look into paint jobs or something. Also, the fretboard seemed especially dry when it arrived. I just rubbed fast fret on it a couple days in a row and it helped, but it doesnt seem as smooth as some other gits Ive played. I think I need to find some of that lemon oil everyone is raving about.

I put poor mans strap locks(washers) on this axe, seems solid now, I have no worried of dropping it. If I scratch this guitar, I dont even care, it just adds character. It came with a big chip on front about the size of a cut green bean (bad analogy) or say half a piece of chalk(little bit better analogy).It also had some swirl marks or something on the back. I dont gig with this axe, cuz I play bass in my band, but I would if I played guitar and no I wouldnt bring backup. My one concern is the finish on the back of the neck especially. It seems to build up fingerprints and dead skin or something, and kinda bogs down playing. Even if I clean it with a wet rag, I cant seem to bring out a shine in the neck paint. I wonder if they forgot to clear cote or whatever.

who knows

Been playing about 7 years. If this one were lost, damn would I get mad. My woman bought me this axe for a birthday present, so I intend on keeping it. I am so protective of my gear thatI leave it all in the safety of my parents house when I go away to college. Shoot, whoever would steal this guitar needs to go work two weeks at mcdonalds and just buy their own!!!

You can read all the features below. Mine is a SINGLE chunk of mahogany--don't know if that's rare for these lower-priced Gibbies, but I think it's way cool! Mine is the natural finished one, looks really cool. I love the simplicity of it. Guitar plays like a dream. Mine has the mini-traps, I'd actually prefer the dot inlay on this guitar, but no biggie. Mine was bought used for $500 cash; I think they've been blowing out at Mus Friend for $550 or so, a KILLER deal on an American guitar that has the best pickups in the world to me--Gibson 490/498s. They ROCK.

Just the best. Fat, warm, sustains like crazy, a big rich "throaty" sound that is awesome. Great for blues and rock, this would be a great punk rock guitar too.

No issues at all.

Cannot rate, as I've only had it 8 months or so. I'm sure it'll hold up fine.

Dunno.

I LOVE this guitar! After 2-3 years of going from guitar to guitar (various Tele's, G&L ASATs, LP Studios, Hamer Vanguard, Ibanez LP copy, Epi LP, Explorer copies, Strats, G&L Legacies, Godin, Santana SE, you name it I've probably owned it) this is the ONLY guitar I've kept for more than 6 months. I don't think I'll ever let this one go. It is a PERFECT guitar for me and my mucial style. And now going for $550 new?! GO GET ONE! Don't believe the propaganda about Gibson quality sucking. A lot of fans of Hamer, PRS, etc like to dog out Gibson. Funny thing to me is, Gibson (and Fender, for that matter) has the most consistenly HIGH quality I've seen in guitars in recent years. As far as I'm concerned, Gibson's guitars are the best playing and sounding axes out there. This has been MY experience, and that's all that matters to me. Let your eyes, ears, and hands be the judge.

The features are just what makes a Les Paul great to me,, nice chunk of mahogony,nice natural finish,great pickups and hardware,smooth tuners,3 way standard switch. This to me was Les Pauls original idea for a great guitar!!!

The sound of this baby is dead on 100 percent warm Gibson!! Itll do rock,,rockablilly,blues to a tee,jazz,what ever youre fingers can do.If youre playing class music she,ll do it all!The pickups are full with the right combo of good sounds coming out of both the lead and rhythm pickup!!

The guitar was setup nice,the action was a bit lower than Im used to,but,Ive brought it up a bit for my playing.the fit is nice and snug,the sustain will put a smile on youre face!The only flaw I can see is Me!! not buying this guitar sooner!!All in all Gibson did this guitar total justice and Ive waited a long time for them to make this for me at this price!!!

This guitar feels rock solid!! Im sure being a Gibson,itll last as long as I can still play it, and when I get some gigs together shell be right with me forever. Ill take this guitar wherever I travel and cherish it!!

I havent had to deal with the company.I dont know anything about them other than the history about Gibson..Im sure theyll keep an even keel if I should have to call on them

Ive been playing over 17 years,have owned a few old Gibsons,, a 69 Es 335 TDC..miss it!! a 1982 SG..nice ax,,a 68 ES 330..another great one.older Fenders 69 original thinline Tele,,wish I still had it,,,and a 72 blonde Tele,Today I have a 91 American Strat standard,a custom home built Tele.A Washburn Les Paul from 1991.nice one 2 Acoustics a 28 Gibson L3 and a Washburn acoustic This Gibson Les Paul SL will stay with me forever and will more than makeup for selling off the classic Gibsons Ive owned in the past!!I wished for a long time for Gibson to come up with a super affordable great sounding Les Paul and they came through!!! Overall, I know what sounds great to my ears,I have a musical gift and this makes me extremely happy !!

Mine is the Special SL (sans laquer, a poly finish) with the 490/498 'buckers. Basic Les Paul features.Nice natural finish.

I play Blues, Southern Rock, Metallica, Alternative. I think the 490/498 pickups sound as good as anything Gibson makes these days. I lowered them both down a little to get a creamier, smoother sound. I use the middle position (both pickups on) the most with the tone on 7 for the bridge pu, and 4 for the neck pu. GREAT rich tone! Easy to dial in that "hollow" tone I love, and can almost nail the Dickie Betts sweet clear tone,Hard to do without a maple cap.
I A/B a tube amp and a peavy solid state amp. Who needs an accoustic when you can run this thru the acoustic setting on my zoom 505 in to the peavy? (set bass 10- mid 0- treble 7) Very good acoustic tone! Then hit the switch and rip electric! I run the tube amp side through a modified Tubescreamer and a Danecho.
I am getting another one in black finish as a backup and might try the Duncan Antiquities pick ups>

Gibson scabed on a small piece on the bottom where the jack is to make the body wide enough. This should of been used as a painted Ebony guitar, but I must say the join was done extremely well. You can't see it at all on the front or back no matter how close you look! You can only see it on the edge where the end grain doesn't match. No big deal but I would prefer a joint down the middle if they had to do it.
The guitar looks very nice, the finish very well done but with minute imperfections from the open grain not being sealed enough- if you put your eyeball right down close in just the right light.The finish is a little thicker in some places than in others. I put heavier strings on it so I had to set it up and widen the string slots. It was set up OK but not really well. Intonation was way off. Had to get some lemon oil on the fingerboard. Plays like a dream now.
Overall fit and finish as good as my american strats. Not something to put in a glass case for display, just a real players guitar.

The finish is very durable. Gibson says this finish seals the wood so I don't need to worry about humidity or have to use a humidifier in the guitar case like you do with the laquered ones.
I don't think set necks are weaker than bolt-ons, all the broken necks I've seen have broken off right above the joint where the wood is thinner. But they ARE way more expensive to fix! I better get some straplocks! The tuners are smooth now but I don't know how long they will hold up. They are almost on the loose side. I haven't looked inside at the wireing.
This guitar will only get better with age, as it gets played in.

Lifetime warranty!

This is a Paul you can drag everywhere and not worry (too much) about.I love the unpretentious simple clean looks, the killer fat tone, the fact it doesn't weigh half a ton, the playability and the price. And it DOESN'T have a whammy!
I started playing in the '70s And yes I went thru all the Jackson-Hamer-ESP-Ibanez crap phase that all sounds so synthetic to me now. I still pick up a Fender now and then, but I have found my guitar.
My old custom made my arm go to sleep where it rested on the sharp edge of the binding. And was way too heavy. And valuable.
I'm getting another one of these! I wish they made an SG version of this one.

I believe this is a 2002 gibson Les Paul Special HB. I was happily surprised when I got the SL, it came with mini-trap inlays instead of dots! (as advertised on musicians friend) The traps look very awesome. I wont elaborate on its features... read previous reviews

Sounds superb going through my Marshall AVT20, save for the hum which supposively can be fixed by grounding the pickups. I have carpeted floors and if I move around alot and then touch anything metal on the guitar, I get a static shock. I've been playing my friend's les paul double cut studio for a while, and the SL sounds just as good, and maybe a little better (it has a slightly warmer tone)

Action came medium. I found that adjusting the low e string any lower brought on some fret buzz. The neck seems to have a very slight upward curve, which fits my taste. The neck is very fast and smooth along with the fretboard (which is almost like glass). The guitar came in perfect shape, no nicks or dents. It has a pretty (natural) finish, but the laquer is a little thick for my liking.

This thing feels like solid steel. It should hold up for years. I got the natural finish instead of the ebony (which I like more) because of the finish problems other people had posted. At least if the natural finish chips or scratches you wont notice it as much. I don't play gigs or anything like that, but you would not need a backup.

Never had to deal with gibson, but my friends have and their support was excellent.

Wow! Gibson. Les Paul. $549. Sounds great (except for the grounding problem) What more could you ask for?

i forgot to add some things in my last review so ill tell you some things. This guitar was made in 2001. it has 2 humbuckers. a 490 neck pickup and a 498T bridge pickup. it is a bit lighter than most les pauls. It has really great tuners. the guitar stays in tune really well. all in all its really just a normal les paul. the gig bag it came with was really good too.

the sound it PERFECT. you cant really ask for anything better. for the price you pay it is really great. this guitar sounds really great on any amp. really. the sustain is so good. i can hold note forever. there are no complaints in the sound. it sounds just like a really expensive les paul model. you can cover alot of ground with this guitar.

the guitar was set up better than some of the reviews i read. mine came to the door IN TUNE. i took it out of the box and started playing. the pickups were good. like i said in my other review, the finish sucks. its hard not to crack or dent the finish. but the dings that i made you cant see while i play so i dont care. i really am more for the sound than the looks. but if you want to have this guitar in perfect condition, you better be REALLY careful. and for me i have to clean the black finish like everyday. i have really sweaty hands. but its worth it. it looks great clean.

this guitar will last. the strap buttons are great. i can really depend on this. if you dont like switching guitars during gigs, then you wont need a backup. its that good. (just dont hit the finish with anything!!!)

i havent had to talk to them.

im sorry i didnt add some of these things in my other review. once i sent it in i thought of some things to add that i thought were important. all in all this is a great guitar. feel free to email me if you want to ask me about the guitar or whatever.

It has great les paul-like sound.
Sounds just like a standard(no lie).

It sounds great through my fender princeton65 and in my marshall jcm 900 w/ 4x12's.
I really love this guitars sound.

Setup to my expectations, just the way i thought gibson would be like.
Great polished finish,i love my natural finish.

Very reliable, 15 gigs,noproblem.

Very helpful, told me all i wanted to know.

Really great,i play punk and ska and ska-core. It sounds so good,i wont play anything else since ive bought it. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON 2000.00 LesPaul, GET THIS AND IT SOUNDS EXACTLY THE SAME!!!!!!

Im not sure what year this is. But it was made in the great USA. It has 22 frets. Mahogany body with contoured back
Mahogany slim-taper set neck Rosewood fingerboard Chrome hardware ABR bridge Stopbar tailpiece Two volume and two tone pots. I love the neck. Mine is in ebony (black) finish

I played this guitar through a Line 6 spider amp and a marshall amp before i bought it online. It sounded great. I have a cheap peavey amp right now. Still sounds great!

The guitar was really set up well. Everything was great. But i acidently bumped the guitar against a medal effect pedal, and now there is a little crack in the finish. I think I can touch it up but I hope it will be ok. But im not happy with the finish. but everything else was great.

This guitar will be ok for a long time. the wood and everything is like a tank. I can really depend on this guitar. I would use a back up guitar cause i like to change guitars and styles when i play. But i can depend on this guitar.

never delt with them yet.

i have been playing for about 5 years now. this is my 3rd guitar now. If it was stolen i would call the cops what else could you do? the guitar is alot better than my other guitars. The only problem i have with it is the finish.

Not too many features, but enough to get the job done. This is all I need in a guitar, I love it. If I were to add anything, I would get locking tuning machines.

Great sound, great sustain, great tone. I love it

Okay action, but Gibson sucks at setting up their guitars (and guitar center) but I got it set up by a great repairman I work with and it plays like a dream. It's extremely light and comfortable to play. Finish is nice and natural, the way i like it.

I have had little problems with the guitar. I dropped it and busted a tone pot, but I got it fixed. My only problem is the damn G string, doesn't stay in tune as well as I would like it. Otherwise, extremely reliable. Tank.

NA

Buy this guitar, I like it better than a standard. I will keep this guitar forever (as I do with all of them), but the next guitar I would get after this would be custom built for me, so I'd have to say that this is the last manufactured electric that I will ever buy. You did well, Gibson.

All mahogany construction, set neck, Gibson 490R and 498T humbuckers, stop tail piece, strap buttons, tuners, 2 tones and 2 volumes. Thinner body than LP Standards, no maple cap, flat top. Tummy cut in back. Small block inlay. Rosewood board. No pickguard, which looks naked and I gotta say good. Very thin lacquer finish, lack of sealer makes grain apparent through the finish.

This guitar sucks. Just kidding. It's the best bang for buck guitar I've ever bought. I got it on clearance at the Musician's Friend clearance/seconds warehouse in Kansas City probably about a year ago. It had two finish flaws or digs, one of which was a good 3/4 inch long chip/peel on the body near where your forearm would rest. I got it for $389. Holy shit, what a good price.

It sounds very middy, kind of dark, but it has enough highs. It can sound jazzy--I've got flatwounds on it now. Because it's all mahogany without the maple cap that LP Standards have, it lacks some of that twangy top end nasal snarl that the very best (but by no means all) Les Pauls have. The sound is a little primitive and unrefined (SG-like), chunky and dark but with a ton of mid range bite. It cuts through pretty well with a band, awesome for dirty crunch chording, and pretty good cut for leads. Admittedly, my strat is not as harmonically rich and cuts through (HB in the bridge) for leads better. Sustain is very good. I use .11s and it's a thick sounding guitar.

The stock pickups were quite good tonewise, but lacked some of the clarity and were a little too hot. I replaced them with Seymour Duncan '59s which give this guitar the brightness and snarl it needed. I'm thinking about trying the Alnico II pros for even more nasal sweetness.

Pretty good. Made in USA. Very solidly built, but sloppy. All the working, functional parts are darn near perfect and solid. But the finish is thin and nowhere near perfect, etc. I didn't buy it for the way it looks, I bought it for the way it plays and sounds. The setup and feel is very solid and good. The frets are huge--a big plus. The fretwork is in the "railroad tie" school, which is poor. You'll find this on $3,000 Pauls too though.

This is the only Les Paul I will ever play. I love the flat top. I can't stand carved tops, I just can't play them, my right hand refuses to sit correctly on them. I love the way Les Pauls look with that bookmatched maple carved top, but I can't stand playing them.

I'll give it a 7 for the fit with respect to it's function as a guitar, with consideration of the price.

The feel is very solid and good. Very good player. Be carefull with all set neck guitars. Other than that, this thing will hold up. It's a totally simple and stripped down guitar. The only thing I didn't like were the strap buttons. They are like tiny little buttons and the slip right out of the strap. Do yourself a favor--replace these with the wide, catchy Fender buttons, or never take your hands off the guitar when it's strapped on you. Or both. If it falls and hits the set mahagony neck or headstock wrong...toast (like any Les Paul). Otherwise this will hold up for 100 years.

Never dealt with Gibson.

Been playing 9 years. Have owned between 7 and 10 guitars (?) and 15+ tube amps. Am a guitarophile.

This guitar is the simplest two pickup Les Paul you can buy. It's a great value.

It's a 1999 year made solid body, 22 frets guitar. All-mahogany body & neck, rosewood fretboard. It has 2 volume & 2 tone controls. 2 i think,2 T90 (humbs) pickups. My has ebony finish, but there is also natural one. Calssic Les Paul shape. Tune-O-Matic bridge. Of course 24 1/4" string's lenght. Came with deluxe Gig Bag, which is pretty cool, but i'll probably hardcase. Gibson strings (best strings ever!)> It isn't jackson, esp or ibanez features, it's basic Les Paul

It's good for rock and jazz. I'm using it with Marshall amp. Sounds cool. Sustain is very long. On the rhytm postion sounds jazzy. The normal postion is good for playing solos song (Santana's styled). The treble good for all that hard rock fast solos -Gn'R, Metallica. There's little buzz, when it's not in use - when you touch strings by hand it stops. I think it's a grounding problem, but it isn't bad. All you need from guitar.

It came with action little too high, not a problem, I changed it. Pickups were in bad setting - neck's one was too low and bridge one was too high. Not real problem I'll fix it soon. I had too adjust strings lenght - the G one had g on open string lower than g on 12th fret. It gets dirty fast 'cause of the black color. Other things great. It needs just little adjusment.

It'll last long, I know it. Build like a soviet tank.

Never needed too and hope never will

I'm playing for 2 years. If it'll be stolen I'll steal another one 'cause I don't have another 500$. The sound is cool, long sustain -i love it. I have it only for month. It very light, much much lighter than other LP's. I love this guitar

I'm writing this review primarily to add info to what others have stated here. This model is actually called a Gibson Les Paul Junior Special HB. Check the website; it's the one with dot inlays and two covered humbuckers. The Les Paul Special SL had the stacked p100 pickups (look under the "discontinued" section). Also wanted to point out that this guitar is NOT solid mahogany; rather, it is a mahogany body with a FLAT maple cap. It's a great rock 'n roll axe, and I highly recommend it; it is a great value.

Great for rock 'n roll!

No problems whatsoever.

I assume it'll hold up well, but who knows?

No experience.

One of the best values out there. A great, American-made axe at Epiphone prices! Gotta love it.

This axe is pretty no-frills; twin P-100 pickups, two tone and two volume controls and a selector switch. It has a screwed-in pickguard. The best feature is probably the Gibson Deluxe tuners that are found on the headstock. But for the price you're paying, you can't expect many frills. This guitar is a no-thought axe. Just plug it in and play the damn thing. And it really works for that.

This guitar sounds like a Gibson despite the low price tag...I played several other Gibson Les Pauls (a Custom, a Standard and a Smartwood), and they sound similar. It seems that the only differences are the ornamentations on the other models. Obviously, they're beautiful guitars. But if you're willing to forego the mother of pearl inlays and Bullion Gold finishes, then you will get the same sound out of this axe that you will out of the big brothers. The P-100s do not cancel as much hum, though, but it actually gives the guitar more character.

This action was a bit high when I purchased it so I had the salesman lower it. Once he did this became a lean, mean machine. The finish is gloss black, and mirror-like. In the lights, this guitar can blind you. There's a small cutaway on the back of the guitar to fit under the stomach...probably taken from the Fender competitors, but it works. The guitar also feels a lot lighter than it's big brothers. Probably all those extra features that you're paying a thousand bucks more for...

This guitar could go through World War II and come out with a few dents and scratches, but still play flawlessly. It's built like a tank, and can take a pounding. Not that you'd want to have it take a pounding, but it's great to know that it's there when you need it. No need for a back-up with this puppy.

I've never dealt with Gibson's Support, but they're website is truly inspiring. It has an unmatched collection of information. I firmly believe that if I did deal with them, I'd come away smiling.

This guitar sounds like the uptown Gibsons, is built to withstand an air raid and will last longer than the cockroach. If you're willing to give up the gilt and flash of pricier LPs, then this guitar will please you endlessly.

gibson deluxe tuners..nice flat top. great price for a gibson! i will definetly be using this guitar for a long time..fast neck...fits any guitar need...great for a jazz or blues musician. some might say not but it works great with a twangy sound when you have a clean tone! hard to explain! guess youll have to find out for yourself.

great sound ! i like to play jazz rock and this is a great guitar that wont fuzz out when i dont put distortion on for those lighter songs....works great with all effects and sounds.

mine was used and had great action so yea...perfect condition sweet cinnamon / natural finish. nice hardware...tuning pegs had to be slightly tighetened.

works great all the time...the only time it doesnt sound good is when im playin like crap. definetly could be used without a backup because its built to last and is great for all sounds.

gotta love a gibson!

Made in USA 1999 or 2000. 22 beautiful jumbo frets. Solid mohogany. 2 vol. and 2 tone controls. Standard Gibson 490s and 498 Les Paul pickups. Tuneomatic bridge. A very standard but excellent Les Paul without the bells and whistles

You can play any style and get a perfect tone. I play Fender and Marshall amps and get a very big full rich bright tone. No dislikes hear.

The guitar can with high action but lowered it is minutes. No flaws at all. Finish was perfect as well as the constuction.

Strong as metal, well almost. Built to last a hundred or so years. No need for backup.

not dealt with.

This is the BEST Les Paul on the market. Reason: light weight, better, stronger more durable finish, no pickguard to get in the way, flat top for faster more accurate picking. No binding which keeps the strings from catching on the bindings. Has a much needed contour in the back of the body which makes playing this guitar a real joy.

Basically a LP Standard without the maple top, yet with a "classic" slim neck. Rosewood fretboard with smaller inlays than a standard. Mine has an ebony finish. Having two volume and tone controls is a big plus! It came with a very nice gig bag. One might consider adding a flat pick guard.

I play a little bit of everything directly into a Marshall 8040. However, most of the time I'm just messing around in the house with it unplugged. And let me tell you, this guitar is bright and full without an amp! With an amp, it's smooth and glassy on clean and provides clear unsaturated distortion on the boost channel.(My preference it to turn the gain up just to the point of saturation, and then back it off just a bit) Led Zep and STP is about as heavy as I get, and the tone from this guitar is more than adequate.

The action's a little high. I will probably have it lowered in a couple of weeks. The fit is tight- no flaws. The rosewood fretboard arrived very dry and in desperate need of conditioning, yet in tip-top condition. Mine has a natural dark streak all the way down the board. It gives it a lot of personal character.

I belive this guitar will well outlast any abuse I give it. The true test will be when my 2 year old gives it a work out... She attacks the strings much harder than I do.

I have never dealt with Gibson personally. I did find their website to be informative.

I have been playing off and on for about 7 years. Honestly, more off than on. However a fire has been lit under me recently, and for the last 6 months, I've been hyper-focused on playing. The natural progression was to buy some new gear. Volia - a new Gibson guitar!

I have a 1938 Martin acoustic- VGC, which is more of a conversation piece than a serious player's guitar. I also have a Samick(?) Strat copy I purchased new in 1994. Honestly, I did not know much about the LP Special, until a catelog arrived in the mail. What a bargin! A Gibson LP for <$500. This guitar is everything I want a guitar to be. It sounds great, looks great and it's a Gibson. If something were to happen to it, I would buy another one if possible - for I hear they are going to be discontinued. So far, I have found nothing to dislike about this guitar. I considered purchasing an epiphone LP standard, custom, or classic. For <$100 more, I went with the LP Special. No regrets.

2001 Model, Solid Mahogany, Selector switch, 2 volume, 2 tone pots. Duel Humbuckers, came with gig back, Basic a simply but great instrument. You can find all the details from the other reviews

it sound great on Blues, Surf music, Rock about anything I want to play
I tried thru several amps from Fender 65 twin reverb to Pevey tranformer 212 it sounded great in them all

The only gripe and it took a few seconds to corect was the Nut was too tight on the G string it very noticeable when tuning.
other wise it came very well set up.

I only had it a short while but this thing is built to last a lifetime
my grandchildren will be playing it.

never had to deal with them but have heard good things about them

I own two strats, wildkat and Martin SPDC-16gter
I read your reviews and decided it was a sound investment you where correct.
If it was stolen I would go find another one for sure
I choose this because of the price and the sound plus with the 45 days return policy if it was not a keeper I would have returned it.
I mainly wanted to confirm how great I like the quitar

2001 Model, Solid Mahogany, 2 Pick-ups, Selector switch, 2 volume, 2 tone pots.490 and 498 Alnico pick-ups.Pretty basic,but perfection in simplicity! Came with Deluxe gig-bag.

Classic rock, country, folk, blues. Solid, warm sound. Easily switched to any genre of music. Very quiet, days of sustain(wouldn't expect nothing less from Gibson!).

Flat-top mahogany, natural finish. Worth the price for the looks! Action a bit high, but can be adjusted easily with no buzz. I added a creme pick-guard flush on the top instead of up off the top like the arch-tops. Protects the finish and its not in the way.

It's a Gibson! I will play live anytime without a back-up with this guitar. Take care of it and it will take care of you! This applies to any guitar.

Haven't needed to contact support. Gibson on the headstock says it all.

This is one fantastic guitar! Not as heavy as the arch-tops. All you need. It lets you see and wonder where the added expense is on the Standards and Classic models! One other electric and three acoustics. This is my main one!

all you need to know about this is already posted. I just have to add my review to express my satisfaction towards this guitar.

it's a Gibson. I love the 490R and 498T combination.

my ebony finish looks really good. true, very easy to get dirty, but looks beatiful when clean. I really miss the bindings, I like the look they give to the guitar. no flaws whatsoever. the action is a *bit* higher than what I'm used to, but that's ok. no buzz at all.

seems like a solid guitar. haven't submitted it to intense conditions yet.. but I think it will last a lifetime.

I didn't have to deal with gibson and I expect not to. the guitar looks and feels 100% since day 1.

Fantastic Value. great guitar, great price.

This is a 2000, US-made Gibson Les Paul Special SL. It has the same fetures as a Special, but throws in some 490 and 498 humbucking pickups. You know the drill: 2 tones, 2 volumes, a three-way selector switch, slim-taper set mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard w/ mini crown inlays, Les Paul Special decal on the neck, Gibson Deluxe (vintage style) tuners and all Gibson hardware. My model has a transparent natural finish (which I must say shows off the wood very nicely and gives the guitar a cool vintage vibe) Cme with a nicely padded Gibson gig-bag.

Well, first off, I play just about anything. I like to play alternative/pop/punk/classic rock. I play some metal, but none of the nu-metal (complete shit). I found that this guitar has a much warmer sound than my other (maple-topped) Pauls. It has a really nice jazz tone when you throw the neck pickup on. My rig consists of a Vox AC30 amp, a Marshall JMC900 halfstack, and Fender Princeton Chourus. I throw a Ibanez Tubescreamer, Boss DS-1 Distortion or a HM-3 Hyper metal in front of them to get some differant sounds. I also use some assorted Boss and Electro-Harmonix petals for the wierder sounds. I think that this guitar fits very nicely with my other guitars, because it delivers a slight differant tone than any of them. I play in a both an alternative rock group and a 15-piece jazz group, and I can say that this is the ONLY guitar that I would prefer using for both. It can handle smooth jazz or raw rock easily. Some people look at this guitar and think it is a poor-mans Les Paul. I own three Pauls (two Standards and a Deluxe) and this is my favorate. I would have paid 3-4 times as much for this guitar if I had too, and one day, I know that it will be worht that much.

The factory set-up was pretty good. The action was a bit high, but nothing a little adjusting couldn't fix. I looked over the guitar pretty well, and everything looked fine to me (I'm really not that perticular) Once I lowered the action, it played fine.

This thing is like a tank

They have always been kind and helpful, whatever the concern or problem.

If it was stolen, I would cry like a baby, then go grab another one. I think they are a special edition model and they won't be around for long, so I suggest you grab one while you can. I might throw a coil tap in and I might change the Bridge HB to a Seymour Duncan JB (not that is bad, I just love JB's) This is a keeper, and to me, it spells "Collectors Guitar". Good luck. Lata.

Your basic stripped down Les Paul. No maple cap on the mahogany body, no binding, mini-trapezoid inlays rather than larger trapezoids. Big deal. Set mahogany neck. ABR bridge, stop tailpiece. $90R and 498T humbucker pickups (they also make a version of this with P-90s). Natural finish. Non-locking tuners. Gig bag included. Not many features - no coil tap, 3 position pickup switch. This is the SL (sans lacquer) model. Lighter weight than a normal Les Paul with a body contour in the back. Made in US.

I am using it with a Laney LC15 tube amp, a variety of small solid state aops. I also play through a Johnson J-Station, Korg AX100G, and a few overdrive pedals. This guitar has a rich, full sound, and handles high gain better than any other guitar I own. It sounds great through the Rectified setting on the J-Station, which is not an amp simulation I use much with other guitars. I expected that. I did not expect it to sound as good clean as it does. I may have gotten lucky here, but I don't have any grounding issues at all - this guitar is dead quiet, unlike what some of the other posters have mentioned.

The guitar came with a long checklist of setup items done at the factory. The setup was perfect (it even came in tune, although downtuned half a step). Action was medium with no fret buzzing. For a guitar which is designed to skimp on cosmetics, this is a very pretty guitar. I like the natural finish a lot. It either is a one piece body or the best job of bookmatching I have ever seen. The knobs look a little cheap, but would be quite inexpensive to replace if necessary.

I'd never use anything without a backup, but I'd have no reservation about using this live. Marked down a bit here because set necks are inherently more fragile than bolt-ons.

I haven't dealt with the company. The Web site is pretty good. Lifetime warranty, but it excludes just about anything that could go wrong. Your call as to whether it's worth the stamp to send it in. I bought it from Musician's Friend, who were great. Got it here in three days.

I've been playing about 30 years, but with a 20-some odd year break in the middle. I own about a dozen electrics - the ones I use the most are Fender Strat Plus Deluxe, Route 101 Solimar, Parker P-38, and Fender Nashville Tele Deluxe. I have liked the sound of Les Pauls, but have avoided them because of the price (not a problem here) and the weight (this is not nearly as heavy as most Les Pauls). The pickups are the same as the Les Paul Standard. This is one great sounding guitar, and the lighter weight, which is a minus for Les Paul purists, is a big plus for me. I wish it had a whammy bar, a coil tap or single coil option. Right now, this makes all of my other humbucker guitars obsolete, with the exception of my Steinberger GT-Pro, which is a small travel guitar. For a US-made Gibson, it's a very good value.

You've read it in previous reviews.

Love everything until I get up past the XV position, then gets a little whiny. Still, a very versatile guitar considering its humbuckers.

Can't find a problem

Definitely a top notch instrument to use in a gig. Only complaint is that the pickup selector sometimes has to be switched back and forth 2 or 3 times for it to "click in."

No problems.

I've been playing for 6 years and this guitar makes me want to play for years more. A Gibson for under $400??!! Can't go wrong. I sure love it.