Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus

2008 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus in heritage cherry sunburst. The chambered body is perfect ??? light weight and still a Lester. The asymmetrical neck profile is perfect for me ??? not a thin as the 60???s, not as fat as the 50???s. The other new features are items I like ??? locking tuners, straplocks, ect. - vintage purists might balk at these ??? their trip...not mine.

It sounds like....a Les Paul! Slightly different tone than the solid wood 58 reissue I owned for 5 years, and then sold ??? those PU???s were 57 classics. This one has burstbucker pros which are not as dark ??? but they still sing jazz if you so desire. They have just slightly higher output than BB 1&2 ??? classic LP tone to my ears. Drive sounds balanced and thick thru my 60 watt 6L6 tuber ??? great sustain/cut at the upper frets. Clean is harmonic/rich as it should be ??? zero dislikes.

Action is perhaps the most comfortable I???ve ever played ??? had to be, or I wouldn???t spring for that much $$$. Beautiful flame maple top - setup close to right on. Purchased new, but this one has a few finish mirco-indentations courtesy of past looky-loos. They???re only visible at an angle, but that???s kool - contributed to $600+ off the sticker price.

I assume it's as reliable as other LP's I've played/owned.

Called Gibson once - to get info on my former LP. They were helpful - got me the info I requested - nice on the phone

I???ll give it a 9+, it???s that good. Purchased new, gorgeous tone, great action, sexy look, and lightweight ??? best humbucker-equipped rocker/jazzer/blueser I???ve played. Have 5 other electrics, one Martin, 5 amps ??? started playing around 1964.

It's a 2008 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus in heritage cherry sunburst. I won't bore you with the features as if you are reading this, you have no doubt seen them listed on the Gibson website. It came with a hardshell case from Gibson.

The guitar has the female end of strap locks already on it, which are compatible with Dunlop strap locks.

I'm giving it a 9 in the features because of the stupid cable lock. There is no need for that on this guitar.

I primarily play through a Johnson JM120 marquis with a variety of effects from Boss to Maxon. My style ranges from blues, rock, hard rock, alternative to a bit of bluegrass.

The sound is absolutely phenomenal. People have complained about every aspect of the 2008 Standard but let me tell you, it sounds more "classic" than I could have hoped for. I've been playing massive amounts of guitar for well over 10 years and this guitar has given me the exact sound I've dreamed about since I first played a Les Paul as a teenager.

The chambered body does not even remotely make it sound like a hollow body, in my opinion, as many have complained. Perhaps when played "acoustically" it is louder and a bit more like my epi dot with gibson '57s, but when plugged in, it is all solid. (and seriously, who buys a Les Paul to play acoustic guitar on? Non-issue.)

The sustain is almost never ending. I honestly couldn't believe how long I could hold a note on this thing.

The sound is very rich. It sounds like a Les Paul is supposed to sound, but it is surprisingly versatile as well. Just playing around with the pick up selector and the different pedals gets me any sound I want.

I have no dislikes at all regarding the sound. The quality of the sound is why I bought this particular guitar.

The flaws common in Gibsons are non-existent in this guitar. I looked it over completely as soon as it was in my hands. The finish is superb, the factor set-up was actually done quite well. The action was fine.

This guitar will definitely withstand live playing. The only delicate aspect is the finish. It's so beautiful that I would cry if I were to scratch it.

The hardware definitely will last. I have had other Gibson products for 10 years and they work fine. If this guitar is built like those, this will be my main guitar for the next 40 years.

I would never gig without a backup because I hate changing strings in a rush. But except for a broken string, there would be no need to bring a back up. Even the pick up selector seems more "heavy duty" than the other 3 way selectors on my other guitars.

I haven't dealt with the company yet and I hopefully won't have to but the guitar does come with a lifetime warranty. I'm not sure what it entails as I have yet to read the book but as long as you mail the warranty card to Gibson within 15 days, its yours.

I should note, I guess, that the store I bought it from offered me 1 year of free set-ups and adjustments. The salesman valued that at $300 which I thought was a bit over valued until I realized you can take it in once every 2 months. Presumably this would cost about $50 a pop without the free set-ups.

I have been playing for quite a while and this guitar gives me a sound that is better than anything I could have asked for.

I have had an Ibanez s470 for a good 10 years now and while the Gibson sounds much better, the Ibanez is one hell of a durable guitar. Seemingly more so than the Gibson (perhaps due to the chambered body making it lighter? I've always subscribed to the school of thought that heavier = better quality)

If it were stolen or lost I would buy a new one, especially if I could get a similar deal to the one I was able to secure.

I didn't compare it to other makes of guitar because I knew I wanted a Les Paul. I did however compare it to other Les Pauls and I was thoroughly satisfied with the 2008 LP Standard.

I was able to get this guitar brand new for several hundred dollars less than the $2699 ask price that is commonly found on the internet. If you have the cash and can get a deal, get this guitar now before the price goes up when the economy improves.

Anyways, with that said, I bought this guitar for the un-frickin-believable sound it makes. There are a few things keeping it from being a perfect ten. If given the option, I would give this guitar a rating of 9.5. It's better than a 9 but not quite a 10.

This guitar is favorite toy. I cannot put it down!! Don't let the rating of 9 fool you. It is everything I have wanted it to be since I was younger, but now I have the experience to thoroughly and accurately rate the product.

I bought this guitar in 2006,but it was a 2005 model. It has a AAA flamed top. It has an Amber finish with the standard tune-o-matic bridge. The neck is a 50's style which is my favorite. Nice rosewwod frets that are smooth and very easy on the fingers. It came with the standard black snake skin case. It came with the Burst bucker pro pick-ups on it.

I play alot of Hard Rock and Blues and it does it very well. I did however replace the bridge pick-up with a Dimarzio Super Distortion pick-up. I like the tonal range better. The pick-ups are hot and they sound great. The neck is true and my strings that I use are Ernie Ball Hybrids.They give it a bigger sound. I love the harmonics that this guitar can make and my only gripe is it is a little on the heavy side. When you play it clean it is really clean.

I got it and as most of my guitars I had to tweek it to my taste. I adjusted the action but that was about it. Gibson's quality control has gotten a lot better so as far as flaws my guitar had none.

I've had this guitar for almost 2 yrs. now and I believe it is still showroom quality. I take good care of all of my axes. I did replace my strap buttons with Schaller locking srap buttons so I won't loose my axe during playing. I can depend on this guitar that my back up almost never comes out of the case. I think this guitar will out last me if it is taken care of.

I have had no problems with my guitar except when I had a brain fart and had to call Gibson to find out which way the intonation screws faced cause I took the bridge off to clean it and forgot which way it faced. They were very nice and helpful.

I've been playing over 20yrs. and I've owned 3 Gibson's and they are worth the money. I also own an Epiphone Tony Iommi SG and a Takamine Acoustic and an Epiphone Ace Frehley Les Paul. I run them through my SKG Pedal board into my Ibanez Weeping Demon to my Fender tuner into a Boss A-B switch and A effect loop has a Boss Noise Suppressor into a Marshall EVH Compressor,then into a Boss Overdrive Pedal. Loop B goes into my Boss Amp Modeler and the both loops go to my Peavey Valve King 212 Combo Amp which is connected to a Marshall AVT 412 Cab. I get a great wall of sound that will blow your hair back. If you have the money try out this guitar, it is well worth it.

2002 model. 50???s neck. Burstbuster pickups. Nickel hardware. Stunning bookmatched flamed maple top finished in Heritage Cherry Sunburst. The flame extends all the way to the outer edge of the body and picks up the light from every angle. The flame pattern is not perpendicular to the bookmatched joint. Instead, it angles back slightly away from the neck. The flame from both slabs meets in the middle to form a mildly inverted "vee??? or chevron pattern. When I bought this guitar from Sam Ash I had three with the 50???s neck to chose from. They all felt, played and weighed about the same so I took the one with the most unique flame pattern.

I enjoy playing a lot of old school stuff, such as: old Stones, country rock, rockabilly, even a little surf music. However, my first love is the Blues, and NOTHING can belt out the Blues like a Les Paul. Drive the bridge pick up hard and you get screaming leads. Switch to the neck pickup, drive it hard, and you get rich mellow tones with chunky, well-defined bass. Ease off on the volume and you achieve a whole new level of mellowness. It is the consumate blues guitar (no offense Stevie). By the way, it???s not too shabby for other styles of music either.

The paint job was fine. The binding was fine. The fretboard inlay work was mediocre at best. Upon close inspection you can see some filler around almost every inlay. I have an Epi ???56 Goldtop that has absolutely superb inlay work. The high E saddle on the bridge had two notches cut in it. Not a big deal, but... The frets are huge on this particular years model and I???m not sure they were ever dressed before the guitar left the factory. The high E also had a ping that no amount of truss rod or bridge adjusting could ameliorate. IMO the 2003 and subsequent model years have smaller frets (could it be that the frets were actually dressed ???).

Played the guitar heavily for a good year or so figuring it just needed to get broken in. The frets got no better. They felt square ??? more like speed bumps than frets. While moving up the neck, my fingers would constantly get stuck on a fret before reaching their final destination. The guitar was virtually unplayable for lead work. Seriously considered trading it in for a later model on many occasions. Could not find one that had a beautiful top like this one. As a last resort I had the frets leveled and crowned. What a difference. It felt like a new guitar and became a joy, instead of a chore, to play. If you have this trouble and you otherwise like the guitar get a good fret job done on it before making any hasty decisions.

Rating before the fretwork and set up was a 5. Now it gets an 8. Come on Gibson. A guitar that costs over two grand should be a work of art.

The Les Paul could withstand a nuclear blast so it can certainly withstand a heavy dose of gigging. Perish the thought, but I think that whatever or whomever a Les Paul happened to fall on would get the worst of it. That being said it's always a good idea to have a backup. I have had some crazy things happen to guitars over the years.

I have a local guitar tech who knows his stuff and does any major work I need done. I can do the simple stuff myself. Before I buy an instrument I check it over thoroughly to make sure it is sound and blemish free. If it had major issues right out of the box or off the wall I would not accept it. I have had three Les Pauls and a couple of other Gibson models over the years. I have never had to deal with Gibson.

I have always liked the Les Paul. This is the third one that I have had over the last 40 some odd years of playing. The first two (early 70???s Deluxe goldtop and a late 80???s Standard in Triburst) are no longer with me. I did not get rid of them because I didn't like them. Never could afford to buy an original one. Even back in the late 60???s they were already going for a couple of grand or more.

I have a respectable assortment of guitars and amps. Some of my other favorite guitars are: two Fender AV ???57 Strats, a USA Custom Guitar Tele, and an Epiphone ???56 Gold Top with P90???s (another killer blues guitar). My favorite amps are: a 1970 Vibro Champ, a Marsh Amps 5F2-A Princeton clone I built from a kit, and a ???66 Deluxe Reverb. I don???t use any pedals. The only effects I use are a slight bit of tremolo and/or reverb if the amp has it.

If I could have only one guitar, it would be a Les Paul. It has substance. It is built like a brick shithouse. It is meat and potatoes with gravy on top. It looks good, and after some work, it plays good - sounds even better.

Whether it be goldtop or sunburst, it is a rock and roll icon. What else is there to say ?

'03 Les Paul Standard Premium Plus w/ all the normal features...

The sound of the Burstbucker PU's is awesome! Very heavy tone out of each PU and unreal sustain. The only thing I'm not totally happy with is the neck PU seems kind of "muddy" for lack of a better word... I use the bridge for lead and the combination of both for rhythm. Maybe it's just not the right sound for me, may be perfect for others

Very good detail work throughout guitar. No machine could stamp out such a great feeling and playing guitar, there's definately human input in each ones construction. Play a few different ones, each one has it's own character... The only downfall is the weight. I like a bit of weight, but this one does kill me after a couple of hours!

Been playing this guitar very regular for long hours each time with no problems yet. I really can't foresee any coming. Very quality built.

I dealt with cust support when I first bought the guitar about some tech questions. They emailed me back usually within hours. I also asked about the pickguard that came with it having no hardware (you have to install yourself if you want the pickguard on). The rep emailed that they don't ship the hardware with the guitars for whatever reason, but said if I wanted it, he would ship it to me free of charge. I received it in the mail 48 hours later! What more could you ask for in support?!?

I've always been a die-hard Fender fan and own many of them (Strats and Tele) but I have to say that I truely LOVE this guitar! It doesn't take the place of my Strats, but when playing with my band, I generally play the LP just for the heavier sound for rock music. I have to say though, when it comes to playing some good blues, I have to go back to the Strat. It just sounds better for that. But the LP is still a great all around guitar. Not a cheap guitar to buy, but it's a Gibson, tell your wife/husband it's an investment! A real joy to play!

2002 Les Paul Standard w/AAA Premium Top 50s neck, i am sure everybody knows the equipment and specs on these guitars so i wont bother with that

The new burst bucker w/alnico 5 magnets are the best stock pups in Les Pauls yet! This one has the 1&2 burstbuckers, You can turn the vol down at the guitar and your treble doesnt disappear, when run wide open as soon as you put your hand over the rear pup it will feedback as they are not waxed so you need to get them potted,get some nice clean sounds at low vol an some nice crunch from 4 up

The finish department at Gibson is on top of things, nice blending of the colors, the Heritage cherryburst is beautiful, i am seroiusly considering ordering a custom shop 59 in this color! The string alignment is spot on as well as the pups, bridge etc. The top is a wonderfull AAA bookmatched with between tiger/fiddleback flame goes from edge to edge, it is very deep and vivid on this one(why i got it) grain is nice and even,well done! The neck i am still adjusting,cant seem to bring the "G" around, i have strung it with XL150s, i may need to get the frets touched up a bit here and there, usually do it myself as i see no need in having a luthier level them all when only a couple need some work. I dont care for the wide neck binding and wish they would go back to the historic thin neck binding,hey gibson,this wide neck binding takes up valuable fret space! lets get with it!!! also,the nashville bridge i dont care for,if you need to change a saddle its hard or impossible and the dealer wants to sell you a new bridge when all you need is just a saddle to set the cut where you want it, also nice to see that they have got rid of the babyshit brown case color and gone back to black now ditch the soft handle and get the hard ones back on there!! i have been playing, buying(and selling) Les Pauls since the early 70s, back when 3 piece tops were the norm though i am fond of the early neck shapes. The 50s neck is not all that big to me and really feels like what a 60s neck should be imop.also, there are some machine fret insert marks along the fret borders this should not be!!! i compared measurements with the ones in the book beauty of the burst and most are in the same specs, i found the neck to be narrower by an average of 1 m.m. at the body and the body thickness is tenths of a mm in difference from neck joint to end,where on 59s they are averaging 2mms thinner at the butt button. no biggie, i weighed it at the post office on there scale and its 8lbs9oz. a lite one for sure. the flame is deeper on this one than the 59 40th ann historic i had,and just a tad better than the 58 historic i had, i would reccomend searching out the AAA tops if your dealer has ordered any, i think they must come out of the custom shop now and then when they get good wood in. oh, the crown inlays have alot of filler around them guess thats about it! i would give the heritage cherry burst finish on this beauty a 10 but the rest i give an

they are the industry standard!

i have emailed gibson and they generally respond in a few days(they get floods of emails)

i play this thru marshalls which i have been using for over 40 years(now you know i am an old geezer ha!)various pedals(still havent gone digital)also have several other gibsons, i dont really play anything else though i am putting to gether a strat w/a bender on it. i may get the aluminum tailpiece for it and try the 50s mod on the tone pots, the thing bugs me most is the goofy assed wide neck binding!! might go back to a historic just on that point but try to find a cheap used one thats been beat up a bit or a plaintop 58 if i can find a rounded neck, the ine i had had a U shape flat bottom on the neck hwere my friends has a beautiful fat rounded one and feels great but its tough to buy over the net and dpend on the other guys description.

2001 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus, production date 7/27/2001. Purchased in 10/2002. USA built, Cherry Sunburst, with red back. Flamed maple top, nicely grained mahogany back, 22 medium jumbo frets, rosewood fingerboard, 2 volume, 2 tone controls for the very nice 496r/498t pickups. Tuners are Grovers, came with case.

I rememeber seeing Jimmy Page wailing on his '57 when "The Song Remains the Same" movie, and knew then I had to play guitar, and I wanted a Les Paul!!! The tone is AWESOME!! Full rich distorted, to crunchy, to outright clean. I play it through a Marshall AVT150 Combo, with a tube preamp, and let me tell you how great this guitar sounds clean. Tube clean, is much warmer than solid state clean, and then there is overdrive. This guitar is the standard I set for my tone. I also own a 2004 Fender USA Strat w/DiMarzio's, and a 2004 Jackson SL3 with Seymours.

The guitar was not set up from the factory. I guess they get it to certain specs, and then the owner has a professional set up done to accomodate their playing style. I originally took it to a "Biggie" here in Houston, who just set it to Gibson specs, and then charged me. After a month of playing, I found Al Martinez at Lone Star Guitar Shop here in Houston. Al wielded his truss rod wrench, nut files, and feeler gauge, and now this guitar's action is so low, it almost plays itself. I had to pay twice for a setup, but what Al did, made it worth it!!! All milling, and fit of this guitar was just great. There was a big scratch on the back, from kids at the Guitar Center, that eventually came out with some buffing with Novus Scratch remover. Now it is fine. I had one high fret, that I used some emory cloth on to get a buzz out, then repolished all the frets, now no buzz!!!

I think this guitar would stand up to live playing!!! I think everyone famous has played one onstage at one time or another!!! The hardware is sturdy, and if you keep it wiped off, the finish, and hardware should last a lifetime. Keep it ot of the rain, and away from water. Nitrocellulose lacquer will disolve with water. They tell you that in your owners manual!!! Also keep rubber away from the finish, like the surgical rubber they use on stands, and hangers. There is a chemical reaction that happens that will damage the finish of a Gibson.

Gibson Customer Service is great!! They will help you with any questions. The Guitar Center lost my pickguard while they were in possession of this instrument. I emailed Gibson C/S, and they sent me one, FREE!!! This instrument has a lifetime warranty, excluding wearing items (frets), and electronics.

I've been playing over 20 years on and off. I had carpal tunnel syndrome, and had to put it down for a few years, but now I'm surgically repaired, and can jam again!! I also own a 2004 USA Fender Strat w/DiMarzio's, a 2004 Jackson SL3, and a Epiphone PR5-E electro-acoustic. This is my 1st good guitar, as Randy Rhoads would put it, and it had to be a Gibson Les Paul. If someone stole this guitar, I would have to declare WW3 on his monkey ass!! I'm very happy with my Gibson!!! I would probably buy a Reissue, if I lost this, or it was stolen.

This is a Les Paul with burstbuckers. I have no idea how it is different from other Les Pauls. I guess I got this in July of 2002. My wife was very ill and was looking for a distraction. This Les Paul is great, finish is the desert burst, never bothered to mount the pickguard. The tuners seem fragile but never had a problem and I use 11's so the tesion for trouble is there. Wiring is good, ground is good. The neck and fret work is great, equal to that of a high end Fender. Must admit though I like the way an LP sits in my hands and as much as I like Strats I just don't get the same feeling.

I love the tone from an overdriven amp and humbuckers, to me it is all that is good in this world and it very easy to get that sound with this guitar. I play thru a Prosonic, a couple of Sunns, one a reissue of the Model T, Sound City, Blues Junior and a chassis someone put togeather for me, 30 watts 6L6's and a Celestion Blue. What I enjoy most about this guitar is the tremendous tones you can get by just changing your attack on the strings, very, very receptive.

Gibson takes a lot of heat, maybe they should, I don't know but this guitar is a quality piece of work, Finish was flawless, intonation dead on, fret work excellant. I can't bitch about it.

I haven't had any type of trouble at all in two years. I play alot and it seems to enjoy being played.

I've delt with Gibson on a couple of guitars I have owned, they have treated me well. Ever e-mail Fender's service desk? Didn't think so.

I like this guitar. I have some Strats from various years with various mods, a Tele, an ES 446s, SG and some typical stuff. Like I said I like humbuckers and P 90's. Effects, not much really, wah wah, reverd, delay and a Hot Plate by THD which is great. You can crank the shit out of your amp and preserve your ears, my hearing is blown pretty much from pre-THD crank. It's always a joy to pick this thing up and noodle, like spending an afternoon with an old friend. If it were stolen I doubt I'd chase down another, but I would get another Les Paul, whatever was available, affordable and felt right.

2003 Made in Nashville, TN - USA. 22 Frets, AAA Maple top. 2 Tone, 2 Volume, 3 Way Switch, H/H, BurstBucker Pro pickups. Solid Mahogany Body with Maple "cap" top, and 60's Slim Taper Solid Mahogany Neck. Wine Red finish on a Flamed maple top. Tune-O-Matic bridge, Klusion (Green) tuners, 24 3/4 Scale Rosewood Neck. Came with the Charcoal color case which isn't quite as loud as the New Orleans Brothel Pink that my ES-335 has.

I play mostly Rock and Blues with a little country thrown in there. I have a Marshall 30w solid state amp, and a Fender Blues Deluxe tube amp. I use an Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer sometimes as well. This guitar has a different sound than my ES-335 (Duh!) or my Fender (American) Strat. It's a full warm Les Paul sound with some nice bite to it. It's not quite as HOT as my 1996 LP was, but that's all because of the pickups. I've been able to wrench out some really nice tones on the three different selector settings. It has that classic Les Paul sound. Just what I was looking for to augment my guitar collection.

I bought this guitar used, and it wasn't really set up the way that I like it. I put a set of 10's on it. Then I went to work with my digital calipers, feeler gauge, and chromatic tuner. I had to lower the bridge at the high E position to get it back into factory spec. Then I tuned it up and set the intonation. Ahhhh... that's it! It dialed right back in to that classic Les Paul tone. Beautiful action. And a good feel for the 60's style neck. I prefer this slimmer neck to the fatter 50's style (although most Les Paul players don't) The bridge was centered correctly on the top in relation to the stop bar and neck (I've heard that Gibson has a problem with doing this consistently). The neck has the usual peculiar bow around the twelfth fret on the low E string. I've read about this before as well. Then I started noticing it on other LP's including my own. I would never try to adjust it out though; because I am sure that Gibson has a reason for it. It always seems like changing a minor imperfection such as this will lead to Fret Buzz. Which I think is by far a worse problem.

This is the bonus area. This is one solid guitar. I would never think twice about it not making it through a gig. These guitars are guaranteed for life (to the original owner). Gibson wouldn't just do that for marketing reasons. If that were the case other companies that only offer 90 days to 1 or 2 years warranty would do the same. It also has the Nitro Cellulose Lacquer finish, so in case anything does happen scratch and dent wise. It can easily be repaired. I immediately changed the strap buttons to Dunlop Strap Locks. I just can't figure out why Gibson still insist on putting small strap buttons on guitars that cost upwards of $2000. I mean one mishap and a $1,000 of resell value just flew out of the guitar. I would use this guitar with out a backup. One last thing is that it seems like the nuts and screws always need some attention on Gibson guitars. A little tightening every now and then is something I would recommend. Otherwise you might loose a piece of hardware.

I have had very good response from Gibson's customer support. Both from emails and phone conservations.

I've been playing forever (20+ years). I also own an ES-335, and a Fender Strat. This is my second Les Paul. I had a 1996 that seemed to have a little hotter pickups in it. The 96 also had a 50's style neck. I got this model because it has the Slim Taper 60's style neck, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the BurstBucker Pro pickups to hear them as well. It is a smooth sounding guitar. I love the Les Paul sound. I hear a lot of Les Paul bashers saying that they can make their guitar sound like an LP or a Strat, and I always think that if you want that sound. Why not get the original gear that gives you that sound. Otherwise it's just imitation. One last little dislike is that the pick guard seems a little cheesy. I have this beautiful pick guard on my ES-335 that is well secured and doesn't rattle at all. The Les Paul pick guard always seems to be not quite so secured. I spoke with a friend of mine who owns a music store, and he told me that all LP's are like that. For what I paid for his guitar. I thnk that I got one heck of a deal. It is absolutely beautiful.

Les Paul Standard, 60's slim taper neck (50's profile is the other option), in Lightburst. Has a light amount of flame across the Maple top, which shows up best in bright light. I'm not sure if this would be one of the "A-graded" tops. If so, I imagine it would be an "A" or "AA" top at best. Mine was made on Monday, March 31 2003. They come stock without the pick guard, nickel hardware, Kluson tuners, new Burstbucker pickups, nice selection of finishes to choose from, and still sport cheap strap buttons. All the features a Les Paul should have. The new black cases have black interior- much cooler than that brown/pink satain interior crap.

I play mostly through Marshall amps. I have a '99 LP Classic Honeyburst and compared to that, this sounds a bit better. I love the new Burstbucker pickups; they have a lot of bite and attack while retaining a warm low end. Overall the tone seems very full and balanced from low to high. Gets great tones in all pickup selections for just about anything- Jazz, Rock, Metal, etc. I'm a classic and modern rocker with an alter-ego for light Jazz. Sounds beautiful in every respect.

This guitar was very difficult to get set up right. I have been doing setups on guitars for about 15 years. The action needs to be set quite high to keep frets from buzzing on the Low E string on different areas of the neck. When sighting down the neck, there is more curvature on the bass side than the treble side. When you tighten the truss rod to bring the bass side up to where it should be, there is not enough curvature on the treble side and it buzzes. Conversely, when you loosen the truss rod to bring the treble side down to where it should be, there is too much curvature on the bass side and it buzzes. All of the Les Pauls in my local store were the same. I've never seen this phenomenon on other brands.

I found a happy-medium and now the guitar plays well, but the action must be set well above Gibson's recommended spec's of 3/32 Bass to 5/64 Treble at the 12th fret.

The fit and finish, as well as every other thing on this guitar is immaculate. After I adjusted the intonation, the guitar plays in tune all the way up the neck better than any guitar I've ever owned.

The guitar is tough and dependable. Like I said, the strap buttons are still the crappy ones. Too early to tell about the finish. If the hardware is infact nickel, then it should begin to look nice and worn within a few months time like on my LP Classic.

Been playing since Frampton came alive! I own a few Les Pauls, a few strats, and some other stuff. Of all the Gibson's I've ever owned over the years, this one sounds the best. However, I feel that more time and attention needs to be given to the neck, fretboard, and frets before leaving the factory. To spend over a thousand bucks on any guitar, and then have to send it off for another hundred bucks for a grind and polish of the frets, is a complete slap in the face from an American company with such a wonderful history.