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.

2003 Les Paul Standard Plus in Lightburst. Has light flame in the maple top, which shows best in bright light. I prefer flame tops, but not highly decorated. Has the new Burstbucker pickups which I think are the cats ass. I put a pick guard on mine because I hate Les Pauls without the infamous pick guard; they just don't look like Les Pauls to me without them. Blah, blah with the rest of the features.

The tone is sweet for clean jazz and blues, and kicks major ass for rock and metal. The Burstbuckers have a nice amount of bite and pick attack while still sounding thick. Nice balance throughout the tone from low to high. This guitar sustains longer and intonates far better than any guitar I've owned in the 25 years I've been playing. Sounds better than my stock 1960 Les Paul from 1999.

Factory setups are ass as most of us already are aware. That's fine with me, because I take much pride in setting them up myself. This guitar's fret work is lame. For a guitar costing $2,000. the fret work should be phenomenal. In this case, it's a good thing I prefer high action, otherwise there's buzzes all over the fuckin' place.

Here's a tip folks: if you sight down the neck from the bridge and notice the bass side has a deeper curve than the treble side, or likewise, the treble side appears straighter than the bass side, DON'T BUY THAT LES PAUL!! And don't be screwed into believing that the bass side SHOULD bow more because the string tension on that side is higher, that's bullshit (see the back of a pack of D'Addario's for the tension rating for the low E string). Take a look at the higher priced Fenders or Ibanez, or something like that- both sides of the neck should be EVEN on both sides!

Great. Among the most durable.

Been playing for 25+ yeras, much of it pro. I've had a Les Paul for every decade, and each has had fret problems and nothings else. Otherwise, they are among the most beautiful electric guitars made in the USA to date. The tone remains unparalleled, and in the case of the Plus models with the new Burstbucker pickups, are about as tonally versatile as 2-humbucker guitars get.

Buy one now, but beware of the frets!

2002 Les Paul Standard Premium Plus. BurstBucker V Pickups with Alcino magnets. Beautiful AAA flame Maple top. Great working Klunson tuners and a much improved case.

A true classic. I love these BurstBucker pickups to death. They totally resemble those old vintage pickups that I've played. Sounds great on any amp and a wide variety of tone can be achieved easily

Bought it used so it had quite a few dings but none too extreme. Pickups and action are perfect. Its a Desert Burst AAA flame top and it looks absolutely fabulous. Electronics are impeccable.

No doubt a super solid guitar. I will always keep this baby.

I have been playing for nearly six years and this is by far the best guitar I have ever played. It is about a million times better that my Squire Strat. I just love its timeless beauty and superior sound. Beautiful.

2001 model Les Paul Standard Plus. Made in USA. You know the features already. 490R and 498T alnico humbuckers. Beautiful AA flame top with Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish. Chrome Grover tuners. Came with tan Gibson case. I love the Grover tuners. Never been a big fan of Klusons, which some favor for their "vintage appeal". They look cheap and don't work as well as Grovers.

I play mostly hard rock (Turbonegro, Supersuckers, classic AC/DC, Stooges, MC5) Occasionally I'll throw in a little blues or country/rockabilly. Great sound. It's a Les Paul. What more can I say?
I plug this baby straight into my Mesa/Booogie Mark IV. Sounds just beautiful cranked. The Les Paul is the finest guitar for hard rock playing, bar none.

OK, here's where I start complaining. The factory setup on this guitar was horrible. Intonation was off and had quite a bit of fret buzz. Guitar Center paid to have it set up by a guy who used to work for them. He did a lousy job. Still had some fret buzz when he was done. The guy had the nerve to tell me it was because I picked the strings too hard! Sorry, I know fret buzz when I hear it. I ended up paying to have it set up properly. Now that it has a proper setup, it's a fantastic guitar.

Again, this is a Les Paul. Quality workmanship and materials throughout. I depend on this guitar like I depend on my Mother. I take a backup (Les Paul Studio) with me on gigs, in addition to my two Teles, only because I tend to break strings.

I didn't deal with Gibson directly. Guitar Center's support was OK. They did have it set up for me free of charge, even though the guy did a poor job.

I've been playing for almost 26 years. During this time, I've accumulated a small arsenal of guitars. It's my fourth Gibson and by far the best. I also have a couple of Teles, two Yamaha acoustics, Yamaha bass and a Sho-Bud pedal steel. The Les Paul Standard Plus is the crown jewel of my collection. By far my favorite. I didn't do a lot of comparison shopping when I bought it. I knew I had to have this guitar as soon as I saw it. This has been my dream guitar since I was a kid. I've always lusted after the Les Pauls played by Ace Frehley and Jimmy Page.

It looks like any other standard plus, which is to say GORGEOUS, and has the same equipment.

The neck pickup sings like an angel, and the bridge pickup can sound like the devil himself. These sound better (in my opinion) than the "classic" LP pickups.

Not a scratch or blemish on it. For being a AA top, it looks as good as any AAA or AAAA top I've seen in 20 years of playing.

Like everyone else says, built like a tank. Put straplocks on it, and that's all it needs.

Never had a need

Been playing 20 years. Run this through a Boogie Studio Pre, a Korg A3, and into a pair of Kustom amps. Used to have a rack full of gear and a floor covered with pedals to get the sound from these 3.

It is honestly the best playing and sounding guitar I've ever seen. Even above my Jackson custom.

Buy from A Plus (www.aplusguitars.com), best prices by far, and they are super-helpful. But hurry, they only had a few left. And I might just pick up another one.

2001 Les Paul Standard plus made in USA all the standard Les Paul features(490r and 498t hums, normal electronics) Got mine in vintage sunburst, looks like the old tobacco burst Les Pauls. Its your typical Les Paul, an absolutly amazing guitar.

I play all kinds of music, and this guitar suits many styles. The neck pickup has a dark, great clean sound, and sounds really fat and lush on overdrive. The bridge pickup sounds awesome for riffs, power chords and really cutting leads. Has a very rich and full sound I play through a marshall AVT-50 halfstack and these two just love each other. All together, sound is the main reason the Les Paul has been popular for 50 years.

The guitar was set up almost perfect when I got it. The action was very nice and low, making the guitar incredibly easy to play. The bridge pickup was a little high for me, so I lowered it. The flamed maple top is gorgous, and natural mahogany back is beautiful. There is a little string buzz on the low E but you can't hear it through the amp, so I'm gonna leave it.

Everything on this guitar seems sturdy enough to withstand playing live. I might get strap locks because I dont want to chance dropping the guitar on the ground! I would use it with out back up if I had to, but you never know when your gonna break a string.

Didn't talk to gibson at all.

Im 16 and been playing for four years. I own a marshall AVT-50 halfstack, a fender Lead 2, a univox acoustic, and an Ibanez stagestar. I would buy this guitar again if something happened to it. I have a feeling Im going o use Les Pauls the rest of my life. I love the neck, the feel of the carved top and the whole body. It is a work of art to create art on in my opinion. As Les Paul himself said about the Les Paul guitar. "All the other guitars are just planks of wood compared to it"

well the finish was beutiful i had a vintage sunburst which are awesome, umm as far as the action, well i always drop the strings colser to the neck to get better playing anyways so that didnt matter for me. All the hardware was great and i have no complaints

this guitar is built well and i would gig with it woithout a backup, if i had enough money to gig with a backup i would get another les paul.

customer support is awesone, i called once and they rock they are nice and helpful and take there time with you.

Well, this is by far the best guitar i have ever owned, i have been playing for 5 years and i love the guitar, umm i am very much into blues rock, I play out of a fender deville 212 and its a great combo. The tone is awesome especially coupled with a tube amp, i would defineately recommend this guitar ro anhyone planning on getting a guitar

2001 Gibson Les Paul Std Plus
AA Solid Maple Flame Top in Light Burst
TuneOMatic
Medium-Jumbo frets
Grover tuners
50's style Fat neck, rosewood fretboard (light color...looks closer to the Pao Ferro on my SRV strat in color)
Gibson Hard shell case

Hey IT'S A LES PAUL!!... THE GUITAR BY WHICH ALL OTHERS ARE JUDGED!!!The factory pick-ups are better than I thought. Most of the reviews for the 490/498T are bad, but with my current set up ( Les paul into a TS-9, into a Vox wah, into a Peavey Classic 50 212, with a Alesis Midiverb IV used in the effects loop for Reverbs and a slight delay) This guitar soulds great. I probably will replace the pick ups with Lindy Fralin PAFS to give this Paul a more "vintage tone". This guitar from the factory sounds great playing everything from early Zepplin to Creed. Only reason I'm giving it a 9 instead of the Ten is because I know I will change the Pick ups.

The set up was great! perfect intonation across the neck, low action. Mine is set up with factory strings ( 009-046 ) plays smooth as silk. Finish is Amazing....you would swear it was a custom shop Les Paul.

I have been playing Les Pauls since my first purchase in 1978. The hardware seems solid, has a metal jack plate,nashville style bridge/stop tail piece. This guitar is a keeper! the finish is flawless, and everything is about as perfect as Ive ever seen on a non custom shop model.

Never had to deal with Gibson in over 20 years of owning Gibson Guitars. Like all Les Pauls, this has a Lifetime Warranty. I must plug the guys at A plus Guitars. All are very helpful. Ken. Mark George...you guys are the best! Giving this rating to A-plus guitars!!

I've been playing for over 25 years now, and this is the best Les Paul I've ever played or owned, period! The top is amazing, it is suppose to be a AA flame, but it is closer to a AAA top, and looks better than the tops on the '58 reissues, and better than most of the '59 reissues I've seen. I would HIGHLY recoomend the color that I purchased, Light burst. It truly looks like a "aged" 59 pauls top. The pictures on the web do not due the top justice. The guys at Aplus Guitars have a great web site that shows all the Les Pauls they have in stock, and it was easy for me to find my perfect top. I wanted a guitar that looked as close to Jimmy Page's as possible, and you would swear that this was Pages "Number #1" !

2001 Les Paul Standard Plus,Made in the great USA!,Im sure you know all the features of this fine guitar so i wont elaborate.

At first,i didnt care for the pickups,which is a 490 front and 498 in back, but a little dialing in of the amp and guitars volume and tone controls im beginning to like the sound very much! So far, I have found that if you go thru a distortion pedal, as i do, I needed to back off the distortion a bit, at first i cut to much and the treble seemed weak and thin, then i added a little more until finally achieved what i like. I like to control my amps volume thru the guitar because i find i need to run the amp up a bit to get it "workin", i now find that i get a great rock crunch from my guitars volume from 3 on up to 7ish so this is great leaving ample headroom for leads! The treble pot on the lead pickup is rather kurt,being that it drops of suddenly in treble below 8, which is right about where i keep it-you can do nice wah effects with it. I dont use any pedals other than my dist. pedals which i need because i set everything else up to be clean. The front pickup is very smooth and the loudness seems to be well balanced between the two pickups,not much drop off switching between the two but there is some, it also has great tone response to the vol. and tone pots.Great front pickup.There are some great sounds in there you just have to bring em out.

This is the best guitar i've bought in awhile that im pleased to say has a fantastic finish!, The clear is a fine thin coat though not so thin as the historics,much better than my '76 reissue explorer i have, you can see the grain wiggling thru a bit if you look at it in a sharp angle with good light. Very nice lightburst and not overly yellow which is hard to find,they seem to be yellow crazy at the factory! My favorite finishes from gibson are This one i have ,lightburst,the washed cherry which is on the historics and the faded cherrys and browns like they have on the sg series now, also on the double cut specials and jrs. I dont see any flaws that are worthy of mention, the only thing i can complain about is the neck tapers rather quickly from the 1st. fret to about the 4th. fret where it seems to be fairly the same from there on up.

I have played Les Pauls since '70, when i got a brand new custom and they fallen and did not break any where! rugged guitars!!~ The hardwareon this is solid, has a metal jack plate,nashville style bridge/stop tail piece. lasts a long time.

Great,they answer emails though it may take a few days as im sure they get hundreds if not thousands a day.

This MAY be come a collectible guitar, in 100 years or so as they are making a ton of em-but in my opinion,the flame top on mine is amazing! It has all the up grades that were commonly done to real 58's 59's 60's such as metal jack plate, grover tuners,nashville bridge etc by players back then only manufactured with modern methods to reduce manufacturing costs. This may be the last year you see wide binding in the cutaway as they are now doing the narrow "historic style" binding on the 02's. SO should i have waited an gotten a '02? Hell no, i had a historic 59 and the top and color of this Plus blows it away!! I see the suggested retail has also come down $300.00 on the 02's but your gonna pay more for an 02 anyway! So really the only thing i can do is play the daylights out of this one an not worry as the cost was low by todays standards anyways. Though it would have been nice to have the thin binding but then i'd have to go get a set of tuners anyways.But,the top and color is amazing!! doubt ill find a better one in a hundred years! I have been playing Les pauls for 35+ years,too late to stop now!!

The model I bought is a Light Burst finish, made in '01. Impressive (massive) one-piece mahogany body. All the standard LP features dating back to '55. Rosewood fingerboard. Thin and high frets, but plays very fast and the intonation is excellent. Notes ring out like you'd expect with out buzzes, etc. The 50's style neck is substantial but not as beefy as I expected. Came with a pickguard, but no mounting screws. I installed mine because I don't want to scratch up the exceptional finish. Keep in mind that the tops on these guitars are AA grade. Within the "A" system there are also grades, so there is a lot of variation from top to top. A-Plus guitars shows 2 photos of each one in their inventory. If you have a color printer, download the images of the guitars you are interested in and compare them side by side, narrowing down your choices as you go. Also keep in mind that your #1 choice may have already been sold.

The sound is perfect. It's a Les Paul. The pickups are well matched for a versatile overall sound. Beautiful and bluesy and great overdriven.

Action fit and finish were very good on the model I purchased. No flaws in the finish at all. Good attention to detail.

Built incredibly well.

N/A

Feature vs. price: It's hard to beat. I've been playing since 1977. My first "real" guitar was a Les Paul copy. There's no comparison to the "real" thing! Call A-plus and buy with confidence. They get 4 stars for service.

2001 Gibson Les Paul Std Plus
AA Solid Maple Flame Top in Desert Burst
TuneOMatic
Grover tuners
Fat neck, rosewood --unbelievably playable and comfortable.
Les Paul Case
Have a looksee -->http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze28t4m/glps.htm

I'm playing modern rock, classic rock, and blues. I wanted something to compliment my Fender Strat and I found it. I use a Line6 Flextone II Plus. Humbuckers mean no hum and it's true, believe it. The sound is classic Les Paul, full, chesty tone which means rock n roll. It's heavy, but not uncomfortable.

Don't know about the factory setup cuz it was setup before it got to me. The action was low, the intonation great. No flaws.

Live playing --no doubt.
Hardware, it better. But it seems to be durable.
Finish is amazing.
Strap buttons are small. Install straplocks, it's a no brainer.
Dependability - 10!
Gig without a backup? Of course, but I would bring my strat for other types of songs anyway.

Never dealt with the company, don't know.

I've played on and off for about 5 years and have played seriously these past two. I'm in a band now and loving it. I sold a classical, an acoustic, and a squire strat to get this beauty which didn't make much of dent in price, but it was worth it. I would absolutely buy it again if it were stolen. I love the finish, the tone, the overall look --classic LP. Nothing I hate about it. My strat is more versatile, but doesn't have EVERYTHING. What is missing is what the Les Paul fills in. This guitar is a keeper. I wouldn't pay the retail price of $3500 for it, but $1460 is more realistic and is comparable to high-end guitars like a stratocaster. If you can afford it, by all means get one. You will not be disappointed. It's really not a hard decision.

I just received my new Les Paul Standard Plus which happens to be made in '02. Just like everyone else has said what makes this a Plus model is the AA flamed maple top which is really stunning. Mine is in desert burst which really looks beautiful. Like all Les Paul Standards the setup is two humbuckers (490R and a 498T), 3-way toggle switch, two volume & two tone controls. The tuners (non-locking) are not the plastic headed ones like on the base model standards but are all metal. Again it has a tune-o-matic bridge and a stopbar tailpiece. The main body of the guitar is mahogany with a gorgeous flamed maple top. The neck is mahogany with a really nice binding that just really looks great on this guitar. The neck is also really straight, medium thickness (alot like my Fender Deluxe Plus) with a nice rosewood. A case was included that included the pick guard (which will not be installed because I don't want to cover up the beautiful top), truss rod wrench, and a silk cover (which protects the finish of the guitar while in the case) and an integrated lock.

This guitar has a stunning sound. I run it through my Traynor YCV80 and it sounds intense. I play old rock, some blues, and some of the newer rock. The neck pickup is fantastic clean. The bridge, when overdiven, is amazing. Now I read alot of ratings on the Les Pauls on harmony central (not so much the Plus model) and alot of people are saying it doesn't sound like a Strat, there is probably a reason for this. This is not a Strat, I own an american fender deluxe plus strat which sounds incredible for lead work and SRV/blues stuff but it just doesn't cut the mustard for good rhythm work or the really deep Black Sabbath sound or the Creed sound. That is the reason I bought the Les Paul Plus to get that sound. Both of these guitars are great for what they do. If they both sounded identical what would be the driving factor for people to buy one over the other except looks? I will say that this guitar really amazed me when it came to the sound because it was far more versatile than what I expected.

The guys at A Plus Guitars set this guitar up perfectly. I wanted .10-.46 put on (because I really don't like playing .09's) and this is how it came to me. The action was great (a hell of a lot lower then my Strat). The guitar played so easy I couldn't put it down all weekend long (the wife kind of got upset with me, oh well she'll get over it). The neck is really fast. The flamed top was perfectly matched. The binding was incredible (a light tan color which goes great with desert burst). I only found two minor (and I mean minor) flaws. First is a small file mark on the back of the neck which can only be seen in direct light. The next flaw was the t marker at the ninth fret had a small glue hole (that really is the only way to describe it) next to the marker and the surrounding rosewood. These were only found after really looking over the guitar for hours. Other than these two flaws everything else was perfect.

The Les Paul Standard has been used for years and years by many artists. I have never heard of a major failure with one (but I am certain somebody has). I'm sure mine will last for many years to come (since I baby my guitars). I think this will be a family heirloom once I'm done with this (once I'm dead). The finish will need to be babied, but like stated before I take extreme care of all my guitars. The strap button are solid but I will probably change these to a locking type. I am sure I can depend on this guitar for many years to come.

I sent Gibson an e-mail and they got back to me within about 4 hours. I think this is really good customer support. With a life time warranty I don't think I'll have a problem. I have to admit Gibson responded faster than any other guitar company that I've e-mailed.

I've been playing for only about three years. As stated above I own a American Fender Deluxe Plus, and a Traynor YCV80 amp. When I called A Plus Guitars all my questions were answered fully. I talked with Mark and he pulled the guitar I asked about, he was my eyes and ears and did not let me down. He really picked out a great guitar for me. I have always been very leery of buying items form the internet after a very bad experience about a year ago (it did not deal with a musical item). But I read so many great reviews from other Harmony Central readers I gave A Plus Guitars a shot and I'll buy all my future equipment from these guys. If anyone who reads this is considering buying a new guitar really check out these guys web site www.aplusguitars.com you will not be let down.

This is a '01 Standard Plus, made in the good ol' USA. I just got it yesterday, and have already put it through its paces with my amp. You know the drill-- it's the Standard with a figured maple top. This one is the "light burst" finish. Two humbuckers (490R in the neck, 498T at the bridge), 3-way toggle, two volume and two tone controls, silver tuners, tunomatic bridge and a stopbar tailpiece round out the basic hardware-- nothing flashy, but just solid and functional. The top of the guitar is carved flamed maple over a mahogany body. Neck is mahogany as well. The figure on the top is AA grade, and is SWEET. Binding on the neck and top complement what are absolutely stunning looks. The Gibson hardshell case is solid and a handy truss rod wrench was included in the case. Final verdict: I have zero complaints here. This is a well executed Les Paul, with striking looks and no flaws to speak of.

This guitar sounds fantastic through my Fender Twin (1995). I'm inclined to play groovy rock/blues, with the occasional flirtation with jazz. The neck pickup is great clean, and plenty warm and substantial when overdriven with my Tube Screamer. The bridge screams when overdriven or distorted-- I was surprised by how good this sounded. Also, this thing sustains really, really well. The guitar I'm comparing this to in my mind is my Gibson 335, a totally different animal. The Paul sounds better distorted, in my opinion.
I also think that the Standard Plus offers more sound variety than it is commonly given credit for. It doensn't have Fender Stratocaster variety, but it has everything I need!

This guitar came to me set up quite well. The action is just a tiny bit too low for my liking, but the next is perfectly set up and all I'm going to do is raise the bridge up a hair. This thing plays fast and sweet. The pickups were well adjusted, though I might raise up the neck p'up just a wee bit as well. The flamed top is bookmatched and matched very well. I looked all over this axe for finish flaws, and truly expected to find some, but did not. I'm honestly going to say that this thing is better finished than I expected. The controls work just like they're supposed to, everything is shiny and new, and again, I find no problems here at all.

The Standard is a substantial, well-crafted guitar that promised to stand up to the test of time. I'm currently gigging a couple times a month and have no fears whatsoever that this thing will carry me all the way. Everything on this guitar says to me that it's built to last-- my 15-year-old 335 already attests to the durability of Gibson instruments. Dependable and tough, though I'm going to baby this guitar-- it simply looks too incredible to treat it any other way! When I gig with this thing I will not bring my 335-- no need.

Haven't dealt directly with Gibson, but haven't heard anything negative about their customer support. I fully expect that they will stand behind their products with great support and their great warranty (lifetime against defects/workmanship).

I've been playing guitar for about 10 years. As I indicated above, this guitar is my second electric, the other being a Gibson 335 (which I love). If this thing was stolen, I'd probably throw myself off a bridge, then call aplusguitars.com to get another. Aplus sells their Standards for less than anyone else I've ever seen. These guys were a treat to buy from. I bought this guitar because I've wanted a solid body electric for years, and Gibson is blowing out this model because apparently they're not making it this year (hence the lower price). I considered an American Strat, but next to the Paul Standard, the strat seems anemic to me. Strat has nice sounds, but I'll never get one. The Standard Plus has everything I'll ever need, and, once again, it has the most stunning figured top and georgeous finish. Internet pics don't do it justice! I absolutely love this guitar and have NO regrets about buying it. In reviewing it I have tried to be critical and honestly can't offer much in the way of criticism-- this guitar is everything I expected, definitely worth the clams I paid for it, and it's going to be my main gig guitar from now on. See for yourself amigos!

As with all guitars of the species, two volume & two tone control knobs, AA bookmatched figured (flame) maple top, dual humbuckers, neck and body binding, Grover machine heads, included but not installed pickguard (thank god) Mahogany body and set neck, Gibson hardshell case. What everyone expects.

Les Paul into a Zoom GFX-8 into a Marshall MG80RCD. The sound is wide, and bright I expect no less from gibson. It sounds wonderful. I have played a wide variety of music with it thus far and it performs admirably.

Factory set up was perfect (for me). The cosmetics and mechanicals on this guitar are flawless. The finish is perfect. The top is very well defined and visually stunning.

The combo lock on the case is crap, aside from this the entire package is wonderful.

Don't know yet, need a new lock though. I'll let you know.

At this price, I couldn't resist. I'll never regret it either. What a beautiful instrument! It is a pleasure to play but I prefer to just stare at it. The Honeyburst finish is incredible. I can't beleive I was finally able to afford one after 25 years of playing. I'd never even touched one until recently. I will never part with it (I hope) and consider it an heirloom. You'd better grab one now while they are at this price. I'd buy two if I could! in a word "unbeleivable!"

1997 heritage cherry 22 frets made in usa bookmatched AA flame top NICE( do you realy need to know the obvious?)I have been hankering after gibson les paul since 1974 but i had to make do with a jap copy in them days, well as for the features of the les paul you have to be fair here and say it dosent compare well with a Strat - no trem only two pickups not tapped so only three pickup configs .fat neck big frets you can not give this guitar a ten for the reasons given but ( i personly think if it had single coils and a trem it wouldnt sell because it would look ugly and a lot of people buy on looks...Sad but true but it could have come with coil taps and phase switches etc then a ten would be deserved so i ll give it 7

well if you didnt like the sound you wouldnt buy it.. would you?
its a full sound the neck position can be jazzy , the bridge can be sharp and nasty and any thing in between can be fiddled with tone pots but what this thing beats the pants off my 74 strat is sustain
dont get me wrong I love both these guitars but im figuring on strat players reading this ( im one my self ) if you want to get a strat sound out of this you havent got a chance but you can get some realy nice Gary Moore tones, reggae, funk ,slow blues (heres what I dont use it for fast blues aka SRV it just cant deliver the ring ( for me anyway)its great for punk h/metal but there again anything will do for that with 24 od peadls i guess.
great sound at what it is nice tone but it isnt a guitar i can pick out with my eyes shut not like a tele or strat or even a 335( with the exception of Gary Moore )i dont know anyone with a distinctive tone to a les paul( my opinion and ear again you decide )I LL GIVE IT A TEN ANYWAY .

bought used but in realy good shape i wasnt looking especialy for this one ( a gold top deluxe was my first choice but this came up and i grabed it)the action was quite high i lowered it no problem there
the frets are quite high and not radiused enough for my liking and I dont know if they were dressed by Gibson but they were not done very well I wont hold that against them as i had it used ,the pickups were to close to the strings before i lowerd the action easily sorted to get the tone i was after ( well you wouldnt sing with a microphone stuffed down you throat would you it sounds crap!)anyway it took some getting used to I wont lie after playing strats only for the last three years the neck is total shock to the fingers and thumb after an hour you should be sorted and transfer back and forth Gibson/Fender no problem
the finish looks shit hot but the laquer is a bit rough.
Overall finish I like very much not that i give a monkeys about looks the sound is everything ,if it looked like a bag of shit and sounded like angels singing i would buy it.Ill give it a 9 but i wouldnt care one way or the other

come on how long have they been building these of course it wil last IF- you dont drop it on its neck and snap it.
I will have to get strap locks as the buttons dont seem to get on with my straps they seem to small and much of a rounded radius to hold
depend on it oh yes
no i wouldnt gig any guitar with out a back up if you have two use them .10 this time 1950's till now and still going

no idea?

been playing nearly thirty years collection of good and bad gear growing still
I would buy another but i would like to try out the deluxe first to see if i would prefer the sound I love the sustain and clarity of tone the full sound is nice though not realy unique .If i HAD to choose which guitar to use between the les paul and a stratocaster
I would grab the fender every time , les paul great guitar but sorry it isnt the best its a very good second to a stratocaster . I have to give it 9 it is a realy good guitar it just cant do every thing.

2001 Les Paul Standard Plus. 22 Frets, Mahogany body with flamed AA Maple top, which is simply beautiful by the way, especially when you consider the price that I paid for this guitar. Two humbuckers, 490 in the neck and a 498 in the bridge, both alnico's. Mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, trapezoid inlays and Grover tuners. It came shipped with a beautiful tan Gibson leather case.

The sound is incredible! I had been searching for a nice, natural fat tone and this guitar delivers the goods!! There is so much versatility to this guitar. You can dial in anything from Jazz to Rock and everything in between. I'm currently using this guitar with a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp and it is a great combination, IMO. There is nothing I dislike about the variety of sounds I can achieve with this instrument!

The guitar came shipped to my door and was setup perfectly! I unpacked the box and immediately began playing. There was no need to amke any adjustments, whatsoever. The gentlemen at APlus Guitars did a superb job!! Two thumbs up! No flaws at all!

IMO, this guitar will last me a very long time. This one is definitely a keeper! Someone should shoot me if I ever get the lame idea to get rid of it!! All hardware on the guitar is rock solid and top quality.

Havent needed Gibson support yet, however, the folks at APlus Guitars deserve some major kudos!! Thanks again guys!

I've been playing guitar for a while and have played many different types. This is my first Gibson and I am very happy with it! I highly recommend this model to anyone interested in a high quality, versatile guitar that has all the tones necessary for Jazz, Blues, Rock, whatever. I chose this guitar because I wanted something to compliment my Telecaster. I wanted something that could deliver fat blues and rock tones. I also wanted a guitar that was very different from my Tele and this is the one! Find a nice Standard Plus and you will not be let down.

2001 Les Paul Standard Plus. You know the drills. I will take a point off because after all these years Gibson still doesn't make a tail piece that doesn't fall off, and the speed knobs has no pointer. Also the neck at the heel is too fat.

The bridge pickup.. think of Jimmy Page in The Song Remains The Same (both the song and the movie). Bright, almost brittle sound that also has a lot of warmth. The neck pickup is actually quite nice for Jazz. Think of George Benson. Roll off the tone on the neck pickup and you got some really smooth creamy sound that almost sounds like a saxophone.. think of Santana in Maria Maria. And of course you can mix and match because the pickups have separate volume and tone controls (unlike PRS)

Beautiful but subtle book-matched flame top, just like the 59 Les Paul Jimmy Page is famous for. The flame is perfectly horizontal, all the way from side to side, and perfectly even from top to bottom. No flaw on the maple cap. Fit and finish is top notch. Some file marks on the fingerboard but what do you expect?? The cleaning operation is done by hand. The control cavity is beautiful - excellent soldering work.

You know, let's be honest, those nitrocellulouse lacquer isn't exactly easy to maintain. ANYTHING scratches or lifts them. The perspiration of my arms and hands dull them every time I play the guitar. But hey, I'll not take any point off because I wouldn't want anything else on such a nice piece of wood. This guitar is too new for me to judge if it's reliable (especially the pots) so I'll give it a ten for now.

I once asked Gibson CS for a schematic of a guitar. They scanned (the original blue print) it and emailed it to me within 24 hours. So I think they're pretty good so far.

I love this guitar. If you want to mail order a guitar you would be stupid not to give aplusguitars.com your first consideration. I play many different styles, and my Stratocast now mostly sits in its case. Sometimes I would play total crap just to listen how nice this guitar sounds and sustains. To my ears this sounds better than a PRS, especially the neck pickup. (and what's the deal with those gigantic heels on the PRS?? If Gibson can make a Standard Double Cut with small heels...)

Everyone knows. Beautifull and ultra heavy mahogany body, with a AA flamed maple cap that is bordered by cream binding. Mine weights 9.87 lbs. The "plus" means that the top is flamed. And it is SWEEEEEEET! I know ...It's not completely flamed out like some others, but the flame on mine brings out the wood, and changes with the light, it does not dominate the guitar. Actually I've seen Peter Frampton, and The Eagles play my guitar, and my flame was just as sweet as theirs. THANKS TO APLUS GUITARS! One of the nicest flames on a les paul I've seen. The 59' style rounded "baseball bat" mahogany neck with cream binding, and a sweet rosewood fretboard loaded with gleaming Pearl inlays. Chrome hardware, including tuners, not that puke green color. And to top it all off, a sweet ass "pimp" case. I da man! Tan leather, with soft as a baby's ass leather handle, feels like a broken in baseball glove. Also included is a combination lock ...love it. On the inside is the magentta pink fur, plush and soft, cusom contoured to fit your axe. And, And there is a magenta pink colored satin slip cover shaped like the les paul that is straped to the case, it lays atop you guitar to protect the finish ...SWEET! And the bonus, it came w/out the stupid pickguard installed, no holes drilled, so beautifull. Two humbucker pickups w/chrome covers ...490R and 498T. They sound great, very nice for stock pickups ...but their getting replaced by zebra and reverse zebra seymour duncans. Two volume and two tone controls. Everything I need! I DA MAN!

White lightning, rolling thunder, scorching triad flames, monster power chords, sqealing harmonics, chunky riffs, all the way to big, round clean chords that move air with their bottom end, dark haunting "diary of a madman" chords that raise the hair on your nuts with their dissonance. Mark at APLUSGUITARS.COM helped me choose the Les Paul I wanted, he actually weighed them for me. This guitar produces not only the sweetest, but also the darkest sounds this side of heaven. This is the most versatile guitar that exists, I don't care what others say. From Jazz to Rock to Blues to Metal. It can scream, moan, float through the haze, shine through the clouds, you name it, it does it. This gets a 20!

I bought mine from APLUS GUITARS in Bridgeport, W.Virginia. Aplus Guitars setup my les paul with 11's, and set the basic intonation. Fit and Finish are nearly flawless. Again, Mark went through about three of em for me, weighed em, helped me find the nicest flame, looked for flaws, etc. There ARE a few minor file marks on the fretboard near the frets, and a very small scratch on the maple top, about 3/16 of an inch long, and very fine. Besides that, the guitar was flawless. Everything is sweet. Volume and tone knobs rotate smoothly, pickup selector is solid, hardware tight and oiled, tuners tune and stay in tune, neck glued and screwed thru the body ...solid as my member. The binding around the body, and all the way up the neck is flawless, and much thicker than the past years ....very sturdy and beautifull. The wood is bookmatched and has no knots, missgrains ...it is a beauty, solid, and smooth. The finish is flawless, no runs, blurs, or heavy spots. The mahogany back is stunning. Deep mahogany with a cohesive and tight grain pattern. This guitar is built like a "BRICK SHIT HOUSE". The overall feel of the instrument is as solid as it gets. Bravo to Gibson. This guitar will last a lifetime.

Gibsons are made like German Panzer Tanks. I could crush a stack of bricks with this thing, let alone some country pickers skull! This guitar would survive a nuclear winter. The only thing left after a nuclear war would be cockroaches and gibson les pauls. Of course, I replaced the strap buttons with strap locks. The finish seems durable. I had my first les paul in 1987 until 1997, and the finish did not fade or blot like most do. I have an ernie ball music man axis (vanhalen) guitar, it's finish has fades and blurs. The gibson finish will hold up. "Rock Solid" is another name for Les Paul. I've played since 1986 and I believe that the les paul is the most solid guitar built. There are exceptions, no one is perfect. But the Les Paul is the definition of Reliable/Durable!!!

Never dealt with Gibson. I had my first les paul standard in 1987 and kept it for 10 years. Never had any problems with it, so there it is. AND ...from what I remember, the late 80's were not exactly a cream of the crop batch for Gibson. The new Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus I just got is solid!!! End of Story.

10 +++. I've been playing for 15 years. I own alot of other shit that has nothing to do with this so I won't bore you with listing my other gear. If it were lost or stolen ...I would hunt down that motherfuQer, kick his teeth down his throat, then hit him over the heard with the les paul, which would leave him comatose for twice as long as my les paul was missing. Don't mess with a man's axe. There are no other guitars to compare this to. Come on ...Paul Reed Smith is building nice guitars, no doubt, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING compares to what a Les Paul sounds and feels like. Not to mention their proven reliability/durability. Les Paul was a Jazz freak, but he's still my brother for giving me this guitar. LISTEN UP ...it's not easy buying an axe over the internet. You can't touch it, smell it, etc. So a company that spends an hour on the phone going over the guitars with me deserves credit ...AplusGuitars.com went way beyond customer service and made my purchase possible. We need more honest submissions from all of us ...so we know where we can go to get a good deal, and deal with honest people. The truth shall set you free.

My Les Paul Standard Plus was made in 1996 and has the beautiful honey burst finish. I bought it new in 1999 at a guitar show. I got a special price, since it had been stored and forgotten for three years, and only found, when the Gibson distributor Germany emptied their storage for the guitar show.

I mainly play in a rock band, but also jam in a jazz combo. The Les Paul Standard Plus covers it all. I've played and checked out tons of different guitars, but never found anything close to this. I love the way I can influence the tone with the volume poti, from clean to really heavy distortion. This guitar is it!

It was the beautiful honey burst finish that I fell in love with at first sight. I picked the guitar up and felt right away really at ease. There were almost no adjustments to make. I changed the 009 string set to a hibryd set from 009 to 046 and lowered the tailpiece to get a better sustain.

I've played over a hundred live shows with wild live action, jumping around and all that stuff and never had any troubles. The finish still looks awesome and the guitar always stayed in tune, even at freezing cold open air shows.

I never dealt with Gibson directly and never had any troubles or problems with the instrument to be taken care of. That's the way it's supposed to be.

I Would buy it again at any time.

My LP was bought new in 95 and has been worked very hard. It is tobacco sunburst and I have fitted the supplied scratchplate (which annoylingly was supplied without screws....silly really Gibson....the moans end here). It came with the 490/498 pickups which survived the first 4 years but I have changed these for Classic 57s, mainly because I found the bridge pickup originally fitted too strong for my tastes. As my amplification (Marshall JMP1 based) has gain to spare I went for the 57 Classic which has less output but gives the classic "old" Gibson clean sound. If you want Kossoff, Lemon song, Beano album etc, I can't name a better guitar/pickup combination for the money. The original saddles wore out and the replacements ate strings: enter Graphtech saddles - I highly recommend them. The LP has had one refret, other than that the only changes were the addition of straplocks (Schaller). Believe it or not, the neck end straplock wears through every 18 months even with lubing so check if you use them. Most likely weight induced as it doesn't happen on any of my other guitars. Hardly the most serious of problems.

I've used it for everything from metal thru country thru jazz to folk rock and it has never failed me. LPs are much more versatile than given credit for - maybe players tend to stereotype themselves to match their perception of a LP. Nothing sounds quite as soulful as a good LP and I rate this as a very good LP (once the Classic 57s were fitted).

Overall put together and finished extremely well but has one flaw (common with many new LPs) that is easily put right: the cable that connects the selector switch to the control cavity is screened but nobody had actually connected the screen in the cable to ground. To cure it just run a wire from the screen to the ground on a volume control and your guitar will be pickup far less stray buzzes. A strange oversight from Gibson. For this reason I deduct 1 mark.

A guitar to keep for a very long time. Utterly dependable in all respects. I have loads of backups available (mostly brand F) but would rather change a string on the LP than pickup anything else.

As I am in the UK I have only used the web site and it works as well as any other. They do answer your questions within 24 hours - usually a lot quicker.

I have been playing for 35 years and owned/played just about everything. This guitar is the business! I am probably too attached to it for my mental health and I really must try to remember it is only bits of wood and metal. I don't even want to contemplate playing anything else.
Audiences love the thing - it never grates or slices your head off.

This is a brand spankin new Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus. The plus just means that it has a flametop rather than a normal maple top. This guitar has two volume and two tone controls, two humbuckers. It has a mohagony body with a maple top, mahagony neck with a rosewood fretboard. The flame is not as flamed out as some older les pauls that i have seen but it adds enough to give the guitar a vintage look. I have mine in honeyburst, of cousre I am a Page Fan. The Pickups are a 490R and a 498T, it has a tune o matic bridge. This came with a case with a magenta soft furry inside that looks mean as hell, it also came with the truss rod adjustment tool, and a pickguard in case you want to ruin your beautiful top with that gaudy thing... All in all a classic LP

This guitar would suit any style of playing very well. Some say that Gibson Pickups are bright which is true all depending on your eqipment and so on. I think that they fit this guitar beautifuly because it is going to be very deep to begin with because 80% of it is mahogony. But the pickups to me sound very balanced and yes a little on the treblely side. Some people pickups drive people crazy but I say why rely on a 100 pickup from the majority of your sound when you have (in my case) a $1600 amp to tweak it with. Unlike the bridge pickup which will be bright no matter what you put in it because it is in the bridge posistion, the neck pick up is very deep and high at the same time, with less mids. This is the perfect blues humbucker. When you combine the two you get a very different and unique sound as well. Overall the guitar sounds like a dream. To give you an idea about how i am aquiring my sound...

Guitar----> Cry Baby---->Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier (Modified)----> Mesa Boogie Rectifier Cab closed Back w/ Celestion Vintage 30's

My Guitar was set up in the factory and they did a great job. Some might say that the Action is a bit high, but for me it is perfect. The guitars finish as i said is not on fire but sits perfectly in the middle between nothing and flamed like crazy. Pickups are perfect, when I took this out of the box all I did was tune it, and I was ready to rip.

You could through this guitar off the empire state building and still play the next day. It is built like a tank. Very dependable.

Very nice people, and they get back to you right away with questions. However When i spoke with them the seemed a bit like they werent paying any attention to me, but in fact they were and gave me good answers. Maybe i am just too used to living in Jersey.

Its a LP can I say more???

2001 Honeyburst Les Paul Standard Plus. This guitar is a beautiful example of a Les Paul for someone that wants a great Paul but doesn't want to plop down $5000. I just received it from Musician's Friend four days ago, but I've put in a solid 12 hours playing it. The "Plus" has a AA maple top that is just right for my taste. This guitar is a gordeous Honeyburst that screams Jimmy Page. Depending on the light and the angle the guitar takes on several personalities which is very cool. By checking the serial number I discovered that it was only three weeks old when I received it! Other guitars that I own include a '62 Reissue USA Burst Strat, Danelectro DC-3, '82 Gretsch Beast and a Fender Mex Tele. This fills a void in my arsenal and does so very well. By the way...This Sonofabitch weighs 11 pounds!!

The stock pickups are fairly balanced. I have to admit that I have a Dimarzio Pro-Track in the neck position of my Strat that sounds more like a Les Paul than this Les Paul does. If you like a guitar that is very versatile this is it. The bridge pickup almost has the bite of a P-90. But that was only after I installed a set of 10-48 Nickel Rockers. Both pickups give just enough Umph to do Slash, Angus, Jimmy, Joe, Tracii, Keith but stay articulate enough to do some Chet.

Since I got this from Musician's Friend I did not have the luxury of a quality set-up. But the factory actually did a very good job. The guitar actually came strung correctly (they used the technique of locking the string on the tuner with a little bend). The nut is slightly high, I may have that filed down at somepoint. The pickups were both adjusted to have the same volume which is rare. The string height is slightly high. The intonation was dead on! The binding and inlays are done superbly as is the headstock. The lacquer finish is sticky on the back of the neck, but that should improve with time. Overall the guitar looks amazing. Whoever packed this guitar actually gave a Rat's Ass. It had no finger prints and there were little tufts of polishing cloth on the strings... Ahhh how sweet For a new Gibson I am rating this very high. It really does deserve it.

This guitar should be able to stand up to live playing very easily. I'll have to play it a while and see if it chews up strings. It does stay in tune very well. Straplocks are going to be slapped on this thing very quickly (before I drop it on my toe and get a nasty black nail) The chrome hardware should last many years. I think I'll resist the urge to install Nickel parts on it though.

I think Gibson is on a quality control kick. It seems like the guitars from just a year ago weren't put together as nice as the current models. If their customer support is as good as the quality control they should be fine.

If you have ever owned a guitar that you have instantly bonded with you probably know how I feel about my Les Paul. It doesn't have that "Looks nice but plays like Shit" thing happening. It plays as good as it looks. 2001 is a good year for Gibson. If you are thinking of getting one, do it now before they go to Hell-in-a- handbasket again.

This is 1995 model with a AA grade heritage cherry finish, paid about 1500US$ for it, money well spent. Came with brown Gibson hard case, tags etc. Original pickups are 400R and 480T Alnico 2 h/bs, since changed to Seymour Duncan Vintage 59s.
The neck is thicker (but not much) than a 1960 style found on the Classic series.

This guitar is good for all styles of music and is very quiet in operation - no pickup buzz here folks. I use it thru a Marshall JCM800 50 watt head model 2205 with a 2 x 12 in Celestion box and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 40 watt amp. The original pickups worked fine thru the Marshall distortion channel, the treble pickup being perfect when driven hard.It has great crunch, sustain and not too trebly, pretty hard to beat this sound. The Marshall clean channel doesnt work with this guitar at all but was fine with a strat! FOr instance, you cant clean the sound up in the clean channel by backing the guitar volume off, pretty annoying.
The Fender amp didnt work so well with this guitar - the first thing you notice is that the rythum pickup lost all its bass definition in the clean channel- it went all mushy, not pleasant at all. Changed the pickup height at first which solved this problem but curiousity prevailed ..
SO, I changed the pickups to Seymour Duncan 59s which gave a mellower clean sound and the rythum p/u sounding beautiful with distortion from a Zoom 505! Classic singing PAF sound here, no complaints at all. The treble SD 59 p/u whilst very good, does not have the grunt of the original 480T Gibson pickup. I may change to a Seymour JB p/u soon as it is claimed to have more bite, although some say too trebly!

The neck is a pure joy to play, maybe the 1960 style is better but I cant really comment much on that. It is not too chunky like a '59, somewhere in between for sure. Personally, I like the shorter Gibson scale length over the longer Fender one for the simple reason that there is less string tension - that is fact! This means that even .10 guage E strings are much easier to bend even for those Hendrix 2nd fret bends! You will notice how much harder it is to do this on the longer scale, given the same tuning and string guage, if you swap. If I were Gibson, I would make a big deal about this as it means much less work for the guitarist. In fact, I really cant take to playing a Fender nowadays.
The action was as low as you could get at first although thru lots of playing (home use)I have had to raise it due to fret wear, to get rid of fret buzz. My only complaint so far but this happens to any guitar. I guess its time to get the frets levelled, which means lowered in height, hence the whole feel changes..ah well, or perhaps a total re-fret, like new again. The fret buzz definitely affects sustain as well, some notes dont exactly hold for as long as they should a-la Gary Moore live, bummer!

The AA grade top had one birds-eye knot in it which might upset a few folks but I prefer to refer to this as her 'beauty spot' and it makes for unique ID anyway, if the unthinkable should happen. The hardware is all stainless steel, so there is not a hint of tarnish after 6 years. Unlike the Classic series with the nickel hardware which tarnishes immediately - bear this in mind if choosing here.

The finish on this guitar is the best around. I use Gibson polish which brings it up like new each time and I put plenty on the armrest area as this is the first place to really wear (look at the photos of original 59-60 examples)- but it is still like new.
Unlike other guys, I have not ever broken a tring on this but I use .10 guage and up, not those thin .9 things which I suspect will break easier .
ALl over solid axe, better value than the historic re-issues by a mile. Mine weighs in at 8 1/4 pounds , not too heavy at all.

never bothered

Nothing to add here, only a die-hard Fender guy would bitch about this guitar. Probably doesnt suit country sounds but then they can ride their Teles with matching boots for that stuff..

I wish it had the flying-saucer knobs like the Classic series as they are easier to get your hands on. And the pickguard should really be on to protect those lovely flames(I didnt mention that the flame is really impressive and that you can spend long periods just admiring the top, did I?)Sounds and looks a million bucks.

My 1999 LP Standard Plus has everything a Les Paul has, except it has no pickgaurd.

Not as bluesy as I would like. Treble is too tinny.

Everything was great. The finish is vintage sunburst. It is amazing looking

This guitar stays in tune for days. The knobs on other guitars crackle when you turn them. The sound on some may even konk out if you turn them too much. Not these, they will last forever.

Everything is perfect but the sound. Its a little weak. I expected more for such a famous guitar

It's a rather new guitar with all the les paul settings: 3-way switch, two volumecontrols, two tonecontrols, single cutaway etc.
with a beatyfull boby: brown combinated with black!

I use my guitar with a Fender Performer 1000 and a Fox amplifier.
I personally really like the distortion sound on the Fender amp. and the clean sound on the Fox amp.
The distortion on the Fender amp. is really great, from the treble solo sound till the full Rock sound! absolutely great!!
The clean sound on the Fox amp is extremely warm and full. wonderfull!!

The only thing I had to do when I bought the guitar is to let lower and higher the strings and bend the neck a little because my strings were sometimes touching the wrong frets while playing. (this of course a big mistake of the Gibson-factory).
But besides that I have really no complains about this guitar, it,s a fantastic instrument.

I think this guitar will last for my lifetime. It looks really solid and the finish doesn't seem to be willing to let go.
All the hardware seems verry strong to mee too.
Technically I would use it on a gig without backup.
The only reason I don't is that the strings break very easily on this guitar.

I have never had any real problems with this guitar that I couldn't solve myself, so I don't know how the customer service at Gibson is, but Gibson seems very reliable to me.

It is really a great guitar, and I will keep it for all my life.
I have been playing on some other guitars too, bt there was only one of them wich could keep up with this one; a les paul in the same price-catagory.
just great.

this guitar was made in 1999 .i had to get it from the custom shop because when i looked around for one everyone told me they were discontinued.its got 22 frets and a kick ass flame top.its got a 3 way switch,two humbuckers and two volume and tone controls.it has a really cool looking heritige cherry sunburst finish. i asked them to finish it like a 59 because i hate when the cherry sunburst finish is solid red on the outside and bright yellow in the center.so its got red on the outside and an orange-ish color in the center.the reason i didnt give the features any ratings is because its a les paul,theres really nothing fancy to it as far as features go.its basicly a stripped down rock n roll guitar.

i play hard rock (led zep,rolling stones,aerosmith,guns n roses)and it suits my needs very well. i use a marshall 100 watt dsl head and a marshall 300 watt angled cab with no effects except for a dunlop crybaby wah.i put alinco II pro humbuckers in it and it has a very powerful sound .i can get really good vintage tones as well as really kick ass hard rock tone out of this guitar.the neck position has a really creamy bluesy sound to it which is good because i play the blues too. i also play punk (the ramones,sex pistols,fear) and the bridge pickup is really good for the rock and punk music.i honestly found my dream tone.

the guitar wasnt set up that good when i got it.the strings were really high. and the pickups sounded awesome but i wanted to try something different so thats why i changed them to the duncan alinco II pros.the top is about a 3 AAA and it is perfectly bookmatched . nothing was wrong with the guitar at all when i got it,except for the high action but i got that fixed when i changed the pickups.

this is a gibson les paul , it is the panzer fuckin tank of rock n roll guitars. this is really a solid guitar.i wouldnt gig with it without a backup simply because i would be fucked if i broke a string.

i dont know ,i never dealt with gibson .although they were nice enough to help me out with my order while they were at namm 99.

ive only been playing for about 4 years.i own a gibson les paul studio and it has held up like a les paul should.i also own a usa made bc rich warlock whs deluxe and a customized bich.i love all my guitars but this one is my main guitar and i think it will be for as long as i keep playing.i havent found any brand of guitar that can beat the sound of this baby.a lot of kids my age are into the cookie cutter ibanez guitars tuned down to A# or whatever and need a bazillion digital effects and amps.im only 17 and i know nothing beats a les paul through a marshall.ive tried prs guitars,strats,teles and although some were ok the only guitars that i could find that were up to gibsons were bc rich guitars ,other than those i think everything else pretty much sucks.

For starters this model is discontinued Slash from Guns & Roses was especially fond of these guitars.This particular guitar was ordered from the custom shop in 1996. Reason being Loved the feel of the newer Les Paul Standard's but wanted a killer Flame Top AAAAA like the once on the 59 Les Pauls Standards he suggested a 59 Ressiue.So I tried one not impressed then he suggested a Standard PLUS with a custom flame AAAAA and all vintage hardware and parts. 9 months later my dream guitar arrives home only having to make one final adjustment (Seymour Duncan JB) in the bridge perfection.Back to the features 3-way pickup selector 4 control knobs 2 volume 2 tone nice and easy that way I like it.I'll give this a 10 plus for the simplicity

Sound (BIG,FAT,AND JUICY) monster tone remember I added the Seymour Duncan JB.What styles of music do I play almost anything goes but mostly modern and classic rock.This guitar is extremely versatile Amplifier I use most commonly with this guitar is of course a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Head & two 4x12 cabs absolutely incredible sounding once again a 10 plus

Set up good but not perfect just a little tweeking was necessary finish not perfect either but as far as book matched flame goes definitely a 10 plus the particular top on this guitar is much better than half of the 59 Reissues I've seen very happy with my AAAAA KILLER TOP

Reliability are you kidding me IT'S A GIBSON LES PAUL my great great grand kids will be enjoying this guitar.But I plan on installing some strap locks just for safe measure IM a semi professional musician playing out very often

Extremely helpful web page is always up to date and the new FORM is incredible they answer every question you to ask them

I have been playing for a little over 17 years semi professional and last 10.Ihave either owned or played every guitar on the market I was hooked on Les Paul's a few years back then I discovered PRS Guitar's.I sold off all my Les Paul's and started collecting PRS's but started really missing my LP's so I got this one and this one is not going nowhere.I still love my PRS's but this LP is my main guitar I would strongly suggest trying to find one of th(Les Paul Standard PLUS's) thatese babies our no longer produced but keep checking you never know you might just get lucky

A very happy LP Standard PLUS customer!

1996 Les Paul Standard Plus. The flame on the top is perfect. It seems to be mor of a AAA top than the newer models' AA tops. Thhhis one also came with a pickguard, which the newer model ones don't have. The pickguard gives it more of a vintage look. Standard Les Paul all the way...two humbuckers, tunomatic bridge, stop tail piece, Gibson tuners, 24 3/4" scale (a much faster neck than on my Fender Strat), and three way togle switch. The rating is an 8 on features because it's a plain straight forward electric guitar. No active pickups or floyd, etc. but that's what you want with a Les Paul isn't it?

Sound quality is great. Nice clean sound...chime like on the rhythm pickup and bright and snappy on the treble. With a Boss HM2, sounds great, with a Zoom 505 sounds better, throught the distortion on a 100 watt Crate with stereo chorus it's great. Nice thick smooth sound, fits my style fine (anywhere from old John Cougar to Guns and Roses to Stevie Ray. It's sound is much more versitile than people will admit to, especially with my Zoom.

Considering the price of the guitar and the reputation of Gibson making quality instruments, I was a little disappointed with the finish. The sunburst is flawless, one of the best I've seen, the laquer however is not as smooth on the top as I thought it should be. There is also a thin spot in the laquer on the inside of the cutaway, and there was the "orange-peel" ripple on the headstock laquer. A little roughness in the grain of fretboard where one of the frets was put in. Looks like the slot for the fret may have been cut with a dull blade. The set up was O.K. I lowered the action a bit (I would have liked to gone down a bit lower, but I started getting fret buzz) I also lowered the tailpiece all the way down. I believe that Lisa Sharken from "Guitar Gear" Mag said this would increase sustain more. Again bueatiful bookmatched flame top, perfect sunburst.

This guitar is built to rock and roll. The weight feels good. I played it pretty hard in a hot, hot, hot room for about three hours and it polished up nice and new looking when I was through. The last Les Paul I had seemed to have a very durable finish on both the wood and the hardware. It has the smallest strap buttons that I have seen in a while, it didn't matter though because I replaced them with some good quaity strap looks.

Never used it.

I make my living teaching music and I play professionally from time to time. I've been playing guitar for 21 years. I started with a Les Paul Copy in the 70's switched to a Fender HM Strat with heavy metal distortion in the 80's (hey if you were there, then you understand!) swithched back to the Les Pauls in the 90's. Because I teach, I get the opportunity to play a lot of different brands and styles of guitars (my students') I like Fender Strats and the Ibanez Generic Strat guitars, but I really love this Gibson. It just feels smoother and the sound is like silk, clean or distorted. It also has a very fast neck. I don't know what people are talking about when they say it has a "clubby" feel. It's the best feeling and playing electric guitar I've had. Even with the let-downs in the finish department, I feel that the guitar is worth the money I paid for it. 10's all the way!