Gibson Les Paul Standard

Usual Les Paul features. Mine is Cherry red with a 60's neck. Does exactly what you expect a Les Paul to do!

This guitar makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck every time I plug it in! It has been my dream to own a Gibson Les Paul and play it through a Marshall Valve amp. It's taken me until i'm nearly 40 but my God it was worth the wait. I play through a JCM 900 on the clean channel with gain on about 8 and it is the absolute dogs.
I play in a rock covers band and we play everything from Thin Lizzy and the Offspring to The Police and Snow Patrol. For the quieter moments roll off the volume on the guitar and the sound cleans up beautifully.
It's everything I ever dreamed it would be.

Not good considering the price you pay for one of these. Frets needed a good polish, the coverplates on the back don't fit particularly well, the pick up surounds are a different colour to the other cream plastic of the pickguard and binding. The Pickguard didn't fit properly and neither did the toggle switch tip which eventually flew off never to be recovered at an outdoor gig in Bath a few weeks ago.

Bought it from Sound Control in Bristol (UK) and it came with a free set up. The tech did a good job and it plays like a dream. I use 12 guage strings and the neck has stayed solid as a rock and it just never goes out of tune.

I'll admit I was blinded by the Gibson logo and, having played dozens to get the one that sounded just right, I would have bought it regardless of the finish. BUT be aware that the quality is not as good as it should be for the money.

I gig every other week and this guitar is well up to the job, then again as a pro level instrument it should be. I took a conscious decicsion that this guitar was going to be played and wouldn't be kept in cotton wool. Don't get me wrong I treat it with great care, but with the thin finish these guitars will mark. Not withstanding that, thousands play these guitars week in week out and they just never let you down (as long as you intstall some strap locks) I always have a back up in case I break a string mid song.

Never dealt with Gibson

Been playing for over 25 years, and own two American Fender Telecasters one 10 years old and one 4 and a late 80's Japanese Fender Strat which I've owned from new. I play through a Marshall JCM 900 4102 combo and a 1922 cab with an MG100 head as a back up (yes I have blown my amp up mid gig!) I use some effects, usually just a Boss Compressor and an original Marshall Guv'nor pedal. Other effect are a Boss equalizer, Boss flanger, Cry Baby Wah wah, and digitech pds1002 delay.

I love my telecasters, but the Gibson is my dream. They all sound different so make sure you try lots before you part with your cash. The best advice I was given was forget about the colour, try every one in the shop/town/city THROUGH YOUR OWN AMP for 20 seconds at a time; put back the the ones you don't like (there will be some!) take a break, then go back through the remaining ones the same way until you find the one for you. You may not be successful first time round (some people take months), but persevere you will know when you've found "the one". Personal score would be 10 out of ten, but objectively with the issues with finish and the huge price tag i give this an 8.

Finish : Mild 'orange-red' sunburst 'tiger-stripe' maple. Body : single-cutaway, mahogany. Bridge : Gibson Tune-O-Matic. Tuners : Grover. Neck : Mahogany, Rosewood fingerboard, white plastic neck binding, block inlays, 23 3/4 inches scale. Accessories : Hard case, truss rod wrench. Year of Manufacture : 1996, USA. Frets : 22. Top : Laminated maple. Controls : 2 volumes, 2 tones, 3-way selector. Pickups : 2 chrome humbucking, Gibson. Passive electronics.

Great thick sound for clean or distorted single-line solos or power chords. Useable sounds for strumming; but never as clear as a Strat. Not as good for clean funk or comping. Have used it through a Mesa-Boogie Studio Caliber and Roland JC120 Jazz Chorus; plus a Boss ME30 multiple effects unit. Quieter and better than an American Standard Strat for thick solos and power chords, but not as clear (no ringing, bell-like tones); probably due to the humbuckers.

Factory setup was middle-of-the-road; came with .009 strings. Played much better after adjustment to my personal tastes (higher action, tighter truss rod/straighter neck). Sounded even better after a change to Ernie Ball Power Slinkys (.011 - .049). Finish and workmanship good, a little bit of varnish overspray on the neck binding; but nothing I can't live with.

String bending much easier than on a Strat because of the shorter scale. Works fine either on live gigs or recordings. Dependable and solid, though it needs more careful handling than a Strat due to its glued-in neck and tilt-back headstock.

Have great support from the local dealer who sold me this guitar, Melody Music. Never dealt with Gibson directly.

Been playing guitar since 1972, and bass since 1981. Have owned Fender Squires, US Standard and Japanese Strats, Ibanez Strat clones, Epiphone Les Pauls; this is a great guitar; but not as versatile as a Strat. Great for chunky lead work and power chords; though.

Les Paul Standard. Two Volume Two tone controls. This,in my view gives many tonal options along with the pickup selector.This model has the desert burst finish.The guitar is absolutley georgeos.

My music styles are rock(who,zep,rush,allmans etc...)blues.Fusion(al dimeola,jeff beck,santana,dream theater,zappa,etc..).My amp Marshall JCM 900.The tone of this beauty is unbelievable.I played over 100 guitars over the course of my search for a new guitar.I have a 40th anniversary strat that I love,but wanted a bigger fuller sound to go with.My search was initialy for a PRS (I did not want to give up my Whammy bar.)After playing the many guitars over a year long(no impulse buying,looking for total quality and tone.)I selected this guitar. It had a riher fuller tone that did not compromise any brightness or string to string clarity on the clean or overdrive on my amp.As I stated my search started for PRS,tis Les Paul had more charachter. It had more bite when needed,more response to my fingers on the fretboard for tonal variance.

I give this one a 10.I cannot say that about all of them.Like I said I played over 100.No two are alike.Some were not good at all some were ok. This one was THE ONE.This one has perfect action.Iwas expecting to take it to get it set up after playing it for awhile(after the new wore off),but it did not need it.I have played it for 9 months now without a hitch.Only addition sraplocks.

I hate to keep giving 10s but I DO NOT BABY it. I play for hours at a time.Now I don't throw it around or drop it(It's not a strat you can break it).

I give an 8 here because I don't think these or PRS should be this pricey. Having said that I LOVE THIS GUITAR!!!!!!.Ihave been playing for 30 years.My other guitars are a yamaha 300 owned since1975,guild dv52 1996,fender 40th strat.marshalljcm900.Hope it is not stolen I don't want the search to start over.I chose this over prs it had more persnality,not as sterile sounding(not bashing prs as I was looking for one).

Nice finish on the recent ones - they certainly look good. Bridge style is tune-o-matic. The tuners are OK, but don't do the job too well (more below). This one was a post 2002 model with bursbuckers. Having two volume knobs - one for each pickup is an advantage, as you can switch between a quiet rhythm line and a loud lead one from the pickup selector.

If you want to sound like Eric Clapton on Bluesbreakers (Beano album), or Cream, then this is your sound. I personally find it very muddy. Good for lead lines and with sustain, but very difficult to get definition on chords. They are a bit like the sonic equivalent of wading through mud. That would suit some, but I found it limiting and not very satisfying. Overall, I was pretty disappointed with the sound which was too dark, dull and thumpy on the bass notes. Perhaps this is what LPs are meant to sound like, but it is not a very versatile sound. Pickups are OK, but to be honest, I had been playing an old HSS squier fender made in Jap for 20 years, and I thought that sounded better.

The set up on this guitar was awful - fret buzz on most strings. Even though I sent it back to be re done (perhaps the guitar shop where I bought it didn't know what they were doing?), it still slipped back into rattling and buzzing. Playing it, it didn't seem like a well made guitar, or something anywhere near the money I paid. More seriously, it drifted out of tune, particularly on G and the other middle strings. This happened both after bending, but sometimes without that. Extremely disappointing

A very durable instrument in many respects - heavy and solid. However, not reliable for me, in the sense that it could never stay in tune, and it was difficult to get a range of satisfying sounds out of it.

I didn't approach Gibson, but perhaps I should have done.

I have played for 20 years in various different bands, and had always dreamed of owning one of these guitars. I was sorely disappointed. I would advise others to not just go for the brand name, but to try out as many instruments as possible without buying, without prejudice or worrying about what others will think about the name on the headstock. Since I spent so much money on this guitar, I have to give it a very low overall rating - I would have been better off sticking to my old and cheaper instrument (worth 10% of this LP)

I think the standards should be broken out by year and model... as
far as standard plus, classic, premium plus... some of new 2007 models
are different and called Gibson before I bought one. Some are the regular solid body and others are a combination of weight relieved and
chambered and I've been told unofficially that you can get one so that it's one step away from a cloud 9, so that is what I looked for and got.
I honestly wasn't expecting much from this guitar before I plugged it
in. I plugged it in side by side to my vintage goldtop and was shocked.
My goldtop is 9.25 lbs which sounds amazing but after an hour or so puts a dent in my shoulder, this new standard is 7.5 lbs and really surprized me.
Unlike the other lightweight 2007 models that have had wood chips or
other things rattling around in the chambers this is solid workmanship
and I guess Gibson after some complaints got their act together. Its
every bit as resonant as my solid 9.25 lbs goldtop and now I am thinking of sell it... of course I will keep the Tim shaw pickups
and maybe the knobs too.

I hate to say it but this but the ceramic pickups especially the
treble one are great... I plugged it into the Marshall and wow... and
because its lightweight I can play better, not so anchored feeling.
I am almost afraid to put better pickups in it in case it doesn't sound
as good. The neck pickup is a little muddy but a sprague bumblebee
or vitamin Q will take care of that. Its sustains and has great
resonance just like my solid goldtop and does not feedback like a
es 335 at high gain... I play my amps with every knob on ten except for the tone. I have a Marshall 1917 20 watt with mercury magnetics power transformer and a Wizard output transformer and Wizard worked on the amp so its the best amp I've ever played and is ultra low noise so
I crank everything. This guitar really shines through this amp, you
got to try one, I guess a later model since the lightweights are new
for 2007. I suspect that the amount of complaints from the initial
run might give this Gibson cause to drop the chambered version possibly making this a potentially rare guitar.

This finish fit and workmanship is every bit as good as my early
80's goldtop... I guess I was lucky and got a good one or Gibson has
worked out the kinks with the lightweight models. The new knobs suck.

Seems reliable no problems so far, this is my backup the goldtop is
my baby but am thinking about selling it for the 2007, I think one
has to go.

Very good, answered the phone, I think one guy might do all the USA
support because I called before on something different a few years
ago and the same voice answered. Very responsive good support and I
should know because I started my Software career in support.

Playing on an off for 30 years... see above for comparisons.

This review is about a Les Paul Standard 1978, natural maple top, equipped with the so called T-buckers. I bought the guitar some time ago when I felt the need for a Les Paul again, after selling my '81 Goldtop Deluxe a few years ago. Why did I sell it? Don't know, really......! Sometimes you just do that. Don't regret it, though.
The guitar has a "natural relic" look witch for me is just beautiful.
This guitar has been played and will be played for many years...!!!!
This Standard has a (60's shape) maple neck with rosewood fretboard witch is very comfortable en is equipped with Gibson-tuners, but not the Kluson-type. Don't know how this type is called but they're original on the Standards from those days. They work fine.
Though the original bridge (witch is worn out) is still with the guitar it has been replaced (without any problems or modifications) with a StringSaver SuperBridge. Great...!!!
The guitar is (apart from the bridge) 100% original and has all the features you'll find on a Les Paul Standard

I use the guitar mainly for blues/rock orientated music, together with my '62 Strat and my '71 Tele en the three make a great set. I mean, how much guitar-history can you take with you on stage...? (-;
I use a Fender Pro185 amp from 1990 with some floorboxes and am quite happy with that.
I find out that since I own the Standard I work more with the neck-pickup, especially in "bluesy solo's"... This guitar has a warm, yet very clear sound with this pickup and stays very precise, even with more distortion.
The guitar sounds like a real Les Paul, with all the specific LP sounds you expect (or hope...) to hear.
I've compared it with a lot of newer Standards and it is so much better, both for sound and feel....

When I got the guitar it had a set 09-42 strings on it. Too light for me, I play with 010-52 heavy bottom on all my guitars.
The guitar plays magnificent, no rattles and has endless sustain and the 60's style neck does the trick for me.You can see a lot of "playingmarks" on the back of the neck but that doesn't bother it's playability. It's even smoother. All the hardware (apart from the bridge) is in good condition, though I can imagine that it could do with a fretjob in the near future. But not yet...!

Well, if a guitar lasted almost 30 years without significant damage, it'll probably last a little longer... (-; Straps are OK and yes, I can depend on this guitar, no doubt. However, for musical reasons I usually have 3 guitars with me, so I don't have to worry if....

I have no experience with this subject...

I'm a professional player for over 25 years and I own a lot of guitars, though most of them I use in my studio. Among them are a 62 Strat, a 71 Tele, a 69 Strat, a 73 Martin D35, dobro's, mandoline's, a Seagull S6CW (for on the road) etc.
I have to admit that this Standard has become very dear to me in a short time and I (apart from financial reasons) wouldn't like to loose it. They are probably available here and there, but this particular guitar is fine for me.
As mentioned earlier, I compared it with many other (and newer Standards) and it's so much better. However, I couldn't do without a good Les Paul anymore and I would certainly buy an older one back.

Gibson Les Paul Standard 2002 60??s neck
Honey Burst (Beautiful)!
When I bought it I thought it was a Premium Plus. Nice flamed top it supposed to be AA but this top is like AAA. I compared it to a Premium Plus that was at Vintage store - No doubt - Flamed top of 60??s neck is better than the Premium. In this case.
Basic knobs of a Les Paul.

I??ve been playing LP mostly, Classic, Custom, Standard, etc... I had a LP Gary Moore (great guitar) I could play anything with it. Since I bought the GM I never thought to sell or to deal it with another LP,
It was essential for me. But when I saw the Standard at Vintage Store, I had no doubt, I bought it. Of course, i tried it before I buy. I play Classic Rock and original music - The Les Paul suit my style of music... I always liked the sound of LP??s. I use TS9 and ShredMaster (awesome)drive and some modulations. I can play everything what I want with this gear... I dont need more. I wish to buy more one Les Paul, maybe a Gold Top or Classic...

No flaws! No defects!
I think the former owner of guitar never played with it. It seems NEW!
It is perfect!

I??ve playied with it in several jam sessions, live gigs, rehearsal studio- It always has done the job finely. I use an Epi LP STD Plus as backup. But I never needed to use it. Whatever It is good to take a backup.

Very good!
Recently I sent a message toward the Gibson Support to confirm the serial number and model of guitar. I had a quick answer and all quastions cleared up. Thanks Gibson!

I have few words to say about my guitar!
I love Les Paul!
What else can I say?
I am very happy. I will be much more happy when I buy my new Les Paul. I live in Brazil and here Les Paul guitars are very expensive because of import duties. I will waiting for!

Se trata de una Les Paul Standard del a??o 2003. Tiene todo lo que se supone que debe tener una Les Paul.

Toco rock cl??sico y alternativo. El punto fuerte de esta guitarra es su pastilla del m??stil. Ah?? es donde da la diferencia respecto a otras guitarras con un sonido lleno de cuerpo pero a la vez con un poquito de crunch, muy al estilo de Slash en sus solos.
Con la pastilla del puente el sonido de la guitarra ya no es tan espectacular y no justifica el elevado precio de esta guitarra.
Otro aspecto interesante es el hecho de que puedes usar los controles de volumen y tono de la guitarra para obtener una gran variedad de sonidos. Eso s??, que quede claro que esta guitarra es una guitarra eminentemente roquera y no tan vers??til como una strato.

Suspenso para Gibson. Cuando me trajeron la guitarra y abr?? el estuche me llev?? una grand??sima decepci??n: el color en nada se parec??a al de la web de Gibson y me encontr?? con un diapas??n lleno de poros e incluso zonas rugosas. Creo que Gibson deber??a cuidarestos detalles.
Se echan de menos algunos "extras" que en una guitarra de 2.600 euros se agradecer??an: cierres de seguridad, alg??n producto de limpieza, una correa...
En este sentido, Fender cuida much??simo m??s los detalles.

Casi cuatro a??os y ning??n problema de electr??nica ni ning??n "chisporroteo", salvo el puente un poco oxidado debido al sudor.
La tapa me parece extremadamente sensible a golpes y rasgu??os.

No ha sido necesario.

Si me la robaran me comprar??a otra, pero no nueva, sino de segunda mano y anterior a los 90.

GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD FLAME TOP TRANS AMBER AND AGED DETAILS.
BACK RED/BROWN MOHOGANY

SOLID TOP

finish perfect.

classic gibson body with wonderfull trans amber finish...
i got a flame top so rare...if you look it from various corners it ler you see lots of details of the wood choseed...wow!

sound amazing! i first played my baby umplgged just to hear the mohogany vibrations and she sounded very warm a with lot of sustain...

then i plugged the jack...and WHAM! I WAS BLOWED AWAY FROM INCREDIBILE ATTACK,DEFINITON AND WARM! the ground is a bluesy feel ( guys it's a les paul ! ) but when you crunch up the gain,you can get all the rock from the wonderfull burstbucker pro!
attitude and creamy sound all the way!

guitar setup perfect,eccept the strings,wounded only one time on tuning pegs poles but i changed and installed them properly...

height pickups was perfect and i found also the 6 poles of each humbucking just placed following the neck radius ( it's so rare )...

the finish and the neck surface was wonderfull.

all parts was perfect,the bridge and action in general very much confortable.

i'm so lucky if you consider my les paul trans amber got the cream binding,aged details and red/brown mohogany so beautifull!!!

ok it's one of the beautifull and well done gibson i ever seen or touched...

i know this guitar will be as just i see now...for the rest of my life...i love her.

PERFECT FOREVER.
TAKE A GIBSON,TAKE THE BEST VALUE GUITAR OF THE WORD!

she's my dream guitar came true!!!

i think i'll never use the support,but i think if necessary i should have all the help i'll ever need...

Gibson is a lifetime guaranty!

i played for 48 days and i fall in love quickly ( i waited 12 years for playng blues/rock on this lady...now i can believe is in my room!!! )...

2002 Les Paul Standard. Burstbucker Pro pickups. Black finish with cream binding and pickguard. Chrome hardware. Chrome grover tuners. I would rank it high in terms of features because of the tonal expressivity of the pickups. I can handle jazz, blues, rock with all the authentic sounds that defined those art forms with this guitar. Angled headstock allows easy behind the nut bends. Stop tailpiece and bridge assembly yields interesting and different sounds when strings are plucked near the bridge.

I'm plugging straight into a Fender'65 Twin Reverb Reissue with JJ tubes most of the time. Occasional use of Boss Super Overdrive pedal or Tubescreamer reissue pedal. I have to run the Les Paul through the 2nd input on my Twin in order to get the fullness of its sound. Through the 1st input, the sound comes out a little too dark and highs and mids get a little lost. What I like about this guitar is that when you get going and you're playing with inspiration and pushing the volume and pushing bends or fast lines or your vibrato, this thing really comes through and takes you over the top, giving an inspired tone that is hard to describe but just feels right as rain.

I bought the guitar used from a punk rocker who treated it poorly. A lot of adjustment was required to get it together. I actaully lucked out with this guitar. The former owner lost control of the guitar during a performance - you know you can't just have standard strap knobs on a Gibson- and the guitar went flying offstage. The input jack and area around the lower butt of the guitar made contact with something and was damaged, with some finish worn off. The former owner replaced the input jackand repainted the lower butt. Hard to tell that the guitar had suffered any damage there. His paint job was matte but hardly distinguishable. But there are some little knicks from this incident and much buckle rash, etc. A very worn in a well-played guitar that has taken a beating. Hence the incredibly low price that I paid for this wonderful axe that was just in need of an owner who'd treat her better.

With the exception of needing better strap buttons, this guitar is road worthy and solid. It survived punk rock abuse for about four years and came out a little scarred but with character. It will go through live playing for decades to come and I don't gig with a backup.

I'm a Fender strat guy who has been playing since dirt. I'm in my early 40s now. I'm a blues and jazz guy. I own a couple of strats and a hollowbody Heritage 550. I found this guitar while trolling craigslist and for the low price I thought I'd give it a try. I'm sold.

In addition to playability and incredible tone, I respect Gibson for creating a guitar that I don't need to instantly modify as soon as I receive it. I have no need to swap out the pickups. I love the Burstbuckers. I don't need to change pots or modify the bridge or the tuners. The only thing Gibson might do is provide better strap buttons, maybe straplocks for all the money you can pay for a Les Paul. And a bone nut might be cool.

This axe just has an incredible vibe and I have a feedback relationship with it when I play, where the tone just comes back to me and pushes me further. The shorter scale makes them easier to play than Fenders and the fullness of the humbuckers gives you heavenly sustain and puts a lot mroe meat on each and every note that you play.

I've heard awful things about Gibson quality control. But I've been to the main store in Nashville and played around with a few instruments and now I own this beauty and I definitely dispute all of those negative claims. Maybe I just got lucky and found the right Gibson -and at an incredible price as well- but I've definitely become more of a Gibson guy because of this experience.