Gibson Les Paul Studio Plus

Gibson 490 and 498's sound great in this guitar. I can get heavy or bluesy tones out of all 3 toggle positions. The Maple on mahogany sounds and looks great. Love the AA maple top. Desert Burst is the way to go. It could use binding on the neck other than that, i don't feel it is missing anything.

This guitar gets a great all around tone. It can do rock jazz and blues no problem. The Bridge pickup practically breathes fire. The neck pickup sounds full fat and glassy. This sounds guitar sounds great for rhythm or lead playing. The Bottom end this thing has is almost too much. This thing has balls.

This guitar wasn't really set up that well when i got it. I had to drop the lead pickup, bridge, and tailpiece to get the action as low as i like. But an hours work took care of that. It Looks outstanding. The AA maple top is pretty. I think they should have bound the neck. I haven't bothered putting the pickguard on.

I will surely use this guitar and any gig i play. I have as much faith in this guitar as i do my sg standard. I've only had it a few days so i can't say for sure, but i doubt this guitar will shat out on my anytime soon. Gibson has a reputation for durability.

The first one i owned was nicked up a bit from the showroom, but the guitar center dood let me hold on to this one until they got an identical one shipped to them directly from the factory. I'd say that's pretty good.

The bottom line is that this is a great sounding, great playing, great looking, rock solid guitar. I compare it to my sg standard and i can't say which one is more valueable to me. well this one cost a bit more... and no neck binding.... But the tone of this thing is like a sledgehammer to the face. The sg sounds like something that will rip your face off. This one will just smash it.

The guitar was made in 2005 in USA. Solid Top. 2 Humb. ...
This guitar has the features that almost any guitar have, nothing more, nothing less. I simply don't understand wath the price means. Is the a Luxury guitar? I think she isn't !

I Play music not styles. I use an Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue for clean sounds and a ENGL Screamer 50 for distortion.
The sound is the only thing that make me write this review. Yes, she sounds very good for my ears. I think there are many guitars on the market that they sound almost the same but this one has a kind of special toutch.
But, once again, I still don't understand the price !

Action ? What action ? The guitar (alias almost Gibson guitars) simply don't have any action. They don't came from Gibson regulated because they (in general) have no possible regulation. Will see:
The nut is so strange that the strings don't fit in it.
The neck it's so large and round that most of people have a great dificulty in touch the upper strings, mainly from the middle of the nack to the bottom. He had no any point of elegance, alias, it seems more like a piece of a tree tranlated directly to a guitar body.
The brigde doesn't give you the chance of regulate each string by himself.
The sadles in the bridge are made of a so soft material that 4 or 5 intonations of the guitar makes them to be cutted in the string zone. Alias I've seen various Gibsons in the stores which has already that kind of cut.
The nitrolacquer isn't definetively the better material to finish a guitar, principaly on the nack. You will find a kind of dusty roll under your left hand when you play above 10 minutes even not too hard. Alias because of the nitro.... you can not put your guitar on a normal guitar stand, you must put a cotton tissue between the guitar and the rubber of the support, otherwise they apear marks and the nitro... began to disapear.
The golden finish starts to desapear about 3, 4 months.
The Frets are poorly polishe and seems not regulated. Conclusion, there are many frets that will present an horrible string vibration due to the different highs.

But, ... but, ... if you are thinking this all above are exclusive flaws of the studio plus models i will reconfortate you. It isn't. You may found them on almost Gibson models.

To confirmate this, read some of the reviews in this forum.

Again. I simply don't understand the price of this poor product !

Reliability. What Reliability. Read the previous category.

No, the strap buttons are not solid. In fact is better be prepared to buy some strap locks, otherwise you may find your guitar on the floor and don't understand why.
What the price of this guitar is paying for ?? I really don't understand.

Good, very good.
They exist and the even talk to you.
They don't see any problem on their guitars, but you finnaly don't have alternative and have to send the guitar to them.
Tham, they don't see the problems, they say you are inventing or some thing like that, but in the final, they replace or correct all of the items that you've mentioned and they send back the guitar to you, apparently better.
Tree ou four weeks after you will discover that the problems, all of them are there. They reissue. Simply because of structural problems of conception and poor material applied. So the problems have no solutions. They come to be worst ever and ever for all time.

At the end you have three solutions:

You keep the guitar because you like the sound very much or any thinh like that or, you sell the guitar and try to minimize the finantial damages or, if you are a lucky guy you will goona do like me, return the guitar to the store, changing by other products and pray that the guitar shop still return some cash to you, because you have paid so much money for the guitar that you possible don't need to bring the all store at home.
Once again, i dont' believe that anyone pay all that money for such a kinf of guitar and be happy.

I play over 30 years. I've many guitars. I ownn a private music studio, I can assure you. THIS GUITAR DON'T JUSTIFY THE PRICE SHE COST. There are towsends of better alternatives on the market, that they have the price in accordance to the materials and the quality. Gibson don't have. There are some things in their guitars that i can not find a razonable explanation, given that their are guitar manufacturers by years and years and years. Everybody learn's. Gibson seems not.

Why 1700 euros ( +/- 1950 USD$) for this guitars ????????? Why ????

This 22 fret monster is awesome. It has a carved figured AA maple top. It has a mahogany neck and body with a rosewood fingerboard. Typical 2 volume and 2 tone controls. The pickups are 490R(neck) and 498T(bridge). It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge and the green button tuners. The neck is the 59' Rounded Les Paul which is pretty thick. It came with the hardshell case. But I would reccomend changing the pickups and tuners as soon as possible. This is because the tuners don't stay in tune that well and the pickups aren't hot enough for my playing style.

I play metal and gypsy jazz. This guitar works great for both. I run the guitar through a Marshall AVT head and matching cabinet. I use a Line 6 space chorus and reverb on the amp. I equipped my Les Paul with a Duncan Distorion(bridge) and Duncan Alnico II(neck). The Alnico is great for clean and solos. The Duncan Distortion is great for solos and rythm work. The guitar is great unplugged and plugged in. The guitar has great sustain with the set neck. I also put Grover tuners on it and they stay in tune very well.

When I first picked up the guitar the action was perfect. I didn't need to make any changes. The neck pickup was good but the bridge pickup was too close to the strings. The nut wasn't wide enough even for the 9's that were on it. I had the nut widen a bit so the strings would fit better.

This guitar is 100% reliable if you keep it in good condition. The bridge coloring started to fade after about one year of abuse. The finish is very thick and it will take a lot to get to the wood. You should definitely get locking strap buttons. I haven't needed a backup yet and probably never will, but a good musician is always prepared for the worst so I always bring 2 guitars.

Never had to deal with Customer Support.

I have been playing for 9 years. I also own a Ibanez Iceman and Tradition SG. I have a Line 6 Spider combo. If this was stolen I would get a better Les Paul like a Standard or Supreme. I loved the finish on it, especially because it's a Studio. I dislike the tuners, pickups, and bridge. I compared this to a Flying V and enjoyed this much more. I wish it came with Grover tuners.

2002, USA, 22 jumbo frets, a stunning unbound AA flame maple top in Desert Burst, two tone controls, two volume controls, H/H 490R and 498T Passive, Mahogany body & neck, unbound ebony fingerboard with pearl trapezoid inlays, gold Tune-O-Matic bridge & hardware, Gibson Deluxe Kluson style tuners, medium C neck (not as fat as a boatneck), SKB case

After screwing around with the tone & volume controls I can get decent tone out of this, but my initial impression with the 498T is that it's a bit too hot. I first ran this through a Mini Z, which is designed for maximum tube saturation (sounds awesome with a Strat or a Tele), and I had the 498T set to about 2 on volume to get anything close to decent sound. The distortion above that setting was way too intense for my taste using the Mini Z. Then I ran it through a Blackface Vibro Champ and it cleaned up fairly well. Finally, I ran it through a Blackface Super Reverb. That did the trick. Everything dimed and in the center position on the three-way it sounds like a great rhythm guitar. Then I ran it dimed on treble through a Narrow Panel Tweed Champ. Wow! That's Rock 'n' Roll! Cinnamon Girl and It's Only Rock 'n' Roll never sounded so good.

I bought this used and the guy who had it before me said it was well intonated. Unfortunately, this doesn't check out on a Peterson Strobe tuner. Open strings can be easily tuned but at the 12th fret this thing is way out of whack, which is the case for every Gibson 24 3/4" scale guitar I've owned. To the former owner's credits, chords played near the nut sound OK but the last Gibson I owned needed an Earvana nut to get the intonation right. The tonal difference is night and day. The Earvana nut fixes a multitude of sins on a 24 3/4" scale guitar. I suspect that this guitar will need that fix, too. Some say that going to a 12 gauge E string set fixes this, too. I'll give that a try but I don't have high hopes.

Built like a tank. There is already some gold finish on the pickups and the bridge that is peeling. Non-straplock buttons. They need to be converted. I'd never gig without a backup. There are some slight finish checks near the three-way. That being said, this is one of the best finishes I've seen on a late model Gibson.

I've had several opportunities to ask favors of Gibson in the past. They are the best guys to deal with out there. Fender lives under the radar and Rickenbacker flat out sucks.

I've been playing for over 30 years. I own a dozen vintage amps and currently own about a dozen guitars including Strats, Teles, PRS, MusicMan Silhouette, Taylor and Gibson acoustics and a Rickenbacker 370/12. This guitar is as pretty as my PRS Limited Edition for less than a fifth of the price.

I think an upgrade to Lindy Fralin humbuckers could put this guitar firmly into the I'd hunt down the SOB that stole it and torture him for the rest of his short life camp. However, after the experience with the Narrow Panel Tweed Champ, I'm not so sure I want to give the 498T up, either.

But this is the cool part about owning a lot of guitars. You can have special guitars for special situations. The construction guys must have twenty types of specialized hammers! It seems reasonable to me that we need different guitars for different sounds. This guitar is definately different than a Tele, a Strat or a PRS. Many say a PRS is a compromise guitar or say its the best Strat they've ever played. I bought this Les Paul to see what a "no compromise" guitar would be like. So far, I like it and I hope it inspires me to become a better guitar player.

2005 made in Nashville TN
paid 1700 usd new in Canada. i live in russia and i had my friend get this guitar for me in canada.

mahogany body,
maple top with translucent black finish - beauty.
actually it doesn't look black - is more brown with wood texture showing. matched perfectly by gold hardware.

it doesn't have the binding which together with dark finish makes it very modest, reserved looking guitar with refined style. keep in mind that without the binding the guitar's shape is likely to be lost in the dark of stage. if you want to stand out like a bright spot on stage get a LP standard sunburst (gaudy).

came with a great warm case.

I love the guitar for it's looks and sound.
having said that i always played Ibanez Blazer guitar, which is like a Statocaster but with a humbucker in the bridge. though i hated the the ibanez (primarily for the looks of it) it's still quite an adjustment to me to switch to LP.
i am missing couple things in this gibson:
- the placement of volume knobs isn't as comfortable as on a strat-like ibanez i have. I can't play volume swells with knobs any more.
-the knobs are polished smooth and my fingures slide on them which makes it still harder to do the volume swell.
-also the tuners ratio is high - it's too sensitive... i can get used to this but knobs are off and i can't do much about it. id have to get a volume pedal or smth.

it's sounds amazing! love it clean, slightly driven and pushed to the max. i play blues, jazz, rock'n'roll and some heavier stuff just from nostalgia.

i play it through Peavey Transtube Bandit 112.

Clean is rich and rounded, very balanced, full bodied very much like an accoustic guitar. THIS SOUND LIVES! does "nothing else matters" right on. if i make the setting on the amp for this LP to sound right and then plug my stratish ibanez instead it would sound awfully trebly. the difference is miles and miles. the ibanez has some tin can flavor to the sound which LP doesn't. lp has this big company trade mark character to it which sounds like big bucks :)

Driven. listen to rock and you'll get it. i'm not gona talk about it much coz overdriven sound depends way to much on the amp. it sounds great with my amp.
the pickups output is not too high. not enough to go real dirty like nirvana or something like death metal. good for Metallica in terms of gain. the brige PU is less powerfull then the humbucker on my ibanez but it's a more balanced and clean sounding. it can also have a bell-like ring to it which is very musical. even my mom now likes distorded guitar sound. has a lot of musical harmonics but not harsh at all.

it's noiseless as far as i'm concerned - it's humbuckers!

it's the best sounding guitar i ever tried so to me it's a 10!

action is a bit too high but i like it this way - less string buzz.

the intonation (string lengh) was completely off. it says in the QA check list that it was right but it was not. the saddles formed two step stairways in their positions. i corrected the intonation using digital tuner and the saddles came much closer together and farther back overall. now it's near perfect

the neck pickup volume knob has a manufacturing flaw. it gets stuck. it's harder to turn it then other knobs. i am yet to decide what to do with it. it makes the volume swell problem worse.

finish was all right.

though all of this can be fixed i give it a 6 coz i think it's a shame such an expensive guitar has such flaws.

it looks very solid. it got some scratches on the back real soon but that must be from the belt buckle or smth...

the placement of the front strap button makes me worry the guitar would fall off. makes me want to get strap locks.

time will tell

help your self - it's Russia

i've been playing for over 10 years. besides the mentioned ibanez i hate and the Peavey amp i love i have dunlope cry-baby wah. i think i'm fully set. love my sound. i might be getting a chorus and a tube preamp.. we'll see.

this guitar excedes all of my expectations. i was worried i won't like the clean of the humbuckers coz i used to be a single coil guy. no worries now! it's cool! i love the sound.
just as you would expect from a good looking guitar this girl makes me want to hold her. i look at her and my hands reach out to fondle her :)

as i said i don't like the volume knobs design though i admit the placement enhances the looks. i wouldn't want it look any different coz it's beautiful classic design. i will have to cope without the volume swells.
i wish it had strap locks.

i bitched a lot in this review but i forgive it all for the Sound!
thus a 9.

just like every snowboarder must own a burton snowboard sometime in his life every guitar player must own a LP.
studio plus is an option you can't go wrong with.

Made 2001 - In a stunning "arterial blood" translucent red maple flame - This a USA LP Studio PLUS!! NOT the LP Studio. Why? The pickups are the LP Custom versions - 498R&490T. The hardware is all gold plated, the maple top is flamed (advertised at AA, Id say mine is easily AAA), and the mahogony is "selected". The fretboard is hand rolled, the neck is 50's vintage, the nut is bone. The body is slightly slimmer than a LP standard, and the neck heel has a shallower contour. Pearloid inlays and a gold stencilled "Gibson" logo. Its slightly lighter than the LP Std, but still heavy (compared to a Tele or a Strat). If you gig, you'll see why the (modern) "speed controls" give you a lot more "control" than the common (vintage) controls. This is no "hand-me-down" brother of the LP standard - its the prodigal son of Les Paul's b@#$%. If you have a real need for pearl and white ivory binding - go check out your granny's closet. Its a Les Paul - it does what it says on the tin. 9 for features - if it had a wammy bar and a synth pickup and was made from composite carbon fibre and kevlar - a) it wouldnt be a Les Paul and b) it would sound like shite

This is where it really counts... the versatility of this guitar is astonishing. As you would expect with a Les Paul and a decent valve amp (forget effects for now) - you can go through warm jazz, thick clean rhythm, creamy overdrive and balls to the wall rock - with harmonic clarity and sustain that is unsurpassed. But, there is a tonal ball park where the Tele and Strat are the daddy. Higher mids and trebles and single coils, musically, not where you'd expect a Les Paul to wander. Maybe its the slimmer body or the Alnico pickups or some Gibson voodoo - I don't know - but anywhere from clean to cranked - the Studio Plus gives Fender a good run for its money - just try rolling off a little volume, in any pickup position, and you get the picture - by comparison the Les Paul Std, just doesn't cut it here, a wolf too fat to fit into the sheeps clothing. Close your eyes and listen - the Studio IS a Les Paul Standard. Keep them closed - "hey did he just change that for a Tele?"

Straight out of the case, this guitar played immaculately. The shop offered to do a set-up for no extra charge, I declined, I was happy. If anything, the action was too low for me, and still without any noticeable buzzing, choking, dead spots, or phantom notes - I checked the lot. The frets were level, the pitch and truss rod spot on. The nut was cut perfectly - I had to pinch myself - I had never bought a guitar so perfectly set up. When I got it home, I did two things, I turned the saddle round on the low E, and adjusted the intonation to compensate for my playing, and raised the action by half a mill - thats it. Never needed to do anything to it since, its stayed stable all this time.
Tuners/tuning, frets, electrics, Nitro finish smooth as a baby's arse, AA maple top, hard case... whatever

Solid as a Rock - it has a few dings now but that's my fault, the gold plate does eventually start to wear off on the bridge and pick up corners, but who cares.

Don't know, never needed to call them - I think warranty is 12 months repair or replace, followed by support for as long as you own it.
I can't really say on this - I will give benefit of doubt and go for a 9 - in an ideal world we'd never need customer support - and I never needed it so far.

I will keep this guitar. If it was stolen, I don't know if I could replace it because I have never seen another like it in the UK. Maybe I was just lucky and picked up a good guitar, or maybe they are all built this well - I hope I will never be forced to find out. You have to think of things in terms of value for money - as far as I am concerned - the Les Paul Studio Plus is exceptional - its got all you expected, and more, for not much more than half the price of a Les Paul Standard. I hope the Gibson Marketing peeps don't see this.

American made 2003 model, 22 frets, with cherry flamed maple top, Alnico magnet pick ups.
I give it a 9 because its a Studio. I think 10 is for the Customs.

This guitar is for Rock sound. It also has a nice warm full clean sound. I'm surprised about the sound I got when I finger pick it/plucking. It was nice warm jazzy sound. I play my guitar through a Marshall DSL401.

I'll give it an 8 because the finish on the head stock is not very well done.

I'll give it a 6 because it gets out of tune and doesn't stay in tune.
I already changed the tuners to a Sperzel. This is a design flaw on the guitar. Notice how the strings are in an angle from the nut to the tuners? I guess when you bend your string, it can not go back to its original position because of the angled design. I hope you guys are picking up what I am trying to say.

never dealt with customer support.

been playing since I was 8.
this is the most expensive guitar I bought so far.
Just disappointed it doesn't stay in tune.
I'll give it a 6.

It's a les Paul minus the binding (which i don't like anyway). Alnico humbuckers, gold hardware. Mine was made in about 92.
not '10 ; tons of features', but 9 for all you really need. Nothing could be added that would improve it

It does what a Les Paul does. You look at a history of guitarists and these have done rock, blues, ska, reggae, punk, metal and just about every other style. The sound is lovely, and I have played more expensive guitars, but none better. It even beat (easily) a Gibson Custom shop LP a friend had that cost 4 times as much (he wasn't pleased, but agreed it was a better sound). Thick, warm, fluid but defined.

perfect. Gibsons are variable, no argument (I have played some dogs), but this one is spot on everywhere.

After the holocaust, Les Pauls will still be in tune. Fenders will be charred lumps, Jacksons will be vaporised (BC Rich will probably have caused it). No worries.

were very nice and friendly ; I bought a black one (direct, as a friends wife did their brochure) then saw the translucent red and they happily changed it without a problem. It's nice to see the woodgrain ; when it's painted you're never sure they didn't use a load of glued up off cuts !

This is a keeper. To me, it's the essence of a classic les Paul stripped down to the bits you need with the poncy stuff that costs more and adds nothing. It looks great, sounds great, plays great. If it was stolen I would hunt down another. I'd also like a Gem (P90's) and a Smartwood to go with it. This is the guitar I choose when I want to really feel like a guitarist, as it just makes playing easy and enjoyable. Realise that you deserve one, stop struggling on some far eastern plank and buy a proper guitar. you won't regret it.

My new guitar (got it yesterday) is a 2004 Les Paul Studio Plus, made in Nashville. The guitar has an translucent amber top (gorgeous), grover tuners, 490, 490 Humbuckers. The guitar came with a Gibson case that has a slight gap above the locking mechanism. I am going to try to have the case exchanged. I purchased this guitar from Center City Music in San Diego. They appear to be the quintessential Gibson dealer.

I play everything from electric folk, to soul, to rock (Pink Floyd, Stones, fifties rock), to blues, to space style music. Up there in space, anything goes and my Gibson is ideal for that and all of the above. I was blown away by the quality of sound, the silent pickups, the versatility of sound. I cannot express how mesmerized I have become at what this guitar can do. I play through a Roland VGA 5 (modeling) COSM amp. It is a nice amp but I may get a tube amp soon. I am flying with this LP. I hold on tight when I am playing loudly.

As close to fine as you would imagine. NO flaws that I noticed, and I am really picky and unforgiving.

This guitar appears to be a guitar built true to the Gibson legacy of fine designs, and excellent execution.

While I have not had repair issues, Gibson CS was really kind and helpful in providing information about the LP line. I feel confident they will be there should any warranty issues develop.

I have been "actively" playing for a short time. It took me forty years to understand the personal joy that can be realized playing guitar. And, now with the LP Studio Plus I feel much hope in my becoming a better player. A fine guitar does that. I only wanted a LP. I have a Fender 96 Annivary Strat in baby blue, I love it but I may sell it for the money. By the way, as impressive as the strat is, it did not blow me away like the LP. I also have a Guild D40, gorgeous sounding and well built, finished beautifully, and easy (ish) to play. Another true love is my Almansa Flamenco Negra that I love dearly. I have a rather crappy 12 string Carlo Robelli that I bought brand new from some high school kid (for $50) who got it free with a purchase at Sam Ash. It is somewhat difficult to play and the sound is a bit primitive. Getting back to the LP, I love it and would have to replace it. The reason I am not playing it now is because I am at work and the guitar is home. I actually should be working!

Here are the specs: Made in 2003, USA of course. Very cool Desert Burst finish, with a beautiful flamed maple top (in my opinion, this desert burst finish looks better thasn the one on the LP Standard). 22 jumbo frets (Gibson Jumbo, which means, REAL Jumbo frets). Pearloid trapezoid inlays, Mahogany body, with a set neck - '59 Rounded Les Paul (the baseball bat). Rosewood fingerboard. Gold hardware, with Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece. Black Speed knobs (which will soon be changed to vintage amber, to give the guitar an even more awesome look). Gibson deluxe tuners (green keys)

Neck Pickup: 490R Alnico magnet humbucker
Bridge Pickup: 498T Alnico magnet humbucker
Controls: Two volume, two tone, three-way switch

Comes with a nice Gibson USA hardcase (with grey interior).

And it's a heavy guitar - heavier than the basic studios (probably because of the AA maple top), and heavier than the Les Paul Standards with the slim-taper necks. The slimmer necks are lighter (less wood), and though I haven't compared, I'm thinking it makes a difference in sound. The main reason why Les Pauls sound the way they do is because they are not only made from quality mahogany, but because they just have a lot of wood!

I give it a 9 rating, cause it's a Studio, and doesn't have the binding that the Standards have

I play mostly hard-rock, 80's style, or just plain rock. My favorite band is Def Leppard, and I also like Bryan Adams, Rush, Zeppelin, Queen, some Metallica (Black album), and anything good really, other than rap, techno, and most grunge.

The Les Paul definitely suits my style. But I think it would suit almost any style - and the style it wouldn't suit wouldn't interest me in playing anyways. I don't care what anybody says, the Les Paul is the ultimate guitar. Sure, a strat is easier to play, so are the cheezy Jackson's, but I haven't heard any guitar that has this sound. You can literally play any sound, provided you have a good amp and effects pedal. It has a warm sound on any of the pickup settings, and you can get sounds ranging from bluesy type, to classic rock, to 80's rock, to heavy metal - anything. People say a strat is more versatile, and that may very well be - but a strat won't give you the warm crunchy, ballsy sound that a Paul will give you - and that's the truth. Then again, anybody who knows anything about guitars knows that you don't buy a Les Paul expecting it to sound like a Strat. You buy it to sound like a Les Paul! And the sustain on it is just awesome. You can tell that you're playing an instrument made with quality wood. Also, I think the AA maple top makes a difference in sound, because the basic Les Paul Studio's they had in the store did not sound as good as the Studio Plus.

I play it through a Peavy Bandit 112, 80 watt amp, with no effects pedal or anything like that.

Oh, and by the way, for all those people who say an Epiphone Paul sounds just as good as a Les Paul - you're blowing it out of your rear-end. People say that because they don't actually own a Gibson. I just recently played the Epiphone Joe Perry signature LP, and though it sounded really good, it did not sound like my Les Paul. So if you're not willing to pay the extra money for a Gibson, then you're ok with an Epiphone - but DO NOT think it will sound EXACTLY like a Gibson, because I'm here to tell you that it won't.

Now, another comment about the Alnico magnet humbuckers - they are awesome. I cannot understand why anybody would change them and put EMG's or whatever instead (like I've read some people have done). If you want the souless sounds of those kind of pickups, why get an LP to begin with? Get an ESP or a BC rich or Jackson or whatever. In my opinion, you get a Les Paul because of the way it sounds, because nothing sounds like it. I don't get that.

Anyhow, I give it a 9 rating for sound, because I've played a custom shop LP, which sounds even better, so I can't give it a 10.

I had the factory set-up changed, simply because I use heavier gauge strings, with a wound G - so you need to have it set-up for intonation and everything. Some people don't care, but I'm one of those people who pay attention to that kind of detail, so I had it set-up by the technician at the store to accomodate the heavier gauge strings I like. The action is great - no buzzing, though if it did, you wouldn't hear it through the amp anyways.

By the way, this is my opinion, but try playing an LP with heavier gauge strings (wond G) - you'll notice the difference in sound immediately - much fuller, warmer, and more sustain.

After the set-up, no buzzing, and intonation is virtually perfect. The guitar doesn't go out of tune - except when there are changes in humidity level and temperature, which is normal and unavoidable.

The only complaint I have for the factory set up is that the nut wasn't filed enough for the low E-string. It may be because I use heavier gauge than factory Gibson strings (which are pretty crappy to tell you the truth), but still, it should have been better set-up than that.

The AA Flame Maple top is great, and compared to other flame tops I've seen, it is quite intense. You can be looking at the guitar froma certain angle, and it'll look like one side is flamed, and the other is not - it's all part of the illusion, since they will re-appear when looking at it from another angle. But I would have prefered if it was more consistant that that - if the flame would appear and disappear equally on both sides, but that's just my preference.

Of course, since it's a studio, without the binding, I'd have to give it an 8.

And in hindsight, I would have paid the extra $1000 and got the standard, but bear in mind that you'd be paying all that for no difference in sound - just the bells and whistles. Plus, the Studio Plus comes in Gold hardware - the standards do not. I'm a fan of gold hardware.

I've only had it for a little over 2 months, so I can't make too many comments on durability. But it looks like it will last forever.

However, that being said, the strap buttons should be bigger, for an instrument of such quality and weight! It doesn't make much of a difference for me, because I don't to live gigs, but still - my ESP M-50 has better strap buttons!

So I'll give it a 9.

Haven't used it.

I've been playing for 1year and-a-half. I also own an ESP M-50 electric, and a Norman B-20 acoustic. The ESP is a great value-for-money guitar, but there is no comparison between the sound of the ESP and the Paul. The favorite feature of the guitar is definitely the sound (tone and sustain). Incomparable.

If it was stolen, I'd use the insurance money and buy another LP, but this time, I'd get a Standard instead of a Studio, just because if the look (binding), and the fact that the LP Standard is the yardstick by which other guitars are measured - no question. Also, The 'Gibson' on the headstock on Studio's is a decal instead of an inlay you'd see on the Standards. I prefer the inlay-style you see on LP Standards, but hey, I paid $1000 less for the Studio, so can't bitch too much about it.

Yes, Gibsons are overpriced, but you do get a quality instrument. You can pay less and get an Epiphone, but you will get an instrument of lesser quality and sound - don't kid yourself. Does a Gibson sound 4 times better than an Epiphone - no. But it's better, trust me.

anyhow, I hope my review has been helpful to anybody reading it who is interested in purchasing a Les Paul.

As the late, legendary Steve Clark once put it: "Gibson Guitars Only!"