Gibson Les Paul Studio

Mine is a 1993, black, with gold hardwear and block markers. The 'Studio' I'm told, was produced for guitarists who just wanted a Les Paul, but didn't require the binding or fancy maple tops. All the usual Les Paul 'features'. 2 pickups, 2 tone controls, a mahogany body with a maple top. Just what you'd expect. Not overburdoned with features, but its not that sort og guitar.

I used to own a '76 Standard which sounded completely different. I also still own my '76 Custom, which is also very different, so obviously something has happened to Les Pauls between then and now. Maybe this does sound the same as newer Les Pauls, but it doesnt sound the same as mine. It lacks any of the warmth that the original T-Top humbuckers. I'm no expert, but maybe the faily thick paint job does the tone no favours. Whatever it is, I wasn't impressed.

Like nearly all Les Pauls, the action is great. The gold hardwear is mildly tarnished, but so what? No flaws to speak of, although I didn't like the plasticky feeling fretboard. It felt cheap.

Its only 16 years old. These things should last. They cost enough! An utterly dependable guitar, but take a spare as strings can break at the most inconvenient times.

Been playing since the '60's and have owned too many guitars, but at least I know good from bad. Youre probably reading this because you may be contemplating buying one. If so, they are pretty good, but not worth ??1000 new. A lot of late 70's MIJ guitars like Greco, Yamaha and Tokai are better buys. Ive had both, so I know. None of them get close to a decent 70's Gibson. Everything about the real thing is better, so dont get taken in by the hype about Japanese copies being better, or the Studio being as good. Theyre not. I bought this because I was getting nervous about using my Custom 'live', but it just didnt suit me. Not to say it wont suit you, but this is a personal rating.

- 1985
- Made in USA
- 22 frets
- Sunburst
- Bound ebony fretboard
- Mahogany 60's slim taper neck with unbound headstock
- Mahogany body with 3-piece multi-bound maple cap
- Tim Shaw PAF reissue humbucker pickups
- 2 tone knobs with 100K pots
- 2 volume knobs with (I think) 300K pots
- Gold hardware
- Tune-o-matic bridge with stop tailpiece
- Grover Deluxe tuners (swapped in for the original Gibson Deluxe tuners)

Made for only two years (1984-1985), this rare guitar is closer to a Standard than a Studio or a Custom. It has a 60's slim-taper neck that's available on a Standard. Also neck binding with unbound headstock like a Standard. The body is multi-bound like a Custom, but only on the front side. The body is slightly thicker than a modern-day Studio, though I hadn't had the chance to compare it to a modern-day Standard or Custom. And it has abalone "dot" inlays instead of the trapezoids or blocks found on most other Les Pauls.

This is a similar model to a Les Paul Studio Standard, except the Studio Standard has chrome hardware instead of gold, and the body binding is single-ply.

Oh, man! The sound of this guitar is the next best thing to a time machine that takes you back to the 60's and 70's. Really impressive vintage rock 'n' roll sound. I use a Roland VGA-5 modeling amp with it, so there's quite a variety of tones that I can squeeze out of it.

The 80's Tim Shaw pickups are not as hot as the modern 480R/498T, and not nearly as bright. They also don't feed back quite as easily as the 480R/498T. But they have this vintage edge to them that's hard to describe. The bridge pickup has a lot of bite, even on the bass end, and makes for an incredible crunch on overdrive (Marshall stack or Fender Blackface). Both pickups clean up nicely with a softer attack or turning down the volume knobs. The neck pickup is a smooth solo singer in overdrive, and very full and jazzy on a clean amp (Roland JC-120). It sounds close to an arch-top hollow-body electric, whereas the 480R/498T combo resembles an acoustic on the same amp settings. Turning the tone knobs down takes away the brightness very quickly, and turned all the way down creates a muffled "behind a drywall" sound; at this point there's no longer much of a difference between the bridge and neck pickups.

I bought this guitar used on eBay, and it's 24 years old. I have no idea how it was set up from factory, but by now the frets are worn down to almost nothing, and I'm considering a refret. The finish is a gorgeous Sunburst, and it nicely shows off the textures of the tone woods.

The previous owner replaced the original Gibson Deluxe tuners with Grovers because the originals broke. Other than that and a few dings and scratches, the guitar is very solid, with many years of life ahead. Except for the frets, all hardware is perfectly fine, though it shows quite a bit of wear.

I'm pretty sure the warranty expired a few decades ago.

I've been playing for about 6 years, on and off, purely as an amateur. I own a '00 Les Paul Studio Gothic, a DeArmond M-66 electric, a Taylor 214-e acoustic, a cheapo Yamaha C-40 classical, a Roland VGA-5 modeling amp, and a Roland FC-200 foot controller.

I wish this guitar had strap locks and less worn-out frets. If it were stolen, I would hunt down the perp and put his head through a (cheap) solid-body electric.

I'm mostly comparing it to my other Les Paul, the '00 Gothic, which is much more of a hard rock guitar (think Scorpions, Def Leppard) that also sounds like a bright acoustic on a clean amp; this one is more of a classic rock guitar on overdrive (think 60's rock 'n' roll, Led Zeppelin) and a blues guitar on clean.

Just picked this up last week I should probably wait awhile to write a review but Im so Blown away by this guitar I dont see how it could make any differance except maybe improve I was going to buy a faded brown studio for 700 brand new with HS case I had it on lay away for about a month But every time I went in to play it it seemed as the intonation was not right I asked them to fix it or change the strings and they never did. As I was getting ready to pay for the guitar I noticed a solid maple body, top and neck studio model with Gold Hardware and mother of pearl inlay on the frets and stunning finish. Just gorgeous. It had been on layaway like mine But the guy said it was his buddies and he really didnt have the cash for it and asked me if I wanted to play it BINGO ! totally different feel tone and fret action It was certainly heavier with the solid maple body It was 200 more but well worth the money and with a gorgeous hard shell case I couldnt pass it up 2 humbuckers and 3 position switch The Bridge pick ups are sooo clean Middle seems to suit me fine all around and neck for some heavy sustain when i when i need it

I play 2nd guitar in one band old school blues and rock Hendrix SRV trower clapton stones etc My Strat was not cutting over my leads guitar players ripping (strat with super reverb and about 8 effects pedals and boxes it was tinny and weak I had a fender super sixty but I couldnt get the Loud clean sound i needed I got rid of the super sixty and went with a hot rod 2-12 big improvment but still not what i wanted and was coming up short. I added a boss distortion pedal and it helped but not quiet there. Add the LP Massive improvement. No boss box just drive channels on my hot rod Playing the hot rod on 2 or 3 at rehersal Amazing difference and since i do play some lead the lp was just so easy to play and the sustain forget about it. I typically sit down some time during rehersal 3- 4 hours I stood the entire time today and had no fatiuge the balance is great I was getting some noise on the Neck pick ups But dont know if that is the amp or the lp I suspect its the lp but i can live with it. The other band is mainly an accoustic duo with original songs and some old doors kinks GFR you name it we play it I brought it with me yesterday and wow I would say it improved my sound quality about 20 %I rate myself an avg player I love slow blues however and the note bending and sustain are just awesome and the different sounds between pickups are are great help I just have to get use to volume adjustments

The first 3 times I played this guitar i was constantly out of tune pretty much after every two songs I dont know if this is normal it seemed to have calmed down today But the noise in the neck pick up I may take back and have them take a look and maybe do a set up on it It was a factory set up I personally think they should set these up in house before they are sent out

Built like a brick Sh*t house Unless I spin around and hit a building column I dont know how you could damage this ax! Again with the solid maple body with a maple top its a beast I havnt played a LP std or Custom for more then a few minutes because never had the money to even bother but I think I pretty much have found as close as im going to get If I cant be happy with this one Ill never be Again the difference between the faded studio and this one was miles apart

Been playing on and off for years Ive owned pretty much everything bunch of teles strats jaguars ( ugh) silvertone dan electro ( first) martin taylors yamahas and a gibson Es 300 about 40 years ago with my marshall 50 watt head WHEre are they now ??? My last favorite was my PRS custom 22 that was a dream to play It got damaged by being left in a trunk for two weeks in the summer and was never really the same( woops) I still have my g & l strat which i plan on selling and buying a japanese mustang to replace thats a fun guitat and I have a 1992 fender SRV Strat Im picking up next month only because i always wanted one and I found one for a great deal and it is dead mint Buying it more for collectable then anything else and a few acoustic guitars Seagull and epiphone I Honestly cant see me playing out with anything other then the lp My lead guitar player said when I walked in the studio" What the hell are you doing with and LP in this strat band ? "When we where done he walked up to me and said "That guitar sounded amazing" :)

2000 Gbson Les Paul Studio
$400 used (but never actually used just left in case)
Wine Red Gold hardware
Maple top
Fat neck
I want to put a bigsby on it but I expected it not to have one anyway

Fantastic It fits anything from jazz to metal (I hate metal though) and sounds incomparable compared to my other guitar. It sounds great on any sound level no problems whatsoever. Deep bluesy sound dominates this guitar as is expected with les pauls.

The action was a bit high but I like it that way so I was happy (only a small bit high. Pickups sound fantastic. Everything on this guitar was set up beyond expectations

This guitar can take some abuse but it comes away with dings moreso than my other guitar. You dont knotice them unless you look really closely the guitars so beautiful you just dont care. Vare dependabe guitar. One strap button got pressed into the body somehow before I owned it but It works fine.

Never had to call customer support as I said very reliable.

Overall incredible guitar for the price you get at guitar center or musiciansfriend. It's ideal for blues but is well siuted to most other genres. Holds together well. the neck siuts me very well and I can move around with ease. stays in tune like a dream. If you can BUY THIS GUITAR!

I aquired a Gibson Studio Gem Series. With the P90s it's unbelievable the dynamics and harmonics I am able to get from this guitar. By aquired I mean that I traded straight across a Vintage Gibson 335S Custom for the LP Studio Gem. For us it was a win win deal even though the 335S is worth more than the LP.

It suits my style as I play a lot of blues flavored licks.

Tight and awesome finish. It is Amethist.

Well built and heavy like a Les Paul should be.

I've always played Gibson and Fender with either Fender or Marshall amps. I've been playing for 43 years. Gibson is the best.

This is a 2000 as far as I can tell. It has the half size inlays which look ridiculous. What were they thinking in Nashville? The neck is a Gibby boatbottom which is just meaty enough. I love it. Everything is Stock. Came with the Gibby case (brown one w/pink veil & plush.) The finish is black with chrome hardware.
I sold a 1990 LP Standard, bought this one and pocketed a nice chunk of cash for other projects. I'm totally satisfied with the choice I made to switch to the Studio version.

I'm using either a Fender Blues Deluxe RI (2006) or a Laney LC 30 with this guitar. Pedals are Bad Monkey and Jimi Hendrix purple Wah-Wah. The Studio has a much warmer tone than the LP Standard and it seems to sustain a lot more. Pickups are 490 and 498 so that's all alnico.
With the Fender (2 X 6L6)it really kills. I use the volume controls a lot when using the Fender because that's just how a Blues Deluxe has to be played. There is no loss of tone with the volumes at 3-5 save for a little bit of the very top end. Those 6L6 tubes are the best! Love 'em.
With the Laney (4 EL 84 tubes) it shimmers more and has a depth of tone to die for through a Celestion GB speaker. Really, it is just beautiful. Great for jazz and works well for a more country sound, too.
Overall the tone of the LP Studio is all I ever wanted. My preference is warm and smooth tone with good sustain, whether clean or overdriven. I find the sound is better than the LP Standard I sold.

I've owned 5 Gibby Les Pauls over the years including this one. Ironically, this is my favorite and the cheapest one. I highly recommend this model to anyone who loves the warmer side of the Les Paul tone curve. Bear in mind that it has a thicker neck but you'll probably like it just as much or more than the slim neck.

Made in the USA in 2008, 22 frets, mahogany top, back and neck with rosewood fret board, 2 volume, 2 tone controls and three way selector. Burtsbucker pickups, "green key" kluson tuners, neck is somewhere between 50's and 60's slim taper. Mine is worn cherry finish. Comes with Gibson's snake skin case.

I play mostly Gospel music, Contemporary Christian and some Blues. I have a Crate V50 tube amp that I play through and a Fender Princeton 650 (with DSP), clean, no effects pedals. I love the sound of this guitar. I was told when I bought it that it probably would do very well for the type of music I play but it is perfect. Don't let a salesperson tell you what you do or don't like. The Burstbucker are wonderful and you can definetely tell a difference in the sound due to the nitro finish it has. If you know how to adjust your amp and your guitar, you can get endless tone with this guitar.

This is the worn cherry studio model, so don't expect it to be a stunning beauty. It is what it is. I like mine. The action and intonation were good, the pick guard seems a little weak (I may just take it off), the nut will need to be filed out a bit, but everything else seems to be very good. I've never had any issues with the kluson tuners on any of my guitars, it holds tune very well, maybe I'm just lucky. I'm giving an 8 for this section because, like I said, it is what it is. If you're looking for something that will turn heads, then you're going to have to spend three times what I did, maybe four. I think for the price, the action, fit and finish are very good on this guitar. Besides, you're gonna pay this much for a guitar made in China or Korea, and MOST of them, just don't have the tone that this does.

This is a solid guitar, except the pick guard (like I said above). You cand depend on it but I wouldn't gig without a back up no matter what kind of guitar I had as my number one. The strap locks on Gibsons are small for some odd reason but you can change them or if you have an expensive one or vintage LP that you don't want to drill into, you can take a small rubber washer from the local hardware store and put it on over the strap button after you put on the strap and it will hold nicely.

Ok. I've used them a couple of times to check serial numbers and such, but not for warranty or anything like that.

I've been playing for 30 years. I've owned them all and some I wish I had never let get away. This is a keeper. I've had Gibson Custom shop LP's, Vintage Re-Issues Gibsons, Deluxe Strats and Teles, MIM Strats... Pretty much everything from Western Auto (if you can remember that) to high end custom shop stuff. This is an excellent guitar for the money. I used to say that I would never buy one of these cause the finish was so basic but, you know what? It sounds better that my Custom Shop LP which cost more than four times what this one did and I'm not afraid I will get a scratch on this one. It's a working man's axe. Play one and see for yourself, it's worth the money and there's no comparison on the sound.

It's a les paul!!!!! but here the are anyway!


BODY
Top Species: Maple top
Back Species: Mahogany



FINGERBOARD
Fingerboard Species: Rosewood; Ebony on Classic/Alpine Wht
Scale Length: 243/4"
Number of Frets: 22
Inlays: Pearloid trapezoid



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



CASE
Interior: White Plush
Case Exterior: Black Reptile Pattern Hardshell
Silkscreen: Silver Gibson USA logo
NECK
Species: Mahogany
Profile: 59 Les Paul Rounded
Nut Width: 111/16"
Neck Joint Location: 16



HARDWARE
Plating Finish: gold
Tailpiece: Stopbar
Bridge: Tune-o-matic
Knobs: Black Speed
Tuners: Tune-o-matic


Strings: NOT EVEN SLINKY'S .13-56

She's is one sexy mother*******!!

I play in a stoner/thrash/metal band and this is the best guitar i have ever played. i have used ESP, Fender, BC Rich, Jackson to name a few but nothing compares to this guitar.

I use this guitar through a Peavey 5150 and Marshall Mode 4 cab and it sounds great. It has so much balls, even with stock pickups it cuts through like a knife. The other guitarist in my band plays a Gibson flying V through a dual rec/genz benz cab and this les paul sh*ts all over it (ok i am a bit biased, but it ******** does ok!!)

When i'm playing on the lead channel this guitar demolishs walls, melts faces, leaves people running for there lives. Then i wind the volume down, switch to clean and all of a sudden it sounds like an angel. People start crying and reminencing about the good old days.. If I switch it to the neck Pickup the old boy down the road brings his rocking chair and starts singing about his woes.

This guitar has as much filth/lushness as you could want.

Best guitar ever..................who know;s.....but for me.....

I ******** LOVE IT!!!

Perfect no faults what so ever!!

to early to say, but this guitar will outlive me thats for sure!!

I have been playing for about 15 yrs and as i mentioned previously i've used a variety of Guitars but nothing quite like this.

If some one stole i would remove their testicles with a blunt knife. Then go and buy another one.

2005 Wine Red Gibson Les Paul Studio (Gold Hardware)
Made in USA.

I won't go into the detail, as it's the same as everyone else said.

I got this guitar used. The pick-ups are not the greatest you can get from Gibson (obviously) but I do like the sound I get from the Bridge Pick-Up when I have my distortion pedal on. I would rather a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck.

I run this through a Marshall Microstack with an Old Digitech Death Metal pedal. Gives me a really good Thrash / Old School Death Metal sound. Perfect for what I play.

The pick-ups are really quite on this guitar, even when I have my distortion cranked there is very little noise.

This is where alot of people have problems with these guitars. It seems to be pretty hit and miss with flaws in this Model from Gibson. I bought it used, so I do not know how it was set-up from the factory. The guy I purchased it from said he had a pro-setup done on it, so there is no fret buzzing. The neck is straight and the fret board has no humps and the finish is fine. (Few dings in it, but that is to be expected from a 5 year old guitar.) The previous owner said that the input jack was really flimsy when he bought the guitar, so he had it replaced.

I have owned a 2000 Gibson SG Standard, 2003 Gibson Les Paul Custoum and 1998 Gibson Explorer. Compared to all those Gibsons, I would say that this guitar holds its ground. Obviously, it's not as flashy looking at the Custom and has weaker pick-ups and "lesser" body wood. But overall it was worth the money.

My advice is make sure you inspect the guitar closely before you purchase it. Especially the neck and fretboard, that seems to be where people have the most problems with the Studio's.

*My rating is based on the guitar after having a Pro-Setup.

This guitar has been kicking for 5 years, un-gigged and is in great condition still. Few dings and scratches, nothing I can't live with.

The hardware has some wear on it, the finish is coming off on the bridge and bridge pick-up corners. (Picking hand rubbing against it, palm muting alot :P).

The finish on this guitar is beautiful, really nice color and goes really well with the gold hardware. I can't find any flaws in the finish.

I would definitely use this at a gig without a backup, it's a solid guitar and well worth the money spent on it.

Never had to deal with Gibson. But I have always heard good things from people who have.

I have been playing for about 8 years on and off. (Didn't play very much during college, started playing daily again about 3 years ago.) I currently own a Jackson Dinky, BC Rich Jr V and this guitar. I have owned other Gibsons and Epiphones in the past.

If it was stolen, I would probably buy a Les Paul Standard or Custom. Just because I don't know if I would find another Studio that is as good as this one or without any flaws.

I love the look of the guitar and the feel of the neck is great. Has really good action and the pick-ups are decent enough for what I need right now. If I gig this gutiar, I will be putting some Seymour Duncans in it.

I don't really hate anything about it. I hate the fact that people have had such problems with these guitars. For a $1000 price range guitar from a USA made Company, there shouldn't be so many problems with the neck on these guitars. I'm glad I got lucky and found a good one.

2002 USA made ebony 22 fret 490 498pickups, V V T T controls. Durable Gibson Case with pinky lining and coffin blanket.

Nice understaed les Paul look, the chrome on the tuning pegs, pickup covers and other hardware looks sharp on the 'blacked out' LP body. Nice combo

Sound is very good. NOT near as full as my standard fitted with burstbuckers so this guitar is NOT a suitable tone alternative. The pickups are quiet, tone controls are quiet. This guitar is a bit beatup and its has taken it all. BLOWS AWAY the newer really light feeling studios - night and day difference in feel. The stock 490R pickup is too woofy and moddy to my liking. I have found I have to tweak my amp a bit to be happier with that sound. I'd BET slapping burstbucker pros would make this a GREAT alternative to LP standard at 1/2 the price :-) There are weaknesses to the stock pickups but thrugh a Mesa Boogie or other real tube amp, i bet it will suffice most purposes.

everything on the guitar works as it should. been dropped a few times due to the tiny strap knobs, and the neck is not snapped just dinged. bridge is slightly mis placed i.e. 1st string does not go over the saddle right in the middle where as on a standard the bride to pickup pole alignment is perfect. The saddes come 'non-notched' for this purpose i believe, for the less care in the process on teh floor. Everything else is good and accurate i..e placement of nut, strings run parallel to the fretboard edges nicely ... fret edges just needed a bit of emery cloth to improve the feel, which is nothing that a half-decent setup tech would do for you anyways.

very solid guitar, can easily gig without a backup

been playing 25 years. Was curious about the "Studio is just like a Les Paul" and while the feel is similar the mojo of the new burstbuckers just is not there; A good solid usable guitar that stays in tune. I would bet, puting in burstbucker pros would give the studio a real run for the Standards money, with some finishing and fit issues. I have seen some very cheap feeling later models 2007 and 2008 and they are very very different thant the older heaveier ones. For someone playing in questionable neighbourhoods and don't want to see their 3,000 standard get stolen, no one in the crowd would really know you were playing "just a studio".

Mine is a Wine Red Les Paul Studio, about 3 or 4 years old, bought it used, but as new condition. Came with the original Gibson hard case. Usual standard Studio spec - 490R neck pickup, 498T bridge. Very nice maple top - lovely wood grain, just beautiful finish when the light catches it right.

Well, it came with the standard 490R and 498T pickups, which I'm afraid to say, are utterly dreadful. I tried and tried to get good tones from them, endlessly tweaking the heights, but in the end gave up. I carefully removed the pickups and installed a set of Sheptone Tribute PAFs. Light years better. The best thing I can say about the 490R and 498T...at best they will make your guitar sound like it is out of tune. At worst...better not go there...suffice to say they are muddy, clangy, noisy, just plain awful. Why anyone who cares about their tone would leave these pickups in the guitar I don't know. I use my Les Paul with a Peavey Valveking Royal 8, which I have upgraded with a Celestion Super 8 speaker, and Groove Tubes. It sounds great now it has the Sheptones in. The neck pickup can be really thick and creamy, but without getting muddy like the horrendous 490R. Good variety of tones from this guitar, just tweak the knobs a bit. The bridge sounds brighter as is usual, but it is never harsh or piercing, just perfect. My advice, if you buy this guitar - CHANGE THE PICKUPS FOR SOMETHING BETTER.

This is, sadly, where the guitar falls down - very badly. The major weaknesses are the fretboard, nut, and pickup selector switch. Firstly, the fretboard - and this is my biggest gripe with this guitar - the quality of the rosewood used for the fretboard is downright awful, and absolutely shocking for a ??1000 guitar. What I mean is that it is rough as bricks - simply not smooth at all, it has little ridges and striations from the darker stripes in the rosewood which give a really rough texture to the fretboard. This is in my opinion REALLY, REALLY bad. My ??300 Aria Pro II PE has a higher quality rosewood fretboard than this - nice and smooth and dark, and frankly, it wipes the floor with the Gibson. The fretboard on the Les Paul is so rough that it makes smooth bending nigh on impossible. I've tried polishing and cleaning the fretboard but to no avail. The wood is just too poor quality to allow smooth playing. I didn't notice at first, but there's some really poor quality workmanship on the frets, or more precisely the wood next to the frets - which on some frets is bevelled slightly parallel to the frets and all the way along the fret across the fingerboard. This looks like shoddy workmanship to me, but luckily doesn't affect playability to badly (but that isn't great anyway). The action was badly set up, but I bought this guitar 2nd hand so thats just how the previous owner had it set up. Maybe he liked it like that, but it wasn't right for me. The factory standard nut on the guitar is shocking - the high strings constantly bind in it, such that accurate tuning is almost impossible, and when you do get it in tune, it stays in tune for all of about 20 seconds worth of playing. I replaced the nut with a hand crafted bone one, which is a vast improvement on the stock. Why Gibson puts such awful nuts on their instruments is a mystery. The nitro-cellulose finish is very nice and shiny, but beware - it is high maintenance and marks easily. It needs frequent polishing to keep it looking good. The neck also becomes very sticky quickly which really slows down your playing. In summary; to get this guitar set up properly, you will probably have to be prepared to put some work in on it - replace the nut for something better like bone or man-made ivory. Be careful to inspect the fretboard closely and pay particular attention to the quality of the wood and smoothness. Gibson stuck a real poor quality plank on this one. It's let the guitar down so badly, I'm going to sell it. Shame on you Gibson. This is more like a ??200 guitar in this state. All of my so-called 'cheap' Korean made guitars are vastly superior. I think that says it all really.

Guitar is very solid feeling and heavy. Electronics seems durable, except for the dodgy pickup selector switch which WILL work loose in time. Whether I would use it to gig without a backup is irrelevant, because I wouldn't use it to gig with in the first place. I'd use my Aria Pro II PE Anniversary, which is a vastly superior guitar at a fraction of the price of this Gibson. In all honesty, the Aria wipes the floor with the Gibson Les Paul. The finish will scratch and mark easily, but that's somewhat inevitable with a nitro finish.

No contact with them really, except a question about bridge height and tailpiece height which they replied to promptly by email.

I've been playing for 10 years. All my other guitars are Japanese made or Korean made. All are cheaper by a long way than the Gibson and all bar none are better, by far. Only time will tell if I will grow to love this guitar. It is nice to have that Gibson name...and it's a real Les Paul...it's just such a let down to what I was expecting. I thought I was upgrading to a superior instrument, but what I was actually doing was getting an expensive piece of crap. With the really inferior quality fretboard, I see no way to get this guitar playing like my Aria's do. Save your money and get a Japanese or Korean made guitar. Much better made, much higher quality AND much cheaper.

two humbuckers, fatter neck, 2 tone and 2 volume pots, gold hardware, black.

Sound is thick. Play through a Genz Benz Black Pearl with a Keeley modded DS-1. Output on the pickups is very hot, very clear and very good for rock and metal. Moves a LOT more air than my strat.

Everyone's complaining about this area - I have zero complaints. This guitar was set up PERFECTLY with 10's, right out of the box. Frets are perfect, tuners perfect, nuts perfect. The slightly shorter scale makes 10's bend like 9's on a strat which means you get a thicker, meatier tone without the rigid feeling. It's light -lighter than my hot rod 50's strat (which has a nitro-finish as well so it's not just the poly).

I'm giving an 8 here because of the headstock problem - they do break, and it doesn't take much. My SG fell face down on the carpet and the headstock broke. And that's supposedly the new, stronger headstock design. You could play cricket with a strat with no ill-effect.

Don't know.

This is a fantastic guitar. I'm normally a strat guy, but many, many strats are garbage and you really have to search and pay a lot to find a good one. This guitar is light, feels great, sounds much more "in your face" than a strat and costs as much as an american strat which, in my mind, makes this guitar a way better value.
Most beginners don't realize how much the little things count. For instance, any "real" guitar has a nitro finish. If it doesn't, you're playing a hunk of plastic with a pickup in it. The fret job, nut precision and neck quality is also crucial - I've had plenty of thousand dollar strats that fretted out when bending somewhere past the 12th when set up low, and that makes the guitar pretty much useless.
As far as LP's go, the holes in the body cavity make a big difference with weight and balance, and the maple top is a huge part of the sound.
This guitar has it all.

Same basic design Gibson has used since the 50's no surprises here. But that's what I was looking for a no frills Gibson Les Paul.

Did get far enough along in my evaluations of 4 different new Les Paul Studios to actualy plug one in.

Here is where the problem is. I went to a local guitar shop with money in hand with the goal of buying a new Les Paul Studio. Of the four they had in stock I could not find one that did not have major flaws. Major enough that I did not even bother pluging in the guitars to check out how they sounded. One had a huge hump in the fretboard around the 14'th fret. Another had a twist in the neck. The third one I checked out had a bow so bad and action so high that I wondered if Gibson or the guitar shop ever did any testing/setup at all. The fourth had many finish flaws. In addition to these obvious flaws all had very poorly dressed frets with many buzzing and intonation problems and very poorly cut nuts rendering them basicly unplayable. These guitars would best be suited for stripping them of their electronics and burning the bodies.

Don't know although they kinda felt like toys compared to my 1990 Standard.

N/A

Overall the whole experience has left me a bit upset. I was ready to buy and money was no object but I couldn't find ONE Studio that was not a complete mess and these were brand new 2008 and 2009 models at a well known major retail Guitar Center. Should have been factory rejects. I don't know what's going on with Gibson these days but I buy a new guitar at least once a year and I won't be buying a new Gibson ever again. What a shame.

I think just about everybody knows what a Les Paul is and what it looks like, right? Mine was made in 2005, Nashville TN. Mahogany neck and body (with a laminated maple top). 490R, 498T humbuckers, nitrocellulose finish (love it btw). Tune-o-matic bridge, gibson deluxe tuners, two volume knobs - one for each pickup, two tone knobs (cuts off treble, doesn't add bass) - one for each PU

I play mostly blues, blues-rock, garage-punk-rock and any kind of simple, fast and loud music I can come up with. It is no accident that two of six strings are E's and that is my favourite octave. Playing it thru a fender blues junior using a digitech hot-head distortion.

This is the 4th guitar I've owned and it beats all the others like a drumstick. You can play just about anything with this guitar, all you have to do is turn the knobs and voila!

The sound ranges from gentle finger-picking that reminds me of a certain mountain spring on a hot day - way up to a crunchy fat tone or ear-tearing falsettos, distortion mayhem, sometimes I get so thrilled while playing I have to tame myself not to break it in pieces.

I have never played a guitar that can express your emotions in realtime better than this one, you can really slide through the songs, sound angry when the time comes, then get calm and moody, then get jolly and ridiculous... it responds to the way you feel and whatever you need to express at the time, this guitar can be the medium.

Bought mine second hand in a TERRIBLE condition.
When I saw it I almost cried, the guy clearly has had no idea how to take care of your gear (intonation completely botched, rusty strings) I spent quite some time cleaning it up, adjusting the action and intonation. Neck was set up right, obviously the mark didn't fiddle around with the truss-rod (thank god). The finish has a few scratches and one visible flaw, but the wood is pretty like a picture and the guitar has a overall road-worn look.

We play every Friday and I practise every day and this guitar feels and looks like it will last (outlive me perhaps!). I intend to get the finish fixed, it's supposed to be easier to re-finish a nitrocel. than a polyureth. - donno.

I do a lot of heavy strumming, bending, altogether I like to give the bastard a hard time and the strings hold the tune perfectly unless the conditions (humidity, temperature) are too high/too low. I use and recommend straplocks, the buttons are quite subtle and I like to move a lot while playing.

I sent some mails to Gibson CS re: stopbar height and they told me what I needed to know. no prob here.

Bought it used, so good-bye gibson warranty.

I've been playing guitar since I was a kid, but my first electric came in 2004 from my first full-time salary - a Squier strat. Prior to this I've owned a Fender Tele (disliked the tin-can sound) and Gretsch Electromatic hollowbody (too flimsy and weak).

Once I played with a fella who used the same amp, we were playing without any effects and I f**king drowned his Fender Strat although I had my amp and guitar set way below his volume. Sorry Fender, but this is a REAL guitar. I also heard that guitars with a glued-in neck have a better sustain than with a screwed-in neck - ??

I hope Cuco(pron. choo'chow - I call it after a brand of a really heavy slovak red-currant wine because it resembles the colour) will stay with me as long as I live but if stolen (or accidentally smashed) I hope I would get the money together for a 2008 standard.

I really like the way it is built, and the wood texture is beautiful I think. And you can adjust it to your own needs - don't be afraid to experiment with the pickup height, string gauge, action - the sound differs slightly when you change the setup.

This is a 2000 model in ebony. I picked it up second hand from the original owner. Nice meaty, thick neck with a rosewood fretboard and medium jumbo frets. The pickups are 498T and 490R with CTS 500K pots and your garden variety 3-way switch. Mahogany body with a thick maple cap, weighing in at just over 8 pounds. Chrome hardware including GROVER tuners. Standard Gibby 24 3/4 scale. Trapezoid inlays.
Excellent quality sound and feel. Playability is outstanding-no issues at all. Basically it's a Les Paul w/o binding, figured top or headstock inlay...and inflated price. LOL Short learning curve due to the fact that it sounds so good no matter where the knobs are. Nice.

It's all that you could ask for from a Gibson Les Paul. Rich and fat throughout the volume/tone pots' range in clean, overdriven and distorted modes. The pickups are excellent with a hot alnico 5 bridge and a soft alnico 2 neck. The bridge pickup overdrives my amps ever so slightly with the guitar's volume at 10. It's a cool, dirty-grainy sounding grit that works very well for clean soloing. I wouldn't consider changing it out for any other pickup. It is exactly what I expected it to be. On the other hand the neck pickup is cut from a different cloth entirely. It's very warm with about 80% of the power that the bridge pickup has. I find it works well as a full sounding rhythm pickup behind solos played by our other guitarist because it is fat and big sounding, filling up the space behind the solo without crashing into the solo. With both pickups on the rhythm sound is a perfect balance of warmth and treble.
So much for the clean side of this thing.
I like to use the volume pots to control the overdrive/distortion from my pedals. I use several pedals in my setup: BOSS BD2->BOSS OD1->BOSS DS1->->BOSS CE2->Fender Blues Jr or Blues Deluxe or Roland Blues Cube.
For songs requiring overdrive or distortion I start with the BD2 on all the time for just a light overdrive. Depending on how much drive I need I step on the OD1 or the DS1. That's it. The LP sounds great with these pedals and amps. I have no complaints whatsoever. From blues all the way up to heavy hard rock it delivers a consistent clear, rich, harmonic sound. The harmonic feedback and sustain is incredible. Sweeeeeet!
I play blues, rock, early rock n roll and jazz standards with a 5 piece band. There is not a thing I would change about the sounds I can get from this guitar. It's perfect Les Paul tone, period.

No complaints about the hardware or electronics. The finish is another story. Mine has several finish flaws including paint streaks, orange peel and areas of overspray. These are obvious factory finish flaws. The QC guy was out sick on the day this guitar was made, I guess.
Personally I couldn't care less but when you lay out the kind of cash that these go for new, you have a right to expect more. Most customers would be pissed about finish flaws as blatant as these. I'm not happy about the finish flaws but the sound and playability of this magnificent guitar more than make up for it. Nevertheless there is no excuse for such shoddy workmanship in the paint department. So: Shame on you, Gibson.
I swapped out the 3-way switch with a Switchcraft model because Gibbys are notorious for bad 3-ways. It was still working okay when I replaced it. Better safe than sorry IMHO.

Gibbys are known for their longevity. Good woods, durable hardware and build quality are hallmarks of their products. This one will be passed on to my son someday-I'm pretty sure of that. In the meantime I treat it with respect and wipe it down after each session. I thoroughly clean it and set the action & intonation every time I change the strings. I expect it will be around for a long time. Rock solid.

No comment.

I picked up up the guitar back in 67 when I was in high school. Over the years I have owned mostly cheap knockoffs of Fenders and Gibsons. I bought a Gibson L6-s in the 80s and liked it but I sold it later. When I had the chance to buy a (used) REAL Gibson Les Paul for a low price I immediately jumped on it. It has turned out to be all I ever expected from a real deal LP. I am completely satisfied. I own several LP knockoffs and a few Strat & Tele knockoffs that I'm also satisfied with but none of them are in the class of this instrument. You can feel the quality and hear the difference when you pick it up and plug it in. For the 300 bucks I paid for it (with mint Gibson H S Case!) I have to rate it as a 10-excellent, fantastic value. I'm very happy with this guitar.

This is a 2005 LP Studio. I think we're all well aware of the features. It's Alpine White with gold hardware and box stock.

It's a Les Paul, of course it sounds great even stock. Gibson may have cut a few corners on fit and finish with studio models, but they didn't spare the electronics.

I used to play LP's back in the 80's on stage and I hated the weight, this one is just as heavy as I remember them being. But that weight is what helps give them their incredible tone and sustain. I haven't played one of the newer "Light weight LP's" but I have a hard time believing they can get this tone after lightening the body.

Here is where I have a slight problem with the guitar. It's Alpine White and I've heard they had problems with this finish. I already expected things like no binding, but this finish is awful. If I'd bought the guitar for it's looks I'd be highly upset. It almost looks like spider web cracks on the front of the guitar, but close examination reveals it's just a poor finish.

It doesn't affect the playability or the sound, but for the amount of money you'd think Gibson would've remedied this before they released the guitar.

I'm just relying on previous experience with Gibby's here...they will stand up to whatever road abuse you throw their direction. Unless you fall face first off stage onto a wood dance floor using your LP as a buffer zone. They don't take that abuse well at all, but I don't imagine there are to many guitars that do.

No idea.

It's a heavy LP with loads of sustain and a great tone. If I cared about fit and finish I would've bought a standard or custom. I've played Gibby's all my life and while this isn't a 1960's LP, neither is the price.

Nashville made in 2001 according to the serial number. Black nitro finish with chrome hardware including Grover tuners (thank god!) The neck is slightly more substancial than the thin neck Les Paul, which is fine with me. I like a little meat on my guitar neck. Standard electronics and the 490 / 498 pickups, which I like. Other than that it's just another Gibson Les Paul for the low rent crowd, like me.

I run this with the volume pots around 5 and the tone pots at 3-5, depending on the song. What I really like about the 490 & 498 pickups is the sweet spot they have with the volumes rolled back. A lot of pickups lose their grip unless they are on "10" but not these. I adjust my amps to suit the rolled back volume (basically I use the Fender 6-6-6 standard) and when I want to solo i just roll the guitar volume up to 8-9. The pickups totally respond. I use a single MXR Distortion III pedal, which is on 100% of the time to give my Fender Blues Deluxe a little kick. The MXR volume and gain dials are at 12 o'clock, and the tone is up at 1 o'clock. There is no overdrive at these settings with the guitar volumes at 5. Advance the volumes to about 7 and you get a nice light OD. At 8-9 you get a solo tone with some bite. The LP Studio really shines as a tool in my hands. What I mean is, I can control my tone, drive and volume from the guitar without having to have preamps, boost pedals and EQ pedals. To me the ability to control the variety of sound all from the guitar is the most important attribute of any guitar, period.
On the other hand if you're a player who likes all knobs on 10, the guitar will deliver a full-on signal to whatever effects and amps you use. The 498 will overdrive my Fender Blues Deluxe all by itself-no problem. The 490 is not as hot but it is very warm and rich at full volume like a good alnico II pickup, which it is.
This guitar is everything I was hoping for. No need to change anything, sound-wise.

I bought it second hand but the flaws in the finish are factory flaws. It has a few slight scratches from the previous owner but the orange peel in the finish was done in Nashville. I don't care so much about the finish flaws, but it should be mentioned here. After a new setup and intonation tweak the thing plays wonderfully. No complaints.

This model is built pretty well. I have no worries at all regarding the hardware.

I bought mine for 350 bucks with a HSC. Great price/value for a real Gibson. I have no complaints about this guitar, especially for the price I paid. If you just have to have a Gibson Les Paul, try the low rent version, a.k.a. the LP Studio model. It has all the attributes of the Les Paul, but at a lower price point. At a 350 dollar price point this thing is an excellent value. I'm keeping mine!

Pretty good action and tone my favourite guitar!
I dont have much to say on it.

It is a really giid guitar for things like gnr/ velvet revolver / slash's snakepit
im using an marshall slash sig amp and cab and it sounds like slash's guitar
It make much noise with 7 dist if u try 10 dist it blows you out of your room and it makes a good bright sound pretty nice for blues licks
the guitar is a real rock master but blues sound so nice to that it wil destroy your heart

i love this guitars sound!

The wood is a fantastic kind of wood for rock or blues music
ive never opend the guitar but
so i cant say much over how the pickups are adjusted
but its a good action.

the reliability was not fantastic but but if u are carefull with your guitar theres no problem

the customer suport is super so i will give them a 9
because they are not allways friendly

got this in i think 2001. wine red gold hardware, standard les paul feaures.

i play mostly metal and classic rock. runing it straight into crate blue voodoo. the sound is great. the neck pick up is full and warm. the bridge is chunky and sharp. i love the sound of this guitar. i had a esp ltd viper with emgs and it never sounded as good as this guitar.

within the first week i had it the tunners were slipping, but guitar center gave me a whole new set for free. action was just a little high for me but that was an easy fix. other than that its great.

soild guitar, been playing it for about 8 years without problems. defintly get some strap locks cause it tends to come off the button by the neck a lot.

ive been playing for about 15 years. this is my favorite guitar. ive played les paul customs and tryed to feel/hear a defference but i cant. great guitar, i highly recomend it to anyone who wants great les paul sound but doesnt feel like paying for the white border line around the body and neck of the more expensive les pauls.

Les Paul studio in Alpine White with ebony fretboard.

I'm not a fan of Gibson pups, microphonic and muddy.

Here's the problem, the guitar buzzed horribly with high action. I sighted the neck and saw a hump on the fret-board between the 9th and 13th fret making the guitar unplayable. I took it to a Fender master tech who has done warranty for Gibson and he said the same thing, I paid him $100 to dress the frets to get me by. He did what he could but it still buzzed real bad. I sent the guitar back to Gibson and they had it for 2 months, to my dismay they did nothing but more fret dressing. It still buzzes horribly even with high action. I called Gibson and they said they would work on it again but I'm not waiting another 2 months for them to do nothing.

Don't know, can't play it.

Nice on the phone, LOUSY techs, worst warranty work I've ever had done it the past 25 years of playing.

What a waste of money, Gibson is not what they used to be.

1992 model with Ebony fretboard. bought used at a guitar show. Made in USA. Came with original pickups which were later replaced. All black finish with a gig bag. I love having separate tone and volume knobs for each pickup. The 8 is bc it'd be amazing if it came with sperzel tuners (i had to add those)and coil tap switches. My favorite feature is the slick ebony fretboard.

Suits any style i play fantastically. That would be rock, blues, and any kind of metal. You can strum my guitar unplugged and you know it's going to be good! Tone is slightly brighter and snappier than a Standard LP or a new Studio due to the ebony fretboard. The original pickups have been replaced but they sounded great while they were in there. For my style, I pretty much could have left them in there but I got curious. Now I have the EMG 81/85 set in there so it's pretty much been delegated as one of my pure metal guitars. I play through a Mesa Boogie Rectoverb and 5150 and with those in there, it sound so good for metal it's RIDICULOUS. I've recently started feeling bad about having them in, because they make it such a one trick pony. So I'm gonna throw the EMGs into another guitar and put a lower output set in here so it'll be more verstile and I get to play it more. Probably a set of SD '59s or Burstbucker Pros.

I bought the guitar used at a show but the guy who owned it must have been a tech or something. Best action I could ever wish for. Slippery ebony fingerboard, perfect intonation, resonance, tone, action. Nice thick '59 neck that fits my hand like a glove. I have another LP that I prefer slightly in terms of sound but thats because of the pickups in that guitar. The playability on this one is seriously amazing! And I thank my lucky stars because all the other Studio models I've played in stores have been crap compared to mine. I definitely lucked out. Whenever I pickup another guitar, this is the one they immediately get compared to.

Hell yes, it has withstood drunk and reckless live playing! It's got some belt buckle scarring, a chip on the headstock from getting dropped, and a few dings here and there from other accidents. The output jack got a little bent and had to be replaced. The knobs have gotten loose and had to be reset. But it's only gone into the shop twice since i've had in 10 years. Straploks got put on a long time ago. It's had every gauge of strings from .008 to .012s. Damn right, i can depend on it. Everything should be made this rugged.

no clue, never needed them.

Been playing 18 years now. I've had alot of guitars, but i'm trying not to buy anymore now, haha! I also currently have a Gibson Faded V, Epi Elite LP, Ibanez RG3120, ESP LTD Ninja V, and a Gibson Melody Maker. The Elite sounds amazing too and probably gets played the most but nothing touches the playability on my Studio. Like I said before, I'm gonna put some more versatile pickups back into it just so I can play it more. It's simply my favorite guitar and there is nothing else I wish it had. I'm just thankful, this one's mine.

This is the 2007 Left-Handed model. Typical Les Paul Studio features. I've never owned or played a Les Paul befor this one, so I have nothing to compare it to.

Again, this is th efirst Les Paul I've ever owned/played. I was expecting great things, but was extremely disappointed in the tone. It was muddy, boomy and lacked spark or clarity. Except for maybe metal, I found this guitar useless.

This was my biggest disappointment. The guitar, out of the box, had an oily almost slimy feel to it, especially the neck. The tuners did not hold the strings in tune. Worst of all, the frets on the edges were sharp and extremely uncomfortable against the hand and fingers.

It's a shame that Gibson would let a $1,400.00 guitar pass quality control in this condition.

Don't know, I returned the guitar right away.

Gibson, was helpful, through email, when I had a question.

My Les Paul Studio was made in 2004/2005 in the United States and it is a great guitar. It has 22 frets and a carved maple top. It has two volume and two tone knobs with a 3-way pick-up selector(Which I like for the solo to Bulls on Parade). The pick-ups are 490R and 498T Alnico Magnet Humbucker pick-ups(H/H). The Les Paul Studio has a Rosewood fingerboard and a Mahogany neck and body. It also has a tune-o-matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece. The normal stuff. I just wish it had better tuners.

I love the bridge pickup for Metallica songs like enter sandman which use heavy distortion. The neck pickup is good for solos like the massive one in sweet child o' mine. It has a great slash sound. Even with my little Spider III 15 watt amp it sounds good. The pickups are pretty hot.

I bought my guitar from Guitar Center and I didn't have to setup anything. The guitar sounded perfect right after I got how.

This guitar is amazing. My cat went behind the guitar stand and it dropped. I picked it up and there was nothing wrong with it. It just needed to be retuned. I can easily depend on it. My other Gibson's neck snapped and that is why I got a new one.

I don't know. Pretty good I guess.

I have been playing for five years now and this is the best guitar I have ever owned. When I bought the guitar, I also bought Grover Tuners beacause the Green Keys are terrible. Buit you get what you pay for.

2003 model USA made Les paul studio in fireburst.
22 frets.
Solid mahogany body.
Mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard.
Tune-o-matic bridge.
3 way selector switch.
2 volume 2 tone knobs.
Pretty standard stuff, not a bonanza brett michaels.

The stock pick ups that come with this guitar, the 490 and 500 blah blahs are very decent pick ups. Classic Les Paul easily achievable. However after an influx of money i replaced the pick ups with British made and hand wound Bareknuckle pickups, which are pretty much the highest output inactive humbuckers you can get without being a dick. The rest of the review applies to the stock pick-ups aswell but be aware that the bareknuckle pick ups make distortion RADICAL compared to awesome- No guitar can hold a candle to the sustain you get from half metric ton of mahogany. Neck pick-up is easily my favourite( use for blues and slash tones), it produces a very very rich and warm tone that could coax a duck into an eggcup and undress by 11. Neck sounds excellent on distortion or clean but you wont be achieving anything anything near as glassy as a strat. Bridge pick up is a nice contrast- It has piercing bite great for metal rhythm and more shreddy leads when distorted. On the clean side of the lake the bridge pick up isnt really my thing - sounds too thin probably because of the high output of the pick up. Inbetween position is a nice balance of the 2 and some good Clapton tone with some of the tone knobs turned down a ways.

Fireburst finish looks delicious, better than wine red in my opinion and worth the extra 40 pounds or so. Action wise there was no fret buzz or dead notes upon recieving this guitar from the shop. Action was fine but i adjusted (easily)to my own preference. Stayng in tune isnt a problem, no more so than any other guitar without locking tuners. no worries here.

I bang this guitar around like tuesdays roast, the finish has a few knocks and some worn edges but that just adds to it i think. HOWEVER and i cant stress this enough: If your gonna leave this guitar about, make sure you have a good quality stand because where the neck meets the headstock is EXTREMELY THIN and is almos too easy to crack or snap completely if it falls over. So really be careful - dont let your springer spaniels run all over the house willy nilly. Secure them fast to a radiator or anvil before even thinking of E minor pentatonic. lesson learnt. Apart from that the electronics seem reliable and the jack is fine aslong as you keep it tight.

Pfff havnt a clue. I guess its good

Get this guitar if you want Les paul tone at a very reasaonable price and can live without the poncey finish's for Dermatologists with more money than sense. Sweet sweet distortion and some very nice clean tones and sustain like a *****.

I think anyone can look pretty much anywhere and find this.. It came with a hard case. It's painted black and so is the neck which I've not seen on any other guitar I've played.
I got it brand new about four years ago - 2004 I suppose.

Before I got it I played a Yamaha Pacifica 112 and that was really bright - this is much fuller and warmer. I didn't like this at first but I play mostly AC/DC so I've grown to like it.
It sounds nice at the neck position when playing through a clean amp or something more bluesy.

The fretboard is rough as bricks but I like it that way now.
The pickup selector wasn't fitted properly - the switch wouldn't flick all the way in both directions so it could easily be knocked into the middle; not good. I had to chisel bits of wood off inside to fix this. Bad!
The pickups don't sit flat - poor. The control knobs weren't pushed on straight.
There were mould marks on the plastic tuner knobs. Cheap
Bass strings buzz like hell on the frets.
The back of the guitar is not contoured so you've got right-angles sticking in your rib cage!
It same with 10s fitted and I've gotten used to bending/vibrato at that gauge. The neck is nice and thick.
I wish it didn't have the pick guard though. It protects the areas my pick doesn't go and I'd get rid of it were it not for the screw holes that'd be left behind.
Getting to last couple of frets is restricted (speshially on the bass strings).
The G-string has a problem staying in tune with the others after a day or so - no real problem though.

Well it seems pretty tough. I don't treat it like a baby - it's not an ornament.
It's taken knocks by tables, etc. I've stabbed it with pencils when I make mistakes.
But it hasn't fallen out of shape.
The gold plate has come of the metalwork where my hand rests - I don't mind this, I use it as a measure of how much I play it.
Oh, yeah, the first thing I did was replace the strap buttons. I sometimes don't wear steel toe-capped boots and I like my toes as they are.
The pickup selector needs a few attempts to make contact - very poor.
If I were to gig with it I'd need to fix some things that were wrong from the factory.

I took it back to the shop about the fret buzz. The guy was really friendly and fetched a PRS from the display and it looks like maybe I was just hitting the thing too hard.
Never actually dealt with Gibson but the website looks nice.

I've been playing for 6.63 years. Not long but I know what I like and my limitations.
It might sound like I'm whinging about the guitar - that's because when I got it it had so many flaws that I didn't expect from a 'quality' guitar. My ??180 Yamaha was set up perfect and everything just worked.
However.. I do love to play it. It feels good in my hands. My fingers fall just right to make chords. Slides and bends come naturally.
But it's been a tough love. I reckon I could've got a better copy for a lot less money.
So, subconsiously I must be a snob beacuse I would've felt sad with a copy.
A guitar from the 50s without modern Japanese improvements in manufacture.
Last word? It is part of me now, flawed like me. I see other people with sleek guitars and I think, 'Oh how the other half live'.

2008 Gibson Les Paul Studio in Fireburst with gold hardware(USA made)
22 medium-jumbo frets with a 50's style rounded neck.
Nothing is bounded, which is why it's less expensive.
Modern classic pickups (490R&498T) Passive.
3-way toggleswitch with 2 tone and 2 volume knobs.
Mahogany neck with rosewood and back with a carved A maple top.
Nitro finish on the whole body.
Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stopbar, "Deluxe" vintage tuners.
Nice and sturdy black Gibson case (without combo lock) with white plush.
Chambered body (uh oh...maybe)

Hot and powerful pickups! The 490R's Alnico 2 pickup really gives you that darker and vintage vibe, while the Alnico 5 498T is very versatile with that tone knob. I'm running it through an ME-50 Guitar Multiple Effects box and a Marshall MG-30DFX. It sounds rich and powerful, but that chambered body has lessened its attack. (which could be a good or bad thing depending on the person).
Very versatile sound, but it cannot chime like a Stratocaster.

The neck was almost straight to the strings right out of the box. I had to adjust the truss rod a bit and raised the action. Immaculate finish; no blemishes whatsoever (good for a UPS delivered guitar). Pickups are still correctly adjusted. Basically, there's very little flaws to this guitar after I re-setup the neck, action, and intonation.

This guitar will slowly gain the reputation of a relic. It seems to be "damaging" quite gracefully and slowly. It's is by no means fragile, and it can probably live through a person's lifetime. The gold hardware is stunning and is expected to last quite awhile if properly cared for. The strap buttons actually hold the strap in place so far (a rarity for Gibson strap buttons). I will always use my trusty Strat for backup, though. I haven't trusted this Les Paul just yet.

So far, all of my questions have been answered promptly by Gibson. Hopefully they will be just a quick and helpful if a serious problem arises.

So far, it's been a good guitar. I'm still a bit afraid of playing too hard on it. I'm disappointed with the 50's style neck, it's a bit uncomfortable compared to a 60's slim neck or Fender's C-neck. Chambered body has its ups and downs. If it were lost or stolen, I'd probably save up a bit to get a bounded and 60's style neck Les Paul, but if I was running low on money and I needed that tone, this guitar will do just fine.

2003 les paul not weight relieved, with ebony fingerboard
Made in USA
Standard les paul features
Everything i need

i play punk and ska mostly, but dabble in everything.
This guitar sounds great pretty versatille.
You can get a single coilish sound or a straight powerful humbucker with the tone knobs

i bought this guitar used from a friend. He was in a punk band and toured with this guitar for 4 years, and it shows. despite the wear the finish is in pretty good condition

This guitar is pretty solid. it suffered a headstock crack but was repaired and seems to be holding well

never delt with them

Some people talk bad about les paul studios, but this guitar sounds and feels amazing. i wont let this guitar go. Gear snobs say what you want but this is an amazing guitar

everyone knows what the features are on a les paul, mine has the fireburst finish with chrome hardware, i can easily say it is my favourtie finish on any guitar i have come accross

perfectly suits my style of old school rock, rhythem and lead! definantely a well built guitar you can hear it through the passive pickups, comparing it to an epiphone i had with seymour duncans (i say had because once i bought the gibson i sold the epiphone, no it wasnt a brand thing, it had to do with the incredible sound the gibson had, dont let anybody tell you epiphone is just as good as a gibson!)

action was great, didnt need to adjust it off the shelf, finish is just awesome! i just read these have a 50's neck, i love it! suits my hand perfectly, nice and solid, not too thin but not too thick either

i can depend on it, i sold all my other electrics as i just no longer used them, i obviously dont gig though!

N/A

i have been playing for 10 years now, i just enjoy sitting down and relaxing while i play and this guitar is just brilliant, i enjoy playing as much as i enjoy hearing the sound my guitar is making so that is saying something i think!

This is just a quick update to my previous review (Ram on 3-18-08)

First, I made several mods to the guitar to get it just like I wanted it. First was replacing the pickups with the EMG Zakk Wylde set (81+85). This may not be for everyone because active pickups color the tone a bit, and may seem brittle. I adjust EQ to temper this, so I can enjoy the power these pickups afford.

Second, I replaced the existing Kluson-style tuners with Sperzel locking - BIG improvement. However the most important mod was...

Third, I replaced the stock plastic nut with a slotted Gibson USA brass nut. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. The plastic nut is just garage compared to the brass nut. The guitar rings like a bell and sustains for twice as long now. Honestly, in my 30+ years of playing, I've never seen a more marked difference in tone and sustain than putting in a high quality brass nut.

DO IT!

You know the features by now. 2008 lp studio, ebony finish, 50's rounded neck profile. No binding (hence the 9 for this category) however I knew that when I bought it.

Ok, first of all, I own a les paul standard (60's neck), and in the past have owned a squire strat, american deluxe strat, japanese made strat (the best out of all the fenders i have owned by far), jackson randy rhoads (not sure which one exactly, but it was cheap with a gloss black finish), Jackson soloist (the worst guitar i have ever played. I'm sure it was a good guitar, it's just that it WOULD NOT stay in tune, i even had the guitar tech at sound control set it up 2 weeks after i bought it, and they gave me a full refund after because it still wouldn't stay in tune. Must've been damaged between the factory and store), Gretsch Malcom Young, epiphone sg, gibson sg 61 reissure, 1982 gibson explorer.

All of those guitars have been sold on/traded apart from my les paul standard.

The lp studio has a 50's neck, therefore it sustains longer than my lp standard (with the 60's neck). It really does go on for days. play one and you'll see what i mean. I always loved the sustain on my standard, but this sustains for days.

Not sure exactly what kind of pickups are in this studio, my standard has burstbuckers which give me a nice low output blues rock sound, but is capable of hard rock (and even grunge when I was in my last band). The bridge pickup is far too bassy for my liking (even with 10 guage strings), my amp is (and always will be) setup for my lp standard (it is after all, my pride and joy), and i like to have it setup for a nice thin lizzy type of sound and crank up the gain a bit for a gary moore rock sound. When i plug this lp studio in to my amp, I get an instant gary moore sound (think murders in the sky). When I switch to the neck pickup, I just instantly get a foxy lady type tone.

Great sounding guitar, but I think I will switch the pickups to burstbuckers, so i get a more comparable sound to my standard (without having to change amp settings).

this guitar was set up perfectly in store (merchant city music, glasgow). I can't stress that enough. I think I'll get all my setups done there in future. Low action, no fret buzz... Perfect.

The only problem I'm having is with the neck. I don't have any problems playing rhythm on it, but when it comes to lead, I'm having a few problems. I'm just used to playing a 60's neck, and I can't mark this guitar down for that, it's just personal preference.

The finish is ok, there are no problems, it's just that it looks like gloss black all over, it's an ugly guitar compared to my lp standard.

I think I'll change the pickup rings and pickguard around for white ones (like in the lp standard, and change the control knobs. Again this is just personal preference, this is not a bad guitar and is great considering it cost half as much as my lp standard.

No binding though. This guitar just looks so plain.

I've not gigged this guitar yet as i'm currently between bands, but i can't imagine any problems.

I wouldn't gig without my lp standard though.

Strap buttons are ridiculous. Gonna change them for dunlop straplok buttons.

As long as i don't break the neck, this guitar will last forever.

never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 5 years, i wouldn't replace this if it was stolen, i'd probably just get another lp standard.

All in all though, this is a great guitar.

Maple Top, Ugly Paint job,

Good sound not the best les Paul I have ever heard but still its a good tone.

This guitar is terrible where the finish is concerned for the same price you could pick up and american deluxe strat or if you need the hard rock style and Ibanez or even a washburn. But as for the actual guitar frets suck, neck is sticky and everything else made me put the guitar back on the shelf within 30 seconds. I have played multiple Les Paul Studios (four) and all of them are terrible in this regard. I was actually more impressed with a 100 used Memphis Les Paul Copy and that is saying something

The way they glue the body together (the drying process) gives many inherent weaknesses this guitar should be kept in 70 degree and 50% humidity just to keep the body together. If you can meat those demands its going to last forever but most people are morons and wont

Made on the 33rd day of 07. Alpine white LPS with ebony fretboard and gold hardware (Gibson Deluxe tuners). Purchased from Musician's Friend in March of 08 - has the following:
Carved maple top and mahogany back
Mahogany neck, '59 Rounded Les Paul
Ebony fingerboard
Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar
Gold hardware
490R and 498T alnico magnet humbucker pickups
2 volume and 2 tone knobs, 3-way switch

Don't quite know what to rate "features" being that, if you buy a guitar that doesn't feature what you want, you would have to be special ed...

Awesome classic LP sustain and low end. It just thumps like a hammer, and growls and squeals. The thick mahogany neck and body really do something magical. There is no substitute. The weak link (in my mind only, perhaps) is the pickups. Once you get used to EMGs, everything else seems kind of flat. I promised myself I would leave this one stock, but alas, I have purchased the ZW EMG set and plan to install.

Warning! Once you own a guitar with EMGs it will ruin you for anything else. They're like crack!

I rate the sound a 9, just for the lack of active pickups. I know, that's kind of being a tool.

Setup was dead on out of the box, which was a very pleasant surprise. I was dreading doing the setup for yet another guitar, so big points for that. However...

The Paint. Hmm, where to begin. First, this is the Alpine White LPS, so the tiniest imperfection would of course show through. However let me say, the paint job is very good. Yet on the back of the body and headstock the paint is, ugh, ruffled(?) to the point where it looks like they skipped a buffing step. It's not bad enough to send it back, just bad enough for me to notice that it wasn't exactly smooth as glass. If the guitar didn't play and sound as good as it does, I might be bothered by this. But the thing plays so perfectly, and sounds so good, that complaining about the paint is like being bothered by your prom date's dress being ruffled... while in the back seat of your car...

It gets a 9, because 10 would be paint like glass - perfection. I built a guitar in 1987, and did the paint job myself. It was pretty close to this paint job, which makes me think that Gibson must use lacquer rather than nitrocellulose.

This is my fifth Les Paul.

No. 1 was a copy I had as a kid, circa 1979

No. 2 was another LP Studio purchased in 1999

No. 3 was an Epiphone LP Custom purchased in 2004 (really great guitar, BTW)

No. 4 was a Gibson Les Paul Standard that I bought in '06, but sold, because it really didn't do much for me. I think it was the color (cherry burst) that I never really cared for.

None of the above mentioned guitars ever had any problems, but a guitar is a musical instrument. If you drop it, you just might break the headstock off (like the car-wreck-Einstein who posted on this board, and then proceeding to bash the guitar).

It gets a 10 for this.

Never dealt with them, which warrants a 10 for the product.

It's a Gibson Les Paul, so if you complain that it doesn't have a whammy bar, is too heavy, or doesn't have enough "features", you are a complete idiot. The guitar was around long before you were born - it didn't just appear on the scene last year.

That being said, it is perfect for me. I play my best when playing an LP. For some reason, I don't feel a need for the binding, so I prefer the Studio model. However the sustain, bass response and overall tone are just perfect.

Wine red 2003 Studio, gold plated hardware, trapezoid fret markers, rosewood fingerboard, no binding, chunky (fat?) neck, speed knobs, etc. Everything you need except for a whammy bar and VariTone switch.

My style is blues, classic rock, lots of ungodly racket through a Marshall 100W tube half stack and/or a tiny Crate transistor practice amp.
The sound from this particular guitar is stupendous - a rich/full sound (to coin a phrase) which can just plain scream as well. Surprisingly loud pick ups compared to other Gibsons yet they have a great tone; my Flying V has really loud pick ups, the tone is not so hot. The sound is similar to a Gibson Lucille but has a bit more edge to it.
Les Pauls' are often accused of having a muddy sound but all you have to do is turn the volume knobs down a little bit on this one for a really clean tone.

This guitar was purchased used with really low action and 8s on it which is what I like.
The pick ups were adjusted properly, the neck is dead straight, no fret buzz, sharp fret ends or noisy controls, everything works perfectly.
The clearcoat on the finish was a bit beat up by the previous owner not being as careful as he or she should have been.

This guitar could be used to club an adult grizzly bear to death; it will survive live playing.
For once, really substantial strap buttons on a Gibson! These may not be original, though, I keep forgetting to check when I see other Studio models.
Gold plating will wear off no matter what you do, I'm afraid. I give it a 9 due to the fragile plating.

The people at Gibson always respond promptly and are very nice although I've never had to deal with them for a new instrument issue.

I've been playing on and off for 30 years and currently own a few Gibsons other than this Studio: Firebird VII, ES-335 Satin, Lucille, Les Paul Faded Double Cutaway and a Flying V.
Back in the 70s and 80s I owned an SG Standard, a few ES-335s, a Lucille DeLuxe, 25th Anniversary Les Paul, Les Paul Jr., and a Les Paul TV Special Reissue.
Those guitars were all sold off while I concentrated on other things.
When the guitar bug bit again last year, I took a ride to my semi-local Guitar Center to look at a used ES-335 Satin (which I bought) and while I was there I started fooling around with the Les Pauls.
They had a three or four Studio models there and I tried them all and they were okay but nothing really stood out except for this one, the cheap used one.
That one was magic and I bought it on the spot.
The neck on it is just perfect for me, the action is as low as you could possibly ask for and the sound through a Marshall will blow brick walls apart. Well, maybe not but it's pretty good.
Supposedly, the fretboard is rosewood and while it sure looks like rosewood, it feels like ebony to me. Very fast and smooth with a slippery feel to the back of the neck. Perhaps the previous owner did some work to it, I don't know.
Like most Les Pauls with a carved top, it weighs a ton. It also makes me look fat.
The Vintage Craze for 60s, 70s and 80s Gibsons seems kind of bizarre as I was buying them new and used back then and they were fine guitars (some were built to a cost, some weren't) BUT they weren't any better than this particular Studio is.
The quality of the workmanship is the same, the playability certainly hasn't changed but I'll bet the electronics have improved quite a bit.
To sum this up, this particular one really is a dream guitar. It's like a cross between my old beloved 70s SG Standard and the 25th Anniversary Les Paul. It's not the fanciest and I'm sure that it's not the most wonderful instrument but it's the best solid body guitar I've played. I think that I just really lucked out!

This is a Gibson Les Paul, anyone who ever spent a moment in time thinking of even playing an electric Guitar knows what a Gibson Les Paul is, and this is a Les Paul. That being said, I have a few things to point out.

I just bought this Studio from Guitar Center Brand-new in the box, manufactured in the United States, 2007. GC threw in 2 boxes of Gibson .10 strings (my request) and gave me a 70% discount on a suede Dunlop strap. Obviously, deals will vary from store to store, but I am very happy with what I got. Out of the box, the guitar was already in tune, checked with a digital tuner

The hardbody case is beautiful and doesn't let the guitar move around inside at all. It came with a very basic and generic Gibson LP owner's manual that really needs some attention. The manual covered EVERY Les Paul and even Flying V's, including their new auto-tuning 'Robot' Guitar. I wasn't very happy about this, since there were only about 2 pages of useful information about my actual Guitar. Gibson, if you are listening, FIX THIS PROBLEM! I want an owner's manual that covers MY guitar, and every tiny detail about it. Hire a college grad for 35k a year and revamp these crappy manuals!

One more complaint is the "omni-tool" that came with the Guitar. It really isn't very omni... it has a hex socket head on one end and a Phillips screwdriver head on the other. This would be great if it weren't for the fact the Guitar has all Flat-tip adjustment screws and no hex nuts at all. I'm honestly quite baffled as to what it's for. (There are phillips screws on the pickups, but I would use a real screwdriver for that kind of work).


Price Paid (minus tax): $1,200 (Guitar only)

So the features are lacking. Sounds pretty bad from what I wrote so far, huh? Well, this baby SCREAMS! I play Rock/Metal/Alternative and even a little Country. This thing does it all with brilliance that makes my 62' reissue Fender Stratocaster sound, to the best of my descriptive abilities: "un-full". This Guitar fills in the gaps that every Strat owner complains about, and it does it extremely well.

This baby screams through solos and lead anything, pop lead, and twang country with ease. I'm using a Crate FW120H Head with a Marshall 180 watt tri-speaker cabinet, and the sound is just fantastic. I'm not a fan of the 498-T pickup, and swapped it out for an EMG-89. The EMG gave this Guitar a sound that's truly awesome, shredding through metal and rock with enough sustain to hold a note until my first child is born to pass it on to.

Bottom line: Rock n'Roll aint never gonna die as long as Gibson keeps making Studios and Standards

The action out of the box was fantastic, except for notable buzzing on the G and D strings. A few small adjustments to the bridge, along with dropping in a new set of strings, and this problem was gone. As for out-of-the box, the guitar was in near-perfect tune, but who really cares about that? I dropped in my own strings about 3 hours after I bought it.

The first 3 hours were spent staring at the finish. I believe I was hypnotized, and do not recall what happened during this time, so I cannot comment on it. Mine is the Ebony with Black pickguard (removed), solid body, chrome hardware. I've heard complaints about the "fancy" finishes on some Sudios, but those aren't my style and the absolutely flawless black finish with just enough gloss to set the chrome on fire, but not too much that you're blinded by ambient light reflections while looking at it. This was the overall thing I noticed, the finish was more Satin than Gloss, but it is Gloss. It's just not a mirror, and that's exactly what I wanted.

The finish was flawless, with no blemishes of any kind. The only fingerprints on it are mine. The hardware was gleaming with a polished look that required no wipe-down. The look and feel of this Guitar is a lot like a black 1960 GTO with chrome fenders and a 455 Hemi sitting in your driveway with the door open and the keys in the ignition. If that analogy doesn't make any sense to you, then this Guitar is not be for you.

This guitar is not lacking in any of the quality of the Gibson LP Standard in terms of durability and quality. It's solid body/solid neck so that means no roughhousing with it. This guitar was meant to play, not to be swung around stage in a mock-guitar smash act or spun around to impress fans.

If you need to resort to this type of act on stage, your music might need some fine-tuning. Don't throw paint-thinner at the Mona-Lisa because you can't do as good.

On the other hand, the only Gibson's I've ever seen broken were because of A) Horrific Accidents involving dropping B) (Ex)-Friends Doing A or C) Stupidity.

I imagine Gibson customer support is one of the loneliest jobs on the planet. Call them for what(?); To tell them their guitars are awesome, or to complain about tiny problems that anyone who has any business with a Les Paul can't fix in 2 seconds?

Yes, this is a fantastic value. You get everything a Les Paul Standard has for a very fair price. You can't go wrong. This is a Les Paul to the core, not some kind of Epiphone crossover, so don't get confused on that part. You can get them used for cheaper, but my experience with my brand-new one has completely turned me off to buying used Guitars ever again.

Buy your Gibson brand-new, and you're guaranteed a Gibson. Save your money by buying used Amps and Heads rather than inheriting someone else's abused guitar with hidden problems. That's my opinion, I could be wrong. This time, however, I wasn't, and I couldn't be happier!

This is a Faded Maple Cherry Burst. Mail ordered from GC. I think the idea was to make it look kind of vintage, it didn't work. This thing looks more like a High school woodshop finish gone bad. I would call it un-finished and is more satin than anything else. I don't think they bother polishing these at all. The neck was okay but the fretts needed some dressing.

Another thing, this guitar is light which is nice seems like they must have chambered it (sombody is burning the excess wood made into a presto log). Final note: Do more to the finished product, Okay!

Here's where it shines. Sounded like a Les Paul, however the bridge pup is way hotter than most older LP's I've played, it metered on my VOM at 12.5K great for cutting metal or blowing away the drummer. The neck was about 7.6K and sounded great for Jazz. I used it through my '75 twin and a Reverend Hellhound. I think I like the 490R better than the 498T.

Had to set up the action it was never set up and came with a broken high "e" string, had to lower the neck pickup it was hitting the strings even after raising the bridge. Once I set it up it played great! Gibson what's with that, don't you pay someone to set these things up, if so fire the bastard!

Should last a life time. yes I could gig with it, good quality hardware.

?????

Well I sent it back to GC mostly because I didn't like the finish. Then I discovered I could get a Studio with a better finish and Gold Hardware for about the same price with a 20% discount, deal! After the guitar gets here I'll post that review.

2007 model; blem from MF. Two humbuckers, two volume, two tone.

Faded maple top in honeyburst. No poly finish, just a thin, matte finish. Mahoghany back (two piece) and neck, rosewood fretboard and a gorgeous plain maple top. No binding.

Fairly light; certainly chambered, but NOT neck heavy. Gets an "8" for being what it is; not top of the line, but certainly cool for a Studio.

Standard Les Paul sound; perhaps a little brighter. I also have an LP Standard Doublecut, and they are similar to one another.

Set up well, 'though I always lower the action and restring with 9-46s. I also removed the pickguard and replaced the black speed knobs with black Tele-style dome knobs, which I have on all guitars (including my Tele!).

Finish looks great, even though this was listed as a blem. I can't really find anything; maybe a "scratch" on the maple that was stained a litte darker? I don't really know why it was a blem ...

It's a Les Paul; pretty durable.

Never use them; hope never to

Fabulous guitar for $650-ish. I had been looking for an LP for awhile; I have the LP DC Standard, but wanted the traditional shape.

They have (had?) a used Studio at the local GC for $650 that they eventually dropped to $550; kinda trashed, and the ebony board had been reglued. This is certainly a much better value.

I play in an eight-piece funk-cover band, and a punk band, and also own a standard Tele, standard Strat, and two Fender Cyclones, and have been playing off-and-on since I was 6 (I'm 47).

This makes a great addtion to my "arsenal".

You have read them all by now. No frill model...

Sound, great tone, great sustain. good for all styles of music. I own 9 guitars (Fender,Epi,Hagstrom,Martin) and this guitar is my top guitar, then the fender strat..

Action was fair coming out of factorybut needed pro set up. Once setup action is good. Pickups are much hotter than I expected them to be. Finish is rich & deep color. Mine in wine Red.

So far great, no problems.

did not have to use yet...

I have been playing over 30 years, I own a recording studio(www.genesisrecording.com). I have played many different guitars over the years, thisone stands out as one of the best. Sound / tone are excellent, action VG, priced fair.
Gibson makes a very good quaility guitar...

Non-figured maple top over mahogany body, mahogany neck, gold hardware, 490/498 humbuckers, 24 3/4" scale, no binding, nitro-cellulose sprayed, Fat!! 50's neck, 3 way toggle switch. Included Canadian made hardshell case. 2 vol/2 tone knobs, made in 1997. (1st & 6th numbers)finish starting to "check" but that's normal.
But you know all this is standard and academic.

Sometimes unless my hand is touching metal on the guitar will buzz a little. Could be several outside reasons but I think it's the guitar itself. Very rich/full sound!! Single notes don't get lost! Beefy!
Sonically powerful. Very versatile tones; soft warm, blend what you want with both pus, middy bark with bridge pu will cut through any ego freaks noise. Harmonic pinches easier than my Schecter with active EMGs!! Totally satisfied with the guitars voicings.

The truss rod had no tension on it! A 1/2 turn pulled everything right into place. I like low action and it is not my lowest action guitar of my 12 by no means; but at the same time I can do anything on this guitar. It feels awkward and the neck is not straight with the body , the neck feels like a baseball bat, BUT yet it totally works for me. I can thrash full speed, rhythm all night or whatever.
The knobs are not in way, Somehow this awkward slightly heavy thing was made for me. It works!! end of story.

I baby this Gibson LP Studio because the set mahogany neck shouldn't be dropped or else. Hardware seems solid to me. I have used it out many times without any backup. A little TLC and this will last a lifetime or two. I have locking strap pins on it, and changed the single ply pickguard for a 3 ply. It makes a noticable difference.
I added gold trussrod cover and back plates for the heck of it. I'm totally satisfied with the pickups.

I've played 40 years, own 3 tube amps 3 SS amps, 12 guitars, truckload of effects. The LP Studio is my #1. Many reviewers state the studio is close to Standards, even Customs, basically. I would replace it if lost or stolen. This LP has convinced me I'm a LP man.
I'd like to try the Burstbucker Pick-ups.

Mahogany body and neck with a plain maple top. Two humbuckers etc. It's a basic Les Paul with no binding. The only thing ornamental on my guitar is the gold hardware and trapezoid inlays. If you can buy a higher end model.

It sounds like all Gibson Les Pauls sound when they come from the factory. The pickups are fairly muffled. I have replaced them with Dimarzio Virtual Vintage pickups. This was a drastic improvement. I play mostly rock/jamband music through a Mesa Boogie Maverick. The guitar can be fairly versatile. The bridge pickup is bright and the neck pickup is warm sonding.

People fool themselves into thinking that they buy a Gibson because of attention to detail. I have yet to see a new Gibson guitar with a decent paint job. I ended up stripping the paint and applying a tongue oil finish. The natural neck feels great and it looks better than the crappy black paint with the orange peel. People buy Gibsons because of the name. Plain and simple. The standard tuners are horrible. The plastic buttons strip out after a while and need to be epoxied back on. Save yourself the hassle and buy metal button tuners. The inlays are just plastic and they are not very well cut. They use a lot of filler to fill in the gaps.

Other than the tuners the guitar has been durable. It's a ten pound plank of wood. The headstock broke off during a car accident. I don't fault Gibson for that. Mine is a 1992 model and they only gave you a gig bag with it.

It's headstock was severed in a car accident I had. I sent the guitar to Gibson and they wouldn't touch it. They wanted almost $1,000 to put a whole new neck on it. I ended up having the guitar repaired by the Martin Guitars (yeah the acoustic dudes). They spliced a new piece of wood in and repainted the back of the neck all for a grand total of $300. It's worked flawlessly for over 10 years.

I've been playing guitar for eighteen years and spent six years in college as a classical and jazz guitar major. All my equipment is pro level. I have the above mentioned Les Paul, a 1991 Fender American Standard Stratocaster, a 1962 Gibson Melody Maker, a 1997 Heritage H-535, a 1998 Heritage Eagle Natural, a Modulus Graphite CMT3, and a Musicman Petrucci model. I won't even get into my acoustics, amplifiers or effects. This Les Paul was my first "good guitar". Gibson is a company that has achieved a level where they no longer have to produce good instruments for people to buy them. The only thing original about my guitar is the wood. Musicians Friend currently sells these guitars new for $1100 and up. This should be a $500 guitar. If you are a player looking for a new guitar try not to be fooled by the hype that surrounds a name brand. Look beyond the headstock. If you are a parent looking to buy your child a nice guitar don't just buy a guitar that the salesman at Guitar Center steers you toward. Ask people who play. Look and see what's out there.

Here's a 2001 Les Paul Studio for you. Made in the USA at the Nashville plant. Mahogany body & neck, maple cap, rosewood fretboard, mediium frets, Grovers, 490R and 498T pickups, CTS 500K pots. Stop tail & tune-o-matic bridge. Ebony finish, black Top-Hat knobs. Brown HSC with pink plush fur and veil, locking latch. Weighs in at around 7.5 pounds.
Bought this guitar used from the original owner. Hey, it's got all the best features of a Gibson Les Paul, namely the sound and feel of a well crafted instrument. No beauty contest winner, but she gives it up in the important categories of playability and tone.
This is a dead stock LP Studio except for the strap buttons, which I changed to Schaller strap locks.

I play rhythm guitar (and I do some soloing as well) in a 4 piece band, covering rock, surf and light jazz standards-from Beatles to Led Zepellin to the Ventures. I'm using Les Paul type guitars, mainly. I have a Jay Turser Serpent ("Chalice" headstock inlay) with GFS Dream 180 Pups, a Jay Turser Goldtop (Moon headstock inlay) with LACE Hemibuckers and the stock Gibson Les Paul. The Turser guitars have upgraded tone/volume pots as well as pickups. I also have an Ibanez SA160QT "fat strat" and a very nice Jay Turser Tele Deluxe- the model with the humbucking pup at the neck. The Tele also has upgraded pups and pots / cap. I use GHS BOOMER 009s on the Les Pauls and GHS BOOMER 010s on the Ibanez & Tele guitars.
I have several amps that I use with the LPStudio.
1. Roland BC 60 with Eminence SWAMP THING;
2. Roland BC 30 with Eminence WIZARD;
3. Stock Fender Champ 25 SE,
4. Stock Fender Princeton Chorus (Red Knob)
5. Heavily modified Peavey Transformer with op-amp, factory eProm (V. 2), speaker and
memory upgrades.

I use the LPStudio with the Rolands and the Peavey, mainly. With the Roland amps I use a BOSS ME 5 analog pedalboard for effects. For medium to larger venues I use the ME 5 with both Rolands set up on stage-right and left-in mono. The high effeciency (SPL at 102 dB) of the eminence speakers make these amps very loud and toneful.
The Peavey (50 watts RMS-solid state) is a smaller venue amp-coffeehouse type venues. The Peavey has it's own digital effects built in, but with analog preamp, gain and power sections. It's nice and compact for small venue playing and it sounds excellent with the modifications mentioned.

Okay...now for the critical stuff on the LPStudio. First of all it has that true "Les Paul sound" that you hear on a million records. (So do my Jay Turser LPs, especially my Goldtop with the LACE pickups.)
For clean tones I rely on the volume and tone pots a lot. Rolling back the CTS volume pots results in a sligh loss oh high end but I have come to like that aspect of having the volume knob on 7 instead of 10. Rolling back the tone pots is effective and useful, too.
The alnico pickups both respond well to volume and tone pot manipulations. In fact, this guitar is the most responsive of all my Les Pauls to its volume and tone pots.
As for the pickups: The 490R in the neck position is fat with a nice, warm signature-typical of what you would expect from a medium output alnico 2 type pickup. It has a classic PAF tone with a slight upper mid emphasis & fatness. Very nice.
The 498T has the more pronounced upper mid / high emphasis and alnico 5 magnets, along with a hotter output-maybe a full 30% hotter than the 490R. It will overdrive a preamp in an amp all by itself, but not nearly as much as a hot ceramic magnet pickup. For rock music the 498T is a good choice, as it tends to be rich with harmonics when overdrive or distortion is called into play, but it can cop the warmth of a PAF with the volume rolled back a bit, in overdrive situations. The middle position (both pickups on) is useable with overdrive/distortion and it is very, very musical when played squeaky clean or at the "in-between" region-clean with a bit of hair-that is often used for blues and jazz.
The guitar exhibits decent sustain and resonance. Pickups are well potted, quiet and do not slip into microphonic feedback at low to medium heavy gain levels. They DO slip into pleasing, harmonic feedback easily with medium gain levels on the amp; a very nice feature that sustains notes and chords with blooming harmonic overtones. The guitar works well with overdrive pedals, distortion pedals and compressor pedals of average quality.
Overall the Gibson alnico pickups are well behaved and toneful, but not overly remarkable. They are designed to deliver the Gibson LP signature tone and they do this very well.
My personal opinion is that the combination of the 490R and 498T is the best choice

Fretwork is flawless. No adjustment to the neck was necessary. I adjusted the action a bit and set the intonation, which I do to all my guitars every time I change the strings. I adjusted the pickups to obtain a balance of 55% / 45% for the neck / bridge relationship. All of these adjustments are "user preference" adjustments that anyone would make to suit themselves. Intonation and string height is easy to set on this guitar. Tuners (Grover kidney beans) are excellent. Good, solid chrome hardware throughout. Nitro finish was messed up in a few places-can't say if it came that way or if the previous owner was responsible. Overall fit and finish is okay for my "less-than-perfect" standards. I'm much more interested in playability and sound than in cosmetics.
Playability is excellent. This guitar has the " '59 round" profile. Just perfect for me. I prefer it to the slim profile on some LP necks.
After I did my preferred setup, this guitar performs like a champ. It is easy to play and the electronics are easily adjusted on the fly, using the tone and volume pots. Overall fit and finish is great after my personal setup was done. No complaints with overall fit, finish and action as I received it from the previous owner. I think Gibson did a good job putting this guitar together.

I use all of my guitars for live performance playing. I'm not overly hard on my guitars but I don't baby them either. For run-of-the-mill performance playing I would rate this as my most robust guitar, just because it's heavy and well constructed. My Tele and my Serpent would be close seconds to the LPStudio in terms of reliability and durability-only AFTER replacing the pickups / electronics on those guitars.
I never ever play live without at least one backup guitar, and I switched to the solid state amps years ago because of the notorious failure rate of tube amps in live performance situations. (We gigged last Friday and our lead guitarist's tube amp died before the first note was struck!)

Never dealt with GIBSON USA. Hope I never have to. They have a decent website and there are several other good websites specializing in Gibson guitars. No opinion here.

I began playing back in 1967; got serious about playing in a band around 1970 and switched from bass to electric guitar in the middle seventies. Started playing seriously in the early 80s. I've been gigging for a couple of decades-all told. I mentioned my gear collection above. I have Roland micro-amp, a wah pedal, a Metal Zone, a Digitech delay and Twin Tube preamp, an ART processor, a KORG G1 and a ZOOM G2. I have some recording gear as well.
I was fortunate to have come across a genuine Gibson Les Paul that was in good condition and affordable, so that's why I bought it. I would not pay the inflated "brand new" prices for Gibson products, as I don't feel they are worth even half of what they sell for-even discounted. I bought my Les Paul for $300.00 with a beautiful HSC so i guess I got a steal. That said, my two Jay Turser Les Paul guitars are 200-dollar guitars (brand new prices) that are made of mahogany with carved tops and decent hardware / pickups / electronics. Stripping these cheap Chinese-made guitars and rebuilding them with superior electronics (pickups, pots & switches) have rewarded me with two very fine Les Paul type guitars-each under 400 dollars.
I would buy the Gibson LPStudio for 400 dollars, as I feel it is worth that price and it needs no further upgrading. I would not pay 1200 or even 600 for a new LPStudio (or any other fancy guitar when I can build a nice Jay Turser for 400 dollars. I do not see the superiority / advantage in having GIBSON stamped on the guitar, frankly. Guitars are tools to me...not works of art or statements of coolness. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the fine craftsmanship, beautiful woods and finishes that go into older Gibson, Heritage and modern PRS guitars, for example...but for me it's about the usefulness, playability and sound of the instrument. As long as I can develop my own quality tools for 400 bucks...I'm not going to spend one penny more.
I'm comparing this LP with my other Jay Turser LPs. Overall quality of build is better, including hardware-tuners, bridge, tailpiece, nut, electronics, frets, jackplate, pickup rings, pickguard, etc. But it's not that much better than the upgraded Jay Turser stuff to warrant the waaaaaay higher price tag, in my opinion.
I love the high build standard; I hate the price tags on new Gibsons.
I wish it was a LPStandard Cherry Burst, with AAAA flamed top, gold harware, original '57 PAFs, curly maple neck and ebony fretboard-all for the same $300 bucks that I paid! (Okay, so that's a lot to ask!)
I like this guitar and I'd buy it again at $400 or below. That's just me...my buds were dumfounded at the price tag when I brought this to rehearsal. Most people would be delighted to but this guitar at 600-800 bucks-used.

Mine was born on Jan 8, 2001 in Nashville. It has that very nice ebony finish with chrome hardware, including a nice set of kidney-bean Grovers. Tune-a-matic with stop tail. Pickups are 490R and 498T. Rosewood fingerboard. Nice medium frets. Mahogany body, mahogany neck with the '59 round profile, and the standard Les Paul maple cap tops off the body. CTS pots and poly caps. What a nice guitar. First of all, this is a Gibson Les Paul. Secondly, this guitar is a legendary instrument-PERIOD. What a nice guitar. Those are the features, folks. This guitar just drips

My favorite styles are rock and blues. I also do surf and some oldies (60's style rock) and a little jazz. I'm playing this through a Peavey Transformer with the 2nd generation chipset, upgraded memory and op amps-plus a nice Eminence Swamp Thing. My other amp is a Roland BC 60 112. Both are nice amps-let me tell ya. The BC 60 is outfitted with an Eminence Wizard. I use a cheap, DOD Attacker as a boost, in front of my amps. I like it because it has compression as well as a nice 9 dB clean boost.
Okay, enough of that.
The Les Paul is nice and fat with either pickup, or both. The guitar is absolutely quiet and does not feedback except for the nice harmonic type of feedback. The alnico type pickups are warm, well defined and the bridge 498T has a perfect growl for rock and blues. The neck 490R is very warm and rings perfectly for old school rock, blues and jazz. Excellent sustain. Maybe mine is a ringer-it's my first Gibson Les Paul-but when it went up against my buddy's LP Standard, it killed with authority. The LP Standard has the ceramic Gibson pickups-not my cup of tea. The alnico II neck and alnico V bridge pickups are extremely expressive for my style. What great, pure tone and presence.
Played through an amp or even unplugged this Gibson really has a great tone, sustain and resonance. I love it.

Not bad at all. I got it second hand but the previous owner never played it much. It was brand new, truth be told. I like the 59 round neck and the "feel" of this great guitar. Perfectly balanced instrument, for sure. Fit and finish was not absolutely perfect, folks. There was some oversprat and a bit of orance peel. Okay...so you have to get up close at about 6 inches to see it...but it's there. I thought the Gibson Company was better than that. Other than the less than perfect paint job, it's pretty much flawless. I love this guitar and the way it fits into my hands. Killer.

Everything is built very well. I think the strap buttons are lame but the rest is top shelf. I always bring a second guitar whenever I play. It just makes sense.

I have been playing electrics for decades. Epiphones, Ibanez, old no-name electrics and recently, Jay Turser models. This is my first Gibson Les Paul. I owned a Gibsom L 5-S once and it was very nice too. Don't get me wrong...I like my Tursers, my Ibanez and the Epiphone SG I recently gave to a friend was a very nice guitar, too. The Gibson is in another class-it's pretty high end. I'd buy this again in a heartbeat. For the 700-800 bucks that these bring on eBay (used of course) I think the price is right.

Just read 6StringBruiser???s review. Don???t know where he???s from but I???m from South Florida. Looking at Les Pauls in 4 different large music stores in my area, I can say with complete integrity that Gibson products and Fender products are only former shells of the instruments they built their reputations upon. In other words, these manufacturers produce inferior products at inflated prices, no matter where the product fits into the marketing scheme. In other words a custom shop, high end Gibson will be just as sloppy as a Les Paul Studio-in terms of build quality. So why pay for the expensive, inferior product when the cheaper ones are built to the same low class standards? Musicians don???t work for these companies anymore-accountants, salesmen and low-skilled builders do. Long gone are the days when the GIBSON name meant something special.
My ???Special??? is a 2004 model. It has finish flaws, too. Luckily it has the Grover tuners instead of the Kluson clones that are so terrible. Best features? It plays well and sounds pretty good. It has good CTS pots. By comparison, I have a Jay Turser LP Goldtop that I picked up for 125 bucks. It was a ???second??? with a few finish flaws. I stripped the pickups and pots from it. Installed LACE Hemibuckers in both positions and installed decent 500K audio tapers pots / premier caps. This guitar kicks the stuffing out of the Gibson Les Paul Studio-PERIOD-in both appearance and sound. Playability is about the same. So???now you have some perspective on where I???m coming from when it comes to having ???respect??? for the Gibson name. It???s just another guitar in my collection of guitars, that???s all.

Nothing ???wrong??? with the LP Studio, mind you. I bought it ???like new??? for a mere $300 bucks with a perfect case AND a like-new Boss Metal Zone pedal. The guitar is actually like a new guitar-which is to say it came from the factory with orange peel and other paint / finish blemishes and a pickup switch that needed repair. So much for Gibson Quality Control. These guys don???t care because ???everyone wants a GIBSON, right????
The guitar sound good and plays well. I have no complaints because I bought it to play not to sit around and be seen. I think I paid what it is actually worth, based on my other Jay Turser and Ibanez guitars. It is certainly not better than the others mentioned, to the extent that would justify a price of 800 to 1000 bucks-street price. I never paid more than 300 for a guitar, including replacement PUPS, electronics, nuts, strap-locks, etc. My Tursers were all bought off eBay for 100-200 bucks. Replacement pickups and parts all came from eBay stores. The Gibson sounds just like a Les Paul with the 490R and 498T pickups should sound. Very good. I play it through Roland Blues Cubes and a Peavey Transformer 112-modified with premium speaker and the upgraded prom / upgraded memory / upgraded op-amps.

It's all been said here. Guitars coming out of China for dirt cheap prices are made at least as well. Fit and Finish is at least as good as Gibson. They don't "build instruments" at Gibson. Instead, they "produce revenue generating products, with high profile name recognition." Got it?

It???s sturdy.

I???ve heard they???re pretty good. No experience.

I would pay 300 again-not more. It???s worth 300 without the pedal / HS Gibson case that came with it. Bottom line is that you will get a much nicer guitar if you buy a pre-1985 guitar with the Gibson logo on it. But you won???t find one for $300! I???ll keep buying Jay Tursers and fixing them up the way I like ???em. I don't see enough of a differnce to justify paying more than 300 bucks for the Gibson name. It's just not worth it.

Alpine White, Ebony Neck, Gold Hardware. I changed out the pups for Torres Customs, had the neck tone changed to a master tone, and changed the bridge tone to a master mid boost/cut.
I'm rating it a 6/10. The hardware is good, but not the best. The paint is a little sloppy, and the gold is peeling.

When unplugged, the ebony neck gives it a really cool punchy tone. The sustain is good, but not quite as good as some higher end Gibsons.

Plugged in it sounds really good, though I am so into Fenders, I don't use this guitar as much. I've change the pups and added a mid-range boost/cut, so I don't know how much of the original/stock tone is coming out. Overall, the guitar sounds good when running clean (though not a very clean guitar) and somewhat muddy when playing with a TS9. The mid-control is very helpful for balancing things out, I would suggest getting one immediately.

Tune-o-matic brige works perfectly. The neck is nice 'n strong, I like the weight of the guitar.

The finish is pretty crappy; I'm suprise it's made in the USA. It seems like an older Mexian-made or Korean made Epiphone or Squire... but I didn't buy the guitar for the looks, that's why they make the higher end Gibsons!

The guitar gets a 9 or 10 for functionality, but a 3 for the finish and cosmetics... ave of 6

So far so good, I've had it for 2 years. The finish on the gold hardware is wearing off, but that's to be expected. No functional issues.

It's a guitar. You can't rely on the manfuacturer to hold your hand, you need to maintain it yourself or via a local guitar tech.

For me, I twisted Guitar Center's arm to give it to me for $800 instead of $1300, so it's an excellent value. I never use stock pups, since Gibson does not know what amp and effects I use, it would be impossible for them to make the guitar especially for me.

For someone who wants that true LP sound, without spending $2500, and is willing and able to do some custom work, this guitar is an excellent value.

For someone who buys is stock and expects it to outshine a LP Custom.... come on, be realistic.

Gibson Les Paul Studio in Alpine White with gold hardware. Basic 2 humbucker setup. The white one comes with an ebony fretboard. We all know the specs.

Sounds really good, but plays like crap. The finish on the neck feels sticky, not smooth or fast at all. The action is nice and low with little fret buzz.

The factory setup was good, but the fit and finish was HORRID! There is "orange peel" all around the neck pocket, Dirt and sawdust under the paint in various places all over the guitar, something is rattling inside under the top (I checked in the control cavities and found nothing, so the object causing the rattle must be inside a cavity routed for weight reduction under the maple top), stripped screws, and a small crack in the headstock. Remember, I bought this guitar NEW off the showroom floor! When I returned the guitar, the guys at the store told me that all Gibsons are like that, and showed me a Custom with the same exact problems! NOT FOR MY MONEY! The guitar was promptly returned for a full refund. I'm done with Gibson.

I wouldn't know, I never got the chance to play it live. I know the strap buttons it comes with are ridiculously small and useless.

Had to argue to return it, but that's not Gibson's fault. Building a crappy guitar and selling it for over a thousand dollars is their fault.

I've been playing guitar for 22 years, and have had my share of guitars, some great, some crap. I had lusted after this Gibson fo YEARS until I had the money to buy one. Imagine my disappointment when I got the thing home and started to really look at it. You may think I am silly for not noticing such obvious flaws in the store, but I made the mistake of thinking that because it was a Gibson, that it would be of high quality and workmanship. I was wrong.

2007 Gibson Les Paul Studio. Ya know the specs. Transparent, wine red finish with gold hardward. Gibson tuners. 490R pickup in the front and Seymour Duncan Custom pickup in the bridge. Pickup covers removed to get rid of some microphonic feedback. The rating of 6 is due to the fact that it is a meat-and-potatoes, barebones Les Paul, which is killer. The only things that disappointed me was a pickup selector switch that crapped out in 2 days and those ridiculously small strap buttons that Gibson insists on using. Got rid of those and got some Dunlop Straploks. Gibson...MAKE SOME MORE ROBUST STRAP BUTTONS PLEASE!!!!

Well of course this damn thing shines! Here's the signal chain: Les Paul to Dunlop Slash wah pedal, Aphex compressor, Digitech Screamin' Blues overdrive pedal (for solos) into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I play guitar for my church worship team (never thought I'd say that!) and also play in a classic rock band on the side once in a while. This thing resonates like a mother!!! I actually really liked the 498T pickup but since I had a Custom in a guitar that I was selling, I figured since I paid $80 for that one I should keep it and man does it frigging bring out the character of this guitar. Pick harmonics come out easy. Funny thing. I seemed to struggle with my ESP Eclipse that I owned when it came to pick harmonics. This Les Paul with a passive pickup just makes them jump out. Clean, the guitar sounds great for jazz on the front pickup. Works well with the jazz inspired tunes that i play with the band. The neck pickup is a little dark but it's a damn Paul! This is without a doubt the best sounding guitar I've owned. It crunches like no other.

For some reason, a Paul is just so smooth to play. Billy Duffy from The Cult once said he switched from a Gretch White Falcon to a Les Paul because "it's got a bit more meat, a little more wait" and also "it's just easier to play the damn thing." The action is awesome on this thing. I like it low and it does that without buzzing out. The nut is cut properly and strings don't slide out. The only flaws I saw were the pickup selector switch, which stunk and the bridge on the low E string was not slotted deep enough. Those have been remedied.

The thing is built solid. I worry about set neck guitars dropping so that's why I put on the strap loks. The finish is well done and hasn't rubbed off. I've played this thing live for 2 months straight now. It stays in tune, which is amazing since I'm a heavy hitter. I was worried about the standard Gibson tulip-style tuners but these work great.

This is a shout out for Leroy Braxton at Guitar Center in Scottsdale. He's one of the very few G.C. employees that really know what they're talking about. He always takes time to answer my questions.

I'm not going to lie, I'm probably very biased. I play guitar guitar because of Slash and have wanted a "real" Paul ever since I started playing 10 years ago. I'll be honest, the Epiphones I've owned have been great guitars and I really don't know if Gibson Les Pauls are THAT much better, but there is just something intangible about this thing. The guitar players and the chicks both swoon over it :-) It just plays like and sounds like a dream. I don't foresee myself ever getting rid of this thing.

Ebony Les paul single cut mahogany body with maple top. Mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and standard size trapazoid MOP inlays. Gibson 490R 498T humbuckers with 2 volume, 2 tone controls. Mine came with Sperzal locking tuners, and Schaller straplocks (2 things I'd put on the guitar anyway. Standard Tune-O-Matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece.

The standard Les Paul sound without the inflated price tag. The mahogany gives the guitar a throaty sound not found in standard alder-maple guitars, so it's definitely darker in character then a Fender. The neck pickup's quite warm, generally too warm for my taste, but it does help make the Les Paul versitile. The bridge pickup has the sound I love in Les Pauls. It's quite harsh when used with overdrive, when used clean, it still comes off crunchy; not a very clean pickup.

The finish is flawless other then a few blemishes from the previous owner. The action is perfect, and I've never had to mess with it. The frets are well set and comfy compared to the Les Paul Studios Gibson's been putting out lately (especially the Faded series).

This thing's been around for quite a while before I bought it and it will probably be around much longer. I've heard of necks snapping on these, but never had a problem with a Gibson myself.

I've had good dealings with Gibson in the past, but I've heard they've gotten quite pompous as of late. This concerns me in future purchases, but for now I can only rate on my dealings.

Great guitar, great price. Not a huge sound difference between Studios and Standards. Standerds may look prettier but the cost is much higher (especially for a guitar that's mass produced at this magnitude).

Very beautiful finish (Wine Red ( gold hardware - seeing it on GC or other websites do it no justice at all . You must see it in your hands. The difference is night & day. Studio LP single cut very fast fretboard -& 22 of 'em - tuneomatic bridge / green key tuners (these could have been better_) but stays in tune great . 59 rounded neck dual alnico humbuckers mahogany & maple / rosewood / Bought new Feb 2007 nice hardshell case Superior Gibson USA made once again - the finish is one of the nicest AA around, gotta see it live though to really appreciate it.

I play live in Christian group / but practice also country to hard rock - will handle all styles the clean pretty stuff is great and so is the distortion has great bluesy tones when needed. No noise at any level / all P/U settings great / bridge is a little bright. otherwise sound is nice & fat like a LP should be . I once owned a Custom Gibson LP / this studio sounds as well for about 1/3 the cost

Intonation was off a little . action a little high / I done a minor intonation set up / then took it to a pro for the tweaking / they found the truss rod completely loose = was rattling / after that it was perfect, everthing else was fine - If you buy one get it set up right, it will make all the difference. Mass produced - oh well they all can have problems , don't get me wrong this is a GREAT guitar.

Guitar is very durable , I have only used it live a few times, but this is not my 1st rodeo with Gibson & I expect it to outlive me = Its a Gibson, no need to say more. The finish is the finest I've seen, for the price, hardware nice / small worry about the tuning keys though, could be better. Has typical Gibson strap buttons. so go get yourself a set of Dunlop strap locks & a quality strap to hook them to, other than that - very playable & dependable / no need for a backup on my end

I have never needed CS in all the years I've owned Gibson products. I would suppose they would be great from what I hear. Warranty is lifetime but non-transferable

I've been playing 35 + years ( on & off) also use a Mitchell AE Fender amp & el cheapo Behringer I play live straight into sound board with a Boss ME-50 . I would buy another Studio if needed . Now that it has great set up it is an awesome guitar at a great value. After shopping around (reading reviews) I chose this for the name and cost was in my range. Having owned other Gibsons I knew about the quality they offer. I traded in a PRS SE w/stoptail for this - nice guitar for the $550 but had issues w/sound - distortion sounded cheesy .

2003 Gibson LP "Studio" (no binding on maple capped mahogany body).
Gloss nitro lacquer over wine red; gold hardware; retro acorn tuners; 490R/498T AlNiCo humbuckers; 22 medium/jumbo frets on unbound rosewood w trapazoid MOP inlays fingerboard. Mahogany 1-piece neck.

Nice Canadian made TKL hardshell case.

Really great and potent midrange wallop with a snarl.
Nice burbling snarl when you back it off a bit.
No hum.
Full range.
Good for any electric guitar duties on any style of music, clean or distorted. Can grind, sing, or be clean and somewhat mellow, or crisp.
Surprisingly good for Country and Jazz even.

I use it with Fender type tube amps. An Allen Class Act, for tweed sounds, and a hot-rodded BF Bandmaster for cleaner sounds. Sounds Classic with either.
Also works good with Hot Rod Deluxe, et al.

I really like the 490/498 series pickups. I had them on a previous (older) Studio too. I like their range and versatility.
I generally am not a huge fan of humbuckers. I prefer single coils. But these I like. They're not muddy.

Clean and sophisticated.

I don't see how the two I've had could be any better for fit and finish.

The frets are great.

The older one I had before had an ebony fingerboard, which I liked a lot, but the rosewood fretboard on this one is great too.

It's simple, but with an understated elegance. Kinda working class but not really crude in any way.
A nice US manufactured workhorse that's inviting to play for long periods.

Neither of mine have seemed especially heavy, but feel substantial.

Industry standard professional level electric guitar.

The gold finish is holding up better than imports do around here (Coastal California).

The toggle switch sometimes "misses" its engagement when going to the neck pickup alone, starting earlier this year. Sounds thin until you reset it. Just once in a while. When it gets worse I'll replace it. Maintenance stuff.

The strap buttons are small. I use breadloaf wrapper closures over the strap ends for safety.

Bought it used.

I've never had any trouble with any of several Gibson guitars I've owned.

I've played guitar for 45 years or so. Also have a Telecaster, and an archtop acoustic.
Played gigs for about 30 years (always had a day job), but I'm just a dedicated amateur anymore. I play out a half a dozen times a year, but there's no real money in it around here anymore, though lots of my friends are still doing the club wars.

This LP Studio is my favorite guitar of all time. I don't know exactly why I traded off the other one I had before. Thought I was "going acoustic" for a minute, I guess.
I love its sound and it plays great. Stays in tune well. Versatile.
I really like these 490/498 pickups. Really an improvement, to my ears.

Previously I always liked hollowbody "Jazz" guitars, but LP's with 490's will do Jazz fine too. And then you can turn right around and play Rock, Blues, Country, whatever.
Hella versatile.

Needless to go over all the features over again considering many have already discussed these in detail.
I bought the Alpine White/ gold hardware model... Gorgeous to the eye but lacking some features considering the price paid for...

I play Hard rock,blues,jazz,funk.. I have a Hughes & Kettner Trilogy head (This amp F%&#$%@ rocks!!!!!) with a Marshall 2X12 cab, I also have a Avatar 2X12 cab... and Line 6 POD XT...I purchased this guitar as a back up guitar, my main axe is a PRS Custom 22 (Kick ass guitar) ... I figured I really like the humbucker sound and I really cannot afford another PRS, so let me give Gibson a shot for the price...
At first I thought WOW!!! what a great tone... then after a couple of rehearsals and gigs I realized that this guitar has no "Character" compared to the PRS, it is very muddy specially when used with distortion and/or overdrive it really lacks a lot of personality, I really don't think a $1,300.00 should have this "tone" issues; some guy on one of the reviews spent probably an additional $300.00 in new pick-up's for a brand new $1,300.00 guitar??? .. no offense to you buddy but that's insane... anyhow.. Many people in my audience and sound engineers approached me and told me "Don't use the Gibson it sounds "empty" compared to your PRS; The PRS sounds so much better" That's when I though "shit... I made the wrong frickin' choice I'm screwed... ebay here I go" I guess this just shows you that the search for "the perfect tone" is a trial and error process. Luckily for me they took care of me at Guitar Center and I was able to return the Gibson... I purchased a beautiful Fender American Deluxe Ash Telecaster, butter scotch finish... great guitar.. excellent compliment for my PRS... after playing a PRS... Gibson??? What the hell was I thinking?????

The second I bought the guitar and took it home and put it in it's stand I said "what a beauty" it really is a beautiful instrument (all looks). Gorgeous finish and the gold hardware really complements well.
the first red flag came up... nasty fret buzz on the High E and B strings... I got so pissed.. I just took it back to the store and they raised the action for about 30 miles to get rid of the buzz... I got so f%$#@&* pissed I said "you want something right you got to do it yourself" so I fixed the issue myself.. the neck is one of the best parts of the guitar.. the ebony fretboard is excellent...

The string buzz really messed it up for this section of the review... I would have given it a 10 if it wasn't for that.

It looks pretty solid guitar for the most part... only with the exception of the tuning pegs... they are made out of cheap plastic and they look like they will brake easily even if you dare to put 11's or 12's on it.

I called to register the instrument and they were wonderful.. very good service.

Very overpriced instrument with huge room for improvement... I would never consider spending my money on a Gibson guitar ever again.
If you have the money... do yourself a favor and but a PRS guitar... that is a serious guitar no flaws.. full of beautiful tone... there is just no comparison.

My LP Studio was purchased on the net in December 2006. I had to wait several weeks for delivery-apparently many dealers ran out of them in the color I wanted. The finish on mine is "Fireburst", which is a dramatic 3 color burst similiar to Gibson Vintage Sunburst. It was the color that caught my eye on this axe. It really stands out with the gold hardware! As a bonus, mine came with a lightly figured top. The whole appearance totally exceeded my expections-I love it! The neck is similar to a current Les Paul Standard with '50's neck. Definately not slim, but not overly fat like my '58 VOS. The Studio does not have binding on the neck (or body) so it feels a bit less tall and bare, but it is fun and easy to play. Overall, my guitar weighs about a pound less than a normal Standard, which is probably about right since it has no body binding and the body/wood seems not as thick. All of this makes it more more tolerable to strap on for hours - it's light - at least, mine is. The hardcase that came with the guitar is a beautiful black Gibson lockable case with white furry lining (!!!) inside. It is unique and cool. I don't know if this particular case is specific to the color of my guitar or if all Studios get it.

When I ordered this guitar, I did not expect what I got. The sound is absolutely incredibly good. I have had many Les Pauls and I currently own a 2006 '58 VOS Sunburst. This particular Studio sounds so clear and articulate, with lots of drive, bite and lots of flexibility. It's just outstanding-way beyond all the previous Standards I have owned(I'm wondering if Gibson installed BurstBuckers or '57 Classics on mine by mistake???. The best way I can describe it is that it sounds like the best vintage SG you could ever lay your hands on, and it also can do the Dickey Betts thing. (As a side note-I recently acquired, but returned, a new "Vintage" SG, so I was able to compare that axe to the Studio too). I have tried the Studio with all types of music, pedals and a few amps, and it works great. My '58 also sounds great but has a different, smoother, thicker sound (and weighs a ton). The best thing to come out of all of this, is that although both guitars are very different, they compliment each other and are so much fun to play! I lucked out.

I have inspected the guitar very carefully over the past several weeks and have found no flaws, no marks, etc. The glue assembly around the neck/body joint is not as quite as neat as my '58 VOS, but still very acceptable. Construction on the '58 VOS is flawless as you would expect-difficult to compare to, against a lesser priced guitar, but the Studio holds it own. Intonation was decent-I reset it slightly with my strobe tuner and it continues to sound fine and tune up easily. String height was ok. The finish is shiny and beautiful. I would say that this particular axe was built carefully by the folks at Gibson. I am very proud of it and feel that it was built at a "good time" at the factory. Maybe the holidays have something to do with it...

It has worked flawlessly since I got it. No pot noise, good string setup and everything works. It would be dependable for gigging.

Never called them.

I have been playing over 30 years. I play guitar, bass and drums. Not currently playing in a band, I just use my guitars at home for fun through a modified Bassman top and 2X12 Mojo cab with Celestions. Also own a Fender Stage amp for lower volume practicing. I play Allman Brothers, Clapton, Cream, Doobie Brothers, etc. I'm convinced that I was lucky enough to get a great guitar from Gibson this time-like the one you would pick out in a store after trying several others. This Studio is a charm. I have had other LP Standards that were heavy, boring and quite generic sounding with no notable "character" and badly shaped necks. My '58 VOS is a great guitar and I thought you had to spend 3 grand to get that quality and sound, and fun, but this Studio ranks way up there too. I don't know if other Studios sound like mine, but I am extremely amazed and happy with it and plan to keep it forever.

Mine's an alpine white model, gold hardware, ebony fretboard...paid $999.99 new in 12/06. They raised the prices since...same features as everyone else's otherwise. Simple.

First of all - someone before me (who is apparently 16 years old as he has been playing for "8 years since I was 8") wrote that "...it is an insult to this instrument to play anything but Led Zeppelin on it". - Huh? More evidence why you should NEVER listen to what a teenager says. There's more to life - and guitar playing - than Led Zeppelin, kiddo... Anyway, while I'm sure it sounds wonderful copying the Black Dog riff, this guitar can be used to play ANYTHING that ANY LesPaul has EVER been used for. It is every bit as good in sound quality as the MUCH more expensive Standards and Customs. I personally play a sort of laid back jazzy/bluesy style - all fingerstyle a la Mark Knopfler - and mine sounds great. Nice, fat tone - classic Les Paul sound. Simple as that. The neck is a major plus on this guitar...gets great sustain and really feels solid. I play it thru a Fender Deluxe Reverb RI most of the time and get great clean sounds.

I wasn't certain whether I would like the 490R/498T pickups but I think they are fine for my style - they add a little extra power over a "classic PAF" output level which helps for a fingerstyle player like me and I like the 490 in particular for a clean to slightly distorted bluesy sound. I can get a real nice Knopfler "Brothers in Arms" tone from it without tapping the coil like he did - which you CAN do with these pickups, by the way...they have 4 conductor wiring. I play 11-52 gauge strings. Feels like a Strat does with 10's.

The mid range is emphasized in these pickups which some people like and some don't. There is SOME harshness on the highs occasionally --- and I'm not a big fan of the 498T --- but I use the neck mostly anyway, so overall it works for me.

Even if you didn't like the pickups, changing them is easy enough and that shouldn't deter anyone from buying this guitar. I honestly don't know why anyone would want to spend all the extra cash to get a Standard when you can have the same sound for half the price...assuming you don't mind a couple compromises on appearance (no binding). I think the Studio body might be slightly thinner...I know the maple top is thinner than those found on Standards --- but it has no discernible effect on the tone...at least not a $1,000 difference. For the money, these are great Gibsons to have.

Mine was in great shape when I got it... output jack needed some tightening...the tuners aren't the best quality but they keep it in tune pretty well. I had a Standard a while back with Grover tuners and they were slightly better... again, an upgrade in this area would be cheap anyway - but I don't think I will bother. I must say the Ebony fngerboard on this is a real nice feature...nice and dark and smooth...plays real nice. You don't see too many guitars with DARK Rosewood these days - and Ebony gives a little boost to the treble frequencies that offset the extra mids from the pickups and the heavy body. It's a good match. No flaws in the finish...and it's Nitro - another plus.

No issues. It's a guitar - it'll last as long as it's taken care of.

Never dealt with them.

Been playing for years and overall would highly recommend a Studio to anyone looking to have a LesPaul in their collection. I respectfully submit that the Standards and Custom Shop models are NOT WORTH what Gibson charges -- and Gibson has even raised prices more this year. It really is a shame. Brand new Studios now for about $1299.00 - and I think you have to pay EXTRA to get an Alpine White one like mine...another $170.00, I believe. Totally ridiculous. Get a used Studio from any line in the last couple years and it'll sound just as good.

Late 2006 Model. Single Cutaway. Tune-O-Matic and Stop tailpiece. Tuners are rock solid, not sure why some complain about them. Nice fat neck. 3-way switch, 2 volume knobs, 2 tone knobs. Comes with Gibson Hardcase and strap (which sucks by the way - buy a Jim Dunlop.
There aren't tonnes of features but I'm giving it 10 as it's got everything you need.

FIRSTLY... Epiphones. They are by fuck all means an alternative to Gibson. I had a Black Beauty on which everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. The 3-way switch broke. Both volume pots died. I ended up ripping the pickguard off on stage Because it kept rattling around. Then the bindinhg started to come off the neck. I chucked it.
The Gibson Les Paul Studio will rip the head off any Epiphone, Tokai, Fender, Jackson, Charvel, Ibanez...... and alot of more expensive Gibsons for that matter. It can play anything (apparently) but I think it's insulting to use it for anything other that Lep Zepellin, Velvet Revolver etc. I use it with a Marshall AVT150 half stack and a Cry baby. Use any more effects than that, and you really are spoiling your sound.

No problems what so ever.

Strap buttons seem to be a bitching point for some. If you use a good strap and jump around like a twat, they are fine. Gig without a backup anyway. If I took a backup it'd probably get stolen.

Don't need a fucking waranty with Gibson.

I've been playing for 8 years since I was 8. I had a Charvel a while ago which sucked. I had the Gibson SG special which was also not particularly impressive. This guitar kills all. Well, maybe not the Slash signature model. Or the Custom. But yeah. If you've got the money - Go for it!

Brand New Alpine White with the gold trim,and ebony fretboard, absolutly awesome looking. Frets, nect and fit and finish are perfect. All I did was lower the action a touch. Plays like a dream. This I got for 999 US dollars and I consider this a steal. I had my eye on this for a while and it was at 1369 for a long time. If yu are thinking of getting a les Paul I would not hesitate on the Studio at this price, I am not sure how much longer it will be at 999.

I also own a American Strat and this is completly differnt sounding. Fat rich tone, especially compliments my Peavey Classic 30 Head with the Classic 212 Cab. Just sounds pure rock and roll. You cannot get a Start to sould like a Les Paul period. For my type of music it is perfect! (classic rock, punk and blues)

All I did was slightly lower the action. The rest of the setup was perfect. Fit and finish was also flawless.

This guitar will last a lifetime. The guitar will get better with age! I put on strap locks to replace the original strap buttons. This guitar is rock solid and can be used without a backup. I give a nine because of the fact I had to put on the strap locks.

n/a

I have been playing for over 25 years.I also own a American Strat. I traded up a Gibson SG to the Les Paul. I am so happy I did. The Alpine White is a limited edition run and it has the ebony fretboard which plays like a dream. The Gibson Les Paul lives up to its name for a top notch musical instrument. I am so happy with my purchase and at 999 dollars it is a steal!

93 model, wine red or 'black cherry' finish, ebony fretboard, med-high frets, gibson delux tuners, chrome hardware, 490R/498T pups, fat 59 style neck, about 4.6KG in weight, 3 piece maple top, 1 piece mahogany back, mahogany neck. no binding or headstock inlay.(essentially a no frills Custom from the 80's, 90's)

i play rock to metal and this guitar is one of the fattest and heaviest sounding les pauls i have played. it has a very full bottom end. the pups sound very nice on clean tone, pretty much your standard les paul tone, and with a cranked valve amp ( marshall JCM800 2203 in this case) it gives that fat thick les paul tone. the pups are not overly hot but give enough, they feedback nicely ( not microphonic) and are faily clear, and clean up nicely when you roll the volume control down to about 2.
depending on your musical requirements, for heavy rock and metal this shits all over my 89 Standard. way fatter and fuller sounding with the 59 neck.

off the shop wall the guitar plays very well. string height is always going to be changed to suit the player anyway. as for the finish and build , the ebony fretboard is flawless, the frets excellent and the finish is excellent. the nitro cellulose started to check (crack) after about 8 years, but not alot, only for about a 1 year period. the input jack plays up but apart from that it always stays in tune with the bone nut.

only ever had a problem with the electronics. input jack cuts in and out, and sometimes the volume pots crackle a bit. these can all be easily replaced. the build and timber work is great.

if you want a les paul that looks good, shop around. if you dont care about body/neck binding and headstock inlays, buy an early to mid 90's les paul studio, with the ebony fretboard, 59 neck, and chrome hardware. these are the best studio models made and sound as good or better than alot of Standards or Customs (compared with the same pups in that is).brand new you would have paid less because it had no binding, as that is the only difference, but now an early mid 90's model will go for the same price as a Standard. they are heavy on the weight scales, and heavy in the sound dept. as well.
i have been playing gibsons or gibson copies for 20 years, and the new studio models are good but nowhere near these 93 models in build and sound qualilty

mine was a late 90s les paul studio lite which had a few cosmetic differences from a regular studio mostly just gold hardware. Black finish

It sounded very much like a les paul should. I'm not sure if it had alnico or ceramic pickups but pretty sure it had alnicos. I had a SG special at the time with dirty finger pickups and the two guitars sounded so similar. I used a vintage vox ac10 top boosted with mullard tubes and ep 2 tube echoplex. Sounded good both clean and distorted. I really like the neck position on the guitar

action was good. Typical fatish, flat gibosn neck. This late 90s studio is the only les paul except for a 70s deluxe and a 56' les paul that I found had decent necks. Of those three I think I would choose a les paul studio for both playability and sound. One thing I didn't care and the reason I do not like les pauls is the weight. Too heavy. That les paul sound is just not worth it to me would rather have a fender or an SG and not have to deal with such a heavy guitar. I think this is part of the reason I didn't hang on to it. Weight and the neck was just a little bit bigger than what I like.

les paul studios are pretty indestructible. I always use peaveys as the most indestructible musical instruments. I would say probably this gibson would hang right with it. Peaveys get 10 on indestructibility I would give the les paul studio a 9

I didn't have it long enough to have problems. I did buy a gibson new back in the 80s want and had to send it in for warranty work. It required a few phone calls. I bought it from Gruhn guitar and they acted like they didn't want to know me. When I got in touch with Gibson they were sort of abupt on the phone and not very specific on things just told me to send it. I got it back in a reasonable amount of time. I don't know how I feel about gibson warranty. The one company I think who has good post purchase service is Rickenbacker I called them about a case one day and the CEO called back and left message on my machine and I called him back. He talked to me about it now that's pretty awesome

9 and a half If I was going to have a les paul it would be this one over a standard, custom or a vintage one because of playability factor. I like guitars that sound good and make it as easy as possible for me. What I don't like about it is the weight and I will never own a les paul again for this reason

2006 model bought new, made in the USA. 490R humbucker neck pickup and 498T bridge pickup. Wine red with gold plated hardware. Don't know what score to give it. It's a Les Paul

I use an ENGL Thunder 50 head and matching 2x12 cab loaded with celestion green backs. I use Ernie Ball 10-46 strings. Our band plays blues, rock and roll and a bit of 60's stuff. You can try guitars in shops or at home but you never REALLY know what its like till you do a few gigs with it. This one is stunning. The sound is rich, full and clear. With the gain set on just 1 and a half it drives the amp really well and sustains forever when on the lead channel. It seems to be warm and creamy and bright all at the same time when playing lead and full and clear for rhythm, and that is with bass mid and treble on half on the amp so there is plenty of room to give it more bottom or top if required. Very versatile. It just sounds really good and makes you want to play and play and play. I have never had a guitar which is so easy to use on gigs. Anyone want to buy a Tubescreamer?

The action was set quite high from the factory and I lowered it a bit and set up the intonation. The strings that were on it were dead, most likely because it had been hanging on the shop wall. Frets are a bit sharp and the nut is not cut all that well. All things which are easy to fix and any guitar is likely to need a bit of adjustment to make it how you like it, but this could have been a little better. Having said all that I am still perfectly happy with it.

I bought this guitar for live playing. There is not much to go wrong with it and I don't expect that it will ever let me down. I would use it without a back up but I always have another with me in case of broken strings or in case I just feel like playing the strat ( I haven't yet). I will most likely put strap locks on when I get around to it but there is nothing wrong with the standard strap buttons. The gold plating started wearing off after just one gig but other than that the hardware is strong. I am pretty hard on guitars so I expect wear and tear. It does not worry me. I have no doubt that it will outlive me, and if its a bit battered by then, it just means that I have had a great time with it.

Not needed yet and I don't expect it will be but you never know.

I have been playing for abou 35 years. If it was lost or stolen I would be straight to the shop for another one. I love everything about it. I compared it with SG's, other more expensive Les Pauls, Tokai Love Rock II (which came a close second) and a fancy Strat, although I wasn't looking for a Strat it gives you a bit of a bench mark to try something that you are used to in the shop. My other guitars are an 18 year old Tokai Strat with GFS vintage pickups and a few other mods (my other main instrument) An American 70's Telecaster and a had built thing which should be fantastic but just isn't in the way that the Les Paul just is. I guess you have to say it is fantastic value as it was 4 or 5 hundred quid cheaper than a Les Paul Standard which didn't sound as good. It is a pleasure to play and it does what it is meant to do VERY well so thats it for me.

Mine is an 1993 Les Paul Studio with an Black finish. By now you'deshould known older Studio's have Ebony fingerboards which look way cooler. Also the body is exact the same as standards. Only thing that differs is other pick-ups and no binding.

Basicly this guitar offers all you need to keep on going in a sober package.

I Also must state I bougth this guitar second hand, and the guitar is still stock execpt for the tuner, which are replaced by Schallers.

I'm playing rock/punk and also toying arround with quite a lot other styles (country/metal/jazz/funk) and at trying out it still sounds good, however there are guitars arround which are more allround, this guitar delivers quite a variety of tones but blasts outs when the drummer of my band kicks in with an rock-beat. As an rock-guitar its an classic, and that's something you'll have to try out yourself.

I use this guitar trough an Mesa Formula Pre -> Peavey Classic Power Amp -> Marshall 1922. The set-up wasn't really expensive but sounds amazing.

I bougth it second hand, so I could give no opinion in this one. I must say its in a really used condition, but I don't mind that since this guitar is almost 14 years old.

When using in a band situation I noticed these things are built like an tank. Most common issue with an Gibson is a head crack, I'm fully aware this COULD happen, but with the electronics and stuff I never experienced serious trouble.

Never dealt with them

Been playing for about 8 years or so. Other guitars I own are an Ibanez SZ320 and a MIK Fender Telecaster. This LP is my main axe at this moment but could change by day.

Final judgement: It's an great piece of artillery, but however I like this guitar a lot, i've already thought about replacing it. Don't get me wrong, early studio's are really amazing guitars, but there are a lot underdogs out there which are at the same or better quality.

Only dislike on this guitar, and basicly on the LP model is that it is an singlecut. The sound is really amazing, and that's the reason I bougth it, but the upper fret acces is terrible. Still, the looks of LP's in general take my breath really away, but quite a lot

If it were stolen, I wouldn't buy it again, but look for a PRS of a Schechter or something. They have simulair specs, but are double cut, a feature I almost demand.

But still, great guitar.

everyone pretty much knows the features on this guitar--I got it in Alpine White w/ gold hardware and ebony fretboard, complete w/ 'white fur-lined' hardshell case--from what i understand, the Alpine White is a 'special/limited' Edition. A gorgeous guitar--I've gotten some compliments already from gigs and rehearsals!!!!

the combination of 498T and 490R p/u's kick-ass!!! I have the same combo in my Gibson Ebony SG Std, it's hands-down the best p'u combos by far!! I run this thru my Randall T2 head into a Marshall 1960A Slant loaded w/ 80-watt Celestions--it sounds really fat and full, w/ a good balance of highs and lows--I can do ZW 'squealies' easily on it,LOL!!! that's why it weights a ton--the inherent sonic properties really shine and justify the heft!!! I play Heavy Alt/Punk, so it completely fits, although I do have my Jazzier/power pop/country side on occasion, which does it well, too!!!

I also play it thru a Behringer V-Amp2 processor into a Marshall Valvestate V65R and a Randall WMAX30 combo--yeah, in stereo--sounds awfully sweet!!!

very well-made guitar--my only niggle was some red wax nearby the edge of the fret board towards the higher register---just a little minor thing that came off easily--other than that, it plays well!!! I just love looking at this thing--almost like a custom--at half the cost, literally!!!

another complaint was the small strap buttons--kinda comical Gibson skrimp on this--oh, well--replaced it w/ Dunlop Straplocks.

so far, as I stated earier, it was put to work ASAP--it has held up beautifully--however, i always gig w/ 2 guitars --my SG, LTD MH 400 and Epi LPC are now my back-ups, LOL!!!!

nothing has happened to it to warrant repair just yet--i'm very confident it'll hold up, based upon previous Gibsons I used to own--not owrried at all!!!

this guitar simply is 'da' bomb'!!!! I love it!! I lusted after the Alpine White Studio for quite awhile--when music 123 and MusiciansFriend were blowing these out, I knew I had to make a move!!!

I was thinking about swapping out the pick-ups for a set of EMG ZW's, but I think I'll hold-off for now--it sounds great as it is!! My only wish is that it came w/ bigger strap buttons--however, it's very minor (in fact, I gigged w/ it before buying the Dunlops LOL!!!)

I've been playing for 29+ yrs--have gone thru many phases (Ibanez, Gibson, Fender, Jackson, Kramer, Hamer, ESP/LTD, Yamaha)

this is like the 5th Gibson i've ever owned [still have my SG]--guess I 'll always be a 'Gibson' guy after all!!!

2006 made in USA ebony with gold.When clean looks stunning. Usual Les Paul features, 2 pickups 2 tone and 2 volume and 3 way switch Moulded hard case ; Gibson logo. In my opinion the Studio looks better than the Custom; the plastic binding etc have dated somewhat. The specs on the electrics appear to be identical to the Custom, but in a more moden looking package.
The Gibson tuners look cheap, with greenish looking plastic knobs,but have caused me no trouble.
Resonably heavy, well balanced hangs perfectly on my shoulder.

Play mostly 60's 70's rock where this guitar suits well. The pickups are quite hot and giving brighter sound than the older 'Pauls which is a little dispointing. Having said that, many variations of sounds are possible. I am still coming to terms with the multiple controls especially with the selector in the middle position and having to operate two volume controls. My main guitar is a 69 strat so yes Ive had a sheltered life!! I went into the music store convinced I needed to buy a SG Gibson but when played side by side the Les Paul Studio is much better and offers many more sound options.
My amp is a JCM 800 50w 2X12 Marshall combo, no effects allowing a very powerful and full sound.

The factory set up was OK; slight alteration with intonation, action, a quick fiddle with the nut and a fret polish was all it needed. There is always going to be some individual adjustments regardless of purchase price. We are all different after all.
The finish was not up to the standard I expected from a premier manufacturer, the black finish is see through on some of the edges, but it wasn't purchased for its looks. Being black is very hard to keep clean, again my choice.
The neck becomes sticky when played especially when the hands begin to sweat, but in time this will improve as the solvents disappear from the laquer. Never polish the back of the neck or it will take ages for the neck to come good.

Very solid and robust guitar, I expect the thin laquer and the gold hardware to quickly wear.
The strap locks are extremely small and must be replaced with strap locks or at worst decent size buttons. Never use an old worn favourite strap without alterations. The peg head looks the weakest link and I suspect if dropped would be easily damaged and/or busted.As would the plastic tuners.
Always store guitar is its case or get a sturdy secure stand. Don't leave leaning against an amp or a wall.
I would have no hesitation gigging without a backup.

Comes with a lifetime warranty in USA, but outside of the US we get SFA.
I hope that I'll never need customer support from Gibson, however I would expect every effort would be made by Allans Music Australia should the need arise.

Been playing for 30 years. As stated above I have a 1969 Fender Stratocaster and 50watt Marshall along with an Ibanez ST50, Ovation and Takamine acoustic/electric and a 15w Marshall practice amp
I would certainly buy another Gibson Les Paul Studio, I'm not sure whether or not it would be black!

black finish , 2005 les paul studio

the sound is the best thing . whatever genre you like , you can guarantee getting a sound that you want - it is the best guitar for sound that i have ever played.

the action was ok at the start but that can be altered at the bridge.apart from that everything was fitted in perfectly.

this is the most reliable guitar i have used so i would definately use it without any backup.the strap buttons are solid and it has never fallen off while playing

n/a

overall rating for the price your paying a definite 10. it may not look the best guitar but definately sounds it.

see above...

don't let the cheaper price fool you. the Les Paul Studio sounds just as good as you'd expect any Les Paul to sound. it has that deep crunch that i was just never able to get with my telecaster. great for rock, blues, pretty much anything with the right sound settings.

the finish on my guitar isn't great, but i bought it new and it's ten years old. the guitar is solid though, very well built. the previous owner replced the black pick guard and the rest of the plastic pieces with cream which i love. i think it gives it more of a classic look. the pick up selector is a tad noisy and i have trouble get it to work right every now and then.

if i had to pick between my LP or my Tele to play a live gig, i would take the LP in a heart beat. the guiatar is real solid. i actually dropped it once and it against a table (i almost had a heart attack) but when i picked the guitar up it wasn't even dented. the thing is a rock.

never had to deal with customer support

i've been playing for 9 years and this is by far the best guitar i've ever played. i love the look, the sound, it's everything i was hoping it would be. anyone looking for a great guitar at a reasonable price should definitly look into a Les Paul Studio.

The construction of the Les Paul Studio is basically the same as the Standard model, except that it doesn't have binding on the body. It is mahogany with a maple top and has the 490r/498T pickup configuration. Mine is stock, except that I replaced the black plastic parts with cream pickup rings and switch parts, and put on gold bell knobs. It gives it a more upscale look more like a Standard. It is wine red with gold hardware which is a classy look. I would give it a 10 for features except for the "vintage" style tuners. They look nice, but I had tuning problems. I tried a new technique for stretching the strings that seems to help: hold down a note starting on the first fret and stretch the string. Move up to the next fret and stretch again going all the way up the neck. Return the string up to pitch, start at the first fret again and repeat going up the neck until the string no longer goes flat. Repeat on all 6 strings. This seems to work, but I bought this as a working axe not a museum piece. I am not afraid to yank them off and replace them with locking tuners if they give me any more trouble.

First I would like to comment on a previous post complaining about the lack of pcikup shielding. Believe it or not, I think there are actually some advantages to less shielding: (1) Better sustain especially at low distortion levels. (2) Better dynamic response. I also have a strat and a Gibson Explorer which I am quite fond of, but no other guitar I have owned sounds as "alive" as this one. It responds very well to dynamics, and I can get clean or dirty just by changing picking attack. To avoid squeal and feedback, don't use too much preamp gain. You can use as much distortion as you want, but more to color the sound, not too much boost. Anyone can get massive distortion by cranking to 11, and most guitars can get a good clean sound with a decent amp. It is all the subtle shades in between that are often hard to find and at which this guitar excels. Clean or distorted, it always sounds musical, not like a buzzsaw. Then again if your sound requires extreme gain, this might not be the axe for you. I sometimes agree with those who wish you could have a coil split or coil tap on the neck pickup. However, I found you can turn the volume down a little, but also turn tone down to about 7 or 8 and it cleans up nicely. It sounds strange, but turning the tone down cuts some of that humbucker edge.

Gibsons are famous for fit and finish, and their reputation is well deserved. Fit and finish is excellent and it is very comfortable tp play. I have carpal tunnel, and used to get pain in my wrist and forearm after playing my Strat for about 4 hours a night. I don't have that problem with the Les Paul.

I use it live almost every weekend, and it has held up well. Some of the gold finish has worn off, but not excessive wear. Having a set neck, it is probably not as sturdy as a bolt on. However, I actually dropped it once on a hard floor, and I cracked one of the tone knobs but otherwise it is fine. I promptly invested in a set of straplocks after that.

Never needed customer support, so I don't know.

I have been playing about 25 years and have owned many guitars. I also play a '79 Strat, and a Gibson Explorer. I have owned this guitar about a year and a half, and it quickly became my main guitar. I run the Les Paul into a Digitech Studio Tube multi effects unit, and a Cry Baby wah pedal, into a Marshall Valvestate 40 watt, or a '79 Marshall half stack w/Vintage 30 speakers.

Easy... everything is there where I like it.
The neck is comfortable to play.

go on the gibson site to check tech. details.

Good sounds, very fat and warm sounding, with chrunchy dynamics...
the way we all ilke it !! For all that want come in the Gibson world, this is the best and cheapest entrance. I have take the alu plates from the Humbuckers away and the result is a "opener" more fresh tone.
Also I have rub that "shining" finish away, the result is a more "woodyer","earthed" sound. And it looks cooler (mattblack).
The only shit thing on this guitar is the 3 way toggle switch
( sometimes it just dont work ) so I have changed this against a G??ldo toggle for 14 Euros.
I also play a Fender modded 70 Strat and a PRS single cut.
I use the Gibson almost for Live Gigs, because its that Rocking work horse, that is undestroyabl and has that earthquake sound.
The Strat is my backup and the Prs only for home or studios.
( But it beats the Paula 10 to 4 ).
But get attention ; A Paula is a heavy beast, not good for your shoulder...use security locks and a good leather strap.
My Amps are Engl Souveraign and Mesa Lonestar with 2x12 or 4x12 cabs.
TC vintage delay, Maxon Ts9, Morley Tremonti Wah for live playing,
in the studio + everything a pro studi has....

I play mainly ; Pearl Jam meets Soundgarden, AIC, Metallica and Creed stuff. But also sometimes a bit of Al Di Meola meets Gary Moore and Eric Johnson sounds. And the Paula has it all.
This is what I like the most about it...3 sound choices but they are enough to play anything.

The black finish is shit you see every finger tip and its difficult to polish, so I have rub that "shining" black finish away.
look inside and you see that its ok but can made so much better.
The rest ( fingerboard, mechanics ,etc ) is good.

Like a sad, a undestroyable working horse,in all the times I play it live, ther was nothing happend.

?

I play since 16 years, as a semi pro ( means I play lot of gigs, studio sessions and earn money, but not so much that I can live from that ). If some one steal my Paula, Im not sure if I buy one again. Because I have the PRS...
The Paula is simple, has a great sound, good build quality and its comfortable to play it.
So 10 points for the Rock history time machine.

See above......

2000 model with light burst finish, a great combination of tobaco sunburst and yellow burst, realy unique. I'm into a Dave Meniketti/Y&T, Late Jimmy Page sound, in other words I like a guitar to SOUND like a guitar. So many of the newer "active electo, ungo duma flage, sooper scooped, bla bla bla" jobs have lost the ability to achieve sustain through stability and ring out a true wood resonate sound. If it wont sound full clean, it wont sound real through the rack. This girl knows how to sing. PERIOD!
I've come to a conclusion, if you dont like Les Pauls, then you won't like a Les Paul. I read some of the reviews and I notice that if they wanted a PRS or a Charvel Strat thet their not happy with the way a Les Paul feels/sounds. DUH!!!
These things are the standard for quiet. When your just holding them with your hand resting in the damping position there is NO NOISE. No hum, no sizzle, no BS. It just waits for you to tell it what to do.
The sound possibilities are quite vast. It's all there unless you have a penchant for the "out of tune, rattle trap, cheapo depot" tone. If thats your thing, dont look here. They are a PACKAGE, everything has been matched up for effect. The 490 pickups compliment the nature of the body and hardware.Dial the output down a little and it's clean and full, providing plenty of output to cue your chorus/flanger and be sensitive to your attack. The peak to cut response is just great. Dial it up and the blast of dynamics is ALL IN without being ALL PROCESSED. Use a good tube amp alone, a healthy dose of classic balls to the wall is there for you, process it with enhansment in mind and you won't loose the real guitar aspect. Process it with color control in mind and it will provide all the basis needed to drive any effect combination rather that needing the effects to give the sound character.
I like it. I don't dislike it.

Mine came from a reputable on line seller. It should have needed a bunch of set up work, right? WRONG! I opened the case, put my strap on it, plugged it in, tuned it up and it was just right. It fit my hand, it felt welcoming under my fingers. I use 10's and it was a very low, buzz free action all the way to the top.
The maple top looks like one piece, and the finish is stellar. Fret wire is well dressed, pickup height was dead on correct. The selector switch is lightly coated with dilectric grease and makes no noise when moved (nice touch!)Pots are scratch free and smooth.Tuning pegs are smooth and functional, it goes into tune and stays there.
Dont you believe all the BS about Epiphone Les Pauls being a equal alternative, THEIR NOT. Their not even close. You can put a pig in a pant suit and call it Hillary, but it wont be the senator from New York.

There is the rock of Gibralter and there as the Gibson Les Paul, Just don't drop on its head. It's the one to have when your only having one.

I have yet to need to deal with GIBSON but I did find Music Gear Garage to be very easy to communicate with and extreemly helpful.

23 years of bending strings, I also have a great old ES-235 I realy love to plunk around on and a wonderful old Alverez acoustic.
My electric setup is:
Carvin X-100 B with the 1B mod in the lead circuit
Carvin 4-12 slant cab with Celestion red backs and a pirated cab effect module from a 3212 for direct into the board (these things are GREAT, find one, try it, WOW!)
Rack with:
Roland GP-8 & FC-100 controller
ART 70, full octave Eq.
Behringer Composer pro XL compressor/noise gate
Aphex Aural Exiter 204
The Les Paul works well with my stuff, and I dont have to add a lot of processing, mostly using the chorus and delay, very little compression and even less noise gate (mostly to keep the rack quiet) The Aphex is there to return the dynamics lost in the Roland, EQ to get it all right with the venue.
If I lost it, I would find it (I know DOG the bounty hunter!)
I would like to get an old gold top hollow body with P-90's just to dink around on, but.......
Further more I would like to say....
STEWIE FOR GOVENOR!!!!

It has everything you expect from a Les Paul:
Two humbuckers (a Gibson 490R and 498T) which are ok for stock pickups, but i have changed the bridge pickup to a Swineshead Runaway and added a push/ pull (the knob was to big for the push/ pull pot, thats why one is uncovered) and will change the 490R to a GFS Mean- 90.
It has chrome hardware, a Tune o matic bridge
Mahogany body with a maple top
A set mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard.
The tuners was changed by the owner before my friend to non locking Grover kidney's
Ive added Schaller straplocks.

What can i say? Classic Les Paul tone. Teamed up with an all tube Marshall and you have one of the worlds finest crunch. The tone is extremly fat, but the maple top adds a bit of top end and makes it very balanced. it has a wide range of tones, from jazzy cleans to some metal. In the bridge ive got a Swineshead Runaway gives it amazing classic rock sounds and hard blues sounds. Think Led Zeppelin, Cream and so on. The push/ pull is ok, but now i have a Strat to cover single coil tones. The sustain is awesome. I tried to test its sustain, but gave up since i got bored waiting (it feels like it can sustain forever). Im gonna put a GFS Mean- 90 in the neck since i want P-90 sounds. The Strat have better cleans, but when i want crunch, this delivers it perfectly.

Well i bought the guitar used, so i cant tell how it were from the factoryThe build is very solid and everything is top notch (exept for paint, they only have a thin layer of paint, and my friend i bought it from had played with a spike bracelet, meaning that he exposed alot of wood (since that made it look like cr*p he sold it quite cheap). No sharp edges on the frets no fret buzz, its just a dream to play it. Since the paiting is not the best it gets an 8.

Ive played live with it lots of times, and it works great. I haven't used any backup for it and haven't needed one. The finish has worrn ff alot (epxlained in the above post). Ive replaced the strap buttons with Schaller straplocks. This is a guitar i can really depend on.

Since i bought it used i can't judge this.

Ive playing for about 1,5 to 2 years. I was gonna get an Epiphone Les Paul but got my friend to sell me this for the same price. The gear i use is an Ibanez TS-9, a Russian Big Muff and a vintage Phase 90 copy. I don't miss anything on it TBH. My overall imression is great, even if it looks like sh*t, it sounds and plays awesome, which is more improtant. I bought it because i wanted fat humbucker tone and it was exactly what i wanted. It works great for gigs and i can easly walk around with it (i have an extremly fat strap, that feels like a pillow).

standard gibson electronic setup.

AAA flame maple top (factory mistake)
mahogany body.
22 frets
wine red
no binding, but it suits the guitar.
chrome hardware, black knobs/pickup rings/pickguard

what else is there to say?

This thing sounds great man. I'd been playing different gibsons in Long and Mcquade for a while, while i was saving and deciding what guitar to get, this, and the deluxe really appealed to me. I think the deciding factor on this one, was someone at quality control reaaaaaaaaaaally fucked up...Ive got a flame top on mine (studio's are supposed to have plain tops) and it plays a million times better than any other studio or sg i'd played. When i got home, and got a chance to crank it, you really notice how great the tone is. I play alot of different styles, from punk, hardcore, and ska, to rocknroll, rockabilly, blues, and some jazz/surf kind of stuff too. The neck pickup is realllllllllly smooth, amazing cleans. When distorted it's got a pretty standard humbucker tone, surprizingly round and kind of bluesy when you turn down the gain. the bridge humbucker is alot hotter i guess, awesome distorted tones, it tottaly screams man. You can get alot of different sounds out of it, unless you're going for really twangy or bluesy, this guitar works great.

I didn't give it a 10, because I kind of wish i could get that growley single coil kind of tone out of the bridge...buuut I guess they're humbuckers, not single coils eh?

great setup.

no finish flaws
no bindings, but it's kind of a simplistic beauty.
gorrrrrrrrrrgeous wine red with a flame top. its...its beautiful really
good action
accidental flame top
i think a slimmer neck? not sure...it feels alot faster than the other studios
the only problem is a bit of sanding was left kind of fucked up on top of the headstock (not where the gibson logo is, at the very end of the guitar between the d, and g tuners...ya know what i mean?)

its great man.
it's really heavy though, and the strap buttons are really small and lame. I bought strap locks right away, and it's goin way better. I've already got alot of scratches and stuff on the back, and I've had it for about a month, I've had an Ibanez AF75 for 2 years, and the finish is holding up way better than on my les. You'd think that for $1600 or whatever after tax, theyd be able to put a more solid finish on it. I'd use it to gig and record.
But who would play any gig without a backup?

warranty is a lifetime warranty i think? not sure, i havent read it. I've never dealt with gibson, but I've heard from some people that they're great with customer support, and I've heard they're really bad from other people, so i dunno, mang.

yo, I got a free setup with it, that's pretty rad.

I've been playing for about 5/5 and a half years, and this is probably one of the most solid guitars i've played. Comparing it to other LP's(classics, deluxes), SGs, and explorers, it's wayyy above them. But like i've said 500 times, I think mine is a one of a kind...still a great guitar for sure, but I've heard alot of horror stories about the lower end gibson models.

If this got stolen, I'd cry for a while, then Id save for a long time and buy another les paul of some kind...but it's hard to say. If i had the money, id probably go for the standard, but my studio is much higher quality in terms of sound and playability than the deluxes and classics i was playing. And about 800 bones cheaper.

If there was any way i could make this baby better, Id say it'd be a body/neck binding (but its not THAT big of a deal) and a P90 in the bridge...or a coil tap or something like on that jimmy page custom model.

and like i said before, flame top, super fast neck were the deciding factors on this one, not the price, because i had the $2200 for the deluxe.

USA made, 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, maple top, 2 humbuckers. In my opinion, it is the best looking and best feeling guitar in its price range, but it is not without shortcomings. It is a Les Paul, so it is very heavy and can be character-building when it is hanging off your shoulder for 2 hours at a gig. The machine heads are also cheap plastic (I am replacing mine with Sperzels). I am also replacing the PUPs (see below). All in all, a solid guitar, but requires some modification if you are a serious musician that's going to use it for giging and recording.

My band plays stuff that ranges from Beatles to the Buzzcocks. The pickups sound full and boomy, which is great on clean, but they are terribly muddy with distortion. I want a clear and articulate sound on both channels, so I am replacing the neck pup with a S.D. SH-2 Jazz and the bridge pup with a S.D. SH-4 JB.

The action is great with .09 and .10 strings. I like to play with thicker strings, but .11's don't work too well on here. You you get a lot of buzzing that requires that the neck be adjusted and that the action be raised high. So I'm sticking with .10's to keep the action low. The fretboard is flat and has a very different feel from a Strat. It's a matter of personal preference as to which type guitar feels better to your fingers.

Compared to other guitars in its price range, it seems to me to be the most solid and durable (with the exception of the machine heads, which are cheap plastic). When I go to guitar stores and try out other guitars, most of them seem poor quality and breakable by comparison. I only find guitars that measure up when I hit the $2500 price range.

I've been playing 20 years and have owned a Les Paul Studio for 10 years. It is not a perfect guitar, but the best for the price. I have looked many times for a replacement (to find something not as heavy), but nothing measures up and I always come back to the Paul. If you play professionally, it cannot be your only guitar. You'll also need something with single-coils like a Tele to have more tones at your disposal and to give your shoulder a rest at gigs.

Alpine White, SE (Special Edition) with an '59 profile neck shape, Ebony Fretboard and Gold Hardware. All other features are normal Les Paul Stuido features.

I am a very picky about tone all of my amps are Fender, Marshall and Mesa tube amps and my pedal board consist of mainly Fulltone & Voodoo Lab analog effects. I mainly play Fender guitars but I do like the sound of a good Les Paul. I bought this guitar mainly because I wanted a Les Paul to get all of the classic LP tones. I also have a preference for hard maple or ebony fretboards as apposed to softer rosewood boards. I was very disappointed with the sound of the stock 490R & 498T pickups so I replaced them with a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position and a Dimarzio Fred in the neck position. But although I like the tone of the Fred I was not happy with the SD in the bridge it sounded good on some things but it was to hot compared to my other guitars and caused much adjustment of my effects and amps when switching from guitar to guitar. So the guitar was stored for some time until I read an article that stated Warren Haynes uses S.D. Pearly Gates pickups in his Les Pauls. Being a big fan of Warren Haynes? guitar tone I bought and installed a pair of Pearly Gates pickups and now the tone is perfect. I don?t understand why Gibson would put such bad sounding pickups in their guitars when the S.D. Pearly Gates is a copy of one of their own designs the P.A.F. With the new pickups the guitar sounds great and is being played a lot I would rate it as a 10 if it had come with these pickups. But if this pickup change had not worked out I was planning on getting rid of the guitar.

The Action and fit was very good for this modestly priced Les Paul. It setup with 10s and even though it was shipped the intonation was not far off. I love the feel of the '59 neck and the ebony fretboard.

The Guitar feels real solid and I have not had any issues with it other than the pickups.

I have not had to deal with them.

I have been playing off and on for over 25 years. I have had and do have many other nice guitars, amps and gear. After the pickup change I am very happy with this Les Paul and if lost I would replace it with another LP with a Ebony fretboard and I would also install the S.D. Pearly Gates pickups.

2006 Les Paul Studio - Ebony Finish, Chrome Hardware, 22 Frets, Two Tone, Two Volume, Originally with 490R & 498T Gibson pickups (I replaced them with Dimarzio Tone Zone and Dimarzio Air Norton - bridge and neck respectively), trapezoid inlays, etc. It's very functional and doesn't have a lot of visual flair, which is exactly what I wanted. I'm going to have to take a point off for the toggle switch though, and I'll explain why. When I first decided to purchase the Les Paul, I did so because of the weight of the guitar (I like something solid and heavy that won't move around too much when I get really into playing a solo) and the way the neck felt. This is approximately my tenth guitar over a period of about six years, and most of my previous axes have been guitars that have the toggle switch located near the tone and volume controls. While I initially liked the toggle switch located on the upper horn of the body, I found that every now and again it gets in the way when I'm doing two handed tapping near the upper frets on the lower strings. Other than that, feature-wise, I've got absolutely no complaints about this guitar. It's a wonderful instrument in that aspect.

The stock pickups were decent, but it wasn't the exact tone I'm looking for. Note that I said earlier that I bought the guitar for the weight and feel of it, not the tone, so I had already planned on replacing the pickups after purchasing the guitar itself. The Gibson pickups that were in it before would be great for classic rock and hard rock, but I needed something a little hotter at that I could use for instrumental guitar rock and metal, but wasn't so overbearing as to cause the instrument to lose its character. I opted for a Dimarzio Tone Zone at the bridge and an Air Norton at the neck, and now I couldn't be happier with the sound. I'm running this guitar through a Line 6 PODxt Live and a Tech 21 Power Engine 60 (Daisy Chained) and it sounds absolutely incredible. I haven't had any noise issues with it, and because of the Dimarzio pickups, it matches more styles with a bit more ease than with the stock pickups that couldn't.

The guitar was already set-up and ready to go once I purchased it, but I had it restrung and set-up at the Guitar Center in Oxford Valley, Pennsylvania with a different gauge of strings. The tuning machines work very well, and I rarely have to retune the guitar, even after playing hard for an hour or so. After proper intonation and set-up, everything is peachy.

Well, I'm not able to speak too loud on its reliability as of yet, seeing as I've only had it for a few months. I've seen Les Pauls that have been around for 40+ years, so I'm going to take a leap of faith and say that they are reliable guitars. I replaced the strap buttons the same day I bought the guitar with strap locks for that extra bit of security. Would I use it on a gig without a backup? Hell yes. The chance of something this big and heavy breaking down on me at a gig is almost nil. If it's good enough for Zakk Wylde and the many other guitarists that use them, it's good enough for me.

N/A

I've been playing for about nine years now. I started off with a Yamaha Strat clone, on to an old Charvel, then a Jackson Kelly with EMG 81s, then a Washburn Dime 332, a Jackson V, a cheap Squier Strat for a travel guitar, an ESP LTD EC-400, an Ibanez RG1570, a Hamer Sunburst Archtop, a PRS CE24, then this Les Paul. And those are all in chronological order.
I've gone through a number of amps ranging from the cheap Yamaha one, a little 2x10 Marshall solid-state, a Johnson JT-50 Mirage, a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and now a Tech 21 Power Engine 60 Daisy Chain.
I've gone through too many effects pedals to remember them all. Some of them were a Korg AX1500G, all kinds of BOSS pedals, and now my Line6 PODxt Live floorboard and Morley Bad Horsie 2 Wah pedal.
My favorite feature of the Les Paul is the way it feels in my hands. It doesn't move around a whole lot when you play it because of the weight, making it very easy to achieve a very wide and accurate vibrato. I also love the sustain that it has, which I'm sure is because of the weight. The neck feels fabulous compared to the thin necks that most of my previous guitars had. It doesn't choke in the upper register, which is something that I've had a problem with in some of the less expensive guitars that I've owned before. If it were stolen or lost (I hope this never happens, knock on wood) I would definitely buy another one. I'd have to save up for a month or two, but it's worth it. When I bought this, it was a decision between this guitar and an Ibanez JS 1000, but the JS was too light and I wasn't digging that. I'm happy with my choice.

490r 498t, gold plated gibson hardware, cherry finish, 2006

awsome full rich les paul sound, good clean and sounds even better as the distortion increases

Gold hardware, See through cherry finish

i dont think i will even need to worry about reliability

Awsome guitar, Looks better than it sounds and it sounds amazing.

Brand new made in 2005 (by the way, all models made from 2005 have a 9 digit serial number).
Same specs as everyone elses. I got the Alpine White finish with Gold hardware and a pick guard. very nice and classy!

I compared the studio with the standard.
Standard feels a bit heavier, and all other differences seems to be cosmetic. I dont think the the price difference can be justified in terms of quality (playability), so id advise people to go with a studio and save yourselves some money as theyre both pretty much the same. (in fact i think the pick ups on the studio are better)

came with a Gibson hardcase... im sure the hardcase will do the job, but i was expecting something stronger. while the interior padding is brilliant.

thats it... one guitar, one hardcase and a Gibson owners manual.

Being a fender telecaster only player, the first thing i noticed about Gibsons LPs was the shorter scale making it easier to play. So this is nice if youre someone how does a lot of bends, hammer ons, and pull offs.

I dont have a musical style, instead i enjoy playing everything. (jazz, blues, the 70s zeppelin guitar rock, rock n roll, country, funk, and maybe some metal now and then)
I have to say the LP studio handles all this easily! it really is a versatile guitar. The only thing i dont think it excels in is fingerstyle pieces, those seem to come off a bit dull.

this is my first gibson, and i just love the rich fat sound of this guitar!

action was good and the neck was ruler straight.The gold hardware is nice and solid, i cant complain.

The frets however had this red waxy stuff on the sides of them, and sometimes on the fingerboard. Now im one of those players who just plays the guitars... i dont know anything about them, so i guess this waxy stuff was some kind of adhesive for holding in the frets?
Anyway, even though this waxy stuff came off with a rub, i feel that a guitar in this price range should come out of the factory in perfect condition.

the finish...
its nice and even, however on the back theres a black mark which seems to be inside the finish (so im guessing a piece of dirt or something got stuck in the spraying process).
Also on the side of the guitar theres a very faint mark which looks like a water stain, which again is inside the finish.
Again, for a guitar at this price range, i expect them to be perfect, and since my guitar has a white finish, these marks are very obvious.

so problem with the finish, and red stuff over the frets gives this category a 5

Solid as a rock!
the fact that its so heavy really does make you think its indestructible.
apart from what i mentioned above, there really is no major problems with this guitar.
tuners are tight!
hardware are nice!
the ebony fingerboard feels great!
input jack nice and tight, just the way i like them!

the pick guard seems a bit weak though. It seems like putting any real pressure on it would make it crack.

sent an email asking why my guitar has a nine digit serial number rather than eight.
CS emailed back within the hour, explaining why, and telling me how to read it.
Great!

Brilliant.
I would HAVE to replace this if i lost or broke it.

My guitar arsenal now consists of a Fender 52RI Tele and a Les Paul Studio. In my opinion thats all you need for any type of music.

Same as a Standard, except without binding or inlaid logo. Different pickups now that Standards have BurstBuckers. Wine Red with an Ebony fingerboard and chrome hardware. 1992. One piece back.

Simply incredible. Rich and thick, unending sustain. Bridge pickup(498T) is one of my absolute favorite pickups. It is warm with distortion with just enough bite. Clean it has a nice punch and can get a lot of good clean sounds(some even bordering on Tele like).The neck pickup(490R) is warmer and not bad for jazzy stuff, but its not as good as the bridge. The ebony fingerboard provides more snap and a sharper attack than rosewood.

I don't know what it was like from the factory, but it is the best playing guitar in my house. Bends are fluid and you can really fly on the fretboard.

Very solid. The only weakspot is that infamous Gibson neck heel.

Haven't dealt with them.

Look for early 90's Studios. Back then they were made the same as Standards. Not anymore. This one isn't really heavy which is nice. A pretty versatile instrument. This one probably has a wider range of sounds than my American Series Strat.

My guitar is a 1997. Gibson Les Paul, wine red. Body is carved maple top and mahagony back, neck is a glued in mahagony with rosewood fretboard. It is 24,75 scale neck with 22 frets. It is a two humbucker guitar with 2 volume and two tone controls, 3 way toggle switch, tune o matic with stop tailpiece, and vintage Gibson Deluxe tuners. It`s basicaly classic Les Paul type guitar with no binding on it, slightly thiner maple top and not a perfect handcraft. Hardware on this one is all Schaller, gold. I replaced bridge pick up with EMG 81, and will soon replace neck pup with EMG 85. I like two hums, mahagony, fixed bridge guitars, so I`ll rate it max.

I play metal hardcore, and this guitars suites my playing perfectly. I replaced bridge with a EMG 81, because the original 498T Gibson pickup is great pickup, but just not defined and focused enough on high gain settings, and detuned (I play in C# G# C# F# A# D# tuning). Soon, I`ll replace neck 490R Gibson pickup with EMG 85, but till then, this part of review is about guitar with bridge pick up only. I play this guitar straight through Marshall 2104 Master volume combo 50 watts all tube amp with 2x Rola Celestion G12M Greenbacks, and it compements each other perfectly. When play on drive (as I mostly do) power chords, single note riffs, full chords, they all sound awesome! Full, rich, rounded, strong on low end, focused in midrange and sweet in high end, sound is absolutely alive and inspiring. Leads are searing, vicious and will cut trough mix without any trouble, unwanter feedback, microphonics or any sound bleed. Clean, bridge pickup is, I must say, a little harsh and nasty, but for clean I play neck pick up or both selected. I do my cleans by backing off volume on my guitar, I don`t like crystal clean tone, not from Les Paul, for that use Telecaster on Vox or Fender amp.
Gibson pick ups, 498T and 490R, are great in my opinion for classic rock, hard rock or 80`s metal. Also, played through a fine, sophisticated low gain amp, this guitar with stock pups can not be beat for blues, soft rock or pop. For jazz, I`d prefer semi-hollow full bodied guitars.
Soundwise, with slight amp tweaking, you will be able to get sound of LP standard, LP Custom Black Beauty from this LP studio without a problem, cause no matter what other guitar "freaks" tell you, this is Les Paul and after all, is a great guitar with lots of cool sounds.

I got this guitar used, and when I bought it, frets were very damaged, cause the guy who originally bought it played 80% of time on 5th, 6th and 7th fret. Don`t ask me, I really don`t know why... After refretting it, setting action lower, and setting it up for my tunning, playibility become perfect. The only finish things that are wrong are little more finish on the neck meets body parts, as well as the dot over the i letter in Gibson is closer to the G. This things do not bug me, because I`m not a finish geek, and guitars plays and sounds beatifully so I don`t even notice slight incorections in finish.

Strap buttons are awfull! Change them, or use strap locks! As a playing instrument, this LP is very reliable on the stage and in the studio. I carry Jackson JDX94 for both me and other guitarist in the band for back up, but we never used it on stage, luckily! There is a thing that bugs me a lot. The D string breaks much more frequently than the oyher strings, much much more. It breaks on the same spot every time - on the bridge. I know it is a Schaller bridge, and it is very good, but I think that it`s probably dameged on the D string holder, so I will have to fix it or change the hole tune o matic bridge.

Never dealt with Gibson.

I`ve been laying for 11 years now. Half of that time I played classic music, ofcourse on classic (in my case German) guitars. I starter playing electric guitars 7 years ago. I oowned 6 guitars and this one is the best. If it were missing, I will try do buy LP standard, but it is much more expansive, so I`d probably end up with studio again. Honestly, I adore this guitar, it makes me happy every time a play it, on every rehersal, every gig and I`m blown away by it sound every time I record music in studio. For me, this is the one...

2003 Gibson Les Paul Studio, 22 frets... You know, standard Gibson stuff. Tune O Matic bridge, standard tulip type tuners, etc. Stock 490R/T series pickups. Chunky neck profile w/a nice glop of leftover goo at the neck meets body heel. Finished in black.

I play through a tube Carvin 2x12 amp, w/EQ, Marshall Guv'nor for a distortion pedal. Pretty simple setup. Nothing fancy.
Ok, first off let me say, I REALLY REALLY wanted to like this guitar. It's always nice to add a Les Paul to your arsenal. I bought this guitar w/a very open mind. In all fairness, I prefer Telecaster tone to a humbucker but wanted a guitar I could play on some songs that require high gain w/o the single-coil hum. Anyway, I don't know if the person who wound these pickups were drunk/half asleep or both but this guitar sounds like $%^&. Pure and simple. There is a pronouced microphonic whistle from the bridge p/u whenever you apply any real volume, so you have to cut the volume at the guitar which takes any 'drive' from the tone and weakens the output considerably. I took this baby to a guitar tech to rewire the pups, and still the same problem. So, the output on the pickup (bridge) is fully out of control. Probably 20k ohms or so. At lower volumes, it sounds pretty decent but pup's have way too much midrange 'nasaly' tone. They don't sing, they kind of growl. So, if you're buying a bone-stock LP Studio, plan on (IMHO) replacing the pickups. The stock ones are cheap and $%^&*(.

Setup was decent when I got it. A little too high for my tastes, but that acceptable. A little tweaking of the truss/bridge and it was better. Frets are a bit too big for my taste too, but you can get used to that. It does play fast now. I did buy this thing used. The only finish annoyance was overspray at the neck heel. The little 'lip' that is prevalent on glued-necks was basically filled in w/finish. No big deal, just a detail. Electronics seem decent. Problem w/Gibsons is that volume-wise they seem happiest in 'full on' condition. There's not a lot of volume play w/the pots they use. Turning it down even just a little takes away any 'crunch' or sparkle it might have. Also, typical Les Paul 'unbalanced' play and a bit too heavy, but yes, I know it's a Les Paul.

I dunno, seems solid enough. I wouldn't want to drop it though and bust the neck or headstock. Kindling wood time

Don't know, never had to deal w/Gibson.

Overall rating, a 5. You can get much more guitar for the money, these days. The typical complaints about a Les Paul are still there. It's nicely made, but not too well designed, in my opinion. There's a lot of unused 'mass' with this guitar, seeing as though it has a top-mounted tailpiece and the strings don't route thru the body, whats all the bulk for? And, again, in MY opinion, it is one of the crappiest sounding guitars I've heard. There's no 'sparkle' or 'shimmer' but a somewhat dull, muddled, midrangy blah. I found myself constantly trying to turn the tone pot past it's max point to get some more tone.

1996 ebony, well worn and beat up, but not abused and fully functional. You know the features, configuration, etc.

I play vintage bar stuff, and my inspirations tend toward the full-bodied sound of Cream Clapton, Dickie Betts, Santana. Obviously the Les Paul is the tool for the job. I use a couple of simple effects occasionally, but the essence of my sound is the guitar and amp.

After more than three decades of off and on pro playing, this is my first Paul. I have used solid body Hawks--midrangey 2 pick up mahogany slabs--over the past eight years, and various strats, teles, SGs, Firebirds, Silvertones, and whatevers. This animal, with its maple cap is different, and it is also new to me as I have had very few guitars with 4 knobs and the toggle in the upper bout.

It is taking a while to get the hang of operating it, but I am beginning to see the advantages of the control set up and it is not proving difficult. It is also revealing some interesting tone options that were not available with the one vol one town Hawks. On the down side, I cannot easily dial in an equal blend of both pickups unless they are both up all the way. Ah well, you can't have it all.

As everyone knows, Les Pauls have a signature sound, and to some degree, you sound like it, it doesn't sound like you. So of course I have spent a lot of time researching pickup alternative, even though the stock ones tend to do every thing I ask of them. I figure if I went with something different, I might gain something but lose something else. I have also spent a lot of hours getting the thing to interact properly with my JCM 800 head and my 2 v30 closed back Avatar cab. The problem is a lot of bass boom with the rhythm pickup if it is not adjusted properly, and more brightness compared to my Hawks. And the bridge pickup as well needs to be set just so. The guitar is extremely sensitive to very small adjustments--pickup bobbin height as well as pickup height. The good news is that if you are patient, you can dial it in. The other good news is that the sensitivity (much of which comes from the maple cap) picks up licks from my left hand and pick colorations from my right hand that my Hawks never heard. This is very cool and makes me feel (and maybe sound) like a better player. Oddly, my Hawks with 490r's front and back, put out more signal, though with fewer frequencies. The Studio has less volume but tons more bottom end and brightness.

Finally, I don't know how the Studio line compares with the rather expensive Standards or other models. I considered a three pickup all mahogany Custom, but they are a bit difficult to find, and obviously a little difficult to compare with other guitars in your average noisy guitar store. You have to drag the thing home and live with it for a while and adjust it to your liking. As far as I can tell, it sounds like a Les Paul, and others posting here seem to feel the same.

I bought it quite used and that works for me. My stuff gets nicked up in a hurry, so I'd rather have the discount price and all the functionality without the heartache. I do my own set up and so far, so good.

I was told the previous owner had recorded four CDs with it, and it sure looks like it has seen a lot of bar wars. It is a 1996, and the pots are a tiny bit scratchy, much of the gold is gone or nasty green, and some of the finish is either nicked off or worn off. I do not care. I put on the large t-shape nylon strap buttons sold by Warmoth, which work quite well as an alternative to strap locks. I always bring spare amps and guitars. I play in trios, and there can be no downtime if a string breaks.

N/A

I have been playing since 1968, but am still trying to perfect the obsolete, chasing good tone and worthwhile licks. I have had a lot of gear. Now I keep a few decent amps and guitars that help me sound good--I don't have the collection fetish and I am hopelessly old-fashioned. My favorite sounds are usually just guitar and amp, though live I'll use a bit of delay, chorus, phase, overdrive--a 70's approach that still gets the job done.

This is a consummate working guitarist's tool, not a showboat, and not a one-trick firecracker. There are plenty of guitars out there, but few of them are the musical instrument that the Les Paul is. But not everyone wants to be musical, do they? Like other people who have commented on this guitar, I also wish it had coil taps or similar options to get a few more sounds out of it. And yes, the stock tuners (in combination with a somewhat sticky nut) leave a bit to be desired. And Gibson gold hardware finish is laughable. But I would definitely buy another if this were stolen, and I think I would enjoy trying out other models in the line. I would not be surprised if I could not find a better sound or value than a Studio.

Built in November 2004 in Nashville Tennessee U.S.A.
An ebony 22 fret with two volume and two tone controls along with the three-way switch.
Neck pickup 490R Alnico magnet humbucker and bridge pickup 498T Alnico magnet humbucker.
Carved maple top and mahogany back. Mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard with pearloid trapezoid inlays and '59 Les Paul Rounded profile.
Gold Harware with Green Key tuners, Black Speed knobs and Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece.
Comes with a premium case.
All you'd expect...exactly the features that make it what it is although I am not sold on the Green Key tuners...they seem to be a possible weakness on this beautiful work of art.

Full and fat tone with all settings though a little meaner in the treble setting with all tones and volumes maxed. It can clean up quite nicely with backed off volume varied tone positions and in the neck position. It sounds good through a solid state amp but really makes itself known through a tube amp (like any guitar should).
There is what I'd call a slight loss of articulation when it is maxed out on high gain but the pickups do have a little bit of a 'retro-lean' to them. It is not a concern unles you are playing some of the 'shredder' styles. Very versatile overall.

Nice low action and no buzzing. There was not an Epiphone in the 10 or so that I tried that day that even came close to this guitar(or any of the other Gibsons I tried that day for that matter). The ebony finish is deep and black and I really couldn't find a blemish or an overlooked finish element on the entire guitar.

I have no plans to use it in a live setting but I certainly see no reason why it would not be a worthy guitar for live performances (once again...aside from the tuners). None of the finish on any part of the guitar seems lacklustre and the construction seems to be very solid.

No reason to contact thus far. One year warranty. I feel for an instrument of this quality and price that the warranty should be longer. I remember Yamaha used to give a lifetime warranty on their acoustic guitars (maybe they still go) as do many companies. Minus 2 for that short warranty. Kudos to Long&McQuade for saying "bring it in after a couple of months and the tech will check it out and make sure everything is working well".

I have been playing guitar for 22 years now and am primarily a singer/songwriter. I have a 1987 Kramer Pacer Deluxe, the Les Paul Studio that this review is based upon an old (almost 40) Yamaha acoustic, an old Washburn electric, a La Patrie Etude classical an Ibanez bass, and a beautiful handmade Morgan Mahogany Dread. I have also owned in the past a little Fender acoustic and a nice Takamine 12 string 400s (both sold/traded) along with a 60 watt s.s. Crate amp and a 100 watt s.s. Traynor amp. I still own a Marshall Master Reverb 30 s.s. amp, a 100 watt s.s. KMD amp and an all tube Traynor YCV40 WR.
If it were stolen or lost I would definitely replace it with another Gibson...I wanted one since I was a kid. I tried a bunch of Gibsons and a bunch of Epiphones the day I bought this guitar and the Epiphones (as I have said before) were not even close. I chose the Studio over the fancier Standards and Customs due to the file marks I could see on all of the bound fingerboards and whatnot...also with no difference in feel (maybe the Studio felt a bit better as did the Smartwood) and me being a 'classic' kind of guy when it comes to style the choice was simple.

2004 Gibson Les Paul Studio made in Nashville, TN. Anybody readinig this should know the specs, so I won't bore anybody. If you want to know the specific specs, log onto Gibson.com. Highlight the text on the page, as it is black text on a black background, and in-depth specs will appear before your eyes. The wine red finish is stunning- I also recommed one of those ebony, inlaid pickguards available on eBay for around $50. NOTE: This guitar uses the same pickups as the Les Paul Custom and Les Paul Supreme, but not the Standard.

The Les Paul Model is ausome! I play mainly jazz, but use this guitar for situations requiring a high-quality, versatile electric, and for the occasional rock and roll/ blues jam. Not to say that the LP can't do jazz- it's great for all styles, but will never match the mellow tone of an archtop. I stock it with D'Addario XL's in 10. The tone ranges from very sharp, hard-rock on the treble setting to a good blues sound in the middle to an equally good jazz tone in the rhythm.
This guitar has a very fast action when properly set-up. Believe me when I say that you don't know how well you play until you pick up a Les Paul!
I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amplifier, which I highly recommend for any jazz player, and a Fender 12X10 solid state combo amp with built in head for all other purposes than jazz and blues. Through either amplifier, the LP Studio performs remarkably. I've also played many Les Paul Standards and Classics, and can say that the Studio is every bit as well-sounding a guitar as its more expensive counterparts.

The guitar played great from the get-go. Only minor adjustments had to be made to get it to its optimal playing condition (a quarter turn of the truss rod, lowering the bridge a tad bit). The pickups did not have to be adjusted at all, which is definetally a plus. The neck on my Les Paul is very fast, buzz-free, and straight as an arrow. I could not be more pleased!

I have been playing this guitar for about 2 years now, and I can say that the LP is rock solid. Take care of the nitrocellulose finish, as it does have a tendency to ding. I have done many gigs with this guitar and no backup, because it is so reliable.

If you're interested in buying a Les Paul Studio, settle for no less than the Gibson. The Epiphone LP's aren't nearly as good as this axe; you'll thank yourself every time you sit down to play. I've been playing for nine years, and am 17 years of age. I've attended college music programs for jazz guitar, and will minor in music when I continue my education. Guitar is the love of my life- seldom a day goes by in which I don't play! This guitar exceeds all my expectations from a guitar- if I lost it, or it was stolen, I would replace it without a second of doubt. This is a guitar to last a lifetime, by one of the best companies ever to make guitars.

Used 2001 Fireburst. Stock with the exception of Planet Waves locking tuners.

Sounds like an LP, which is why I bought it! Using it with a Mesa F50 and Woodcross Bluesbuster Supreme SE (Plexi-style, single-ended 6-15W tube amp depending on power tube used). The pickups are hot...hotter than anything else I've got...which is nice for the Woodcross which is only a medium gain amp.

Action was great...had to actually raise it a bit as it was fretting out when bending the high E around the 12th fret. Top is nicely bookmatched. Finish was probably fine from the factory. I had to ues some Meguiars Paint Cleaner and Polish to get out some small spots where some kind of mist/spray had eaten into the lacquer. Didn't get them out completely (yet), but cleared up some haze and really made the finish pretty nice, now...apart from some belt buckle rash on the back (what kind of idiot shells out $1300 for a guitar and then lets his belt muck up the back?!) Unfortunately the back is painted, but you can't have everything when you're on a budget!

No probs here that I foresee!

Don't know

I've been playing for about 20 years, but only bought my own electric about 8 years ago. I also have a Charvel Surfcaster and a Fender MIM Strat. If I had lots of cash I would probably buy a nice new LP Standard with a cool flame top and heritage cherry burst finish. But I don't, so this will suit me just fine! Had a local dealer keep his eyes out for a nice used Studio with a burst finish and this is what he came up with. Apart from the buckle rash and finish issues I mentioned, it's in excellent condition. If anything were to happen to it, I would definitely replace it with another LP of some kind.

mine is a 95 les paul studio in wine red...standard les paul stuff..got it used..the neck is pretty chunky though but wont be a problem once u get used to it..

personally i think the guitar is rather bassy and dark..the sound is definitely fat..and the bridge pickup is really nice and defined..i use it through a line 6 flextone III XL and its great...cleans are surprisingly pleasant...nice and warm especially in the middle position...full on high gain crunch is as expected..awesome! the pickups are also pretty quiet and harmonics come out great

the strap buttons are really small..so straplocks are needed...tuners stay in tune pretty well surprisingly..

i really like this guitar even though it didnt come with a hard case...the color (wine red) is really nice and there is nothing like holding a gibson on stage( call me shallow! hehe). my only gripe is how easy the lacquer gets scratched and dulled in some areas...

Big heavy usa made les paul. Nothing fancy. Big high frets (too high?)

Very good all round guitar. Suits all styles well. I think the stock humbuckers are really quite good (and I have used lots in 20 years of playing). I don't use any effects. I have tried it thru a champ, a pro junior, a kingsley deluxe, and a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia. Sounds best thru the Kingsley (everything does, it seems). I don't find the neck pup muddy (but both the kingsley and the ghia are quite bright). It is a little hot in the bridge. Not the absolute best Les Paul I have heard, but overall an excellent professional quality sound.

Not nearly as bad as some have commented. I guess the quality control is a bit hit or miss. The action was a bit high, and the fretboard a bit dry, but playable (and in tune!) right out of the shipping box. The finish has minor rough spots where the body meets the fret board. good fretwork (much better than some other gibsons I've seen) but the fretwire is a bit high compared to the older Pauls and a bit "grabby" These beefs aside, it is big and solid, the wood is nice if not spectacularly figured, and the hardware is good quality.

Very solid. Time proven electronics, and construction. I would probably put strap locks on it as the buttons are small.

don't know much, I gather there is good service in the US, but its a bit vague here in Canada.

Really nice guitar.

1986 USA (what else?) bought new.
White finish originally, with dot-neck, but almost light greenish-white now. These used to be the "bottom of the line" for "real" Les Pauls.

Standard controls and pickups.
Dealer threw-in an aftermarket case....sturdy enough.

Excellent typical LP tone. I play classic rock, rockabilly, a lot of ZZ Top. This guitar does it for me.

Use mostly tweed repros (Deluxe/Super), but also SFPR, SF Bandmaster, SFVR, assorted old Gibsons. Sounds excellent through all of them.

GOod action.
The pickups went microphonic and were replaced within a couple years ear with a Seymour Duncan '59 at the bridge and a standard Gibson HB at the neck. Replaced the ceramic .047 tone caps with .022 film-caps for better tone-control.
Recently replaced the '59 with a Seymour Duncan PhatCat for a rawer sound. Changed the knobs to the chrome-top (marked Volume/Tone in black)skirted type.
Had changed the original tuners for Grovers, but has since switched-back..I just like the look better, and they work reasonably well.

This axe has been through a lot, traveling with me around the world when I was in the military. The body has a few chips, but I don't care..gives it character and looks like it's been PLAYED.
Installed Straplocks after a drop which dinged the lower bout.
I trust this guitar completely.

Never dealt with them; typical Gibson warranty, probably voided since I've changed it so much.

Been playing since age 14...about 37 years. I can't say my skills have improved much since those early days...I still like to TURN IT UP.
I had a choice between this finish, and a low-gloss sunburst...but hadn't seen many like this one, so I chose it.

I restring it every other month since I'm mostly a basement palyer anymore, and keep the fingerboard lemon-oiled. I have a Guild Bluesbird (NON-Fender) that gets passed-up every time for this one...might as well sell it! It's pretty, but doesn't have THE FEEL.

Mine is a 2005 studio wine red with gold hardware - looks real nice

I play all sorts and so does this guitar. The tone is well - awesome...what did you expect? It plays like any standard, just less trimmings

Now this may be helpful as what is actually high and low action? Now i thought my action was high, yet the guitar shop said it was low. The action is usually measured from top of the 12th fret and to the underside of the string. Usual action is 1.19mm on treble E and 2mm under bass E. Mine was a fraction over and plays nice so I'm leaving it.
As the frets are large it gives you the impression its high as the strings are quite away from the neck but obviously they are closer to the frets. The finish is great bar a small naff mark in the rosewood on the side by where the neck joins the body but doesn't notice!

Well its solid.. You need to be careful with reactions with the nitro cellulose finish. Apparently some guitar stands and straps can affect it. The gold marks easily but looks ace. I was going to go for chrome but the studio as it is plainer looking needs a bit of glitter in my opinion

Bought from Guitar Amp and Keyboard in Brighton. Nice service from a chap there, checked the guitar over for me before posting. No complaints. 12months warranty.

I love it, the sound and guitar generally is ace. If you were saving up for a standard and have the money then go for a standard, but don't pay the extra if you think you are getting better sound. You really are just paying for the bindings and slightly better pickups. The studio will meet your expectations in sound and after all, thats the most important thing.

I have an 02 Les Paul, wine red w/ chrome hardware. I bought it new from Musicians Friend and i couldn't be happier. All the electronics are in perfect shape and nothing has rusted or been hurt at all. This guitar is in great shape.

This guitar gives you that patented sound by Gibson for cheap. I play this guitar for jazz and for punk. Very versatile sound.

The action never seemed to change yet. Everything was fit perfectly. I barely needed to do any work to it when I got it. I havent had one problem with the action, fit, or finish.

The neck was always a beautiful part of the guitar, but it broke on me a year after i bought it. So i sent it back to Gibson, and they glued it back together, then another year later, it broke again this time really bad. So i sent it to this guy in Milwaukee, Wi to fix it and I can garauntee it will never ever break in the area he fixed. He put a metal diamond shaped plate on the back and colored it black and then laquered over it. The metals havent rusted or anything yet. Other than that neck, the guitar has been everything i've wanted.

They made me pay for everything when the neck broke including shipping/handling. They fixed it, but it broke again later. Thank god for the guy in Milwuakee.

this guitar will last me my lifetime.

I've had this guitar new since 2004, It has 22 frets, the Deluxe Gibson tuners, Tune-O-Matic bridge, 3-Way pick-up switch, 2-Volume 2-Tone controls. I believe it has the 490T alnico neck PU, and the 498T alnico bridge PU. It is black(Gold Hardware) and when turned in the light properly it looks like a two piece mahogony body w/ a two piece maple top. 1 piece mahogony neck. Came with a USA combination lock case. (Black with satin cover for guitar). Also came with a wrench/srewdriver i suppose for the pickguard. What you expect for a $1200 guitar.

I play mainly Southern & New rock (Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special, Foo Fighters, Tonic, Jet, etc...). The ONLY reason i bought this guitar was for the sound.I play through a Hot Rod DeVille into a 5150 4X12 cabinet(Only effect is a Wah-Wah pedal)KILLER RIG! I probably played realistically 50-60 Les Pauls before deciding on this one. I played the faded, Standards, Vintage, Custom Shop, Custom, Supreme, Signature, etc.. but there was no comparison. The tone response, clearity, consistancy, and power of the sound is just incredible. It has THE classic Les Paul/ rock tone. Sure their are Way nicer guitars out their(Not selling this one short by no means) but if beauty is responsible for sound and tone SRV's strat would probably be the worst sounding insturment on the planet. I think this is what guitar players forget about today. They think cause its $4500 and on the top of the wall at a guitar store that it has to sound the best or if it has Jimmy Page, Slash, Angus Young, or Steve Vai on the on it its has to sound great OR THEY WOULDNT HAVE THEIR NAME ON IT attitude. Tone is half the guitar, the other half is playability!!!

Fit and Finish were good but had two scuffs on it probably from a careless customer. Self set-up, plays GREAT! Cant say anything bad about it.

NO problems what so ever. Be gigged a bid, not a problem.

N/A

I've been playing for 6 years, and own 7 guitars. 3 strats (62'Reissue, Mexican, Vintage bullet), 3 Hamer guitars (Standard, Duotone, Eclipse), and the LP. I love EVERYTHING about this guitar!
I have no complaints. I have only one last thing to say---Dont be shallow with a guitar, Just cause it says Gibson, Fender, PRS, etc... is not a reason to buy unless your just trying to make some cash off a good deal. Plug and play for at least an hour in the store before deciding cause Money definately doesnt grow on trees.

2004 Copper Top, typical Les Paul Studio, but with fantastic copper top finish. I also have a teal flip top, with teal top and black back. these guitars have simple apppointments, but I use my guitars on stage, and am not into guitars as decorations or collectors items. I think anybody who really plays, should definitely consider the LP Studio models as you can get 3 of them for the price of a fancy LP custom.

I play mostly metal (gloom/doom/stoner) and this guitar definitely delivers. I detune my guitars and have found the LP Studios to be more than adequate at handling dropped or alternate tunings.

I have owned 4 of these guitars in different finishes, and each one plays slightly different. For what it's worth, Gibson seriously lacks quality control on these $1000+ instruments (ask anybody who has owned a few flying v's). It's funny, each one of these I've owned was better than the last in my opinion. The copper top I have is simply a dream to play. the only guitar I own that plays better is my 1960's Mosrite, but that cost 3x this copper top.

This guitar is a tank, a little lighter than the LP Standard or Custom, but that's fine for long gigs. I use my LP Studios live, and they have never let me down.

Bought it used from Randy at the guitar attic in Daytona Beach (www.guitarattic.com), and I'd rather deal with him than Gibson.

From a working musicians standpoint, the LP Studio is definitely a gigging guitar. I will continue seeking out this model as I am extremely happy with the price vs. functionality ascpet ratio. I highly recommend these guitars to anyone who dreams of owning a $3000+ Gibson, because this is on case where you get more than what you paid for. I hope this review doesn't get all the E-Bay moron speculators snatching up these guitars and driving up prices like they're doing with Ibanez Musicians and other working class guitars (ie: 1970'+80's MIJ Lawsuit Les Pauls).

made in 2003, read the features on the gibson site...

I play metal, especially modern death-metal like trivium and as i lay dying, this guitar is great it has a rip your face of sound with my boss gt-8 custom metalsound and a warm, full, with endless sustain solo sound. The clean also rocks, it sounds warm etc. the real les paul clean. It sounds a little bit distorted but that could also be my 15-watt crap amp.

Its build like a gibson, build perfectly i got it in whine red with golden hardware a great combination though fire burst is also nice but costs a lot more.

its a gibson ;x

never dealt with

im playing for 9 months now but that doesn't matter, i first owned a Fender Squier affinity strat, thats like the opposite of this guitar, i was actually planning on buying an epiphone but this gibson is just 250+/- euro's more (when used) mine also had a suitcase. This is a real les paul if you like the sound of a richwood les paul, epiphone les paul or other fake copy's. Buy it used or new, i dont care this guitar ROCKS no matter what!

1990 Made in USA Les Paul Studio (Alpine White)
22 Frets
2 Volume, 2 Tone, 3 way toggle switch
2 passive Humbuckers: 490R in the neck and 498T in the bridge (stock)
Mahogany body/neck, ebony fretboard
Plain top w/ gloss finish
Gold hardware: Nashville "tune-o-matic" bridge & stop bar tailpiece
Gibson deluxe Kluson style keystone tuners
Padded Gibson gig bag

I play many different types of rock, from classics such as Led Zeppelin, to modern rock like Jimmy Eat world. With the exception of really heavy stuff (think Slipknot, Deftones), this guitar does it all. The sound is very rich and full. The bridge pickup sounds best played dirty with a medium amount of overdrive. Both natural and pinch harmonics sounds amazing and practically play themselves. When played clean it still sounds decent, which is not common. The neck pickup is great for shimmering cleans. It sounds great for everything from jazz runs to Metallica's "One." My favorite clean sound, however, is the middle position. It gives a very rich and bassy sound, but the top end remains very clear and articulate. It just sounds amazing. Overdriven, the neck pickup produces those classic Guns N' Roses lead tones that Slash is so famous for. This is easily the best sounding guitar I've played.

Don't be deceived by the name "Studio." The finish is gorgeous (mine is Alpine White with gold hardware). Gibson did cut some corners, however. The paint along the edge of the fretboard isn't perfectly straight in some areas, and the gloss coating isn't nearly as nice. It's nothing noticeable from over a foot away though. If aesthetics ar e the most important thing for you, then go out and by yourself a standard or custom.

The action on the guitar is easily adjustable to suit your needs. I have mine set really really low, which is how I prefer it. This makes the guitar really easy to play.

The pickups were set at just the right height.

The construction is solid. This thing is already 15 years old, and I don't imagine that it will break anytime soon. I baby all my guitars, as you should too, but this guitar is built to last.

This guitar has been around for 15 years, which is longer than one of my siblings. The gold plating on the hardware is fading, but I'm getting it all replaced to make it look new again. Again, the gloss finish is pretty thin, but it still looks ok. The tuners are awesome and stay in tune pretty well, but the keystones have turned green over time so I'm replacing them.

One thing I'd like to point out though, is that the strap buttons absolutely suck. They are completely useless, and I've almost broken my guitar 5 times because of them. I replaced them with gold Mighty Mite ones, which fit great and are much bigger. Now i don't have that problem. New strap buttons cost me $3.50. Not a big deal, just do it.

I would use this guitar without a backup, now that I've replaced the strap buttons.

I've been playing for about three years now. I love this guitar in every way. I bought it used as a fixer upper, so the hardware was kinda old and rusty, but now that I'm replacing it all again it should look brand new. My other guitar is a Fernandes Ravelle Elite, which is also a very high class instrument. I think the Les Paul is more suitable for most styles of playing, but I use my Ravelle for heavier stuff.

What I recommend you do if you're considering a Les Paul Studio is go to a store, and ask to see one. I'm not a big fan of the other colors, but the Alpine White finish really looks good (not good for a studio... just good). It's one of the best sounding and looking guitars yet.

You should know them buy now

9 for rock, 5 for country, 8 for jazz (Lester Paul was a jazzer!!!)

in the market. I have checked out 5 different LP Studios. I am waiting for a black one that satisfies my standards. Gibsons quality control sucks and they are still putting out a lot of shit. I breifly looked at four and wouldn't consider buying them due to quality issues. The other two were okay, just not my color. The fifth had to be sent back. After inspecting it (I never plugged it in) I noticed serious nut issues. A new nut had to be recut. Also a weird issue with this was the ser# wasn't fully stamped making it indeciferable. (can't insure a guitar like that). EVERYBODY CHECK YOUR GUITARS THOUROUGHLY BEFORE PURCHASE!!!! JUST BECAUSE IT SAYS GIBSON, DOESN"T MEANS IT IS A GOOD GUITAR!!!!!

Gibsons are built very well. To me that is waht a good guitar should feel like. Solid. HOWEVER. Nitrocelulose finishes are thin and not very durable. The finish will wear away more quickly than most, however, nitrocellulose is the best sounding finish. No tone dampening at all. Having said that, I can't wait for the day when I fully realize that i wore through the paint on the neck. NOW THAT"S CHARACTER!!!!
9 for build, minus 1 for finish = 8 (10's, like unicorns don't exist)

No comment

I am still waiting for one good enough to purchase, but I do have faith that gibson puts out at least a few guitars that are (relatively) worth the money you pay for them. Never Settle!!! If you spend big bucks, you should have a good guitar (NOT a perfect guitar, those ones are called PRS), but at least something that doesn't need work out of the box.
NO RATING UNTIL I HAVE MY OWN!!!!

USA model. 2004.
Mahogany Back, two piece maple top (top is thinner than those used on standards just for the record)
Mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard.
standard LP controls (2tone/2vol. 3 way selector)
2 gibson HBs.
Fireburst, chrome HW.
Tune o matic
came with a gibson hard case. and care kit.

this was a hard one to give a number to due to the fact it is still just a guitar with those features. it doesnt have an on board amp or synth or any other crazy device so i cant give it ten, but it has everything it needs....

i use this guitar for what it was very originally designed for! playing JAZZ! although it sees a lot of blues also. and no style is out of the question.

the guitar can handle pretty much anything with just a little tweaking.

i have changed the stock pups for a SDJB and SD'59. not to improve the quality but just becasue i wasnt so keen on the 'modern' sounding pups.
this allows for good jazz by rolling down the tone. and the JB can have a very good good overdrive sound (think jeff beck, fusion days)
although it can prety much reach any sound needed, i use a BOss EQ just to help it along.
the sound is very bright in both positions now with the replaced pups so i find myself rolling back the tone more than i did before.
i love the way this guitar can get a very full sound, rich with harmonics. but can mellow out for more relaxed styles.
best thing of this guitar is how i am able to express myself with any sound i need. i do think that a coil tap would be helpful and i will probably add one at a later date.
with sound there is nothing i dislike.

i give it nine as it isnt perfect. but nothing would be, its a comprimise. it does the best any single guitar could do.

i had this guitar set up by a highly acknowledge tech as soon as it was bought.
everything was clearly perfect, although since then i set up my own guitars to how i liek them to be.
there wasnt one fault on this guitar at all. (except for some finish was over the top of the tailpiece, this happens on every single guitar i have ever seen with this tailpiece)
the finish was absolutely spot on, being a burst it isnt the easiest to do, and this one has not even one mistake. i thinnk when people complain of getting a 'lemon' i have the opposite, an extroainarily superb one.

this guitar has withstood about one years worth of HEAVEY abuse. it generally was taken on the bus twice per day 6 days per week. not only that but it has survived small pub gigs. im a highly overprotective person when looking out for my guitar so this may help. but even so accidents cant always be prevented. it has a solid finish that doesnt seem to dent easy (has a dent, not a chip, on the headstock where it hit the ceiling) all HW is still shiney, pups that came with guitar dulled quickly but could easily be polished up. there is one major scratch ironically casued by a piece of foil on the polishing cloth. good wear around the controls and esp the pick up selecor, but for an average of about 5 hrs each day playing thats very little.
i had strap locks installed right away as i didnt want to drop this guitar. i use this is my only guitar when gigging (although as a band we have a spare) but ive not had one problem, ive broken just one string on it since i had it (bending up abotu two tones...) i trust this guitar with my life.
one problem i have had is with the pickup selector ocasionally cutting out when switching to the treble pup, this can be overcome with a special technique. so ive not had it sorted.
for those it may concern schaller strap lock screws do not fit into the guitar and so others are needed.

9 because it is perfecy except the switch.

they were very helpfull when just asking them questions, found out it did in fact have a thinner maple top to the standard LP.

took a very long time to get to me (about 3 months)

when compared to my previous 6 guitar thi stands out above the rest.
an epi LP was my first guitar and since then i have loved them. i have had two epi LPs an SG copy.
whilst looking through other guitars/sounds ive has a fender strat/fat strat and a GandL strat. this is efinately of the best quality. when choosing a guitar i looked at the LP standard and classics. i actually prefered this one. i didnt like the classic becasue the neck was too thin, simple. i didnt liek the standards purely becauase they seemed to be just fancy. the pups were nicer in the standard but as it turned out it didnt matter. also i liek having no binding on the neck, for me that is a huge bonus.
i am also a big fan of a plain top. unless it is very highly figured.

i took marks off becasue it doesnt complete my guitar selection, i would still ike a hollow body and a 54 custom LP. for different sounds.
if anything i wish it had a brazilian rosewood fretboard... other than that it is perfect.
if it was stolen (it wont break), i would definately buy another or buy a custom shop LP. (id love a 1954 LP custom with an oxblood finish... and no binding on the neck and a brazilian rosewood fretboard)

I bought this guitar secondhand via the Internet.
It is a 2001 model, build on day 101 from that year in the USA.
Chrome hardware, straplocks, came with Gibson hardcase fitted with pink protective material that looks realy ugly with the otherwise beautiful wine-red finish of the quitar.

Ik bought the quitar because of the lack of features and I love it. I do own an Ibanez guitar with loads of features (tremelo, fine tuners, locking nuts) which I more and more dislike... The fine tuners wear very quick and a simple drop-D tuning is a real pain. With this guitar even drop-C tuning works really fine.

I am not a very good guitar player but I like very clean arpeggio sounds and also gothic, very heavy dark music. I use an ENGL screamer 50 combo and the combination with the LP studio is just excellent.

When I use the neck pickup and select the clean channel of the ENGL, it sounds very detailed and full, love the sounds of it. Also, there is much more detail in the sounds, compared to using the Ibanez.
On my Ibanez, I used the combination of the front and rear pickup al lot but I seldom use this on the Gibson.
On the bridge pickup and one of the distortion channels of the amp, it is a very agressive and deep sound. Tuning down is a delight.

I use the tone dials both on full. Playing with the volume of the bridge pickup really is very cool, at 75% it give a much better, deeper tone than when used full scale.

The ac