Gibson Les Paul Studio

Made in october 2001, in the Nashville factory. Arrived at the local shop a few months back, collected dust for a while(most Norwegian guitarists seem to be terrified of trying out Gibsons. No wonder when looking at the insane prices...)and then I bought it after having borrowed it for a few days.
Came with a brown exterior and fluffy purple interior Gibson hardcase(What`s the point of that piece of cloth you put on top of the guitar inside the case anyway?). Stock 490R and 496T humbuckers, nicknamed "modern classics" according to their web-page... 2Xvolume and 2Xtone potmeters. Single piece Mahogany neck, except for the added "wings" on the headstock. Proper glue is usually stronger and harder than wood anyway, so I don`t see why people complain about laminated materials in guitars...One piece "correct thickness" 9 Lbs/4 Kg Mahogany body w/nicely carved/dished wine-red laquered 2 piece AA flamed maple cap. That`s the strange thing, it`s not a LP Studio Plus, (it`s got a black pickguard, Plus models don`t have pickguards) but the top is a very high grade flamed maple... Looks like the same grade as on the Gary Moore LP, with slight cross-patterns as well. Maybe some employee mixed up the pieces at the factory, i dunno. At the price of a normal Studio, it was a steal! Pale rosewood fretboard, it darkened quickly and nice grains appeared after I had played it for a week. Large Trapezoid plastic/fake mother of pearl inlays with too much filler around them. Nice looking and stable vintage-style tuners w/green candy coloured ears. Gold-plated hardware. Nitro laquer. Standard `59 shaped neck. Came with 09s, gonna put 10s on it. Lots of versatility, but not more than you can expect from a 2Xhumbucker-loaded mahogany plank w/o a trem. Useless strap-buttons, getting strap-locks ASAP. Came with Gibson 09 strings, were fitted with 010s immediately after purchase.

It`s a LP, you all know what that means. Great massive wall of sound. The tone-pots are somewhat strange - at about 7 there`s a big leap in tone. Below that there`s nothing but mud. That so-called "woman tone" is IMHO grossly over-rated. The volume pots have nice response all the way down though. The jack-input is firm and sparkle-free, and so is the selector switch. If I use contact spray on the electrics regularly i assume they`ll stay that way too.

The neck pup has a surprisingly capable jazz-sound when strummed with the long side of the pick (or the thumb) between normal and tasto positions and tone dialed down slightly. Full blown Gary Moore-style melodic minor-runs are available as well, but i had to be careful not to dial in too bassy/middy sounds. Being a Fender-guy for years has given me some bad habits... Crunch or fuzz with this pup provides a wide palette of sounds, depending on a lot of things, E.G. strings, action, pick, attack and volume-pot setting.

The middle setting brings out the Chet Atkins in me :) Chicken pickin`all the way... Mentally challenging Robert Fripp runs sound great here too. Through a top-boost Vox it can jangle quite a bit. Not quite like a Rickenbacker, but it`s quite sophisticated for a solid-body.

The bridge pup gives me EXACTLY that Led Zeppelin sound... No kidding! I used to own a LP Studio years back, and I always remembered it with fondness, but I thought that was only nostalgia. My new example delivers the goods, definately. I wouldn`t use it for Nu-metal Flogging or 80s mullet-metal though.

I give it a 9 only because of the fact that I`m used to the fender twang. It`s unfair to compare the two sounds, but none of them are perfect for anything. Having one strat and one LP covers just about every imaginable sound.

It felt like there either was a too high cut nut or too high frets at the end of the fretboard, first 3-4 frets felt almost scalloped, I needed to beware of the amount of pressure I applied to the strings, or else the the pitch became sharp as I pressed them down too much...Barely noticable, as I tend to have a more gentle left hand touch on this axe. As that was a problem the store would remedy for free, I did not take it into consideration when deciding wether or not to buy it, but it gets a 6. (that problem disappeared after I had them adjust it for 010s, so I didn`t need to have them lower the frets.) After the set-up it immediately became a definate 9. High action on it feels great. The neck fills my hand nicely. My thumb sticks out over the top of the neck(bad habit, I know) but as I never play thumb-chords the fat neck is no prob at all. Feels very very nice now. I give it a 6 only because of the factory set-up.

The neck is straight with no choking. Nice high action enabling me to really dig in when needing to. Holds it`s tuning well.

The finish is deep dark wine-red. Very tasty indeed. Perfectly applied apart from the ususal microscopic blobs around the neck-joint all too common on low end set necked guitars. (and let`s be honest, the Studio IS at the low end of the Gibson range. Not necessarily compared to other brands though.)The nitro-cellulose laquer gets sticky after a while, but just rub it down when you`re done and it`s no prob. I don`t polish my guitars at all (i have a `57 reissue strat finished in nitro as well), i just breathe on them and rub them gently in small circles("Wax on, wax off. Catch fly with stick"). That keep those infamous polishing marks away. Don`t believe the polish-manufacturers- all polishes are more or less abrasive. Use cotton cloth and breath moisture to rid yourself of marks on the top, only use polish on the hardware, the backside and the back of the neck.

Built like a WW2 Panzer Tiger Mark V, but I need to remind myself all the time that this is a set neck guitar. Don`t press your luck by keeping it placed so that the neck supports the body. Get a stand which supports the guitar on the body only. Preferably, keep it in the hardshell case. If your studio doesn`t have a case, get one! SKB makes great cases, but don`t go for the original Gibson ones. They supposidly have bad hinges and locks. But they sure beat the useless Gibson Gigbags that used to be supplied with Studios. One strap only- whatever were they thinking? I opened the back-plates and discovered neat layed out wiring with heavy duty soldering. The wires themselves seem thin and fragile, but as long as I keep the covers on I can`t see that posing a problem.

Flawless! I e-mailed them asking those same old questions they must find incrednibly boring by now(serial no, model details and stuff like that) and they replied within the hour with a long and in-depth answer. I have no idea what they`re like when it comes to warranty-issues though... I guess that`s no prob as long as you deal with a professional dealer.

Amazing look, neck and sound, but a steep price. Factory set-up flaws remedied free of charge. I`ve been at this for about 7 years and this is my second LP Studio, and by now I have a pretty good idea of what I need in my guitar-arsenal. I`m definately gonna keep this one and have it adjusted to my taste. The secondhand value is outrageously low, so don`t buy a new one if you think there`s any chance you`re gonna sell it later on. A secondhand model, preferably either an early 90s model or a new 2001-02 model, can be the steal of a lifetime. I bought a new one for warranty reasons and just `cause i felt this example presented a better potential than many others I`ve seen. Buying new is never a gamble. Every dent in it will be made by me.

From reading the reviews here on the LP Studio, it seems that there`s a wide variety of quality. I`ve struck gold because cause of patience and lots of testing. Be sure you do the same and don`t necessarily jump on the first Studio available. That said, I`d like to add that it`s nice that Gibson has listened to their customers and re-designed the LP Studio-model so that it resembles the early-mid 90s examples which are kind of already collectors items. The 1/8 inch thinner-than-standard carved maple top and full-size trap-inlays really resembles those earlier Studios. Also, its great that they`ve started including hard-cases. A real necessity for a guitar this quality and price.

It is an 91 model, standard features, black with chrome hardware. Deduction results from terrible tuning pegs and the gigbag that gets an F (read below).This is not acceptable for a guitar that cost that much, and definately not for the ones they sell now, here in Germany for 1500 EUR (=$)!!! Please notice: This is not a standard without binding! The neck is very fat and (I believe) not as broad as in actual pauls. There are les pauls with this neck (i dont know which, 58 or 57 or else) and I don't like that. The other neck is much more up my alley. This guitar is very heavy, unlike me, and it took me years to get used to the weight. This is an important factor: Carrying that much weight around costs energy, you get tired after a couple of hours of playing and lose your concentration and inspiration.

OK, I really dig the sound. I play rock and experimental stuff through a Mesa S.O.B. and this guitar sounds very good. Mine has very high output which will give a lot of amps trouble staying really clean. I guess I should lower the PUs. The bridge pickup is really bassy and although I love Bass, I had to turn down the bass on almost all amps I played so far. My SOB can handle the bass pickup cranked only since I installed sylvania power tubes. It does not cut, but the sound is something else. For me, neck PU is gorgeous for cleans, and bridge is for overdrive. I had to use a 82 standard with PAF's in a studio, and it sounded tame compared to the studio, but with more definition

I can't remember the Action when I purchased it, so this will not be rated. The finish is subpar, as a lot of guys have already pointed out. The tuners are a joke, take them off immediately and try to sell them to some idiot who wants to replace his broken ones with originals! (He will be doing that about every six months). These cost 145 Euro here and this is not a joke! I broke them in no time, replaced them with Schallers (they build these, just put their 'S' on the back instead of 'Gibson (bullshit) DELUXE'. they cost a third of the Gibsons and of course they broke just as fast. My 20 Euro Gotohs last 4 Years now. The Inlays are all a little cracked, I saw a new one in a music store the other day and it was the same. The Epiphones were flawless in that aspect! This is the only guitar I play, but once I play a Strat or a Standard, I know that I could play better on them in less than a month. This has a lot to do with the neck. The Gigbag is 95 Euro new and it busted while I was riding my bike with it. So the LP fell to the ground while I was speeding! Imagine my horror! The guitar survived, a few dents in the frets from the high strings, the strap lock dent the wood, some scratches on the bridge and intonation a little off, that was it. I am still pissed.

Ok, I am still impressed how it survived the bike incident. I could have played a gig with it after it! Still, I rate it with the original tuners and strap knobs, and you cant play with it live that way. It will fall down constantly and detune. I play this guitar for ten years and apart from breaking a string, this thing is definately a ten, it delivers every time (with strap locks and good tuners).

Never dealt with them, hope I will never have to (except they plan to make a signature model for me :)). I base the 1 on theyr prices for replacement parts which really show what they think about their customers. The plastic pickguard with brackets is 70 Euro? 1 gramme of plastic aka Switchplate is 13 Euro? Asf. This is customer ripoff; please check out 'Smart parts' (I think thats their name), they make replicas of these parts. They aren't cheap either, but still they cost less.
Overall Rating: 4

Ok, please don't get me wrong: I love this guitar. I have it for ten years, it is my first guitar and I think the only one I will replace it with is a reasonably priced LP standard. I bought it because I was a huge Led Zepp fan when I was 17 and I didn't know anything about playing or guitars. I just picked it up, didn't compare and just laid down the cash. As a salesman I would hate people like me. I haven't played that many guitars, but it is definately my favourite among the SG Standard, Framus Diablo, Fender Strat (just my taste) LP Standard and Gordon Smith Les PAul (This guitar is a piece of art, is really cheap considering it is custom made for you and it is made really well, but the sound is not for me). I learned on this guitar and it has definately influenced my sound. It is an inspiring instrument everytime I use it. Still it frustrates me when a company that lives from a couple of great guitar concepts they had fifty years ago puts out something like this for 1500 Euro. There is just a lack of care that went into this product (Of course a lot of this flair is destroyed by bad quality). LPs have a flair that no other guitars have. You pay for that, and thats ok. I wish I could be more rational about this, but I can't. Its sad that at least in Europe there will be no young people anymore like me who can learn guitar on a real gibson, because it has become too expensive. Wisen up, Gibson!

Ok again not my guitar, doing a setup for a customer. Approx. 1996 Gibson Les Paul Studio, made in USA. Standard LP features so I can save my typing. Looks like upgrade off gold hardware. Has Gibson Deluxe Kluson style tuners(yuck). Mahogany body, but lighter than an LP standard or Custom. Gloss black paint. Its a LES PAUL, OK!!

Ok not my guitar but I like LP's, this one sounds good for a studio. This is their cheaper(yeah right, $1200)model so you don't expect alot but for that $$$$$ you do. Classic LP sound but not thrilling.

Ok here is why I took the time to write this. This is a USA made guitar and even thought it is a low end ($1200??) model the action was HORRIBLE!! The strings were at least .1 of an inch at fret 1. The nut was glued and then painted and clear coated over so could not risk replacing the nut for a setup. The A string tuner was very stiff, tuneomatic adjustment was hard had to use soft pliers to adjust. Frets were ok at best. Good quality for say a $300 guitar but not $1000 +!! I had the customer compare it to a Fernandes Monterey Elite. He wasn't too happy he paid $1200 for the Gibson.

Not trying to be a prick but for that kind of money it should be much better setup and constructed. 4 because its USA made.

Durability?? UHMM?? It's a LP, Dammit!! The quality and craftsman ship are sub par as well as quality control but it is still built like a tank. Dependable and BETTER playing after I do the complete setup on it. Give it a 9 cause the tuners need to be thrown away for something better.

Not mine but have dealt with Gibson customer service before, or at least they say they have customer service. Toss up between Gibson and Ibabnez for worst support. Fender is third.

Been playing for 25 years, been a tech for 10 and this isn't the worst LP I've seen. It is a very nice guitar except for the setup and tuners(all LP's). My gripe is my can comapnies like Fernandes or Dillion sell a guitar better made, for 1/3 the money?? Again try the smaller names out there. Sorry to burst your bubble but Gibson and Fender do not make the Best guitars any more. E-mail me for any addition info, I tell it like it is.

The finish on mine is white and the fretboard is ebony. Gold hardware.

The sound is immensely deep and thick. I can play anything with it. I love to use it for blues. I use it through a Fender Blues DeVille 212 amp and marshall Bluesbreaker2 pedal and a few other effects. It sounds amazing with the bluesbreaker, gets that early Clapton sound. And if I add a phaser, a compressor, lots of overdrive and wah, and if I tweak the vol and tone knobs, I get that Hendrix sound from the Band of Gypsys album. Great guitar.

It was set-up alright when I got it.

It's a Les Paul, next question please.

I rate this guitar 10 because it suits my taste very well. I also love how it looks.

My Studio model was a quick solution to jump into the Les Paul world, and let me tell you, if you want that true Les Paul sound without paying for the name "Standard" on the headstock, go after a true Studio. The guitar was made in 1997 in the US. Solid maple split top with mahogany back. I bought the wine red/transparent finish. Two Alnico humbuckers, 498T & 490 for bridge and neck. I have had the pickups tweaked just a bit to get more resonation on the high end, which the 498T is pretty hot to begin with, but other than that, they are factory stock. I love these because they are so close to the old 60's style humbuckers. When you have them both switched on, there is no sound that will EVER come close to that Les Paul sound. When set to the bridge pickup, especially when plugged into a real meaty amp, you get a high end that is unspeakable. I can plug into my JCM-800 and get a tonal quality that Fender can't come close to. If you want a nice, subdued and mellow sound, back the bridge tone off a bit and switch both pickups on. Mahogany neck with the old style 1959 rounded cut on the neck. Bridge is the standard tune-o-matic with the stop tail piece. The only part of the guitar that I had to immediately change was the tuning machines. The standard "Gibson Deluxe" tuners are junk. I switched to the nickel plated Grovers and the guitar stays perfectly tuned; can't really beat Grovers. LP came with a Gibson hardshell case, magenta fur interior lining with satin overlay.

The Les Paul is in my opinion the most versatile electric guitar made because it can play so many many styles and appease so many different expectations for sound quality. My music style is blues/rock, and the LP fits the bill to the T for that sound. I use two main amps: A Crate 1950's reissue tube amp, and a Marshall JCM-800 halfstack. I find that on the Crate, I can get a much crisp clean sound than I can with the Marshall because of Marshall's natural ability for sheer sound and power. The Crate is the one I play 99% of the time. On the Crate, I can get a nice rich body or a smooth mellow jazzy sound with the neck pickup, and if I want a loud overdrive, switch to the bridge. On the Marshall, the Les Paul's characteristics change dramatically. No matter where the pickups are switched to, it has a real meaty crunch to it that just brings the ghosts of Led Zeppelin out. If I want an overdrive crunch, I can flip the neck pickup on and get plenty of it. The only dislike on the entire guitar would be the weight. 'Pauls are heavy guitars and you'll pay the price for that solid body sound.

From the factory, the action was a bit high, which I adjusted promptly. The pickups required just a tiny bit of tweaking for my liking. The construction of the instrument was flawless. As I stated above, the quality of the "Gibson Deluxe" tuners is mediocre at best and I had to change mine quickly.

I would and have used it at a live gig with no backup. Guitar is without a doubt a quality instrument. I changed the strap buttons to the locking straps so I wouldn't drop the guitar.

Been playing now for 12 years, along with all my other gear, this is one of my centerpieces. I love the guitar because it fits me, my style of playing, my abuse, and it adapts to my mood seamlessly. My favorite feature is knowing I am playing the best guitar made, but musical feature would be the versatility of sound it can achieve. I really compared the guitar to the Les Paul Standard and chose this because of money concerns.

2001 USA
22 frets
2 vol 2 tone
HH
490R 498T
The finish is like trans green or trans emerald, not sure really. its not on the gibson site
body style is les paul....
im sure you know the rest, nothing too fancy shmancy. I'm used to my brian moore having a butt loud of features compared to this so this kinda gets a "low" mark BUT it did come with a hardshell case (WOO!) which saved it a bit

I play a lot of Oasis type stuff and a tiny bit of shred and emo and jazz and blues and other stuff, but I mainly play stuff that was heavily influenced by oasis.

It has a rich and FULL sound, which is why i got it. My brian moore is super comfortable and easy to play but it doesnt have THAT sound, ay know? The lead tone is really great.

Action is perfect, i bought it used and i guess the guy set it up personally and it couldnt be better

the finish is great, has a scratch but i cant blame gibson for that. The trans green/emerald is gorgeous and i love the wood grain, looks great.

This is my 3rd gibson, never had a problem

like i said, this is my 3rd gibson and i never had a problem

I go through a lot of guitars but i'm keepin this one along with my SG and my i8. I wish it was coil tapped, i like that option. If it were stolen, i'd cry like a little bitch and collect the insurance and buy another off of ebay i spose or just buy a recorder cos i dont like buy a guitar without playing it first but itll be hard finding another lp for $600 ($643 with tax) 'round here. I love the tone, the feel is really good but the tone is great. Great guitar.

super nice american made gibson, 95 i think... plays and sounds like butta. features, basic gibson design alpine white finish, gold hardware (which oxidizes over time) and gibson deluxe tuners which i am not too fond of, i'd definetly switch to grovers. this guitar is heavy with its maple top and mah. back. GET AN OLDER MODEL, THE EBONY FRETBOARD MAKES A DIFFERANCE!!!

no complaints here... plays anything flawlessly... jazz to hardcore, with ease. i really like the 490 pickup in the neck, super warm if you turn the tone knob down a bit. and nothing beats the hot 498 in the bridge! fingerstyle or strummed the guitar has a gorgeous full thick sound that will please anybody.

action was a bit high, fix real quick with the tune o matic. bending notes is like you wouldn't believe. finish is gorgeous, the mid ninties models are superior than the ones today!! features and they are built very well!!!

like i said the gold hardware oxidizes... wipe it down every time you finish playing. get straplocks... as with any gibson. survived gigs well so far, never gig without a backup even if you think your guitar will never fail you... better safe than sorry... :D

super fast and accurate... odd, gibson isn't supposed to like their customers...

buy the early nineties models... very high quality product will last longer than any other guitar i owe... i am a sax playa so guitar is my doubled instrument. gibson is awesome

1995 USA maple top.
2 PAF's
Could be better with Iommi series pickups with coil taps.

I use a Fender Blues Deville 212
and a 30 yr old New Zealand made Holden Wasp 50.(very similar to 50w Marshall.
I have a Marshall Guvnor2 and a Rocktron Gainic.
Playing blues and classic rock music(Led Zepelin, Rolling Stones Black Sabbath, BB King, jimmie Vaughn etc.) It sounds awesome.
Could be nice for Stevie Ray and Hendrix etc with coil tap.

Finish is excellent.
Pickups, intonation and action needed adjusting because I bought it off some plonker who had been playing around with it.
Nice translucent wine colour too.

Will this guitar stand live playing?
Will it ever!
I had a drunk guy fall into me one night and we both ended up lying on the floor on top of the Gibson.
It ended up with broken 3 top strings, dints in the frets from the strings, and a small nick on the cutaway from the mic stand that we landed on.
I polished the dints out of the frets, re-strung, and the neck and intonation was still perfect!
I also have Jim Dunlop Straplocks on a big old heavy belt for a strap.
This baby aint gonna come off!

Gibson was helpfull when I wanted to date my guitar from the serial no.
Nothing else has needed repairs but even if it did,
It would be a bit silly to send it all the way to America from NZ.

I have been playing for about 12 yrs.
I also have an Epiphone Nightcat for Jazzy type work and swing blues,
and a early 90's Ibanez Talman with Paf style Pickups.
This is a really sweet sounding guitar with a coil tap enabled and the pickups wired out of phase.
It also has one of the nicest necks I have ever played. Its very fast without being too thin, and I like to set the action a bit higher so I can do big bends without the strings slipping out from under your fingers. Also I like to use slightly heavier gauge strings 10.5 to 46 or 11 to 52, although my epiphone has gold plated flatwounds in 13 to 56! Its a really nice warm sound, to say the least!
Gibson would still be my favourite for that natural, overdriven rock sound.

This was the 1998 les Paul with wine red finish and gold hardware. Its got two one knobs and a volume knob for each of the humbuckers. This is truly a beautiful guitar. I compared the Studio with the standard and custom but could not find much difference (except the binding) and didnt think it was worth an extra $500 & $1500 respectivley The body is really thick and made of select wood that gives it a AWESOME sustaining tone. You can tell this guitar is solid by just picking it up and seeing how much it weighs. This is an excellent entry level Les Paul.

I can discribe the sound on this guitar with one word...BEEFY. You can really tell the difference the wood makes on this guitar when you play clean or distorted because you gets some vibration in the neck. If your looking for a rich and full sustaining sound, without taking a second mortgage out this fill the bill.

Good quality instrument. The action is set reasonably near the middle, but I like mine as low as it will go without buzzing. This studio can adjust fairly low because of the saddle Gibson uses.

When this guitar is maintained and setup properly it will deliver and then some. The strings stay in tune once a new set has settled in. The finish is fairly rugged, but I would recommend using a wax on the back side to keep the finish from wearing down to the paint. This guitar is very dependable but not steal proof, if your playing a gig you should have a backup.

Never had a need to call customer support.

I have owned this guitar for 4 1/2 years. I thought it was a solid guitar when I bought it and used it as my main guitar. A few months later, I switched back to my old Epiphone for kicks and then I realized I would never go back. My Epiphone felt like a toy compared to the Paul! All in all a great quality instrument for a good price. If your serious about playing guitar, I highly recommend making the investment.

1991 model with ebony fretboard and LARGE pearl inlays. the body on mine is slightly thicker than newer models. 490r and 498t alnico pickups.

it does jazz pretty well, blues very well, classic rock very well, and modern rock is only so-so. the pickups are only moderate in output (the neck pickup especially) so under higher gain you loose bottom end and definition. basically the tone muddies up. but if you are interested in distortion sounds you could just replace the pickups with gibson's 496r and 500t pickups or find some seymour duncans you like. this upgrade is still cheaper than getting a more expensive les paul with different pickups. UNDER TUBE OVERDRIVE THIS GUITER SOUNDS BEAUTIFUL, just not distortion.

i don't give a shit what a guitar looks like, and i insist on setting up the action MY WAY. there is no perfect factory setup because everyone has their own preferences. this guitar is heavy though.

how do you break a guitar on accident?

i loved strats, then pauls, but now i love strats again. but i understand what all the fuss is about. this is a legendary guitar with or without a flamed maple top and body binding. it's the tone you should be looking for.

This is a 2002, Black with Gold hardware, and it came with a Gibson hard case. Standard LP pickups and Gibson vintage style tuners. If you're reading these reviews, you know the rest of the details.

I play a little jazz, blues and classic rock, and this guitar suites me fine. If I had bought this first, I'd have never bought my American Strat. The tone is really amazing, and you can get a bunch of different sounds from these pickups, from the standard LP growl to thin. Way more versitile than a strat with standard pickups.

Factory setup was fairly good, and I haven't felt the need to change anything. Shipped with 10's, which was nice, because I thought they all came with .009 strings.

There are a few visible flaws in the finish around the edge of the headstock (should have used a little filler), and a the paint is a bit gloppy at the neck/body joint, but you've got to look close to see them. I didn't notice any of this until a buddy and I went over it with a microscope. Not a big deal, because TONE IS EVERYTHING.

As mentioned above, this guitar has Gibson vintage style tuners. During a 30 minute session, the tuner on the G string popped twice, and again later that day. NOT GOOD! If I were playing live with this, I'd have Grovers on it. Might do that anyway if the problem persists.

The finish seems thick, and after bumping the body against an amp corner, it left a small indentation, but no finish problems. Did that the day after I bought it. It was bound to happed sooner or later, I'm just glad I did it, and not someone else. I would suggest strap locks, unless you're sitting on the couch.

It seems dependable (except for the tuner problem).

I emailed Gibson about the tuners, and they got back to me in about 36 hours with two options: Take it to an authorized service center, or they'd send me a new tuner to install. That works for me, so I'd say the service is pretty good so far.

It's under warranty until I'm toasted in the urn.

I've been playing long enough that I should be better than I actually am. I own an American Strat, a Samick jazzbox, a couple acoustics, and soon to add a Garrison A/E. If it were lost or stolen, I'd get another LP immediately, but I'd get one without vintage tuners. Might step up to a classic, but for now, a Studio is enough for me.

I looked at some LP wannabe's, but let's face it . . . if you're getting a Paul, get a Gibson.

Well you can read this from all the other reviews, but basically 2 humbuckers on a large slab of well-contoured mahogany w/ a (thin on the Studio models) maple cap. Variety is where this guitar is at, so many great sounds available yet the insrtument is simplicity itself - no Jackson or Ibanez monstrosity.

Like everyone I play everything from blues to metal yada yada. I've had this Studio for a year and it is gorgeous. Clean sounds on the rhythm pickup are sumptuous - full and clear. But of course you buy a genuine Paul (tried an Epi version before this and there's no comparison as to the stock sound) for one thing - dirty rock! And that's where it shines, this guitar was made for distortion, and while sounding heavier than a very heavy thing, it's so warm and full and you hear every note clearly! This is the sound to fall in love with if you play rock, it is so gorgeous.

Gibson are not particularly great at setting up their axes, had problems with tuners going loose, the intonation, the strap buttons being poor (must replace immediately). Plus the finish is lacquer, so it scuffs and smudges like no other. Annoying, but the guitar sounds SO sweet I have to forgive Gibson!

See above

Dunno

This guitar is great, I only wish I had more money so I could buy the Standard (not that there is anything other than a slight improvement in sound quality, the Studio is still gorgeous, besides its a cosmetic thing more than anything else!) It is a great instrument, the king of guitars, you must own it or one of its brothers, it makes sense.

This is a 2001 studio in grey pewter finish. I used my telecaster as a partial trade in. Every guitar player has seen a Les Paul so you know what it looks like. It has two humbucker the 490 and the 498t. All in all, a beautiful piece of art.

I like to play everything from Buddy Holly to Everclear. It covers all tones. This was the first Gibson I ever played. The same day I bought this one I played a LP Standard, LP Classic, a PRS, and a few other 'high quality' guitars. The only difference between this and other Les Pauls is the price and finish. I rarely use the Treble side but the rythm and middle position rock. The crunch is amazing.

I bought mine at a Gibson retailer. They put new strings on it, set up the action nice and low, and polished it up for me. The best service I have ever received. The grey pewter finish is fairly new to Gibson and they did one hell of a good job with it. Everyone that see's it falls in love with it. Imagine if they played it!

In a span of eight hours, I went through two sets of strings. It sounded better at the end than when I started. It's also much easier to switch the strings not having the string through body.

Like I said before, the best service I have ever received on a guitar.

I've been playing about three years now and have a decent collection of guitars. The LP, Strat, Fender acoustic, Ibanez SR800 Custom Bass. After playing the Les Paul, I could not imagine playing anything less. Quality instruments only want to make you play more an more every day. Don't sell yourself short, buy it.

2001 Black studio, features you know em if you know pauls. came with a case. Got this from the Guitar Center for 850.00 with an SKB case included

I play old and new metal, blues, experimental christian metal, and whatever else I am in the mood to learn. This guitar is flexible enough to handle everything I need it to do. The sound can be ballsy to crystal clear even with the stock pickups. I play this through a 1974 Peavey Duece and I use a POD 2.0 for creative exploration. I bought a Ibanez RG570 first but I took it back because the neck was to thin and had a tendency to bend when I started to really break loose. I went to the store for 2 weeks straight before I made my decision to by the Paul. I played just about everything in the store and the Paul was the extension of the way I wanted to sound.

The set up was perfect from the store. the guitar contained no flaws I could see. The tuners are fine, If it goes out of tune adapt and keep jamming. The finish was perfect, I'm a basic black kind of guy and once you have black you never go back. The guitar will need straplocks for stage play

This guitar is heavy and I love it. I hate to see these whiney ass players complaining about the weight. If it's to heavy for you then start lifting weights and eating steak so you can handle it. The guitar is rock solid. I havn't had this very long but Gibson makes a good product so I'm not to worried about it. If it does break I'll have it fixed. This will now be my main show guitar, I always have a backup because you never know what could happen.

have not had to deal with them yet.

I have been playing off and on for 15 years. I just started getting serious again about 2 years ago. I own a 2000 Fender American Telecaster, Dearmound M65C, Martin DX1 acoustic. The Gibson Les Paul is the Harley Davidson of guitars without the oil leaks. I love this guitar it's heavy and solid like an old Dodge Challenger and it will flat rip the roof off. I was going to purchase a Les Paul Goth but it felt to thin and the paint job was just not me. This is the guitar for me my suggestion is to buy something that you are going to keep if you are serious about playing. A guitar is an extension of the player so if your a Paul person this is worth the money.

This was the 2001 les Paul with cherry wood finish and gold hardware. Its got two one knobs and a volume knob for each of the humbuckers. This is truly a beautiful guitar. I compared the Studio with the standard and couldn't find much difference (except the binding) and didnt think it was worth an extra $500 for the Standard. The body is really thick and made of select wood that gives it a AWESOME tone. You can tell this guitar is solid by just picking it up and seeing how much it ways. All in all a very FULL sounding instrument.

I can discribe the sound on this guitar with one word...THICK. You can really tell the difference the wood makes on this guitar when you play distorted because you gets some accual BALLS instead of just high endy distrotion. If your looking for a tich and full distorted sound, worry less about what pedal you play thru and more on what guitar your using.

The clean played thru the Les Paul sound great too. Harmonics stand out more and are brighter once again due to the good wood quality of the body. Very balanced tone as well.

Like you've heard before, you can achieve a wide range of tones with this guy. Great for Blues - Hard Rock, works for them all. Overall a great sound.

Good quality instrument. You might need to mess with the action a bit when you take it home but other then that...

when I play live I tend to play sort of heavy on the instrument so it kinda pulls it out of tune. If your very concerned, you might want to upgrade on the tuners from stock to whatever. Not that the tuners are horrible, but they could be better.

At irst, I was hesitent about writing a review on the Les Paul because Ive owned it for only about 6 months. I thought it was a solid guitar when I bought it and used it as my main guitar. A few months later, I switched back to my old fender for kicks and then I realized I would never go back. My Fender felt like a toy compared to the Paul! All in all a great quality instrument for a good price. If your serious about playing guitar, I highly recommend making the investment.

2002 wine red w/ gold hardware model. Made in the US of A of course. Features are the same as the other Studio models except for the standard gold Grover tuners and smaller inlays(it's a SamAsh exclusive), which I think look unique. Came with the Gibson hardshell case with the satin cover..makes opening up the case a classy experience.

I play blues to metal and this guitar handles it very well. This might not be the guitar for shredders out there cause of the singlecut and the nitrocell finish tends to get sticky when sweating. I'm currently using a Randall RG75 (75watt) amp and no effects, I try to keep things simple for now. I had an Epiphone SG before this guitar and that one squealed like a bitch during high gain,but the Studio is quiet. Whenever you hear other Les Paul owners talk about the guitar's sweet tone and everlasting sustain, every bit of it is true. This guitar is amazing and fun to play. Even when it's unplugged, the sound is rich and full, almost like an acoustic feel. This is because of the guitars mass. This ax is heavy, but you'll soon forget about the weight when you start playing. Overall, a versatile guitar with heavenly tone.

I can't really rate action since everyone has their own preferrences. I like to play with a fairly low action, so I had it setup. This is what's great about Gibsons, they can be easily adjusted to your likings. The factory setup was good though. Intonation was correct too. The wine red finish is gorgeous and the gold hardware contrasts beautifully. Overall, the guitar is perfect.

Definitely withstands live playing. Gold hardware will tarnish with age, but will give it a vintage look. I have no problem with the strap buttons. But if you're a guitarist that goes nuts when playing, I suggest getting strap locks due to the weight of the guitar. This ax is made to be heard. Very dependable

I've emailed Gibson a few times before purchasing the guitar and they replied promptly with informations everytime.

Been playing for 4 years, 2 as a hobby and the last 2 seriously. This is my first high quality guitar. I got rid of my other two guitars(Fender Strat and Epiphone SG) to pay for this one. This guitar made me a Gibson fan. Now I see why these guitars are expensive...well worth the money. I love everything about this guitar. Before buying, I compared this guitar to an Epiphone LP Custom(good but doesn't compare), PRS Singlecut(whoever says that these guitars have the Les Paul sound are nuts), Fender American Strat(I love the humbucker sound more than singlecoils), Gibson Standard SG(came close to buying this one instead). I chose this because it just felt right once I first played it. Serial number even says that it was made on my birthday..coincidence? I think not. If it were stolen or lost, I would be a very sad guitarist. I would definitely buy it again or go for a Standard for the gorgeous flame top. Always try out different guitars before buying because they are different from each other, so find the right one for you.

This is the 2001 model, wich is the thicker one than the recent models.
I emailed gibson about it an the told me that this one is back to the original thicknes wich is something like 3/4 of an inch thinner than the standard.
The other feautures is the same as the standard exept for the binding...
It came with the original Gibson brown outside purple inside Case...

Man, i love the sound of this wonderfull guitar, i play it trough a Marshall JCM 600 + 1960 AX greenback Halfstack, and a Peavey Classic VT, and i tell you, the sound this guitar produces ROCKS>>>>>

Its great, i dont know why everybody is complaining about the gibson quality of the past years,

I brought this guitar to hell and beack, from the hot damping practice rooms right into the freezing cold outside... it just stays good

I mailed Gibson for about 20 times to ask questions about this 2001 model since no dealer in holland knew annything about it.
The took the time to answer my questions every time and i love that about the gibson customers support.

Prety sweet guitar. Just a regular, 22-fret Paul. I bought it in April of 2001. The only thing I would change with the features would be to take the black plastic around the pickups, the pickgaurd, and the pickup selector and make them the creme color like on Standard and the Deluxe. The part that I really like about my guitar is that they took the Grover tuners off and put on the plastic Gibson Deluxe tuners, which I think look a lot cooler. The pickups are standard Gibson stock and sound pretty good, even through my Crate solid state. The neck pickup is a 490R, and the bridge is a 498T. Played through tube amps is incredible.

The sound is pretty much flawless. There's a lot of flexibility with this guitar. Pump up the overdrive and put on the bridge pickup and you get a great hard rock sound. Through a clean channel, the middle and rythm pickups sound great. The one problem with the sound that I dont like are the tone knobs. I compare it to a shower. If you're trying to get the right temperature, and you turn the knob a little to the left, its too hot. If you go to the right a little bit, its too cold. That's the way it is with the Studio. Its either too warm or the sharp.

It has the standard action of other Pauls. I raised the stopbar a little bit just because I like to play with the strings up a little bit higher. The finish is really dull, though. But that's what happens when its 1000 dollars less than the step up. It really makes no difference. Its just the white plastic binding around teh guitar and neck and a sunburst finish. I have a wine red finish which I like a lot because it looks a little like the Deluxe and the Custom. The other thing that I wish was on the Studio would be a slim tapered neck. The neck is just a little fat for my taste.

Really had no problems except the pickup selector becomes loose, and I have to tighten it. Sometimes, a while ago, I would switch from Treble to Middle and it would still have the sound of the Treble. That problem is fixed now, though.

They have been really nice. The only problem that I called them about was with my case, in which the lock wouldn't open. I got it open after it was broken, so they are going to send me a new one because of the lifetime warantee.

ALL AROUND PERFECT PRO GUITAR AT A GOOD PRICE.

Perfect Les Paul Studio with black finish and gold hardware. Made in Nashville in 2001. Everything about it is the best. Great for the price. No binding and pearloid inlays make it cheaper. It is great.

Sound is perfect. The hot alnicos are great pickups. i can get any sound out of then out of my peavey and fender amps. my korg pedal and distortion sounds make it sound better. No dislikes

Everything was perfectly set up. had low action with hardly any buzz. the toggle switch is a little loose though. finish is great. I give it a 9.

never had any trouble with anything except the toggle switch. i dont understand why some people have trouble with the strap buttons. my strap has to slits so it holds very well. never gigged with it but if i did i would not use a backup.

never dealt with them.

The best guitar ever for the price. if it was lost or stolen, i would definately buy a new one. i own 5 other guitars and this is my favorite. i love this guitar 10

Standard Gibson Les Paul Studio. For more see the other eviews or check Gibson's web site.

Full, mellow and quiet in the "rhythm" setting ... good blues tone. "Lead" gets a bright tone without getting shrill. Overall, the Studio delivers a good range of tones with very little noise that should cover everything from Blues to straight-up rock without hesitation.

Here's the rub. The two, yes two, Les Paul Studios I examined were, without compare, the most poorly finished instruments I've ever held. The finish on these instruments is so thin it had actually worn to bear wood in some places and raw, unfinshed wood was visible around the cavity covers on the back of the guitar. The fingerboards on both guitars were sanded unevenly ... to the extent that it looked like they had been poorlu scalloped between some frets. Additionally, the frets were poorly finished and felt sharp enough to cause injury. I'd really like to have a Les Paul but for $1100 Gibson can keep these ... a Standard Mexican-made Strat puts these to shame.

See above. I wouldn't expect this guitar to last 6 months from what I saw.

Really, do yourself a favor & stay away from this one. There are far better guitars out there at a better price. I'm just astounded at how poor the quality was on this instrument.

Has all the features of a standard, but a little more mass produced. classic humbuckers, maple over mahogany, 2 tone and 2 volume controls.

I play alternative bordering on heavy as well as mellow clean stuff. I use a Boogie Trem-o-verb half stack, and when she's having a good day, you can't beat the overdriven sound this guitar puts out. Clean is also impressive, but better sounding through an amp more geared for a clean sound.

the action is a little high, but only because it is due for a pro-setup. My only complaint is the frets near the headstock. they are too tall and it is way too easy to get over zealous and press the note out of tune. It is a common problem on the studio models (not just mine). I think a fret job would remedy this, but It shouldn't be required on a brand new guitar

everything but the finish is rock solid. I have already rubbed some of the gold off the bridge

N/A

Playing for over 4 years. I also own 2 LTD MH-300's. They are 24 fret jobs with EMG HZ pickups. sound good. The gibson plays a little better, epecially for lead work. It will probably be unbeatable once a pro has straightened it out and filed down those frets.

1996 uptown model,plum with trapezoid inlays and gold hardware. What sealed the deal was the brown/pink fur case which even the suckers buying Historic stuff don't get. That's $100 just for the case which is nice a case as you can have. Anyone who got stuck with one of those hard plastic cases with the plastic latches knows what I'm talking about. Haven't taken the pickup covers off to find out the exact humbuckers onboard but don't really care what they're named cause when I've tried as hard as a guy could try to make this thing sound bad and I have failed. Tuners are the Klausens I happen to prefer. Neck is rosewood not ebony but I cannot for the life of me imagine what I might be missing with the supposedly-mystical ebony. Frets are big and grippy. '59 contour neck is straight as an arrow. Intonation is perfect. I'm rating Features a 10 because the essentials are included and if I wanted some bizarre features like you'd find on a Sixties Vox with built-in delay or some such I'd buy one.

This is the first night I've owned it and I have to say I'm stunned. Normally a Special would not appear on my radar screen cause I figured I'd have to spend at least $1500 if not $2000 to get the combination of feel and sound I was looking for in a Les Paul. I almost didn't play this guitar because it was only $650. That would have been my loss, because the reviews that follow saying we just bought a Les Paul that feels like a Les Paul and sounds like you want a Les Paul to sound for half the price (or less) than people buying Standards or Classics or whatever paid are completely true as far as I'm concerned.

The pickups through my POD II are a little mushy on the bottom strings, but I attribute that to the POD because I don't remember noticing this when I auditioned it through Laney and Traynor tube amps. It's so in tune and intonation that chords just ring and you hear notes you didn't know were in the same chords you've always played. Octaves seem especially true. The nice setup - I haven't touched a thing - helps it sound so creamy.

If you blindfolded me and told me it was a $2599 Historic what-have-you I would have been really impressed.

The sound has clearly made me very happy. I was sick of my Custom Shop Strat and my '55 Les Paul Junior. I haven't had this much fun playing electric guitar in a while.

Guess I already touched on this. I'm lucky - whoever had this before me might as well have been me cause even though I'm compulsive I can't find anything wrong with it knock on wood. I feel very fortunate to have stumbled upon this instrument. It doesn't look particularly soulful, it's basically new which is a negative to me, but it plays and sounds soulful so that'll work.

This one's been in Colorado and has no degradation of gold hardware whatsoever. It will probably spend more time in the studio than on the stage so sweat shouldn't be a problem with the finish as others mentioned it might. We'll see.

I'm going to editorialize a little. The present buying climate is really weird with the emergence of eBay, the glut of Historic bogus cllector's items with hugely inflated prices, huge superstores that make you listen to someone else playing in the background while you're trying out a guitar, and smaller retail shops dying out.

To think that when I had Les Pauls on the brain and was in the market to buy one I stumbled upon one this good at a small retail shop for $650, I'm thrilled. That's THRILLED.

A complete blast for $650. With the money you save, pickup a great tube amp and you're so far ahead of the game it's sick. 10!

1994 Studio, made in Nashville. This one has the rare ebony fretboard. The '59 profile neck' features the large trapezoid inlays and medium frets. It has a thick body. Finish is Black (ebony) with chrome plated hardware. Stop bar tail piece says "Gibson Made In Germany" on the underside. The tuner knobs look sort of green, almost like Jade. They turn smoothly and have no backlash. Two stock humbucking pickups, a metal jack plate and everything else that comes standard on a Studio.

With the addition of Schaller strap locks and a strap, it tips the scales at 10 pounds. (22kg) Pictures of the black & chrome Studio model do not do it justice. It is a gorgeous instrument.

I don't play Mariachi, Middle-Eastern, Polka, Porn, or RAP (Retards Attempting Poetry) but, I play just about everything else. I've owned 2 '70s Les Paul Deluxes, (too heavy, bad tone, bad action & bridges) a 90's Les Paul Special SL with the crummy 1960-style slim taper neck (microphonic pickups, action & frets too high) and have sold them off. The Studio model is a keeper.

Great jazz tones, blues tones, clean tones, punk, crunch and of course, classic rock tones. My fingers fly on the fretboard. Another reviewer described it as '...playing on silk...' The ebony fretboard is truly incredible. The stock pick-ups are great and they aren't muddy or thin sounding. Cool tones using my homebrews or any of my other tube or solid state amps from Ampeg, Fender and Peavey.

With distortion you can hit clean harmonics on every fret position that has a marker on it. Very cool. For overdrive, I use a 'TS808 modified' Tubescreamer, for medium distortion an Ibanez Slam Punk (my favorite pedal) and for heavy stuff and Ibanez Classic Metal. For those singing/violin/thick solo's I use a Big Muff Pi with lots of reverb. Most importantly, the pickups are not microphonic.

Notes and chords speak with authority. It contrasts my acoustic guitarist's sound nicely. My Telecaster sounds muddy compared to this LP Studio.

The pickup sound is changed dramatically with only small adjustments to the pickup height and string balance screws.

The fretboard and neck are very comfortable. I bought it used so I could not tell what the original setup was like but, the G string nut slot was not cut properly. The string would go 'ka-chink' when tuning because the slot held the string too tight. A nut file fixed that. No other factory flaws were visible.

I measured the old strings with a micrometer and they were a set of 9's. Not wanting to file the bridge slots wider just yet, I put another set of 9's on it. I'm used to playing Strats with 10's. I warm up on the Strat, then pick up the Studio. Boy, can I play fast now!

The truss rod needed a major adjustment. The wood has cured (dried) with age and the neck had never been adjusted. The intonation was way off. After a pro setup, the tuning is rock steady even with the stock tuners. All guitars should have a pro setup before posting a review. Age, humidity & temperature all have an effect on guitars. Truss rod adjustment, intonation, bridge height and nut slot trimming are not mentioned by other reviewers who complain about tuning problems. Just had to point that out.

5 of the 6 strings had red silk wrap on the ball ends. I suspect that these were the original Gibson strings from 1994! (This is being written in 2002.) They were blackened & sounded awful. With the bad setup, bad strings and jacked intonation, this guitar still had a sonic beauty all it's own. I compared it with 2 new LP Studios in the store and this one sounded superior. The others had rosewood fretboards... (and $1K price tags) I don't know if the wood made the difference or the age of the instrument.

Since it lacks neck binding, it will be easier to replace frets in the future. Bound necks are more difficult to refret. The frets have no sharp edges or high spots. I can easily reach the highest frets and have rediscovered soloing above the 14th fret. I can bend strings across the neck and the notes don't choke out.

To check out a guitar's finish, step back about 10 feet and observe light reflecting off of it. This trick will reveal wood blocks, laminations and finish imperfection. There is no perceptible blocking or flaws on the back of this guitar. The top on mine is 3 pieces spliced & balanced symmetrically.

Being used, the guitar looked like it was only a year or two old. It had some minor finish marks from normal use. This is a '94 model so it has fared quite well. No corrosion or rust on the metal hardware. A soft cloth cleaned up the chrome stuff nicely. There is a bit of visible blistering in the clear coat on the headstock face. Strange.

I installed Schaller strap locks because of an unpleasant experience I once had with a 70's cherry SB Les Paul deluxe with mini humbuckers. It slammed a 'G tuner first' head dive onto a concrete floor while I was standing still. Listen to the experienced players & put strap locks on
that Paul!

Gigged with it for the first time on a Saturday night last month. It played & sounded great. Packed it up & took it home. Came back Sunday morning for two more services and the tuning only needed very minor tweaking. A couple of strings were off only 5 cents. This after 12 hours and a 20 mile trip in the trunk of the car. The tuning is never off more than 8 cents after taking it out of the case and traveling. After playing a month, there are no broken strings or other problems with it.

I emailed Gibson the serial number and asked for the manufacturing date and location. They replied in 5 minutes. Try that with any other company & let us know the results.

Regarding Guitar Center, I happen to like them. Does anyone else have lower prices? The next day I returned the gig bag & bought a SKB hard case & Shaller strap locks. No hassles.

The only rip off was the state sales tax. For what Governor Gray Davis robbed me for, I could have bought the Gibson cream hardware dress up kit, or ten sets of strings, or another distortion pedal, or taken my wife to dinner and a movie, or 3 tanks of gas, or more RAM for my computer, or shoes for my kids...

I thank my Wonderfully Intelligent Financial Executive for helping me acquire this axe. She said if I got 2 more guitar students signed up, the guitar would be paid off in a few months.

I have been playing rock guitar since 1964. I build & mod my own tube amps and SS effect pedals, I teach guitar and I read music. I play Contemporary Christian rock. But, back to the guitar...

Around 1990, Les Paul Studios went for about $500 new. Today, they go for about $1,000. A Gibson Les Paul is a good investment. Get one today, or pay more tomorrow.

I prayed for guidance to a great guitar before going shopping. I was looking for a low end LP Special or LP Special HB SL because that's all I could afford. GC was sold out of those but I spotted this LP Studio on a floor stand marked 'USED - $699.' It had grimy fingerprints all over it, giving it that 'oil slick on the parking lot' look. It was not what I was looking for. I picked it up and it turned out to be more than I'd hoped for. Moral: 'Don't judge a book by it's cover.'

The selector switch works every time and makes no noises. The volume and tone controls have a nice taper and work good. I don't know why some people report problems in this area. Mine is fine. Tuning stability is great, after the neck adjustment, cleanup & lube of the nut slots. The stock tuning gears work fine. This guitar is stock and I don't plan on changing anything.

Unfortunately, the 4 conductor cable from the switch to the control cavity did not have the shield wire attached to ground. The folks at Gibson snipped it off at both ends. I stripped the insulation back a little and grounded the control cavity end. This reduced hum when using distortion pedals. This was my only gripe with the guitar.

If it were ever lost, I would sell my Stratocasters & Telecasters to get another. But it would have to sound & play just like this one.

For $500, wouldn't you rather have a nice American made Les Paul than an imported copy?

This is a review for a 2001 Giobson Les Paul Studio, made in the USA. 22 jumbo-type frets, arch-top and no binding. 3 way toggle witch, 2 humbuckers(490R and 498T). the finish on this bad boy is the new "pewter", basically a flat grey - very nice!! Deluxe tuners and came with the Gibson pink-fur lined case.

Man-o-man!!! God himself could not have created a guitar this incredible. I play covers like Fuel, STP, Bush and Foo and this covers the bases. I play though a Peavey GX212 solid state amp and use a POD 2.0 as my effect. The sound is remarkable, I played a PRS Singlecut at the dealer and there was no contest, this Gibson rocks!! The sound is so full and the leads are effortlessly played. It's also very quiet.

The guitar was hanging on the wall at the dealer and was perfectly set up. The pickups needed some adjustment as I like them almost hugging my strings. The overall fit and finish was near perfect! The only problem here was the following. I always take the pickguards off my Les Pauls, when I went to remove the pickguard off this one there was a dent in the wood that came from a bolt underneath the pickguard. During shipping it must have pressed itself against the body and dented it, this went down to the wood and looks like a crescent-moon-shaped dent about 1/4. The guitar does not have a thick lacker finish, just a light nitrocelloluce coating that's easy to dent - so be carefull and check under the pickguard before you buy it to make sute there is no existing dent.

Other than the sensitive finish, this guy can definetly go live for years. I've only had it for 2 months and have yet to gig with it. CHANGE THE STRAP BUTTONS ASAP!!!! They are terrible! My strap fell of the upper button 3 times! Luckily I caught it all 3 times. I'm in the process of putting Schaller locks. Otherwise a solid guitar! I never gig without a backup, you know, strings tend to break...

No contact yet.

I have been playing since 1990 and have gone though about a dozen guitars since. This is by far the best one I have purchased and the one I'm most content with. I saved for 4 months and it was either this one or a 2001 PRS Silver Singlecut, this guitar was the clear winner. The Singlecut may look like a Les Paul but feels and sounds way different. I opted for the Studio instead of the Standard because they are identical. The only noticeable difference here was the binding around the neck and body, which I dislike anyways. And the tuners, Stardards have Grovers. But these Deluxe tuners are very reliable as well. Plus I saved $900!! This guitar is well worth the price and would definetly buy again if it were stolen or lost.

I bought this studio as an upgrade to my Epiphone Les Paul standard. Its one piece mahogony wood. Two Gibson humbuckers, two volume pots and two tone controls, with a 3 way pick up selector switch. I was made in the USA

I bought mine with a wine red finish, which features black pick up surrounds, tone-volume pots and scratch plate. It also came with a Gibson hard case, which I've been told retails at #160 itself.
The guitar also has a stop tail-piece.

The neck is quite chunky but feels nice. I wouldn't recommend it to the speed demons out there, but generally it feels nice. One prob though is the weight of the guitar, but this helps with the sustain.

I play alternative rock music, which tends to be heavy in parts (but not in a metal sense). Generally speaking the parts use a clean guitar sound with lots of effects. Other tones include a slightly overdriven sound and a heavy distortion. The amp I use is a Carlsbro GLX series 80 watt amp. Effects include Cry baby wah wah, Line 6 DM4 distortion modeller,Marshall Super Vibe chorus, Boss Flanger and Boss Digital Delay and reverb.

When I first plugged the guitar into my setup it sounded wild compared to my Epi Les Paul. The pickups are really powerful and can distort on the clean channel if you turn the volume up. On a dirty channel they really cut threw the mix, and there is a lot more note defenition. Also pinched harmonics sound alot clearer and fuller.

There are a range of tones that can be produced by this guitar. When tapping I use the neck pickup, otherwise its generally the bridge and center positions. I find I can't really use the neck pickup for the way I have set my amplifier because the sound appears to be way too muddy.

One of the main characteristics of Les Pauls in general is definaletly the sound, and if your looking for power this is the guitar. It sustains brilliantly when doing lead lines and bends with wide vibrato. Its great for all styles from bluse threw to metal.

I tried out a load of Les Paul Studios, and the one I bought had to be the best in terms of set-up. Initially I tried the guitar in the shop with a high action but the guy there lowered it for me and it played a lot better. Its fine at the moment but I plan to take it to a specialist to get it properly set up. Also changing the strings was beneficial. The guitar came with .9's but .10's stay in tune better and sound a lot better as well.

One problem I dod have is that when playing the open 'A' string there was a rattling sound coming from the pick up, and a screw was loose on the headstock which in turn made the open 'E' string rattle. Tightening the screw solved this but occasionally the 'A' string rattle appears when playing.

As soon as I got my guitar I got rid of the nasty cheap looking strap buttons and replaced them with strap lock buttons so I know the guitar won't fall off on stage. (A WORTH WHILE INVESTMENT FOR ALL GUITARS---GET SOME STRAP LOCKS FOR THEM!!!!)

I could definately depend on this guitar live, but I'll be taking my Epiphone as a back up to be on the safe side.

The finish is good on the body and neck, but i'm a bit worried with the finish on the head-stock. The cheapy Gibson print job is a bit disapointing but it's STILL an original Les Paul, accept without the Pearl inlay in the head stock and the binding. I prefer mine without the binding anyway.

I haven't had to deal with the company as of yet as I just purchased it a couple of weeks ago.

Overall this guitar is good, the prices of Gibson guitars has rocketed in past months but I think I managed to pick up a great deal. Guitar plus hard case for #799 in London where they are generally going for #900-#950.

The guitar speaks for itself. Great tones, especially for Rock. Stability, good looks and the Gibson name.

I personally would not pay an extra #600 for a pearl inlay in the headstock and the binding, which I never liked anyway.

'97 USA Les Paul Studio, standard LP layout, propper thickness mahogany/maple body with full size trapezoid inlays. Red Wine finish with gold hardware, already fading but it's got character. Came with Gibson USA gigbag. Strap buttons are TOO SMALL, she (Felicity, I named her) fell off the strap at a gig and the headstock hit the floor first, didn't appear to be damaged but since then the headstock laquer has flaked off, all around the edge of the head, not nice. I like the 2 volume controls as most of the time I use only the bridge pickup so I can use the toggle to switch it off with the neck vol on 0.

I play in a punk band and a hardcore band and it can give me what I need for both bands. I need more bottom end for the HC stuff which it has, by the bucketload. I'm also taking jazz lessons and the neck pickup is really nice and warm for those clean jazz tones. I have a Marshall JCM900 4101 100w 1x12 combo, which she sounds nice through, maily for home use. My gigging rig consists of a Marshall 1971 100w "Superbass" head, usually with two valves (tubes) removed for a smoother 50w, Boss NF1 Noisgate, Boss CH1 Superchorus and a Boss MT2 Metalzone (CH1 and MT2 only used in HC band, prefer not to use MT2 if I can drive the Marshall) and a Dunlop Crybaby original, Planet Waves leads and a 1976 Marshall 4x12 loaded with original Greenbacks. I'll be purchasing a Mesa Engineering Dual Rectifier Rackmount head very soon, which should mean I can ditch the MT2 altogether. I used Mesa Single and Dual Reccis on tour in europe and she sounded AMAZING through them. I'll keep the Marshalls for practice and recording respectivly, the Superbass can cause problems being so old, It'll be good to retire it to the studio i think. One problem I'm experiencing is that I don't think the guitar is earthed very well, if I'm not playing and a hand isn't touching a metal part then I get a very loud buzzing, it happens with all leads and all amps in all venues so I know it must be the guitar, need to get that sorted out. I know someone who was almost killed by a mains surge though a Boogie DC5 whilst on tour in Poland, so I really don't want to take any risks like that.

I was promised a set up by the shop before they sent it out to me, delaying the delivery 3 days, when it arrived there was a dead spot ath the 12th fret on all strings and the action was so low I couldn't stop the strings buzzing. Raising the bridge up helped but it was way too hight to play. One pro setup later and she played like a dream. I havn't had to raise or lower the pickups, they were about right for the output I want. Finnish...now here we go. Not at all happy with the thin laquer on the headstock and the fact it's comming off in big flakes after ONE knock, the body finnish takes some beatings, (and believe me it has) but the headstock is positivly upsetting to look at. it looks alrightif you look straight at it in low light, but at an angle under the light I wanna cry looking at it. I take pride in my guitars and it looks horrible. I Can't have it re-applied without loosing the Gibson and Les Paul logos, so unless I can find someone who can re-create them (illegaly probably) I'll have to live with it. I'd like it to have a white pearloid Gibson logo as although it's a no frills guitar, I think it'd look classier with a propper Gibson logo instead of the gold. I chose the studio over a similarly priced '75 Red wine custom and an 81 Tobacco Sunburst standard because I prefer unbound guitars, but the Logo is the the cheapening factor, along with the now blank "Studio" truss rod cover.

Played live at every show I've done since I bought her, the tuners can be a bit unstable at times, I think that's due to them not being tension adjustable. I intend to replace them with Gold Locking sperzels with the Tulip style buttons.Like I said before, the finnish on the body is very good, withstands knocks very well but the headstock finnish is very fragile, anyone buying this guitar NEEDS straplocks, I have them now, but now's too late. I can depend on her to sound good every night but I try not to go without a backup. It seems when I forget the spare I always break a string. I recently toured europe with one of my bands for 3 weeks and I couldn't take a spare due to space limmitations in the van, needless to say I oblitorated more strings than I care to remember, all bottom strings and I play heavy gauge, 0.52 bottom E in standard tuning so.... Thing is, my perfered spare guitar (Ibanez RG548) has a Floyd Rose so if I break a string on that then I'm really knackered.

Don't know, I havn't had to contact them, doubt I will as I carry out most of my own repairs or have them done by trusted professionals.

I've been playing almost 12 years and I've gradually built up my gear to the ultimate "LES PAUL" dream that I've had since seeing Slash for the first time. As I've said already, I own the two Marshall setups, the Boss and Dunlop pedals and an Ibanez RG548. I also hav a Washburn Mercury series and an Ibanez EX170. I've also got a Korg AX30G multi FX that I don't use. I'll soon be aquiring a Boogie Rackmouted Dual Rectifier, Korg DTR1 tuner and a Custom made thru-neck guitar with Tune-o-matic/strings thru and EMG81s, based on Jim Root's (Slipknot #4) Jackson SL2s, with a few of my own specifications.

I compared Felicity to a '75 LP Custom and an '81 LP Standard and to my ears the Standard sounded no different, and the custom was a bit too toppy (probably due to the bigger 70s maple cap and maple neck) I chose her over the others for her looks, as the tone was pretty much identical (jesus! I sound shallow!!). If I lost her or she was nicked I'd be very upset, and I'd definitly get another, I'd maybe have extra laquer sprayed on the headstock to prevent it flaking off again.

1991 Les Paul Studio
White finish
ebony fretboard
gold-plated hardware
Grover tuners
...everything else is about the same as on other LP Studios

Previous owner installed strap locks.

Sounds wonderful! I have NOT had this guitar long, but I can tell that it has a better overall sound than my ES-355 does...although I do like the 355's Varitone system. The mahogany lends more warmth and the solid body resonates evenly and sustains the way you would expect with a Paul. Now that I have the Les Paul, I realize how much I dislike needing the stereo-to-mono adaptor with my 355.

Of course, this guitar cannot do the single-coil twang (it would be great if it could). However, it fits my style with the robust rock and bluesy tones and with the rich sound it has on the clean channels. I love all 3 of the general tonal qualities provided by the 3-way p/u toggle. This is not a true jazz guitar, but I am not a true jazz guitarist...so to me, this thing sounds pretty jazzy.

I play at home and in *very* small crowd/party situations. I have a Fender Blues Junior and a Marshall 5250(?).

I need to have the guitar set up. I made a bridge height adjustment, and the action and sound are good, but the neck looks like it might have too much relief, and the intonation is not perfect yet.

I am not sure if I want to use .10's or .11's in the long run. It seems to go out of tune a bit more than my 355 does (the 355 has stock 70's Gibson tuners versus the LP's Grovers), but that's partly due to my changing strings a couple of times (i.e., always playing on very new strings) and the fact that the guitar just isn't set up yet.

The finish is beautiful and I see no factory flaws at all. From head to toe, this looks like it passed QA with flying colors before being shipped out. The white finish has been slightly stained by guitar stands. I am not worried, because I tend to keep my guitars in the case.

I LOVE the combo of white finish/gold-plating/black plastic parts....this is perhaps the sweetest looking of all the Studios (at least that I've seen). Looks almost as good as a Standard to me...in some ways better.

The neck feels superb!

There is no way (barring a real accident) that I'm going to mess this guitar up. I am suspicious of the finish being hard to maintain, but I haven't had the guitar long enough to know. I don't REALLY gig, so I expect it to be very dependable. Even if I did gig, I would feel confident.

I haven't contacted Gibson about this guitar yet.

I HAD to give this a 10, because I gave my ES-355 a 9, and this is a much better value. This is a true Les Paul at a very affordable price.

I love the look and feel (I happen to like heavy guitars). More importantly, I love the sound.

I may someday go for a single-coil electric (perhaps a G&L?). But if I ever lost this LP, I would definitely look for another one. I used to think the same for the ES-355, but now I'm not so sure. Just too expensive.

'91 wine w chrome parts; Kluson Deluxe tuners; chunky but not clunky neck ('59 profile).

Wallop and sustain, with excellent harmonic content.
Rock machine.
Used with Marshall 9100 power amp and processor/preamp.
Can also do Jazz and Blues well.
Love the unbound ebony fingerboard and substantial neck.
The Kluson machines are sloppy, but it stays in tune ok.

11 years old.
Doesn't show wear.
Everything is fine and still works.

Strap locks a good idea. I still use the stock strap buttons, but they are small and treacherous.
Finish still intact.
Neck perfect.
Frets durable.

N/A

Playing guitar since 1961.
Also have a Martin.
I would get another in a heart beat.
Great rock guitar. Perfect sound and playability.
I have seen quite a few LP Studios that seem like wonderful guitars at a great price, used. Also Studio Lite seems good, from the examples I've seen.
I like the general tone clean, and all the harmonics when distorting.
Seems like the perfect electric guitar to me.
I've had a Les Paul Custom, and LP Junior, as well as SG, but this model is a no frills Les Paul with the full on Les Paul w maple cap character, crunch, and a great ebony neck feel.
I love it.

Your standard Les Paul Features just striped down to a sold color body. Pearl Inlays. Medium fret. 2 volume knobs, 2 tone knobs. Rosewood Fretboard.

My Setup goes like this:

Peavy Ultra Tube 112 Amplifier (3 channels) - Pedalboard (Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner, Boss DD-5 Delay, Sustain Punch Creamy Dreamer/Sustainer, Vox Wah) - Gibson Les Paul Studio

The studio is a great gigging guitar, it gives you a very high quality sound for gigs that you wouldn't want to do with a $2000 guitar. Played clean it can do anything from classical to jazz, distorted it can go off on bluesy tangents or thrash with the best of todays rap-metal wannabies.

I play everything from Smashing Pumpkins, Matthew Good Band, STP, Tool, to softer stuff like Sarah MacClaclin, jewel stuff (we do shows with a female singer too) So it's a very diverse instrument.

The Bridge Pickup is great for lead, with distortion it gives solo's a vicious bite, especially when run through a DD-5 and a wah.

The other pickup is a solid rhythm pickup, great for fingerpicking, clean sounds, or when acoustic songs with an electric.

The studio is a very comfortable guitar to play. Some complain about the weight, but i don't notice it. The action is pretty fast, but for some odd reason there are just some licks that i can't pull off as well as i can on a $200 mexican strat. Mind you the sound quality sounds a lot better, but when doing faster stuff it can be a little trickier due to the medium action.

The finnish is a 10, you can't go wrong with a pure black guitar with Chrome hardware, very conservitive, simple, and easy on the eyes.

I have played this guitar in every live situation, with my high school jazz band, gigs, senior formal dances, and it has held up quite well, no problems as of yet. I installed strap locks to ensure my guitar doesn't hit the stage (i encourage everyone with a guitar priced over $1000 to do the same).

I would definetly use it without a backup, although i do bring along my mexican strat for songs tuned 1/2 step below concert pitch

Never had to deal with them

Overall, it is a great working guitar. It's sound quality is great, playability is great, and an overall excellent guitar, are there better guitars out there, of course! But don't overlook this baby, if your into anything from Blues, to jazz, to modern rock, this guitar is perfect for you

2001 LP Studio, Made in USA. Standard features, came with hardshell case. Ebony finish with gold hardware.

Doesn't have all the little bells and whistles of the Standards and Customs, but I saved several thousand $$$. I also prefer the simpler look of the Studio.

Suits my style perfectly, I think you could play ANYTHING with this guitar. Excellent axe. Here's what my setup looks like. Guitar -> Danelectro Delay -> Ibanez Turbo Tube Screamer -> Dunlop CryBaby Wah -> Boss Stage Tuner -> Volume control -> Fender HotRod Deluxe amp.

This baby has a FULL sounds that absolutly drips with tone. The clean channel on my amp paired with an LP is unbelieveable...nothing like I've played before. For so long I know the sound I've wanted, but lower quality guitars never let me attain it.

The only thing I don't like is that I had a hard time getting a good thick rhythm distortion, but that was my fault. I tweaked my amp settings, my pedal settings, flipped the switch to treble and started soaring.

I ordered from APlusGuitars (EXCELLENT guys, btw) and they double checked the action before they shipped it. It was all nice and adjusted for the gauge of strings I play when I got to my door.

The pickups are awesome, I thought they weren't quite hot enough when the music gets to jamming, but again...I tweaked my gear and everything was fixed.

The action is amazing as well, since this guitar is quite hefty, it really feels like I'm playing something and combined with the rosewood fretboard, my fingers feel free to run wherever I want them to go.

The hardware, fininsh, body, etc was flawless and I'm doing my best to keep it that way. Carved body with the ebony finish and shiny gold hardware is immaculate.

The only downside, it's hard to keep clean!

This guitar feels like a tank. The case is also very solid. It will withstand just about anything I throw at it.

The hardware is durable, my only worry is that the gold hardware will dull over time, but hey...that just gives it character.

One thing about the strap buttons...invest in some sort of straplock. The strap buttons are tiny, and since it's so heavy if you move around at all this guitar will go flying. Definltly something you don't want to happen. I bought some Dunlop StrapLok stuff and didn't have to drill any holes or anything. Just screw and go.

I can depend on it. Very reliable so far.

I wolud never gig without a backup, what if a string breaks or something? Last week was my 1st big gig with the LP and I was so excited I left my backup at home....well what do you know, I broke a string...my 1st in about 8 monhts. ANyway, the jist of the story...always have a backup.

Not had to deal with Gibson, but the reseller I bought from, APlusGuitars, was EXCELLENT. Buy from them, you will not find a cheaper price on Gibsons.

www.aplusguitars.com

I've been playing for 5 years now. I also own a Fernandes Monterey and a few acoustic guitars. If it were stolen or lost, I would buy another. After playing on such an amazing instrument, I would be sick to settle with anything else.

For a while I thought maybe Gibson LP's were expensive just because of the Gibson name. But I was proved wrong when I plugged this baby in. You get what you pay for, and this is well worth the investment. At some point I will get a Strat for some of the songs we play, but for all around playing, this is very versatile.

This guitar was built in 2001. For those of you who want to know the exact birthdate of your Gibson, you can go to the website and it will tell you how to read the serial number to the exact day it was made. They also have records of older models for specific years. This Studio has all the basic features with gold hardware and a red-wine finish. A hardshell case was included. Warning: The nitro-cellulose finish reacts to certain types of rubber and sweat. When my guitar first reached the store, where I purchased it, they hung it on a tilted guitar rack. The rubber used on this rack ate right through the finish. Gibson has known about this for a long time. It was promptly replaced with a brand new guitar untouched by store employees. All the hardware and looks are excellent.

This guitar does everything I need it to do. I like the fat tone and the fact that it can sustain a single note for soooo long. I generally would not use it for country style playing; I've got a tele for that. As a matter of fact, I prefer not to play anything with single coils, but that's just me. The Studio is extremely quiet and can create just about any tone I desire. The harmonics or overtones it produces are really cool, it kind of gives that ZZTop feel when he does the solo in LeGrange. Anyway, the sound is bitchin' all the way around.

The action and intonation was virtually perfect straight from the factory. However, I like the action a little lower so I had to make necessary adjustments to suit my desires. I would not recommend anyone to adjust the trussrod unless you absolutely know what you are doing. It is extremely sensitive. The guitar is absolutely beautiful.

This is my primary guitar and has done well for over the past six months. The tone is awesome and it plays like a dream. However, the finish where my right arm touches is almost completely gone. The nitrocellose finish does not hold up to my sweat and neither does the gold hardware. The upper half of the gold plated saddle has worn off along with part of the bridge pickup. I wipe it down frequently to prevent this, but to no avail (and I won't be the guy who is so in love with his guitar that he wipes it off ever few minutes). The finish won't last, but who really cares as long as it plays well.
The first thing I did was buy strap locks because the ones the come with it are undersized. I saved them just to make sure I have all the original parts for future purposes. I trust that this guitar will stand up well to a night of playing, but I will never go on stage without a backup. There's not much worse then breaking a string in the middle of a performance and not having a backup.

I love their website. Check it out sometime.

I've been playing for well over 15 years. I own tons of equipment, but currently prefer my Marshall and Les Paul Studio. I want to keep things as simple as possible. By the way, my initial intention was to purchase a Jackson neck-thru guitar. I played at least a half dozen of them. I love Jackson guitars, but that Les Paul happened to be sitting near by. When I picked it up, it felt just exactly was I was searching for.

'93 Wine mahogany w maple cap; unbound ebony fretboard; trapazoid inlays; Kluson "acorn" tuners; chrome hardware.

I haven't been impressed with Gibsons for a while now, but THIS particular guitar feels great, sounds very good, and plays fine.

Bought it used, but mint, recently. They threw in a nice (non-Gibson) LP size hardshell case.
There was only slight fret marking in the first position. Seemed NEW!

I've been playing Fenders (mostly Telecasters) for the last 20 years, but before that had a few various Gibsons.

It's fat but still has enough highs for me to be crisp and the sustain is great.

This model doesn't twang like a Tele but does have a nice snarl to it.

I play many styles and this guitar covers them pretty well. I have had trouble getting a good Jazz sound from Les Pauls, but this one seems OK.
It'll do Country too, and of course excells at Rock and Blues.

I like that it's quiet, so in high gain situations I don't have to turn the guitar volume off between songs.

I adapted to the shorter scale fairly quickly for an old dog.
Sounds good clean or distorted. Delivers a good strong signal to the amps or processors, pedals, etc.

My amps run the gamut from Tech 21 to Marshall.

Previously owned, but felt OK when I bought it. Had 10's on it I think, I changed the strings to 0.11" - 0.48" Everly's nickel.
Intonation fine; everything lines up straight and the frets are big but not ridiculously so.
I had an old LP Custom once that was "fretless," and didn't appreciate it. These are nicely finished and pretty comfortable.
I like the ebony fretboard.
The Kluson machines are a bit lumpy feeling, but I've had worse and they stay in tune OK.
I lowered the bridge pickup, as the previous owner had it very close to the strings on the bass side and my hand was chunking the strings into the cover.
Finish is flawless. Very pretty.

I worry about a mahogany neck with no volute behind the nut, so I would never leave this guitar on a stand. I've played maple bolt-necks so long I need to be conscious about this guitar, whereas I never worried about anything but nicking the back of the neck, before.

Don't like the stock strap buttons, so I use Strap-Loks.

Beyond that, it's solid, and the components are good stuff.

Sometimes I gig it without a backup, but usually I have another guitar handy for "different sounds," anyway.

Finish seems durable. Hardware gets tarnished around here no matter what it is (seaside resort town).

I do all my own work. This ax is way used anyway.

42+ years experience, all styles. Plenty of jobs, even some demo-studio sessions. Variety is my calling card.

I'd look for another LP Studio if something happened to this one, but it seems like 50% of them don't appeal to me, usually. Affordable though, for a Les Paul.

I love the chunky neck feel and the chunky sound, and that it still has enough highs for Country work (though that's not my forte anyways).

I also have a Gibson ES-175 Jazz guitar, but this is way more versatile. I still like Fenders too, but this lil' ol' guitar brings good manners to the party and feels good to play (doesn't "fight" me).
There's several solidbodies floating around the house of various designs, but this one is my "grab and go" ax, lately.

Nice fat tone. Power to spare.

Acoustic guitars are boring.

2001 USA Gibson Les Paul Studio with H/H pick up(Alnico 490R at the neck and 498T at the bridge) configuration and seperate Volume and Tone pots for each pick up and 3 way selector. Nice laquerd maple top and mahogany back and a nice fat mahogany neck. Single cut away body and set neck with a 24 3/4" scale. Stop Bar and tune-o-matic bridge and Kluson(i think) tuners. Came with a hard case.

This guitar suits my style perfect. I usually play classic rock and the variety of tones I can get is unbelieveable for a H/H config. It tends to slightly distort(unlike my strat copy) on my AVT100 on the clean channel if I pluck the strings hard or have the gain too high. Nice bright sound too. I just dislike that it distorts slightly on the clean channel. Probably wouldn't happen on a full solid state amp though.

The action is slightly high for an electric but it's easy to live with and can be easily changed. Slightly heavy and tends to slide off my right knee if I'm not holding it right. Also, the intonation was very slightly off (not noticeable by ear unless you've got a really good ear) but it had been sitting in a box since August with the same strings on so they made need changing.

Seems very reliable to me. I would expect it to withstand giggig easily. The strap buttons are a little small though so consider strap locks if you consider buying one of these great guitars. I doubt the finish will last through the years if you do a lot of gigging because of the nitrocelluose (spelling?) laquer which isn't the best of finishes at lasting (unless you clean it with special polish and look after it well) but it sure does look good. Just give it a wipe down with a cloth (100% cotton) and it should last well.

Never delt with them.

I've been playing just over a year and I play it through a Marshall AVT100. If it was stolen I'd murder the SOB that stole it and steal enough cash of them for another. I love the distorted sound you can get out of this guitar but the clean isn't so special. Very versatile too for a H/H config. Before buying this guitar I was planning on getting a Jackson RR3 but because of the Floyd and shape which isn't good to site down with I looked at Gibson's LP Studio. At first I was going to order the `97 LP Studio for #599 but the store I was gonna order it from had sold out so I went for the 2001 model which they highly reccomended because it sounds and looks better than the `97 model. Only thing that's a problem with it is the finish(which isn't too durable) and the strap buttons (which are too small) but I love everything else about it though except maybe the head stock angle which is quite far back so It's not a good idea to leave this guitar lying on it's back. God help you if you drop it on it's back.

My Les Paul Studio was (of course) made in the USA in 1994. It's the standard LP set up - trapezoid inlay (done meticulously), absolutely great tuners, rock solid tune-o-matic bridge and two covered humbuckers - 490 (N) and 498 (B). The finish is ebony with gold hardware. Everything about this guitar is stock.

I'm in an emo-core/punk band as the only guitar player. We do alot of dynamic melodies, i.e. fragile clean melodies to hardcore, and this guitar covers all territory very well. I use a Marshall JCM900 100 watt head and a Marshall 1960B straight front cab. I use a E-H small stone phaser, Boss OC-2 (octave) and a Dan Echo in the loop. This guitar is not at all noisy actually produces something of a darker sound in the middle and neck positions, with brighter tones coming from the bridge pickup. The LP's crunch is unbelievable.

I bought this on Ebay, and the guy before me had it set up very well. The action is low (I actually raised it abit) and the neck feels fabulous. Every other guitar I play feels like a toy in comparison. The hardware is in great shape, but I know gold hardware has a tendency to pit overtime. The only complaint in this category is the pickup switch. It's a little noisy sometimes (it pops rather loudly) and it occasionally manages to turn itself 180 degrees so the bridge is on top and the neck is on bottom. This is very irritating, especially in live and studio applications. The finish is flawless other than typical wear and the pickups don't move out of adjustment like some guitars I've had.

I have and will continue to gig with this thing. It's great live - I've had some guitars that were horsey in the live application but not this guy. The Studio's bridge is also free of burrs that cause string breakage on a lot of Les Pauls. As people have noted, the strap buttons are way too small and strap locks are a must if you thrash around a lot. The finish stands up to my uber-heavy right hand attack and seems to be very thick and well applied. It's a Les Paul...would you expect less?

Never dealt with them, and I hope I never have to.

I've been playing for 6 years and I own a lot of gear, and the LP is by far the cornerstone of my arsenal. If this were stolen, I would become a sad, vengeful man and takeout my frustrations on family, friends and house pets. This guitar is a heavy black masterpiece of luthiery and is sonically and aesthetically beautiful. I've owned an Epiphone Les Paul and it is no comparison whatsoever. The body is thin and light and the sound is total crap. They don't even deserve Les' name on them. The Studio, on the other hand, definately does.

Mine is a 1994 model, wine red, trap inlays, chrome hardware, all stock.

Sound is very complex and very characteristic Les Paul-full deep. I play it thru a Fender Frontman 15G-Still sounds good--(Wish I got the 15R at least)I also own a Wolfgang Special--The Studio's sound is not quite as defined as the Wolfgang. But I really believe your sound comes from your head and fingers more than what you're playing.Randy Rhoads would make the cheapest guitar sound like the best.

I bought the guitar used and had a local pro--set it up. After that it was better than ever!Everything on this guitar is solid-

I only play for my dog-Bella Duke--She likes it! But I know this guitar will last.

Gibson is very good at answering questions.

When I got my Wolfgang, I thought I don't need two guitars ( I'm no pro by any means)I'll sell the Studio- The Wolfgang has the Floyd and the fast neck but their's something about that Les Paul sound. I decided to keep both. I shopped very long before deciding on my guitar-I tried everything! I felt the Studio had the sound.If it were lost or stolen--I'd get another one--maybe one of those Les Paul Studio Standards from the early 80's.

It was made in 98 or 99 in USA.Got it used with a flight case.
normal studio features with dot inlays but cum on you dont buy a guitar to stare at the inlays. if you wanna stare at something go up abit and look at the GIBSON name and be proud.=)

oh my god...so amazing. even on a crap amp its AMAZING sweet child o mine is just wow.email me at lickwid_brayley@btinternet.com if you know what the best amp is for this guitar im just using an old one right now.

the set up was from the man i bought it from and was really well done.

very durable im the 3rd owner and it has not 1 scratch or anything. would definatly use for giging. says in tune.

never dealt with company.

Amazing sound dont waste money on standard, this is just as good if your buying a guitar for sound.

Handmade in USA '99
22-frets
2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way switch
Passive Gibson 490R/498T (H/H) pickups / electronics
Nice slightly transparent ruby red finish with rosewood neck
Body is classic Les Paul
I got a case with it

I play mostly rock/metal, and this suits me very well.. I'm running it through a Crate GX2200H and a Marshall JCM900 cabinet. Only effect I use is Dunlop Wah..
I'm very pleased with the sounds.. this guitar rocks, never had a better one =) though I'm thinking of upgrading the pickups to EMG's Zakk Wylde set.. then it'll be a killer!!

I bought it second handed, the string were a little high but I fixed that..

I think this guitar could withstand a fucking war, it's as reliable as a hammer.. Only complain on Gibsons are the bad strap buttons, at least on Les Pauls, the strap just falls all the time.. I changed the strap buttons to Dunlops straplocks and that side is also taken care of.. now I can through the guitar as much as I want =) and still it holds!!

I give 7 for the stock strap buttons..

Never dealt with 'em

I've been playing for about 11 years now.. with this baby for about a week, My other guitar is Gibson SG-I, a very good guitar but it feels as a toy compared to Les Paul.. so I think I'll buy couple of more Les Paul's in the near future for sure!! It's the first guitar I'm completely satisfied, I've owned Ibanez, Hamer, Jackson.. but they all sucked someway, they felt somewhat plastic / weak.. but this one feels as a guitar should!
I compared it to a Epiphone Les Paul, and I don't know how Epiphones are built, but they are very light and feel very cheap.. so if you want a Les Paul, buy a Gibson.. or a original japanise made Tokai.. but avoid cheap replicas..

2001 Wine Red Gibson USA
Carved Maple Top/ Mahogany body
490R Alnico Humbucker
498T Alnico Humbucker
Tun-o-matic bridge

1.) Rich full sound. I think Les Paul guitars rock !
2.) I am using a small Fender Champion 30 amp and playing mostly classic rock.

1.) There were two scratches on top, but they are hard to see as the Wine Red covers them.(So much for Gibson QC !!) Hence the "4" rating.
2.) Two of the volume control knobs were defective. One was missing the number "3".
3.) The Gibson case had a slit in it and the gold plating is coming of the metal straps. It is a piece of garbage.
4.)

This guitar seems solid, but the finish seems like it could take a beating. The Nitrocellulose laquer is very sensitive to just about everything. I polish the darn thing with Gibson polish after I play it everytime. It looks sharp and I hope this will slow down any checking that may occur. (Remove the strap after you are done playing or your strap could also ruin the fininsh!!!!!) Gibson needs to invest in some R&D, to come up with a finish that gives the Nitrocellulose tone and the durablity of other finishes.

The strap buttons seem small as other reviewers have noted.

I get the feeling this thing would not last long when gigging in some enviorments.

Never used.

1. I have playing 5 years. I own a Fender Strat(Made in Mexico ! When bought new it didn't have one flaw in it !) I think Fender quality beats Gibson by a mile.

2. The Les Paul has a wonderful sound, but it is too expensive ! I wish I would have bought another Strat.

This is a 2001 Studio in the new pewter colour, all the normal features,2 humbuckers, 2 volume, 2 tone knobs, and 1 three way switch pretty basic but everything I need.

I play mostly rock, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics with Pink Floyd and the Cure thrown in. I really enjoy the sound, a little dark but "smooth".
I play through a Traynor YCV40 tube amp. I prefer the sound of this to my Strat clone, I find it is a more fluid sound than my other guitar, that might not make sense but the notes seem to blend against each other better, maybe because the neck feels better so I am just using better fingering position.

The set up was great, I had to choose between this one and a teal flip flop one. The action on mine was a little higher and I liked that.
Everything was great except the tuner for the b string was loose (wiggley), and that is being replaced under warranty.
The paint on the teal was shiny and really nice but I prefered the more basic look of the pewter one, also I liked the "feel" better.
The neck feels brilliant, frets nicely finished. I am giving a 6 because of the tuner otherwise it would get an 8

This guitar should last me for ever, my wife says it must.
The only concern is to put strap locks on due to the weight. I will not gig without a back up no matter what guitar I use.

Can't really comment here, the local shop was good about the tuner, but then they should be, thats one of the reasons you spend the big money.

I have only been playing for a year, my other guitars are a Jay Turser Strat type, and a Seagull S6 acoustic guitar(brilliant).
I mainly use a Traynor YCV40 amp, but also have a Digitech RP200 and a Marshall G10 Mk11.
I prefer to play with just the guitar straight into the amp.
I love the "feel" the wide and flat neck, and the sound is amazing.
I tried tons of other guitars trying to find one that sounded and felt as good but cost less, my second choice was a Godin LGX, but I am really glad I got this one.

made in 1997,made in u.s.a i give this guitar a 10!!!!
has 22 frets,laminated top,
volume,tone,3way selector

i love the style it is a very heavy tone
i use a crate 212 and an fx processor
no
full sound
screaming sounds and dark heavy sounds
love it all

nice
i adjusted them
yes
no

Mine was a Gibson Les Paul Studio made in 1995. Of course it was made in the USA. Beatiful wine red finish with chrome hardware. Rosewood freboard. I'm sure you folks know the rest of the features of a Les Paul: 2 humbuckers, 2 volume knobs, 2 tone knobs, 3-way pickup selector switch, hard-tail 2-piece bridge, etc.

I no longer own this guitar because I'm an idiot and I sold it a few years ago in an incredible fit of stupidity that I still kick myself for today. That having been said, at the time I owned this guitar, I was playing in a one-guitar trio creating wall-of-sound, droning, sort of psychedelic rock and roll with loads of effects echos and such. Since I was the only guitar player in the band and all we had otherwise was bass and drums, I endeavored very much to have a full, textured, BIG sound (not necessarily distorted, just big in terms of the sheer amount of sound coming out of my guitar). The Les Paul Studio was excellent for that sort of thing. I mean, c'mon, two fat humbuckers stuck on a thick piece of mahogany? That sort of gee-tar can produce an incredible amount of pure sound, yet I was always amazed at how I was still able to get such articulate tone out of my it at the same time. That, I think, is the real strength and beauty of a Les Paul right there- they can roar, but they still have pure golden tone while they're doing it. The sound is definitely very rich and full. My favorite pickup setting was the neck pickup with the tone knob turned way towards the bright side. It produced a deep, clear, ringing tone that I nicknamed "The Cathedral Tone."

This guitar was ready to play right out of the store. I would put the action at a good medium (not too high, not too low) I didn't ever have any action adjustments made during the whole 3 years that I owned it. Basically, this guitar was perfectly set up by the people at Gibson, at least for my tastes. I'm not a big lead player however, so you burning masters o' chops out there might think differently of Gibson's factory set-up. There no flaws in the construction of this guitar.

My Les Paul Studio was definitely a work horse and I felt confident to gig with it frequently. It never gave me any trouble onstage, and I would've definitely gigged without a back up (in fact, I did gig without a backup most of time- it's call being a poor college student).

I never had to deal with Gibson concerning this instrument, so I can't rate it in this respect.

I've been playing now for about 6 years. I currently own a Fender Telecaster and a Rickenbacker 330, playing them both through quite a few stompboxes and out of a Fender Deluxe 112 plus amp. At the time I bought my Les Paul Studio, I'd been playing for about a year and was using the same amp that I still use today. This guitar was a joy to play. The tone was always warm, but I wouldn't say it was muddy, as some people accuse the Les Paul to be. The sustain is just about the best of any guitar out there. Period. Hit a note and it just keeps singing. If it had been stolen or lost while I owned it, I would've been so bummed I wouldn't have known what to do with myself. And then I would've miserably saved my money penny by penny and bought another one. I would like to say that I bought my Les Paul Studio in 1995 and it was made the same year. According to my observation, the Les Paul Studios that Gibson tries to foist upon the consumer nowadays are total crap compared to the way they were made just 5 or 6 years ago. The newer ones have thinner bodies than the Les Paul Standard, and that's just highway robbery. The Studio should be the exact same dimensions as a Les Paul Standard, only not as cosmetically fancy (i.e. binding and figured top). My 1995 Studio was this way. However, these newer models are just cheap, shoddy, thin, bullcrap guitars that should not even be called Les Pauls. Shame on Gibson for putting out such an inferior product and then attempting to pass it off as a genuine Les Paul. My advice if you want to get a Les Paul Studio is to try and find an early or mid-nineties model, they're fantastic guitars for a relatively low price.

I have used the user reviews so often to rate before many purchases and strongly encourage contributions to the database AFTER you have lived with the equipment for a few months.

I am not going to bore you with the features offered on this model. It is a 2000 LP Studio - translucent wine red finish, flamed top with trap inlays.

I have owned LP standards and customs previous, but this was my first Studio. I was not disappointed. In some ways, read weight, it is an improvement. But let's face it, an LP Standard is a gorgeous instrument with the binding, etc. You just have to decide what you consider to be important........ unless $$$ is no object, then I would buy one of those friggin beautiful Gary Moore signature LP's!!
Friends, it sounds great. Nice lead tone. It is always a throw of the dice on the sound of the two HB's together, but I lucked out and got one that makes those clear bell-like tones. The sustain is classic LP with that blooming sustain rising up out of your amp. Oh yeah, play it through a nice amp, or don't blame the guitar.

I play so many styles and let's face it, an LP can deliver the goods.

Factory set up was unacceptable...... but then again how many are? I realize that I am very picky about set up, but this was not a function of my standards being too high. I had to adjust the nut considerably to keep the first few frets intoned correctly. The saddle compensation was WAY OUT! I had to flip the bridge 180 to provide enough compensation for the low E. Action was high, neck relief was acceptable. The good news is that after several hours I was able to walk away from the bench with a perfectly intoned and well set up instrument. This is the bottom line, because I have owned instruments (even expensive ones!) which could not be set up without MAJOR (read - expensive, out of the ordinary) work. I am going to give it an 8 because of the fact that the quality of manufacture allowed for normal adjustments to result in a well set up instrument.

Definitely reliable within the realm of sound judgement and care. I take care of my guitars and this one will be around a long time. I always have a backup at gigs (broken strings, etc..) but that has little to do with the durability of the instrument. After reading the reviews and owning other LP's, I put the strap locks on before it even got picked up for the first time. A decision I suggest everyone make.

Don't know. For the price of the instrument,they damn sure better take care of any legitimate issues.

I have been playing for 25 years or so and have lots of gear (guitars, amps, drums, PA equipment, etc...). If you have the jack, buy the LP. The better you sound the better you play.......the better you play, the better you sound...... it is a beautiful cycle. Get good gear, Play often, Play with feeling, Enjoy the gifts you are given and use them in a positive way.

This is a great guitar........ you could do a hell of a lot worse!

2000 Les Paul Studio bought in 2001
It's color is Ebony. The pickguard, knobs, pickup mounts were black, but I exchanged them for cream and gold knobs. Nice!
Pickups: 490-neck/498-bridge. 2 Volume/2 tone knobs (normal LP)
I made a deal with the guy at the local music to get a deluxe case with it, and still get some bucks off.

I play a hard rock sound (Nickelback, Fuel, Alice in Chains, STP, Creed, etc.). I like the pickups a lot. The brigde is great for any ol' distortion, very versatile. It handles even a Staind-type tone. I like the dark sound it has. I play it through a Boss DS-1 distortion, a BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone, a BOSS EQ-7, a DOD phaser, and a Original Crybaby to a Crate Vintage Club 6112, which runs a Fender Stage 85. It's rocks. Simple as that. It's work for even a Jazzy, Bluesy tone too, but I use my G&L Legacy Strat for that.
Overall, I love thing tone. It wails.

The action is great, it plays great too. (Not as good as my Fender Tele Elite!)
----but, here the but----
The finish is a pain in the a$$. I doesn't clean up easily, and I don't like the finished neck thing. It's gunks up pretty easy.
I don't like the hardware (pickup mounts, pickguard, knobs, etc.), but that's easily fixed. I bought new ones.
It's gets an 8 because of the finish and knobs, but I plays great.

It would definity handle a live gig. I'd never gig without a backup, but I think it would hold up.
Haven't had it long, but if can handle the beating i give my G&L, I think it'll be fine.

N/A. I'm sure there okay

I've been playing for 5-6 years. I own a Strat, two Teles, two acoustics, and now a Gibson Les Paul Studio. It's by far my favorite of the 6 guitars.
If it were lost or stolen I think I'd step up to a Standard or a PRS 22CE, but I'd still miss it.
Great bang for the bucks (I'm still poor)

I bought this guitar new in 94. Other than that, if you've come this far you already know what it has.

I have bought and sold numerous guitars since I bought this one, and it is the one I keep coming back to. I don't really have a set style, but I've been able to get just about every sound I've wanted out of it (IMO all LPs should have coil taps for the neck bucker). If you like Strats or Teles, you should already know to stay away, becuase this guitar doesn't scream, its much more mellow. That said, I have also always played through Marshalls (JTM30 right now), which also adds something to that sound, but if you boost the mids on your amp (scoop it), you can definately get it to scream...

I honestly don't remember how the guitar was set up when I bought it. Probably like crap, but I don't think set-ups should be a factory concern, it should be the store's responsibility (although anyone can tell you the stores will disagree). When I bought it, it was perfect and absolutely gorgeous to boot.

This guitar is the fucking rock of gibraltar. Many people would cringe if they knew what this guitar has witnessed (and many others would probably be in jail). Anyway, I can't really see how anyone with some thread of sanity could possibly break one of these. The two things that suck are the strap buttons and the tuners. Before you leave the store with one of these, get a new set of tuners (I really like the Grovers) and a set of straplocks. If you drop this guitar on the headstock, the tuners will break, and without straplocks, you will drop it on the headstock...

I don't know anyone who's ever dealt with a guitar company (other than lining their pockets), do you?

I've been playing since middle school, I'm in college now. This guitar was stolen, but I got it back, hehe... If I hadn't recovered it, I would definately have bought another one as soon as I had the money. The neck is the best part of this guitar, it has a really deep C profile that I have come to love. Like I said, a coil tap for the neck pickup is a really great thing to add to this guitar, it really helps fill out the lead role, cuz it can get muddy with the neck humbucker in full swing. Also, if anyone has a Paul that they are looking to get rid of (carved top only) cheap, let me know. I don't care how beat it is as long as it has a straight neck.

This 2000 Red body with chrome hardware (Tune-O-Matic), rosewood finger board, duel humbucker guitar was given to me as a Christmas present. It came with a nice cardboard box w/ plastic handle.

I play blues and classic rock; Eric Clapton, Jimi, T-bone Walker, B.B., G.Dead, Who, etc. I played it through a Blues Jr. and a Marshall 30 watt ss amp. The first thing I did when I tuned it up was to play without plugging in for a while. I noticed a surpising sustain and musicality for a solid body guitar. Once I plugged it in I was greeted by the normal "Les Paul-humbucker" dark sustain. It was everything one would expect from this type of construction. I was a little disappointed in the sameness from neck to bridge pups. Sure, there was more bite in the bridge, but the variation was so much less than the strat I had been borrowing. Bottom line: wonderful tone but limited.

The guitar was right out of the box from G. Center. Set up was good, a tad high but well intonated. You couldn't tell much about the wood with an opaque red color but the finish was smooth and well done. Tuners and hardware worked fine, electronics were also quiet and smooth. The neck was something else...I actually cut my finger on the frets. Not just one, but every fret had rough, razor edges. The frets were also very high, almost like playing a sitar! I was astounded that something as simple and obvious as this could get out of the factory.

This guitar weighs a TON. It had to weigh twice as much as a strat. With that said, why does it come with these cheesy itty-bitty stap buttons? You'll need to buy strap locks if you're going to gig with this instrument. Otherwise the Studio seems pretty rugged...very stable, stays in tune, even with a lot of serious bending.

Never delt with Gibson...I took the guitar back to Guitar Center where the manager gave me a lot of crap about "all Gibson's are like this". After he ran his fingers over the frets, even he had to admit they were horrible. They offered to file and polish the frets. I told them to forget filing, it needed a whole fret job just to lower the frets to a playable height. They agreed to replace it with another Studio.

I've been playing for over 30 years, mostly acoustic guitars and a borrowed electric every now and then. In those 30 years I've played just about every level of guitar from $200 Asian imports to $2,000 Martins. This was my first electric guitar and it broke by wife's heart that I couldn't stand the thing. While the tone was exactly Les Paul, it was not nearly as versatile as a Strat. You'd have to hook it up with a lot of effects to change that tone. Still, I could have delt with that except this thing was the most uncomfortable instrument I've ever played. It slides off your lap if your sitting down (which you'll have to do since the thing weighs so much). The 24.5 inch scale is really cramped above the 12th fret. I've got short scale acoustics that are easier to play above the 12th than the Studio. The frets on the other Studios G. Center offered to replace mine with were only slightly better. When I buy a guitar tone is 40%, looks are 20% and playability is 40%. The Studio had a one dimensional tone, OK looks and horrible playablility. The only way I'd ever get one of these would be if I wanted a second electric guitar for that "Les Paul" tone. Even then, I would really look around before I bought a Gibson. I compared the Studio's with an American Strat and ended up with the Fender. By the way, watch out for those sales guys at G. Center. The tried everything in the book (including personal insults) to get me to buy the Studio even though the Strat was the same price!

Okay, right up front, I'm going to be a bit of a spoiler here, because I wasn't altogether happy. Anyway, if you don't know what features a LP has, then you probably need to play bass or something.

I'm a fender guy, and I prefer single coils, but even I have to admit that these pickups were pretty killer. The neck gives a great warm rhythm sound, and the bridge gives a brighter, bluesy lead sound, which can also make a good rhythm-lead ala Pete Townshend. Besides a little overdrive and stuff like reverb, delay, and wah, it really doesn't take to effects very well. Chorus, flange, distortion, phasers, they all sound bad. And though I can admit that sound quality is good, I don't like the sound itself. It doesn't fit my style.

Okay, terrible! The 3way crackled, and it spun around a lot. The finish was pretty beatup, and it looked like someone had touched it up poorly. But it is a pawnshop guitar, so I'll let that go. But it played so badly. Okay, short scale, not my thing. But the strings bit into my fingers like shark's teeth. Twelves, eights, it didn't matter. I played with the trussrod, the bridge, the nut, and it never changed. Those strings fretted harder than anything I've ever seen. I'd put the action low enough to rattle, and it still hurt. This guitar tore right through my callouses and made me bleed a couple times, if I lost myself and played for more than a half-hour. I'm soured on Gibson forever now.

It's not the toughest guitar in the world, but it would be hard to kill it using anything resembling good judgement. I've only used it as a studio guitar, because quite frankly I need my fingertips in tact at live shows. But I don't see how the guitar would fail you. I never once broke a string on it. Of course, I never played it for hours on end like my Fenders. Electronics were sound, and even the switch wasn't too bad.

No clue.

I traded this straight up for an American Tele, which is my favorite guitar now. Good riddance! It sounded like quality, and people were always like, "Wow, nice Les!", but everything else was all wrong. Now I have a great Tele that sounds good, looks good, plays good, and wouldn't do a thing to hurt me, so I guess the experience got me something.

IF YOU ARE A DIE HARD GIBSON FREAK READ THIS!!!!!
1989 with 22 jumbo frets. Very carved maple top, Standard 3-way toggle, has a sidewinder stacked humbucker in the neck and an L-8 humbucker in the bridge, both hooked up to a coil split.
Has one volume and one tone(no need for more). Maple top, mahogany back and neck. Has alpine white finish with black hardware. Grover seald tuners, black metal knobs and a STINEBERGER single locking tremolo system that can lock into a fixed bridge.
Very thin (for a Paul) neck with ebony fretboard.
Also includes Gibson deluxe hard shell case.

I play any thing from Black Sabbath to God smack to Led zepplin.
This guitar just can't sound bad! I use a verity of different amps but mostly a Hughes & Kettner Thirty for practice (awsome!) and a Yamaha G100 112 with a power lead soundtank stomp box. I know I should get a Marshall but I keep buying more guitars (you know how it is). You cant get this guitar to make annoying feed back squeals witch i think is great because it will still give you those Zack Wylde harmonic sounds. You couldent ask for better tone! I can get the 60's tones like Iommi, Page, Clapton (cream) and 90's hard rock tones like Cantrel?, Morello, and Cobain.
But this guitar is not limited to distortion. It has the sweatest sounding tone when you play with the distortion off. I just flip the coil split and 3-way to the neck and you could sware you where playing a tele only you dont have to feel like an ass because you own a fender.:)

I got it used and the action was very high. It must have been for alot of slide but I've got it perfectly low now with no buzz. I use ernie ball super slinky strings (of course) and with the ebony fretboard you can bend the high E all the way to the low E with ease (no kidding!!).

This is my #1 guitar and I play it everyware and its great. The original strap buttons where very small and almost cost some lives so I put strap locks on it. I give a 9 for this reason only.

I've been talking to Gibson about this guitar for awile and they are surprisingly helpful.

I have many other guitars that simply take the back seat to this butiful pice of art: 1986 Gibson Invader, B.C. Rich Warlock, Hamer Standard (explorer), Samick W/Floyd and EMG's, and some westones and hondos and some others. If this was stolen I would literaly kill that bastard, take it back and at his funeral I would set his casket on fire!
I love this Paul needless to say and wouldent cange it for the world.
If anyone has something simalar to this description please contact me!

2001 Les Paul Studio with the blue teal flip flop finish - Made in USA - 22 frets. It has a carved maple top with a mahogany back. Rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays. 2 volumes and 2 tones, a 3 way switch, and 2 humbuckers - a 490 at the neck, a 498 at the bridge. Stop tailpiece w/ tune-o-matic bridge. Grover tuners (not the chrome ones) and it came with a hardcase.

The sound on this thing rocks (compared to anything I'm used to, anyway). A very rich and full sound, awesome sustain. It's incredibly quiet on any setting when not playing, I couldn't be happier. I play it through a Boss GT-3 into the return loop of a Mesa Dual Recto. It sounds fantastic that way. At first I went right into the front input of the Recto, but I got a bit of a hum when I wasn't playing, so I put it into the return loop and it was as quiet as a bar of soap. Awsome. I play punk and hard rock (original, i know) and it suits me just fine. I use the GT-3's COSM setting for a MESA sound and just play the amp clean. I can barely tell the difference from the red channel on the recto and the COSM setting on the GT-3 (obviously, I had to tweak it a bit) - which rocks in case a tube goes during a show, I can just switch channels on the Recto and I'm back in business. (Depending on which tube goes, of course). You can pretty much make this guitar sound like anything. I freakin love this thing. I have a Gibson SG Gothic which I though was the shit up until I got this LP. Now the SG is definitely a back-up. Sorry SG.

Guitar was set up very nicely for me, almost perfect. Pickups are adjusted perfectly as well. As I said above, there is absolutely no noise coming from them. A+. Absolutely no physical, electrical or mechanical flaws on the guitar. None. The finish on this thing is insane. It's the blue teal flip flop finish that changes colors when you look at it from different angles. I couldn't decide whether to hang it in a frame on my wall or play it. I opted for playing it. But every time I look at it, I get that fuzzy feeling. Hehhhh....

This guitar could definitely withstand live playing. Duh. Hardware seems fine, no problems. Finish is fantastic and seems very durable. Strap buttons.. well, I never even tried them. I purchased strap-locks and put them on before I even played the guitar at home. I suggest you do the same. I can definitely depend on it. It's top-quality. I would gig without a backup if I knew that strings never broke, but they do, which is why I have that SG I mentioned as a backup. Sorry SG.

I dealt with the company when I bought the guitar. The rep (L.V.)couldn't have been nicer. A fantastic guy. He set up the guitar for me and gave me some extra sets of strings too. Bonus. That's the only time I've ever dealt with them.

I've been playing off and on for 15 years - the past few have just been "on". As I mentioned, I also own an SG Gothic which is also very nice, but the LP sorta blows it away. Sorry SG. If lost or stolen, I'd get the exact same Les Paul in the exact same finish. It's awesome. I love everything about it. I hate nothing about it. My favorite feature is the finish. I did not compare it to other guitars, I just knew it was time for me to own a Les Paul. I love it, and have no complaints.

2 pups, 2 tone, 2 volume. Passive electronics. Got it for 650 with a case

i play a noise rock-prog-metalish style stuff. To me it suits pretty well. not noisy at all. Only a couple of sounds can be achieved from this guitar.

I once talked to a guy who owned 2 custom shop prs's and he said this guitar was one of the best setups hes ever seen and it played like a dream. tuning pegs are deluxe gibson and stay in tune and are smooth to turn. A little buzz on the e and a strings, pretty normal.

finish is a wine red and it seems to be able to take a beating. hardware seems pretty sturdy. Strap buttons are very solid but a little small for my strap. I can probly depend on this guitar. i havent had a gig yet.

i love this guitar and im probably going to keep it forever. The only thing i dont like about it is a little string buzz, but thats probably my anal guitarist personality. My only advice would be to try it before you buy and make sure you love the guitar first.

Same features as those listed below. Ebony with gold hardware.

Its definately a Les Paul, only a touch slimmer sounding than a standard or classic.

Cant' beat it. Very professional.

This is a very robust instrument.

I have yet to deal with the company.

It is certainly a Les Paul without the extra $1,500 in cosmetics, and a little less wood in the body. While you always pay a lot more just for the Gibson name, this model is great for the price. I also play a Fender American Telecaster and an Ibanez Joe Satriani 100.

I never really understood whether features is a worthwhile critique on a guitar. Are Strats better than Les Paul's cos they have 5 pick-up positions instead of 3? As far as cosmetics go, the Studio doesn't have the binding on the neck and body, and has a thinner maple top, but has the standard LP configuration of 2 humbuckers (same as on the Standard and Custom), 3-way selector and 2 vol/2 tone knobs. Mine's ebony w/ gold hardware, which looks really sweet, particularly now I've spruced the guitar up with a 5-ply LP Custom Pickguard and some LP Standard vol/tone knobs (the gold ones).

Great. I am Jack's total sense of satisfaction. This guitar is slightly lighter than a Standard, so expect the sound to be slightly thinner. It stills sounds like a Les Paul to me, thick, perfectly rounded tone, sounds great dirty and surprisingly lovely clean. I can't stand the multitudes of LP-buyers who say they're playing metal, I would only play metal on an Ibanez. To me, a Les Paul stands for classic rock, and I've been playing all my favourite Pearl Jam songs using this beauty and a Boss OD-3 into a Marshall VS102R.

The pickups are good, neck is slightly louder than the bridge, combination of the two is good for clean sounds but leaves dirty sounds sounding muddy. The finish is worrying - it's absorbs marks easily. The gold hardware won't last I'd imagine - chrome is a better way to go, but it doesn't look as special. Tuners are good, but the G and B strings have a tendency to become flat after a while. Altogether not great.

I don't know. The LP feels solid, but I've heard all sorts of horror stories about them - necks breaking off, gold hardware oxidising; the only thing you do need to do if you are gigging (and as I'm not I've not bothered) is get some straplocks. Other than that, the guitar feels solid. One thing I do not like with this guitar is the nitro-cellulose finish - it gets very grimy.

Great guitar. I can't stop playing it. I am Jack's aching fingers. I'm sure a Standard is superior, but it is also a lot pricier (and heavier). I think the Studio is a good trade off. Hopefully it'll hold together as well as it sounds.

This is an update to my previous review (27 oct 2000). Go there for the specs if you want.

I used this guitar when recording a CD with my band, and the experience made me forget about ever selling this lead-heavy chunk of wood. I could get any sounds I wanted, from sharp and focused bridge pickup lead to warm and jazzy neck pickup velvet.

Takin' care of it myself regularly. Everything's fine.

Very dependable. A tad too heavy (eh, I think I've said this before)

A fabulous-sounding versatile guitar, a tad too heavy for playing live. To do live shows, I use The Hawk and a custom I had made, but for the studio, the Studio is the way to go! Gibson may be a big, screwed-up corporation but I live on the other side of the world and as long as my guitar works fine (and it seems it will forever, cos I ain't gonna subject it to abuse), it's fine with me.

'92 Gibson Les Paul Studio. 22 frets, large trap inlays, whine red finish, 3 way toggle, locking tuners, 70's hard shell case. I bought this guitar off of ebay for 550 thinking I was getting a good deal but when I received the guitar, there were many problems. It originally had a bigsby trem on it but the previous owner replaced it with a stop tail piece. The guitar looks very nice, it was kept in pretty good condition but there's a couple little flaws. On the Gibson logo, the dot above the "i" is connected to the G instead of floating above the i. Also you can see some imperfections in the wood. It's not really the noticable especially to those that dont know much about guitars but gibson could have used another piece of wood. Alot of people are going for Les Pauls from the early 90s and older, well I'd suggest looking for LP's from the 80s. Also DONT pay over 1000 for one, I dont really think Les Pauls are worth it, I mean they were but Gibson's starting to really suck wind on their manufactoring.

I play alot of emo and alittle bit of punk. Mainly just poppy rock. I play it through a Marshall Valvestate (I KNow I know). It really sounds good. When I got it, the pick-ups were really low and it sounded really wimpy, like a tele but I raised them and it sounds alot better. The toggle switch is broken so I havent heard the bridge pick-up. I mean I've played other peoples Les Pauls and Pauls at stores and I really like the bridge. This guitar is really good for harder stuff or metal. After getting it I can see why they were so popular back in the 60s and 70s. Probably not the best clean sounding guitar, but it does good on distortion. I roll back the volume knob to like 5 or 6 to keep it alittle more tame and also reduce feedback. It really is a good sounding guitar but I dont think I need a guitar with so much beef for the music I play. It's not really that bright, not like an SG or anything but you can mess with it and make it sound good. I personally think it sounds better if you turn the volume pot down to 6 or so.

Probably the worst thing about my Les Paul is it's action. When I received it in the mail, it had this bbiigg crack on the headstock but I got it fixed. The previous owner wont pay for anything so he ripped me off, but I guess not that bad. So anyways after getting it fixed, the action was so warped after being shipped then cracked and fixed. I messed around with it alittle bit and it's better but I still need to take it in and get it adjusted. I get BAD fret rattle and the action by the nut SUCKS. I cant even hold an F bar chorde. You can tell that the nut was replaced and the person doing the job did a reeaally bad job at it. theres also a few spots on the fretboard where a note might be alittle sharp or a little flat. Theres just a bunch of little stuff I need to get fixed. one of the reasons I wanted to get a Les paul was because it felt really good. Once I get it set up and maybe the nut replaced it'll be fine but Les Pauls can get screwed up if not taken care of.

The Finish is nice. The guitar is very very good looking. There are some flaws in the wood but no big deal. Also the previous owner put a Les Paul Custom pick-guard and black top hat knobs on it. These little extras kind of give it a little originality but not much, enough to tell mine apart from others. The knobs are also a little noisy..

So the action and feel sucks but the appearance makes up for it (a little bit).

This guitar will last a long time, but like anything else, it needs TLC. Two words, STRAP LOCKS!!! Very very important!! It sucks when you have a big nice fat crack on the headstock. so save yourself the $40 and the grief and the criticism people will give you and spend $15 bucks for strap locks. I've been trying to trade it in and alot of people are skeptical and reluctant to take it because of the crack. It's a very common thing but nobody wants to buy a guitar with a crack (I'm sure theres people that will). I would use this guitar with out a back up. My old guitar was an Ibanez and if you broke a string the whole guitar would go out of tune. I'm not a big fan of floyd rose trems.. Also, with spending this much money on this guitar, hard shell case is nesasary. I have an old one, it does it's job but I'll have to end up getting a new one if I decide to hang on to it. It's kind of cool though because at music stores people ask me "Is that a 70's Les Paul" and stuff like that and I'm just like "nope, it's just a 90's studio." I would also like to say to those on a budget; dont buy this guitar unless you get a really good deal (like 400), just buy a nice epiphone for cheap, like 200 or 300 and put in new pick-ups. Or maybe even look at different companies. See the thing is, is that Fender and Gibson can make crappy guitars and sell them for over 1000 because they are fender and Gibson. I'm NOT saying that all gibsons are bad, it's just that they're waaaay over priced and they do make great guitars, but dont spend the retail price for them. I'm looking at Rickenbackers now. They're American made but they're made reeaally good, some of the nicest guitars I've played. So anyways, it's a nice guitar, but I'm not sure if I want to keep it and spend the extra money on it.

I'm not sure but I'm sure it's gone down hill like their guitars

OK sssooo overall Rating... Gibson Les Paul Studio, pretty good guitar. Versatile but overpriced. If neglected and abused, it WILL have problems. Gibson replacment parts-easy to come across but $5 for a switch cap?! Look for ones made in the 80's or older, if not sure how to tell age, goto gibson website and they have a page on how to read the serial # (very useful knowing how to read them when shopping around). DONT spend over 1000 if buyinh used, or even new!! If not sure, please please play other guitars and do your homework and compare, it's not a little $300 Epi. Also, it's best to buy locally, ebay and other online places are great, but the chances of getting ripped off is alittle scary. There is nothing wrong with Epi's but Gibsons are better but I dont know if they're so much better that you pay twice as much. Buying cheaper guitars online is fine I guess, theres still the risk, but at least the loss is less. Ask ALOT of questions before purchasing and stay away from 3 day auctions!!! they cry out "theres something wrong" so go for longer auctions. ok so that sums it up, thanks for reading and I hope I helped out.

'91 Les Paul Studio, See through wine red, Chrome HW, Ebony fretboard.
Around 1993 or so, Gibson stopped using the Ebony fretboard and opted to go with rosewood. Not bad sounding at all, but I really like the playability of the Ebony fretboard. Usually have to get a much higher end LP to get Ebony if you buy a new one.
The fretboard is also inlayed with the LARGE traps, when gibson changed to rosewood they also reduced the size of the traps.
Tuners are the standard gibson tuners, which look and feel kind of cheesy. WHen I got the guitar I had thought about replacing them with Sperzels or Grovers, but hey if it ain't broke don't fix it. This guitar stays in tune great, why F with it?

I play all types of music with this guitar,it is good for everything.
My main reason for getting this guitar was a fuller sound and shimmering highs which I wasn't getting from my SG. The SG has more edge than this guitar but isn't as solid or full sounding.
I use 50W and 100W JCM 800 Marshall Tube heads with 4x12 cabinets.
Also use a 50W 2x12 combo JCM 800.
No FX, just guitar -> Cable -> AMP.
This guitar came with 490R and 498T pickups in it.
When using the guitar at high volumes with relatively high gain (not metal) the bridge pickup became slightly microphonic and the guitar would feedback excessively, even while playing. (not good feedback)
So, I replaced the bridge 498T with a Gibson Classic Plus '57.
Wow, the feedback was gone and the tone was excellent.
This pickup cost me $125 which is more than a dimarzio or duncan pickup but is worth it. The classic plus is found in only the super high end LPs. Very vintage sound, but also hot and very very clear.
This is the clearest pickup I have ever heard, it makes playing with dynamics that much easier.
I've played some really nice, high end LPs atthe guitar showcase in San Jose CA and can honestly say that this Studio with the '57 Classic Plus and Ebony fretboard compares with the LP Customs and Custom shop reissues. The only real difference is the binding.

Got the guitar used off Ebay for $635.
Has a few nicks and dings, players guitar.
Neck is perfect.
Set up perfectly.
See sound review above for microphonics.

This guitar is over 10 years old with no signs of problems.
With proper maintanence this guitar should last longer than me.
Get strap locks so you don't drop it.
Get a hard case.

n/a

Been playing for 10+ years.
This is my favorite guitar I have owned yet.
I currently play a gibson gothic SG and Ibanez SC420.
I like the other guitars when playing for a long time cause they are so light and comfortable.
For the LP get yourself a long strap, a strap lock, and play the guitar as low as you can. This will make the guitar seem lighter.

2001 Les Paul Studio (Ebony)standard 4 les paul volume controls
with rhythm / treble settings

I play hard rock / classic rock using a cheap gibson amp and occassionally octave effects ... Gibson's Les Paul Studio has an outstanding sound on all settings .. can go anywhere from a mellow soothing sound to a hard rock sound ... to a bass/rhythm sound

problems every now and then with the treble / rhythm switch .. but other than manufactured perfectly

amazing guitar ... will last through anything ... barely have to tune it. .. it can hold its tuning for quite some time ... not good to use a cheap strap on it though .. the guitar is fairly heavy for the typical strap ... very dependable

havent used them yet ... but it is assumed to be guaranteed for life

been playing a few years now. .. used to have an old ibanez but now i thought id indulge in a much finer guitar (Gibson Les Paul Studio)
just wish i had more effects

Les Paul Studio - straight out of the box as far as equipment. Standard 490R and 498T Alnico humbuckers. Mine is finished in the transparent wine red finish which is up to Gibson standards. This one came with the gold hardware, which makes for a beautiful guitar, but I would have preferred the chrome for easier upkeep.

I have only been playing for about 2 years. Most of my playing is country, southern rock and a little blues. My old axe is a Peavy T60 that I bought from a pawnshop for $75. The LP is like playing a totally different instrument. The treble is clear, sweet and has tons of sustain. Switch on both p/us and you have a rich full-bodied sould for playing some souothern rock or honk. This setting also works well for country. The rhythm is soft and mellow. It was quickly apparent that this ax was too much form my little Fender Frontmanand everyone I talked to to said get a tube amp. I got a Crate VC6112 and was in love with the sound for 2 days ( till the amp went south) but Mars Music was reallly cool about replacing it so anotherone is on the way. No kidding, this guitar was made for a tube amp. I know there are some great solid state amps out there, but nuthin' sounds like a LP thru tubes. The only reason I give it a 9 is my playing ability

I bought the guitar at Guitar Center, and John set it up for me. The action was typical Gibson, a little high from the factory. Now, holding and playing this ax is like wearing your favorite pair of jeans. Even my short fat fingers are finding cords and notes that I didn't know were possible. It truly is a pleasure to play. The finish is very slick, very few buff marks in the finish, and the wood grain shows thru the wine red finish jujst enouogh to know its there. Tuning is easy and it has stayed in tune for 3 to 4 days at a time. Thanks to John at GC, the action is so easy. I truly love sitting down and playing now.

Since I havent done any gigs yet, I cant say about live playing. Just wipe it down when you put it away and I think the finish will last for years. Everyone has told me to get a set of strap locks, 'cause LPs are know for comming off the straps. I have a set on order. Although my playing ability didnt warrant $1100 for a new guitar, I bought it with the intentions of this being my guitar for the next decade or so and if stolen, I'd but another one as soon as the insurance check came.

Havent had to deal with them

AS I said before, I've only been playing about 2 years and I am far from a guitar guru, but this guitar fit me and my style of playing. Sounds great, plays easy and the shorter Gibson neck fits me better that some of the Strats and other guitars I tried out. I think if you are looking for a classic guitar in apparence, sound and quality, the LP studio is among the best for the bucks.

Les Paul Studio made in 2000 22 frets made in USA. Black with gold hardware
2 volumes 2 tone potentiometers H/H pickups 498-T, 490-R, passive.Came with a hard case

I play mostly rock and blues and it sounds great, good loud fat sound with lots of sustain. I just love the sound!

It came from the factory with the strings a little high for my personal taste. I've lowered them down but it started to fret a little so I backed up a touch, but it plays great although I'd like to lower the action a touch more. I might have to play with the truss rod to give it more relief but I'll settle for that for the time being.
Pickups were right and all the rest looks great.

I've had it for 6 days so far and It looks like it can take some beating but it's just a guess.

I had one email answered but I asked about arm relief and they've told me they have never heard this term... Can you believe it?
Sounds like smart ass reply to me! I'm not a luthier so ....

I've played for 10 years but only got into guitars 8 months ago. I own a American series Stratocaster that also plays great
If it were lost I'd buy maybe the Gibson Standard so I could get more sofisticated finish.
The sound and playability are the top issues here not to mention the nice looks.
I wish I had a PSR Santana to complete my collection

Y2K LP Studio. Wine Red with Gold

This guitar sounds great. I love the neck PU and the mid position. Adjust the tone pots to taste and you can get tone everywhere you want. I don't care for the bridge PU but I just bought a new amp and hope it gives me better results. I love this guitar but would love it more with PUs that produce a more singing sustain and creamy OD. Hoping my new Blues JR will compliment the stock set up

This was shipped to me sight un seen by Guitar Trader direct from Gibson in Nashville. It was perfect. The only thing I don't like is that the neck gets sticky after an hour or so of playing and it feels like the finish is wearing off

I have been playing for 20 years. If stolen or lost I would buy another one w/o the gold HW. It is a great guitar at a great price. I have a Strat (Jap Squire from the mid 80s) and the LP - really like them both. All that's missing is a Tele.

A Wine Red Les Paul Studio, I think it was made in '97. A true Gibson USA. It contains the basic features of a les paul - 2 volume/tone controls, 3-way switch, 2 humbucking pickups, etc.

Sometimes the sound is great, and sometimes I just can't be satisfied and get the sound I want. I use it with a Fender Princeton '65.
I play classic rock and just started playing jazz. If I use the rhythm pickup with the lowest tone and maximum reverb, I can get a sound which reminds of Pat Metheny, but after all it's not a jazz box.
It sounds pretty okay after all, but everytime I see a les paul standard on televition I remember how good CAN be a sound of a les paul. I think a Standard sounds much better than a studio.

The set up is okay, the pickups moves a bit and the pickups way switch is not installed that good, it can be pretty easily dropped.
The finish was kinda perfect, I guess, it had a pure quality when I bought it.

I feel this guitar can be trusted, after all it's a pure gibson usa.
Basicly the quality is very high, it seems to last very long.

Been playing for 3 years, I own only this guitar and a cheap Yamaha acoustic. If it were stolen I would probably better save more money and buy a Standard, and be much more satisfied. I love the way it looks, the way it sounds (though it's not perfect), I compared it to a standard which I really liked, but cost much, much more..
I wish I had a Les Paul Standard, a PM120 of ibanez (The Pat Metheny Sig. Guitar), And I guess I'll have both of them sooner or later.
Overall this is a good guitar which sounds great and can get you satisfied.

Early 90's with stock AlNiCo pickups, basically a STANDARD, fat neck and all, minus the binding. This particular guitar was ordered from the factory with a AA top (go figure), and is finished in transparent red with gold hardware.

This is an extremely versatile guitar, as it is equally at home playing blues, pop, jazz, and is clean and clear enough for a little Chet through the right amp. It's a great match with a SUPER REVERB and other FENDER combos, but it absolutely smokes thru an AC30. All the great LP sounds are in there, with the middle position rich and smokey, not thin and nasally or muddy as many newer LPs can be. My guitar tech says that they all can sound that good, but proper pickup adjustment is critical. This requires lots of patience and a good ear, but the results are well worth it. This guitar was rather limited before setup, but now can be used to good effect in vitually any playing situation. And this is coming from a guy who has always kept "role guitars", and usually NOT many LPs. I had planned to replace the stock pickups with SETH LOVERs, but now will keep them. While there are certainly better sounding pickups, the difference is more a flavor than a quality thing, and the improvement a subtle rather than drastic difference.

I found the fit and finish to be in line with the rest of the LP line at the time. Everything fits, but the laquer on the top has clouded a little from right arm contact, and will undoubtably get worse. It appears that the previous owner had issues with cleaning and basic care. And when will GIBSON come up with gold plating that doesn't disappear within the first two or three years?

I guess we"ve already covered the cosmetic issues, and the actual performance of the guitar has been flawless. I wouldn't be afraid to use this as my only axe, as long as a FENDER were available for different textures. But as always with an LP, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TYING ONE ON WITHOUT STRAPLOCKS!!

NA

If you want that LP vibe on the (comparative) cheap, this is your guitar. Don't buy one with dot inlays, as they are thinner and cheaply manufactured in my experience.

An ebony black ''91 LP studio with chrome hardware. ebony fretboard blah blah....you should know the rest by know....
I removed the pickguard
(think that it looks better this way)
I also put on a chrome pickup switch ring which goes very well with the hardware.....

This guitar sounds really nice....
But through my early 80's MXR D + into my musicman 130W is where it really shines...... Also sounds nice with most of the effects I've tried it with.......
including phasing, e-bow etc.......

The action was just fine the way the previous owner had it set up....
It has some minor paint chips and there there but nothing serious.......
The pickups are set up just fine......
Considering that this guitar is 10 years old its still playing just fine.....

I added strap locks which in my opinion should be put on any instrument you care about....
The most fragile part on a gibson is the where the neck meets the head....... Thats what they say anyway...
I talked to a guy in a band called Delta 72 or something.....
I think his name was Greg...
He had had a 335 that broke just there..... I spoke to him when they gigged in Gothenburg like half a year ago or something and he was a nice fellow......

I dunno about warranties and stuff.....
But Im a big fan of Gibsons instruments and Ill probbly own more of them in the future.....
Although the prices for them are going up into an almost absurd level here in Sweden.....
Every time the Luthman catalogue
(the swedish distributor) comes out the prices are going up.....
Which is kinda sad........
anyway my next axe will probbly be a DeArmond M-75 or something......
Anyway I think it's sad that gibson makes the epiphone versions of the LP...... those are the kind of toy guitars you either give to your 7 year old kid brother or buy when youre gonna make a video and cant afford to smash real gear in front of the cameras.......
Its kinda funny that I got this guitar for about the price of a new
epiphone silly uncle fucker les paul standard....

I don't like the newer LP studios...
especially the ones who have dot inlays and all that.........
Mine is an early 90's one which is what Ive heard are the best ones.....
If I'd ever lose this one I'd definitly get another Les Paul........
And I'd hire a bunch of local proffessional thaiboxers to beat the living crap out of any uncle fucker who'd try to steal it from me...
If I ever get another LP it's probbly gonna be a Custom......
Preferrably an early 80s silver burst one or something nice and special...... Or a honeyburst standard.......
But there are various other cool guitars that I'd get first.......
A jaguar, an SG....... blah blah

The exact features I was looking for with one volume and tone knob for each humbucker and no whammy bar.

The best sounding guitar I have yet heard, and I have heard many different guitars.
I use it with my Peavey 5150 half stack and it is honestly the best combination I know of. I love my gear.

I have seen numerous low ratings hear in other reviews on Gibson guitars. Mine came with no problems or flaws of any kind. Maybe I got lucky? I changed the strings to Ernie Ball 10's which I prefer.

I had an Ernie Ball Axis guitar before this one. The Axis was awesome but I sold it and bought the Les Paul because the Les Paul was superior in sound. The Les Paul does not seem as indestructable though as the Ernie Ball guitar so I'll give it a rating of 8.

"10" is for fantastic value and that's exactly what this guitar is. I've been playing guitar for almost 4 years and finally am satisfied with my guitar and amplifier. I want an SG Special next. I have read a lot of reviews with comments stating that Gibson does not put out quality instruments, but I disagree. My Les Paul is awesome.

1986 22 Fret, Black w/Nickel Hardware, stock Les Paul Studio guitar. Regular finish, no binding, white pickguard and toggle switch "ring." All standard Les Paul type hardware. I have added strap locks and a hard case.

The Les Paul scream is apparent, especially when utilizing distortion, and the guitar's warm midrange sounds beautiful when played clean. When I first bought this guitar used, I played it through a cheap BOSS amplifier, and the Humbucking pickups put it's bass range crackling and distorting every time. I play alot of styles of music, and have found the guitar to be incredibly versatile tone-wise.

I bought the guitar used, but it's previous owner has taken great pains to ensure it's good condition. The black finish shows fingerprints, but it really works with the white pickguard and switch ring to make this a beautiful instrument. The intonation and frets had been professionally set, making the action the most comfortable I have ever played. As for flaws, the stock tuners are cheap, you need straplocks, and the factory finish can absorb oils, hurting the appearance of the guitar.

Even though this guitar is solidly built, if someone were to drop it on the ground I would personally throw my body down to cushion it's landing. This guitar is way to expensive to drop, and there are too many things that can go wrong as a result of rough handling, as this is a precision instrument. Gibson headstocks are known to break, you can screw with the natural intonation, and you can generally hurt the finish. I could definitely depend on this guitar for live playing, but obviously you should always bring a backup guitar to any performance.

I have never dealt with the company.

Overall, I love the Les Paul Studio. It looks great, plays great, and especially, sounds great. If it were stolen I would be hard-pressed to find another instrument that I can actually afford that would give me the same versatility. Out of the very small number of guitars that i have played, it is my favorite. I guess I never would have purchased the guitar or even experienced it's greatness if not for the extremely cheap price I bought it for. I personally could not think of any guitar that I would want to have more than one from the line of Gibson Les Pauls.

American made in 1995, bought in 1996, solid black finish Les Paul Studio, bought in Britain at a reduced price as "Slightly damaged goods", though I've yet to find ANY imperfections in body or sound. Standard 3-way switch for two humbuckers, with a volume and tone control for each. Mahogany body and maple top and a rosewood fretboard. Standard Gibson pick-guard, machineheads, bridge and tail-piece - all metal is chrome (which ALWAYS looks better with black).

Superb. A true mellow Les Paul sound, with really deep tones when you need them. I tend to play rock music, using Boss pedals and a Laney amp, with it and always get a really full, but still crisp sound. Pick-up switching important in getting the different tones, but I generally tend to stick with the Treble setting, which gives a fantastic wide sound, with the extra emphasis on the top-end.

On purchase the guitar was set-up OK. The set-up action was pretty crap, but it was generally well put together and well made. Though it was meant to be slightly damaged on purchase, I didn't find any flaws in the parts or in building. I love the finish.

The Gibson 'antique' machine-heads are prone to breaking, I've found - I doesn't take to loosen the workings or pull the casing off, so I've had to replace them a few times. But that aside, it's a pretty tough guitar. Yes, it's been dropped a few times and I've had no problems with it, in terms of finish, body or internals. This guitar is built-to-last.

I've needed to have it serviced once, and the Gibson dealer I deal with is fantastic. No problems, really nice bloke and value-for-money, too.

I've been playing this guitar for 5 years new and, after a recent self-servicing, it might as well be new. The sound is just what you'd expect from a Gibson Les Paul - deep, mellow, smooth but still with great bite - and it looks gorgeous. I want another one.

Mahogany body (w/maple top) and neck. Rosewood fretboard.
I wish the tuners were'nt so sensitive...you need steady hands to fine tune her.

Got a beautiful original case for free.

This have to be the main reason for people buying Pauls. I have had a couple of Epiphone LP's, and here is where the difference really counts. I lost my amp somewhere, so I'm using a cheap-O bass amp...sounds great anyway! However, the sound is not that versatile, so this guitar is not for everyone.

Got it used, but in mint condition.
It's black with gold hardware.
It was setup at the store for 10-46 strings, which i like better than the standard 09-46 Les Paul ones.

I'm afraid that the gold platings will wear off! (they usually do)

No idea.

I love this guitar!

this was a newer one, not sure of the exact year. 22 frets. you guys know the specs of this guitar.

NOW: when i first played this guitar a few months ago, i was disgusted at its poor quality and tone. however, when i played it yesterday at sam ash, i was very impressed by the construction and tone. the reason? gibson in their newer model les paul studios has cut down the body size, thinning it down substantially. this was very true of the one i played a few months ago. the one i played yesterday weighed about the same as a les paul standard, and played and sounded like one, very nice. i think this is gibson's saying "oh oh! we're selling great guitars for too little! dumb down the construction, dumb it down!" sort of like how pentium crippled celeron so people would have to buy a real pentium chip. anyhow, don't spend more than $1000 on this guitar. you can find new ones for about 800, and used ones cheaper than that. just remember, if you're going to get this guitar, get one with the thicker and heavier body, it makes all the difference.

2000 Model Studio, Made in the USA, 22 frets, Dual Volume & Tone Controls, Selector switch. Two humbuckers (Alnico 490R Magnet & 498T Magnet), Carved Maple Top, Mahogany Back, Tune-O-Matic/Stopbar Bridge/Tailpiece, Rosewood Neck, Grover Tuners, Ebony Finish, Gold Hardware.

I play metal mostly, and a little hard rock here and there. The amazing thing about this guitar is that you can overdrive your amp volume, switch to your rythym p/u, roll back the tone, and you have an amazing warm sound. Every time I fire the LP up, I get an amazing sound. This guitar will suit whatever kind of music you play.

Bought from a small shop, it was tweaked and set up before I purchased. It plays amazingly now, so even if you get it from the factory with a bad set-up, you can easily change it.

Everything will last you except for one thing: the infamous LES PAUL STRAP BUTTONS!!! I was standing up, and the strap fell off the button, and my beautiful LP fell to the ground, and the headstock got a minor fracture in it. I took it to a tech, and he fixed it right up. It's fine now. I immediately installed staplocks after that unfortunate incident. I suggest you do so if you purchase this guitar. Otherwise, it is solid.

Never dealt with them

I've been playing for a year and a few months, and I've owned a junk yamaha starter, a great ibanez js100, and now, I own this monster. If it were stolen or lost, I would definetely purchase another with no second thought. All I have to say is that if you are considering buying a guitar, this should be the one to get. It is a nearly flawless guitar. It looks and sounds great.

I have no idea what year this thing was made in. Made in the USA of cours. It has a Gibson 498 bridge pickup and a 490 rhythm. The body has mahogany back with a Maple top. Gold Grover tuners and the neck is pretty fat and it tapers a lot. This guitar is like a see-thru red color. The Toggle switch is baddass.

This guitar well suits my musical style.... I have dropped this damn thing to dropped D 1 and a half steps down and it still sounds full. I play british rock, hard rock and metal. It can cover all of those and more. I am playing this guitar through a Marshall AVT 2000 150 watt stereo combo....I like everything about this guitar.

I don't know how this thing was set up from the factory because i got it from a local shop. All i know is that everything is good and i have had no problems out of it so far. There aren't any flaws.

This is a Gibson....C'mon!!!!!!!!....Get some Strap Locks though. I have to give this thing a 9 because of the strap buttons.

never dealt with them before

Damn good guitar for what I play.

2000 model LP studio with the standard LP features. This one is Wine Red with a nice flame on the top. Bookmatching could have been done a little closer on the "matching" part, but a really gorgeous top. The chrome hardware provides a nice contrast. This one has the full size trapezoidal inlays which really give it that classic LP look.

What can you say about the majesty of a really well made, heavy guitar with top notch hardware. The darn thing sings like a siren. Bridge pickup has lots of attack and the neck pickup is sweet and warm. The both on sound is sort of useless IMHO. LP's will always sound kind of dark, so EQ your rhythm channel and lead channel to fill it in where it is needed. That's what EQ is for!

This is where I was most disappointed. Of course I know that set up is a matter of taste, but there is a norm from which it is typical to start from. The intonation was not even close. The nut was very poorly cut. It was so poor that the G string second fret was way, way sharp. I also had to flip the bridge 180 degrees to allow sufficient compensation at the bridge for the low E. Needless to say, after painstaking effort, this guitar is set up right now. I guess that is the best thing about a quality instrument.... that it is capable of being adjusted to that point where it is darn near perfect.

Thing is built like a tank. READ THIS------ GET STRAP LOCKS----GET STRAP LOCKS. Immediately, do not pass go, do not collect $200. The guitar is heavy and the buttons with a slit strap will not cut it. NEVER GIG WITHOUT A BACKUP!

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing for 20+ years. I've owned Pauls before and I will always keep them in my collection. There is always room for other guitar types, especially in the studio. For live sound you could do a whole lot worse than a Les Paul!

My Studio as it turned out was a rare model. It was a 1982 with what is now a rare cherry sunburst. One Gibson dealer said they didn't come like that at all. Guess what, this one did. It also had cream binding on the body only. I thought it may have been a standard with a different name plate but the body was much lighter than a standard. It had the usual features including the rather poor stock Gibson tuners.

The sound was a little chunkier than the Standard I bought later. I had no problems going from rock to standards.

The odd thing about the action was that you could literally bend the hell out of the strings to the point of breaking without a problem. Not like a Standard at all. It had a much easier playability. The sunburst finish was gorgeous.

Once it was set up I had no problems except for it staying in tune thanks to the Gibson tuners.

Been playing for almost 36 years. I traded my Studio for a 1981 Standard with an all natural clear finish. A Gibson rep told me it was worth a lot of bucks because of the birdseye maple top. Probably should have kept it though cuz it was a very playable ax and somewhat easy on the shoulders.

1990 22 Fret, Black w/Nickel Hardware, stock Les Paul Studio guitar. Regular finish, no binding, all standard Les Paul type hardware. I have added strap locks and a hard case which are necessary for any guitar in my opinion.

This guitar holds up it's end of the bargain it all styles of music. I play rock, metal, jazz, and blues. This guitar met all requirements. I've used it with Marshall JCM 800's, 900's, Valvestates, and Artists. Sounds particularly nice in the Artist series. Also, played on Fender twins, Tube Works, and some others. The amp changes the sound slightly but sounds good on just about anything I've thrown at it. Also, sounds good with chorus, phasors, delays, flanges, wahs, and all kinds of effects if used properly. All around great tone and sound.

Standard factory setup I guess. I adjusted the neck, string heighth, and pickups to suit my needs. It did play good in the store or I wouldn't have considered it. It has good electronics, and no fretting problems. The finish did wear considerably over time. I have repainted and refinished. This model has no binding and some cheaper hardware. I guess this can be expected from a more economical series.

To put it simply, other than a few hardware parts (pickup rings, input jack, a couple of tuning pegs), this guitar takes a severe beating and comes out shining. I have played it week in and out for 10+ years with this as my main guitar with no major complaints. It has had what I call normal finish and fret wear, which can be expected. Some extra wear on the finish is probably due to infrequent cleaning on my account. Definitely go with strap locks and a hard case though. I lost one input jack this way. It's been knocked off a six foot stage, thrown down stairs, bashed around in trucks with no more than finish scuffs, broken strings, and knocked out of tune. Other than when I break a string I need no backup. This guitar is a road warrior!!

Never had to deal with the company for warranty.

Everyone should own one of these guitars. I stolen or lost I would get another. Only thing I don't like is the doubling in price. I really didn't understand that. Although I love my Les Paul Standard and my other guitars this is my staple. It has never let me down.

It's a Wine red studio with 2 humbuckers 4 knobs and a switch. No binding. This is the working mans les paul even though it still costs almost $2000.00 new but I'm not stupid enough to buy a gibson new. So I only payed $430.00 on ebay.

I play a lot of alternitive funk blues and classic rock and after putting a seymour duncan 59 in the bridge and flipping the neck pickup upside down like the bridge pickup I was in love. I can get ANY sound I want out of it.

Everything looks and feels great on this guitar.

I've gigged it quite a few times with only a few dents in it. But everybody knows how fragil gibson headstocks are so I try to be a little more careful with it than I am with my other guitars.

I've never dealt with them.

I've benn playing for about 6 years off and on and about a year of that for anywhere from 12 hours a day once it has its hooks in you your done for playing guitar is like being addicted to heroin or something. I'm only 17 so all I do is go to school and play guitar and it where stolen I would definetly buy another one it might take me a while to save enough money but hey only a gibson is good enough. Sorry I just had to work that in somewhere.

the usual 96 nashville version in black with gold(now dull chrome) bits,the best pearloid trapezeoid inlays i"ve seen on a l/paul, bloody heavy but beautiful in its sound and feel(shame about the finish)

a very deep tone even when bright.....sustains like therse no tomorrow,great for driven stuff but try to use a chorus or flanger and its back to my other guitars for the clean and crisper tones.

bought it used.....it looks like a giged les paul(batterd and brused). lots of scratches and dents (but what realy gets me is the sticky neck after a hour or so of playing....aarrrrrggggghhhhh!!!! i hate nitro celulose). as for the gold hardware...don't even go there...but if you want a l/paul you put up with the niggles..also the fretboard looks like ebony but not quite (it could be a maple or a poor quality rosewood painted a mat black).

the only things left after a nuclear war will be cockroaches and les pauls......they are solid well built guitars,made to last. they age well (apart from gold parts and nitro finishes)..the usual straplock and hard case upgrades are strongly advised and yes i would buy another one but shop around for a 93-98 model.

n/a.........used.

i've been playing for 23 years and play anything from shania twain to marilyn manson.i've had the usual strats,jackson,ibanez stuff and nothing is as nice as a played in les paul...everyone should own one at one point.but don't buy it for the name,buy it for what it does.

My guitar was made in the USA in 99 i think. It had Grover tuners the best ones.It is fat necked. I had to buy the case separate.It is a ruby red guitar

It suits my style- ska, rock, heavy metal. I use a fener stage 100 amp, vox wha, boss metal zone, and boss stomp tuner. it has great sounds. The color is great.

evey this was mostly fine when I got it

Yes it will stand live playing. I will use a backup guitar when I gig.

IT IS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!

This is a 1999 Lefty Les Paul Studio in Black.
It's standard Les Paul features, less the binding, the headstock detail and the trapezoid frets.

For the price its 10/10, it doesnt have binding, who cares...It's a great body to work on and upgrade, (pickups, tuners, straplocks, 4-conducter wiring options) for a great price.

Well, I have long sold the standard pickups that came with it. Terrible pickups, it makes me sick how the guitars feel can be so nice, but the sound is junk. So when I installed new SD '59 neck, and Custom bridge for only $100, i was set with amazing versitility and sound. I will upgrade to rio grande pickups when the price is right.

My setup is great for gigs. Enchanced Strat and Les Paul into a modded Vox wah, GE-7 equalizer, Visual sound jeckyll and hyde OD, Vintage Big Muff, custom made treble boost, and all put into a modded blues deluxe amp (yes i believe modding is the way to make an original sound)

The action sucked when i got it, just fiddle around with the tune-o-matic, do a 12th fret test for harmonics, and you will love the big bends and delicious rock playability. Leave the thumb-over style to strats, you'll just get blisters.

The pickups can be adjusted to taste, no rocket science.
I had to bend my truss rod a bit, but it was fine after that.

The routing is perfect, the cavity is a little woody, but its easy to clean. I had gold hardware, so oxidisation occured, but i sold those pickups and got exposed coil so im fine and dandy.

This guitar is heavy, and strong, and the set neck is great. The finish is thick and the hardware is solid. I'd like to see a tailpiece break. The strap buttons should be replaced, its touch to find good priced gold ones though. (chrome is easy)
I always have backup, a gig with just a Les Paul? please......

Not sure the of the year, maybe '96. Same features as every other sudio listed here. Hate those cheap tuners.

When I first got the guitar it sounded great but now the bridge pick-up us freaking out. But, that's OK I was planning on gettin some Duncans for it.

Don't Know how it came from the factory, I bought it slightly used. It was cool when I got it though.

Very Very Durable. Think Tonka. Never gig without a backup though.

Never had to deal with them.

Overall this is my favorite of all the Les Pauls made. I work in a guitar shop and play all the guitars, Gibsons included and this is my favorite. My only complaint about this guitar is that it's HEAVY!!! Kill's my back sometimes. Up until recently this guitar was my main Axe (Even over my more expensive Joe Perry Les Paul). I just got a Dean Cadillac Select that will be my main Axe for now. If it were stolen I would cry...then go buy another Dean. I love the guitar (we've shared some great times together) but I really love Dean guitars. The Dean's are better quality for a fraction of the price.

2 volume, 2 tone, and a pickup selector. Just right. Factory hardshell case is not only beautiful, but built like a rock. You gotta love the purple fuzz (the interior sickos!).

Sounds great. I play some heavy tunes and lighter stuff and it works very well. It's definately bassy and full, but if you run it through a Fender tube amp, you can really brighten things up. It's actually one of the quietest guitars I've ever played, and even the pickup selector has almost no scratching when switching, which is a huge surprise, considering that ever other Les Paul I've played has had a good deal of it. I guess I lucked out.

Great factory set up. The wine red finish is one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. I really wasn't expecting it to be so gorgeous, and you can even see the grain through it.

I just got it, so I'm not too sure. It feels fragile despite it's massive 10 ton body, but that's the price you pay, though.

N/A

$765 new for a Studio in perfect mint condition is a steal, especially with the rare wine red finish. I am very fortunate to have found it.

Got it new. You know the deal. The only thing out of the ordinary is it has 3/4 trapazoid inlays. I beleive most Studios have those cheap looking dots.

I play metal, with a small (VERY small) punk influence. The only thing it's lacking in is the pickups. Not hot enough. I'm gonna replace 'em with Seymour Duncans. Other than that, the tone is great. Good sustain, nice deep bottom end. Once the pickups are changed, I give it a 9.

The controls are ever so slightly noisy. Also, the switch is screwed up (getting that fixed when I replace the pickups). One of the tone pots was also screwed up, but I had that fixed already. The action was great, low and comfy. But over all, the qc sucked. It's a great guitar, and the mistakes are covered by the warranty, but the point is there shouldn't be any mistakes in the first place.

GET STRAP LOCKS IF YOU BUY ONE OF THESE THINGS. As long as it's not abused, it'll hold up just fine. But strap locks are a must. I've had it for a few months, and I've chipped 2 VERY small pieces of paint off of it, but nothing major. It's pretty dependable. I would never gig without a backup, regardless of the guitar I was using.

Got the tone pot fixed up no problem curtesy the lifetime warranty.

I love the neck, really fast and comfy. If it were stolen, I definately would get another. Best guitar I've ever owned. Been playing 2 years.

My baby is an American made Gibson Les Paul Studio. It's a dark transparent green, double cutaway with 24 frets with tone so sweet I gave up candy. I also got a nice hardshell case. I don't really remember what it's made of aside from the maple I see through the finish, I've always paid more attention to tone and feel.

My other guitar (a Strat) sounds nice for blues, but I also need a heavy, chunky Metallica sound and a rich Santana sound, as well as the versatility I now have when I play songs with a mellow verse and a rippin' chorus. I play it through my Fender Princetown chorus which sounds good, but a Marshall will soon be on it's way. My beef is that some strings REALLY make it sound like crap, so I have to be picky.

I knew when I played it for the first time that I would be mine.
Now it's officially mine; I put a small dent in it. oops.
The only thing I never liked about Les Pauls were the single cutaway (it looks real nice, but doesn't work with the way I play). It also looks so sweet with the double

Although I haven't really beat it up yet, I think it's a pretty fragile guitar. The bridge pick-up doesn't always "pick-up" but I'm still covered by the warranty. I'll let you know about the rest in a few years, I've only had it for a few months.

1 year warranty, a bit longer on some of the workmanship

I think I've pretty much covered this part. I love this guitar.

I have a 2001 studio in ebony. I won't waste my time with the features because it has the everthing the same as the other ones on this page. The only thing I will say that this guitar is really beautifull if you are into pretty simple cosmetic features. It is a very clean looking and not overdone guitar.

I play everything from blues to punk to AC/DC and Van Halen rock styles. This guitar can do it all. I play through a Fender Blues Junior amp and a Digitech RP-7 floor processor. Leave it clean and you get a great smooth full tone. Hook it up to a good tube distortion and you can get a great scream from it. This guitar suits me perfect for what I play which is just about anything.

I'm traditionally a Fender player. I have an American Strat, so it took a little while to get used to the different set up on a Gibson. The action was a little higher and a rosewood fingerboard was also new to me. However, after a couple days, I decided I wouldn't be picking the Strat up much anymore. I love the setup, the neck is really fast and I really enjoy the feel of the higher actioned strings. I feel like I'm in much more control on the fretboard. Everything was in really good condition on the guitar. It was fretted flawlessly and everything fit perfectly. The Grover tuners are great!! They never go out of tune .

I haven't had this guitar too long, but so far it looks like a rock solid axe. It has really beefy hardware and a great finnish. The only thing that is a must are straplocks. Don't strap this thing on without them. The strap buttons are way to small to be safe if you are gonna be moving while this guitar is on your shoulder. I'd say the $15 are a good investment in protecting it.

I haven't had to deal with them about this guitar, but I did e-mail them to ask them some questions and they answered back in less than a day with my needed info.

I've been playing for about 5 years and this is the best guitar I've played in my opinion. I love my Strat but it just doesn't compare to this guitar. If it were lost I would definetly buy a new one as soon as possible. I looked at a lot of guitars when buying this one, mainly other Gibsons. I looked at the gothic LP but the finnish was just too ugly. It really is a disapointment in person after seeing how cool it looks in pictures. Contrary to that the studio's actually look a lot better in person then they do in pictures. I also played the standard LP. The studio sounds and plays the exact same as the standard. About the only difference is the bound body and fingerboard, and some different colors. Myself, I like the simple looks of the studio better than the standard. If you really want a durable, great sounding/playing, and versatile guitar go try this one at a shop somewhere. You'll like it!!

This is a really cool guitar. It has the features that all Les Pauls do (Mahogany body and neck, maple top, rosewood fingerboard), except for body binding, wich isn't really necesary. It is basically the same thing as a Les Paul Standard. It has a beautiful transparent wine red finsh(wich is no longer available in new models), and gold hardware. It has Gibson Deluxe tuners,Tune-o-matic bridge, and a black pickguard. The neck is a '59 rounded style. It is not as fast as a 60's slim taper, but it has more stability. This Guitar has all that you'd expect from a Les Paul.

This is where Les Pauls kick some ass. This thing screams. I play this guitar through a 120 watt Crate GFX 212. I play any thing from Creedence to Skynyrd to AC/DC to Creed to God knows where. This guitar does all that stuff. I especially like using my bridge pickup with lots of mid on my amp, wich gives me that Early Angus Young sound. The bottom line is that Les Pauls have the best tone and always will. The tone of this thing is truly amazing.

After i adjusted everything, this guitar had great action, and the neck fits me perfectly. The finish, as I stated above, is awesome. The only scratches are the tiny little lines from polishing that you can only see under intense light.(all finishes have them). I know that the finish on the neck will wear a little over time, because Gibson uses Nitrocellulose Laquer, wich is dissolved by Human sweat. The gold finish on the hardware will wear off the edges soon, wich always happens, but hell, if you spend over one grand on a guitar, you should be willing to buy new pickup covers and bridges for it in the future. I give it a nine, because of the type of Laquer.

This thing is about as reliable as it gets, and very durable. I would use it without a backup, because my only back up is a p.o.s. Squier.

This is my final statement: This is a hell of a guitar, like all Les Pauls. A Gibson Les Paul Studio is just to cool to not own.

Submitted, for your approval is a 1991 Gibson Les Paul Studio model.
This is a USA-made solid body guitar, made of mahogany, with a maple cap. It is essentially a Standard model, except it lacks binding on the neck, and on the body. It's stock Les Paul electronics, with the exception of the '57 Classic I installed in the Bridge position. This particular example is finished in Wine Red, with gold hardware, and features a figured top.(Though not bookmatched. The neck is of medium size, and has a ebony fretboard, and trapezoid inlays. It came with a deluxe Gibson case, and the only other modification is a gold Dunlop Strap-loc system.

I mainly play Blues/Rock. This guitar is ideal for this kind of music, although it is suited for most styles. It has a classic hum-bucker tone, which can play cleanly, or be accomodate a variety of over-driven tones. The only problem, sonically that I have had with this guitar, was the stock 498-T pickup. It was rather microphonic, and prone to squealing at more-than-moderate volumes. This situation was rectified by replacing it with a '57 Classic pickup. It provided more output, and is by far more rich sounding, with smoother harmonics.

I got this guitar at a Nashville Guitar Show, from a dealer as N.O.S.,
in 1997. It truly was in new condition. It was as good of a bargain as was at the show, with the action nice and low, and the neck straight as an arrow. I did little more than change strings, and adjust the pickups. All this, and a figured top, too. I basically wanted a newer Les Paul, to play out with, so I didn't have to tote my vintage ones around. This guitar more than fit the bill.

I've had this guitar for almost four years now, and I've grown quite attached to it. It's made almost every gig I've played since then, and the only time it laid down on me was a particularly hot, humid December gig, when the neck went out of whack. Always carry a spare, I say. Anyway, a quick adjust of the truss rod the next day, and I was back in business.
The gold hardware is the best-looking, but also the highest maintenance that there is. You MUST keep it wiped down, or it will not last. End of story.
The finish, likewise, must be kept clean. It doesn't need to be polished, nearly as much as it must be kept wiped down. It will last a very long time if you do. This is true of any guitar.
The strap-lock system is a must for my guitars, especially Les Paul-style models. Better safe than sorry.

I've never had to contact Gibson about this guitar, and as I didn't actually buy it new, I never had to deal with them, warranty-wise.

I've been playing guitar since the mid-seventies. My first guitar was a Les Paul Jr. I own several guitars, and this is one of three Les Pauls I currently play. I also have a Charvel Strat, a Fender Tele Deluxe, and a B.B.King Lucille. This is the only one of all these guitars that seems to make it to every gig. With relatively minor modifications, it is as nice of a sounding, and playing guitar as you'll find, and is also quite attractive. What else can you ask for in a guitar?

Honduran class AAA mohagany body & neck
Maple top, ebony fret board
grover tuners, dot inlays, stop tailpiece, les paul '57 reissue hb pickups - you know the specs, it's a LES PAUL!!!

I play in a band that is a mismash between the Beatles, Black Sabbath, Super Furry Animals, and some Pantera thrown in for good measure. This guitar rocks. Used to use a distortion pedal with my old ibanez, but this baby doesn't need it. Most often run through a Marshall combo of some sort - sounded best through a JCM 2000 and Marshall straight cab (1x12?) at the rehearsal studio.

I was playing her through my MT2 for awhlie (a deed which makes many recoil in horror, I'm sure) because we play pretty heavy distortion and lots of clean parts as well. Because most of the heads in our rehearsal studio are Marshalls, I dropped the MT2 (if you've never heard a les paul/marshall combo in person before let me just say arrraaaaaauuuuughh.. seeeeexxxxyyy... ) and just played with a remote switch. Then one day we found ourselves in a studio which had no switch. After a couple of songs, playing the clean parts distorted just wasn't doing it for me. On the lead channel, I just turned the neck pickup down until the distortion disappeared. Suddenly I didn't need a switch - at the bridge, I had awesome ugly dirty nasty distorted sounds, and at the neck a sweet clean sound. I love this guitar. Now I'm using my wah more - I don't need my MT2 anymore!! I LOVE this guitar

This is one sexy guitar. I'm in love, really. She's got the totally black shiny (nitro-cellulose finish) body with an ebony fretboard and all silver hardware. soooo sexy. Everything was perfect except that it was originally setup for 9s - I play 11s. Some adjustment (including filing the bridge pieces down) and she's perfect. Everything about this guitar is sexy. Did I mention I love this guitar?

This is a Les Paul - if you could pick any guitar to gig without a backup, this would be it. All of the hardware will last, but I am definitely replacing the strap buttons with some straplocks - apparently the headstock is known to break if dropped - probably because the guitar is a little on the heavy side - mohogany man!

The finish is what brings it down to a 9. I'm a greasy bastard when I get hot, and if I don't polish the guitar right after playing, the finish seems to retain some of my sweat - or at least it's really hard to get out!

Haven't had to use it

I've been playing now for a 6 years off and on. I have a Washburn acoustic and an Ibanez RG450 at home. I first bought an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, because I have heard lots of good things. Of course the jokes came (oh it'll be a Gibson when it grows up - thanks junior) but it looked sexy and I liked the way it sounded and played. After two practices the pickup switch died. When I went back in, we had a week before our first gig - I wanted to have the guitar I would be playing at the gig to practice with - would take 2 days to fix the epiphone. So I sighed and tried out a real Les Paul (I had avoided that because I knew I would want one and I couldn't really afford it). Tried my baby first, an SG, and then another studio with a thinner body. She attracted me right away - melted in my hands and the sound made me all horny, but the price tag.. played the SG and I loved the crunch and the look, but couldn't get the clean sound I was looking for out of it. The thin bodied studio didn't have the rich sound that my baby did... I had to have her. Bought her, got the 11s put on, and no looking back ever since. I know my Ibanez is jealous (and so are the women in my life) but she's gorgeous - shes a screamer too

dot inlays,grover tuners,gold hardware,black
a nice case would be sweet to be included instead of the stupid gig bag which i will never use

this guitar is amazing, it screams,
i run through a Fender Stage 160,with Boss Metel Zone(which i might add is also amazing),it is awesome it feels great, nice weight to it,it feels like a real guitar,my friend has a the paul sl and it is tiny compared to mine and the sound on mine is rich and not sloppy,very full sound
i play all kinds of music styles and it conforms to all of them with a flick of a switch or a turn of a knob

les pauls are very simple to use and they sound amazing

the factory set up is fine no need to change
on the back of my headstock on the serial # they missed filling in
some of the numbers with paint but i really don't care
other than that it is perfect

this guitar will last way beyond me
no need for back up with this puppy unless you break a string
this will last forever very solid guitar
i would like to get a good strap lock though

never dealt with them but i am sure they are good at what they do

I have been playing for about three years and i have owned a total of 8 guitars and this guitar beats all of them combined
the only downside to this is that i need to take really good care of this guitar
so i have a crappy tele and series a to take my anger out on HEHE!!

Black finish with gold hardware, made in 1998. I bought it new in Finland in 1998.
Basically, all the same features as the gibson les paul standard, except the body is 1/8 inch thinner and no bindings, no trapetzoidal inlays. My guitar has dot inlays and was equipped with grover tuners.
I got a padded gigbag, No hardshell-case, No straplocks. YOU MUST HAVE HARD-CASE FOR PROTECTION AND STRAPLOCKS, you don't want to drop this baby on the floor! I bought an SKB-56 Les Paul hardshell-case and installed golden Schaller-straplocks.
Very good rating for features, the guitar is very beautiful, I a hardshell case was included and it was strap-lock-ready I would have given it a 10, now i give it a 9.

not excellent because you ha

The sound is awesome, sounds like a Gibson LP Standard. In my opinion, the 1/8 inch thinner body does not affect the sound. I liked the sound at the very first time i played this guitar. A gibson les paul and a tube amp delivers a beautiful sound.

The factory set up was excellent, no complaints here, the action was quite low, just the way I like it. I did not find any errors in the adjustments of the bridge and other hardware or pickups

This guitar will definitely withstand live playing , and it will last a lifetime, if you take care of it properly. I havent had any problem with the gold wearing of the hardware, however, all the hardware is top-quality, as always with gibsons.
The only problem is the black nitrocellulose finish. Every time you touch it you can see fingerprints. You have to clean the finish often with guitar-polish, if you dont, the finish may react with the oils and sweat of your hands and you dont want your guitar look bad after some years.
The strap-buttons were solid, but I replaced them with golden Schaller strap-locks.
I can depend on it, but I think it is wisely to have a back-up, because it doesn't exist unbreakable strings.

Never dealt with the company, I can't give any opinion.

I have been playing for some years now, and I like this guitar a lot.
I play mostly rock, and I like les pauls. I did not have the money to buy an Gibson LP standard, and I dont mind if my guitar doesn't have bindings and trapetzoidal inlays,the guitar is beautiful anyway with its carved top, black finish and gold hardware!
I compared it with some gibson copies like Epiphone LP standard and Tokai love rock models, many of those sounded good, but the did not have the same real, authentic les paul sound.
Summary: 10 points, very good sounding, beautiful guitar!

made in usa, probably 80s.this one has dot inlays, and nice red finish. im not gonna bother mentioning the other features.

sounds great. i play mostly hard rock and punk rock, (with a bit of metal, blues, classic rock, and rockabilly sometimes). i like this guitar best for punk and rock and heavy stuff. its got the usual fat sound that a les paul gets. i play it through a marshall jcm 800 and a few pedals. i like the pickups. they're not that hot but they drive an amp pretty good. not noisy at all.

nice finish, nice comfortable neck. really good quality hardware. i would be nice to have trapazoid inlays but other studios do.....

seems really solid. finish is thick. it is reliable and dependable. i haven't had any problems yet. ive had it for about a year. i would definately gig with it.

don't know.

i think this is one of the best sounding, best quality guitars you can get for the money. some lp's sound better than others. This one sounds really good. doesnt look as nice as other lp's but thats why it's cheaper. i definately recommend this guitar. ive been playing for a few years i cant remember exactly. i currently own this Gibson Les Paul Studio, Fender jagmaster (made in japan not the new ones), fender telecaster, hagstrom viking, marshall jcm 800, vox wah, ibanez tubescreamer, boss MT-2.

If you don't know what a Les Paul is, then you probably don't play guitar. Read no further. The Les Paul Studio has a Rosewood fretboard instead of Ebony. When you are used to seeing Les Pauls with a Black fretboard, the Rosewood looks awkward. The Body is Mahogany (A few pieces glued together). The Tuners are cheap.

Clean sound has little life to it. Do not buy this guitar unless you are going through a very loud Marshall that you plan on playing with the Gain on 10 all the time (and with a ton of effects like a stupid ring modulator). The tone has an emphasized midrange. The guitar sounds good distorted, but it doesn't sound that much better (or better at all) than any other guitar with a Humbucking pickup.

The action on every one I played was quite bad. Some of the frets did not work. The guitar was horrible to tune - I am not sure why this is. Cheap tuners, bad design, who knows. The guitar was not comfortable to play at all. It is heavy, but not as bad as the LP Custom - UGH!

Haven't thrown it against a wall yet. But I'll get back to you on that

Never called

Someone at this certain guitar store told me that the Studio was a LP Standard without all the Cosmetic refinements. I thought I could get the (famous) LP sound without shelling out an extra $800 for a nice paint job and some white binding (and inlays). Stupid me.

The Les Paul when it first came out was a great guitar. Les Paul's are no longer made. There is a company called Gibson that makes Les Paul Copies. They say "Les Paul" on the headstock. It is not the same guitar...

USA gibson les paul, made recently, so its got a rosewood fretboard instead of the older ebony ones (unfortunately). 22 frets, carved top, standard LP controls, 2 volume, 2 tone, H/H, 3way pickup selector. i think its a mahogay body, but look at other review, cus i aint sure. Tun-o-matic bridge. i got it with a free gibson gig bag, hardly atiquite for the instrument, but its worth about 6o quid,

This is a heavy rock, or metal guitar, which is wat i play. Others say its good for blues, but i dont know. i use it with a marshall valvestate 100w amp, a boss dd-3 delay, a boss chorus, a toneworks 104ds (which rocks apart from that cursed noise gate!!)
, and a cry baby. This guitar offers the fattest sound available. This suites me, but maybe not u.

This guitar was perfect from the factory, nice crisp action. I havent had to touch anything, although i may lower the action slightly, to suit my playing style. THis guitar wasperfect, it hadnt one scratch, even though it had been siting out in the shop.

This guitar is built like a tank. It is very heavy, and i feel confident that if i dropped it off the stage, i could pick it up again and keep playing. THe hardwares finish is somewat suspect though. Mine is gold, andi think it will tarnish in time. THe guitar's finish is a problem. I banged the head very lightly off a wall, and it chiped, and now it is gradualy peeling away, very annoying!!. I think that with time this guitar will start to look a bit tacky, but so wat, itll still be a great instument.The strap butons are way to small, i purchased a locking strap, so i dont look like a knob wen my guitar falls off wen im playing.
i would feelvery confident giging without a bacup, it keeps its tuning very well, and is built very solidly.

NO experiece, although i would imagine that Gibson would be very good.

Ive been playing for about 4 yrs, and i also own a yamaha pacifica (great guitars for the money). I play through a crapy amp at home, but often through a great PA, and this guitar sounds great. I use Boss and korg effects. This guitar sounds great through them. if this guitar wer stolen, i would hurt the thief, and then make him give me 700 quid. With this i would buy a les pauil gothic, cus they look well cool.

This was a HELL of a find! It's an older LP Studio (has dot inlays, not trapezoid) but it still fucking destroys! Same features as all the others, blood red/red wine colour. fucking sweet!

ok, this thing is fatter than hell. loads of sustain and tone! I play Black Metal ala Emperor/Satyricon/Dimmu Borgir/Arcturus/Mayhem (yes it's a big mix of all of these bands!) so it's like fast intricate brutal metal with added touches of classical guitars for all you who are unenlightened! All i can say is JESUS TAP-DANCING CHRIST! I fucking fly on this thing, I have honestly NEVER played faster than I did on this badboy. I use a Line6 AX2 so i get any and every tone I want from it. Never agian will I badmouth a Studio!

like i said never played faster. I did buy it used so it had some minor cosmetic damage, but MEH! scratches give it character!

only had it for about a week, but it's a beast :)

N/a

hhhmmm lets see i picked this up for roughly $800 (less than $500 for you Yankee types!) and this is a goddamn steal! I will never make fun of the Studio LP's any more! Hell it's practically a LP standard without the back-breaking weight! Of course this fucker has tone chambers in it so that makes up for the loss of wood/density. All you need to know is that it fucking kills my Ibanez RG550! It's faster, fatter and more fun to play than the RG! I'm actually getting rid of the Ibanez and going for a LP Gothic or SG Gothic next!

Your basic Les Paul design, so of course it rocks. 2 very nice PAF pickups, vintage tuning pegs, chrome hardware, trapezoid inlays on the fretboard, and all the other usual Gibson trappings. A beautiful guitar, and a huge step up for me (my other axe is a modified Epiphone SG).

I play in an indie rock band, a genre that seems to lend itself more to the Fender Jazzmaster tone than anything else. However, this guitar gives a beautiful, warm and smooth sound which appeals to me far more than the single-coil skronk. My old guitar has a Gibson PAF pickup in it, but it doesn't matter--the Les Paul's tone destroys--the wood and construction make a HUGE difference, so don't fool yourself into believing that a new pickup will make a cruddy guitar sound like a Gibson. I use a 1976 Marshall JMP (50 watt), which has an incredibly abrasive sound if pushed too hard, and the Les Paul's smooth pickups even that problem out immensely. One thing, though, that must be changed is my distortion pedal, a Vox Valve-Tone. It is an A-B pedal, so it doesn't colour the clean sound of the amp, but it is way too dirty to be effective for me. A Klon Centaur is in the cards for me (once the $300 U.S. is somehow accounted for).

I have not played a Les Paul Standard, so I'm not too sure how this less expensive (but still really pricey new) guitar compares. I do know, however, that this guitar I have is a dream. My fingers literally fell like they are dancing across the fretboard, notes sliding into one another with little or no effort. I'm not a virtuouso, but I have coaxed some beautiful runs that I attribute entirely to the feel of this guitar. A lovely wine red/burgundy finish rounds it out. Everything seems to be in order with it (I purchased it used), with the glaring exception of the strap buttons--this guitar is SO HEAVY that you absolutely need a strap-lock system to play in a live setting (especially if you like to rock out like me).

We shall see whether this guitar will stand the test of time, but I am sure it will make me proud. I treat my guitar with a huge amount of care, and this will certainly factor in to it's longevity. One problem, which ALL Gibsons have, is the extremely weak point where the neck is joined to the headstock. When playing a Gibson, be darn sure that the head is nowhere near any immobile, hard objects, as the slightest hit can snap the head off (or so I've heard).

Never dealt with the company, nor do I plan to.

A beautiful guitar,even though I think I paid a little too much for it. Those seeking the quality of a Gibson, which, I'm sorry to say, is FAR superior to a Fender, but don't want to spend upwards of two grand on a Standard, should seek out a Studio. Just remember to get a strap-lock system and watch where the headstock goes, and you will be in the realm of heavenly tone.

1995, U.S.A. made Les Paul. Basic Les Paul layout. This is the stripped down version with the same body width, neck shape and pickups as a standard. Does not have the neck binding, body binding, or a figured top. I liked the Les Paul body shape, but hate binding on the neck and body. This guitar gave me all the tone without the fancy stuff. I'll give it an 10 for features, because it has everything I need.

I play hard rock, classic rock, and some metal. Think STP, AIC, TOOL, LedZep. This guitar in stock form was not a good fit with the stock pickups. I swapped out the bridge 498t for a RIO GRANDE BBQ and it gave me the overwound PAF tone I was looking for. The tone really came to life after I changed pickup. The stock bridge pickup was just to hot and overdrives even clean amps. This maybe good for some people, but not to my taste. The neck pickup is OK for slide and some leads, but I will probably ge a RIO GRANDE Genuine Texas for the neck. Guitar has the thick, solid midrange you would expect from a Les Paul. Overall rating before pickup switch-->6. After-->10!

I bought the guitar used so action was not factory original. I had to set the guitar up to my taste(heavy-ass strings). The finish was perfect. Very dark wine red stain with chrome hardware. Very mean looking(in a good way!) Overall rating for fit,fin,action 10!

These guitars are notorious for being heavy and solid. This one weighs around 9lbs. 3ounc. You could knock down trees with this thing if you were so inclined! Very solid dependable package. I know the necks are easy to break, but I am very careful with all my guitars. Overall, a 10!

Never needed to use.

I have been playing for 5 years and have had many nice guitars. I was previously playing a PRS McCarty through a Marshall JCM900 2X12. I had to sell the PRS and was looking for a worthy replacement that would not cost an arm and a leg. I knew what sound I wanted and the Studio with the BBQ Bucker is the ticket for that sound. It cleans up real nice, and can throw squealing harmonics effortlessly. The bridge gives you a grat low-end chunk for rhythm, which was important to me. I would highly recommend these guitars to any one looking for a solidly built, low cost tone machine. The pickups are a personal preference, some will like them/some will immediatly swap them! I just wish I could afford to buy another Studio to install some RIO GRANDE Bastard single coils in. A guy can dream, can't he?

Les Paul Studio 1999 with same features as the standard ... 498r 490t humbuckers, 22 frets with trapezoid inlays, 3-way selector switch. Finished in black. Beautiful guitar.

Sounds awesome ... you get what you expect from a Les Paul

Setup was perfect. Finish was perfect. What I would expect for that price.

I think this guitar will outlive me. Feels sturdy and reliable. Make sure to replace the strack buttons tho! I haven't gigged with it yet but I think it should be reliable (as long as a string doesn't snap)

Haven't had to use it.

I've been playing for 8 years.. I own a Jackson Kelly as well... The Studio has now become my new main axe for studio and live work. I would definitely get another one if it was stolen! You get what you pay for, and if you're gonna pay $1500 you might as well get a USA made quality guitar.

Les Paul Studio with same features as the standard except no maple top which makes it a little lighter, 498r 490t humbuckers, 22 frets with trapezoid inlays, 3-way selector switch. Finished in black, replaced hardware with gibson authentic creme colored hardware

Growls like a bat out of hell . I use a fender deville with a half stack, always with the bright switch. also always use a boss blues driver that has an extremely creamy tone sounds like a champ! 2 tones and two volumes allow for a wide variety of tones. with my set up I can make it scream or growl

It plays like a million bucks. Bought used, Had to raise the pickups and the bridge slightly. Neck and frets in good shape, g tuning peg seems a little loose but I can deal with it. Their is a also a crack in the finish on the back which is only noticable when in the right light, but thats it

I beat the hell out of this guitar but I also take good care of it, imagine that! HAve lock straps that definitly are needed. Very dependable so far, would last a lifetime, except for finish would become dull but who cares. I never use a backup, this axe could withstand a atomic bomb

Never dealt with em, but I think it sucks that their warranty is non transferable if I ever did need repair work

I've played for 3 years. I currently don't have anymore axes, but hell, I don't need another. I would cry if someone stole it. My girlfriend says I love it more than her. When I first got it I had a 24 hour grin . I used to have an epiphone lespaul sg copy that did't even compare. At worst I wish it was a different color, but thats not a big deal, I would however give it up for a les paul dc if i absolutely had to. Gibsons are a bit pricey, but hey you only live once, and it ill last a lifetime. I justify it as a life long investment rather than a dollar figure. Can you tell I like GIbsons?

USA made black 1999 Studio, with pearl dots on rosewood fingerboard and Grover
tuners. 3 way toggle, 2 volumes, 2 tone pots, 490R/498T Alnico
humbuckers. Well, it's a pity they replaced the block inlays with
dots - it looks cheaper now, but at the same time it gained sort of
"modern essential" appearance, and it differs from the rest... Uh,
isn't it good. I wrote an email to Gibson asking whether they make
chambers in Studio body, as someone wrote here. The answer was that
they make circular "gaps" in all Les Pauls for &quote& WEIGHT RELIEF
&quote&.

It has rosewood fingerboard, so the overall sound lost a bit of
presence and some of the harmonics that make it sound "open" (ebony
is a harder sort of timbre), but it's not that noticeable. In
addition, good rosewood f/board contributes for a rounder tone, so,
as a matter of fact, one cannot consider this to be a drawback, I
believe.
Generally, a very Les Paul sound. Both pickups accentuate bass to
lower midrange, thus sounding fat and solid, but seem to have a bit
of a "high frequency roll-off", just enough to make guitar sound
warm, not dull. Neck pu is smooth and watery, very round and deep,
sounds awesome clean / dry, or with a dab of chorus, if you want.
Changing your picking hand position opens a lot of new possibilities too. Step on the channle switch and it gets "mouthy' - it talks. Switching to the middle position (both pu) gives you round, a bit "scooped" due to phase cancelations tone, great and bell-like clean, great also if you play complex chords with fairly intense distortion.
Bridge pu is not Fender bright and not twangy, but suitable even for country and again, very round, despite the fact it's a BRIDGE pu. Distorted, it rocks!
It's got density, definition and enough presence in all positions and in all circumstances. The other side of this is that it may get muddy at times (especially if your amp is bass heavy - cause it's a bass heavy guitar), and does not cut thru the mix very well... Anyway, it does not CUT THRU too good, but always sits in the mix perfectly.
I did an A/B comparison with a 1989 Les Paul Std recently - well, that Std had a bit brighter tone (ebony), the same sustain, same weight, and a bit "stiffer" feel to the tone. That's all I could notice... Uh, crappy tuners and cool sunburst top on Std.
Gripes: scratchy tone pots, scratchy pu selector. WHY? I paid USD 1170 for it! Come on, guys, it was supposed to be new... Nitro cellulose finish looks great but a bitch to be kept clean > you have to wipe it constantly.

Was set great from the day one. The flaws - scratchy pots, creeky selector.

I don't know - I own it for 6 months only.

Good. They always answer, and do it promptly.

Generally, this guitar has a good chance to be a MODERN Les Paul - something Gibson failes to achieve. It's got ALL the essential features of a les Paul, ie The Tone, The Looks, and the Weight. The latter - well, this guitar anchors you to the stage and makes you feel like a "Big Rock God" ;)) A great choice for a modern rock/ indie / alternative band. I really don't care for a Std LPs anymore, I would upgrade for a LP Classic Plus may be, but only for its looks, and because I would be sooo cool, owing one... I am completely satisfied with this guitar's tone, looks and feel. IMHO, it's got way more advantages then flaws, if any, so.. Remember, a good player can blow your mind using a hardwood Strat copy (duh), and a lousy one won't survive even with a $ 10 000 rig.
The price I paid ($1170)... well... uh, I don't care. I like the guitar. End of story.

Black with chrome hardware. Nice inlay. Two Humbuckers, two volume and two tone controls, and a three way toggle switch. 21 frets. Tun-O-Matic bridge. Came with a gig bag in '91. I had to replace the tuners(one of the plastic knobs broke)
with some old grovers, which are very smooth. Bought a SKB case for it, and it has been indestructible ever since.
Switch between this guitar, a strat, and a Parker. The Les Paul is a log, and you'll play differently on it than the others.
The controls offer a wide array of sounds if you run through a responsive amplifier, and uses a combination of pick and fingers.

It suits me! I play fingerstyle nylon stringed guitar, and the round tones of both instruments attract me.
I'll either use it with a Laney Acoustic/electric amp when I use the classical (a cedar topped Sakurai) or with an old '67 Twin.
The sound is rich, yet sometimes a little thin on the first string when I use a pick for jazz stuff. I usually roll the tone back when that occurs.
For rock, it has the classic hard rock sound when run through an overdriven amp. From Page to Fripp to Frisell. I like to use volume pedals and slides to emulate pedal steel guitars, too.
You can imply twang, if you start off with a dark sound and then switch to the treble pickup.

The action was always nice. For one show, someone set it up for me beforehand. What a treat! It played like butter.
I fiddle with the pickup heights when I feel that I need more of one thing or another, so I forget how it originally came.
The top is split into three sections, which doesn't give me the option of sanding the top down to the wood. Why do that? Curiosity?
Because the guitar could be "none more black"?
The frets have wear after ten years. The finish has worn down, due to sweat. Rub your guitars down after you use them!
There is some separation between the fretboard and the paint on the neck. That's the only finish flaw I didn't have anything to do with.

I've used it for rock and jazz music. There have been some problems with the wiring shorting out inside the guitar. Taping up loose ends and resoldering some suspect connections help. The 3-way switch has come loose, my fault for not tightening it.
Chrome hardware is the way to go for me. It hasn't aged a bit.
I've used it for years, slung it around at rock shows, and now I cradle it at jazz gigs. I feel remorse for some of the gashes I put in it.
I sit when I play now. It's that heavy. But I'm not Kane Roberts, and that's my choice.

I dunno. Never really needed to call them. I wanted more substantial
tuners then the tuners that came with it, so I didn't ask the company to replace them.

I've been playing for 14 years now.
If it were stolen, I might try out a Parker fly( with PAFs or Pearly Gates installed), mostly because it weighs about 3 pounds.
The tone is great, the weight I hate!(I'm sure they go hand in hand!)
I'm considering putting a piezo Tun-O-Matic on it, and blending the two sounds together. Piezo alone is wierd, but the blend is compelling.
Most people seem to know what Les Pauls can do. Two neat guitarists who have used Gibsons are Bill Frisell and John Abercrombie. They stretch the boundaries a little bit.

Well its like most people are used to. Single cutaway, 4 knobs, 3-way toggle, phat neck, two humbuckers. Of course the mahogany neck and body, with the maple top to add to that. This one happened to be a 91' model, that I picked up over Ebay. The guy happened to upgrade the tuners, so it made my experience tuning this thing much easier. The tuners look like those green vintage ones, but they actually tune!! Also this guitar features full sized trapazoid inlays, like the ones on the Standard. I also have a Standard, but the inlays on this Studio out shine them by far. Also it came in a sinister black paint job, with chrome hardware. Everything other than the tuners, and the strap locks were standard. The only difference between this guitar and my standard is binding, and a nicer finish

Well I have Dimarzio pickups in my Explorer, and they have better high gain power rock type of sound, but these pickups happen to be pretty good for stock. They give that phat warm LP sound to perfection. The downfall is that they just don't have that really high gain sound, because they feedback with more gain. My primary distortion that I use with it is a Sansamp GT-2, which does sound great with it. Within the next year or two, I am going to replace my Crate combo, with ethier a Marshall or a Carvin, so this thing will sing then

Bar none this is the best setup Les Paul, I have ever touched. The guy who I bought this from, must have had it setup by a great tech. Out of the box the action was perfect, the guitar felt great, the neck was straight as an arrow, and their was not one dead spot on the neck. Their is normal wear on it, some belt buckle wear, but everything else seems like it is brand new. For nearly a ten year old guitar, it was perfect. The toggle didn't make a sound, the hardware is pristine, and everything was right

If i had to gig right now, this would probably be my number one. My Explorer would then be my number two, and I am selling my Standard. The fact is that these Studio's are made to be road dogs. Their is no pretty finish to destroy, and this guitar is more solid then a brick. With the solidity, the guitar is still light, because it has a little less body mass than a bulky standard.

I have talked to Gibson a few times, and I will probably contact them regarded some facts on this guitar, when I come around to it. Its really not under warrenty anymore, since it is close to 10 years old, but its rock solid, and if I have a problem I will get it fixed

Well I have been playing 6 years, and I am just shocked out how good this gutiar is for the price I paid, i really did get a bargain. I was in the market for a Les Paul, and I was going to go for the one with the best price, and the best look. I bought this one totally blind, through looking at some pictures, and I was pleasently surprised by this guitar. If you are a student with a limit amount of money to spend on a guitar, don't buy an Epiphone, by a Gibson Les Paul Studio on the used market. It is the best buy you could get! For the money you could spend on a Epi Les Paul Standard, you could have bought the guitar that I think is one of the best I have ever played

My LP was made in`97 ;22 frets solid body(mahogany\maple top)mah.neck,2 humbuckers(490R\498T)2volume 2tone ,bla bla ,
black finish w.chrome hardware,old style kluson tuners.I bought my axe
w, gig bag but now I have case.

I play jazz, blues,fusion even hard rock and i don`t have to complain
about how that black bitch reacts to my pickin`styles. I got even some
nice jazzy sounds (neck pu. tone a bit turn off) so I can say I LIKE IT

After truss rod setting , action ,intonation blablabla PERFECT

Gibson is 1`st

Very versatile instrument ,(mainly for rock) sounds great in good hands ,perfect for those who need a simple and affordable yet refined (still a GIBSON) solid body el.guitar. I have to give 9 because gibson prices still to high for certain people`s wallet

It's a 96, wine red, gold hardware les paul made in USA maple top mahogany body baisic les paul. Unlike the new ones, it has a full body thickness and full trapazoid inlays. It's a les paul standard without the binding for almost half the price. an extra 800-900 dollars for a peice of plastic and a truss rod cover that says standard? go figure.

This guitar has a great tone for what I like to play, Rock. It has every from searing, soulful lead tones to full sounding warm sounding rythm tones, really warm.

I got it used and it was set up for 9 gauge strings so I had to ajust it a bit for 10's everything else was great. exept I wish it didn;t have gold hardware because its wearing down.

everything will last exept for that gold wearing problem. Would gig with it without backup

don't know have never had a problem

I tried many other guitars and this one was the best for me I have been playing a couple of years and love this guitar

Fair enough but nought special for the price

It's good but for 700 pouds I would expect more

average

had it just a couple of years and its more battered than a fish in harry ramsdems

a complete con, just bought for the name for this price I could by 3 and a half de-armond jet stars (my other main guitar) which is just as good if not better. cuts into you chest sitting down and is too heavy standing up a complete waste of money.

I have just one thing to say. The studio has a chambered, thinner body and no binding. I had to say this as no-one else has mentioned this. All this means is that the studio is thinner, lighter and has slightly(barely) less sustain (it's also cheaper). I think the standard should cost as much as the studio and the studio should cost aroung 800 bucks new instead of 1700 bucks. Gibson is just using the name to get more money out of poor people like me. So the studio aint the same thing as the standard but it's pretty damn close. All the same fetures, 2 tone 2 volume, 3 way pickup selector (it's a les paul). Another misconception people have is that the fretboards change the tone of the instrument. The fret board makes absolutely NO difference in tone.

The studios sound is basically the same as a standards. Almost the same tone, I usualy find the studios have a slightly darker tone, a little less sustain. Other than that it's what you come to expect from a les paul.

Gibson factory set ups are a hell of a lot better than most of fenders factory setup, but acton and that are someones personal preferance. Mine was almost perfect for me. A little tweaking and it became the best guitar I ever played. Everyone knows about gibson finishes, they look good but don't last, a mark off for that.

It's a TANK. No other words can describe such a hefty instrument. everything will out last us all except the headstock.

Gibson replied to all of my questions within 2 HOURS!!!!! It was great, they were very friendly too.

A great GUITAR