Gibson Les Paul Studio

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

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

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

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

Pfff havnt a clue. I guess its good

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

never delt with them

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

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

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

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

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

N/A

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

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

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

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

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

DO IT!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No binding though. This guitar just looks so plain.

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

I wouldn't gig without my lp standard though.

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

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

never dealt with them.

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

All in all though, this is a great guitar.

Maple Top, Ugly Paint job,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is my fifth Les Paul.

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

No. 2 was another LP Studio purchased in 1999

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

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

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

It gets a 10 for this.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

?????

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's a Les Paul; pretty durable.

Never use them; hope never to

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

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

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

This makes a great addtion to my "arsenal".

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

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

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

So far great, no problems.

did not have to use yet...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It???s sturdy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nice Canadian made TKL hardshell case.

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

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

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

Clean and sophisticated.

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

The frets are great.

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

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

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

Industry standard professional level electric guitar.

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

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

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

Bought it used.

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

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

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

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