Gibson Les Paul Studio

A 1998 model made in usa all studio made in usa 22fret 2 humbucker 496rt 498rt the rest you know

The sound is fucking good when i buy this LP i was a 12 years boy and its a dream for me now i have 19years i play for 11 years and its the fucking best guitar i have i use a 65' deluxe reverb amp and the sound il to beautiful to explain :P no noise full sound me i like to play some 70' rock like acdc and led zep so its perfec i love thios guitar

the finish of my studio its unbeliveble a forest green whit gold hardware the paint is perfect il like the decal of wood SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH IM A QUEBECOIS !!! french hehe

durability is the most important point the only thing broken on my guitar is the tone bouton but the rest is build like rock i use this guitar 6years now and its never broke i use it on stage with no back up

???? i dont know

i been playind for 12 years aproximatly now i have 3 guitar a gibson les paul studio 98 a fender stratocaster custom shop 69' model time machine and a fucking gretsch 6120 chet atkins 1962 ORIGINAL my dad sold to me :D if il stolen i buy another one its sure i love the versatibility of this guitar so BUY IT

This is a 1995 Les Paul studio, wine color, with chrome hardware purchased at a hole in the wall music store in Griffin Ga. Made in the USA with a black pickguard which was soon removed for personal choice. It has the standard two humbucker config and rosewood fretboard. The color is solid with a bit of grain coming through, its definently not pretty wood, hence the solid color. It came with a gig bag that has since been dumped for a more substantial case.

I already own a 1986 LP custom so I already love LPs, but I liked the wine colored model and it responded very well playing it in the store for a while so I purchased it. I use it with a crate Vintage tube combo amp. The electronics are top shelf, quiet, and the pickups sound like LPs should sound. Blazing with distortion and ballsy clean. It has the traditional LP balls. My pickup selector switch malfunction in 2001 and had to be re soldered.

Finish was superb and still looks great, I take very good care of it. I assume the store set up the guitar, but I set the action a tad lower when I got it home. I have made one adjustment to the neck over the years, a very minor one , and its back to perfect. The hardware is showing some minor wear, nothing to be worried about though. There were no flaws on the guitar and after 9 years only one very minor ding.

This guitar withstands live playing and it will last. Only after about 5 years of owning it did I notice how it sounds better today. But this is not uncommon with guitar woods. Factory strap buttons were gone a long time ago and replaced with locking straps. I can depend on this guitar it onle let me down once ( pickup selector switch) I could use it on a gig without a backup (but I will never do that)

Never delt with Gibson, never needed to. I would never let anyone I didn't know (their expertise) to service this guitar unless it needed major repair. Warranty has long expired I suppose.

Been playing 20 years. I would hate it seriously if I lost it or it was stolen. Not sure if I would buy it again unless my other LP got gone too, I would probably buy some sort of PRS, or Carvin type guitar. I love its reliability, and of course its looks because nothing looks better than the LP shape, but most of all I love the sound.It practically plays it self, so much easier than straight neck bolt on strats. I also own 1986 Gibson LP custom (black)Carvin Bolt, Yamaha se 250 (first electric), 2 1962 Strat copies I built myself from plans (s,s,s and 1 H ) and a 1988 Epiphone LP junior (with steinberger tremelo!)that is in the midst of a total breakdown, redesign (chucking that trem!)and overhaul. Amps include 1998 crate vintage club 50 tube combo, and a 1985 Peavy classic chorus 130 combo (that just won't die already)and various pedels, processors, and my 1986 proco rat distortion box.

you know

10, for me, I coulda went with the classic, with the 500, and 496 pick ups, but definitley too snappy for my tastes, I LOVE 490's, and when I want a harder edged sound the 498 is just fine, seriously, though the neck 490 is a wonderful pick up, extremely versitile for blues rythem, and jazz, you know happy major scle stuff, very pretty, the 498 rocks, sorry aboot stressing them, but in my opinion, these burstbuckers that are being outfitted on the standards and what not are junk, go 57' classic, 490, 496, 498, and 500, if you can well worth it, you can really make any of those pick ups (especially the middle 490, 496 and 498) do anything

Solid as a rock, NO complaints, except for after a while, it kind feels like you're carrying a rock, but that goes with the territory, no biggie, I would suggest and kind of locking strap mechanism,

would withstand anything, I've had my share o problems, but I can't recall anyone i know having major problems with Gibsons, including myself, c'mon dudes, they're all handmade in Memphis, the folks know what they're doing

100%, had a few questions, which were answered basically before I could even ask them

I understand the phenomenon with Gibsons', especially Les Pauls, I'm sure you have others picked out (custom, 57 gold top), but honestly, having played many of them, I say you can't go wrong with a studio or classic, they're not ridunkulously expensive, and can anyone honestly think of something majorly different you'd gain by spending an extra grand, I think by the point you decide to spend on a Gibby Les, it pretty much depends on the player, not the tool, maybe a few tricks here and there, but you'll get crazy mileage out of any Gibson, they're well crafted, and sound delicious

This is a 2004 gibson lp studio ebony chrome hardware, it was handcrafted in the usa like all gibsons. Has 22 frets, solid-top, 2 vol 2 tone, mahogany body carved maple top, tune o matic bridge, gibson vintage tuners, big fat neck, comes with a reptile skin gibson usa hardcase, and tool.

I play any type of rock and this guitar definately suits my style. I run my lp thru a digitech rp-50 to an old roland cube 60. The pickups do not buzz, they are silent. It has a very rich sound. This guitar plays great soft and clean, or heavy and crunchy. I dont have any dislikes about the sound of it, it sounds awesome.

When i recieved my guitar the action was PERFECT, not too high or low. The pickups were adujusted perfectly as well. This guitar came with absolutely no flaws or anything, i clearly made sure of that.

This guitar would definately withstand live playing. Im sure i wont have any problems with the hardware theyll last a lifetime. The finish seems very thick. The strap buttoms were on just fine, but i replaced them with straplocks, the original were pretty small. I could definatley depend on my lp, nothing bizzare has happened only the natural things like broken strings. This guitar does come slightly out of tune quite often, if i could get locking tuners my lp would be perfect. Of course like all lps it is quite heavy, but im used to it, but my shoulder gets sore after a while of playing. I would probably not have to bring a backup for my lp, but i would to be safe.

The customer support on this guitar was really good. I ordered this guitar and recieved it in a week, set up perfectly. I havn't had to deal with gibson personally. Im pretty sure the warranty is a lifetime.

Ive been playing for a year and a half. Besides my setup, i own an epiphone 80's acoustic guitar. If this were stolen or lost i would by a new one. I love the nice thick sound of this guitar, the feel of the neck, and pretty much everything else. Theres nothing i hate about this guitar, the tuners could be a bit better, but overall there okay. My favourite feature is probably the thick neck, its really comfortable to play. I comapared this guitar to a peavey evh wolfgang, and an gibson sg special. I chose this guitar because it had an all around better sound, the finish on the neck was most comfortable, and the pickups were most powerful. I just wish it had grover locking tuners, that would be just perfect. Overall i think gibson makes the nicest guitars and they did a great job on mine. Im going to continue to buy gibson products, even if they are expensive its worth it.

Std Gib Studio features. Great Gibson case with shroud. Rosewood neck. Fireburst Maple top. Gold hardware. Added Schaller strap locks. I gave it a 9 because the tuners chould be better than the Green Gibson Deluxe tuners.

Acceptable sound. Not as muddy as most people claim. Pretty much sounds like "old time rock n roll" music. No noise that I can hear when close to my current amp. I am using an original Crate CR-1 amp and a Crate MX-10. Would like to buy a tube amp someday. Play mostly blues and old rock and the stock pickups work great on both styles.

Action had to be lowered. Constant fret buzzing. Turns out this guitar is SUPER sensitive to the A/C or heater. Neck is constantly changing and have had to have it setup several times at my guitar dealer. I love the looks. I tried all the Gibsons in the store from the cheaper Studios to the more expensive Customs and ES series and this was the only one without fret buss, in the beginning! This is my first Gibson and probably my last one. This is a great guitar and I have mixed feelings about it, but I'm leaning towards keeping it since it is a joy to play once I ignore the buzz.

Have knicked the back of it with a music stand and I was ready to cry. Didn't do much damage, but seeing the knocj just pisses me off. The guitar is not as heavy as it's more expensive siblings. I'm too lazy so I play it sitting down.

N/A

Overall, I'll probably keep this guitar since it is a Gibson and I've always wanted one. If this was stolen, I'd take it as a sign and buy a PRS or something. Still, these guitars are too overpriced. I just recently purchased a Carvin CT4M PRS-style guitar. I look forward to getting it when it is shipped 3 months from now!! I think it'll be worth the wait. I'll probably put this Gibson away and never talk about getting another one again.
Guitars that I've had - Carvin CT4M (soon), Gibson LP Studio, Godin SD, Epi Std DLx, Epi Classic, Godin Radiator, Godin LGX, Godin LG, Fender Am Std Dlx, Fender Sqr, Ibanez RG, Celebrity Applause, Fender Bass (a BASS!!??)

Mine's ebony (black) with trapazoid inlays. I got it used with stock pickups (490R-498T), Sperzel locking tuners, SKB case (not a freedom), and it had the Schaller strap bottons for the straplocks. These mods were a big plus in my buying this guitar. Why ibson doesn't sell them standard with a hard shell case is beyond me, but hey, someone went ahead and threw one in with the deal so I'm happy. Oh yeah, it has a mahagony body and neck, maple top, ebony fret board, Tune-o-Matic bridge/stop bar tail piece. The only gripe I have with Gibson is this: when you look up the specs on the 490 and 498 pickups, the after market ones have 4 conductor wires, but if you crack open a Les Paul Studio with stock pickups, they'll have a single wire with the braided shield, making it un-tapable. Most people wouldn't notice or care, but it would be nice to have the option.

It sounds like a Les Paul; Standard, or Custom (unless equipped with Burstbuckers). Deep thick humbucker sound that's not too over the top. The wood compliment sounds rather throaty when compared to a Maple neck guitar. The main thing is, when you pay extra for a standard, or custom, you're paying for cosmetics. Transparent finish, and binding, maybe a little more mother-of-pearl. The Custom has a ebony fretboard, but anyone who's gonna pay the extra for a custom is gonna pay that much no matter what. Soundwise though, the Studio sounds every bit as good as its more expensive bretheran.

The action was set well upon purchase. The neck is set so no worries about gaps. Mine has a few wear marks on the neck just from being played that much. The pickups have never been touched since I've had it. The finish is great except where the previous owner had their stickers, but this is not Gibson's fault.

I think these guitars have more then proven themselves on countless stages. The harddwere is well designed. The newer ones seem to be coming with "Classic" tuners, which I've never been a fan of, but mine has Sperzels anyway. I highly recomend either Sperzel or Schaller Tuners. I also recomend straplocks on every guitar, but especially Les Pauls due to the location of the top strap button.

I only dealt with Gibson a few times, but they are tough to get a hold of.

This guitar is exactly what I expected. I needed a good guitar, I love Les Pauls and for $400 I couldn't go wrong. I think Studios are the best bang for your buck at normal new cost as well. I may switch out the pickups to a p90 in-humbucker-shape to go along with the 10" speakers of my Silvertone 1485 (this amp doesn't do well with the 490-498). This guitar would be worth replacing, but if I had to go new, I'd probably pay a little extra for the Classic, with the 496-500 pickups. The Studio is definalely a great guitar, even for a "lesser" Gibson. Other low line Gibsons have shotty fret work I've noticed, and the Les Paul Faded is closer to an SG with its wood compliment. This guitar has become the bar by which others are measured as far as the sound I'm looking for.

My Les Paul was made in June 2003 in the USA. It's a regular Les Paul guitar, the same as the Standard but with the older pickups and no binding on the neck or body. Before i bought this guitar, i was slightly wary about the chunkiness of the neck but when you get to hold this thing i think you'll find that the neck is good chunky not bad chunky - very comfortable. It came with a good quality Gibson case and i also got some polish and a strap thrown in to. Not loads of features but if it was features i wanted, i would buy a food processor.

In my own time i play a lot of Blues and Classic/Modern Rock. I also play in a band that's a little more avante garde and i found that this guitar works well in all situtations. I play through a Marshall Guvnor+ into a Marshall AVT 100 amp. If you want a good clean sound - you can get a nice strumming tone like on stairway to heaven or a chunky jazzier tone. Distortion and this guitar's bridge pickup go so well together. I found this guitar does everything from lightly cranked 60's rock to Zakk Wylde high gain lead.For some more modern styles this guitar can sound a bit to traditional but the best thing is it has a real "presence" - even under distortion the sound doesn't get lost in the mix.

This guitar was exemplary when i bought it. Compared to a PRS CE24 that i tried at the same time, the fretwork didn't seem so precise but still the finishing was top class. The guitar was set up perfectly and was harmonically in tune. There are a lot of horror stories about the lacquer on Gibbos but i've had no problem.

The one problem i had was that the jack socket kinda fell apart after a little knock but like a woman, if you treat it well it'll provide you with years of great "service". I also recommend putting some of the rubber bits from Grolsch bottles on the strap buttons to avoid any accidents.

I've never dealt with Gibson so i don't really have an opinion.

I've been playing about 3 years now and this is my first "proper" guitar. This guitar has a top quality tone that'll make your playing stand out in a live situation but it'll also expose bad playing too. It reeks of quality from the nice wine red finish to the really heavy body. I wish this guitar was white so i could look like Randy Rhoads but apart from that it's nigh on perfect.

Tengo una studio de 1992, por supuesto americana.La pague 750 dls en argentina , usada.
Con 22 trastes (no me vengan con giladas son suficientes para cualquier guitarrista de verdad)
2 humbuckers y los controles de cualquier les paul (1 volumen para cada mic , 1 tono para cada mic , llave de 3 posiciones)
Los mics q trae son unos alnico pasivos.

No existe nada mas versatil a la hora de tocar q una buena les paul , no me vengan con las cagadas de ibanez ni ese tipo de boludeces , esas son guitarras para nenas.
Mis guitarristas favoritos son de la decada pasada (gilbert , kotzen, wylde) o sea q en casa toco lo q quiero y en vivo responde perfecto , lo mismo con mi banda Jaque Reina en la cual afinamos en do.
No es ruidosa para nada.
La uso con un wah jim dunlop cry baby , un compresor ed-1 de marshall y un super chorus boss.

gibson es sinonimo de prolijidad , nada mas q decir , (encima mi studio es deluxe , con todos los accesorios dorados)

una gibson dura toda la vida.

Hace 8 a?os q toco y creo q nada va a superar la fuerza de una gibson , son para rockear , bvlusear o lo q mierda quieras.
Si me la robaran buscaria al ladron y le meteria una par de ibanez por el ojete a ver si son tan angostas como dicen. y si no lo encontrara trataria de comprarme una custom!!!!!

It's a Les Paul ... You know the features
Mine is black with gold hardware and trapezoid inlays

I play mostly the early Black Sabbath stuff and it sounds great for distorted sounds.
Altough I used it most of time for heavy music, you can find all kinds of tone ... from clean jazz sounds to bluesy overdrive from classic rock "hotter than hell" distortion!
It's a killer guitar!

The guitar was buzzing in the upper frets, I took it to a complete set-up and it has been playing flawlessly ever since

Rock-solid guitar .... will last a lifetime

Never dealt with them

I've been playing for a little over 4 years and this is my first "real" guitar ...
I've compared it to a Les Paul Standard, but that was just too much for my wallet!
This is the "real deal" ... go and get one and you will not regret!

You know what you're getting.. It's a design classic..!

The LP is not famous for it, but there are a great variety of tones available from this guitar. I play a wide range of modern rawk (not metal) and some classic stuff too with a twinge of blues/country and I just love the sounds... The natural cellulose finish (more on this later), glued neck and mahogny body give it richness, transparency and sustain- even when unplugged! The bridge pup has a great lively, lead tone and the 'middle' position is highly usable on clean sounds. If I had to fault it it would be on the neck pup, just falls a tiny bite short of that defined richness for me... But hey aren't these the same pups that come as standard on the Custom..? Three times the price and you get a bit of gaudy styling and an extra 1/8 inch...? I am not complaining!

I got an excellent deal from a well know west London guitar shop, which meant no frills and a factory set up!

The nut was cut to high for the factory strings in it (9-46 I believe, but felt more like 10s to me) which meant the action was too high for my taste at the first few frets. The fret ends also felt a little rough when moving up and down the neck- some people don't mind this from an unbound neck but I do and it's not hard to get right. The intonation was ok but not perfect, pup heights approximated optimum positions.

An extra #30 spent on a pro set-up (buffed fret ends, properly filed nut, adjusted bridge action and intonation, new set of 10s, pups adjusted for optimum output) and it plays fantastically- I am 100% happy with it. But why should I have had to have done this? Some people claim Gibson send 'em out expecting them to be set up again (hence the nut being undercut etc) but surely this can't be true..? I know the studio is the 'cheap'end of the lp range but it ain't cheap compared to Fender etc...

Plus points- can't fault the bookmarking (love the simplistic styling of the studio) and love the sound of the cellulose finish (I hear it will age beautifully too...) once I'd got use to the stickyish feel (a decent cloth is a must). Minus points for a few tiny splodges (glue or finish?) at the neck/body join- easily avoidable surely?

When using a JMP100 re-issue head and cab I noticed a distinctive humming when not playing which can be stopped by touching the bridge. This suggestes to me that the guitar is earthed through the bridge, it has only happened on one specfic amp.. Again, avoidable...

I decided to show a few friends my new acquisition late one Saturday night. Gravity caught me off my guard, off popped the strap on the body and down she went. The result- a perfect mould of the strap button in my lovely wooden floor (I caught it as it hit the ground). But not a single mark on the guitar- it's a tank, so many plus points there.

A lesson was learnt- strap locks are a must! How many years have they been making these guitars?.. again there must be a simple solution?

After a relatively short time the gold hw began to tarnish slighlty due to a reaction with my palm. This is really rubbish and reading below, a common problem. I cloth it down before and after playing- no difference.

The natural finish, whilst sounding great, gives in too easily to buttons, belts etc for my liking (a necc evil I suppose) and the ebony colour means it shows up finger prints and dust like no other. Polish away!

But you can sure depend on it! Anmd the tolex case that comes with it can only lenghten its lifetime.

Gibson's lifetime warranty sounds superb... except it doesn't apply outside the USA (surely the UK qualifies as the 51st state these days?) and Rosetti (Gibson's UK distrubtors) no longer give a warranty (aboslute rubbish) referring you to your original shop's warranty which is for one year.. Hmmm.

Don't be put off by my fault finding, there are a lot of positives that have been said below that I won't repeat.

I have highlighted the small faults I have found because I believe they are maddeningly easy for a company like Gibson to solve (I am sure they know about these issues) and it's important to bear these things in mind when buying. Overall, the pluses far outweigh the minuses.

I love this guitar, love its tone, love its looks and love its value for money (in terms of the Gibson LP range only). I am really happy with it and hope that guitar playing will still be cool when I have grandchildren so they can have it!

1995 USA 22 frets 2 Humbuckers 2 vol/2tone.
Finish is dark wine red with chrome hardware.
Classic stripped down rock guitar.

I bought it to replace my Epiphone Les Paul Standard, which looked the part, but didn't feel good to play, and never really felt like my guitar. This guitar is a BEAUTY. I've never been so involved with a guitar in my life, it chose ME. It has that crispy tone just before it barks and roars which tells you it's the real McCoy.

I love everything about this guitar even the wear and tear the previous owner gave it. The guitar was set up so well that I didn't realise even after my 18 years of playing that a guitar could feel so easy to play. The guitar was 2nd hand so the guy in the shop must know his onions. It is just worn in nicely and I will never sell it.

I have yet to gig this baby. On one hand I can't wait to, on the other, I'm scared of letting her out into the big bad world, but I know I must. I think as long as you don't drop a Les Paul, it will last you forever.

This is where Gibson have really managed to mess up. As one of the most famous names in rock, they seem to have employed the geeks from school who were too limp to be memorable. They would not properly answer my questions, or tell me why they couldn't transfer registration of ownership to my name. I will buy Gibson guitars again, and look forward to the day that I can afford a Standard, but sometimes second hand guitars are the ones you buy. It was the SAME price as a new one but was of a higher standard being a '95 model. If they want to sell new guitars, they shouldn't try and cut corners for profit.

Pro for 3 and a half years, own a Rhodes, Takamine EN10C (see review) Fender Performer 1000 (see review) Marshall AVT20 (review coming) Roland Cube 30 (review coming) and a Japanese Fender Telecaster. This guitar is such a beautiful thing, it is a joy to play, listen to and look at. Like I said before it chose me and I would replace it with another one if I lost it. If only Gibson didn't employ such benders to run their "customer support"

Gibson Les Paul Studio
2 volume, 2 tone, 3 way switch
Chrome 490R 498T humbuckers
6 strings
fireburst

Rich clean tone....even with heavy distortion.

Great action...easy to play...finish is great.

It was a great guitar, but then it happened. I was sitting there playing some skynyrd and doing some great pinches. The next thing I knew Heard a loud pop and intense pain. I took my bandana off and looked down "WOW" I said! The headstock broke clean off, bounced off the fretboard and richocheted into my left testicle. Other than that it is a pretty rigid guitar.

They still havent got back to me yet!

not bad, just be careful with the neck! Wear a cup!

I'm reviwing a 2001 Ebony Les Paul Studio 2 humbucking pickups (stock Gibson 490R and 498T)with chrome hardware and Kluson style plastic button tuners. The usual Les Paul stuff, mahogany body with maple cap, 2 volume 2 tone controls, tune o matic bridge ect. It is what it is, you're not buying features here, you're buying the "tone".

I play classic rock, R&B, some top 40, and a little country. My setup for playing clubs is Les Paul/American Standard Strat/Warmouth Telecaster into Marshall Ed-1 Comp>Vintage Jen Crybaby Wah>VooDoo Labs Proctavia>VooDoo Labs Sparkledrive>Menatone KOB>Boss CE-2>Line 6 MM-4>Boss DD-3 into a Musicman RD 112 One Humdred.

Typically a Les Paul suits classic rock/hard rock, and it does so in spades, but I also find that it works for many other tones I'm after. The only tones missing for me are those in between sounds in the 2 & 4 position on a strat. Obviously it's a case of different horses for different courses. A Les Paul has a tone suited for some songs, and strats for others.

I was pleasantly surprised at how bright my guitar was. I was fully prepared to ditch the stock Gibson pickups because they have a bit of a reputation for being muddy, but this guitar must have a particularly resonant maple top. It doesn't lack treble at all, but it's not ice picky either. Mids are woody and complex, and the lows are there to round out the tone without muddying things up.

The fretwork was excellent and the action is great. It was sort of low when I got it, and I was able to lower it even more with no buzzes. This thing plays like a dream now.

Initially I was having problems with tuning stability. It turned out that the strings were binding at the nut. The fact that I use 9's tells me that the nut was improperly cut at the factory. I'm still not 100% sure that I won't replace the Kluson style tuners with Grovers for a more solid feel and even better stability.

This guitar must have spent quite sometime in the store before I bought it, because there was arm wear present on the body. The finish dulls slightly at the top of the lower curve where your right arm rubs on the body. Also, the all black plastic "look" of this guitar did nothing for me. I replaced the pickup surrounds and switch tip with creme, the speed knobs with gold ones, and the pickguard and switch cover with peraloid. None of these problems affect playability, but ya gotta look good, right.

This guitar was well put together. No mystery rattles or loose parts. It's solid and will last. I'm not sure if the arm wear issue is indicative of the finish quality or not. I always use a backup, but not necessarily a double humbucker, mahogany body, maple cap model.

Never had occasion to deal with Gibson.

I've been playing over 25 years and I've owned over 40 different guitars over the years, including a 1970 Les Paul Custom. I'd rate this guitar highly and feel it's a great value compared to a Standard. Cosmetically, I wish it had bindings, but I may even look into having them added later. This guitar plays like a dream and sounds great.

Bought it used a october '02.. It's a '92 modell with a wine red finsh, chrome harware and an ebony fingerboard.. Doesn't have that nice Gibson logo in pearl like the standards though..

It's the best guitar I've ever heard, and I've tried a lot of guitars! I've worked in a guitar shop, and tried almost every guitar out there.. Love the fat neck this guitar has. The pickups sound unbelievable! It's the stock ones that says Gibson USA.. I play punk/rock, rock and it suits my needs perfect..

I bought it used, so it came set-up like it's previous owner liked wanted it.. The strings were to close to the neck and the pickups were a little bit low.. It has a few scratches, but I think that only adds personality.

I use this guitar with my band, and I never worry that something will go wrong with it..

Been playing for about 8 years now.. If it was stolen, I would probably do anything to get it back.. Can't imagine not having this guitar by my side.. I knew the first time I tried it that there was something special about it.

HERE'S THE DEAL, guys will tell you the Studios are LP light and to steer away from the Gibson low end crap. I was focused on a LP Classic because I dig the ceramic pups and the overall look---hell I wanted a Standard, who doesn't, but I need to feed my kids. I got the Studio because of this ridiculous price and because I thought the black and chrome looked evil. I plugged it in and had to hold on for dear life. This thing is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Sure, I'd love to have gone with the Classic, but the Studio is ALL Les Paul ALL the time.

Born July 27, 2003, ebony with chrome hardware, a badass looking guitar. (I don't get the whole gold hardware craze. Makes an axe look like a Toyota.) You know the basics, a LP with alnico pups, no binding, gibson tuners, tune o matic bridge. Nice finish, a black mirror. 1/8" less mahogany than a Standard, but hell, its plenty heavey for me. Great case. Can't believe they used to come with a gig bag. Love the fat neck--thicker than my Martin!

The best sounding, most versatile humbucker guitar for under a grand. Played Schecters, Ibanez, PRS Santana, all good, but not an LP. Plus, a USA made instrument. Pups are hotter than I thought. Spits fire turned up, so I keep them around 7. I love the dual volume / tone pots, the whole LP design. It is such a competent rock guitar that I think it doesn't get the recognition it deserves for being a really great jazz and blues instrument. There are even a few twanky country tones available through the bridge pickup. My guess is if I can't get the tone out of it its becaus I frickin don't know how.

Was kinda worried after reading about so many horror stories coming out of Nashville. But this jewel has no flaws, straight neck, frets in great shape, action pretty good from the factory. I had my guitar guy do a set up and really, there wasn't much work for him to do. Dude shoulda payed ME to play with it.

Won't be droppin it on the headstock. First thing I did was put in strap locks. Otherwise, I think you could hammer railroad ties with it. If an intruder breaks in my house, I hit him with the Paul. No, check that, I just play an A chord. He runs from the house with bleeding ears.

It will probably outlive me, so when my newborn daughter joins a punk band in 2016, she won't need a new guitar.

I have contacted Gibson numerous times and they have always been great. I had an intonation question on Sunday, called left a message and that afternoon a nice Nashville gentleman called me back! They were very helpful in my deciding between the Studio and Classic. I was concerned that I needed to pay up to get a "real" Paul and they assured me the Studio would get it done. It dose and then some.

I've been playing a while, I'm not great by any means, but I know how I want to sound. This guitar has an amazing range from soft jazz to thrash metal. I find myself discovering new tonal possibilities with each practice. I have an '88 USA Strat and a Martin D-15. I play through a Peavey Classic 30. Its all good. There's always more gear out there and more money to spend, but I'm really happy with my stuff.

2003 Gibson USA Les Paul Studio "Swamp Ash" came from Misc. Music Sales in a factory sealed box. To my suprise the guitar was tatally set up perfect with .10's and no flaws! The natural finish on the swamp ash body and natural satin finish on the nmohagany neck make a cool combination to the already sweet sound of a Les Paul.

Features an ebony fretboard with no inlays. Very refreshing to be honest. A swamp ash body that provides a wide variety of tones by using the volume and tone controls. Unlike any other Les Paul I've owned. Pickups are the same as the Standard (490R and 496T)

Lots of sound here...Very airy and natural sounding. This is my first guitar I've had with the natural satin finish. The finish or lack thereof seems to not dampen or hold back any sound at all like a finished guitar does. (My sound testing was done with a Mesa Boogie Single Rectifier 1x12 combo) This guitar has a loud sound to it without it even being pluged in. Good sign for a great sounding guitar. No muddiness to the sound, crisp and clear on the clean tones as well. Has a little "spank" to it! probably due to the sound characteristics of the swamp ash body and ebony fretboard, yet this guitar retains all the balls of Les Paul is known for in all of pickup selections. Thumbs up!

Action was a little high for me but I lowered it my to my liking. No flaws in the finish at all. Satin finishes are had to screw up! If you are wanting a museum piece, this is not the guitar for you as the guitar feels very natural. You can feel the wood grain but the more you play it the better it naturally polishes it self.

Reliable! except for the typical weak spot (headstock) on all Les Pauls.

Very nice guitar. Destined to be a classic. I mean, when is the last time you remember Gibson making a Swamp Ash Les paul? Great purchase! Great value for under a $1000 Tyr one!

This guitar was born on august 14th 1997, black with gold mechanics and a rosewood fretboard with full size pearl trapezoid inlays. This guitar also has a fully thick mahogany body, later models were slimmed(supposedly because people werent buying LP Standards when these were identical except the bindings)It originally featured the Neck 490 and bridge 498 alnico pickups.

The way I described this guitar to my parents might give you an idea of what youre dealing with here: Its The grand piano of guitars, increadible sustain with full huge tone. We did a recording recently where we compared it to a Shecter C1+ aswell as an Crucianelli vintage semi-acoustic and everyones opinion was that hearing the gibson was like having a lid lifted of the sound.
But the stock bridge pickup(498t) just didnt cut it, its a very average pickup that just doesnt cut it so I replaced it with a DiMarzio Super Distortion and that really kicked the tone towards heaven, absolutely top notch proffessional sound. A very clear and classical sound like 70s rock but it can go to the farthest deathmetal/grindcore extreme without a problem.
I have a very widespread playing field that goes from extreme metal to jazz and this guitar can do it all very convincingly, versatility yes. I have played it through loads of amps too so the tone is in the guitar rest assured of that.

I bought it used so I cannot answer for the factory setttings but I was able to set the guitar up so good it practicly plays itself, the string height is perfect and the intonation is very good(not buzz feiten good obviously).Its something with the frets too, theyre just the right height and width for my playing. In short, it is difficult to find a guitar that you can adjust to near-perfection but this guitar can do it.
It had no flaws except the gold paint on the bridge is comming off slowly as all gold-plated stuff does eventually. The finish is great too, I can use it as a mirror. It did have very pale rosewood fretboard which wasnt very atractive but I dyed the wood black with some leather dye and now it looks amazing.

This guitar is a rock(weightwise too, this is one of those really really heavy LPs some people dont like..almost 5kilos), it can probably take being smashed through a wall but the stock strap buttons are too small so I had them replaced with locking ones.

never dealt with them.

Ive been playing for as long as this guitars has existed, it came out of the factory when I got my first guitar(an unknown Charvel soloist model) Apart from the two guitars mentioned I also own a 1960's Eko Tramp II. But this guitar is my favorite and the one I play the most, I got it for my 20th birthday(2000) and i have fallen completely in love with it. The only other thing I wished it had was a Buzz Feiten intonation system but it really doesnt need it.
If youre thinking about going out and buy one of these I just want to say that not all LP Studios sound as good as this one so youll really have to look and when you find it, throw away the stock pickups and replace them, you wont get full potential from your guitar without top-notch pickups.

I play an ebony Gibson Les Paul Model '97 Studio guitar made in the USA. It was bought second-hand in May 2001 from Crane's Music in Cardiff and it was love-at-first-strum, despite it being customised in what I later learnt to be quite a bizarre set-up for a Les Paul.
There is a fair old weight on this guitar, but the thought of playing an instrument constructed from mahogany is reassuring. The hardware and pick-ups are all chrome. As far as I can tell both pick-ups look like the standard issue Alnicos but I am unaware of whether they have been replaced at any point. The controls on this guitar are two volume, two tone and a 3 way selector switch and it has a tune-o-matic bridge. The guitar came with a Gibson USA gig-bag and they also threw in a strap and some plecs.

I play a lot of Led Zeppelin, and then a broad spectrum of music around that; from Metallica to Artimus Crisis, Pink Floyd to Blur. I find that using this guitar I am able to achieve such a wide variety of tones - ranging from bright, passive or trebly tones to chunky, rich mid-tones. I particularly enjoy the sustain and tone I can get with this guitar on most decent amplfiers, most notably Marshall amps (I use a Marshall Valvestate VS65R amp for praciticing and gigging). The down-side is that it feels strange whenever I play a more airy guitar such as a Stratocaster as I am so used to the chunkiness and full-on-ness of my Les Paul.
I can also get some superb sounds out of the guitar through a crybaby wah-wah.

When I bought this guitar the action was unusually high, but I left it for over a year before getting it sorted out. Although not noticabely affecting the sound produced, adjusting it did improve my ability to use the guitar to its full extent. I advise anyone that finds the action on their guitar too high/too low to get it adjusted to suit your needs - you will feel much more at ease with your guitar.
I think its about time I got some new pick-ups put in the guitar to further improve the sound quality, as the ones I have in at the moment are just typical standard issue pick-ups that have probably been pushed to their limits.
The only flaws with the guitar was that there was a huge mark on the bottom of the instrument near the jack-input. This is the reason for the significant reduction in price the shop were asking for this guitar.

This guitar is so solid that you feel one-hundred percent sure its not going to fall apart on you mid-performance. If looked after properly and cleaned regularly it fells as though this guitar could survive until the end of time. There is nothing flimsy or unstable about the guitar. I've used it for lots of gigs and I've never had a back-up guitar; its never let me down.
I've played the guitar more-or-less every day since I bought it and it shows hardly any signs of wear. I keep it nice and clean (essential when you own a black ebony guitar like this) and remove any dust that builds up. I see no signs of the finish wearing off.

The people who sold me this guitar were very helpful and I think I got it for a reasonable price (somewhere between #600 and #700 if I remember correctly). I feel quite safe buying a slightly older 97 model asI generally think older stuff was built to last longer.
The guy who adjusted the action on the guitar was Simon Jones from Swansea who was very helpful in explaining to me the peculiarities of the guitar's configuration when I bought it and did a fine job adjusting it to my specifications.

I have been playing guitar for somwhere between 6-7 years. I started off using a Les Paul copy made by Hohner which did the job initially, but became ran down due to a combination of it generally being a cheap guitar and being overused and mistreated. When I bought this Gibson Studio it was a moment of pure excitement as I realised that I now owned a proper guitar with the capabillity of creating the sounds I wanted.
If I could ask one question to the people who sold me this guitar I would inquire about the bizarre high-action set-up and would have asked more about the previous owner i.e. where did the large scratch come from, and in what ways had the guitar been altered in the shop?
The only foreseeable problem I can see with this guitar is that it weighs quite a lot more than your average solid-body electric guitar and I am quite prone to having an achey back. I may consider buying a lighter guitar in the future that I can switch to at various points in my band's set.
Overall I can vouch for this being an all-round dependable instrument with high-quality tone and feel.

My studio is a 2003 Wine Red with gold hardware. It was made in Nashville, Tennessee. I have a diamond plate pickguard and truss rod cover that I bought from pickguardfx.com. This guitar has 490 and 498 humbuckers, with four speed knobs (two for volume/two for tone.) Came with Gibson USA case.

This guitar fits my style perfectly. I use this with a Marshall JCM 800 2203ZW, Limited Edition Zakk Wylde head and stack, a Dunlop Rotovibe, a Morley Bad Horsie, and a Boss SD-1. This guitar is not noisy, even with a high gain amp. This guitar can achieve a great full sound. I can make it a metal master, a classic rocker, or a bluesy acoustic. It has a great variety. I like the sound very much, but I do want the EMG Zakk Wylde 81 and 85 pickups.

This guitar was set up good from the factory, and I've had no problems with it. Nothing has been wrong with it so far. I've never seen any flaws so I'll give it a ten.

I think my guitar will withstand live playing. None of my gold has wore off yet so I'm pleased. The top of the guitars finish has dulled a little bit, but that's because I sweat alot and I play it 24/7. The strap buttons are solid but I'm putting Dunlop strap locks on it anyways. I wouldn't use this guitar without a backup only because I play a variety of styles that I need different tunings for.

Never talked to Gibson.

I've been playing guitar for a little over 2 years and I own my Gibson, a Schecter C-1 Elite, an Ibanez Destroyer, an Ibanez RG-270, a Fender Jimi Hendrix Strat, a Fender Mexican Strat, a Marshall JCM 800 2203ZW, a Fender Twin Amp, and an Ibanez IBZ10 for home usage. I wish I could have gotten my Zakk Wylde pickups with it. If it were stolen I'd kill the son of a bitch that took it and I'd probably buy a Gibson Les Paul Custom. I love just about everything about it but the pickups. I compared this guitar to PRS's, Fenders, Gretschs, BC Richs, Jacksons, Schecters, Peaveys, and Ernie Balls and it out shined them all. I highly recommend this guitar to the rocker on a budget.

As below. Mine is a 2003, ebony with rosewood fingerboard, chrome hardware, yadda yadda...

Compared to my 1977 Les Paul Custom, this one is a lot brigher. I use it for just about everything (country, jazz, blues, etc.) and find it just as versatile as my Strat. The plain black finish was a little hard to get used to at first, but I'm liking the unpretentious nature of it now. No bindings, just a maple top on mahagony. Lovely full Gibson tone! Weight...well that should be dead issue now. I can live with it.

The set up from the factory was okay, believe it or not. I might want to change the nut in the future to make for wider spacing but everything else is fine.

Haven't had it long enough to comment on this one. May do an update later.

I've been playing guitar for 35 years. I also have a USA Srat and Tele, as well as a Larrivee and Yamaha classical. I play the electrics thru a Fender hot rod deluxe. I didn't have to play too many other Gibsons. I know that you can't go too wrong with them. But I would never buy a guitar without playing it first. I check the usual (cracks, alignment, tuners, etc.) and then let my ears have the final say. This is a great value. It's a no frills Les Paul that has the same pickups and carved top as the best ones. I don't think you can possible go wrong with one of these.

95 Glossy Black Les Paul Studio. Pearl trapezoid inlays, 490 and 498 Humbuckers, 4 volume and tone knobs, 22 frets...Finish was glossy black, no binding, pickguard had been removed (I bought a pearl one for 15 bucks and it looks great). Neck is a bit fatter than I am used to but not as fat as some I have played. Mine came with a gig bag, I think the bag originally went to the Les Paul Jr the guy was selling, but oh well it was brand new.

I play mostly grunge/alternative/rock/metal. So pretty much everything really from Neil Young to Zeppelin to Foo Fighters and Metallica. This guitar works great for what I wanted. I learned on a Dean Avalanche (strat copy) that is a great guitar in itself but didn't have the balls I was looking for. I fretted (no pun intended) over several guitars to upgrade, but was set on a Les Paul Body style. Didn't think I could afford a real one, so I went back and forth around the 500 dollar range with the PRS Tremonti SE, Gibson Faded Special, an ESP, Dean EVO, or Epiphone Les Paul. Was just about to order a Tremonti when I found this honest to goodness Gibson LP Studio in the Austin Classifieds for $600. I paid the guy $500 bucks when it was all said and done. Have to say I can't believe I thought about buying anything else. Sound is...well...like a Gibson. There is a reason these things are the standard. Output blows my Dean away on either neck or bridge setting. Tone controls actually control the tone. Humbuckers are dead quiet.

The action was all screwed up when I bought it, someone had lowered it all the way down so all the strings were touching the frets. But the bridge is so easy to adjust, a few turns of the thumbscrews and I was playing with decent intonation, and no buzzing. Once I took it to BooLou Bass and Guitar in San Antonio...they set it up right and it plays like a dream. The inlays are perfectly and tighly routed, finish is great. Set neck is tight and totally solid. If you know anything about Les Pauls you will know its heavy. So if your a puss and can't handle it don't buy it, get a strat. Its not as heavy as a Standard or Classic, however.

Read all the other reviews and they will tell you that the strap buttons will give out. They do. I played mine for all of 5 minutes and my strap came off while I was playing. 15 bucks later, I had some strap locks and no more worries. Someone before I bought it dropped it, and a couple of the original tuners' pegs are loose, but the tuning is rock solid and I have not had any problems keeping in tune. Lots of people like to switch to grovers or others, but mine have been working great despite loose pegs. I don't gig yet (working on that) but will have no doubts gigging with it.

Never talked to them, the web page has lots of cool stuff on it though like instructions on how to read the serial numbers of Gibsons.

500 bucks for a Gibson LP Studio with no problems?? are you kidding it was a great deal. I have been playing off and on for 8 years or so, just recently started really getting into it and improving. If it were stolen I would tear my hair out, have a fit and go buy a LP Standard or Classic just because I want to look like Jimmy Page and I'll prob never get as good a deal on another studio. I wish it had tits and really long legs so I could spend even more time with it but other than that I am very satisfied.

1993 made in the USA, big(jumbo?) frets, 2 volume, 2 tone, gloss black finish, grover tuners, ohsc

And the two best parts ...
* ebony fretboard
* two P-90 pickups

I've been using humbuckers for the past ten years, but now I've found another great sound ... P-90'S !!! Tony Iommi had p-90s in one of his early SGs, Pete Townshend was notorious for his ... Leslie West as well. It's funny, not long before I picked this guitar up, I was listening to Mountain and totally admiring West's tone.

For me, this guitar is a hard rocker. I'm into the Sabbath, Mountain, Clutch, C.O.C. type of sound/style. This guitar is perfect for that. It can be thick, full, crunchy and bitting sounding.

I don't play much clean stuff, but this axe has a great clean sound as well.

I have two Carvin X-amps that I alternate. One has EL34s, the other 6l6's. Both get run through a HiWatt cabinet with 4 12" GT75 celestions. And both Carvins have been biased hotter for more power tube crunch.

I also have a Boogie Subway Rocket for "at home practice."

I haven't played it through either the EL34'ed carvin, nor the Boogie yet, but I'm confidant that it'll sound great.

On the 6l6'ed Carvin, this axe just roars. These pickups in conjunction with this body style just make the perfect combination for the burly, crunchy, gnarled tone that I like. And switching pickup configurations and making volume/tone alterations during a song is easy. The tonal possibilities offered here are very useable too.

I usually keep may gain around five so that the power tubes can add their character as well. The rest of my equipment is a Boss EQ out front used as an overdrive (boosting mids/highs and volume), a Dunlop Wah out front, and a Marshall Jackhammer for when I play a song requiring high gain. In the effects loop there's a Boss BF-2 Flanger.

This was bought used so the store set it up for me before I bought it. It has 10s now and the action is fine. It plays like a Les Paul should.

I still need to mess with the neck pick-up adjustment a little, but I'd only be improving on an already great tone.

The only problems this guitar has is what appears to be a neck repair (but not an ugly or really bad one) and it has some battle scars. Also, some previous owner installed some tiny screws on the front in positions that look like they would hold a bigsby, but I can't see a bigsby being held down by these little things. Who knows?

All these little things just add to the guitars character. It's a workhorse and it's very much my style.

Hopefully the neck repair will hold. Other than that, I foresee no future problems, so long as I don't drop it!

This guitar is now my number one stage guitar.

n/a

I've been playing 10 years. I bought my first Gibson (1974 SG Standard) about a year ago with the intention of playing it out. It sounds and plays WAY better than any new standard I've played (and it was cheaper) But it's such a nice guitar that it hardly makes it to band practice. So my main axe has been a 1981 Ibanez Blazer (an inexpensive yet excellent playing and sounding guitar).

But now I finally have a Paul of my own, and you'd better believe that it will get some stage time! It has the sound I want, it has the feel I want, and it has the character I want. I've never seen a Studio like this one, and I hope I never do again. It makes this one that much more special.

Made in 1999 USA. 22 frets, carved maple top mahogany back.
One Volume and one tone knob for each humbucker.
Think it's alnico picups.
The body is mahogany, and the fingerboard is rosewood. Black finish.
Chrome-finish on the metal-pieces.
Tune-O-matic bridge, tuners brand i really don't know.
Came with a standard gibson case and tools.

I used to play 70's rock'n roll.. early Kiss/Black Sabbath, nicely mixed with early punk (Sex Pistols, The Jam, Kennedys, and later punk (NOFX, No USe for A name, and so on) which this guitar really is best suited for in my opinion, although you could also play a mean blues on it. Used it wit a Marshall JCM 80.
The guitar can be noisy indeed, but when played clean also can bring a more "pristine" sound. I'd say a full sound.
What i dislike about it, is that it's kinda "muddy", which makes it hard to play 50's rocknroll without it sounding like 60's rock'n roll..

The sound is "just right" for hard rock, punk and in some cases blues, but would leave a rockabilly or jazz musicians pretty unsatisfied.

I'd say the guitar was pretty well set up from the factory, although I lowered the bright E,B strings a notch. I can not recall it having any finish-laws at all really.

The guitar will absolutlely withstand live playing, and keeps in tune for ages. It's very dependable, and weighs as much as half a car, so i suppose it is built to last.
The only thing that's not up for the job is the cable-intake. This has a tendency to loosen and eventually fall off, which is not a good thing in the middle of a gig.

Haven't tried it.

I've been playing guitar for 8 years, and own a epiphone accoustic, and a Washburn J9.
I probably would've bought this guitar again if it was stolen from me, but not entirely sure.

Hate about it: The muddy "bass" tone when I would like a bright tone.
Love about it: The full and rich sound playing slow blues, and the crunch on punk.

Typical Les Paul specs. Fellow Paul lovers know the drill.

I play classic rock and some gospel.This axe is so smooth it could cut through butter. Very mellow when needed or the nastiest sound you could dream of.

Had to file the nut down a bit.As many users before me have stated BUY STRAP LOCKS AND HAVE THEM INSTALLED BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE STORE!!!!!!!!

This axe will outlive me. Can be used as a baseball bat.Watch that headstock, other than that very reliable. Finish on mine was purrrrrrrrfect.I would gig with my Paul without a backup.

Liftime warranty. My 3rd les paul and never needed it.Very helpful when I asked them anything.

I love it.People who wine about the price should check out the resale values the Les Paul brings!!!!!!!

2003, USA made. Solid swamp ash body, mine has a one piece top, mahogany neck w/ 59 profile, satin transparent nitro finish, has Gibson hot alnico 498 in bridge, 490 in neck. No coil taps or other features. Nice and simple, but just enough control to get a good variety of sounds. Every thing else is Les Paul, nuf said.

This guitar will do everything. However, this is NOT your father's Les Paul. I like that. It has an amazing punch and pop to the sound, swamp ash is my favorite tone wood. With the mahogany neck, you don't get the tele sound, it has a pop but is much more rich and full. By pop I don't mean bright, it isnt, but it just has that rich snap that only swamp ash can give you. The best of both. It is very cool to be able to get that sting and sustain from the same guitar. Metal to country without a problem. But then roll back the tone on the neck, and you get some very usable warm clean sounds. This is my new favorite guitar.

I was very skeptical, based on some of the lower priced Gibsons I've seen lately. No flaws, stunning grain pattern, setup like a dream. No sharp frets or buzzes, no imperfections. Nice job Gibson.

Wood and strings, gee, not much to break or fade away. The satin finish should take a major beating and never show it. My only nit would be strap locks and locking tuners, but I can do that later.

My experience with Gibson has been good. I wouldn't say great, but good. They are kinda stuck up, but they are professional and treat you with respect and get the job done.

Playing 30 years, been through a lot of gear. If this went away, I'd have to get another. This is the one I always reach for now, regardless of what I want to play. It will fit in any environment on any stage and do the job with a unique sound that I won't be without again. There is not a better value on the market today.