Gibson Les Paul Studio

2003 Fireburst with gold hardware. All else already mentioned.

Love these pups. No need to change. Afterall, isn't that why we bought these overpriced things?

Action SUCKS!! Definitely needs to be professionally setup but I haven't had the time nor want to know how much it would cost. Replaced the strings and lowered the action but there are some severe buzzing in the middle of the neck. Returned it to the dealer a couple of times but it seems it needs a more professional fix. Considering selling or trading this for a better made Asian/European guitar. Neck is getting sticky so I constantly have to keep wiping it down. My Godin SD does not have this problem.

Getting used to the weight and would not mind playing a gig without a backup. Still, the buzz is very annoying even if it's not heard through the amp. I currently use a Crate CR-1 with Digitech RP200A.

N/A

WOuld not buy another if something happened to it. Chances are I'm getting rid of it. I've already gotten rid of my Gibson Melody Maker. Thinking of a Carvin or Schecter or Godin guitar. I play mostly blues and classic rock so I'm even considering the low cost Ibanez Artcore series. I've played the Gibson Classic, Standard, SG, and even the Custom at the dealer. Amazing, they all had terrible buzzing and the Studio was the only one with the best sound...at that time. Talking about a waste of money. Damn Gibson...

2001 Emerald Green Gibson Les Paul Studio. All the features i need.

Great warm, fat tone. I got into jazz recently and this thing is great for it (damn well should be seeing as though les paul is a jazz player!). as we all know, the rock tones are just superb. i love playing along with my ACDC and Kiss CDs. I can go from Oasis to Coldplay to Interpol to Bon Jovi. The tone has never ceased to amaze me. I'm a blues player at heart and this thing has that down. as well as all the style's i ventured off into.

action was perfect considering i got it used from a professional musician. finish is alright. i dont care for the color. the emerald green always looks black unless its in the light. and even then... I took the pickguard off cos its black too. i thought about getting cream mounts, gold knobs and a cream pickguard, but i think i'll let it be. dont fix what aint broken is what i always say.

its fallen, been dropped, traveled with. the only thing i can imagine breaking is the headstock.

This is actually an update review. I've had this guitar for over a year now and i love it more now than i did when i first got it. i play through a marshall dsl1000 halfstack and a fender blues jr. when i play through the blues jr i go through a boss DS-1 and SD-1. I love my tone. sounds fantastic. the feel is great. i love the big necks. almost like playing an acoustic. i dont mind the weight, in fact, now it feels funny when i play anything with less weight. such as SGs and strats. if i lost it, i'd get another. in fact, i think i'm going to if i dont get a standard. i've went through 2 strats, a tele, brian moore, gibson SG, and a gibson blueshawk but my les paul is the best. i've sold all others (except the tele, but its on sale right now). i play jazz, rock, blues, and funk and it suits me quite well.

My LP is 2003 model made in the U.S.A brought brand new in june.
It is a Les Paul, you all know whats it has in the way of features so I won't bore you with that
Colour: Wine red, but the catalogue calls it "Cherry Red", amazing flame top. Came with a cool Gibson USA Hard Case. I gave it an 8, because there are other guitars with more features, but hell they those guitars are no where near a Gibson.

I play hard rock, blues and punk. This guitar plays them perfectly. You can go from a scorching blues to an all out hard rock and all places in between with no more than a flick of the toggle switch. As has been mentioned before, all les pauls are different so try a few, I was lucky enough to find one that played, sounded and felt just like the standard i had also tried. I play through a dunlop cry-baby and a Marshall mg100gdfx and mg 4x12 cab and this really gives me the great full Les Paul tone that I was after. Pretty suprising when you consider the amp is 100% solid-solid state. I am still considering maybe replacing the pick-ups with some seymore duncans or the new burstbuckers to clean up the sound a bit, but the stock ones are great sounding, just alittle muddy in the neck position.

The factory setting were great for me, but everyone has their own tastes. The finish was fantastic, even friends of mine who don't play guitar could appreciate the beauty of this axe, and of course being a Les Paul it will probaly age really nicely giving itself that great worn look. My only problem with it was that the lead Jack and the toggle swith became really loose after a couple of weeks, But I tightened them up myself and I have had no problems with it again. I have heard that other people have had the same problem so if you buy one get that checked out by someone at the store.

This guitar will last forever. Everything on it seems really solid. I would recomend getting strap-locks, I haven't got any but I will be, not that I have drop it or anything, but the though of doing so gives me the chills. Even though I don't think you will ever need it, always gig with are back-up, if you don't you are just tempting fate.

Never had to deal with them, so I wouldn't know.

Ive been playing for about 10 years and honestly this is the best guitar I have played. If it were stolen I would might consider other guitars but I doubt I would find something as good as this guitar so I would buy new a one as soon as I could afford it. I compared it to and Fender USA strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard, Maton Mastersound and the Les Paul Studio, despite costing more than the Strat and the Mastersound, one hands down on tone feel and playablitly.

LP Studio Ebony/Chrome made in Jan 2003 (160th on that day - Nashville factory). Comes with a Canadian-made "Gibson USA" HSC. The price is no mistake. That's the best you get direct from the wholesaler when you live in the third world.

The sound is great, rich and lush. The neck pickup sounds good for jazz, and that's what the guitar is mostly used for. The sustain is strong, but certainly not "endless". It compares well in this respect to a Telecaster.

The factory set-up was poor. Intonation was OK on 4 out of 6 strings. The neck relief is very excessive at about 1mm! The action was suitable for slide playing. This is of course not serious since it can all be remedied quickly. However, the finish is poor - cracks in the paint close to the bridge, uneven, glue marks on every inlay and many of the frets, rosewood fingerboard has machining marks and looks quite porous. The tuners look cheesy. The rest of the hardware is good. I remember I didn't really mind the factory 010's.

This is certainly a strongly made guitar. The nitrocellulose finish will definitely not last, but that's probably not too serious. Straplocks are necessary.

No experience.

Although the sound is good, I certainly would not replace this guitar if it were lost, which means most likely - stolen. My hands are oily, which is great for recognising my wineglass at a party, but bad for playing a Gibson. The neck becomes sticky within minutes of playing and affects further playing. The weight is unjustifiably high. There is no value for money here, and I'm convinced that Gibson sells these guitars on nostalgia. They will probably be worthless for the next generation. I love the sound, but I can't stop wondering what would happen if one ripped the Gibson pickups and fitted them onto a polyurethane-coated Telecaster.

Gibson Les Paul Studio Fireburst with Chrome hardware (2003)
Simple 2 tone, 2 volume, three way toggle switch
490R and 498T stock pickups
rosewood fretboard, maple top, mahogony back and neck
green key tuners
Tune-O-Matic bridge
50's style rounded neck
Hardshell case included (no shroud)

I've rated this as only a seven because lets face it, there are other guitars out there with more features, but, it suits me and is exactly what I was looking for so I am not grumbling! :o)

Well, sound wise it covers a range from heavy rock through to blues and smooth jazz. It won't do funk too well but I have a Strat so between the two of them I have most genres covered.

Currently playing it mainly through a Line 6 Guitar Port though I have just purchased a Line 6 Spider 112, but it is still boxed at the moment. What I am trying to say is that it sounds awsome, but then I am listening to it through pc speakers or headshones, but the tone is there and it pleases me. Got it mainly because I had to have a Gibson LP in my arsenal and I have been dabling with jazz for a while and the Strat doesn't sound too hot for that style.

The stock humbuckers seem fine to me, maybe a bit muddy compared to the PRS Singlecut I tried out in the shop, but I love the roundness to their tone. On saying that I may go for a couple of the new Burstbuckers at some point in the future.

It is a Les Paul and has a Les Paul sound ... not the most diverse guitar in the world, but certainly one of the most distinctive.

So far so good. A little bit of fraying on the tone and volume controls, but nothing too bad. The fireburst finish is lovely and the chrome hardware is worth asking for (most shops seem to stock the fireburst only with gold hardware) as it really sets the guitar off well.

Action is fine on the set of 10's that came with the guitar, frets appear smooth and i can't really see anything that would make me want to send it back.

I went for the studio because of the price, but I don't miss the binding at all. in fact had I gone for the Standard at #1,400, I would have paid an extra #300 and got myself the Singlecut that the store had instead and it has no binding on the neck or body either, so I kinda like the bare wood without the plastic so I'm happy with it.

One thing I didn notice is the maple cap isn't book matched, which isn't too bd, but it would be nice if the grain on both prts were going in the same direction. Still it is only a minor gripe.

I gave it an 8 cos there are flashier guitars out there, but I am not a great player so I tend not too enjoy the attention flashier guitars attract! ;oP

Not had it long enough to say ... I do wish they Gibson would put some locking strap buttons on them as standard, as i am basically bricking myself everytime I put it on and stand up as it doesn't feel too stable ... guess thats cos I've had them on my Strat since I got it a decade or so agao ... Fender fit thema s standard on their US models by the way ... gibson take note! :)

Finish wise, well I hear a lot of stories about nytro-cellulos (sp?) being better for tone etc, but after reading the manual that came with it, I do wish that maybe it had a polyeurothane finsh instead as it does seem like it reacts to far too many things such as leather straps, rubber stands, sweat etc. I mean tone is good, but I get it from my fender in bucketloads and PRS go with the modern harder coatngs ....

On saying that, I do like the finish and I love the look of the aged Gibsons you see around from time to time so as mine grows old with me I'm sure I'll be glas it is done the way it is done ... I'm just in the new toy .. "shit I might damage it" frame of mind :)

Never had to deal with them apart from a query on their website ... which took 2 days to answer despite their claim of 24hours, so maybe it's good mayybe it's bad ... I will tell you if I ever have to deal with them in earnest.

They did answer my website query to my satisfaction though so I'll give them a 9

Playing for about 18 years now ... mostly bedroom stuff, I do it for the enjoyment and relaxation not for the money ... strictly a hobbyist.

Other gear I have, Yamah Accoustic, La Patrie (Simon & Patrick) classical, Fender USA Strat Plus (1990), Peavey Envoy 110 amp, Line 6 Guitar Port (awsome peice of kit!!!!!!!!!!!), Line 6 Spider 112 and a Zoom GFX707 (great little portable effects box!). Guitar wise I still prefer my Strat, but it is a close run battle, but I guess you always favour your first born to a certain extent ;o)

I've always wanted a Gibbo though after getting the Strat so I can say that I am very very very happy with the guitar and would replace it if it got nicked. However, I do think Gibsons on the whole are overpriced. I mean, minus the binding and ebony fingerboard, and 1/8 of an inch of maple, this is pretty much the same guitar as a Custom, yet it costs almost a third of the price, so whilst I would say that my guitar is great value for money, I wonder what exactly it is that you are paying extra for in the standards and customs that can justify such a mark-up.

Gibson Les Paul Studio Wine Red with Chrome hardware (2003)
Simple 2 tone, 2 volume, three way toggle switch
490R and 498T stock pickups(passive)
rosewood fretboard, maple top, mahogony back and neck
green key tuners
TUne-O-Matic
Rounded neck
Hardshell case included

I like to play thrash metal and it is a good guitar for that. The neck is nice and fun to play on while the guitar itself produces a fat tone that is good for any style of music. I've used it through an Ampeg head through a carvin 4x12 cabinet, using a metal zone. Guitar can make any variety of cound, from great distortion tone to great clean tone. There's nothing i dont really like.

The guitar was set up great right out of the factory. It played great right when i picked it up. They set the action real low and it was a perfect distance from the bridge pickups. Pickups were also great. The finish is very nice and as a surprise i got an AA flame maple top which doesnt usually come on studios. THe only flaw was the not quite perfect finish on the the top part of the fretboard, its a little bumpy, but other than that he guitar is flawless.

This guitar looks and feels like it could last lifetimes. The hardware is great, the finish is great, although if you are playing it constantly and onstage as well it might need to be refinished in about 25 years. The strap buttons are too smal and im gonna get straplocks really soon. I would definitely use this guitar on a gig without a backup.

This is the only bad part about the guitar. I ordered it and it came in really fast but it had gold hardware and not chrome, that made me mad. So i sent it back to the factory to get a different one. About a month went by and he owner of the store i was buying it from called them up and asked about it and they said it got lost in the shipping department of the factory. So they sent it UPS ground and didnt overnight it despite their mistake so i still got my guitar, but long afteri should have. Although im glad they didnt somehow destroy it, thus making them better than some other companies.

I love this guitar, it is everything i had hoped for and more, i've been playing a Double Cut special with P-90's and this guitar blows it away. I would definitely want this guitar again if it got stolen. I really like the flametop and the fat neck. It blows away other guitars ive played, jacksons, other the double cut les paul, any ibanez or anything, it is amazing. I wouldve bought a higher end les paul like a standard or custom but i didnt have the money, this is a great guitar for a cheap price. This guitar is a great guitar.

My Studio is a 2002 wine red with gold hardware. 59 rounded neck, feels great!, Maple top and Mahogany body, rosewood fret board and 490/498 pickups. Vintage typ tuners and Black speed knobs. Came with hardshell Gibson Case. This Guitar is everything i ever wanted. I wasn't interested in the frills so i went with the studio and it's great.

I play primarily blues and some classic rock. I play through a Musicman HD212 and a Roland Blue Cube, either way this thing rocks. I don't know why everyone is not happy with pickups if the guitar is set up professionally it sounds great.I have a Hollow Body with Gibson 57 Classics and they are completely different. The 490/498 are full and really crunchy. Compared to 57's they are not as "clean" but i can get almost any sound i want out of the Studio.

The set up was good from the factory, better then most but i always have my guitars set up by a pro to my taste. This guitar containe no flaws and i insepected dozens of guitars before i decided on this one. Every thing on it was as it should be and as much as hate to say it the guitar was as close to perfect as your going to get.

I play live with this guitar every chance i get. I have no fear playing this Gibson anywhere and any time. The finish is excellent but it takes a while getting used to the nitrocellulous. I recomend that you follow Gibsons advice on polishing it. The gold will wear off from sweat and wear but anyone who expects otherwise is a novice. If you want it to last by real GOLD covers or take them off. I always have a back up when gigging because you never know what life has instore for you.

Gibson has one of the finest customer support teams i've ever dealt with. They are responsive and have suggestions for you. I have dealt with them on various guitars i've owned mainly for advice on upgrades and such and they are just really great people who care!

Been playing for about 20 years and am very satified with my guitar. I own a Epiphone Broadway with Gibson Classic 57's and a Schaller TOM Bridge, i also own a Fender Strat. I paly through the Musicman HD212 and for practice the Blues Cube.If it where stolen i would by another Gibson Les Paul and most likely a Studio. I compared this to every guitar, spec for spec and this is the best bang for the buck

A 1995 model (or so I was told), gold-plated components, yada, yada, you know the drill (no point in repeating everything).

It's a Les Paul so there's no vibrato bar. Not that I'd really *want* one on this kind of guitar, but that's beside the point. The lack of one is a limitation anyway.

Big, beefy, bassy sound. Very loud (when the volume is > 7 or so). I guess I could change the stock pickups for something that gives me a little bit more definition, but that's about the only possible improvement I can think of.

Oh yes, the Les Paul sustain is there. And the tone. A Les Paul can sing, it can howl and growl like no other electric on earth. If you have played Strats only, you won't believe your ears when you try a Gibson LP. You can actually *feel* the neck resonating with the sound.

There is a limitation, though. With the bridge p/u + tone set to 10, I can get a slightly punchier sound (a bit like a Les Paul Special), but you really cannot get clean or bright tones from this guitar. Just like someone else said, the tones from this guitar range from dark to even darker.

Keep in mind, this was a used LP. And it definitely looked like one. The gold colour had largely worn off from the p/u covers, and there were minor dents and scratches in various places. But I didn't buy the guitar for the looks, I bought it for the sound.

Fortunately, the previous owner had set the action quite well. I only needed to lower the top-side action a little bit (a millimeter) to make high note bends a bit easier.

This guitar is quite heavy. I am not a particularly skinny guy, I can bench well over 225 lbs, but I find myself feeling uncomfortable after jamming around for a while with the guitar hanging from my neck. I can well see that this could be a problem for some guitarists. But to be frank, one of the reasons why I prefer Gibsons to Tokais (Japanese Love Rocks can sound VERY Gibson-like), is the weight. Tokais simply don't "feel" right... they are too light!

This guitar fills a gap in my collection. I am glad that I chose it instead of an Epiphone or some other cheap Korean junk guitar. Sure, those Korean copy guitars may look gorgeous, but that isn't much of a comfort when they are built of cheaper materials and completely lack the tone of a Gibson (and no, upgrading the pickups will *not* help when the materials are poor to begin with). At least for me, the sound of a guitar is more important than the looks.

That said, I *do* think that this guitar is essentially a one-trick dog. What it does, it does superbly, but this is *not* what I call a versatile guitar. All other guitars that I have (Fender Strat, Jackson Soloist etc.) are lightyears ahead in versatility. They may lack the inimitable growling tone of a Les Paul, but they can be used to play virtually any kind of music. When I tried some Satriani instrumentals (that call for a relatively bright and clear lead tone) with the LP, the sound was cumbersomely heavy (no matter how much I adjusted the tone and volume knobs), making the result unintentionally comical. And I wouldn't even dream of trying to play classical music (w/clean sound) on a Les Paul.

In any case, I am very happy to own this guitar. I can see numerous uses for it.

I have a 1993 Les Paul with an ebony fretboard. Gold Hardware. 490R and 498T pickups. You know the rest. It's a Les Paul.

I play blues and rock, along the lines of jimmy page, jimi hendrix, carlos santana, and pearl jam.

From guitar to amp my setup looks like this: LP --> dunlop crybaby --> boss dd-5 delay --> boss ch-1 chorus ---> mxr phase 90 ---> ibanez ts-9 tubescreamer ( amazing pedal. I want it modded by robert keeley though) ---> fender hot rod deluxe.

To be frank, I generally hate Les Paul studios. Especially the new ones. Really they are not bad compared to crappy korean made guitars, I am just spoiled by mine. I have tried studio's in countless guitar stores when I am trying new effect or amps and they all sound anemic and feel like toys compared to mine. I bought it a year and a half ago. It was not in mint condition when I bought it ( there are a fair number of dings in the finish), but it still cost as much ( or more than ) other used / new studios. I looked at the guitars and thought it was a rip off. I tried them out and found out why. This is by far the sweetest studio I have ever played. I love the 490R in the neck. It sings with so much more sustain than most other neck pups on studios, but retains its loose, dark tone that I just love for blues and some rock solos. Very, very rich and full sounding. The tone control for the 490R is very responsive, though does plateau a little bit. The 498T at the bridge is very hot, though I have heard slightly better. Searing tone that works wonders for Page type leads. Volume control plateau's a lot. There is a large boost when turning up to 10, which is common among LP's, but only changes a little bit more before totally muting the volume. It is hard to make this guitar noticably quieter than full on volume. I don't have any real complaints about this. I like volume. My band on the other hand....
Very heavy mahogany body gives great sustain. Feels substantially heavier than the new ones.
Part of the secret of this guitar is the neck / fretboard. It is the only neck on a studio that feels as good as top of the line LP's. The fretboard feels absolutely wonderful. Like butter. Very solid and dense. Couln't ask for more. I don't know where this came from. I have'nt seen any other studio's with an ebony fretboard and such a nice feeling neck. It may have been custom ordered. I don't know.
Sounds very rich, bottom line.

Because of the dings in the finish it seems odd to give it a 10, but I don't really mind. Has a rare very dark oxblood red wine color. I bought it from a very professional store that had set it up perfectly. I have'nt played on many guitars with better action and general feel. Only a very nice es-335. The hardware had oxidized a bit, though this does not affect the playability at all. It is only very slight on the surface. Guitar works perfectly.
The store installed a new pickguard on the guitar. I'm assuming the last one was beat up pretty bad. They installed one of the black LP custom pickguards with the white outline. Looks much classier than the plain black ones they put on other studios.

It looks like its been through a lot. Plays as good as ever.

Haven't ever dealt with them.

If it were stolen I would put all my efforts into finding it. It is an absolute gem. To replace it I would have to purchase a much more expensive guitar like a custom or 335 ( I like semi-hollowbodies. want an es 335, too spendy. I like the 333 a lot though) The more my playing progresses and the more my ear for tone evolves the more I love this guitar. My ultimate recommendation is to keep playing guitars until you find THE ONE. You will know when you find it. when I got it I was only beginning to understand the wondeful world of tone freaks. Don't settle for any studio. keep looking, you will know.

The only thing this guitar is missing in terms of features is a whammy bar- but everyone knows that with a gibson dont they? You know the spec- two humbuckers, 3 way toggle switch etc etc. This guitar is a lot more veritile than people give it credit for. Made of mahogany so it weighs a bloody tonne, thats when i pick up my strat, when my back starts caving in!

Im into hendrix, led zep, srv, old blues stuff as well as chilli peps and the like, and it sounds great whatever you play. It may not have the openess and brightness of single coils but it has plenty of what i'd call 'bite' and it sounds unbelievably fat, the sustain is ofcourse brilliant. You can actually get a very passable van halen tone out of it too! This is a superbly versitile guitar, the only things i cant imagine it handling too well are country and possibly funk, as its sound is to fat and creamy for that.
The thing i love about this guitar is that it never gets shrill and weedy as you go further up the neck like my Mexican Strat does- it just stays full and sweet where-ever you play it. This sweet, warm sound is perfect for the blues, especially on the neck pickup!
Why do people say strats are the most versitile guitars and les pauls are a one trick pony? I have noo idea!

Theres one thing about this guitar people might not like- the black finish, because it shows up the slightest scratch, scratches that just come from playing in general, from the plectrum.
Apart from that, nowt negative.
Oh, i gotta mention the fretboard-unbelievable! Its the smoothest and slickest neck ive ever seen and the fret finishing is flawless- a joy to play.

Looking at this guitar i cant imagine it falling apart! Hmmm the finish...read what i said before- honestly though, i think guitars look cool when theyve been used and abused and the finish starts wearing down into the wood, but i guess thats not everyones cuppa tea.
One negative thing- the strap buttons are too small- better get some locks for em, so i dont break my foot when i drop it.

i have no idea, never dealt with em.

Been playing about 5-6 years and teach part time. I also own a mexican strat, fender squire (the old type, with the small headstock), a cheapo westfield bass, two tanglewood acoustics, one of them a very nice jumbo.

To be honest, i got this partly because i was starting to tire of the blues and i thought this was mainly a rock guitar...how wrong I was!
What do i love about it? The playability and sound- which are utterly faultless. This baby is here to stay, make no mistake!

Gibson USA Les Paul Studio. Nothing special that hasn't been mentioned already. Great Gibson tone, thick... My only complaint is the tuners could be better, and that the tuners were the round style, not the vintage style. It would be a lot easier to replace without having to drill new holes.

I've been playing for roughly 5 years at this point, and I play though a Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 100, into a Marshall 1960A cab, that I replaced the speakers with Vintage 30's and added some batting. This guitar kills! By myself, I play just about every kind of music that could involve a guitar, even some that don't, but outside of that, I play 70's rock, to full bore death metal. This guitar can cover it all.

The finish has some thin spots, but out of the box, it played beautifully. Also of note, it has a spot on the neck, between the 6th and 7th fret where it looks like it was bumped before the finish went on, or while it was still soft. I don't care - this guitar is destined to be my main guitar, and this kind of shit is bound to happen. Not all Gibson's are cut from the same stone - you have to pay attention to what your getting, or you could end up with a POS.

Strap buttons- anyone buying a les paul, knows they should replace the buttons with some strap locks. Also, these are heavier guitars than strats, so a nice wide strap (leather being the best) is very helpful.
As stated earlier, the finish seems a bit thin in some spots, but this is easily fixed due to the nature of nitrocellulose finishes - just spray some nitro thinner on it, and let it 'melt' the pain, then wait for it to dry - then buff it out.
The only thing I really fear is the "Gibson Break" - but I figure as long as I am careful, I have nothing to worry about.

Gibson - love them or hate them, they do pretty well for a company of thier size.
Wildwood Guitars - who I bought this from ( http://www.wildwoodguitars.com ) has AMAZING customer service. My first order, was a blue/teal flip-flop, which arrived with a crack in the finish at the neck/body joint - they called FedEx to pick it up, and proceeded to ship me another one (once I decided to get a plain ebony one instead, though, they checked into the availability of a replacement as well!)
Due to Wildwood's Customer Support, they get a 10+ - Gibson, so far, I have more good things to say than bad.

This is my second Les Paul, the first being a Studio Plus in Desert Burst. This guitar is for my daily usage, and I will play it until it breaks or I do. It has great Gibson tone, the finish is easily repairable (unlike poly finishes) and it will only sound better with age. If it was stolen I would miss it, and promptly file an insurance claim to get a replacement, then try and hunt down the f@ck that took it. I think they cost a bit too much, and they have some issues with QA, but not like they had a few years ago.

2000 USA
2 humbukers - Alinco 490T I think
Wine red, gold hardware
Everything else is pretty standard

I play mostly Metal and blues - Metallica, Megadeth, Symphony X and dream theater stuff. This guitar sounds bloody awesome! It has the right amount of pinch and cruch while delivering phat and very ballsy lows. I run it throiugh a Marshall Valvestate 100R combo that is also driving a JCM 1960 angled quad. If you stab a chord this thing will punch you in the guts with its very defined low end kick, and the highs sound amazing.

This thing is a pleasure to play. The neck is considerably thicker than the shit old Ibanez I have, and I'm a big fan of the xtr jumbo size frets. The action isn't as low as a few top-end guitars, and occaisionly get a little fret buzz, but that is only when I get lazy in technique. This guitar otherwise seems to be flawless, until.......

I have played with this live many times, and it always passes with flying colours. The gold hardware however has worn to silver where my hand rests, and it seems to get a build up of crap on it afer a few months. The only major bad thing is the strap buttons. They are ridiculously unaffective. I found this out for real last week. I feel like an idiot not getting strap locks. Its has fallen off me a few times, but luckily I've held it, but this time it dropped to the ground, and landed on the headstock with a SMACK. I picked it up and the neck wood had twisted and put a gaping split down it. GET STRAP LOCKS!!! I needs to be gued and clamped for a weeks and a half and I have gone nuts without it.

Got the shop I bought it from to repair it

This guitar is the best I've ever owned. It kicks the shit out of anything else I've heard that is not astronomically expensive. I would never replace it, not ever. I just hope it is fine when I get it back from Jackson's, that broke my heart and temper when it cracked, and since then I've been stuck with a mate crap fender that sounds like a tin can in comparison. I WANT MY GIBSON BACK

Year: 2003, Made in the USA
Frets: 22
Top: Carved Maple
Body: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany, Ebony fretboard (no inlays), '59 Rounded Neck
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, 3 way selector
Pickups: (H/H) Neck: 490R, Bridge: 498T (hot)
Finish: Nitro-Celulose - Platinum
Bridge: Tune-O-Matic with Stopbar
Tuners: Grover (non-locking)
Case: Platinum Case w/ black silkscreened Gibson USA logo

Nothing is perfect, that's why I give it a 9. However, it is a very impressive looking Les Paul (compared to traditional Les Pauls)

I mostly play Rock, and some Nu-metal stuff. Actually, this guitar has a very versatile sound. I think it would work for almost anything except, perhaps, the most extreme death-metal type rock.

Overall, the pickups are extremely quiet. Playing with pickup combinations, and volume and/or tone knobs for each pickup can produce a very wide range of sounds from a bright metalic sound, to a full-bodied rich sound. Very loud, the hot 498T is pretty loud compared to passive pickups, but not as hot as an EMG 85.

Again, nothing is perfect, so that's the reason for the 9.

Action was set pretty low at the factory, that suits me just fine. But I needed to adjust the truss-rod as soon as I changed the strings (but I guess that's normal for a drastic change in string gauge, the guitar has 12's set up at the factory, I switched them for 08's)

No visible flaws on guitar, however the pickup selector switch was a little loose, something that could happen during shipping, easily fixed by turning the switch to tighten it.

I would most certainly gig with this guitar. The finish seems a little fragile, like it would wear off easily, but seriously, faded paint on a guitar give it character.

Haven't dealt with them, so, no opinion.

Compared to my '87 Jackson Soloist, this guitar is somewhat heavier, but it weighs well on the shoulders and is not uncomfortable.

It has a very rich/full sound, while the Jackson has a more 'lighter' sound to it.

The neck is wider and fatter than the Jackson's, but it feels very solid and actually more comfortable than the thinner Jackson neck.

Model: 2002 Gibson Les Paul Studio
Frets: 22
Body: Carved Maple Top on Mahogany
Controls: 2 Volume, 2 Tone, 1 3-way Pickup Selector Toggle
Pickups: 490R Alnico Humbucker at Neck, 498T Alnico Humbucker at Bridge
Finish: Wine Red Finish
Bridge: Tune-O-Matic with Stopbar
Tuners: Gibson Deluxe
Neck: '59 Les Paul Rounded
Case: Black Reptile Hardshell. Dark Grey Plush Interior with Black Shroud. Silver "Gibson USA" logo silkscreened onto cover.

Sound is very hot and somewhat bright. Both pickup are a little too hot for the classic sound I'm after but still very usable for more modern hard rock and metal.

With the pickup tone knobs set on about 5 or 6, the sound become a bit more warm with a hint of a jazz sound. The guitar's sound is almost instantly recognizable and has the ability to produce and reproduce a wide variety of sounds and tones.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the sound but am looking into a more classic rock, Zeppelinesque sound.

This is actually my second LP Studio. I had mine custom-ordered with the nickle finish and no pickguard. The "loaner" LP Studio that was lent to me was setup pretty well. Action was set perfectly for me and the intonation was about 90% good. When my guitar came, the action was ultra low and the intonation was about 40%. Fit and finish of both guitars was excellent. These guitars are well-made and practically bulletproof.

As I mentioned above, the guitar is preactically bulletproof. I don't understand why a few f you have said that you would not play this beast live. I would and will in a flash.

The hardware seems quality but again, as I mentioned earlier, I'll probably replace the pickups but for sounds reasons- not quality reasons. I'm always wary of toggle switches but this really is a tough switch. Not even a hint of weakness and seems to be able to take my abuse without a problem.

The finish is beautiful. It's a deep, semi-opaque, wine red stain that shows the natural grain of the maple.

Strap buttons are superficial at best. A pair of $15 strap-locks should be used for any guitar worth more than $15 in my opinon. I suggest the Schaller Strap-Locks. They're very well made and won't budge.

Never needed to deal directly with Gibson. It comes with a non-transferable Gibson Lifetime Warranty. Can't really ask for much more that that. I plan on keeping this guitar so the waranty is perfect.

I've been playing for about 14 years but that includes a 7 year hiatus. I did about 3 months of research before buying this guitar. There were no surprises except that my guitar played better than any that I played in the stores. If it were lost or stolen, I would absolutly buy it again. My favorite aspect of this guitar is the playability. It's so, so easy to play. It makes me feel as though I never set the guitar down. I've built my finger strength back up in only a matter of weeks. I can't put this guitar down. I love it.

basic les paul build
22 frets
2 humbuckers
3 way switch
4 nobs
nothin fancy

i dont like the fat necks for punk, but its great for metal

sounds really sweet, i get hard fat sounds with my bridge and, if i want, i can get a much warmer sound from both or just the neck

my style is punk/hardcore, metallica is the only metal i listen to, it seems to have great sound for both these styles. i try to broaden my muscal veiws just because u get better with more techniques, and for blues (which is a bore to lsiten to, but i have had experience playing it for over 5 years now) it has a pretty gnar sound to it too.

i put it thru my beefy avt50 combo, gets a real mean sound, and doesnt lose the niceness of the tone

factory fit? wouldnt kno bought it used.
i got it with different tuners, grover rotomatics i beleive.
got the nut replaces first thing cuz it sucked, but i think the guitar is around 5 years old and well used so it was warn out, and the original owner obviously never replaces it.
the finish was pretty genaric, and was chipped, but i'll base the finish off all the lp studios i see at guitar center, and they look way rad, mines just old lookin

its very reliable, i did have one problem with it, the wiring in the for the pickups was screwed up bad, so teh pickups went out, and i had thot they died, which pissed me off. but it was just the moron who previously owned it, messing with teh wires and such, no big deal, cheap fix, and i woulda done it myself if i knew exactly what was wrong wit it

never had to deal with gibson

this is the very first electric i have owned, and i never really got good untill i bought this, it was just easier to play the crap i like (thrice, thursday, metallica, afi, and so on...)
i have been palying only 2 years now, but i got alot of musical back up so i kno good tone when i hear it.
i own 1 (used to be two) other cheap acoustics, a 33 year old yamaha fg-150, and i used to have some lyle acoustic.
if it were lost or stolen, i couldnt afford it again, i'm, poor. but i'd hunt that F**KER down and ....... get it back. . .
i compared this to my friends guitars, which are two fender strats, a jackson charvelle, a gibson les paul 50th aniversery, and some cheap ibanez. personally i like the feel of the neck more on mine then any of theres, except maybe the jackson, if the truss was slitly adjusted.

American made, 22 frets, two volume and two tone controls, H/H, came with a hard shell case. over all very nice

The sound is awesome. In my opinion humbuckers blow single coils out of the water. I use it through a Marshall DSL401. That amp with this guitar make for some very rich, fat tones. It suits my style fine (which is rock and some punk) but it would be perfect for just about anything

The action was a little high to begin with, but with a simple adjustment to the bridge, it was fixed. no big deal. The only other problem was that the pickup selector wouldnt use the treble pickup unless it was all the way up. It was a really easy adjustment as well. other wise it was flawless.

I dont play live, what more can i say. The strap buttons wont come off... its really solid. I havent had a single problem with it since I got it a year ago. very nice. The only reason i wouldnt gig without a backup with it: Id break a string. I have no reason to doubt its functionality.

never dealt with them, but then i havent had any problems.

Ive been playing for around a year. If it were stolen, and i could get the same price for it, i would buy it without thinking twice, but i got it for like 400-1000 dollars off. I love it. The only problem with this guitar is that it will make you hate crappy guitars and wish you could never play one again. I was looking at an Epiphone Les Paul and was going to buy one, but i know there was going to be a sale the next day at Palen, so i waited. When I got there I saw this one for 700, just 100 more than the Epis so I said Heck yes! Overall its an awesome guitar. The only reason not to get one is if you have enough money for a L.P. Standard or a PRS.

2000 USA made finished in wine red. All of the hardware is chrome and the scratchplate and knobs are black plastic. Individual tone and volume controls for each pickup. It has a mahogany body and neck, maple top, rosewood fretboard, Tune-O-Matic bridge, Grover tuners and standard 490R and 490T humbuckers. The dealer also threw in a Gibson branded TKL gig bag. It's got everything I need...basically.

Upgrades I've made:

- Direct replacement white Gibson nut....they just don't seem capable of fitting one properly at the factory. The original nut was too low, wasn't sloped to account for string thickness and was worn to some extent by me. Plus some idiot in a guitar shop chipped it right by the bottom E slot which caused string buzz.

- GraphTech String Saver saddles. Wow! These made a huge difference in playability and tone!

- Gibson speedknobs....those top hat knobs are useless if you have big fingers and play gigs.

I play funky/jazzy rock and a little bit of blues, but mostly modern indie rock (eg Foo Fighters, Chili Peppers) type stuff. I run it through a Boss GT6 digital effects processor (using no preamp models) into the front of a Marshall AVT50.

The guitar's full of high mids and bags of tone, which you'd expect any Gibson Les Paul to possess. Like any other Les Paul, it's hard to make it sound like anything else (i.e, no coil taps etc), so it's not exactly the most versatile guitar in the world....but it sounds like a Les Paul, which is why I bought it. (I just get sick of hearing people moaning that they can't make one sound like something else!) For hard rock and general high gain sounds, the bridge pickup excels, growling through the Marshall. The neck pickup has good clarity and definition and is particularly good for clean jazz chords/runs and with a little bit of overdrive it's great for blues lead.

I would thoroughly recommend to anyone that if they own one of these guitars and they already love it, fit a set of GraphTech saddles.....you won't believe how the acoustic volume,sustain and definition are improved!

This was my number two guitar for a little while, but it's been my favourite right now. Les Paul Standard?.....paaahh....don't waste your money. Forget the edge binding and the flametop, make a couple of cheap upgrades. then let your ears be the judge. That's all you have to do to get a beast that sounds like the full #1,800 schbang!

The factory setup was poor, but not in terms of action. Gibson go through phases of setting up their guitars with whichever string gauge they have a surplus of at the time. In my case, I was unlucky to get 9s. Fitting 9s on a guitar with so much tone is nothing short of insane in my opinion. I changed to a custom gauge of 10,13,17,28,38,48 which suits my style perfectly. 10-46 seemed a little too light. I got a full setup when a guitar tech recently changed the saddles and nut and it plays like a dream....better than I ever thought it could. The action's low as hell and there's virtually no buzz at all. My guitar tech believes the trick with a Les Paul is to get the neck as straight as possible before adjusting the bridge height, and I'm inclined to believe him.

The pickups were adjusted fine, but I played with the pole piece heights a little to find the best balance.

The bridge/stop piece and truss rod routing is great, but I was surprised that the factory didn't bother to spray inside the control cavity. I also had to blow a fair amount of sawdust out of there. Doesn't matter though...the wiring's all clean and tidy.

There are no flaws in the lacquer or any of the woodwork. All hardware was fitted very securely and the switches have only needed a light clean in two years. When these guitars are new, the neck feels pretty sticky sometimes and you have to keep wipng this residue off. This is sweat reacting with the lacquer, but after one year this stopped completely. Just don't put polish on the neck, because it will retain the solvents that you actually want to leave the lacquer. I just hate the quality of the soft, crappy saddles and the poor nuts the factory fit. These are a couple of the most essential parts of a guitar and corners should never be cut on these. Apart from these, I have no negative comments to make.

This is my main guitar and I play gigs with it fairly regularly. It's super-dependable during gigs and I would play without a backup, especially now that the GraphTec saddles have seriously reduced the chances of string breakage. I did however have to remove the tiny strap buttons in favour of Schaller strap locks. I jump around a bit, so it was inevitable that the guitar would have hit the ground running at some point :-)

Overall, it's solid as a rock,and the nitrocellulose lacquer is just starting to age nicely after two years...if anything I think it's getting a little darker, despite the fact that that this type of lacquer gets thinner by its very nature as the solvents evaporate over time. Who cares if the finish starts to wear here and there? It'll look better, and it's a working guitar...I play it like mad...I don't sit around gazing at it.

Never had to deal with them.

I've been playing for seventeen years now. In addition to the Les Paul, Marshall AVT50 and Boss GT6, I own a seriously beautiful limited edition Gordon Smith 20th Anniversary Graduate...my pride and joy, but I only really use it when I'm looking for sounds the Les Paul won't produce.

If this guitar were stolen, I'd probably go for another Les Paul of some description, but not necessarily a Gibson, seeing as their prices have become over-inflated and ridiculously unrealistic. I'm just glad I bought mine at the right time before they went up by 30%.

I love everyting about my LP and do not hate or evfen remotely dislike anything about it.

My Les Paul is not a regular American Studio, It is a special model called C-1 . Iwasn't able to match it with other studio's in the Gibson site so I'll consider it as a Studio.
Well, Its a 2002 American Les Paul Studio C-1 ,Solid top, has 2 volume controls and 2 tone controls ( one volume and one tone control for each pickup) and has a 3-way control.
It has two humbackers, and it is passive.
The bridge is a Tune-O-Matic style bridge. Has 22 jumbo frets and included came a real Gibson hard case and a screwdriver.
It has all the important features .

I play everything from metal to classical music. I found that this guitar is suitable for any kind of style.
I am playing my LP through a Boss V-Wah and a Boss Metal-Zone into a Marshall G30CDR amp.
The sound is great and clear it very full and supplies that vintage sound that just hits me every time I turn my amp on.
The only thing you won't be able to have fun with, is a Whammy Bar which I think is not that important...
I enjoy this guitar and the sounds it gives me . It just never fails!!!
The minor sit back i found was that power chords for Black Metal and Death sound a little bit spftier than it should be but I give it a 10 becaucse it doesnwt get any better...

The guitar was on display in a glass window and as I was told was never removed from there more than 4 times for a check....
The set up was fine though I need to go and have one because of the extencive use I do with it...

This guitar will last for a long long time....
The finish is great and it shines...
It would manage through a rock concert if it has to and the starp havenwt failed me yet.
I would depend on it to setisfy the goods in any gig and without backup.

Never dealt with them.

I have benn playing now for a couple of years now. I own another Fernandes electric guitar and an Admira classic guitar.
If this guitar was stolen I'd find the thief and kick the shit out of him untill he would give me my guitar back !!! I guess that if it was not to be foumd I'd buy a new LP of any kind but I will always dream of my love and drift to the times that I have played on it.
I love this guitar in every aspect of it !!!! I take great pride at it's clear full fat sound and warm overdrive that can easily imitate Hendrix's start....
I came into that store in Tel Aviv to buy the best I could find and buy the guitar that will be my great guitar which I could use in my gigs with my band.
I only wish it had a Whammy Bar but I mannage perfectly without it.
I came into the store and tried many guitars including an American Standart Strat and an Ibanez S and each had one feature great (Fender-great clean and an Ok distortion, and the Ibanez that had a remarkable distortion and a very crapy clean) and then the Shopper gave me the Les Paul . From the minute I played my first note on it I knew that this guitar will be mine. Everything fitted, the sound, the price, the finish, the frets and the ease of playing fast shreded licks to soft and quiet tunes...
I think this guitar is PERFECT and I recomend that if you have the money for it buy it because you will never regret it.

mine is a 97, i bought it used about 4 mo's ago. i got a great deal at just $600, wine red/gold. i wanted that year cuz of the better normal size inlays, and the new ones are only 2/3 the gurth of the average lp. it has factory tuners, factory pickups, factory everything. flawless not even a little belt nick on the back. the neck is that nice wide 50's style. a perfectly crafted instrument.
you need only to upgrade the tuners to grovers

i have owned an army of ibanez, g&l, fender, epiphone, and at one point a kramer. but this guitar is a priveledge to play on.
i play it through a monstrous chain of floor pedals mainly powered by a boss gt3 and the lp pulls its weight
no dislikes

the nitrocellulos finish gets oily looking fast so keep plenty of gibson polish handy. i was tod to be careful when shining the gold hardware, but i think it looks cooler when they fade a little.
no flaw in this department

straplocks!!!!


this is the ultimate live app instrument. i havent even broken a string, which i have a tendency to do during those energetically charged moments live.

no need

i know its all a matter of personal taste for every musician, but really i urge everyone to go get one now.
just dont get the new ones, they arent quite a les paul

This is an update to a previous review (from 2000, under "Pudro"). It is still a 1993 Studio model, features are listed below. I thought I'd provide a longer-term update, now that I've had this guitar for 5 years. A pro-setup (anbody in MN who needs a setup talk to Guitar Center in Edina for Dave Rusan - free neck setup!) for 11's, as well as new tuners, a new nut, fret dressing, 3 new pickups, new potentiometers, and even pickup rings and knobs have been installed. New equipment played through includes a mid-90s Fender Hot Rod DeVille (60W Tube, 4x10 Combo), a Marshall DSL2000 (100W Tube, 4x12 Half-Stack), and a PODxt through various monitors.

If anybody is looking for replacement humbuckers, read this. I was not thrilled with the stock (490R and 498T) pickups sound, which was quite muddy. I originally swapped the bridge pickup for a Gibson 500T with a push/pull pot which gave single-coil and humbucker sounds. It was OK, but the output was FAR too high, distorting any amp near it. Recently, I replaced the pickup again with a Seymour Duncan JB. I must say that Adam Jones of Tool was my inspiration for pickup choices, which also resulted in a Jazz for the neck. They work quite nicely together. CTS pots from Allparts.com were installed, 500K Audio for volume, and 250K Audio attached to one coil of each humbucker (to roll between SC and HUM sounds). The Jazz is the real star here, sounding obscenely luscious through anything and everything. The sound is warm and bassy, quite thick, with a lot of high-end sparkle as well. The SC sound of this pickup has little sustain, but sounds a lot like a strat. Definitely a 10. The JB is wonderful for rock, with huge sustain and harmonics. It is, though, perhaps a bit too middy for my tastes; it's about an 8.5. The two pickups together balance well, somewhat complimentary.

Pro setup is in place, so I can only comment on the ability to adjust the guitar. It has a lot of give-and-take on the tension rod, so finding an optimal amount of relief is easy. The bridge is the only item stock on this guitar now. I had an Earvana nut installed, which eliminated the presence of any sour note on the guitar. I'd HIGHLY recommend it, only 25 bucks. Schaller tuners replaced the factory originals, which broke (like my old Epiphone's). These guys are beautiful, with durable gold plating. Not one single slipping string now. The finish is in the "character" phase, meaning it is beat to hell now. Just the way I like it. The laquer is either too thick, or the stain is too dark, cuz you can't really see the grain of the wood. It's a shame, since dark red on mahogany is beautiful in theory.

This guitar still has been played live only once (I'm a drummer, not a guitarist, by trade). Hardware has been replaced. Finish is fine for playing, but the guitar dents quite easily. Schaller straplocks are installed and, though the wood has stripped and needs to be filled and redrilled, haven't failed me. I must say that, by all acounts, this guitar should have snapped in half by now. With my old band, it did a face-plant on a cement floor (BARE cement) from standing height. The pickup selector switch came undone, the little plastic knob broke, the assembly was thrust into the cavity inside the body, and the poor thing had about 10 new dents and scratches. But once re-assembled, it played fine. Also, it has taken a lot of abuse from unworthy guitar stands, and the headstock is still fully intact. I believe it was dropped from a few feet onto that same concrete floor while inside of a nylon gig bag, and came out still fully in tune. She's a tough mother...

I've only corresponded with the company twice, once for a repair on an Epiphone, and once through e-mail to date this beast. A slow turnaround (6 weeks to replace a tuning peg) plagued the first incident, and they gave adequate e-mail response.

I've played these things for 9 years now. I've owned a "Terminator" guitar, a crappy Kramer, a crappy Ibanez, a mediocre Epiphone, a good California Strat, this sweet beast, and a Washburn acoustic. Amps it has been seen with include a 90s SS Peavey, a '62 Blackface Fender (mmm....), a 100W Marshall Valvestate half-stack, a 90s Fender Hot Rod DeVille, a 100W Marshall DSL, and a PODxt. It prefers the tubes, especially the Marshall. If stolen, it would be replaced with a comparable early-90s Studio with the same upgrades, possibly a different bridge pickup. By far, the best value in American guitars that I've seen as of yet. And, if you want to sell one, do it in Canada 'cuz these things go for about $2200-$2500 up there (before exchange rate).

1996 Les Paul Studio. Ebony with gold hardware. Everything on it is stock. Came with Gibson gig bag.

Sounds great! I play through a Marshall VS230 with a Boss DS-2 distortion pedal, a DOD chorus pedal, and a Vox Wah pedal. I play all kinds of rock and metal. This guitar has a rich and full sound, as one would expect from a Les Paul. The bridge pickup by itself does not sound that good playing clean, that is why I got that chorus pedal. However the neck pickup sounds great.

I had to adjust the action a bit, it was a used instrument. Guitar had some dings and armwear, and some of the gold on the neck pickup is wearing off. The screws in the pickup rings are starting to rust-the guitar came from Florida-can you say humidity?

This guitar would do fine in a show. The hardware is rock solid, it just comes off from sweating while playing. The finish is great. The strap buttons are solid, but with a guitar this valueable, why would you not have some kind of strap-locking system??!!?

N/A

I have been playing the guitar for 17 years and have owned around 15 guitars. This guitar is certainly one of the best sounding and playing of them all, next to my U.S. Strat w/ Seymour Duncan Lil' Screamin' Demon pickup. If it were stolen I would definitely go buy another. It is so comfortable to play and it sounds so good-awesome sustain! I have compared it to some Epiphone Les Pauls, and this one is so much smoother playing.

2002 made in Nashville - blue-teal flip/flop, excellent case w/ pink lining. Everybody knows the new LP Studio set-up and electronics so I won't bore you with something you won't read.

I play in a cover band that does everything from classic rock to brand new alt. stuff. I run it through an ABY switch with a Line 6 Pod and Tech 21 Powerhouse 60 on one side and a Fender "Evil Twin" on the other, both thru an Allen & Heath mixer and Mackie PA. The Pod gives me the easiest access to the vast variety of tones and effects that you need to do a variety of covers and the Twin gives me the straight balls-to-the-wall tube tone. Analog and digital can live together in harmony.
The sound the I got out of it straight out of the box was typical Les Paul. Any song which requires the LP rock tone is covered. While it sounds nice enough clean that's not what I bought it for. I use it mostly for the ballsy hard rock sound. I use the bridge pu almost exclusively on the guitar and in fact I keep the neck pu turned all the way down and use the selector switch as a cut-off switch. This is the tone that I bought it for. If the song requires a nice clean tone I use my American Series Tele or my rodded Strat.
The tone is pure Gibson. Our other guitar player has an early 70's Standard (it has a Deluxe tr cover, but it is a Standard). We did a side-by-side comparison, he thru a MusicMan 212 and me thru my Twin. We eq'd the same and there was very little difference in tonal qualities. Clean or overdriven, they were very, very comparible. Any differences were mostly do to our playing styles. He admitted it before I did. That couldn't have been easy for him. He's had his LP for 30+ years.

I bought this from Musicians' Friend so I didn't try it until it arrived. It came out of the box fairly well set-up but I always have my tech. set up my guitars with 10-52's right away anyway. But it was usable right away.
The finish is perfect. The blue/teal flip-flop is the coolest color out there, especially for a stage guitar. The color shifting that occurs when the lights hit it is mesmerizing. You see so many wine reds and sunbursts that I wanted something different. I like them all but color is an individual taste thing.
I switched the tuners to Grovers because Gibson tuners are rather hit or miss.
No binding anywhere, but that's a good thing. It looks much cleaner without it. I had the pu covers taken off so with that black pg and black pu's. it's one bad looking mofo.
The pu selector gets loose sometimes and the neck tone knob has a sticky spot where it hangs up a little bit. Minor stuff.

I've been using it live for about 8 months now and it's solid as a rock. Stays in tune all night. The jury is still out on the durability of the finish since it is new. The paint is made by BASF so I think it will stand up. They are a quality company. No problems yet.
I change my strap buttons to the Dunlops anyway. I strongly suggest putting strap locks on this baby. I hate to see a grown man cry. (I've seen a SG and a LP get dropped and the necks/head snap - ugly scenes).
Is it dependable? Of course. It's a Gibson. They sort of have a track record for dependability.
I typically carry 3 guitars with me for variety of tone and different tunings. But I wouldn't trust any one guitar to the point of not carrying a second. Same with amps. Back-ups are your friend.

Has a lifetime warranty but I hope I never need it. So far, so good. Haven't had to contact them.

I have been playing on and off for about 30+ years. Got back into it seriously again about a year and a half ago. I also have an Amer. Tele and Strat, Schecter C1+ (which is set up with baling wire for really low tunings), and several other electrics (Fender, Danelectro, Schecter). I have 6 amps total but my main ones are listed above. Various stomp box effects and the Pod. Also have a Taylor 410ce and an Ovation Elite Standard for acoustic guitars.


I bought this guitar because I needed the "Gibson" sound. I'm a Fender man at heart but I have to admit that I'm impressed with this guitar. It sounds great, looks great, and is solid as a rock. Plus, who wants to play a really expensive LP on stage? While I don't want to bang it up I don't have to worry as much about it as I would a vintage, vintage reissue or other high-end LP. Dings happen. And let's face it, the woods, the electronics, and your playing style are what determines the final sound straight thru an amp. This is the same guitar as the more expensive LPs without the cosmetic bells and whistles. Binding and fancy inlays are nice but they don't effect the tone. I'm going to get a high-end LP one of these days but that will stay at home or go out on special occasions. And I won't buy that one from M'sF.
The one thing that I don't like is that the neck is painted the same color as the rest of the guitar. (The entire guitar is bt f/f except for the front on the headstock, which is black. Since the back of the neck is painted it gets sticky when you start sweating. I carry a towel just for wiping the neck and fingers every few songs that is seperate from my sweat towel. That helps considerably.
If it was suddenly gone I would buy another one without any hesitation. It's the working mans' LP. I love it so much that I am getting an Explorer Pro next. There really is no other way to get that Gibson sound and feel except to buy a Gibson. Now you don't have to get a second mortgage to get one that sounds every bit as good as the expensive ones, real vintage notwithstanding.

What features ??? Stopbar ????

Peace of shit, it cost me 1,700.00$, and it makes sounds really weird. I have a ibanez 350dx, an it cost me like 600$, and its much better, much better sound. I always wanted a Gibson Les Paul, it was my dream guitar, but when i bought it, i told my self, why did I by this crap. My ibanez maid from Korea is much much much better.

The look is nice. But who cares about the looks, its how the guitar plays.

Its been now 2 months that I bought the guitar from Steve's Music Store. When i got home, it had this HUGE scrach, and really deep in the wood behind the guitar. (and i bought all of my guitar at Steve's, and its a pretty cool place). But what in the hell???? What kinda store that sell guitars that the bridge is ***ed up, it make all kinda of weird sounds that ordinary guitars doesn't make. And this Huge scrach, AND I PAID 1,700.OO$ ****ING DOLLARS !!!!!!

Don't but this crap, i thought gibson was better then that. its now locked up in my room cuz Steve's music store cant do anything (maybe xcuz they just wanna get rid of that shit). im now still playing my ibanez. and until i finish paying my gibson, im playing with my ibanez.

2002, usa, the same thing you'll see in the other reviews...I really love the brown leather case that came with it. I'm disapointed with the fact that the studios didn't came with the translucent aged golden volume and tone knobs...the ones on this models are black. Boring look. I have to say that I would love to have my guitar without the freaking black pickguard, but it's a question of taste. Ah yeah, and the picture on the web site show a les paul studio with some silver tuners. I was like "cool looking tuners!" and it came with the vintage platic ones that always go out of tune. For the price I think there's not enough options...I would have take a Gibson studio plus but they only come with gold hardware that go off with the time....that sucked. Otherwise, it is a pretty guitar.

This guitar is heavy and sounds heavy. No probs with the sound, it is very smooth. Sound classic with my marshall jcm900 stack. No noise at all. Way better that my mex strat!

Well my mex strat may not be a 1300$ guitar but at least it is robust and it has a comfortable finish. I feel I have to wash the les paul after every jam 'cause it becomes greasy all the time. Oh and yes, don't wash it with anything 'cause the finish is soooo fragile. I used to wash my mex strat with somr kleenex, but the les paul requires to be more delicate.

Buy some strap locks! It slipped out of my strap on the floor. isshhhh! Damn it so frustrating for a guitar like this to have those no good cheapos strap buttons and parts. Where's my mex strat?

I use the les paul studio in gigs, cause I love the sound and style of it. I'm afraid my guitar will look pretty abused soon with the damaged finish.

It is disapointting...I dreamed about the day i'll would buy my gibson, I guess, if I could come back in time, I rather wait to buy myself a Gibson Standard (the colors are so boring...) or a PRS of the bottom line....

I've got a 2001 Les Paul Studio (got it on christmas so its only about 3 1/2 months old). if you know anything about a Les Paul Studio, then i dont have to type out all the stuff. if you dont, o well, go to the gibson web site. it basically has all the stuff you really want or need in a guitar and with the 3-way switch, you can do a Randy Rhoads type thing where it sounds like its going on and off real fast.

I play: Rock, Hard Rock, Metal, Heavy Metal, Death Metal, Swamp Metal, and some clean sounding stuff. It dominates all these catagories.

The guitar could have come from heaven. Nothing was wrong with it.

This guitar, without a question, will last for generations. Its the most reliable guitar you can get. This is the only guitar anyone could ever need. Back-up guitars are for people who have guitars that just dont cut it. With this, i wouldnt even think to bring a back-up.

Im not sure, but i think its a lifetime warranty. You dont even need a warranty with this.

Ive been playing for about 17 years now and ive played many many different kinds of brand name guitars, and this is absolutely the best. If your considering one, get it. Its the best. Everyone knows what a Les Paul is. Thats because its te best guitar made.

I bought a 2001 Les Paul Studio in the 'Blue Teal Flip Flop' color. pretty much the same as any other studio: mahogany body, regular gibson 490R and 490T humbuckers, stopbar tailpiece, 1 volume and 1 tone for each pickup, 3 way switch, you know the rest...

I play in a goth/punk band (similar to AFI's style), and i also play each weak at our church service. Those are two pretty different situations, and the Paul handles each one perfectly. In the neck position, i can get that fat growling clean tone they're known for, and in the bridge position, its got enough bite to to come out and punch you right in the face. Seriously, it's driven sound from the Dual Rectifier can make you want to eat rabbit flesh. The neck and middle settings are very deep thick toned, but the bridge pickup isnt quite as bright as i would like it. Definitely nit-picking here. The pickups are much quieter than any guitar i've had before, even quite a bit more so than my bandmate's gothic SG. The fat sound comes partly from the fact that this guitar was about 600 pounds. more on that later.

The only thing i have to say about this guitar is that its not very player-friendly. if you're gonna buy one of these, check out every one the store has to offer. Mine just isn't that quick. the paint that its finished in (blue teal flip) really isnt a smooth feeling paint, so it makes the action feel that much more clumsy. Since its a studio, it doesnt have the binding on the neck, and as much as i like the sound of this guitar, i would be lying if i said the neck/fretboard seam felt firstrate. i actually used to have an epi les paul standard that whips this thing on the comfort meter. The action was set up by the store i bought it at, and it feels solid. not super low, but no buzz, no anything. feels rock solid. thats because it probbaly is a rock now that i think about it. This thign is freakin heavy. easily twice as heavy as the epi standard. This is partly what gives it its fat sound, but i dont have to tell you it gets annoying to wear it around, much less any kind of "high energy" shows of the punk rawk fashion. i actually use my 2001 mexican telecast over this most of the time just because the neck/fretboard of the gibson feels like i got gipped for my $1000

I've had this guitar for about 10 months, and it is in the shop right now. the neck pickup has a short in it, making it do lots of wierd stuff. but not all the time, so that just makes it an unreliable guitar. i wouldnt even bring it to a show, much less start playing the show with it, just because i dont know if i'm gonna be able to get sound out of it or not. i bought it at a store that was far away from where i lived because i got a good deal, so i was just this week able to bring it back for its warranty work. we'll see what happens... i know most gibsons last forever, and i'm not saying all of them must suck, but im just telling you that mine has had problems. Also the blue teal flip color dulls really bad after just a little playing. where your pick usually scrapes the instrument will really lose its shine especially with this odd finish. I thought it looked really nice, but now i'm sorry i bought it.

The warranty is supposed to last as long as i own it, so we'll see. as i said before, its been in the shop having wierd electronic problems. the neck pickup is shorting out half the time. its in the shop, so i'm assuming they should eventually fix it...

I've been playing for about 6 years, and not just a punk rawker. i've got quite a few hours of credit at LSU's School of Music. I play alot, and i love the Les Paul tone, but this is a large, heavy, uncomfortable guitar. You can call that an opinion, but play one first. i also do not recommend the blue teal flip finish because it dulls VERY easily, and is not a slick-feeling finish, making the neck feel cumbersome after the slightest bit of wear. If it was lost or stolen, i would buy something else just for the heck of it. Heck i'm thinking about trading it right now... For the $1000 that it costed, i expected something that i would want to play. the truth is, i would rather play my $300 telecaster.

Blah, too lazy to go find exact specs, it's a typical Les Paul, humbuckers, tune-o-matic bridge, comes with a very nice case :)

I mainly play the blues and older rock/metal (Think Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, old Metallica, stuff along those lines). I am a younger guitarist, still in high school, but I hate all that "nu-metal" screamer crap. The sound is perfect for any kind of metal or hard rock, and pretty good for the blues. One problem I have it that the low E string dominates over all the others, overpowering them.

W/ treble pickup is has a sharp, although not too sharp, sound, good for lead rock/metal playing. Very bright. Rhythm pickup has a round, full sound, very fat and good for more mellow tones. I use this one more, personally.

I use an old Marshall solid-state amp and a Wah-Wah pedal, I rarely use much distortion or anything, I much prefer a clean sound. This guitar is very good for it.

My guitar came with low action, so I raised it a bit, and it's good. Mine came pretty well set up overall from the factory, I like it a lot! Best guitar I own (although I don't own many, since I'm still a kid)

Although I've heard some bad stories about the tuning heads, I haven't had any problems with them yet.

I got the ebony finish w/ gold hardware. If you're have a choice, don't get the ebony w/ gold look. The gold hardware is a real pain to clean, it'll wear away and look pretty bad unless you clean it off! And fingerprints show up very easily on the ebony finish, so, although it looks really cool, don't go w/ all that :)

Although I haven't really played live, I'm not in a band, (not many kids @ my school play intruments) I have heard good things about it.

Hardware will last, although after reading some reviews I'm going to watch my tuning knobs some more :\

Strap buttons are not thick enough! My guitar has come loose from it's strap several times, fortunately I have been holding it every time it's happened! Get strap locks!

Haven't dealed with them. Lifetime warranty! woohoo!

I have been playing for several years, and I love this guitar! I got it for Christmas as a present last year, from my uncle, who has been playing guitar for longer than I've been alive.

If it were stolen, I would probably not be able to afford to buy it back, but I would definately want another :)

I love the nice, rich, fat sound the humbuckers give off! This thing sounds awesome! The only problem I have, as mentioned earlier, is how the low E string dominates over the others.

This is a great guitar!

Body: Carved maple top, Mahogany back
Neck/Profile: Mahogany/'59 Rounded Les Paul
Fingerboard/Inlay: Rosewood/Pearloid trapezoid
Scale/Nut Width: 24-3/4" / 1-11/16"
Bridge/Tailpiece: Tune-o-matic/Stop bar
Hardware: Chrome
Pickups: 490R Alnico magnet humbucker, 498T Alnico magnet humbucker
Controls: Two volume, two tone, three-way switch

Mine is a new 2002 and has the Wine Red finish. It came with a very well made hard-shell case. It just arrived yesterday and I had to force myself to put it down after many hours of playing. The only thing that it doesn't have that I might want from time to time is a vibrato tailpiece...but hey, I LOVE this guitar!

I play rock and blues. I also just purchased a Marshall 50DFX at the same time I got my Les Paul . It is an awesome combination for what I do. This is just a hobby for me, but I've been playing for 35+ years. I had a 70s vintage SG Std a long time ago and parted with it very reluctantly. I totally loved that guitar and the sounds I could get from it. The sounds from the Les Paul are just a little sweeter than my old SG. The Les Paul is truly unique.

Aftrer reading some of the negative reviews here, I was a little nervous about setup from the factory and fit/finish. I bought mine mail order, so what I ended up with was out of my control. Of course, had there been any significant problem(s), I would have sent it right back. As soon as I opened the case, I carefully inspected for any scrathces, cracks, etc in the finish. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, because my guitar arrived flawless.

The setup was also near perfect. The action was set just right for me and intonation only slightly off on one string.

I'm hoping more come out of the GIbson factory like mine, vs. some of the poor reviews I've read. I couldn't be more pleased.

Even though I just got it yesterday, I'm rating this guitar a 9. It looks extremely well made and I can only imagine that if I take care of it...it will takecare of me. The only thing I will change is the strap buttons to locking ones...and soon.

Like I said, I've been playing mostly as a hobby for 35+ years. I also own an Alverez acoustic. Besides the SG I had, I once owned a VOX hollow body tear drop. My first guitar was a $45 Kay with one pickup....lol. But it served it's purpose.

My new Les Paul will be with me for the rest of my days...and I plan on living a long time. Like most others here, if my Les Paul was lost, I'd most definately replace it. And if it was stolen, I'd crawl through rain, snow, and broken glass, if necessary, and track the SOB down....probably would have to cut the suckers hands off to prevent further thefts. I'm not a voilent person, mind you, but messin' with my Les Paul is like messin' with family.

1995 American Studio, 22 frets, laminated. I bought this guitar used, but it came with all of the original pieces. Features are the same... Wont talk about price, I'm in Canada! And I got an incredible deal on that took me days to negotiate.

Incredibly brilliant. I (like most of you reading this) am playing, and have been playing in bands for years. I've always loved Gibson's sound (sometimes the SG lags, but still is brilliant). Anyway, I read somewhere else on this site that a guitarist was completed by other guitarists after playing live with his axe. I played a charity show for the needy that attracts alot of musicians. Afterwards I was approached by not one, but two labels (yes they were the smaller ones, but talk about "striking a chord") From lead to rythem settings, this guitar is SAMOOOTH!! I have 0 complaints on the sound of this guitar, and it has become my personal favorite guitar.

Now the bad news. Again, I read something similar on this site. THE D TUNING NOB FELL OFF!!!! I can understand that it is on older guitar, but Gibson?? I have a trusted tech that looks after all of my guitars, so when he fixed it and assured me it would not happen again, I was a little eased, that was almost a year ago, and no more problems. Yes, the g string tends to go out of tune, but that's the tech's job. And all of the fearful ONSTAGE emotions that ran through my head are gone.

See above.

Never to deal with them.

Overall, after everything is said and done. I love this. If you have a tech that you trust (some of them can be sheisters) then this guitar is a perfect 10, honestly. If you dont have a trusted tech, I give this guitar an 8 because the sound is still incredible assuming you get to play it before the tuning nob falls off. I play it through either a Fender deville, or a Vox Valvetronix (get this amp by the way), and I have to say that the Fender tele has become a little lonely. If you'd like to see pics of this baby, please check my old bands website at www.odyssey1002.com

i bought this one new in 1995 for around $500, from a mom & pop music store in town. it's a beautiful wine red with chrome hardware. it has a toggle switch with 3 settings and there are 2 tone knobs with 2 volume controls, one for each pickup. i stuck with all the original parts it came with and have just replaced the strings on and off over the years as needed. it came with an SKB hardshell case.

i have been in many bands over the years and done many different styles, and the les studio pulls them all off well. it can do punk, metal, hard rock, but it also can do country and pop. i used a boss distortion pedal and switched the toggle to "treble" for an onstage cover of smashing pumpkins' "drown" and got several compliments from guitarists in the audience (and i was playing thru a 25W SEARS amp i got in 1986!!!). switch to the rhythm channel and you've got a full, rich, bassy tone that makes everybody smile. this guitar is great if you're pulling down duty as the sole guitarist in your band, as it has a huge sound.

right out of the box, the action was great and everything worked. it still plays nice nearly 10 years (and many gigs) later, no crackles or messed up wiring. the only problem is the low E string gets way louder than the other strings. i had the bridge adjusted profesionally and it's still too loud.

this, unfortunately, isn't a reliable guitar. first off, one of the tuning knobs broke off! just fell off one day, hadn't been mishandled or thrown about. i repaired it myself but don't trust it now.

also, like other reviews stated, the G string will not stay in tune for anything. it's difficult to get it half decent, and it goes out by the time the song ends no matter how careful you are when strumming.

further, the guitar is quite heavy (as in weight) so i'd advise strap locks or your strap will pop off and the guitar will fall on the floor.

the finish is very sensitive to oil from the hands and sweat. you have to use some kind of polish to keep it looking good.

lastly, i've found that in the last year, the stings have been breaking quite easily. never had that problem before. so invest in some saddle string savers too.

not needed.

i've been playing guitar for over 15 years. i'd definitely miss this guitar if it were stolen or lost, but more than likely it'll break before then. i love gibson products but i'd probably buy one of the better-made les paul models instead of another studio. if not for the cheap knob and the tuning problems i might re-consider.

this guitar is made in nashville tennesse U.S.A It has a tune omatic bridge. 22 frets. Rosewood finger board. carved maple top mahogany back no binding. controls- 2 volume 2 tone. wine red with gold hard ware a little flame. pick ups- 490R anlico manget humbucker, 498t alnico hum bucker.

I think the guitar sounds good but it depends how you set it. I use the tremble pickup when im using distortion. gives me a nice zack wydle type of sound. If i turn down the distorion to about four i get a decent hendrix sound. I alson play on the bridge pickup clean when i trying to get that hendrix sound. I use the middle and rhythm position for the blues and set the amp on clean. Like bb king or stevie ray vaughan i set the amp more bright for srv tough. If i decied to play a little country like merle travis i'll use the middle positon. so i get a good variety of sounds. I use it with a shity crate gx 15 amp. i tried it with nice 50 watt fender amps tough which sounds great. I plane to get a new amp soon!

every thing was set up pretty good but the finsh stared to faded alittle on the back i bets it will fade more thats why i gave it a nine.

only had it for a week cant say.

never delt with them.

i own a fendr mexican made strat and cort acustic-earth 100. overall rating is it has dam good sound and pertty well made. the only thing i dont like is the finsh started to ware thats why i gave it a nine not ten.

Directly from Gibson's web site:

Body:
Carved maple top, Mahogany back
Neck / Profile
Mahogany/ '59 Rounded Les Paul
Fingerboard/Inlay
Rosewood /Pearloid trapezoid
Scale /Nut Width
24 3/4"/11 1/16"
Bridge /Tailpiece
Tune-o-matic/Stop bar
Hardware:
Chrome or Gold (Gold on mine)
Pickups :
490R Alnico magnet humbucker
498T Alnico magnet humbucker
Controls:
Two volume, two tone, three-way switch
Strings
Les Paul Signature .009-.046

It came complete with hard shell case and truss rod tool. It was built at the Nashville Plant, and if I read my serial numbers correctly, it was the 365th instrument to be stamped on July 27 2002 ... gotta love Gibson's serial number system!

The sound on this guitar is everything my former SG, Epi Sheraton and Epi Les Paul Studio weren't: rich, full, smooth and creamy. I thought the Sheraton was a smooth sounding guitar but man does this guitar put things into perspective!

Played through my trusty Marshall JTM 310 it's pure class in an axe. Some may complain it sounds too thick for their tastes, but that's precisely why I got it! There is a bit of noise if played near my PC's monitor, but that's a complain I've had with every guitar I've ever owned.

I literally had to sit down in front of a rack with 7 or 8 Les Pauls at try each ... this one felt right to me: the action was comfy from the factory setup, the pickups sounded just right (unbelievable how the different Les Pauls on the rack -all Gibson - could sound, play and feel so different from one another!) ...

But I love it: the wine red finish lets some gorgeous Maple curl show through, it is mirror smooth and if I get any fret buzz at all, it's due to my own sloppy technique!

Compared to the SG I used to own, this Les Paul does indeed play like butter!

This guitar is spotless, quite well put together. The only part I'd worry about are the stock machine heads, but so far so good. Treat with care and respect it'll last!

Never dealt with them.

I don't want re-spark the debate on how Gibson's quality control is the pits, nor do I want to make a mountain of a mole hill. But I find it pretty scary that out of 7 or 8 Les Pauls, only that one sounded, played and felt right to me ... shouldn't they have all been the same?

But on the other side of the coin, I must confess that there isn't a guitar out there that comes close to a "good" Gibson Les Paul. There is an aura of pure class oozing from that guitar, it is a pleasure to play. It is a tad heavier than I like - my trusty Fender Stratocaster feels like a feather in comparison - but it's not uncomfortably heavy, a padded shoulder strap makes it effortless.

Word of advice: try as many as possible before buying, I was dumbfounded to realize that through the same amp some Les Pauls sounded thin (try like rusty nails), some much too dark ... yet all use tha same woods and pickups go figure. I selected the one that played, felt and sounded right for me, when you're going to fork out that kind of cash on a guitar, you'd better as hell be happy with it!

made is 2002,wine red, 496r, and seymour duncan custom humbucker in the bridge.
Tune-o-matic bridge, 59 rounded neck, 22 frets, trapizoid inlays, 3 way toggle switch, 2 volume and 2 tone, passive electronics,arch top, maple and mahogany, made in the U.S of course.

very good for classic rock to metal. exceptionally well on the clean channel but it sounds the best on the overdrive. has the awesome les paul tone. it gives you a natural bass. great for leads. I play a lot and i use a cheap crate solid state 2x12 which sucks because i want a tube amp really bad but i am in debt from buyin this thing. it was worth it though. perfect for playing AC/DC, Led Zepplin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith etc....... Even though this model does not have binding it still sounds awesome. i recommend it to every one. And i recommend going somewhere to buy it because you know what your looking for and you want to get a guitar that you will enjoy playing for a long time. the 489t pickup that was originally in this sounded good but it really wasn't suited for high gain playing and it sound like every thing you played was all moshed together. i recommend finding a used seymour duncan. i got mine on ebay for $38.

i am the lead guitar player in my band. I have been playing for a good 7 years. Getting this guitar has helped tremendously. Although i did have a problem with the action and the strings. I like to use ernie ball .10-.46. The gibson ones were good but only for certain songs. The action was set quite low. Being a lead player i like the action to be set kind of high so i can bend easily and get the best sound out of my guitar.

9 lbs. good lord. this thing is very reliable. Only i recommend getting some strap locks just to be safe. I use schaller. Could easily used with out a back up.

never delt with them. only to send in my warrenty.

Very good guitar that maintains the sound that you always wanted. even though binding would make it look even better than it already does it still sounds like a les paul should. The only thing i hope to have next is a marshall jcm 800 2204 lead series head and 1960 cab.
i played this same guitar through my friends crate tube amp and it rocks. I would recommend it to anyone who swears by the music of the past. ROCK AND ROLL. IF ANYONE IS LOOKING TO SELL A JCM 800 LIKE THE ONE LISTED ABOVE THEN PLEASE EMAIL ME.

A Les Paul Studio, no binding, gold hardware, set neck, 2 humbuckers. Mine's wine red, and seems to be a little lighter than most others I've seen. The top is maple, and has a little flame here and there. The tuners are gold Grovers, which is strange, because I've seen some that have the standard plastic jobs.(?) I'm glad I got the Grovers, since I've always hated the 1950's plastic tuners. All Les Pauls come with a case, and mine was no exception.

My Paul sounds fantastic for my taste in music, which is mainly hair metal/hard rock, and the ocassional jazz riff or two. I have an Ibanez RG570 that I thought was king, until I brought home this big wine red hunk of wood and plugged it in, and what a difference! The chords come through strong and clear. Individual notes ring with clarity and focus. I run mine through a Marshall AVT50 live and a PODxt for home recording, and it sounds good through both. There's a growl that this thing produces that I've always been searching for, but was never able to find until now. I can get pretty much any sounds I'm striving for, but I must say that my Ibanez is better at clean sounds with it's middle single coil, than with dual humbuckers. I like the fact that I can split the pickups and do the "stutter thing" that Les Pauls are notorious for.(Yeah, I know it's stupid, but it's the small things in life, you know?)

This category gave me a hard time. My guitar is flawless, which surprised me. I held almost every Les Paul my local music store had, which is a lot. Wether it was another Studio, or a $3500 custom, they all had blemishes or poor workmanship of some sort. I was looking at the new Voodoo Les Pauls, and you could see where they machine sanded the side of the neck where it meets the body, looked like waves in the wood. A wine red Les Paul Custom I looked at had Stain bleeding into the binding! For as much money the Gibson demands for their stuff, a guitar shouldn't leave their doors until it's PERFECT IN EVERY WAY! Anyway, my finish is great. I've never expected a new guitar to be playable right out of the box, so I'm not one to whine when it's not in tune. However, the intonation was WAYYY OFF! It was obvious that it was not setup at all from the factory, since all of the bridge saddles were straight in a row. All of the hardware was perfect, and was tightened. I need to say that mine was custom ordered from the factory without the pickgaurd. I've always hated the pickgaurds, and think that they not only make the guitar look dated, but hides the rest of the beautiful body lines. Without the pickgaurd and with the gold hardware, my guitar looks pretty close to the Les Paul Studio Plus! Since all of my past axes had Floyd Roses, having a standard bridge is a big improvement. I have short fingers, but I can play MUCH more comfortably on my Paul than on my Ibanez. The strings seem spaced further apart, which makes picking and chording a little easier for me. I can't get the action down as low as my Ibanez, but the more I play it the more I like it just as it is now. I'll give it a 10 for my guitar, but a 2 for every other guitar I looked at at my local music store.

This thing is SOLID! It's a big departure from the thin-necked thin-bodied guitars that I've been playing for years. I LOVE the weight. It just feels so much more...substantial... than anything else out there. It's balanced well and is surprisingly comfortable to play sitting down. I really thought I'd miss the molded arm rest the strats have, but I've not missed it yet. I'm not too crazy about set-neck guitars, but mine's made me a convert. I guess I get scared thinking that if anything ever happened to the neck it makes it expensive firewood. As everyone is pretty much aware, the straplocks are a joke. Thin as a pencil, and hardly anything for the strap to grab onto. I replaced mine with staplocks the day I got it. After all these years I can't imagine why they still put those cheap straplocks on them! I would rely on this axe more so than my Ibanez, since it (thankfully) does not have a Floyd Rose. It's so nice to just install the strings without a pair of wire cutters. Also, if a string breaks, I can finish a song now. Life is good....

I gotta say, they are really good about correspondence! Their website states they respond in 24 hrs, and they aren't lying. The responses I received answered my questions, and were to the point. It has a lifetime warranty, but let's hope I don't need to test them on it.

I love this guitar!!! Been playing for 18 years now. I've owned Fenders, Ibanez, Jacksons, Charvels, and ESP's, and no one can ever know what they are missing until they play one! I have always regarded the Les Pauls as an "old farts" guitar, and resisted owning one for years. Since I never had enough cash to lay down for them, I rationalized that most folks that bought one were buying a name. Over the years, I've bought and sold guitars from almost every major manufacturer in my quest for a "keeper". I would always buy something that I could afford right now, instead of saving for something better later. Well, I'd finally had enough, and told the wife I need to end the insantity, to which she agreed. My only complaint I have, is that Gibson has their stuff WAYYYYYY overpriced. Don't get me wrong, they make a good product, but how can they justify $1000 or more for a guitar they've been making since 1950? There is nothing exotic or unique that Gibson puts into their guitars that no one else can't replicate. If their workmanship was second to none, I would feel a little better, but when I see stain runs on a $3000 guitar I'm outraged! (Even though as a hipocrate I bought one anyways;) When I was looking at all the models at the music store, I put an Epiphone next to a Gibson, and at first I didn't think they're would be much of a difference, but boy was I wrong! Other than having the same body style, they are two different guitars. The Epiphones don't have the same heft, tone or feel that the USA versions have. I seriously considered the Les Paul Studio in limited edition colors, but I didn't like the neck with no inlays, and I'm not a big fan of the metallic front with the black back. Anyway, I really like my new axe, and hope it lasts as long as I need it to. For the prices Gibson charges for these things, I'd be in sad shape if my Paul was ever stolen! My only last gripe, is that I wish they offered the Studio's in more colors. It's no secret that the Studio line outsells everything else, and yet they only offer a paltry 4 color choices. How about a quilt-top or flame-maple top Studio? (They offered them in the past, bring them back!)

Ok got a 2001 lp studio hot rodded to hell and back.
a les paul is a les paul gibson wise (with the exc. of a special). never seen one i did not like.

I play srv, so if u can play SRV on a lp and not strat and it still sound like him ur doing good...but i wouldnt have a strat.i also play alot of aerosmith which is one of my fav bands along with every other classic rock band u can think of and it sounds bad as hell everytime i pick it up

Mine is chromed out the ass, so i love it.

Only a gibson is good enough!

DAMN GOOD

What up! Mine is a 2002 Gibson Les Paul Studio in Wine Red (really, the only "good" color in the new Studios). It came with a really nice black "Gibson USA" hardshell case (new ones don't seem to have a pink interior). Everyone knows what Les Paul is, so I won't bore you with the details. It's pretty much you run of the mill Les Paul, so it really isn't loaded with features. Still, it's all I really need, so for my purposes, I give it a 9.

I have a very broad range of styles. It ranges from lighter rock (U2, REM), classic hard rock (Led Zeppelin, GNR, Aerosmith, but mostly Bon Jovi), SOME of today's rock (Creed, Our Lady Peace, Default, Nickelback...NOT NU-METAL!!!), and, finally, up to old-school Metallica. I also do a lot of original stuff influenced by U2 and Creed. I just run my LP into a Line6 POD (great little red kidney bean, but will soon get a Marshall). I have kept everything on the guitar from the day I bought it, except now it has 10's instead of the stock 9's.

Does the LP Studio sound good? HELL YEAH!!! Most importantly, it is a true Gibson Les Paul, and sounds like one. If you don't like Les Pauls, then you will HATE this guitar (who can honestly not like a Les Paul?). But let's look a little further into the details. First pretty much every pickup position has a great clean sound. The bridge position handles the U2 sound almost perfectly (think Pride, Until the End of the World, or Walk On...that's the sound.). It has very bright characteristic to it, but NEVER too harsh or shrill. I found that it can do a cool rhythm sound with open chords. With both pickups on, it gives a more rounded and warm, but still bright clean sound. Very pleasing to the ear. This is what I use mostly for mellower parts of my material. The neck pickup is a little dark and in the D, A, and E strings a little muddy, but far better than any other guitar in its price range. To give you an idea, the intro to Creed's "With Arms Wide Open" is really close to the sound I'm describing.

Now to what makes the Les Paul so famous, its CRUNCH!!! It can go from "Whole Lotta Love" to "Sanitarium." I only use the bridge p/up for distortion, but will sometimes use the neck position for Richie Sambora's bluesier solos. The distortion sound from the guitar is top notch. The distortion has a very pleasing grind and decay to it when it sustains. Oh yeah, I defy anyone to find a better sustaining guitar than the Les Paul. Studios are no exception. When I went to buy it, I played Bon Jovi's "In and Outta Love" and "Keep the Faith," and it was amazing how good it sounded. The solos by themselves were is what led me to buying. It probably wouldn't be good for nu-metal, but you need a cheap Ibanez for that.

This sound is all I could ask for. The best testiment to its sound is the reaction I get from people listening. So many people have told me that I am lucky to have such a guitar. Even the two other guitarists in my school have told me the same (NOBODY plays ANYTHING at my school. Everyone's a teeny bopper or a white kid trying too hard to be a rapper. That's why I'm not in a band). It would be nice if it had a little twang to it, but I'll get a Strat for that. For the Les Paul sound I payed for, it is 10. It REALLY is that good.

When I tried it in the store, it seemed to play like a dream. The action was low from the start. However, there was a few intonation problems, most serious being on the high E, G, and D strings. It also was suffering a little in the way of fret buzz on the low E. The neck also needed an adjustment, It happens this time of year in the Midwest. I just got it set up, so everything is perfect now. Most of these problems were hardly noticeable, accept when playing the upper registers. On the bright side, the tuners do their job very well. Replacements would be a waste of money.

I don't mean to have a "glowing" review, but I think I quite possibly got the best looking LP Studio in Wisconsin. The maple top was shimmery and alluring, and even has a partial flame to it! It is also a noticeably brighter red then others I have seen. The gold hardware is also an eyecatcher, and has not oxidized at all, yet... The lacquer finish just adds to the beauty. Some have stated that it feels sticky when sweat gets on the lacquer, I have not had this problem, and I sweat more than anyone when soloing. I have a pool beneath me when I done with the solo for Metallica's "One." I have had numerous people, both guitarists and people who can't play the triangle tell me how beautiful my LP is, some on multiple occasions.

It is definitely, a great guitar, but its intonation and fret buzz will dock a few points.

I play live twice a month, and jam now and then, and this guitar definitely has held its ground. After a month of ownership, it has not had any problems whatsoever. I will soon put straplocks as an insurance policy, but the buttons are good enough for now. Also, unlike my older Epiphone, it doesn't break strings every week. In fact, in over a month, the strings haven't even begin to rust yet, and I sweat like a mother when shredding.

Never dealt with Gibson, but the store I bought I from has been very helpful. I guess it happens after you dump a grand on a guitar. The reason I got it cheaper was because of an invitation to a closed door sale. Now that's service.

I have been playing for just over a year now, but its been a long year, with 6 hour nights of playing and practicing being common. I don't own much in the way of gear, just this LP, a Line6 POD, an Epi Special II, and a Squier Sidekick, and some cables. God forbid if this guitar were stolen or lost, I would go to the store and buy TWO to replace the one I lost. It really is a great, all around rock guitar. The best parts of the guitar would be its sustain, playability, and its sheer SOUND! Anyone looking for a guitar in this price range should give the Studio a shot. Trust me it'll be worth your while. It is best guitar I could hope for.

Now I would like to get something off my chest. I have heard a lot of reviewers here bash the hell out of younger players like me. They say that all of us are a bunch of "Rectumfrier-loving, death metal, punk idiots who own 30 stompboxes and don't give a rat's ass about playing and care more about how 'killer' their sound is."

First of all, I absolutely HATE the Rectumfrier sound. I think it is sterile, overpriced, and WAY OVERUSED AND OVERRATED. Granted, I like some modern rock, but hearing the same distortion over and over again is one reason that I am getting farther and farther from it.

Also, I do admit that a lot of younger reviewers are guilty of the effects pedal and "sound over skill" thing, but not all of us. I, for one, am extremely serious about my skill as a guitarist. For a year, I have busted my ass in my bedroom playing the likes of Jimmy Page, The Edge, Slash, and the almighty Richie Sambora and getting my timing and technique right (oh that's a first on this site). I also don't wish to sound like every other idiot on the radio, and have attempted to develop a unique style that is me, not the radio's. If I did, I wouldn't have a Les Paul right now, rather a PRS (Which I also think are overrated).

Did you notice that I do not own ANY pedals. I believe that the best guitar sounds are made with the hands, not some Japanese piece of shit. There are some good young guitarists. They are just hard to find.

1993 Gibson Les Paul Studio made in the good ole USA. 22 frets, solid maple top... you all know the setup. Wine red finish. Gibson "vintage tuners"/ Came complete with hard case for $800.

I play literally everything with a distorted electric guitar in it except punk. Fits my style very nicly (very diverse). It can make my crappy marshall solid state combo sing with the best of them. Not noisy at all except when I am playing thrash but that kind of comes with the territory.

Guitar was set up by mark at mark's guitar loft. All in all it was very good. The tuners suck but that is to be expected with kluson's

Do the works built like a tank mean anything??? The finish will probably wear over time but I think that will add to the beauty of the guitar. Sraplocks are of cource a must but other than that I would gig without a back up no problem.

Mark will be doing all my repair work thank you.

This guitar has been my main axe since I bought it but it will probably become my number two when I get my standard. It smokes my epi any day of the week. If it were lost I would need to be put on suicide watch because it is my first les paul.

91 Les Paul Studio, American made
22 frets
Mahogonay back with maple front
Usually gibson les paul control config
The guitar is stock
Finished in ebony

For the style of music i play( tool-radioheadish) it fits perfectly with my modded JMP. I use a lot of effects and does seem to add much noise and was grounded properly. Had a nice bit to it and sounded very full. Maybe could be better for clean, a little to bright. Nothing in its price beats is sound with a cranked marshall.

Action was alright needs adjusts though. Pickups were set up well. Guitar showed some wear but was holding up well after ten years

Very reliable, will last a long time.

No contact dont need it

Great guitar for the price and a great start for those wanting a Les Paul

I have a 1990 Gibson Les Paul Studio, it is amazing. Made in USA, 22 frets, carved maple top, 3 way, 2 hum, you know, you've seen what it has. Everything on this Gibson is almost perfect for me. I have been running it through many different kinds of amps, marshalls, fenders, peveys, but my favorite amp is my crate gfx-212, it works really well with my kind of music and this guitar. I'm sure that i could get a better sounding amp but my crate does do this Gibson justice.

I play mainly emo, punk, and acoustic stuff but i always like learning classic rock, jazz, blues, and anything that gives me a challenge. The pickups are great for all types of music, they work really well with the maple/mahogany body. I did change the pickups though, to a semour duncan 59' in the neck and a distortion in the bridge. I could've easily lived with the stock pickups, i just needed a little change. It never gave me any problems, always a perfect sound in any situation, clean or distorted, in a gym or in a small room. If I could describe the clean sound in one word, i would use the word "silk" and the distorted sound can be crunchy, fat, or whatever you choose. This is what makes a les paul a les paul, the sound. Tone means everything to me.

Remember that this is a 1990, if you played it, you would think that it was maybe 1 or 2 years old. It plays just like a new one. I've had this for 3 years and I've only had to get intonated one time. It seems like the people at the Gibson factory spent a lot of time making sure that it would last a lifetime. I've never had any regrets, never had any major problems. It has easily been my favorite guitar, not even a Les Paul custom could beat this guitar to me. The only replacement for it would be another pre-1996 studio that has had the same amount of love and time poured into it or a Gibson les paul flourentine.

I've used this guitar live many times with no problems in sound and feel. But this is where you notice the age of the guitar, the only problems that I've had are the strap buttons coming loose ( i changed them to locking buttons b/c gibsons buttons are horrible), the p/u selector switch button fell off, and the jack plate broke. Other than that, I can depend on this guitar without a backup.

I've never had to deal with them, my practically flawless guitar.

I've been playing for 5 years, and this guitar is up there with the higher priced gibsons and if i lost it or had it stolen, i would come up with the money to buy another old studio, the new ones are crappier. Mine has an ebony fretboard, like the custom, and it is a full 9.5 lbs. it is exactly like the standard except it doesn't have binding, I can't tell the differance in the sound or quality between the standards and my studio. Maybe I lucked out and got a great toned guitar or maybe all of them are like this. It has a better tone than most PRS's and all of the fender guitars that i've ever played. It blew fender out of the water!! For the price and value, this guitar is probably one of the best. Gibson makes great guitars for anyone who wants a great guitar. they have a perfect range of guitars, but they treat all of them the same, no matter how much it cost, they put just about the same amount of time into each and every one. It was well worth my money.

1996 model. Came with standard LP hardware- tune-o-matic/stop tail, 2 humbuckers 2 tones, 2 volumes and a 3-way switch. Mahogany neck and body with maple top finished in white with gold hardware. Came used with a Guild hardshell case. I have since upgraded to Sperzel locking tuners and Rio Grande Pickups. I also made the tune-o-matic and stop tail into a tone pros locking style with a drill, tap, and four set screws. I also ditched the pickgaurd and toggle switch cover(you know the thing that says rhythm/treble under the switch) to give it a more custom look. The pickups are also uncovered. It would have been a 7 stock, but with upgrades a 9. A 10 maybe if it had a fine-tune tail piece, or a PRS like stoptail.

I'm in a christian rock band that plays a melodic rock style similar to Kutless/Delirious. We play quite often and this is one of my two main guitars (the other is a Godin LGX-SA which so far has been amazing, review coming soon). I use it mainly through a Mesa 3-channel Dual Rectifier, but also have a Johnson JM 250, and run either into a Johnson 412 Cab. With the Mesa head I use a Ibanez TS-7, Crybaby Wah, Boss BF-3 Flanger, and Ernie Ball Volume w/the Boss Stage Tuner. I replaced the pickups at about the same time I got the Mesa so I can't really tell about the stock pu's through the Mesa, but it sounded decent through the Johnson, but after replacing the pu's with the Rio Grand Texas/BBQ combo the guitar really began to sing. The low end became thick and rich with lots of clarity and thump, the high end lost it's brittleness and sounds really nice and smooth, and the mids are clear and really make the guitar amazingly versatile. It can go from pristine clean to rock mayhem and never loose clarity. Although I have to admit through the Mesa it doesn't sound that much different than the other guitar players stock studio into a 2-channel dual rectifier. But mine does have more bass and a can get some really raw(nice high gain brown,kind of like a P90 w/o the hum) tones out of it. I think that has more to do with the Mesa than anything. But through the Johnson I can sound like practically anything(except single coils). I think it could really hang with a PRS single cut, but nothing's perfect and the pu's were almost $200 so I give it a 9.

Action was a little low when I got it and was set up for 9's and I prefer 10's. So I adjusted it to suit me. I have since added the sperzels, graphtech nut and saddles, and drilled and tapped the bridge and tail piece. Most of this is because I didn't want to ever go out of tune. It never was much of a problem, but the sperzels eliminated it and made string changes easier. I added the graphtech stuff to keep from breaking strings (which I rarely did any ways). They really improved staying tune for long periods of time. With them I can bend into the stratosphere and not even need a bit of retuning. I can go for days and barely even touch tuning pegs. In fact the break-in of strings now seems to take minutes instead of a day. It's during this time when you seem to have to do more tuning as tuning one string slightly affects the other, and retuning that string affects another. So when you change strings if might take a little longer, but once it's set IT IS SET! I was unimpressed with the tonepros mod. I didn't notice the increased sustain but it already had very good sustain so maybe the strings don't lose much energy into the bridge/tail piece, but I haven't had to mess with them since I set them. There is no way they could come out of adjustment soI guess it added some piece of mind and requires less maintenence. As far as playability goes, it's probably about time for the frets to be recrowned, but overall plays and feels good(maybe not PRS but should be as good or better after I recrown the frets). The neck is nice and beefy and seems to fit my hand really well. The finish is nice, but when I bought it there were some chips in it. How they got there I don't know because after 2+ years I haven't added any. Overall it plays great and with just a minor fret job ought to play like a $2000+ guitar, but until then it gets and 8

I would depend on this guitar for the rest of my life and plan on having it that long. I could have gigged without a back-up but I always had another guitar with me and never used it. It was there for string breaks ect. I did add straplocks also because I didn't like the angle of the upper bought stap button, and was afraid or dropping it. I now have a Godin which is just as good of a guitar plus it has acoustic and synth sounds, but the Gibson still gets used a lot. The Godin has more features but the Gibson just rocks a little more. So I now use the Godin for lighter stuff and the Gibson for the pure rock and roll. I don't think it could be any better in this category.

Bought used and haven't needed them.

I absolutely love this guitar. For what I have invested (approx $1000)it can't be beat. I think if you're looking for a nice rock, blues, ect. guitar this is the way to go. You can buy a nice used one, put in some pu's (Rio Grandes or maybe Seymour Duncan Jazz neck and Custom Custom bridge as came in my Godin STOCK!) add some locking tuners and you should have a gigging musicians guitar. If anything ever happens you haven't lost a $2000+ dollar guitar, and no one will be able to tell the difference in tone. I won't give it a 10 because I haven't played everything yet and there could be something better (David Thomas McNaught guitars maybe?), but for the price to tone ratio it ought to be an 11.

(2) 1992 Les Paul Studio's 1, was black, one was Wine Red.
I bought one new for around $700 in 1992, then got one in a trade in 1993 equivalant to about $400. I did not like either of them at all. I played a $3000 Gibson Les Paul Custom, which was 1000 times better. should have saved up to buy a 'real' les paul. for some reason the studios are crappy, very hit/miss with them. price tag reflects that.

Studio Pauls come with Gibson Gig bag, no body bindings, trapezoid inlay, crappy "Gibson Deluxe" tuners, chrome hardware, standard humbucker setup. Save your money and buy a real Les Paul.

Almost got the 'Paul tone, but the playability didn't compare to other real les pauls i played, or even to a nice high-line EPIPHONE LES PAUL!!
could never get G-string to stay in tune or intonate correctly.

Ok, for a second-rate gibson, not ok for how much these things cost. Back in 1992 when i got mine, you could actually buy one for $599. i guess it would be similar to today's Les Paul Special with the flat top from musician's friend.

never played it live, because it wouldn't stay in tune.

unknown

Save money and buy a real Les Paul, Beware if looking in the used market, play it first, make sure you dont get a dud. beware of jacked-up prices, i have seen these guitars in pawn shops for $700+

Stripped down LP to its essentials. While still keeping THAT tone

Played through a Marshall AVT 50, it makes me wanna cry, it sounds so smooth and defined and sounds so sweet distorted. Classic Jimmy PAge tone, growling metal tones, screaming tones and warm jazz tones, this thing can do it all.

Action was decent, strings that came were complete crap, and were too light, so I switched them out for some 10s.

it is solid as a rock. And it weighs like 10 pounds too.

Im not sure about Gibson but the store I worked with was wonderful

could not have asked for anymore from a guitar

1998 model, I bought it used from a Guitar Center. Wine Red color with gold hardware. All the other options are listed 169 times on ths page, so I won't bore you further.I gave it a 10 due to the color and finish quality.

The sound on this particular guitar was very impressive. I play at home, for my own enjoyment and love the way this thing sounds. For classic rock and a cool boogie woogie tone Les Pauls are hard to beat.

As I bought it used, I can't say it came from the factory great. It was perfect for me, though. The wayit played was a big reason I bought it.

As I said, I play at home only, so that's how I judge a guitar. This thing will last FOREVER with my playing so it gets a resounding 10 from me. But do get a hard case for it. These guitars are expensive, so treat them as such!

I doubt I'll ever have to find out.

I've been playing for over 10 years, and started off with a piece of crap Samick stat copy. Switched to a Talkamine 12 string acoustic then picked up this LP. I love it, and hope it never gets stolen. American guitars are that good, and Gibsons are even better. The sound and playablity are first rate, the construction is awsome and , after all, it's a LES PAUL! Play several in the store and find one YOU like. Don't pay too much attention to the trim levels, just find one that suits your fingers and ears. If it ever were stolen or lost I would buy another one, or possibly a SG. They are expensive though, and only for this it gets an 8 for value.

usual les paul studio, black, gold finish, made in the states probably around 97. well, when i saw it i just paid for it, i love white lp's but this is the real s**t! the finish is ok, but i have to say when you sweat it feels like crap!! that's why i armed myself with a sharp razor and stripped the paint of the neck, i almost fucked my lovely guitar up, but now it feels perfect, and i have to add, maybe a little sexy...easy, i'm not lonely!. one thing guys, after a couple of months playing it almost daily, i've noticed the gold starts fading away, that is sad, but nothing lasts forever and anyway it gives a played in look. i've also taken out the scratch plate, the little 'rhythm-treble' plastic bit and got dunlop locks for my fat leather strap. nice stuff carlos says

as soon as i bought it i plugged it on a boss metal zone and a dunlop wah... it sounded just like adam jones from tool, that was cool. now am back to my line6 flextone and there is a bit of muddiness at times, you have to know how to handle les pauls, but when you get it they are hot stuff!! not that brilliant for a clean not jazzy sound though, i guess nothing beats a tele there...

i got it second hand from a guy that had no name and never played it. i have no idea how that setup thing you do to guitars is done, i just get 11 strings on, being careful not having them buzzing, and the pick ups with no volume differences between them. i'm not a fan of the finish as i said before, but then again it does look great!! nice fat neck, feels almost like a baseball bat, just right!

it is a brick with strings, no kidding, it will survive a nuclear bomb and on top of that it never gets out of tune!! dependable 24/7

no idea bro... they are supposed to be good, after all thay make the nice guitars we all love..

been playing for 5 years, it;s my life man! got a line6, a takamine acoustic and a epiphone les paul that has been the victim of my dark side quite a few times.. it has a pseudo-psychedelic finish now...anyway, it wont get stolen and if it does i'll get in the guitar shop and steal a nice custom... nothing beats a les paul, but i have to say prs looks nice, i'm just afraid to try them again cause first time did shake me..

Solid body mahogany, glued on mahogany neck, etc., etc.

I've been playing classic rock and hard rock for over 30 years now, and never had the money to buy the 'real' les paul. Had an Ibanez copy of one, plus several other guitars, including most recently a Fender strat and a Schecter C-1+. But when I plugged this baby into my amp OH MY GOD! There's just nothing that comes close to that SOUND! It's infinitely fat and yet clear, not muddy at all. I've spent countless hours trying to get that sound out of my Schecter, put all sorts of different pickups on it, but to no avail. To all you other guys out there looking for that TONE (you know what I mean), don't make the same mistake I did. Quit screwing around with cheap guitars and get the real thing. I know they're expensive, but just sell a bunch of that other crap you don't need or get a paper route or something. It's worth it! Oh yeah, I'm running the guitar into a Digitech GSP5 processor, than into a Marshall valvestate stereo rack mount amp, then into two ADA 2X12 cabs, but this guitar would sound good plugged into a transistor radio! The bridge PU gives that fat yet cutting overdiven sound for power chords and solos. The neck PU is mellower, but still not muddy. Great for blues. Clean the guitar also sounds great: warm and clear, especially when using both PU's together. There's nothing that I don't like about the sound. SO what that it doesn't have that Fender twang, I have no desire to split the coils on these pickups like I did on my Schecter. No need for other pickups, either. These are perfect (and believe me, I've tried most Seymour DUncans and DiMarzio's on the market).

The setup from the factory was absolute CRAP. The action at the high E was OK, but at the low E it was about a quarter inch off the neck! That with the worthless factory strings it came with made me want to send the thing back when I first played it. Another thing that bugged the hell out of me was that the rosewood neck has NO INLAYS! You know, the little dots or trapezoids that mark the 3rd, 5th, etc. frets? There are little dots on the side of the neck, but that's it. Now this is a limited edition blue metallic, so this only applies to these limited edition LP's with the funky colors, since I know other LP studio's do have inlays. I must say though, that after playing it awhile with a strap it didn't bother me since I'm looking down at the side of the neck anyway. But it might be bothersome playing it sitting down (don't know, haven't tried that yet). Anyway, after lowering the action and putting on some light guage strings it played MUCH better. In fact, the rounded 59 style neck suites me just great, even though I usually prefer thin necks because I have small hands. Another thing that I might have to adjust is the position of the A sring at the bridge, it's just slightly off. The tuners on this thing are pretty cheesy, but they'll do for now. The neck's nice and straight, no fret buzz, even with my low action. Finish is beautiful: blue metallic on the FRONT of the body only. THe sides and back are painted black, as well as the neck. What happened, they run out of blue paint?

Haven't gigged with it yet, but no worries there. This thing is built like a brick shit-house. Heavy as a SOB.

Haven't dealt with them.

Like I said: been playing for 30 years, mostly semi-professionally. Bought and sold lots of guitars, but this one's going with me in my grave. There's only two guitars that I need now to cover everything: a Fender strat and a Gibson Les Paul. Of course I knew this already when I was 16, but hey, I had to experiment. The only thing that bugs me a little is the fact that it has no inlays on the fretboard. If this would bug you: check before buying! If this guitar were stolen, I'd kill the motherf.... who did it, and yes, I would buy another one if this one were damaged or gone. Oh yeah, it comes with a 'nice' brown hard case with a pink interior and pink satin sheet that covers the axe, sorta looks like a coffin on the inside. But, it fits the guitar like a glove, and it'll do for now. Bottom line: if you're debating to go buy one: debate no more! You won't regret it!

The beginner version of the most famous Gibson. Mohagany body an neck, maple top, gold hardware, coated R-490 Alnico V humbuckers and all the other typical Les Paul features. Mine was made 1996.

The stock sound was may be average, so I replaced the pickups by "Van Zandt Truebuckers" with coil-splitting - and from now on this babe run the way I exspected. It sound's like an old Les Paul has to sing: Powerful with a lot of sustain. My favorite tone over an JTM 45 Marshall Top: Neck 9.5, bridge (split) 8.5 (both tones at 0-point) in an Ibanez tube screamer for soft growling and over the JTM. Great!

The stock hardware wasn't really the 1st choice, so I changed it for good Schaller stuff and grover tuners. It works more exactly, gives more brilliance in sound. There was to do a lot of adjustment-works (although the last owner hadn't played it very much) - all strings were snarling. Now it's okay. To have better results it would be necessary to work out the fretboard exactly.

My axe has a weak headstock, which had to be fixed twice.

Gibson - very kind and helpful, but the replacementpart are too expensive.

The Les Paul Studio is to me a simple and good instrument, very reliable etc. I bought mine, because it was good deal an worket a little better (!!!) than those, I tried in the music stores. So up to 1300$ for a new one is too much, the slogan "only a Gibson is good enough" simply a joke. There are many copies which are the same or better quality. Some are products of the same trust, for less than half the money. Gibson should think, if it's reasonable, that only the most expensive models are made with the necessary care and the highest possible quality. Made in USA should be a sign for quality not only for high costs. So if my "Paula" was stolen, it only would replaced if I found one well made 70's axe for very good prize.

2002 Gibson Les Paul Studio,Wine Red, Maple Top, 3 way Selector, 2 Volume & 2 Tone. 490R & 498T Humbuckers. Gold Hardware, Tunomatic/Stopbar Bridge. 59 rounded neck, Jumbo Frets, maple Neck w/ Rosewood Fret Board, Maple top Mohogany Back. Came with Case.

Sounds great for Rock & Blues. This guitar has balls and i am very impressed with it. I would have preferred 57Classic Pickups which i have in my Hollowbody but thats just my taste, these pickups are better then i thought they would be. The rig is very comfortable and has a really nice feel to it. With the proper set up the neck is like butter.

Action was very good from the factory but i did need to have a better set up done. Once i had the neck adjusted and the intonation set it was outstanding. I can not find any flaws in the finish and the rest of the guitar is as good as it gets.

I think this guitar would take a brutal beating. It's really built well. I alway gig with a backup so it has nothing to do with the guitar but it's just me. If i had no choice i would gig without a backup but i have the choice.

Ask Gibson a question and you will get an answer. I have discussed many issues with them over the internet and they are always willing to help. Their service is truly out standing.

I've been playing for about 15 years and own various guitars from Fender Strat to Full Hollow Body. I would buy this guitar again it is a great value compared to many other guitars on the market. I play through a MusicMan 212HD and various effects units like a little PX3 to a DOD and the guitar is just outstading

Bought from Soho soundhouse (London) this is the 99' model before they introduced dot inlays (for a short while), black with chrome hardware, grover machines, 3/4 traperzoid inlays all other elements are as the standard. Bought with my inheritance this really was "the" guitar for me (well i can't afford a PRS thats for sure) and certainly beat my strat copy which was bugging the hell outa me. Having the binding and full size inlays of the Standard would have been nice. But then at the price the shop was asking for no mere cosmetic plastic trim could justify the cost. Came with hard shell flight case (note to self need to get proper gibson brown and pink fluffy case).

As a rough idea I mainly play in a Rock sylee ala PJ Harvey/ Manic Street Preachers/ U2 to give a few examples. The Les Paul really suits my playing style, giving a really nice fat sound with a good bottom end and a brilliant tone to soloing. I am at the mo using a Valvestate VS230 combo (chorus) and a Boss DD-3 Pedal and the inclusion of the Les Paul has really made a difference compared to the borrowed Hondo II (Double cutaway humbucker copy). Further improvements could be made though that is in the area of the amp.
Whether clean or distorted it really sings in the tone and sustain department (this being my opinion other ears would probably hear different).

My one only complaint would be with a sound problem i've been getting recently. All of a sudden the sound on clean would die down and the sustain on distortion would fade. Now i've had the dodgy VS230 checked out and played with other guitars/ guitarists and nope not a problem. I suspect that the wire to the jack socket is faulty. On closer inspection i have found a serious bend in the wire (which is probably impeding the signal from the pots/ pickups). Other than that the finish is fine and the guitar still looks as new as when i bought it (okay i'll admit after a fair few gigs it bears it's small battle scars with pride, including the mark of forgetfulness when i forgot to take my belt off before playing).

Great live and fully dependable, though i am considering a Tele as backup. Note to others, i know its been mentioned more than once hear, but for a guitar that costs get strap locks for it, or you will hear the lovely sound of mahogany on stage floor (crack!!!). Will need to get new pickguard/ rear covers (they've cracked round the screw fittings due to cleaning (and sound problem mentioned earlier))

Never used though responded quickly when i contacted them, to find ut model etc...

I've been playing now for about ten years (7 of which in a band giging regularly). If lost it or if it was stolen i would be distraught, not only is this a great guitar but it is also a reminder of how i got to buy it (see above)... If i had the money i would buy a PRS, though how many guitars can you buy before you are satisfied (silly question)...

everybody knows this guitar so I don't have to explain it.the one I tried out was a lefthanded black studio.I didn't bought the guitar just tried them out.

the sound was awfull.I'm sorry I have to say.maybe that was because it was a lefthanded one I don't know.I tried it out with an Engl amp wich are very good amps.I just couldn't find a right sound with the pick up configuration.well the sustain was there no problem.but it didn't sound sweet or screaming warm.just harsh.I used to have a gibson studio that was okay.Actually I don't see why people are still buying them.they are way overpriced and there ar far better guitars on the market than gibson.And as a lefthanded guitarist they ask much more money.And you don't have a lot of options unless you are a millionaire.I think the people who buy them just don't know better or just buy it for the name.

okay

I purchased a gordon smith graduate 60 les paul model lefthanded.It cost a lot less than a studio and is superior to a gibson on price quality.the studio sounded like crap comparing to the graduate. Used to dream of gibsons and fenders and guitars like that.but now I know better they're just mass produced leftovers from the time they made quality.

mahogany body and neck maple top rosewood fretboard jumbo frets i hvae many in different colors including white pewter wine red black and red i love these guitars

im in a houston punk band called mist and i run these guitars through a mesa dual rectifier and it sounds amazing the pick ups have high gain but hvae a focused sound

every thing about them is great except the necks get stick because of the paint but thats just part of having a gibson

i play live with these all the time and they still hold strong but i would never gig with out a back up with these or with any guitar

havent had to deal with them

i have been playing for 10 years and im in a houston punk band called mist and we open for alot of the punk bands that come through here and i still havent found a problem with these but with my schecter c-1 and ibanez rg470 i constanly find myself out of tune with the other guitarist but these stay in tune i would recomend them to any guitarist