Gibson Les Paul Traditional

This model made 2009, everyone has quoted on the specs, so won't go over them.Nice looking black with cream binding.

Sound from guitar is good, the pickups are good, the body gives the right sustain and tone, or it would if it was made right. ( more later)

Here is my problem, I have played pro and semi pro for thirty years plus. I have played every guitar out there, best guitars are strats,tele's and Gibsons. Bought this tradional so as not to take out my lp custom to gigs and risk damage to it as it is is getting old. Sadly this traditional is the worst playing guitar I have experienced, I have an indonesian Fender that has a better action. I am good at setups, but gave up on this,could not stop fret buzz, (and this is from a plecked guitar !) been to dealer twice for set up and neck adjustment, no good. Sent back to Gibson Europe sevice centre in Holland came back still buzzing on 4 5 and 6th stings and b string buzzing on open, frankly I've gave up on this one I'd have to spend a lot of money to get this fixed, it needs a fret and neck job, from a luthier better than a Gibson tech. Bitterly bitterly dssapointed with this axe. I have a theory, Gibson sends their lemons to UK, and I've been unfortunate enough to have got this one. I've sold it for a loss.

no comment !!!!!!!!!!!!

1 year

As I said, pro and semi pro over 30 years, I know what I'm talking about. My advice, (as has been said by others) check very carefully,
NOT ALL GIBSONS ARE THE SAME......................

My LP Traditional was made in late 2008 which is the first year that Gibson started producing this guitar. I got it by trading in my 1964 Melody Maker D that I had since 1981. It was little sad but having MM is like owning an old MG or FIAT. It is nice to have a vintage, but you cannot drive it everyday to work or even take it on a vacation with my family... I think you get the picture. And though over the years I have done minor repairs, but I have never felt comfortable doing the real repairs myself. So I figure my MM and I both would be much happier by trading in. Probably someone who really wants it bought my MM and taking good care of it (I hope) and I am with a guitar that rocks???!!

I think everyone knows the basic features: solid mahogany back (opposed to chambered mahogany on Standards now days which I personally do not care for), beautiful figured curved maple top, 57 Classic on neck and 57 Classic Plus on bridge pickups, two volume and two tone controls, etc., etc.

I am going to go ahead and tell you that though I love just about everything about this guitar especially the finish on my Traditional being such a nice color cherry sunburst that appears to be in between cherry sunburst and tea burst with strong yet not too flashy medium flame, there are few things that I don???t like about this guitar. That is the shape of headstock and placement of holes that tuners go into being one. I know someone of you might say that I am being too picky. But like I said I like everything about this guitar especially with the price since I will never be able to afford R9 or ???59 VOS, but I like the design of headstock that comes with more traditional LP. The holes drilled for high and low Es are too close to the edges of headstock and just look funny especially with those bolted-on- Kluson look alike tuners. I know that Traditional is designed after ???80s and ???90s LP models and not after the Burst. I have seen some of those late ???80s and ???90s LP with same headstock design???, but it just does not look right to me.

By the way, I went ahead and changed the tuners with Grover Rotomatics (Kidney Bean shape tuners) right after I bought it. I was lucky that I was able to get hold of Nickel finish Rotomatics and replacing tuners seem to help the look of the headstock (BTW, just in case you did not know or you were wondering, those Grover Rotomatics fit right into existing holes on LP Traditional and you can even use the existing screw holes in the back ??? you just have to find the way to fill the top holes if you feel like that is something that needs to be done).

Another thing is Nashville T.O.M??? That just got to go. Plus chrome finish on all of the hardware got to be changed to nickel hardware. Yes, I know if I want all that, I should buy R9 or ???59 VOS or???, but once again, I just don???t have that kind of money to spend on guitar right now??? So, whenever I get around to it, I will replace them with nickel parts and ABR.

There is one thing interesting/unique about my Traditional which is neck shape. We all know that Traditionals are supposed to come with ???50s style neck, but my Traditional has a neck shape that is between, I would say, ???59 and ???60s??? neck shape: not quite as thick as ???59s but not quite as thin and fast as ???60s. We all know that that is the beauty of Gibson guitars. Each one is hand-made and thus it is unique and different. Who knows, someone at Nashville plant felt like making this particular Traditional with slimmer neck or someone mistakenly place slimmer neck on this particular LP???

This is my back-up guitar. I have Eric Johnson Signature Strat that I use on our gigs on most of the songs. I play in a cover band that plays ???60s classic rock (Cream, Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, etc.) and Blues. I love both of my guitars just as much. For songs that we play, I need both Strat and LP for obvious reasons.

As for my LP Traditional, I love the sound I get out of those ???57 Classic and ???57 Classic Plus. They just are simply great pickups for music that I like to play. I had to adjust the height of the pickups to balance but they both sound incredible. ???57 Classic on neck position is nice and mellow. I used to have VOX Wah, Ibanez TS9, Boss Digital Delay, Chorus and Tuner that I would put through Peavey Classic 50 amp but it got to be such a hassle to haul those in a bag every time we play, so I sold them to a friend and got Boss ME-50 for a really good price. I know I am not getting a true analog sound through it but still I really like ME-50 since that is the only thing I have to carry and it has almost everything on it. I set the distortion knob on Stack that supposed to emulate Marshall stack sound and you can get some smooth and creamy distortion sound with both neck and bridge pickups. For some of Cream songs and blues tunes that we play, it just rocks. I often pull the volume on neck pickup back down to 7 and switch the selector to the middle and it just gets that nice full yet smooth sound. ???57 Classic Plus is hotter than ???57 Classic as you all know, but it is not so hot that I have to pull back too much. Since I do not want to mess around with control knobs on my amp while we are playing, I usually set tone control little heavier on bass side but still I get a nice bright sound out of bridge pickup and nice creamy sound out of neck pickup. We play few Zep songs and this guitar does the job sound wise though my amp is not a real Marshall stack.

Maybe it is just me, but my control knobs are not as sensitive as I want them to be. Volume does not taper up or down as smoothly as I want it to be. I have to turn it way down to get volume down even slightly. Same situation with tone controls: they work but just cannot get as smooth of transition as I think it should be. I am planning on replacing all of the hardware to nickel finish as I mentioned earlier, so when I do that, I might change all of those pots as well.

I can go on and on about the finish on my guitar. I have played so many LPs at guitar shops around town before I found this one at a local music store. I have seen some nice flame on other LPs, but lot of times, guitar has honey burst finish or something that I don???t particularly care for. So, when I spotted this one, I did not waste any time. As I mentioned earlier, it is a cherry sunburst finish that is in between cherry sunburst and tea burst which gives little aged vintage look on this guitar. And the flame is not too flashy but very definite medium size flame that glimmers when you change the viewing angle and it is on all way across the top. Though I wish my guitar has a book matched top, I believe it is flitch matched. Still, it has very well matched top and though I am not expert and still surprises me when someone who knows what they are talking about points out book matched top that does not look book matched at all, this one can fool me as a book matched top. As I mentioned, the flame on top is all way across the top and it is even matched on both sides. Perhaps, only thing that says otherwise is grain on two sides. It is very similar on both sides, but not exactly the same. It really does not matter to me since it is a very beautiful top and I can stare at this guitar forever???

As for the actions and set up, I did not have to do a thing to it. A friend of mine that works at the store that I bought this guitar from, he checked everything on this guitar and told me that there really isn???t anything that he would do to this guitar and if I want to change anything on it, just bring it back and work on it for free for first couple of times. Good friend, I got..

I do have a complaint about finish though. As you all know, this guitar is finished with nitrocellulose lacquer just like Eric Johnson Start that I have as my main guitar. It gives nice look to the top but it tends to make the guitar neck sticky after playing for a while. My EJ Strat doesn???t do that but this Les Paul does. It doesn???t bother me so much that I would not want to play it anymore but after a couple of songs, I catch myself wiping down the neck with guitar cloth that I keep in my each guitar case. I wonder if anyone else has that issue??? Like I said it is not that of big deal, but it is something that I can do without.

Not much to say here. Many of folks wrote about this guitar previously said the exact same thing: this guitar is built like a tank???!!! I suppose this feature can work against you as well. My guitar weighs about 9.5 lbs which is about average for LP, but that is not light especially if you have to play it standing up for 3 to 4 hours. It is built like a tank and weighs like a tank. I guess that is why this is my ???back-up??? guitar. I still play it as much as I can though.

The music store that I bought this guitar from takes good care of me and therefore, I have never had to deal with Gibson yet.

I have been playing on and off for about 30 years now. I already mentioned what else I got. I have had a black Fender Japan Strat that was actually made in Japan (1980 model) which I sold it to a friend of mine a long time ago and I am still kicking myself for doing that. I had LP Studio, 1964 Melody Maker, Silvertone, etc., etc. I liked them all, but I really love my LP Traditional along with EJ Strat. If you want that genuine LP sound without paying too much money, this one is it. Unless you can get hold of LP Standard that is made prior to 2006 (before they started chambering mahogany back) in really good condition, you cannot go wrong by getting this guitar. I use Peavey Classic 50 as my main amp but I also have Fender Deluxe Reverb as a back-up for types of songs that we play, they both work well with both of my guitars. I was looking for LP Standard (pre-chambered solid body model) but got tired of waiting and got this one (I know some of you do it but I would not buy a guitar without actually taking it out on a ???test drive???) and I am glad that I got this one. If anything happens to it, I would collect my insurance money and definitely go out and buy another one.

2009 Standard Traditional Plus
Classic '57 pickups
Maple Top - Ice Tea finish
PLEK'd

You know that classic Les Paul rock sound? It's got it.
Rich, ringing clean sounds, too. Wow.
I mostly run it through a modded Hot Rod Deville on the clean channel with a pedal board.
Killer tone for blues, country, rock and roll.

I happened to buy this Les Paul the same day Les Paul died.
I was in a guitar store getting one of my other guitars set up.
While I was waiting, I started picking guitars off the wall and plinking on 'em ...
This guitar felt soooooo good! It was PLEK'd and man could I tell.
No issues at all with the set up. Impressive.
The thing is also just beautiful to look at. The Ice tea maple top finish shines brilliantly, along with the chrome bridge and pickups.
(This may sound weird, but it smelled good too. It had kind of a fresh paint smell - like it was JUST finished and shipped from the factory.)

I have full confidence in this guitar. It is very well made and feels solid. I'm sure it will be dependable. I've played it tons already with no problems.

Been playing for about 20 years. I've got an SRV strat, a '52 reissue tele, and a Paul Reed Smith Mira. I've been wanting to get a nice Les Paul for years to round out my small collection. I absolutely love this guitar. Yes, it hurts a little to spend that much on a guitar, but I don't regret it one bit.

2009 Desert Burst. As people have said, it is un-chambered, '57 and '57 plus pickups, and so on. My model has everything stock, no upgrades, although I did slap some 12s on it instead of the 10s it comes with.

My first few months with this guitar were disappointing, though it was really because I didn't have an amp to do it justice. The Les Paul Traditional and '65 Fender Twin Reverb RI are not a match made in heaven. However, when I traded the Twin straight-up for a '59 Bassman RI and plugged my Les Paul in, I nearly wet myself. Everywhere I go now, people marvel at the thick and dark, yet very expressive tone I get. The Les Paul Traditional gives you sound with soul to spare.

I set my action a little higher and threw size 12 strings on, and to me it feels immaculate. I don't mind the olympic work-out that other people think 12s are, it's all a matter of the tone you want, and the thicker the string, the thicker the tone. Besides, your hand gets stronger and adjusts, so why comprimise if you want a thicker sound?

Many people have been complaining about flaws in the finish. My recommendation to this would be look at it before you buy it. If it's flawed, try again. Mine was perfect.

I've only owned it about half a year, but I've had absolutely no problems, and I gig out with it about 8 times a month on average. For important gigs, I always bring my SG and switch between the two when I feel like changing it up.

No experience

The quality of a guitar is subjective by nature, but for my nature, this guitar makes me feel like I can harness a whole world and history of beautiful tone and feeling.
But honestly, if you're not satisfied, try it with different amps to see if your problem really lies there. I'm sure that '65 Twin of mine would have sounded awesome with other guitars (maybe, I'm actually not totally sold on that, but who knows)

Ok, so it a Gibson Les Paul made in Nashville USA. The Traditional model is kind of a reissue of the much acclaimed Les Pauls that were coming out in the early 90s, NOT a reissue of a 50/60s Les Paul. If you want one of those, you need to be looking at the Historic line.

You know the specs: 22 jumbo frets, lovely flame maple top, weight relived mahogany body, medium to fat neck, Tonepros Kluson-style tuners, nitro finish, nashville Tune-o-Matic bridge and Gibson classic 57 humbucking pickups.

Came with a standard Gibson snakeskin effect hard case.

If you want 'that Les Paul sound', then do not read any further. Go and buy one of these. It really is that simple. Les Pauls of late have been sounding very bright and thin as they have the Burstbucker Pro pickups. Some people like this. I don't. For me, a Les Paul is thick, creamy and full. And thats what you get from the 57 classic pickups in this guitar.

Think early Clapton, Slash, Jimmy Page, The Eagles, Free, Allman Brothers etc.

The clean sound is very thick and smooth, but clear and sharp at the same time. The bridge position is quite sharp, but still retains its smoothness and edge. The neck position is very full, rounded and creamy, but still has that bite and attack clarity.

Add some gain and the pickups retain these characteristics, but beefed up for rock. Add more and this guitar screams!

Lots and lots and lots of sustain too. Even on clean the chords ring out for a good while.

Through a good valave amp, the volume and tone controls really make a difference.

In my experience, any guitar that comes out of factory is gonna need a set up 90% of the time. This could just be a string change and intonation adjustment, or a little fret dress. I have learned to expect this. This was the case with this guitar. The frets were a little tall at the top end of the neck, so a little (very little) amount was taken off. Play like a dream now.

The Plek setup is supposed to have this sorted, but it doesn't. It comes close, but still not quite there. The guitar is made out of wood. Wood breathes and reacts to atmospheric conditions, there is bound to be some movement on the boat from US to UK.

The neck feels great, thick, but not too thick.

The pickups needed raising a little, but this is personal taste IMO.

Overall a beautiful instrument.

Strap button on neck side come clean out on first use. This is NOT accecptable. It have to be refitted and secured. Shame on you Gibson.

Apart from that though, this thing is built like a tank. It is heavy though (9.1 lbs), so make sure it is secure round your neck.

Some people have straplocks fitted, which, if you are using it lot on stage, might be a good idea. But this goes for any guitar with standard strap buttons.

Not dealt with them as yet.

Its worth mentioning now, that I own two of these guitars. One cherry and one honeyburst finish. And there are differences!!! The cherry is a little lighter and a little warmer sounding, but not muddy in the slightest. The honeyburst sounds a little brighter, but still has that warm, creamy sound mentioned above.

The cherry is the one that needed a light fret dress, the honeyburst is the one where the strap button came out.

These problems aside, this is a great guitar. How a Les Paul should be.

As with all guitars, I would recommend trying a couple out as they will all be a little different.

This guitar has the standard Les Paul features overall but a few improvements also. The bridge is a big improvement over older/vintage style TOM's which tend to rattle and cause me no end of frustration. Well done. The radius however is still not correct on the bridge with regard to the f/board and some slots with need deepening on both E's and a little less on B and A. Why Gibson cannot radius their bridges is beyond me (mind you Gretsch is the same). Even provide the next spec of bridge up with adjustable hieght for each saddle...anyways...lovely flame maple top well matched. Two piece body with the join below where the studs are so essentially the posts are bolted into a single piece with the lower providing the wood for vol/tone post etc. Finish is very good - very high gloss. The edges could use some work (fingerboard/body join for eg). Nut slots cut correctly (wow). Plek'd frets - MAJOR IMPROVEMENT!!! Gibson's fret work and sloppy crowning of the past was one of my major issues with them. I have a lot and have owned a lot of Gibsons and the things that always struck me for such expensive instruments they had poorly finished frets, nuts cut too high and bridge quality ( as menitoned). By far the big one was frets - my new Traditional has smooth, rounded frets that beg to be bent on!! Gibson, you have largely reinvigorated my appreciation for your instruments through this action alone.

Sound is great - very very resonant unplugged. Compared with my R4 it's not as loud but that will be due to the bridge variations. Plugged in the 57's are very good - not amazingly wow, but very good. I may place an original early 70's DiMarzio PAF in the bridge but then again...these pickups do sound good...we'll see. The big winner here is the inherent (unplugged) volume and tone eminating from the wood - you can tell straight away this guitar is a "keeper".

Well done Gibson - you're moving forward. As mentioned the bridge needs some work ex factory but that's about it. Action was high but the truss rod was well tensioned. Dropped the bridge and radiused the saddles and we're away laughing.

The reason I got this is to put away some of my older gear - now I want to covet this too...but a work horse she is and it's well built.

In NZ - hopeless. Overseas, possibly less hopeless but let's face it, Gibson is a marketing company...sure it still currently has a manufacturing side but their focus is on other things.

Played for 25 years. Own a dozen or more Gibsons and 20 other things...mostly 60's. Princeton Reverb (64), TopHat Super Deluxe, AC15 Heritage and a Sovtel Mig50. Use all sorts of pedals but favour clean boosts and low level drives...not much in the way of modulation but my Norlin Maestro Phaser is a winner. I'd but this again in a second. I'm very satisfied with this Les Paul and it probably was the Les Paul I had in mind when i got my first one 15 years ago.

2009 model, made in usa, 22 frets, h/h pickup configuration which are gibson 57 classic pickups 2 volume 2 tone , mahogony body and neck with rosewood fingerboard, chunky neck, case was included

the sound of ths guitar is incredible the 57 classic pickups churn out that classic les paul tone which i love i use a marshall jcm 2000 and a randall kh 120 amp, which sounds better through the marshall this guitar is not noisy in any way no buzzing at high gain levels the guitar is perfect for blues rock to hard rock ... it sounds quite good for metal but i would recomend a guitar with emg's for that eg. a jackson

this guitar was the first to revolutionise the pleck sytem (basicly a huge machine which cuts the nut slots perfecty as well as the fret height) absolutely no buzz at all on any frets no dead notes action was perfect finish was flawless no bad marks or anything

i have played live with this guitar at about 6 gigs as it is new to my collection and it withstands it extremely well, the hardware is solid nothing more nothing less, the finish seems quite thin i used to play with a belt but after some pretty bad belt rash i decided belts and this guitar didn't match i can depend on it it stays in tune the strap buttons are solid, i wouldn't gig on it without a backup because thats just who i am it is a reliable guitar but who's to say you might not drop it one night

never needed them ... ever but im sure there great

been playing for 2 years i own my marshall jcm 2000 stack (half) randall kh 120 amp, this les paul, a jackson dinky dkmg, westfield les paul,tanglewood acoustic, a few pedals here and there, if it were stolen i would call my insurance company and get another one simple as that, i love the chunky neck perfect for chords and stuff overall best investment in a guitar ive ever made

2009 Les Paul Traditional in Heritage Cherry Sunburst. Pickups were swapped out for a Duncan Pearly Gates set. I wish it had straplocks. I also wish it came in two additional colors (Amber and Rootbeer). Otherwise, I love the improved Tonepros tuning machines and other features.

The factory 57 Classics were removed before I took possession of the guitar, so I cannot comment on the sound of those. However, the Duncan Pearly Gates set is fantastic and covers a very wide range of sounds. Sounds range from bright and jangly to dark and brooding, all with a little "sizzle". The LP also has very good resonance and sustain. I am using the LP with a vintage Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. For dirt, I use a Fulltone FullDrive 2 Mosfet and an MI Audio Crunch Box. The entire chain works well with the LP to give me the range of sounds I need for modern worship songs, blues, and hard rock. As a note, I have nothing against the Gibson 57 Classic pickups. I just prefer Seymour Duncan and have used his pickups for several years now. The LP Traditional does everything I think a Les Paul should do. My sound is PAF-ish with some attitude. I have owned a dozen or so Les Pauls over the last ten years and this ranks near the top based on sustain, resonance, and pure tone. The sound is well balanced and cuts through well in a live mix.

My LP has a beautiful flame maple top that looks as if it came straight out of the 1950's. The burst is excellent, and the color fades from a vibrant cherry to a warm amber tone in the center. Overall, the fit and finish is very good but I have to take a couple of points off for very minor cosmetic flaws. The guitar has two very tiny dimples underneath the finish. In addition, there is a small blemish in the lacquer where the neck meets the body, possibly caused by some masking tape. Both issues are very minor and do not stand out, but they are there.

Frets are very smooth and the action is perfect. Having owned a dozen LP's over the last ten years, I can honestly say this is the best playing one I have owned thus far. I really think the PLEK machine makes a difference. Everything just feels more refined. I also must comment on the Tonepros tuning machines. These are excellent in my opinion, and still provide the vintage Kluson look. The tuners are smooth and the guitar stays in tune very well.

Very solid, as long as it does not get dropped or abused I feel that I have no worries.

I have been playing for 14 years now and the Les Paul is my favorite all-time guitar. Most of my LP's were Standards made between 1999 and 2007. I had to sell them because of financial hardship. I jumped at the chance to purchase my new LP Traditional. A major selling point for me was the non-chambered body. I had no interest in purchasing a 2009 Standard. The 2007 Standards I owned had chambered bodies and I did not like them as well as the heavier (swiss-cheese) models. Essentially, the LP Traditional is like the old non-chambered Standard's I loved so much. I love the 50's neck shape, improved tuners, and speed knobs (like my 1999 Standard had). I wish it had straplocks, and I miss the Amber and Rootbeer colors. Minor finish flaws also exist, but nothing is perfect and the flaws are very hard to see.

I am very happy with my choice and feel that Gibson has a winner here. I have owned many different guitars from different manufacturers over the years. I can honestly say that I have experienced the most consistency and success with Gibsons. I expect that to continue as I prepare to purchase my second Les Paul Traditional.

The Les Paul Traditional 2009 returns with all the qualities that exalted its status into that of an iconic guitar. No pretentious keeping up with robotic technology, this tried-and-true guitar comes close to perfection. The Plek'd frets enhance intonation. The 50s rounded neck feels like an improved baseball bat. The 57 Classic pickups and the 57 Classic Plus in the bridge will add magic to any music of the past, present or future. And the weight-relieved body, along with the gorgeous double AA flametop, seduces like a supermodel
you want to hold in your arms forever. A perfect 10.

There is no guitar that can sing and cry like the Les Paul Standard --
even more true now with this enhanced "Traditional" design. That creamy Les Paul tone now sounds like double cream, especially using the Classic Plus position. Unplugged, the guitar still resonates with so much sweetness. The rosewood fretboard wraps each single note in loving warmth. Bend those blue notes past midnight, and the Kluson ProTone tuners will remain rock steady. And the endless sustain on this instrument would have made Pythagoras wonder. Let's face it, this is the guitar with all the mojo that other imitators keep on trying to sound "like."

When I first opened the case containing this sunburst in the music store, the "plus" flames upon the "ice tea" maple top almost set the place on fire! The bookmatching was, well, there's that word again: perfect. Its nitrocellulose finish radiated beauty and class. Close inspection of the binding didn't reveal any of the usual superficial flaws in workmanship that quality control at Gibson is quite often accused of. The action was also just right for my fingers with the factory 10s. And along with its weight-relieved body -- (9 pounds of pure tone) -- what I especially love about this Les Paul is the wider spacing between the strings and frets. Playability and upper fret access just become so much easier.

Well, here is where initial disappointment occurred. After one practice session, the G string slipped out of the groove in its corian nut. Nano alarm bells began to ring. I checked for buzzing and dead spots. But once the teeny repair job had been done, this guitar and I breathed much easier.

I could make a case about the case. Its imitation "snakeskin" really looks cheap and unworthy of such a fine guitar. A child could step on its unsturdy structure and possibly damage the treasure within.


Otherwise, this new "Traditional" Les Paul will definitely endure. Survival of the fittest.

I never needed support from Gibson -- and I would like to keep it that way.

Well, I've been a Gibson man for close to 40 years now. Started with the L6-S, regrettably had to sell my 1991 Black Beauty, and even the Commemorative Explorer (Guitar of the Month, October 2008) has passed through my hands and studio. I also own an Eastman T186 MX which
is a hand-carved work of art with a rare sound. And my PRS McCarty Rosewood has dropped to third place now because it does a poor job
at mimicking the Les Paul. I'm not a collector, just another musician
seeking perfection. As far as electric guitars go, at the end of the rainbow, you will find a sunburst Les Paul Traditional!

2008 Les Paul Traditional left-handed ebony model, features pleked frets, 50's style neck, 57' classic neck pickup 57'plus in bridge, cool snakeskin case and weight relief holes as opposed to a chambered body. I gave it a 10 because I believe for a les paul in this price range it has some fantastic features especially the neck and weight relief method.

Overall I would say ok but not amazing sounding the 57 classic pickups are somewhat disappointing on this particular guitar, very harsh on the highs really not pleasant at all when in the bridge pos with tone nob maxed it actually hurts the ear. With the tone nob rolled back it isn't too bad but tends to lack a little. The neck position is definitely not as smooth as it should be. A friend of mine has the same guitar and it does sound amazing through the same amps (VoxAC15 with a Celestion Blue and an Orange Rocker 30 with Orange 2x12 cab), the difference is night and day my pickups sound out of phase compared to his, but I do hear there tends to be quite a variation in these pickups due to being hand wound. Gibson has said they will ship out a replacement pair if I wish to swap them out. Otherwise this guitar has great sustain and sounds nice when not plugged in. With a good set of 57's or quality aftermarket pickups this guitar definitely gets a 10 for sound. Solid guitar for Classic rock, Hard Rock, Blues and Jazz.

Here I must say shame on you Gibson, to let a guitar with this many finish flaws through quality control is unacceptable. Although this is a modestly priced Gibson guitar it still isn't cheap at $2375 Canadian and I would expect a little more attention to detail at this price point. The flaws on this guitar include a poorly filed binding at the tip of the cutaway as well as a red mark about an inch and a half long on the binding under the laquer in the same area there is also noticeable paint overspray in this same area as well. On the back there is a thin line about an inch long where there is no paint under the laquer and the wood is showing, also some missing paint on the top of the headstock(very minor though). However this guitar was setup perfectly right out of the case and is probably the most comfortable and playable guitar I've ever owned in my 23 years of playing. Ultimately I ended up buying this guitar because of it's playability and sound potential the finish although disappointing is ultimately only cosmetics just wish the price would have reflected it therefore it gets a 5.

Les Pauls are tanks and will last for years with proper maintanance.

So far so good, helpful on the phone and willing to send new pickups.

Overall this really is a great guitar, I would definitely replace it if anything happened to it.

It's black and it is heavy, so this is anything a Les Paul needs!
It has a nice Fat Neck.

Nice clean Sound, smooth, clear and punchy.
Smooth bluesy neck pickup and a bit more power on the bridge, fits perfect.
Perfect crunch rock sound. Fat and with balls.
Typical classic Les Paul Sounds.

I love the Classic '57 and '57-Plus pickups.

Perfect Factory Set up.
No buzz on the frets (PLEK System), no dead spots.
No negative points.

A Les Paul is a Les Paul, is a Les Paul.....

Don't know,!

I play since 1977.
It's my first Les Paul and i love it.
I compared different Les Pauls (Standard 2008, CS 57 Custom, Classic) and it won.

MADE IN 2008, USA. 22 FRET MAHOG BODY(WEIGHT RELEIVED, NOT CHAMBERED) LES PAUL, AA MAPLE TOP.

EBONY WITH CREAM COLOR PICKGAURD AND BINDING. '57 CLASSIC NECK AND '57 CLASSIC PLUS BRIDGE PICKUPS. ROSEWODD NECK OF COURSE. KLUSON TUNERS. GIBSON/USA LES PAUL CASE (VERY NICE).

This guitar has that Classic, Vintage Les Paul Rock tone that I have always been searching for, BUT COULD NEVER AFFORD.

I love any style of music that has a soulful, emotional vibes about it... from Carlton, Bonamassa, Beck and Johnson to Metheny, Page... and Any other Guitar God that ever lived. This guitar is good for anything that you want to use it for... but mostly, a ROCK and BLUES MACHINE.

The '57 Pickups are the Sweetest if ever experinced.

Main Amp is a Crate VTX 212 50 watt Tube and Marshall JCM 600.

Effects: Boss ME-50.

Incredibly Versitile, especially for a Les Paul. The volume and tone knobs are highly sensitive, as are the pickups to the player's touch. VINTAGE tone all the Way!

Amazingly playable. Unbelievable tone.

Just needed to drop the bridge some and also lower the bridge pickup. Took 3 or 4 minutes to get it where I wanted it. Did not affect the intonation. Got very low action and Great sound with Zero buzz and Zero dead notes.

A little Disappointed in the finsh (even though it is Ebony). Paint around the neck and body joint caught some air... But It's not really noticible unless you hold the guitar 6 or 7 inches from your face.

Not willing to risk a great sounding and playing guitar for a minor cosmetic imperfection.

Les Pauls live forever... even the crappy ones. Got a lifetime "Gibson Gold" warranty included with the purchase price from AMS.

no need de custmomer supporters.............

32 yrs of playing and hands on Hundreds of guitars. This is "The Paul" that I've been looking for since day One.

Now that I finally found it, I definitely couldn'y live without it.

The neck is just right for my medium sized hands... and it's NOT TOO Heavy, feels like a Les Paul. Just right (ABOUT 10LBS).

Buy it from AMS at no risk (if your looking for a Great Paul that won't bust up your checking account.

They have a 45 day return policy that can't be beat.

The Traditional is one of the new LP models, introduced in 2008. Practically it's the conservative version of the old 80s LP Standard. The new Standard 08 got a few different features which shall be discussed elsewhere.

Now, I will not tell you that this LP's got a mahogany body and such, 'cause... well, go look it up! There are a few noticable things though: first there's the nice and thick 50s neck. My pretty was gifted with a very shiny Desert Burst finish, in my opinion the grandest variant of the sunbursts. Then there's the pickups: '57 humbuckers. The neckpiece is traditional and quite stylish.

And make no mistake: this thing is heavy. No chambers.

Of course you get a case.

Ah, now here come the good news. This is the best sounding LP I've ever played. I guess that the '57 pickups are at least partly responsible for that. My rig: LP - TC Vintage Compressor - H&K Replex - H&K Duotone.

In a clean setting the tone's incredibly complex, smooth and harmonious. The bridge pickup is rather bright but not as unnerving as the Burstbucker Pro. The neck pickup, now here's the music. Warm, oily, sweet and gigantic. Especially the deep strings demonstrate a tone and attack that I'd call magical. Could play like that for hours.

In an overdriven channel the bridge pick is the king of rock. Very punchy and full of charakter. The neck pick is good for blues and the like. Sings like a soul woman. If you like a cold, clean cut tone for heavy distortion, you might have a problem. 'Cause that's everything this guitar is not.

I play straight Rock mostly, a little blues and jazz. What can I say. This guitar has become my second voice. And probably the love of my life.

The factory setting could be better. Plek'd or non-Plek'd, I didn't notive any improvement. I had the guitar tuned by specialist and it works ok now. But not brilliant.
The frets are not well filed. Which is the usual problem with Gibson guitars.

The rest is all neat. And the finish is simply stunning.

Looks all solid to me. Made for the road. I've had for five weeks now. We'll see I guess.

No experience yet.

There are a G&L Legacy, a Hamer Special and an Epiphone LP Studio that I call my own. But this one is my princess. It is the most beautiful guitar I've ever laid eyes upon and sounds like a dream.

Before I bought it I compared it to seven other LPs, among them the new 08 Standard, a Studio, a 50s Reissue, a Custom etc. The Traditional beat them all easily. It's a matter of taste of couse. The guy who sold it to me prefered the new Standard.

Should I lose this baby, I'd go to the ends of the known world to retrieve it.

2008 Gibson Les Paul Traditional Plus (flamed maple top) in Iced Tea (perimeter burst pattern). Constructed in July at the Nashville, TN plant. Solid body (weight-relieved), about 9.75 to 10.0 lbs. 57 Classic neck, 57 Classic Plus bridge pickups, 22 Frets, bookmatched AA maple top, rosewood fretboard w. acrylic swirl trapezoid inlays. The standard appointments of an oldchool Gibson LP Standard. Tone Pros repro Kluson Tuners w. acrylic swirl tuner buttons & a Nashville TOM bridge. All normal case candy w. the new standard Gibson "snakeskin" Gibson USA Les Paul Case.

I bought this guitar for the 'traditional' Les Paul tone: big, fat, woody, and vocal. And this guitar definitely delivers. Maybe not as much as a Historic Reissue or a vintage piece but compared to pretty much all the current production LPs, this one remains a winner. I play this guitar through a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Roadster head with a 3/4 stack (212 V30s + 412 C90s) and an Orange Tiny Terror head (through the same 212 cabinet).

The guitar has a very earthy, round tone, clear highs, and a very warm and vocal midrange, the way a Les Paul should. The neck pickup is a little on the muddy side with the stock capacitors & pots, but those will be changed out for an RS Guitarworks custom electronics harness anyways to clear up the sound a little. Very nice neck pickup lead sounds that are very reminiscent of some of my favorite songs. The bridge pickup is surprisingly versatile and raunchy, edgy, and has tons of balls. Strangely enough it has a very solid metal as well as blues tone, and I discovered that the best cleans come from the middle position. The tone and volume controls are responsive enough for factory-stock electronics.

Overall, this guitar has some great resonance (I handpicked it from several other very good examples) and sustain. With a nice cranked up tube amp, it has sustain that would make Nigel Tufnel proud. I prefer the sound a lot better than the other, chambered Les Pauls currently in production. Weight-relieved LPs sound so much better.

The Traditional gets a PLEK machine job (along with the obnoxious PLEK'D decal on the bridge pickup, easy enough to remove, thankfully) for the fret dressing/finishing and nut slotting. As is pretty typical of Gibson, the nut is not ideally cut but it's better than I normally expect of them. Passable. Some graphite in the nut slots solved any interim tuning/nut binding issues. It'll be getting a new, custom bone nut anyhow, so I really don't care. The factory setup was decent; no buzz but the action was too high for my taste past the 12th fret. No adjustment needed at the truss rod, however.

The finish is great, a nice, (smelly) nitrocellulose Iced Tea perimeter burst (as opposed to teardrop) finish over an average, if somewhat uneven, flamed maple bookmatched top. I've seen better-looking traditionals, but I can deal with owning a Plain Jane. It's a player guitar, not a show piece for me. In the right light though, the top really pops.

Better than average fit, finish, & factory setup from Gibson, but definitely below my other favorite, PRS.

Les Pauls are tanks. These guitars are designed with the gigging, professional musician in mind. There are LPs that are older than many a musician I know that are still out there, used and abused, ready to take the stage.

A main complaint I have with Gibson LPs are their strapbuttons--too small, almost always demanding of a straplock replacement. But, I have a cheap and easy solution to that which doesn't require glue & toothpicks: the rubber gaskets off of bottles of Grolsch beer.

This is one of two main guitars in my arsenal. The other is a PRS Custom 24. I don't think this guitar will ever fail me (short of popping a string, which is inevitable, see Murphy's Law) but I never gig without a backup.

Once a LP is properly set up, it's pretty damn hard to find a fault with it.

I've never dealt with Gibson, nor do I need to. I registered the guitar's warranty online but that's about it. All other guitar-related service is delegated to my techs & luthiers.

If this were stolen or lost, and I had the same exact amount of cash to replace it, I'd buy it all over again. Excellent guitar. But more likely I'd find some way to get a Historic.

I grew up wanting a Les Paul, and though this is not my first 'expensive' guitar, it definitely feels the most unreal to own. It's comfortable, awesome-sounding, and just has tons of vibe.

Hands-down this is the best non-Custom Shop guitar that Gibson is currently making in the Les Paul line. I compared it with the full range of available Gibson USA Les Pauls and it won easily.

2008 Gibson Les Paul Traditional, Left Hand, heritage cherry, 22 frets, obviously (as every respectable Les Paul) mahogany body with AA flame top.
The usual controls (2 volumes and 2 tones, both controlling the 2 different pickups), a 3 ways selector, 2 Gibson Classic '57 pickups, Kluson tuners, Tune-O-Matic bridge, rosewood neck and a nice hard case included.
Frets are mounted with PLEK system (I hope I wrote it correctly!) which should mean they are sitting perfectly right on the neck.
The guitar came with a certificate of authenticity and with another paper from Gibson Europe certifying the local inspection of the instrument. Everything was fine except for a few details I'll tell about later.

atocaBeing left hand I pursue a personal policy: own few but really good guitars (in terms of quality and name).
I own an American ST Fender Stratocaster and an Ibanez RG1570L.
Both guitars have a very distinctive sound and a very different role in the making of my performances/music.
This Les Paul is obviously a 1th division instrument: it solid like a rock, nice like Miss Italy and sings like an angel (with or without distortion).
The overall sound is a bit more brighter than how I would expected.
Both cleans and distortions sound superb through my Engl Screamer Combo.
The Neck pickup is a bit "hollow" (it's not a lack of something), it reminds me a lot something between a SD '59 and a Dimarzio Air Norton while the bridge is perfect for tight rhytms and rude solos.
I think you could use it for almost everything.
Obviously a fixed bridge has a different reaction from a spring-mounting one, affecting the sound very hard. But we wouldn't be here writing about a Les Paul if it would have sounded like a strat!

The guitar had a good setup. maybe just the pickups were a bit too high.
I brought it to my personal luthier and we didn't have to change anything on it.
After buying it I immediately changed the strings from 0.10 to 0.11 without noticing any reaction from the neck.
Action seems to be fine at every height but I'm still locking for a personal regulation (I'm just experimenting).
Luckly there where no flaws on the body and the top's color is beautiful!
I had some problems with the jack input that was not fixed well on the body (it needs to thightneed from time to time).
The guitar stays in tune very good and the tuners work really fine.

I changed the strap buttons with DiMarzio's (I had a black strap that I had put apart as a kind of a present for the LP when I ordered it).
I've also found a different reactions to my sweat.
On the stratocaster I can play all night long without any problem.
LP needs to be cleaned from time to time as the sweat slows donw m performances.
This is nothing you can't solve by using a cloth to clean the back of the neck during the space between two songs!
I've had a hard time adapting my old sounds to this new guitar.
I had got used to play the Stratocaster for so long that now I find difficult to obtain a decent clean sound from the LP.
It not a problem with the guitar, I guess it is more about me adapting to the LP than LP adapting to me.
I have a lot to learn about LPs in the future..

I ordered the LP on May 4, 2008, with a "60 days delivery promise" from the shop and it arrived on october 6, 2008!!
I have spent the whole summer hoping to hear the cell ring but I must admit now that when at the end it arrived and was finally at home, it was probably a better moment than how I had imagined.

On the first time, I had ordered a Standard Les Paul. Not the 2008 version, just a "standard Les Paul", more or less like this one.
I didn't anything about the "Traditional".
After a month the person at the shop informed me that the old standard was discontinued and I would have received the 2008 version.
After reading some reviews, I realized I would have owned a very different LP rather than the one I wanted (locking tuners, tonal chambers etc etc..).
Something like this has happened whit all my guitars considering that I had to order all of them.

When the shop called me I was very surprised to find out I had the guitar I wanted at first, a Traditional!
So, I don't know now if it's been a mistake or not but I'm very happy to not have a chambered LP! Thanx Acustica and Thanx Gibson.
Also, the guys at shop have been really kind with me as I phoned them almost every week hopin' to hear good news from them.

This guitar is a classic. I still haven't had the possibility to use it in a hard rock situation where you need to rely less on clean sounds and more on distortions.
I play guitar since 1994, and have always considered myself a "strat player" but I'm definitively changing my attitude on the instrument.
I hope the play this guitar A LOT for the rest of my life...

Mine is not LP Traditional, but LP Traditional "Plus". Model 2008 USA. Finish is AA grade flamed DesertSunBurst: not AAAA nor BookMatched, but very nice & classy, well finish for the price (note, the back & neck is not flamed: it's very dark Brown/Purple, near black) . Tuners are from Kluson (TonePro ?) which are improved about turn ratio: quite smooth. Neck is 50's style, but as somebody said it's not very thick and easy to play. Pickups are humbucking 57 & 57+, with classic 3 way switch. (The pickguard was shipped already mounted on the body)

Ahh, what a super sound !! I lot of prefer these 57 PUs to the 1982'PU Buckburster LPaul Std. The 57Neck & 57+Bridge are clear, but organic and warm smooth: i hear all the notes, and well balanced: Fantastic for me, for blues, rock, and even jazz because the 2 PU's are complementary. They have more Bass "articulate" than my 1980's DiMarzio Super distorsion DP100 that i had mounted on my Bridge 1975'Stratocater. Impressive & differents sound with MesaBoogie & Marshall amps.

Thanks to the new Plek System (automation of the neck "settings"), the setUp is perfect from the factory. Strings are low without any buzz, and notes sound OK at the octave. PUs are well ajusted. It's a very good thing for me (and for Gibson, as i read some terrific string/neck setUp on the ES 335, so i bought an PM120 Ibanez Pat Metheny.. which i think will change the bridge PU for a 57 !).
The frets are not "jumbo" but bigger than may Strat: it's OK, and for making some "vibrato" like Ritchie Blackmore !

I dont know: just buyed 1 week ago !
All screw are well maintained, and finish & lacquish seems good.
I hope the hardware will last as is it now !

Don't know!

It is my first Gibson: if it was stolen, i will by another one immediately (the same as i was shipped !). Very good guitar for the price, and my dream is now reality !
I play for # 30years, i own an 1975'US Modified Strat, IbanezPM120, Accoustic Yamaha LL16, Marshall JCM900 (5881Tube), MesaBoogie Mark IV, pedals etc.

Typical Les Paul features done well. I like the 80's weight and the 50's neck. Not a thick as a 57 reissue I onced owned. The 57 pickups sound great. Mine has a black finish. I could find no issues worth mentioning. A set up is required like any guitar you would purchase to meet your individual taste.

Very nice. Sustain and vintage vibe.

It seems better than some others Les Pauls I have seen in the past few years. I hope Gibson can get back in the business of making quality guitars. This one is.

Heavy and tight. I think with resonable care this will last for many generations.

Have not used it yet on this guitar. My past experience with Gibson has not been very good. I think the benchmark is Martin. They will get back to you with lighting speed. I purchased a used Martin and was floored by the very professional and fast answers to my questions.

My first Gibson in a number of years. I purchased it because I missed by old Les Paul from the 80's and they made it again. I think the 80's Pauls are some of the best.

2008 model - brand new for Gibson this year. These guitars are built to be a throwback to how Gibson used to make Standards in the 80's and 90's, BEFORE the chambering and 50's and 60's neck offerings. It is essentially the same construction as the modern Standard with the following differences: 1. It has a non-chambered mahogany body (weight relief holes are added instead like Gibson had been doing since 1982 on all production Les Pauls until chambering started in 2007); 2. TonePros Kluson tuners with a better tuning ratio (very nice); 3. It has 57 Classic Pickups instead of Burstbuckers; 4. A "large C" shape neck which is VERY comfortable - sort of a cross between a 60's and 50's neck; 5. A slightly more tilted headstock than was normally done on Les Pauls to give better tuning stability and tone. Basically its a Les Paul with different pickups, no chambering and a couple extra new features.

I've gone thru at least 10 Les Pauls before finding a good one - and that includes 3 Custom Shop Reissues (two '58's and one '57). It is amazing how many lousy sounding Les Pauls are being sold..you really have to just keep trying to get a good sounding one. It's not really Gibson's fault - its just that wood is wood and a very large percentage of Les Pauls are just not inherently good sounding guitars no matter what you do to them... at least to the discerning ear. However, FINALLY this one is it. It has great resonance acoustically and is very balanced tonally. All strings are even sounding (with a little adjustment of the pickups), the highs are not brittle (even on the bridge pickup) and the bass notes are full and distinct. This is definitely a good one. As for the tonal differences between a Traditional and a new Standard - that depends on whether or not you like Chambered Les Pauls. I personally never cared for a Chambered Les Paul because a Les Paul is supposed to be a SOLID BODY guitar...the more mahogany you have the better. The Traditionals DO emply the "weight relief" holes method - but if you owned any Les Paul Standard or Studio made since 1982 then you have a guitar with weight relief holes drilled in it and you probably didn't even know it. This is information is readily available online to anyone willing to spend the time to research the subject. Gibson did extensive studies on this process and determined that, as long as the holes were not near the tailpiece or the bridge, it had NO adverse affect on tone. This guitar is proof of that. Try several Les Pauls out before buying one, though.....it's really just a crap shoot if you're going to get a good sounding one. My Traditional kicks the s*** out of my '57 Reissue VOS, and I'm selling that Reissue asap. One other thing - the "neck tenon" comparison. The Custom Shop guitars have the "long neck tenons" and the Traditional will have the design common to the 80's and 90's guitars. Let me tell you this: my Traditional out-sustains my '57 Custom Shop VOS (and the other two I had before it) HANDS DOWN. There are zero dead notes anywhere on the guitar and all the strings are full and clear. A long tenon does NOT by itself guarantee you a superior sounding guitar...it's just one factor that MIGHT affect it. Play several guitars and pick the one that sounds best and forget all the hype about this or that.

These guitars get the same fret treatment (plek treatment) that the Custom Shop Reissue guitars get - mine came out very good and was very playable with no buzzing right out of the box. I play mostly clean jazzy stuff too so it isn't a case of distortion covering up the buzzing. Again, hit or miss here...there are plenty of Les Pauls that get the "plek" treatment that still have buzzing problems - so a simple set up is common for most new guitars. There were no cosmetic flaws or structural flaws. It has a beautiful Cherry Burst that is darker than others I have seen recently and has a nice dark red stain on the back. Gorgeous.

As reliable as any Les Paul in history has been I'm sure.

never dealt with them

Playing for over 10 years and had LOTS of gear. This is the best Les Paul I've had out of the ten Les Pauls that I've bought and sold in the last 5 years...definitely a keeper. It's got the weight of a traditional les paul and the resonance, tonal complexities and balance of the best Les Pauls you've heard. Add the upgraded Kluson tuners and 57 Classic Pickups (big improvement over the Burstbuckers) and this is the guitar that Gibson SHOULD have been making all along. It's the Les Paul as it should be without the Custom Shop price tag or the cheesy "chambering" of the modern standard. Go find a good one and enjoy.