Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany

2006 LP vintage Mahogony with brown nitrocellous finish. Carved top, burstbucker PRO pickups, Klungson type tuners, includes hard case

This guitar with the Burstbucker pickup sounds really nice, makes the guitar. Almost any type of music can be had, can overdrive an amp quite easily and still sound clear for a hummy, though clean, not quite as clear as a good single coil, like a good vintage Strat or Tele PU. Blues, jazz no probs,, metal too,, country maybe. With the mahogony body and thin laquer finish, the body resonates well unplugged and contributes to its wonderful sound plugged in. Strumming a low G power chord with some tube OD sounds like a wah pedal is being used to give added resonance. It just sings, a vocal type sound like in a classical instrument. you have to hear it yourself, but be forwarned, you will buy this guitar once hearing it though the finish may detract you.

QC on this thing is terrible, I mean there are 2 dings on the neck near the joint like someone didn't give a tinkers damn about it. This seems to be a common problem. I wonder if the same idiot handles the guitar after a certain stage in manufacture that causes this. I went back to GC to look, found some guitars having this issue and some do not. Mine was the 826th made that day according to the serial number stamp There is also a ding near the edge on the big curve on top where one rests the guitar on the chest while playing sitting down. At first I did not think this a big deal as I inspected the guitar out of the box at my local GC, it looked like a dark brown spot like a knot or dark spot in the wood, but closer inspection when I got it home reveals someone jabbed, what looks to be, a tool into the wood. You can see the nick with a sliver of bare wood if holding the guitar at a certain angle and light. Damn!! I was and still am trying to decide whether to take this thing back or not! The thing is, as part of my inspection , it played REALLY well and was in tune out of the case!,,, Was well setup and had well dressed frets. Reason why I ignored the dark-brown spot in the store, the neck felt WAY better than the ones on the rack, nice and smooth, like my Strat and Tele.
10 for the fret dressing and action, My overall is based on the dings

Don't know, like anything else, have to treat it right. IMHO the most robust guitar is a Tele and Strat. I wanted to make one of my Strats "Road Worthy" and not have to worry about putting dings and the like on it. So I decided, to help me get over it, by putting dings on the guitar my self by using a hammer and rapping the guitar. You have to rap quite hard to put a ding onto a Strat or Tele for that matter! The LP does not seem to be as sturdy to me.

no idea

Been playing for 6+ years, have WAY too many guitars though I'm paring down my collection. $799.00 is a lot for a guitar , but to be fair, a case is included, so, a Gibson LP case on the GC WEB site is $160.00, the guitar, assuming my mathe is correct, costs $640.00. Ofcourse one cannot purchase this guitar new without the case but I want to make some obervations. An EPI LP with P90's cost $600.00. This is a finished LP with a carved maple or alder green top and Epis VERY fine P90 PUs. When I got this guitar it had no flaws, infact , it was perfect! Finish, setup, Fret dressing and all, perfect. My PRS with Red mahogony Soapbar II which was $500.00 though not a carved body was also perfect. All my Strats and Teles that came from Fender, came with a Perfect finish and fret dressing (setup is another thing with Fender along with standard PUs). This Mahogony LP should be an easy guitar for Gibson to get right, no fancy top or finish. We are only talking about some carefull manufacturing processes here. This guitar can be built well, the nicks, dings and setup probs are inexcusible. If this guitar did not play and sound the way it does, and since its a Gibson (fancy name) I would consider getting my money back, getting something else. I like the elemental finish also, don't need anything fancy. I imagine Gibson knows this, it may be these guitars do not pass the muster, not to get completely finished , so on goes the brown stain, who knows? I'm still giving this guitar a 10 overall. Why? It plays and sounds like a gem. So, I got some brown rosewood stain and filled in the nick, can't really tell, its roadworthy now!

2006 Mahogony vintage Les Paul Studio. nitrocellous Satin Finish showing the woods grain , Green knobed type tuners, 2 tone and Volume controls. Its a Les Paul that did not go thru finishing school though it has a carved top. Burstbucker PRO neck and bridge PU

Trying the thing in my freindly neighborhood GC,, it sounded like any other Hummy type guitar in terms of loudness and such. For some reason I don't relax enough to evaluate a guitar enough to get an opinion - sound wise. I think that is the reason why I have way to many guitars ,, just to pick one up and try at home in a relaxed setting, to really try it out.

At home, I have some decent guitars to compare this to... First thing I noticed was how resonate the body was, very loud unplugged for a Solid body Electric, in the territory of a hollowbody with maybe a bit more volume. Second was how articulate and HOT the PU's are. Way more hot than the SD PAFs in my Epi LP, my hottest Guitar, until now. Being hot is really not a tonal quality IMHO. Clean, Both PU's have a warmth that I have heard in PAF's and a woody character that is appealing. Tonal qualities, which are many , fill the room by just strumming. Using distortion reveals that these things kick ass, lots of harmonics, grit, bite, crunch, . String ringing is a snap. This compares to my Goldtop with P90's, but more so. This guitar is defenitly NOT a one or two trick pony, like a guitar used for certain type of styles, This thing is good for ALL styles except maybe for old time Country tunes. Did I say it has tone?

This thing is beautiful, not finished in terms of flamed, quilted, AAA matched top with color choices, just wood grain mahogony. Actually, the wood looks like the type my WWII era 303 British Enfield rifle stock has.. It can't shoot anymore and is just a wall decoration now but looks nice in an elemental sort of way, battle marks and all. One would not be afraid of putting a ding on this guitar , if anything than to give it character. If one wants to be picky, there is some glue drips at the neck joint, VERY slight. Good action,,No fret buzz anywhere, frets dressed like a custom shop, only other guitar in my corral like this is my PRS P-90. Typical LP hardware with the green tuners which BTW stays in tune, even from the factory this thing was in tune. It is rather light for an LP but it sustains forever.

Seems durably enough though judging on how the guitar feels, the finish will wear rather quickly. One can feel the wood on this guitar. Maybe some MIN WAX is needed to protect the finish

Have not dealt with Gibson

I play Blues, Jazz, rock, metal, luv to play, no professional though. Gibson, thank you for making this guitar, building great gear for under one grand, for the rest of us. Actually, me thinks this model went down another $100 from last year. I saw one for 899.00 DEC 2005, mine was 799.00 this year (2006), though the body seems a bit thinner and not as heavy. There were some more tastey picks at GC, double cutaway LP with dual P90s @ around $600.00, LP Melody with 1 P90 - 550, SG mahogony with 490T PU's, there may have been one or two more models but these caught my eye. Even Epi LPs pricing have gone down considerably. While this thing won't be on a wall like a showcar trailer queen, I'm sure it will be played often and not staying home, with me worrying about messing up the finish.

All mahogany body, carved top, rosewood fretboard. Faded, no-gloss finish with open-grain wood - it's supposed to be red or cherry, but it looks brown to me. No binding. Two Burstbucker Pro pickups... otherwise your average Les Paul Studio. Mine is upgraded with Grover tuners (the vintage-style tuners would not stay in tune at all). This one earns an 8 for the pickups.

Clear, punchy, articulate, and not too dirty. I only use tube amps, and this thing won't overdrive the amp unless you want it to. Very responsive to your touch. The pickups are really great. Good resonation through the body.

I got this guitar used, so I can't speak for the factory. Mine has a low, comfortable action. I adjusted the intonation myself. The finish is no-frills, but I like it that way. No flaws as far as I can tell...

The guitar is as heavy-duty as a Les Paul can be. Without the fancy finish, you won't worry as much about scratching it, either. Totally dependable, though you should always have a backup guitar (you never know when a string will break).

No experience with them.

I got this guitar pretty cheap, I think, so it's definitely a fantastic value to me. This has become my main guitar - great sound, and the neck just feels right. I've been playing alternative, prog, and classic rock for about 11 years, and this is probably my favorite of my 7 very nice guitars (two Strats, a Hamer Duotone, an Epiphone Dot, a very nice Epiphone Les Paul, and a Larivee acoustic). If I lost this, I would try to find this guitar again - for sure.

Another reviewer nailed the desription when he said it???s ???an LP studio model with upgraded pickups and downgraded finish???. Available only through Musician???s Friend. Red, carved mahogany top and mahogany back, '59 rounded Les Paul mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar chrome hardware Alnico 5 BurstBucker Pro pickups, 2 volume and 2 tone knobs, 3-way switch

I???m always a little skeptical when other reviewers gush about the sound of their new guitars. The more exclamation points and capital letters I see in a review, the more skeptical I become. But, even with trying to be hard nosed about this review, I have to say that all the raves about these pick ups are justified. The Burstbucker Pro pick ups are really remarkable. They put out super deep, meaty, thick tone that does not quit. The sound is clear (no mud), nicely balanced and articulate. Incredible versatility. The owner of the local music store who did the post purchase set up for me said: ???These pick ups are huge???. They really are. You can effortlessly go from crunch to jazz. As bad as the set up was out of the box (see below), with that kind of sound, I couldn???t stop playing the thing.

The Vintage Mahogany Les Paul has this presence and extra depth to the sound that is unmistakably Gibson. It???s easy to see why the Les Paul is an icon. As Strats and Teles are to single pole pick ups, the Les Paul is to humbuckers. I was a long time Les Paul hold out. I was never, ever burning to own one. But this is easily one of the best sounding guitars I've heard. I have to think it???s the combination of the Burstbuckers and the thick, carved mahogany body (it???s a heavy guitar) and set mahogany neck. I totally agree with another reviewer who said that it has a tonal variety unlike any other guitar I've played or owned. As noted by another reviewer, I don???t know about the idea of the thinner finish allowing for more tone, but the tone is definitely there.

The Burstbuckers are typically found on the much, much higher end Gibsons. From a manufacturing point of view, the configuration of this guitar is a stroke of genius. Add high end pick ups (a readily available stock part) to a guitar with a minimal finish (far fewer labor hours and, compared to the multiple layers of finish on other guitars, far fewer things to go wrong at each step) and there you have it. You can knock them out all day long at reduced cost and increased profit. It???s a no frills tone machine. Although the new $1000 (formerly $900) selling price is not cheap, in contrast to what other Les Paul versions are going for, this one is a comparative bargain. The deal that I lucked into made it way too good to pass up (see below).

Structurally, this guitar is as solid as a tank. Ditto for the electronics. It also has a really nice hard shell case. The only uncertain part of this is the finish and how it will hold up over time. But, we all knew about that going in.

The up side is that this is a great sounding guitar. The down side is that it requires a thorough set up to be playable. And, there's the minimal finish thing (not an issue for me). As stated by another reviewer: ???Find a good Gibson dealer or custom shop that you believe in and let them do their magic???. If I paid the new $1,000 sale price (formerly $900), I would not have been so happy about the need for a post purchase set up. But, for $688.50, I have no complaints whatsoever. As I noted above, the set up problems seem to be the rule rather than the exception so this cannot be explained as some occasional fluke. I think Gibson (and Musician???s Friend) should take note. Why not have a $1,000 Les Paul that is set up well out of the box? But, in my case, now that the set up is done, it???s a nice playing, terrific sounding guitar that I???m very happy with.

I???ve got three other electrics and the Les Paul VM is the best sounding. However, the other three are easier playing guitars. I???ve got a USA standard Strat which has not required any post purchase work at all and plays super easy. For sound and playability, the Strat is a true benchmark guitar. I???ve also got a PRS SE that played beautifully out of the box that I have had zero problems with and I upgraded with a DiMarzio Air Norton and Air Zone and a coil tap. That guitar screams and plays like a dream. I also have an Epiphone Sheraton that was already phenomenally set up when I bought it (super low action) that I added a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom and Jazz to. So, with the exception of the Strat, I???m used to tweaking guitars, primarily to get richer sound out of them. With the Vintage Mahogany Les Paul, the sound was outstanding but I had to tweak it to get the playability where it should be. But, doing a set up is a lot cheaper than having to add new pick ups.

The guitar???s a keeper. If lost or stolen, I???d probably get another one. The $688.50 price tag (plus a set up) made it possible to add a Les Paul to my collection at a great price with great pick ups. From a player and collector point of view, having a Strat and a Les Paul covers two rock and blues icons. Two unique, historic guitars.

I covered my dislike for the finish. The body is mahogony with a mohogany top. The hardware has a durable finish (tougher than the gold plating on my Custom). Some don't like the tuners, but I do. They have a gear ratio that allows little movement to get quick tuning (not like tuners you have to turn a lot to tune a little). The neck is close to late 50's Les Paul's, not as thin as the SG necks. It came with a sturdy hard case (better crafted than some of the Gibson cases made in Canada). 22 frets. Now this is where I give this instrument a real pat on the back. The pickups are great! They give me all the sounds I expect from a Les PAUL. They sound a lot better than the 490 and 498 that are in my Custom.

The sound of this instrument is excellent. I use it through a Marshall DSL 50w half-stack. It has great tone, sustain and playability. I can get most of the sounds I want from crystal clear to blues to all-out heavy metal (with a little help from my BK Tube Driver).

The setup from the factory was the usual generic settings. I adjusted the neck, string/pickup height and intonation and this thing sings! Now this is where I was seriously dissappointed with guitar. The finish is TERRIBLE(The open grain and poor matching of woods). So, I stripped the strings, pick guard, bridge and tailpiece off and gave it a lemon oil and 4"O" steel wool rub-down. It helped to smooth out the rough grain and gave it a real nice worn-in look. After the lemon oil was throughly rubbed out, I put it back together and performed the previously mentioned setup adjustments. After a couple of weeks I took some factory Gibson polish and gave it another good rub-down. Looks great!!

This is the guitar of a lifetime.

I have delt with Gibson of Nashville directly and their customer support is excellent. The problem is, the quality control at the plant stinks.

I've been playing since the mid 70's and play anything from classical to heavy metal. This guitar covers it all!
If you don't care about a guitar's finish and don't mind adding a little elbow grease, than this is a great Les Paul for the money.

This is the GC version in the dark brown finish with chrome and black hardware. Burstbucker Pros, all mahogany, rosewood fretboard. It's got all the features I need.

This thing rocks. My first Les Paul and now it's about my favorite playing guitar in my arsenal. Running straight through a Peavey Ultra 60. So what can I say? A Les Paul straight through an all-tube head.... awesome. It gives me the heaviness I need and can get somewhat bright. I'm using Ernie Ball Slinky Top Heavy Bottom strings and it's about at the limit without altering the nut. I think it's the all mahogany construction with very little clear coat that gives it it's richness.

Bought mine used and wasn't set up too bad. Action was a little high for my liking but easily adjusted. This is the dark brown finish and I gotta say, I love the look of it. But then again, I'm not into flash and glitz, I like the toned down, natural rawness of materials. And I'm not fond of the painted neck on the other Les Pauls. So this isn't for everyone but suits me perfect. I tried one of these at GC and I gotta say that one was a little rough in the finishing. I took a chance with this on ebay (got a great price) and lucked out. It's very smooth and nicely matched and finished. Much better than the one I tried.

It's a Les Paul, it'll last pretty much anything. Mine came with strap locks and I've been reading that this needs them, so I would definitely do it. I don't know what the stock ones are like, and I'm not going to. Without the multiple layers of clear, the wood is softer and tends to ding easier, but with the natural finish, it's less noticable. I don't think I would gig without a backup no matter what guitar it is. But if I had to, I'd have confidence in this one. And of course, the plasic tuners are getting switched out.

Never used them

Been playing over 25 yearrs. Got a Charvel, ESP, Ibanez, and an underrated Peavey Generations EXP Custom. If this was stolen, won't get lost, I'd kill! But I would definitely get another one. In fact, with it I may get another one.

Basic Les Paul design. Does what it needs to do. The all mahogany body allows for a much deeper tone, and the burstbucker pickups sound so nice. Very mellow when played clean, and they growl when you need them to

One of the best sounding guitars I've heard in a lond time. This thing provides booming lows when needed, and nice crisp highs. These Burstbucker pickups just sound fantastic.

This is a huge problem in my eyes. Over the course of the past weekend, I played 10 of these guitars at various Guitar Centers. Though the action and intonation seemed spot on on most, the frets were aweful. It was if Gibson payed no attention to them what so ever. 10 of the same guitar all with extremely sharp fret ends. It was so uncomfortable. There was on possible diamond in the rough though that wasn't half as bad as the other 9. I asked the sales man if this was common with these worn finish guitars. His response, "What do you expect for $900". I was apauled by that response. For $900 I excpect alot more than this guitar had to offer.

Seemed strong as a tank. It should withstand the riggors of live playing. Strap locks are needed as Gibson strap pins always seem small, and this thing is on the heavy side.

N/A

Been playing off and on for 20 years now. Own a American Series Tele, 50's classic Strat, Gibson L6-S, Gibson Les Paul Special, 70's Lawsuit Les Paul Custom. For the money this thing costs I would have expected much better attentino to detail. 10 out of 10 Guitars with very sharp fretboards tells me Gibson's just rushing these out the door on the assumption that the GIBSON name alone will make people look the other way, and apparntly it's working. Not to mention in the last 12-18 months these have risen in price by $200. Gibson's gotten greedy.

USA made!!! Got this beauty when it very first came out. I have the Cherry finish, and it came with a beautiful Gibson USA hardshell case. 22 frets, and Burstbucker pickups, (WOW, these pickups ROCK!!!) I put Schaller locks on, so it doesn't fall, Everything on this guitar is perfect!

I play Classic rock and for this type of music, this is THEE GUITAR! this guitar just rock and roars! I play thru a Marshall Split 50, and this sounds so good that I can't believe it!

Everything was perfect when it arrived

This guitar is better than more expensive LP's, and you have to play it to see!. This will be your number 1 guitar and it is a very solid guitar that will withstand the "rigors of the road" Very dependable axe, and could use this without a spare!

Ive had no need for any service, mine is perfect!!

been playing 25 years and if this was lost or stolen, i would buy another one the next day, and thats how much I like this guitar! I've played more expensive Gibson's and this one just seems to blow them out of the water! It must be the Burstbucker pickups and the Mahogany combination. I could not ask for a nicer, more rocking guitar. This is totally GIBSON LES PAUL, USA. For the asking price, you cannot beat this guitar. Better buy one before they stop making this, or they up the price!!! Thaks Gibson for a GREAT GUITAR!!!

Manufactured by Gibson USA Serial #004661344 so lets see the 9 didgit serial through me for a while I found out from cust support 1st #0 and 5th #6 make it 2006 model 3rd 4th & 5th = 046 that is 46th day of the year so that makes it Feb 15th 6th number 1 means it was built in the morning (2 would be afternoon.) didgits 78&9 makes it the 344th stamping of the day. 22 fret solid mahogany top. I really dont believe there is a "finish" on this guitar if there is it not much of one. Worn Brown is the color code. controls are as usual 2 vol, 2 tone, 3way switch' pups are alnico 5 burstbucker pros. passive electronics. All mahogany body carved top. solid body two piece carved top. one piece mahogony neck. each outer side of the head stock is added for width I supose. Tune-o-matic bridge. Gibson "Deluxe" tuners (more on this later) '59 neck profile. rose wood fingerboard w/ mother of pearl trapazoid inlays. (except for headstock of course.) standard hard case. (Canadian)

Suits me fine I'm an avid hobbiest. Blues, southern rock, classic rock. amps 1965 Fender Champ (Running through Hughs and Ketner w/12" Celestion greenback) , Fender bronco, I really like it through a VOX Pathfinder15,for the reverb and trem controles. But hate too admit most of the time Im using my microcube so I can run a cd player through to play along with and with a wife 2 teenagers and a dog the headphone jack is about the only chance I've got. I've had none of the gronding issues I noticed mentioned here. SOUND IS INCREDABLE no matter what it's running through. tonal variety is unlike any other guitar I've played or owned.

This is really where You understand the price. Factory "setup"? Is that meant as a joke? Action, way to high. ( I mean it) Bridge and stop tail way out of line. Intonation sucked. first week drove me nuts. Bought it new at the Dallas 06 show apr 21st from guitar centers booth. took it in the following sat.(1st day off) String slipage was the verdict. They also realighned the bridge and stop tail, however two weeks later, tuning is still an issue.(though much much better) I guess I'm going to have too consider new tuners... Not real happy about that. Fret wires are okay at best they will be polished and rounded a bit, during set up in the next couple of weeks. The nut is another area of consern, I think the strings may be binding in their nut slots and could be contributing to my tuning issues.

Of course it will withstand live playing once I get it to my tech.
Hardware is top notch (with the exception of the tuners and I may have that wrong I'll repost after it's profesionally setup)the finish is so natural it can only improve. I rub it down with a very light lemon oil once or twice a week.It is beautiful. Stap buttons SUCK! I wouldnt even take a chance with them I did try them almost droped my Guitar! If youre going to stand get locks right away. I dont gig. Im not including the tuning issue in grading this portion of the review. get strap locks

Gibson service dept is amazing. This is my first Gibson. Ive owned american fenders (and still do) customer service alone will make me consider Gibson first from here out. I have always felt that a real Les Paul was beyond my reach. (agian with the wife two teenagers and a dog. and all that goes with that.) But oh well........... no more starbucks for about 8 months.

I've been playing 2 years.
2000 american fender stratocaster, amazing guitar. beautiful curling and flame in the maple neck I've never seen another like it. 2003 Telecaster custom another very nice guitar setup like a paul but cant hold a candle to this Gibson. (I thought I could live with it for the savings. I think my daughter's going to take it over I'm done with it.) Get this, how many of you have seen a Pignose Strat? I bought one at a pawn shop for like $100. Its the only cheap guitar Ive kept. It plays great and I dont mind loaning it out to the kids in the neighborhood. My only accoustic is a 80s era Yamaha 400 my kid brother gave me. What a great guitar. plays and sounds like a dream. My next aquisition after my experiance with Gibson will be a Gibson accoustic. let the search begin, I guess I wont see the inside of a starbucks for the next couple of years. If My LP were LoST? never gonna happen. Stolen? I would track down the thief and make them play a first act pos for the rest of thier life...but really I'd buy another. Don't let my frustration with the tuning issues keep you from owning this guitar
it is an incredable value. You just need to be prepared to have a good tech give it a real setup. find a good gibson dealer or custom shop that you believe in and let them do their magic. If your in the Dallas area talk to Brian at Charleys guitar shop on Royal (I think it's Royal near hwy 35e) he's the best I've ever met.

Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany Electric Guitar Features:

Carved mahogany top and mahogany back
'59 rounded Les Paul mahogany neck
Rosewood fingerboard
Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar
Chrome hardware
Alnico 5 BurstBucker Pro pickups
2 volume and 2 tone knobs, 3-way switch

Love the sound. Very warm and gritty. Fairly High Output.

This is why I bought the guitar. It felt so good in my hands. I love the mahogany finish. Feels so solid in your lap. Mine is a very dark brown. Guitar Center Version.

http://www.6webs.com/music/gear.html

I can see this easily lasting my lifetime.

I've been playing for 11 years. I own a DRRI, 91 Strat Plus, some other stuff and this beauty. I played some other les paul standards and came out with this one. I'm very happy with my purchase.