Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany

Typical Gibson features. It has the new Burstbucker 5 pups, and a nice faded finish, though not ugly like some Gibson fadeds. Fairly thick 59 neck, which was one of the selling points for me. Made just for Musicians Fiend. 2005 model

I must admit I have always felt that the 490/498 pups were Gibsons best sounding, but I wanted to hear the burstbuckers. I find them too dark and muted, mediocre dynamics, but as in all pups, this is very subjective. they are ok, but not my fave. Use it with a Mesa 4x10 Maverick

Well, Gibson strikes out again. The worst playing pig I have ever owned, Razor sharp and burred frets, and the fretboard edges are very sharp. Extremely cheap peghead finish and decal, 5 dollar set of tuners, high nut, etc. Very poor sanding on the edges of the body, very lumpy . This guitar should NEVER have left the factory. Very uncomfortable to play. Gibson is putting out the worst set-up and finished guitars of any manufacturer I know. Quality control is non-existent. Fender squiers for $200 are much better. I believe Gibson has quit trying

It might be reliable, but I will never know. Its going back tomorrow.

It doesnt matter, because no matter how helpful the office excuse-makers might be, the word isnt getting out to the morons on the shop floor. Do better work.

Been at it awhile, 30 plus years. Wanted to see what almost $850 buys from Gibson, and it isnt much. Could have bought a new Tele for another $50, with quality Gibson can only dream of. Shouldnt have to drop two K to get a decent product. I do believe a construction morker built this pig on his day off. This guitar is shameful.

I was the first person to post a review of this axe, and this is an amendment/add on to that post. I listed all the features, etc.

Like I said, it's got a nice sound.

see my previous post.

See my Previous post.

Gibson and Epiphone customer service is a class act.

After some thought, I've decided that I didn't really give this guitar a chance. So I'm going to buy another. I loved the sturdiness of this thing. It really was built like a tank. I'm about to drain my savings account in order to get one, but I'll replace the money with my next income tax return. If I have any problems I have a few places I can take it to fix 'em. I have an Elitist Les Paul Standard, and this will be a great addition. Then I'll have two great guitars. And I think I'll name this one, too.

2005 Made in the USA and solid as a rock !
Mahogony on mahogony a beautiful red stained piece of art.
My drummer was in awe !!
Burstbucker pickups. one word !!
Les Paul Studio model with a nice hardshell case

Style is what a Les Paul is about. Classic smooth clean to growling rock and roll. I love the sound of this guitar. Read rrosso's review 'cause it is verbatim what this guitar is.

Everything was spot on...as they say.
Mahogony on mahogony a beautiful red stained piece of art
No flaws. I couldn't have asked for better and I am PICKY !!

Gibson...need I say more ?
okay I will
Solid
Dependable
Rock of Gibralter
I do gig without backup

don't know and probably never will have to judging by the way this baby is built

I have been playing for 30+ years. I love this guitar and everything about it. my other guitars are....um...uh..trying to remember cuz this B has taken the limelight !! seriously I currently own these
Jackson with JB Duncan p/up
Taylor 614CE maple AE
Taylor Koa ( ALL ) K20CE dread
Gibson Epi classical
I play the LP thru a Mesa 50/50 w/4x12 cab Rocktron Chameleon preamp processor
NO ONE better not be touching my Gibson !! lost ? I don't think so I won't let her outa my sight.....
BTW I named her "ROXY" ( my wife's nickname ) cuz I really dig playing her allllll de time

2004 gibson les paul vintage mahogany - made exclusively for guitar center and musicians friend. 22 frets, solid top, 2 vol., 2 tone, 3 way selector, h/h, burstbucker pros, mahogany body, worn cherry finish, came with good gibson case and trussrod tool.

this axe suits my musical style perfect. i like gritty, raw biting tone. i play it primarily on a marshall. it is only noisy with the gain all the way up. has a wide range of tones. heavy metal tones to warm jazzy tones to country twang. i got this guitar after getting rid of my american tele. the tele is a great guitar but to responsive and one dimensional as far as tone goes. the les paul can get me twang if i want it but also acdc tones, neil young tones, ramones tones, jazzy tones, etc...

the guitar was perfectly set up minus being a little out of tune understandably. intonation was perfect. action is right where i like it. i havent found any flaws at all.

this guitar is tanklike. heavy and hard. built to last as best i can tell. so was the tele.

n/a
one year warranty

i have been playing for about 3 years. i own a marshall amp, a danelectro honeytone, an alvarez acoustic and a vintage sears hummingbird acoustic. i love the range of sounds and tones and also the playability. it is also very forgiving. much more forgiving than the tele. it makes me want to play it where as the tele discouraged me from playing. my favorite feature are the burstbucker pickups. i compared this axe with sg's, duo jets, teles, etc...i chose this one for the features, the affordability, and the look.

Mahogany
Burstbucker Pros
Very thin finish, you can really see/feel the wood. I actually love the finish. I prefer it. The finish is very similar to the finish on a '55 Les Paul Special I used to have way back when.
I've been mostly playing strats for a while so the scale is different and very comfortable.
I've heard things about the tuners being sub-par but the thing is like a rock. I've had it for almost three months and I hardly know what the tuners are like I use them so little. Last night I took it out of the case, plugged it in, looked at the tuner and it was perfectly in tune. I'm not kidding. Almost every time I pick it up the thing is completely in tune.
The case is excellent too, by the way.
No whammy bar... oh well. (I love whammy bars)

I was GASing for an LP for a while and playing every one I could get my hands on. This is way out ahead the best I've played for years. This thing smokes.
First practice in the band it was like "Use that guitar". Comments all night long from band members. I haven't used any other guitar in the band since.

Played in public a number of times. Sounded great, no problem.
Sustain is basically til you're sick of it. It just rings.
Sounds great unplugged walking around the house.

I love the pickups. This thing just cuts thru.

Good for a wide variety of styles. I have heard that the mahogany cap would make it darker but I have no trouble getting it bright enough.

There is nothing I don't like about the sound of this guitar. Every time I pick it up and hit a note I still go "wow".

I can't believe I got such a great sounding/ playing Les Paul for that much money.

If you are looking for a Les Paul and don't want to spend a ton here is a guitar you can buy that the ONLY compromise is cosmetic. I can find absolutely no compromise in sound.

This thing ROCKS.

I had pretty bad buzzing due to string hieght right out of the box. Fixed in a couple of minutes. Barely a memory now.
The strings had a really bad case of "new" and needed serious stretching. I think some people complaining about tuning problems may be naive.
Intonation is good. Watching the tuner while playing there's a lot of green.
Pickups seem set up fine.
Wood is nice looking. Three piece back. Matched so well you really have to look hard in a good light up close to see the seams. I must of lucked out on the cap because the grain pattern is particularly nice.
I love the neck shape and the scale. Plays very fast.
One small ding on the neck, 1/4" X 1/16", on the back of the neck where the headstock joins. Can't really see it well. You can feel it. It's like someone put it on a rack too hard or something. I have been so happy with everything else this wasn't big enough a deal to worry about.
I'm rounding it up to 10. Really my perception is like 9.8 because of the ding.

Guitar has withstood live playing. Kicked butt.
It seems like it will last longer than me.
Finish is thin but nice
Thing looks solid.
I bring a backup all the time unless it's a benefit. If it's a benefit they can wait while I change the string.

My durability - playing 35 years, many genres. You can trust my opinion. This is a GREAT guitar. Like the guy said below, if you don't want to by a new guitar, don't pick this up. Seriously, I LOVE this thing.

LP Vintage Mahogany>MXR Dynacomp>Rotovibe>Crybaby>modded Tubescreamer>modded Boss DS-1 (Which I HATE unmodded. Now has better germanium diodes, better caps)>Boss CE-5>'65 Twin Reverb Reissue

I have something like 11 guitars, a bass, drum set, two mandolins, three violins, a saz, 6 synthesizers, baby grand, upright piano, lap steel, banjo, Crate amp, peavey bass amp, gotta be some other stuff around here I'm sure.

This is my favorite guitar.
If you're thinking about it do it.

but because of no whammy bar I give it a 9.997 :^)

As previous reviews stated...standard Les Paul Set Up

Bought new Aug 2005

Wow!! This is a rock n roller. I play it through an all tube Carvin MTS3200 half stack and this thing sustains indefinitely....unbelieable tone and sound...true power. I can't say enough about this guitar's sound.

I also have a Gibson les Paul Standard DC.....also a great guitar. The new Vintage Mahagony with those burstbucker pickups sounds better. I also have 2 fender strats....no comparison - they really can't touch the Les Paul.

No complaints...set up right and sounded great out of the box. Not a great looking guitar but the fit and finish is very good.

I bought this cause I wanted the sound of a Les Paul standard without paying 2 grand. This thing delivers. Is it better than a Les Paul Standard...no....is it prettier...no....does it sound as good and play as good...YES! Its that simple....a great sounding and playing guitar.

Don't believe any comparison between this guitar and an Epiphone. The Epi is a pretty guitar that sounds like crap. I had one. Anyone who compares this to an epi has no idea what a real Les Paul sounds like, how it feels and how it plays.

I've been playing 8 years and I play hard rock to metal. My arsenal of gear includes this Gibson, a Gibson Les Paul Standard DC, Peavey Wolfgang, Custom made Carvin DC 127, Ritchie Blackmore Fender Strat, and a standard fender strat. Amps include an all tube Carvin MTS3200 halfstack, a Line 6 AX2 and a Fender amp.

2005 Made of Course, in the Good ole USA . No description needed,its a Les Paul.

I'm just gonna sume this up by saying........Holy Crap, my new Les Paul sounds awsome, clear as a bell, with a nice smooth growl to die for........ahhhhhhh My first cord on this guitar, a D major, rang like nobodies business......lol And I hadn't even plugged in yet. I was tuning, and waiting a short few minutes for the tubes to nicely warm up in my Univalve, then with a flip of the standby switch, everything came together........nice, nice, nice, thank you Gibson for a really nice guitar.

My guitar came set up very nicely, perfect, maybe not, I believe there is a few tweaks here and there, and when I add my graphtech saddles, and aluminum bridge, i'll do a bit of fine tuning. But really people, she was ready for a set almost right out of the box. Just a bit of strobostomp action, and she was ready to go. I'f I wasn't a gadget fine tune freik, like the song says,"I wouldn't Change a Thing". Pickups were adjusted perfectly, The body and cap mahogany is matched wonderfully. And I gotta tell you, don't touch this guitar if you don't want to own one, I have never connected so well with the feel of wood until my hands wrapped around this body and neck.....its unreal.

I can't say how this guitar will hold up live, but really, its a Les Paul and should be treated like one, with the proper care, even playing out, this guitar should last and last. I have no doubt you could leave the house without a backup playing this mohogany wonder.

Never needed Gibson's help, must speak for itself.

I've been playing for several years, and own three Studio's, this Mohogany being the third, and I believe might move into the position number one really soon. I love the wood feel and finish, the black accents really go well with the deep brown Mohogany finsh. So far, I really cant say I dislike anything. Although I will add that I change all my Guitars over to Grover tuners, the Gibsons look nice, but for some reason they just don't add to the tuning strength of the guitar. I'm not in a rush though on this Mohogany, the stock tners are a bit tighter than usual, but after a few string changes, I'm sure I'll be adding the grovers......come on Gibson, we are buying the product, and paying the big money, why are you skimping on the tuners.......

Features have already been covered pretty well here. Carved mohogany top on mahogany body, two wax-potted burstbucker PU's like in the new Standards, deluxe tuners, two volume, two tone, one three way switch. According to Gibson this is the first time they've done mahogany on mahogany since the "Black Beauty".

I play mostly classic rock and blues. This thing covers it extremely well. If you haven't tried the Burstbuckers, do yourself a favor and give 'em a run. You'll love 'em. I run two basic setups, a modded Fender Bassman 100 head into two Avatar 2 x 12 cabs with Celestion Vintage 30's in each. Guitar, Bad Monkey, Marshall Guv'nor, Digitech reverb. The Bassman has no effects, so everything is pedal driven. I also use a Marshall AVT 50 head as well. This thing can be as thick and sweet as warm honey or snap your head off. Great range. No bullshit, no gimmicks, just straight LP sound. I was using a Firebrand Les Paul and this thing stomps it. Much more versatile.

Came set up pretty well. Had to adjust the neck slightly. Nut was cut well. Finish is as basic as you can get, which I love because in order to get this sound in another Gibson you'd have to drop $2000, and then who wants to take one of those "lustreboxes" out of your house? I'd be scared to death. I was a little skeptical about the '59 style neck, thought it would be too fat but this thing is quick. It's beefy, but sits well in your hand. So to speak.

Unlike Sammy Sosa's bat, this thing is all wood. Straight forward design. Don't see any problems here.

Haven't had to contact them, so no opinion.

Works for me. Straight, basic, great sound, great price. True value

2004 USA made, burst bucker pickups, mahagony top on mahagony body, cherry red, hard case Gibson Usa black, 22 frets I believe - did not count, 2 tone 2 volume, 3 way switch, les paul guitar, tune o matic bridge, gibson deluxe tuners

I play rock, blues, jazz, rockabilly with a Fender Hot rod Deluxe and a wah pedal. This is a great vintage sounding guitar with lots of sustain. Very heavy as vell withc is god to me. The neck enables me to play things I some how was able to play on this one and not so pervfect on the other (strat). Makes the Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zep, etc Les paul music just come right out by itself. I would not believe it if I havent tried it myself. Is my first Gibson Les paul and will surely not be the last. And the price - it is a bargain - a must have. Looks much cooler then the other studios. The finish means nothing to me as I have it to play not to pose with it. If you go for looks do not take this one - go for a much expensier models. If you are out to play them than this is it. You won't miss a thing. First I thought there was a mistake on the price tag - but it was correct - my gain.

mine was set up as I like it. No troubles there. The finish is just as you need it and no more. I don't go for looks - the sound is my main thing I wany. This finish is not bad but maybe it might fade with time - who cares as long as the sound stays. As for the action - you can allways arrange that. Mine was cool.

I have a SG and a strat and this one takes me places I haven't been before. I believe it will take the SG from my stage gear and be my main guitar in no time. Stays in tune, looks cool, makes you do some rock star poses I didn't try before. Funny - even if very heavy you just want to lift it up and do a solo. Replaced the strap buttons with the straplocks - and using a good leather strap. I think this one will stay with me for a long time. But I will see how time treats her. I know I will treat her good.

never had issues with this so I have nothing to say here.

I am playing for over 10 years now and for a long time have been a fender player. Then I started with getting a SG and this one. The sound is just what I want from a guitar and the price is ammaizing. Would get more of this if I lost this one or something like that. Its a Les paul Gibson with no high price. Who cares about the finish. Think this one is also good - just I think it will take some time for players to get used to it. I do get some owners of standard models saying how good theirs is compared to mine. No differences in sound from mine to the 2000USD Les Pauls. All are great I believe - it is just what you can afford and feel comfortable with. This one makes me feel like a better player and am very happy to get it. Don't hesitate - get it while still available. This will be a legend one day that there was a les paul at this price and so good....

2004. Basic 22 fret Les Paul Studio single cutaway configuration except with Burstbucker Pro pickups. Mahogany top and everything else, toggle switch 4 controls, black speed knobs, aged worn brown, rounded neck profile, decent frets on a rosewood board with trapezoid inlays, Gibson Deluxe tuners, Nashville tune-O-matic, chrome hardware, black plastic pickguard. This came with a gigbag.

Super Fantastic!!! I?ve used the original factory strings and Dean Markley LTHBs on the restring. Sounded great with each of them. These Burstbucker pickups are the stuff, and why I bought the guitar. They really match well with a tube amp. An excellent blues tone was achievable through all my amps. I liked it best through my old HiWatt DR50. They also sounded great through my solid state and hybrid amps. The pups have a chicken scratching snap to them if you know what I mean. When I tuned to D or G and played with a glass slide I got a real compressed almost Duane Allmanish sound. The pups seem to like working with the amp?s volume all the way up then controlling it from the guitar. These are the closest passive pickups I?ve found to sounding like actives. They really growl with a good sustain. A substantial improvement over the stock pups at least from a blues / rock perspective. The 490 / 498s pups are almost too creamy, great for jazz though. I dressed and polished the frets and replaced the chrome bridge with a nickel unit that had TUSQ saddles. I aslso replaced the stopbar with the lighter aluminum remake. That seemed to help improve sustain, as well as the richness of the tone. It also helped me to squeeze an excellent jazz sound out of my AVT50H retrospectively. I'm not sure if this was due to the stopbar, or the bridge. I also replaced the tuners with Rotomatics. This added to the comfort of tuning, enabling me to set the intonation. The sound quality is off the scale but I?ll give it a 9 because of the initial tuning issues which I'll discuss.

Fits me well, I prefer the chunky neck. Not as fat as the 50s profile, just right. I only had to dress and polish the frets minimally. The back of the neck could have used some more sanding before finishing. I may have to strip the neck eventually. I would rather avoid this. I?ll have to see how it breaks in. An ebony fretboard would be preferred. However, I got really lucky here. This board is really dark and tightly grained. The best example of a rosewood fretboard I?ve ever seen. It plays like ebony, nice and fast. I was able to set the action lower than I will ever need to without buzzing, and without a neck adjustment. I had all kinds of tuner problems. I really struggled with getting this to hold tune initially. I couldn't set the intonation due to this. They were also mounted crooked. A child could have done better. I intended to replace the tuners with Grover 18-1 Sta-Tites, I have a set. These are the redesigned old fashion exposed gear tuners (like Waverly?s) that retro fit the original deluxe keys with no drilling or holes to fill. They also have the added feature of bushings that fit into the peg head holes like the Imperials and the Waverly?s. I believe this relieves stress on the head and contributes to tuning precision. These should be really precise tuners and more sensitive than the 16-1 Rotomatic style. However, since the initial tuners were so crooked, I would have had to drill extra holes for each of the mounting screws anyway. So I installed a set of Rotomatics. Not much to say about the finish. Looks like a Danish walnut stain with some sort of nitrocellulose satin coat, maybe tung oil. It does cover evenly, not unattractive. It suits me. I don?t look like I have a $3000 guitar and need $3000 worth of lessons, (only $3000 worth of lessons) :-). The keys had to go. I have an SKB molded hard shell case. I don?t do gig bags.

Well, they are all rather delicate. But, you know the deal. These Studios are about the most rugged and reliable on the market. It is heavy enough. I intend to replace the strap locks with the Schaller system for drop insurance. I'll feel better when I get a strap lock system.

Even though it is new, it is not under warranty. This distributor is not authorized Gibson dealer. Or so I am told. And believe me, I asked before I ordered.

50 years, or so I'm told. I used to pick up my mothers tenor guitar when I was a toddler. Serious playing about 40 years. Initially the guitar had a fantastic sound and a great potential. I knew what I was getting into when I got it. I played one at the Guitar center and also a friend?s faded cherry model. Now that the setup is pimped out this guitar is a definite keeper. It honestly plays and sounds close to an expensive custom and is light years beyond any other Studio I?ve ever played. I can?t put this down and would definitely get another. I like it, it looks vintage, it plays vintage, sounds vintage. I?m not a big vintage freak, but imo Gibson achieved that here. Good job Nashville. I strongly recommend this guitar for anyone who knows a little something about setting up Gibson type guitars. A tremendous value. I would add the following features an ebony fretboard, better tuners, a quality case, jumbo nickel frets.