Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany

Real les Pauls have a maple top added to a Mahogany body giving it added brightness. This Vintage LP is all Mahogany--sounds awesome but a little dark. Sounds like a cross between a Les Paul and an SG. Still a screamer!

Like the other reviews however I absolutely recommend
you replace the strap buttons with normal size or locking, as this its
only flaw--you'll hate yourself after reading this and then have the
guitar go crashing to the floor.

Make the choice in confidence. After playing every guitar I could get
my hands on, including Les Paul Standards, and reading all the
reviews, I settled on this Gibson Vintage Mahogany LP. Great neck
response and feedback, especially playing loud thru my old tube Super
Champ! Tunes perfectly, great action, has kick *** humbuckers, and in
some ways I actually like it better than the Les Paul Standard: The
neck is thick like a 50's neck, but slightly narrower. The frets are
thin/medium and round, not fat and ground down flat-- sterilizes the
sound a little.

2008 Les Paul Vintage Mahogany, mahogany body and top, chambered for weight relief. Modded by Andy Brauer of North Hollywood.

Andy Brauer mods turn the stock LP Vintage Mahogany into absolutely one of the best Les Pauls you can get, as follows:

1. Replace Burstbuckers with Sheptone AB Custom humbuckers
2. Replace bridge and tailpiece with TonePros bridge and tailpiece.
3. Replace tuners with TonePros Kluson tuners
4. Upgrade capacitors with bumblebee caps

Cost of the above upgrades adds $700 to the cost of the guitar, when you factor in the labor.

I also recommend getting a high end instrument cable like the Evidence Audio Melody cable, it makes all the above mods significantly more noticeable. I also had Andy add coil-tapping for single coil operation.

Yes, the stock LP Vintage Mahogany is quite a guitar, and quite a value. But when you consider that the mods above bring your total investment to about $1,500, and you've got the best-sounding Les Paul west of the Pecos, that's quite something. This guitar simply sings like the world's best opera singer.

Oh, and get a Bonnie Blue pedal while you're at it. Icing on the cake.

Everything is top notch on this guitar. The neck is something to die for. You may want to compare different models in the store, I cherry picked my guitar from about 3 or 4 guitars, and thought the neck on the one I wound up choosing was the pick of the litter.

So far, so good.

Haven't needed any customer support.

The Les Paul is still my choice as best guitar ever designed. Strats, Teles, SGs and other kinds take a backseat, in my opinion. This Les Paul will not disappoint.

I now own 2 (1 worn cherry, 1 worn brown. Mahogany body and top provide warm sounds. Regardless of what some people say a nito lacquer finish sounds better than a gloss paint finish. The finish that is on this guitar allows more vibration of the sound through the body. These have Alnico V Burstbucker Pro pickups. These are the same pickups that are in the LP Standard which continues to shape rock so why not own a similar guitar for less than a 3rd of the price. The main differences are a 59' neck compared to an asymetrical neck and the Standard has a maple top instead of mahogany. These are the only 2 things that would make tonal difference.

Made in the USA for under $1000 is awesome. 59' neck is thicker than the Les Pauls im used to but it has a great feel to it.

Why pay more for binding when binding has absolutely NO effect to the sound of a guitar. Call Gibson, theyll even tell you the same thing.

This guitar sounds amazing! Fat tones with the ability to get dirty sounds from it. I play hardcore rock and this guitar screams while maintaining note clarity. I played this guitar side by side with a normal studio (490R/498T pickups) and the Vintage Mahogany won hands down.

I play through a Peavey Valveking head and Crate cab with Celestions. The tone is amazing, mesa guys compliment my sound all the time. You can make any guitar sound bad on the wrong amp setting sbut when used right this guitar runs with the best of them.

My 2 LP VM were set up great and no complaints whatsoever on the neck or finish. Great guitars!

Havent had the first one over a year a but its 3 years old and holding up great. Gibson makes guitars to last.

Great customer support from what Ive experienced. Ive only called to ask questions though.

Buy it, as long as you have some since on how to set an amp then this guitar will not let you down. If they came out with a 3rd model of this id buy it in a heartbeat!

Nothing bad to say about the guitar, Im in love with my Les Pauls!

All features are as stock, including the pickups which are perfect and hot. No need to change to anything else!

I play blues and blues-rock as well as some southern rock (I am in my mid 40's and grew-up south of Jacksonville Florida,so what do you expect?)so it fits my style perfectly. Playing thru my Rockman x-100's till I get another amp. the downturn in the economy hit my gitar and amp collection hard. The tone is awesome, deep and rich compared to my late Fenders.

The finish (what little there is) is perfect as is the set-up. I won't have to do anything to this guitar other than restring on the regular intervals. Still don't know if I'm supposed to oil it's finish with anything though, guess I'll call Gibson about that.

Seems solid.

I'll see when I contact Gibson with my inquiry about finish care.

Started playing 40 years ago and haven't gotten much better in that time! I have insured it for more than replacement cost as I would need to replace it immediately with the same guitar. It to me is like Linus and his blanket, when I am at work I think about getting home and playing. (I'm like a junkie!)
I bought this off craigslist when I had a reversal of fortune. When the economy went south I sold my Strat and my Tele as well as all my amp collection. Now I'm wondering if I've been playing the wrong brand, It feels and sounds that good! I sold my Martin D-28 during this time and got a Taylor in trade. I'm convinced I was playing the wrong brand there!

My Les Paul vintage Mahogany is an 06 with the darker brown finish as opposed to the cherry finish. I played it with the burstbucker pros in it for 2 years and then replaced them with a Seymour duncan alnico 2 pro in the neck and a Gibson P-94 in the bridge. The old pickups didnt break or short out i just wanted a change. The neck is super thick and beefy. Mine came intonated from the factory and I have never had one problem with anything. No cold solders or tuning problems. For 800 it has all great features that are work horses for the les paul enthusiast.

I have a vast musical style varying from delta blues to guns n roses to metallica and this guitar suits them all very well. I run it through a marshall jcm 900 and carvin v3 and it just screams. The harmonics pop out of it and has a wide range of natural dynamics. The Rhythm pick up is a bit bassy from the factory but the trebel and both of them mixed sounds super full and thick and crunchy. The body resonates really well.

When i recieved it from the factory it was intonated perfectly and the action was great. I dont like my action super low so i dont think it would be "shred" ready but for hard rock and blues it was a great string height that I so much as set my other LP's up to match it. Everything was set up perfect with the bridge and saddles. The fit was great. Nothing was flawed. The only thing is after playing it live for 3 plus years of 2-3 gigs a week the finish has come off on the top of the neck (because of my thumb ring) and the finish on the back (from belt buckles) and under the trebel pickup (where i plant my pinky)

This guitar is a straight up work horse ready for anything. I have beat it up and used it on tour many times. The hardware is still as solid as the day it was made. Again the finish wore off in some places but that goes with most guitars after the amount of use that this guitar has been through. I can depend on this guitar more than any other I own. I have a premium plus les paul, a slash signature les paul, a duesenberg, and a fender strat and this is my first choice when I can only bring one guitar.

I have never had to call Gibson because I have never had a problem with it!

If lost I would definetly buy another one. Its a total beast and a definet add for anyone especially if you are a touring or gigging musician. Now im going to go back to playing it.

Others have mentioned but notable features - 59 rounded neck, BB Pro pickups and a satin finish.

Fantastic! For the price - just perfect. I bought one of these some time ago and immediately loved it. BB Pros really sing, can get very bright but very musicial. I play through a Mesa Boogie Roadster and the amp itself has loads of tone and the LP matches it nicely. Recently I purchased another one at a steal of a price and swapped the pickups for some P-94s and I am very pleased with the result! Curious why Gibson doesn't make more guitars with P-90s these days...

Finish - very nice. I like the satin feel especially the necks. No drips anywhere, very nice all around.
Action - always needs slightly adjusted, I mean we are dealing with preference here... adjusted the pickups to my liking and I was happy.

I have gigged with my first one numerous times, no issues what-so-ever. Play it at band practice (and otherwise) regularly. Gibsons hold up and don't let you done when you find one that fits you.

I have dealt with Gibsons Customer Service a few times, questions about wiring, models and etc... all emails answered quickly. I am pleased with them.

I have been playing about 14 years now and I love the setup I am using, which is rare for some. I liked the original guitar so much I bought a second so that should tell you that I like it quite a bit! For the price you can't go wrong.

This is my first solid-body guitar--so I'm not sure what features are standard to most rockers! :-) Seriously, the neck feels great--the access up the neck bast the 15th fret is good. The standard Les Paul shape is cool. The Mahogany looks good with the simple "oil stain" rather than the hard clear finish. I'm still struggling with the tune-o-matic bridge. I've spent an hour and a half trying to get the strings in tune at the 12th fret (with the harmonic). I view that more as a problem with the vendor from whom I purchased the guitar (Guitar Center)--or the "class of vendor" (drop-ship unopened cartons from the factory or warehouse vendors, as opposed to full service vendors [like Elderly Instruments] who do the initial set up before shipping an instrument).

WOW! Sounds great even through my little Behringer amp!

It looks sweet. Fit and finish fine. No loose knobs. But the bridge had not been set up for the strings installed at the factory.

I think that this will do well as a gig guitar. It would be an alternative for me since I'm usually playing bass or acoustic guitar. Got it more to fool around with and record with.

Standard Gibson Warranty.

I'm very well pleased with this as my first solid-body electric!

Your typical Les Paul deal with the difference of a mahogany top. Mine is red, four-piece back. Being a working man's guitar, it could actually have simplified controls down to one volume & one tone. Having BurstBuckers on this model easily makes it a pro's back-up (if not main) guitar.

The BurstBuckers produce nice, well defined vintage sound. The mahogany top, chambered body and a satin finish contribute to a warm, open tone, more on the darker side of the spectrum, compared to the LP Standard. Loads of sustain, plenty of character. This guitar just sings with the right amp. I play it via Gibson & Fender tube amps and it sounds great through both breeds. It works best for blues and classic rock, but it can also handle jazz and hard rock with ease. Could be a bit too dark through certain amps.

Mine was fine, but I had to go through a few to find it. The setup was within the specs.

Seems well-built. Had it for over a year, played a lot of gigs and jam sessions with it. Been on the road including flights - all is fine so far. The trhee-way switch started mulfunctioning after some time, but the problem was easily fixed by some cleaning and adjusting.

My prior experience with Gibson was fine.

I have been playing for over 20 years, useing and owning a variety of guitars and amps. Compared to a Les Paul Standard or a Studio, this guitar sounds darker and looks (and is a lot) cheaper, but certainly can get one through a gig with ease. It certainly sounds richer and deeper than an SG. They need to be hand-picked and listened to before a purchase as they all sound different. Mine was second or third I have tried. It works nicely both in studio and on stage. It simply radiates warmth. It was complimented numerous times for its tone by professional musicians and audience.

AD: The round warmth of a carved mahogany top on a mahogany back first debuted in the famous 1957 Custom Black Beauty. Now Gibson brings this fabulous wood combo back with the added vintage edge of Gibson's Alnico V BurstBucker Pro humbuckers. Designed especially for the new Gibson Les Paul Standards, these pickups provide pure tone lovers with stunning humbucking tone on their electric guitars. A '59 rounded Les Paul mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and trapezoid inlays is fast yet substantial.

I don't know what these guys are complaining about - This guitar is a great deal! It features $250 worth of Burstbucker pickups which some more expensive models do not even have. There is no need to ever change pickups, as these are the same ones in the new 2008 Standards, which sell for $2600. There is no maple top which contributes to its slightly deeper sound (it is actually great sounding) and it is very light compared to other boat anchor Les Pauls and it is very comfortable to carry around. This is weight relieved and may contribute to it's nice sound and sustain. Test one out and see. The true sound of a Les Paul is more a function of it's 24.75" length than it's thickness, so if it is slightly thinner than more expensive models it makes up for it with its light weight. I think this is the best deal out there on a Les Paul. If it can be found on sale for $200 off regular price, (like I got mine on Labor Day Weekend at GC) then it is a steal! Maybe your complaints about the fit and finish contributed to it's lower pricing - thanks! It has trapezoidal inlays in the rosewood neck and the tuners are fine, it has a nice black pick guard and the worn brown is by far the best color (no offense to the faded cherry owners). The finish is hand rubbed (not sprayed lacquer) so you can probably just rub it down with Tung Oil or Minwax Antique oil finish. Scratches in a lacquered surface will always show and are not easily fixed, in this case it doesn't really matter, just rub on some scratch cover, or you can even sand and repair with some simple stain and oil finish. Mahogany is a fairly hard wood, so it shouldn't dent that easily, but you probably just need to go a little easier on this guitar because it has no protective shell. No decorative bindings and the only decoration besides the inlays is the word "Studio" on the Truss rod cover. The stitched Gibson Case for the Worn Brown has the white plush interior, the faded cherry guitar has black I believe.

Sorry, but this model sounds much better than some higher LP models! A-B them and see for yourself! it probably will be discontinued soon, as it is too good a deal! FYI: Paint and lacquer does not improve the sound of a guitar. Great pickups!

Found a new one, still in the box, and on sale to boot, bought it, then took it straight to my luthier, clean bill of health right off the line! Everything was adjusted properly. The luthier was even impressed with it!

It's a Gibson, you know the deal, get strap locks immediately as you do not want to drop them unless you wish to have the neck repaired. The finish will wear, but anyone can hand rub these, especially the Worn Brown as this is a common stain. What you give up in durability you make up in sound quality.

Salesman wanted me to pay $70 extra for an extended warranty, no thanks! The limited lifetime warranty from Gibson, or just take it to your local luthier. You can actually call Gibson and get a customer support rep who will speak to you for some time if necessary. I have had good experience with Gibson.

Gear: Gibson 1991 SG Junior with an Iommi pickup, Fender Hway 1 Strat with custom 69 pickups, Ibanez RG270DX with Iommi/bridge, Fender SCN/mid, Gibson Angus Young/neck, Dean Dime O Flame, Fender American Standard 1997 Telecaster, Black Pearl custom made MacPherson Guitarworks Acoustic, Dr Z Maz Jr., Marshall DSL50/1960BV, Marshall AVT 50H/Custom Cab - Rock and Metal - If I had the cash to spend I would have probably gotten a new 2008 Standard, but this one is a reasonably priced winner.

2007 made in USA (of course)
"Burstbuckers"
All Mahogany
"Satin" finish
no case (Guitar Center special)

The 2007 vintage mahogany was engineered with body chambers (hollowed out) that not only make it very light, but actually improve resonance.

"Burstbucker" pickups sound even better than vintage

...all together, this guitar sounds fantastic

This guitar is put together perfectly. CNC (computer) routing fits all the parts together tighter than a glove.

Mine has no anomalies (flaws) in any of the wood and the bookmatching is flawless.

What I unpleasantly discovered are little nicks Gibson put on it to artificially make it look vintage (relic). If I wanted a relic, I would have bought the the full job.

But the main reason I'm marking this area way down is the thickness of the body is about 25% less than a standard Les Paul - therefore, to the experienced, it doesn't look or feel like a real Les Paul.

other than the traditional headstock worry, it's built to last

don't know (sold it)

I would rather pay a little extra for a standard thickness body (the feather weight doesn't bother me near as much) - even though it's sounds exceptional, the LP feel isn't there and isn't I guitar I want to own.

Don't waste your time on this guitar. Buy the the next level up - you'll be happier.

This is a Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany, made in the USA. It has a 22 frets and a rosewood fingerboard. The is neck is flat and relatively fat -- I believe this is the "50s profile" neck.

The body is made of three pieces of wood and has a carved top cap, all mahogany. The finish is matte brown natural and the grain of the wood is visible. It is very minimal and elegant and looks especially great with the chrome and black hardware.

This guitar is noticeably lighter than the other Les Pauls I tried, almost as light as an SG. I have heard, but not confirmed, that the body pieces under the cap haven been routered out to reduce the weight. Oddly, there is no information about this model available on Gibson's website.

The guitar has two pickups, a three way selector switch, and separate tone and volume controls for each pickup. It has the standard tune-o-matic bridge and "green key" tuners.

It also came with a nice hardshell case. All in all, it is a good configuration: nothing exotic, but all the bases are covered.

This guitar has a great tone. I was looking for an guitar with a fixed bridge and two humbucking pickups. The Les Paul is the gold standard for that sound and this guitar delivers it. I have read that the pickups on this guitar are the BurstBuckers that are normally used on the higher-end Les Pauls. They do sound good. My other guitar is a G&L ASAT with single coil pickups, and this is much quieter. Compared to that the Les Paul has slightly reduced treble, but much more mid-range output.

Here is where it gets dicey. I tried at least six models at the store and all of them had significant flaws. I saw at least one of these problems on each of the guitars I tried (and also on Studios and a Special as well).

1. Neck -- misaligned, not a flush fit with the body or twisted.
2. Nut problems -- chips, blobs of glue not wiped off, open string buzzing.
3. Fret problems -- frets not seated properly, crappy job of gluing the fretboard onto the neck.

The quality of the wood is not as high as high as I would have liked on an instrument of this price. In particular, the rosewood on the fretboard feels cheap compared to other guitars I have owned or played. The pieces of the body wood are not bookmatched, but since they are only visible from the back of the guitar and the front has a cap, this isn't a major issue.

The manufacturing on these guitars is clearly hit or miss. The model I ultimately purchased had a nut that was cut too low, and chipped around the D string, so that the string often came out of its groove (I discovered this after getting home with it). There was some open string buzzing. The pickup selector switch was also not properly screwed in and was basically rattling around in its socket.

On the positive side, I did make sure that the guitar I bought had a straight neck, good frets and a solid neck joint. I have since had a local luthier replace the nut and set up the guitar and it is at the level of quality that Gibson should have produced.

I am skeptical about the tuners, since they look and feel rather cheap. I'll wait until I have had more time with the guitar to evaluate how well they hold up and decide whether or not to replace them. But no serious problems yet.

Otherwise the instrument seems very solid. There really aren't any moving parts. The neck is glued in and the joint seems very solid. Because the finish is so simple, I imagine it could be prone to scratches.

I haven't had reason to interact with Gibson, so I have no basis on which to rate their support. The instrument does come with a lifetime warranty.

Overall, this is a good guitar. I feel that I got a top-notch Les Paul with a uncommon look at a very respectable price, even after the cost of the repairs. I recommend this model with the caveat that they have quality problems. You will need to evaluate several guitars and the one you select will probably not be perfect off the shelf. Expect to replace the nut and pay to have the guitar setup professionally. But if you just make sure that the basics on the instrument are solid (straight neck, good flush fit with the body, no fret/fretboard problems) then you will be all right in the long run. I absolutely do *not* recommend buying this guitar over the internet or sight unseen.

I am an amateur player, who has been playing off and on for about 20 years. I have always played Fender and G&L guitars. A friend recently loaned me a Les Paul to try out, and it clearly made an impression. I really like the wider, flatter neck and shorter scale length of the Les Paul, as well as the humbucking pickups. Anyone who has only played guitars cut from the Fender mold owes it to themselves to check one of these instruments. There are certainly nicer Fenders you could get for the price, but the design principles of the Les Paul make it stand out, for me at least.

I would rate this as a 6 as purchased, but in its current form will give it an 8.

I recently re-aquainted myself with the Electric Guitar (after a 25 year hiatus) I was looking at a few different models and ran into this one. Made in USA, April 2007. All I did was play it un-plugged and knew it was a keeper. I have a friend who has LP Studio (2006) and I have fooled around with his, other than the finish( personel taste) I think the LP VM is a bettor axe, at least I prefer the BBUCKERS to the 490/498. I think the reduction in weight comes from the finish as well as the mahogany cap (not maple) on this model. I think the body may be chambered. The neck although the larger 50's style is fine for me and I would classify my hands as average-wide.

I love the sound of this guitar, I only play througha samll 30 Watt Marshall, but it does the job quite comfortably. Good for Rock, Blues and does have a "older" or shoud I say "Vintage Voicing" I fooled around in Open G with a slide and may not got back to A-440.
Very cool

I have had no problems at all. The frets could have had a little more attention paid to them before sending this one dowen the line, but all in all no worries for me. Set up was solid right off the shelf. I do not have any tuning problems, although I may only play on average of 1-2 hours per day. Hard Shell Case is great (white plush) would have prefereed the grey plush but hey no WHINING for the $ paid. Neck seams are really non-noticable. All in All pretty solid job here.

No comment on the live playing, the world isn't ready for that at this time. Hardware, although the basic Gibson variety is solid and should last, I did switch out the strap buttons to locking ones.
The finish is thin and will probaly wear but I like this and like anything else of any value, practice "easy love" and one should be rewarded. I would think this would be very dependable as guitars go.

Only for questions concerning this model (via email). I always did receive a reply and my experiences could be classified as positive

Overall "its all good" No complaints at all. Makes we want to get back going and I have pretty much caught up to where I was 25 years ago, although a little more mellow, I had played for about 7 years at that point in my life. I was leaning towards a Telecaster since I had originally played on an Gibson SG in the past and wanted to change up a lttle. As mentioned earlier I had made my mind up and was heading into the local shop to buy when I spotted this one, strummed it and fretted it unplugged and the rest as they say is history.

This guitar doesn't have any 'features' unless you count its lack of features a feature, which I do in the case of the finish since the satin finish is not gummy compared to the lacquer finish. It also is lighter and lets the wood breathe more. I like the speed knobs better than the tophats so I guess that is a feature worth noting as well. The pickups are the Burstbucker Pros, same as in the LP standard (as of 2008). Case is nice too.

Sounds good for rock, hard rock, blues, jazz, pretty much whatever. LPs were made for jazz but get that sustain and crunch for rock. Works great with Boss Blues Driver pedal and some Fender reverb. It's pretty sweet.

I mail ordered this one so I didn't have the luxury of seeing it in person. Set up is flawless. My frets are not too sharp as some have said. I would add some graphite to the nut to ease the tuning but that's about it.

This is a sturdy guitar. Lighter than a regular studio but that's from the thin satin finish I would imagine. Hardware seems fine. Should last for a long time.

Never dealt with them.

Overall this is a great buy. Sounds like it should and if you hear a good LP, then you know what this should sound like. It makes you want to go home and play music. You know, the kind of music where you pretend to be your favorite guitar hero. And it's inexpensive compared to the fancy LPs. Go get two.

Most of the features have already been covered pretty well here so we'll skip this.

I play a little bit of everything but mostly rock and some harder edged stuff. I've been running this through my Boogie studio 22+. The pickups sound pretty nice but have a warmer tone then I'm used to. I like to use a lot of pinch harmonics in my playing which these burst-buckers to not translate well. Thats OK though, I have other guitars for that. Over all they sound very smooth have a definite 70's sound to them. Nice definition when playing chords but they tend to feed back at higher volumes. If you're looking a for pickups with bite then these are not for you.

Let me start by saying I had no intentions on buying a les paul but a friend who works at GC gave me a deal I couldn't refuse (bought at $400 per) so I actually picked 2 up that day. I later sold the other one for $650 to off set the cost of the first. Other wise I wouldn't of paid the asking price of 900. That being said....

This is where this Gibson really drops the ball. I spent about 2 hours choosing between the 9 identical guitars in stock that day. Not one of them was set up properly. All had poor intonation and most had very high action. Most of them seemed to need a truss rod adjustment. Half of them had very poor fret work in the form of sharp edges/hangers.
Just know that if you buy one of these you'll be visiting your luther for a proper setup and maybe more. Mine had to adjust the truss, set the intonation and file 3 frets. He also had to do some work on the nut to fix a binding issue. In the end he was able to set the action very low with almost no buzzing. This cost me $80. On top of this a week later the pickup selector switch started making popping noises when used. When I opened up the back the culprit was shoddy soldering. An easy fix but annoying never the less.

Another problem I have with this guitar is the fact that gibson is putting jumbo frets on them. When I fret chords I use a fairly firm grip. This combined with the tall frets makes everything go sharp. Some players have a lighter touch, but for me this is a serious issue. This can be fixed but thats going to cost me more money

The tuning pegs are less then desirable. Mine came with the gibson deluxe kluson style machines with those ugly green tinted plastic keys. They are worthless unless you like re-tuning every other song. I had them replaced with grover rotomatic locking tuners and this has fixed the problem. Add another $50 for those.

I do like the simple mahogany finish. Its no frills and I dont have to worry about dings and the occasional bump here and there. Over all I think the action fit and finish from the factory were shameful. If Ibanez can deliver an axe ready to play out of the box then why cant Gibson?

I dont play out much anymore but if I did I'm sure it would hold up well. Its basic design and simple finish should holdup well over time. The hardware is what it is. A basic tail piece and standard bridge.

The stock strap buttons have been replaced with shaller strap locks but then again all my guitars have them and I feel this is a must have item on any axe.

Didnt deal with them.

I've been playing 24 years and have owned enough guitars over the years that I've lost count.
This was my first les paul because frankly I have always felt that for the money that they were over-rated. If someone stole it I'd report it to my insurance and buy something different.

Again I bought two of these at a discount and sold one to off-set the cost of the first. When all was said and done I'm out about $300 which would be a fair price for this guitar in my opinion. For the retail price of $900 I think this guitar is over WAY over rated. The set up and quality control from Gibson is down right shameful. In this case you're paying for the name and not the product. If you buy one of these you had better plan on dropping more money into it to get it to play as it should.

My ultimate recommendation would look at other Asian brands and get a hell of a lot more bang for your buck.

Bought Dec. 2007. Standard Les Paul features. Two volume, two tone knobs, and three-way pickup switch. The wood used seems rather nice, and my neck feels and looks great. I played a few of these at GC though, and the one I bought was the only one I liked, at all. The fit/finish is good, and the pickups and hardware make this guitar look really cool on stage. The case is WAY nice for this price range. I got one with white fur on the inside.

I play primarily Hill Country Blues and some Rock and Jazz. I'm givin' this guitar a 7, but it's an easy 8-9 through the right amp and cab. That's the biggest drawback I've found with this tool. It only sounds really good into the right amp and cab. It's got a darker tone with huge bass and sharp highs. I've got a decent collection of amps built up, and if I go LP-THD Bivalve (w/6L6's)-Epiphone Valve jr cab, it absolutely rocks! Very easy Duane Allman @ the fillmore tones, and with a couple knob twists you can get some awesome clean sounds on the edge of break-up ala Deluxe. The pickups are pretty hot too, so if you crank the amp there's plenty of Sabbath, ZZ-top, AC/DC in the same setup. I would imagine this guitar would perform well with some of the super-high gain outfits as well with its ample bass, harmonics, and resonance. However, it sounds like muddy crap through my '67 Princeton and Blues Jr., no matter what cab I'm runnin'. The bass and mids are just always muddy through those amps and the treble is harsh and piercing. My Deville does just a little better, but even the Bivalve into a V30 loaded Marshall 4x12 cab doesn't work that well. This is the only one of the 20 or so electric guitars I've owned that's been this finiky about amp and cab selection. The classic tones are in there though, no doubt, and if you get a good one, they play great! I particularly like mine because the last three digits of the serial # are 666!!!

I reset everything myself. It wasn't too far off to begin with though. I think the instrument itself is well built and seems like it will last a lifetime if cared for.

All things considered, it's well worth the price tag. The case is great, the quality and craftsmanship are there, and you can nail the classic LP sounds with the right setup. I'd give it a 9 if it worked equally well through all my amps.

High quality USA made Gibson Les Paul Studio. Quite a bit lighter than most other Les Pauls I've played probably due to the chambering. Even lighter than my Ash Fender strat. Fat 50's style neck with pearloid aged trapezoidial inlays. Vintage Gibson Deluxe tuning machines. Many people complain that these machines do not stay in tune however with the proper set-up, proper string winding technique and a little graphitall on the nut and this guitar stays in tune remarkably well. Mine is the brown finish. Extremely thin nitrocellulose finish with no binding. Very hard to tell where the pieces are glued together. Nice chrome hardware with 2 Burstbucker Pro humbuckers. The guitar was purchsed new but they couldn't find the case that went with it so mine came with a used but good condition Gibson USA hardshell case with a shroud. This knocked quite a bit off the final price.

Out of the 12 guitars I own, this has quickly become my go to guitar. It fits all styles of music I play which is Rock, Metal, Blues, some Jazz/Fusion. I play this guitar through a Soldano Hot Rod 50 head with a matching 4 x 12 cab with Celestion v-30's through a Rocktron Intellifex and BBE Sonic Maximizer and a Vox AD30VT. This thing smokes once properly dialed in. The Burstbucker's sound meaty and full and are extremely sensitive to tonal changes with the volume and tone knobs. The Burstbuckers are some of the most balanced humbuckers I have heard.

Intonation was way off from the factory. You could practically walk under the strings. Pickups were adjusted well enough that I didn't mind waiting a month to get it to my tech so he could work his Mojo on it(Thanks Rob @ The Custom Shop ATX). The nut was cut a little weird but everything else including the tone controls was real solid. I had to pick through 4 different ones to find "The One". You really have to go try these out at a store then pick best one you can find then set it up properly since the QC consistency is all over the place with these models.

Yes this guitar can withstand live playing. Just take care of it like you would any other guitar and use some common sense. This is a tried and true Gibson and these instruments are built to last. The finish will probably wear off after awhile since it's so thin and is much more susceptible to dings. The hardware is high quality but the toggle switch is a little loosey goosey. I may swap out the switch if it gives me any problems. The strap buttons are too small but with straplocks that was an easy fix. I never gig without a backup since I'm a firm believer that anything can happen and usually does at the worst times.

Haven't dealt with Gibson except to send in my registration info. Lifetime warranty but void if you modify anything on it(gotta read the fine print heh). I don't forsee having to contact them for anything anyway.

I have been playing for over twenty years and have 11 other guitars. If this was stolen I would buy another one in a heartbeat. Most of my other guitars are getting a well deserved break while this one will take the spotlight for awhile. I really wasn't much in the market for a new guitar but this deal came to me at the perfect time so I jumped on it and I have no regrets. I considered an epiphone les paul but once I factored in the guitar, a case and probably a pickup swap I would have spent more on that than getting a real Gibson Les Paul, something that was high quality, American made, without any major mods and a hardshell case to boot.

Cherry Mahoganey. Says "Studio" but it' sold as a "Vintage". Kind of weird. I can't seem to find it on the Gibson page either. I guess they don't want to admit they make such an excellent low priced LP Studio. Hard to believe the standard finish would add so much to the price? (standard Studio with finish is $1199 and these are just $899). Screaming deal considering you get a nice case as well. I don't know enough about tuners and everything else so I won't pass judgement here but they do seem to turn smooth and change the tension at a predicable rate.

Locking case included which really makes this a screaming deal (especially if you have to keep little kids fingers off). Grand daughter already asked what the combo was. She doesn't realize she is exactly what the lock is there for.

I don't know about others but it did take some knob adjustments to get the pickups even and sounding smooth. With both volumes set to 10 the bridge pickup was extemely hotter than the neck pickup. It was so hot it made my Vox Ad15 buzz. Nothing makes it buzz except this pickup. I had to set the bridge down to 4 to equal the neck, that's hot. Tone wise I set the neck to a 4 and the bridge to a 6 which so far seems about right. Any brighter and it would be too tinty. I know it all depends on the amp settings and your ear that day but that's what it's at now. When I first got this Vintage I still liked the warm sound of my Epi Standard more. After adjustment the Vintage kills it. I like the strings it came with as well. The 3rd string always sounds a bit like a banjo when new but on the Vintage it warmed up real fast and now sounds great! I am certainly happy with the sound now. I'd say there are probably better sounding LP out there so I'll rate it in line with them and knock it down a notch.

I went through several to find one with the best action, fit, and finish. Some had buzzes here and there but the one I got has none. I checked the first, 5th, 12th, and last fret on all strings and no buzzes were found. Most other Vintages had a buzz here and there so you it is certainly buyer beware.

Because of the natural wood finish you get what you get when you go for the best action but I was not let down too much with the wood design. It has a two piece back but the second piece is on about an inch or so off by the horn. I would not have noticed but I read the comments on this board about that so I checked. The front has an "eye" or knot on the big open area but it's not extremely bad. I figure it's the price I had to pay to save the money over the finished Studios. Hopefully nothing will ever get spilled on this "nude" finish.

I noticed some comments on the sharpness of the frets and can say mine are execellent. They are rounded on the ends and must have been sanded to meet the edge just right, no sharp edges at all. I was prepared to walk away if I didn't find a good one but GC had about 6 out in this color stain (I didn't like the darker stain as much but might have choosen one if none of the red ones were good).

When I was first looking at guitars I tried a nude wood like this but didn't like it. After playing that epi I realized I needed this nude finish to help me slide better and more accurately. I did like the slide on a finished Studio but it had other issues so I walked. I noticed not all nudes let my hand glide as well as this one but on the most part they were better than the finished (I checked the expensive GLP Standards which also gave me problems sliding).

The itination (sp?) was perfect on all but 2 strings and those are so close I may never bother.

I won't rate just on the near perfect copy I picked. My rating will reflect more of what I saw as a general rating over all the copies I checked and how much setup this thing required. I would consider my self a super newbie. I can't play yet but I'm 47 and with the help of the internet I understand everything about them and how they should be setup, play, and sound.

Let's hope if something ever does spill on this or it gets wet from dampness or rain the finish wards it off, but I doubt it. It did come with a very nice case which an epi does not. That's like $150 off the price if it came without and you had to buy. I'll have to knock it a few points because it's not finished but in all fairness, I got a GREAT Gibson for an EXCELLENT price so this really isn't meant to knock their attempt.

I've heard they are nice folk but I never contacted them (I should call them to see if this bridge pickup is abnormally hot or if the neck is just weak but I doubt I will).

Overall this is an excellent guitar for the money. I just started playing (Dec '07) but I'm 47 with a lot of time on my hands to figure out what I want quickly (that epi was the first but I could never get the hang of sliding my hands down it's neck for some reason. They would always stick even after it was rubbed with baby power several times). I also certainly enjoy the Gibson name over Epiphone. My favorite features have to be how it feels in my hands and how it sounds and price (did I mention you get a free case as well!). At this price point I think you'd be hard press to find something that plays as well and can do most music types well. Thank you Gibson for making such a great instrument that doesn't require an extreme fiscal devotion!

Features are just the same as on any Gibson les Paul...No Problems found...

That's were this guitar performs hands down...worth every cent I paid for it!

Mine looks great! It took Gibson 4 guitars to get it right, but you see Gibson DID get it right! Unlike over companies out there Gibson USA Stands behind their product!

Built like a Tank and I'd Gig alone with this guitar anytime...but first the Nut needs to be replaced with that of a Bone material...then the guitar won't float in and out of tune...(minor issue for my guitar Luthier)

Gibson is the best...it took them 4 guitars to get me a Cherry! But they DID get me a cherry...A real quality guitar!

Great in all areas! Tone is excellent too! Neck is Big and frets are large and level! Great Guitar!

All Mahogany body with satin nitrocellulose finish in cherry. Wood grain really comes through and is very durable. Has the burstbucker pro pickups which put this guitar in another class based on its price point. Came with a good quality case. Typical Les Paul Studio setup for neck, tuners and controls.

The sound is really big and warm for a guitar in this price range. The burstbucker pro pickups are tempered by the all mahogany body. Excellent for hard rock (AC/DC) and blues. Feels like a cross between a Les Paul standard sound and an SG. Seems best with a high gain amp. I have a Mesa Express 5:25 and this guitar really lights it on fire. The pickups can easily push it into overdrive, but also have sensitivity. Gets feedback easily in the high gain settings, but the good kind - not microphonic. Tried it with my '59 Baseman reissue, but it didn't sound as good as with the Mesa. A tad more muddy in the mids. I was looking for a lower priced guitar I can travel around with and tried several in the $500 range including PRS SE models as well as an Epiphone Les Paul Ultra. The Gibson was a couple of hundred dollars more, but the sound was way above the class of the others.

The guitar came set-up well from the factory, but a later setup (intonation) improved the sound. Action was low - how I like it, and plays fast and easy. The cherry finish on the body really shows off the wood grain and is really good looking although you can see the seems, but this doesn't bother me. I would have preferred natural finished wood on the headstock instead of the black plastic looking veneer. Fit and finish were very good - no visible flaws.

This guitar looks and feels like it can take a beating. I bumped the body several times and no apparent dings due to the thin natural finish. It feels very solid if not on the heavy side, but no heavier than other Les Pauls I've tried.

No experience yet with Gibson customer service.

I've been playing for a few years now mainly with rock and blues. I'm overall please with the Gibson and I didn't regret spring for a Les Paul Custom I had been gawking over; the vintage mahogany provided the sound I was looking for and the durability at a great price point. In addtion, I have a Eric Johnson strat and a PRS CE Maple top (most recent purchase), along with a Breedlove focus on the accoustic side. I had an American Deluxe HSS strat, which I traded for the EJ model. I play these though a "59 baseman reissue and a Mesa Express 5:25. I have a roland AC60 for the Breedlove. I love each guitar for its own sound, but of the electrics my favorite is the PRS.

VM Les Paul, bought it new` in 2005, worn cherry finish, mahogany body/cap, 2 vol, 2 tone, 2 Gibson Burstbucker Pro Humbuckers. The only real differnce between this and a regular Studio model are the humbuckers, and the finish, which is a satin finish. I read another review which stated it had a chambered body...when did they start making 'em with chambered bodies? Mine is heavy as hell. But that's the way I like it. I replaced the tuners at one point, with Grovers, which I realize now are just clones of the Gibson tuners that were on it when I got it. So now, I'm getting some of the new Grover Rotomatics with 18:1 gear ratio.

After playing this, and then playing a Les Paul Standard at Guitar Center with the same amp, no less (Vox AD15), the sound is almost identical. No two guitars will ever sound exactly alike, however. It suuits my musical style, I play a lot of Page/Frehley pentatonics and 70's style proto-metal. This guitar is perfect for that stuff. At the moment, I'm between amplifiers...waiting for my new Roland Cube to arrive (15w version...I'm mainly a bedroom player). In the past, I've played it through Marshalls, Line 6, and Vox amps and it sounds pretty damn good. Nice and crunchy, but a "cleaner" sounding crunch, a lot clearer than any other pickup I've played. The BB Pros tend to get a bit shrill at times, but it's not really a problem. It isn't noisy at all, if you have a good cable like a Monster, and if the outlet you're using is fairly new. The wiring in my house is very old, so it's not gonna be 100% quiet. Still, it's do-able.

I will say one thing about this guitar...the frets are a tad sharp when you first pick it up. It does take some getting used to. Not a problem for me because I've played it for so long. There were no problems from the start, but after about seven months of play, I needed to have it professionally set up. I was noticing very audible buzzing on the low E, 9th and 10th frets, as well as a few other areas. After having proper setups done a few times after that, I can say that the pickups are pretty much rght where I want them as far as height is concerned. One of the peaople that worked on it pointed out that lately Gibson has been using cheap imported switches rather than the Switchcrafts they'd previously been using. I may replace that at some point. Also, the tuners are definitely going to need replacing. I can't be playing wide bends and have the strings slipping out of tune. I'd say definitely buy new tuners right away with this thing.

I'm a bedroom player, so this thing probably won't be seeing any live action any time soon. If it did, I'd use a backup. You just never know what can happen to your stuff in a public setting. But I think this guitar would last. I'm not gonna try and smash it, or drag it around like a caveman, throw it across the stage like a javelin. I take care of my stuff because I want it to serve me well in the long run. The finish may be a slight issue, being a satin finish. It doesn't take much to ding up the paint, which is why I probably wouldn't use it live anyway. But overall, a very heavy, sturdy guitar that's great for playing rock.

They're usually pretty good.

I've been playing for nearly 15 years. At the moment, the only other piece of gear I own is a Marshall MG15, which I'm returning to MF in a day or two. My Cube 15 should be arriving at the beginning of next week. I'm looking forward to hearing what this guitar will sound like through the overdrive setting on the Cube (which is basically the famous Boss yellow-box super overdrive technology built into the amp). I used to have a lot of other gear, which I sold due to limited room space, and financial reasons. But I've had this guitar nearly 2 and a half years and I plan on keeping it. I love the weight, sound, and feel of it. The inlays look more like aged pearl than on other VM's I've seen. They have a slightly "yellowed" look, depending on the light. I'd like to think mine was unique because of this, like someone made a mistake at the factory or something, but I'm sure there are others out there like it. One thing I wish it had were better tuners, but like I said, that's not far off into the future. I've tried other guitars like strats, cheaper Les Pauls and even a Dean Cadillac, but I just couldn't get used to those. When I'd play this, and then play my Cadillac, the difference was like night and day. It was like getting out of a Humvee and then jumping onto a moped. The Gibson is a much more solid, confidence inspiring instrument. It's also pretty cool to be able to copy the tone of people like Jimmy Page and Ace Frehley. When Frehley got his first Gibson Les Paul, it had P.A.F's. It wasn't until after the first KISS album and tour that he switched to Dimarzio DP100's. Those are great pickups, too! But Good old Gibson P.A.F's are what he used to get that classic sound on that first record. It still sounds great 34 years later. Burstbucker Pro's are simply the next step in the evolution of the P.A.F. and I'm glad I have them in such a relatively low priced guitar.

These burstbucker pro pickups sound like the tone in my head.

Play through an epiphone valve junior head with a 2x12 laney cab. I don't even plug in my tube screamer or any effects. I don't need them, because nothing sounds better than the guitar's unadorned sound.

I bought it used on craigslist. It was good to go.

A friend broke the neck, but that happens a lot with les pauls. I've broken the headstock on my epiphone les paul twice. It's the price you pay for the tone and sustain.

After friend broke the headstock, I called Gibson (awesome 24-hour customer service stocked with knowledagle caring personel) and they recommended Broken Neck Guitars in Boston. Broken Neck's Peter fixed my guitar up good as new, set it up with new strings and now it sings so sweet.

My best musical purchase. Coupled with Epiphone's Valve Junior Head, a decent cab, My rig rivals my real estate for best purchase of life. I love this guitar. If I had the loot, I'd buy 10 of these and 10 Epi valve jr. heads and sit on them for an investment.

Pretty basic, mahogany body (laminate), mahogany top, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, mother of toilet seat block inlays, 50's profile (rounded) neck, Kluson banjo tuners, Stop tailpiece and bridge, very thin nitro finish, chambered body, two burstbucker pro pickups, lots of grain to be felt on the neck and body. Two volume and two tone controls, 3 way pickup selector switch. USA made, very simple guitar but then that's the way I like them.

I play rock and rock oriented blues music, nothing heavy, I use this guitar with a few different 1x12 combo amps depending on the gig I'm playing, ranging in wattage from 15 to 50 watts (tube). The guitar has a typical les paul sound with some extra shimmer or acoustic vibe due to the chambered body. It's clean tones are good, neck pickup is full and beefy, bridge pickup is fine - I don't use it for clean tones and haven't on any other les paul I've played. Middle switch selection is very nice sounding as well. For crunch and lead tones the bridge pickup is very nice sounding, will do the typical Les Paul crunch ala Gary Moore, Slash, Page, Warren Haynes very well, sounds like a damn les paul. In higher gain amp settings the pickups do feedback some, not unusual as the burstbuckers are higher output pickups than standard PAF style pups, but then I knew that when I tried out the guitar. Overall, this guitar sounds just like a les paul, sounds very similar to my R7, perhaps not as complex and has some "dead spots" on the neck where notes don't sustain long but then all guitars have these issues, that's why you've got to hunt to find the good ones.

The sound of this guitar at the price I paid is what sold me, it's a fine guitar for the money and sounded better than any of the imports I tried, and I tried them all. There were a few guitars I tried that sounded better at twice the price, but they didn't sound that much better.

Let me premise this by saying I only paid $650 for this guitar -

now for my observations:

Intonation - I dont' think Gibson did anything other than slap the tailpiece, bridge and strings on this guitar, stuck in the box and shipped it. I bought the guitar for GC so you know it received no special treatment once they received it, so if you don't know how to check and intonate a guitar you'll most likely need to have tech set it up (or tell the store to do it before you pay for the guitar) once you buy it to get the most out of the guitar.

Frets - I tried about a dozen of these out before I bought one and I picked the one with the best balance of all factors, the frets on mine are quite nice and the action is perfect, on others I tried the frets were rough on the edges and the action buzzed at standard string height.

Pickup Height - totally off on each guitar I tried out, the pups were way too close to the strings. Easily remedied with my pen knife while trying out each guitar - I should have charged GC for my services...

Finish Flaws: none on the one I bought, others I tried had issues, sloppy joint fit, lots of glue filler in the block inlays, nuts not finished off properly, bent tuners, dents and dings, again you need to try them out before you buy, mail ordering would be a tough way to go with this guitar, so many I tried out had issues. Perhaps much of this had to do with buying from GC - guitars on disply do tend to get abused, the one I bought was new and still in the box but I tried several other new guitars that had similar issues with the finish. I can't give this guitar a high mark for fit and finish due to set up issues I found with every guitar I tried out. I think Gibson should pay extra attention to the guitars with a lower price point as many novice players will buy them not knowing the set up problems are robbing them of a good action and overall tone.

The big selling factors for me on this guitar were it's playability and weight. Once set up this guitar is an excellent player, and it's very light, lighter than my EJ strat, easy to play for hours without shoulder or neck fatigue - not like my R7, it's a log and if it wasn't so damn beautiful I would get rid of it and just play this guitar!!! So, I'm giving this guitar a rating based on all the others I had to try out to get a really good one.

The guitar seems structurally sound, the finish is fine for what the guitar is and I personally like a plainer finished guitar. It does ding a little easier due to the thin nitro finish but then it's going to age nicer/quicker than a poly coated guitar. I hope it wears off in a year! I've been playing guitar in bands for 25+ years and only want to take one guitar - never had a problem, don't think I will with this guitar. I have others but I don't like carrying the damn things around.

who knows, I do my own repairs anyhow.

Great guitar for the money, if you buy one take it tech and spend a little extra to have it set up properly if it needs it, have the store check the intonation for you if you don't know how to do it and make them set it before you write the check! I've been playing for many years and for the most part a guitar is a guitar - I'm going to sound like me no matter what I play, but this guitar does have the les paul vibe at a significanlty reduced price from a standard, it's light and plays very well. For the money it's a great deal. If it were stolen I would definitely hunt down another one. I did compare this guitar to the PRS SE, Micheal Kelley, G&L tributes, Parker PM20 and a host of other imports and FOR ME this guitar sounded and played the best. With some tweaking to get it set up right it sounded fantastic and played even better.

We'll for an inexpensive Gibson USA Les Paul Studio about the only feature missing (I feel) is the rich beautiful finish. So for me this was only a finish decision as build quality, playability and tone where my first considerations. It is a Studio model with the 59 rounded neck, 22 fret, twin Gibson Burstbucker Pro's/Alnico 5 magnet, faded finish (mine is faded cherry), mahogany body and top/cap (most Gibson Les Pauls have a maple top/cap, mahogany all the way around except for the fretboard which is ebony or rosewood, with Gibson vintage style tuners non-locking (green), studio style (clear on black)control knobs 2 volume and 2 tone controls, tune o matic bridge, rounded/carved top, standard Les Paul switch, treble, middle and rythm position, came with a Gibson USA hardshell case made in Canada. I have played a few other Gibson's including a 60's model sg, couple of studio model's and one or two standards. Comparing across this time span along with current production I think this is a great Gibson guitar with plenty of muscle and usable features for the money and it is made in the USA which is important to me. My American dollar helping other Americans to make a living. I rate this guitar an 8 which I think is very high. The reason is compared to the majority of guitars on the market today it has what it takes. It's a guitar that works and works well. Proven design but not flawless.

Personally I have always been a fan of the Les Paul sound. I like the strat, tele sound too and have played & owned the Fender and G&L Strats both, sound great but if you want a LP sound I would buy a LP. Fender is really being competitive with the HSS Stat models with the humbucker in the bridge position and I have played these but to me it does'nt quite reach the LP sound. Though it definitely is very versatile and reaches into the LP arena and maybe there pocketbook too. For me the Gibson Les Paul definitely has its place in tone, sound and music styles. I like to play the LP mostly for rock although I play country music too. I like southern rock, classic rock and grunge/punk rock like Lynrd Skynrd, CCR, Green Day, Bush, BTO, the Steve Miller band, etc. I think it can fit many other music styles also its just mostly known for its rock and roll fame (The LP has been played in many music genres). I am currently using a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 1x12 tube amp for playing. On the clean channel this guitar can produce several useful tones. It can go from a very clean sound to a heavy overdriven sound with no effects. I think this is partly due to the Burstbucker pups. On the overdrive/distortion channel it does not sound as good to me but on the clean channel with or without effects it can have a very powerful LP tone sound. I do not find any more noise through this guitar than the amp already produces on its own which is not to bad on the clean channel. As with most tube amps this guitar sounds best when the amp is cranked up and the tubes are working full throttle. I am going to try a Ibanez TS808 and TS9 with this rig and see what I get. I think it will be good. My guitar can go from a twangy sound on the treble side to a powerful rich full warm chunky sound on the mid and rythm switch settings. It can sound very powerful on the treble side too just depends on your settings and equipment. For me the sustain is awesome. Probably due to the all mahogany body and top with no heavy finish to keep the wood from breathing and vibrating. On most settings that I have used, this guitar sings out and you can hear the notes and harmonics ringing out. It can also be set to a very heavy bass rythmic sound but note and chord clarity is not present. I think for a LP this is a very versatile guitar, personally I think this model would hold its own with any Gibson Les Paul made, maybe not the best but for the money very good. Overall my LP sounds great to me and definitely was what I was looking for in LP tones. I am very please with the sound qualityand tone of my guitar. This guitar does have a slight tendency to feedback with my amp and is the same no matter where the volume or mids is cranked but I kinda of like that. Everyone is different. Best thing to do if you can is to play many models and brands to see what kinda of dynamite you like. No two guitars are the same although they may be very close. Remember most guitars are made of wood and no two pieces of wood are identical even if there from the same tree. If you are serious about playing and tone then buy the best guitar you can afford which may not be the most expensive one.

The setup is ok from the factory. I like the factory action but did notice that the nut needs some filing to get the strings to seat better. The frets are well done but are slightly high and sharp which does not bother me alot, I also play acoustic so when you switch over to the LP it feels great. No fret buzzing with the factory setup. My guitar with a good setup job would probably be excellent. The pickup adjustment is ok for me but then that is kinda a personal thing. I will probably adjust mine sooner or later just to see what it does for sound. I would'nt say this guitar is bookmatched but the matching and wood grain are very nice and not noticable from 2 feet away. Fret fitting is nice. Pup fitting is nice. Neck fit is nice. Tuners work well and stay in tune most of the time. An upgrade in tuners might be in order. Switch and knobs work good. A little noise on the pickup switch when operated. Might need to check electical connections. Output jack solid and tight no noise. Two of my knobs are slightly out of level when you turn them there is a slight wobble although I cannot feel it when I adjust them. The knob action is smooth tight and progressive. The wood is very nice though it is a little rough but then mahogany does not have the smoothest grain. The finish is great exactly what I expected from vintage mahogany. The case is great good fit and functions properly. This guitar is light to me, fits my playing style well, and is comfortable. With time and polishing it will look great. If you want a work of art then this is not your guitar

Yes this guitar will stand up to performing live and it is very well built and durable. For live performing would probably be a good idea to make some upgrades like strap locks, tuners and have it totally checked out electrically and set up but out of the box it would do but if my livelyhood depended on it I would test everything first and I would do that with any brand of guitar, holy grail or not. Good hardware, durable. Strap buttons are solid. The finish is thin and that goes a long way in making this guitar affordable and I am sure that with long playing times the finish will wear. Then it will truly be "vintage". I would think most serious performing musicians would always have a backup no matter how bulletproof there #1 guitar is, you never know what will happen.

I bought this one new and sent the warranty card in so it has the standard Gibson warranty for life. Have not sent it in so I do not know about that. I did call Gibson before I bought this guitar just to get a feel for the company and they were very helpful and answered all my questions. They said if there were any problems (stated in warranty) they would take care of it. This Gibson model was made for a specific retailer and that kind of put me off but when I got the guitar that was laid to rest. I like it and would replace it if necessary.

I have played about 10 years and do not own any other gear at this time. I sold off all my stuff over the years and bought new stuff. Sold a great G&L Strat (stupid). For me this guitar was a great buy. Awesome sound, quality build, playability is very good for me. For an inexpensive version of the Gibson Les Paul I think its a great deal. This is just my review. Lots of guitar players out there and lots of different opinions of gear, sound, tone, and playing styles etc. This guitar hits hits the sweet spot for me.

I don't need to give you the specs because a lot of other people already have. Also if you want the exact specs go to musicians friend or guitar center online.

It has the features of a gibson so it isn't realy high tech or anything but that's what i like about it. I'm gonna give it a 9 because i don't like all of the digital crap anyway. Even though it comes with a (beautiful) hard case i wish it came with a cable, strap, cleaning kit and picks like most fenders do.

Now this guitar is one of the best ever in this field. the nitrocellulose laquer finish really lets the wood reverberate. the mahogany isn't as dark or muddy as you'd expect - it's very nice. The burstbucker pros are wonderful and can get anything from a bluesy deep smooth dark tone to an obliterating distortion to a telecaster- like jangle to a screaming lead. The humbuckers are surprisingly wonderful clean which surprised me as humbucker are known to struggle in that field.

I'd also like to say that the body is weight relieved so it is lighter than a solid chunk of wood. It also gives it a surprsingly loud acoustic sound. I find myself playing it acoustically often! My guitar is about 8 pounds on my bathroom scale.

No problems here. It was all great.

I would almost gig without a backup it is so good but i'd bring a spare if i could in case a string broke (which isn't the guitars fault). The finish will break in real nice on the neck soon too because of the nitro so i'm happy. The only thing is i wish it didn't dent as easy. Mine hasn't yet but i'm kinda afraid it will a little.

Haven't had to deal with them. Don't think i'll need to but gibson is a great company from all of my experience

I play hard rock, some blues, rock, some non-distorted rock, classic rock and a little acoustic and funk and this guitar will handle it all. I know i'm NEVER selling it. I don't regret getting it at all.

Pretty standard classic electric guitar features. Pick-up switch, volume and tone knobs all in good working order and of good quality - I have read some complains about the pick-up switch but mine works fine. The input jack also seems to be good quality - no wiggling around and no noise.

The neck is a little rough but is the perfect thickness. The tuners are okay but not great. The serial number indicates that mine was built in January of 2007.

It sounds great. The pick ups seem pretty hot and are little prone to feedback. When playing with a lot of distortion it sounds really big which based on the price suprised me - I was a little worried when I got it that it would sound like a supporting player but it has a voice like it's much more expensive counterparts - I big growling Les Paul voice. The clean sound is very bight. The guitar does lean a little to the treble side but has decent bottom and does muting really well.

I play blues, metal, punk and like that I can get many different sounds out of this guitar. My main amp is a Peavey Classic 30 (that screams) and I also have a 5150 when I am in a really heavy mood.

I bought mine used. If the way it was set up was from the factory it was pretty bad but I suspect the 15 year old I bought it from messed around with the bridge and tailpiece. I spent about 15 minutes eyeballing it and got the action nice and low with no buzz - so as far as action goes it's very adjustable.

The finish is pretty rough but it is still a very nice looking guitar. Mine is worn brown - i would have preferred the faded cherry but I got a very good deal so I took what I could get. If you want a gorgeous LP you are going to have to shell out the bucks. It would be nice if the back of the neck was a little smoother but that is totally fixable. Also, as documented by many - some of the fret ends are pretty sharp - once again very fixable by the end user.

As I have said - I have not had mine very long but I know a good guitar when I feel it. This is a very good guitar. The neck feels like it is set in stone and the hardware is chrome which I for one think looks far cooler than cheeseball gold and looks good a hell of a lot longer. It is a solid guitar.

Have not needed support.

Okay - the bottom line. This is a Les Paul for the masses and it is still not cheap. It does require a little refinement before it's really "yours" but those are pretty easy refinements. If you are wondering whether you should buy this thing, which granted is not the prettyest guitar in the world or buy and epi Les Paul I offer this opinion: Are you nuts? This guitar blows the Epi away. Be the guy on stage with a great sound rather than the guy backstage trying to screw back in his input jack. This guitar sounds great, feels great (with minimal work), was made in the USA and will last for years. Everytime I look at that headstock and see that honest to God Gibson logo I get a huge smile!

You know by now. Most all the standard Les Paul features with the exception of a few. No nitro laquer, no binding and a slightly thinner overall thickness. The top is a 2 piece Mahogany in lieu of the usual 2 (or more) piece Maple cap. The tops on all these (and the regular Studio models) are slightly thinner, that's where the overall thinner thing comes from! I have heard some people have actually gotten 1 piece backs on these, but mine is a 3 piece back. really could give half rats @ss less how many pieces it has beacuse the sound is there.

Sounds better to my ears than my beloved '94 Standard. A fuller, darker, smoother sound. I like the frets on the VMs' better than the fat & flat style used on the '90s Standards. I also believe the BB pros are a much more PAF-ish type of sound as opposed to the 490R & 498T used on my Standard (they also use the same setup on the regular Studio models). I've heard many people say the BB pros are shrill or tinny, but I just don't find that to be true. It could been shielded a bit better, but it's no super noisy. If you play super high-gain stuff it may get buzzy, but not for blues, rock & jazz which is what I play. Overall a dark but not murky Les Paul, and it does have good clarity as well (very balanced).

Bought mine used from the original owner, whom I don't believe ever took it in for an adjustment. And seeing as he's mostly an acoustic player, doubt he did much in regards to setting it up. Everything plays just fine. The frets are well seated (and level) but as with most VMs', the fret ends could use a light filing but they aren't ragged.

Take care of it and it will last. Don't drop it, kick it around or dump crap on top of it and you should be fine. The finish is soft due to no laquer, so it will ding without too much effort. Solid harware, good electronics, all's fine.

Been playing for just short of 20 years. Have owned many Les Pauls over the years. Standards'/Deluxes'/Customs'/Juniors'/Specials'/Studios' and a 40th Anniversary. I've had 'em all, not bragging I've just blown alot of money over the years and wasn't smart enough to hold onto any of them. This is as good as some and not as good as others. But given the price point, and that it's considered to be a the bottom of the LP food chain, I think this thing is remarkable. Oddly enough, this is the first stock LP I've owned that I haven't felt the need to swap out the pickups. There really is nothing that I don't like about this guitar, and I have been looking to find fault. The only thing that I would have liked to see on these would be a very thin layer of Nitro. I can't see that it would have raised the price on these all that much. All in all a great "Bang for the Buck" guitar (especially if you find a good used one).

Mahogany body and neck, carved mahogany top, Satin Cherry Finish (not faded, as some would have you believe), two Burstbuckers, "aged" trapezoid inlays on rosewood fretboard, 2 volume, 2 tone knobs, TOM/stop tailpiece, Gibson Deluxe tuners (which I replaced with Grovers), 22 frets

Doesn't sound too much different from LP Standards, I assume because of the Burstbuckers. Sounds a tad darker, due to the mahogany top instead of maple. Burstbuckers are slightly tinny in my opinion, but not so much that I want to change 'em out. I thought briefly about swapping 'em with alnico 2 humbuckers, but I was hesitant because I thought I may lose some top end. Other than that, they have a complex, slightly dark, but harmonicly rich sound. Classic Les Paul sound when overdriven. Decent cleans on the bridge pup, bell like tones on the in between setting and neck setting. I can even get the classic "woman tone" with the neck pup and some overdrive. I read an article in which the author wrote that if Gibson had continued to develop the sound of the humbucker after 1960, the Burtsbucker Pro would have been the result. Being a fan of Joe Perry for the past 21 years, this was a major selling point of this guitar for me, because these come stock in Joe's signature Gibson model. I play basic hard rock (Kiss, Aerosmith, some Guns n Roses, Led Zep), and this guitar is made for that stuff. It's a slightly heavy guitar (after all, it's mahogany), but that's part of the allure of a Les Paul for me. I've also noticed that this guitar has a lot more bass response than the Chinese and Korean made Epiphones. The only thing I don't like (and it's a cheap and easy fix)...the rhythm/treble switch. I took it to a tech because there was a loss of sound when I switched from treble to rhythm, and he told me that mine was the second Gibson he'd seen that week which had a cheap imported switch installed in it. He told me that Gibson usually uses Switchcraft switches, but for some reason they were now using these generic models from other countries. But he fixed the problem (a little dirt) and it works fine now. Keep in mind I've had it for nearly two years, so a little accumulation of dirt is to be expected. But I take care of my stuff.

It was two years ago when I bought it, so my memory is a little foggy about the details, but I remember being pretty satisfied with it right out of the case. I've had it set up a few times since then, and I set the action pretty low. It's easier for me that way. I changed the strings right away when I bought it. Fret edges are a tad (just a tad) rough, but I've gotten used to that and it's not much of a problem now. One change I'm planning on making is putting Grover Rotomatic tuners on it. I mentioned that I replaced the Gibson tunres with Grovers, but the ones I used were the "Keystone" tuners, with the ugly snot green color. They're pretty much replicas of the Gibson tuners that came stock. So I plan on putting rotomatics on there, they seem to be more stable, and better looking.

I don't play out, but I think this thing would get pretty dinged up on the road. Keep in mind, there's no nitrocellulose finish, or whatever Gibson uses on the LP Standards. Mine has a few dings, one from a set of keys being thrown at me while I was playing (I'll let you people use your imaginations on that one). The hardware seems pretty solid, but I'm eventually planning on installing a Tonepros bridge. Strap buttons are solid, if you don't keep unscrewing them and screwing them back into place, like I did. I stripped the wood in the slot in the front. Had to have it repaired. Like most players, I'd never use any guitar without a backup.

I've had it set up/repaired a number of times, and changed the tuners, so I assume I voided the warranty. I've dealt with Gibson before, and they were pretty cool.

I've been playing for over fourteen years and probably owned about ten guitars in that time. Right now this is my only guitar. I do plan on getting another, probably an Elitist LP Standard Plus or Elitist '57 Goldtop. I play it through a Marshall AVT20, A VOX AD15VT, and a Marshall MG15 Zakk Wylde micro stack, my favorite amp at the moment. I don't use any effects whatsoever, except a little reverb every now and then. If it were stolen or lost, I'd probably buy another depending on my financial situation. The only thing I really hate about it is the fact that it goes out of tune pretty easily when I bend strings. But then again, buy better tuners and it's less of a problem. I love the sound, the feel, the sustain, and even the weight of this guitar. Even the fretboard inlays look awesome. they have this cool "aged" look, like on a les paul classic. It adds a bit of charm. I kinda wish it had binding on the neck, and maybe even the headstock, but that's an afterthought. Like I said, I'm a fan of Joe perry, and other players from the same era, like Ace Frehley, Jimmy Page, Paul Kossof, and younger guys like Slash and Zakk Wylde. When I finally had the money to own a real Les Paul (with Burstbuckers no less) I had to get this one. It just made sense.

Instead of writing here about the ???features??? of this guitar, I???m going to focus on what the guitar lacks. Hopefully, this will help somebody decide whether this is the guitar they want.

This guitar is a good guitar, but more importantly, it is the beginning of a great guitar! What I mean by that is that all essential parts of a Les Paul are here, but in unfinished form. If you???re willing to pay good guitar tech a few dollars to fix a couple of problems, you???ll have a guitar that will make your jaw drop (assuming you want that thick-assed Les Paul sound). I believe it???s a super deal -- even after you factor in the extra expense and hassle.

First, electrostatic shielding on the guitar is practically nonexistent. This is not important if you don???t use higher-gain distortion. If you like your distortion, however, you are not going to be happy with the BUZZ. The fix is simple: shield the control cavity and the switch cavity (or hire a tech to do it). Well worth the effort. You can test yours by plugging into a distortion pedal (like a Boss DS-1 or MT2) and cranking up the gain. Completely remove you hands from the guitar and listen to the buzz. Then lick your finger and touch the bridge. Nearly all the buzz that disappeared when you touched the bridge will be gone forever with proper shielding. You could even remove the string ground after shielding if you care to.

Second, the frets are not very well finished and I could not get the action as low as I like it without a lot of buzz.. That???s not to say that the stock action was horrible. It was passable, and for folks who don???t mind having it a tad on the high side, or who don???t mind a bit of fret buzz here and there, it isn???t a problem. For me to be happy, I had the frets leveled (it didn???t take much) and recrowned. Also, the sharp fret ends protruded slightly beyond the edge of the fretboard on mine, so I filed the edges to a slightly rounded profile, like on my American Standard Strat. Nice!

There is more you can do to improve/personalize the guitar, but if you fix these two problems you have a really nice axe.

The Burstbuckers that came on mine are slightly microphonic, which is a great sound to me! It???s the way pickups were in the old days. Another cool thing about microphonic pickups is that you can yell into the pickups and get some really cool sounds out of your amp (leave the distortion on)! These are very nice for certain sounds (like some early Led Zep when plugged into a Marshall). I tried several pickups in the bridge position and settled on the Gibson 498t. I don???t need to get every sound in the world out of this guitar-I just want a couple of excellent sounds. That pickup in this guitar through a Muff through a good clean amp (not the Marshall) through a couple of Governor speakers in a closed back cab and, well, all I can tell you is that I just melt when I hear that sound. But that???s me.

The tuning machines? They???re vintage, right? Am I the only one who likes more control over the tuning? These are fast and they hold your tune, but getting that last little cent or two of in-tune-ness is kinda touchy. I???ll probably replace them at some point.

One more personal touch on mine is that I didn???t like the feel of the back of the neck. It wasn???t smooth. I rubbed it out with wet 600 grit sandpaper until it was nice and smooth. Not it feels very natural and very fast (of course, you have to like the slightly girthy neck, which I do).

Mean, thick, Les Paul drive.

This rating is for the stock guitar.

I think it will last, but who knows?

Called Gibson yesterday with questions about the pickups. The guy who helped me was very good. Did a search through the database and answered all my questions in detail!

This rating reflects that I believe this to be a fairly well made, decently priced American guitar.

Standard Les Paul Features

This is a follow up to a review I did a year ago. Still have the guitar and still love it. This and an EJ strat are my main guitars. I've owned several LP Standards over the last 40 years and this is the only LP I've ever loved. The pups are amazing. The neck is perfect. Sustain to the max. Tone out the ying yang. Oh yeah, this guitar and a good tube amp (tubes are the only way to go in my old old old book)just nails vintage Neil Young. I still prefer a strat for the clean tones, but for down an dirty, garage band rock n roll, this is the axe I've always wanted. All mahogany, all vintage LP tone. For under a grand. I can't see why anyone would spend thousands more for just a pretty finish. Unless your making videos for a label and care about image, and lets face it..none of us are, this is the LP that'll make people say "wow! that guitar sounds great!"

Basically crap finish work and thats what I expected. Spend a few bucks and get it finished/setup. You're still way ahead of the in the value market.

Very reliable, "it's a tank". Lack of finish is a plus in my book, the guitar just resonates wonderfully. Strap buttons suck. Replace them. I gig this without fear of dings, dings are just vibe on this guitar. Oh yeah, I wouldn't go on any gigs without a backup guitar. Even the best guitar can be dropped, spilled on, etc...
I usually bring at least 3 guitars to a gig, this, my EJ strat and an Epi 335 for backup.

Never tried to get it repaired thru Gibson. I've dealt with Gibson many times and while sometimes you get lucky and find someone who cares, most of the time they don't. They get $3000 a guitar while offering lousy service, they have no incentive to improve as long as we keep buying their stuff anyway.

In my 38th year of guitar playing. Besides the LP and EJ strat I've got an Epi 335, '65 Guild CE 100D (ES 175 style), '73 Guild F40 acoustic, Guild JF 65 12 string, Taylor 655 12 string, a beat up mexi-frankenstrat(for those parties that might get out of control!), a Jazz Bass for home recording and some old no name 6 string for camping and such. I play thru either a Cyber Twin SE, Peavey Classic 30 or my little Peavey Classic 20 (best lil 15W tube amp I've ever played thru). The only pedals I use are chorus and od. I really just prefer natural tube od and a good guitar.

This guitar is Frick'n Awesome. Sure it aint all pretty like a standard Les Paul, but it sounds just as good. I really like the satin worn cherry finish. It dosen't really protect the guitar though. But I like the worn look. There aren't alot of features, but what do you expect from an $800 American made Gibson. The fact it is American made is worth the price tag in its self.

This guitar fits me great. I love the Burst Bucker Pros it has. Pinch harmonics just ride right off her. I play all sorts of music, and this guitar suits them all. I run her thru an American made Peavey TransTube Supreme 100 watt head, that is plugged into a Peavey cab. It just sounds so good. I own 12 guitars, 1 of them is a Gibson SG Standard. I like the Gibson far better than any other maker.

Well. Like I said earlier. I love the worn cherry finish. My only beef with this guitar is that it kinda smells like cat pee. I don't know why. I don't even have a cat. It was pretty well set up. It plays pretty smoothly. The controls are a bit stiff, but they will loosen up with time.

This guitar will be a great live guitar. But only if you don't care if it gets banged up, because it gets dents really easily. I like that about the guitar. I like the worn really used look. The finish won't last too long. This is a guitar that you can depend on. The strap buttons were not real secure, so I switched them out for some strap locks. Like I said before, I own 12 guitars, so I would always have a back up. You never know what could happen.

I have never delt with Gibson Customer Support.

I have been playing for 7 years now. I am also a Luthier, I build stringed instuments. So I think I know a good guitar when I see one. Like I said earlier, I own 12 guitars, 2 Gibsons-1 Les Paul, and 1 SG Standard. I also have several substandard guitars. B.C. Rich Warlock. I have several guitars that I have built myself. If my Les Paul were lost or stolen, I would buy it again. I love everything about this guitar except the cat pee smell. I really wish it would have come with binding, but like I said before, what can you expect from an $800 USA made guitar? The fact it is USA made is worth the price tag. This is one of those guitars you will rather love, or hate.

The Les Paul Studio's features are just great...that of a les Paul.

This Studio has some of the best tone I've heard come from a Gibson...no Kiddin!

Just fine...exactly what the guitar promised!

Built like a Tank!

Gibson is fantastic. I had some normal issues with the guitar and they paid the shipping "Both Ways" and gave me a New Guitar in it's place. Thanks Gibson. Another thing...their open 24/24 7 days a week to help you with anything you'll need for your Gibson Guitar...

Best buy I ever made...really! Thanks Gibson! John B. Denton
"Son of the Republic of Texas"

The Burstbucker pickups and the mahogany body are all you need to know about this guitar. Those two qualities are what defines this guitar. Some people complained about the wood grain look, but I fell in love with it. Showing the natural wood grains just seems to do it for me. The color is great, I got the Faded Cherry, but the Worn Brown looks good also. It's not a flashy guitar, and that's what I like.

The only thing I was disappointed with were the clear plastic volume and tone control knobs, I would much rather have preferred the types on the Standard.

One other thing I want to say about this guitar is the weight. I read some reviews on this site about someone complaining that this guitar was too heavy and clunky. This claim is utterly untrue. I am a small person, with a small build, and this guitar was LIGHTER than most others, and was lighter than my previous guitar, an Epiphone Special II. That said, I love the weight on this thing, it feels very natural against my body. It's not clunky at all, and is quite compact.

This is why I got the guitar after reading all the reviews, and I have to say that the sound is PERFECT. Clean, it has a very rich, full sound that resonates well with the mahogany body. Distorted is very full and throaty. Unplugged, the guitar sounds sweet and loud. I play classic rock, and put through a tube amp, produces those great vintage sounds.

If there is only one reason to get this guitar, it's for the sound. Also, the sustain is great, it just feels good to strum those full, long notes.

Here is where most people slam this guitar in review, however I FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT IN THIS CATEGORY.

I ordered mine from Musician's Friend, and straight out of the box, the guitar was set up perfectly. Super-low action with no buzzing, no scratches or marks of any kind, no glue marks near the neck joint, it was immaculate straight from the get-go. Can't complain about the stock strings that came with them, they and the tuners seem to keep everything in tune.

Some people complained that the fret ends were sharp, but I just have to ask, just how sensitive are your hands? They are not as sharp as some of you claim they are, and they are definitely not going to cut you. In fact, I found them very comfortable. The people advocating a full fret job after buying this guitar are ridiculous. I'm betting that their standards are way too high.

Some also complained about the 50's style neck, and how it was too fat or clunky. Now, before I bought this guitar and read about this, I was reluctant to buy this guitar as I have small hands, but I decided to get it anyway. All I have to say is that the neck feels great, and is not that much bigger than most modern necks. In fact, I really can't tell any difference in size. I can play as fast and as well on this neck than on any other. Don't let neck shape deter you.

The only flaw I found was that there was some rattling inside the body, perhaps some wood chips got stuck inside. Reading the other reviews, this seems to be common for this guitar, and I was not surprised. I personally don't mind, as the rattling sound is quiet, and not often.

Hardware is solid, strap buttons are kind of weak, but this guitar will definitely last you a long time.

The only complaint I have with this guitar is that the finish is so thin that it is very easy to ding/scratch this guitar. I dinged this guitar the day I got it, as I accidentally bumped it against a table, leaving a small indentation on the edge. But depending on your philosophy with dings, it may or may not be a good thing.

Never had to deal with Gibson customer support.

This is my second guitar, the first being a starter Epiphone Special II, and I have to say that this guitar is HEAVEN. It looks great, sounds wonderful, and it everything I wanted in a second, better guitar. It's a genuine Gibson Les Paul at a killer price, with the same humbuckers as a normal Studio. You cannot beat this value anywhere else.

I bought this guitar June 15th. Beautiful looks!!! Immediatley changed out the REALLY small strap buttons for locking buttons. June 16th headed to band practice. EVERYONE commented on how beautiful this guitar looks. Minimalistic. Just mahogany wood. Faded cherry. Pretty. Features are minimum. This guitar sells itself. Trust me. I rate it a 9 not becuase of its features BUT because it has what it takes to make a great sound.

Folks....many others have mentioned this.....IT'S all about the tone. This guitar has SO MUCH 'character'. TONE is what you get. Warm, sexy. Nice. Did I mention beautiful? Play live into a Crate acoustic modeling amp. The tone...you just feel like you at home. Comfy. Christian praise & worship, jazz and blues....they all get attention from this guitar. (If this guitar were a female, I would ask her to marry me.....NOT because of her body but because of who she is! How smart she is...how she makes me feel and how she responds to my needs. Get where I am going with this?

Action, fit & finish was great out of the box. Inotation was on. No complaints. Did I mention pretty? She will age with you well.

I play live. Strap buttons...see above. Otherwise solid and will age and build character along with your playing. Seems solid.

No experience yet.

I play 'live' weekly and require high standards and equipment that can take to performing. I also play a Les Paul Custom, Epiphone John Lennon Casino and Alvarez acoustic-electric. Check a few of these vintage mahogany. Find one and buy this guitar. REALLY. But buy it. If you find a good one, you will know it. BUY IT! Be a player and enjoy life! This sound can carry you.

Natural Cherry Mahogany, light "nitro" finish Les Paul Studio. "Vintage"-style Kluson tuners. The "60's" (slimmer than 50's) neck seems a tiny bit thinner than the other 60's necks I have tried, but is quite substantial. Nice hardshell case and truss tool included. Made in USA in '06 or '07. Two "Burstbucker Pro" humbucking pickups. I am pretty sure the whole guitar is made from mahogany. There appears to be a thick chunky mahogany top on a mahogany body with a nice mahogany neck.

This is what it is all about. When trying out a new guitar, I play acoustically to see if it has a "thing". This one is like an acoustic, only louder. It resonates against itself beautifully. Sounds good throughout the neck. Chords played on the upper neck have a very sweet sound, which I find rare. Pickups are balanced and rich whether clean or distorted. This is not a spanky guitar, it has a dark-ish tonality. That said, it represents enough of the spectrum that EQ-ing would probably yield the general tone you are looking for. The pickups have a nice hot output with no noise to speak of.
My favorite part of this Les Paul is that no matter where I play, single notes or chording, it sounds very good indeed.

The setup from the factory was custom made for me. I played a ton of Les Paul guitars at several stores. I played very expensive Gibsons and very cheap Epiphones. I had the cash ready to fork over for a nice Gibson Les Paul Standard, but none that I played were worth the asking price. They all had issues with setup or cosmetics. The best Les Paul I had ever played was actually a cheaper Epiphone at Guitar Center, no buzzing, fat tone, snappy responsive action. I must say I was very frustrated that I couldn't find a Les Paul that blew me away, even when I was playing the higher-end specimens. Then I got my hands on this relatively inexpensive Gibson Vintage Mahogany LP. I could tell right away it was "The One."
The guy at the store told me before I left that the intonation was probably a little out of whack because Gibson's QC is hit-or-miss, and indeed when I scoped it at home the 'high-E' and 'D' strings were just a hair sharp at the 12th fret. Other than that, the factory setup just rocked my world. Play any note, there is no buzz, just big tone. Soft touch or abusive thrash, the guitar will put out what I put in.

The natural mahogany finish looks horrible to me when I see it in catalog pictures, but when it is sitting next to me in the studio it is absolutely gorgeous. In my hands the finish feels smooth and robust. I love that it doesn't show smudges. Though it doesn't have a dazzling maple flame top, this mahogany LP is an outstanding specimen to behold.



Hardware Issues:
1. The pickguard is slightly raised from the body near the bridge pickup, so when it is touched it clicks against the body.
2. Two of the Kluson tuner knobs have a slight ridge on the side which appears to be from a molding process.

I am quite a tough customer, and close inspection of the hardware reveals no other flaws, cosmetic, mechanical or otherwise. Knobs and switch feel very solid. Clearly Gibson has access to top-notch electronic parts stock.

If it weren't for the tiny issues with the tuners and the pickguard, I would give it a 10 here.

Well, as this is just a massive chunk of mahogany, I would say it will withstand abuse as well as a coffee table.

The finish is a light nitrocellulose, which basically looks like no special finish at all. It is a satin-feeling coat on a well-sanded wood surface. This is all fine, it looks great as I mentioned, except that I imagine a few drops or impacts with sharp edges, such as a stage doorway, could cause denting in the wood that a thicker coating might absorb. No worries for me as I never play live, I am exclusively a recording musician.

The strap buttons are a little small, so much that I won't trust them to play it standing up until I get bigger ones, or strap locks installed.

Other than the light finish and the small strap buttons, this thing is built to last through rock and roll abuse. Clearly a very dependable instrument.

I have spoken with Gibson support on the phone regarding some replacement parts for my ES-335. They were quite patient and friendly though not extremely helpful, as I am the second owner of the 335 and not covered under warranty. However, in researching this purchase I did speak to them again and they took plenty of time to explain all the differences between the Epiphones and Gibsons, the various models, the pickups, and indeed the complaints about Gibson's Quality Control. I have also emailed them twice over the past few months and I never did receive a reply. If you need Gibson Support, call them.

I have been playing for 25 years. I own a personal recording studio with gear representing all the usual suspects, Fender and Gibson guitars and basses, modern and vintage synthesizers, recording-quality drum kit, boutique mic preamps, high-end compressors, etc. I make music for television for a living and rely on my equipment and software almost every single day of my life.

The only thing I wish I knew before I bought this guitar is if there is any special care it needs due to the light finish. Will it warp, saturate, or dry out due to climate changes?

If it were stolen or lost I would again set about playing a zillion Les Pauls until I found "The One" again, and I would buy that one, regardless of price. If you are picky, you have probably played several Les Pauls and not been impressed. Trust me, when you find a good one, you will know it right away. Don't let that one get away.

Having played so many Les Pauls, I am lucky that "The One" I have found is going for way less than it is worth. I doubt this will remain the case for very long. Someone is going to pull the plug on this insane value. If you play a bunch of these Vintage Mahogany LPs, you might also get lucky.

I have only written one other review at HC over the years, largely because I am usually too busy to mess with it. However, once I discovered this guitar I felt compelled to help someone else out there who is on the fence about buying one of these. These guitars might be inexpensive right now, but it is not because they are anything less than any other Gibson. Mine is just terrific. If you found a good one, buy it before someone else does, or before they stop selling them so cheaply.

This is a standard featured Les Paul Studio 3-way & 2-Vol. 2-Tone Gibson Electronics & Alnico V BurstBucker Pro Pup's
Vintage Tuners...What More Do you need! Nice Nut and Fret work! This guitar came boxed TIGHTLY SEALED from Nashville to Kansas to my Home and was not opened between Nashville and my Residence. That's a real PLUS! The Guitar's Case is built in Canada and is the Best Quality Case I've ever seen! Thanks Gibson for the Exceptional Quality!!!
THANKS FOR WELL, EVERYTHING!!!

This is where the guitar really shines! The Alnico V Burst Bucker Pro Pup's are some of the best I've ever heard and the sustain is excellent!
The Bridge Position is my Favorite...all positions are exceptional!
By the Way...Don't insult this guitar by the use of effects...Just use a good tube amp with a little tube reverb and your there!
BOY HOWDY ARE YOU THERE!!!

The Faded Finish on this guitar is very nice to the eye and to the touch! Smart idea to use just a thin Nitro coat and let her go...The guitar's tone is heavenly and the sustain, well, TRY ONE OUT AND SEE for yourself...Good Going Gibson!!!

This Gibson guitar is built well, it's a Les Paul. It's quite capable of withstanding the road or anything else you put it through...Built like a tank...Yes Sir!

Gibson has by far met and exceeded every expectation of mine concerning their guitars and I would rate them as friendly and very out going. I had a couple of items (Volume Knobs & Bridge section) I needed to replace on this guitar and I recieved them ASAP via Federal Express. There was ofcourse no-charge to me the owner. Gibsons Guitars' carry a limited lifetime warranty against workmanship and materials and Gibson delivers with their promise, YES SIR!!!

This is a beautiful Instrument and I love it. Something I haven't mentioned in the prior writing is the fact that this Gibson Les Paul Studio has one of the most comfortable '59 RoundBack Necks I've ever played on...It's just like stroking a nice ________ Well, you figure it out! If this guitar were lost or stolen I WOULD CRY!!! Then I would buy another one to replace it...HANDS DOWN!!! This is by far the best value in a guitar I have ever owned.
Thank You Gibson, Doc "The Bluesman"
Sincerely, John B. Denton
Denton, Texas
"Son of the Republic of Texas"

Made in USA Gibson Les Paul. All mahogany with Burstbuckers. Brown. Simple looking but extremely brutal.

I played 2 at Sunset GC, 1 in Pasadena, 2 in Covina, and 1 in Vegas and no similar model compare to the one I found. Compared it to maple tops and the one I found beats the ones costing 3 times more in tonality.

I've tried many Les Pauls before this and the tones did not justify their prices. Speaking of tone, this plain looking Les Paul with the Burstbuckers can go from satin-smooth clean to brutally distorted in 1 second. The Burstbuckers give you that buttery growl and if you are close enough to the amp the sound fills up every cell of your being. It can sound like unleashing 500 Panther tanks on full attack no-mercy mode. Keep it clean and you have the Penthouse centerfold with you by the fireplace. I have not changed the strings and it plays great and it stays in tune. For some mystical reason there is a special connection between me and this particular one I found. I am running it through a Tech 21 GT2 for distortion ( Classic/Calif-mode) with Mogami gold cables in between to a Class-A Crate V32 Palomino (another great stuff). The distortion of the V32 is good but can sound a little raspy. The GT2 acts like an equalizer to even up and bundles up the sound. With the V32 you get a full thick sound.The clean sound of the Burstbuckers can be so alluring and a flick of a switch you enter the ditortion mode of a buttery wallop of every chord or note you play.Unbelievable.

The action, weight, and feel are superb. For $800, I can ignore tiny flaws if any. It is about the TONE,man.

The strap buttons sucked. I replaced them with straplocks for ultimate security. This guitar can withsand live playing for sure.

Guitar Center sales people are extremely nice and helpful.I am sure it goes the same with Gibson.

I also have a American Deluxe Strat Lone Star and retired Mexican Strat with SD SH6 humbys, Taynor CV-80, and a 60-watter Mesa Boogie combo and I am sure this Les Paul will fit in just fine. I thought the Strat could serve as a one trick pony but boy am I wrong. This Les Paul should be licensed when played - it can be brutal.

great standard Les Paul Features...Burst Bucker Pro Alnico V Pup's too! Can't beat it!

This guitar sounds like heaven! The best I've heard in a Humbucker guitar! Fantastic Pup's!

I like the Finish and wood grain feel...down to earth, it's a Nitro Finish too!

SOLID and USEABLE anywhere!

Vincent is the best...excellent customer support!

I'd buy another one!or 2 Ha! The guitar case is fantastic! Great Guitar!

Beautiful guitar, mahogany, carved top, burstbucker pro pups, this thing doesn't have anything extra, pure LP.

Tone monster! I'm a total tone freak, and this has the best tone I've heard. Played it side by side with both an Eric Johnson strat and a 3300 dollar LP custom, and this puppy owns both of their souls. No noise whatsoever, and it sustains for days. I hit the metal muff, palm muted an open power chord and sat it down, went to the bathroom, came back, and it was still going. Clean it actually responds to attack, pick it light and it's super clean, dig in and it responds by driving the tubes (: I'm playing it through an Epi Valve Junior head (amazing by the way), with a "custom" 1x12 cab.

I got lucky here, frets are amazing, pups are great, body is flawless, the nut is perfectly done (better than my explorer by lightyears), action is a little high for my taste, but I like a super low action.

Tank. Only word to describe it. I'm giving it a 9 b/c the strap buttons are a joke. I'll be gigging with this baby all summer, no backup. Amazing.

Haven't had to deal with them. Don't think I will either.

I've been playing seriously now for about 5-6 months. I tend to play blues, almost exclusively. Lot's of improv and soloing (playing by myself :). If this guitar was stolen I'd buy another in a heartbeat, though I definitely can't afford it. I have a Breedlove AC250/CR acoustic (sounds better than any other guitar that wasn't a Breedlove that I've played), an Epi Explorer (selling if you want it), and an Ibanez hollowbody set up for open tunings and slide.

Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany made in the USA in 2006.
Has Worn Brown finish w/ Mahogany body and cap.
Alcino 5 BurstBucker Pro Pickups, the awesome '59 style neck, Tune-O-Matic Bridge, two volume knobs, 2 treble cut knobs, three-way pickup selector switch, truss rod tool, 22-frets, Rosewood fingerboard and a Gibson USA hard-shell case made in Canada.

It is a bare bones LP... no finish, no gloss, no binding, no frills.

This is why you bought the guitar. Not a polite sounding instrument, the Burtbucker Pros and Mahogany body make this a tone monster. Insane sustain. Deep chocolaty sounds. Excels at classic rock and blues, but is still very versatile none the less. Great LP sound.

This is were the VM takes a hit. Gibson is obviously just pounding out these guitars as fast as possible. Its took me a good while to find one that didn't suffer from one or more of the following flaws:
Sharp, poorly filed frets, wood chips rattling around in the chambers, beyond poor set-up (horrible action and intonation). I did manage to find one that was in excellent shape. I recommend you try a whole wack of them before you buy... or you may find yourself sending afew back.

This thing is built like a dump truck.
Solid and reliable. I gig with my VM and trust it, however bringing a back up just in case is always he smart idea...better safe than sorry.

The thin Nitro finish wears very fast. It first becomes very glossy then starts to cut through and wear the wood. This will be either good or bad in people's eyes. If you want a guitar thats going to look mint for a life time... this isnt it.... if you really get off on that used vintage look, you're in for a sweet surpirse. The Vintage Mahogany wears beautifully. I really love the feel of the neck once the nitro is smoothed and begins to wear... it almost feels slick, very cool.

The Strap buttons are insanly small, dare I say; useless. Install strap locks asap or your brand new VM is taking a header off the stage.

I've never had to deal with Gibson directly.

I have been playing off and on for 11 years. I've always wanted a Gibson LP, but like other starving students/artists could never muster the 3 grand needed to purchase a standard. This guitar was a heaven-sent. All the sound and playability of a Standard.... with no flash. Its all go and no show.

The pure sound of this guitar is what Gibson is selling. Worth every penny.

You know the drill on this guitar, all mahogany body, 50's neck, burtbucker pros, nothing drastically fancy but it does the job, theres weight to it none of the ones i tried were much heiver than a Strat.

Wonderful balanced gibsony sound, same pickups as the Les Paul Standard, goes from clean to crunchy with no effects, straight into the amp, sounds much better thru a tube amp but what doesn't. All around great sound fitting for rock, classic rock, alt rock, ugh... even country

This is where things get kinda sad, outa the box everything seemed good and tight, finish was there, its a nice satin finish that you will love if you like the "woody" look, action was good, low with no dead spots, frets were passible, not perfect but passible by all means, mine were nicely filled, BUT, and here comes the but, It is a weight relieved body, meaning there is a hollow spot in the upper body, and if anything ever gets stuck in there, say some wood chips that some gibson builder didn't blow out before glueing the top to the back then you have a gibson marraka/guitar, back to GC this one went for exchange, this kinda thing shouldn't happen, but it did, so be warry if you are buying, you may want to shake yours arounda bit before buying. if it weren't for this grevious ooops id give this a 9

Its a gibson, built to last, would never gig without a backup tho, sorry string breaks do happen. Hardware is the gibson standard chrome seems like it'll last an eternity. Finish is thin and will eventually wear out probly sooner than later, but thats part of the gibson vintage charm i guess, the strap buttons are super small thou, so if you don't want your gibson on the stage floor invest in some strap locks and you'll worry alot less.

Gibson is super good in this category, just make sure your warranty gets in within 15 days of purchase!

Shazam, been playing 8 years and have owned more than my share of stuff, fenders, ibanez's, washburns, schecters, both high and low end stuff, and none of it holds a candle to what this thing can do, the shorter scale, is nice and comfortable to play, this sings and sustains wonderfully, and the pickups can definetly hold thier own against any heavy handed drummer. good deal, not a great one, but a good one for sure.

Gibson Les Paul "Studio" model, Vintage Mahogany - year 2006? - USA
Cherry finish, Mahogany body
2 BurstBucker Pickups
'59 neck
22-frets w/ abalone trapezoid inlay, Rosewood fingerboard
Came w/ Gibson USA hard-shell case.

Musically, this Les Paul blends great with my playing whether it's rock, blues, jazz, country, etc. So it's pretty versatile.

The guitar sounds best when you plug it straight into an amp, cranked up a bit. Nice dynamics. I also use it with an overdrive/chorus/delay setup, which sounds cool.

The pickups have a lot of output, yet each note retains definition. Sounds rich and thick - like a Les Paul, of course - but with more overtones giving it a more chime-like quality. The neck pickup is fantastic - not muddy at all, like on some Les Pauls.

Factory set-up was adequate. The intonation was off, so I had to do some tweaking. But I had a problem with the intonation above the 12th fret, where the top notes sound sharp, especially noticeable when you play octaves. When I compensate for the pitch there by retuning, then the guitar is out of tune in the first position and lower down. I think it's a Gibson design flaw, since every other Les Paul I've owned had similar issues. I sort of ignore it and compensate with my hands when it sounds a little off-pitch.

If you like lightly finished "woody" guitars, then this one's your baby. Very natural looking, low gloss with a nice color (cherry looks great). There were some rough spots on the lower cutout on the body, like someone at the factory didn't buff it out enough.

It's reliable, relatively durable. The light finish seems like it would be more prone to getting dings and scratches, so if you're particularly precious about your guitar then you might like to baby this one on a gig.

Never had to deal with Gibson so...

The Les Paul is a classic design that just dictates what you have to do with the guitar. If you want that Les Paul sound, it's gotta be a Les Paul. When you pick one up and play it, you just know what it is...

The prices for a used Les Paul are in the stratosphere, and the other models currently offered are prohibitively expensive. This Vintage Mahogany Les Paul was relatively a steal.

Basically a Les Paul Studio '59 profile neck, Mahogany body AND cap with downgraded finish (Worn Cherry) and upgraded electronics (Bursbuster Pro pickups)as noted by other reviewers. The finish is stain plus 1-2 mil thick nitro-cellulose. Trapizoid fretboard inlays on a Rosewood fretboard. Chrome hardware and Klueson green tuners. Nice hardshell case included. I'm giving it a 10 because of the Burstbuster Pro pups on a studio model & Hardshell case for the low price (otherwise an 8).

Here is where this Gibson really shines through. This is my 3rd Gibson to own. I've had plenty of LP copies and replicas also. With the combination of Mahogany body, cap, Alnico 5 Burstbuster Pros and the paper-thin nitro-cellulouse laquer, this guitar is TONE HEAVEN. Serious, hardcore buttery tone. More than any guitar I've owned. It just doesn't stop no matter what amp I use. (Marshall Valvestate 4x12 & Line 6 2x12, several Marshall MDF's and Mesa's for reference.) It's right on par with other Les Pauls costing 2 thousand dollars more. It's very responsive and articulate and the whole body resonates when you play it. It's bright, full and throaty with plenty of bass response. Crank up the gain and the sustain just rolls on and on. Wow.

I purchased this Les Paul from GC. They had 3 left. The 2 worn brown ones looked totally abused. I could tell the nuts weren't cut properly and the intonation was off. I guess I got lucky with mine. no flaws at all. Frets were nice, finish was beautiful (really like the worn cherry, photos do NOT do it justice). The finish works well on the neck. Very fast and never gets sticky. Intonation was spot on. action was set at a mid level. Everything was lined up and played quite well. No buzzing, ratteling or noise. The pots roll off very evenly. Tuning pegs seem to be ok so far. Seems this one was properly inspected and set up. Just needed to personalize the action.

Tank. Gibson says if the finish gets shiny, use 0000 steel wool to buff it back to a satin.

Live playing? It's a Gibson, of course it will withstand live playing. Strap buttons are too small. Other than that, it's ready to rock.

Gibson has answered my emails within a day everytime I have a question. So far so good.

Again this particular model really shines. You get a uniquely finished, solid Mahogany, highly upgraded, USA made Gibson Les Paul Studio with a '59 neck profile for $799. This is an insane, insane, insane value. I believe it will only go up in price. It's really an excellent high-level guitar for good players. I did not compare this guitar to others when making a purchase. I was specifically looking for sound (for years). Happened to be this guitar.

I have been playing 31 years, both professionally and as a hobby. My guitars range from a 1951 Gibson ES 150 to a Peavy Wolfgang Standard Deluxe, with everything in between.

Although this is the most affordable carved-top guitar, it has many high-end features. It has Gibson deluxe tuners, which stay in tune very well. The main reason people talk about them detuning easily is that they don't allow the strings to stretch. Once the strings stretch these tuners are great. The neck is a '59 Les Paul neck, which is one of the most sought after necks. I love it. It came with a Gibson hardshell case. It has 22 frets. It has a solid mahogany top and back, as well as neck. The fretboard is rosewood. The rosewood on mine is very nice; it's ssimilar to ebony. It plays much nicer than my last guitar-an Epiphone Les Paul Special. There are 2 tone(treble cut), 2 volume, and a 3-way selector switch. There are 2 Gibson burstbucker pro humbucking pickups(passive), which are amazing-it's what they use on the Standards. The mahogany top is nice-it cuts down on the weight of the guitar(it's much easier to hold than a maple top Les Paul), as well as balancing the bright tone of the burstbucker pros. It has trapezoidal inlays and it comes with a pickguard.

The sound is great! I play a variety of things and it is very versatile.
I use it with a Fender Blues Junior. The neck pickup gets a warm, full, creamy sound and the bridge pickup gets an articulate sound-it sounds similar to Jimmy Page's bridge pickup. The neck pickup also gets a throaty sound when you play up high on the neck with overdrive. This guitar has a huge range of sounds it can make.

The set-up was great-the action was really low with no dead spots or fret buzz. The pickups were adjusted well. The rosewood fretboard is really playable and the frets are smooth. There were no flaws in the set-up.

This guitar seems like it is very tough. It doesn't have a shiny finish like many Les Pauls-it has the natural wood grain. The hardware seems durable. I think that it is definately dependable. However, the strap buttons are small. I will need to replace them. This is not as big a deal as it would be with a maple-top Les Paul because it is lighter but it is still a problem. I dropped it once already(the side of the rosewood fretboard chipped a little bit because it landed on a metal edge but it doesn't affect playability or anything other than the looks -and even then it's not very noticeable. No other damage was done).
I would gig with a backup just in case but I would not expect to have to use it.

I have not needed customer service but it has a lifetime warranty.

I have been taking guitar lessons for about 4 years and I'm lead guitarist in a band. I own an Epiphone Les Paul Special, a Fender Blues Junior amp, and a Fender Frontman 15W amp. My dad owns a Martin DC-15E and a Gibson Blueshawk, which I can play. If this was stolen or lost, I would get it again. The best thing about this guitar is the sound. It is far better than all Epiphones I've tried, the Blueshawk, and many other guitars I tried in stores. I wish that Gibson would put in better strap buttons on their guitars but that is a minor inconvenience. It is also an amazing value. I doubt it will stay this cheap for long.

After several months of playing this guitar, I am updating my earlier review. As stated by another reviewer, this is a Les Paul Studio model with upgraded pickups and downgraded finish. In my opinion, the most important features are the Burstbucker Pro pick ups and the mahogany carved body (3 piece main body, two piece veneer mahogany top).

As noted in all the other reviews, this is, without question, a great sounding guitar. When you crank it up and play, the tone immediately gets your attention. It is the unmistakable, classic Gibson Les Paul sound. Although I have played a lot of good sounding guitars, there are benchmark, classic guitar tones that stand alone and this is one of them. It is a signature sound. I totally agree with another reviewer who said that it has a tonal variety unlike any other guitar I have played or owned. The all mahogany body and Burstbucker Pro pick up formula works really well.

The guitar has tremendous sustain. The pick ups respond to picking dynamics and are clearer when you pick softly and break up nicely when you play hard. Outstanding blues and rock tones. It works for jazz too. With that kind of sound and range, when I first took it out of the box, as bad as the set up was, I could not stop playing the thing. I think the neck pick up is particularly good.

In the way of minor problems, at first, the guitar would not stay in tune. In response, I changed the strings and applied lube to the nut and bridge saddles. End of problem. After several months of regular playing, the guitar stays in tune even after aggressive bends and picking. Other reviewers talked about putting in new machine heads but I would suggest you try new strings and lube first. Another easy fix was the loose, upside down pick up selector switch.

In the way of bigger problems, similar to the experience of many of the other reviewers, the out of the box set up was bad. The action was very high and, in particular, the frets did not seem to have been given any finishing at all. So, you have to be prepared to do, or pay for, a thorough setup. In my case, the frets felt harsh and, in particular, the fret ends were very sharp. I opted to have a full fret job done and it made a huge difference. The overall feel of the neck and the playability improved dramatically.

My guitar was a scratch and dent purchase from a major on-line retailer. With the frets and set up the way they were, I could understand why it was a return. But, the scratch and dent price reduction coupled with an additional 10% off from another promotion resulted in a bottom line of $688.50. That price pretty much offsets most of my complaints.

The guitar has a nearly flat finish. I used super fine steel wool (0000 grade) soaked in gun stock wax (recommended by Ernie Ball for their unfinished guitar necks) to gently buff out the finish. The guitar now has a uniform, super smooth, soft shine. In my opinion, the soft sheen with the red body looks good. The lack of a high gloss finish on the neck is nice. It has a very smooth feel with zero drag on your hand

Structurally, this guitar is as solid as a tank. It also has a really nice hard shell case.

Outstanding. I sent two e-mails to Gibson customer service and in the first one, they replied overnight and in the second one, they replied within the hour. They seem to take service very seriously.

This is a diamond in the rough. Out of the box, the sound is right there but the playability is not. Based on my experience and that of other reviewers, this is a great sounding guitar that will very likely need a thorough set up to be really playable (in my case a complete fret job, refiling the nut, etc). As stated by another reviewer, find a good Gibson dealer or custom shop that you believe in and let them do their magic. Good advice. For me, the $688.50 purchase price made the extra cost of the fret job less of an issue. With the set up and fret job done, it is a nice playing, terrific sounding guitar that I am very happy with. The Burstbucker Pro pick ups are outstanding. Every time I pick this guitar up, it pours out that unmistakable Les Paul sound. I find myself mostly alternating between this guitar and two other classic, signature sound guitars. A USA Stratocaster Standard (an extremely versatile, terrific guitar) and a Fender Classic Player Series Baja Telecaster with a 4 position pick up switch, custom pick ups and the S 1 system (a phenomenal guitar). The Les Paul is right there with its own unique, trademark sound (and now, good playability).

Reading all the other reviews before I bought this guitar helped me a lot. Having all the information in advance led me to believe (correctly) that this was a great sounding guitar that would need some work. As a result, when this came up as a scratch and dent, I immediately jumped on it because I knew what to expect and that the reduced price would probably offset the cost of a professional set up (also correct).

You know the features. some complain that it hasnt got enough of them... this is silly. Its got 2 great humbuckers and 4 knobs... what more could you want? I actually prefer fewer features, since it indicates to me that your money went to high quality craftsmanship and woods and electronics, rather than a smorgesboard of cheaply done tricks to make you think its a better guitar.

Great for a warm, thick vintagey tone. Im coming off of playing a maple fretboard strat, so anything sounds thick compared to that. The tone really is nice though. The mahogany body and rosewood fb couple to give a really resonant warm sound. The control pots all function well: no noise and the guitar sounds good on settings other than with the tone control on ten, but i may later upgrade to sprauge tone caps. to me the "sound" category is why one buys a guitar in the first place, and this one just reeks of it. Good for blues, jazz, rock, country (ugh), or anything where you dont need crazy gain or saturation.

Cant comment on the factory setup since i got mine used. Frets are finished well, i was woried from the lack of binding, but there are no really jaggy fret ends, so its ok. Finish is great, becuae its "worn" you dont have to worry about every little nick the guitar gets, they dont stand out. The worn finish on the neck feels faster to me than the glossy finish on a 2000 dollar paul.

Seems solid as a rock, cant forsee any problems. Hardware is heavy, electronics are american, made from solid wood. Take care of her and she will definately last as long as you.

No warranty, since i got it used.

ive been playing for about 5 years. I play this guitar into a peavy classic 30, with a hemp speaker cone!. I dont know things just sound better through cannabis. I dont usually use effects, maybe an ocassional wah, or proco rat. The guitar sounds great, dollar for dollar probably one of the best guitars you can get. No need to waste money on some glossy finish and fancy binding or some silly tremolo... every aspect of this guitar is made to sound good, rather than looking fancy. If it were lost or stolen i wouldnt have enough money to buy another one, but i would anyway.

Standard Les Paul pickup setup and wiring. Does have the trapezoid fret markers which does make it look like a standard. No binding or
fancy finish, hence the lower cost. MIne is the faded cherry finish with a very nice Gibson USA case. Burstbucker pro pickups. See the gibson website for info on the different pickups. Mahogany back with a separate mahogany top, basically a remake of the 1954 Black Beauty without the paint and binding.

It sounds very good to me, I played a lot of Pauls and it actually sounds better than most of their models, regardless of price. It leans heavily toward vintage tones, so don't expect a metal experience. It is that old Gibson sound that is fat and bright at the same time. A little more snarl in the mids than the other Pauls with alnico 2 pickups, as the burstbucker pros are alnico 5, a major difference. Some might find it a little too honky, but it depends on your pedalboard/amp combination. My setup is as follows - Boss Tuner-Morley Wah-DunlopComp-Boss OD3-Blues Driver-Delay-Chorus-Reverb-Marshall JTM30 clean channel. This amp works for modern rock tones. I also play it straight into a Fender Pro Junior and it is vintage ZZTop "Waiting on The Bus" with this amp, a truly cool blues/rock sound experience. It is very quiet in all situations. I also use a Boss GT-8 for demo work and practice and it really sounds great into this.

I have had this ax for a year and mine was in good shape, I bought it new from Musicians friend. I had to file one fret at the 15th fret on one side. The strings it came with were junk, I put a set of Daddario 10's on it and it made a major improvement. It stays in tune good, but a Paul will never stay in tune like a strat, so don't expect it too; this is simple physics based on scale length. The guitar is pretty in it's own way, but it is not as pretty as the sunburst standards. Mine is light for a Paul at 8.5 pounds, it appears to be only one piece of wood on the back. The light nitro finish is good in that the guitar resonates, this is a major selling point. You would have to play it to understand what this does for a guitar

I replaced the strap buttons with Dunlops. As with all Gibsons don't leave it in a guitar stand or you may get it tipped over by a bar patron or a careless onlooker. The hardware is top notch Gibson parts and I would expect them to last forever. I have gigged with only this axe, but for a paying audience I would have this guitar and my strat and tele too. The finish will wear off sooner than average, but that is a plus to me. Pretty, shiny guitars with a pound of varnish are useless to me.

No experience with this.

I have been playing for 34 years. I own around 12 guitars, 3 fenders, an ibanez, a wolfgang, several acoustics, etc. I can't complain about the playability of this guitar, it is very solid and the tones are pure Gibson. I played a lot of Gibsons and many of them are just too heavy and dead sounding. This guitar sounds very alive and open. If you are in need of a Paul but are not happy with the standards or customs or other studio models, you should at least play one of these. It gives you vintage Paul tones for less money. If you can live with the faded cherry finish its a winner.
Last of all - there is a major difference between this guitar and the Epiphone Les Pauls that I have played. Basically there is no comparison in sound or playability. The Epis are pretty, but they will not sound exactly like a Gibson no matter what you do to them. It's the wood and the one piece neck for starters. That does not mean that all Gibsons are good guitars, some of the Epis do play as good as a lot of the Gibsons. I would recommend playing as many as you can before you buy, or go mail order if they have a return policy. I tried a 1986 Gibson Les Paul 2 weeks ago from a very reputable used dealer in Michigan and it was a beautiful guitar, but it sounded dead compared to the Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany that I own. All in all this guitar is worth the price paid, and that is a great thing in today's world.

Happy Playing!

Standard Les Paul pickup setup and wiring. Does have the trapezoid fret markers which does make it look like a standard. No binding or
fancy finish, hence the lower cost. MIne is the faded cherry finish with a very nice Gibson USA case. Burstbucker pro pickups. See the gibson website for info on the different pickups. Mahogany back with a separate mahogany top, basically a remake of the 1954 Black Beauty without the paint and binding.

It sounds very good to me, I played a lot of Pauls and it actually sounds better than most of their models, regardless of price. It leans heavily toward vintage tones, so don't expect a metal experience. It is that old Gibson sound that is fat and bright at the same time. A little more snarl in the mids than the other Pauls with alnico 2 pickups, as the burstbucker pros are alnico 5, a major difference. Some might find it a little too honky, but it depends on your pedalboard/amp combination. My setup is as follows - Boss Tuner-Morley Wah-DunlopComp-Boss OD3-Blues Driver-Delay-Chorus-Reverb-Marshall JTM30 clean channel. This amp works for modern rock tones. I also play it straight into a Fender Pro Junior and it is vintage ZZTop "Waiting on The Bus" with this amp, a truly cool blues/rock sound experience. It is very quiet in all situations. I also use a Boss GT-8 for demo work and practice and it really sounds great into this.

I have had this ax for a year and mine was in good shape, I bought it new from Musicians friend. I had to file one fret at the 15th fret on one side. The strings it came with were junk, I put a set of Daddario 10's on it and it made a major improvement. It stays in tune good, but a Paul will never stay in tune like a strat, so don't expect it too; this is simple physics based on scale length. The guitar is pretty in it's own way, but it is not as pretty as the sunburst standards. Mine is light for a Paul at 8.5 pounds, it appears to be only one piece of wood on the back. The light nitro finish is good in that the guitar resonates, this is a major selling point. You would have to play it to understand what this does for a guitar

I replaced the strap buttons with Dunlops. As with all Gibsons don't leave it in a guitar stand or you may get it tipped over by a bar patron or a careless onlooker. The hardware is top notch Gibson parts and I would expect them to last forever. I have gigged with only this axe, but for a paying audience I would have this guitar and my strat and tele too. The finish will wear off sooner than average, but that is a plus to me. Pretty, shiny guitars with a pound of varnish are useless to me.

No experience with this.

I have been playing for 34 years. I own around 12 guitars, 3 fenders, an ibanez, a wolfgang, several acoustics, etc. I can't complain about the playability of this guitar, it is very solid and the tones are pure Gibson. I played a lot of Gibsons and many of them are just too heavy and dead sounding. This guitar sounds very alive and open. If you are in need of a Paul but are not happy with the standards or customs or other studio models, you should at least play one of these. It gives you vintage Paul tones for less money. If you can live with the faded cherry finish its a winner.
Last of all - there is a major difference between this guitar and the Epiphone Les Pauls that I have played. Basically there is no comparison in sound or playability. The Epis are pretty, but they will not sound exactly like a Gibson no matter what you do to them. It's the wood and the one piece neck for starters. That does not mean that all Gibsons are good guitars, some of the Epis do play as good as a lot of the Gibsons. I would recommend playing as many as you can before you buy, or go mail order if they have a return policy. I tried a 1986 Gibson Les Paul 2 weeks ago from a very reputable used dealer in Michigan and it was a beautiful guitar, but it sounded dead compared to the Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany that I own. All in all this guitar is worth the price paid, and that is a great thing in today's world.

Happy Playing!

It's been covered ad nauseum by hundreds of reviews. I'll give it a 10 simply because it has all the features a Les Paul has ever had.

Maybe the most amazingly voiced Les Paul I've ever played. The mahogany body and Burstbucker pups create a sparkly clean or throaty roar. This guitar simply rocks. Definately the most versatile LP tonewise.

Well, they are just throwing these things out the door with little or no setup. I got mine from Sweetwater Music. They, unlike Musicians Friend, actually open the box and make sure the guitar is playable. Either way, the fretwork is rough, the pup height is ridiculous, visible glue at neck joints, intonation is off. What you get is a great sounding guitar that needs finished. I don't like that Gibson brazenly doesn't care because people are buying them anyway. Thats not good business in my mind. It still has the Gibson name on it and they should have pride in their flagship model no matter the price they are charging. But hey, it's a bargain basement price on a LP that only needs another $50 put into it for the setup.

A chuck o' mahogany and pickups. It's a tank. The perfect road axe.

I've been playing for almost 37 years now. Owned literally dozens of guitars over the years, currently have 8. I love this guitar. It's the most tonefull LP i've played. I don't even mind the non-existent finish. It just makes the guitar that much more resonant and your not afraid to take it out or get it dinged up. This is the best deal ever on a great sounding Les Paul. If lost or stolen I'd run right out and get another. I've even considered getting another at $799 before they go back up to $1000!

Satin finish, natural mahogany - like a piece of fine furniture. Bought in Nov. 2006. Musicians Friend.com has more info since it was meda for them by Gibson.

The sound of these Burstbucker pros are real nice and vintage-y sounding. Very clean and bright. Very versatile with the mahogany body - kind of like the 57 customs..body resonates well and the neck is beefy. Sound great with tubes or ss amps - have used both. Excellent vintage Les Paul sound.

Well, from the factory this guitar was not setup well. However, not a big deal. Most factory setups are a rush job. The pickup height, intonation, action were all off. Hey, ya gotta set them up the way YOU want anyway! The fret ends were a little sharp - had them sanded by a Gibson dealer(under warranty). Otherwise, finish is nice and all electronics and hardware are fine. Stays in tune fine.

Gibson quality is still decent. Thin nitro finish - comes with a hardcase.

Warranty support excellent.

Overall, I would say that this Les Paul is a great guitar for the price. I'd buy another if needed. I like the feel of the unfinished body and back of neck. Highly recommended.

2006 LP Mahogony with brown satin 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 is 1 ding on the side of the fretboard and 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 (1.2mm - 1st string, 2mm - 6th string @17th fret) 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.

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.

don't know but I had a repair on an Epi guitar done under warranty with no hassle

$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 greenish color 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 model guitar can be built well, the stuff that most purchasers state is wrong IE: 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, don't need anything fancy. I imagine Gibson knows this, it may be these guitars do not pass the muster 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 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.

2005 Made in USA, 22 Frets, Solid Body - Mahogany Top and Back, 2 volume, 2 tone, 3 way switch, 2 Burstbucker hums, Finish is kind of a wine red satin type color. Gibson tuners kluson style. 59' V neck profile. Includes a Hard Shell.

Suits pretty much any music style, although I mainly use it for only rock rhythm. Great for any type of rock played through my Peavey Valveking or my GNX4. The sound is very deep. Unfortunately, like mentioned previously the guitar has a hum sound to it whenever you take your fingers off any metal parts. Also, tube amps tend to give me a little bit of a shock.

I do love the sound however and the $10 to get the grounding fixed should make it great.

Well, I got this from Musician's Friend after playing one in a Guitar Center. The guitar was set up pretty nicely although the D string's intonation was pretty off, although all the others were near perfect. Haven't had a chance to get it to a professional yet.

I love the finish on this guitar, but that's mainly cause I don't like the extreme flashiness of Les Paul's and the guitar gets polished as you play it, it's pretty darn cool. Almost no hardware flaws

This guitar friggin rocks in the durability department. I am stationed in Iraq at the moment and it's made it with me to the US and back here. I've had a window fall in on it after a mortar attack and the pickup mounts were scratched and a small ding was put into the wood, but the guitar is really solid. In fact, I call it My "$900 slab of wood".

The finish won't last for a long time, but that's the basically the point, they knock almost $1000 off the price by using this cheap finish. Just keep it in a hardcase.

The strap buttons suck. Two days after I got this guitar it fell off the strap buttons and the cable pushed the jackplate straight into the guitar's body. Soon after I ordered some Dunlop Straploks and haven't had this problem again. In fact, I would swing it around my head and not worry now.

Yes I can depend on it. They oughta certify this guitar military grade now.

I have used this at gigs without a back up but you should always have one anyways.

N/A, never dealt with gibson

I've been playing for 5 years, I own 2 other electric guitars, which are a homebuilt stratocaster built from parts from all major parts dealers, an Oscar Schmidt by Washburn strat HSS. I own 3 acoustics, Ibanez AEF18ENT and 2 cheap ones. I have a Peavey Rage III practice amp and a Peavey ValveKing 112. A Digitech GNX4 and multiple effects.

If this were stolen I'd organize a military mission to neutralize the thieves with extreme prejudice. Definately I'd buy another one.

I love it's deep sound, especially on the middle position and neck, I hate the hum I get because of the improper grounding. My favorite feature would be the 2 volumes and 2 tones.

I compared it to a Fender American Strat HH and an Epiphone Les Paul. This one just had that sound.

I wish it had binding. Lacquer sucks but I wish it had binding.

Make sure you get straploks, they are like $15 and they will protect you from making the same mistake I did. It's definately worth the money.

American made, 2005, Gibson Les Paul Studio Edition. Full 3-piece mahogany body, '59 profile "V" neck, 22-frets, trapezoid abalone inlay, 2 Alnico 5 Burstbucker Pros, 3-way, 2 tone, 2 volume, chrome hardware. Finish is very light, brown stain. I actually really like the way this guitar is finished, though it won't be for everyone. If you wanted quilted maple or tobacco burst, this isn't for you. I like that there isn't a thick lacquer on it, though. Makes me feel more connected to the instrument. Oh yeah, the strap buttons are small, so I would recommend lockers, just in case

Sound is fantastic. The electronic on this guitar are the same as the new Standards and Classics, so you are getting a great sounding guitar for a fraction of the price of those other LPs. Sure, no fancy finish, but this just feels classic, and anyway, it's the sound that is important and this has it in spades. One thing, though. The setup from the factory was subpar. A little high, but the intonation was off. After getting it professionally reset, I have to say that this guitar sings. Harmonics are nice, great clean sound (a little bright sometimes, but then tone knobs, huh?), growling under distortion. I play through a Fender Princeton Chorus and a Vox Valvtronix 15 watt hybrid combo amp. Have also played one through a Blues Deluxe RI, Bassman RI, and Twin Reverb. All sound great (would probably go with the Bassman, but who wouldn't?). All in all, a fantastic sound.

Ok, here is where the problems with the guitar come out. At the Guitar Center near my house, they had about 5 of these guys. I played all of them, and they were varied in quality. Some of them had bad sanding under the cut, others were not set up very well. I chose the "best" of them, even finish, decent setup, no apparent flaws. However, when I took it to get professionally setup, the guy told me that it has a twisted neck. Fortunately, this doesn't affect playability, and it didn't affect getting an awesome setup on it, but it could have, so watch out for this. Hence, the "5".

This thing is like a tank, really. Heavy enough, too. I have had it since September, no issues. The only thing I can think of is that the finish is so light that the wood may dent easily. I would definitely recommend a belt-wear patch, unless you like the character it gives the guitar. But it can stand up to a lot, for sure.

Haven't had to contact them.

I have been playing for about 4 years and this is my first electric. I also own a Martin 000-CXE (love it), and a 1980 Yamaha Classical (great guitar). Since I have had this guitar since September 2005, I thought it was about time to write this review. After the reset, I took her home and probably didn't put her down for around 3 hours. Fantastic sounds, great responsiveness. I love this guitar and would never think of selling it (not that I would sell any of my guitars). Great guitar, highly recommended

Made in the USA, 2005. 22 Frets. Carved mahogany top and mahogany back. Dull satin\matt-like, unpolished finish... Almost like a plain brown stain... 1959 rounded Les Paul mahogany neck with trapezoid inlays. Rosewood fingerboard. Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar. Chrome hardware. Alnico 5 BurstBucker Pro pickups. 2 volume and 2 tone knobs, 3-way pick up switch. I give features an (8) because nothing is a 10, and 9 is still to high... The tuners are questionable. I prefer sealed tuners, whether they are Gibson or Grover doesn?t matter. I believe the guitar would stay in tune much better...

I have been playing guitar 7 years. I play Christian rock. Some clean sound for a worship setting... I sometimes jam out to a bluesy-rock, and sometimes a country sound, and can do rhythm or lead... This guitar's sound can easily fit in to any setting. I'm not sure whether it can do a metal or death metal sound. Never tried?

If you take your hands off the guitar when plugged in, you can hear an annoying ground hum. I don?t know if all of these guitars are this way, but mine is. I?ve tested the hum on 2 different amps, 3 different locations, and with several different cables. It?s still there. Its not a problem to me because my hands are always touching something on the guitar. (Strings, Bridge) It does not hum then.

95% of the time I play though a Crate GT1200H/G412SL Half Stack. This is a very nice sounding amp, considering it was only 500 bucks and sounds great with this guitar.

They guy a few below wasn?t exactly correct about how the guitar couldn?t do pinch harmonics. It can. They sound fine? But for some reason, it is a little bit difficult to get them to come out on this thing? The stock strings that it came with are junk. They sound bad and don?t stay in tune. Take them off first thing. I use SIT 10?s.

I give sound a 9. Again, nothing is a 10. And this thing really does sound great!

Ouch, this guitar's factory setup was horrible. The intonation was extremely off. It took me about a half an hour to get it almost perfect. The low E and A strings had some fret buzz. That was because the action was too low on that side. It took about 10 minutes to adjust the action and get the buzz out. The action did come a bit low, and again that?s why it was buzzing.

The adjustable poles on the pickups which control how much volume each string has was set up perfectly to my ears.

All the hardware was installed very well. They nut looks good. The inlays look 100 times better up close when compared to an epiphone guitar. (Epiphone?s are great guitars too). The frets and fret-board are well made together. No noise in the pickup selector or knobs.

I thought the brownish color of the finish was ugly the first time I saw this thing, but it has grown on me tremendously. Also, where your forearm rubs, the color is fading, and the finish is being polished over time. I like they way it looks, it adds a worn look to it... It?s a companionship then, knowing your own arm has discolored and polished the guitar. LOL.

So I give the factory setup and finish a 6 on my guitar. After spending a few minutes adjusting, I give it an 8, I can?t make it a 10. But it?s perfect to me?

Will this guitar withstand live playing? Yes, it?s a strong road worthy guitar.

The Hardware does last.

Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing? The finish is good, but like I said above, it will discolor and polish where your arm rubs. It?s a good thing though, you don?t have to constantly polish your guitar from sweat and finger prints.

Strap buttons are solid, but look smaller than normal.

I can depend on this guitar. But everyone needs a backup no matter how expensive your guitar is...

No problems yet, and dont forsee any...

I have been playing guitar 7 years. I also play a Martin DC16GTE, Mandolin, and blues style Harmonica. Most likely I would replace this guitar with the exact same one if lost or stolen. It depends on what kind of money I have on hand... or upgrade into the 1,200 dollar range. They?re nice, but it?s not necessary for anyone to buy a 3,000 dollar guitar. If you can afford it like pocket change then more power to you. I think sound and quality stops at 1,800 bucks... But that?s my opinion...

One last thing! This guitar comes with an extremely nice Gibson case. It was made in Canada. It has a combination lock on it, and a blanket to cover your guitar when the case it closed. This keeps fuzz from getting in your strings?

Overall I would say 8 personally, but it really is a fantastic value for 900 bucks! So I give it a 10.

The usual line up of Les Paul features. This particular model uses the Gibson Deluxe (Kluson style) tuners, a mahogany top, Burstbucker Pro pickups, a '59 neck profile, speed knobs, and has no binding and a satin finish. Like all studio models there are no inlays in the headstock. The finish is surprisingly attractive and no online pictures I've found can quite do it justice. It included an average quality hardshell case.

I'm running this thing through a Vox AD120VT and it's absolutely stunning. There aren't words that can describe exactly how good these pickups are. I play a lot of hard rock, blues, and clean fingerpicking and there are no disappointments.

As far as I'm concerned the factory set up was perfect: action a little on the high side, neck pickup a little low, intonation perfect. I do plan on switching to lighter strings and resetting the intonation but the action and pickups will not be messed with. The overall build quality is higher than expected. The only thing I found was a slight ding on the back of the neck, but it's nothing even remotely serious and is hardly even noticable.

The first Gibson I owned was made in 1963 and was still fantastic when I got rid of it a couple of years ago. I forsee no problems in the future.

I've owned Gibson's for 5 years now and haven't had a reason to call them up yet.

I've been playing for about 6 years now and go through equipment more than I care to admit. After finally picking up an acoustic last year that I'm perfectly satisfied with I do believe I've found the same thing in an electric with this one. I would not hesitate to buy another one and will not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. I knew I wanted an LP when I started researching this model and finally settled on this one in particular after some lengthy comparisons with the Epiphone Elitist models. The only thing I distinctly didn't like about this model was truss rod cover engraved with the word "Studio" that completely didn't match the raw feeling of the rest of the instrument. I very highly recommend replacing the truss rod cover with a blank one.

2005 Gibson Vintage Mahogany Les Paul Studio. All the same features as the standards and studios without the fancy finish and bindings. Mahogany top instead of maple. Burstbucker pickups.

I play mostly punk and skater thrash/metal-anything from Green Day to Suicidal Tendencies, and sometimes some classic metal or rock like Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin. I play through a Peavey 5150 2X12 combo usually with no effects but sometimes with delay/flanger/phaser. The burstbucker pickups are great. They have a very clear midrange and awesome crunch. I used to own a 1981 Les Paul standard and wasn't sure how the burstbuckers would compare but they are easily as good or better depending on your style of music. They get a better distorted rock tone that the 490/498 pickups IMO. This thing gets great harmonics and is very easy to play. The neck has a nice thick profile but not too thick, it's just right for my tastes but might not be sleek or thin enough for some people. I haven't found anything I dislike about this guitar yet-I can't put it down!

I bought mine used so I can't really comment on the factory setup. I did play one of these briefly at guitar center before I bought mine and the action was low, no buzzing, and the intonation was spot on. The finish on mine has no flaws and is absolutely beautiful if you like the satin/ stain/no gloss look. The lack of a gloss finish on the back of the neck is incredibly comfortable and easy to play. The one I played at guitar center, though, had some rough spots especially on the curve between the neck and the lower horn. It was very rough in a few spots like the saw marks were not sanded out. For this reason, I'd be hesitant to buy one from Musician's Friend just because you can't see what the finish is like before you buy it. If your buying it from ebay or somewhere similar, make sure you get alot of high res pictures. Mine had alot of close-up high res pics on the auction listing but I was still a little worried. I got lucky though because mine's perfect. If I was rating the finish on mine I would give it a 10, but since the one at guitar center had a bad finish I have to rate them lower overall.

This guitar has all the quality components of a Les Paul standard so it will hold up to just about anything. The finish will show some wear over time, especially where your arm rests on the body and on the back of the neck but this adds to it's character IMO and well worth the $1000 you'll save over a glossy finished standard. The strap buttons tend to be too small and make your strap slip off. I replaced mine with dunlop strap locks. This guitar is as dependable as any guitar you could buy but I would never gig without a backup.

I've never had to use Giibson customer support-with this guitar or my 1981 Les Paul standard so I think that speaks volumes about the quality of Gibson guitars.

I have been playing on and off for about 20 years. My other guitars are both 80's Kramers-one with a Floyd and one without. I love this guitar, the pickups and the finish are great for my tastes. I compared this guitar to the Les Paul studios and the Les Paul Special SL humbucker. I chose this one for the Burstbucker pickups and the carved top which the special does not have. The regular studios are like $1200 so this guitar is a bargain! If someone stole this guitar I'd buy another one as soon as I possibly could-but I'd make sure the finish was good.

2004, the first and fifth digit will give you the year
same features as any les paul

incredible!
treble pup cuts like a knife
rhythm pup very warm and dark
using a dsl 50 watt and a 410 fender
both sound great

a few minor adjustments - now perfect

come on - it's a gibson

the best

les paul's rock! nothing better

Typical Les-Paul Studio minus the finish. The Finish and Guitar are part of their Faded series. The finish is a light coat of Brown Stain with a Laquer sealer, Thats It! Some may not like it, I love it since it helps the Tone come through. I have ENOUGH guitars with 14 coats of Clear on them. 59 profile neck, BB-Pro Alnico-5 pups. The rest is your typical Les-Paul. One thing that Should be noted. Th back of the guitar is 3-piece and the top is 2. All of them from what I have seen are the same. Not a bad or good thing. Just the way it is. The neck IS 59, I have seen alot of comments stating it was felt the neck is somewhere between a 60 and 59. Its a 59! Guitar is all Mahogany which also be noted. Instead of a carved Maple cap the Vintage Mahogany has a Mah. cap!

Incredable, I own 3 Pauls a few Hamers and various other Gibson Semi-Hollows and P-90 equipped guitars. This is one of the best sounding guitars I have heard to date. The BB-Pro's are without a doubt the best sounding pick-ups Gibson has made to date. No muddyness, clear, balenced and articulate. Hands down the best neck pup I've heard. And the bridge isn't to bad either! Thw Combo of these pups, the all Mahogany build, 59 neck, and the lack of finish, produce one of the BEST sounding Les-Pauls I have heard in a long time. I said I have two other LPs which both are higher end LPs. They both sat in the case. The Hamers and Gibson 335 and 135 were getting all the play. Its a different story now with this guitar! I've been reaching for this LP all the time.

I bought mine at GC. I have heard the stories about the QC from Gibson? Maybe ordering one sight unseen from MF isn;t the BEST idea. But I picked this up of the shelve at GC and there is absolutly NOTHING wrong with the guitar. Frets are WELL done, I polished them and cleaned the fretboard. I also added a bone nut and changed the strings and re-ser the action. The guitar is spot on. But it was straight from the factory. Just that the frets were dirty and the guitar need to be cleaned. Beside I always add the bone nuts.

Gibson is on the money. E-Mail them and they will get right back to you. Ask them some BULL....and ya you might not hear back from them. The guitar is WELL built and will last a lifetime if taken care of properly.

Excellent

I've been playing since the 60's. I own a impressive collection of guitars and amps. What I don't own I probly have in the past. There's not much out there I haven't tried. I have been at this a long time. I am VERY impressed with this guitar and the new LP-Standard Faded with the 50's neck! These two guitars remind me VERY MUCH of the Gibson's of yesteryear, 50's to be exact! I am thinking about buying another. Thats how much I like this one. I also think for someone to give this guitar a overall rating of 1 is a shame. You will be hard pressed to find a better playing/sounding Les-Paul. If you buy a guitar sight unseen. And you wind up upset due to QC issues, whos at fault? Blame yourself for not getting out there and doing the leg work. When I bought this guitar, I played EVERY single High-End Les-Paul at Guitar Center that day. The 58, 59, and 57RIs and the Standards and Classics. I already own a Standard and Classic. I am very tempted to sell my two and to purchase a Standard Faded with a 50's neck. My Vintage Mahogany and the Faded Standard I played at GC that day were the TWO BEST Les-Pauls in that store. Yes they sounded better than the RIs. Maybe not ALL of them, but the ones in the store that day! This guitar is a outstanding value that probly won't be around for long. The sound of this guitar is second to NONE!

2005 Made in the USA and solid as a rock !
(I know the sales man and he hooked me up nice for a new LP!)
Mahogony on mahogony a beautiful red stained Les Paul.
Burstbucker pickups sound awesome!
Les Paul Studio model with a nice hardshell case *included*

This guitar looks crappy in the Pictures.. you have to see it in person to see this beauty!

My music style from blues to all forms of rock is a perfect match for this LP.
I have a Fender Blues Jr. Tube Amp. I play at home and at gigs, once the tubes warm up man this guitar sounds really nice!
When I was buying this guitar I had a choice from a Regular LP Studio, and a Fender American Strat,i tried all 3 (including this one) this LP blew all those away! The sound was nice and rich and when you set it to treble its very bright and smooth at the same time. Those BurstBucker Pro pickups sound amazing (they also come on LP Standards!) Even the regular LP Studio doesnt have these bad boys!
The ONLY dislike i would say is the guitar tends to untune a bit only the D and B strings for me.. ive heard this on other reviews too.
The more i play it, however the less this problem happends so i guess thats good!

Everthing on this guitar is perfect.. I mean you have to realize why its so marked down in price.. No paint and no maple.. This brings down the price drasticly.. giving us this guitar!
This Guitar Resembles the "59 Black Beauty" Same as this guitar the Black Beauty was ALL mahogony.
One thing i love about this guitar is the Neck. ITs a 59 sytle neck WOW it feels so great! Most of all its SOO smooth you can move fast with comfort.
This guitar is for sure the best bang for your buck once you play and hear it you will be sold!

I personlly love a heavy Les Paul. It feels very durable and the hardware (BurstBucker Pro pickups.. THAT COME ON A STANDARD) cant go wrong with that!

The only thing i would say is the finish.. its thin so that means its going to wear alot faster.. (which means it will get that vintage look..lol)
Im thinking of having it sent to gibson to get the face painted custom painted.. but thats in the near future!

I emailed Support to find out exactly when it was made and also to get all the specs of my guitar.. (this guitar was made in 2004 and 2005 so far) Got my reply within 24 hrs.. support seams to be perfect to me!

Ive been playing for 10 years now..
If it were lost or stolen id end up in jail.. ill leave it at that =P
I love the fact that i FINALLY own a Gibson Les Paul!! It's not just some cheap stuff put together.. its actually got a REALLY good sound and feel to it.
My favorite feature i would say is the 59 Neck. its just SOOO smooth and fast! Think about it.. most LP's have the neck painted with a clear finish.. its not as fast and if your palms are swety it will stick..(Amazingly..this LP stands above them all!!)
Let me put it this way.. i had $1500 dollars..I was looking for a LP Studio (i didnt know they had this model out).. so
I played a Regular LP Studio at $1300 (just doesnt feel and sound the same.. the Regular LP Studio did not sound as rich as this LP)
And also compared it to a Fender Amercian Standard Strat at $1250 ( great feel but the sound was o..k.. which didnt appeal to me)
This is when i saw my guitar.. i picked that bad boy up and like i said the FEEL and SOUND is unbeatable.. this guitar sounds like a $2000 LP.. When the sales man told me the price almost screamed.. if your in the market for a quality guitar this is the one!!

As far as features it's very simple, but what this guitar does have it's got in spades. Burstbucker pro p/u's, 22 frets, mahogany body, mahogany top, '59 rounded mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard.

I play MAINLY your rock family of music (everything from classic rock to black metal), but I play at least a little of everything (gotta have my vintage blues). I play this through a Fender Princeton Chorus (original model) and I can get some of the weirdest sounds for that amp. With a little tweaking, I've got something d*mn close to Dickey Betts's sound, and I can also get pretty close to Zeppelin-esque overdrive. The high gain sounds are good, nothing spectacular, but it's most likely due to my amp (should be getting a Marshall TSL100 at some point). I can tell this thing can definitely do high-gain stuff, because my WASHBURN DIME gets less drive out of that amp. Has a very warm, full sound, but then again, what Gibson LP doesn't? Didn't expect it from a Les Paul, but I turned down the tone knobs to about 5, switched to mid p/u pos., turned up my mids and took out some treble, clean channel, and I had a jazz tone I think gives a vintage ES-335 a run for its money!

Straight out of the box this thing had super-low action with no buzz whatsoever-just the way I like it! Didn't seem to have any problems. Oh, GOD and the neck feels so NATURAL in my hands. It's like my left hand and that neck were a match made in Heaven. Very well-balanced too. Only complaint is the tuners aren't what I wish they were. No problem though-I'm gonna outfit mine with Gotoh Kluson locking tuners.

I don't gig, so keep that in mind as you read this section of the review. Hardware seems like it will last, hasn't started to rust on me yet (had it since August). Finish seems rock solid, and it's not a bad finish, looks beautiful. Just wish it came in cherry sunburst. If I gigged yet, I wouldn't even bother with a backup, I've had NO trouble with this guitar.

Never had to use it.

I've played about 2 years and this is probably the best guitar I'll ever own-and I like it that way. If this thing were stolen, let me put it this way-a certain thief would wind up dead in a nearby creek. I f****ing LOVE THIS NECK! God, I never thought I'd be able to shred, but it's like the neck keeps my entire wrist eased but also supported, and I can just fly across the neck (sloppy as I may play). Just wish it had a whammy on it...what? Probably gonna put a Stetsbar on it (you think I'd cut into my baby to put a Floyd on it???? YOU'RE CRAZY!!!)

This has all been covered in the previous reviews.

I love this guitar, and it will probably get the most playing time of my small collection. I have a 81 Les Paul Custom that I have been refurbishing (repairing some finish cracks, replacing POTS, new bridge) that will now take even longer to finish because my motivation is gone.

The Burstbucker Pro pickups are excellent for my taste. Much quieter and responsive that the Duncans in my Schecter, the PRS designed in my Santana SE, or any of my other guitars. I could not be happier with the tones from this guitar. Slab-o-Mahogany with great pickups and a great neck.

After hearing a lot of complaints of the quality of Gibson USA products here and on other forums, I was sceptical. I was not dissapointed with the fit or finish in any was. Factory setup will need some minor tweaks to suit my tastes, but other than that (which is NORMAL) it's flawless.

Time will tell, but given the straight-forward, no frills nature of this guitar I don't expect any issues.

Have not had to deal with them yet.

No frills rock and roll machine. Exactly what I was looking for in this purchase.

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.

Mine is the faded cherry with Alnico 5 BurstBucker Pro pickups. Nothing fancy except the trapazoid fret markers. It's really just a LP studio model with upgraded pickups and downgraded finish. It came with a hardshell case.

I never really try to duplicate an exact sound so these pickups are fine for me. I play it through a Fender Blues Junior. Nothing like a humbucker and a tube amp.

This is my third Gibson electric and every one was set up pretty much the same which is fine for me. The finish is red stain in a matte finish. The wood grain shows through. It's not uniform across the front thus the faded name. It actually looks lighter where a guitar would wear naturally. This finish must save quite a bit of labor time explaining the great price.

I've never had a problem with any of my Gibsons.

I've emailed Gibson twice in the past and they replied in reasonable time with helpful answers.

Whoever came up with the idea of a cost saving less labor intense finish is a genius. For the same price I could have gotten a much more ornate foreign made guitar than this one. I paid $800 for an American made Gibson guitar. I priced the components for and American made, unfinished mahogany carved top,trapazoid inlays,Alnico 5 BurstBucker Pro pickups,and hardshell case and it cost more than this guitar. And Gibson built this one. If you want a fancy guitar this is not for you.This is a bare bones American made Gibson Les Paul.

Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahagony guitar in walnut color (limited run only through Guitar Center in this color-not faded cherry). I bought one and was totally dissappointed with the finish. It had a burned mark at the based of the body and around the head stock. Very sloppy glue work. I returned it to another store and found one in perfect shape. Much better. I have heard that Gibson does not have the best reputation for putting out quality guitars with high consistancy. My new one is perfect though. Low action (had a pro set-up) with rounded neck. Very easy to play. The back of the neck has a mat finish which is actually faster than the high gloss necks that wear out anyways over time found on standards and customs.

The sound is good. I play jazz, reggae, blues and funk. I like the bursbucker pick-ups. They sound deep and full yet bright enough to get a variety of sounds. Burst-buckers are the standard now for Lp standards. Very nice pick-up.

The first one I bought would fail this catagory miserably. Terrible finish and construction. The one I traded it in for (identical model) was in perfect shape. It needed to be set up like most gibsons do, to my liking. I find it easy to play and pretty good quality. Not as good as a more expensive standard or custom, but very nice none-the-less. Mahagony top gives a very rich deep tone that I prefer over twangy strats and tele's. For the money, you can't beat this les-paul.

Les Pauls are built like tanks. They last through the battles. I am always leary about the headstocks breaking off, but I have never had problems with any Les Pauls in the past. This guitar is pretty heavy and solid. I changed the strap buttons to Schaller locking buttons and upgraded the tuners to Grovers. I do this with all my instruments. No knock on Gibson, but the upgrades are a huge improvement over the factory parts. I have much more expensive guitars that I have done this to. An insurance policy for staying more in tune, and not having the guitar come crashing to the stage in the middle of a song.

Every time that I have called gibson, they have been very nice and supportive. Guitar center gladly took my Les Paul back and replaced it with one with a better finish and build quality.

I have been playing for about 15 years. I play everything from Jazz, to funk to reggea and blues. This guitar easily fits the bill, and what I like most about it is the vintage looking walnut finish. I have an old es-335 in this color and love it. Very conservative and cool. I can't stand that Icky cherry sunbust colors. Too flashy and cheeseball. All too common colors are boring and don't set the instrument apart. I don't know why gibson does not make Les Pauls with this color standard. The quality is gibson. It plays as nice as more expensive standards, but does not look as cheap as some of the other studios. This guitar is worth the money, but I would make sure that you see the one you are buying because of my experience with Gibson's inconsitant quality control. Some are bad, others are perfect.

USA made Gibson Les Paul. 22 frets, carved top mahogany finish, 2 burstbucker pro pickups, rosewood fretboard, tune o matic bridge, stock Gibson tuners, came with an awesome Gibson USA hardshell case. I fell in love with this beast at first sight.

I play rock, blues, whatever. Both pickups sound thick and juicy. Neck pickup is a low fuzzy growler and bridge pickup sounds clean and thick. BurstBucker pickups are usually found on $2000 LP standards. Not as twangy as my strat but thats not what you get a les paul for. Pure rock n roll. Think Kiss.

Set up was spot on from the factory. Nice low action with no buzz. I thought the guitar played better than the $1700 LP Classic. Much better. The big '59 style neck just fit my hand like a glove. The finish is a faded looking cherry - mahogany look. Cool. I think this guitar will age really nicely. If you want the sunburst and the binding go ahead and pay the extra grand.

Everything on this bad boy screams dependable. This is a solid workingman's guitar. I play just for fun and with friends so I am not a pro. But if I was a pro I would use this with full confidence.

Never dealt with Gibson, but they do have a really cool website.

I have a Fender Strat (Sqiuer) and sold my Godin SD to buy this giutar. I shopped and reasearched quite a bit before buying this unit. Looked at lots of Les Pauls on Ebay and at stores. Always wanted a real USA LP. Boy am I happy I got this one. The Godin was a good guitar but comparing it to the Les Paul is like comparing Filet mignon to cube steak. If stolen I would kill someone then go buy another. I play the guitar thru a Line 6 Spider II and can get any sound but country twang out of it. Thats what the Strat is for anyway. I strongly recommend this guitar for anyone who wants a REAL LES PAUL for under $1000. Couldnt be happier.

Basic Les Paul setup. 2 Burstbucker pro humbuckers, 2 vol., 2 tone controls. Absent is the quilt maple top, which is replaced by a slab of mahogany. Carved top. No binding either. Came with hardshell case.

I play bluesy hard rock and metal. Influences include Joe Perry, Ace Frehley, Dave Mustaine, Jimmy Page, Brad Whitford, and Jeff Young( former Megadeth guitarist). I used it with a Marshall AVT20 amp, which I love. Rich full sound on the vintage side. Not much variety but then again, it's a Les Paul. What I disliked was when I turned up the volume and gain on my Marshall (with the distortion circuit OFF) I couldn't get the darn thing to crunch up, not even a little. It fought to the death to stay clean. Not so with my JB equipped Epiphone Les Paul. Had to click on the gain circuit and keep it low to be able to play the early Kiss stuff off the first album.

It came equipped with very low quality strings, which I had to replace. Action was ok. Frets seemed a little sharp on the sides, especially between the 12th and 22nd frets. Tuning pegs were average, stock gibson. The neck tone control would not turn all the way down for some reason. Some thing was blocking it. I didn't mess with it. I never use the tone controls anyway. pICKUP selector was top notch.

Les Pauls are built like tanks. They survive. This one was heavy as all hell, which made it uncomfortable to play at times. The neck was very clubby feeling. I could not imagine shredding on this neck. I have small hands for a guy so this was a real problem for me. I had to struggle to play it. Not a good sign. You could depend on this definitely. But don't play a gig without a back up. However, I don't need to worry about this guitar not withstanding a live gig, since I ended up returning it. I had to think to myself, "Will this guitar help me to learn how to play better?" No. I could only imagine it holding me back. The damn thing was just too heavy, clunky and uncomfortable.

I have been playing for eleven years. My other gear is an Epiphone Les Paul Standard with flame top and Duncan humbuckers( JB and '59 ). I knicknamed it MONICA, after the angel on "Touched By An Angel." I am not a religious person at all, I just think Monica was very hot for an angel. Yeah, I know I'm strange-let's move on. My amp is a Marshall avt20-I love this amp. I also own a line six pod 2.0 which I hardly ever use. I wish I had the chance to try this guitar before I bought it. If it were stolen or lost I would get something else, something with a fast, slippery neck that's better suited to play fast, technical metal. I love Page and Frehley to itty bitty pieces, but I can't play the same guitar they use because it doesn't accomodate the way I play. God Bless them, the can play Les Pauls with ease. For the record, the epi is a lot easier to play. I returned it and am seriously considering getting a Peavey Quilt Top EVH Wolfgang special. But I will try it out first. All in all, if you pay 1000 dollars you expect a bit more than you get here. It did have great sound, though.