Gibson Les Paul Vintage Mahogany

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.