Gibson - Part 2

Les Paul

Gibson Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar Review

The Gibson Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar is a well known and very popular no-nonsense guitar, originally designed with studio artists in mind, but has since been adopted by numerous players of all different types. Regardless of whether the Les Paul Studio is in the hands of a soulful bluesman, a simple strummer, or is taking front stage with the metal shredders, this guitar delivers the sound that is so easily identifiable with the power and attitude that Gibson is known for.

Even after so many years, the Gibson Les Paul is one of the most well known icons in modern Rock music. Stars from a variety of genres have played both the Standard and the Custom Shop models, but during the early 1980's, Gibson was determined to construct a version that was more affordable for the majority of people.

Simply building a knock-off guitar played no part in the minds of Gibson, it needed to sound as well as feel like the real thing. So, the Les Paul Studio was born. The new guitar was to have all of its expensive frills removed, but still keep all of its core features intact. After nearly thirty years, the Les Paul Studio is going stronger than ever it seems, and this is ample evidence that Gibson got it right.

The Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar combines the unrivaled playability with the vast tonal splendor of a Les Paul Standard, and delivers it to you at considerable financial savings as well. Ever since the company started producing mandolins during the late 1800's and even to this present day, owning an instrument with the Gibson name on the headstock imparts a certain degree of pride to the performer, and this guitar is no exception.

This guitar doesn't miss a beat as it faithfully imparts all of the elements of the legendary Les Paul, including that sweet, fat maple and mahogany tone from the two genuine Gibson humbucking pickups. By constructing the guitar without binding around the body top or fingerboard, and then applying a stunning gold silkscreened logo in place of an inlay; the Les Paul Studio is able to deliver a price that many players have found to be simply irresistible.

Many of the people that have bought this guitar have been extremely happy with it overall. There were a few minor mentions that we could find, but nothing too serious. First off, one reviewer actually stated that he is on his second Les Paul Studio, and it's his most prized possession. The first one purchased was alpine white with the gold hardware, and after selling that, he bought the wine red guitar.

After swapping out the black accent hardware with the cream, and the black knobs with translucent gold he stated that it just looks sweet! After recording with it, gigging with it, and spending endless time jamming on it, he said that it was like putting on an old pair of shoes; it just fits perfectly. What was stated though, was that he would give up this guitar for the Jimmy Page #2 Signature LP, unless that happens though, he is satisfied with the old studio.

Another person that recently purchased a brand new wine red Les Paul Studio mentioned that it developed a fault in the nitro cellulose finish. It was replaced immediately however, but the replacement guitar has a prominent step in the rosewood fingerboard where it is bonded to the mahogany close to the body. This reviewer felt that Gibson needs to pay more attention to the quality of the finish on an otherwise beautiful guitar, with a price that they feel is certainly not insignificant.

Some felt that it would have been nice if the guitar were to come with a strap in addition to some allen keys, but said that most people have these anyways and it shouldn't be a big deal. The case was generally agreed to be a wonderful case with quality latches, and the guitar should be very well protected inside the case.

A few people weren't thrilled with the chambered body style, and were a little skeptical with it at first, but ultimately felt that Gibson did it right. All the Les Paul sound is there, just in a lighter package. The sustain could possibly suffer a bit, but this is opinion, and many people will most likely not even notice.

Many feel that it is a solidly built guitar but the factory may have overlooked a few things. It shouldn't be anything that really affects anything important however. They stated that it could have used a more critical eye in the R&D area. Apart from the few minor blemishes, the finish was said to be amazing. The paint job is gorgeous, and everyone of the components are high quality. The pickup selector switch however, was stated as being very easy to engage from one position to the next. A slight bump from your hand could possibly switch the pickup.

The flip side to this though, is that it opens up the possibility for some quick pickup switch work. You could go from the neck and then flip to the bridge in a hurry if you are doing some soloing. I'm not sure, but this could have been purposely designed this way. Whatever the case, it is something to keep an eye on.

Someone else mentioned getting one last year as a birthday gift, and felt that it was a really good guitar. They were shocked after playing it for the first time, but did say that it didn't quite have the rich sound of the standard or traditional, but were very satisfied nonetheless. This person really loved the layer of maple on a Les Paul, stating that it is a very beautiful maple-topped guitar with a see through wine red color, and they were simply in love with the guitar.

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Thank you for checking out this review of one of the most famous guitars out there. You can find the full review here: Gibson Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar

Plus you can find out all kinds of cool things about the guitar at: Duley Guitars