Gibson Les Paul Studio - Ebony

Just the sound I envisioned! Had a lot of trouble with FedEx on its way here, sat without moving on a trailer for 72 hours on scorching hot days, and when it finally arrived, the action was horrible! But I’ve adjusted it now, and it seems to be holding very well, so far. So now, it’s a dream to play...like silk, like butter! These pickups are HOT! (twice as loud as all my other guitars!), but in the normal setting they come through with that authentic Les Paul richness and bite...only louder! On any pickup switch position, and with any tone setting, the sound is just sooo beautiful and full! Jam packed with nuance and sustain that lasts for what seems like eternity! The soft leather case that it came in is plush and beautiful, and very classy! This Les Paul Studio ... MoreJust the sound I envisioned! Had a lot of trouble with FedEx on its way here, sat without moving on a trailer for 72 hours on scorching hot days, and when it finally arrived, the action was horrible! But I’ve adjusted it now, and it seems to be holding very well, so far. So now, it’s a dream to play...like silk, like butter! These pickups are HOT! (twice as loud as all my other guitars!), but in the normal setting they come through with that authentic Les Paul richness and bite...only louder! On any pickup switch position, and with any tone setting, the sound is just sooo beautiful and full! Jam packed with nuance and sustain that lasts for what seems like eternity! The soft leather case that it came in is plush and beautiful, and very classy! This Les Paul Studio (Smokehouse Burst) looks so good, and comfortable, nestled in its beautiful case, but I think it looks even better in my hands, where it really wants to be, all the time! And every time I pick it up, it sings it’s thanks to me for rescuing it from FedEx and making it feel whole again! :) I’ve been playing guitar 55 years, and my recording studio business turned 40 last September. In the last year and a half, I have totally retooled my studio with tons of gear, recording equipment, and four guitars, all bought and paid for, through American Musical Supply, sometimes paying all at once, and many times using their unbeatable no credit check, no interest payment plans. I have to give kudos to AMS for top notch professional, courteous, and personal, caring customer service each and every time! Thanks, AMS! Little Lester P. has found a happy home, and is about to meet the rest of his new family!

Great guitar for the money

I've got a very nice Epiphone Les Paul that my wife bought me as a birthday present for my 36th birthday. That was 20 years ago and that Epiphone is still part of my collection. It's a Les Paul custom with all the bells and whistles, but it's not a Gibson. I have always wanted an authentic Gibson Les Paul, but was always too cheap to pay for one, but I finally took the plunge. And while some may consider this a "low end" Les Paul, the moment I picked it up and started playing it through an amplifier, I knew this was a superior instrument. What a great array of tones with the dual toggles on both volume knobs, so great for adding some variety to your live soloing tones. Clean, clear, crisp sound. The electronics are great. One word of caution for people who buy ... MoreI've got a very nice Epiphone Les Paul that my wife bought me as a birthday present for my 36th birthday. That was 20 years ago and that Epiphone is still part of my collection. It's a Les Paul custom with all the bells and whistles, but it's not a Gibson. I have always wanted an authentic Gibson Les Paul, but was always too cheap to pay for one, but I finally took the plunge. And while some may consider this a "low end" Les Paul, the moment I picked it up and started playing it through an amplifier, I knew this was a superior instrument. What a great array of tones with the dual toggles on both volume knobs, so great for adding some variety to your live soloing tones. Clean, clear, crisp sound. The electronics are great. One word of caution for people who buy online like I did, when you pick the "Smoke Burst" color, the pictures are very misleading although I don't think it's intentional. The guitar is substantially darker than the pictures make it look. I had to almost strain to see the wood grain beneath the finish. That said, while it did surprise me a bit at first (I thought they'd sent me wrong guitar!), after a couple of minutes of looking at it, I realized that the subtlety of the paint job was really very classy and almost elegant looking. My wife called it "regal" in fact. So, if you're looking to get your hands on a brand-new Gibson Les Paul but don't want to pay for all the bells and whistles -which are mostly aesthetic and not functional- this is a great entry-level instrument. I gave it 4 stars. Would by again.

Happy to own one

Looks great, sounds great, plays great. One of the nicest gig bags I've ever seen. Came out of the box at the store set up and tuned! Fit and finish were perfect and the wine red just pops under stage lighting...unlike the one that was on display...and this is why I don't buy guitars online! Got it home, changed the strings to the gauge I prefer, lowered the string height a smidge, and checked the intonation which was spot on. Took it to a pro jam out in the valley where it got lots of compliments from the other players for it's sound and looks...it's as nice a Les Paul as I've ever played. If you get one like mine you won't regret it! But go to the GC and pick yours out and save yourself some possible grief. You won't regret that either!

High Quality Guitar But Sloppy Craftsmanship

This was my second guitar. I bought this used at a Guitar Center. The sound of the pickups give a deep growl something that I haven't heard in other pickups. I would not swipe these out. It's just my preference. Some people like the bright sound. I want it to sound like a lawnmower yet extremely sharp. I got this out of the bridge pickup.The neck pickup was muddy, and then it started cutting in and out. I played it like this for years. I didn't feel comfortable tinkering with electronics. But during the pandemic I decided I'd learn how to solder. I watched videos. Seymour Duncan has a good online soldering class. I bought a soldering practice kit. I practiced. I switched out the pickups in a Telecaster knockoff. When I opened up this Les Paul, it was a mess in ... MoreThis was my second guitar. I bought this used at a Guitar Center. The sound of the pickups give a deep growl something that I haven't heard in other pickups. I would not swipe these out. It's just my preference. Some people like the bright sound. I want it to sound like a lawnmower yet extremely sharp. I got this out of the bridge pickup.The neck pickup was muddy, and then it started cutting in and out. I played it like this for years. I didn't feel comfortable tinkering with electronics. But during the pandemic I decided I'd learn how to solder. I watched videos. Seymour Duncan has a good online soldering class. I bought a soldering practice kit. I practiced. I switched out the pickups in a Telecaster knockoff. When I opened up this Les Paul, it was a mess in there. There were big clumps of solder on the grounding connections. Dusty. And a tiny little wire coming from the selector switch had come loose. I got one of those supposed solderless harnesses, but that sounded horrible so I rewired everything and re-soldered every connection. Now that neck pickup sounds awesome more powerful and nastier than the bridge pickup but with no muddiness. I like this sound even more than the awesome bridge pickup.So after all that I wish I had had the courage to tinker with it before because it's just amazing.

It's a killer.

So it arrived today!it came in a very nice branded MusicStore box with a short checklist of things done before packing. This is nice as makes me confident the purchase was made with premium supplier. The standard Gibson outfit package is really cool. There's a branded soft gig bag with nice fluffy interior, a bag strap, a cloth, few marketing leaflets, and, a photo of the guitar that was made in the factory. Very cool.Value wise, its fantastic. The guitar out of the box looks great. it feels and looks premium, although it is a distant and poor relative when standing next to LP's Reissues or some other top-shelf models. Visually, its a different line.The guitar was pretty much setup to play from the box (thanks musicstore team), which was a nice surprise ... MoreSo it arrived today!it came in a very nice branded MusicStore box with a short checklist of things done before packing. This is nice as makes me confident the purchase was made with premium supplier. The standard Gibson outfit package is really cool. There's a branded soft gig bag with nice fluffy interior, a bag strap, a cloth, few marketing leaflets, and, a photo of the guitar that was made in the factory. Very cool.Value wise, its fantastic. The guitar out of the box looks great. it feels and looks premium, although it is a distant and poor relative when standing next to LP's Reissues or some other top-shelf models. Visually, its a different line.The guitar was pretty much setup to play from the box (thanks musicstore team), which was a nice surprise too.Unplugged, there is more than enough sustain, vibe and articulation details. This instrument sounds very much like pricier Les Pauls, even with no power. The neck is nice and fast with medium jumbos, allowing to play pretty much everything you want.Once plugged in to 90s JCM 800 set, it did deliver pretty much everything the more expensive Gibsons' do. There's sustain, articulation, the 'gurl' of Gibson. Studio workhorse, worth every penny. Which was a bit of surprise as the Studios' are slightly lighter in body construction.Some complain about finish quality, but i have not observed anything limiting playability yet. As mentioned before: if you place it next to a top-shelf Les Paul, you WILL see a difference. You will see dozens of differences in finish and quality as these instrumets are different. But, to me, its a great guitar, and I would reccomend that to anyone looking for Gibson sounding instrument for relatively moderate price. LP Studio is probably the cheapest and easiest way to get real Gibson sound for "OK" money.I have one comment to MusicStore team regarding the purchase process: It would be nice to allow customer to change payment option in case of problems with the one initially chosen.

Looks Dark, Sounds Bright.

9/10While beautiful sounding and among Gibson's best, I'm not sure why they decided to include the 57 pickups in what is obviously meant for something heavy. Looks like Peter Steel, but sounds like Mike Tyson. This can easily be rectified if it bothers you by swapping them out. Mine had excellent QC and came to me flawless. Some things to clarify would be that they come with a softcase, they are carved top, and they have black binding around the neck. This model is a better deal imo than the regular studio given it's cheaper, comes with better electronics, and has neck binding. Mine came as pictured despite other reviews.

More to be desired.

More to be desired.For 1699.99 is a lot to ask for a studio. I see these guitars go around the 1000 mark, so just keep your eyes peeled! If I paid that much for this guitar new, I would have been disappointed. If you could get this guitar around 1000-1200, it would be your best deal. Also, I would pick the tribute over this. The tribute for the price point is a better mod platform, if you want more out of your guitar.If you do buy this guitar new and plan to mod it, please just save your money. I purchased this for around 1500. It played amazing out of the box, but I wanted to put locking tuners, change the pickups and get a hard shell case for it. By the time you do all that, you might as well have bought a classic or standard. I think these pickups are really ... MoreMore to be desired.For 1699.99 is a lot to ask for a studio. I see these guitars go around the 1000 mark, so just keep your eyes peeled! If I paid that much for this guitar new, I would have been disappointed. If you could get this guitar around 1000-1200, it would be your best deal. Also, I would pick the tribute over this. The tribute for the price point is a better mod platform, if you want more out of your guitar.If you do buy this guitar new and plan to mod it, please just save your money. I purchased this for around 1500. It played amazing out of the box, but I wanted to put locking tuners, change the pickups and get a hard shell case for it. By the time you do all that, you might as well have bought a classic or standard. I think these pickups are really what makes me dislike this guitar, just really muddy and not articulate. The coil taps are pointless.I don’t really know who this model is for, but not me. I think you’re better off either going for the tribute if you want a cheaper option.Pros: amazing neck, amazing build quality, fun accessories, picture of the guitar being built, felt study like a tank.Cons: Muddy/Mediocre pickups, no locking tuners, no case, coil taps.

My first Gibson Les Paul, and I love it!

When I first saw this thing hanging on the wall at Sam Ash, I fell in love. The color was just beautiful, and I pretty much already had my heart set on buying it before I even played it. And then when the associate hooked it up to a sweet little Marshall combo amp with light gain, I knew I needed to buy it that day, and I did. It sounded so good, and felt even better as I was playing it. And then when I got home and played it on my own rig, I felt 0% buyer's remorse (because this is easily the most expensive piece of gear I own now).I was told in store that pulling on the volume knobs will activate the "coil split" for the corresponding pickup, but I later found out that it actually activates the "coil tap". From what I understand, coil split cuts the coil in ... MoreWhen I first saw this thing hanging on the wall at Sam Ash, I fell in love. The color was just beautiful, and I pretty much already had my heart set on buying it before I even played it. And then when the associate hooked it up to a sweet little Marshall combo amp with light gain, I knew I needed to buy it that day, and I did. It sounded so good, and felt even better as I was playing it. And then when I got home and played it on my own rig, I felt 0% buyer's remorse (because this is easily the most expensive piece of gear I own now).I was told in store that pulling on the volume knobs will activate the "coil split" for the corresponding pickup, but I later found out that it actually activates the "coil tap". From what I understand, coil split cuts the coil in half, and the humbucker simulates a single coil pickup. When I tried that, it really didn't sound like a single coil at all. I then found out that it was a coil tap, which apparently shortens the coil and makes it a bit warmer (vintage sounding maybe?). From my playing around with the coil tap, it seems to me that it just weakens the pickup signal, and just makes my guitar sound quieter. I found that just turning down the volume knob a bit sounds much better than activating the coil tap, but maybe I haven't used the coil tap the way it is intended to be used.With all that said, this guitar is great, and it's a nice change coming from my '04 Fender Stratocaster MIM.

Poor quality control

This Gibson Les Paul looks great and sounds like a Les Paul. It is slightly darker than on the picture on the website. The guitar comes with a very nice gig-bag.The seals of the original box were already broken upon arrival, as Music Store claims to do an inspection of the guitar prior dispatch. That's OK for me but ...There were several flaws: On the headstock, one tuner was not fully tightened (clearly visible) and another tuner missed a screw that should secure the alignment of that tuner. The jack receptacle cover plate missed a screw as well.When selecting the 'neck pickup' an abnormal static hum was present. I opened the guitar rear electronics compartment and saw the grounding wire of that pickup was loose and touching the side of the cavity. As Gibson ... MoreThis Gibson Les Paul looks great and sounds like a Les Paul. It is slightly darker than on the picture on the website. The guitar comes with a very nice gig-bag.The seals of the original box were already broken upon arrival, as Music Store claims to do an inspection of the guitar prior dispatch. That's OK for me but ...There were several flaws: On the headstock, one tuner was not fully tightened (clearly visible) and another tuner missed a screw that should secure the alignment of that tuner. The jack receptacle cover plate missed a screw as well.When selecting the 'neck pickup' an abnormal static hum was present. I opened the guitar rear electronics compartment and saw the grounding wire of that pickup was loose and touching the side of the cavity. As Gibson uses 'no soldering' connectors, it is almost impossible to fix this thing. After making sure the grounding wire no longer makes contact with the guitar body, the problem is more or less under control. So, no points for Music Score inspectors.I contacted Support via e-mail. I attached some pictures and asked for some spare screws. They answered promptly and promised to send the screws. It took another 'reminder' e-mail from my side and I eventually received 10 different screws, allowing me to pick the ones best fit for the jobs.The guitar is now in good shape ... but it feels like I payed a premium price (1399 Eur) for a low end guitar. Or maybe I just was unlucky to receive this 'Monday morning assembled' product ..

Professional tones for kinda intermediate price!

This is my first Les Paul of any kind and even though the purist in me craves a Standard instead of the Studio I have no buyer's remorse with my purchase. First looks were a little surprising because I thought maybe I was sent the wrong finish. I have the Smokehouse burst and it does look different depending on the light and where the picture was taken. I am pleased with it though and I have already gotten several comments on the beauty of the instrument. I was disappointed when I heard it came with a soft shell case but believe me, this case is up to almost anything and is much more functional. Don't believe all the haters about the pickups. They are amazing and the 498T is hot!! I have been playing guitar now for over thirty years and have never played an ... MoreThis is my first Les Paul of any kind and even though the purist in me craves a Standard instead of the Studio I have no buyer's remorse with my purchase. First looks were a little surprising because I thought maybe I was sent the wrong finish. I have the Smokehouse burst and it does look different depending on the light and where the picture was taken. I am pleased with it though and I have already gotten several comments on the beauty of the instrument. I was disappointed when I heard it came with a soft shell case but believe me, this case is up to almost anything and is much more functional. Don't believe all the haters about the pickups. They are amazing and the 498T is hot!! I have been playing guitar now for over thirty years and have never played an instrument this quality. The action is perfect for me right from the factory and this guitar makes me sound like a better player. This is an Editors'Choice on several sites and I can see why. You get all the classic LP tone and lighter weight. It truly is a joy to play and the PLEKd frets are truly amazing! I run my guitar through a Orange 32 Rocker stereo combo and that British crunch just shines. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it expensive for a Les Paul. Not really. I am sure you can get a better guitar at the price point of 1699.00 but not with the made in America quality and heritage of a real Gibson. I wish I had invested in one years ago however it has a nitro cellulose finish and will be left to my daughter and family so it's value will be very stable.