Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s - Gold Top

If you've always wanted one and have the means to get it, GET IT!! This guitar delivers in spades. *** WARNING *** This guitar DOES NOT have any weight relief. Personally, I'm not a gigging musician so it is not an issue for me. The beauty and allure of a goldtop with P90s is enough to draw me in to pick it up nearly everytime. When compared to my double-cut LP Special (also with P90s), the Special is a little more resonant and has a bit more headroom than the goldtop. My goldtop sounds a bit more compressed but has similar growl and grit and projection in tone. When compared to my LP Classic, it doesn't compare when it comes to drive and clarity of the 490R and 496T humbuckers, but that's not why you want a guitar with P90s. This guitar has that rounded off warm ... MoreIf you've always wanted one and have the means to get it, GET IT!! This guitar delivers in spades. *** WARNING *** This guitar DOES NOT have any weight relief. Personally, I'm not a gigging musician so it is not an issue for me. The beauty and allure of a goldtop with P90s is enough to draw me in to pick it up nearly everytime. When compared to my double-cut LP Special (also with P90s), the Special is a little more resonant and has a bit more headroom than the goldtop. My goldtop sounds a bit more compressed but has similar growl and grit and projection in tone. When compared to my LP Classic, it doesn't compare when it comes to drive and clarity of the 490R and 496T humbuckers, but that's not why you want a guitar with P90s. This guitar has that rounded off warm tone that sets it apart from those equipped with humbuckers. There's something raw and low-fi about this model that makes it stand out from the crowd. If that's the look and feel you're looking for, this guitar won't disappoint!

It's a little underwhelming since I've always wanted a real les paul and it didn't feel any better than my Japanese epiphone. Saying that my epi has 50s wiring and pg bareknuckle pickups.The more I play it the more I do like it but there's a few things I'm not too happy about. The wiring is modern wiring. If you buy a 50s style guitar then give me 50s wiring which is now a job I will need to do on a 2k guitar. The feel of the toggle switch is a bit cheap as well.The guitar overall plays very well I just expected it to be like fenders vintage series and that gibson had finally listened to the guitar playing public and gave us a 50s standard with 50s wiring. I would give gibson a school report of improving but can do better!

Better than I expected

I play only at home...I have this guitar 3 weeks. I have small to medium size hands and the 50s neck profile feels great!!!! Ive only owned Fenders and slim taper SGs... And I think Im converted to this thicker neck (which wasn't drastically different from the 60s).Ive never owned an LP standard, and the urban legend about them being super heavy is real!!! Although I love the non weight relieve LPs.... But again, Im not a gigging musician.The tone: I play lots of slow, clean blues. Some 60s and 70s rock blues lightly over driven. I never realized how articulate and nuanced a Humbucker could sound until I played this 50s standard... The low output brings unlimited tonal options. Makes me sound slightly better than I am on guitar.The fit and finish: The fret ... MoreI play only at home...I have this guitar 3 weeks. I have small to medium size hands and the 50s neck profile feels great!!!! Ive only owned Fenders and slim taper SGs... And I think Im converted to this thicker neck (which wasn't drastically different from the 60s).Ive never owned an LP standard, and the urban legend about them being super heavy is real!!! Although I love the non weight relieve LPs.... But again, Im not a gigging musician.The tone: I play lots of slow, clean blues. Some 60s and 70s rock blues lightly over driven. I never realized how articulate and nuanced a Humbucker could sound until I played this 50s standard... The low output brings unlimited tonal options. Makes me sound slightly better than I am on guitar.The fit and finish: The fret board and frets feel flawless. Smooth and fluid. By looking at the frets themselves, they seemed small.... But they feel perfect. The nitro lacquer on the back of the neck doesn't give me any trouble. Its not as free moving as the satin neck back on a Fender Player... But its very close and none of the issues ive read about were present on any Gibsons ive owned prior or this one. Again.... I dont play under hot lights on stageWhen I was trying this guitar and others out, Kareem at Sam Ash in NYC was incredibly supportive in letting me take all the time I needed to play. So thats what I will end with.... This is a high quality instrument, but the particular review I gave is based on my preferences.... Get your hands on them. Play them.Im never selling this one!!!!!

Everything a Les Paul Standard should be!!

Guitar arrived in perfect, pristine condition. There is not a flaw on this instrument. The guitar was set up perfectly and was in tune when I took it out of the case. Great sounding and playing guitar. Neck is thick and chunky and the action is low. It could be a little lower, but I found it to be the right balance for fretting and bending. Tuning is stable (rock solid). It doesn't even flinch when you hit it hard. Pickups are well balanced in output between each other. This is the first Les Paul I've bought that I didn't have to make some modifications to before I used it. The frets are very well done with no sharp edges or buzzy tall ones. I couldn't be happier.

FINALY!! everything we have been asking for..

Gibson is back!! I was weary buying another les Paul. I was able to purchase a first run of the 2019 original series. (Unseen and Unplayed/ I played #217 & #219 from that year) when it arrived, I was extremely happy with the quality and detail put into this guitar. The SOLID mahogany body DOES have a more raunchy sound with more bite, as opposed to a weight relieved les Paul.. NO MORE CIRCUIT BOARDS!! This thing is hand wired with orange drop capacitors!! The volume and tone pots work as they should with "roll off" as expected from an original les Paul!! The binding on the neck wraps over the edges of the frets, and makes playing feel smooth, when traveling up the neck. This guitar is set up, and sound great right outta the box! The bridge & tailpiece (original ... MoreGibson is back!! I was weary buying another les Paul. I was able to purchase a first run of the 2019 original series. (Unseen and Unplayed/ I played #217 & #219 from that year) when it arrived, I was extremely happy with the quality and detail put into this guitar. The SOLID mahogany body DOES have a more raunchy sound with more bite, as opposed to a weight relieved les Paul.. NO MORE CIRCUIT BOARDS!! This thing is hand wired with orange drop capacitors!! The volume and tone pots work as they should with "roll off" as expected from an original les Paul!! The binding on the neck wraps over the edges of the frets, and makes playing feel smooth, when traveling up the neck. This guitar is set up, and sound great right outta the box! The bridge & tailpiece (original ABR-1) is set up like a les Paul should be (close to the body) for that killer tone! every guitar that comes off the line at Gibson is factory "pleked" for perfect setup and playability. I am happy to say I am ecstatic about purchasing this guitar, and would highly recommend picking 1 up for yourself!

Great guitar

I have ebony version of 50’s standard.Guitar is immaculate, there is nothing that points to the horror stories of Gibson QC. Frets are perfectly leveled, action is very low., nut properly cut, pain and binding as it should be.Neck profile is perfect, thick but not the famous baseball bat. Not extremely thicker than the neck on my Fender AO60 Strat.Pickups are versatile and can cover a lot of genres. Maybe more Bonamassa than super high gain but still very versatile.Yes, these days they are a bit on the heavier side if comparing to the all kinds of chambered bodies Gibson used to deliver but unless it is close to boat anchor weight, which is for me 4,5kg and above it is well worth.I would buy again if the quality remains the same.

No Other Place I Would Buy A Guitar

I have only used Sam Ash for the last 4 years to buy anything guitar related, so when the time came to buy my first Les Paul, there was only one place I wanted to go. From the moment I expressed interest to the final purchase, it was a pleasure working with the whole team. They really cared about providing me with all of my options from Standards to Custom Shops, and really asked good questions about my playing experience, how I would use the instrument, etc. Ultimately, I found a 50's standard that I had to have! Right off the wall in the store it was set up beautifully and played great--it was clear they take really good care of these guitars. I play every day, and honestly, I can't wait to buy my next one!

Sweet but needs some work

I contacted MF several times trying to find out more about this guitar. After little to no success I purchased the guitar anyway and these are my findings.It is a true AA maple top with a great flame that is not represented well by the stock photograph. I say this because I had concerns it would look more like a plain top due to the quality of the pictures.I saw online this may have been some over flow guitars from wildwood that they designed, but that is not true. MF could not tell me who designed this special run and said call Gibson if your that concerned. I called Gibson and they informed it was a special run designed by MF for them and Guitar Center.I received the guitar promptly and undamaged. However, the set up on the guitar is absolutely terrible. I ... MoreI contacted MF several times trying to find out more about this guitar. After little to no success I purchased the guitar anyway and these are my findings.It is a true AA maple top with a great flame that is not represented well by the stock photograph. I say this because I had concerns it would look more like a plain top due to the quality of the pictures.I saw online this may have been some over flow guitars from wildwood that they designed, but that is not true. MF could not tell me who designed this special run and said call Gibson if your that concerned. I called Gibson and they informed it was a special run designed by MF for them and Guitar Center.I received the guitar promptly and undamaged. However, the set up on the guitar is absolutely terrible. I have issues on my B and high E string from the 3rd fret and down. I will have to get this guitar set up professionally to truly enjoy it.Other than the set up the guitar is beautiful, has a great flamed top, and plays just like a 50's LP should. After a few days adjusting to its new climate the tinny bridge pick up has seemed to mellow out some and has great note clarity.I was extremely hesitant to buy this guitar because of the pictures MF has of this guitar and everytime I asked a question MF would just quote the basic description listed under the guitar.Hopefully this review helps someone who was like me and on the fence decide to either pull the trigger or pass!

The Gold Standard

I'm absolutely in love with this guitar. I had my heart set on a Gold Top and tried out a VOS Gold Top in store, which looked and sounded amazing but ultimately found the vintage accurate '57 neck profile made accessing higher frets to be far more challenging than I'd like, even as someone who prefers a chunky neck. The 50's Standard neck profile is much slimmer but still has plenty of comfortable heft, more akin to a '59 Les Paul neck profile. Aside from that and the worn in mojo on the VOS finish, I personally found the differences between the two guitars to be marginal as players instruments. The build quality on this guitar is exceptional. I challenged my carpentry fanatic housemate to spot the join on the back of the two piece mahogany body and he could not ... MoreI'm absolutely in love with this guitar. I had my heart set on a Gold Top and tried out a VOS Gold Top in store, which looked and sounded amazing but ultimately found the vintage accurate '57 neck profile made accessing higher frets to be far more challenging than I'd like, even as someone who prefers a chunky neck. The 50's Standard neck profile is much slimmer but still has plenty of comfortable heft, more akin to a '59 Les Paul neck profile. Aside from that and the worn in mojo on the VOS finish, I personally found the differences between the two guitars to be marginal as players instruments. The build quality on this guitar is exceptional. I challenged my carpentry fanatic housemate to spot the join on the back of the two piece mahogany body and he could not find it.The overall tone is very warm, rich and full sounding without sounding muffled or muddy. It can get great jazzy clean tones but in my hands this guitar can't wait to start rocking and to that end this instrument seriously delivers the goods. Make no mistake; a Standard Les Paul is nothing average!

The bucket list guitar

Sound:Big Thick Fat Tone !Quality:Its a proper Gibson Les Paul this is how they should continue to make them. No bells or whistles just tone and quality.Value:yes its worth the price any higher than 2,500 USD and i would say no.The Wow Factor:The Gibson Les Paul Standard is the guitar you buy if you want a Gibson Les Paul Standard. There are other guitars brands that do the Gibson Les Paul sound as good as Gibson. But there can only ever be 1 Gibson and the experience you get with a Gibson is something other brands can get close to giving you but can not give you.Overall:My mother passed away so i bought this Gibson Les Paul 50s spec with some of the money i got from her. It is my finale bucket list guitar i do not know if i got lucky or what but mine ... MoreSound:Big Thick Fat Tone !Quality:Its a proper Gibson Les Paul this is how they should continue to make them. No bells or whistles just tone and quality.Value:yes its worth the price any higher than 2,500 USD and i would say no.The Wow Factor:The Gibson Les Paul Standard is the guitar you buy if you want a Gibson Les Paul Standard. There are other guitars brands that do the Gibson Les Paul sound as good as Gibson. But there can only ever be 1 Gibson and the experience you get with a Gibson is something other brands can get close to giving you but can not give you.Overall:My mother passed away so i bought this Gibson Les Paul 50s spec with some of the money i got from her. It is my finale bucket list guitar i do not know if i got lucky or what but mine looks like it has AAA flame top and its very lively under the light. The overall quality of the guitar is great its very Gibson that is the best way i can put it. It feels and plays like a proper Gibson before the bad and shameful years. I always thought it was bull but whatever room you open this guitar up in will smell of nitrocellulose lacquer my room reeks of it and i dont hate that. I am not really a Gibson fanboy so i wont fanboy over Gibson. Everyone always talks about the 50s neck and how there fat but to be honest its not that fat maybe my 8 string ruined that feeling for me. At the end of the day it is what i expected a proper qc'd Gibson Les Paul to be a tone machine and i will be putting this here tone machine to good use. I always wanted a proper Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s spec in heritage cherry sunburst and now i own one. My Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s spec in heritage cherry sunburst sure does sound sweet i could not be more happy.