Cherry Sunburst
Gibson Les Paul Standard Review - How Does It Stack Up?
While you have to cautious about learning your music history from "Guitar Hero," even playing the super-popular video game for five minutes will teach you that the Gibson Les Paul is an inescapable part of rock and roll history. Since its creation, the recognizable design and sound have been part of the landscape of popular music, especially rock and blues. Though the shape and basic sound have remained the same, Gibson has made slight changes to the details, from neck thickness to pickup selection.
In 2008, Gibson presented a Gibson Les Paul Standard that contained more than its fair share of alterations, some welcome and some not. Let's take a look at these revisions.
Here's a summation on the changes Gibson implemented. The new Les Paul Standard now includes Strap Locks (Dunlop), chambered body, Grover Locking Tuners, TonePros bridge/tailpiece, Neutrick output jack, and a setup via Plek. If you're familiar with Les Pauls, you'll instantly observe the lighter weight, due to the chambered body.
We were somewhat afraid that the chambered body would have a bad effect on the tone, but, luckily, it didn't happen. The trademark Les Paul sustain was here in all its glory, as was the distinctive thick, meaty tone. We were glad, though, that the guitar was a bit lighter. If you've played with a Les Paul strung over your shoulder, you know what we mean.
Usually, I swap out a stock tune-o-matic bridge with a TonePro locking bridge, so it was nice to find that as a stock option here. We were also pleasantly surprised with the stock setup, owing to the Plek machine setup, we imagine.
As you might expect, we did have to set the truss rod, but that's regular fare for an instrument delivered by UPS (or any carrier for that matter). Even without the truss rod tweak, we could've easily taken this instrument to a gig and played with nary a problem.
We were also very taken with the finish, which was a flamed Heritage Cherry Sunburst. Try as we could, we found no problems in the fit or finish. While a matter of individual taste, we're also glad they chose to omit the pickguard, but it is included should you wish to install it.
We were intrigued when we found that Gibson built this series using an asymmetrical neck profile; however, we have to say that we're grateful they did. The profile sports a thicker bass side and a thinner treble side.
It's sort of a cross between a 50's profile and a 60's profile, but in one guitar. We don't know if we should thank Gibson or Plex, but the fretwork was the nicest we've seen from a stock Gibson, as was the setup.
It's hard for us not to think of a Les Paul without thinking of the sound of a Les Paul cranked up through a Marshall, so we ran the Gibson through a reissue Marshall JCM800 half-stack. We liked what we heard, though you do need to know that the chambered body gives the instrument something of a ES-335 sound when cranked. Think old Clapton.
We were also surprised by the pickups, since we're used to installing aftermarket pickups (e.g. Seymour Duncan), but the Burstbuckers did the job admirably. They unquestionably let you know that you're playing a Les Paul, since all the heavy sounds are here.
For all the positive modifications in the new Les Paul Standards, there are a few changes that we just didn't get. For starters, we've never been a fan of locking input jacks. Granted, Neutrik jacks are as high high-performance as you can get, but that's not the point. It's more of a pain than a help, and we wish they hadn't assumed all guitarists would want such a "convenience."
Even worse are the control pots (volume and tone), which are all mounted on a PCB board. In fact, all the electronics (pickups, selector switch, and jack) are connected to this board. In some ways it's cool, but it could make the once-simple act of changing a pickup much more involved. We'd pass on the PCB, if left to us.
Aside from these small concerns, we think the freshest incarnation of the Gibson Les Paul Standard has a lot to offer and that it unquestionably has the spirit of a classic Les Paul. If the revisions are not to your liking, Gibson now offers the "Les Paul Traditional" that is more, well, traditional. There's something for everyone in Gibson's Les Paul lineup.
About the Author
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US $4,750.00
