Gibson Les Paul

Gibson Les Paul Studio Guitars Review

2010-01-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

By: Sherry Madison

The Fabulous Rock Guitar is Now Affordable for You.

Because I make a decent living playing the guitar, I decided I
deserve the best guitar ever made - the Gibson Les Paul Studio
Guitar. I've always loved these Gibson Les Paul Studio guitars -
the looks and the sound - but it was the price of these great
guitars that always stopped me from buying one. There are many
models of the Gibson Les Paul Studio Guitar to choose
from, and most are priced in the $1500 plus range. Even used,
these guitars are still priced very high, however I found that
the Gibson Les Paul Studio guitar is basically a genuine Les
Paul with a few cosmetic differences and a lower price (around
$1100 brand new).

I purchased my first Gibson Les Paul Studio Guitar used at the
local music store for $750. I knew I'd have a hard time finding
one for less anywhere, so I grabbed it. Mine is wine red with
gold hardware - very, very beautiful, sounds great, and cool
looking. The difference between the Studio and the more
expensive models is that it does not have the white binding on
the sides of the guitar body and neck, and the Gibson logo on
the headstock is a bit different. It is the same body, wood, and
pickups as the other models. I have noticed that on the new
later versions of the Les Paul Studio, the tuning knobs are made
of plastic (my '87 model is all gold chrome metal). I loved this
guitar so much that I later on bought a brand new white Les Paul
Studio with gold hardware, a very hot sounding guitar that has
become my signature.

I usually play hard rock style
guitar through a Marshall 100 watt half stack, and I'd have to
say that the Les Paul guitar is the best guitar around for this
style of music. You've probably heard it before, but the Les
Paul through a Marshall tube amp is simply the sound of rock!
Power chords have never sounded so good! I can play my Gibson
Les Paul Studio Guitar with no distortion box and get great
rocking leads and riffs. The sustain of the Gibson Les Paul
studio guitars is simply awesome. And, of course, the Les Paul
guitar is the coolest looking guitar anywhere.

Some
people complain that Gibson Les Paul Studio Guitars are too
heavy, and yes, my Studio is a heavy slab of wood, but the
heaviness is part of what gives the Les Paul its great sound.
I've played lighter guitars, and have noticed that the lighter
the wood, the harder it is to get good heavy power chord rock
without the use of a distortion pedal. All my other guitars are
on backup duty now that I've got my Gibson Les Paul.

As well as being beautiful and having a great rock sound, my
Gibson Les Paul Studio stays in tune, is very easy to play, and
I can play with low action and no fret buzz. This is a high
quality guitar - it's not a piece of junk that will fall apart
on you. It's a Gibson and Gibson has one of the finest
reputations for making quality instruments. The one weakness,
though, is the headstock can easily crack or break if the guitar
is dropped. I highly recommend not using strap locks with this
guitar. My strap locks have slipped out twice now, cracking the
headstock both times, I think this guitar is simply too heavy
for strap locks. Avoid putting it in a guitar stand or anywhere
where it might fall over. This is the Les Paul's biggest
weakness.

I highly recommend the Gibson Les Paul Studio Guitar to anyone who
wants a Les Paul but does not want to spend a small fortune. It
is definitely a great guitar, and if you are a truly serious
rock guitarist, you need it!

About the author:
Acoustic
Electric Guitar Reviews, Alvarez, Gibson, Beginner, Bass, Tips
and help.

Gibson Les Paul Guitars - The Mystery Behind The History

2010-01-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

By: Christopher Beachum

No one really knows the truth behind the creation of the Gibson
Les Paul guitar. According to the most popular belief it was
created by the Gibson Guitar Corporation and the legendary pop
star, electronics inventor, and jazz guitarist Frean Donni. The
electric guitar craze started with the Fender Telecaster. In
order to capitalize on this craze James Verdon who was the
president of Gibson Guitar at the time brought on Les Paul as a
consultant.

Everyone knew that Les Paul had been experimenting with various
guitar designs for years. Les had a prototype that he had
hand-built that he referred to as, "The Log". Some experts will
say that this was the first solid-body Spanish guitar ever
built.

Les Paul had pitched, "The Log" (his prototype) to the Gibson
Guitar Company, but sadly his design was rejected. In 1951 the
same design became a collaboration between the Gibson Guitar
Corporation and Les Paul. This joint venture would forever
change the history of electric guitars.

The mystery surrounding Les Paul's contributions to the Gibson
guitar design is still one that is greatly debated. Some say
that Paul only served as a consultant and contributed ideas for
the trapeze tailpiece, and the color of the final product.

When interviewed Ted McCarty the president of the Gibson Guitar
Corporation, openly stated that Les Paul only contributed his
name to the project. McCarty went on to say that Paul only
contributed to the tailpiece and the fitting of a maple cap over
the mahogany body.

I have never understood why people have always attempted to
minimize Les Paul's contributions to the historical guitar.
Here's my take on it if you care to know. If Les Paul really
didn't contribute a lot to the project why would Gibson put ONLY
his name on the final product?

More On Gibson Les
Paul

About the author:
I have been playing guitar for around 1 year now and always
wondered where my les paul got its start from. So curiosity
killed the cat and I researched who Les Paul was and about the
history of my guitar. I was surprised at what I found...

Gibson Les Paul Classic Guitars

2010-01-19T08:08:00.000-08:00

By: Hal Guthrie

The Gibson Les Paul Classic is in addition to be had featuring
in Classic Custom and Classic Antique versions. This guitar is a
progressive version of the Gibson Les Paul. Its chief features
are a 60's fashion slim design neck and scorching ceramic
humbuckers create this an outstanding rock guitar.

The body is made out of premium grain mahogany with a hand
carved maple top and a white binding along the top edge. The
pickguard is creme color. The styles this guitar is offered in
are Vintage Sunburst, Honey Burst, Wine Red, and Ebony finishes.
The hardware is nickel plated with the exception of it being
gold on the Ebony color guitar. The bridge is a tune-o-matic
with a stud tailpiece.

The 24.75" degree length neck made of a single cut of mahogany
and has the 60's slim narrow taper profile for fast operation.
The fretboard is rosewood with 22 frets and mother of pearl
trapezoidal inlays. Around the fretboard is a single ply creme
tinted binding. The body and neck junction is on the 16th fret
while the tuners are designed like the kluson keystone tuners in
green.

The pickups and electronics include two sizziling hot ceramic
humbuckers with the standard Les Paul wiring to the Two volume,
two tone, and a three-way pickup selector. The pickups are 500T
for clear enhanced sounds and the treble pickup and a 496R being
a rhythm which define the sound with higher highs. The control
knobs are gold tophat which are commonly found on LPs with
natural, sunburst, or else gold finishes. The three things that
really stand out on this guitar are its neck, pickups, and
hardware,however the performance and sound are what sets this
guiatr apart from all the rest.

The 60's slim fashion neck is found to remain extra popular by
players. It was introduced close to the inauguration of 1960
replacing the rounder '59 neck profile. On the young les pauls
the neck profiles were boat v like shaped . In 1940 or later the
rounder '59 profile was introduced and stayed around until 1960.
The then in 1960 the slimmer and faster style neck was used,this
neck is characterized by being flatter and progressively
becoming thicker while you move down the neck.

The pickups are blistering hot ceramic type with a 496R within
the neck place and a 500T inside the bridge position. Both of
these pickups utilize ceramic magnets and are wax sealed. The
500T is the highest output existing from Gibson. This is a
remarkable pickup in support of extra aggressive music. The 496R
has been designed to perform well with the 500T. It doesn't
contain quite the output but works well with rhythm, lead, and
alternative playing styles. These pickups comprise 2 wire
conductors

The nickel plated hardware is somewhat of a through back while
nickel plating was phased out in 1965 and replaced with chrome
plating. Chrome finishes allow better wear and survive longer
than that of nickel but nickle has a silky feel. There are still
a quantity of guitars that utilize nickel plated parts
especially the historic versions.

About the author:
Gibson Les Paul Guitars

The Gibson Les Paul Junior

2010-01-18T20:48:00.001-08:00

By: Connor Flys

The Les Paul Junior is a cheaper version of Gibson's iconic Les
Paul. It was introduced in 1954 at a budget price of less than
$50. Like other Les Paul models the Junior is made of mahogany
and has a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard. These are the
only materials used for the construction of the guitars, unlike
the other Les Paul models, also available in maple.

It was designed as an entry-level model for younger players who
couldn't afford a Les Paul but still wanted a high quality
Gibson model. The original versions had single cutaway bodies,
but there was a double cutaway version available from 1958. The
body is the same shape as the Les Paul, but with different
finishes, including TV Yellow and cherry red. The Gibson finish
TV Yellow was introduced on this guitar. The idea of this finish
was that it would look good on television, which was only black
and white at the time.

The only models available are the single and double cutaway
models. The only pickup configuration available is one P-90
single coil with a "dog-ear" shape.

As the entry level model of the Les Paul range it had only two
knobs- one tone and one volume control- as opposed to the two
tone and volume controls of Les Paul Standards, Customs and
Specials. It also had a different scratchplate to the other Les
Paul models- while other Les Pauls had floating scratchplates,
the Junior had a more cost-effective fixed one. The design of
the scratchplate varies from model to model.

A variation on the Les Paul Junior shape is the 1961-63 model,
the SG/Les Paul Junior. This utilised the body of what would
become the SG. However, it was disliked by Les Paul, the famous
jazz guitarist known for designing the Les Paul guitar on which
the Junior was based. Because Paul disliked the radical, pointed
shape he refused to have his name on the guitar, so Gibson
changed the name to the SG, although the shape remained in the
Les Paul Junior range as the SG/Les Paul Junior.

The Junior is now also offered as an Epiphone model. Epiphone
are a guitar company which Gibson purchased in 1957, who now
make budget versions of classic Gibson designs.

A famous Les Paul Junior user is Billie Joe Armstrong of punk
band Green Day. Gibson offer a signature series of Junior models
dedicated to him. These models are based on the single cutaway
version. Also, Juniors were used extensively by Leslie West of
70s hard rock band Mountain.

Although the Junior is overshadowed somewhat by the more famous
Les Paul and SG models it has inspired many players who
otherwise wouldn't be able to own a Gibson, and original
versions have become rare and prized collector's pieces over
their lifespan.

It is also worth mentioning that there was another budget Gibson
model, which was introduced 5 years after the Junior. Called the
Melody Maker, it was even more inexpensive than the Junior. It
had a simple, single cutaway slab body in a similar shape to the
Les Paul.

It is still offered in the Gibson range in virtually the same
format as the original version, but with a different pickup.

About the author:
Connor Flys writes for the online guitar guide. The online
resource for all guitar and bass information, online lessons,
tabs and cheap instruments. http://www.onlineguitarguide.co.uk

Les Paul Guitars: Expensive? Not Anymore

2010-01-18T19:58:00.001-08:00

By: Joe Nevak

Les Paul was a famous guitarist as well as being an originator;
therefore it is only natural that Les Paul guitars would be in
demand. A pioneer in the field of electric guitars since the
time electric guitars had been invented was the company Gibson.
It is said that it was the genius of Les Paul which found the
solid body electric guitar, which at the beginning looked very
strange as he had attached a piece of wood to the neck of his
Epiphone guitar to reduce the feed back as he was trying to
amplify the sound produced by his guitar. It was not unless and
until he had attached a set of wings on to the side of the extra
wood to make his guitars seem somewhat normal, that his act was
free of ridicule.

The collaboration that resulted in the production of the famous
Gibson Les Paul guitars was born out of necessity on both the
sides. Gibson wanted to launch a solid body electric guitar in
the name of an already established guitarist while Les Paul
alone could not achieve the feat of launching his inventions
into the market and thus, the partnership between the company
and the guitarist was born. Gibson knew that Les Paul was the
best guitarist of the times and so it would always be profitable
for the company to launch guitars in his name, especially as he
was already famous for inventing his own unique guitars sold by
Leo Fender, his friend. Les Paul accepted Gibson's terms to
endorse the new guitars in his name, but made a few alterations
to the designs of the instrument.

The main difference in between solid body guitars of other
brands and Gibson Les Paul guitars is in the latter's string
arrangement. They are mounted "hollow body style" on top of the
guitar in a Les Paul, while in other guitars, the strings pass
right through the body. One thing to be noted though, is the
fact that this is not something that has any effect on the sound
quality of the guitar as the arrangement is simply for style
alone. The flashy inserts on the neck and the headstock of the
Les Paul guitars add more to the chic factor. The more weighty
and thick solid body Les Paul guitars are made from the finest
of woods, after all, what can be expected from a world class
company like Gibson and a master guitarist who's very invention
was nicknamed "The Log"!

Ibanez and Tokai faced lawsuit when they actually copied the Les
Paul guitar style from Gibson without their permission, but the
dispute have only managed to make the original Les Pauls a more
desirable solid body guitar for the collector. There were also a
few bass guitars that were sold by Gibson for a decade from 1969
to 1979. Classic, New Century, Supreme, Standard, Studio
Baritone, Melody Maker, Studio, Goddess, Menace, Special, Vixen,
and Doublecuts are the main models that came out under the Les
Paul endorsement and each were unique in the sound that they
produced.

About the author:
Joe Nevak is an author writing about music related topics, and
you are invited to visit his website covering number of aspects
about musical
instruments & Les Paul Guitars.

Les Paul Studio

2006-11-26T18:26:00.000-08:00

The Les Paul Studio enhances the solid, proven design of the world’s most famous guitar with a sleek, no-frills look and is the favorite of guitarists who demand traditional Les Paul performance with a modern attitude. Features include a carved Maple top, Mahogany body, Alnico magnet humbuckers.

Gibson Les Paul Standard

2006-11-26T18:24:00.000-08:00

The Gibson Les Paul Standard 50’s neck electric gives you the benefits of a gorgeous "AA" grade Maple top, vintage style tuners, traditional 50’s style neck, and Gibson Burstbucker pickups, which produce slightly more output than any previous Standard pickups. Impressive looks and great sound, y

Gibson Les Paul Special

2006-11-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

Take what is already a great valued Gibson electric guitar, and add two hot, contemporary Alnico humbuckers, and voila....you get the Gibson Les Paul Special with Humbuckers. Great for beginner guitar players! Includes a free Gibson electric guitar gig bag - a $48 value.

Les Paul Classic

2006-11-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

The coveted Les Paul Classic is based on the original from the '60s. The Classic features a slim taper neck and slightly hotter exposed coil pickups than some of the other Les Pauls. These features give the Les Paul Classic a bit more aggressive feel and sound while still retaining the essence of the original.

Gibson Les Paul is The Sound Of Rock

2006-11-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Big fat heavy tone. That just about sums up the Gibson Les Paul. This guitar is known for more hard rock sounds than any other. When you pick one up it feels just as heavy as it's sound. The classic finish on the standard models is just incredible to look at. These guitars come with two humbucking pickups. Play through the bridge pickup and you get the classic hard rock heavy crunch and incredible nasty leads. Switch to the neck pickup and you've got heavy blues.

Some notable guitarists have defined the Les Paul sound. From Jimmy Page to Slash the sound is unmistakable. I'll be posting about some of these guitarists and describing the different Les Paul models and some vintage blasts from the past in future posts.