Gibson Les Paul Standard Review - Are the New Changes Worth It?
The Gibson Les Paul is a part of music history, to say the least. Ever since the 1950's, the Les Paul has been well-known for its recognizable shape and the strong, thick sound. Through the years, though, several particulars (from the neck specifications to the pickups) have varied.
The last major round of alterations made to the Les Paul Standard took place in 2008. Some of the modifications have received good reviews while others have not. We'll take a look at the particulars and let you decide for yourself.
Here's a rundown 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, because of the chambered body.
You might think that the modification in the body type could result in loss of sustain or tone, but that's just not the case here. It has a balanced, thick tone that you'd expect from a Gibson Les Paul. One thing's for sure, and it's that the light weight will make the guitar much more "gigable," since Les Pauls have been traditionally back-breakers.
We were delighted to see some of the hardware upgrades, particularly the TonePros bridge and tailpiece. Similarly, the Plek'd setup resulted in a very playable and terrific sounding guitar literally out of the box.
As you might expect, we did have to set the truss rod, but that's standard 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 guitar to a gig and played with nary a problem.
The finish on the revised Standard is as terrific as ever. We went over a Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish that had just a stunning flame. We found no blemishes in either finish or fit, and the fret dressing and setup was as nice as we've ever seen from a production guitar. Gibson also chose to omit the pickguard from this model, though you could easily install one if you miss it. The pickguard is included, however.
The neck profile has also undergone a transformation. It now has an asymmetrical profile, which is thicker on the bass side and thinner on the treble. Though it sounds a bit odd, the end result is a good one: enhanced playability.
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 finest we've seen from a stock Gibson, as was the setup.
Since the Gibson/Marshall combo is so time-honored, I resolved to test the new Gibson Les Paul Standard with a JCM 800 half-stack. While it's decidedly hip, the chambered body does add something of a 335-type sound to the mix. It may or may not be your cup o' tea.
We also liked the Burstbucker pickups, which is saying something because we're used to swapping out replacements immediately. The pickups emphasize the Les Paul's heavy sound, and you can easily grab some recognizable Les Paul sounds here. The Burstbuckers merged with the chambered body is a terrific combination.
For all the things we liked, there were still various changes that we wish hadn't been chosen by Gibson. That includes the locking Neutrik jack. Though Neutrik jacks are very high quality, we just didn't like not being able to pull the cord out immediately.
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 coupled to this board. In some ways it's cool, but it could make the once-simple act of switching a pickup much more complicated. We'd pass on the PCB, if left to us.
Despite these niggles, we found the new Les Paul Standard to be worthy of the name. If the modifications seem a bit too much for you, then Gibson has released a model called the "Les Paul Traditional" which is simply a Les Paul Standard without the new changes. If you're more of a traditionalist, then the Les Paul Traditional might be more your speed. Regardless of your preference, there's a Les Paul for everyone in Gibson's guitar lineup. - 23806
The last major round of alterations made to the Les Paul Standard took place in 2008. Some of the modifications have received good reviews while others have not. We'll take a look at the particulars and let you decide for yourself.
Here's a rundown 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, because of the chambered body.
You might think that the modification in the body type could result in loss of sustain or tone, but that's just not the case here. It has a balanced, thick tone that you'd expect from a Gibson Les Paul. One thing's for sure, and it's that the light weight will make the guitar much more "gigable," since Les Pauls have been traditionally back-breakers.
We were delighted to see some of the hardware upgrades, particularly the TonePros bridge and tailpiece. Similarly, the Plek'd setup resulted in a very playable and terrific sounding guitar literally out of the box.
As you might expect, we did have to set the truss rod, but that's standard 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 guitar to a gig and played with nary a problem.
The finish on the revised Standard is as terrific as ever. We went over a Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish that had just a stunning flame. We found no blemishes in either finish or fit, and the fret dressing and setup was as nice as we've ever seen from a production guitar. Gibson also chose to omit the pickguard from this model, though you could easily install one if you miss it. The pickguard is included, however.
The neck profile has also undergone a transformation. It now has an asymmetrical profile, which is thicker on the bass side and thinner on the treble. Though it sounds a bit odd, the end result is a good one: enhanced playability.
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 finest we've seen from a stock Gibson, as was the setup.
Since the Gibson/Marshall combo is so time-honored, I resolved to test the new Gibson Les Paul Standard with a JCM 800 half-stack. While it's decidedly hip, the chambered body does add something of a 335-type sound to the mix. It may or may not be your cup o' tea.
We also liked the Burstbucker pickups, which is saying something because we're used to swapping out replacements immediately. The pickups emphasize the Les Paul's heavy sound, and you can easily grab some recognizable Les Paul sounds here. The Burstbuckers merged with the chambered body is a terrific combination.
For all the things we liked, there were still various changes that we wish hadn't been chosen by Gibson. That includes the locking Neutrik jack. Though Neutrik jacks are very high quality, we just didn't like not being able to pull the cord out immediately.
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 coupled to this board. In some ways it's cool, but it could make the once-simple act of switching a pickup much more complicated. We'd pass on the PCB, if left to us.
Despite these niggles, we found the new Les Paul Standard to be worthy of the name. If the modifications seem a bit too much for you, then Gibson has released a model called the "Les Paul Traditional" which is simply a Les Paul Standard without the new changes. If you're more of a traditionalist, then the Les Paul Traditional might be more your speed. Regardless of your preference, there's a Les Paul for everyone in Gibson's guitar lineup. - 23806
About the Author:
If you are shopping for the absolute lowest price on a new or used Gibson Les Paul Standard, then you need to visit Ray's Guitar Shop, which offers the lowest prices on all used and new guitars. It doesn't matter if you're shopping for a Fender Stratocaster, an Epiphone Casino, or a PRS Custom 22, Ray's Guitar Shop has what you're searching for!
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