"I am in love!"
This reviewer purchased this item from Same Day Music.
Feature:
Came with a nice hard shell case. I wouldn't change any of its features. After playing many guitars, I found I required a maple top to get the warmth I was missing into my sound. This guitar offers that warmth, and isn't over $1500 (my budget cap).
Quality:
There is one small blemish on the underside of the lower bout...looks like someone missed the area with the buffing wheel. No biggie, can be buffed with wax to complete the job and doesn't bother me. All parts were tight and well-adjusted. I would (and will) depend on this as my #1 axe. Have played it out a few times; it's solid, holds tuning even thru 5 fret bends, and doesn't seem to have issues with temperature (stage lighting, etc.). A solid, well-built American product.
Value:
This guitar is worth the cost, for sure. Nothing I've played comes close in the same price range. The Les Paul Standard is several hundred dollars more. For anyone who doesn't want to spend crazy money but wants a real Les Paul, I suggest they look into the Studio model. My friend wants mine, and he has a Classic!!
Desirability:
I dig the fireburst finish, and gold hardware. The guitar feels good, is well-balanced, and I can dial in most any sound I require for the things I play. The nitrocell is beautiful, as is the grain pattern of the maple top. What sold me is the tone...I would never have bought a different axe over the net, but having played several LP's, I know that TONE when I hear it...this axe has that tone!
Sound:
TONE!!! The maple top gives warm, fat, bluesy and rich sounds on neck & middle settings. Bridge pickup offers a bite for screaming leads. This guitar has the cleanest, fattest sound...with OD or distortion, it really shines, and is rich in harmonics. You notice most when you play out with a band. Of course, the Studio has all the sustain of the LP Classic & Standard. I run mine thru a homemade MXR Distortion+ into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe tube amp. I am getting a variety of sounds from Cream to Santana, Stray Cats to live Zeppelin. I would not suggest a LP for shred, death metal - they make Charvel's etc. for that.
The LP Studio has the compressed, slightly dark sound we've all come to love in a maple-top Les Paul, and is extremely well balanced sound-wise and is responsive to picking dynamics. The 490R is warm and fat..the 498T offers the best of bite with clear projection (it's not 'fuzzy' or shrill). I wouldn't change a thing...well, I might add a pick guard ;o) They say Gibson omitted the best possible stuff they could from the Studio that's found on a LP Standard (binding, pick guard) to make it affordable. I agree with that! Why pay for a plastic strip? I love this axe, and hope to have it for years to come.
Ease of Use:
Plays great. I use a different brand of strings, so will have my music tech tweak the action & intonation, but it came set up to middle-of-the-road specs. I had to get used to the weight distribution (grew up playing Strats), but no big deal. The way the guitar feels makes me want to play it. And play it...and play it...
Support:
I've only had my LP for a week, so no calls to Gibson yet. I have friends who have needed assistance or had questions, and they report good things, so they get a 10 by word of mouth.
Overall:
This will be my main guitar; I intend to keep it extremely long-term. If I were to buy another, it would be for sheer flash - possibly a strat or a tele just for some twang. I would replace it if it were stolen, and beat the perp about the face and neck area with a 2x4.
The only "negative" I've seen so far is the weight (which aids in giving massive tone). I don't mind it, tho some people might. The Studio is a bit lighter than the Classic, etc. Go play a LP and decide for yourself :o)
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