Gibson Les Paul Standard Review – How Does It Stack Up?
While you have to careful about picking up 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 identifiable design and sound have been part of the landscape of popular music, especially rock and blues. Though the shape and primary sound have remained the same, Gibson has made slight changes to the details, from neck thickness to pickup selection.
The last major round of revisions made to the Les Paul Standard occurred in 2008. Some of the changes have received good critiques while others have not. We\’ll take a look at the details 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 immediately notice the lighter weight, because of the chambered body.
You might think that the change in the body type could result in loss of sustain or tone, but that\’s just not the case here. It has a well-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.
Since I ordinarily substitute tune-o-matic style bridges with TonePros, the upgraded bridge and tailpiece are a welcome addition, as is the Plek setup, which resulted in a solid playing and sounding instrument right out of the box.
Granted, a minor truss rod adjustment was required, but that\’s usually the case when you get a guitar via UPS. Out of the box, the Les Paul was pretty much gig-ready, a testimonial to both the Plek\’d setup as well as the TonePros hardware.
The finish was really lovely. Having opted for the flamed top in Heritage Cherry Sunburst, we tried to find some issues with the finish, but none could be found. We were also glad that they didn\’t hide this pretty top with the pickguard, but it\’s included if you want it installed.
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: increased playability.
It\’s sort of a cross between a 50\’s profile and a 60\’s profile, but in one instrument. 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 found, though you do need to know that the chambered body gives the guitar something of a ES-335 sound when cranked. Think old Clapton.
We also dug the Burstbucker pickups, which is saying something because we\’re used to swapping out replacements straightaway. The pickups stress the Les Paul\’s heavy sound, and you can easily grab some identifiable Les Paul sounds here. The Burstbuckers merged with the chambered body is a terrific combination.
We have to say, though, that there were a few things we just didn\’t care for. Gibson chose to include Neutrik locking input jacks, for example. Some people love them, but we\’re not fans. Still, the Neutrik jacks are superior quality, so we appreciate that at least.
Even less enjoyable are the volume and tone control pots, which are PCB mounted. It seems convenient at first, since the jack, selector switch, pots, and pickups are all connected to the main PCB board. But it could really slow down the easy act of changing a pot or pickup. No thanks.
Despite these niggles, we found the new Les Paul Standard to be worthy of the name. If the changes seem a bit too much for you, then Gibson has released a model called the \”Les Paul Traditional\” which is just 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.
If you are searching for the absolute cheapest price on a used or new Gibson Les Paul Standard, then you must visit Ray\’s Guitar Shop, which offers the best prices on all used and new guitars. It doesn\’t matter if you\’re searching for a Fender Stratocaster, an Epiphone G-400, or a PRS Custom 22, Ray\’s Guitar Shop has what you\’re looking for!
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