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 distinctive shape and the strong, thick sound. Through the years, however, several particulars (from the neck specifications to the pickups) have varied.
Only a couple of years ago, Gibson presented a number of alterations in the best-selling Les Paul Standard series. Some of these revisions have been well-received, others not so much. So, what has changed, exactly?
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 immediately observe the lighter weight, due to the chambered body.
We didn't discover any deficiency in tone due to the chambered body, and played acoustically, the Les Paul Standard had a well-balanced, deep tone. If you've ever gigged with a Les Paul for any extended period of time, you'll treasure the lighter weight.
Usually, I swap out a stock tune-o-matic bridge with a TonePro locking bridge, so it was nice to find that as a standard option here. We were also agreeably surprised with the stock setup, owing to the Plek machine setup, we imagine.
Granted, a minor truss rod adjustment was essential, but that's usually the case when you receive a guitar via UPS. Out of the box, the Gibson was pretty much gig-ready, a testimony to both the Plek'd setup as well as the TonePros hardware.
The finish on the revised Standard is as fantastic as ever. We reviewed a Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish that had just a gorgeous 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 opted to exclude the pickguard from this model, though you could easily install one if you miss it. The pickguard is included, however.
For the revised Standard, Gibson chose to incorporate an asymmetrical neck profile, and I applaud their choice. The whole point is to have a thicker bass side with a slightly thinner treble side, and the playability is greatly improved with this profile design.
Think of it as the best of a 50's and 60's profile in one neck design. The fretwork and factory setup were the nicest we'd ever seen from an out-of-the-box Gibson.
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.
The Burstbucker pickups seemed to be a pretty good fit, since they are aggressive and dark by nature. There are definitely some definitive Les Paul tones to be found here, though the chambered body/Burstbucker combination has its own special flavor. To each his own. We liked them.
For all the things we liked, there were still various changes that we wish hadn't been enacted 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 instantly.
Same goes for the PCB mounted volume and tone pots. In fact, all pots, the pickups, the selector switch, and the jack are all coupled to a main PCB board via pluggable connectors. While it's cutting-edge in a way, it could also greatly hinder switching a pot or swapping pickups. We were left scratching our heads on this one.
Still, these concerns are modest. Overall, the new Gibson Les Paul Standard is a outstanding guitar in many ways, and we sense the spirit of classic Les Pauls here. Gibson also now makes a "Les Paul Traditional" that might appeal to people who want a more orthodox Les Paul. Obviously, Gibson has something for everyone in their Les Paul series. - 18424
Only a couple of years ago, Gibson presented a number of alterations in the best-selling Les Paul Standard series. Some of these revisions have been well-received, others not so much. So, what has changed, exactly?
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 immediately observe the lighter weight, due to the chambered body.
We didn't discover any deficiency in tone due to the chambered body, and played acoustically, the Les Paul Standard had a well-balanced, deep tone. If you've ever gigged with a Les Paul for any extended period of time, you'll treasure the lighter weight.
Usually, I swap out a stock tune-o-matic bridge with a TonePro locking bridge, so it was nice to find that as a standard option here. We were also agreeably surprised with the stock setup, owing to the Plek machine setup, we imagine.
Granted, a minor truss rod adjustment was essential, but that's usually the case when you receive a guitar via UPS. Out of the box, the Gibson was pretty much gig-ready, a testimony to both the Plek'd setup as well as the TonePros hardware.
The finish on the revised Standard is as fantastic as ever. We reviewed a Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish that had just a gorgeous 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 opted to exclude the pickguard from this model, though you could easily install one if you miss it. The pickguard is included, however.
For the revised Standard, Gibson chose to incorporate an asymmetrical neck profile, and I applaud their choice. The whole point is to have a thicker bass side with a slightly thinner treble side, and the playability is greatly improved with this profile design.
Think of it as the best of a 50's and 60's profile in one neck design. The fretwork and factory setup were the nicest we'd ever seen from an out-of-the-box Gibson.
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.
The Burstbucker pickups seemed to be a pretty good fit, since they are aggressive and dark by nature. There are definitely some definitive Les Paul tones to be found here, though the chambered body/Burstbucker combination has its own special flavor. To each his own. We liked them.
For all the things we liked, there were still various changes that we wish hadn't been enacted 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 instantly.
Same goes for the PCB mounted volume and tone pots. In fact, all pots, the pickups, the selector switch, and the jack are all coupled to a main PCB board via pluggable connectors. While it's cutting-edge in a way, it could also greatly hinder switching a pot or swapping pickups. We were left scratching our heads on this one.
Still, these concerns are modest. Overall, the new Gibson Les Paul Standard is a outstanding guitar in many ways, and we sense the spirit of classic Les Pauls here. Gibson also now makes a "Les Paul Traditional" that might appeal to people who want a more orthodox Les Paul. Obviously, Gibson has something for everyone in their Les Paul series. - 18424
About the Author:
If you are searching for the absolute lowest price on a used or new Gibson Les Paul Standard, then you need to 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 Telecaster, an Epiphone Casino, or a PRS McCarty, Ray's Guitar Shop has what you're looking for!
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