Gibson Les Paul Standard Limited Edition

[Plank_Spanker]

Features:

Mahogany body, maple top finished in "Pacific Reef". The website pictures do not convey the complexity of the finish. It's a blue / green with swirls of green running through it. The body is finished in a dark blue that beautifully complements the top. The body and neck feature white binding.

"60's" profile neck with ebony fretboard, trap pearloid inlays. The neck binding caps the fret ends and makes for a buttery smooth feel. Gibson Deluxe Kluzon style tuners with nickel buttons on a reduced size headstock.

Two Alnico V Burstbucker Pro pickups, with the standard two volume / two tone configuration. Standard TOM bridge and stop bar. "Top Hat" style knobs in black.

The strap pegs are standard Gibson fare and should be criminal for a Les Paul, unless you want to support your local luthier by having the head stock glued back on after it takes a dive. The first thing I did after I removed the guitar from the case was install Schaller strap locks.

The guitar shipped with a nice Gibson hard shell case in black tolex.

Sound:

Played straight into my Germino Club 40, this guitar shines. It has a very well balanced sound. The Burstbuckers are clear and musical all the way to the stops. At full volume with the amp set up to roar, every note is well defined, with no evidence of any "mud" or "hair". With the volume rolled back on the guitar, it cleans up nicely without losing any high mid sparkle. The neck and bridge pickups are excellently balanced, with no volume dips or spikes when switching them. This guitar would be equally at home playing jazz as it is playing driving rock.

Action, Fit, and Finish:

Since I ordered this guitar, it arrived to me basically straight from Gibson and the standard setup took just a little tweaking to dial it into my liking. The factory intonation was spot-on. There are no dead frets or strings buzzing.

The finish is eye popping and beautifully executed. The nitro clear coat shines like a mirror. There is no evidence of any "orange peel" or buffing swirls. The binding is well executed with no gaps, bumps or other flaws. The nut is cut for 10-46 strings, but can still benefit from a precise application of Nut Sauce. The tuners are precise and smooth and the guitar holds tune very well. The fretwork is nicely done - polished smooth and shiny. I've been over this guitar with a fine toothed comb, and I can find no flaws in it's construction.

Overall Impressions:

After a week of steady playing, I can resolutely say that this guitar is a winner among winners. It's loaded with "eye candy", and has the sound and playability to go with it. One item of special note is that this guitar is noticeably lightweight for a Les Paul. It tips the scales at 8.2 pounds. The body is very resonant, and you can feel the guitar playing in your hands and belly.

If a high end Les Paul is what you seek, then this is the guitar to look at. This guitar is now the Crown Jewel of my collection, and I look forward to playing lots of gigs with it.

[Tone2TheBone]

Plank - You've got one hell of an axe there. I could easily picture in my mind's eye your descriptions.

On your tune-o-matic bridge....are the saddles and the screw points inside the holes drilled into the bridge or does it have the wire running across? Is your bridge screwed in directly to the body or does it sit on the bushings? I can't remember from your photos and I'm at work so I can't see your pics on your post (web filter).

Do you have the option to get a 50's style neck with the LEs? A light Gibson LP with resonance sounds nice.

[sunvalleylaw]

A light Gibson LP with resonance sounds nice.

Good understatement of the year Tone! Plank, what a beautiful guitar. Can we get some drooly smilies!?

[Plank_Spanker]

Plank - You've got one hell of an axe there. I could easily picture in my mind's eye your descriptions.

On your tune-o-matic bridge....are the saddles and the screw points inside the holes drilled into the bridge or does it have the wire running across? Is your bridge screwed in directly to the body or does it sit on the bushings? I can't remember from your photos and I'm at work so I can't see your pics on your post (web filter).

Do you have the option to get a 50's style neck with the LEs? A light Gibson LP with resonance sounds nice.

Thanks, T2B and Sunvalley!

The saddle screws are threaded into the bridge - no retainer wire. The bridge sits on thumbwheel posts and bushings. The LE's are available with the 50's neck.


http://www.gibson.com/Products/Gibso...Standard%20LE/

[Nelskie]

Beautiful axe, Spanky. Looks even better outside on the "Road to Oz".

As a matter of fact, isn't that the the Tin Woodsman in the background? *muffled voice* "mmfffffooooyyllll"

Watch out for those flying monkeys!

[Plank_Spanker]

Thanks, Nelskie. I'll have to tell my wife about "The Road to Oz".

[warren0728]

man that is a beautiful guitar!

I like green guitars (i have a 98 lp special in spearmint green)

if it plays half as good as it looks it will be killer!!

ww

[kerc]

That Les Paul is abso[beep]lutely beautiful. Oh, my. That must look great under good stage lighting. Heck, under any lighting!