Gibson Les Paul Studio Guitar Review

The raging success of the Gibson Les Paul brand is absolutely undeniable. Gibson has gone through countless remakes and models, nearly all of which have been successful and attractive to buyers. Additionally, nearly every guitar manufacturer has some kind of Les Paul copy in their repertoire. In this article, I'll be reviewing one of the most popular authentic Gibson Les Paul models, the Les Paul Studio.

Features: The body of the Les Paul Studio, like most Gibsons, is made of mahogany wood. Think tone similar to that of Jimmy Page when considering this wood make. It also has a simple carved maple top, which isn't quite as flashy as the quilted top of the Les Paul Standard. There are a bunch of finishes available with the Les Paul Studio, including ebony, sunburst, and cherry. All have black pickguards and a glossed lacquer outer layer. The neck of the Les Paul Studio is set into the body, and like the body is made of mahogany. The fretboard, meanwhile, is rosewood with trapezoid pearloid inlays. All of the hardware is identical to the Les Paul Standard, including the Tune-O-Matic bridge, chrome pickup covers, and plastic tuning heads. Electronically, the Les Paul Studio has two Alnico humbucking pickups, two volume and two tone control knobs, and a three way selector switch.

Playability: Serving its sound versatility, the Les Paul Studio is customizable to fit the owner's style of play and genre. The string height, or action, is easily adjustable, and the ease of finding a tone you like with the Gibson switching system is unmatched. That being said, potential buyers should know that all Les Pauls have thick necks that can be hard to make long reaches with, and also tend to be on the heavier side in body weight.

Sound: The sound is what has made the Gibson Les Paul brand so iconic over the decades. It is very versatile, and can match nearly any genre well while still maintaining the deep, throaty signature Gibson trademark tone. It handles both clean tone and distortion well, and can easily be adjusted quickly.

Overall: The Les Paul Studio is a true musician's guitar. It is quite expensive, but for the musical purist, it is worth the money. In a word, the Les Paul is a deadly sound, style, and status symbol combination. You can find the Gibson Les Paul Studio in music stores for about $1,200.