Gibson Custom Les Paul Custom - Ebony with Ebony Fingerboard Reviews

Nailed it! It has all of the sounds I'm looking for. Sounds amazing on the clean channel. All the warmth and buttery good stuff. The heavy tones are really what I'm so pleased with. It can gallop with the heaviest riffs and has great note clarity. I get all the tones I want from my triple rec. The tight choppy thrash riffs and it handles all of the gain I can throw at it. I get those super good clean tones from the same triple rec all with this one axe. Amp in pic to see my set up. This LP is worth every penny and I'm selling that PRS you see on the wall. It can't give me what the Les Paul Custom can

I've been playing guitar for well over 30 years. I've owned 80+ different electric guitars from all different brands and this by far is the best instrument I have ever owned. The sound is second to none IMO. And it looks great as well. As soon as I got mine and opened up the case I got chills. Top quality, classic looks that can sound just as classic, but also is very capable of getting crazy as I am a big metal fan. Hook this thing into a great amp and it will blow your mind. And by the way, Matt at Sweetwater is awesome. Constant communication throughout the entire process, as well as following up a few weeks after you get your gear to make sure that you are satisfied. I recommend Sweetwater to everyone. I'll also say that this ax is worth every penny. no regrets here.

First and foremost, Mark Johnson my sales engineer was all over this purchase.I've bought several guitars and Mark is always outstanding and on top of his game. He works like a fine tuned machine. The guitar plays super nice. Sounds good and has exceptional sustain. It has that gibson feel.The finish is pristine. Arrived in 2 days, super fast. I don't have any complaints.

this was a Demo Guitar and is in perfect condition, I love to buy all my guitars at Sweetwater

This is my 4th Les Paul. I just can't get enough of these guitars...This LP Custom in particular is something else. Playability is superior than the other models and the combination of the Ebony fretboard with the 490/498 pickups produces a hotter, snappier sound, just killer. I purchased a demo product and it came in with a small blemish not shown in the pics. As soon as I reported the issue Sweetwater Support sent me another guitar immediately; however, I decided to keep the first one because it had a thinner, more confortable neck. In any case, Sweetwater just proved once again that for them customer comes first: A big shout out to John Vaughan, my Sweetwater Sales Engineer that went above and beyond to make sure that I get the best Demo available as quickly as possible. If you are on the fence on whether you should buy this guitar or not please do it, there will be no doubt in your mind once you hear it roar!

I've owned several LP guitars over the years. The LP Custom growls like it could eat them all. Couldn't be happier! With my Gibson Custom R9 I now have grace and power. Thanks for all your help Jimmy Hart!

Wow. I love this guitar. I have wanted one of these since I was about 13 years old. Well, I finally made it happen and I can't be happier. The pickups in this baby are a little hotter(which I love) but if you wanna soothe the beast just cut the volume a pinch and she settles right down. This guitar will cover everything you can throw at it.
The neck, hardware, looks and playability just oozes class and luxury. Its simple if you can cut it, Get It!
Now for the service of Sweetwater. We all already know that Sweetwater kicks ass. But this purchase blew me away. My sales engineer Ryan Clapper who never disappoints. Was wonderful again. Thank you. But when I called this time he was on another line and another gentleman of his team answered my call. I am so use to talking to Ryan I was a bit weary dealing with someone else. He(I'm sorry but I can not remember his name) assured me that he could give me the same deal Ryan could. And he did! Thank you again.
Now the crazy part. I made this order about 5:30 pm and the guitar was at my house at 12:30 pm the next day. It was shipped out, put on a plane, loaded on a truck and delivered to my door. Sweetwater Rocks!! Thank you again!!

I have owned an early 90's GLPC, a standard and a few studios, all of them have been great guitars, but none of them had the tone that this 2023 has. The custom shop is really putting out great work nowadays!! Mine weighs 10 pounds and everything about it is superb, I did have to adjust the pickup height and put some good strings on it but man does it play and sound fantastic !! As for the price, it's a lot for the non professional but to me it is worth it.

What can I say? Like many people it has been a dream of mine to own a Les Paul Custom. Sweetwater and Bart Amburn made that dream come true. The guitar is perfect in every way. Unplugged it is very acoustic and resonant and has great feel to it. Plugged in it's a monster. I don't usually play through passive pickups but this guitar has changed my mind. It has a growl that is unexplainable. It has to be heard to understand it.
Being a hand finished guitar the fit and finish is really good and there are no issues with tuning stability. Actually it stays in tune really well. Again I would like to thank Bart and Sweetwater for everything they do and getting me this awesome guitar.

Everyone has to decide for themselves if it's worth paying this much, or even more for a Murphy Lab version or some other guitar out of the Custom Shop. For me it is absolutely worth it. I have another Les Paul, a 2016 Standard, and it cost a lot less than this one when I bought it brand new in 2016, and I love it and will likely hang onto it, but man, when I get this guitar in my hands and play it even unplugged, I can immediately tell that I am in the presence of greatness by comparison. It just feels like a guitar that was hand built by people who took their time and produced a piece of art that is uncompromising in every way. I haven't spent much time yet amplified, but already I am blown away. I am having a hard time putting this guitar down. I wanted the '68 reissue and ended up choosing to save a bundle by buying this one and swapping out the nobs and tuners to witch hat and Kluson. Another thing to consider is weight. I heard Tim Pierce say that 8 and 3/4s is the heaviest he'll accept for an LP. This model actually has weight relief, even though it doesn't feel like it does. It's still a heavy guitar. Mine is exactly 10lbs. Some are heavier. I can tell you that I have played it strapped on for a while and I am not uncomfortable. In any case, this is the real deal Black Beauty from Gibson, a gorgeous guitar that plays and sounds incredible. Oh, and I was a bit worried about the neck. I hate chunky necks. This one isn't super thin, but it is not a baseball bat by any means. I can tell it's thicker than the "slim taper" neck on my other LP, but it's still super playable. Good luck deciding. I for one am super glad I pulled the trigger on this one.

Bought this guitar one year ago. In summary, it's a beautiful beast. Fairly heavy, not the sort of guitar you'll feel comfortable abusing... it's feels more like a grand piano. But the sound is absolutely top notch and Gibson's set up was remarkable.

Initially, I had a minor problem with static "pop" sounds when I would first touch any metal part on the guitar. Rubbing the guitar down with a clothes dryer anti-static sheet helped a lot but the pops continued for the first 6 months or so. Now, after a year, they are pretty minimal although still there a bit. Not sure what causes this, but I suspect it has something to do with that very deep black finish.

If there IS a problem it is this: I like this guitar SO much, my Next guitar will probably be another Gibson Custom Shop guitar.

I added some gold locking Grovers and this thing is perfect. Thanks to Jake Hershaw for the help at Sweetwater.

I've had many Les Paul's over the years, but never owned a custom shop build. This guitar is a work of art, not a single flaw and plays like a dream. Great deal from Sweetwater big thanks to Bob Furlong

One of the best (if not the best) guitar Ive ever owned.
I had a lot of Japan ESP Eclipse guitars, Epiphone, other Singlecut shape guitars, but nothing can really compare to Gibson Custom Les Paul Custom! this a real deal and a holly grail in guitar world! Absolutely stunning! Totally worth every penny!
Huge thanks to my sales engineer Derek Spaulding! Ive received the guitar much earlier then expected!

I have serval high end guitars, Fender Custom, PRS McCarty 594 and Custom 24 now I have my Les Paul. All great guitars, all are different. The McCarty and the Les Paul are the closet, but they are not the same. I love them both, the McCarty has a better clean tone, slightly fuller richer. The Les Paul also sounds amazing just PRS get the slightest nod clean. Add some Dirt and I have to give the slightest nod to the Les Paul. I am very lucky to have such great guitars, I practice everyday to deserve them. And Jeff Bohan is fantastic! he has my business for life.

Just got my brand new Les Paul Custom. Doesn't get any better than this. Thanks again to Chris Nunley!

Wonderful tone, great aesthetic and divine, extravagant, "fancy" feel. This thing is 100% worth the price point. The tone this thing projects is the pure definition of Rock 'N Roll. 100% recommended

I've had this guitar that I purchased in 2010 from Sweetwater for going on 11 years. Just wanted to let people who may be on the fence about a "mail order purchase" that I couldn't be happier about how the folks at Sweetwater have taken care of me. In fact, I just bought another higher end guitar from them and their attention to detail, their customer service and the quality of their products, if anything, have gotten better over the years. This is a company who are musicians themselves and take pride in their jobs. My newest guitar arrived packed with care, quickly delivered and except for a touch-up to the tuning, ready to play.

I was a first time customer 11 years ago and have never regretted my initial purchase and still trust and rely on Sweetwater for my music needs (and wants).

If you have the means...this guitar is the one of the best I have ever played. I only hope that my skill level will match this guitar one day. It truly is a work of art and riff machine.

Such an amazing guitar. The diversity of tones and emotion is not like any other guitar I've owned. It was also a nice surprise that it sounds much different it was from my LP Standard. Also, Sweetwater has excellent service and it was packaged very well.

I have had this guitar for two weeks now and it is amazing! I will compare and contrast it to my other two Les Paul's, to give everyone an idea of where it falls in the line.

I currently have a 1999 Les Paul Classic 1960's model and a two year old Gibson Custom Shop '59 Reissue flame top.

The neck on the Les Paul Custom is very similar to the 60's slim taper neck on my gold top. It is pretty much the same from the head stock to about the fifth fret. From there, it is only barely thicker than the slim taper. It might also just be shaped slightly different and not actually thicker. I am not sure that most people could even tell the difference. Anyway, it feels great!

The pickups are rated hotter that the PAF's in my '59 Reissue but I don't really feel that they sound any hotter, whether playing clean, light overdrive or full-on distortion. They sound great, they just don't seem to add any gain to the signal.

The natural tone of the guitar itself, which is the most important thing to me, is great. It is very different than the natural tone of my other two Les Paul's. My '59 Reissue has a very bright natural tone. My Classic gold top is fairly bright, as well, but with some mid range. The Custom has a darker tone to it. It has more mid range and low end. This is more apparent when it is plugged in. This is not a bad thing. In fact, it made the purchase easier to justify because it brings something different to the table that my other two Les Paul's don't bring. Like any good guitar, it has it's own distinctive tone.

The bottom line is that this is a Gibson Custom Shop guitar and it has all of the quality and craftsmanship that one would expect from such in instrument. I would actually have to say that is is almost a bargain from the standpoint that I believe that it is the least expensive Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul model that Gibson makes. Yes, I understand that it is prohibitively expensive and out of the reach for most people, but I do have to say that you do get a lot for your investment.

This guitar has its own personality and plays well.!

I have had one Les Paul before this a 1960 Les Paul Classic it played what I thought was great, that was until I got a Gibson Custom ebony. These guitars are what dreams are made of, effortless action with tune ability, Solid Craftsmanship this is what the Fretless Wonder is about. It is so easy to play what your thinking with a Custom that no other Guitar will compare , The Black Beauty is a legendary Musical Adventure it is the grand piano of guitars a Tuxedo of the best ware. I got the Demo from Sweetwater this is your company to be with, they take care of you like a 6 star Restaurant I trust , Love and Believe in Sweetwater they are the best to make your dreams come true.

I have a small collection 10 high end Gibson, Fender etc.
Never owned a REAL guitar until this one!
Like a grand piano of guitars.
Nothing else compares!

THANK YOU DAVE DUNSHIRE _ I am Sweetwater fan now.

I had a 1974 Les Paul just like this, stolen at a gig many years ago and though I've owned many other guitars through the years, I never replaced my Ebony custom till now. I'll leave the covers on the pick-ups this time. It was about a 2 month wait to receive it... I have filled up an empty spot. The guitar plays and sounds like it should and I couldn't be more pleased. Full circle!

What an incredible guitar. If you can justify it's cost, be sure to consider this instrument.

The good:
> The tone is phenomenal. It SINGS for sure. You can FEEL the vibrations through then neck and body.
> It has simply incredible sustain. I know, I know, everybody says that. Trust me, you won't believe it.
> It's really well balanced. No tendency for the head to dip or rise.
> The finish is flawless. And those mother of pearl inlays are... well, REAL. And you can tell.
> The case fits like a glove

Some not so good:
> Those beautiful Grover tuners are not locking tuners.
> As other pointed out, there is an odd static "pop" that happens when you first touch the strings or other metal parts. Static is being generated when your body rubs against your shirt. (In fact, rubbing your hand across the back of the guitar creates a blizzard of static pops!) I've been advised that this is due to something Gibson puts on the guitar to charge it during the finishing operations. I was told it should wear off over the course of a year. In the mean time, wiping the guitar with a clothes drier sheet as suggested, made a BIG improvement.

Bottom Line:
Have not picked up another guitar since I got this one a week ago. It's magic and I love it. You will too! Many thanks to my excellent sales engineer Jake Hershaw.

This is the second Les Paul I have purchased from Sweetwater; first was a 2016 Black Standard which I gutted, replaced the pickups and the PCB harness, and refretted with stainless steel frets. Turned out great. This Custom arrived nearly perfect; as usual with nearly all production guitars (with the exception of PRS), the nut was poorly cut, resulting in the action being way too high on the high E string. This is a butt-covering measure done by most of the major companies to prevent string buzz. A quick file down cured that, and is the reason for knocking off half a star for the review...in addition the the simple fact that Gibson, in over 100 years of manufacturing, still can't spray a decent gloss black finish. I have 4 black Gibsons (p90 LP Classic, SG Standard, LP Standard, LP Custom) and they all have substandard finishes as compared to virtually every other guitar builder on the planet. This particular example had actual wax streaks UNDER the clear coat on the back of the guitar, but buckle rash has already taken care of that, lol.

In any case, it sounds great and plays like a dream. I did replace the standard-issue Grovers with Grover locking tuners, and plan to replace the bridge and tailpiece with Locking TonePros as I have on my other Gibbys, but even without those enhancements, this is a fine guitar (finish flaws aside) and definitely my #1 the first time I tuned it up and plugged it in. Gibson is in a "good period" right now, since about 2014 or so, so pick one up now in case they go downhill again...

Have had my ebony LP Custom for a while now and would like to add to my previous review...as another has noted, the binding does not line up with the edge of the neck wood, creating a tactile edge between the neck wood and the binding. Not a deal breaker but this is a $ guitar. Really, Gibson? Can't you guys ever learn to properly finish a guitar? I guess not, not EVER. That would actually cost you guys something in skilled labor. 2 minutes of sanding before finishing would have taken care of this. I would sincerely expect this kind of inattention to detail in a $100 P.O.S. chinese guitar that you unbox, tune up, and then throw into a dumpster as unplayable garbage (or give it to a band you really hate). My god this is a custom shop guitar. I obviously need to be running Gibson. I would fire EVERY SINGLE MANAGER, have the entire board of directors imprisoned for fraud, sell their families into slavery, euthanize their pets and friends, and then start over without the rotten deadwood that is 100% of management that has dragged this company's name into the sewer.

To be clear, I still really like the guitar for the most part and have resigned myself to the fact that a perfect Gibson just can't be produced within the current company structure. But, they really could take a page from PRS, Fender, or basically any other major guitar company, or institute ANY form of quality control, as it is apparent that they have no QC department any more. I just got lucky...the next guitar off the line was probably unplayable.

Oh, and there was no case candy, cheap cases now with no cover over the guitar top, no locking grovers or tone pros (which came standard on my 2016 LP Standard)...I could go on for days. It's a good guitar, but you can get more...MUCH, much more for your money going with PRS or a boutique shop like Anderson or Suhr.

My two cents, if you MUST have a LP Custom then by all means get one. Just don't expect miracles, you may have to get your hands on several of them to find "the one" which has unfortunately always been the case with Gibson...NO CONSISTENT QUALITY CONTROL has consequences...

I wanted one of these for a long time and finally decided to pull the trigger and I have to say that after 10 days of owning and playing this guitar through several different high end tube amps, boost pedals and my SS Boss Katana, I am extremely disappointed. Maybe I received a dud, as most know that Gibsons are hit or miss when it comes to the magic so many people say is Gibson. This one is anemic and one of, if not the worst, guitars I have ever owned in how it sounds. Honestly, I have owned several guitars at a 1/4 the price of this that had more mojo. I've owned 4 LP's over the years and this Custom is by far the worst sounding of the lot. I'll be sending this one back and giving an Epiphone LP Custom a whirl... If the Epi happens to sound like crap swapping out the electronics makes a lot more sense on a guitar that costs less than 1/5 of this Gibson.

I owned a 1980 Les Paul Custom for 30 years and I loved it. In 2015, I gifted it to a relative who plays way more than I had in the past 10 years or so and would get much better use of it. A few years ago I started playing again and was feeling nostalgic for my old LPC, so I ordered the new one in beautiful black and gold. I really liked the new pickups and it did play great. But for $, I expected a much better fit and finish. I think for that price I deserve to be picky, so things like minor flaws in the finish and the binding not level with the body or neck, the noise through my amp when I wasn't touching metal (that is not present in my other 3 guitars using the same amp)…I just couldn't accept it at a $ price tag. I felt like if I was going to spend that much, for sure I'm not going to do it sight unseen again, but also maybe I'll look at PRS.