Sweetwater Exclusive Les Paul Classic: The Tone Beast
From its carved maple top and eye-popping custom nitro finish to its stockpile of premium appointments, this Sweetwater Exclusive Gibson Les Paul Classic is ready to rock. 60s Burstbucker pickups with coil-splitting and polarity switching deliver a massive tone arsenal. And you’ll enjoy effortless playability, courtesy of a fast SlimTaper profile neck and silky-smooth rosewood fingerboard with Plek’d frets. If you’ve been wanting a modern Les Paul with a slinky ’60s feel and custom electronics, we’ve got your axe. The Gibson Les Paul Classic is the guitar you’ve been waiting for. It’s a limited edition and only available at Sweetwater — so you’d better reserve yours while you can!
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Unprecedented tonal versatility
When it comes to capturing vintage Patent Applied For (PAF) humbucker tone, nothing beats the sound of this Les Paul Standard’s 60s Burstbucker pickups. 1961 happens to be the year Gibson started using Alnico V magnets, which deliver greater touch sensitivity and high-frequency output. These magnets — along with period-correct unmatched windings on the bobbins — capture the subtle historical variations in true humbucker tone. Plug into your favorite amp, and experience smooth low-end response, complex midrange crunch, and sweet-sounding highs. These pickups sound great clean or they can be used to push your amp into overdrive for the legendary fat, snarling tone you can only get with a humbucker-equipped Les Paul. But in addition, you also have push-pull volume and tone controls that open up a range of spanky single-coil and wiry “out-of-phase” sounds that make the Sweetwater Exclusive Gibson Les Paul Classic a total tone beast!
SlimTaper neck and Plek’d frets for optimized playability
Comfort and playability were two of Gibson’s primary concerns when they were designing the Sweetwater Exclusive Les Paul Classic. You’ll be delighted at how this guitar’s SlimTaper neck profile comfortably fits your hand in just the right way. For your playing pleasure, the rosewood fingerboard is buffed to silky smoothness and bound with rolled edges so no fret ends impede your dexterity. The frets are dressed to perfection using a Plek Pro machine for optimized playability. Typically reserved for top-dollar custom guitars, this process levels the frets with pinpoint precision, providing you with the most playable fretboard you’re likely to own.
Nitro finish, for the look and feel of a classic
Gibson gave the Les Paul Classic a gorgeous nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Nitro finishes — standard back in the day — are significantly thinner than today’s polyurethane finishes, allowing the guitar to "breathe." Nitro finishes not only look amazing; they also enhance the instrument’s tonal qualities. This Sweetwater Exclusive Les Paul Classic has the look and feel of a lovingly cared-for classic — one that will only improve with age.
Gibson Les Paul Classic Solidbody Electric Guitar Features:
- Sweetwater Exclusive with custom finish and electronics
- Mahogany body, figured maple top; gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish
- Mahogany neck, SlimTaper profile, gloss nitro finish
- Rosewood fingerboard, 12" radius, acrylic Trapezoid inlays
- Plek Pro fret treatment for optimized playability
- 24.75" scale length; 22 medium-jumbo frets
- Bridge pickup: 60s Burstbucker humbucker
- Neck pickup: 60s Burstbucker humbucker
- Bridge and Neck Volume Controls (push/pull for coil-splitting)
- Bridge and Neck Tone Controls (push/pull for bypass/polarity)
- ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge; Stopbar tailpiece
- 1.695" Graph Tech nut (proprietary Gibson formula)
- Grover Rotomatic tuning machines
- Single-action truss rod
