A Les Paul Studio for the 21st Century
Merging Gibson’s no-nonsense Les Paul Studio formula with a whole host of cutting-edge features, the Les Paul Modern Studio represents the very peak of Les Paul performance. Leading with an Ultra Modern weight-relieved mahogany body topped with a carved slab of maple, this guitar delivers all the tonal heft of a traditional Les Paul at a weight that’s easy on your shoulders. On the opposite end, the speedy SlimTaper neck comes adorned with a glassy ebony fingerboard shaped into a decidedly modern-feeling 12–16-inch compound radius. What about the tone? Gibson’s hard-hitting 498T and 490R humbuckers unleash a high-output, rock-ready roar, emboldened with versatile switching controls. You also get a comfortably contoured neck heel, elegant Grover Rotomatics with keystone buttons, and a rock-solid Nashville Tune-o-matic bridge. All wrapped up in a handsome nitrocellulose finish, the Gibson Les Paul Modern Studio is the definitive axe for the guitarist who favors old-school Les Paul looks but requires the very best of modern playability.
Searing 490R and 498T humbuckers
From laying down licks in the studio to tearing down the stage, the Les Paul Modern Studio is an unabashed rock machine under the hood. Two top-class Gibson humbuckers — a 490R in the neck and a 498T in the bridge — provide a higher-output, more midrange-forward spin on the time-tested PAF-style formula, striking a superb balance between modern tonal firepower and old-school PAF subtlety. The bridge position’s 498T delivers grit and grind in spades, delving deep into hard-edged rock territory without breaking a sweat. And although the neck-position 490R retains more power than a vintage-style PAF, it’s equally capable of dishing out everything from smoky blues lines to gain-drenched riffs to pristine full-bodied cleans.
Myriad modern features
Sporting all the time-tested charm of a classic Les Paul Studio on the outside, this axe harbors more than a few forward-thinking features under the hood. First up, the Les Paul Modern Studio’s mahogany body undergoes Gibson’s Ultra Modern weight relief process — a procedure by which several small chambers are hidden within the body to dramatically reduce the overall weight of the instrument, all without straying from traditional Les Paul tone. Flip the Les Paul Modern Studio over to the back to be greeted by a deeply contoured neck heel that offers unlimited access across the fingerboard’s full register. Finally, this guitar’s ebony fingerboard comes carved into a high-performance 12–16-inch compound radius to offer supreme chording comfort on the first few frets and effortless, buzz-free bends up high.
Elevated electronics
While the Les Paul Modern Studio’s dual humbuckers cover seriously wide-ranging sonic ground, this flexible 6-string comes equipped with a whole host of switching options to shake up your sound. Players seeking a brighter, more articulate chime will surely love the Les Paul Modern Studio’s push-pull coil splits, transforming your humbuckers into sparkling single-coil pickups. Next, Sweetwater’s old-school blues-rock and funk fanatics can’t get enough of the Les Paul Modern’s phase switch, a feature placing your neck and middle pickup out of phase with each other for a bright, cutting “Greeny”-style bite. The electronics are rounded out by a Pure Bypass control that sends your bridge pickup signal straight to the input jack, bypassing all tone and volume controls for a pure and unadulterated tonal flavor.
Gibson Les Paul Modern Studio Electric Guitar Features:
- A high-performance reimagining of Gibson’s no-nonsense Les Paul Studio
- Ultra Modern weight-relieved mahogany body is easy on your shoulders during long gigs and sessions
- Maple top for a touch of treble bite
- SlimTaper mahogany neck topped with a sleek slab of ebony
- Highly contoured neck heel grants unimpeded access to the upper frets
- 12–16-inch-radius fingerboard delivers comfortable chording in the lower positions while flattening out up high for effortless bends
- Hard-hitting Gibson 490R and 498T humbuckers dish out a high-output twist on traditional PAF sonics
- Versatile switching features include coil splits, a funky phase switch, and a Pure Bypass option
- Rock-solid Grover Rotomatic tuners with keystone buttons and an aluminum Nashville Tune-o-matic bridge
- Sleek nitrocellulose lacquer finish
