A Work of Art for the Working Musician
There is usually a distinction between workingman's and artistic instuments. Gibson has always believed that if your going to be working, you should do it in style - and that's just what the Les Paul Studio Premium is all about; a workingman's axe with the beauty of a collectors item. All the time tested Les Paul features are there. There's the durability and performance of the Les Paul Studio, updated with a beautiful AAA flamed-maple top and gold hardware, so it looks a great as it sounds. The Les Paul Studio Premium is a true beauty for the working guitarist.
Gibson Les Paul Studio Premium Plus at a Glance:- Carved AAA flamed maple top over a mahogany body
- 1959 rounded mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard
- Two Alnico magnet humbuckers - 490R (neck) and 498T (bridge)
It's Ready for the Studio . . . or Stage!
In 1958, the Les Paul went from a simple gold-finished, painted top to a cherry sunburst finish over a carved maple two-piece top. The majority of the tops were actually pretty plain, while others - the ones collectors now pay astronomically high prices for - could be found with beautifully figured, two-piece flamed maple tops. Actually, it was the carved top that set the Les Paul apart from the "competition." That continued through the instrument's long and storied history. The Les Paul Studio Premium is equally at home in the studio or up on stage.
That Chunky '59 Profile Neck
The first Les Pauls had huge necks, but by 1960 the neck underwent several modifications until it became what's known as the slim-taper design, which clearly is for wimps, right? Okay, maybe you don't particularly want a baseball bat-sized neck, In that case, the '59 neck profile is a nice compromise. It's solid mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard and those classy pearloid trapezoid markers, so it has that warm, classic Les Paul feel while still allowing easy access to the upper frets so you can really dig into your solos!
Two Hot Humbucking Pickups
Look, when you're talking about a Les Paul, you're talking about that big, fat, smoky humbucker sound. Forget all those thin "out-of-phase" guitar sounds that the session players overused in the 1980s and (sad to say) right through much of the '90s. That's not for you, is it? Of course not. You've got that nice chunky neck in your left hand and you're grabbing big fat power chords and soloing all up and down the fingerboard. You want that Les Paul sound, not some wishy-washy compromise (though it's okay for some people, just not you). So Gibson put two huge-sounding humbucking pickups on this baby with hot Alnico magnets - a 490R in the neck position and a 498T in the bridge position.
- The Les Paul Studio Premium is a single-cutaway, solid body electric with a carved figured maple top
- Color: Natural
- Top: Carved Figured AAA Maple
- Back: Mahogany
- Neck: Mahogany
- Profile: '59 Rounded Les Paul
- Neck Joint Location: 16
- Fingerboard: Rosewood
- Scale Length: 24-3/4"
- Number of Frets: 22
- Inlays: Pearloid trapezoid
- Hardware: Gold
- Tailpiece: Stopbar
- Bridge: Tune-o-matic
- Knobs: Amber Top Hat
- Tuners: Green Key
- Neck Pickup: 490R Alnico magnet humbucker
- Bridge Pickup: 498T Alnico magnet humbucker
- Controls: Two volume, two tone, three-way switch
- Case Interior: Dark Grey Plush with Black Shroud
- Case Exterior: Black Reptile Pattern Hardshell
- Case Silkscreen: Silver 'Gibson USA' logo
Gibson: Don't Mess with a Good Thing
Gibson guitars have been around for well over a century. When guitarists are looking for an outstanding combination of superb tone and playability along with great looks and gorgeous finishes, the choice for most of those 100 plus years has been Gibson. From their amazing collection of fine acoustics to the electric guitars that literally rewrote music history, Gibson guitars have been on almost every chart-topping album from artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cream and Led Zeppelin. These "first call" instruments also cross an enormous array of diverse styles, from folk and country to blues and hard rock. With that resume, it's not surprising that so many of Gibson's best-selling instruments have changed little over the decades. Because there's just no sense in messing with a good thing!
