Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s AAA Top Electric Guitar - Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Sweetwater Exclusive Reviews

Got the AAA Sweetwater model in Heritage Cherry. The pictures online don't do it justice, the wood is flamed like no other and it's beautiful. Also, got the '57 Classics pickups in there, so well balanced and such a mean tone. Paired with a Marshall JCM-900 half stack, you can't beat this sound.

Like most players, once you find that perfect guitar, nothing else will come close. Thats what i thought after buying my R9 Custom Shop Les Paul, until I opened the case of the 2023 Sweetwater Les Paul. The fit and finish was perfect, the top was stunning and when i picked it up, the weight was perfect. After playing for a few minuets I knew i found something special. Of course there are differences between a Custom Shop Les Paul and this, such as the pickups and how the bridge is mounted to the body and other details, but the guitar is just as good as the custom shop and looks like something that would come out of the custom shop. Was well worth every penny paid.

I've never had the money to afford one. But now that I do, I did such that. I don't think I'll be touching any of my other electric guitar again honestly. This one just destroys the other models. The playability is 10/10. The flaming looks magical. The 57 classic pickups are so good it's mindblowing. Also, I'm still so struck by the AAA top mine has. I've never seen anything like it before. Worth it.

This thing is BEAUTIFUL. Sweetwater takes some really great pictures, but seeing it in person is a whole other thing. The flame dances in the light and has A LOT of 3D effect to it. I've seen customs that don't look as good. The finish is flawless all the way around. Binding is perfect, as well as the inlays and fretwork. No dead spots what so ever. Plays like a Les Paul should, which wasn't always the case with Gibson in the past. Neck is dead straight. The nut is cut just a bit too high for my liking, but that is just preference. It does not play sharp at all, I just like it a little lower. That is me being VERY picky. The neck is chunky, and really fills your hand well. If you have small hands, get the 60s model. This girl is thick, but I like that. The 57 classic pickups sound great. They are a little lower output than say, burst buckers, and give the sound a fantastic character. I'm not sure how audible it is, but I can feel the difference under my fingers if that makes sense. I'm totally happy with this guitar. Gibson has really upped their game in the last few years. Plus you gotta love that new Gibson smell. If you know, you know. Thanks go out to my sales engineer Carson Perch. Great communication and really took the time to reach out and make sure my transaction went smoothly. Thanks again.

I have wanted a 50's style Gibson Les Paul since I was 14 years old. It's the most iconic guitar of all time if you follow Rock, Blues etc. The AAA Top is beautiful and the neck is thick like the 50's style. It plays great and stays in tune since, which is awesome. I play a Fender Stratocaster also and plays fine but needs some work on the frets and to help it stay in tune. Travis Devin was really great at helping me out with purchasing this AAA Top 50's Style Gibson Les Paul Standard Heritage Cherry Sunburst. I can't thank him enough for his great customer service and his helpful follow up. These are the things that matter!!!!

Great guitar. I've had 7 Les Pauls and this one is my favorite by far. Looks good, sounds even better. Quite pleased.

When my guitar arrived and I opened the case, the thing was way more beautiful than the pictures.
The top is mesmerizing , I went over every inch and the build is flawless. Custom shop quality.
As nice as my L5 .
I love the 57 Classic p'ups, same as un my WesMo L5.
I am a Jazz guy, and the tone is good for me.
The neck is just right , not too bulky, but it supports my thumb nicely.
The pots are great, they have a lot of variation in volume and tone across 1 to 10.
I set it up to Gibson specs and the action is perfect,plays easily.
It seems the Plek'd frets play evenly.
Voice wise, the single note melody is very expressive, the sustain is remarkable.
Chord wise it expresses weird chords perfectly, the intonation is spot on.
The overtones are rich.
Finally my salesman JB Kapp took such good care of me, he is a true brother, and a musician and sound engineer himself.
Ask for JB !

I've had this guitar for about a month now and I couldn't be happier with it. The AAA top looks even better in person than in the pictures. I love the slightly chunkier neck compared to the 60's and the Classic 57's are perfect for my playing style. Eric Bothwell was awesome to work with and Sweetwater gained a customer for life!

When I opened the case, the flame top on this guitar was absolutely breathtaking! I plugged it into my Marshall DSL40CR and sounded even better!!! The '57 Classic humbuckers are slightly lower output, but sound fantastic and aren't too bright. This really allows you to dial this guitar in with your amp. I had Sweetwater do a setup on it, because I wasn't going to spend this much on a guitar to not have it done. Setup was perfect, action is low without buzzing and the intonation is spot on. The only issue that I had was the little switch tip was broken during shipping. I called my Sales Engineer, Brent, and received a call from the service department in about an hour. They were awesome and very easy to deal with and sent me a new tip immediately. Brent Leuthold and the Sweetwater team were outstanding to deal with.

I have been playing a USA G&L Legacy for the past couple of years and love it. I wanted to add another classic guitar tone for my recording and a Gibson Les Paul was at the top of the list. As anyone who does some research will find, the flame tops can vary considerably from one to another within both Gibson USA and Gibson Custom Shop. Everyone also has thier favorite look. Personally I love the classic cherry burst with lots of flame. The Sweetwater Exclusive AAA top seemed like a good bet since I needed to place an order and hold my place in line. When my guitar came in I was certainly thrilled with the outcome (see pics). I am very critical and am also very pleased with the overall quality. Take a look at the Gibson TV videos on the Gibson website and you will see a great deal of the assembly is still accomplished by hand. Combine that with over the top demand all guitar makers are experiencing due to COVID, and it is no easy accomplishment to make a guitar of this quality. My thanks to the Gibson USA team! My G&L also went through the Plek process at the factory and plays like a dream so I was delighted to find Gibson is also using Plek on 100% of it's USA production. It is so worth while and my new LP did not disappoint! After taking all the appropriate measurements (action height, truss rod, etc.) I confirmed it arrived from Sweetwater with everything in Gibson spec. I made some very minor adjustment to intonation on two strings and it was good to go. Also love the sound of the 57 pups! I am more of an overdrive user than high gain and they deliver some great sound. Always very satisfied with my purchases from Sweetwater and would not buy a guitar on line from any other dealer (purchased a nice Taylor from them last year). Also appreciate the personal service from my Sales Engineer Joe Perrone!

Pros: Build quality, fit and finish, flame top, fairly thick neck

cons: The pickups aren't for me, but I can change that, I can't add a sweet flame top to a guitar.

This guitar is beautiful. Fantastic flamed top. Pictures do not do it justice. 57 pickups are great. Nice change from the Burstbucker Pros that I am used to. The supplied "Made in Canada" case is horrible. The glue job, fit and finish are awful. The fur sheds. The glue smells awful. Not like the cotton candy/vanilla smell of my other two Les Pauls. A $ guitar should have something better than a garbage case.

Overall this is a great guitar. The neck feels nice, the fretboard is just perfect, the frets provide just enough resistance for you to not slip up too much, but here is where the flattery stops. This guitar came to me with a small chip in the finish on the headstock. This isn't a huge detail but something that Gibson should've paid more attention to. The pickups have a little less power than the standard 60s. Overall I would go for the standard 60s, they have better tops and more power.