I have been playing guitars for over 30 years,and 2 years ago,I decided to go after another Les Paul.I must have tried out over 20 Les Pauls at several stores,I came across a desert burst in my hunt for the One.Once I took it into my arms,I had several thoughts hit me at the same time,what do they want for this one?,can I swing the price?(who needs to eat?)etc,etc.The good points: grade A neck.It has very good feel,and gives the player very good control,is great for fast or slow and long bending of notes,without taking it out of tune.Needed only very very little intonation work,with the changing of sets of strings.Body weight,very good ,as far as Les Pauls go.Well balanced,easy to play above 12th fret.Very tight tones,midranges.Pickups have very,very clean sound,as well as a good bite,when overdriven.Stays in tune,despite serious note bending.Now, one thing I have to say.I tried close to 8 standards in one store alone,and as any guitarist knows,no two guitars play,or feel ,or sound alike.I found all 18?,20? had their own good points or bad,its just how a certain guitar hits you.I did find almost all with the exception of 1 or 2,were of first class quality:neck,frets,body,pickups,etc.It was well worth the effort to try as many as possible,before buying it,heading home at 5 under the speed limit(keeping it straped in the front seat,watching for anything that moved within 100 feet of the car,and (like any mature adult),calling my wife,and in a calm tone (at 100db)"Honey!!!!!!!!I found it!!!!!!!! I found it!!!!!!!!!!!I got one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I recently purchased a 2008 Les Paul Gold Top with 60's neck. This guitar is not only beautiful, but plays and sounds incredible. I'm using it in the studio, and will occasionally carefully take it to live gigs. After years of playing less expensive guitars and always struggling to get the tone I wanted, I finally have that big fat tone that sounds killer whether played clean or distorted. Truly a legendary guitar!

I own the cherry burst Gibson and it screams! I put in burstbucker pickups and lowered the strings so that a child could make a note..

Anyone that believes these guitars are one trick pony's never owned one..There is a difference between an Epiphone and a Gibson..Not just in the obvious price..(beginner & Professional) Most of the guitar rock greats have used this guitar for good reason..It lacks a whammy bar for dive bombs but Gibson makes other models with that included. If you can afford it buy it..

I just read a rather ugly review of the Gibson Les Paul Standard. If you look to shred buy an Explorer or Gibson Les Paul Classic with the 500T and 498R - that's what they are designed for. Similarly the Gibson Les Paul Traditional is made to remind us of early LPs and sounds like it. The standard with Burstbucker cut the middle and does. They produce clarity with all the sustain you really need. You can always dirty up a clean signal with your amp but you can't clean your axe with anyone's amp. before you buy - do your research on all the aspects of your prospective purchase.

First off, I'll state some issues that everyone who is looking at this should know. Gibsons will never have perfect intonation unless you completely replace the fretboard to fix Gibsons flaws. Also, it's not going to be setup very well out of the box and you will want to take it to a pro if you're not very good at setting it up. Mine came with a large scratch on the lower horn as well. If you want diverse playabilty or tones, look elsewhere. It's a one trick pony but it does perform that trick pretty well. It's a great Jazz/Blues guitar and it should be able to cover your needs if you don't plan on playing anything from 1978 to present. The only thing pre 1980 it can't really play is prog rock. The only modern stuff it can play is emo/screamo and alternative. If you shred, look elsewhere. If you like to play in tune all the time, look elsewhere. If you want a cool blues/jazz guitar, this is your guitar but be prepared to make some sacrifices. I recommend going with an Epiphone over this as it doesn't have the same errors that Gibson makes and it will save you a lot of money. Its just part of having a handmade instrument, even though Jacksons are mostly handmade and play much better and can be setup to be amazing.