Best Les Paul Guitar (2023 Update)

The Gibson Les Paul Deluxe 70'S is an excellent guitar. I got a scratch and dent for the reduced price and I am very happy with the guitar. It has an awesome sound, and the Cherry Sunburst finished looks good (even with a few scratches on it). The guitar is excellent.Richard

Excellent instrument. Just needed tuning. Lovely hard shell case that matches the guitar. Fantastic instrument to play. Shall definitely consider PMT first for any future purchases. Don't need prize money. Just happy to write a review. Thanks PMT! Dean.Dean B.

First of all, don't believe everything you read about the 2015 Gibsons. I own about a dozen Gibsons with the oldest being a 1991 Les Paul Studio Lite and the newest being a 2017 SG Standard, the quality of the 2015 Gibsons I own are on par with all of them. Now on to this particular guitar… I really wasn't expecting much for the price. This is definitely a "no frills" model. That being said, it is a lot of fun to play! The thin, contoured body is very comfortable and a nice change from the usual Les Paul. And it is a good bit lighter on the shoulder! The sound from the single humbucker can be anywhere from crystal clear to gritty and crunchy depending on your volume, tone and amp settings. It is a lot more versatile than I was expecting. And I prefer the carved maple top and humbucker to the P90 and flat top of my Les Paul Jr. All in all, a great guitar for the money!JD

Overall, this is a fantastic guitar that does exactly what I hoped it would. The Good: The neck is, by far, the standout feature. Absolutely wonderful & comfortable, with just the right profile that's not too slim, nor too chunky. The slim body is a nice touch, and helps to make the guitar super lightweight. The wraparound bridge is totally adequate; not nearly as imprecise as the internet forums would have you believe. The Bad: there was a short or some issue with my output jack, so I've yet to really hear or form an opinion on the pickup. Now, I planned on putting a new pickup in this guitar before I bought it, so a more thorough re-wiring is not beyond the scope of what I'm prepared to do. I am a little disappointed it came from the factory like this, but it's not a deal breaker; it's just a faulty jack, certainly not worth returning the whole guitar to Sam Ash. The Ugly: The fretwork isn't too great. I did have to file them down a bit so they're flush to the neck, and not poking my hands. But again, I was prepared for this, and expect most guitars (especially ones in this price point) to need some minor fretwork. Finally, a few words on the much maligned G-Force tuners. Out of the box, they didn't work well — at all. Since the strings were installed on the guitar in 2015, I changed them (which is a bit of a process, to be honest) & it worked like a champ. I really like the idea of having multiple tunings available at the press of a few buttons. However, for me: this guitar is supposed to be simple — one pickup, two knobs, & a wraparound bridge. So the "robot" tuners clash with that motif, and I will be swapping them out when I re-wire the guitar. That being said, they're definitely not a reason to avoid this guitar — give 'em a fair chance, and make up your own opinions on them. Overall, I'm quite pleased with this guitar. The wiring issue is disappointing, for sure. But acoustically the guitar sounds great, plays well, & looks awesome!Nate

I've spent about 13 years buying relatively cheap guitars, as I just record music at home as a hobby. I never considered a Les Paul because they're so expensive. When I saw the CM 2015's price tag, I thought "this is probably not that great", but after a lot of research and watching videos, I decided to take a risk. I was not disappointed. This guitar feels great in the hands, it stays in tune, and it's really beautiful. But, most importantly, it sounds great. I'm producing music that sounds levels ahead of anything I've made in the past. So much, that I've been going back to older stuff and re-recording it. This is worth the price.Shane

This guitar is Top quality, the best Gibson you can buy. very solid, superb finish, amazing tone. I was not completely happy with the quality of past year Gibson but I see they improved it significantly. I had a little problem staying in tune, but after I put lubricant oil in the nut I don't have any noticeable issue. the Only cons I see in this guitar is the Thick Neck, otherwise this would be perfect. This can or not be a problem for you.Dr Jackson

Not sure why Gibson gets all the flak but this guitar is gorgeous. Went over it with a fine tooth comb and ….nothing! Flawless. Looks, sounds and feels like a Gibson Les Paul should. Out of the box perfect. Nice set up, everything works as it should, Pickups sound great. Subtle flame. Love the color. I could go on and on. Great job (and price) Gibson!!!Whipman914

Totally stunned at how beautiful this guitar is. After looking at the advertising picture, the Desert Burst colors looked "flat", and I had feared that the "flame maple top" on this would look like imitation wood stickum' vinyl flat color type looking stuff or something for some reason,…BUT NO…it is the REAL THING!, genuine FLAME MAPLE, and you can look down into it's wood finish "a mile deep", and as you move the guitar around, the natural flame maple stripes dance and change shape like a "iridescent 3D hologram type effect", it is absolutely AWESOME! The mahogany body back and neck is glossy, deep, and beautiful. It feels good to hold, has a nice weight. Epiphone has upgraded the humbuckers on this, the switches give so many choices, and I will definitely NOT be changing them in any way, they are perfect, and sound AWESOME! And I am impressed with the Epiphone's upgraded Grover tuners it has. Mine did have a bit of fret buzz, but my technician fixed it in less than 15 minutes. One thing that bothers me, is that this guitar needs better strap buttons, they are beveled inefficiently, and mounted at a outboard angle (as opposed to a Stratocaster's inboard angle). An outboard angle lets the strap slip off easily while playing, so use strap locks, or a slightly bigger outer washer "retainer" on the button. Some straps have excessively long attachment slots for some reason, and it might help to stitch up this slot a bit shorter too. I LOVE THIS GUITAR!Sir Ripstring

I'm amazed by the quality of this guitar at this price point. It sounds simply amazing. Rich, beautiful tone, with sustain that lasts for days. It is an extremely resonant guitar, quite loud even unplugged. I was very excited that it was not too heavy, as I was afraid it would be. While I haven't weighed it, it is clearly lighter than my 8 pound Strat, so guessing it is maybe 7.5-7.7 pounds or so. The neck is not too thin, which I like, and I love the radius. It is quite flat, and bends are a breeze.The craftsmanship on mine was fabulous. Not sharp frets, no issues with the finish, or the electronics, or anything I could see. The only disappointment I had was that the color was not as vibrant as the stock photos. I got the 'Translucent Blue' and it is darker and you cannot see quite as much of the wood grain. It is an attractive guitar, but that could be a bit better. The setup out of the box was atrocious, but that was a very easy fix. I only had to lower the bridge (like 1/2 an inch…it was ridiculously high…surprised the strings didn't break) and once I did that all was good. I've only had it now for three days, but this is very likely going to become my go-to guitar. In humbucker mode, with distortion, it is simply the best sounding guitar I've ever owned. Period. And the single-coil mode (which I haven't played with too much yet, but have tried it out to see how it works) makes this guitar much more well-rounded to different styles. I always wanted a Les Paul, but didn't want to spend thousands to get one. I still can't believe how reasonable the price was. My only regret is not buying this model sooner!!!William

I had a hard time choosing between the antique finish or the desert burst, they both look awesome. The guitar was set up pretty well right out of the box. Tuned and played right away. No buzzing, intonation was spot on and no tuning issues. The grovers are smooth and hold the tune well. A few things I noticed that I did not like were the tone and volume control knobs were set at all different heights and one was actually rubbing the top of the body. It was with some difficulty, that I managed to get that particular one up and in a good position without marring the finish. The others I adjusted to a matched height about 3/32 off the body. Looks fine now. Now I know while I didn't purchase a US made Les Paul and shouldn't expect perfection, I was disappointed that the guitar body is made of several pieces of wood glued together. But the real issue is they show what appears to be a one piece solid mahogany in the rear view picture but in fact it's just a thin mahogany laminate covering three glued together pieces underneath. I suppose on the desert burst model you'd hardly notice any difference in the color of the finish but on the antique finish it clearly doesn't match. Is this enough for me to send it back? Well no, I can live with it as it has no effect on the guitars sound and I don't regularly stare at the backside anyway. Just thought I was getting a one piece mahogany body. I did point this out to the customer service rep and told them they should clearly point this out so others aren't surprised like I was. For the price I paid, I'm satisfied. The fit and finish is every bit as good as my US made Les Paul Classic. Other than those little issues, it's a solid well built awesome sounding guitar and I really enjoy the coil splitting feature as well. At less than one third of the cost of the real one, this is a real deal. I'd give it five stars if it wasn't for the laminated back, but it's still a great deal on a great playing/ sounding guitar.JimmyD

Picked up a 2019, same exact model about a month ago. Quality and build is superb, the carved top has even more flame than I expected. I wanted an "understated" look, and it's perfect. Flame changes with light. The nitro finish is buffed like new, unlike the VOS models, and the natural dye on the back and neck is rich and deep. Instrument is plek'd, action and intonation are flawless. The CustomBucker pickups are all the rage, you can only get them on a new instrument, and are supposed to be the best PAF repro so far. I'm still trying to decide if I like them, my ears say that the 60s have more natural midrange than 59s, but I can eq it out on my amps. They also seem to be unpotted. I'm really inspired by the sound and feel of the '60 LP, the looks and quality are just icing.Ron

Ok I felt the need to jump in here after reading some just off reviews about this guitar after purchasing mine. 1. Go to literally any guitar shop and play 5 of the same guitar and each one will play and sound slightly different with various levels of quality control which comes with any manufacturing environment. If you purchased one of these blind and did not play and examine it in store and got a lemon that's on you. Also the one dude that said these are repainted are simply false. Check out Trogly's show you Youtube where he does a full review of both Raven's. 2. Since it's release I'm lucky to have a few GC in my geographic area that I check out when I can. I played LP Studio's, Tribute's, SGs, and tone wise this one won all. These ceramic pickups are a step up from anything in the 1-2k price range in the Gibson line if you like to play overdriven and loud. Cleaned up they sound good but make no mistake this thing is built to roar. 3. STOP hating on Richlite. I simply don't get it. If you apply this same principle on materials guitar nerds are saying man that plane in 1930 flew beautiful so the materials used then are the ONLY materials we can use to build planes today. Pretty silly huh? Technology should advance to build better, more sustainable instruments. The fretboard feels great and the fret word is very good. But read I played many many over the past few months before I finally pulled the trigger. 4. One thing that gets an at mention but I think deserves some additional props is the fact that it's a mahogany body AND neck and it's a true solid body with no weight relief. It definitely adds extra ompf. 5. To wrap up, it's an awesome guitar and mine is well finished, set up, and assembled (including wiring). Do your homework, play a lot of rigs, and know what to look for in quality control and finish.Ryan

If I could give 0 stars, I would. I received this guitar new and it is, without a doubt, the worst $1100+ guitar available anywhere on the market. There is NO WAY this should have ever left the factory and ended up as my problem, but I'm not surprised considering Gibson's so called QC and "customer service". And don't expect them to care about your "cheap" guitar (quote from Gibson "customer service".) Just look at the pics- paint missing so you can see the bare wood underneath (not red underneath like the other reviewer said, just brown), scratches and scuffs and grey paint all over the neck and headstock, a bunch of the greying out over the dots was sanded off down to white, scuffs and what looks like grey paint all over the tuners, bridge pickup was a mess (the edge looked all chewed up and the tape was higher than the top edge of the pickup, it was also as low as it could possibly go), even the "baby pic" of the guitar that was included was a joke (washed out, borders on 2 sides, a dirty rag prominently displayed). I could go on, but you get the point. Gibson and Guitar Center should be ashamed of selling garbage like this, but of course, they are not.Eric

I have always enjoyed the tones of the 496R/500T pickup combination but they are hard to come by these days. My LP Traditional has a Duncan Distortion in the bridge but sounds nothing like this one. I already have an LP Special with the 490's in them and I'll grant that they are better for clean stuff, but these pickups have that gnarly, saturated gain tone that some us cherish. She plays like a dream as well. This guitar also comes with an excellent soft case (unlike the chintzy gig bag of my other Special) and a stop bar tail piece, rather than the wraparound bridge. I have had the Richlite fingerboard on higher-end Gibsons and have no complaints with that either. It looks a bit like ebony, but perhaps a bit warmer sounding. Oh, and please enough about the finish wearing quickly. ALL of the tributes do that. Some call them battle scars as it happens on high gloss nitro as well if played long enough. First they get shiny as your playing rubs on the top coat and then they can wear through. Would you rather have a polyester finish that feels like a plastic hard coat and muffles the tone? So… here is an American-made Gibson with a nice case for about a grand? Grab one while you can!Franco

Only $300 difference from standard and $500 from modern LP… tough choice. I like flame tops for sure but bored of tobacco burst, honey burst, cherry burst and other plain traditional bursts… so leaned towards something more classic modern and bold… so went with translucent cherry. And my back isn't great so wanted something lighter. The coil tapping is nice to have but isn't great… especially compared to my PRS guitars. I'm not sure why Gibson can't figure this out. Again nice to have but wish Gibson could do a better job with this. Coil tapping quality was the same on my studio. I absolutely love the pickups on this guitar… probably some of best humbuckers ever made because of the extra brightness and clarity. I've sold so many of my guitars with humbuckers and gravitated towards single coil guitars because humbuckers are typically muddy in comparison. These 61's are a game changer for me and got me interested in Gibson LPs again. I love the colors of the LP modern too… but not sure what you're are getting extra for the added $500 other than a carved heal joint which I'll never use… and ultra weight relief… which is good if you have a bad back. But I think the electronics are the same with slightly hotter pickups. I guess boils down to which pickups you prefer and color. I love the classic and modern LP colors… again tough choices…but classic is perfect for me… I really love them all for different reasons though.Thad

What we have here is a great American made Gibson Les Paul for a good price. I bought one a year ago and bought a second as a backup/different tuning for stage use. Not that the guitar requires a backup, but strings break and things happen. The 490 pickups are great all around work horses. While I'd recommend different pickups on a per person/per style situation, these are right in my ball park and do what I want them to (goosed with an OD or boost at times). All of the electronics and hardware are fine. Same with fit/finish and the gig bag (which is also very nice). As I said, I have two of these now. The first is a year old and has been through once a week rehearsals and twice a week gigs. The satin finish on the neck settles in nicely with a bit of playing and sweat. It gets slicker over time, shows age, and feels great. Same with the body as well. As with all satin finished guitars, it wont stay that way. Playability on both were perfect out of the bag. No sharp frets and setup/intonation were just to my liking. Now let's compare these Tributes to a Standard. I won't discuss the chambered body versus non nor the maple versus mahogany necks. You really won't notice the difference other than the weight. More weight does not always equal better tone. Here's the thing, I don't notice a difference in tone between the Tribute and Standard….well, not enough to justify the cost difference. I had my doubts when I ordered my first one that it could stand up to my Standard. But I dug it off the bat. To quell my doubts, I had the other guitarist in my band run it through its paces so that I could stand back and hear. That was the Les Paul tone….I was happy. As such, I ordered a second as they were in my stable to stay. Solid guitars with great tone that I will not cry about when they get dinged or messed with at a gig. Now, the Tributes are thinner than the Standards. And of course no bling such as binding or headstock inlays. Switch washer comes in the bag should you choose to install it. But the tone and playability is what you expect from a Les Paul. I would, and have, recommended these to my friends. Great instrument at a great price. BTW, the included case. This was an incredible surprise as I didn't know what to expect. It's a lether "type" exterior, great padding, pink fuzzy interior, LARGE front pocket, and double backpack straps. It's a VERY nice bag! Accessory kit gets you a picture of your guitar being setup, documents that you will probably not read, a few tools, and as of this posting, a nylon guitar strap. While lower in scale compared to the Standard (what with it's hard case, multi tool, and leather strap), it's still rather cool. All in all, these are my go to guitars for stage and studio right now. I have more expensive guitars, but cost doesn't equal tone or feel.Brandon

What a brilliant guitar and superb value package! I have owned ‘real’ Gibsons over the years and bought this outfit as a birthday gift for my granddaughter who is learning to play. She has had a fender acoustic for a couple of years and now wants her own electric guitar. I chose this outfit as having previously owned one in the past I like Epiphone guitars. Before giving it to her I thought it best to check it over and set it up but there was nothing to do really, after tuning this guitar was perfectly playable right out the box! The feel, balance and weight is very like my Gibson and the sound is superb. The amp is excellent and packs enough punch to put a smile on your face too. She’s delighted with the built in tuner as well as the other essentials included in the outfit. What’s not to like? I can’t find a better value package!W O.

My original review still stands, but I made cosmetic-only upgrades for less than an average couple's meal at a casual restaurant that makes this look much, much more expensive. No tuner, pickup or pot swaps. Replaced black plastic parts with cream, added cream pickguard, replaced chrome tuner knobs with Klausen-style ivory-look knobs. Installed chrome pickup covers. Replaced speed knobs with gold top-hats.Easily done to make this look like a proper Les Paul. I'm happy with the looks for the little extra money spent.Steve

As the song says: "I'm a Sucker for a Cheap Guitar". I own over 30 – some cheap, some not so cheap. This one arrived perfectly set up: low action, no buzzing, no sharp fret edges, easy to play – amazing for a guitar in this price range. Although not great, the pickups even sounded acceptable. It's heavy, which to me means good, though not as heavy as my Gibson. It's OK-looking, but needed something to enhance it – a pickguard. I added one and it looks much better – more expensive. Instead of cutting off part of the guard to accommodate the knob as I've seen some others do, I drilled a hole big enough for the nut on the body underneath the knob to fit through the guard (see photos). Since the guard isn't much thicker than the nut, it allowed the guard to fit flush with the body and the knob to turn without any restriction of motion, and the pickguard is not butchered. It's a very clean look – like it came that way – not modified. So, I am pleased with this instrument, and would recommend it to anyone for any purpose: especially beginners to play or someone like me who just collects cheap guitars to hang on the wall of their studiio.Steve

An amazing, extremely well built, truely musical sounding instrument. 57/57 plus pickups, locking tuners, Gloss nitro, and American made pride. Traditional weight relief vs modern weight relief…..she's a big girl when she sits in my lap but the pound or pound and a half is worth it for the sustain and tone.Lenny the Doosh

Okay, first of all I need to express how pleased I am with this guitar. I was really skeptical about making the purchase because of the slim taper neck. I have a '68 Les and the neck is so wide you could land a plane on it. But I love a fat neck. I couldn't bring myself to buy the gold top. Two days later, I see the green ocean burst. I'm in love!!! However, I think the slim taper neck could be a deal breaker. So, with a little coaxing from the wife, I buy the green ocean burst. That was Christmas, this review is June. I still love my '68 black beauty, but she is in her case resting. I play my new Les all day long! The neck is quite a bit smaller than I was used to. That just forced me to work on my precision and to get out of my "comfort zone". I play cleaner and those fret stretches are a bit easier. This guitar will growl like a demon or sing like an angel! It will do anything else in between! I play all different styles of music, and I can do it all with this Les Paul! If you are thinking of buying it…Just Do It!!!! You will not regret it!Zen

After selling my 74 Gibson Deluxe, it took me months to decide what guitar to get. I didn't want another Gibson, and had my eyes on this Epiphone Tribute. And just my luck there were no Epiphones left in stores here in Australia, thanks to Gibson's financial problems. So I bought one on ebay untried, unplayed, unseen. It finally arrived and I am over the moon in love with this guitar. The color, the pick ups, the tone, the feel, the tone,the playability, great case. Only downside it doesn'a have a pick guard, I don't really want to scratch the body. Tried ebay but can't find one specifically for 60s tribute, especially pick guard that don't need drilling into bodies. Some are attached to the screws where the pick ups are housed. Great idea. All it needs now is a set up, I'm waiting for my guitar tech to come back from overseas, then all done.mea-gco-ozqs3nsd5c

The guitar is great but the item description says that the inlays are mother of pearl and are actually a yellowish perloid… Was quite disappointing when I received it but of. The frets are a bit rough but I hope is nothing we cannot sort with some steel wool and TLC. I'm very happy with the guitar, though. The pickups sound really great and the guitar comes with a nice low action what makes it a dream to play. The veneer gives it a really great finish and the binding is nicely made. The grover tuners make the guitar tune steady and the coil tap gives extra sound option, what it always good. The strap locks are minimal and effective, what makes them great and the guitar case seems resistant and each time I open it to play the guitar a really nice smell comes out of it. All in all a great guitar.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This is with no doubt Epiphones best modell. I have playd alot of Gibsons over the years and only the old one from 70s and back to tje 50s are as good as this one. I find the sustain superb.all the woodwork is perfekt as well as the finnish. So if you guys realy want a good Les Paul. Buy this model.conblom

Five stars ~ hands down, one of the finest Gibson guitars ever made. I used to own a solid body Les Paul, but, I sold it to buy two Les Paul ES models ~ yep, these guitars are THAT impressive. Best choices I made was to own one flametop LP ES with the MHS PAF pickups and also, own the second LP ES ~ a goldtop sporting the P90 pickups. Centerblock construction of the Les Paul ES helps control feedback, as I have two 50's Gibson ES models to compare to. The LP ES is very comparable to my little parlor, 1953 140 ES, but with unbelievable control with feedback and wider range of tones with the two pickups instead of one. As far as her body lines, she has a very lovely, one piece maple back. Compared to the back plastic cover 'cuts' Les Paul solid bodies have for the wiring/control knobs, the LP ES is much more appealing as a one piece, dark stain, maple back. The front top is a laminate, and sports the lovely 3-D sculpt Les Paul's are sought after for. AAA flame tops or painted tops, they are a work of art, stunning craftsmanship and attention to detail throughout. At less than 5 lbs., what a light experience she offers, sailing on your shoulder ~ instead of after only a few minutes, suddenly feeling like you are wearing a shoulder anchor! If you are a true fan of Les Paul guitars, you owe it to yourself to check out the ES model! The price is right for a limited run issue Les Paul, as Gibson only makes 200 of any one ES model. The goldtop Bigsby has an even lower number for production. ENJOY!fayewrey

Picked up a 2019, same exact model about a month ago. Quality and build is superb, the carved top has even more flame than I expected. I wanted an "understated" look, and it's perfect. Flame changes with light. The nitro finish is buffed like new, unlike the VOS models, and the natural dye on the back and neck is rich and deep. Instrument is plek'd, action and intonation are flawless. The CustomBucker pickups are all the rage, you can only get them on a new instrument, and are supposed to be the best PAF repro so far. I'm still trying to decide if I like them, my ears say that the 60s have more natural midrange than 59s, but I can eq it out on my amps. They also seem to be unpotted. I'm really inspired by the sound and feel of the '60 LP, the looks and quality are just icing.Ron

A few purchases are worth more than you pay… this was one. Fun to play. I am way to old to say that, but it's the truth. Worth every penny.RXB97