Gibson Les Paul Melody Maker Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

Overall: First thing I have to say is when I opened it I went over it with a fine tooth comb because I've heard so many nightmare stories about Gibson quality control over the past decade. My guitar was impeccable. Not a single issue whatsoever, as it should be for what they cost now. This guitar comes with the 490r and 490t pickups. These are fine if you play blues, jazz, or classic rock. If you want to play hard rock or metal you may want to look into replacement pickups. The 490r is very warm and thick. It sounds great for clean arpeggios and overdriven soloing, but it can sound downright muddy playing chords with any overdrive on it. Even with the pickup heights adjusted it was a little louder than the 490t bridge pickup. Now the 490t doesn't sound too bad. It's a pretty clear, but doesn't have a whole lot of output. Stick an overdrive in front of a dirty amp and it will sing, but it won't have the compressed singing quality on it's own. That can be good or bad depending on what you need. I played around with them for a couple weeks before deciding to replace them with Seymour Duncans (JB and Jazz). The Jazz has a lot more clarity in the neck than the 490r and it still has warmth to it. The JB just sings and still cleans up with the volume knob despite being high output. They're the go to aftermarket pickups as far as I'm concerned. If it had shipped with a 498t in the bridge I might not have been so quick to swap the pickups out. I love the fact that this has a maple neck. Maple is a lot sturdier than mahogany plus the Les Paul Customs in the 70s had maple necks. That's really the main reason I jumped for this rather than a Studio. No it doesn't have the binding like the Classic, Traditional, or Standard LPs, but I'm used to the no frills construction of my faded SG. It doesn't bother me. It has a simple beauty to it. My guitar is the tobacco burst and I really like how the neck, top, and back all have different colors. You get what you pay for, but it's not as good a value as it was a couple years ago. Replace the 490t with a 498t and drop the price (yeah right) back down a bit and I'd give it a 5/5. As it is it is a solid 4/5. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if you're in the market for a Les Paul.

This is an amazing starter kit for anyone who is starting to play an Electric Guitar! One thing I really like about this starting kit is that not only it is affordable, perfect for college students, but it also has everything that you need to start learning how to play an electric guitar. I specifically wanted to start my guitar journey on an Electric Les Paul, so this kit worked out specifically well. The quality of the accessories is also pretty good. The only complain I had was towards the tuner— it doesn’t seem to work correctly; however, that could be due to my noob skills. Anyway, there are always online apps that you can use to tune. The guitar itself sounds like a hummingbird — very nice on ears! Anyway, good luck to anyone starting out their journey on playing guitar! I would reco

I have been a Sweetwater customer for longer than I remember, and one feature I have always loved is the pics and weights of the actual guitars so you know what you're getting. So, I found a 60s Faded LP with a ridiculously low weight of 8 lbs, 2oz. The top looked nice, not anything crazy, which is fine but the one feature I love about the top is the mineral streaks (flecking) in the top. The streaks really add character. I was less into a fancy top than a light weight, good playability and great sound. And I was not disappointed. My rep, a fine young man named Jacob Terhune, expedited the shipping, and I had it in my hands literally the next day. Opening up the new case, and smelling that wonderful new Gibson smell is something I've always loved. The case candy was all there and speaking of the case, It was made by TKL just like back in the day and that is super awesome! My guitar is light as stated, and the satin finish is very well done, feels super smooth and I like that the back is natural with nicely matched grain. I did my usual setup and going through my LP and I think the quality on my LP was top notch. There were no file marks on the board, no scratches and every aspect of the build was great. The 61R/T pickup combo is great, I did have to adjust the pole pieces (which I do for every guitar), and just sat there making small adjust meats and I'm so pleased with the sound. The setup from the factory and the inspection from Sweetwater were fine, but as always I tweak it here and there. I did lower the nut slots only .003 of an inch, since I like the action at the first fret at .020". The fingerboard was a little dry, but much better than my 2020 Flying V board, but I hydrated it just a bit more. As far as sound, this LP is outstanding. It's very loud and projects sound well when you strum it unplugged and the entire guitar vibrates so much that it'll tickle your hands as you play. This guitar just feels alive, and it make me want to play, and if I'm not playing it, I love to just look at it. I guess I'm simping for my guitar, and I'm good with that. I see many people on Youtube run down Gibsons quality, but I have to disagree based on mine. My LP is outstanding and I would highly recommend one of these with no hesitation.

Going on a two-month report. The pickups are the strong suit of this guitar. They are like telecaster single coils but on steroids! They have a low-end snappy output on the neck pickup, excellent for jazz, blues, hard rock & metal. Mid-range is very stable in the middle position i.e. funk, rock, and pop. Also, the bridge pickup is what people strive for in an LP i.e. metal, classic rock, & hard blues. It has That classic overdriven PAF tone. It's worth spending the $$$. The quality is genuine and the slight VOS aging is a nice touch. The relic is not overly done but has a slightly played look. Tuners are superb, metal components are aged, & the lacquer is just right. Indian fretboard looks like ebony and the trapezoid inlays are aged just perfectly. Also, the case is beautiful along with the awesome case candy. Overall, this is worth every dollar. It's surprisingly a very versatile guitar!

Not much to say about a GLP – its an amazing guitar as you'd expect and anyone can carry it and comparably price instruments. However, it's the Sweetwater service that makes the difference. Grant is great and super responsive to my questions and issues. You can tell that the people who work here play and love music. I completely trust Sweetwater with my musical instruments. I just purchased my second guitar with them yesterday and the process was fantastic. At this point, I'm only going to buy here. Even if I found an instrument at a cheaper price through one of their competitors, it wouldn't be worth the care and service you get at Sweetwater. 5-Stars guys! Customer 4-Life!

So it arrived today! it came in a very nice branded MusicStore box with a short checklist of things done before packing. This is nice as makes me confident the purchase was made with premium supplier. The standard Gibson outfit package is really cool. There's a branded soft gig bag with nice fluffy interior, a bag strap, a cloth, few marketing leaflets, and, a photo of the guitar that was made in the factory. Very cool. Value wise, its fantastic. The guitar out of the box looks great. it feels and looks premium, although it is a distant and poor relative when standing next to LP's Reissues or some other top-shelf models. Visually, its a different line. The guitar was pretty much setup to play from the box (thanks musicstore team), which was a nice surprise too. Unplugged, there is more than enough sustain, vibe and articulation details. This instrument sounds very much like pricier Les Pauls, even with no power. The neck is nice and fast with medium jumbos, allowing to play pretty much everything you want. Once plugged in to 90s JCM 800 set, it did deliver pretty much everything the more expensive Gibsons' do. There's sustain, articulation, the 'gurl' of Gibson. Studio workhorse, worth every penny. Which was a bit of surprise as the Studios' are slightly lighter in body construction. Some complain about finish quality, but i have not observed anything limiting playability yet. As mentioned before: if you place it next to a top-shelf Les Paul, you WILL see a difference. You will see dozens of differences in finish and quality as these instrumets are different. But, to me, its a great guitar, and I would reccomend that to anyone looking for Gibson sounding instrument for relatively moderate price. LP Studio is probably the cheapest and easiest way to get real Gibson sound for "OK" money. I have one comment to MusicStore team regarding the purchase process: It would be nice to allow customer to change payment option in case of problems with the one initially chosen.

Overall: First thing I have to say is when I opened it I went over it with a fine tooth comb because I've heard so many nightmare stories about Gibson quality control over the past decade. My guitar was impeccable. Not a single issue whatsoever, as it should be for what they cost now. This guitar comes with the 490r and 490t pickups. These are fine if you play blues, jazz, or classic rock. If you want to play hard rock or metal you may want to look into replacement pickups. The 490r is very warm and thick. It sounds great for clean arpeggios and overdriven soloing, but it can sound downright muddy playing chords with any overdrive on it. Even with the pickup heights adjusted it was a little louder than the 490t bridge pickup. Now the 490t doesn't sound too bad. It's a pretty clear, but doesn't have a whole lot of output. Stick an overdrive in front of a dirty amp and it will sing, but it won't have the compressed singing quality on it's own. That can be good or bad depending on what you need. I played around with them for a couple weeks before deciding to replace them with Seymour Duncans (JB and Jazz). The Jazz has a lot more clarity in the neck than the 490r and it still has warmth to it. The JB just sings and still cleans up with the volume knob despite being high output. They're the go to aftermarket pickups as far as I'm concerned. If it had shipped with a 498t in the bridge I might not have been so quick to swap the pickups out. I love the fact that this has a maple neck. Maple is a lot sturdier than mahogany plus the Les Paul Customs in the 70s had maple necks. That's really the main reason I jumped for this rather than a Studio. No it doesn't have the binding like the Classic, Traditional, or Standard LPs, but I'm used to the no frills construction of my faded SG. It doesn't bother me. It has a simple beauty to it. My guitar is the tobacco burst and I really like how the neck, top, and back all have different colors. You get what you pay for, but it's not as good a value as it was a couple years ago. Replace the 490t with a 498t and drop the price (yeah right) back down a bit and I'd give it a 5/5. As it is it is a solid 4/5. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if you're in the market for a Les Paul.

First of all, sorry that this is in english but maybe somebody will still find it useful. I ordered two of this exact model. I sent the first one back due to a quality issue. The first guitar was well set up, played really well, sounded great, and looked beautiful but at the top of the neck there was a very small gap between the fretboard and the neck. It was about 0,5 mm in height and about 3 cm in width on both sides of the neck. It was small but you could feel it with your hand every time you played over it. Anybody would notice it upon inspection and I am quite surprised that it got past both the Gibson quality control and the Musicstore check. This is the reason for the lower score on “Verarbeitung”. Now, was it a showstopper? For me, it was, considering the price of the instrument. For others, it may not have been and to be honest I thought long and hard before sending it back because it was otherwise a really excellent instrument and I’m sure some people may have decided to keep it. Kudos go out to the Musicstore.de for making absolutely no fuss about taking it back. I will certainly consider buying from this store again in the future. Now, to the second guitar I received: What can I say? It is a wonderful instrument that has THE sound. I usually play a Telecaster but wanted something Gibson-ish for a more humbucker-type sound. This has that sound, so if you are looking for a classic Les Paul sound, you will not be disappointed. Unlike the first guitar which seemed set up quite well by the Musicstore, the second one was not. This is not a problem for me as I am familiar with setup work but if you are not, then you may need to take the guitar to a good luthier once you receive it in order to get the most out of it. So that is something to consider when buying. Mine was pretty off and didn’t seem like anyone spent more than 3 minutes setting it up which was a bit disappointing considering that I know (based on calls to the store) that the delivery was being held back for over a week because it was waiting to be checked and set up. The truss rod had been adjusted quite right but the intonation was way off, the action was “ok”. The pickups seemed untouched and the height was off leading to an imbalanced sound. These are all minor things and it didn’t bother me because I like to set up my own guitars anyways but it should be noted that there seems to be a diffrerence in attention to detail between whoever is doing the setups at the store. That said, once set up properly, this thing is a killer! It is a tone and sustain monster! As far as workmanship goes, I can’t find any noticeable flaws. The finish is beautiful and the binding is very well done. The fretboard was extremely dry and needed to be oiled right away. This is typical Gibson and a bit annoying but also not a real issue that can’t fixed with a few drops of lemon oil and 2 mins of work. One last thing to note, the guitar is heavy. The fist one weighed 4.6 Kg and the second one weighs 4.4 Kg. That is normal for a Les Paul but you should know that in advance in case that is important to you. Reading back what I wrote above may seem negative but it is only so others know what to expect. All in all, I’m very happy with the guitar and would buy it again but for the price, I would’ve expected a bit more attention to detail.

First of all, sorry that this is in english but maybe somebody will still find it useful. I ordered two of this exact model. I sent the first one back due to a quality issue. The first guitar was well set up, played really well, sounded great, and looked beautiful but at the top of the neck there was a very small gap between the fretboard and the neck. It was about 0,5 mm in height and about 3 cm in width on both sides of the neck. It was small but you could feel it with your hand every time you played over it. Anybody would notice it upon inspection and I am quite surprised that it got past both the Gibson quality control and the Musicstore check. This is the reason for the lower score on “Verarbeitung”. Now, was it a showstopper? For me, it was, considering the price of the instrument. For others, it may not have been and to be honest I thought long and hard before sending it back because it was otherwise a really excellent instrument and I’m sure some people may have decided to keep it. Kudos go out to the Musicstore.de for making absolutely no fuss about taking it back. I will certainly consider buying from this store again in the future. Now, to the second guitar I received: What can I say? It is a wonderful instrument that has THE sound. I usually play a Telecaster but wanted something Gibson-ish for a more humbucker-type sound. This has that sound, so if you are looking for a classic Les Paul sound, you will not be disappointed. Unlike the first guitar which seemed set up quite well by the Musicstore, the second one was not. This is not a problem for me as I am familiar with setup work but if you are not, then you may need to take the guitar to a good luthier once you receive it in order to get the most out of it. So that is something to consider when buying. Mine was pretty off and didn’t seem like anyone spent more than 3 minutes setting it up which was a bit disappointing considering that I know (based on calls to the store) that the delivery was being held back for over a week because it was waiting to be checked and set up. The truss rod had been adjusted quite right but the intonation was way off, the action was “ok”. The pickups seemed untouched and the height was off leading to an imbalanced sound. These are all minor things and it didn’t bother me because I like to set up my own guitars anyways but it should be noted that there seems to be a diffrerence in attention to detail between whoever is doing the setups at the store. That said, once set up properly, this thing is a killer! It is a tone and sustain monster! As far as workmanship goes, I can’t find any noticeable flaws. The finish is beautiful and the binding is very well done. The fretboard was extremely dry and needed to be oiled right away. This is typical Gibson and a bit annoying but also not a real issue that can’t fixed with a few drops of lemon oil and 2 mins of work. One last thing to note, the guitar is heavy. The fist one weighed 4.6 Kg and the second one weighs 4.4 Kg. That is normal for a Les Paul but you should know that in advance in case that is important to you. Reading back what I wrote above may seem negative but it is only so others know what to expect. All in all, I’m very happy with the guitar and would buy it again but for the price, I would’ve expected a bit more attention to detail.

I have been a Sweetwater customer for longer than I remember, and one feature I have always loved is the pics and weights of the actual guitars so you know what you're getting. So, I found a 60s Faded LP with a ridiculously low weight of 8 lbs, 2oz. The top looked nice, not anything crazy, which is fine but the one feature I love about the top is the mineral streaks (flecking) in the top. The streaks really add character. I was less into a fancy top than a light weight, good playability and great sound. And I was not disappointed. My rep, a fine young man named Jacob Terhune, expedited the shipping, and I had it in my hands literally the next day. Opening up the new case, and smelling that wonderful new Gibson smell is something I've always loved. The case candy was all there and speaking of the case, It was made by TKL just like back in the day and that is super awesome! My guitar is light as stated, and the satin finish is very well done, feels super smooth and I like that the back is natural with nicely matched grain. I did my usual setup and going through my LP and I think the quality on my LP was top notch. There were no file marks on the board, no scratches and every aspect of the build was great. The 61R/T pickup combo is great, I did have to adjust the pole pieces (which I do for every guitar), and just sat there making small adjust meats and I'm so pleased with the sound. The setup from the factory and the inspection from Sweetwater were fine, but as always I tweak it here and there. I did lower the nut slots only .003 of an inch, since I like the action at the first fret at .020". The fingerboard was a little dry, but much better than my 2020 Flying V board, but I hydrated it just a bit more. As far as sound, this LP is outstanding. It's very loud and projects sound well when you strum it unplugged and the entire guitar vibrates so much that it'll tickle your hands as you play. This guitar just feels alive, and it make me want to play, and if I'm not playing it, I love to just look at it. I guess I'm simping for my guitar, and I'm good with that. I see many people on Youtube run down Gibsons quality, but I have to disagree based on mine. My LP is outstanding and I would highly recommend one of these with no hesitation.

Going on a two-month report. The pickups are the strong suit of this guitar. They are like telecaster single coils but on steroids! They have a low-end snappy output on the neck pickup, excellent for jazz, blues, hard rock & metal. Mid-range is very stable in the middle position i.e. funk, rock, and pop. Also, the bridge pickup is what people strive for in an LP i.e. metal, classic rock, & hard blues. It has That classic overdriven PAF tone. It's worth spending the $$$. The quality is genuine and the slight VOS aging is a nice touch. The relic is not overly done but has a slightly played look. Tuners are superb, metal components are aged, & the lacquer is just right. Indian fretboard looks like ebony and the trapezoid inlays are aged just perfectly. Also, the case is beautiful along with the awesome case candy. Overall, this is worth every dollar. It's surprisingly a very versatile guitar!

When you want a Les Paul you’ll want a real Les Paul so that’s a Gibson and not a single cut guitar by any onther manufacturer that has its looks changed because it may not look like a Gibson Les Paul. Furthermore: the Gibson Les Paul since its inception in the ‘50’s has always been and will be THE benchmark. Period. This Gibson Les Paul Classic is a gorgeous, great guitar and very competetively priced too. For your tone you really do not need an AAA flame top; many of the best sounding ‘vintage’ Les Pauls are plaintops. And when you do not want one of the ‘burst’ versions that just do not quite meet the looks of the old ones, this Translucent Red is the way to go.. you’ll be buying a guitar that reminisces of George Harrison’s ‘Lucy’ and Dicky Betts’s ‘Redtop’ without having to fork out Custom Shop money. You’ll also get 4 push-pull pots that effectively give you all the inspiring tonal options (including the ‘Peter Green’ out of phase tone) you’d find in a Custom Shop Jimmy Page # 2 (read the spec sheets) but again without having to pay the Custom Shop Price. Between 1990 and 2008 there was also a ‘Les Paul Classic’ too but the ‘Classic’ version on sale these days has little to do with that previous ‘Classic 1960’. The Burstbucker pick ups are supposed to adhere to the specifications Seth Lover intended and that Gibson was applying to the 1961 P.A.F. / Patent Number Pickups. And indeed the Burstbuckers are clear, brilliant, a bit ‘bright’ and not ‘woolly’ or ‘fatty’. More a bit like the P90 ‘without hum’ it was designed to be but then a little more powerful, without the screaming harshness of some ceramic pickups Gibson used in the past. The Grover tuners – although I prefer the looks of the Kluson keystones – are also ‘60’s-modifications’ and I must say they have a wonderfull ‘solid’ mechanically feeling action. The crown inlays in the fretboard are a perfect fit (unlike some others where gaps were obvioulsy filled up with glue or something) and the fret bindings have been finished properly (in the past I’ve seen that done less scrupulously..). The Classic also sports the ‘modern’ larger strap holders so it is not imperative to fit straplock systems right away… Any drawbacks? Some people might scare back at the weight: it comes in at 4.25 kilo’s and the Slim Taper neck profile (also a ‘60’s’ characteristic) has to be your thing. Minor detail: upon arrival the fretboard was very dry but all it needed was some luscious application of Axe Wax and now the fretboard has the same nice even chocolate brown hue as my Gibson 2019 Firebird. When you are on the search for ‘a’ Les Paul, at least try the Les Paul Classic as well. I have sold two M.I.J. Tokai LoveRocks (a 2002 and a 2003) to fund the purchase of the Gibson Les Paul Classic; that was a gamble but I was right in doing so; the Les Paul Classic really pleases me a lot more. And a note I must add: mine came perfectly set up by one of the guitar techs of Music Store; thank you! Even the intonation was spot on !

I have been a Sweetwater customer for longer than I remember, and one feature I have always loved is the pics and weights of the actual guitars so you know what you're getting. So, I found a 60s Faded LP with a ridiculously low weight of 8 lbs, 2oz. The top looked nice, not anything crazy, which is fine but the one feature I love about the top is the mineral streaks (flecking) in the top. The streaks really add character. I was less into a fancy top than a light weight, good playability and great sound. And I was not disappointed. My rep, a fine young man named Jacob Terhune, expedited the shipping, and I had it in my hands literally the next day. Opening up the new case, and smelling that wonderful new Gibson smell is something I've always loved. The case candy was all there and speaking of the case, It was made by TKL just like back in the day and that is super awesome! My guitar is light as stated, and the satin finish is very well done, feels super smooth and I like that the back is natural with nicely matched grain. I did my usual setup and going through my LP and I think the quality on my LP was top notch. There were no file marks on the board, no scratches and every aspect of the build was great. The 61R/T pickup combo is great, I did have to adjust the pole pieces (which I do for every guitar), and just sat there making small adjust meats and I'm so pleased with the sound. The setup from the factory and the inspection from Sweetwater were fine, but as always I tweak it here and there. I did lower the nut slots only .003 of an inch, since I like the action at the first fret at .020". The fingerboard was a little dry, but much better than my 2020 Flying V board, but I hydrated it just a bit more. As far as sound, this LP is outstanding. It's very loud and projects sound well when you strum it unplugged and the entire guitar vibrates so much that it'll tickle your hands as you play. This guitar just feels alive, and it make me want to play, and if I'm not playing it, I love to just look at it. I guess I'm simping for my guitar, and I'm good with that. I see many people on Youtube run down Gibsons quality, but I have to disagree based on mine. My LP is outstanding and I would highly recommend one of these with no hesitation.

Going on a two-month report. The pickups are the strong suit of this guitar. They are like telecaster single coils but on steroids! They have a low-end snappy output on the neck pickup, excellent for jazz, blues, hard rock & metal. Mid-range is very stable in the middle position i.e. funk, rock, and pop. Also, the bridge pickup is what people strive for in an LP i.e. metal, classic rock, & hard blues. It has That classic overdriven PAF tone. It's worth spending the $$$. The quality is genuine and the slight VOS aging is a nice touch. The relic is not overly done but has a slightly played look. Tuners are superb, metal components are aged, & the lacquer is just right. Indian fretboard looks like ebony and the trapezoid inlays are aged just perfectly. Also, the case is beautiful along with the awesome case candy. Overall, this is worth every dollar. It's surprisingly a very versatile guitar!

I have been a Sweetwater customer for longer than I remember, and one feature I have always loved is the pics and weights of the actual guitars so you know what you're getting. So, I found a 60s Faded LP with a ridiculously low weight of 8 lbs, 2oz. The top looked nice, not anything crazy, which is fine but the one feature I love about the top is the mineral streaks (flecking) in the top. The streaks really add character. I was less into a fancy top than a light weight, good playability and great sound. And I was not disappointed. My rep, a fine young man named Jacob Terhune, expedited the shipping, and I had it in my hands literally the next day. Opening up the new case, and smelling that wonderful new Gibson smell is something I've always loved. The case candy was all there and speaking of the case, It was made by TKL just like back in the day and that is super awesome! My guitar is light as stated, and the satin finish is very well done, feels super smooth and I like that the back is natural with nicely matched grain. I did my usual setup and going through my LP and I think the quality on my LP was top notch. There were no file marks on the board, no scratches and every aspect of the build was great. The 61R/T pickup combo is great, I did have to adjust the pole pieces (which I do for every guitar), and just sat there making small adjust meats and I'm so pleased with the sound. The setup from the factory and the inspection from Sweetwater were fine, but as always I tweak it here and there. I did lower the nut slots only .003 of an inch, since I like the action at the first fret at .020". The fingerboard was a little dry, but much better than my 2020 Flying V board, but I hydrated it just a bit more. As far as sound, this LP is outstanding. It's very loud and projects sound well when you strum it unplugged and the entire guitar vibrates so much that it'll tickle your hands as you play. This guitar just feels alive, and it make me want to play, and if I'm not playing it, I love to just look at it. I guess I'm simping for my guitar, and I'm good with that. I see many people on Youtube run down Gibsons quality, but I have to disagree based on mine. My LP is outstanding and I would highly recommend one of these with no hesitation.

Going on a two-month report. The pickups are the strong suit of this guitar. They are like telecaster single coils but on steroids! They have a low-end snappy output on the neck pickup, excellent for jazz, blues, hard rock & metal. Mid-range is very stable in the middle position i.e. funk, rock, and pop. Also, the bridge pickup is what people strive for in an LP i.e. metal, classic rock, & hard blues. It has That classic overdriven PAF tone. It's worth spending the $$$. The quality is genuine and the slight VOS aging is a nice touch. The relic is not overly done but has a slightly played look. Tuners are superb, metal components are aged, & the lacquer is just right. Indian fretboard looks like ebony and the trapezoid inlays are aged just perfectly. Also, the case is beautiful along with the awesome case candy. Overall, this is worth every dollar. It's surprisingly a very versatile guitar!

I've wanted a deluxe since I played one in the late 70's. It's beautiful, plays great, and the fit and finish is perfect. Gibson has definitely fixed their past QC issues. The mini humbuckers are clear and crisp, no bucker mud. The neck is perfect to me. Fat but not huge. Frets are perfect. Minor action tweaks out of the box and I gigged it the next day. Highly recommend!

Overall: First thing I have to say is when I opened it I went over it with a fine tooth comb because I've heard so many nightmare stories about Gibson quality control over the past decade. My guitar was impeccable. Not a single issue whatsoever, as it should be for what they cost now. This guitar comes with the 490r and 490t pickups. These are fine if you play blues, jazz, or classic rock. If you want to play hard rock or metal you may want to look into replacement pickups. The 490r is very warm and thick. It sounds great for clean arpeggios and overdriven soloing, but it can sound downright muddy playing chords with any overdrive on it. Even with the pickup heights adjusted it was a little louder than the 490t bridge pickup. Now the 490t doesn't sound too bad. It's a pretty clear, but doesn't have a whole lot of output. Stick an overdrive in front of a dirty amp and it will sing, but it won't have the compressed singing quality on it's own. That can be good or bad depending on what you need. I played around with them for a couple weeks before deciding to replace them with Seymour Duncans (JB and Jazz). The Jazz has a lot more clarity in the neck than the 490r and it still has warmth to it. The JB just sings and still cleans up with the volume knob despite being high output. They're the go to aftermarket pickups as far as I'm concerned. If it had shipped with a 498t in the bridge I might not have been so quick to swap the pickups out. I love the fact that this has a maple neck. Maple is a lot sturdier than mahogany plus the Les Paul Customs in the 70s had maple necks. That's really the main reason I jumped for this rather than a Studio. No it doesn't have the binding like the Classic, Traditional, or Standard LPs, but I'm used to the no frills construction of my faded SG. It doesn't bother me. It has a simple beauty to it. My guitar is the tobacco burst and I really like how the neck, top, and back all have different colors. You get what you pay for, but it's not as good a value as it was a couple years ago. Replace the 490t with a 498t and drop the price (yeah right) back down a bit and I'd give it a 5/5. As it is it is a solid 4/5. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if you're in the market for a Les Paul.