St Paul Guitar Studio For Sale (2023 Update)

Looks great, sounds great, plays great. One of the nicest gig bags I've ever seen. Came out of the box at the store set up and tuned! Fit and finish were perfect and the wine red just pops under stage lighting…unlike the one that was on display…and this is why I don't buy guitars online! Got it home, changed the strings to the gauge I prefer, lowered the string height a smidge, and checked the intonation which was spot on. Took it to a pro jam out in the valley where it got lots of compliments from the other players for it's sound and looks…it's as nice a Les Paul as I've ever played. If you get one like mine you won't regret it! But go to the GC and pick yours out and save yourself some possible grief. You won't regret that either!Stephen

I bought my first Les Paul in 1974. I was a little concerened about the new "lightend and improved" version but it turned out to be great. Pickups are better. Feels great, plays great and all around great guitar at a good price. Required minimal set up to play really good. I liked it so much, I bought another one 3 weeks later. I love my Strats but right out of the box, they require a lot of work to make them play and stay in tune. Got my first Strat in 72. If I was a kid (I'm in my 60's), I would choose this Les Paul Studio first. Because it is easier to set up and play right out of the box. I love my Strats, but this is a really good guitar.Stephen C

Still a novice player, but decided that I had stuck with it long enough to justify spending a bit more than I had spent on my used Squier Strat. After reading a ton of reviews and watching a bunch of YouTube videos, I chose the LP Studio in Smokehouse Burst. Wow! What an incredible difference. I find it easier to play with a wider fretboard and the sound is just amazing. I'm not sure if I just got a good one or if Gibson has stepped up their QA game as mine does not display the defects described by other reviews here. I have not found any cosmetic or fit/finish flaws. The color also closely resembles the photos with just a slightly darker shade on the burst. It is an absolutely gorgeous instrument and I couldn't be more satisfied with it. I know that Gibson switched over to the soft case rather than the hard one to save costs, but quite frankly, I don't see that they could have saved too much. The soft case is very high quality and with the exception of shipping or air travel, I feel that my guitar is well protected when put away. Although, I doubt that I'll ever be traveling to perform in this lifetime. Thanks Gibson. Great job on a beautiful instrument.ArmchairAstro

Looks great, sounds great, plays great. One of the nicest gig bags I've ever seen. Came out of the box at the store set up and tuned! Fit and finish were perfect and the wine red just pops under stage lighting…unlike the one that was on display…and this is why I don't buy guitars online! Got it home, changed the strings to the gauge I prefer, lowered the string height a smidge, and checked the intonation which was spot on. Took it to a pro jam out in the valley where it got lots of compliments from the other players for it's sound and looks…it's as nice a Les Paul as I've ever played. If you get one like mine you won't regret it! But go to the GC and pick yours out and save yourself some possible grief. You won't regret that either!Stephen

I just purchased my sunburst Les Paul studio on 11/20/21. The action is low and incredible. The neck is small which is perfect for me. This Les Paul is very suitable for professionals and young teenagers that are still learning. Playing it comes with ease and requires only a very light touch. It has a lot of the very same qualities that a Standard has. Especially the tone. Wait till you get yours. You won't be the least disappointed at all. It's worth every penny. I give it 5 stars or two thumbs up. 👍 👍Daniel Trimboli

Looks great, sounds great, plays great. One of the nicest gig bags I've ever seen. Came out of the box at the store set up and tuned! Fit and finish were perfect and the wine red just pops under stage lighting…unlike the one that was on display…and this is why I don't buy guitars online! Got it home, changed the strings to the gauge I prefer, lowered the string height a smidge, and checked the intonation which was spot on. Took it to a pro jam out in the valley where it got lots of compliments from the other players for it's sound and looks…it's as nice a Les Paul as I've ever played. If you get one like mine you won't regret it! But go to the GC and pick yours out and save yourself some possible grief. You won't regret that either!Stephen

Looks great, sounds great, plays great. One of the nicest gig bags I've ever seen. Came out of the box at the store set up and tuned! Fit and finish were perfect and the wine red just pops under stage lighting…unlike the one that was on display…and this is why I don't buy guitars online! Got it home, changed the strings to the gauge I prefer, lowered the string height a smidge, and checked the intonation which was spot on. Took it to a pro jam out in the valley where it got lots of compliments from the other players for it's sound and looks…it's as nice a Les Paul as I've ever played. If you get one like mine you won't regret it! But go to the GC and pick yours out and save yourself some possible grief. You won't regret that either!Stephen

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

Ich habe mir dieses Gibson Model bei Kirstein gekauft, weil neben dem Koffer ein Gurt, ein Einstellwerkzeug und ein Reinigungstuch dabei waren. Am Anfang wollte ich mir eine günstige Gitarre kaufen, da aber in den Foren manche Musiker nicht mit den Pickups zufrieden waren, entschied ich mich für eine Gibson. Die Tonabnehmer zu wechseln lohnt sich nicht wirklich, besonders wenn man den Wiederverkaufswert berücksichtigt. Bei einem Preis von 1100€ bekommt man eine Gitarre die klanglich mit den weitaus teureren Modellen mithalten kann. An der Gitarre selber konnte ich keine Mängel feststellen. Einziger Punkt war das ich die Oktavreinheit ein- stellen musste. Vom Klang her bekommt das was man erwartet eine Gibson Les Paul.Karl-Heinz

Sehr fein gearbeitete Gitarre mit sehr schönem und breitem Soundspektrum, auch den Response mag ich sehr. Entäuscht bin ich von der Stimmstabilität, nach ein paar Minuten bespielen ist schnell einmal eine Neustimmung notwendig. Da sind meine Gitarren mit Tremoloblock selbst bei intensiver Verwendung stabiler, hier würde ich von der Preislage her und dem prestigeträchtigen Namen mehr erwarten deswegen gibt es nur 3 von 5 …Sigurd

A really nice guitar. It looks good with its translucent red finish and it plays well too. The first thing I did was change the supplied Gibson .010 strings for a set of .009 Ernie Ball super slinkies and this bid cause a bit of a buzz on the bottom E, but a minor adjustment to the bridge cured that. This has resulted in the easiest guitar to play that I have ever used. There is plenty of tonal variation available and the coil taps double your options.davladd-9

Received the 2016 Gibson Les Paul Studio HP in fine order just as every guitar I have received as a gift from my wife or purchased myself has arrived. Musician's Friend has never disappointed. First the Bad News: The guitar and case are impressive in appearance at first glance, but after a couple of hours of playing, it soon became very apparent the G-Force Tuning system leaves a bit to be desired. I use a lot of heavy bending and heavy gauge strings. The system often struggled finding proper pitch and it searched unsuccessfully sometimes and ultimately settled for out of pitch tuning. It might be a good system in theory (jury's still out), but in practice, not there yet. This was most frustrating while trying to record tracks and trying to keep ideas flowing. Further the volume and tone knobs were all crooked and wobbled when rotated, they were all set at different elevations (height) from the body of the guitar and the volume knobs would fall off when using the push/pull coil splitting feature. I picked the knobs up off the floor almost every time I used them and I found this most disappointing from a manufacture like Gibson. I returned the guitar two days after receiving it, again thank you Musicians Friend your customer service, it has been stellar in my numerous purchases and this was the first guitar I have returned. Second the Good News: I loved the coil splitting feature, this in combination with the 490R and 498T pickups created an abundance of tonal capability. The guitar played fast and smooth, nice neck, like the added width and the reach to the upper frets. Paint job was flawless and the Granadillo fingerboard played very fast and comfortable. Ditch the G-Force system and afford better quality control on the volume and tone knob fit and installation and you will have a player willing to try Gibson again sometime in the near future.Stratocasterplusplayer

Just received a brand new 2016 Gibson Les Paul Studio HP from Musicians Friend. Beautiful, plays wonderful, sounds great. Other than the g-force tuners, which worked good after I initially tuned it manually, this is a spectacular guitar for an amazing price. Thank you. The finish is excellent, nothing wrong, setup was perfect, pickups sound great, case is a piece of art and weighs as much as a marshall stack. Pretty sure I could run over it with my car and it would be fine. Great deal, great guitar, happy player.T-Bone

Exactly as described in documentation, When GForce is turned off, tuning keys are infinately and ultra finely manually adjustable. So there's no issue if you don't like it.Ripper

Im Vorfeld hatte ich leider nur die Gelegenheit dieses Modell in schwarz anzuschauen und anzuspielen. Alles prima und die Entscheidung für diese Farbgebung war richtig. Sonst ist alles wie man es erwarten kann. Die Lieferzeit war schneller als angegeben, super Service.Michael

I'm not a rich guy but I don't want garbage guitar's. This review is more about American Musical supply than this single guitar. In the past 5 year's I have purchased 15 guitar's from American and every one of them have been really great guitar's. I could never afford to buy these guitar's outright being a disabled Veteran I don't make enough money, so American is for ME a life saver. I no longer think about how bad my life is when I pick up one of these beautiful guitar's and play my worries away.Randy

I have played guitar and bass for 20 years, and I have always had average guitars. I just received this Les Paul in wine red. This is my first high end instrument, and it is flawless. The fretwork, finish, and intonation are immaculate. The gold hardware adds luxury to an already classy instrument. I make it a point to play every guitar I own unplugged to hear it's inherit acoustic properties. The tone is rich and snappy. Plugged into my Blackstar HT 60 2×12, this LP gives me epic tone and sustain. I feel the need to learn every riff off of Elegant Gypsy by Al Di Meola to so this guitar justice. I now know why he, and so many of the greats used Les Paul's. Thanks AMS for helping me afford such a beautiful sounding work of art.El Doctor Boca-Dientes

Love the gold hardware on black. Looks sharp.This guitar is very versatile. Lots of sustain and resonance. The pickups have a very clear and transparent tone. Playability is excellent. Had to adjust the action and truss rod. I also dressed the fretboard to make it darker. To me the darker rosewood fretboard looks more attractive. My only complaint is a little bit of dark paint overspray on the fretboard. Hence I darkened the fretboard. Quality is not as good as my American made PRS but the Gibsons have more vibe and mojo to me.A.Santos

Excellent quality in finish and hardware, lacks only the binding that makes the higher LP's so expensive. Also, this guitar is chambered so it is much lighter than my old LP (which is why I sold it) yet it does not seem to sacrifice that classic LP sustain…I took it to my guitar tech who very quickly adjusted the neck, bridge and pickups and the tone and playability is excellent! The classic '57 pickup in the neck is great but the jury is still out [for me] on the tail gunner Burstbucker Pro at the bridge…it's a little hot and I'm trying to learn how to work with it. Buyers should know that if you plan to change out pickups this guitar has plug-ins which makes it easier, but more expensive, to make a pickup change. Great value for the money and I am very happy with my purchase.terrilllee

I'll start by saying that I play a lot of different styles and am a MASSIVE Buckethead fan. Before playing this guitar, you have to keep in mind it was designed for Buckethead, who is 6'6". When I first picked it up, it felt gigantic. You don't really get this impression in the online pictures, but the body is more bulbous than a regular Les Paul, and the baritone scale length may take some getting used to if you have small hands. It was a little jarring at first, but thankfully I got used to it pretty quickly. Now its easy for me to play, and its comfortable to stand and sit with. No matter what you play, this guitar plays great, and the jumbo frets give it a unique feel. My only real complaint is that the thick Les Paul neck can make sweep picking difficult. Nevertheless, this is my new favorite guitar, and what steals the deal for me is the tone. The chambered body, wood choices, and long scale length all work together to create an incredible sound. The distorted tone sounds like a mountain exploding and the clean tone sounds like God crying. I have never played a guitar with such a rich, deep, penetrating sound. I have played probably over 100 different guitars in my life and nothing else sounds anything like this monster. If you prefer crunchier, old-school Strat-type sounds, the tone knob can pop out to activate a single-coil pickup. The killswitches are fun, too. The best part is that the guitar sounds exponentially better the louder you crank the amp ;-). In terms of build quality, its very good and solidly put together. It should last multiple lifetimes. I also really like the way it looks; the satin white paint, oversized body, and lack of fretboard markers give it a stark, almost alien look. It definitely looks better in person than online. I should probably mention that it smells like cupcakes. No joke. Yummy. Overall, this is a fantastic, versatile guitar, great for players with larger frames. If you're trying to be the next John Petrucci, there are easier guitars to shred on, but the way it sounds more than makes up for it. Definitely try it out if you get the chance. Its as unique as the artist its named after, and all the better for it.jonathasefci0

Got the guitar as a birthday present for my son. I haven't played seriously in years due to arthritis in my hands, but I noodled around enough to remember how a fine guitar felt. The first Les Paul I played was back in the 1960s, a classic 1954 Black Beauty. This new one plays as well, and the newer technology in the pickups gives it as much or more versatility. The only thing the '54 had this one doesn't is history. For my money, the Gibson Les Paul is the benchmark electric guitar and this rare Caribbean Nights color makes this a terrific value.refeist2010

Excellent quality in finish and hardware, lacks only the binding that makes the higher LP's so expensive. Also, this guitar is chambered so it is much lighter than my old LP (which is why I sold it) yet it does not seem to sacrifice that classic LP sustain…I took it to my guitar tech who very quickly adjusted the neck, bridge and pickups and the tone and playability is excellent! The classic '57 pickup in the neck is great but the jury is still out [for me] on the tail gunner Burstbucker Pro at the bridge…it's a little hot and I'm trying to learn how to work with it. Buyers should know that if you plan to change out pickups this guitar has plug-ins which makes it easier, but more expensive, to make a pickup change. Great value for the money and I am very happy with my purchase.terrilllee

I'll start by saying that I play a lot of different styles and am a MASSIVE Buckethead fan. Before playing this guitar, you have to keep in mind it was designed for Buckethead, who is 6'6". When I first picked it up, it felt gigantic. You don't really get this impression in the online pictures, but the body is more bulbous than a regular Les Paul, and the baritone scale length may take some getting used to if you have small hands. It was a little jarring at first, but thankfully I got used to it pretty quickly. Now its easy for me to play, and its comfortable to stand and sit with. No matter what you play, this guitar plays great, and the jumbo frets give it a unique feel. My only real complaint is that the thick Les Paul neck can make sweep picking difficult. Nevertheless, this is my new favorite guitar, and what steals the deal for me is the tone. The chambered body, wood choices, and long scale length all work together to create an incredible sound. The distorted tone sounds like a mountain exploding and the clean tone sounds like God crying. I have never played a guitar with such a rich, deep, penetrating sound. I have played probably over 100 different guitars in my life and nothing else sounds anything like this monster. If you prefer crunchier, old-school Strat-type sounds, the tone knob can pop out to activate a single-coil pickup. The killswitches are fun, too. The best part is that the guitar sounds exponentially better the louder you crank the amp ;-). In terms of build quality, its very good and solidly put together. It should last multiple lifetimes. I also really like the way it looks; the satin white paint, oversized body, and lack of fretboard markers give it a stark, almost alien look. It definitely looks better in person than online. I should probably mention that it smells like cupcakes. No joke. Yummy. Overall, this is a fantastic, versatile guitar, great for players with larger frames. If you're trying to be the next John Petrucci, there are easier guitars to shred on, but the way it sounds more than makes up for it. Definitely try it out if you get the chance. Its as unique as the artist its named after, and all the better for it.jonathasefci0

Got the guitar as a birthday present for my son. I haven't played seriously in years due to arthritis in my hands, but I noodled around enough to remember how a fine guitar felt. The first Les Paul I played was back in the 1960s, a classic 1954 Black Beauty. This new one plays as well, and the newer technology in the pickups gives it as much or more versatility. The only thing the '54 had this one doesn't is history. For my money, the Gibson Les Paul is the benchmark electric guitar and this rare Caribbean Nights color makes this a terrific value.refeist2010