Price Paid: £1100 (used) (approx $1600 USD)
Description: Made in USA. Vintage Cherry Sunburst, Alnico 490 & 498 HB's, Grover Heads, Mahogany body & neck, Maple top, Rosewood board, chrome hardware. Built in 2000.
Tone:
Comments: This is a Rock and Blues guitar so if you like a twangy sound, stay away. Absolutely fantasic sound, both clean & overdriven. Lovely warm tones. Plenty of range in the tone and volume controls. No use for c/w but you're not buying this guitar to play Coward of the County!. Play a note, go and have a pint, come back and it's still there. I'm playing through a Marshall AVT 275 which I love (good compromise if you have got haven't got the cash for a TSL 602). No complaints what-so-ever.
Quality:
Comments: Finish is really excellent - got a bit of flame on mine. Can't find any over-glueing etc. Built like brick s**thouse. Looks and feels like it could take some serious abuse and still come out fighting. This doesn't mean you can chuck it across the room when you have one of those nights where you just can't tune anything. Strap buttons, however, are far too small. Don't strap in on unless you are using straplocks, washers, whatever, or you WILL drop it. Gibson ship these with 9's which is stupid. Leads to tuning problems. Mine is a used model (4 months old), so I got the shop to set it up for 10's.
Overall:
Pros: I'm sorry - I HAVE to give it a 10. It's a perfect guitar for me. I just love it. I have always wanted a real LP but I was still blown away by how good it sounds and feels. I've been playing Fenix LP Std copy to which I had fitted a Seymour Duncan Alnico II at the neck and a Seymour Duncan Custom in the bridge, and Gotoh locking heads. Decent sound, nice weight played well. But the real thing just kills it. Harmonically, the Gibson is much cleaner while still keeping the power up. New, they are VERY expensive (around £1600), especially in the UK, but shopping around pays off. Check out the guitar mags. However, you WILL forget how nuch you paid when you start playing it. Just make sure you get it insured.
Cons: Really, the only thing I could complain about are the completely undersized strap buttons, but you can sort that out easily.

Submitted by:
Mayo Glenn (bundog@btyinternet.com)
Playing Experience:
six to ten years
Musical Tastes:
alternative classic rock

Price Paid: $1700 USD
Description: Gibson 490R humbucker at the neck and 498T humbucker at the bridge. Chrome hardware. 24.75"" scale length. Rosewood fretboard, carved maple top and mahogany back.
Tone:
Comments: Classic Les Paul full-bodied sound. The 498T bridge humbucker is hotter than the 409R neck pickup. It can sound muddy if used on a lesser amp or with less-than-fresh strings.
Quality:
Comments: Well made guitar. The nitrocellulose lacqeur requires special care, as it is not as durable as some of the modern finishes. Beware of rubber, vinyl, or plastics, particularly on guitar stands. The Grover tuners are very smooth and make the guitar very easy to tune and hold its tuning.
Overall:
Pros: This is the benchmark for the Gibson Les Paul sound. The only way to get the classic Les Paul sound is to buy a Les Paul Standard or one of the higher models of the Les Paul line.
Cons: Careful of the nitro finish. It does not take much to damage the finish on this guitar.

Submitted by:
Jim Chen (j_v_a_a_chen@yahoo.com)
Playing Experience:
over ten years
Musical Tastes:
blues

Price Paid: $1500 USD
Description: 90R and 490T Alnico Humbuckers,Carved mahogany back and neck, chrome hardware, vintage sunburst nitro finish.
Tone:
Comments: I own several LP's , and have played many others, and I can honestly say that this one has the widest range of tonal variations that I have encountered.The sustain is awesome whether clean or overdriven.I,m playing through a Fender Princeton Reverb, and I use a Crate GX 15 for home practice, but I think this guitar will sound great through any quality amp you choose.
Quality:
Comments: A slight amount of ripple in the finish on the backside of the guitar, and way too small strap buttons are the only things that keep me from rating it a 10. The strap buttons puzzle me considering the price of the guitar. Straplocks are a must. The finish on the topside is flawless. Overall the craftsmanship is very, very good.Be sure to shop around and dont jump on the first one that catches your eye. Although LPs are consistant in width at the nut, nut height and neck thickness varies considerably from guitar to guitar within the same model.I personally love a nitro finish, but be aware that it is not as durable as an acrylic finish. Avoid contact with rubber or vinyl to avoid marring, and polish regularly to remove sweat and oils from your hands.
Overall:
Pros: Wide tonal range, Awesome sustain, very solidly built guitar. I also own a 69 and a 89, and this one is as good, and in some respects better.They are expensive, but they have a high resale value, and the overall quality of the instrument is excellent. Be sure to shop around. I found a price variation of $700 from dealer to dealer on the same model. Most of the discount houses will haggle if you have lower quotes as ammunition.You dont have to pay $2000 for this axe.
Cons: Small strap buttons,which is easily corrected, some minor flaws in the backside finish, and inconsistant pricing. Beyond that, its a high quality awesome sounding and playing guitar.

Submitted by:
Bob Lucky
Playing Experience:
over ten years
Musical Tastes:
blues classic rock jazz

Price Paid for Les Paul Standard : 1650$ USD
Description of Les Paul Standard : 2002 Les Paul Standard wine red with the new Burstbucker V Alnico pick ups. Vintage style tuners. 50's fat neck.
Tone of Les Paul Standard :
Comments: The new pick ups are great and have drastically changed the sound of the Les Paul. Its much brighter and not as fat as was. It takes a while to get used to the new sound. Great for playing clean, very bitey and bright. Retains the highs while playing with fuzz. Superb sustain and clarity throughout the neck. Im playing thru a a 50 watt marshall JCM 900 Stack. Usually channel A Volume on 6 gain on about 7-8 You need to turn down the mids treble and presence and increase the bass.
Quality of Les Paul Standard :
Comments about Les Paul Standard : The finish is excellent. The vintage style tuners have plastic knobs and look cheap. In my opinion for this kinda money it should have Grovers. The Truss rod cover is blank. If you paid the money for a LP Standard then the damn guitar should say Standard. Ive had many people ask me at gigs " hey what kinda LP is that."
Overall Opinions of Les Paul Standard :
Pros: It's is over priced for a mass produced guitar. It plays great the sound is awesome. It isn't as heavy as Lp's of the past.
Cons: No more classic fat sound. This makes for a differnt LP ,kinda hard to get that bluesy tone. Dont get me wrong it sounds great you just need to get used to it a bit. Adjust the amps controls to take out the extra brightness.

Submitted by:
Dominic Lombardo (Dominic@sanotoffales.com)
Playing Experience:
over ten years
Musical Tastes:
blues classic rock

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