Les Paul Studio
The Gibson Les Paul Studio chips away at two things: weight and price.
If you’ve played a Les Paul Standard you know those guys are heavy… especially if you’re pulling a three set night. And yeah, the Standard is a pricey axe too, so in ’83 Gibson decided to shave a few pounds and a few dollars off of the iconic Les Paul.
How’d they save money? No binding on the guitar, meaning that you don’t get that sweet pearl-colored outline on the neck and body. That’s why they call it a “Studio,” because in the studio looks don’t really matter. Sounds does.
If you’re trying to decide between an Epiphone and a Gibson Les Paul Studio, do everything you can to get the Studio! It’s hard to justify expenses when you’re strapped, but think about having this guitar for 5 years and that will put it in perspective. It’s like buying a nice bed: you spend a third of your life in it, don’t chintz!
Anyway, do what’s right for your situation, just know that this is head and shoulders above an Epi.
There are a few version of the Studio out there, including the Studio Lite which features balsa wood in parts of the body to make it lighter. You can also find ‘em in Gothic, Voodoo, and Smartwood finishes.
Playing the Gibson Les Paul Studio
On the Gibson Les Paul Studio you get the mahogany body, maple top, and standard Les Paul layout.
Look, every guitar is different, but some would say the craftsmanship on the Studio is not up to par with the Standard. Yeah, it’s made in the USA, but when you pay less for a guitar you simply cannot expect it to play and sound like a guitar that cost twice as much.
I mean, I’ve played quite a few Studios in my time, and some of ‘em flat out knocked my socks off. Others have left a little to be desired in terms of craftsmanship, so you roll the dice a bit there. This guitar will almost always trump anything put out by Epiphone, so it’s a good bargain for the price.
As far as tone goes, this thing is all Paul. I have zero complaints about the tone coming out of the 490R and 498T Alnico 2 magnet humbuckers. You also get that great ’59 neck and rosewood fretboard.
This is the perfect guitar if you can’t quite afford a Standard, of if you really are a studio musician and could care less about binding on the body.
Gibson Shows You the Les Paul Studio:
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