For the last few years I have loved the Tribute Les Pauls. Of all the Gibson Les Paul models, I thought the Tribute line was the "perfect storm" of quality, beauty, and affordability. However I have to say the 2019 model is disappointing to say the least.
First I'll start with the good. I'm very pleased that Gibson has expanded the number of finishes from two to four which are Cherry, Iced Tea, Honey, and Tobacco (though I find it odd that Gibson's own website only shows Tobacco and Iced Tea as options, while the other two are available on every retailer's website). The finishes are very nice. So kudos to Gibson for offering more variety. Also, Gibson switched from the metallic top hat knobs to the standard gold knobs. I think this was the right choice as well, as I find they are more eye-pleasing. I'm also glad you stuck with the 490R/498T pickup combination. I'm a huge fan of that tone.
Now for the bad. For starters, why, oh why, oh why Gibson did you switch from the traditional trapezoid inlay to that horrendous dot inlay??? Come on Gibson! I'm sorry but, if it says Gibson Les Paul, it should have trapezoid inlay! The dot inlay looks so wrong on this model! Save that for your LPJr's! But for a traditional Les Paul, it HAS to have the trapezoids! That is an immediate deal-breaker for me! Also, why did you go back to weight-relieving it?? My very favorite thing about going from the 2017 model to the 2018 model was that it wasn't weight-relieved. Again, WHY did you do this?? And finally, you removed the pickup covers, which ruins the whole aesthetic of the guitar IMO. Of course, covers can be added after the fact, so this isn't a huge deal. However the other things cannot be fixed. You INCREASED the price of this model and you DECREASED it's value IMO. This was a misstep that I hope you will consider rectifying for the 2020 models.