LongMan Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 GUITAR: 2011 Gibson Les Paul Studio 60s Tribute WSE (Worn Satin Ebony) PRICE PAID: € 650,- FROM: Local dealer ORIGIN: Made in U.S.A. FEATURES: Bridge Pickup - Creme cover Gibson U.S.A. P90 soap bar Neck Pickup - Creme cover Gibson U.S.A. P90 soap bar 3-piece chambered mahogany body with solid maple top Chrome hardware Satin black nitro finish Set mahogany neck - 60s slim taper D profile (see comments below) Rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays 22 Frets Factory string gauge 0.10-0.46 (I changed to 0.11-0.49) No bindings Tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece Deluxe vintage tuners Gold reflector knobs 2 Vol. 2 Tone controls 3-way selector switch 24.75" (628mm) scale Shipped with Gibson deluxe gig bag (no case included) COLORS AVAILABLE: WGT (Worn Gold Top WSE (Worn Satin Ebony) WSW (Worn Satin White) WHB (Worn HoneyBurst) FIT/FINISH: The first thing that attracts the buyers attention: There no bells and whistles whatsoever on this guitar. This is the essence of a classic Les Paul guitar, stripped down to the minimum, no embellishments. The build quality is high, however obviously this instrument was built on machines only. It seems there's no handcrafted details or fine tuning, which doesn't make me wonder at this price tag. The frets are simply cut off at the fretboard edge, no bindings on the fretboard. On my guitar the fretwork was very good in general, however the fret ends could need a slight dressing. They have no really sharp edges, however they do not feel as smooth as they do on more expensive Gibson Les Pauls. The fretboard is standard rosewood with well set trapezoid markers. There's a little step from the fretboard edge to the neck, seems they cut some tenth of a millimeter too deep when leveling the fret ends/fretboard edge. Not a big deal, but on a more expensive guitar this would have been evened out. The neck profile is described as 60s slim taper, but it feels more like a fifties baseball bat that was slightly flattened in the middle. This results in a beefy D-profile, very comfortable to play if you get used to it. But I guess this it not necessarily what someone would expect from a slim taper neck. At least I was a bit surprised when I got the guitar. Just be sure to play the guitar before you buy it, to be sure you feel comfortable with the neck. The paint work is simply plain, satin black nitro lacquer without flaws. I heard it calling "open grain", but on my guitar there's no wood grain visible at all on body and neck. To be honest it looks more like a very well done home paint job About the "worn" finish: They just rubbed away a tiny bit of black paint on some edges and in the middle of the neck. Well, after all that looks much better than the "heavy worn" finish on some other affordable Gibsons, which looks plain ugly in my eyes... The hardware is Gibson U.S.A standard, nothing to complain, just what you do expect from a Gibson U.S.A. branded guitar. The factory setup was well done, proper intonation, action set more on the high side. This matches the character of the entire guitar: Plain, a bit rough, very down-to-earth. SOUND QUALITY: This is what this guitar is all about! Played acoustically it already rings loud, clear, and well balanced. Now the guitar begins to show its excellence. Amplified the P90s give a very distinctive, rough and clear tone. Typical P90 sound, great punch without mud in the lower frequencies. However this is not the guitar for clean sound chorused ballads, it always asks for at least a small portion of crunch, the more the better . The P90s have remarkable output, and at the same time a vast dynamic range. I hardly can remember any other guitar that was that controllable volume wise with the picking style alone, without touching the guitars volume or the amps gain control. With your fingers alone you can change from hardly audible to full scream in within the blink of an eye. This guitar sound wise is simply everything I expect from a good P90 equipped Les Paul. Unfortunately the P90s do no hum cancellation in the mid position of the pickup selector switch. But most times I do play it with neck or bridge pickup solo anyway. CONCLUSION: This is the most affordable way to get a real Gibson U.S.A. made full featured Les Paul (in Germany they are also offered with humbucker pickups at the same price tag). It is not what I would call a beauty, the look and finish is stripped down to the minimum. But at the end we are not looking to music, but listen to it. And sound wise this guitar is all you can expect from a "real deal" P90 Les Paul. The minor flaws in the finish are bearable at this price tag, and have no influence on the playability or sound. Trying to describe the character, I would call it thoroughly honest, a bit dull looking, but most enjoyable to play on, and a great companion to play more rough blues and rock styles. If you are looking for more eye candy, this is most likely not your guitar (maybe the worn gold top is an option, but they are rarely available). In this case I would recommend to check one of the top range Epiphone Les Pauls (which are at the same price tag). But if you are looking for the sound only: Go for it! PICTURES: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Great review LongMan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Wow!!! This guitar LOOKS ready to rock - great pics. This review is unexpected and greatly appreciated. I'll gladly add it to the growing list in the EPI LOUNGE Gear Review Sticky! Agree with you on the P-90 tone - very attack sensitive pickups. Done - it's in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongMan Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 This review is unexpected and greatly appreciated. I'll gladly add it to the growing list in the EPI LOUNGE Gear Review Sticky! Thanks! I felt inspired by your great reviews. Hope you don't mind I copied the structure of your reviews, but that just looked so right to me, I couldn't have done any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Using same Structure/Format totally cool by me. As everyone's personality is different, no two reviews will ever be same! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Great review LM, thanks for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggs Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Yep... I like this review format... & this is a good'un... +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalep Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 They are very nice. I like my HB version a great deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc. Master Noob PhD Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I've been lusting over this and the SG, more so. That was truly a great review, although in my opinion I think ANYTHING looks good in a satin finish. I also like its minmalistic style. I do hope these become permanent, This is a right step in the direction. With Epiphone, even more so, releasing a slew of models, as well as allegedly increasing quality control, I'm really starting to think that both companies are competing against each other; of who can pull off 'Beyond The Impossible' feats to address the players; seems to my untrained, nooby eye that Epi is winning, they are very proactive in the last few years, I knew things were changing when they released the Whiltshire, and Les Paul Tributes...uh...um...sorry! I go on crazy, bearly-related tangents! Anyway, this is the perfect Les Paul. I don't play, sadly, but THERE IS HOPE! ENOUGH OF MY RAMBLING! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Nice review and pics LongMan, thanks for taking the time to post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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