Gibson Custom Limited-Edition Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar

Oh God I wanted this Les Paul Custom,Saved almost 6 months and the right day came along and soon it was mine ! Lets forget for a moment its a Limited Edition,Lets forget Its in Siverburst,Lets Forget the not seen too often chrome hardware on a Custom.Lets just dwell on the fact its Got the soul of a bat from hell.This bad boy screams and screams with no end insight ! The perfect neck the greatest pickups and the looks that only Gibson could come up with.This Les Paul goes from butter smooth blues to roadhouse rock to Screaming metal with just a turn of a knob...Bravo Gibson and BRAVO Musicians Friend for bringing it to the public at a price thats not impossable to reach !!

Purchased this custom Silverburst new from a licensed dealer via ebay.  A note of caution:  when buying an expensive instrument like this via ebay, be VERY cautious.  There are Chinese fakes floating around!  Contact the seller, ask for serial number, and call Gibson to check the guitar out!  They keep good records on Custom Shop guitars, and will be able to tell you all about it. One word describes this guitar:  amazing.  Tone, oh that wonderful Les Paul tone!  My guitar was made in 2010, and it is not chambered.  Weight is at least 10 lbs.  Some of these are chambered, some aren't, it varies by year.  The weight doesn't bother me, because I believe it enhances the sound of the guitar, and of course weight = sustain.  After a setup (yes, you will have to set up this pricey thing) the action was low and silky smooth, playing is almost effortless, with NO string buzz.  Holds tune very well. The stock pickups in these LP Customs are very good.  The 498T bridge pup is hot and articulate with its Alnico V magnets.  It's sound is very sharp and defined, with great harmonics, and can be tamed with the tone and volume rolled back.  The 490R in the neck position is also quite articulate, but smoothes out beautifully if you back off on the tone knob. Now for quality.  The only problem that I have run into is that the toggle switch was a little loose.  Very easy fix, if you're not afraid to take a screwdriver to a $4000 instrument.  Tip: a small suction cup works great to get the switch & control covers off, as they are fitted very tightly.  NEVER PRY!!!! YOU WILL REGRET IT!  The binding isn't perfect, but it's close.  Melted binding is usually from being on a foam-covered stand or hanger, it will melt the nitro-laquer finish. Finally, the price.  Gibson has LOST THEIR MIND!  To put a suggested retail price of $5000+ on this guitar is INSANE.  But the quality was definitely there on mine.  The finish is almost flawless, and has a brilliant, yet slightly opaque shine that only a nitro finish can give.  The Silverburst is absolutely stunning, and this guitar is a KNOCKOUT.  If you wanna own a primo USA made guitar, there are cheaper ones out there (Jackson SL1 Soloist comes to mind, incredible axe!) but none more beautiful or with more personality than the Les Paul Custom!  

I have been on a search to buy this guitar for over a year and have yet to find one worth buying or worthy of the Gibson Logo.  I have seen constant issues with workmanship in binding and finish.  I have seen melted binding and and orange peel and fish eyeing on the finish.  None of the many guitars I have tried would stay in tune long enough to demo them in the store.  I have gone far enough to actually buy new strings and have them installed to try it out, and still had tuning instability.  Tone has been marginal in some, and average in others.  Huge differences in weight.  I have had 3 of these in one store ranging from 9.5 lbs to 12 lbs.  I have seen hardware screwed in sideways.  Ultimately, Tone is king, and I would most certainly own one by now if I had found the grail, but I have not played one that sounded better than any other import hanging on the wall.  I have owned 5 Les Pauls, and still own two (grail) Pauls, as well as many others.  I am disturbed that Gibson is trying to pass these poor instruments off as custom shop models with huge pricetags.

This is my personal favorite finish and it's appropriate that it lands on this particular guitar.  I own a 1980 LP Custom Silverbust and a 2009.  Few other guitars even come close to this quality of tone and beauty.  Pricey?  Of course, but you certainly get what you pay for.  If money is an issue, don't buy it.  But if you want quality, save up.  Best purchases yet.