Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus Electric Guitar

Obviously great features...if they all worked!

The actual manufacturing quality was outstanding, it was the little missed items (see below) that blew it.

Can't say for the price this was anywhere near what it was worth.

This was to be my first Les Paul experience.  I own an Epiphone LP and was looking for something to hand down to my son when I die in a few more decades so I pulled the trigger. I was pretty disappointed overall.  The playability on the guitar was perfect.  Action/intonation was fantastic, first guitar "out-of-the-box" I didn't have to touch in terms of set-up. Finish = amazing. Where the ball was dropped was a broken Grover tuning peg that wouldn't release the string.  Then we have the volume pot that when spun to zero wouldn't cut-off the sound. After that we have two tightening screws on the Tone-Pros bridge and tail-piece that were flat-out missing...So here I've spent what I determine as some serious cash for an actual Gibson LP and yet the items not working or missing is something I would expect from a Chinese-made guitar.

As for the sound, it's got a much brighter and mid-rangy tone than my Epiphone Standard LP which produces a fatter, darker tone (I've had Seymour Duncan Custom 5 pickups installed).  For heavy metal I'd actually play the Epiphone as it's got a great heavy chugging crunch.  But since I'm now playing more rock like STP and Foo Fighters, the new LP is much more suited to that flavor cause it's a bit thinner but the tone is great.  I can hear every note in a 5-note chord distinctly which has caused me to play better since everything is being heard.

I ended up returning it back (fingers crossed no problems from Musicians Friend) and took the chance on another Standard.  This one (an ebony this time) had none of the problems the Desert Burst had.  There was a tiny bit of fret buzzing so out of the box wasn't perfect but I believe I can fix that.  Otherwise everything works (this time) and nothing missing (this time).  Maybe the Desert was a previous return or something but someone should have caught these things before selling as a quality Gibson.  But barring any return issues from MF, I'd say I'm now quite happy.

Reading some of the reviews I see "quality issues of the past".  I beg to differ and have never heard of quality issues with any Gibson guitar until the unfortunate Veteran who made the purchase when returning from Iraq.  Sounds like one slipped thru and Gibson would have taken care of the problem, had they known about it.

My 1997 Les Paul hangs on my wall behind me as I type.  I could review the amazing sustain, the deep rich tone, the flawless response and intonation everywhere on the neck ~ and I do mean everywhere, the top notch craftsmanship, beautiful flamed maple, and the fact that it looks, feels, and plays like brand new...still...after fourteen years, but I'll only be saying the same things that everybody in the world knows when they hear *Gibson* Les Paul Standard Plus (as opposed to Ephiphone).  Such a review is buried deep in the reputation and emerges every time an owner speaks, so I'll try to say something original.

The quality of the wood is such that the tone gets better with time, and I would much rather have a Gibson in its second decade of aging than fresh off the factory floor.  But we have to start somewhere, right?  And what a feeling when you make that purchase, brand new ~ perhaps similar to how a Harley owner feels, or vice versa.  I remember debating saving some cash to please the wife by going with the Epiphone Les Paul instead.  What the heck, it's built to almost the same specs, isn't it?  But I was fortunate enough to have a very good friend and jamming buddy who could sit with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, etal, and hold his own, and he spoke into my thought processes these words of genius that still ring in my head today:  "Yeah, you could buy one, but in the end it'll still be an Epiphone."  That pretty much summed it up.  I used to have a Led Zeppelin poster on my wall back in the 70's that had Jimmy Page, front and center, hair matted to his face with sweat, brandishing that Gibson Les Paul in a heated fury of monster guitar riffs.  Could you even begin to imagine the guitar that laid the foundation of that legendary sound being an Epiphone?  I could not bear the thought of inducing such mediocrity into my own growth as a musician.  I wanted no limits, no flies in the ointment.  I wanted a guitar that would grow with me step by step, lick for lick, for the rest of my life.

Gibson. 

And by the way, I don't work for Gibson.  I just love the music they've been responsible for, especially since the 1950's.

Do not buy this guitar if you have not played for about a decade.  If you don't know the difference yet between the tone and response of a high end guitar and that of a lower one, then buy the lower one ~ you won't be disappointed.  The Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus is for the musician who already knows that, to achieve the next level of tone, you need to pay somewhere upwards of the next higher tax bracket.  You're not just buying the name, you're making a lifetime investment in your own personal growth as a guitar player; pretty much removing every obstacle other than your own willingness to practice.

And spend the same on your amplifiers.  Don't create a "weakest link" in your tone by going cheap in the amp department.  But do buy the Gibson before the prices go up.

When you make that purchase, your life changes forever ~ you will be a  proud Gibson Les Paul owner who can boast the "Plus" of flamed maple.   You will have confidence everywhere you play when you open that case,  peel back the pink neglegé,  and put that guitar on.  You can get mean or stay sweet, or anything  inbetween, and she'll respond like a lady that doesn't know how to talk  back or resist you everytime you want to say something original, poetic,  profound, influential.  In fact, she will inspire you to explore every  possible idea and inuendo in that creative soul of yours.  And buy a  guitar hanger and mount that guitar to a stud on your wall.  My guess  is, that after a few years you'll be just like me ~ you won't be able to  imagine life without her.  It doesn't just play like a pro, it becomes  an important part of your own musical persona; an extension of your  creative heart and soul.  When you are 70 and still playing, you will think, "that guy was right!" even if you're 69 now!

A thin nitro-cellulose lacquer finish over AA flame maple top allows for freer wood vibration and an open, resonant tone. 

You can keep it in top shape through frequent wipe downs and occasional polishing, or leave it to it’s own devices and achieve a worn vintage look fairly quickly!

This guitar’s weight is quite manageable and evenly distributed, due to the chambered mahogany body.  The Grover 16:1 ratio tuning keys allow for accurate pitch adjustment and quick string changes. Two humbucking, wax-potted, Alnico V magnet Burstbucker Pro pickups with independent volume/tone controls, produce a dynamic, responsive, and well-rounded sound.

Gibson’s distinct midrange “honk” is present, but the Burstbuckers’ mismatched bobbin windings also produce single-coil quality sparkle and bite, with a rich bass response that is not muddy or overpowering.

This guitar also features a Nuetrik locking cable jack, TonePros locking Tune-O-Matic Bridge, an asymmetrical neck profile and a precision Plek fret dressing and set-up.

This is a beautiful, great playing, wonderful sounding guitar that will take you from clean, to Blues, to crunch, to flat out distortion.

Couldn't be more pleased with this guitar. Tone is awesome.