Skip to main content
Play Video

Les Paul Traditional Pro IV Flame Maple Top Electric Guitar

We're sorry-this item is unavailable.
Contact our experts for a recommendation of great alternatives. Call us at 800-449-9128.

Overview

A gigging musician's tool box with Gibson rounded neck, coil-split Gibson humbucker pickups and a boost circuit.

Taking design and visual cues from the Les Paul models of the '80s and '90s, the Les Paul Traditional Pro IV features powerful pickups with push/push for coil splits, coil selector and boost circuit, '60s neck profile, antique binding, period-correct pickguard, vintage Gibson top hat knobs and the revolutionary Plek set up.

With all the fat, sweet, snarling Les Paul tone that purists love, the Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro IV sports a mahogany body with a thick maple cap for the perfect blend of warmth and clarity. The top is finished in high-gloss lacquer, while the back, sides and neck have a smooth satin finish that feels great and lets the wood resonate fully. Each Les Paul Traditional also comes with Gibson USA's brown traditional hardshell case and Gibson's Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Period-Correct Pickguard
The cream-colored pickguard has been a Les Paul staple dating back to the models of the late 1950s and the early 1960s. Many players, however, removed the pickguard from their Les Pauls to show off the beauty of the flame maple tops, prompting Gibson to stop installing the pickguard altogether. During the 1980s and 1990s, Gibson began reinstalling the pickguard in the factory, and the Les Pauls from this era once again arrived in stores bearing the classic, cream-colored pickguard. The Les Paul Traditional Pro IV comes equipped with a period-correct pickguard, designed to protect the maple top.

Pickups: Neck: '57 A3R; Bridge: '57 A3T
Specially selected for the Trad Pro IV, the new '57 A3R and '57 A3T pickups combine the specs of the 57 Classic pickup with vintage-output alnico III magnets, resulting in the power and warmth of vintage pickups with added articulation and sparkle. These new pickups feature nickel-plated pole pieces, nickel slugs, maple spacers and 4-conductor braided wiring.

Both pickups offer coil-splitting for single-coil sounds with a coil-selector switch and a boost circuit all activated via push/push switching in the volume and tone controls. The user-adjustable 10dB boost circuit injects added power and frequency range for solos, single-note picking and dirty chording (depending on amp settings) and features true-bypass that disengages the boost completely, ensuring pure passive Les Paul tone.

Revolutionary Plek Set Up
The Plek is a German-made, computer-controlled machine that carefully measures each fret, along with the fingerboard height under each string, and then automatically dresses each fret to tolerances within .001, virtually eliminating string buzz and greatly improving the overall playability of the guitar. This pioneering process does in minutes what it takes a luthier several hours—sometimes even days—to accomplish. Every fret is accurately aligned, and the guitar is properly intonated, leaving the instrument "Plek'd" and amazingly playable.

Antique Binding
To see the process of putting the binding on the Les Paul Traditional is to really appreciate the effort and attention that Gibson puts into each instrument. A lone craftsman will carefully glue and fit two pieces of binding around the entire body of a Les Paul. He then winds a single, very long piece of narrow cloth around the entire body until the entire surface is nearly covered. The body is then hung to dry for a full 24 hours before it is unwrapped and moved into the next phase of production. It has been done the same way for over 100 years.

Some question the value of adding binding, but Gibson believes it is a fundamental part of our rich guitar-making history. The binding adds elegance to the Les Paul Standard, and helps protect the edges of the body. The neck binding is installed over the fret ends, which eliminates sharp fret edges and provides for a smooth neck and easier playability.

Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.

Features

Body
  • Body shape: Single cutaway
  • Body type: Solid body
  • Body material: Solid wood
  • Top wood: A-grade Carved maple
  • Body wood: Mahogany
  • Body finish: Gloss top, satin back and sides
  • Orientation: Right handed
Neck
  • Neck shape: '50s rounded
  • Neck wood: Mahogany
  • Joint: Set-in
  • Scale length: 24.75"
  • Truss rod: Standard
  • Neck finish: Satin
Fretboard
  • Material: Bound rosewood
  • Radius: 12"
  • Fret size: Medium jumbo
  • Number of frets: 22
  • Inlays: Trapezoid
  • Nut width: 1.69" (43mm)
Pickups
  • Configuration: HH
  • Neck: '57 A3R (DC resistance 8.0k)
  • Middle: Not applicable
  • Bridge: '57 A3T (DC resistance 8.5k)
  • Brand: Gibson
  • Active or passive: Passive
  • Series or parallel: Series
  • Piezo: No
  • Active EQ: No
  • Special electronics: User-adjustable 10dB boost (push/push neck pickup tone pot); coil-splitting (push/push neck and bridge pickup volume pots); coil selector (push/push bridge pickup tone pot)
Controls
  • Control layout: Volume 1, volume 2, tone 1, tone 2
  • Pickup switch: 3-way
  • Coil tap or split: Coil split
  • Kill switch: No
Hardware
  • Bridge type: Fixed
  • Bridge design: Tune-o-matic
  • Tailpiece: Stopbar
  • Tuning machines: Traditional tuners
  • Color: Chrome
Other
  • Number of strings: 6-string
  • Special features: Pickups
  • Case: Hardshell case
  • Accessories: None
  • Country of origin: United States

Get a guitar that can do it all for you on stage. Order today.

Shop with a Friend
Free Shipping
  • Free Standard Ground shipping (48 contiguous states, some overweight and Used/Vintage items excluded).
  • Orders placed before 3 p.m. ET usually ship the same business day.
Learn More
2-Year Free Warranty on Guitars

Every guitar or bass you purchase from Musician's Friend (electric or acoustic, New or Open Box) includes two years of protection from manufacturer defects.

Contact Us for Details
We're Here for You

Our Gear Advisers are available to guide you through your entire shopping experience. Call or Chat for expert advice and to hear the latest deals.

Contact Us
Proactive Advisor Support Chat