I held off on writing this review. I wanted to play it for a while and get a good sense of the guitar. I've played for about 6 years. I've owned and sold many guitars but I'll always keep this thing. Sometime down the road I might also want a more traditional Les Paul or maybe an es 335 because I am obsessed. However, for most people, this is a stand alone guitar. Get this and a fender with single coils and you will have every sound you can imagine. I have a fender highway one telecaster and they complement each other's sounds quite nicely.

Sound
Sound is great for a wide variety. Rhythm position is good for use in jazz and clean stuff, sings when distorted. Middle position is generally solid sound, growls when distorted. treble gets twangy and screams when distorted.

Features
Gold hardware is beautiful. Wood finish is also very eye-catching. Pictures do it no justice. Its funny that this is supposed to be environmentally built, but the neck is mahogany just like every les paul. Tuners working great so far but I prefer the grovers.

Ease of Use
I like how there are separate volumes and tones for each pickup, it allows you to switch instantly between high contrasting sounds. However it gets confusing in the middle position, especially when you mess with either tone, or both volumes, they should wire them so one or the other takes over in middle position, not both. bridge functions… read more well, but fenders are better since you can individually adjust string action.

Quality
Very well built, looks like it will last forever, especially with that kind of finish. The gold is easier to keep from rusting or aging than Nickle. When it arrived truss rod needed slight adjustment, probably because it went through some cold temps. Most new guitars need a little tweaking. Worst aspect of quality is probably the case because little lose ends of the sewing keep appearing and multiplying.

Value
Yes, for the kind of sound you'll get from this guitar you could spend $500 more than this easily. This has got to be the only Paul with gold hardware in this price range. The pickups aren't as hot as the ceramics in more expensive models, but man they are close enough. I think they saved money on the non-lacquer finish, which is fine since it looks so good.

Manufacturer Support
Talked to Gibson on the phone. Helpful and kind, relatively quick. However he didn't know anything about a "Gibson Les Paul studio with BFG electronics" I was asking about. Well it's one of their guitars of the week so they should be informed.

The Wow Factor
For me, such a unique twist on a classic instrument is a very desirable thing.

Musical Background:
guitar enthusiast, studio musician

Musical Style:
rock, alternative, jazz, blues read less