This is now my favorite pickup combination: A P90 in the neck and a Burstbucker Pro 3 in the bridge. Both pickups kick butt individually and the combination is a sweet, open clear tone you can't get any other way. The P90 can be rough and raw, but it cleans up nicely through the right amp. The Burstbucker is just and awesome humbucker that screams when you want it, but can be pulled back if you have to. The chambered Mahogany body and Rosewood board give this guitar a nice warmth. A very responsive guitar. The only thing that beats it is my Hamer Newport with two Seymour Duncan P-Rails.

This is a bare bones guitar. But that is a plus. Nothing gets in the way of playing. No complicated choices to make here. Just straight ahead blues or rock or metal - whatever your fancy. (But this is not a shred machine.) The best part of the rough finish is that it feels great and I don't worry about it getting a knock or two on stage. The kill switch is a kool idea, but some don't like it. (I say: get a different guitar.) There is only one tone control, but that is all you need. Being able to control the volume for each pickup is enough. I give this a 10 because this guitar has all you need.

This guitar is very playable. I did a minimal setup on it. The BFG was pretty much ready to play from Gibson. My only complaint was that the fret board seemed a little dry. That was easily fixed with a little oil (the right kind, search for fret doctor). Getting great sounds with this guitar is easy. The rest is in your hands.

The BFG is made well. The rough finish might not be for everyone, but the guitar is rock solid. I played several of these in the store before buying this one and they were all good. The only reason I rated it an 8 is because this is no match for high end instruments (pricier Gibsons, PRSs and the like). But that is not what this guitar is about.

This is a great value for the money. If you want an LP and can't afford the big boys, Give this a look before you think about the cheaper brands. If you look hard enough you'll find a used one, but not for very much less than a new one. These will hold their value.

I have had no need to contact Gibson and I don't expect to.

I would say this is an acquired taste. It's not for the boutique hungry, but it is a looker. At least it will turn heads and start conversations. Personally, I love it. It is my new best friend.

Active Musician

Rock / Blues / Jazz

I own this guitar and it is killer, but it depends on what you are looking for. It looks like "crappy" in the photos, but it is actually a really cool guitar to play and has a distinct vibe. If you are into a guitar with a neck that not super, glossy finished, then this guitar will be right up your ally. It plays super well for people that enjoy guitars with satin-finished necks. The tone of this guitar is like a gladiator punching you in the stomach. That is, the P90 is high-output and will kick your amp into crunch fairly easily. It is darker than a single-coil, but will clean up if you kick it down with the volume knob. The bridge PU is a Burstbucker... its bright and cuts through the mix. Blending the two produces some very interesting tones, turning the volume up on one and down on the other PU get some cool mixes. This guitar is for rock and works well for metal, unless you are really into having a humbucker in the bridge for sweep picking - do not buy this if you play jazz or something.

Mine is excellent. This guitar is supposed to look worn, but do not get the impression that they threw together a bunch of crap. The neck has a wonderful, worn feel, and the body may be unsanded, but it is lightly finished. It does not fell like a "cheap" guitar. One note is that the body is chambered, which makes the guitar light and resonant.

The price is fair if this is what you are looking for. If you want something more pretty and with two humbuckers that sound smoother, then buy the Les Paul Studio. This guitar is definitely unique. The combination of the P90 and Burstbucker is more in-your-face than other Les Pauls that I have played. I personally love mine because I like the feel of a worn guitar and do like not worrying about scratching finishes or dinging binding.

hobbyist

rock, blues, metal, reggae

ever been to the gibson site... with the customize your own guitar page? yeah... this is the guitar i designed, a month before it came out. a high output pickup at bridge and an effing p-90 at the neck. this is like taking my 56' les paul goldtop and combining it with my tricked out pawnshop special. i play everything from funky blues to metal/prog rock... this has it ALL covered... without anything left to want for.

for all those people who say no other guitar has a kill switch... they simply need to look around. true: nothing really comes STANDARD with a kill switch, but MANY guitars are wired with one by people that have a little bit more to their playing than just following the crowd of "classic" playing (aka: UNINVENTIVE musicians) if it were up to people like this, Les Claypool wouldnt have a whole series of basses with whammybars... and primus just wouldnt be the same. oh yeah... *cough cough* one of BUCKETHEAD's guitars has a kill switch as well. as for the pickup toggle being low and in reach... oh now that wouldnt come in handy at all... pfft. gibson was out reading minds on this one.

i dont think it would be possible to play this guitar without making it sound great... its a GIBSON.... this company has never made anything that sounded bad. and as basic as this guitar is, it doesnt get much easier.

once again... its a gibson. and even if they made a no frills guitar that looked like they were trying to make it resemble something old and beat up... ALOT of work went into it, and much more than you know is lurking in the making of this masterpiece.

this is about as inexpensive as gibsons get... save a few other models, but for lespauls.... this is it. go figure it just happened to be EXACTLY what i wanted, AND it was cheap. includes customized hardshell case as well... doesnt get any better.. i hope that gibson continues to make novel guitars and stretching out to a realm of players that do more than just repeat dusty riffage... people do still write ORIGINAL music.

do i need to keep mentioning its GIBSON... its america's favorite guitar for a reason... and world famous to boot. she-it.

once again, i reitterate.... this is my dream guitar... and i could never have dreamed a better looking finish. the routed body is freakin awesome. the first time that i saw it, i nearly hit my face on the moniter... and have continuously stared at my screen for hours contemplating it. the backside is even attractive to those people who like the look of worn-in guitars. and seeing as how ive always been a fan of transparent covers on electrical devices, i was even happier to see it reapplied here. im not a fan of shiney guitars cause you always have to be watching out for fingerprints and dust collecting under the strings or behind pickup rings (which it doesnt have). usually i opt for satin finished guitars, and this has nearly no finish at all... but it IS in fact there. once again gibson being slick and making you THINK its just raw wood. the distressed hardware is also just cool. wood knobs? ive calculated OODLES of money putting those on OTHER guitars that i own before. no worries there. this guitar is the SEXECUTIONER. the only finish i didnt really carefor is the red one... and thats cause i just dont like red guitars. i love the natural and black finishes enough however to excuse this. (hey gibson... what about a moss-green version *wink*)

lifetime player (no hobby)

blues to metal

I was looking for a new guitar and always liked Gibson. Being a big fan of the Burstbucker pickups and this having one really grabbed my attention. Then having a p-90 with it really takes this to a new level of sound. It can give you the such a variety of sounds from chunky to bright tones. I have put this guitar through my Marshall amp and can't believe the versitility along with great tone. Really incredible.

I can't say I am impressed with the kill switch, really has little use in my playing. I do like the distressed black hardware, it gives it a "rode hard" look to it.

You can get great sounds from this guitar. Enough variety to please almost any taste. The playability is great just like you would expect of a Gibson. The body is chambered. This does a lot to take away weight that Les Pauls are famous for. It has great balance around your neck and guitars such as the Les Paul Supreme boasts the fact that it is chambered.

The product is made to look used and abused. It appears to be something you might expect to see in a Mad Max movie. A guitar slapped together from a junkyard of parts. It needs minor adjusting and set up to get your best action and playability. If one isn't knowledgable they would need to have it done for them.

This in my opinion as a Les Paul owner for the last 25 years is as good as many of the more expensive Les Pauls. If you don't mind the rough look I say run out and get this.

Haven't need support on this product but have always been pleased with the proffesionalism of Gibson. I have always received clear and friendly answers and advice from them.

I know this doesn't fare well with the Gibson purists out there but this is a hot looking and playing guitar. It is the same guitar the details just changed a little.

25 year hobbyist.

Hard rock Van Halen, AC/DC, Nugent, Metallica, GNR, Velvet Revolver

Depends on what you like I personally dont like it much.

THE KILLSWITCH IS USELESS!!!!! The guitar, like most Gibson guitars has two volume knobs. If you turn down the volume of the opposite pickup you are using, you can use the pickup selector as a killswitch! IT IS USELESS!!! P.S. I know a TON of guitar players are probably reading this and rolling their eyes, but to all of the guitar players just getting into the expensive guitars, Gibson Guitars have 2 volume and 2 tone knobs for a reason. A gibson can get so many sounds just by using the middle position and screwing with the tone knobs. Plus, if you use a gibson in the middle setting, you can use the volume controls to determine how much of each pickup is used. IT IS GREAT! My personal word of advice is do not buy this guitar, but bite the bullet and pay an extra 400 dollars for the Studio, and for pickup changes, if needed. Seriously, 2 volume and 2 tone knobs are a gift from god!

It is a Gibson

Rather cheap, I know that the guitar is meant to be "distressed" but some things, like rough frets, arent "distressed" qualities. Just check the BFG you might buy over AND OVER for all of these things.

It depends on what you like and what you are looking for. In my opinion, this guitar should be an Epiphone.

I own an SG Standard in Heritage Cherry. Ive had to register my guitar and that is it. HOWEVER, when you register it, it asks for your model of guitar, and it is not just "SG Standard in Heritage Cherry" it is a "code" name, so call up your local Guitar Center, they will know exactly what the code is.

It depends on what you like

Active musician/Professional

All but Country

This guitar would have been perfect if it had a 496 alnico pickup in the bridge position, because face it, a burstbucker 3 with a P-90 is stupid, plus, it sounds terrible. If you are on stage, and you forget which pickup is on and you mix it up, it will sound horrible. I personally like it when the neck and bridge pickup dont sound anywhere near alike, but I absolutely hated the sound of the burstbucker 3 pickup. Its like Led Zeppelin. You either love them or hate them.

It is a less-than-average guitar, simply because the tone knob hardly does anything, and (in my opinion) the burstbucker sounds terrible. Plus, the killswitch is absolutely useless. The only really good thing about this product, as with all Gibsons is the case. P.S. All you guys going crazy about the Gibson cases being made in Canada, did you realize how much more it would cost if it was made in America? A good case is a good case.

It is simple. Two pickups, three way switch, two volume and one tone knob, and a useless "killswitch". How can you go wrong?

This guitar is what it is, it is made to be blemished looking, and doesnt have a finish, and acomplishes what it set out to be. The reason I gave it a 5 is because the finish is a very bizarre feeling finish. It really depends on how much you sweat. I dont sweat much, and it feels like my hand gets caught on the wood, because it is dry, and I cant play fast on this guitar. If you sweat a lot, or if you dont play fast too often, this is the guitar for you.

Hey, a REAL Les Paul under 1k! (Just change that bridge pickup!)

A gibson is a gibson. I own a Gibson SG, and so far every time I have contacted Gibson with things like warrenty, it has been perfect.

I personally dont like the look of the guitar, but once again, it depends on what you like.

Active Musician

All but Country

for a sub 1000 dollar guitar, it has good sound. its setup with a burstbucker 3 (higher output)and a p90 is interesting. great sound for hard rock/metal players. i play classic rock and this guitar wasnt great. for that u really have to suck it up and go for the standard or the classic at doubble the price.

i'd just like to say ive been a huge gibson fan for the past 6 yrears and own a lp standard and a sg but this guitar was a letdown. see that finish on the guitar, thats just unsanded ripply, bumpy wood=SPLINTERS. ouch. the setup is two volume, with one tone. the knobs are wood whics is interesting but looks like crap and they feel really cheap. on a regular les paul the switch at the top of the guitar is a pickup selector. here its a kill switch! WHY GIBSON. so pointless which means the pickkup selector is at the bottom of the guitar with the knobs. as for the rest there are no extra features like binding or inlays. the pickups are nice.

like any other guitar with a killswitch....o wait its the only one. well its pointless. otherwise feels like a les paul should. dont get splinters.

all i can say is......how can gibson put their name on this

hey its a cheap les paul.....all you need is a sander and a knowledge of wiring so you can take out the kill switch for the toggle and put a new pickup selector in.

its like a beat up old les paul.....with a lot of work itll be good

Active Musician

Rock, Classic rock, classic metal (iron maiden, black sabbath), acoustic

Can go from low meld distorted rythm guitar to scorching rock leads to rich clean chords and pickings. Mixing the P90 with a bumhugger is just plain and simple, awesome. I was very sceptical at first, but when I finally got to use it at practice with my band all my second guesses were blown away. My Gibson Explorer and Washburn Nuno N4 are both back-up from now on.

Comes in a perfect fit case, so that's some value for your buck that you have to consider when comparing prices. Personally I don't find the placement of the kill switch weird. I don't like the switch itself though. I think I'd rather have had a button instead. Press the button to kill and release to revive it. I would also have liked a top for the select switch. It's a tad short and hard to set in the heat of battle. That one is very easily fixed though.

Easy to play, comfortable and fast neck. The select switch is on the short side though without the cap, so that's pretty much it.

I love the rough finish. It looks like a flayed snake. I would have like a tad more sanding here and there though, but that's not something that really bothers me. It feels very well made and I doubt it's of less quality than my fully finished Explorer.

I actually find it a tad expensive considering the rough finish, but strangely enough I no longer mind having to pay $1500 for it here in Sweden.

No idea. Never been in contact with Gibson.

It's basically the only cool Les Paul I've ever seen. Never been a fan of high gloss Les Pauls, but this one really speaks to me. I got the trans black one, but now I want the red one as well. Absolutely fantastic design.