Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s Review

Impressed!

Others have said it...but... Gibson IS definitely back! Great tone, great feel, build quality spot on....it stays in tune, it chimes! So happy with this guitar! Ive owned Les Pauls from the 60's, 90's and 2000's and this is one of the finest Ive had the pleasure of owning! Of course my rep Jacob Terhune was an absolute pro and the setup from the Sweetwater shop was excellent. Will… read more be coming back for another one soon!

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Les Paul Standard 50s in Tobacco Burst

This guitar is everything you expect from a Les Paul. It's gorgeously made, heavy, no frills and all sound. The neck profile is chunky but ridiculously comfortable in the hand. The purchasing experience through Sweetwater was second to none. I cannot recommend Sweetwater and the new Les Paul Standards enough.

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Incredible

Guitar looks amazing sitting still. Get a comfy strap - these are heavier than a Fender. Sounds far superior to anything. Especially through a tube amp. Go listen to Live Throwing Copper album's "Iris" and you have that exact tone. The hardest question you face is not whether to buy this guitar - it's whether to get classic Gold, sunburst, or black or white. And get it sooner… read more rather than later with inflation! Happy hunting and call Ryan Springer!

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What a guitar!

The 50s standard is where it's at! It plays great. Feels great. Looks great. My first Les Paul is such a joy to play. Patrick, my fantastic sales engineer, walked me through the order and answered some questions after I ordered (and returned) a damaged LP guitar from a big box store. He sent me pics of the guitar as soon as it arrived. I look forward to working with him again in… read more the future.

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Worth every penny

I've had my Goldtop for a little over a week now and I'm still amazed that it is sitting in my living room. The finish on this guitar is nearly perfect. The action is spot-on up and down the neck. The sound is full Les Paul. Sweet, subtle and brutish all in the same package. Full of girth and sparkle with the squeal of touch sensitivity unmatched by other guitars. The '50s Goldtop… read more is in a class all it's own. Mine has the weight of a black beauty custom at 10 lbs 12 ounces. And all the warmth that comes with it. A shout out to Kent Salaz for calling and making sure my purchase was perfect.

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Worried about the neck? Read this first.

So much has already been written about how amazing this guitar is, so I won't rehash what others have already said. But I wanted to address the 50s style neck. I have small hands and Vienna sausages for fingers. And so I had always told myself that I could never own a guitar with a chunky 50s neck. But recently had the opportunity to play one and was SHOCKED at how easy it was… read more to play. Mine arrived yesterday and after 3 hours of playing, I felt no fatigue or stiffness in my hand. I dare say that the carve of the neck is the most comfortable and effortless to play that I have ever experienced. So, if you're like me and not blessed with the hands of a tight end, don't think that you won't enjoy the neck on this guitar. Go to that other place (I know, eww), try one and then come back here to Sweetwater and place your order. You'll never regret it.

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So far so good

Small mark on binding near the nut, everything else is pretty flawless. So far so good, I'm happy.

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Top and Tone

Back in the golden age of guitars in the late 50s they would say the best guitar had to have a great looking top and high quality tone. Then the Les Paul Standard came around and set the benchmark for both top and tone. In my opinion no guitar looks or sounds better than a Gibson Les Paul Standard. And more recently Gibson has returned to authentic basic principles when building… read more Standards. Solid, high quality wood and no shortcuts with mechanics or finish. I'm grateful beyond belief that Gibson turned the corner it did in 2018. They have a clear direction and pride in their production again. Long live Gibson.

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This guitar got me the buy something other than PRS

Happy owner of a PRS Custom 24, S2 594, and a Silver Sky. Now, I own one this incredible Les Paul Standard 50's. I played a used Les Paul Tribute in a local GC and loved the feel of it. I started researching Gibsons online and decided on trying the Standard model. Wow! I had to have one. But! Finding a "Good" one was difficult and I didn't want to spend $. Sweetwater had a used… read more one, and with the help of Mike Defraties (my sales engineer) I placed the order. Later that day I received a phone call from SW telling me that the used one was actually defective and could not be sold. To make up for the issue, Sweetwater made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I ordered a 60's Standard first, but ultimately sent it back as the neck was too thin and I just didn't connect with the guitar. Mike Defraties made the exchange effortless and smooth. I chose a "Plain" top Standard 50's in Tobacco Burst because I thought the Gibson flame tops could not compete with my PRS' tops. I'm glad I made that decision. The guitar I chose is absolutely gorgeous. Looks, tone, feel... I'd swear this particular guitar was built for me. It looks as though it has only one job... SOUND AMAZING! It does that job incredibly well. My particular guitar is free from any QC issues that I feared after researching Gibson. The finish is amazing. The case is great, and everything smells wonderful! I was thinking that I may need to change the pickups, but after playing with it for a few hours, I'm no longer having those thoughts. This guitar has all the Gibson Les Paul sounds I've ever wanted. Clarity. Grit. Flavor. I got more than I hoped for with this guitar and Sweetwater made it happen.

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I'm in LOVE!

I'm actually a keyboard player, but I started dabbling in guitar when I was in college 30 years ago. I played a little for fun but never got real serious about it until COVID. I figured I'd use the time to "level up". I always wanted a Les Paul but couldn't justify the cost at my skill level. That changed rather quickly and at 50 years old I just said you only live once. It… read more was near perfect right out of the box. It just needed a little adjusting, but not much. I could tell right away the difference between single coil and humbuckers - such a smooth tone. I added some pedals to my existing pedalboard, but truth be told, I LOVE just playing straight with a little reverb. Impeccable tone! I'm in awe every time I sit down to play. Big thanks to my sales guy Ian.

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Gibson les Paul '50 Heritage Cherry Sunburst (DEMO)

Look at this beauty I bought in Black Friday ….Gibson Les Paul Std '50s, Heritage Cherry Sunburst (DEMO). Won't you want to get your hand on one of this too? The demo price compares with the new one is so good, I cannot resist. After received it, I hardly find any scratches or any imperfect showing as mentioned on the website, "this is the Demo". One thing I do know is, this guitar… read more is finished the "breaking-in period" by many many potential guitar buyer/players, and now it is ready to Rock. Like in the old day, when you buy a new car, you need to breaking-in the engine! No need for me to say how this Gibson '50 plays and sound, if you're a Gibson guitar player, you know what I mean. Thank you, Frank, for all the help and all assurances and their 50 points inspections. I also bought another Gibson Les Paul Tribute - Satin Tobacco Burst from Frank last Tuesday, 12/06/2021. You're the man, thank you.

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Sounds, Plays, Looks, Smells incredible

All I can say is I had no idea what I was missing out on before playing this . Its so MFing fun to play . Its a piece of art and is perfect for my productions . Im so happy I went with this guitar ( been playing it since august ) and it just blows me away every session . Thanks TJ Jackson as usual !

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Great guitar

One of the nicest Gibsons I've ever owned. I love the chunky neck. Typical gibson fit an finish/quality control issues but I play guitar not look at them for the smallest imperfections. In all seriousness nothing that effects playability just a little lacquer bleed on the binding by 19th fret.

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Perfect Addition!

I've always favored a "Super-Strat" for playability but this Gibson Les Paul '50s Gold Top is awesome. The "fit and finish" is what you'd expect from Gibson and the tone is classic! Highly recommend!

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Golden Glory

Have had mine for a few months now and it is spot on the best guitar I have ever owned period. Got mine as a blemishes model from Sweetwater they said it was a discoloration on the back of the body and I could kinda see something from the online picture but for the price I payed i said sure let's take a chance on this one. Boy am I glad I did let me tell ya brotherman well worth… read more it all it is, is how the wood took the stain from the factory and it's at best 1 to 1 half inch long by maybe 1 1 16th wide and on the bottom edge. You wouldn't even notice it unless someone pointed it out that knew about it lol. Great deal, great service as always from Sweetwater and my guy Paul Eckert. Oh btw Gibson quality is spot on:)

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