A Buyer’s Guide to the Gibson Les Paul

The Gibson Les Paul. Just saying its name brings to mind some of the most iconic and influential recordings and rockers of the 20th century. From its beginnings in the hands of Les Paul himself opposite Mary Ford to Jimmy Page, Slash, Joe Bonamassa, and countless others, this legendary single-cut 6-string has solidified its place in rock history over the decades and is still going strong. However, finding the perfect Les Paul for your collection is much easier said than done with nearly a dozen different models available at Sweetwater alone in a rainbow’s arsenal of colors and bursts. With so many options to choose from, where do you begin? This buyer’s guide to the Gibson Les Paul (LP) outlines every detail and distinguishing feature of the different LPs from neck profiles to electronics and more. One thing is for sure: now’s the time to buy that dream Les Paul — let us help you on every step of the journey!

Gibson Les Paul Special TributeGibson Les Paul TributeGibson Les Paul StudioGibson Les Paul JuniorGibson Les Paul SpecialGibson Les Paul ClassicGibson Les Paul StandardGibson Les Paul Deluxe ’70sGibson Les Paul ModernGibson Les Paul Custom

Gibson Les
Paul Special Tribute

While most Gibson Les Pauls can run a pretty penny, the Les Paul Special Tribute is a fantastic entry into the LP family at a price that won’t break the bank. At a cost just south of $1,000, you get a single slab of mahogany for the body along with maple for the neck and silky-smooth rosewood for the fingerboard. This tonal recipe is perfect for conjuring that lauded warmth and full-bodied tone LPs have been delivering for decades with a snappy and responsive neck sporting a comfy rounded shape that fits somewhere between the thicker Vintage ’50s necks and slimmed-down ’60s SlimTaper profiles. What makes this LP definitively “Special” is the option for either single-coil P-90s or humbuckers for your electronics. The P-90 was Gibson’s first successful foray into the world of single-coil pickups, delivering that trademark grit and high-end bite heard on classic recordings. Gibson 490 humbuckers sound equally as good as the P-90s but offer a deeper, darker growl and a slight midrange boost. Burst lovers will need to look at the next model in our buyer’s guide for more finish options, but, when it comes to rock-solid performance in a wallet-friendly package, the Les Paul Special Tribute is a done deal.

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Gibson Les Paul Tribute

The next model in our lineup is the Gibson Les Paul Tribute, delivering the same high-octane performance as the Special Tribute but with more finish options and some truly killer maple tops. These Les Pauls are where Gibson’s coveted bursts come into play, ranging in color and intensity but designed to showcase the striking figured maple underneath. One area where the Les Paul Tributes stray from the vintage path is in their body construction. Though made from mahogany, these bodies are chambered and tailored toward a more modern-instrument feel. The chambering makes for a significant decrease in weight, leading to longer play times without the pains that come from wielding a heavy classic LP. You also get a healthy added dose of resonance from the chambered mahogany without sacrificing any of its depth and richness. Gibson Les Paul Tributes all sport a pair of 490 humbuckers as well as rounded maple necks and rosewood fingerboards, making this an optimal choice for anyone seeking the look and sound of a genuine vintage Les Paul without the backbreaking weight.

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Gibson Les Paul Studio

Commonly seen as the tool of choice for players of all genres and styles, the Gibson Les Paul Studio stands for much of what makes the LP such an incredible instrument with several added features to enhance its versatility and playability. Much like the Les Paul Tribute, the Studio’s body is chambered for weight relief with a pair of coil-tapped 490R/498T humbuckers to deliver the goods (more on this later). The Studio is the first instance on our list of mahogany making its way into the neck. Mahogany is the most common neck wood for Les Pauls, giving the Studio a slightly more authentic edge than the Special Tribute or Tribute models. This neck has also been carved to a supremely comfortable SlimTaper shape, the profile of choice for shredders and speed demons. Through and through, the Les Paul Studio is a more modern-focused guitar, and the coil tapping makes this even more evident. More and more, today’s players are flocking to a simpler approach to gear, in some instances relying on a single workhorse to give them everything needed in the studio and onstage. With its onboard coil tapping, the Studio is built for just that, delivering the trademark tone of an LP as well as chiming cleans and single-coil sounds with a simple lift of the volume knobs. Be sure to check out our Sweetwater-exclusive Les Paul Studio Plus models featuring custom finishes and jaw-dropping AA maple tops!

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Gibson Les Paul Junior

Simple. Straightforward. That’s what the Les Paul Junior is, and it does its hard-rocking job exceptionally well. Originally designed as a “student” model Les Paul, the combination of mahogany for the body and neck along with rosewood for the fingerboard gives you plenty of genuine LP feel with a single screaming dog ear P-90 in the bridge position pumping out plenty of heat for leads, solos, and heavier genres when run wide open. Its control assembly is handwired with matched potentiometers and high-performing Orange Drop caps for a buttery smooth tone. Its thicker Vintage ’50s neck feels solid and fills your fretting hand, shaped with period accuracy to feel just like a ’50s-model LP neck in all its tree-trunk glory. Why go with a Vintage ’50s neck instead of a ’60s SlimTaper, you ask? The answer is twofold: seemingly endless sustain and personal preference. If you’re looking for a chunky neck feel in a no-nonsense guitar, then the Les Paul Junior is a fantastic option.

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Gibson Les Paul Special

Need a tad bit more tonal diversity than what the Les Paul Junior offers? The Les Paul Special is the way to go. Gibson threw a pair of soapbar P-90s into the Special rather than the single dog ear along with an additional pair of control knobs and a handy selector switch. You still get the same tonewood recipe and Vintage ’50s neck profile, making the choice between Junior and Special purely based on sonic versatility and what you require from your instrument.

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Gibson Les Paul Classic

For many, the Les Paul Classic is the epitome of Gibson’s timeless design. Taking cues from the previous models mentioned, the Les Paul Classic sports a weight-relieved mahogany body, a speedy and slender SlimTaper mahogany neck capped with rosewood, and a pair of uncovered Burstbucker humbuckers to nail that classic Gibson tone. Where this 6-string stands out is when you take a look under the hood. Not only does the Les Paul Classic feature coil tapping to expand its palette — you also get both phase switching and pure bypass courtesy of push-pull neck tone and bridge tone controls, respectively. These options make this the most versatile LP up until this point — perfect for anyone looking to add a one-stop-shop guitar to their arsenal.

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Gibson Les Paul Standard

Much like the Classic, the Les Paul Standard features top-notch tonewoods and electronics throughout. However, the Standard foregoes the aforementioned coil tapping and extended control options for a more straightforward playing experience. Les Paul Standards come in both ’50s and ’60s versions sporting a Vintage ’50s neck or a SlimTaper neck, respectively. Slash fans also have their choice of several different models designed in collaboration with the artist himself with custom finishes, electronics, and other features catered to one of music history’s most rockin’ guitarists.

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Gibson Les Paul Deluxe ’70s

One of the newest additions to Gibson’s LP lineup is a bona fide blast from the past: the Les Paul Deluxe ’70s. This 6-string takes “period accuracy” to a whole new level, starting with a non-weight-relieved mahogany body much like the original models. Its rounded “C” mahogany neck is reminiscent of a Vintage ’50s profile, thicker than the SlimTapers that came later but showcasing a metamorphosis from the baseball-bat feel to a focus on speedier playing. What made Sweetwater players and vintage collectors ecstatic was the Deluxe ’70s’ reintroduction of the mini humbucker. The mini humbucker was present in the original LP Deluxe models that arrived in 1969, designed to fit cleanly in a P-90 routing. It offers the same hum-free performance as its larger sibling but with a narrower magnetic field, resulting in a brighter sound than other humbuckers that cuts cleanly through mixes of all kinds.

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Gibson Les Paul Modern

The Gibson Les Paul Modern takes most of the Les Paul Classic’s standout features and adds on layers of contemporary flair to make it the perfect go-to guitar for today’s gigging and recording musicians. When it comes to tonal versatility, the Les Paul Modern is in the same league as the Classic, utilizing the same electronics configuration pumped through a pair of Burstbucker Pro humbuckers for an edgier sound. Burstbucker Pros are one of Gibson’s hottest pickup offerings with a much more focused midrange that meets the demands of today’s gain-drenched genres. Its Asymmetrical SlimTaper neck profile marks Gibson’s most playable shape to date, made even better with a contoured heel for unencumbered access to the Les Paul Modern’s highest frets.

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Gibson Les Paul Custom

If the Les Paul Special Tribute is Gibson’s first day of college, then the Les Paul Custom is the MD degree at the end of the road. LP Customs come in many different styles and configurations, offering more options than any other model and constructed by Gibson’s elite luthiers to the absolute highest standard possible. Countless pickup options, period-accurate neck profiles, and more are at your disposal when taking a look through Gibson’s Les Paul Customs, with new options added all of the time. Want custom-shop build quality with a simple-to-use design? There’s a Les Paul Custom for you. Are you enamored with aged and relic’d instruments to the point of obsession? Gibson’s newly released Murphy Lab collection is right up your alley, offering meticulously crafted guitar designs accurate to the year with several different aging options to fit whatever aesthetic you’re going for. These guitars serve as so much more than tools of the trade: Les Paul Customs are genuine pieces of art and serve as beautiful heirlooms to hand down for generations.

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Don’t Fret — There’s a Les Paul for
You

The sheer number of available options can make shopping for a Gibson Les Paul an overwhelming experience for even the most learned players. From electronics to tonewoods, neck profiles, and finishes, each component influences the performance experience from person to person. With this buyer’s guide, Sweetwater hopes to streamline the process and outline everything that has made the Gibson Les Paul what it is: one of the most important instruments of the last century. Need some extra assistance finding the perfect LP? That’s what our Sales Engineers are for! Give yours a call today at (800) 222-4700 and discover the Les Paul that is unapologetically you.

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