The Les Paul Studio is an extremely good value for money ‘budget’ version of the classic Gibson Les Paul, designed for the studio musician. The guitar is stripped of some of the cosmetics of a Les Paul Standard, but has the same features such as dual humbucker pickups and a fixed tune-o-matic bridge.
On first inspection the studio appears – for a ‘budget’ version – to do the full model justice. The headstock, neck and body all fill you with confidence as to the abilities of high end Gibson craftsmen, and the finer details such as the pearl trapezium fingerboard inlays and the chrome hardware only serve to support this. There are some who may be put off by the idea of a ‘budget’ Gibson Les Paul, but this definitely ticks all the right boxes as far as looks are concerned. I actually found some aspects of the studio model more appealing, such as the un-binded neck and minimalist finish. The inclusion of a Gibson hard-case makes this the perfect package for a gigging musician who may have to watch the pennies.
Plugged in, it was a pleasant surprise to find that the deep and raw tone of the famous standard model was still present. The pickups have a high, beefy output, and the tone and volume pots were highly versatile, making a wide range of tones accessible. On a clean amp setting, the tone is crystal clear and bright, whilst on crunch tones the guitar still breaks up in a ballsy way, like you’d expect. On high gain settings, the famous sustain of the guitar is not lost, and be it punishing riffs or searing lead work that you wish to indulge in, the guitar can deliver.
To conclude, for 950 quid less than a standard or traditional model you certainly get the looks and the beefy tone is still delivered. All in all this is a great guitar, tainted only by the extreme prowess of the legendary Les Paul Standard.
