All user reviews of 4/5 for the Gibson Les Paul Classic Premium Plus

If you're looking for a good looking Gibson at a more affordable price, you'll want to check out the Premium Plus models. These are Classics, but they feature a nicer top than most other models that Gibson offers. However, they're not nearly as expensive as some of the higher end models for whatever reason. The guitar features a mahogany body with a maple top, mahogany neck with a rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, trapezoid inlays, pickguard, binding, hard tail bridge, two humbuckers, two volumes, two tones and a three way switch.


UTILIZATION

This guitar was dead perfect. The frets were amazingly level and had a perfect crown to them. This is vital to achieving low action without fretting out. I was able to get it down to about 1/32'' while still being able to bend a full step on every fret. The ends were done nicely, and they didn't slice up your hand at all. To top it off, the nut was cut properly too. The guitar held tune like a champ. However, this is not the case with all of these guitars. I've played a few that were absolutely horrible, so be sure to check yours before buying it if you can.


SOUNDS

The guitar had a DiMarzio PAF Pro set installed in both the neck and the bridge. I normally don't see this pickup combo with these guitars for some reason. The PAF Pro is normally found in guitars like Ibanez and the such. The bridge was very open, and it took gain nicely, although I kinda felt it lacked some dynamics. It delivered a good rhythm tone, and it seemed to match quite well with the wood combo. The neck was also very open and clear sounding. It was great for lead lines, and it had just enough output to make life easy when it came to doing those fast shred lines. I generally tend to prefer Duncans in Les Pauls, but these were a cool change of pace.

OVERALL OPINION

The top on this is the reason why you should buy it. It's a very heavily flamed maple top, and it looks great in person. It has an almost 3D effect to it at times. Aside from that, it's pretty much your standard Classic that everyone already knows and (kinda) loves. They're solid guitars, and with a proper setup, you'll get one great guitar for your money, especially when you realize how expensive some of those boutique flame topped guitars can be.