Gibson Custom Shop - Les Paul Custom 68' Figured Top

Customs are usually solid colored guitars, but there are a few out there with figured tops. This one actually had a quilted top that looked spectacular. The guitar features a mahogany body with a maple top, mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard, 22 frets, trapezoid inlays, pickguard, binding, hard tail bridge, two humbuckers, two volumes, two tones and a three way switch.

UTILIZATION

These models are put together very well. The first thing you notice is that the figured top really pops out at you. These figured top Customs are unique because you mainly see either white or black. The finish itself was pretty much flawless. I couldn't find any drips or any issues where the binding meets the paint. The nut itself was cut perfectly, so there were no tuning problems to worry about. The frets on this were nicely leveled, and I was able to get some nice action going. The ends were also not sharp, so it didn't hurt your hand every time you went up and down the neck.

SOUNDS

The guitar sounds pretty good, but they're stock Gibson pickups. I'm not totally crazy about these. The sound average, in my opinion. The bridge is medium output, and it sounds fat. However, it doesn't overdrive the amp like I like my pickups to. The neck is a bit too bright for my tastes, but you can calm it down with the tone pot. The coolest thing is the coil split feature. This allows you to split the pickups to get that almost single coil sound. It makes this guitar crazy versatile.

OVERALL OPINION

These can be a kinda hard to find at times with a very nice top, but if you look long enough, you should be able to get a nice deal on one with a very solid top. Sometimes they can be a bit of a let down, so be sure you see the top in person or have detailed pictures of it prior to buying it.