Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960 Reissue

Purchased at Centre City Music in CA. Intended to buy a Les Paul Gothic, a professional at the store informed me that although the Gothic was a good axe, recommended me to invest on one that I would defenitely keep for a while. The Les Paul Classic was $300 more at $1300.

A very well made guitar. Vintage tuners and aged inlays are a plus. Set in neck and a carved top are the reason to purchase this guitar. 500T high output pick ups will never let you down on heavy grunge, distortions, and heavy metal riffs. No defects as soon as you open it from the box. Wine red color gives it the old-school classic look that accents it's 1960 influence. Well known for its slim tapperd neck for smooth and quick playing. I invested an arm and a leg, and still could say that it was well worth it. Works very well with my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe TUBE amp.

Gibson guitars are very notorious for their high prices. I paid for mine last year and still is upto now. It will be fully paid soon.

As I have said, very well made guitar. Les Pauls are very well known in any type of music in any type of era. But on this note: you're not only getting a Les Paul, you're getting a Gibson Les Paul.

The Classic Paul has a 500T high output humbucker pick ups. Although it packs a lot of power, it is not a flaw. It is how the manufacturers designed it. Cannot blame a good axe for doing its job.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Gibson's main difference between the Classic and the Standard was that the Standard would have hotter ceramic pickups and off color inlays. That's really the only difference between these (pre-chambering but post-weight relief). This was the first Gibson I ever personally owned. It's no different from the Standard other than it has some aged inlays and the 500T/496R pickups. Everything else about this is basically the same. For some reason, people tend to avoid these guitars and go for the Standards. They claim that the Standards are higher quality, but I'm not sure I believe that.

UTILIZATION

I quickly found out that I'm not a fan of the Gibson feel. After playing strats all my life, the Les Paul felt really foreign. It was very back heavy and a pain to sit down and play with. The neck was always sticky on my guitar, even after treatments of 0000 steel wool. The frets also weren't perfectly level, so achieving the action I wanted was nearly impossible. However, I played one in the store, and it was much better. Because of that, I'm not giving it too hard of a hit on utilization.

SOUNDS

The 500T is a really ripping pickup, and it sounds great in the bridge. The 496R is too bright for my tastes, but that can be easily fixed. The biggest problem is that I think these guitars have 300k pots. It's like the volume doesn't go up enough or something. Once you replace the pots, the guitar really seems to come alive. Clean tones are decent, mid gain tones are good and distorted tones sound really crushing with the Classic. The fact that it came with 300k pots makes me rate it down a bit. I mean, that's just ridiculous. These guitars should come with 500k pots.

OVERALL OPINION

If you can't afford the Traditional, I recommend checking out the Classic. It's a bit more geared towards metal heads given the 500T pickup, and it tends to go for a bit less than the Standard. It's hard to recommend the current Standards given that they're now chambered. The Classic is weight relieved (just like all Gibsons since the 80s), but it still weighed a ton and sounded huge. If weight is a problem, you might want to look to an ESP Eclipse, but it won't sound the same.

This was the first Gibson I ever personally owned. It's no different from the Standard other than it has some aged inlays and the 500T/496R pickups. Everything else about this is basically the same. For some reason, people tend to avoid these guitars and go for the Standards. They claim that the Standards are higher quality, but I'm not sure I believe that.

UTILIZATION

I quickly found out that I'm not a fan of the Gibson feel. After playing strats all my life, the Les Paul felt really foreign. It was very back heavy and a pain to sit down and play with. The neck was always sticky on my guitar, even after treatments of 0000 steel wool. The frets also weren't perfectly level, so achieving the action I wanted was nearly impossible. However, I played one in the store, and it was much better. Because of that, I'm not giving it too hard of a hit on utilization.

SOUNDS

The 500T is a really ripping pickup, and it sounds great in the bridge. The 496R is too bright for my tastes, but that can be easily fixed. The biggest problem is that I think these guitars have 300k pots. It's like the volume doesn't go up enough or something. Once you replace the pots, the guitar really seems to come alive. Clean tones are decent, mid gain tones are good and distorted tones sound really crushing with the Classic. The fact that it came with 300k pots makes me rate it down a bit. I mean, that's just ridiculous. These guitars should come with 500k pots.

OVERALL OPINION

If you can't afford the Traditional, I recommend checking out the Classic. It's a bit more geared towards metal heads given the 500T pickup, and it tends to go for a bit less than the Standard. It's hard to recommend the current Standards given that they're now chambered. The Classic is weight relieved (just like all Gibsons since the 80s), but it still weighed a ton and sounded huge. If weigh tis a problem, you might want to look to an ESP Eclipse, but it won't sound the same.

Commenont good at the beginning what will not change the specs of origin:

It is a Les Paul, no need to draw you a picture ... if it's all good pasqueu Heiniger is you!

- Mahogany body (2 parts) with table Saddle bomb report in a circle of one ply binding crme
- Mahogany one pice (hey we are here at Gibson) with head tilt 13, profile 60 "Slim Tapper" (the finest in Gibson, a rgal)
- Rosewood (the grain of the rosewood Gibson I'm tired), a circle of binding crme always and inlay in trapzodales Perloid (espce pearl or verdtre jauntre of its quality)
- Bone Nut
- Nitrocellulose varnish (again if you buy a Gibson gaffe made your stand, flee like the plague those with espce caouchouc of orange-yellow, because he'll abmer varnish, and a scratch of this price, you will admit that even when it's more than annoying)

The hardware (dor on mine):

Mcanique Kluson Keys Green (all the horrible things that delicate faux pearl not keep the agreement in strong winds)
Tune O Matic Stop Bar tailpiece +
Two Strap Lock fairly ridiculissimes
Plastics crme (contour microphones puck around the toggle, pickguard, ...)
The Electronic:
Two microphones 496R and 500T cramique (neck and bridge respectively)
A toggle switch 3 positions
2 volume knobs
2 knobs of tonalitbr />
SERIES feature of this limit (since sold exclusively to US):
The engraving on the pickguard (the classic gnrailis now apparently), two three dtails finishes the plaant lgrement over a classic "basic" (perloid least verd be) and a serial number mode 6 1960 figures (provided by the hotline dtails Gibson).

I dplore across now:

The MCAS that if the course for the "reissue" is a stew infme basically shoot over the strings, the more they take up, imagine the GUGUS who goes 8-38 in high heat it connects every 30 seconds
The gilding a bit cheap even when
The toggle of m ****, they ride the same since 1940, might be time to put one of quality right?
And to finish the strap lock, unworthy of the name, we will explain how to take a scraper of this weight with these items?
So I started to make it a facelift in order to provide lments worthy of his violin:
Exit the Green Keys, Welcome to the Klusson oil bath tulip button (the same as on some Custom)
Exit the original mics, which quipent dj my Explorer in favor of the mythical couple DiMarzio Tone Zone and PAF Pro
Exit the straps Straps for ridiculous Shaller (I prfre the Dunlop, but my luthier did those in the dor at the time of opration, even when a well is)
Changing knobs amber base (not rev happy and aesthetically not very practical to turn the volume rapido with a finger) for Speed ​​Knobs Black.

Small point, when I changed the mics, welds taient ... hem, dgeulasse, nasty pats in a tin not really adapted to the electronics, I have redone much of itself. I even ended up with a team Guitarworks RS Premium Kit (http://www.rsguitarworks.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=31&products_id=140) (I will return below what provides a)

UTILIZATION

Then the LP and its legendary ... anti ergonomics

The weight dj welcome at Gibson, this one makes heavy, it may well be two times smaller than my Explorer, it beating down a bit more, long live the Saddle pais much of the table (and especially live my shoulders that support trs by chance what kind of charges ... phew)
The position of the toggle that if she did not impede me, who always tend to play the bridge prs, can quickly s'avrer nerve for someone who will make great round trips at the micro handle
The heel of the neck and gnralement fixing the handle to the body (which is the case 16ME), if your hands are fine it's not top, go for the 22me box ' trs is not comfortable
The MCAS is returns that are not worth a good pair of MCA oil bath let alone a MCAS blocking, the more they dgagent an impression of fragility not glop

Good game, it has that counts, right?
Seated, if my old Epiphone LP Goth lgre any play was easily sitting is not really the case that it is a "real" LP, with a very heavy sledge will give sliding trend, not much has to do it to improve, take the guitar in a classical guitar position, playing with a strap even sitting, or else take your troubles patiently and "keep" the scratch plate against you with your forearm ... but there's no groove to facilitate the task crazy and make a "enjoyable".

Standing is much better, even if it does not position as well as an Explorer course, is the weight (hey coco you want a Gibson Les Paul or Ibanez Balsa, must choose a time).

Good against the run by Slim Tapper is enjoyable trs I repeat word for word what I described in my 50's Rounded Explorer (not really bigger in fact):

<p class="bbcode-cite"> Quote: <span>Level neck was nice to find pais, chubby, it is clear that with the key rather flat (less than a Jackson or an Ibanez when even) and the profile it was well in hand and it&#39;s comfortable in all circumstances</span>

SOUNDS

The sound, oh the sound ... The Son

The big, fat, rolling on the language, Gibson a Russian accent, if so.

Good torque 496/500, I start the connatre, it is they who quipent me my Explorer I have.

I thought the table, saddle and the lowest volume of mahogany were going to cut off a bit in the low whistle, well big mistake, y &#39;was always the same, only the treble back a bit, a eventually almost s&#39;quilibrer, the 500T is a patator all floors, always bluffing this microphone, trs trs a really good mic, even in clear

As against the 496, it&#39;s over, I do not want it, if the Explorer has its place for a fat crunch cold on the LP, I do not like it at all, no means of draw a clear (I see you here, calm the attack, decrease the gain of the amplifier, nyet, I will not redo all my rglages to p ***** A micro badly screwed on A of my guitars, the verdict is it dj tomb DGIG a Di Marzio Paf Pro (cha cha ch good!)

And as to the 500T&#39;s team that my dj ben Explorer Burin I replace it with a more subtle micro ... a Di Marzio Tone Zone (yes it is a subtle tone Mssieur)

8 for the balance gnral ... 500 on the T

What happens APRS change mics:
- The Paf Pro neck, well it&#39;s a bang in amlior so it is full and warm with all the advantages a nice crunch if ataque a bit much by mounting the volume and sound Clearly, not like horrible 496R
- The Tone Zone, I would say that has not radically change the 500T (even if it is audible even when Heiniger), play in the same classes, low, a large output level ( a bit less than the 500T, however), a grain stock. As against the Tone is equilibrated it has more meds and treble, and conversely, I find it a little worse in the clear, but as the Paf Pro full realization of this office.

APRS and change kit for the electronics Guitarworks RS:

Ractifs of knobs and much more sensitive to tones really ffective now, and its level, no change rels except that it seems to have blown a bride somewhere, out better and more easily

OVERALL OPINION

I see here who rousptent:

But what we sing to him, the Les paul is the best skyscraper in the world

And others:

Mouarf finally one who understood, comes to Fender
Nope.

It must be admitted, an ergonomics standard Les Paul, a true is not good, a Jackson Soloist (with Floyd sioupl align with the handle), it has an ergonomic rve.
As against its level, an Lp is inimitable, and it is above all I was looking for was the day I visited my bank belt of dynamite arm of a Glock and an AK-47 announced my banker fuur my purchase (dj-hand and I had many sore c **).

It is a LP achte to the myth, the sound is what I did, and I do it again when I have enough money, but for the blow it Custom