Gibson Les Paul Classic 2015

Disclaimer : I’m writing this review although I’ve only owned this instrument since September 30th, I’ll come back to edit it in the future with a little more perspective.

Ergonomy : it’s a LES PAUL with traditional weight relief, which still makes it a rather heavy guitar. Like all LES PAUL it’s not comfortable to play sitting, a strap is required or it loses balance. The new neck slides very well, very easy to play. What surprised me is the very, VERY LOW action. And no buzz!!! It will take me a little time to get used to it I guess, as I’m used to higher actions. The fingerboard is soft, seems like it’s been waxed or something. I like this flat neck, not really rounded in the back, it reminds of my first, Korean-made EPIPHONE NIGHTHAWK. Gibson claims it to be a SLIM TAPER 60 profile but I own two other guitars with that neck profile and they’re obviously not the same. The neck is wide, a real pleasure to play bends.
Pickups are very close to the strings, especially the bridge one. The Stop Bar is very high.
The Vintage Cherry finish is PERFECT. Beautiful binding. The top is not exceptional but it looks great. The lacquer’s not sticky – great!
The volume and tone knobs seem a bit light, shaking quite a lot when splitting, I’m afraid they won’t last long. Time will tell.
G Force tuners. A great thing to me, but I’m gonna be called a heretic… Anyway, one must admit it does the job in an impressive manner. Unlike other users, I didn’t have to change the strings, they are fine and match my usual (regular) gauge. No problem getting in tune.
Yellow-brownish case… ‘nuff said: Gibson is a real contender for a bad taste medal. At least, it seems sturdy.

CLEAN SOUNDS: splitted, the 57s sound good on my Fender amp’s clean channel, doesn’t sound as bright as my STRAT but not bad, I’ll give it 7 ouf of 10. Special kudo for the mid position, not exaggerated. Rhythm sounds CAN be considered – for real.

CRUNCH SOUNDS : I love the neck pickup, it sounds deep and fat, it’s not sharp but that’s not what he’s expected to be anyway. In the mid position, you’re starting to get a little more precision and highs, starting to boost. In bridge position, lower the highs, sound is a bit shrilly for my taste.

OVERDRIVE : watch out ! A real kill, and an overkill with the BOOST added. Everything gets sharp, deep and biting. Great ART. The LES PAUL sings, harmonics whistle, BEAUTIFUL and quite hard to describe. Special kudo for the neck pickup which I didn’t expect to be that good. The bridge one is VIOLENT – be warned!

THE FINAL WORD : to me this 2015 edition is just exceptional, the appearance is good but nothing special, yet the whole keeps its attractive features and even adds some (G Force). In my opinion, it has one of the best value-for-money on the market, especially when considering resale price.