All user reviews for the Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul Custom has gone through a tone of changes throughout the years. The one I'll be focusing on in this review will be the one currently available on the market today. It features all of the same specs that people know and love from a Les Paul -- a mahogany body with a maple top, a set mahogany neck, 22 frets, binding, two humbuckers, a hard tail TOM bridge, two volume knobs, two tone knobs, two humbuckers and a three way switch. However, the absolute biggest change would happen to be the ebony fretboard. That's mainly the feature that makes this guitar a "Custom"

UTILIZATION

The Gibson Les Paul Custom is an amazing guitar that sounds absolutely huge. The neck profiles vary depending on what year you buy, and the one I played had a fairly thick neck. Some people will dislike this, but it was never a huge deal to me. I seem to be able to adapt from super thin necks like the Wizards to extremely thick Nocaster necks without much of a problem. The flatter radius on this was wonderful, and it allowed me to lower the action lower than a normal Strat would allow. The tuners on this model aren't as bad as the older Standard model, but I'd still replace them with locking tuners.

SOUNDS

The Custom really excels in sound. Normally, Gibson Les Pauls are very thick sounding. This works great for most styles of music, but sometimes it lacks a tad bit of clarity for genres such as metal, especially once you start tuning lower. The ebony fretboard on this guitar helps add some sizzle and bite that allows the guitar to cut through the mix without sounding thin. I'm not a fan of the pickups, so I always replace both those and the pots. This really opens up the guitar and makes it not only more aggressive but more versatile as well.

OVERALL OPINION

If you're searching for a Les Paul Custom, be sure to try a bunch out in your local music store. The quality control on Gibson guitars can be really iffy. The biggest things to look for would be tuning stability and fretwork. Pay particular attention to fretwork as that's what can really make or break a guitar. If you're looking for a metal guitar, it's really hard to beat this thing. Just be careful of the weight.

This Les Paul was made in October of 2001 in the U.S.A. It has a mahogany body and neck, with a maple cap on the body and an ebony fretboard with 22 medium frets. It has the usual dual humbucker configuration with a volume and a tone control for each pickup with the standard 3-way toggle switch. The stock pickups were the Gibson 490 and 498, but those have been replaced with a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and a ’59 in the neck. It has a tune-a-matic bridge and Gibson’s ’59 shape neck, which is somewhere between their 50’s and 60’s neck in its thickness.

UTILIZATION

Like with most Les Pauls, access to the higher frets can be difficult to reach if you are not accustomed to playing a Les Paul. This guitar is very comfortable to play either standing or sitting, but because of its weight (slightly over 8 pounds) after a few hours of playing standing up it can become a little heavy. However, the mass of the guitar translates directly into a thick and meaty tone.

SOUNDS

I play all styles of rock with my Gibson Les Paul Custom. My amp is a Peavey Classic 50 2x12 combo, which delivers everything from pure clean tones to overdriven sounds. My pedal board consists of an MXR Micro Amp, a Bodenhamer modded Boss SD-1, a Line 6 MM4 and an ISP Decimator. No matter what amp settings or effects I use, the Les Paul always produces pure, clear, rich tones. This guitar most definitely suits my style of music. Les Pauls = ROCK!

OVERALL OPINION

I tried several other styles of Les Pauls and other Gibson models before deciding on the Custom. I believe the ebony fretboard set it apart from the majority of the other models with rosewood fretboards. It adds a special “snap” to the guitar’s tone. The Custom’s neck also felt the best in my hands. While $2500 is a lot of money for a guitar, there is nothing else I could ask for tone or playability wise from this guitar. It is built like a rock, and in the last 10 years of my ownership I have not had any issues with the guitar’s reliability or functionality.

The Les Paul Custom has gone through a tone of changes throughout the years. The one I'll be focusing on in this review will be the one currently available on the market today. It features all of the same specs that people know and love from a Les Paul -- a mahogany body with a maple top, a set mahogany neck, 22 frets, binding, two humbuckers, a hard tail TOM bridge, two volume knobs, two tone knobs, two humbuckers and a three way switch. However, the absolute biggest change would happen to be the ebony fretboard. That's mainly the feature that makes this guitar a "Custom"

UTILIZATION

The Gibson Les Paul Custom is an amazing guitar that sounds absolutely huge. The neck profiles vary depending on what year you buy, and the one I played had a fairly thick neck. Some people will dislike this, but it was never a huge deal to me. I seem to be able to adapt from super thin necks like the Wizards to extremely thick Nocaster necks without much of a problem. The flatter radius on this was wonderful, and it allowed me to lower the action lower than a normal Strat would allow. The tuners on this model aren't as bad as the older Standard model, but I'd still replace them with locking tuners.

SOUNDS

The Custom really excels in sound. Normally, Gibson Les Pauls are very thick sounding. This works great for most styles of music, but sometimes it lacks a tad bit of clarity for genres such as metal, especially once you start tuning lower. The ebony fretboard on this guitar helps add some sizzle and bite that allows the guitar to cut through the mix without sounding thin. I'm not a fan of the pickups, so I always replace both those and the pots. This really opens up the guitar and makes it not only more aggressive but more versatile as well.

OVERALL OPINION

If you're searching for a Les Paul Custom, be sure to try a bunch out in your local music store. The quality control on Gibson guitars can be really iffy. The biggest things to look for would be tuning stability and fretwork. Pay particular attention to fretwork as that's what can really make or break a guitar. If you're looking for a metal guitar, it's really hard to beat this thing. Just be careful of the weight.

Made in the USA by GIbson, 2 tone controls , 2 volume controls just like a regular LP, 22 Frets, Ebony Board. 2 Humbuckers, double binding, Grover tuners...
50's Type neck, not too big, not too small, very beefy yet comfortable to play.

The guitar looks gorgeous in all black with gold hardware, a real black beauty!

UTILIZATION

In terms of design this guitar is very nice to play, it is a bit on the heavy side weighting in at 9.5+ pounds.

Very versatile guitar, especially considering I installed single coil mode via a pull pot on the tone control knobs. Also changed the wiring, upgraded electronics, and installed a set of Suhr Aldrich pickups.



SOUNDS

I use it with a Bogner Ecstasy 101B and a Diezel Einstein, it has the typical Les Paul trademark sound, long lasting sustain and a lot of power. The stock pickups were a bit lacking in my opinion, as do most Gibson pickups with the exception of a few. Replaced them and the guitar sounds much better, its a dark guitar in nature so keep that in mind if you are planning on swapping the original pup's.

Can do any music style with ease, especially Rock and Hard Rock and even metal. The Les Paul Custom is a workhorse and a terrific sounding electric guitar with the benefit that it is the nicest looking electric guitar that has ever been produced.

With the addition of the coil tap, it can do classic single coil Fender type sounds with ease for those bluesy moments

Turn down the tone control on the neck pickup and get insane "women tone" lead sounds...



OVERALL OPINION

This guitar will sure turn a few heads around in a club, its such an iconic guitar, you really can't go wrong, as they keep their value through the years.

This guitar will outlive you if you treat it right and give you a liftetime of great Rock N' Roll tones

Gibson Les Paul Custom Alpine White
Ebony etc. ... Features common to all the Les Paul

UTILIZATION

Channel pleasant and not too thick or too thin, in terms of ergonomics, is a Les Paul is thick, it will depend on the user template. For me it's going very well.

SOUNDS

The sound of rock and roll, jazz & blues ... it can rock extreme, but I explore it better. We buy a Les Paul for it's a. We are not asking for a telecaster sound like an ESP Kirk Hammett for example. So, if you like the sound of the Les Paul is the foot, if you bought a Les Paul to sound like a Gretsh, it makes him less.

OVERALL OPINION

I have read some tips and stuff on the finishes of the Les Paul hah ... Descend on Earth, Gibson is a factory: they are great guitars whose sleeves are cut and hand-made, yes ok, the body-sided machine then finished by hand (well the big sander ribbon) but remains in mass production folks. What a scoop! If you want a guitar made entirely by hand in small onions and pampered, bin it places an order from the maker. Guitar zero defects in finishes? Bin it goes to PRS, everything is digital. So he must know what you will, I prefer a guitar with some defects finishes (which are never fatal, either - I have 5 Gibson) but made largely by the hand of man rather a guitar made by a robot, or the man that has taken place in the final process control.
Another thing: the famous varnish Gibson as saying this is: it is a nitrocellulose-based varnish. What's the point? it is a soft-touch paint in these early years that leaves vibrate the guitar (part of the recipe for his Gibson). It is a fragile nail, taking care that will color gradually jaunne and crack over time, having lost its elasticity. Gibson will apply a lacquer-based plastic like other manufacturers, the sound will cost. But what the hell is in no way a fault! And yes, all your Gibson will one day crack the veneer that time, she vireront jaunne with all the time, it is. But is the price to pay for what his legend.