Gibson Les Paul Studio Premium Plus

The Les Paul Studio Premium Plus features a highly figured top in a variety of colors prior to unseen on a studio body.The electronics consist of a 490 and 498T pickup combination. 24 3/4" scale length. The body of the guitar while not bound, had a nicely visible cap on the sides that gave the illusion of binding. The gold hardware complimented the Root beer finish perfectly.

UTILIZATION

The Premium plus offered a delightful playing experience. The frets were well finished and the 59 neck profile was a breeze to move around. Tuning Stability was very strong on this guitar. I commonly detuned to drop C and B. The guitar never found trouble adjusting back and forth between these lower tunings and Standard/Eb.

SOUNDS

I played the Premium plus through a Mesa Boogie Mark V amplifier. Mesa 4x12 cab. No pedals.

The Premium plus is a very no-nonsense guitar. Coming from the studio lineage of guitars, it has no push/pull coil tapping, no phase switches, none of that. The guitar handled both the clean and high gain sounds of the Mark V with great finesse. Clean arpeggios jangled and chords rang very clearly. With medium gain, the guitar had a very woody tone to it. It sounded the way it looked. The great factory setup allowed for a great feel when playing quick leads. The Premium plus handled any genres of music from cleaned up soft rock to drop tuned metal a la dream theater.

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar is sadly no longer in production for Gibson and very few are circulating in the used market. The premium plus defies the Les Paul Studio image, bringing beautiful figured tops and rich finishes to a otherwise stripped down design. I feel that the collectibility and playing prowess of the guitar makes it desirable and well worth the going $1200 used price.

Manufactures in the United States, Nashville
22 frets
HB 2 (490R in neck and 498T in bridge)
tune o matic and stopbar gibson
2 volume, 2 tone, a three-position selector.
handle '59rounded

One piece mahogany body
one piece mahogany neck
exotic rosewood fingerboard
landmarks pearl shaped trapeze
maple table bomb grade AAA
mechanical gibson deluxe KLUSON that reminder of the era.
Acastillage dor

UTILIZATION

The neck is like the whole studio LP, premium or not it's 59'rounded.
Personally I like but I conois that this is not a handle that suits everyone .... it may take time to adapt.
So a try if possible before buying.

Access in acute is not feasible, but it's not a les paul or SG DC ... there is the heel of the neck that the higher up more is felt.
But it is something that is unique to LP whatsoever.

The guitar is relatively heavy, it's solid wood, is an LP! it must be within 5 or 6kg. In terms of balance is very good, does not sting the nose when standing etc ...

The sound is obtained without much difficulty we put all the knobs to 10 and go (I ... just a caricature of nuances are possible acvec the knobs and it's even more fun).

SOUNDS

The pickups are 490 and 498, it is excellent in the clear (vintage modern) with Sound LES PAUL, very round, very hot mediums, a nice sound and full of personality veloyut.
In saturated is drooling a bit messy, very rock and I think a can go further but I do not play metal so I leave it to the top metal rule if necessary.
Remember when even the 490R and 498T are already well known, so it's easy to find samples and information on these microphones.
They are mounted on a number of hollow body FOR blues or jazz (QED in terms of sounds clear or slightly Overdriver) and departing it is they (yes!) That will equip our beautiful The paul standard expensive ... cot rock I think it's compelling.

I play a marshall full tube and a small transistor amp.
In both cases it is sublime, very round, very present with a dynamic and well-pronounced a slamming of a beautiful maple table.

For now it is essentially a clear sound that fascinates me because it takes a long highlight the qualities of violin making this guitar and its sound promising in terms of sound panels.

A nice crunch not refuse either, I said before the game but the volume knob is effective and produces sonoritsa to sweat the room where we play. Very bluesy!
Against saturation by ... a request be tamed as much power, the beautiful is nervous and she was under the pedal, so very rock, hard rock and metal but I can imagine the words as ... I'm not a pro of the cot.

I hate the sounds? no ... it is a guitar that his character, and it should be taken for what it is: no one takes a 175 to the trash either ... So we do not take a studio or no premium for a game that is not ours ... That said it is versatile but still sounds round and velvety with character!

That said I plutt vintage ... of PAF (classic57, Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pro or antiquity correspond to my registry ... but this combination of pickups is something that is not displease me ... she is full of surprises I think).

OVERALL OPINION

The premium plus? for several weeks now, but I had another les paul studio less "luxurious".

She is as beautiful to look at as a play or listen! I do not get enough!

Guitars I tried a gambling yes! if I could I could have offered a black beauty ... but ... I could not.

This has the merit of vasciller everyone, guitarist or not opening the box containing it: it is beautiful from a studio "normal" is his greatest asset!
Cot violin is impeccable, every feature is illustrated in the sounds it produces branch or unplugged.

Russia is a guitar in the end, the quality of dj studio were known, they poffin aesthetics dj who was enjoyable in its simplicity it offers the open your eyes!

I have had in Okaz 'and saw his new price is not so bad ... the quality is very good (good number or trademark?) the price remains gibson ... I find them more expensive and the premium is no exception to the rule, especially as efforts make the aesthetic justification of the price comfortable for the brand (it was 2500 was the first time I ' saw in the store, she quickly plummeted to 1800 to be between 1600 and 1800 aujoud'hui store depending on the finish).

The okaz 'remains the best compromise for me, I love this brand but ... 1500 is when a same amount.
I got a fair price and in a very very clean so I gave a really positive review in the end because it is a great guitar! I'm crazy.

Guitar made in Nashville, United States, in the purest tradition Gibson.

It has a big fat mahogany set neck one piece, a rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets, vintage mechanical stamped "Gibson Deluxe".

The body is mahogany, flamed maple top quality AAA (the best!).

For the rest, bah is a Les Paul: 3-position selector, 2 Gibson 490R and 498T pickups (read R for "rhythm" and T for "treble"), a volume / tone micro, Stop Bar tailpiece, Tune -O-Matic. Gold hardware and nitrocellulose varnish (like old) applied to the buffer.

I put the polish to 9 "sticky", as in most Gibson and the case pourrave. Apart from that, the finishes are top.

UTILIZATION

The neck is quite wide and not for the shredders, so. Moreover, access to acute is far from fantastic ... for fans stratospheric notes, eyeing more on the side of Les Paul DC in the same price range! I find it rather light for a Les Paul.

I heard she was ringing with any amp. Start with an American side, I find it rather capricious. It needs fine tuning, limiting the effects given the microphones ... and it is in a tube amp it unveils its full potential.

SOUNDS

So there ... we are spoiled! As I said, the pickups are very typical. The output level is impressive. We can consider that it is versatile in that it can be fun in many styles: hard rock, punk, vintage and modern rock, country, blues, funk, jazz, bossa ... but all with a strong personality.

The sounds are thick, heavy and fat, it is far more crystalline sound of the surf rock style Start.

Clearly, crunch or saturated, everything goes.
A good place to rich and mellow sounds of neck pickup simply sublime blues and jazz very nice, and the intermediate position.

OVERALL OPINION

I am overall very pleased.

Only real downside: the case is a real shit. The finishes are disgusting (plasticky coating off in places not connected or ...) when you consider the price of the guitar.

I bought new € 1475 Thomann, even if the guitar is beautiful and sounds superb, I find the price excessive. And say that leaving it cost no less than € 2500! it's certainly not the best quality / price ratio, but the price to pay for themselves the myth guitar.