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SonicPulverizer « Loved it »
Published on 09/02/12 at 14:32The 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.
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.
