This version of the Les Paul Studio is the most value-for-money US-made Les Paul you can currently get. This was my first Gibson ever, as I wasn't that interested in its sounds in the past, so when I saw this one available here, I pulled the trigger, since it was at a reasonable price point, for my situation at least.
In terms of sound, the guitar is phenomenal. The PAF sound is truly unique and cannot be understated. It sounds incredible with fuzz, in my opinion. The tone controls also give you options for jazz etc. The guitar is inherently noisy with a lot of gain when you're not touching any of the metal parts, but that's what you get when Gibson's sticking with tradition.
The features of this Studio are essentially the coil tap and the weight relief routing on the body. The coil tap is a welcome addition, although I don't think people will use it much, but the weight reduction is a big deal, as the guitar becomes surprisingly lightweight, especially for a Les Paul.
The negatives come in the form of quality. Three of the knobs were so loose, they'd fall off when I wasn't looking down. I had to wrap masking tape around the pots and put the knobs back on. For a US-made guitar, this is not good. In addition, I took the pickguard off for aesthetic reasons, and there are obvious imperfections on the finish around the screw holes.
All in all, it's a great guitar, although they could've paid attention to the knobs and insulate the cavities to make it a little more quiet. For the money, it's a great workhorse Les Paul.
