If you love the LP Standard and lust for quilted maple, the 2014 LP Premium with its AAA quilted top will quench your desire and then some. In your choice of several gloss finishes that give the quilt figuring even greater visual punch, the electronics serve up sonic performance to match the exalted looks. It’s equipped with BurstBucker Pro 1+2 pickups that have push/pull coil taps, phase changing, and pure bypass for awesome sound and versatility. The rear pickup has reverse polarity for authentic single-coil sound combinations. As a finishing touch, a special backplate is signed by the Gibson luthier who book-matched the glorious top pieces.
Though the 2014
LP Standard Premium’s breathtaking AAA quilted maple top is the visual focal point, its premium electronics and the sounds they produce refuse to take a back seat.
Gibson Les Paul Standard Series
As the name suggests, it is indeed the standard for Les Pauls, and carved-top solidbody electric guitars generally. Since its reintroduction in 1968, driven by the Standard’s popularity with hard rock and blues-playing guitarists, Gibson has continued to refine and expand the lineup with modern enhancements. These include innovative switching options such as coil tapping for low-noise single-coil tones, as well as out-of-phase and direct-through capabilities, in addition to the legendary humbucker rumble. The solid, one-piece quarter-sawn mahogany neck has an asymmetrical SlimTaper profile, and is topped with a compound-radius fretboard for effortless chording and lightning-fast leads.
The mahogany body now features carefully routed chambers to enhance sustain and resonance, while also providing weight relief. Tops are carved in standard-, AA-, or AAA-grade premium figured maple. Finishes include the familiar Heritage Cherry Sunburst and Goldtop options, as well as Light Burst, Honey Burst, Fireball, Ebony, Blue Mist, Translucent Amber or Black, and other special-edition finishes. If you’ve ever wondered how guitar heroes like Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Slash, and Mike Bloomfield got their killer tones, a large part of the equation lies in the guitar itself—the Gibson Les Paul Standard.
The 2014 LP Standard includes a full slate of 120th Anniversary features including the innovative Min-ETune automatic tuning system. (Read more about all the new tweaks for 2014 below.) BurstBucker Pro 1+2 pickups with push/pull coil tapping, phase changing, and pure bypass make this one of the most sonically powerful and versatile Standards ever.
The Gibson
2014 LP Standard has a lavish AAA flamed maple top housing fat-toned BurstBuckers Pro 1+2 pickups and is equipped with the amazing Min-ETune auto tuning system.
Gibson Les Paul Traditional
Beneath its AA figured maple top the LP Traditional has a non-chambered mahogany body to maximize its old-school sustain characteristics. The late-50s neck profile and TonePros vintage-style tuners maintain the traditional look and feel while ‘59 Tribute humbuckers with orange drop caps serve up the classic LP tonal recipe. It’s a Paul for the true traditionalist. The 2014 version has new, larger strap buttons, a Graph Tech nut, Max Grip speed knobs, and it comes in an historic 120th Anniversary brown hard case with pink plush interior.
With its non weight-relieved body, AA maple top, and ‘59 Tribute ‘buckers, the 2014
Les Paul Traditional is built for players who appreciate timeless Paul tone and aesthetics.
Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom 2
When the original LP Custom with its tuxedo-like black-and-white color scheme and PAF pickups debuted in 1957, it was promoted as a classier variation on the Goldtop, dressed for elegant occasions. That was the concept, but the reality proved to be something else: The Custom became one of the most popular axes among preeminent heavy rock and blues players who rarely hit the black-tie circuit.
The current incarnation—the Custom 2—has a traditional weight-relieved mahogany body with a bound, carved maple top and quarter-sawn neck with a very comfortable, slim profile. Its classic throaty midrange LP tone is produced by a pair of ‘57 Classic humbuckers built with Alnico II magnets and wound with enamel 42-AWG wire just like the original PAFs. Classic indeed!
‘57 Classic ‘buckers with coil taps give the
Custom 2 both traditional fat humbucking and bright, hum-free single-coil sounds.
