Here Today... Gone To Hell!

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thats mine, it's a 2005 model and I bought it new. I really like mine, I play different types of music and  a Gibson Les Paul is a very versatile axe.. After having it for a couple years I have upgraded to  a Gibson Custom Shop

get an orville on ebay. They feel more like standards and customs than studios do. And they sound better. Studios have a bent back neck angle. the orvilles are just 1 or 2 lbs lighter. i love mine and will never sell it

If you're gonna be spending that much on a guitar, don't waste it on a studio.  Ask your parents to put the money aside and then you should try and save the rest of the money to buy a standard.

Depends on what you want. I know from your "catastrophe" thread that you're used to playing quality instruments, and you surely know the fundamental rule: regardless of model, or price, or name on the headstock, some guitars rock, and some do not. Having said that:

Studios are great guitars for the money.

"Studio" is actually a pretty broad product line for Gibson. The basic Studio is (essentially) a Standard without the bells and whistles; but Gibson has other guitars in this line that are really very different from a Standard. Available models vary by year, but over the last decade, you've got three basic categories. Let's break it down to avoid confusion:

- alternative woods: like the "smartwood" or swamp ash, these guitars use atypical woods (atypical for les pauls, not necessarily guitars in general)... they are nice, but have a distinct tone. They don't sound like standards. More like teles (from the one time I played a swamp ash).
Ex: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-Les-Paul-Swamp-Ash-Studio-Electric-Guitar?sku=517513

- mahogany slabs: this is like an LP special with humbuckers instead of p90s. Body is all mahogany. I think there was a thread about them on here not too long ago. I think they list for $800, but you can find them on sale sometimes as cheap as $600. Also have a distinct voice, a little darker than a standard.
Ex: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-Les-Paul-Vintage-Mahogany-Electric-Guitar?sku=517536

- Plain old "les paul studio" : This is basically a "standard lite" ("lite" as in features, not as in weight).

Maple top + Mahogany body + set Mahogany neck + humbuckers. It's a for-real les paul.

Ex.: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-Les-Paul-Studio-Electric-Guitar?sku=517030

You can get almost any color, from good old cherry sunburst to alpine white "custom" style. That nice looking wine red number a few posts up has the gold hardware like a Les Paul Custom, and the ebony fingerboard, a feature usually reserved for the custom line. Very nice.

Where it varies from the standard:
- no binding on the body or neck
- slightly thinner body (I believe this is still true); this does not equate to lighter weight, though, as better cuts of wood in more expensive LPs weigh less
- different pickups. The studio's pickups are hotter, although select Studio models actually have the standard burstbuckers, I think
- neck is a little thicker - no option for a "60's style" slim neck, as on the standards.

Otherwise, they're almost identical. Same hardware. Same electronics, apart from the pickups. Same neck pitch.

And you can find these used for $800-900... sometimes even less.

Confused yet? and that's just one line.. throw in the Specials and Jrs and Classics and Double Cuts and Standards and Customs and Historics...

And as you surely know, the guitar is really only half of your tone - what kind of amp are you using?

Bottom line: if you're looking for that classic Les Paul sound & styling, you can get it from a studio and the right amp. Throw in a couple budget minded upgrades and that studio will stand toe to toe with any standard - and knock quite a few of them on the ass. Don't knock the Studio just because it's less expensive. (Although I'd definitely try to find one on used or on sale, $1,200 is pretty steep.)

You will find some studios that play better than others, some that are made of better cuts of wood, some that have a finer touch on the finish. But that's true of the standards as well. Hell, you can probably find some $3,000 Historics that are duds. That's mass production, that's Gibson.

Go out and PLAY a shitload. You'll find a gem. Buying online from a discount retailer is a crapshoot.

[Frankly... I personally feel that the "studio price point" ($1,200 or so retail) is what the Standards should sell for, and everything below it should be adjusted accordingly.. but that's definitely a dead horse topic.]

If you really want a Standard, you'll probably never be totally satisfied until you have one. But if you're just looking for a great guitar for a good price, Studios are a smart choice.

Remember one thing though: buying into Gibson means buying into a lifetime of envy. Buy a Studio, crave a Standard. Buy a Standard, crave a Custom. Buy a Custom, crave an Historic. There's always something better out there... you know, unless you actually own an original '59.

This is THE ONLY time I will say this , but you should look at higher end Epi's.

Hey DoctorNo... thats some good advice you gave there :)



Epi? Nah man... makes me sick. Just like Squire does to Fender.


If you're wanting the dogs bollocks of guitars... make sure you get it. Dont settle for second best.
My mate found a super nice Les Paul Custom second hand for ?800... and seriously, it was shit hot. :D

Shop around. :)

The Alpine White Studio is the only in that line to come with Ebony fretboard, all others have rosewood... it's all really personal preference, what some may like others may not.. Like I said, I've had my studio for a couple years, but I really wanted a custom shop when I got the studio and two years later I'm getting one and at $3,299.99 it will be my guitar for a long while... I don't recommend getting a used guitar..ever, but thats just my opinion... I don't suggest buying a used car either.. If you are really wanting a standard then save, save, save and get it because you won't be happy until you have one...IMO

I don't really know much about MIJ guitars, but I believe the Epi Elitist series is made in Japan (unlike the lower end Korean or Chinese Epis), in the same plant that the Orvilles used to be made in. I've never played one, but I understand that the workmanship is quite good, and I think they use Gibson components for the electronics. Like the Studios... don't knock em just because they don't cost $3,000. But for the price of an elitist, you can get a Gibson Studio.

For what it's worth, I've read about people who've ditched entire collections of Gibson for MIJ copies - from the Gibson Orvilles to Tokai to Burny, and Edwards makes a great guitar for the money. Personally (just personally) I would stick with Gibson for completely irrational reasons, but those made in Japan guitars have great reputations.


Depends on the year. You can find ebony boards on alpine, wine red, specialty colors like "metallic blue" that were released in the nineties. Personally I feel the difference is mostly cosmetic, although technically ebony boards should sound a little brighter and the rosewood a little warmer.


You're definitely entitled to that opinion, and there's something nice about being a guitar's first owner (as long as it hasn't been hanging on the wall in Guitar Center for six months), but there's a strong argument to be made for older instruments. Everything from the very quantifiable (aging of the wood) to the totally unquantifiable (mojo)... there are some very trustworthy and reliable dealers out there who will not do you wrong with used instruments.

Plus... Dave0090 here is used to playing strats that are older than he is, if I remember the other thread correctly.  :)


Going to have to agree with you there. You can find a standard for a reasonable price (if you're patient), and if it's what you really want, deep deep down in your rocker heart, you are simply not going to be satisfied with anything else.

So getting back to the OP - is a standard what you really want, Dave? If the real question is, "are the studios worth the price?" (especially used from a reputable dealer), then the answer is yes. If the real question is, "are the studios good supplements for the standards?" ... as a piece of wood with strings, yes; as a psychological icon, no. That pretty much goes for everything.

I have a Gibson Premium Plus, and let me tell you... IT KICKS ASS.

But, I have played the Studio many times and I am not talking down because it's low-priced. Pick one up, and play it. And then pick up a Standard or a Custom and feel the difference. There are some decent Studios, but they generally feel as cheap as a Mexican Strat.

Wood matters. The wood on the Studio is second class, and it has a thinner body. Which usually equals less tone. It is also lightweight. Which also equals less tone.

My friend plays a Music Man JP, and he said about the Studio: "Who would buy this?" Just remember that an amp is more important than the guitar. Check out decent Ibanezs ($200, almost just as well bulit as Studios), and nice Fender amps (Twin Reverb, Vibrolux, Hot Rod Deville).

Save up for the Standard.

Here are quality korean and japanese orvilles all better than studios

http://cgi.ebay.com/1991-Orville-Les-Paul-Custom_W0QQitemZ170127250083QQihZ007QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/1997-Orville-Gibson-Les-Paul-Standard_W0QQitemZ170127426072QQihZ007QQcategoryZ38086QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ORVILLE-GIBSON-LES-PAUL-TOKAI-STRINGS-GRECO-KNOBS-NICE_W0QQitemZ280130399717QQihZ018QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Orville-Les-Paul-Standard-Flamed-top-w-Duncan-pickup_W0QQitemZ140133452472QQihZ004QQcategoryZ38086QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem     <------ :drool: :drool: :drool:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Orville-By-Gibson-Japan-Les-Paul-Solid-Flame-Quilt-Top_W0QQitemZ160128554607QQihZ006QQcategoryZ38086QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem          <----- :drool: :drool: :drool:

Heres the scoop, these are made by Gibson. In the early 90s gibson went over to japan and korea to build guitars for the english market. The name gibson was taken so they used Orville (Orville Gibson's first name). I love my korean one to death.

Check out tokai copies too. They are good guitars

Buy a Heritage

I've always had a soft spot for hagstrom guitars!

try em out, a lot of guitar for the money.

personally I use the f200p as my main axe, money wasn't really a problem when I set out to uppgrade
and still I ended up with a guitar at the cost of 'bout 650 dollars.

Try a lot of guitars and don't lokk at the price tag quality and hig pricies is not the same.

Don?t get a studio.
I got 22 Gibson Les Paul Standard and one Studio, and it?s for sale now. It?s simply not good enough.

Did you say you have 22 Gibson Les Paul Standards? :o