6064 – Gibson 60’s Les Paul Standard – ice tea burst – used/2022

Maybe an easy statement to say that all Les Paul Standards are the same – Yet in truth it is far from that – Granted some variations are subtle, but in the main, Gibson have made many adjustments to the LP Standard, especially from the mid 70’s onwards, when it was brought back into the Gibson catalogue – Some changes have been more popular than others – Some have just been so wrong – That Neutrik locking jack socket – Maple neck – Maybe the less said the better about the 2015 models with ‘Robot’ tuners, a wider fingerboard and zero fret – 14 degree headstock angle – And many negative comments towards various forms of ‘weight relief’ – Personally I’m not anti all the changes – I appreciate playing styles have expanded over the years and many players are looking for a guitar that will allow them to ‘maximise’ a more flamboyant technique – Other builders/luthiers have created new models that appeal to such players – But in my opinion you should not mess around with a Les Paul Standard – Leave it as it should be – Create a Les Paul with new fresh and exciting ideas, but call it ‘Les Paul Modern’ ‘Les Paul Elite’ or whatever – But leave the LP Standard alone  – So it is kind of good news that from around 2019, Gibson have taken this on board and re-introduced the LP Standard as we expect it to be – Hopefully to make it easy to follow and understand there are now 2 models – 50’s or 60’s, with the size of the neck the only difference – 50’s is a touch fatter – The enclosed factory tag/flyer confirms this as a LPS600ITNH which equates to Gibson 60’s Les Paul Standard, with an ice tea sunburst finish – The serial number and again the flyer/tag confirm the date of birth as 2022 – So in no particular order let me update you with a host of info :-

• Whole guitar weighs 8lbs and 13oz – Perfectly credible when you realise we are now talking about an LP, with a mahogany body, that features no ‘weight relief’ – Excluding Historic Collection/Custom Shop Vintage Replica models, just about all LP’s, from around 1982, have been built with various forms of weight relief
• Note 2 piece mahogany body
• 2 piece figured maple top with a nitro gloss ‘ice tea sunburst’ finish
• Graphtec nut
• Grover Rotomatic machine heads with ‘kidney’ tuning buttons
• All nickel hardware including the ABR-1 style bridge plus light weight tailpiece
• One piece mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard – 60’s profile, so comfortable depth that is less meaty – C profile – measures .858″ around the top nut end and fattens out to .959″ around the 12th fret – Very close to what PRS call ‘wide/fat’ and a tad slimmer than the 50’s version
• Amber top hat control knobs, with centre ‘disc’
• Orange drop tone caps
• Audio taper 500K pots
• Gibson custom voiced/wound 61R + 61T Burst Buckers – alnico V magnets – Neck measures 7.63K – Bridge measures 7.69K – So very much ‘PAF’ spec’d
• Complete with the deluxe Gibson case, Gibson strap, manual and various paperwork
• Re-strung with a set of 10-46 gauge strings and set-up with a slinky easy to handle action that responds to a light touch
• Condition wise, it might not quite earn that ‘as new’ or ‘mint condition’ tag – But it is a close call – I found a slight mark on the headstock, Low E side, where it has probably rested on a guitar stand/holder – Nothing nasty – But overall an exceptionally clean guitar, so be prepared to look carefully to find a hint of a graze to the nitro gloss finish – If you can find a graze it will be subtle and skin deep at worse – Even the nickel hardware barely shows any of the usual signs of tarnish/oxidization – I probably need to add an edit to the ‘condition report’ – My earlier comments are still accurate as to the condition of top clear nitro gloss finish – But look under the gloss finish, and in a couple of places and you’ll see the odd signs of Gibson’s infamous QC – More a hint of ‘orange peel’ due to lack of care on final buffing – Not an issue for many and not so much a fault, more a case of Gibson’s regular QC

Tonal character :- Nothing new to report here – It does what you’d expect from a good LP Standard, so I’m only going to copy/quote what I’ve said before –  Do you start of with a cleaner amp setting, that is on the edge of overdrive, for that Pete Green character, or add more overdrive for that sultry Kossoff character, or add even more gain to take you in the direction of the Moore/Bonamassa house hold ? – These tend to be reference points that many of us judge LP’s by, or certainly the tonal characteristics many strive for when playing a LP – The pots are fully interactive, so leaving them on 10  will seriously limit the subtle, yet effective, variations that you can obtain by rolling them back, as required – Use the pots correctly and you can almost leave the amp alone, allowing you to control the emotion, soul and gain levels from the guitar itself, so maybe just utilise an additional gain switch or pedal when you require that ‘turbo’ boost – On hi gain amp settings, pinched harmonics are easy to find, whilst scorching lead licks possess a bite and edge, yet still retain a musical vintage character – Remember a softer voice can be found just by rolling off the volume pot a touch  – From succulent warmth and soul, to a throaty musical bite this LP is packed with expression – The neck pick-up is sultry, whilst the bridge pick up has that throaty bite and bark, with tight focussed lows and smooth highs that sizzle, whilst possessing just enough mids to thicken up the overall voice – At all times you’ll find and LP with an open voice, with mids that do not overpower, yet still thicken up the overall character, excellent articulation and above all, warmth and soul – Further more it blossom and blooms when you play those moody blues licks – It is hard not to judge an LP by playing a few Kossoff, Green or Moore style licks and when you do, you instantly know you are somewhat in the right direction – Yet try a few Robben Ford style licks and  chords and it is equally jazz/blues flavoured with clarity, warmth and excellent note separation – It certainly captures all the key attributes that many  LP fans desire and should offer years of satisfaction to any potential buyer

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Guitars4You is not another corporate high street guitar store - My selection of premium grade guitars is about quality not quantity. Every guitar has been selected, inspected and approved by me, with particular attention to the set-up and playing performance. Every sale, phone call, email and mail order transaction is handled by me. A journey that is now over 40 years old, has fuelled my knowledge, experience, love, devotion and passion for exceptionally fine guitars.