I'm a believer.

I HATE STUDIOS

Not because they suck, or Gball likes his, or Mitch, or Ampmad...

BUT because I used to have one and no longer do. Mine only cost me $650 with a case too. It was that sweet GREEN version.
Like this:

s-l1600.jpg

That was such an awesome color. I had a LP Standard DC in that green for a while and thought it was fantastic.
 
I love hearing the truth and real facts about Gibson ownership. Especially Gibson’s current products, and from their actual customers. While I’ll admit that there are real experiences that have gone bad, the vast majority by far has been positive experiences.

I've owned four Gibsons. You all may recall when I built my Studio up from a husk.

All my Gibsons have been fine guitars and the Studio husk was an excellent foundation for a build.
 
In the Les Paul Studio. I had these two out for a jam this weekend and ended up playing the Studio most of the time. I picked this guitar up back in December - it's an AMS/Zzounds exclusive with the gold hardware. I always thought it was a killer look.



Anyway, there is really something going on with Studios I am finding out. The slightly thinner body, weight relief and thin neck make it feel so different from other carved-top LPs but at the same time completely familiar. The 490/498 pickups are hot and tight but controllable, its seriously built to rock. The stripped-down look with gold harware is really working for me too.

It's been an eye-opener getting to know this guitar. I always thought the simpler look was cool but the only Studio I had in the past was a Studio Lite, which is a very different beast. I think I will be playing this guitar a lot more than I originally expected when I got it - it really is not in any way a "lesser" Les Paul.

I suppose congratulations go without saying, but let me say it anyway:

Congratulations!
 
Never had that happen once in, I dunno, 40 years of using them - I never even had a strap button loosen up. And I move around a lot when I play. Come to think of it you are the first person I have ever heard say that - the only people I know who lost a headstock lost it from the guitar falling over on a stand or something similar.

Indeed interesting. All the headstock breaks that i receive here are either dropped from a strap failure (most guys use no kind of lock at all) and more and more are using the "Joe B" washers, which are essentially a Grolsch knock-off - and perhaps most common - bumping the headstock going through a stage doorway.
 
Tbis is a TON of work. Because it happened at a venue, they didn’t recover all the chipped-away pieces.

20230130_203026.jpg

There's a large pieve of cream binding missing that i will need to "fix" by filling with baking soda and super glue, then paiting to match.

20230220_194709.jpg

The chipped-away portion on the face of the headstock is being filled in with layer after layer of black nail polish, then the entire headstock face will be shellac'd, wet sanded and polished.

20230220_192907.jpg
 
I use the Grolsch / rubber washers too.
I have had the screws loosen do and check them regularly.
A couple of those were stock small screws.
I put larger and longer screws in and usually dont have them come loose, but I still check.

The Firefly Jazzmaster copy had short small screws, I just solved that with a pair of mighty Well-Hung Pro Pins!!
 
I use the Grolsch / rubber washers too.
I have had the screws loosen do and check them regularly.
A couple of those were stock small screws.
I put larger and longer screws in and usually dont have them come loose, but I still check.

The Firefly Jazzmaster copy had short small screws, I just solved that with a pair of mighty Well-Hung Pro Pins!!

On a "working guitar," i apply wood glue to the straplock screws and make the install permanent, if the user has no objections.
 
Black & gold is a classy look. Truly classic, especially on a Les Paul.
Always felt a model that's sort of in between the Standard and the Special was a good idea.
Classic form but not quite so Spartan.

Don't have any LP Studios but I do have two Firebird Studios.
 
Never had that happen once in, I dunno, 40 years of using them - I never even had a strap button loosen up. And I move around a lot when I play. Come to think of it you are the first person I have ever heard say that - the only people I know who lost a headstock lost it from the guitar falling over on a stand or something similar.

Indeed interesting. All the headstock breaks that i receive here are either dropped from a strap failure (most guys use no kind of lock at all) and more and more are using the "Joe B" washers, which are essentially a Grolsch knock-off - and perhaps most common - bumping the headstock going through a stage doorway.
My only headstock break in nearly fifty years of Gibsons was from falling off a stand. A roadie yanked on a mic cord that was behind the stand; the guitar (a nice Standard-80) fell forward and landed directly on its nut. Tommy Doyle repaired the damage for me; he did a bang-up job and refinished the back of the headstock as a stinger. It was rock solid but the guitar sounded hard & bright after that and was never as lively.

~~

Years ago I had straplocks on any guitars that I gigged, to stay secure even with lots of motion.
(Except for PRSi which have always had big buttons and don't need anything else.)
These days I'm happy with the D'Addario plastic locking clips. Any strap, any guitar.
The only axes of mine that still have straplocks on them have had 'em for twenty or thirty years. Or longer.

I trust rubber or silicone Grolsch washers at home but not for live shows - not with a Les Paul anyway.
I've used them over the back-of-neck strap button on my Thunderbird for gigs, though.

~~

I've had any number of strap buttons loosen up over the decades; one or two actually pulled out.
Come to think of it, some of the ones that loosened had straplocks.
I blamed the fact that those guitars were being gigged often and vigorously.
But it might actually have been due to short screws.

Toothpicks and Elmer's glue always worked fine. Haven't needed anything stronger.
I'm not dancing around like I used to.
 
Bea
In the Les Paul Studio. I had these two out for a jam this weekend and ended up playing the Studio most of the time. I picked this guitar up back in December - it's an AMS/Zzounds exclusive with the gold hardware. I always thought it was a killer look.

View attachment 90014

Anyway, there is really something going on with Studios I am finding out. The slightly thinner body, weight relief and thin neck make it feel so different from other carved-top LPs but at the same time completely familiar. The 490/498 pickups are hot and tight but controllable, its seriously built to rock. The stripped-down look with gold harware is really working for me too.

It's been an eye-opener getting to know this guitar. I always thought the simpler look was cool but the only Studio I had in the past was a Studio Lite, which is a very different beast. I think I will be playing this guitar a lot more than I originally expected when I got it - it really is not in any way a "lesser"

In the Les Paul Studio. I had these two out for a jam this weekend and ended up playing the Studio most of the time. I picked this guitar up back in December - it's an AMS/Zzounds exclusive with the gold hardware. I always thought it was a killer look.

View attachment 90014

Anyway, there is really something going on with Studios I am finding out. The slightly thinner body, weight relief and thin neck make it feel so different from other carved-top LPs but at the same time completely familiar. The 490/498 pickups are hot and tight but controllable, its seriously built to rock. The stripped-down look with gold harware is really working for me too.

It's been an eye-opener getting to know this guitar. I always thought the simpler look was cool but the only Studio I had in the past was a Studio Lite, which is a very different beast. I think I will be playing this guitar a lot more than I originally expected when I got it - it really is not in any way a "lesser" Les Paul.
I was not aware the studio was thinner?
It's also carved top?

My Black Les Paul Studio is from 1990
No weight relief. Very heavy.
 
I was not aware the studio was thinner?
It's also carved top?

My Black Les Paul Studio is from 1990
No weight relief. Very heavy.
I built up my Les Paul Studio from a 2007 husk. It was around a 1/4" thinner than my Les Paul Custom. The Studio was extensively chambered and was much lighter than my Custom. The top of my Studio was slightly arched.
 
My only headstock break in nearly fifty years of Gibsons was from falling off a stand. A roadie yanked on a mic cord that was behind the stand; the guitar (a nice Standard-80) fell forward and landed directly on its nut. Tommy Doyle repaired the damage for me; he did a bang-up job and refinished the back of the headstock as a stinger. It was rock solid but the guitar sounded hard & bright after that and was never as lively.

~~

Years ago I had straplocks on any guitars that I gigged, to stay secure even with lots of motion.
(Except for PRSi which have always had big buttons and don't need anything else.)
These days I'm happy with the D'Addario plastic locking clips. Any strap, any guitar.
The only axes of mine that still have straplocks on them have had 'em for twenty or thirty years. Or longer.

I trust rubber or silicone Grolsch washers at home but not for live shows - not with a Les Paul anyway.
I've used them over the back-of-neck strap button on my Thunderbird for gigs, though.

~~

I've had any number of strap buttons loosen up over the decades; one or two actually pulled out.
Come to think of it, some of the ones that loosened had straplocks.
I blamed the fact that those guitars were being gigged often and vigorously.
But it might actually have been due to short screws.

Toothpicks and Elmer's glue always worked fine. Haven't needed anything stronger.
I'm not dancing around like I used to.

Thing that got me hooked on Grolsch washers was almost losing a Les Paul to a failed Dunlop straplock. I vowed to never use straplocks again and have never had the slightest issue with the washers gigging or otherwise.

Bea



I was not aware the studio was thinner?
It's also carved top?

My Black Les Paul Studio is from 1990
No weight relief. Very heavy.

Yup, about 1/4" thinner body currently - they have changed the dimensions periodically over the years and some years are the same thickness as a Standard, etc. The top is the same as any other carved-top LP. I'm finding that I really like the feel of the thinner body and somehow it doesn't have the honky midrange that the weight relieved guitars usually have.
 
This for the studio
Electronics:Original Gibson P90 pickups and electronics, with 3-way toggle switch and volume/tone controls for each pickup
Pickup Measurements:8.1k (neck), 8.2k (bridge)
Hardware:The strap buttons have been replaced with strap locks.
Weight:9lbs 2oz
Modifications/Repairs:Strap locks have been installed.
Case Details:Original hardshell case
 
This for the studio
Electronics:Original Gibson P90 pickups and electronics, with 3-way toggle switch and volume/tone controls for each pickup
Pickup Measurements:8.1k (neck), 8.2k (bridge)
Hardware:The strap buttons have been replaced with strap locks.
Weight:9lbs 2oz
Modifications/Repairs:Strap locks have been installed.
Case Details:Original hardshell case

I really wanted one of those P-90 Studios, have never found the right one. If P-90s are your thing they are super cool.
 
And this
ModelWeight
Standard9-12lbs (4-5.5kg)
Custom9-11lbs (4-5kg)
Junior7-8lbs (3.1-3.6kg)
Special7-8lbs (3.1-3.6kg)
Studio8lbs (3.6kg)
Traditional9-10lbs (4-4.5kg)
Tribute8lbs (3.6kg)
Deluxe9-10lbs (4-4.5kg)
 
And this
ModelWeight
Standard9-12lbs (4-5.5kg)
Custom9-11lbs (4-5kg)
Junior7-8lbs (3.1-3.6kg)
Special7-8lbs (3.1-3.6kg)
Studio8lbs (3.6kg)
Traditional9-10lbs (4-4.5kg)
Tribute8lbs (3.6kg)
Deluxe9-10lbs (4-4.5kg)

Seems pretty accurate.

My Standard is right about 10
My Custom is right around 11
My Special is about 7-1/2
My Studio is right about 8
My Traditional is 9.5
Not listed is the Classic - Mine is about 9.5
 
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