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| Gibson® Les Paul Standard Double Cut Plus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ©MMIII by Darrell Young | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Features |
Guitar Review Series |
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B.B. King has his Lucille, and I have my Lisa! This little gal is my cool Gibson Les Paul Standard Double Cut Plus in transparent red. She is a 2003 USA Standard model made in Nashville Tennessee USA. This "Plus" model has nice gold hardware, and a solid "figured" (carved-not laminate) maple top on a mahogany body. The neck is mahogany, so that the neck and body will match. The Rosewood fingerboard has "Pearloid" trapezoid inlays, and is bound with a creme colored binding. I formerly played an Gibson Epiphone DOT, and thought the neck was great on that one, but this Les Paul (LP) is the most amazing thing I have ever played. |
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The LP has relatively tall frets, which make it much easier to do pull-offs, and probably cut down on fingerboard wear. You do have to be careful about putting too much pressure on the strings with a tall fret, else you'll find yourself sharpening the note slightly. I had to learn NOT to press hard on the string. But, there's no need to, anyway, with this action. Smoooooth! The neck is the thin 60s style. I prefer the thinner necks since I have short fingers. It is much easier to play without having to reach all the way around by bringing the elbow up front. I love this neck! Best I've ever played on any guitar ever. Pretty creme-colored binding on the neck, too. |
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My LP has a beautiful Transparent Red maple top. The body and neck are mahogony. The pickups are the 490R in neck position, and the 498T in bridge position. They really provide that sustained thick sound that LPs are famous for. You can play about any style of music with an LP. The incredible sound will improve your playing! The bridge is the famous Tune-O-Matic/Stop Tailpiece style. I love this bridge, cause it gives me a place to put my hand when I'm flatpicking, plus its easy to palm mute by moving your hand slightly. It's also very easy to set the intonation by simply turning the Tune-O-Matic's flat-head screws thereby moving the little bridge blocks forward and back. There's a close-up of the bridge below. |
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The excellent Grover® tuning machines keep the strings in tune very well. The fine look and function of the enclosed tuners add to the quality and sound of this guitar. Grovers are the best! It came with the standard Gibson brown vinyl hard case. Gibson's tech specs say a black case, but mine was brown. The inside of the case is wonderful, with plush fur, and a silky cover for the guitar. The outside of the case is cheap looking, and doesn't wear well. If you don't belive me, check eBay and see what the cases look like after a few years. Gibson should do better with their cases. I went out and bought a nice ABS hard plastic and aluminum case, so now I'm happy. |
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| Sound | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The controls are very simple on this LP Double-Cut. I have a Volume knob, a Tone knob, and a 3-way switch. That's all! On other electrics I've played, I'm constantly fiddling around with the knobs. On this LP, I set them to wide open and set the tone with my amp. If I need to turn the volume down a bit, I'll use the LP knob. I love these simple controls. Some might think that they are losing control over the sound by not having individual controls for each pickup, but I don't agree. I bought this LP partially BECAUSE it had only two knobs and one switch (3-way). |
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I like to set my tone on the amp, or use foot controls. The sound is blended through one set of controls. Much easier to deal with, in my opinion. Here is a Gibson webpage with a similar LP being played. I play mostly the blues, although some rock and jazz slip in from time-to-time. I am not a metal player or heavy rocker. I like heavy guitar as long as it does not get out of control, and has a great melody. It is fun to play screaming distorted fuzz licks, but it's like progressive Jazz to me. I can only tolerate it for a little while, then it's back to melody. I play my LP through a Zoom Fire-30 modeling amp. It brings out all kinds of sounds from my LP. Low-cost amp, but great sound. Check out my review of the amp here. The sound of an LP is a classic sound. When I was younger I played a Fender® Telecaster, and was used to the twangy highs and midrange sound of that fine guitar. Then someone handed me a Gibson Les Paul®, and I was amazed at the difference. The power of the instrument is overwhelming. Much deeper bass and mid-range. The highs are not as twangy or piercing as a tele or strat, but since I play blues I don't particularly need to rupture the eardrums and break the glasses of my listeners with screams of 10KHz wavelengths. I would much rather vibrate their drinks off the tables with the gravel and bite of a roaring bass and mid-range. The LP makes perfectly acceptable (painful) highs when needed, but they have depth. Unless you've played an LP you probably won't understand this. It's like the difference between a fast moving shallow stream and a roaring flooded river. The Les Paul simply roars. |
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| Factory Setup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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My LP was set up fairly well from the factory. I lowered the action a bit, and set the intonation a little. It could have been better intonated from the factory, but it's so easy to set that I did not mind. The pickups were set a little low, so I raised them until they made the sound I wanted. Everyone is different as to adjustment on a neck and pickups. If Gibson set it low, the metal pounders would scream. If high, the blues/jazz crowd would whine. They take the middle ground, and make it easy for you to set your own action and pickups. |
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I have absolutely NO complaints about the action. It is the best neck I've ever felt on any guitar I've played...period! The routing is clean, the figured maple top, and mahogony body and neck are beautiful. The finish is great. Nothing was loose, rusted, or buzzing. The gold hardware set against the red finish is eye wateringly lovely. With the quality Grover tuners, she stays in tune, even after a hard session. What a sweet guitar! I can't wait to get home from work to play this baby. I've named her Lisa. Whew! |
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I was disappointed in my LPs finish in a couple of spots. I found a partial fingerprint in the finish on the top ear edge where you attach the strap. And on the bottom edge, near the place you plug the cable, the finish has a streak or buffing scratch. I expected more from a $1,500.00 USD guitar. So far, this has been my only disappointment. Listen Gibson! I am not complaining too much, 'cause you couldn't pry this guitar outta my hands long enough to correct these small blemishes. I swallow and say, "Well, she has character." |
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| I think any Les Paul will stand up to many years of constant use. The hardware is heavy and will last. The finish will get scratched up with use. But, Gibson's Nitro-Cellulose coatings make it fairly easy to buff out minor scratches. I'm sure I'll wear the finish where my arm touches the guitar, and in the area under the bridge pickup. I fingerpick a lot. But, who cares. I make music. I can always have this baby refinished if I need to. The strap buttons are very solid. I feel like I could depend on this LP for years of gigs. I would use it without a backup, if I had to, but I have so many guitars that I won't. |
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| Customer Support | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I wrote the company about the blemishes in the finish. They sent me an e-mail, telling me how much they loved me and that I should take it to a dealer to have the blemishes fixed. They sent me a list of local dealers. I am satisfied with their support. I doubt I'll do anything about the small blemishes, since they are small, and I am, maybe, overly picky. But, it is good to know that Gibson is willing to do something about this if I choose to follow through. My LP has a Limited Lifetime Warranty. I'd be willing to bet that she outlives me. I'm glad my kids like music. |
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| Final Thoughts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I've been playing for about 35 years. I have lots of other guitars, but this baby is my "special" one. She gets the love of a soft case, and a great stand. I polish her after each session. Her finish is simply beautiful. People smile when they see her! If my LP was stolen, I would mourn for a while, then go buy her twin sister. I've compared my LP to other guitars such as Gibson ES-335s, Ibanez GAX series, Fender Strat, etc. I choose the LP Double-Cut for the power of her sound, and her great looks. I wish I had two of them! Listen...save up your money and buy one of these. This is what I call a "lifetime" guitar. You can play your guitar permanently. There are a lot of people out there who will expertly repair and adjust a real Gibson. Why settle for a lesser guitar? |
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Below
are some additional images of my Lisa, and furthur below are Gibson's
technical specs for the LP Double-Cut. I hope this helps you decide
to buy her twin sister. I hear her name is Mary. Get her quick before
the other guy does! |
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