With so many variations, there is literally a Les Paul for everybody’s taste, the latest of which is the Les Paul Traditional Mahogany Top.
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This guitar is meant for players who prefer the look, weight and feel of traditional LP design, but prefers having a mahogany top over the usual maple.
The label “Traditional” means that the body of this Les Paul is unrouted, just like how old production models were made. It does not have the modern weight reducing chambers that are now implemented on current production models. Although the effect on tone should be unrecognizable according to a study, some players claim that having they can hear the difference and that a true solid body Les Paul sounds and sustains better.
The Limited Edition Gibson Les Paul Traditional Mahogany Top brings this classic design for today’s player to enjoy, and adds a minor twist by employing a carved maple top. According to the company, this combination gives this particular model improved punch and sustain, and that could be debatable – but what’s undeniable is the elegant and earthy look that it gives to the instrument.
The neck of is carved from solid mahogany into a rounded XL profile and glued in to the unrouted mahogany body, essentially making this guitar an all-mahogany Les Paul. The neck is topped by a one-piece rosewood fretboard with Pearl trapezoid inlays. It has 22 frets, a wider than usual 1.795″ nut width, and a fingerboard radius of 12″. And note that the nut is made from Cryogenically Treated Nickel Plated Brass Top, an interesting modern twist for a guitar that’s labeled as modern.
Gibson equipped this guitar with two ’59 Tribute humbuckers which are vintage voiced. They are routed to four Orange Drop capacitor equipped knobs that allow for independent volume and tone control for the two pickups.
Another modern addition to this guitar is the G-Force mechanical automatic tuner, a feature that is expected to be seen on many 2015 Gibson production models. Other features include a tune-o-matic bridge with Titanium saddles, stopbar tailpiece, and cream binding for the body and fretboard.
Gibson says that each guitar will be hand numbered with a three-digit number indicating its place in the total number of guitars made“. The MSRP for the Gibson Les Paul Traditional Mahogany Top is $2,999, for more information visit Gibson.
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