Gibson Custom’s modern take on the classic Les Paul Custom design, packed with shred-friendly features including a Floyd Rose bridge.
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The Les Paul Custom Axcess Floyd is an interesting combination of traditional and progressive designs, stretching Gibson’s Custom team while still remaining rooted to the company’s classic guitar building expertise.
The Gibson Axcess line of instruments are known for catering to virtuosos, with big names like Alex Lifeson of Rush, Tommy Shaw of Styx and many more utilizing this instrument in their everyday grind. Now for 2016, Gibson is offering a Les Paul Custom inspired model that comes with a Floyd Rose bridge, and other improvements.
While it still looks like a Les Paul, the Les Paul Custom Axcess Floyd is far from just being a traditional instrument, rather Gibson Custom took whatever design changes necessary to ensure comfort, playability and tone. From the guitar’s weight-relieved body to the fast action neck, this is a different animal all together.
In keeping with old tradition, the guitar’s body is crafted from mahogany, while the carved top is crafted from maple. But it doesn’t just stop at following established norms because this one has a modern contour called “belly scarf” that allows the guitar to hug your body without the uncomfortable “digging in” sensation. While the effect of this subtle body shape change may not be immediately obvious, you’ll appreciate it the longer you play with the guitar.
The neck is also crafted from mahogany with a special neck profile that’s distinct to the Axcess line, where playability and comfort is prioritized. The neck joint has a special “heel-less” design that allows for fast and convenient playing in the upper frets. For some reason, Gibson Custom opted for a richlite fingerboard instead of the usual rosewood or ebony, but it may have a connection with playability and reliability. The fretboard edges are rolled, and the fretwork is up to par with other Gibson Custom instruments to ensure super easy playability.
For its tone, Gibson Custom opted for powerful ceramic humbuckers, the 496R on the rhythm position and 498T on the lead position. These pickups are described as suited for modern rock playing, capable of handling high-gain tones while having enough sensibilities for cleans. There’s also a coil split feature if you’re looking for chimey sparkling highs. Finally, the guitar has a Floyd Rose bridge for even more expressive control over your notes.
Other features of this guitar include 7-ply black/white/black top binding, 5-ply black/white/black back binding, Floyd Rose locking nut, block pearloid inlays, and gold LP Custom keys.
The MSRP for the new Les Paul Custom Axcess Floyd is $5,299. For more information, you can head over to Gibson.
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