While Les Paul remains deeply influential as a guitar player, perhaps his greatest legacy will be his contribution to the evolution of electric guitars. By 1951, Les Paul was a respected guitar player, and he was known as a bit of an innovator, too. He had experimented with the solid-body electric guitar concept for years, so Gibson president Ted McCarty approached him that year to discuss a collaboration. The result was the Gibson Les Paul Model, which remains one of the most influential and forward-thinking electric designs ever conceived. Since the 1950s, it has been the flagship of Gibson's electric lineup. Gibson introduced the Les Paul Studio in 1983 as a more cost-effective, stripped-down iteration of the model. It has no binding whatsoever, and its body is made of Alder. This cost-driven wood choice makes most Studios very different from a regular Les Paul, but in the mid-'90s, there were a select number of Studios made with a traditional Mahogany body and a Maple top. This iteration also featured a solid rosewood fingerboard, so with these particular examples, the only difference from a Les Paul Standard is the lack of binding. This 1995 Les Paul Studio sports a gorgeous Ebony lacquer finish with Gold Hardware. This is a relatively rare configuration, and it has aged beautifully over the years. When you remove either pickup, you can clearly see that it is not Alder—the body cavities reveal a solid Mahogany body with a Maple top. Compared to Gibson's current lower-end offerings (which have cheap finishes, cheap woods, and baked maple fingerboards), this guitar shows much more integrity and build quality. It is set up with two humbucking pickups, ABR-1 bridge, stop bar tailpiece, gold Kluson tuning machines, and traditional Les Paul controls. This 1995 Gibson Les Paul Studio is a great player with rich tone and the classic, singing sustain that makes the LP so special. It has been nicely preserved over the years, and it has a professional headstock repair. It's hard to spot with the naked eye, but the blacklight shows a very neat professional repair. The guitar shows general playwear, and in particular, the gold hardware has tarnished beautifully with age. The frets are pristine, and the current setup is smooth and easy. Deluxe Gibson USA hardshell case included.
