KEY FEATURES
LES PAUL TRIBUTE
PRICE £999 (inc. gigbag)
DESCRIPTION Single cutaway electric guitar. Made in USA
BUILD Mahogany back with ‘ultra modern’ weight relief, maple
top, set maple neck with 12"/304.8mm radius rosewood
ƼōġĈŸùŕÝŸāƤĭƇĩÝûŸƪńĭûƇŸÝŴĈƳŕĭāĭōńÝƪžɕɀɀŋĈāĭƍŋɫĽƍŋùŕğŸĈƇžɕ
Graph Tech nut
HARDWAREńƍŋĭōĭƍŋsÝžĩƣĭńńĈƍōĈɫŕɫŋÝƇĭûùŸĭāġĈɕ
ÝńƍŋĭōĭƍŋžƇŕŴƇÝĭńŴĭĈûĈɕƣĭōƇÝġĈɫžƇƪńĈŋÝûĩĭōĈĩĈÝāž
ELECTRICS 490R (neck) and 490T (bridge) humbuckers,
ɀƩƣŕńƍŋĈɕɀƩƇŕōĈɕɁɫƤÝƪƇŕġġńĈžĈńĈûƇŕŸžƤĭƇûĩ
SCALE LENGTH 24.75"/628.6mm
NECK WIDTH 42.8mm at nut, 52.4mm at 12th fret
NECK DEPTHɀȿɚɅŋŋÝƇƼŸžƇğŸĈƇɕɀɃɚȿŋŋÝƇȿɀƇĩğŸĈƇ
STRING SPACING 35.6mm at nut, 50.8mm at bridge
WEIGHT 3.49kg/7.7lb
FINISH Satin Tobacco Burst nitrocellulose (as reviewed), Satin
Iced Tea, Satin Honeyburst, Satin Cherry Sunburst
CONTACT Gibson gibson.comso, and at a shade under 9lb, it’s lighter than many
50s instruments and balances well, whether seated
or standing.
The rosewood ’board is a darker and more
attractive slab than the Tribute’s lighter, purple-Upgraded from the recent Les Paul Studio Tribute,
the new Les Paul Tribute model features crowns
rather than dots and covered rather than uncovered
humbuckers, while you also get the chunkier strap
buttons that Gibson has used extensively of late.
The mahogany body is also weight relieved.
The exposed edges of the plain maple top create
a faux-bound effect that complements the golden-
brown tone of the maple neck, while the Satin
Tobacco Burst is joined in the range by three other
satin options that ape the various stages of Burst fade:
Iced Tea, Honeyburst and Cherry Sunburst.
Turning our attention to the Standard – which
has much in common with the previous Traditional
model – there’s a hard brown case this time,
rather than a deluxe gigbag, with a handle that’s
considerably more comfortable than they were in the
1950s, with more reliable clasps and plush red lining.
When it comes to the guitar inside, you get gloss
lacquer, real binding and a striking figured top instead
of the Tribute’s plain grain. Strap buttons revert to
daintier, vintage-style units, but it’s not exactly a
tough mod if you prefer something more secure.
With no weight relief and a one-piece mahogany
back, it’s a heavier guitar, but certainly not excessivelyA real-world gigging guitar that’s stripped down but
9 /10 wears its heritage on its sleeveABOVE The Les Paul Tribute
in Satin Tobacco Burst is
weight relieved and features
a maple neck
REVIEWS
30