If the Les Paul Standard 50s is the guitar you picture when you think of the original Golden Era recipe, the Les Paul Standard 60s is what happens when that recipe gets a little faster, a little leaner, and a little more aggressive. And this Ebony Plain Top version looks absolutely killer while keeping the focus squarely on the guitar itself.
Under the gloss Ebony finish is the classic solid, non-weight-relieved mahogany body with a plain maple top. There’s no figured maple trying to steal the show here — just the unmistakable shape of a Les Paul and a finish that gives the whole guitar a wonderfully understated attitude. It's the kind of guitar that looks just as appropriate plugged into a cranked Marshall as it does sitting in a jazz club.
The real difference between the 50s and 60s versions becomes apparent when you pick it up. The mahogany neck features Gibson's 60s SlimTaper profile, giving it a noticeably quicker, more streamlined feel than the chunkier necks associated with 1950s Les Pauls. The rosewood fingerboard has a 12" radius and 22 medium jumbo frets, with the familiar acrylic trapezoid inlays. It's a very comfortable combination for everything from rhythm playing to big bends and lead work higher up the neck.
The pickups are a pair of 60s Burstbuckers, loaded with Alnico 5 magnets. Gibson designed these to capture the character of the Patent Number-era humbuckers of the early 1960s, and they have the clarity, punch, and harmonic complexity you'd expect from a great Gibson humbucker. Compared with the softer, rounder character of the 50s P-90 model we just talked about, these have a little more focus and authority — and they absolutely love an overdriven amplifier.
The electronics follow the traditional Les Paul formula with two volume controls, two tone controls, and a three-way toggle, but Gibson didn't cut corners on the components. The controls use audio-taper potentiometers and Orange Drop capacitors, giving you useful, musical control over the guitar's volume and tone. You can roll the volume back for cleaner sounds, push it wide open for full-on Gibson crunch, or use the individual controls to blend the pickups exactly where you want them.
Hardware is classic Les Paul all the way. You've got an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge, an aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece, and Grover Rotomatic tuners with Kidney buttons. Gold Top Hat knobs with silver reflectors, cream plastics, nickel hardware, and the amber switch tip complete the look.
And I really like the combination of all of that with the Ebony finish. The absence of a flashy figured top actually makes this one feel more purposeful. It's a Les Paul without the jewelry — and sometimes that's exactly what you want.
If you like the sound and authority of a Les Paul but prefer the faster feel of a 60s-style neck, this is a fantastic version of the classic. The Ebony finish gives it plenty of attitude, the 60s Burstbuckers deliver the goods, and the traditional mahogany-and-maple construction gives you the fundamental Les Paul sound that started the whole thing.
This one comes complete with a Gibson hardshell case.
