The Gibson Les Paul™ Studio Session is an updated and enhanced version of the classic Les Paul Studio, featuring upgraded appointments and refinements based on customer feedback and player requests. It retains the essential Les Paul characteristics that have made the Studio series a favorite among countless guitarists, including humbucking pickups, a glued-in set neck, and a mahogany body with a maple cap, while adding a range of modern features designed to improve comfort, versatility, and playability.
The Ultra Modern weight-relieved mahogany body makes the Les Paul Studio Session lighter and more comfortable to play, whether you're on stage or spending hours in a rehearsal or jam session. A carved AA figured maple cap adds visual appeal while contributing brightness and definition to the guitar's overall tone, complementing the warmth and midrange punch of the mahogany body. Together, these woods produce the legendary Les Paul sound heard on countless recordings and concert stages.
The glued-in mahogany neck provides a solid connection between the neck and body for increased resonance and sustain. A Modern Contoured Heel improves access to the upper frets, while the fast-playing SlimTaper™ profile offers a comfortable feel. The neck is topped with a bound ebony fretboard featuring acrylic trapezoid inlays, 22 medium jumbo frets, and a 12" radius that works equally well for rhythm playing and string bending.
Classic-style hardware includes Grover® Rotomatic® tuners with Keystone buttons, an adjustable aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic™ bridge, an aluminum Stop Bar tailpiece, and a Graph Tech® nut. Together, these components provide solid tuning stability and reliable intonation.
The electronics package gives the Les Paul Studio Session an exceptional amount of tonal flexibility. A ’57 Classic™ pickup is installed in the neck position, while a ’57 Classic + provides additional output and bite in the bridge position. A three-way pickup selector allows either pickup to be used individually or both together, while each pickup has its own volume and tone controls.
Both volume controls feature push/pull coil-tapping switches, providing two distinct sounds from each pickup. The tone controls also feature push/pull potentiometers for phase switching when both pickups are engaged, along with Pure Bypass switching that routes the bridge pickup directly to the output jack while completely bypassing the controls for the shortest and purest signal path possible.
With its weight-relieved body, comfortable neck design, extensive pickup switching options, and exceptional sustain and resonance, the Gibson Les Paul Studio Session offers a highly versatile take on the classic Les Paul Studio. It combines familiar Les Paul construction with modern refinements and an unusually broad tonal range, making it a compelling choice for players looking for one instrument capable of covering a wide variety of musical genres and playing situations.
