Simpler esthetics and a cool worn-look finish technique add up to big savings for the player, and the LPJ still looks great in your choice of Cherry, Chocolate, Hand-Rubbed Vintage Burst, Hand-Rubbed Transparent White, or, for an extra charge, Goldtop with Brown Satin Back, all in grain-textured nitrocellulose lacquer.
The most revered Les Paul Standards ever made had bodies constructed of a mahogany back with a two-piece carved maple top, and the LPJ begins with these same cornerstones of tone. When paired, these woods offer a tonal depth and complexity unmatched by any single-wood construction, with warmth and richness from the mahogany, and superb clarity and snap from the maple, all of which translates beautifully into the guitars amplified sound. The mahogany back is strategically weight relieved to improve comfort and enhance resonance. A neck made from hard-wearing maple is glued into the body, and carved to our popular rounded 50s profile that measures .818 at the 1st fret and .963 at the 12th. It is topped with a genuine rosewood fingerboard that carries 22 medium-jumbo frets and traditional trapezoid inlays. Theres no pickguard or fingerboard binding to clutter the straight-on, stripped-down look of the LPJ, while quality touches continue with a PLEK-cut nut made from black Corian to subtly echo the black speed knobs and black pickup rings and covers. The traditional back-angled headstock is silkscreened with a gold Gibson logo that stands out clear and proud.
A pair of Gibsons popular Modern Classics humbucking pickups fire up the LPJ through your amp of choice. Made in the image of the legendary PAF humbucker and modified to suit the needs of the contemporary guitarist, the set includes a 490R in the neck position, made with an Alnico II magnet and standard-wound coils for plenty of warmth and clarity, and a 498T in the bridge position, with over-wound coils and an Alnico V magnet for more punch and sizzle in your lead playing. An independent volume and tone control per pickup plus a three-way toggle selector switch allows a broad range of sonic variations, while Gibson USAs legendary Tune-o-Matic bridge and Stopbar tailpiece ensure solid sustain and outstanding intonation. A set of vintage-style tuners with black keys provides an impressive 16:1 gear ratio for precise and efficient tuning. Put it all together, and the new LPJ is the fastest road to a genuine Les Paul, sparing none of the tone, while putting the legend in your hands with far less load on your wallet.
