Gibson introduced a guitar in 1983 that would become their best selling instrument, the Les Paul Studio. As you might guess from the name, the guitar was focused on rendering the Les Paul sound and feel for studio players who didn’t really care about the classic Les Paul look.

Shunning such adornments as body and neck binding, the Gibson Les Paul Studio carries most ingredients that lend to the Les Paul tone.

First, there’s the neck. It has that standard Les Paul “feel,” sort of like a 1950′s Les Paul. It certainly contributes to capturing the substantive Les Paul chunk. If you want to have that standard Gibson lead and rhythm sound, the pickups (490R and 490T) will help get you there as well. They sounded excellent with both clean and distorted amp settings.

Though it wasn’t possibly Gibson’s original intention, many players have adopted the Les Paul Studio as their main gig guitar because the Studio model is much lighter than the “regular” Les Paul because of its chambered body.

We went over a Les Paul Studio with a black finish and gold hardware, and we were very impressed with our findings. The fit and finish were simply first rate. The fretwork was impeccable and we couldn’t find a single fault with the finish.

The rosewood fretboard was pure Les Paul, down to the immediately recognizable trapezoid inlays. From lead guitar to thick power chords, the guitar felt, played, and sounded like a much more pricey Les Paul.

So, the most significant differences between a Studio model and, say, a Les Paul Standard are the neck binding and the lighter weight. The neck binding is just a matter of looks and doesn’t affect sound or playability, and many guitarists actually favor the Les Paul Studio because of its lesser weight.

With a list price almost $1,000 less than a Les Paul Standard, it’s easy to see why the Les Paul Studio is such a best-selling model in the Les Paul lineup. Our inspection model was first-rate all the way, and we commend it without reserve.

If you need to find the cheapest price on a Gibson Les Paul Studio, then there’s only one website you need to visit. Ray’s Guitar Shop has the cheapest prices on all new and used guitars. It doesn’t matter if you’re searching for a B. C. Rich Warlock, a Carvin CT6M, a Fender Stratocaster, or a Gibson SG, Ray’s is the place.