In the following article, I share my thoughts on different fingerboard materials and their impact on the final sound of the instrument: The Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute has a 12 radius. Dr. Ketan Patel, MD. The all-new Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute offers players a new take on a classic design. Luckily for you, Ive compiled some general information about each different type of guitar neck shape so you can make an informed decision when choosing your next guitar: The Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute has a Gibson headstock. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. So if youre looking to have your new prized possession on show, we highly recommend getting a nitro-safe guitar stand. It's a well-balanced guitar for playing solos and chords. The contoured heel joint gives unprecedented access to the higher frets, and the asymmetrical neck profile and compound radius ebony fingerboard give this guitar an incredibly slinky feel, which is a joy to play - especially for fast playing or metal. While I looking at different neck profiles I stumbled across this Epiphone Les Paul Modern below has a lot of weight relief and a unusual neck, which seems to be the same on the Gibson Les Paul Modern.. Gibsons Slim Taper necks came about in 1959 when Gibson started to explore more modern options for the guitar neck, making an effort toslim down the neck to a rounder and thinner size. In that case, we recommend sticking to the more universally loved '60s profile, as this fits most players' needs. The U-shape neck is great for players with large hands, and players with long fingers that wrap around the guitar neck, think Paul Gilbert playing that ludicrously huge Ibanez Fireman. In this article, Ill compare the Les Paul Special, Tribute and Special Tribute electric guitar models so you can see which option is the best for you. Guitars with this radius are usually made to bring a good balance between single-note and chord playing. It has been seen draped over the shoulder of Randy Rhoades, James Hetfield, Mick Mars, and of course, Les Paul himself. We know that buying a Les Paul can be daunting. Looking for the best pickup replacements for a Gibson SG? Vola Guitars launches the OZ SRM, a no-nonsense 24-fret metal machine, Two of the guitar world's most innovative amp and effects firms just joined forces, Bjrn Gelotte explains why he turned down a Gibson signature Les Paul, Best amp modelers 2023: rack-mounted and floorboard options for every budget. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. This stripped-back, no-nonsense guitar may not have all the bells and whistles of the Standard but has bags of attitude and a sound to match. Here, I explore some of these considerations and what I think are the main points to take into account: The Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute is a reissue of the legendary Les Paul Special that comes in 2 different pickup configurations, P-90s, and humbuckers, to cater to all audiences. It was introduced in 1955. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. Although there are varying stories about this, depending on who you ask Some say Gibson had the final design before contacting Les, and some say Les came up with the design himself. So if youre looking for an axe that is dripping with vintage mojo but at an accessible price, then look no further than the Epiphone Les Paul Custom. Gibson Les Paul Special Electric Guitar, Vintage Cherry Brand New $1,799 Free Shipping As low as $84/mo Add to Cart Parkway Music Clifton Park, NY, United States (6,024) Reverb Bump Gibson Les Paul Special - Vintage Cherry Brand New $1,799 Free Shipping As low as $84/mo Add to Cart Manchester Music Mill Manchester, NH, United States (20,206) If you want to know more about how these kinds of bodies affect these guitars, you can check out this article: The Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute has a Les Paul Special body. Finally, we will help you compare different models and make an informed decision about which pickup is right for you. The Les Paul Tribute 1952 honors the most important figure in all of guitar history and the guitar he designed and loved. Anyone can sell on Reverb. The Standard is Gibson's flagship Les Paul and arguably the most iconic. Nitro wears off with time but has a more organic feel to the touch and is said to improve sustain and resonance. Pros: Comfortable, easier to play fast, classic 60s Les Paul style neck, Cons: Not as much resonance as the thicker and chunkier necks. Based on your location, we've changed your settings: By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. Like the 60's Standard, this guitar features a solid mahogany body with a maple top, but this time it comes with a larger 50's-style mahogany neck and a dual set of P-90 pickups. BA1 1UA. In this article I go deep into that topic and answer the most pressing questions: The Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute has a set neck. The Gibson Les Paul Tribute fretboard is built of rosewood. Pro: More sustain, iconic 50s Les Paul neck, Cons: Harder to play chords, and harder to play fast and move around on the neck. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. You can find U-shape necks on the earlier Gibson guitars, and the early baseball bat style necks were heavy on the hands and caused hand fatigue. Read our Epiphone Les Paul 50s Standard review. Gibson Les Paul Tribute 2018 Satin Gold Top Used - Good $1,200 $1,050 + $100 Shipping $150 price drop As low as $49/mo Watch Add to Cart Revolver Guitars Georgetown, MA, United States (43) 2018 Gibson Les Paul Tribute - Faded Honey Burst w/HSC Used - Excellent $1,095 + $85 Shipping As low as $51/mo Watch Make an Offer Add to Cart They produce a warmer tone than the typical single-coil, but they're not quite as warm as Humbuckers, and the same thing could be said about their output. If you want to know more about this, I invite you to read the post below: The Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute has a Compensated Wraparound bridge. For more versatility, guitarists tend to prefer a 5-way switch, although it all depends on what you want to use your guitar for. Do you want to harness the primal sound of rock? When Gibson released their new student model way back in 1954, they could never have imagined that not only would it still be around today, but that it would be a firm favorite of many punk and rock guitar players. The Gibson Les Paul - the guitar, the myth, the legend. I will then talk about their main specs one by one, and link you to some other interesting articles I have written about these specific features. The unique vintage cherry burst finish was created to look dark under unforgiven lights of early television, as a true white finish would overload the primitive camera lenses. This stripped-back, no-nonsense guitar may not have all the bells and whistles of the Standard but has bags of attitude and a sound to match. I'm a firm believer that most of the world's problems can be solved with a Gibson SG and a catastrophically loud amp. Even though 24 frets has become really popular, there's still a good reason to get fewer frets; the pickup at the neck position will be further away from the bridge. The Gibson Les Paul Tribute is built with a Les Paul body. More sustain, vintage, and naturally connects to the guitar body, Easily causes hand fatigue, not comfortable as rounder or thinner necks, of Gibsons neck, which lies somewhere in between a, Many Les Paul fans compare the 50s and 60s Les Paul, and one of the key elements of the. The kind of material used to build a guitars body is something you should really pay attention to. Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute P-90 Review | Can a $999 USA Made Guitar Be Any Good? A beautiful satin nitrocellulose finish lets the tonewoods breathe and glow with their natural color. Required fields are marked *. Gibson needed to do something drastic to keep up with the rising popularity of the Fender Stratocaster. So, if you're unsure which is the best Les Paul to go for, you can't go wrong with a Les Paul Standard. Chris is a guitarist and a composer formally based in NYC, and now residing in South Korea. For the financially savvy, we recommend checking out the Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute Humbucker. This beautiful guitar pays homage to the LPs of the early '50s, without the insane price tag of an original vintage example. The Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute is a stripped-down rock 'n' roll machine at its heart. Austria, Slim Taper Asymmetrical/Rounded Asymmetrical. First and foremost, I'm a guitar enthusiast a fanatic, some might say. In many cases, the manufacturers dont inform the same features about the instruments that you want to compare and you have to start digging all over the web to find them. Still, if you're looking for a custom shop guitar with an added level of detail, then it's worth looking at a Custom Shop Murphy Lab Les Paul. EUR Please contact them to ask about shipping. They have the same neck profile. This homage to the guitar that changed rock forever stays true to the original while incorporating a few modern updates. By 1960, all the new Les Pauls now came with the Slim Taper necks. They're not quite as tall as a full Jumbo, so you'll still feel the fretboard, but you won't feel it as much as with medium frets. The Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute P-90's neck thickness is approximately 0.82'' (20.8mm) at the first fret, and 0.97'' (24.6mm) at the twelfth. Many Les Paul fans compare the 50s and 60s Les Paul, and one of the key elements of the 50s Les Paul is the Rounded XL or Vintage 50s neck profile. They were designed to be more comfortable and reduce player fatigue. Some people believe that this gives more sustain than a bolt-on neck due to both pieces having a 'better connection' than with bolts. Different scale lengths have varying influences over things such as string tension, and of course, fret gap size. All Gibson guitars use nitrocellulose lacquer. The Epiphone Les Paul Modern has Grover Locking Rotomatic with Tulip buttons tuners, Epiphone ProBucker-2 Humbucker pickups, and Coil-tapping, Phase reversal electronics. The Hercules brand of stands is our go-to. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big. What's special about this item? Pickup Measurements: Bridge: 8.01k Neck: 7.75k Hardware: Original Gibson tuners, nut, and bridge. Chris has played and recorded with artists like Mia Gladstone, Armen Paul, Misia Vessio, Mike Maher, Mia Jae and Bobby Sanabria. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. Tommy Emmanuel covers Jeff Beck in acoustic tribute, Steve Vai reunited with Swiss Cheese guitar, Jared James Nichols plays EVH's Kramer Stryper. Guitar necks come in a variety of shapes, so its important to know what each of those shapes offers. Bath With the Les Paul being so popular for so long, it would stand to reason that there's a myriad of different options available. Gibson has always been cutting-edge, and the Les Paul Modern proves they are still innovating. The ever-popular 60s slim taper neck is adorned with a genuine ebony fingerboard and large block inlays, resulting in a guitar that plays as good as it looks. At Reverb, your safety and security is our priority. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies. The Gibson Les Paul Tribute is built with a stopbar tailpiece. The Gibson Les Paul Tribute is built with a set neck. Pro: More sustain, vintage, and naturally connects to the guitar body, Cons: Easily causes hand fatigue, not comfortable as rounder or thinner necks. 50.3K subscribers The Les Paul Tribute captures the vibe, feel and tonality of a traditional Les Paul and is available in four classic finishes. I do know that the 08 Standard model (like the one I have, which is the year 2011) has a rather beefy neck (at least on the lower strings). A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tensionwhich means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings. Heres how it works. The radius of the fingerboard is a measure of how curved the neck of the guitar actually is when looking at it from bridge to nut. Gloss vs Satin Guitar Necks: Which are Best? Good condition items function properly but may exhibit some wear and tear. Then, there are wood wings glued to its side to complete the body shape. Perhaps you favor the bold attack of the P-90, then it's worth looking at a Les Paul Junior, Special, or '54 reissue. So there you have it, that's our guide to the best Gibson Les Pauls on the market right now. There is no right or wrong neck for you. Many Gibson standard models come with a C-shape neck, and if you are unsure about what neck profile you want, a C-shape neck is a great place to start. Instead, it's used mainly for fretboards. Sponsored . In this guide, we will discuss the different types of pickups and how they affect your sound. In conjunction, both these 2 parts have a deep impact on the final tone of the instrument. Before we dive into the world of Gibson neck profiles, lets first take a look at different neck profiles for electric guitars. The term "studio" comes from the idea that no one cares what your guitar looks like in the recording studio, it's what it sounds like that matters - and this bare-bones guitar sounds like a Les Paul! However, if you don't care about the warmer neck pickup, more frets will always be better. To recap, we reviewed various Gibson neck profiles and looked at the pros and cons of each neck type. There are also many factors that could determine what weight of guitar would be best for you. The Gibson Les Paul Tribute is built with a solid (ultra modern weight relief) body. You can find C-shape necks on some Gibson guitars such as the, A U-shape neck is a thick guitar neck that is often referred to as a baseball bat neck, because of its, Youll find a U-shape guitar necks on many classic, A modern flat oval, also called a D-shape or modern neck, which has, This is one of the most common neck shapes for electric guitars, with the D-shape making fast playing and rapid movement across the fretboard that much easier. Headrush vs Helix vs Kemper vs GT1000 vs AX8: Which is best? The electronics of an electric guitar are what gives the instrument its name. Asymmetrical necks are unique guitar necks that are thinner on the bottom (high e string) and bulkier towards the top (low e string). Your purchases help youth music programs get the gear they need to make music. Copyright 2018-2022. The brainchild of master builder and guitar aging pioneer Tom Murphy, the Murphy Lab has one goal - to make highly precise aged guitars indistinguishable from the originals. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. This guitar may be the budget option, but it's still a Les Paul through and through. Joint Angle 5 (+/- 15 seconds) Fingerboard and Nut Fingerboard Species The neck of the Les Paul Studio '60s Tribute carries a baked maple fingerboard. The downside about this type of wood is that it's relatively heavy. We know that Les approached Gibson in 1941 with an idea for a solid-body guitar - The Log. A rounded maple neck profile and. From its beautiful flame maple top, bound body, and mother of pearl Gibson logo to the throaty mid-range bite of its humbucking pickups, this guitar sounds just as good as it looks. Check out my complete guide to the Les Paul guitar range to learn more. With so many options on the market, it can be difficult to make a decision. Epiphone vs Gibson: what's the difference? Theyve produced plenty of iconic electric guitars like the Gibson Les Paul or Gibson ES-335, which quite literally influenced the course of both music and guitar playing. Here are some more articles you might find useful: Hey, I'm Heather. It's always nice to have the option to play higher notes if you want to. In the following article I present you a list of the most common tonewoods used in guitar necks, and the influence they could have on the tone of the instrument: The Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute has a Rounded C neck. Many players have strong opinions of their favorite type of guitar necks, and the decision ultimately comes down to your preference. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions. If you want to nail the searing classic rock tones, then seek out the PAF-style humbuckers. The Gibson Les Paul Classic combines the early 60's style Les Paul model with some functional and time-tested modifications. Gibson ES-335 vs 339 vs 349 vs 355 (Differences & Which To Buy?). As you can see from the picture above, a shorter scale length also means shorter separation between frets. A smooth maple neck with rosewood fingerboard offers that classic Les Paul feel and response, and a pair of 490 humbucking pickups delivers vintage-style tone.. They were designed to be more comfortable and reduce player fatigue. This is one of the most common neck shapes for electric guitars, with the D-shape making fast playing and rapid movement across the fretboard that much easier. ES-355 Although it might take some time to get used to these asymmetrical necks, these modern Gibson necks allow players to have better access to upper frets, and for many makes fretting chords that much easier. Its tonality tends to favor warm tones. It's not usually used for guitar bodies because of this, and also because it's heavy. Youll find a 490R in the neck position and a 490T in the bridge position. With impeccable sounds across its wide-ranging tonal palette, the ES-335 can be found in the hands of jazz, blues, and rock players all over the globe. The pickups used in humbucker version of the Special Tribute and Tribute models are both the same.