LP Studio Price Differences

[Zentar]

I have a 2009 LP Studio gloss black which I paid $1200 new. I wanted to see if I wanted to play electrics but I never played this guitar much. I am stuck on acoustic guitars I guess.
However its 2015 now and I have been playing the Studio about two weeks so I did a little research on my LP Studio and I am trying to figure out why I paid $1200 when Gibson makes the satin Studio version for $400 less with the same pickups 490/498. I am wondering what my thinking was when I bought it. There were plenty of Satin finishes available I remember that.

Other than gloss vs Satin finish why was my Studio $1200. Did I waste $400 to get a gloss version? Why are some Studios $850 and others are $1200?

 

[kevinpaul]

I wish I could tell you but a guess. I think it would be worth more. Mine is a 2014 I bought in 2015 and satin was the only way it came. Rare would be the reason.

 

[Zentar]

Ive been unable to find out much about this Studio LP. I really rarely ever even looked at it since 2009 when I bought it. No papers came with the guitar. I m assuming the neck is mahogany and the pups are 490/498 but even that is a guess. The chrome pups have no markings, numbers or writing at all on them except "Gibson USA" which is rare that there is not a single number on an electronic part. I used a sharpie to denote the bridge and neck pups which I swapped out for Seymore Duncans otherwise there would be no Earthly way to distinguish the 490 from the 498 when I go to swap them back..

 

[rjshare]

Yes, it cost that much more because it is gloss. If you read up a bit about nitro cellulose paint you will understand why it is so expensive. Whether that is worth it or not is down to your personal view. The neck is mahogany.

As for rarity, there is absolutely nothing rare about an LP studio, however that doesn't stop them from being excellent guitars. Not sure how hard you looked for info on your guitar but the studios are/were one of Gibson's best selling models for donkeys years and there is tons of info out there in googleland about them.

The studio will have 490r 498t pups as standard, and it is entirely normal that they don't have markings on. Why that's the case I can't say - and it is a personal bug bear of mine, but it is just the way it is.

 

[Zentar]

Thanks RJ. Some holes are starting to fill in.
I've learned that I do have 490R/490T pups on my 09 Gloss Studio.
Much of the info put out years ago was wrong. .

Another Reason for the higher cost of my Gloss Studio LP is the hard case. Gibson had sold an 09 faded or satin Studio with a gig bag instead of hard case. This faded 09 Studio model had BB pups front and rear instead of 498/490 and this model has a baked maple fretboard.

For $1200 you get the 490/498 and hard case with gloss finish.

I'm positive the 09 Studio Gloss has a maple top.

My assumptions so far are that the $1200 Studios have better pups, gloss finish and maple tops.. The faded/satin Studio versions are $400 less for several reasons. So I'm beginning to be thankful I didn't buy the cheaper satin/faded version.

 

[rjshare]

There were both maple topped and all mahogany faded studios. The most common non maple capped model was known as the vintage mahogany, and that came only in satin brown iirc.

For the pups, there aren't really better or worse Gibson pups, just different. They all cost pretty much the same, only covered ones are more than uncovered. 490/498s have been Gibson's standard set on everything from studios to customs for a long time.

You are right about the cases too.

One of the major criticisms of the faded finishes is their resistance -or lack of - to bumps and scratches etc. They do feel very nice to the touch - especially on the neck, but your gloss finish model is going to look a lot better in ten years time than a faded.

 

[Zentar]

Notice also the fretboards. The faded has BAKED MAPLE. The baked maple resembles the color of Rosewood.
The Gloss Studio has Redwood.

Baked is a technique whereby heating the wood makes it harder. As exotic woods get increasingly rare and guitar makers become more and more afraid of Obamas random Lacey Act enforsements you will see baking of more common wood in order to make it mimic the sought after fret grabbing abilities of Ebony and Rosewood. Baking can be used to get fake the color of the wood such as baked maple resembles Rosewood.

There is also an issue of chambered bodies which is tough to identify. Some 08 and 09 Studios had chambered bodies.

Another thing Ive noticed about some of the newer Studio versions is they are getting much fancier and expensive and come with more than just Etuners. Some studio deluxe models cost $1600 now and have striping..

 

[six pack]

my 09 faded has rose wood. but now it a gold top with rose wood fret board

 

[Zentar]

One thing ive noticed is dealerships seemed to assume or generalize about features on the Studios. They aren't lying but rather they are sometimes in the same boat we are when trying to figure out whats in a particular Studio. If one version has 490/498 then we assume a similar version has them as well but this is not always a good thing to do with Studios. you can end up with dang near anything on a Studio Les Paul. Gibson likes mixen and matchin whatever they have in the warehouse on their Studios.

I didn't like my 490/498 puppy combo through my little Marshall MG15 amp so I stuck a pair of SDs on(Hot Rodders) and played these through a Vox VT40 amp(has vacuum tube). This sounded much better for classic rock. Dramatic difference. For $133 you cant go wrong for R&R. The Seymores are a matched pair. SH2 and SH4. You really don't need to Spend $200 on a pair of pups to sound rockin. This pup pair is said to be great for Redwood fretboards which is most of the Studios. Not all though. There is even a new Studio model with a composite fretboard which I've never seen in person. Looks just like Ebony..

For some reason I never played the SDs through my MG15

 

[rjwilson37]

Yep, the nice gloss finish on the Wine Red, White or Ebony with a hard case was the $1200 price tag on those. I purchased a Faded Studio in 2011 because I wanted to save money and also just wanted a working mans Les Paul that I could beat the crap out of. Plus... I wanted something like a Standard, without all the bling, which I got because I had a nice maple top and BBPro's. The one thing I just never really got use to, was the thicker neck on it compared to the Epiphone's I had before it with slimmer necks. I now have 3 Les Paul's, all very different from one another and all Slim Taper necks, which all feel great as well as slightly different from one another as well as different pickup configurations.

You gotta love a Paul!

 

[Sinster]

I've paid under 500.00 for my 2009 & 2012 Studio's. The 09 came with a HSC. I paid 850.00 for my 50's Tribute (1st run) which I over paid for. But thats because they were scarce and I wanted one.

09-is a Worn Brown, aka Vintage Mahogany, aka Studio Pro -Painted it a gold top
12- satin yellow - painted it sea foam greenish.

The process is a little longer for gloss vs. satin.

 

[starscream]

I used a sharpie to denote the bridge and neck pups which I swapped out for Seymore Duncans otherwise there would be no Earthly way to distinguish the 490 from the 498 when I go to swap them back..

Actually its very easy to distinguish the two. The pole pieces on the bridge pickup (498T) are spaced slightly wider apart than the neck (490R). Line them up next to each other and you can tell which is which.

 

[Zentar]

Actually its very easy to distinguish the two. The pole pieces on the bridge pickup (498T) are spaced slightly wider apart than the neck (490R). Line them up next to each other and you can tell which is which.

Well I'll be darned. I took a pocket caliper and measured the pole dowels and can see the difference in spacing you stated. One pup has spacing about 2mm wider. Thanks. Things like this drive me nuts. You'd think Gibson would be proud of their puppies and stamp the model number on them as if to say this kick ass 498T kicks ass and we made it. It must be a new minimalist marketing strategy Gibson uses that they got from The Beatles from their white album.

 

[Zentar]

Pickups in Les Paul Studio Faded - Gibson Guitar Board

heres a thread in another forum hinting that some Studios don't have maple tops.

 

[rikko]

Notice also the fretboards. The faded has BAKED MAPLE. The baked maple resembles the color of Rosewood.
The Gloss Studio has Redwood.

Baked is a technique whereby heating the wood makes it harder. As exotic woods get increasingly rare and guitar makers become more and more afraid of Obamas random Lacey Act enforsements you will see baking of more common wood in order to make it mimic the sought after fret grabbing abilities of Ebony and Rosewood. Baking can be used to get fake the color of the wood such as baked maple resembles Rosewood.

(And Y'All know how rikko feels about this....)

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM-MMMM!!!

 

[rikko]

I didn't like my 490/498 puppy combo through my little Marshall MG15 amp so I stuck a pair of SDs on(Hot Rodders) and played these through a Vox VT40 amp(has vacuum tube). This sounded much better for classic rock. Dramatic difference. For $133 you cant go wrong for R&R. The Seymores are a matched pair. SH2 and SH4. You really don't need to Spend $200 on a pair of pups to sound rockin.

I LOVE THE HOT-RODDED SET!
Very versatile!!!

 

[Zentar]

I LOVE THE HOT-RODDED SET!
Very versatile!!!

I keep saying I'm going to get the origonal 490/498 puppy set and solder them back in but I think I'm kidding myself. The Hotrods are probably a better set of pups. To tell ya the truth I didn't think different coils would change the sound much since you can dial in anything using amp and pedal crappola but the Hotrods put an edge on the plug and play rock sound I have always wanted.

BTW ddoes anybody think the Gibson L6S is the predessor and motivation behind the Studio models? The L6S was a bindless alternative to the Standard Les Paul back in the 70s long before the Studio..

 

[laterider]

I'm thinking $1200.00 for a 09 gloss studio was a good price when buying new. I seem to remember $1399.00 was the cost most dealers had for new gloss studios that year?

A set of 490R/498Ts in an LP through a higher gain Marshall can be quite tasty IMHO.

 

[Sinster]

Pickups in Les Paul Studio Faded - Gibson Guitar Board

heres a thread in another forum hinting that some Studios don't have maple tops.

Some don't. My 2009 doesn't have maple top.

Same for other models as well. My 2012 Traditional doesn't have a maple top.

 

[Zentar]

Some don't. My 2009 doesn't have maple top.

Same for other models as well. My 2012 Traditional doesn't have a maple top.

I'm curious how you know. I am pretty sure my Studio has a maple top because that is why it cost $1200 instead of $800. How do we really know what's under the paint?
One thing that shocks me about Studios is the wide range of changes made to the different Studio models. There's more feature variability among the Studios than any other Les Paul model. Saying you have a Studio Les Paul is like saying you own a Chevrolet. It could be a Impala or it could be a S10 pickup. It just depends on Gibson's mood the day it was made.