Studio - Yes, they are good

[LazyPaisley]

 

[ElectricGuitarist33]

Yeah I agree with OP.

You are getting a Gibson Les Paul in the Studio. 100%

 

[cynic79]

thanks for the reply, hobbyman. i will definitely give it a try when i get home from work tonight. i just checked out some tutorials on raising the pickups. if that fixes it, i'll owe you one!

If that doesn't work, post a thread in the Tonefreaks section. You are more likely to get help over turf, especially if it turns out to be a wiring issue.

 

[SkunkWorks]

The people that act like Studios are "lesser" Pauls are just snobs plain and simple. They give a player every bit of LP feel and Tone just without a few of the cosmetic appointments... And the value of those appointments is debatable. They look nice, but they don't add anything in the way of tone.

Even the perception of them being a "budget" guitar is kind of silly. Most of them aren't exactly bargain bin cheap... Just cheaper than most other Gibsons. I've owned a lot of Les Pauls over the years and covered a lot of Gibsons price points. Studios are awesome Les Pauls.

Sorry, man, but that just hasn't been my experience and I'm not a "snob plain and simple." Years back, nothing would have made me happier than being content with owning several Studios and saving a bunch of cash that I could then dump into owning a Soldano. I had a couple of friends who owned both (and access to even more) and I got to do alot of comparing between the two before I started making my own Gibson purchases. The Studios I tried were decent guitars but were not in the same league as the Standards I compared them to both in tone and workmanship... even those owners agreed. I realized I just needed to bite the bullet and cough up the dough if I was going to be content and not always "wanting." There was nothing snobbish about that at all.

That was my experience

... plain and simple.

 

[dennistruckdriver]

....he 91 is an amazing instrument....

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/backstage/95918-amazing.html

 

[Satch0922]

I stand here in amazement.....

Dennis, you truly are amazing!

 

[dcmey]

Sorry, man, but that just hasn't been my experience and I'm not a "snob plain and simple." Years back, nothing would have made me happier than being content with owning several Studios and saving a bunch of cash that I could then dump into owning a Soldano. I had a couple of friends who owned both (and access to even more) and I got to do alot of comparing between the two before I started making my own Gibson purchases. The Studios I tried were decent guitars but were not in the same league as the Standards I compared them to both in tone and workmanship... even those owners agreed. I realized I just needed to bite the bullet and cough up the dough if I was going to be content and not always "wanting." There was nothing snobbish about that at all.

That was my experience

... plain and simple.

It could be a better setup was done on the standard than the studio, also sometimes a person has it in their head that I need to own a standard to have a good Gibson.

 

[Skintaster]

Sorry, man, but that just hasn't been my experience and I'm not a "snob plain and simple." Years back, nothing would have made me happier than being content with owning several Studios and saving a bunch of cash that I could then dump into owning a Soldano. I had a couple of friends who owned both (and access to even more) and I got to do alot of comparing between the two before I started making my own Gibson purchases. The Studios I tried were decent guitars but were not in the same league as the Standards I compared them to both in tone and workmanship... even those owners agreed. I realized I just needed to bite the bullet and cough up the dough if I was going to be content and not always "wanting." There was nothing snobbish about that at all.

That was my experience

... plain and simple.

You're obviously welcome to your opinion, but I've noticed quite a few people DO have attitudes about Studios that don't seem based on anything but snobbery. It's one of the reasons there seem to be so many "Are Studios good" type threads and opinions expressed.

I own a Studio, and have owned several others over the years. I've also owned many "higher end" LPs, and although I liked all of them, there was no giant gap in build quality or sound, just different pickups and cosmetic features. Certainly nothing a good setup couldn't fix.

I own a Traditional and love it. It's not a markedly better guitar than my Studio, at least in my opinion. I like it more, but that's based on the features it has, not playability or tone.

To each their own I guess.

 

[SkunkWorks]

It could be a better setup was done on the standard than the studio, also sometimes a person has it in their head that I need to own a standard to have a good Gibson.

That's why I stated that I had no preconceived ideas in my head when I was looking to get back into Gibson again and was actually really hoping to like the Studios... if there was any bias on my part at all it in the Studios favor. If I hadn't had anything to compare to I would have not even known the difference... but I'm glad I did have the Standards to compare to because if I had have bought a Studio and later down the road had a chance to shoot it out against a Standard I would have known I'd made a mistake, and sold it, probably at a loss. I just hate seeing someone maybe buying their first Gibson making purchasing decisions based on things like a general consensus in a forum like this and then possibly regretting it... I see it all the time here with the 500k pot thing and other stuff. For the kind of music I do, if I went with the consensus around here on alot of things I'd end up with a guitar I can't stand the tone of. So I sometimes feel the need to play devil's advocate (based on my own experience) when I see certain things being said over and over that I don't really agree with in order to maybe help someone make a more informed purchasing decision... I know I myself would have appreciated the same thing.

I could just tell that the Studios I played didn't get the same love during assembly that the higher end models get... alot of guys here who own Historics or other Custom Shop guitars say the same thing in reference to the USA Standards etc. I mean I was seeing nuts on these Studios cut or slapped on so bad the high E string wouldn't even line up over any part a pickup pole piece... at all. And there were other things too, but most of those things don't really affect tone. I mean, my SG Special Faded has alot of the assembly process "lack of love" I mentioned but it plays great and sounds like a SG which is all that matters to me with that guitar. But the Les Paul Studios I played actually sounded different with everything else being equal... same pickups, amps and amp settings. They just didn't have the balls or girth as any Standard I put them up against. Then again, these Studios didn't have as thick of bodies either... one's guy's Studio he brought over for me to do some work on had a body that wasn't much thicker than my SG. I'm not saying it didn't sound good though, I'm just saying that it would be a lie to say they sound the same as a Standard all other things being equal and are not just a "no frills" Standard.

Or at least the ones I played and compared, which was at least 5 or 6.

 

[Satch0922]

10 Les Pauls here.....3 Studios, 3 Customs, 2 Standards, 1 R8, 1 Pre-Historic.

I stand by my original post.

 

[dcmey]

That's why I stated that I had no preconceived ideas in my head when I was looking to get back into Gibson again and was actually really hoping to like the Studios... if there was any bias on my part at all it in the Studios favor. If I hadn't had anything to compare to I would have not even known the difference... but I'm glad I did have the Standards to compare to because if I had have bought a Studio and later down the road had a chance to shoot it out against a Standard I would have known I'd made a mistake, and sold it, probably at a loss. I just hate seeing someone maybe buying their first Gibson making purchasing decisions based on things like a general consensus in a forum like this and then possibly regretting it... I see it all the time here with the 500k pot thing and other stuff. For the kind of music I do, if I went with the consensus around here on alot of things I'd end up with a guitar I can't stand the tone of. So I sometimes feel the need to play devil's advocate (based on my own experience) when I see certain things being said over and over that I don't really agree with in order to maybe help someone make a more informed purchasing decision... I know I myself would have appreciated the same thing.

I could just tell that the Studios I played didn't get the same love during assembly that the higher end models get... alot of guys here who own Historics or other Custom Shop guitars say the same thing in reference to the USA Standards etc. I mean I was seeing nuts on these Studios cut or slapped on so bad the high E string wouldn't even line up over any part a pickup pole piece... at all. And there were other things too, but most of those things don't really affect tone. I mean, my SG Special Faded has alot of the assembly process "lack of love" I mentioned but it plays great and sounds like a SG which is all that matters to me with that guitar. But the Les Paul Studios I played actually sounded different with everything else being equal... same pickups, amps and amp settings. They just didn't have the balls or girth as any Standard I put them up against. Then again, these Studios didn't have as thick of bodies either... one's guy's Studio he brought over for me to do some work on had a body that wasn't much thicker than my SG. I'm not saying it didn't sound good though, I'm just saying that it would be a lie to say they sound the same as a Standard all other things being equal and are not just a "no frills" Standard.

Or at least the ones I played and compared, which was at least 5 or 6.

It's kind of funny because when I bought my studio which is a VM I did compare to a regular studio and a standard and it played as good as both. I also own a faded SG special I bought used and I would put either one up against any. I think you hear the word standard and automatically think it must be better.

 

[SkunkWorks]

It's kind of funny because when I bought my studio which is a VM I did compare to a regular studio and a standard and it played as good as both. I also own a faded SG special I bought used and I would put either one up against any. I think you hear the word standard and automatically think it must be better.

Yeah, I dunno, man. I'm not trying to convince anyone (or myself) of anything. I can only offer up my own opinion on the ones I tried and really wanted to like... so my opinion is based on my own experience with them, I didn't just pull it out of my arse. If someone wants to know if they are "good" they should just do what I did and shoot 'em out for yourself and make your own decision... don't take my word or anyone else's for that matter. Certain threads on this forum are going to attract a particular demographic by their very nature and therefore probably an unbalanced or biased viewpoint which can make it a bit unreliable for a first time buyer to use as a thermometer... trying for yourself is really the only way in the end.

There's an up and coming producer/engineer here in Canada that posts his works in progress at a recording forum I hang out at and he gets some of the best modern guitar recordings in the genre I reference, ones that compete with the big names, and he's using a Studio, in fact, I think it's even a chambered one. So, again, I'm not saying they can't sound great, I'm just saying that for a given set of pickups, amp and amp settings I can hear the difference... whether that difference matters to you or can be compensated for is a whole different discussion. I know "I" can't get one to sound the way he does but I can't get a Standard to sound that good either

As for my SG Special Faded, yeah my buddy just picked a '61 Reissue but he said he still likes the way my Faded plays and sounds. Then again, except for the nitro, the differences between those 2 guitars are actually mostly cosmetic... they use the same woods and have the same body thickness etc.

Anyway, too much yappin' about shite and not enough "doin'" ... time to shut her down for a bit and go make some music.

Peace.

 

[jrnic]

This is my 92 Studio Lite. I will put this LP up against any other. I have tried other LP's from Standards, Traditionals and Customs and I feel that my Studio stacks up well against the others. I actually preffered my Studio when compared to a Standard I played recently. And this sucker has BALSA WOOD in the middle, Go Figure!!

 

[Hector Arcadius]

Let's defend the all-mahogany bodies (not that I needed an excuse to post pics!):

 

[jrnic]

I would love to get a wine red Mahogany Studio. Doesn't cost a lot but kicks butt from what I hear. I can't justify a 2 Grand+ LP Trad or Standard when I have a family and mortgage to support! These I can justify and keep the wife from throwing me out!!

 

[Hector Arcadius]

I would love to get a wine red Mahogany Studio. Doesn't cost a lot but kicks butt from what I hear. I can't justify a 2 Grand+ LP Trad or Standard when I have a family and mortgage to support! These I can justify and keep the wife from throwing me out!!

+1

Exactly the same over here man and it's the same for thousands of bedroom rockers out there.

 

[LPCustom72]

There's an up and coming producer/engineer here in Canada that posts his works in progress at a recording forum I hang out at and he gets some of the best modern guitar recordings in the genre I reference, ones that compete with the big names, and he's using a Studio, in fact, I think it's even a chambered one. Peace.

Since this is MyLesPaul we talk about the hardware side of things, as we should. But this part of Skunkworks post points to something we often overlook, myself included - the player. At some point we sit down and play our instruments. This is the ultimate sound test. So get something you like - Studio, Custom, Historic, even a beat-to-crap 50's Harmony -and play the hell out of it. That's all that matters.

 

[Travst]

My '91 and I agree wholeheartedly.

 

[renthepen]

Here's mine:

My Studio was made in 1992. I did a little customization: white pickguard and toggle switch caps + gold bell knobs. A little touch to make it look a little more like the black beauty cause I grew tired of the "heavy metal" look of the all-black version.

My experience with Studios is weird though. I have played with 3 other studios but never felt like they were that great... One of the "bad" Studio was from 1996. My Studio, on the other hand, is a pearl. My own luthier said to me that it was the greatest Studio he had ever worked with - that it was just as good as an early 90s Standard.

I don't like LPs with chambered bodies and I guess that's only a matter of personnal taste... so I don't think I would buy a new one now. My advice to any future Studio owner: play with many Studios until you find a "special" one...

 

[scozz]

Studios could be the best value in the Gibson line.