“An enhanced version of the classic”: Gibson has put an all-new spin on its traditional Les Paul Studio – and it was created in response to requests from players
The Studio Session sits on the price scale between the regular Studio and the more expensive Standard – and promises to be “the one guitar you can rely on for any musical genre or scenario”
(Image credit: Gibson)
Gibson has introduced the Les Paul Studio Session – the latest evolution of its conventional Les Paul Studio, which is said to be a “step up” from previous iterations.
The firm reignited its Studio spark earlier this year, when it launched a revamped lineup of new-for-2024 Les Paul Studios. This was accompanied with a flash new marketing campaign, which billed these new Studios as “The One” guitar you’ll need and “the essential Les Paul, reimagined and updated for today’s player.”
Well, now Gibson has sought to take those updates even further with a new Studio spin-off that has been dubbed “an enhanced version of the classic” from which it has been born.
As such, the Studio Sessions weigh in slightly more expensive than their spiritual siblings, with a price tag of $1,999, as opposed to $1,599. To put that into perspective, Gibson’s Standard Les Paul is $2,599.
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(Image credit: Gibson)
(Image credit: Gibson )
The Studio Session, therefore, is very much something of an in-between model, and has justified its bumped-up cost with “upgraded features and refinements based on customer feedback and player requests.”
Those updates materialize in the form of a more pronounced sculpted neck heel joint for upper fret access, a set of ‘57 Classic and ‘57 Classic+ humbuckers, and additional push/pull tone pots for phase and pure bypass switching.
(Image credit: Gibson)
The previous Studio, meanwhile, offered the regular neck heel, Burstbucker pickups, and only push/pull functionality on the volume controls for coil-tapping (which, it should be clarified, are also present here). So, on paper, there are certainly some improvements in the way of playability and tone, here.
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Gibson’s Studio Session also offers a more sightly AA flame maple cap (as opposed to a plain one), and a 12”-radius bound ebony fingerboard, which swaps out the regular Studio’s rosewood alternative.
(Image credit: Gibson)
Other notable deviations include chrome Grover Rotomatic tuners and, of course, the finishes: the Studio Session is available in Cobalt Burst, Bourbon Burst, Translucent Ebony Burst, and Honey Burst – a nice array of classic and contemporary colorways.
The rest of the spec sheet is shared with the standard Studio, meaning these new models offer Ultra-Modern weight relieved mahogany bodies and Slim Taper mahogany necks.
“The endless tonal possibilities, exceptional sustain, resonance, and comfortable playability make the Les Paul Studio Session the one guitar you can rely on for any musical genre or scenario,” Gibson says of its new LP.
(Image credit: Gibson)
“This is the ultimate Les Paul Studio model, refined and updated for today’s players who want more than just another guitar – they want their guitar.”
The Les Paul Studio Session is available now for $1,999.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
