The Les Paul You'll Actually Want to Play All Night
You know that dilemma where you love the sound of a Les Paul but dread the weight after the first set? Gibson heard you. The Studio Session takes everything essential about a Les Paul—the mahogany and maple combination, the glued-in neck, those classic humbuckers—and makes it something you can actually play through a four-hour gig without calling your chiropractor the next morning. Ultra-Modern weight relief keeps things comfortable, while the carved AA figured maple cap adds brightness and definition to the overall tone and combines perfectly with the warmth and midrange punch from the mahogany body. And those black trim appointments against the Translucent Ebony Burst finish? That's a look that works whether you're playing a dive bar or a theater stage.
But here's where the Studio Session really earns its name: each volume control is equipped with a push/pull switch for coil tapping, and the tone controls feature push/pull potentiometers for phase switching and Pure Bypass switching that routes the bridge pickup straight to the output jack. Translation? You've got a palette of tones ranging from bright single-coil snap to thick PAF warmth, all from one guitar. This is the Les Paul for players who refuse to be boxed into one sound.
Whether you're chasing blues, rock, or anything in between, the Studio Session delivers that legendary Les Paul DNA with the features working players actually want. It's Gibson's answer to "give me a real Les Paul I can rely on every night," and they nailed it.
Tone That Goes From Vintage Warmth to Modern Versatility
The Studio Session comes equipped with a '57 Classic pickup in the neck position and a '57 Classic + in the bridge position, giving you classic PAF-style voicing that's been the foundation of rock tone for decades. The '57 Classic + in the bridge has slightly higher output for a bit more drive and presence, while the neck pickup delivers smooth, warm lead tones and rich rhythm sounds.
What sets this guitar apart is the control layout. Each of the two pickups is wired to its own volume control, so you can blend the sound from the pickups together in any amount you choose. Want a little neck pickup warmth under your bridge pickup bite? Dial it in. The push/pull coil-tap switches let you split each humbucker for brighter, more articulate tones that work great for funk, country, or cleaner styles. And when both pickups are on, the phase switch gives you that hollow, out-of-phase quack that works beautifully for rhythm parts and adds a Peter Green "Greeny" vibe to your arsenal.
The Pure Bypass option is something session players will appreciate—it sends the bridge pickup signal straight to the output jack, bypassing all tone circuitry for the most direct, uncolored signal path possible. It's a level of tonal flexibility you don't usually find on a Les Paul at this price point, and it means this one guitar can cover an impressive amount of sonic ground.
Playability Built for the Long Haul
The neck features a Modern Contoured Heel for unmatched access to the upper frets and a fast-playing SlimTaper profile, and it is capped with a bound ebony fretboard that is equipped with acrylic trapezoid inlays and 22 medium jumbo frets. The SlimTaper profile is Gibson's most comfortable neck shape—slim enough for speed and chord work, but with enough meat to feel substantial in your hand. The glued-in mahogany neck provides rock-solid coupling between the neck and body for increased resonance and sustain, giving you that warm, singing quality that set-neck guitars are known for.
The bound ebony fretboard is a step up from the rosewood you'd find on a standard Studio, offering a smoother, faster feel and a slightly brighter harmonic response. The fretboard radius measures 12 inches, which hits that sweet spot between vintage feel and modern playability—flat enough for easy bending and low action, but curved enough to feel natural for chording. Grover Rotomatic tuners with Keystone buttons keep you in tune, and the aluminum Nashville Tune-o-Matic bridge and aluminum stop bar tailpiece provide solid intonation and sustain with a touch less weight than traditional hardware.
Product Features:
- Body: Ultra-Modern weight-relieved mahogany with carved AA figured maple top
- Neck: Mahogany set neck with SlimTaper profile and Modern Contoured Heel
- Fingerboard: Bound ebony with 12-inch radius, acrylic trapezoid inlays, and 22 medium jumbo frets
- Scale Length: 24.75 inches with 1.694-inch Graph Tech nut
- Pickups: '57 Classic (neck) and '57 Classic + (bridge) humbuckers
- Controls: 2 push/pull volume (coil tap), 2 push/pull tone (phase and Pure Bypass switching)
- Hardware: Black nickel finish, aluminum Nashville Tune-o-Matic bridge, aluminum stop bar tailpiece
- Tuners: Grover Rotomatic with Keystone buttons
- Finish: Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer in Translucent Ebony Burst
- Includes soft shell case
Brand: Gibson
Model: Les Paul Studio Session
SKU: LPSTAA01E2BN1
Condition: New
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