Gibson Les Paul Studio 2015: Part Three

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Part One | Part Two | Part Three

This is the third and final instalment of a three-part series on a Manhattan Midnight Gibson Les Paul Studio 2015. For detailed specs on this guitar, kindly visit the Gibson Legacy Archive.

As this post features pics of the guitar after servicing, cleaning, and a full setup; we'll take a brief look at some of its outstanding features. Most striking is the gorgeous B Grade Maple top stained in what Gibson terms "Manhattan Midnight;" and finished in lacquer. I particularly love the way the dark blue stain accentuates the "tiger stripes" of the maple top.

Then, there's the attractive silkscreened gold "Les Paul 100" lettering on the headstock front [apparently in the legend's own handwriting]; which celebrates "100 years of Les Paul's innovation." Less impressive is the gold ink "Gibson" logo. An inlaid logo [perhaps of golden mother-of-pearl] would have been more appropriate for an instrument of this pedigree; in my humble opinion. 

Meanwhile, on the back of the headstock, we are greeted by a beautiful hologram depicting a smiling Les Paul waving at us. The hologram also features the man's 100th birthday signature, which, according to Gibson; is "a facsimile of his actual signature taken from a pickguard autographed by Les."

Looking at the nice and dark rosewood fretboard, one's eyes are drawn to the gorgeous trapezoidal inlays; which are real mother-of-pearl [MOP]. Quite a change from your run-of-the-mill "mother of toilet seat" found on most Pauls; isn't it? 

Yet another eye-catching feature is the rather unique "golden cream" hue of the toggle switch washer and pickup rings; which provides a nice contrast to the darkish "Manhattan Midnight" tiger-striped maple top. Also oozing understated class are the satin nickel-finished Zamak [zinc / aluminum / magnesium / copper alloy] tune-o-matic bridge and stop bar tailpiece; as well as the pale aluminum strap buttons.

Sound-wise, this Gibson Les Paul Studio 2015 is capable of totally-useable humbucking and single-coil tones; both clean and overdriven. Most regrettably, I could not find the time to record a proper sound clip. However, this Guitar Center YouTube video should give you a good idea of what a Manhattan Midnight beauty sounds like. Enjoy :)

Gibson Les Paul Studio 2015: Part One

Related Posts

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

This is the first instalment of a three-part series on a Manhattan Midnight Gibson Les Paul Studio 2015. For detailed specs on this guitar, kindly visit the Gibson Legacy Archive. 

This guitar was sent in for a thorough clean and polish; as well as electronics servicing. I remember being really impressed by the futuristic-looking "Gold Molded" hardshell case and its ultra plush interior. The owner wanted the stock Gibson G FORCE™ Tuning System removed, no questions asked.

Seems that the Les Paul was bought used from a US seller, minus the Li-Polymer Charger [don't ask me how that happened]. Sadly, the poor guy had never been able to try out the tuning system as the Gibson G FORCE™ Battery was dead on arrival. Long story short, there was no way to charge the battery; so he'd brought along a set of unbranded locking tuners and asked that they be installed.

To remove the Gibson G FORCE™ Tuning System, I first had to loosen the tuner caps, unwind the strings from the tuner posts; and then loosen the tuner nuts. Seriously, after removing these nuts, the tuners slipped out really easily; and the whole tuning system just separated from the back of the headstock. No, I didn't go right ahead and install the new locking tuners. The whole guitar was covered in dust and grime, so I'd have to clean it up good before installing anything.

I have to say that the cryogenically-treated brass "Zero Fret Adjustable Nut" was something to behold; though it was tarnished and had an unsightly blob of some metallic substance sticking to it. This nut consists of two sections. The bottom section sits in what would normally be the nut slot, and is secured to the headstock via two small screws. 

This section has an elongated recess to keep the top section in place. The top section, meanwhile, has guide slots for each string and a raised ridge that serves as a zero fret. The whole top section can be raised or lowered via two small black hex screws, so you can easily adjust string action at the nut; and also the angle of the nut itself.

I also unscrewed the black "stainless steel polycarbonate" control cavity and switch covers [looks like textured black plastic] for a quick peek at the innards. The three-way toggle switch seemed to be of high quality and was neatly soldered; but finding a PCB board in the control cavity was a real bummer. It evoked painful memories of the PCB board in a 2014 Gibson LPJ once owned; which was the first thing to go when I upgraded it. 

Last but not least, unscrewing the broken black ABS output jack plate revealed something special: an "improved contact" output jack with not one; but two tip [hot] spring contacts. Cool! Okay then, it's time to look at some pics.