“There’s no weight relief and limited colors, but this is the real deal with vintage vibe and feel”: 6 Gibson USA Les Pauls we love that won’t break the bank

The Gibson Les Paul remains an aspirational electric guitar for many, but in recent years the Nashville-based brand has been expanding its entry-level options.

And when you factor in the rising prices (and increasing high-end specs) of top-line Epiphone guitars, it makes some of these instruments all the more attractive.

Here we take a look at six of them that prove a good Les Paul needn’t break the bank.

Les Paul Modern Lite – $1,399/£1,159

Currently the entry point into Gibson USA (aside from online-only ‘Exclusives’), the Modern Lite uses a thinner all-mahogany body with quite trendy satin ‘open-grain’ finishes, with matching headstocks, in a choice of some six hues (from $1,399/£1,159).

You get four controls for the well-loved 490R ‘Modern Classic’ and 498T ‘Hot Alnico’ uncovered buckers. And while it’s not the sharpest craft, it’s got some SG-like raw power. A good starter or gigging spare.

Les Paul Junior – $1,599/£1,499

Launched the same year as the original Les Paul Custom, the single-pickup Junior is an undisputed classic of simplistic ‘student’ style. Offered in gloss nitro Vintage Tobacco Burst and Ebony, and TV Yellow (at $/£1,599) finishes, the current Junior remains a hard-to-beat rock ’n’ roll axe for, frankly, not a huge outlay.

The slab-body, all-mahogany construction with its 22-fret rosewood ’board ticks the tone boxes, and many of us enjoy Gibson’s now positively ancient P-90 single coil. A must-try!

Les Paul Studio – $1,599/£1,499

Pictured here in gloss Smokehouse Burst, this hits the same price point as the LP Junior (as does the Tobacco Burst in this model; other colours are from £1,699), but it’s a proper plain-maple-topped if slightly thinner-depth Les Paul, with Ultra-Modern weight relief.

There’s no body binding here, but the covered Burstbucker Pros provide a slightly hotter vintage voice, plus we get ‘coil taps’ for more P-90-like optional sounds. A deservedly long-time favourite.

Les Paul Special – $1,799/£1,699

This price gets you a two-pickup Junior in TV Yellow or Vintage Cherry, while you’ll pay $/£100 less if you opt for the Ebony finish. There’s plenty of vintage style here, too, from the plastic-button tuners to that one-piece wrapover bridge.

Plus, of course, the four-control layout means it plays more like a proper ’Paul. Like the Junior, the Special uses Gibson USA’s P-90 pickups and has been played by countless pros over the years. We’re still in love…

Les Paul Studio Session – $1,999/£1,899

As an upgrade to the Studio, the Session piles on the style with its figured maple top over the Ultra‑Modern weight-relieved body, which additionally has the Modern Contoured heel.

Like the Studio, there’s no body binding, but we get ‘coil taps’, as well as out-of-phase and pure bypass options from the four pull-switch controls. Gibson’s 57 Classic and 57 Classic Plus humbuckers provide the power. A serious guitar offered in four translucent colours.

Les Paul Standard ’60s Faded – $2,299/£1,999

Just before you get to the real Standards, the ’50s and ’60s Faded models trim a little off the price. The finish is actually satin nitro (not gloss) and we get a lightly figured AA maple top with edge binding (at last!).

The ’60s uses ’60s Burstbuckers with a SlimTaper neck profile; the ’50s has a ’50s Vintage neck profile with Burstbucker 1 and 2s. There’s no weight relief and limited colours, but this is the real deal with vintage vibe and feel.

• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.