Guitar World Verdict
Pros
- +
Captures the sounds of the era evocatively
- +
Precise, rapid playability
- +
It’s a ‘proper’ Les Paul Custom
- +
Crisply built and priced accessibly
Cons
- -
Slightly on the heavy side
- -
Still a significant investment
- -
Bright, mid-forward pickups won’t suit all
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What is it?
Les Paul Customs have always stood apart. While sunburst Standards may be the Holy Grail, Customs have got the job done in every musical setting from Bowie to The Cult. Which is ironic because the Custom was always intended to be the best-of-the-best Les Paul, not the workhorse.
From the split-diamond headstock inlay to the gold hardware and fancier pickup configurations, the Custom was supposed to be a Cadillac to the Goldtop’s Ford, if you will.
In recent years, Gibson has chosen to reflect that historical cachet by producing Les Paul Customs only in the Custom Shop, with no ‘lower-priced’ USA version available.
However, the Custom is very much a working tool for many players, with its own strident character that is typically a little bolder than that of many Standards, especially vintage-voiced ones.
Thankfully, Gibson has now rectified that situation with the Les Paul Custom 70s. In doing so, Gibson is following the same logic behind the company’s existing Les Paul Standard 50s and Les Paul Standard 60s models, which emulate the features and vibe of an era rather than a specific year, a more detailed task that’s left to Custom Shop reissues.
It makes sense, then, that the new Custom slots into the 70s bracket – not only because it fills out the range in a sequential way but also because, throughout the 70s, there was no truly classic sunburst Standard, just a restless assortment of models that were somewhat like one, from the Deluxe onward. Hence, the Custom became the go-to twin-humbucker Les Paul variant in that decade.
But finger-sensitive dynamics and whispery nuance were not what those 70s guitars were about and that’s reflected in the Les Paul Custom 70s – a ballsier guitar by far.
The new release has partly been prompted by the anniversary of Gibson’s move from Kalamazoo to Nashville in 1975 where, we’re told, some of the first guitars to be made were Les Paul Customs.
At that time, Customs were built rather differently to the all-mahogany Customs of the 1950s and had a vertically stacked mahogany/maple/mahogany ‘pancake’ body, while 1975 saw the introduction of a three-piece maple neck, instead of mahogany.
Specs
- Launch price: $3,999/£3,499/€3,999
- Made: USA
- Type: Six-string electric guitar
- Body: Double edge bound mahogany (no weight relief) with carved plain maple (3-piece) top
- Neck: Maple, ‘70s’ profile with volute, glued-in
- Fingerboard: Ebony, 305mm (12”) radius
- Scale length: 628mm (24.75”)
- Nut/width: Graph Tech, 43.2mm
- Frets: 22, medium
- Hardware: Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge, aluminum tailpiece, Grover Rotomatic tuners, gold-plated
- String spacing at bridge: 52mm
- Electrics: 2x Gibson T-Type covered (gold-plated) humbuckers, 3-way toggle pickup selector switch, individual volume and tone controls
- Weight: 10.25lbs/4.65kg
- Left-handed options: No
- Finishes: Buttercream (as reviewed), Tobacco Burst, Wine Red, Ebony
- Cases: Gibson hardshell case included
- Contact: Gibson
Build quality
Build quality rating: ★★★★½
Some (but not all) of the quirks of those mid-70s Customs have been replicated here – the broadness of the ‘70s’ moniker allowing for some wriggle room with the spec that Gibson have made sensible use of. First of all, we get a three-piece maple top which was an in-period feature but here it’s fitted to a one-piece mahogany back.
There’s a maple neck, too, with a pronounced volute which was characteristic of the era – but it’s a one-piece neck, not the more elaborate three-piece construction used in some ’70s Customs. Build quality is crisp and clean – the guitar is rather glossy and box-fresh as compared to aged Custom Shop equivalents but that’s reflected in the price and the spanking-new nitro finish is deftly executed.
Fretwork is very tidy, and though the frets could use a touch more of a polish for absolute perfection the general standard of build is high.
The review guitar is clad in a Buttermilk finish with black back and sides that, if you squint a bit, you could take for an aged-looking Alpine White. Era-correct details such as diamond-shaped Posi-Lok strap buttons are also replicated here and actually work rather well, being easier to squeeze into the leather eyelet of a strap than the oversize circular strap buttons that we tend to get these days but still pretty secure. Gold-plated Grovers with 70s style keystone tuners work effectively and look the part.
Playability
Playability rating: ★★★★☆
The Les Paul Custom has a really interesting aspect to its playability which perhaps explains why the Custom has long been a hard rock and shredders choice, despite its early origins as an upmarket jazz guitar.
Possibly it's the ebony construction and crisp, white binding, but the fingerboard feels, at least in terms of player perception, flatter than the standard 12-inch Gibson radius might suggest. It excels in making linear, single-note runs up and down the neck feel precise, easy and well articulated. Al Di Meola, circa 1977, would probably approve.
Combined with the bite of the Alnico 5 pickups (more on those in a minute), the feel of this guitar in play very much favours sassy, rock-oriented play rather than nuanced, bluesy bends - though it can do those capably enough too.
The neck, with its glossy finish, is perhaps a little less slinky than a worn-in Fender Tele neck, for example, but it provides a nice, positive handful to grip - so doing the traditional thing and letting the strap hang low and having at it feels pretty good here.
Sounds
Sounds rating: ★★★★☆
Under the hood, there’s a similar story of thoughtful – though not forensic – attention to period-correct detail. The T-Top humbuckers of the era, with their distinctive biting, mid-forward sound, are represented here by a pair of un-potted ‘T-Type’ pickups.
These are wound with polysol wire over Alnico 5 magnets, like the original T-Tops, with balanced coils that measured out at 7.36 kOhms for the bridge and 7.23kOhms for the neck on this review guitar.
These have been teamed with four Gibson-logo CTS 500k ohms pots with Orange Drop .022µFarads caps on the tone controls. I did find that, straight out of the box, the bridge humbucker on our guitar was a little quieter than the neck. It was the work of a moment to adjust its height, however, which fixed the imbalance.
It excels in making linear, single-note runs up and down the neck feel precise
Plugging in to a Fender Hot Rod Deville, using a J Rockett Calibre 45 overdrive pedal to add dirt, I immediately notice that wiry but beefy voicing that is so typical of a good, rock-focused Les Paul Custom.
The heft of the guitar, which weighs 10.25lbs (4.65kg) here translates into focused, aggressive mids in the initial attack of the note and a smooth, long sustain.
These aren’t the most subtle of humbuckers but they do absolutely deliver that Mick Ronson-esque growl and have an incisive, hot presence when driven harder that reminds me of tracks such as Fire Woman by the Cult.
Played clean, the T-Types show off why this kind of guitar works so well for jazz fusion, with a nice warm and well-defined clarity that articulates notes clearly and accurately.
Verdict
The heft of the guitar translates into focused, aggressive mids in the initial attack of the note and a smooth, long sustain.
It’s been a while since we’ve had what you might call an attainably priced Les Paul Custom bearing the Gibson name and this 70s slant on a classic is a sensible mix of authentic features and modern workarounds that still delivers the excitement and tonal authority of a 70s Custom.
True, the guitar is a touch on the heavy side but to us it’s part of the guitar’s character and falls well short of backbreaker territory.
Guitar World verdict: Overall, this is a well-judged entry point to owning a ‘real’ Les Paul Custom with fast, precise playability and some riotously evocative sounds.
Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
Build quality | Crisply built to a premium-yet-attainable brief, this guitar delivers the 70s Les Paul Custom experience in a glossy, tautly constructed package. | ★★★★½ |
Playability | If you want what a rock-focused Les Paul Custom can deliver, this won’t disappoint – its easy playability making fast runs effortless, though it’s a touch on the heavy side. | ★★★★☆ |
Sounds | Wiry, hot and well-defined, the 70s Custom excels at crunch and high-gain tones, but its cleans are perfectly respectable and offer plenty of warm clarity. It has a really sharp, linear articulation when played with gain that really suits fast, single-note runs. | ★★★★☆ |
Overall | It’s a ‘real’ Les Paul Custom at a relatively reasonable price – it’s hard for that not to put a smile on your face | ★★★★☆ |
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