Gibson Les Paul Special Electric Guitar Vintage Cherry

I've wanted a tv yellow Les Paul special for 20 years. I don't know why it took me so long, but I'm glad I finally pulled the trigger. This thing looks, feels, and sounds wonderful.

This Guitar feels unbelievable...the sound growls, and has a bite! I've always read the reviews, "was set up right out of the box"! then I always thought, Sure....Until, this Gibson Les Paul Special T.V. yellow Guitar arrived! I am so pleased with the way it is NOW, Immediately upon arrival, that I will be changing strings in the future, one string at a time.....don't want to alter the way the bridge sits, I love it!

One of the best sounding guitars I have ever owned. It is now my go to among all of my collection.

This guitar has an amazing vibe to it. The P90s are awesome. They have that midrange snarl that we all know and love. The 50s neck is very chunky, but in a good way. The feel of this guitar literally throws be back in time to the 50s. Combine that with the retro look and the classic TV yellow finish, it just makes me want to jam to some good old school rock and roll. Being a couple pounds lighter than my Standard, I can play this one all night without any shoulder issues. There is so much to love about the look and feel, but let's not overlook that fact that this is a tone monster! I will definitely be using it in some upcoming recordings. That being said, there are some not so awesome issues that need to be mentioned. A very minor issue is the intonation. All the strings were slightly sharp at the 12th fret. This was even across all the strings, so it has nothing to do with the wrap around bridge. This could have been set properly before leaving the factory with a small turn of the set screws in the bridge. No biggie though. A couple minutes with a screwdriver and a tuner and I have that issue fixed. The bigger issue is the condition of the binding and the fretboard. It looks to me like they were both damaged by the Plek machine during the factory setup. There are compression dings in both, the binding and fretboard. There is also a section that looks like a file carved into the fretboard. There is a similar compression ding in the binding right behind the nut. If that wasn't enough, the binding on the low E side is uneven and looks like a groove is carved into it lengthwise. You can see these in the attached photos. I don't know how these defects made it past quality control. If I was doing the final setup at the factory I would have flagged this one as a factory second. I guess the rumors about the improved quality at Gibson is a matter of the luck of the draw, because the fit and finish in the areas I mentioned are quite poor on mine. Yes, these flaws are cosmetic and won't affect the playability in any way, but I still expect better from Gibson. I guess some things will never change over there and this is what we have to expect if we want their name on the headstock. I give this guitar an A+ for tone and feel, a D for quality control and defects. All things considered it gets an overall C+. At the end of the day it is still a keeper because I love playing it, defects and all.

The Special is the snotty little brother of the Les Paul family. The P90s sound fantastic and produce a good range of tones between the bridge and neck pickups (I play through AC15 and Delta King amps). I did have to play a handful of them before I found one that really ripped, and ran into a couple with outright defects along the way. This is indicative of the variable quality coming out of the Gibson factory these days. But if you find a good one, get ready to rock. I'm very happy with mine.

Sold a Les Paul that should have never even been allowed to walk out the store. Attitude with staff over the telephone inquiring on items, shocked to my dismay. Instruments are not opened up and checked prior to item being given to you. Always ship to store and take advantage of 45 day warranty. Ridiculous that some items can even be sold as new. And get rid of the "Bro" culture I'm sorry, I'm coming in to kick tires and look at a car basically we are not "bros" or cool on any level especially with my experience thus far. Haven't seen this in university town circle FL, nor have In Arlington heights IL. This is a service industry. I come in for said ordered item or in store I expect excellency and the best items in stock, or on floor. And the best care, so I can return and feel secure in purchases. I'm not out to bite anyone, it's just Buffalo grove May be a little farther but Sam Ash is always another option. This is the reality of the world. And I can happily take business there, I choose not to as I want to give my trust to a company that has "guitar" Center in its name. Grew up with it. What I know it to be. Wether manufacturer shipping or otherwise store issue, I can't say. I just expect better, the best. Nobody should have gone through what I have as a musician and walk out the door being told this is Okay, it wasn't. This review is for this instance only and not any future ones or past. It's only about a phone call inquiry and then being sold a defected item. I can attest the quality in which this problem was resolved was perfect and I thankfully have gratitude for the man who did help me with the refund process and my other purchase that specific day. I do not want to cause or make any negative attacks against any said people, just give a very straight up review. The return and refund process and experience that day was not bad at all. It's sketchy and makes me think if I wish to do further business, but the trust built that day was a little ensuring…