Stupid Gibson LP Standard Question

[Evildick]

I've been looking at purchasing a Standard and am curious about the difference between the straight out mahogany guitars verse the flametops. Do the flame tops use a veneer over the mahogany body to achieve the look they have? I would ask the people at my local music shop but they would rather sell be a bridge to get me to buy the guitar instead of telling me the real deal. If it's veneer, what type of wood is used?
This may be a pointless question, but I was just curious. Thanks in advance.

Dick

[gibs]

No veneer....carved two piece maple top, mahogany sides and back on the standards, studios, historics....there is no veneered top in any of the line.....gibs

[Evildick]

thanks gibs.

[fenix]

Gibbies are one piece mahogany body with about a 1/4" maple top. the studios are not flamed (some standards are flamed, i've seen them) and now the studios come with rosewood fretboards. Most gibsons use to have ebony fretboards (real ebony fretboards, not rosewood stained ebony), so if you are a big fan of ebony fretboards, you might want to consider getting a '94ish les paul.

[gibs]

Studio Plus's are flamed....and the Custom still has an ebony board......


Older Studios did have an ebony board......

You'd be hard pressed to find a Standard with an ebony board.....old or new.......gibs

[gibs]

Here ya go...gibs

http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/LesPaul/

[Fangar]

Yep though the Studios often had very Dark Fingerboards, they were rosewood. The new Studio Gothic has an Ebony board. The customs were/are Ebony. I loved the Classis Reissue ++ flame tops. They had the deepest flames I had seen.

Fangar

[Basil]

that is correct only the Custom and some custom shop models feature ebony which is why I only play customs. i think the elegant may have one but I cannot recall. Studios, especially the older ones, were all rosewood. Standards are also rosewood. Only pluses and special editions tend to have the flame tops. You may want to consider the class 5 that is out now. If you are thinking of buying new I suggest instead you look at a nice custom on ebay. i have gotten a few great guitars there and there are some sweet flames there if you are patient. The question is MUST it be a flametop? What is the budget you have set? Peter

[Evildick]

This will be my first Les Paul so I'm not going to jump right in and sell the farm to buy top o' the line. Right now, I'm looking at two of them. A Standard Vintage Burst (reminds me of a strat I used to own from the finish), and a Standard Plus Lightburst Flametop. Both are about the same price the the Flame being a little more. Once I get play the thing for a couple years, I'll probably move up to a custom, but not yet.

Thanks again for the info.

Dick

[fenix]

Originally posted by Basil
that is correct only the Custom and some custom shop models feature ebony which is why I only play customs. i think the elegant may have one but I cannot recall. Studios, especially the older ones, were all rosewood.

I have a '94 gibson Studio. Wine Red w/ gold harware. And I shit you not IT HAS AN EBONY FRETBOARD!!! Give me a couple days and I'll have a picture on the net of it.

[Basil]

then you have an unusual one because I have yet to see one, especially in the early 90s where a lot of them were not even inlaid with anything but dots. Post it and lets see. Anything special on the rear of the headstock?

[eyeslikefire]

Originally posted by fenix


I have a '94 gibson Studio. Wine Red w/ gold harware. And I shit you not IT HAS AN EBONY FRETBOARD!!! Give me a couple days and I'll have a picture on the net of it.

Fenix, could it be dyed rosewood? I think I recall seein that...
On solid ebony you can hardly see the grain yet on rosewood the grain really stands out.

[gibs]

This studio with ebony board was discontinued in '98......and there were earlier regular studios with ebony boards as well.....even with dots................gibs

http://www.gibson.com/products/gibso...tudioLite.html

[fenix]

no, it is not dyed rosewood. and yes, there is barely any wood grain. and yes...it feels good.

[Fangar]

Originally posted by gibs
This studio with ebony board was discontinued in '98......and there were earlier regular studios with ebony boards as well.....even with dots................gibs

http://www.gibson.com/products/gibso...tudioLite.html

I remember the Studio Lites. They were much lighter than the traditional LP do to the stringer that ran down the center of the body being made of that Chromyte (whatever the fudge that was)material. Also the winges of the body were hollowed out a bit.

Fangar

[Evildick]

That's one of the reasons why I'm looking for a standard. I want all wood. Whoops, that sounded pretty messed up.

Dick

[Fangar]

Originally posted by Evildick
That's one of the reasons why I'm looking for a standard. I want all wood. Whoops, that sounded pretty messed up.

Dick

Keeping working on that...

Anyway, the Studios are all wood (Mahogany Back Maple Top)excpet for the lites. They were a special deal that Gibson came up with trying to reach the geriatric market who moaned that LP's are too heavy. A studio is a great guitar for the money. I personally don't like all that laquer, but they still sound nice.

Fangar