The traditional Les Paul with a nice late 80s/early 90s vibe.

The Gibson Les Paul Traditional is just a simple classic Les Paul that reminiscent of the Les Paul Standards since the late 1980s. Mine is from 2011 and features two Gibson 57 Classic humbuckers, traditional weight relief, a Nashville bridge and Tonepros vintage tuners. There are no coil taps, boosts, Min-E Tune or any super modern features on this guitar. It has a two piece mahogany body and a one piece mahogany neck. The one I have was laqcuered in Light Burst which looks like a faded Heritage Cherry finish. Being a nitro finish it started to age a bit on its own, but I really like that. It came with a black Gibson snakeskin case with white furry lining which has a nice vanilla kind of smell and is still going strong after a constant use.

The Gibson 57 Classic pickups are really nice sounding pickups which have a moderate output which is slightly hotter than vintage PAFs and a real nice clarity to them. When I use them with my amps (Marshall JCM 900 MkIII, Marshall YJM 100, Fender ´57 Twin Amp RI) they clean up very well offer a lot of different sounds when you use the volume and tone controls. The neck pickup can be a bit boomy but when the pickup height is set up correctly it works very well for those classic Les Paul neck pickup tones. Due to its clarity the bridge pickup can be a little bit ice picky sometimes but most of the time I set the tone control to 7, which smooths out the tone just enough and leaves a bit of treble reserves for later.

I tried other pickups in this guitar, namely the Dimarzio 36th Anniversaries, the Seymour Duncan Slash pickups and the Seymour Duncan Joe Bonamassa pickups and finally went back to the 57 Classics. This does not mean the other pickups sounded bad but that the 57 Classics are a very good choice for these guitars, if you like their vintage character.

Over the years I also replaced the chromed zinc taipliece with a light aluminium one in nickel, added a ABR-1 conversion bridge, changed the pickup covers to nickle and replaced pots and caps with CTS TVT 500ko pots and Russian PiO caps. These mods mainly added a bit more clarity and changed the appearance slightly. I would have no problem to recommend this guitar in its stock form.

My Absolute Go To Guitar

I have a 2014 Traditional made for the 120th anniversary. This guitar has been one of the most reliable Guitars I have ever played. I have played with this guitar at almost every gig I've been to, and it has never let me down. It's versatility is endless. I have used it for the styles of punk, country, classic rock, pop, reggae, and almost everything in-between. Plugged into a Vox AC-15, it produces smooth buttery crunch tones, as well as warm cleans. If I'm in a live setting, or a studio session, this guitar always sounds full bodied and rich!

A True Les Paul

My Traditional is a 2014 model in Honeyburst. Previous owner replaced the Burstbuckers with Seymour Duncan Whole Lotta Humbuckers, and they are really awesome. The cleans are elite level cleans, and somehow I managed to find a legitimate AAA flame top. The weight is about 9.5 lbs, so a big adjustment when you go straight from a Strat to the LP, but I prefer a heavy Gibson. It's a great guitar and it will stick with me for a long time.

The real Standard

A very good Les Paul, without any dysfunctional rubbish. Early 2014, so this is handwired and has no PCB. AAA flame maple top, no pickguard. Pickups are the rare Tribute 1959s (Alnico II), they sound as good as anything. Unusually, the screw coils are wound hotter than slug coils. I'm not sure I can tell the difference, though. I swapped the magnet in the bridge unit for an Alnico IV, for slightly more presence and somewhat stronger output.

fat neck and robo tuners so not for everyone but I like it

Got this one to have an alternative style of Paul to my more modern Axcess. I have the 2015 model which has a wide freboard with a fair degree of heft. Not for everyone but just think listen to the sustain (think Spinal Tap). It does have the '57 pickups which give a nice warm sound and contract to the pickups on my Axcess. I do also like the robotic tuners. They are a great option, particularly if you want to detune quickly. Not sure why they come in for such negativity. Anyway a great guitar to pick up when I want to play some Lizzy or Zep out.

Great guitar, just different

Love this guitar, in my opinion the thicker neck feels better for barre chords than a thinner neck, especially for those who struggle getting a good sound from them. The 59 tributes sound amazing and the mother of pearl fingerboard inlays are a nice addition. I "de-2015'd" it and I love the removable pickguard and the headstock signature and hologram don't phase me. Hard case is lovely as well. An all round excellent guitar, and if you're willing to put the differences to other les pauls behind, a nice addition to your collection.

Faithful example of the classic Les Paul I'd always sought

Priced out of the vintage market and high-end reissue market, the 2016 Les Paul Traditional is the perfect answer for those seeking a classic Les Paul at a more affordable price. Everything you want from an LP, none of the extra bells and whistles touted in the Standard lineup. Impressive guitar.

The best bang for the buck!

Having owned this guitar for at least 2 years now, I can pretty safely say that it's the founding tool for my professional gear. It's decently priced, it has a nice, balanced weight, great fat sounds from the neck pickup, rocking gnarly highs from the bridge pickup, great versatility with the split coils, awesome intonation and tuning stability because of the ABR-1 bridge and locking tuners. Mine is a Traditional Pro 2012 Goldtop, but since I could not find it and couldn't bother making a whole profile for the guitar as of today, I assume this will sufice the review!

Classic

I wanted a no-frills les paul that sounded good. That is exactly what I got. Only complaints I have is the neck radius, which is a little to chunky for my tastes

This is the real Standard

Loaded with Classic 57s (and a Classic 57 plus in the bridge for more aggressive tone), this is the real old time Les Paul Standard. Can't go wrong with this guitar! Fat neck and awersome humbuckers.