Full Description

It Starts with a Solid Maple Body

The principal feature of any Les Paul is its maple cap. Whether it's the beautifully figured flames of the Burst models, or the plain maple used for solid color finishes, a Les Paul isn't a Les Paul without it. What sets apart the new Les Paul Studio Raw Power from any other Les Paul is the addition of a solid maple body, instead of the usual mahogany. The result is a more articulate, brighter tone, with a strong, more penetrating attack to each note. It is a tone unlike any other Les Paul, and its only available in the Les Paul Raw Power. Of course, like all the woods used by Gibson, the maple is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson's team of skilled wood experts before it enters the Gibson factories. The maple is also 100 percent certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, making it the first fully FSC-certified series of guitars in the Gibson line. Inside Gibson USA's factories, humidity and temperature are carefully monitored to insure that all woods maintain an equal moisture content, or equilibrium, This means the moisture content is controlled during the manufacturing process, guaranteeing tight-fitting joints and no expansion. It also controls the shrinkage, warping and weight of the woods. Consistent moisture content means that every Gibson guitar will respond evenly to temperature and humidity changes long after it leaves the factory.

22-Fret Maple Fingerboard

At first glance, the all-new maple fingerboard of the Les Paul Studio Raw Power causes you to do a double-take. Play it and you immediately feel the difference between the Les Paul Studio Raw Power and all other Les Pauls. The maple makes each note literally jump off the fingerboard. The tone is snappier, the response quicker, and the clarity in unmatched. And like all Gibson fingerboards, the maple is personally inspected and qualified by Gibson's team of skilled wood experts before entering the factory. The 12-inch radius of the fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates dead or choked out notes, which are common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.

Dot Inlays with a Trapezoid Inlay at the 12th Fret

Over the years, Gibson's classic dot and trapezoid inlays have been one of the more distinguishable features of many traditional Gibson guitars. Today's Les Paul Studio Raw Power offers the best of both, with dot inlays over most of the fingerboard and a single trapezoid inlay at the 12th fret. It is distinct look available only on the Raw Power series guitars. Like many Gibson inlays, a figured, swirl acrylic gives them a classic pearl look. They are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates gaps and doesn?t require the use of fillers.

New Satin Nitro Finish Colors

Gibson USA's new line of Raw Power Les Pauls are available in a new palette of satin finish colors, all coated with Gibson's traditional nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Choose from Gold, Yellow, White, Blue/Platinum, Trans Ebony, Olive Green, Natural, Aquamarine and Platinum. And rest assured that the same labor intensive process used to finish any other Gibson guitar is the process used on the Les Paul Studio Raw Power. A properly applied nitro finish requires extensive man hours, several evenly applied coats, and an exorbitant amount of drying time. Yet this fact has never swayed Gibson into changing this time-tested method, employed ever since the first guitar was swathed with lacquer back in 1894. Why? For starters, a nitro finish dries to a much thinner coat than a polyurethane finish. This assures less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument, and allows for a purer tone. A nitro finish is also softer, which makes it easily repairable. You can touch up a ding on a nitro finish, but you can't on a poly finish. A nitro finish is also very porous in nature, and actually gets thinner over time. It does not seal wood in an airtight shell - as a poly finish does. It allows the wood to breathe and age properly

Gibson's 57 Classic Pickups

Among the qualities that make Gibson's original Patent Applied For humbucking pickups so unique are the subtle variations between coil windings. For the first few years of their production 1955 to 1961 Gibson's PAF humbuckers were wound using imprecise machines, resulting in pickups with slightly different output and tone, desirable to players who wanted to mix and match and explore a complete spectrum of tonal possibilities. The ?57 Classic pickups are the result of Gibson's drive to capture and recreate this renowned characteristic. Introduced in 1992, the 57 Classic provides warm, full tone with a balanced response, packing that classic Gibson PAF humbucker crunch. And because they are inspired by those original PAFs, the 57 Classic pickups are made to the exact same specs, including Alnico II magnets, nickel- or gold-plated pole pieces, nickel slugs, maple spacers, and vintage-style, two-conductor braided wiring. Additionally, the wiring is poly-coated instead of enamel-coated, which improves consistency by eliminating thin or thick spots on the wire. They are also wax potted, which removes all internal air space and any chance of microphonic feedback.