The last major adjustments made to the timeless Gibson Les Paul Standard were in 2008, when the company made such changes as a chambered body to decrease the considerable weight of the mahogany and maple guitars.
One of the best additions is the Dual Burstbucker Pro pickups. Guitar players have long been able to ‘split’ their humbuckers to two single-coil pickups, producing a brighter sound similar to that of a Fender, but it required paying out to have the work done. Gibson’s new Les Paul Standards have it built it as, well, standard, so players can break free of the usual Les Paul sound and explore sonic territory new to the model.
Also finding its way to the 2012 model is the 60s neck radius, which allows for faster playing and is, to some, more comfortable than the fatter 50s neck.
You can read the full spec list here or watch the video below to see Chris from Gibson USA give a brief rundown of what’s new – and the changes are much more exciting than those in 2008.