Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s This Les Paul Studio might be identified by its “plain” maple top, but there’s nothing plain about this guitar. The Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s has been designed according to the specification of players who’ve demanded a deluxe version of the Les Paul Studio with a thin, tapered ’60s neck profile. The guitar gets its gusto with two uncovered humbucking pickups — the 490R and the Burstbucker Pro — and its beauty thanks to a bookmatched Grade-A maple top, available in either Heritage Cherry Sunburst or Vintage Sunburst. Body Species Each Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s gets its stunning three-dimensional look courtesy of its “bookmatched” maple top. The guitar’s tight-grained top fits snugly atop a two-piece mahogany body, and top and body are bonded together with ultra-strong Franklin Titebond 50 glue. This wood combination yields not only a gorgeous exterior but also a specific yet versatile tone that many guitarists have come to demand.  Grade This Les Paul’s maple top and mahogany body are both Grade A.  Design To achieve the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s' desirable “bookmatched” top, a Gibson luthier gathers two pieces of the finest maple, chosen for its grain patterns, and carefully lines them up to achieve the classic center seam look. Beyond the façade, the guitar’s interior is treated to Gibson’s traditional 9-hole relief to give you enhanced tone and a guitar of manageable weight.  Average Weight The average weight of a Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s body is 5.81 lbs.  Tonal Characteristics The mahogany body of the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s cranks out tone that is somewhat soft, but extremely well-balanced, with good grind and bite. It has the potential for good depth, with full (though not super-tight) lows, velvety highs and a slightly compressed response. Its maple cap adds snap, sizzle and sustain. And like a number of Gibsons, the Les Paul’s interior has weight relief cavities, which gives you a guitar that is louder acoustically and features increased sustain and resonance. Finish Color The Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s comes in the classically beautiful Heritage Cherry Sunburst and Vintage Sunburst finishes. This high-gloss lacquer was selected to accentuate the beautiful wood grain patterns of the maple top.  Surface Texture The 90-sheen lacquer finish gives the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s a sleek surface that’s smooth to the touch.  Process The Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s is finished by hand in a process that demands several coats and many hours. Unlike a lot of other manufacturers, who settle for a polyurethane finish, Gibson opts for a nitrocellulose finish that will encourage the natural vibration of the instrument for a purer tone. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous and actually gets thinner over time. That way your guitar’s wood can breathe and age beautifully. Neck and Headstock Species The neck of the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s is constructed from a solid piece of Grade-A mahogany, the hands-down best choice for guitarists who demand a strong but lightweight neck. Before becoming “putty” in the hands of Gibson’s skilled craftsmen, the mahogany is milled and cut to a highly desirable “quarter sawn” wood grain orientation and then kiln dried until it has reached optimum moisture levels. Truss Rod Gibson’s traditional truss rod, found in most all of our guitars, is highly responsive to the individual adjustments you’ll want to make to personalize and optimize string action and sustain.  Grade A-grade Profile This Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s is fitted with Gibson’s classic ’60s neck profile, which is the more modern, slim-tapered neck most commonly associated with the Les Paul and SG models of the early 1960s.  Joint Angle 5.0° Headstock Angle The Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s headstock is carefully angled at a tried-and-true 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain. Logo The Gibson logo — one of the most globally recognized logos of all time — is silkscreened in gold onto the headstock of the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s.  Tonal Characteristics The angled, classical-style peg head offers enhanced sustain.  Average Weight The average weight of the neck on a Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s is .94 lbs. Neck Fit Joint Gibson uses what is known as the Mortise & Tenon joint to bind neck to body so that the two pieces form one solid unit. This time-tested joint style has been used in all the great woodworking arts — from shipbuilding to cabinetry — and has been proven to yield a stronger neck and body than if the instrument was made from a single piece of wood.  Adhesive The adhesive used to join neck and body on the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s is Franklin Titebond 50, one of the strongest glues on the market today.  Tolerance When fitting the neck and body together, we take advantage of our precise measuring equipment so that all angles, pitches and alignments maintain a tolerance within .005 of an inch. Not only does this help to keep your guitar in tune but it also maintains proper string alignment relative to the fingerboard. Joint Angle Tolerance 0.0° (+/- 15 seconds) Fingerboard Species The Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s is equipped with a baked maple fingerboard. Radius The 12-inch radius of the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses. Frets The Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s sports 22 frets. Inlays The acrylic trapezoid inlays that decorate the fingerboard of this Les Paul are made of white ABS plastic, giving these classic inlays the mother-of-pearl look you lust for. Tonal Characteristics Baked maple is known for good sustain with plenty of bite. It really shouts with bright highs and a strong upper midrange. Nut Material The nut on the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s is made from Corian, which is mainly composed of acrylic polymer. It’s a very durable material, delivers enhanced sustain, and holds the tolerances of the precision cuts made by Gibson’s PLEK machine. It is installed into the top surface of the neck, butting up to the end of the fingerboard to ensure proper tone and sustain transfer.  Width The width of the nut on the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s is approximately 1.695”. Pickups Neck and Bridge In the neck position, the uncovered 490R uses Alnico II magnets and features pole-piece spacing suitable to the string spread at the neck position. In the bridge position is Gibson’s uncovered Burstbucker Pro pickup, which features an Alnico V magnet that offers slightly higher output and allows preamps to be driven a little harder to achieve a more natural break-up. Like all Burstbuckers, the Burstbucker Pro has asymmetrical coils — true to the original PAFs — which supply a more open sound. The Burstbucker Pro pickups are also wax potted to allow loud volume pressures with minimal feedback. Coil Tapping The bridge and neck pickups can each be split via their own push/pull switch on the volume knob to achieve a single-coil tone. This coil-tapping function allows you to instantly achieve brighter, snappier tones from this humbucker-loaded guitar, to replicate the sounds of other classic guitars equipped with single-coil pickups, and to return to the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s' thick, warm, powerful, full-humbucking tone at the push of a knob. Wire Material The wire used in the neck and bridge pickups is made from enamel coated copper. Coil Material The coil of each pickup is made from ABS plastic, which is hard and durable and can withstand a broad range of temperatures. Pole Piece Material The pole pieces inside each pickup are made of nickel plated steel. Pole Piece Position From Nut In the neck pickup, the pole pieces are positioned 18 5/8” from the nut, while the pole pieces in the bridge pickup are positioned 23 7/16” from the nut. Magnet Position From Nut The Alnico 5 magnet in the 490R is positioned 19” from the nut, while the magnet in the Burstbucker Pro is positioned 23 1/8” from the nut. Tonal Characteristics This combination of pickups gives you the warmth, depth and clarity you’ve come to expect from Gibson’s humbuckers, first introduced in the 1950s. Electronics Volume Controls The Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s features two Amber Top Hat volume controls with potentiometers made by CTS. The pots (short for potentiometer) have an ohm reading of 500k, which allows for a smooth variation from soft to loud. Tone Controls The Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s features two Gold Top Hat tone control knobs with a potentiometer made by CTS. The pot has an ohm reading of 500k, which is the highest value for a panel pot, and provides a very smooth transition between highs and lows. Toggle Switch The Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s features one three-way toggle switch made of stainless steel and adorned with a crème cap and a crème washer. This switch acts as the instrument’s pickup selector. In the down position, only the bridge pickup is active. In the middle position, both pickups are active. In the up position, only the neck pickup is active. Output Jack The Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s features a 1⁄4” output jack made by Switchcraft. Its super heavy duty construction holds your guitar cable securely in place. The jack is offset by a plastic crème jack plate. Hardware Tuning Keys The headstock of the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s is equipped with Grover Rotomatic Kidney tuning keys. Plated in chrome and sealed with a special lubricant, these keys are designed to withstand a lifetime of tunings. Bridge In 1954, Gibson rocked the world when it debuted the tune-o-matic bridge, setting a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. Included on the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s, the tune-o-matic provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. It also yields a great union between the strings and body, which results in excellent tone and sustain. The bridge on this Les Paul is made from Zamak then plated with Chrome, and each one weighs approximately .11 lbs. Tailpiece Every Tune-o-matic bridge is combined with a separate “stopbar” tailpiece, which is essentially a modified version of the earlier wraparound bridge that’s designed to further enhance the connection between the strings and the body. The stopbar tailpiece on this Les Paul is made from Zamak then plated with Chrome, and each one weighs approximately .24lbs. Strap Buttons The Les Paul’s aluminum strap buttons are the same style and design that Gibson has used since the early 1950s.Plastics Truss Rod Cover As with most Gibson guitars, the truss rod cover on the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s is made from vinyl plastic, and is shaped like an antique bell. The truss rod on this guitar is hot stamped with the word ‘Deluxe.’ Control Knobs The control knobs on the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s are Gibson’s Amber Top Hat knobs, found on many vintage and modern Gibson guitars.  Pickup Trim Rings The pickup trim rings on the Les Paul Studio Deluxe ’60s are made of cream ABS plastic.