From a practical and commercial standpoint, the first salvos were fired in California. Solidbody guitars! More volume! No feedback! Command the bandstand!

Leo Fender was a West Coast-based genius who didn’t even know how to tune a guitar, but he captured the imagination of cowpokes, blues players and emerging rockers when he released his Telecaster solidbody electric in 1950.

Gibson had its own non-guitar-playing mastermind in Ted McCarty. What the company didn’t have was a solidbody guitar.

That was about to change.

McCarty and his team worked for approximately one year crafting a distinctively Gibson solidbody, convinced the most famous guitarist of the early 1950s to endorse it and unveiled the new Les Paul Model at the 1952 NAMM Show in New York City.

Since then, the Les Paul struggled for popularity, ducked controversy regarding who did what on the design front (Les Paul, anyone?), was discontinued and roared back, and ultimately became one of the iconic engines of rock and so many other musical genres. You can read all about it in our article, The History of the Gibson Les Paul.

Players currently have many options available when considering a Les Paul. The Gibson Collections include Original, Modern, Artist, Custom Shop and Murphy Lab. You can ponder the most accurate clones of vintage Les Pauls ever produced (Custom Shop and Murphy Lab); tributes to ’50, ’60s and ’70s LPs (Original Collection); contemporary and enhanced models (Modern Collection); signature models (Artist Collection) and more.

The following guide will help you zero in on the Gibson Les Paul that has your name on it—figuratively speaking, of course. If you’d rather explore some outstanding Epiphone-crafted Les Paul models, click to How to Choose the Best Epiphone Les Paul.

Table of Contents

Quick Gibson Les Paul Comparison Chart
Gibson Original Collection
     Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s P-90
     Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s
     Gibson Les Paul Standard '60s
     Gibson Les Paul Junior
     Gibson Les Paul Special
     Gibson Les Paul '70s Deluxe
Gibson Modern Collection
     Gibson Les Paul Studio
     Gibson Les Paul Classic
     Gibson Les Paul Tribute
     Gibson Les Paul Modern
     Gibson Les Paul Modern Figured
     Gibson Les Paul Modern Lite
Gibson Les Paul Artist Models
Gibson Custom Shop
     Gibson Custom Shop Les Pauls
     Murphy Lab Les Pauls
Guitar Center Les Paul Exclusives
     Gibson Les Paul Trad Pro V
Guitar Center Vintage Les Paul Collection
Play the Perfect Paul 

Quick Gibson Les Paul Comparison Chart

In a hurry? Well, first—don’t be. Finding the perfect Les Paul that’s just right for you can take some time, study and actual auditioning at your local Guitar Center. Second, we do know your time is valuable, so we’ve provided a basic comparison chart for selected features. After all, why peruse tons of models, if you know you really want a weight-relieved Les Paul, or would only consider P-90 pickups or a slim neck profile?

We omitted a neck-wood column because all of these Gibson Les Paul models have mahogany necks. We also recognize that neck-shape designations can be a tad mysterious—several threads on various Gibson user forums have been dedicated to decoding them—so here’s a rapid report on the Gibson profiles in our chart:

• ’50s Vintage: A fairly chunky, rounded neck. Often fondly called a “baseball bat” neck.

• Rounded: Often considered a “traditional” Les Paul profile. Feels vintage-like for those who want to grab something substantial.

• Rounded C: Still a nice round, vintage-style shape, but slightly less stocky. Usually described as a nice compromise between a ’50s baseball bat neck and a slimmer ’60s profile.

• SlimTaper: A lean and slender profile designed for overall comfort and fast playing.

• SlimTaper Asymmetric: Starts rounded and comfy for chords, and then gets flatter as you go up the neck for unencumbered soloing.

Model	Body Wood	Fretboard	Pickups	Neck Shape	Weight  Relief	Enhanced Electronics	Price*
Standard '50s P-90	Mahogany with maple top	Rosewood	Two P-90s	’50s vintage	No	No	$2,799
Standard '50s	Mahogany with figured maple top	Rosewood	Two Burstbuckers	’50s vintage	No	No	$2,999
Standard '60s	Mahogany with AA figured maple top	Rosewood	Two Burstbuckers	SlimTaper	No	No	$2,999
Junior	Mahogany	Rosewood	One P-90	’50s vintage	No	No	$1,599
Special	Mahogany	Rosewood	Two P-90s	’50s vintage	No	No	$1,799
'70s Deluxe	Mahogany with maple top	Rosewood	Two Mini Humbuckers	Rounded C	No	No	$2,799
Studio	Mahogany with maple top	Rosewood	Two Humbuckers	SlimTaper	Yes	Coil tap	$1,699
Classic	Mahogany with maple top	Rosewood	Two Burstbuckers	SlimTaper	Yes	Coil tap, phase, bypass	$2,199
Tribute	Mahogany with maple top	Rosewood	Two Humbuckers	Rounded	Yes	No	$1,299
Modern	Mahogany with maple top	Ebony	Two Burstbucker Pro/Pro+	SlimTaper Asymmetric	Yes	Coil tap, phase, bypass	$2,999
Modern Figured	Mahogany with AAA figured maple top	Ebony	Two Humbuckers	SlimTaper	No	No	$2,999
Modern Lite	Mahogany	Rosewood	Two Humbuckers	SlimTaper	No	No	$1,499
Slash Jessica	Mahogany with 3-piece maple top	Indian rosewood	Two Custombuckers	’50s vintage	No	No	$3,199
Trad Pro V	Mahogany with flame maple top	Rosewood	Two Tradbuckers	Asymmetric	Yes	Coil tap, phase, treble control	$3,199

Pricing as of April 2024***

Gibson Original Collection

The Original Collection pays homage to the instruments manufactured during Les Paul’s chart-topping days in the ’50s, the era of the rock and roll upstarts in the ’60s, and the classic rock years of the 1970s. They’re not conceptualized as 100-percent accurate, vintage replicas, but include some important features of the decade at hand.

If you want to dig into the rich history of this legendary guitar, check out our article on the history and evolution of the Gibson Les Paul.

Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s P-90

The Les Paul Standard ’50s P-90 honors the Goldtop first introduced in 1952. If you’re not into evoking the spirit of Les Paul playing his Goldtop on stages and TV shows in the ’50s, you can go for a non-vintage tobacco sunburst finish. You won’t have to struggle with the original’s trapeze tailpiece, either, as the Standard ’50s P-90 has a Tune-O-Matic bridge and aluminum stopbar. Other features include a maple top on a mahogany body, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets and Gibson P-90 pickups loaded with Alnico V magnets.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s P-90 Gold Top

Why You Want to Buy It:

• Go for the Goldtop finish if you prize vintage vibe

• You dig the clean snarl of P-90s

• You love retro looks but want contemporary playability

Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s

The Les Paul Standard ’50s has the same specs as the P-90 version, except for set of Burstbucker humbuckers wound to emulate vintage PAF (Patent Applied For) tone and a figured-maple top. If you’re looking for a Les Paul that can sing like the original model used by players such as Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons, Duane Allman and others, but feels like a streamlined and modernized instrument, this may be the one for you.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s Figured Tobacco Burst

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You’re looking for that iconic Les Paul/humbucker roar

• You love retro looks but want contemporary playability

Gibson Les Paul Standard '60s

The history of the singe-cutaway Les Paul in the 1960s is tumultuous. On one hand, you have Eric Clapton rewriting the blues rock rulebook with a 1960 Standard on Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton. On the other, the Standard was discontinued in 1960—giving way to the double-cutaway SG/Les Paul—until it was resurrected in 1968.

The Les Paul Standard ’60s, therefore, echoes the sound of players bringing the model back to prominence. This Les Paul features an AA figured maple top over a mahogany body, mahogany neck with a ’60s SlimTaper, rosewood fretboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets and Burstbucker 61 pickups. The Les Paul Standard ’60s comes in a number of stunning finishes, including a gorgeous Limited-Edition Tri-Burst.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Standard '60s Figured Bourbon Burst

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You want to strut the look of your favorite LP Standard-wielding guitar heroes

• You’re seeking your own version of the rich, snarky “women tone” popularized by Eric Clapton during his Cream era

• You want a fast neck

Gibson Les Paul Junior

With its stark mahogany body and single P-90 pickup, the Les Paul Junior might have been intended for beginners, but that didn’t stop it from cutting a classic track—Mountain’s 1970 smash “Mississippi Queen.” Guitarist Leslie West owned a 1956 single-cutaway Junior and a newer double cutaway, but felt the single cutaway had the better sound for “Mississippi Queen.”

“It always felt like the guitar was trying to jump out of my hands,” West told Guitar Player. “I didn’t feel like I needed a two-pickup guitar, because you can get a lot of tones out of one pickup. If you’re in a room filled with gasoline, how many matches do you need?”

The Gibson Original Series Les Paul Junior features one dogear P-90; wide, ’50s-vintage mahogany neck; rosewood fretboard; 22 medium-jumbo frets and a vintage, compensated wraparound bridge.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Junior Vintage Tobacco

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You’re looking for a lighter, sleeker and less “fussy” Les Paul

• You’re a fan of ’70s-style crunch, midrange growl and gritty clean tones

• Your attitude veers to more of a one-pickup and rock stance

Gibson Les Paul Special

The Les Paul Special celebrates the single-cutaway style from 1955 that came with a flat, rather than carved, top. It’s a beautifully scrappy guitar with a mahogany body, mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets and a pair of P-90s. Players such as Bob Marley and Dean DeLeo from Stone Temple Pilots cut some of their best work on a Gibson Les Paul Special.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Special TV Yellow

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You love the idea of a one-pickup Junior, but you’re more comfortable with two P-90s for tonal flexibility

• You still want a basic Les Paul, but with a bit more style than a Junior

Gibson Les Paul '70s Deluxe

The Les Paul ’70s Deluxe struts two mini humbuckers. Because the minis interact with a shorter length of the guitar string, they typically produce a dip in output, diminished low end and clear, articulate high-end shimmer. The Who’s Pete Townshend was a fan, adding Les Paul Deluxes with mini humbuckers to his live arsenal in 1973. The Les Paul ’70s Deluxe offers a comfy, rounded C-shape mahogany neck; rosewood fretboard with 22 frets and a mahogany body with maple top.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul '70s Deluxe Gold Top

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You’re fascinated by the look and sound of Pete Townshend’s numbered, ’70s-era Les Paul Deluxes

• You want to explore the unique tones produced by mini humbuckers

Gibson Modern Collection

The Modern Collection honors Gibson’s spirit of innovation by adding contemporary updates to the Les Paul platform, such as slimmer necks, lighter bodies and other enhancements.

Gibson Les Paul Studio

The Les Paul Studio supercharges the straightforward design of the original 1983 Studio. The mahogany body is chambered for weight relief and resonance, high-output Gibson 490R and 498T humbuckers deliver epic crunch and sustain, two push-pull pots provide coil tapping for tonal versatility and a SlimTaper neck offers comfy playability.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Modern Studio Worn White

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You’re looking for a more high-output Les Paul

• You want the option of switching between humbucker and single-coil sounds

• You want a fast neck

Gibson Les Paul Classic

The Les Paul Classic looks like a ’60s, well, classic, but it offers savvy upgrades for today’s players. The Burstbucker 61R and 61T open-coil pickups are very flexible, producing not only classic Les Paul tones, but, thanks to four push-pull pots, coil tapping, phase switching and a bypass feature. The Les Paul Classic also includes a 9-hole weight-relived mahogany body with maple top, SlimTaper mahogany neck, rosewood neck, 22 medium-jumbo frets and ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Classic Transparent Cherry

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You desire a classic-looking Les Paul with weight relief

• You seek flexible sonic options—humbucker, single-coil and phasing

• You want a fast neck

Gibson Les Paul Tribute

The Les Paul Tribute is a budget-approachable model that offers player-friendly updates and a tonal remix or two. For example, the neck is maple—rather than mahogany—with a rounded profile. The covered 490R and 490T humbuckers include Alnico II magnets for vintage-style P.A.F. sound. A chambered mahogany body with a maple top brings weight relief to the Tribute equation.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Tribute Satin Honey Burst

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You need a budget-friendly Les Paul

• You dig P.A.F.-style humbuckers

• You want a rounded neck

Gibson Les Paul Modern

The appropriately named Les Paul Modern offers more contemporary features than any other current Gibson Les Paul. It comes loaded with Burstbucker Pros that you can dial in with push-pull pots for coil tap, phase and pure bypass. A compound fretboard radius, asymmetrical SlimTaper neck and contoured heel make the Modern an exceptionally fast instrument, and its Ultra-Modern weight relief body eases fatigue when playing all-night gigs.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Modern Faded Pelham Blue

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You desire a future-forward, distinctive-looking Les Paul with weight relief

• You need hot pickups that are also capable of expressing sensitive dynamics

• You seek flexible sonic options—humbucker, single-coil and phasing

• You want a fast neck

Gibson Les Paul Modern Figured

Few guitars look as gorgeously upscale as a Les Paul with an AAA-grade, figured maple top. The Gibson Les Paul Modern Figured provides all of that flash, along with comfy ergonomic enhancements, such as an Ultra-Modern weight relief mahogany body, a SlimTaper neck profile and a Modern Contoured Heel (for burning up to those high frets). The Les Paul Modern Figured can sound as dazzling as it looks, via Burstbucker Pro pickups that can be switched between humbucker and single-coil sounds.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Modern Figured Cobalt Burst

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You desire a stunning, eye-catching finish and a weight-relieved body

• You need hot pickups that are also capable of expressing sensitive dynamics

• You want the option of switching between humbucker and single-coil sounds

• You want a fast neck

Gibson Les Paul Modern Lite

Offering a selection of stunning finishes with super cool matching headstocks, the Gibson Les Paul Modern Lite ups the glamor factor without introducing a luxury price tag. True to its name, the Les Modern Lite offers a slim, lightweight mahogany body with a rear belly curve, as well as a comfy SlimTaper mahogany neck. However, Gibson did not lighten up on the Modern Lite’s power, arming it with open-coil 490R and 498T humbuckers that kick out ample snarl and shimmer.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Modern Lite Gold Mist Satin

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You want a visual stunner at a budget-friendly price

• You need hot pickups that are also capable of expressing sensitive dynamics

• You want a fast neck

Gibson Les Paul Artist Models

Gibson Artist models let you experience the specs of some of the world's best players. For example, you can thrill to playing a replica of Peter Frampton's iconic "Phenix" Les Paul Custom that was on the cover of Frampton Comes Alive!, riff away with the Peter Green/Kirk Hammett “Greeny,” or rock on with an Adam Jones Silver Burst. You can even sling the Slash “Jessica” Les Paul Standard. The original was a factory second that, since 1988, has been his number-one stage guitar. The “Jessica” features a mahogany body and three-piece maple top, ’50s vintage mahogany neck, Indian rosewood fretboard and two Custombucker pickups.

Pictured: Gibson Slash "Jessica" Les Paul Standard Honey Burst

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You wish to emulate the look and tone of your favorite player

• You want a Les Paul that speaks to a certain era or musical style

Gibson Custom Shop

Gibson Custom Shop Les Pauls

Gibson's Custom Shop represents the pinnacle of guitar building. Manufactured in the Nashville factory, these instruments are made by master builders with an exacting level of precision. So, if you’re desperate for a 1958 Les Paul Standard, but can’t fathom spending the price of a yacht for your dream guitar, the Gibson Custom Shop can produce an accurate reissue for far less than a used Hatteras 80 Cockpit Power Yacht.

For example, the Custom Shop's 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue Vintage Original Spec is a brilliantly detailed and meticulously crafted replica of a "mythical beast"—a Les Paul bought brand new in 1957, never played, stored away in a garage for decades and gleaming in its case and ready to play when you discovered it yesterday. It's a stunning achievement of historic—and era accurate—mojo made by artisans who seemingly know how to time travel. 

Pictured: Gibson Custom 1957 Les Paul Custom Reissue VOS

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You want the closest Les Paul possible to a true vintage model, but don’t want to pay collector’s prices or deal with the maintenance of a decade’s old instrument

• You seek the comfort of knowing your Les Paul was crafted by a master builder

• You aspire to playing one of the best Les Pauls you can buy

Murphy Lab Les Pauls

Operating as an independent division within the Gibson Custom Shop, the Murphy Lab team applies Ultra Light to Ultra Heavy aging to new Custom Shop Les Pauls and other models. Tom Murphy has spent the last two decades mastering the art and science of aging guitars. As a Gibson Master Artisan, he has cloned guitars for Slash, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Gary Rossington and others.

When you want the features, sound and playability of a new Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul reissue, but with the look of a guitar that survived more than 60 years of touring clubs, bars, theaters and recording studios, the Murphy Lab delivers ultimate vintage vibe.

Pictured: Gibson Custom Murphy Lab 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue Light-Aged Cherry Teaburst

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You’re looking for all the quality and precision the Custom Shop can provide, but also want a guitar that looks like it has been played and loved for many years

Guitar Center Les Paul Exclusives

Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro V

Fully spec’d by Guitar Center, the Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro V has an asymmetrical-profile mahogany neck for more ergonomic fretting, and a compound radius rosewood fretboard for easy chording on the lower frets and faster playing at higher registers. The Trad Pro V also offers custom-wound TradBucker pickups with Alnico V magnets. But wait, there’s more. The electronics increase tonal options with push-pot pots for coil splitting and phase, as well as a treble control in single-coil mode.

Pictured: Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro V Blueberry Burst

Why You Want to Buy It:

• You’re looking for a stunning guitar that can rage on stage

• You need hot pickups that are also capable of expressing sensitive dynamics

• You seek flexible sonic options—humbucker, single-coil, phasing and treble adjustment

• You want a Les Paul with a compound radius fretboard

Guitar Center Vintage Les Paul Collection

Guitar Center has an ever-changing inventory of the finest vintage Les Pauls on the planet. Collectors and players such as Joe Bonamassa keep their eyes on the prizes by hunting for Les Pauls from the model’s golden era (1952–1960)—as well as the initial reissue of the Goldtop in 1968 and the introduction of the Deluxe with mini humbuckers in 1969—and so can you.

Why You Want to Buy It:

• Nothing but the real thing will do

• You collect, prize and play historical instruments

• You don’t fear vintage price tags

Pictured: 1953 Gibson Les Paul with Trapeze Tailpiece

Play the Perfect Paul

As this guide demonstrates, whether you’re after vintage tone and playability, want to explore more contemporary sounds with enhanced ergonomics, or are looking to create textures all your own, there is a Les Paul model that can get the job done for you. Be sure to visit your local Guitar Center to audition various models, or talk about your wishes and requirements with one of our expert Gear Advisers at 866-498-7882.

“I never stop being amazed by all the different ways of playing the guitar and making it deliver a message,” said Les Paul himself about the wide and diverse creative opportunities possible with the right instrument—in this case, a Les Paul—in your hands. Enjoy your search.