Gibson Les Paul Classic HB

TL;DR: I tested both the Classic and the Standard 60s side by side. If you insist on a traditional flamed maple top this guitar is not for you. Otherwise the Classic is virtually the same guitar as the Standard in sound, feel, and looks — except 500 EUR cheaper and with coil splitting and phase reversing options.

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This is a gorgeous guitar — Thomann's pictures don't do it justice. The honeyburst is basically a Standard 60s Unburst, same honey/caramel colours, same finish. Except it has natural grain instead of flamed maple top + natural wood on the back instead of red stained + plain chrome jack input instead of cream color. I'm fond of the zebra pups, but you can always order covers if you aren't.

The setup was very good, just a little fine-tuning to get it perfect for my tastes. No damage or imperfections, aside from a barely visible speck of paint on the binding where the neck meets the neck pup. The fretboard needed some lemon oil, too.

This guitar was a major step up coming from a '09 Gibson LP Studio. It plays very smoothly – in part thanks to the thinner 60s neck – and sounds (and sustains) like its big brother Standard 60s. I don't think I could tell the difference blindfolded. Bear in mind: it's a heavy guitar; mine weighs 4.3kg (9.5lbs).

The push-pull pots definitely add interesting tonal options. Coil splitting won't make your Gibson sound like a premium stratocaster, but it will definitely give you that bright, crisp single coil tone. Just one thing: you can't change the volume when coil splitting. So if you play at half-volume like me (allows me to up the volume without touching the amp) it will sound very loud in comparison.

The case is very nice, too. Detailed brown 'leather' exterior, cherry plush lining inside. Locks feel sturdier than the case my Studio has. Standard case candy and a blank truss rod cover was included in mine (I don't like the lettering they're using nowadays). My particular guitar turned out to be made on my birthday — but I can't guarantee that your guitar will share yours ;-)

Bottom line: it's by no means cheap. But it's definitely value for money. This is the real deal. There's only one reason the Standard costs 500 EUR more: Gibson traditionalists will happily cough it up.