Ever since its introduction in 1983, the Les Paul Studio model has been enormously popular with players seeking the power and versatility of the original Les Paul Standard in a ready-for-action package, with a price to match. The instruments' reduced ornamentation—lacking body or fingerboard binding, and using plainer tops—has helped to put them in the hands of many more players, while their adherence to the Les Paul's hardware, pickup, and construction traditions retained all the thick, meaty tone and unsurpassed playability for which the Standard has been known for nearly 60 years.
The Gibson Les Paul Studio Mahogany combines these assets in a new instrument with a carved mahogany top for a subtle tonal shift when compared to the traditional maple top, and two exclusive finishes, each paired with its own fingerboard wood: Worn Satin White with an ebony fingerboard, and Worn Satin Ebony with a rosewood fingerboard. Combine all this with a pair of Gibson's most popular humbucking pickups ever, and a classic hardware complement, and you have a no-nonsense classic for rock, blues, fusion, or any musical style you care to apply it to.
The Les Paul Studio Mahogany is equipped with a pair of Gibson's Modern Classics humbucking pickups, a 490R in the rhythm (neck) position and a 498T "Hot Alnico" in the lead (bridge) position. This calibrated pairing offers an excellent output balance between pickups, with tremendous tonal versatility between the individual and combined switch settings. Gibson's 490R uses an Alnico II bar magnet for a smooth, warm tone, while the 498T uses an Alnico V bar magnet for a sharper, punchier response. Gibson's Modern Classics are among the most popular humbucking pickups in modern guitar making, and offer tone and performance suitable for a wide range of musical styles. Both the bridge and neck pickup yield plenty of richness and clarity, and can dial in great clean tones when required, but will also push amps and effects a little harder when desired. The 490R in the neck position is warm, rich, and round sounding, while the 498T in the bridge position is hotter and meatier, with excellent midrange punch, a sizzling lead tone through a high-gain amp or pedal, and excellent sustain.