this is what the inside of a new Les Paul Studio looks like

Help!I'maRock!

Help!I'maRock!

Mediocringly Derivative
modern-weight-relief.jpg


interesting how they changed from the old "swiss cheese" design.
 
hmmm...a second glance looks like they've finally ditched the short neck tenon. i wonder what the accompanying neck looks like.
 
Interesting. I know they have experimented with lots of different kinds of chambers and holes over the years. Their marketing often suggests they experiment looking for sonic benefits/resonance, but, you know, ad copy is often just a load of crap. Still, it seems like they have changed this many times, suggesting someone is actually thinking about this. No way those new weight holes cost less to make than the old 'holes drilled/swiss cheese) layout.

Anyway, I don't mind weight relief of chambering. I don't buy the 'real man' les paul has to be 13 pounds, or it is a toy argument. I prefer the hollow/chambered models. I've played the swiss cheese and chambered models back to back, and they all sound like LPs to my ears. The biggest difference was weight and neck profile, not so much the sound. I tend to think of the 'solid' LP argument is just internet twaddle. My chambered LP sounds epic. Sustain good too, but, again sustain is one of those stupid internet things. I never played a guitar that had insufficient sustain to allow playing music. Even my kid's toy guitar sustains well.
 
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Tiltsta said:
Interesting. I know they have experimented with lots of different kinds of chambers and holes over the years. Their marketing often suggests they experiment looking for sonic benefits/resonance, but, you know, ad copy is often just a load of crap. Still, it seems like they have changed this many times, suggesting someone is actually thinking about this. No way those new weight holes cost less to make than the old 'holes drilled/swiss cheese) layout.

Anyway, I don't mind weight relief of chambering. I don't buy the 'real man' les paul has to be 13 pounds, or it is a toy argument. I prefer the hollow/chambered models. I've played the swiss cheese and chambered models back to back, and they all sound like LPs to my ears. The biggest difference was weight and neck profile, not so much the sound. I tend to think of the 'solid' LP argument is just internet twaddle. My chambered LP sounds epic. Sustain good to, but, again sustain is one of those stupid internet things. I never played a guitar that had insufficient sustain to allow playing music. Even my kid's toy guitar sustains well.
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i don't really put much faith in any of the chambering arguments. a good guitar is a good guitar. i happened to see the pic on TGP and thought it was a cool repost.

but now i'm interested in the part that i DO think has a major impact, not only on tone but on QC, the neck joint. if it is what i think it is, it's an incredibly interesting development in their production instruments.
 
Looks like a long regular old long tenon, doesn't it? I'm not much of a tenon expert, but it looks like the old long version that runs about halfway into the front pickup route. :shrug: If it is, then good for Gibson for moving away from that shit short design.
 
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Tiltsta said:
Looks like a long regular old long tenon, doesn't it? I'm not much of a tenon expert, but it looks like the old long version that runs about halfway into the front pickup route. :shrug: If it is, then good for Gibson for moving away from that shitting short design.
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yep. still, i'd like to see a pic. vindication would be sweet.
 
And here is a pic of the 2008.5 chambered standard with the top loaded neck tenon.

GibsonDarkFireLesPaulChamberedBody.jpg
 
Interesting..my experience with my chambered LP is the same as Tiltsta's..it sounds fantastic to me.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
great pic!

so are they capping the back now too?
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No, I don't think so. I think the body has holes for the rear control covers open, but the rest looks to be the bottom of the block of wood where the holes were cut into. If you look at some of the dark grain streaks on the bottom of the body, you can follow some from the top of the block and still see them on the bottom of the hole.
 
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Very interesting. It would be sad if Gibson started making some excellent sounding well made instruments just to have the business wrecked by all of the shenanigans of the last several years.
 
Mark Wein said:
Very interesting. It would be sad if Gibson started making some excellent sounding well made instruments just to have the business wrecked by all of the shenanigans of the last several years.
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i don't think the business is going to be wrecked (anybody who wants to talk about the political aspect can PM me or talk on HCEG, i'm not discussing it here). i think this new chambering has more to do with consolidating the many different ways they make their LPs. the Standard was chambered one way, the Traditionals were swiss cheese, the Studios were chambered a different way because of the short tenon, etc. by standardizing all of their bodies, they can make more guitars and their workers have a smaller margin for error. then it's just a matter of wood grade, electronics, and finishing that determines if it's a Standard, Traditional, Studio, Faded, etc.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
i don't think the business is going to be wrecked (anybody who wants to talk about the political aspect can PM me or talk on HCEG, i'm not discussing it here). i think this new chambering has more to do with consolidating the many different ways they make their LPs. the Standard was chambered one way, the Traditionals were swiss cheese, the Studios were chambered a different way because of the short tenon, etc. by standardizing all of their bodies, they can make more guitars and their workers have a smaller margin for error. then it's just a matter of wood grade, electronics, and finishing that determines if it's a Standard, Traditional, Studio, Faded, etc.
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I think you're right, but if they are just figuring this out now (which indicates that at least somebody there has a brain, and which bodes well for their future), it also points to an overarching lack of vision
for the last several decades, in terms of modern manufacturing management, as well as a serious dsyfunctional/dissociative situation between production, marketing, and general management. It's quite frustrating to the guitar buyer player, I think because they really hit on something. once upon a time, and have never really figured out what that was, and tried to capitalize on the brand rather than the product that gave them that brand in the first place.
 
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