Gibson’s first run of the Les Paul was considered to be a failure. This is inexplicable to a person today, given the price tag for an original Les Paul.
Fender was actually winning the solid-body electric guitar sales competition with their Telecaster. However, Les Paul himself was the hottest guitar picker in the USA, and the guitar bearing his name started to gain more and more traction.
Before a thing called rock ‘n’ roll was officially born and before the term was coined, Les Paul was playing it on his Gibson Les Paul. So, the Les Paul is the original rock guitar, just as the Telecaster is the original country and western electric guitar.
With that being said, let’s take a quick look at two premium Les Paul models, the Supreme and the Custom.
| Features: | Gibson USA Les Paul Supreme | Gibson Custom Les Paul |
|---|---|---|
| Neck: | Mahogany | Mahogany |
| Inlay Design: | Mother of Pearl Globe Logo | Figured Acrylic Block |
| Pickup: | 498T | 498T bridge humbucker with Alnico V magnets |
| Frets: | 22 | 22 |
Gibson Les Paul Supreme
Since the arrival of their sunburst finish on their carved maple top in 1958, Gibson’s Les Paul Standard has been considered as the most elegant solidbody electric guitar on the planet. Examples of these rare guitars from that era showed off the gorgeously figured wood beneath its translucent burst finishes, setting a standard for the marriage of art and luthiery. Taking this look to its extreme, Gibson’s USA Les Paul Supreme marries a carved Grade-AAAA figured top and back to the classic Les Paul design, resulting in a guitar of unprecedented beauty.
Design
Everything about Les Paul Supreme speaks quality. The sounds from the guitar are also what you would expect, with a better tendency to hang on to the note than even a regular Les Paul has, which is due to the hollowing inside the body.
It’s also interesting to note that the Les Paul Supreme has gold-colored frets! It’s just one of those models that has been made irrespective of its price tag. These are all hollowed out at the factory and then they put the two halves together. The wiring is fed in through the jack hole so there are no back plates on the supreme, just a fully figured back as the front is and this one is awesome as you can see.
Sound
The Les Paul Supreme is a great guitar to play; the notes will hang in there all day. Its neck profile is a rounded D shape. Although not really metal, you can do that too if you want. This guitar is mostly suitable for blues and classic rock.
Gibson’s Les Paul Supreme features highly figured maple, which is the Les Paul’s trademark – on the back as well as the top. The Supreme has a chambered mahogany body which gives a lighter feel. It features custom binding on the top, back, fingerboard and headstock and split-block inlays on its ebony fingerboard.
Gibson Les Paul Custom
Gibson’s Les Paul Custom is a high-end electric guitar that’s designed for the most demanding guitarists out there. In fact, this is one of the most popular premium models that has been manufactured by Gibson!
Design
Gibson decided to equip the Custom with a pair of superb pickups: 498T and 490R humbuckers and they sound absolutely amazing and they’re really versatile. Regardless if you’re into jazz, rock or metal, you can be sure that the responsiveness of these pickups won’t let you down.
The Gibson Les Paul Custom looks absolutely amazing too, as it’s clearly visible that it’s an expensive, high-end guitar. On top of that, it has a wonderful nitrocellulose lacquer finish that enhances the tonal qualities of the guitar.
When it comes to pricing, it’s a really expensive guitar. It’s significantly more expensive than other popular guitars made by Gibson (such as Gibson LP Tribute, Standard ’50s or Standard ’60s). However, you could make the argument that having the best gear in the world will never be cheap!
Pickups
As you’re already aware, the Les Paul Custom has a pair of two amazing pickups:
- 498T humbucker (bridge)
- 490R humbucker (neck)
Both pickups are equally as good as each other, but there are a few things that differentiate them. The 490R humbucker sounds closer to the original PAF, so it has a subtle upper-mid bump, which gives extraordinary clarity and definition. The pickup is fantastic for all rhythm guitar parts.
At the same time, the 498T humbucker puts more emphasis on the mids and highs, so it’s a perfect choice for crunchy riffs and screaming solo leads. The sustain of the pickup is simply amazing, so it’s a perfect choice for heavier styles of music.
Hardware
The manufacturer equipped the Gibson Les Paul Custom with the Tune-o-matic bridge with a stopbar tailpiece and Grover Kidney tuners, which guarantees great tuning stability and this is, of course, really important, especially when you’re often performing live.
There’s also a classic 3-way toggle pickup switch along with its two-volume and two-tone controls.
Pros & Cons
Just like every other electric guitar, Gibson’s Les Paul Custom has its own advantages and disadvantages. While that’s totally normal! It’s clear that some of the cons of the guitar are really subjective because it’s pretty much a flawless instrument.
There are quite a few things that can be considered as being major advantages of the guitar. The Gibson Les Paul Custom looks, sounds, and feels like a real art piece. It exceeds all expectations, and it’s perfect for any professional guitarist.
However, the main disadvantage of the Gibson Les Paul Custom is its undeniably high price. This is probably the biggest obstacle that many will face when they’re thinking about adding it to their own collection. Many guitarists won’t be able to get it straight away without needing to save up for a long time.
Sound
The Gibson Les Paul Custom is a fantastic guitar to record and gig with. If you’re searching for a new guitar to record your next album with, then the Gibson Les Paul Custom is a safe bet.
Of course, just like many other classic Les Paul models, this is a fantastic guitar for rock and metal genres. Whether you’re a lead or rhythm player, you will definitely enjoy the versatility of its 490R and 498T humbuckers.
Conclusion
So, how do these guitars compare? Well, you could think of the Les Paul Custom as the Cadillac of Les Pauls. Their original regular customs became Custom Shop guitars in 2004, but they’re more or less dressed up Gibson USA guitars, somewhat like what a Cadillac Escalade is to a Chevy Suburban. The Les Paul Supreme, on the other hand, is a Gibson USA guitar, whereas the Custom is better in the quality department – better fretwork, and attention to detail.
The Les Paul Custom allows for better access to the pots, caps and wiring. It’s always best to try out both guitars to decide which one fits your type of music better.