Great looking guitar. I was a bit disappointed to see it without pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage, peppers, onion, and olives. Not really a Supreme is it?
The original Supremes were cool AF guitars, this is just overpriced superficial bling coughed up by a profit whoring marketing department as Gibson's latest money grab. My main gripe is the atrocious attention to detail in the workmanship. That heel joint where they didn't even bother to sand the glue off before painting it kind of says it all. I guess they're hoping you're so blinded by the bling that you won't notice the crapmanship :)
(i work at gibson USA) It's funny you mention it, when we were told about these, they were called "the NEW les paul moderns" so i thought it was funny that you jumped to comparing the two so fast!
Calling these the "Modern Supreme" really fits this new model better than just Supreme. I've been excited to see them finally come out, and I might have to get one. Now to decide between one in this trans ebony finish, or a solid black 3 pickup version
That name is super clunky though. I thought more of it being like a "Modern Custom" but the same applies there. Supreme is a much simpler and more elegant sounding name
@@danmc_2783 true but Gibson names are ridiculous and clunky so it fits lol. They reuse words a lot. Like how a custom studio and a studio custom are different guitars 🥴
FYI Austin, the Gibson "coil tap" on these PCBs isn't a tap or a split! See those extra capacitors on the PCB? They're there to shelve off a load of low end, so it's still the full pickup, both coils, but with the low end cut off to emulate a single coil sound. Yamaha do a similar thing with the Revstar and call it a "dry switch".
The looks of this guitar are quite stunning! I'm going to coin the phrase "Radiator Inlay" because the headstock inlay reminds me of a 1940's Packard automobile radiator grill. I am feeling that this model would look amazing in a dark blue burst color.
It's hilarious that people nitpick a tiny chip on something new and call out the qc for being worse than it used to be. People act like guitars from the 50s and 60s were perfect even though they were covered in small cosmetic defects. People even pay a premium to have those old factory defects recreated like dye overbleeding into the binding, inlay defects, etc.
@@kennethcbailey27 Well I don’t think people are saying that. There’s brands out there like ESP and Suhr where if you spend 4 grand, you won’t see a flaw unless you whip out the microscope.
@@TylerJohnstonGuitar that esp snakebyte trog just reviewed was over $7k and had grease spots all over the fretboard and a messed up truss rod cover. Fretboard looked like a fast food bag with French fry grease speckles all over it, no microscope needed.
Well it’s missing the defining characteristics of the original Supreme guitars. That’s like naming a station wagon a Mustang and expecting people to buy it.
Was also thinking that. Also think it would look a lot better with nickel hardware, or even that smoked nickel or black chrome hardware or whatever it's called, at least on that finish anyway.
Much as I love the way that thing looks, I could get a custom Kiesel single-cut with the exact specs that I want for roughly 4k, the same price as this. I literally specced out what's essentially my dream single-cut on their builder last night, and it came in just shy of $4100. (I did manage not to nuke my bank account by buying it, but the temptation is strong.) Unfortunately, this price point is pretty much the worst place they could've put this model. I LOVE my two Gibson Les Pauls, but when you hit custom shop prices without custom shop specs, that's when it's time to cut and run. 😞
@@user-uh2ue4bm6w Out of curiosity, why do you think I'd get sick of it? I haven't sold a guitar since I had to do it to make rent back in 2002 or so. The only guitars I've lost possession of since then were the ones that got stolen when my house was robbed. I'm very picky about the guitars I buy; I don't have many, but I intend to keep the ones I've got. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Gibson Les Pauls (I own a 2015 Studio in Desert Burst and a 2017 Classic HP in Heritage Cherry Sunburst, and the latter is my main), but 4k is getting into custom shop territory. Unless the guitar exactly meets the specs I'm looking for, I just can't justify paying custom shop prices for a non-custom shop guitar.
@@mattw.6726 He's just a passive-aggressive GIbson fanboy trying to gaslight you into hating something that doesn't even exist (your dream Kiesel). Lots of people can't handle the truth that Gibson's prices are very much reaching satire-level prices. Do what you want and don't let the bastards get you down.
@@OtaconNachos I like hating on Gibson as much as your next door average Joe, but comparing a Kiesel to a Gibson is not fair because Carvin/Kiesel sell direct to consumer so they offer fantastic prices for the specs. When comparing to other brands honestly a lot of Gibsons are not THAT bad price wise all things considered. And my 21 Slash is a great playing guitar with fretwork and tuning stability pretty much on par with my ESPs (and that's a big compliment coming from a guy who's an absolute ESP fanboy and just got an endorsement deal). QC wise Gibson are getting better but my Slash is definitely not perfect, my ESPs are and they're all Standard Series, not CS. I'm selling it to get a used LP Custom though, hopefully the '21 standard Custom I might get won't bring me back to the Gibson hater camp lol. My few experiences with Carvin/Kiesel have been great, actually my current 7 string is a Carvin DC727 and it's pretty much perfect. But yeah, resale value is a concern even though they don't take as big a hit as they used to, and I'm pretty sure a Kiesel just is a different experience to a Gibson altogether. Having at least one good Gibson Les Paul is something really nice IMO, but YMMV
So lemme get this straight: they removed a ton of the features of the LP Supreme making it more comparable to the Modern, but it costs 1 grand more for some reason and isn't as thick, and doesn't have the double binding or the rad headstock logo? No thanks.
I got mine before launch day, same color as this one but my top has a lot more going on with the grain. You actually got a pretty nice one just more uniform from others that I have seen. Mine was made the 208th day of 2023 so I did get the baby picture also. Super happy with it.
I bought one (sent you flame top pics) and I only did because it had all of the specs I wanted. Thin neck, Ebony board, access carve and locking tuners. It's a very modern LP. Mine was perfect QC wise. Pickups sound great too. Caesar is doing us some solids!
Are the upper frets actually reachable with the comfort carve? That's always what keeps me from buying a LP. I'm on the market for an SG right now but the Les Paul is so beautiful it's hard to look past it.
I don't hate them, but I would love them to go back to the carved back and globe inlay. These almost feel like they needed a new Model Name. That said, these are still really nice and I love the Super 400 inlays and carved heel.
Beautiful - yet speaking of schocking - - - The most beautiful Les Paul I have seen is a single pick-up, neck, cherry burst flame top on the e bay! No switch, just two knobs, a big long field of perfectly spaced curls. So fine, so rare, so clean, so expensive.
It's fine, but they have reduced the cost by saving on putting the metal bell in place of the conventional plastic one in the headstock, it also lacks the rear binding, and I liked the globe in the headstock of the original better.
thanks for putting this out, had a chance to play both the modern and the supreme and ultimately went with the modern in the Trans Cherry Burst. But I was well informed going in to Sweetwater. I ma going to swap out the knobs on the modern as I am not a fan of the clear whites
How are smudges, dings, and tooling marks in any way acceptable on a $4K guitar? You don't see that on $800-1000 Indonesian-made PRS SE series instruments. Gibson USA's QC remains remarkably shoddy, especially in light of the premium prices.
Nice new model, looks beautiful and the Modern neck joint although not on par with the Axcess (when are they going to finally put that thing on more guitars?) is a really cool feature for us lead guitarists. That ultra modern weight relief is a concern to me though, I haven't liked the feel and sound to the guitars equipped with that I tried sadly. I wish Gibson would finally do regular Les Pauls with just the Axcess neck heel, I'm sure a lot of people would love that. 4k is steep but it also looks like a Les Paul Custom, it's right in between a Modern and a Custom so it might appeal to some people.
I'm buying a Wine Supreme on Monday 11/20/2023. Got a pretty good deal on one. I won't say who. I already have a Slash November Burst and a 2019 Standard that was supposed to be Seafoam Green but has faded terribly and now is essentially blonde, but plays very nice and weirdly has Moden controls. I am probably going to let that one go as the color is not what I hoped for.Other than the color, the guitar is mint. Looking forward to the Supreme though.
I’m not sure about gold hardware on a flame top in trans-black, nickel would match the lighter parts of the flame better. (Gold on solid black works better.)
Should have been called Modern Supreme. And your serial number should give you online access to a digital version of the baby photos! As you said many times, it's a verification of how it left the factory, not just case candy. And they did save separately a digital copy for internal use.
@@HVA58 no sorry , I meant it should be available online, not that it is. 😃 I'm assuming they won't stop taking the photos for whatever use they have at Gibson for them.
It's sad that Gibson users consider this a "really fancy top", meanwhile those of us from ESP, PRS, Keisel, Mayones, Skervessen, Suhr, Taylor, Ibanez, Music Man are all thinking, "ok, so finally a reasonable top on a Les Paul..."
That was a fair review Trog. Thank you for being fair. Signed: Jeff@The Gibson Supreme Owners Club. We knew going in that this was going to basically be a LP Modern with some Supreme appointments. We are not disappointed. It's a nice guitar. It's not the Supreme of the past. But that's not a bad thing. It just really gave many of us a reason to buy another new Gibson. This guitar gets the GSOC seal of approval. Our members that bought them are all very satisfied. And FWIW, the SG is also likely going to make a comeback.
I think they would be better off trying to match the inlays with the headstock logo. Just an idea. You should try and find a Gibson Byrdland Guitar. Thanks again.
Several things about these Supremes remind me of those LP HP standards. Remember those? Minus the headstock emblem and fretboard inlays add a gforce tuning system and you have one of those HPs but for a lot more money.
Nice! Mine is a 2004 Wine Red and I purchased it brand new. Till death do us part, and I still play it between other favorite guitars. Love the carved back as well! ❤️
In 2015 I went to a music store intending to buy a Supreme, and walked out empty-handed. It just wasn't a Les Paul. Looked great, especially the back, but feel and tone was too ES'ish. When I saw a new Supreme online with the Fireburst finish and weighing 8.0 lbs., my mouse involuntarily hit Buy, and boy am I glad it did. This guitar is, in fact, the dream guitar I've been searching for. Yes, the back isn't figured or bound, but at this price point it's just perfect.
I have an original Supreme, and it’s a monster guitar. A little heavy, but it plays great and the pups are powerful. I’m not a fan of of these new boards and all of the coil tapping. I guess I’m old school.
If they lost the back binding because of the heel carve they should have kept the plate/coverless design at the least. Maybe even use figured mahogany on all of them to make up for the loss of the maple back. As it stands this is definitely just a LP Modern with fancy fretboard and headstock inlays.
For paying 4 grand some imperfections and tool marks/scuffs isn’t acceptable if I’m paying for it. But if you spend that much might as well go custom. Or even used custom.. 🤷♂️
For how much they are asking for that Gibson. I notice alot of bad areas were the wood was badly sanded and marks near the heal joint. My epiphone LP standard for what I paid for it is floorless .
Agreed. IME, I've shopped a while for Les Pauls at various shops, and this lower Gibson QC seems to be the now established norm. Occasionally I come across a perfect one, but that is rare. Very common to see over scraped binding edges on the neck and body (leaving a noticeable ridge) and a lot of glue squeeze out that has been lacquered over. It's like Gibsons QC target has dropped to "B" stock level. No drop in their prices though! 😐
I'm not big on gold hardware, but would rock. I wonder why Gibson is stopping the baby pictures? That's the coolest case candy and it can't cost anything to produce. Glad I got a couple.
@@eric_in_florida it serves as the CoA. For something that expensive I’d expect something. Even then, it’s just a small thing that probably takes nothing for them to do. You can even print photos from your phone with a Fuji device and have it be that. The instruments cost an insane amount, i’m sure they can afford it
Hold on to what you've got until you for sure find better. Early in the SG Modern run I had chance to buy a fantastically flamed blueberry burst but I really wanted one in black at the time. By the time I changed my mind, every blueberry burst they've put out has seemed more blotchy colored and inconsistently figured than the last. Really regret passing on the early one from when they still had good wood stock and/or gave a crap. 😆
I got to play a Black one a few years ago. Not long. It was bought up almost instantly at my local guitar parlor. BUT.. It was an incredible Les Paul. I have owned several from the '50's to 2007. It had the best balance and weight ever. And I was a big anti-weight relief guy. Can't wait to get my hands on one of these. Thanks Trog
The carved flame maple back with colors matching the front was the killer selling point of the old ones (still have a heritage cherry sunburst from back then and mine weighs exactly 8 lbs!). Personally, I did like the sound of the old (490R/498T) pickups a lot more. But seriously: You get proper natural backs on Epiphones, and that garbage black on a Supreme? Total fail.
really feel like calling it a supreme, was a complete miss, It isn't anything like a supreme, it's a modern with cosmetic upgrades, why not lean into there actually being a new model? is it so they feel like they can get away with the price?
You should probably google 'Edwards les paul custom' to see where the potential headstock inlay design may have came from. I know the design is at the very least, three years old. Whether Gibson took inspiration from the design or vice versa, I couldn't tell you. It was just something that stood out to me. Maybe someone with more knowledge could shed some light on it.
My 2014 standard has all the coil tappy stuff, but I never use them! This looks great but if I ever could afford one, I’d probably never play it. It’d be on display so not really at all practical
Reading the comments some people really dont like change do they😂. At least it will prob drive up the prices of the original supreme model for the sellers. Personally i like these new modernised looking supreme's better especially without the pick guard.👍👍.
Initially when I saw these I was disappointed being they don't have the maple back etc. But seeing this I get that it's like a "custom" modern. I do like it.
I bought one of these from Righteous Guitars in Oct 2023 - Red Wine Fireburst model - It was sold as a brand new guitar. However the odd thing is that the serial number starts with a 22 suggesting its a 2022 model - even though the certification paper has a date of 2023 - Seems very odd to me - If it is a 2023 - why does the serial number suggestion that its a 2022. Also doesn't seem to have any modern weight relief as confirmed by Gibson - when I called them and let them know it was 10.2 lbs. All that being said - the guitar plays amazing and they pled'd it for me which was very nice. I am still scratching my head on the serial number.. Also see the same thing on this video - look at 3:29 mark - the date you have is 8-8-23 but Serial Number starts with 22. Doesn't make ANY sense.
Baby photo - I didn't get one - my date on my pre-check list was only 20 days later than yours at 8-28-23 - that sux.. guess it explains why I didn't get one
Gibson serial numbers are read YdddYbPPP. y for year, d for Day, b for batch number, p for production number. The YYppppppp was only used in 1994, 2014-early2019
On the QC issues that you pointed out on your sample - IME, I've shopped a while for Les Pauls at various shops, and this lower Gibson QC seems to be the now established norm. Occasionally I come across a perfect one, but that is rare. Very common to see over scraped binding edges on the neck and body (leaving a noticeable ridge); fretboard chipping/cracks, and a lot of glue squeeze out at the mahogany/maple cap seam that has been lacquered over. It's like Gibsons' QC target has dropped to "B" stock level. No drop in their prices though! 😐 Eastman, PRS, ESP and even Epiphone have light years on Gibson in terms of QC and price-for-what-you're-getting. Just sayin' This Supreme is just another telling example. Not knocking the good ones out there.
I wonder if it stays in tune. I have 1 Gibson left. A 1970s SG custom, arctic white, 3 gold buckers 🔥. It stays in tune, my other 4 Gibs would NOT stay in tune!
Looks great and sounds great. I swore I wasn't going to buy another guitar, but since I have the Supreme in a gold top, I decided to buy the modern version in wine red. It's my 71st guitar and it makes my wife ecstatically happy. 🤣
For me if they were doing modern, it should have been nickel hardware or black.. this would have made a killer guitar... def would have bought one if that was offered.
I prefer the quiet look of the Modern, this guitar seems kinda gaudy. Either way, best neck Gibson's ever made. Not of fan of the burstbucker pro but that's an easy swap.
Cool at first glance, but a closer look reveals a serious lack of attention to detail in the workmanship for a $4k guitar. Overpriced superficial bling. I'll stick with the Custom shop or a nice pre-2019 USA standard. Not really a fan of the USA models since the KKR takeover :)
