Review of the 1990-2000 Les Paul Classic from an Engineer technicians perspective. 

I bought a new 1999 Les Paul Classic plus from the ill fated Mars Music in Atlanta. I've put this poor thing through the ringer with different pickups and wiring scenarios. Almost sold it a couple of times because I hated it, but 10 years something amazing happened. I actually learned how to play and realized that the dammed thing was amazing. I've settled on Mojotone low winds and 50's style wiring. So happy I held onto this one.

I consider them to be collectors items. I had a friend with one from the early 90s. It was the best playing, and sounding LP I've ever touched. That's including his 05 Standard, or any of the ones I played at stores. Something about that combination of 50s style specs, and 80/90s style metalhead pickups just works.

I bought a 95 classic, new in 95. I will never sell it. I just take the pickups way beneath the strings to get a more vintage sound, or close to strings for high gain screaming. It’s by far the best guitar I have. I am amazed they still don’t cost that much to buy second hand

I really liking that up grade for my 97 classic LP

I own a 1995 Les Paul Classic. bought it from sam ash in NYC. one of my best guitars. When i was younger I loved the high gain ceramics 496R 500T but now I'm thinking about swapping for a more vintage PAF hb. and upgrade the volume pots to 500k while at it.

I have a 2004 version of this exact guitar in honeyburst, I bought it new! I have just swapped out the original ceramic pickups for SD Pearly Gates, and am totally delighted with the results, it gives it a more vintage sound/feel/look.👍👍 I was interested in the wiring change you made in the video as that could further enhance the sound & would be a good match for the pickups! Thanks!👍👍🎶

One thing I recently noticed on my 1999 LP classic is the nitro finish on the headstock is starting to crack, adding character to the guitar.

I have a 1999 Les Paul classic, honeyburst , just like the one you have shown. The main complaint I have is it doesn’t stay in tune too good. The inlays are aged greenish tint also the tuning pegs.

I had one of these in tobacco sunburst , had 490 pickups that were mediocre at best… great case!

In around 1995 or so I bought a , 1960 Gibson Les Paul Reissue, and I haven't been able to find out much about it. It has a white pick guard with a gold lettering that says 1960 on it, it's rather heavy. I have a custom case with a pink interior. Can someone let me know anything on this, I've had it put up for years, it's in excellent condition.

Given that you can get a good standard from the 1990's on reverb for approximately as much as the new standard 50's and 60's, would you recommend today's standards or those from the fifties when it comes to the quality of wood, the pickups, maple tops and the overall quality control being employed by gibson usa? This is ofcourse on an average since you get some better examples than others even with the tightest quality control

Interesting stuff. I feel like I’m watching a science documentary from the 1950s! At any rate my father gave me a 1990 LP classic in cherry sunburst in 1990 when I was a sophomore in high school. Quite a gift I know! My father is a guitar player and I was getting pretty good at the time so he spoiled me for sure. I had only ever played his LP copy before that. Decades later I finally played a LP with a 50s neck profile and found that much more to my liking. I now have a 2020 Gibson LP slash signature (November burst) and a 2022. Wildwood select standard in honey burst. While I love my old classic I have to say I really don’t care for that super thin neck (I have average sized hands). I have considers selling it but it has some sentimental value. It’s a solid piece of wood.

Almost broke character at the end there. “There are no known collectors with this..................................specimen.”

I have a 78' Les Paul Deluxe with mimi-humbuckers. Although the description of this guitar specifies a mohogany neck my neck is maple. Do you know why the neck is maple?

I too live in SB and Seymour Duncan’s warehouse re-wound one of my red bobbin Strat pickups for me. I need to locate your shop to install the 50’s wiring kit I purchased from Emerson Custom for my 1992 LP Classic. My biggest question is about weights. My 92 weighs 9lb-12oz. Can you tell us what your 97’ Classic weighs? I’m so curious! And can you tell me/all of us what the 5 original 1960’s that crossed your bench weighed? I also have a 1999 LP Classic plain top in honey burst that weighs 9-1/2lb. You can see this one on my RU-vid videos. I like to study/play Fleetwood Mac unique covers exactly like Lindsey Buckingham and I video capture close to the fretboard slowed down a bit to teach/share how to play them. That 1999 Classic sounds so good, I am afraid to change anything else to it. It has Wolftone Dr Vintage pickups and original wiring. I’m guessing 300k pots etc. I’d like to send you a photo of my 92’ Classic Honeyburst. It has a modest beautiful flame top that like yours, may have been rejected for a higher priced model? I hope you can reply to my weight question? I wonder how the tone is closest to original’s based on weight’s. 8-1/2lb to 9-1/2lb vs heavier bodied LP Classic’s? Thank you!!

what size fret wire?

Great video bro. At the beginning you said the Les Paul classic measurements match several of the 1960 examples that you have had your hands-on, however you didn't specify which measurements. I would be interested to know. I love the fact that these have the small pin bridge that goes straight into the body VS the grommets/ferrules. These Classic models are probably the last time Gibson will ever offer that small pin option on a guitar less than $6500 from the factory. Both Tokai and Edwards LP's offer that option and both are extremely high quality if you can live with a non Gibson name. I can. I had a 2006 Les Paul classic honeyburst plain top of course, but I could not live with the green frets! Gosh they were awful, what was that about? I just got a 1997 classic shipped. I separately ordered the "Retrospec Exclusive Series Cellulose Nitrate Les Paul Fingerboard Inlays" from Historic Makeovers. So that will fix the green issue. The non-vintage correct wiring doesn't bother me, I always change that anyways using more modern shielded wire, potted pickups, push pull pot on the neck so that's a wash. I'm more concerned with the look outside the cavity. You didn't talk about the Gibaon water slide logo or the printed on Les Paul decals for certain years of the Les Paul Classics. I thought that was something pretty interesting, that might make this collectible one day. Gibson can give us the small pins on this guitar. But they couldn't give us everything.

Very cool video and many good points too. As a wood worker…. they do use the better mahogany wood and maple. African mahogany and not Sepele like Epiphone but Epiphone is still good for what it is.

What about the 2000 to the 2003. The have the real post thru and bridge. I own a 2003. Pls help me obi wan.

I have a 2000 Gibson Classic with a flat top and a one-piece mahogany body. The guitar comes with its brown case with a pink interior, like all the Gibson Classics from the 90s. This detail changed in later years of the 2000s, but I always had a doubt. Does my guitar belong to the decade from the 90s to the 2000s? (Decade that I understand as golden for the Gibson Classics for the good woods). Or does my Gibson belong to the next generation? That is, from 2000 onwards... 🤔

I’m looking at a 2001… is this the same quality? Or could the advertisement be a typo?

When Guitar’s stop being, well, guitars to be played by guitarist and more collectors items, and collected by collectors for the sake of collecting expensive things. I kind of knocked the wind out of what a guitar is really meant for, and that is to be played and to be heard, and in my humble opinion, not on some wall just to be started at. it defeats the purpose but it’s your stuff and you could do what you want with it as for me, I can make a guitar that sounds and plays just as good if not better than any last Paul ever made and yes I will keep on rockin

Neck pickup was a 496R I believe.

I own a 2000 one and it’s my main guitar. They are the best les Paul’s ever made other than the originals.

I think gibson hit it spot on in 2005 just before the VOS.. the R8/9s were simply amazing,, and true spec. Much more detailed guitars i think

I beg to differ, to some of us these are very collectible I have 4 from 95 alone premium plus tops and one quilt, another 3 being plain tops. There were only 2 black ones ever produced. One for the Gibson brochure, and one for a collector who had to have it. He collected all the colors they made at the time and to complete his set he needed the black Gibson agreed to make it for him. That is the only one that ever left the factory in black. The brochure one is still in the Gibson vault.

Where is your shop?

You forgot the Les Paul Classic of the 1990’s and into the 2000’s has the 9 hole weight relief wich the originals didn’t have. I don’t think that makes much if any difference in tone though.

These were weight relieved?

Very cool. I have a 2007 Les Paul classic. From what I understand the 2000s Les Paul classics were downgraded somewhat from the 90s ones. Mine has a two piece maple back instead of one piece. The inlays are an aged color that some people aren’t fond of. The headstock actually says Les Paul model instead of Les Paul classic like the 90s ones do, which would probably help if trying to convert to a more original Les Paul look. Although I think the color and placement that they use for the gibson logo inlay is different from the original Les Paul’s. I’m not sure if the 90s Les Paul classics were as affordable, but I know the mid 2000s Les Paul classics were the cheapest gibson Les Paul guitar you could get that had full binding. My guess is that they ended up making a bunch of changes to Les Paul classic - introducing weird colors and knobs and cranked the price way up because the ones from the 2000s could almost be seen as an affordable cheaper reissue.

And specifically what part of the electric guitar pickup is designed to pick up signals from wood?

The 500T pickup is the best pickups EVER. I'm very paranoid about pickups I've tried all sorts of duncan's, DiMarzio's on my gibson les paul claßic and 500T is an absolute winner, highly responsive and can create all the tone you need by controlling amp settings and tone/volume setting on your guitar.

iN my opinion, is the neck tenon. I cannot understand why it would make any cost difference to have long tenons in all LP's. It is primary to sustain. Everything else can be swapped, hardware, pickups, etc. But, a tenon cannot be replaced to changed. That is some BS.

If you're fortunate enough to own a Gibson Les Paul your fortunate enough to own a collectors piece. I have 7... How lucky a man am I

LMAO! You don't consider them collectable! I'm glad YOU don't think so while the prices for the years you've mentioned just keep on going up and up!

Lol tenyins and potencheemeeters

You mentioned you’ve handle 5 x original bursts and swear that these ‘90s era classics got identical necks? I don’t think so. I have played a real ‘60 burst and the neck was nowhere as skinny as my ‘93 Classic. Also Seymour Duncan that you put in are average at best

Dude! The word is "te-non," not "ten-yon." Also, it's "po-ten-ti-ah-meter," not whatever you're saying. Peace.

I have reason to believe this guy has no idea what he’s talking about