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Weight: 9.19 lbs / 4170 grams

The Gibson Les Paul Traditional HP is an interesting guitar as it mixes together the best of old and new. With the feel and sound of a 50's Les Paul but with all the modern advancements implimented in the High Performance line you really do get the best of both worlds in one.

Traditional Build

As it is called a traditional model you would assume that it is built to sound and feel like one of the classics right- Yeah, that is pretty much spot on. By using a mahogany body topped with AA flamed maple as well as a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard you are 90% of the way there to getting that classic Les Paul tone. With its deep and warm overall tonal character you can get all the classic rock and blues tones that this guitar is known for.

The neck has been carved to a popular 50's style profile that is certainly chunky but is extremely comfortable in the hands so even those with smaller hands should be fine. Every part of this neck has been carefully constructed to match up with the standards that were set so many years ago.

The body is still made put of mahogany with a maple top like all legendary Les Pauls but this one is a little bit different. To make sure you can play this guitar for longer with no issues it has had Gibson's traditional weight relief treatment. This takes away part of the wood to minimise weight while still delivering the same tone you would want out of an original.

Classic Pickups

While most of the pickups that Gibson produce take a classic style and introduce higher output and more power to please more modern fans. This guitar is loaded up with some real PAF inspired designs with the '57 Classic humbuckers.

These pickups really do take after the original 50's style humbuckers with their alnico magnets and plain enamel coated wire. They have gone all out to really nail the sound and response of those classic pickups with their medium output, smooth overdriven tone and midrange focus every guitarist needs an instrument like this in their lineup.

Next Generation G-Force

G-Force is an incredibly interesting technology that simply wants to save you time. We have all played gigs where your guitar goes out of tune halfway through. Just like we have all played gigs where we need to quickly change between tunings.

Gibson's G-Force system makes those previous tasks a second thought. Just set it up with the tunings you want. Select what you want using the unit on the back of the headstock and you are in tune within seconds.

And don't worry just because it has the ability to tune itself does not mean that you can't tune manually. The machine heads are actually very accurate 40:1 ratio tuners so you can get pitch perfect in no time at all.

New Titanium Nut

The 2015 version of the Zero Fret Nut was made out of brass. Unfortunately that meant is was very soft for a nut and could be damaged from heavier gauge strings. To make sure this does not happen again Gibson have changed the brass for much stronger Titanium.

If you don't know what the Zero Fret Nut is let me fill you in. It is a Gibson USA exclusive nut that has two main benefits over a standard nut. Firstly you can adjust the action at the nut very easily now making setting up quick and easy no matter how high or low you like your action.

Secondly this nut has essentially a fret at the end of it (hence the name, Zero Fret). By having a fret in the zero position your strings in open positions ring out like fretted notes. This sounds amazing with open chords as you get a much more even tone across all of your strings.

Sweet Smooth Neck

One thing that we have heard a few times before about Gibson guitars is that the neck heel can get in the way. They originally remedied this with their Custom Shop Axcess model that had a smoothed transition. This meant greater access to the higher frets so lead players can dig in and let loose.

The neck on all of the 2016 USA models is based off of this Custom Shop model offering the same incredible feel that previously was only available on some of Gibson's most expensive guitars.

But they did not end it there with the neck. No this guitars neck width is slightly wider than you might be used to compared to other Gibson guitars. By increasing the nut width by just 0.05"and keeping string spacing the same you get more area to play with.

Here's what Gibson say about the Les Paul Traditional HP

The Les Paul Traditional 2016 HP is the modern incarnation of the original Gibson Les Paul with a futuristic set of premium, high-performance features.

Specifications

Top
Wood Species: Maple
Pieces: 2
Grade: AAA
Binding: Cream

Back
Wood Species: Mahogany
Pieces: 1 or 2
Density: Ultra-Low
Binding: None
Weight
Weight Relief: 9 Hole
Average Weight (body only): 5 lbs. 14.4 oz

Neck
Wood Species: Mahogany
Pieces: 1

Details
Truss Rod: Les Paul
Profile: Traditional
Thickness at Fret 1: .828"
Thickness at Fret 12: .973"
Average Weight: 1 lbs 2.0 oz
 
Peg Head
Type: SP1-B
Inlay: Gibson Logo
Peg Head Binding: None
Logo: Gibson Logo
Silkscreen: Gold Gibson "Les Paul Model"
Headstock Angle: 17 deg.
Tonal, Resonant, and/or Technical Effect: SCULPTED ACCESS JOINT

Neck Fit
Joint Angle: 5.0 degrees
Joint Angle Tolerance: 0 deg 0 min 15 sec
Type: Mortis and Tenon
Adhesive: Franklin Titebond 50
Gauges Used:
Pitch Height Gauge, Alignment Gauge

Nut
Style: Zero Fret Nut
Material: Titanium
Width: 1.745"
Slots:
E: 1.4732 mm / 0.058 inches
A: 1.2192 mm / 0.048 inches
D: 0.9652 mm / 0.038 inches
G: 0.7112 mm / 0.028 inches
B: 0.4826 mm / 0.019 inches
e: 0.3556 mm / 0.014 inches

Fingerboard
Wood Species: Rosewood
Pieces: 1
Shade: Dark

Fingerboard Details
Radius: 30.48 cm / 12"
Frets: 22
Nut/End of Board: 1.745" @ nut, 2.310" @ end of board
Scale: 62.865 cm / 24.75"
Binding: Cream
Side Dots (Color): Black

Fingerboard Inlays
Style: Trapezoid
Material: Mother of Pearl
Dimensions: Large: 16.51 mm x 29.718 mm / 0.66" x 1.17"
Small: 6.096 mm x 39.624 mm / 0.24" x 1.56"
Average Weight: 117.93 g / 4.16 oz

Hardware
Tuning Keys
Style: G FORCE
Material: Zamak
Weight: 31.1845 gm / 1.1oz

Tuning Keys Details
Tuning Ratio: 40:01:00
Gear Type: Syncronized spur gear system
What is allowable turn: +/- 4 degrees
Plating specs: Chrome
Part numbers: 430-14301B / 430-14301T

String Dimensions
E: 1.1684mm / 0.046"
A: 0.9144 mm / 0.036"
D: 0.6604 mm / 0.026"
G: 0.4064mm / 0.016"
B: 0.2794mm / 0.011"
e: 0.2286mm / 0.009"

Bridge
Style: Tune-o-matic w /Titanium saddles
Material: Zamak base
Plating Specs: Chrome
Part number: 430-14384
Weight: 72.5748 gm / 2.56 oz

Dimensions of String Slots
E: 1.4732mm / 0.058"
A: 1.2192mm / 0.048"
D: 0.9652mm / 0.038"
G: 0.7112mm / 0.028"
B: 0.4826mm / 0.019''
e: 0.3556mm / 0.014"

Tailpiece
Style: Stop Bar
Compensated: No
Material: Zamak
Plating Specs: Chrome
Part number: 430-10173
Weight: 82.21 gm / 2.9 oz

Output Jack
Style: HP 1/4" mono gold plated positive contact

Jack Plate
Style: Les Paul Square
Material: Chrome
Part Number: 430-19467
Weight: 6.0 gm / 0.21 oz.

Strap Buttons
Material: Aluminum
Plating Specs: None
Part numbers: 430-19160 / 430-19160E
Weight: 4.0 gm / 0.14 oz.

Pick Guard
Style: Removable Cream
Part Number: 430-12509

Truss Rod Cover
Style: Black/White Bell "Traditional"
Part Number: 430-19376

Knobs
Style: Supreme grip speed knobs
Part Number: 430-31001

Dial Pointers
Yes/No: No

Control Plate(s) (Backplate Cover)
Style: Stainleess steel infused polycarbonate for Electrostatic Discharge protection
Part Number: 380-12209

Control Plate(s) (SwitchPlate Cover)
Style: Stainleess steel infused polycarbonate for Electrostatic Discharge protection
Part Number: 380-12211

Switch Washer
Style: Cream, Hot Stamped Gold
Part Number: 430-19293

Trim Rings
Style: Low Cream, High Cream Humbucker
Part Number: 430-13894 / 430-13893

Accessories
Case Style: HP Hard shell
Color: Aluminum

Strap Locks: None
Tools: Truss rod wrench
2.5mm adjustment wrench, Polishing cloth