The Studio made its debut in 1983, aiming to provide the iconic Les Paul Standard sound and feel at a friendlier price, minus the extra embellishments. Usually, it comes with a carved maple top and a mahogany body, but it skips the body binding. This model quickly gained popularity among professional musicians and has kept evolving, adding features such as weight relief, phase switching, and push/pull coil splits. Lately, the Gibson Les Paul Studio range has grown to feature both the Studio and Studio Session.

You’re here because you know you want a Gibson Les Paul, but you’re unsure which one is the best fit for you. Should you go for a Standard, Custom, Deluxe, Modern, Studio, or even a Junior? In this article, I’ll break down all the different Gibson Les Paul models and their collections, helping you pick the perfect Les Paul for your needs.

John E. Davis is a Texas Rock Guitarist offering FREE guitar lessons videos and covers guitar equipment, concert and music news. Visit TexasRockGuitarist.com for information on Guitar Lessons, Guitar Repair and Live Music Performance videos.