Gibson.com: Gibson Les Paul Studio Raw Power

Les Paul Studio Raw Power

Gibson USA’s Les Paul Studio Raw Power is a total natural — the Les Paul in its most basic form, yet built like none other before it. While the original Les Paul Standard’s maple top has always set it apart from more common all-mahogany electrics, the Les Paul Studio Raw Power goes all out for maple’s tonal splendors: an all-maple body matches the traditional maple top, for a brighter, more articulate tone, and a maple neck and fingerboard give each note a tight, snappy response. A pair of Gibson’s renowned ’57 Classic pickups, as featured on several high-end Custom Shop models, provides all the clear punch and muscle of those legendary “PAFs.” There’s also a new palette of satin finish colors to choose from: Gold, Yellow, White, Blue/Platinum, Trans Ebony, Olive Green, Natural, Aquamarine and Platinum. All the rest of the basics follow the classic specs you have come to expect from a Les Paul: 22-frets, a volume and control knob for each pickup, one three-way toggle switch, Grover Kluson-style green key tuners, and Gibson’s pioneering Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece. The Les Paul Studio Raw Power from Gibson USA is solid. It’s dependable. And most of all, it’s affordable — without any compromises.

Body

	Species Each Les Paul Studio Raw Power is crafted from a carved maple top attached with ultra-strong Franklin Titebond 50 glue to a chambered maple body. This echoes the classic maple top of the original and legendary Les Paul Standard, while adding further clarity and cutting power from a maple body.
	Design The no-nonsense style of the Les Paul Studio Raw Power is emphasized by the thin satin finish of the top of the guitar, which is visible through the lacquer of the translucent finish options, and by the lack of binding around the top. The chambered back serves to minimize weight, while also adding tonal nuances to the guitar’s overall sound.
	Average Weight The average weight of a Les Paul Studio Raw Power body is 5.37 lbs, which is about normal for a Gibson guitar.
	Tonal Characteristics The Les Paul Studio Raw Power presents excellent clarity, definition and treble bite from the all-maple body, while retaining much of the thickness, punch, and delicious warmth of an original Les Paul Standard. The chambering adds a further dimension, increasing the complexity of this guitar’s tone, while also increasing its acoustic volume and sustain. The Les Paul Studio Raw Power’s nitrocellulose finish has also been kept ultra-thin to avoid choking the guitar’s natural resonance, resulting in a lively, ringing electric tone.

Finish

	Color The Les Paul Studio Raw Power is available in a wide range of satin colors, including Gold, Yellow, White, Blue/Platinum, Trans Ebony, Olive Green, Natural, Aquamarine and Platinum.
	Surface Texture A thin satin finish with 30-sheen lacquer gives the Les Paul Studio Raw Power a look that is clean and professional, but less glossy and polished than many traditional guitars, with a slightly raw, “pre-aged” appearance, and a smooth matt-finish feel.
	Process The Les Paul Studio Raw Power is hand-finished in nitrocellulose in a process that is carefully monitored to ensure minimum build-up, in an effort to produce a final finish that breathes with the guitar and enhances natural resonance. Unlike many other manufacturers, who settle for a polyurethane finish, Gibson opts for a nitrocellulose finish that will encourage the natural vibration of the instrument for a purer tone. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous and actually gets thinner over time. That way your guitar’s wood can age beautifully and naturally.

Neck and Headstock

	Species The neck of the Les Paul Studio Raw Power is constructed from three solid pieces of maple, and glued to the body at a 5-degree angle (pitch). In addition to being a strong, reliable wood species for neck construction — and a traditional favorite among many guitar makers — maple’s tight, even grain and low porosity means it can be finished with minimum coats of nitro, for a comfortable, “played-in” feel that is fast and smooth. Maple’s outstanding strength also allows a neck to be carved thinner than some other woods will tolerate.
	Truss Rod Gibson’s traditional truss rod, found in most all of our guitars, is highly responsive to the individual adjustments you’ll want to make to personalize and optimize string action and sustain.
	Profile The Les Paul Studio Raw Power is fitted with Gibson’s more traditional ’50s neck profile, which is a round, meaty profile that emulates the neck shapes of the iconic 1958 and 1959 Les Paul Standards.
	Joint Angle 5.0° (+/- 15 seconds)
	Headstock Angle The Les Paul Studio Raw Power’s headstock is carefully angled at a tried-and-true 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.
	Logo The Gibson logo — one of the most globally recognized logos of all time — is silkscreened in gold on the headstock face of the Les Paul Studio Raw Power (or in silver on guitars with Platinum or Blue Platinum finishes).
	Tonal Characteristics The angled, classical-style peg head and maple neck work together to provide exceptional tonal depth and resonance from the neck, with a snappy attack and outstanding articulation from the maple.
	Average Weight The average weight of the neck is 1.24 lbs.

Neck Fit

	Joint Gibson uses what is known as the Mortise & Tenon joint to bind neck to body so that the two pieces form one solid unit. This time-tested joint style has been used in all the great woodworking arts — from shipbuilding to cabinetry — and has been proven to yield a stronger neck and body than if the instrument was made from a single piece of wood.
	Adhesive The adhesive used to join neck and body is Franklin Titebond 50, one of the strongest glues on the market today.
	Tolerance When fitting the neck and body together, we take advantage of our precise measuring equipment so that all angles, pitches and alignments maintain a tolerance within .005 of an inch. Not only does this help to keep your guitar in tune but it also maintains proper string alignment relative to the fingerboard.
	Joint Angle Tolerance 0.0° (+/- 15 seconds)

Fingerboard

	Species The Les Paul Studio Raw Power is equipped with a Grade A maple fingerboard, which further enhances note attack and articulation, as well as continuing the look of this unique guitar line.
	Radius The 12-inch radius of the Les Paul Studio Raw Power fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.
	Frets The Les Paul Studio Raw Power sports 22 jumbo frets, all immaculately dressed and polished.
	Inlays The Les Paul Studio Raw Power’s fingerboard carries acrylic dot inlays, with an acrylic trapezoid inlay at the 12th fret as a reminder of its heritage.
	Average Weight The average weight of a maple fingerboard is approximately .23 lbs.
	Tonal Characteristics Maple fingerboards are renowned for their strong, clear tone and outstanding note articulation.

Nut

	Material The nut on the Les Paul Studio Raw Power is made from Corian, which is mainly composed of acrylic polymer. It’s a very durable material, delivers enhanced sustain, and holds the tolerances of the precision cuts made in the slotting process. It is installed into the top surface of the neck, butting up to the end of the fingerboard to ensure proper tone and sustain transfer.
	Width The width of the nut on the Les Paul Studio Raw Power is approximately 1.695”.

Pickups

	Model A pair of Gibson’s popular 57 Classic pickups grace the Les Paul Studio Raw Power, providing all the depth, richness, and versatility of a humbucking pickup styled after Gibson’s original and now-legendary “PAF” humbucker.
	Magnet Material & Construction Gibson’s 57 Classic pickups feature Alnico II magnets. They are made with vintage enamel coated wire, nickel-plated pole pieces, nickel slugs, maple spacers and vintage-style, two-conductor, braided wiring, all in the image of original PAF pickups. In a variation from the majority of original PAFs, however, the 57 Classics’ coils are wax potted to combat microphony and feedback squeal at high volumes so, while vintage voiced, they are suited to high-gain playing, too.
	Tonal Characteristics Like vintage PAF humbucking pickups, the 57 Classics in the Les Paul Studio Raw Power provide an outstanding blend of depth and clarity. In the neck (rhythm) position a 57 Classic offers a rich, warm, vocal tone, while in the bridge (lead) position this pickup runs from bright and cutting to muscular and punchy. Also noteworthy is the fact that the number of windings in the two coils of each 57 Classic is equally matched, an enhancement that provides a creamy, balanced performance in any position.

Electronics

	Volume Controls The Les Paul Studio Raw Power features two black speed-knob volume controls, one for each pickup, with high-quality 300k linear potentiometers for a smooth, natural roll off.
	Tone Controls Each pickup on the Les Paul Studio Raw Power features its own black speed-knob tone controls with a 500k ohm non-linear potentiometer, which allows a smooth transition from bright to warm. Each tone control carries a .0223uF tone capacitor.
	Toggle Switch The Les Paul Studio Raw Power features one three-way toggle switch made of stainless steel with white plastic tip, which acts as the instrument’s pickup selector. In the down position, only the bridge pickup is active. In the middle position, both pickups are active. In the up position, only the neck pickup is active.
	Output Jack The guitar features a 1⁄4” output jack made by Switchcraft. Its super heavy duty construction holds your guitar cable securely in place.

Hardware

	Tuning Keys The headstock of the Les Paul Studio Raw Power is equipped with either Gold-plated or Chrome-plated Grover Kluson-style green-button tuners with a 14:1 gear ration. These tuners replicate the look of those used by the original Les Paul Standard, while providing enhanced performance and upgraded tuning efficiency.
	Bridge In 1954, Gibson rocked the world when it debuted the tune-o-matic bridge, setting a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. Included on the Les Paul Studio Raw Power, the tune-o-matic provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. It also yields excellent coupling between strings and body, maximizing resonance, tone, and sustain. The Les Paul Studio Raw Power’s bridge is made from Zamak then plated with Gold or Chrome, and each one weighs approximately .118 lbs.
	Tailpiece Every Tune-o-matic bridge is combined with a separate “stopbar” tailpiece, which is essentially a modified version of the earlier wraparound bridge that’s designed to further enhance the connection between the strings and the body. The Les Paul Studio Raw Power’s stopbar tailpiece is made from Zamak, and each one weighs approximately .168 lbs. Comes in Gold plated or Chrome plated.
	Strap Buttons The Les Paul Studio Raw Power’s aluminum strap buttons are the same style and design that Gibson has used since the early 1950s.

Plastics

	Truss Rod Cover As with most Gibson guitars, the truss rod cover on the Les Paul Studio Raw Power is made from vinyl plastic, and is shaped like an antique bell. It carries a “Studio” imprint to denote this model.
	Pickguard The Les Paul Studio Raw Power carries a black plastic Les Paul Studio pickguard.
	Control Knobs The control knobs on the Les Paul Studio Raw Power are Gibson’s black speed knobs, found on many vintage and modern Gibson guitars.
	Pickup Trim Rings The pickup trim rings on the Les Paul Studio Raw Power are made of black ABS plastic.

Strings

Gauge
The Les Paul Studio Raw Power is fitted with genuine Gibson strings, sizes .010 - .046.

Accessories

Gig Bag
Your Les Paul Studio Raw Power comes protected in one of Gibson’s durable black, padded gig bags with the Gibson logo silk-screened across the front in white lettering.

Les Paul Studio Raw Power

Natural Satin

Satin Yellow

Satin Gold

Satin Blue/Platinum

Platinum

Satin White

Satin Trans Ebony

Satin Olive Green

Satin Aquamarine

Audio

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