Gibson: Les Paul Jr (2014)

Gibson's Les Paul Jr has more than 50 years of alluring history to back its existence. It was conceived to be an affordable alternative back then but it stood its own along the way, thanks to the no-frills livery of its single pickup, slab body & binding-free approach. The LP Jr today retained its identity as a simple menace but the bridge was upgraded to a 'lightning bar' model, specifically, it features intonation ridges to aid just that- intonation ills (notice the bridge requires no slanted placements to address intonation issues). Also, the recent issues Gibson had with fretboard woods saw this guitar sporting a baked maple fretboard instead of a traditional rosewood make.

Whatever permutations the LP Jr. went through, the essence of a good-sounding & attractive instrument are present. The instrument was well made & showed more urgency in finishing less some scratch marks on the fretboard of my test model. Upon handling, it feels right by manifesting a good balance in both sitting down & strapped on positions. The balance was incredible. 

Then comes the tone- how many of us really understood where a P-90 pickup would take us? Is it supposed to conjure a little kick in single coil territory or is it meant to be a disguised manifestation of a proto-humbucker voicing? If you are still confused then the P-90 did its job; it's neither here nor there, it's living in its own turf. The P-90 or the soap bar pickup has a raunchy, gnarly tone which is unmistakably single coil-ish. If you turn the volume up, you can hear the rounder top end reminiscent of a full-fledged humbucker. In this guitar, the dog-ear P-90 dished out a balanced serving of protrusive top end as well as a deep thumping only a jazz purist would truly appreciate. The only limitation, tone-wise, is that the Jr sports only a single pickup so any variety you'd wish to concoct, it has to be in the form of a volume/ tone play. There are times we need a singular voicing to see us through & this is one of those tools out there to help us achieve that. The LP Jr is perhaps one of the go-to guitar for cleans you must try out in your lifetime. In the distortion realm, due to the P-90 nature, this guitar would be more appealing to punks but I had put it through some black metal & shred moments & it proved to be worthy. Do mind the hum, yes?

All in all, the LP Jr is one of the coolest to own for days when you stopped thinking too much & just want to get some ideas through. I must say that it's a costly one-trick pony but it won't be a costly mistake having one in your tone arsenal. Recommended.

Gibson: Les Paul Jr (ver 2014)

Availability: Swee Lee Co.

Price: $1,199 (bag included)