❌SOLD❌ Gibson Les Paul Studio ‘Les Paul 100’ Manhattan Midnight Blue, 2015

To commemorate Les Paul’s 100th birthday in 2015, Gibson marked many guitars, including the Les Paul Studio, with a ‘Les Paul 100’ logo on the headstock front and a holographic sticker on the head back. Many of these models also sported new Gibson features, including the G-Force ‘robot’ tuning system the Zero Fret Adjustable Nut, and a bridge with titanium saddles.

Construction of the 2015 Gibson Les Paul Studio followed the traditional line – a solid Mahogany back with carved Maple cap, Mahogany neck and unbound Rosewood fingerboard. The hardware was upgraded to the new tuners and zero fret nut, but many also shipped with a set of standard tuners, or a set was made available, should the purchaser not want the G-Force tuners.

The Gibson Les Paul Studio line delivers all the core features of a Les Paul at a lower price, and this is largely achieved by reducing decoration. The body and neck are not bound, and the Maple top is a ‘B’ grade, which is a visual rating (and it should be noted that many historic ‘Gold Top’ models also used Maple of this grade). However, there’s no skimping on the hardware.

This example was built during 2015 at the Gibson Nashville plant and carries a distinctive nitrocellulose lacquer finish named ‘Manhattan Midnight’, a combination of a dark, translucent blue on the top and a very dark, opaque blue on the back, sides and neck. Its original purchaser took the option of replacing the G-Force tuners with a set of Sperzel tuners; the original tuners are in the case. As well, a bone nut was installed to replace the adjustable Zero-Fret model.

There is one other standout difference on these 2015 ‘Les Paul 100’ models. Gibson wanted to make a more ‘shredder friendly’ guitar, which meant a wider fingerboard at the nut. On these guitars, it’s 1.8 inches – 46mm, on the current model it is 1.69 inches or 43mm. That 3mm is noticeable, and for those who have larger fingers – this was one of the widest fingerboards on the market. On almost all other electric and steel string acoustic guitars, the maximum width is around 1.75 inches. So for those players who might be searching for an wider nut spacing, these models are worth looking for.

At the present time – no telling when this will be updated and change – a full description of this model can be found here at the Gibson Legacy site.

Overall, this Les Paul Studio in Midnight Manhattan is in good shape with light play wear and a few small dings to the finish, and plays well.

A black Les Paul style hard shell case is included.