Rock like Slash with the Gibson Les Paul Standard Traditional Pro

Just when the Gibson Les Paul Florentine with Bigsby was on my mind last week, I stumbled upon this beautiful new guitar from Gibson USA:
the Gibson Les Paul Standard Traditional Pro in Vintage Sunburst.

>> Good deals on Les Paul Standard Traditional Pro on eBay

Like the limited series Florentine, it comes in this nice vintage sunburst color (ebony and cherry sunburst are also available). The Std Traditional Pro's set up is a bit different but I like it all the same.

I especially like the zebra pick ups - '57 Classic in the neck and BurstBucker 3 in the bridge. It makes it scream "Slash guitar" to me for whatever reason. You know, especially the model he is pictured with on the Guitar Hero III game box :)

The neck is a 60's profile so it is slimmer than my dream guitar (the '58 re-issue). But I'm ok giving up a bit of the sound for more playability. This is one difference with the Florentine which has an asymmetrical profiled neck.

Another difference is of course the absence of bigsby. This is a LP Standard so classic Tune-O-Matic with stopbar tailpiece.

My main grudge with the Traditional line is that stupid name..."traditional"! So, if they have kept that on the truss rod cover, I'd change it for a black one or one saying "Standard" :)

Final point, the Les Paul Standard Traditional Pro comes plecked!* So the action must be awesomely flawless.

Now for the price, this Les Paul comes at a reasonable $2,000. That's cheaper than the Florentine - but it's not a limited series. Shipping is free at GuitarCenter.com this week so you should definitely order this baby now if you dig it as much as I do.


* Note: More about Pleck from the marketing material:

The Les Paul Traditional is the first model from Gibson USA to utilize the revolutionary Plek machine in setting up the guitar. The Plek is a German-made, computer-controlled machine that carefully measures each fret, along with the fingerboard height under each string, and then automatically dresses each fret, virtually eliminating string buzz and greatly improving the overall playability of the guitar. This pioneering process does in minutes what it takes a luthier several hours—sometimes even days—to accomplish. Every fret is accurately aligned, and the guitar is properly intonated, leaving the instrument "Plek'd" and amazingly playable.

Maybe you should check you credit before you go and buy this guitar?