Reliability How has it stood up over time? A awesome guitar, nothing else in this price range comes close. General Your general opinion of this product. Gibson made in U.S.A. quality. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? Before I got it I was a little worried about the 50's neck being to thick. Turns out this thing is one of, if not the most comfortable necks I've ever played. Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? the 490/498 combo will never let you down! Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Mine is white and it looks great but it comes off real easy. It got scuff marks on the body and neck just in the first week from my guitar stand. If you get it in white BE CAREFUL. Action How was the action out of the box? Very good, but I took it and had it set up anyways. Now it's a total beast!

Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? This model uses traditional weight relief, not a chambered body, so it's denser, feels much better and sounds better than other low end Gibson Pauls I've tried. The fit/finish of the neck/body joint is perfect and overall fit/finish better than the others as well. Reliability How has it stood up over time? Tuners and other hardware feels tight and solid. Everything looks like it will stand the test of time. General Your general opinion of this product. This is the best sub $1200 Gibson Paul I have come across and better than many over that price point, for that matter. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? The frets need a little finishing on the ends. Other than that, the guitar plays and feels great. I like the late 50's (slightly thinner than early 50's) neck profile as well. Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Solid tone. Tight, defined. You probably know what 498T/490R pups sound like and this guitar makes the most of them. I will likely swap the pups, nevertheless, but the guitar is a perfect frame from which to build upon. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? I will take the inexpensive rubbed finish to save a few bucks on an otherwise high quality guitar. Action How was the action out of the box? Medium action out of the box. Seems set-up well. I will fine tune to my tastes.

Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? Yes, very well made, better than GIbson has in awhile. They know they have to compete with slave labor from overseas. They've done it!!!! Reliability How has it stood up over time? I don't have it yet, but I've tried three or four to see how they sound from guitar to guitar and they are all killer. Great sustain. The only thing you might want to change is the pickups, as I don't like the neck pup, but that's me. The pups are still killer. I am going to get one and add some Dimarzio's, I bet this guitar will kill with distortion bridge and air norton neck! General Your general opinion of this product. Killer guitar. Lightweight, perfect nut and fret work with the new machine they use. The machine is called something, but it works, and the guitars are chambered so they sustain even better, and have an acoustic sound to them that makes this guitar just sound great both plugged in and unplugged. Play one, unplugged and you'll hear how loud the guitar can be without an amp. This is the sigh of a good guitar. The setup is a personal thing so if the strings are too high or the fret board is dry, oil it, and set it up to your liking or better yet, if you're not in the knokw of doing setups, have a pro do it. It's cheap and well worth it. You'll see what a rock, blues, country machine can be. This is as close to that as you can get. I'm going to get one and put Stainless Medium Tall frets on it so I never have to change them again, but only have I wear out these frets which will take a few y ears. Everything on this guitar reeks quality. It's US made and everyone knows what that means. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? Not heavy at all. Medium weight and the neck is perfect. A little chunky, but you can get the 60's neck if you want, and or any other neck such as the 70's, etc, on the other studios at this price. Or fadeds, etc, They are all the same except for finish, and maybe fret makers, but the guitars are built in the same US factory with the same woods, etc,. They rock! Get one, you'll be glad you did. Don't get your ESP or Whatever until you try this guitar! Regards Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Bright and smooth. Great medium output to high output, but you can clean up the volume with just the volume knob on a good tube amp. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Finish is not the best, but it let'st he guitar breath, and yet it's still pretty. It's not that 987 clear coats guitar, but it's a US made killer guitar.. Action How was the action out of the box? A little high, but that's easy to fix..