Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? In terms of how well this is made, it is manufactured and assembled very well. My intention was to find a quality instrument I could use when touring that wasn't a unique custom or too overly valuable. That being said, this guitar is made very well. The fit and finish is 9/10. The only fault I see is in some of the way the wood is cut or marked under the lacquer. The colors aren't all perfectly matched on mine, so the back of the headstock has some interesting color striation on one of its edges. All in all, it's a sturdy, heavy (weight relieved, yes. light? no.) guitar that definitely does the job I need it for. I believe this will handle world touring as well as any guitar could. Reliability How has it stood up over time? I have only owned it for a little over a month. So far, it's continued to perform as new under all circumstances. The pickup selector knob is starting to unscrew itself periodically, but that's pretty typical in my experiences. Just have to screw it back down when if feels loose, or a drop of loctite would possibly solve it, as well. Overall Your general opinion of this product. Overall, it's a great guitar with a bold sound. It has a vintage taste, but I wouldn't identify it as a vintage tone. I am pleased with this Les Paul and don't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon. Very good workhorse guitar. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? The neck is a little fat. I typically play Minarik Customs with fairly slim necks and Fender Teles (fat necks). This neck really falls between the two styles. It's comfortable and pretty easy to play. It's not a fast neck. If you go quite fast, you'll find yourself slowing down a little. My customs are noticeably faster, though for a second I thought I had just slowed down after being on the Gibson for a couple weeks. It's incredibly responsive and reactive with a tube amp behind it. Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Big, bold and meaty sound. It's a little bigger in the bottom end than just about any of my guitars, except the customs (engineered for big bottom). There's a less refined tone (Vintagey, but not really quite vintage), but it's really a nice, raunchy kind of tone that could easily be used for evil. With hotter pickups, it'd be a screamer. The stock pickups have brought a new color that I didn't have in any other guitar before. (Only other Gibson is an old 60s SG Melody Maker, a demon of untamed fury). Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Pretty good. I addressed that earlier. Action How was the action out of the box? Excellent. Could use a little tweaking, but out of the box it's ready to roll. I will probably leave it as is for a while.

Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? This guitar is one of the best made guitars I have ever owned, it's dependability has yet to let me down. The only downfall as I have found appear on almost all Gibsons is the strap buttons and the action out of the box. Reliability How has it stood up over time? I got this guitar after it was back ordered a little over a year ago and it has yet to let me down. This is my main guitar and played regularly but has only gotten minimal buckle rash and only a couple hard to see dents. I don't baby this guitar either so the finish quality is top notch. Overall Your general opinion of this product. I love this guitar. Originally the 57 Classics weren't "for me" as I was used to burstbucker pros but after playing around with my settings I have found that these pick ups can do any style needed. Yes even "Heavy Metal" with the right amp or pedal. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? The guitar is heavy like the older 80's and 90's Pauls but have the "Modern Weight Relief Swiss Cheese Holes" Mine is around 10 pounds give or take a few ounces but I love the sustain it gets. The neck is awesome, thick chunky Gibson neck but not overly thick. I have small hands but can play barre chords with ease and switch to playing lead lines without having any issues. Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? If you are looking for twang or thin tin like tones stay away or get something with single coils. This guitar is balls to the walls rock and roll. The 57 classics can be deep and rich but can hit that raw modern tone as well. They aren't overly hot as they are model 57's but they get the job done with minimal setting adjustments whether it be classic rock or blue to punk rock or metal. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? The paint job was amazing! The gold top sparkles with radiance and the back is natural wood colored and looks gorgeous. The inlays and binding are also done to perfection. Gibson has been a big name in guitar crafting for a reason and they are continuing that trend to this day. Action How was the action out of the box? The action was one of the only downfalls. It was playable but I preferred to tweak it a little as everyone has their own personal preferences. Had I not been an experienced player the action would have been suitable and better than lowered end guitar manufacturers.

Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? Reliability How has it stood up over time? Overall Your general opinion of this product. American Musical is the best! I used price match and got this guitar for my 14 yr old son for Christmas. Customer service couldn't have been nicer and it was at my house the next day! They helped make my son's dream come true! Thank you so much!!!! Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Action How was the action out of the box?