Adam Jones Les Paul Standard Vintage Silverburst
So this week I picked up an Adam Jones Les Paul Standard in Vintage Silverburst.
To be completely honest when the Gibson Custom Shop versions came out I was thinking “Who’s Adam Jones?” Now I now who Tool are and have heard their music. But their popularity came at a time when I’d went full Classical Guitarist and was studying Bach, Mauro Giuliani, Sor, and Leo Brouwer. So, I missed much of that era of rock and metal.
Anyway, I wasn’t in the market for the first custom shop version. Then I didn’t pull the trigger on the V2 launch. But, when this one came around I felt it was at a price point that I could justify checking one out.
And, I’m glad I did.
So this week I picked up an Adam Jones Les Paul Standard in Vintage Silverburst.
To be completely honest when the Gibson Custom Shop versions came out I was thinking “Who’s Adam Jones?” Now I now who Tool are and have heard their music. But their popularity came at a time when I’d went full Classical Guitarist and was studying Bach, Mauro Giuliani, Sor, and Leo Brouwer. So, I missed much of that era of rock and metal.
Anyway, I wasn’t in the market for the first custom shop version. Then I didn’t pull the trigger on the V2 launch. But, when this one came around I felt it was at a price point that I could justify checking one out.
And, I’m glad I did.
This particular example weighs in at 9.4 lbs. Which, as far as Les Pauls go, is a nice weight. I know some people like the 10-12 pounders. But, for me, 9.4 lbs. is a great. These don’t have weight relief so I’m sure those looking for heavier examples will be able to find one.
The thing that really sets this apart from the Les Paul Standard 50’s and 60’s is the DC High Gain bridge pickup. Now it’s not that you can’t play metal with a 61R/T, or Burstbucker 1/2 combo. You can. But this pickup is definitely more suited to high gain playing. It doesn’t have that “boomy-ness” that lower output pickups have when you chunk or palm-mute the lower strings. It’s much more defined on the low end with gain.
Obviously there are many other differences. Probably the most apparent is the Vintage Silverburst finish. You really have to see it in person. Pictures don’t do this finish justice.
Next we can take a look at the controls. The 50s comes with Gold Top Hat knobs. The 60s has Gold Top Hat knobs with silver reflectors. The Adam Jones comes with black speed knobs. On the 50s and 60s you get a plastic switch tip. On the Adam Jones you get a knurled chrome switch tip.
Another departure from the Les Paul Standard is the ebony fretboard. I really like the look of ebony fretboards. Gibson normally reserves ebony fretboards for their Les Paul Custom models. So, it’s cool to see that they incorporated it into the Adam Jones Les Paul Standard.
For those of you who were looking at the other 3 Adam Jones models you will notice that the Standard is a departure form the Custom specs. You don’t get the diamond headstock inlay or the block fretboard inlays. But this one is coming in at the lowest price point. So I think the trade off is worth it. Even without those features it still has a lot of mojo.
And last but not least we have to mention the artwork on the back of the headstock. Very cool design. They also added a volute on this model.
Should I ever decide to part with this guitar you may find it in My Reverb Shop. No plans to sell at the moment. I’m really digging the sound of that bridge pickup and just looking at it!
