My Path to the Modern Figured
When I came back to playing guitar about four years ago, I honestly had no idea what I was looking for. I went through a lot of guitars, and along the way LTDs and Epiphones kept impressing me. The more I learned, the more I realized what I actually wanted in a Les Paul, and Gibson’s Modern series checked every box. It has an ebony fretboard, contoured heel, compound radius, locking tuners, weight relief, and a slimmer neck. I had owned a few Studios in the past, but this time I wanted all the bells and whistles, so I decided to treat myself. I’ve now had this Cobalt Burst Gibson Les Paul Modern Figured for about a year, and here are my thoughts.
Video Review
Specs (Cobalt Burst):
- Body: Mahogany with Ultra-Modern weight relief
- Top: AAA figured maple
- Neck: Mahogany, SlimTaper profile with Modern Contoured Heel
- Fingerboard: Ebony, 10″ to 16″ compound radius
- Frets: 22 medium jumbo
- Binding: Single-ply top and fretboard
- Pickups: Burstbucker Pro (neck), Burstbucker Pro+ (bridge)
- Controls: Push/pull volumes for coil tap, push/pull tones for phase and pure bypass
- Bridge: Aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic with aluminum stop bar
- Tuners: Grover locking Rotomatics
- Nut: Graph Tech
- Scale Length: 24.75″
- Finish: Gloss nitrocellulose
- Case: Hardshell
- Retail: $2,999
Other Variants:
The Modern Figured came out in 2023 as the follow up to the original Les Paul Modern, with the AAA figured maple top being the biggest change. It currently comes in Cobalt Burst, Seafoam Green, and Cherry Burst. If you’re looking at other Gibsons with similar features, the Les Paul Supreme at $3,999 adds fancier binding, split block inlays, and gold hardware while keeping the same pickups. The Custom Shop Les Paul Axcess goes further with a slightly thinner body, a ribcage contour, and a heel-less neck joint, but at almost $6,000. On the more affordable side, the Studio Modern at $1,799 and the Studio Session at $1,999 give you a lot of the same modern features, but without body binding. Personally, I wanted the top and fretboard binding at a minimum, which put the Modern Figured right in the sweet spot for me.
Playability and Tone:
The modern features are what drew me to this guitar, and a year later I still love them. The contoured heel makes getting to the upper frets easy, and while I know some argue you just need to adjust your hand to hit those frets, it’s still one of my favorite things about it. The SlimTaper neck is comfortable, though I’ll admit I have a few guitars with thinner necks, and since I have smaller hands, that’s usually a plus for me. Still, it’s a big step up from a chunky 50s style neck. I also want to point out that I bought this guitar used, and the previous owner had it plekked again at Sweetwater and swapped in a TUSQ nut, even though Gibson already pleks these at the factory. The setup has been perfect since day one, so I don’t have much to say there.
As for tone, I really like the Burstbucker Pro and Pro+ combo. They sound great and cut through a mix well, though a lot of that will depend on your amp and pedal setup. The push/pull knobs add a lot of versatility too. Pulling up either volume knob coil taps that pickup for a single coil sound, the neck tone knob flips the phase for a thin, hollow sound with both pickups on, and the bridge tone knob engages pure bypass, which sends the bridge pickup straight to the output.
Pros:
- It’s a Gibson, with all the prestige that comes with it
- Made in the USA in Nashville
- Great sounding pickups with a lot of options
- Modern features like weight relief, a contoured heel, and locking tuners
- Looks great
- Good resale value
- Makes a dentist or lawyer’s office wall look really nice
Cons:
- The price, since Gibson positions itself as a lifestyle brand as much as a guitar company
- Limited color options, and the ones available are loud and polarizing
- Starting to feel dated, with little change since the first Modern in 2019 and nickel frets while many modern guitars, even newer Epiphones, have stainless steel
- The nitro smell is still strong after a year when opening the case, and it tends to bother my eyes
My Honest Opinion:
This is a really great guitar. It plays great, sounds great, and looks great, and it’s still a Les Paul, just built for how a lot of us actually play now. That said, there are guitars out there that compete with it on specs. If you don’t care about the headstock or the name, Epiphone’s Les Paul Futura and Les Paul Custom Modern give you a lot of the same modern features for about a third of the price, and both have stainless steel frets. I own the Custom Modern, and it’s seriously a great guitar. I’m not here to start a debate, but if you’re on the fence, I have an article and video on why you might want to buy an Epiphone Les Paul over a Gibson. But a Gibson isn’t just a guitar, it’s kind of a way of life. When you picture yourself on stage playing a Les Paul, you want it to be a Gibson, not a Harley Benton you bought to try to prove a point that a copy can be just as good as the real deal.
Used Market Value:
I’m not sure I would pay full retail for this guitar, and luckily I found mine used for a great price. If you can find one used for under $2,000, I think that’s a great deal. A lot of people say it’s a buyer’s market right now, but from what I’ve seen, prices on guitars like this seem to be creeping up. A year ago I was finding multiple under $2,000, and now you have to wait a lot longer for one to pop up. When I looked into the buyer’s market talk, I mostly found older Les Paul Standards, 10 to 20 years old, going for around $1,300 to $1,500. That’s a good deal on a Standard, but it’s a different guitar than the Modern. If you’re not sold on buying used, I also have an article and video on why you should stop buying new guitars.
Conclusion:
So is the Gibson Les Paul Modern Figured worth it? If the Gibson name and heritage matter to you, I think it is, especially if you can find one used. If you just want the modern features and don’t care about the name, there are some great options out there for a lot less money. But for me, this guitar has earned its spot as my one premium guitar, and I don’t see it leaving my collection anytime soon.
Links
Shop Gibson Les Paul Modern Figured guitars at Reverb (affiliate link)
