collaborations with major retailers have occasionally resulted in some gems with staying power beyond their original “exclusive-to” intentions. The Gibson USA Les Paul Traditional Pro V is just such a guitar. Offered exclusively for several years by Gibson and Guitar Center, it has been updated for 2023 with two sumptuous new finishes: Transparent Ebony Burst over a flame-maple top (as reviewed here), and a satin Desert Burst on a plain maple top. Otherwise, it retains the raft of hot-rod features that make it a superbly versatile performer, Outwardly, it appears to be a dead-standard Les Paul, and given guitarists’ famously traditional leanings, that’s clearly the idea. But scratch the surface and just about every component hides
