Gibson Les Paul Studio Raw has just been launched 
and looks to be pretty cool.
A stripped down Les Paul with a maple neck and fretboard, looks kinda strange but should be great, especially with the 57 pickups (same as Bonus, our long term traditional).
Will try to get one for review.
Gibson Les Paul Traditional – Long Term Test Update
Our long term test Gibson Les Paul Traditional, affectionately named Bonus continues to be my go to guitar.
It lives out of the case and is slowly showing some signs of wear, the neck is losing its stickiness (thanks to the nitro finish) and the pickup covers are also losing their initial shine.
Still plays like a dream after a setup at World Guitars with 10's.
Thats it for now, look out for more updates soon.
Gibson Les Paul Scratchplate warning
There is great debate amongst Les Paul players of whether it looks better with or without the scratchplate.
Before
After
Personally I prefer the look and feel without a scratchplate, but here is a word of warning.
If you have a Gibson Les Paul that came fitted WITH a scratchplate then be careful as there is a screw just underneath it. If you lean hard on the scratch plate and then later remove it, you might find that you have damaged the maple top.
On our long term test LP I only used it with the scratchplate for a couple of weeks and on removal there is a slight mark, dent on the top where this screw was resting.
So if you are using a scratchplate now, check the spacing underneath and adjust so this doesn't happen to you.
Slash is working on a new Signature model!
Big news for all you Slash fans, according to his twitter feed he is working on a new Signature model based on the guitar he used on the appetite album.
Better start saving now, god thats going to be expensive....
https://twitter.com/SlashHudson
Gibson Les Paul Traditional vs Standard
Ive put together a video review comparing the LP Traditional vs Standard.
I will let the video do the talking but bottom line is if you like a more old school LP then go for the traditional. You can remove the pickguard if you want the look of the Standard but for me the traditional is the best of the two.