The Les Paul Modern updates the classic formula with Ultra-Modern weight relief chambering for a noticeably lighter body, an asymmetrical slim-taper neck with a contoured heel for easier upper-fret access, and a 10 to 16 inch compound-radius ebony board.
15 mods reviewed: 12 drop-in, 1 needs verification, 2 need modification.
Places we know sell the Gibson Les Paul Modern.
Andertons
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The Les Paul Modern updates the classic formula with Ultra-Modern weight relief chambering for a noticeably lighter body, an asymmetrical slim-taper neck with a contoured heel for easier upper-fret access, and a 10 to 16 inch compound-radius ebony board. Its Nashville Tune-O-Matic sits in threaded inserts rather than being screwed straight into the wood, a sturdier mounting method than most other Gibsons. Locking Grover Rotomatic tuners.
Tailpiece
Stopbar
String spacing
52mm (2.05")
Scale length
24.75" (629mm)
Tuner hole size
10mm (25/64")
Nut width
43.05mm (1.695")
Not published by Gibson: bridge mounting spacing. Measure this before buying a bridge.
The manufacturer explicitly confirms this fits USA Gibson guitars like this one.
TonePros' own listing for this bridge explicitly states it fits USA Gibson Nashville-equipped guitars, matching this guitar's confirmed Nashville spec and threaded-insert mounting.
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View at AmazonMatches your guitar's Nashville-spec bridge exactly. Drops into the existing saddle slots, no need to replace the whole bridge.
Saddle-only swap matched to this guitar's confirmed post-2000 Gibson Nashville-spec Tune-o-Matic bridge, per Graph Tech's own bridge-stamp fitment guide (PQ-8501-00). Not a universal TOM saddle, this SKU is specific to the Nashville-post bridge family.
Should fit if your bridge has the original Nashville posts, but some Gibsons made from 2012 on switched to slightly larger posts that this bridge won't seat on. Worth checking your posts before buying, or measuring against Faber's spec.
Faber's own FAQ flags that some Gibson guitars made from 2012 onward use a Nashville-style bridge with larger 5mm thumbwheel posts instead of the original 4.35mm posts the ABRN is built for. Faber has not published which specific models are affected, only that "some" post-2012 Gibsons have the larger posts. This guitar's year falls in the affected range, but the exact post diameter on this model has not been independently confirmed either way. If the larger posts are present, Faber conversion posts (NSWKIT, BSWKIT, or iNsert) are needed.
Help confirm this fit
See current price at Reverb
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Fits the standard humbucker route. A vintage-voiced, aged alternative to the stock pickups. Needs soldering.
Standard humbucker route and mounting, consistent with this guitar's factory humbucker cavity. A vintage-voiced alternative to the stock pickups, aged and lower output rather than a modern hot-output design.
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View at ReverbThe exact pickups found on the USA Gibson Les Paul Standard, direct fit here too. Still needs soldering.
This is literally what Gibson ships in the USA Les Paul Standard, a genuine drop-in for the standard humbucker route this guitar also uses.
Fits the standard humbucker route. A higher-output alternative to the stock pickups for pushing an amp into natural overdrive. Needs soldering.
Standard humbucker route and mounting, consistent with this guitar's factory humbucker cavity. A long-established high-output ceramic-magnet alternative to the stock pickups, aimed at players who want more push into natural amp overdrive.
£89.99 at Andertons
View at AndertonsFits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock pickups already sit in. You will need to solder it in.
Fits the standard humbucker route this guitar's stock pickups already sit in.
£309.99 at Andertons
View at AndertonsShould swap straight into the existing tuner holes, no reaming needed.
Ships with locking Grover Rotomatic tuners on the standard Gibson 3+3 footprint.
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Should swap straight into the existing tuner holes, no reaming needed.
Ships with locking Grover Rotomatic tuners on the standard Gibson 3+3 footprint.
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Matches this guitar's confirmed 10mm tuner holes, the same tuner family it already ships with.
This guitar's tuner hole size is confirmed at 10mm, matching this tuner directly. This guitar's stock tuners are already a locking Grover Rotomatic, so this is a same-family swap.
£129.99 at Andertons
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Should swap straight into the existing tuner holes, no reaming needed.
Ships with locking Grover Rotomatic tuners on the standard Gibson 3+3 footprint.
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View at AmazonShould swap straight into the existing tuner holes, no reaming needed.
Ships with locking Grover Rotomatic tuners on the standard Gibson 3+3 footprint, 10mm holes, no caveats noted.
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This tuner is sized for vintage tuner holes, not the modern holes on this guitar. You'll need Gotoh's conversion bushings, sold separately, to fit it.
This tuner is vintage-hole spec (8.73 to 8.8mm), not the modern 10mm hole this guitar actually has. Gotoh sells conversion bushings separately for exactly this situation. Not a direct swap, but not a drilling job either, it is a bushing change.
Help confirm this fit
A Bigsby vibrato mounted with an adapter that uses your existing bridge screws, no drilling and fully reversible.
The Vibramate V7-LP adapter uses the existing stop-bar bushings and the strap-pin hole, no new holes required, per Vibramate's own spec, which lists it as fitting carved-top Gibson and Epiphone Les Paul style guitars generally.
A real modification, not a drop-in. New holes go in the guitar, best left to someone experienced or a tech.
This guitar ships with a fixed stopbar, not a vibrato. Direct-mounting a Bigsby means new holes in the top.
Help confirm this fit
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View at AmazonIf you have fitted any of these to this Gibson Les Paul Modern, tell us what you found and we'll update the data.
