I love the black one because of the super sexy white binding. I demo'd one of these for a week...and it was just alright. It felt solid enough build quality wise but needed some TLC in the set up department. Something was off about the electronics too...but it was just a demo model. If the made a Les Paul in that build range that was black with white binding, 2 volume/tone, and without the MinEtune...I'd be all over it. The MinEtune was cool but I wouldn't personally pay the extra dough for it.
That Caribbean Blue paint looks awesome! I think some white or cream plastics (match the plastics to the binding) would really class-up that guitar. The only bad thing about it seems to be the pickups. My '68 LPC Reissue came with. '57 Classic pickups, and I just can't seem to get along with them.
Baffles me as to why Gibson (or any manufacturer) would drill a hole in the top of a guitar to mount a pick guard? Why not mount it to the neck pickup frame? Better yet, just leave the frame off to begin with, and let the owner decide... Gee, what a concept!
Whoever it is at Gibson USA making such decisions, needs to be thrown-out on his/her ass - pronto!
I'm thinking ebony wood pickup frames, no pick guard, no poker chip, zebra Wolfetone Marshallhead MKII pups (w/o nickel covers), aluminum tail piece, and an ABR bridge. I actually like Gibson's 57's, depending on the guitar they're in.
Wow, that colour is a little on the "different" end of the spectrum but, surprisingly, I really like it.
Not to go against the crowd, but I also like the stock cosmetics: black pickups, pickup rings, poker chip and pickguard. The only cosmetic changes I would personally make would be to replace that pickguard with the signature on it with a standard black pickguard and replace the black speed knobs with black top hats. Otherwise, it looks damn nice to me!
Another change I would make would be to replace the mini switch with a knob, but wired to achieve the same switching options as the switch. I prefer my Les Pauls to have the standard "4 knobs" look.