It’s a little audacious to call a new model “Standard”—even if it is a longstanding part of Gibson nomenclature. Then again the brand-spankin’-new Modern Double Cut Standard is genuinely audacious if you consider Gibson’s focus on historic designs.
This guitar blends elements of recent and classic Gibson appointments into a streamlined instrument that’s ready for the stage or studio—with a big voice that has a little extra bite on the treble end, thanks to a ’57 Classic Plus pickup in the bridge slot and a 24-fret neck.
When the Modern Double Cut Standard was announced, Gibson spotters were quick to note design similarities with the Burstbucker-outfitted Tak Matsumoto Doublecut, which is also built by Gibson’s Nashville-based Custom Shop. Fair enough. But Tak’s only a household name in Asia, and his guitar was a Japan-only exclusive. The Double Cut Standard is a simpler machine, with just a pickup toggle, tone and volume pots, and pickups geared for classic tones—which it delivers. It’s also certifiably shred-ready, with 24 frets and a voice that that jumps with a push from amp or pedal overdrive.
Gibson’s recent work on increasing access to fretboards (by tapering necks where they join the bodies on several models, including the Les Paul Axcess and the Lee Roy Parnell Signature ’57 Les Paul) pays off on the Doublecut. It has a swept neck heel that seamlessly coutours into the body around the highest frets. The heel also extends into a neck tenon of the kind typically found on vintage Gibsons. Many set-neck guitar enthusiasts believe that a long neck tenon provides better tone and sustain. But there are plenty of other factors that go into building a great-sounding 6-string, so I’ll leave the arguments about that to the online forums.