Kevin Ross: Grade 8

The Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar was an original model that began in 1902. The guitar is iconic because of its pickup change. The pickups are the microphones that “pick up” the sound that the vibration of the strings makes. Each microphone has different effects. The treble effect is crisper and louder. The rhythm effect is lower and quieter.

The Marshall DSL 40 amplifier has multiple knobs for special effects and the ability to use an infinite amount of pedals. With these features, it is the perfect match for the Les Paul 2016 Standard. The combination of the two pieces sounds absolutely perfect. They offer an easy way to adjust reverb and distortion at a reasonable level.

With the Les Paul brand being around since 1902, people were expecting this year’s guitars to be more extraordinary than ever. The guitar itself has a solid body, with a nice tight grain. It comes with its well-known pickup switch between treble and rhythm, as well as the four knobs to adjust the tone. The neck of the guitar is easy to grasp, with 22 frets down to the body. The strings are simple to bend and tune. When playing a harmonic, the sound is crisp and smooth. My only criticism of this guitar is that when buying the guitar straight out of the case, its strings are cut too short. When tightening the machine heads, there is a high chance of the strings popping out. It’s easy to replace them, but I would have expected better strings. Even with that minor drawback, I would give this guitar a perfect 10 out of 10.

As an amplifier, the Marshall DSL 40 is a nice standby model, with the option to switch between half-power and full-power. It comes with a foot switch to alternate between a classic clean channel and a heavily distorted channel. When on the clean channel, one has the option to give the amp a crunch sound for a little bit of distortion, along with a volume and a gain knob. The metal channel has many more features. Reverb is an option on the distorted side, as well is treble and bass. My only criticism of this amp is that when set to full power, it is easy to break a wire, and then the amp will not produce sound properly. With that being said, I would rate this amp a 9 out of 10.

In conclusion, if you are an advanced guitar player, I highly recommend this amp and this guitar. Add a distortion pedal, and this combination is pure gold integrated into sound.