CES 2015

When it comes to guitars, Gibson knows a thing or two. And perhaps no guitar in its inventory is as well known as the Les Paul series. Les Paul, as you know, pioneered the solid-body guitar (as well as multi-track recording) and the world of music has never been the same. Now, Gibson is honoring the Les Paul guitars with three reference monitors with the same signature style

The Gibson Les Paul Reference Monitors are powered speakers. The styling catches your eye first; each of the three sizes are available in cherry, tobacco sunburst and cherry sunburst. Simply put, they look spectacular. More substantially, they feature diamond-like carbon coated 1-inch titanium tweeters, non-woven carbon woofers, and custom-made Class D amplification and bass port delivering clean transient impulse response and ample headroom.

There are three sizes, named by the woofer size: LP4 with 4-inch woofer; LP6 with 6-inch woofer; and LP8 with 8-inch woofer. All share the same tweeter. You'll also find a volume control as well as basic EQ. There is also an unbalanced RCA input and a balanced XLR/TRS input, power switch and standby button.

These monitors were being shown in a small room; although far from acoustically ideal, the room was quiet and allowed somewhat careful listening. Although I listened to only a few tracks, I was very impressed by the sound quality of all three monitors. Preliminarily speaking, the Les Paul logos are certainly not a gimmick; these are very good monitors that uphold the quality inherent in the name. These are on my short list of review products. I can't wait to hear them in my listening room.

Pricing is as follows: LP4 is $599; LP6 is $799; and LP8 is $999 each. The monitors will be available in February.