Squier,


I doubt your 88 is a "sold mahogany". Gibson has already been making les pauls with weight relief by drilling door knob size holes in the body, like swiss cheese in the 80s. 50's, 60s and 70s les pauls were solid mahogany. Refer to the pic orvilleowner posted, that is a weight relief, swiss cheese, les paul.

Nope.. it's a solid mahogany body &
mahogany neck w/ ebony fretboard.

1988 Gibson Les Paul Standard Silverburst Showcase Edition.
It was a Guitar Of The Month thing that Gibson did back then.

To the best of my knowledge, they made 200 for the
U.S. & another 50 or 100 or something for exports.

They're a bit rare but you can still
find them, solid mahogany & all.

If it is a limited run or special edition, it maybe a solid mahogany. Did you get a "certificate of authentic"? Many of the reissues during the 80s were solid mahogany, but the production run les pauls, studios and standards in the 80s were weight relieved. How much does your les paul weight?

Whether it's better will be another thing but Gibson are not claiming they are, are they? Just another version of the LP.

I do seem to remember them trying to
spin it as being "better" along the way.

But i agree that one shouldn't get too worked up about it
because, in the end, it's just another option in a Les Paul.

And i think options are a good thing.

50's, 60s and 70s les pauls were solid mahogany.

Well, looking at those chambered bodies pictured there.
There as to be a noticeable difference in weight, I'll have to go and try one of these , one would assume a big difference in tone and sustain. Whether it's better will be another thing but Gibson are not claiming they are, are they? Just another version of the LP.

Every new 2008 Les Paul Standard will benefit from Gibson’s proven chambering technique, which leaves each guitar with perfect tone, balance, and weight. Prior to gluing the maple cap on top of the mahogany body, the expert craftsmen at Gibson USA carve out carefully mapped-out chambers in the body using a Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) router. The positioning of the routes was established after careful examination of the resonant characteristics of the Les Paul. Gibson approached this process with the awareness that every change to the formula would have repercussions on the instrument’s sound. So, in addition to relieving the stress on a player’s back and shoulder, these lighter Gibson guitars also enhance the tone palette in a manner unique only to these guitars. The results are comfortable, lightweight guitars that are acoustically louder, with increased sustain and resonance.

You asked for it—you got it. Introducing the Les Paul Traditional from Gibson USA. With all the fat, sweet, snarling Les Paul tone that purists love, the Traditional plays, sounds, and weighs like the Les Pauls today’s players grew up loving and lusting after. Taking design and visual cues from the Les Pauls of the ’80s and '90s, the Les Paul Traditional starts with an un-chambered mahogany body with traditional weight-relief holes for a beefy tone that maintains the resonance of modern Les Pauls. Each Les Paul Traditional also comes with Gibson USA’s standard black snakeskin case.