1990' Les Paul Studio, Maple Neck?

Well I just picked up my first "real" guitar, a gorgeous 1990 LP Studio. A local seller on craigslist was letting it go for $550, and I just had to pull the trigger before she got away. Definitely a looker. This wine red is super glossy and goes from black cherry to candy apple with the light. The seller, who builds and modifies guitars, told me it had a maple neck. in the second picture you notice that the neck is the same color as the maple top and substantially lighter than the body. The neck also has a subtle, but distinct flame effect, like little horizontal tiger stripes. The old man at the music store who's worked on hundreds of LP's swears its mahogany, and said mahogany can flame sorta as it ages. He didn't seem so sure though, he must spent a half minute looking at it.

I found a Post where a Member stripped down an ebony 90' studio to discover a maple neck so maybe it was a thing Gibson was doing back then.
http://www.mylespaul.com/threads/now-ive-gone-and-done-it-studio-stripping.199412/

First of all, that is a great looking instrument.

Second, a 1990 Studio should have had a mahogany neck, but the guitar in the pic looks like maple neck. Had it been mahogany, I'd expect it to be the same shade as the body back.

Maple necks were common, if not standard in the '70s Norlin years. My 1978 LP Pro has a maple neck. I can't say about the '90s.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Enjoy that guitar!

10 year old post seems to confirm the early 90's LP Studios do indeed have maple necks.

I worked at Gibson during 88-91 in whitewood machine as a neckfitter. The Studio is different from other Les Pauls in a couple of VERY significant ways. These diffences add up to a bargain in a solid Les Paul guitar, and stand up, imho, as one of the best guitars you can get of that type regardless of pricing. The electronics and hardware on a studio of those years was the same as a new Standard or Custom. They differ in that both the dot and trapezoid inlay models were built with a maple neck and ebony fingerboard. This combo of materials was used on the studio as it was the best way to use up "cosmetically" challenged LPC neck blanks. But, the guitars sold so well that the need for production orders to be met mandated that the guitars be built out of grade "a" material, there was no time to cherry pick necks with minor mineral marks, etc.
These guitars posess very quick transients, excellent sustain, and focused hamonic content, IMHO they live very close tonewise to the finest of the Norlin -era Customs. I just scored a 92 in ebony off CL. It has SD JB & 59 p/us, and a SKB case. Some finish wear, played but not abused, Got it and a very nice red knobbed Fender "the twin" amp for 700.00, so they can be had for bargain prices if you hunt them down.

Click to expand...

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/early-90s-les-paul-studios.164377/page-2

Never heard/seen this before. Hmmm. I always thought they had mahogany necks? Interesting.

:hmm