When I think of “Les Paul,” I think of classic burst or even solid finishes (not all). After all, at least for me, the venerable Les Paul is the standard in classic styling. It’s why I’ve never been attracted to the zany color schemes that occasionally appear on the market, like that Silver Burst (f-me, that’s UGLY).
Enter the “Flood” model that comes in swirly blue or green. 
To me, that ain’t a Les Paul. It may look like one and play like one, but it’s not in a color scheme that I would deem it a Les Paul in my book. Give me a classic Honey-, Desert-, Cherry-, Tobacco-, or Tea-burst any day.
It’s not that I don’t like the paint job. I actually like it, but it’s something that I imagine would be on a PRS or other boo-teek guitar; not a Les Paul. To me, that “Flood” finish denigrates my Les Paul ideal. But just because it’s not for me, it doesn’t mean others won’t like it, like some mac-daddy pimp. I could actually see Freddie Mercury slinging one of these.
It certainly might fit into the 80’s glam rock era with big hair, makeup and spandex pants, where looks were just as important – perhaps even more important – than the music.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know… It’s all about the tone. But as a performing artist, I couldn’t ever picture myself wielding one of these axes. I shouldn’t even call it an axe – it’s way too toy-like to me.
Then to top it off, since it’s a “special” model, Gibby is charging a premium for it. It retails at $1549, almost TWICE the price of a regular LP Studio. For goodness’ sake, it’s just a Les Paul Studio with a snazzy paint job!
Okay, rant off…
Guitar Gear 
I’m with you on this one, Dawg. It looks ugly, plain and simple. Come on, Gibson, you’ve got a legacy to maintain here! Take this thing off the market while you still have some credibility left.
But then on top of that, they came out with this “Zoot Suit” SG awhile back. What a MF-in’ ugly piece of crap! http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Gibson-USA/SG-Zoot-Suit.aspx. Not impressed.
I hear you on the Flood model. Nasty. I kind of like the silverburst though. Not sure I would buy one. I prefer the classic look myself, but it isn’t nearly as bad as the Flood.
I should clarify that I have seen 2 silverburst patterns. The first has the silver in Hershey Kiss type pattern, the other the silver follows the curves of the body. I DO NOT like the Hershey Kiss one. That is uglier than the Flood.
I actually liked the Zoot Suit SG. It came in four different colors and the one that was mostly red and blue was kind of funky looking in a good way. Reminded me of something that would have come out in 1967.
As a proud owner of a Silverburst Les Paul Robot, I take umbrage at your comment! My robot is cool looking (imho), and is perfect for live performing since it automatically and silently tunes all 6 strings in about 10 seconds. Woohoo! I agree with you on the flood color though. Gibson comes up with some funky stuff, and demands premium prices for the few people out there willing to shell out their list prices. Pretty amazing business model.
The robot mechanism is cool… I just don’t like the Silverburst. Goes well with your shiny head, though… 🙂