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Purchased from: Avenue Guitars - Edmonton
Features: I just purchased this guitar, and wow, it is impressive. For almost 3 times less than a Gibson Les Paul, you get basically all the same features. 22 frets, mahogany neck, mahogany/alder body, tune-o-matic bridge, single cutaway, and 2 great sounding humbuckers. // 10
Sound: This guitar fits my musical tastes perfect. I mostly play classic rock, but it suits punk, blues, and metal perfect as well. I use a Marshall MG30DFX, and it sounds great, with no 'buzzing'. If your looking for a full rich sound, this is the best guitar you can buy. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The finish is brilliant. The pickups were adjusted perfect, and I especially like the Tune-O-Matic bridge. The tuning pegs are great, and hold tune very very well, and they look very nice also. The only problem I have had was the top strap button came off, and it looked like the hole was drilled to big for the screw, but that was covered by warranty. Highly recommended. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is a beast! It is so bulky and feels like it can survive anything you can dish at it. Very very solid, I would definetely gig with this guitar. The finish is very very solid as well, and looks like it will last me a long long time. // 10
Overall Impression: For the money, you cant beat it. If it were lost/stolen, I would definetely buy another, or a Gibson, but I love the Les Paul model so much. I only wish it had a tremolo bar! But an excellent overall guitar. // 10
Price paid: $ 600
Purchased from: Renos Music
Features: First off, I love this guitar, the first night I had, it, I let it sleep in my bed. I'm not sure where it was made, but mannn! does it sound good. It's got 22.5 jumbo frets, and one of the fastest smoothest necks I've felt in a long time. I'm pretty sure it's rosewood. It makes my practice amp sound good! It's got a Tune-O-Matic bridge with grover tuners. I also like the 3-way pickup selector. It has 2 volume and 2 tone knobs. I love the way mine looks to. If you want to see it, go to www.myspace.com/jadefalcon. It has a Vintage sunburst finish, which always looks great on any guitar. // 9
Sound: Second, the sound of this guitar, is unlike anything I have ever heard. You can play any style of music with it, it'll always sound good. I'm playing it with a Marshall MG250DFX, and occaisionally a cruddy practice Fender. It sounds great on either. There is a huge variety of sounds you can make just by flipping the pickup selector. You can change from Jazz to country and twang in half a second. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action on this guitar is great. The pickups are set perfectly. The only problem I had was one tone knob was too close too the body of it. This problem was easily solved by pulling the tone knob out a little bit. The pickup selector is completely noiseless. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is always good, live or just practicing. The hardware is strong and sturdy. The strap buttons can hold perfectly. If I ever had a gig, I wouldn't need a backup guitar, this one is perfect. The finish is great, like glass. I dont think it'll wear out for a long time. // 10
Overall Impression: The only problem I had with this guitar was the weight. At first it is extremely heavy. But my guitar teacher told me. With more weight and more dense wood, the more sustain and higher tone. And to my experiance this seems to be true. I've only been playing around one year, but I play for about 4 hours a day (yes I know, I'm a freak). If this guitar was stolen, I would cry. For days, many days. Eventually I would buy it again. This axe beats the snot out of my crappy Squier. The only thing I wish it had was a tremelo bar. But that's one of the only bad things about a Les Paul. It took me forever to find this guitar. I have seen many that looked like it, but not one that played or felt the same. You just have to keep trying until you find one you fall in love with. Which I definately did. // 10
Price paid: $ 547.17
Purchased from: Gak
Sound: My music style varies, But the main band I focus on is Guns N' Roses. I also play, Velvet Revolver, Iron Maiden, RHCP, Foo Fighters, Aerosmith & many others. It handles all of the styles for these bands as I team it up with a Marshall MG15DFX Amp. It gives out a crisp sound when played clean and a chunky rock n roll sound when played with distortion. Fiddling with the amp I can easily find any sound that I need through this beauty. I am only using (along side my DFX amp) a Snarling Dogs wonder wah 2 pedal for my Guns N' Roses solos. This gives off a good enough sound for my taste although some people may want a bit more in the effects area but overall it handles good. I use Ernie Ball hybrid slinky strings to get my sound. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar seems pretty well put together to be honest I have had no major problems up until now when the strap holders have come loose, keep falling out and will not screw back in properly. I am going to try and tackle this problem hopefuly but the main reason of it all is because of the damn weight behind the guitar. It is a little on the heavy side and this causes problems with the strap imo. No flaws other then this everything has worked well, The pick ups could be a tad better though. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar would definatly withstand live playing I would without a doubt gig with it without a backup. The hardware seems like it will last a long time. The strap buttons however arnt too great on my model, As described above. This is the only thing I would worry about when gigging. I was playing the other day stood up and the buttons just fell off but luckily I grabbed the guitar in time. Also with it being a big beast if it falls it falls hard. I also have to use strap locks on the buttons as I dont trust it to stay on without these either as it keeps falling of due to an awkwardly placed front button. The finish looks great. Nice and shiny with a glass like quality, I have it in Heritage cherry sunburst and its sexy. // 8
Overall Impression: For the style of music I play it is a great match. I have been playing guitar for about 2 and a half years and this is a great guitar compaired to my first squire Strat. You can clearly tell the difference in quality as soon as you pick it up. It can pull of slash solos well when combined with my equipment. I wished I had held it before I had purchased it however (as I purchased it off the internet) just so I knew of the weight. If I lost it I would get a new one at the bargain price of 299. This is a great guitar and I can not afford a proper Gibson one yet so this is the closest I get for my musical style. I love the look and sound. I dont so much as "hate" the weight and the strap issue but it is more of an anoyance to me which could easily have been avoided with better craftmanship and a few lbs taking off. I do not really compaire it to any other guitar. It is the style and sound that I wanted therefor it was set in stone in my mind to buy this baby. The only other alternative would be to buy a Gibson les paul which I cant so id go for this every time. All round I would recommend it to any guitarist. Novice or experienced. // 9
Features: I just bought this guitar and I've got to say for the price it is, it's incredible. It was made in 2004 in China. It's got 22 frets medium frets, maple neck and mahogany body with a cherry burst finish. It's got the Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge which is great and makes restringing a whiz. It's got 2 chrome humbuckers (very sexy) one treble one rhythm and theres a volume and pitch control for both. Not sure about the brand of tuners though they arent locking they seem to stay in tune pretty well. When I bought it it came with a hard body case and a cable, the cable was terrible though and increased the feed back enourmasely, infact it was the only thing causing feed back because when I plugged in another cale it was silent. // 9
Sound: It honestly is one of the most versatile guitars I've played, it's great for clean things, jazz, blues, pop, then into rock, metal, heavy metal, death metal everything. I'm using a Laney amp and its has no feed back if you use the right cable. It has a very full sound due to its large body, very chunky sound is great. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: When I tested the guitar out at the shop it was flawless, great action, the frets were just a litte ruff at the edges but they fixed that up for me, the neck was fine, humbuckers all fine pretty much all fine. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar will last me a long long time and I hope it does, I wouldn't use a back up because this guitar is great. Strap buttons are solid just like the rest of the guitar. And the finish looks great and seems like it will last long. // 10
Overall Impression: I play metal and it suits it fine. It's a great overall guitar, just wish it had a whammy bar. If it were lost all stolen they'd have to lock me up because I'd kill someone, but yes I would buy a new one. // 10
Price paid: $ 410.01
Purchased from: Steves Music
Features: This is a great guitar. Awesome sound and a great fingerboard. Thisguitar has many features such as: 22 Frets with trapazoid inlays, alnico classic humbucker pickups, chrome hardware and a strong and steady stopbar, also a mahogany finish. Its electronics have volume for trebel and rythem modes and tone knobs. But the downside is that it's non-locking and it doesn't with any accessories. But other then that it's a great guitar; second to olny the Gibson itself. // 7
Sound: This guitar has a very full sound. On all the settings it's great. It's not noisy either. It's mainly ment for rock music though but you could play anytype on it but it's best suited for rock. It goes great with almost any amp and the patch chord spot is in a great place, it won't get in your way. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was built great, the pickups were perfect it's all even, no unfiled freat or loose controls. The bridge is great to, it was built solidly and it's easy to change strings. I couldn't find bad things about this guitar. The paint dosn't chip a lot either. This guitar can stand up to a lot things, but if you are going to change the pickups or bridge or whatever, if it's your first time, get a professional to do it. // 8
Reliability & Durability: If I where on-stage with this guitar I would trust it. But I would replace the strap-locks with some that are gaurenteed to not break or let go of your strap. I would play at a coffeeshop without a backup but if I where playing a big concert I would just get a Gibson. It's the same thing but better wood and such. I would trust the finish to stay ION fr a while too. This guitar is trustworthy though. // 7
Overall Impression: This guitar suits rock music. It was built for rock music. I have been playing for a while and I have played other music on it but rock suites it. If I were to compare this to another guitar I would say the Epiphone is etter unless the other one was a top of the line guitar. I wish it costed a bit less though, it's a bit pricy it's good though. // 8
Price paid: C$ 400
Purchased from: Kitts Music
Features: So here's the deal.. I got my hands on this Korean made Les Paul about 2 years ago. It was built in 2002 and has all the things you would expect a Les Paul to have. It's a mahogany neck and body with a maple top, black glossy finish, rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets, TOM bridge, stop bar tail piece and so on... It came stock with Alnico V Classic humbucker pickups and Epiphone tuners, which in my opinion, are both decent pieces of hardware. But it's a typical off the shelf Epi LP so it's not really something I would brag about. However, it is very well built, the sustain on this thing is incredible. That's what I was looking for more than anything else, so I can't complain about that. My intention was to get an LP at a reasonable price and customize it to my taste, and no offense to anyone, but paying thousands for a Gibson LP was out of the question! So I took off everything I wasn't too impressed with, which was pretty much everything but the Vol/Tone knobs and stop bar tail piece and swapped them out for what I preferred. It now has Seymore Duncan Alnico ProII pickups, Tone Pro bridge, new toggle switch, locking strap buttons, and Grover keystone tuners. Stock, I give this guitar a 6.. Now... take a guess! // 6
Sound: I've tried many guitars over the years and have owned a few too. I was looking for something versatile, that sounded good no matter what you play on it. I play mostly rock and blues, maybe a little metal depending on my mood! I find that a Les Paul handles all styles pretty well. I probably wouldn't go as far as death metal with it but hey.. To each their own!
I usually plug my LP into a Marshall VS100 amp or a Marshall JCM800 when I'm in my buddy's studio and I have to say it screams with both! My VS100, which is a valvestate amp(12AX7 tube in the preamp), has 3 channels on it, clean, gain and distortion. I find that these are all the effects I need aside from a Boss DD-3 delay and a Cry Baby Wah. I've tried other pedals than these two and sorry... Not a fan. I'll admit that it did sound decent the way it came but it doesn't compare to how it sounds now. Keep in mind that all my ratings are for the guitar the way I got it and not after the upgrades! // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: Like I mentioned earlier, this was an off the shelf guitar. I was very impressed with the way it was built, very solid. The details on it were just as good as any higher end guitar. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the parts and the action. Don't get me wrong, it was pretty decent overall, but there was some buzzing at the 12th fret on the higher strings. After having swapped out all the stuff I didn't like, I brought it over to a luthier to have it properly set up. Best 100 bucks I ever spent! I think everyone who plays should do that even with higher end guitars. // 7
Reliability & Durability: With the stock pickups, I wouldn't play live with this guitar at all. I'm not trying to trash Epiphone, but I just felt something was missing. As for the rest of the hardware on it, decent. All the nickel plating was very well done, excellent finish, impeccable binding. It should last for quite some time. As far as dependability and durability goes, no complaints there. It's a very well made instrument even though it doesn't have the Gibson logo on it. Who cares! // 7
Overall Impression: I've been involved in music since I was a kid and believe me... that's quite a while ago! I've always had a passion for music. Never did it professionally.. strictly as a pass-time.I play just about anything depending on my mood, but mostly rock and blues though and I find that a Les Paul is ideal for these styles. It's just the way it's made.. that mahogany/maple combo with a set neck is the key to a great sound regardless of the other stuff that's on a guitar. Trust me on this one, I also build my own guitars! If this thing would have gotten stolen when I first got it, I would have been pissed but I would have gotten over it.. But if it were stolen, lost or damaged in any way now, well, I would hate to be the one responsible. I was lucky to find a guitar built like this at a low price and after having invested an equal amount into getting it the way I wanted it, it was worth it. I'm pretty sure most musicians would agree to that. // 7
Price paid: $ 599.99
Purchased from: musicians friend
Features: This guitar features two Gibson-made humbuckers, 22 frets, and trapezoid pearl inlays. I purchased the Heritage cherry sunburst finish, which is one hell of a good looking finish. It was definately worth the extra $100. This guitar was made in China, but the quality is amazing. The body is made of mahogany and maple with an alder top. The body type is the standard single cut away les paul body, which is beutiful. It came with a little surprise in the box: a nice little cable, which is good because mine just went out. // 8
Sound: This guitar has an great tone for such a cheap price. The bridge pick up has an amazing soloing tone. Perfect for Blues. The bridge pickup kicks some major ass. It is perfect for hard rock, metal, or anything else you can think of. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was a little high, but that can easily be fixed. The pickups were perfect. The bridge pickup put out a little less than it should of, but when I lowered the action if work. The finish ws shinig with out sustaining so much as a scratch on it long flight up to Alaska. This guitar has very good tuning stability. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar can definately withstand live playing, although I wouldn't play without a backup because you can break a string on any guitar. The finish is very durable. The strap buttons are a little small, so I'm going to replace them with a strap lock system. // 8
Overall Impression: I play anything from blues to hard rock and occasionly metal. Except no country. I hate country. This guitar is a good match for anything I play. I have played for two years and own an Epiphone dat 210, a digitech hotrod and metal master, a dunlop wah and a Marshall MG15DFX. This is easily my favorite peace of equitment. If it was stolen I would curl up in a ball and cry, and then take a shotgun and go look for it. Or buy another. // 10
Purchased from: Merchant City Music
Sound: The rosewood fretboard is very smooth and nice to the touch. The neck is fast and sturdy, good balance and action. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The tuners are just as good as any Gibson tuners and that means that they are all okay but not great. This is why Iommi and Zakk Wilde have Sperzel locking tuners on their set-ups. Next, is the neck, it is solid, fast, smooth, and set well without any signs of weakness. Truss rod is nice. Bridge, saddle and such are all excellent. Action typically needs raising because it is normally set too low and will buzz the low E. Third, is the pickups. They are Gibson designs. Just like all other makers, the design is a cheaper version than the original. So, these pickups sound like the 490 + 498 that is found in the Gibson but are slightly less loud, sharp and clear. The translucent blue finish was very beautiful and looks like it will last me quite a few years. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I am sure the hardware and electronics are not quality stuff but match the price of the guitar. No problem with the strap buttons yet! I'm sure it will last me until my skills require a better guitar. I would love to upgrade this guitar because I like the weight and the finish but have been advised against it, as the costs of customizing would be better put towards an Epi LP Custom. // 10
Overall Impression: Looks and sound pretty damn good. Great for a guitarist on a budget. I just bought this guitar and haven't put it down yet! I highly recommend this guitar. The look of the les paul is very cool. I like that it is heavy, gives a hell of a workout when performing for people. Keeps in tune very well. The only flaws are that the toggle Switch is not the best. The pickups could be a better but just Switch them out with actual Gibson pickups and this is solved immediately. // 10
Price paid: $ 640.5
Purchased from: Johnny Roadhouse Music
Features: My Les Paul (LP) was made in 1998 in China, it has a 22 fret maple fingerboard, I think they're thin frets, it's a solid-top, and is finished in cherry sunburst and is lacquered. The body style sticks primarily to the original LP shape and is roughly the same thickness. The bridge is as it is on a Gibson LP. The tone pot gives a volume for both pickups, and a kind of "balance" control, and a 3-way selector Switch. The pickups are some cheapo chinese ones, I've changed them for Seymour Duncan '59 models. It's a twin-humbucking guitar though, and is good at room volume levels. Included: Hard case, strap. // 10
Sound: The LP suits my musical style to a T. I play mostly "old-school" types of rock, a bit of modern stuff (Velvet Revolver), and as a result, barely touch the gain. I'm currently using a combination of a Fender Mini-twin (it's punchy) and a Fender Rumble 15 (bass amp) other than that, I've put it through my friends 100-watt, 20 year old Marshall, andit sounds like Page re-incarnate. It gives a very sustainable sound, very warm, and it is extremely versatile, so it covers a range of sounds, old and new. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar has barely been altered in this area. The pickups were setup perfect, the action meant it's a joy to play, everything was perfect, saddles were fine, frets fine, nothing out of line, tuning pegs held solid in a British summer for 3 days (temperature went from 30 to 15 and it was bangon every time). The only trouble was the plastic top on the pickup selector, but I'm told this is a common problem with LP models, and even Gibsons. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar has lasted me and my hard-rockin' dad 8 tone-rich years now, and by the feel of it, will last another 10, at least 6 more years before the frets need replacing. The hardware seems like it will last forever. The strap buttons are solid, I've only had to tighten them once every six months or so, no need for a straplock at all. I would use this at a gig without a backup, even if I drove over it's flight case before hand. The finish is a little suceptible to cracking, as it's lacquered. In particular, on the back, there are a number of dings and dents where acoustics and the like have been dropped on it. Other than that, the plastic binding is solid, so there's no likelyhood of it wearing off with playing. // 10
Overall Impression: I play mostly old types of rock, Led Zepp, Van Halen, and a bit of modern stuff, Velvet Revolver, etc. and it suits them all, it's a very versatile guitar. I have been playing about a year now, and it's a very good guitar whethr you're Eddie Van Halen, or some spotty-faced 14-year old like myself. I was given the guitar as a gift, once I'd given up on bass, but there's nothing I'd wished I'd asked before, maybe "can you change the pickups if I get some new ones?". If it were stolen, I would hunt the little scrote down and shove a shotgun barrel down his throat, I would never lose this, I sleep with it sometimes to make sure. But yes, I would get another, maybe the Gibson, if I had enough. I love the fact it's so easy to play, and sounds so great, it leaves all those high gain, power chord Strat ripoffs in the dark. My favourite feature has to be the quality of the thing, even though it's just a Gibson copy. I don't hate anything about the guitar, but I dis-like the original pickups, they aren't much good at high volume levels, but sound great if you get to the top-end of a 30-watt "garage size" amp. // 10
Price paid: $ 399.99
Purchased from: musiciansfriend.com
Features: I'm not sure when or where it was made but it doesn't matter. This is an amazing guitar. There are 22 frets that are actually pretty wide for an electric guitar, not quite as wide as an acoustic but definitely wider than your typical Stratocaster or Telecaster. So if you have big hands, this is the guitar for you. The chrome hardware functions very smoothly, not to mention how awesome it makes the guitar look, the classic humbuckers just Shine. Beautiful finish, nice smooth mahogany neck, transparent Orange control knobs if this guitar were a girl she'd be way out of my league. Absolutely stunning, it'll make anyone look like a pro on stage. // 10
Sound: It's widely accepted that the les paul is the perfect rhythm guitar for any kind of music, blues, pop-punk, metal, you name it. The humbuckers automatically make any amp sound so much richer, warmer, thicker, and more powerful. They sure as hell boost the gain too, with it turned only one-third of the way up on my MG30DFX I had plenty. That same amp has a really boring clean, but this guitar made it nice and bluesy, whereas with my Strat it sounded the same unplugged. I personally play pop-punk music, and with balanced settings this guitar actually had a bit too much bass, but turning bass down and turning treble up a bit made it just what I wanted, a thick, smooth, and filling EQ, but with a bright enough tone to sound fun and catchy. The difference this guitar's humbuckers made just blew me away. The lead tone is pretty good but not perfect, I recommend a Telecaster for that, but the lespaul was designed for rhythm anyway. And to be fair I wasn't playing on a JCM head either. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: You couldn't ask for better action on any guitar. The well sanded rosewood is very kind to a player's fingers and allows for very easy slide-ups and slide-downs. The strings tend to be a little looser on a lespaul than on a regular guitar, with 10s I was fine. bends are effortless, and you're not killing your finger or bending your string out of tune to get that half step up. Also, speaking of tuning, once your strings are set it'll stay in tune for a good 3 weeks if unplayed, and for a full week even if you're slamming the strings with full arm Strokes while standing. The intonation was slightly off when I got it, but this is much easier fixed on the lespaul than on a Strat or tele, just put a flathead screw driver to the two bolts on the stopbar and you can fix it in a pinch. The intonation is also pretty versatile. I play in tunings from Standard to drop C, and all of them sound in tune up and down the fretboard. This is without a doubt the most user-friendly guitar, even more so than a Gibson because of the chrome hardware. // 10
Reliability & Durability: The guitar is at least twice as heavy as a Strat, and whether this is a good thing or bad thing is based on personal preference. I personally love it because it feels so incredibly sturdy and secure. As a pop-punk guitarist, I like to swing my guitar around like crazy and do a couple jumps when I play, and as a rhythm guitarist I don't strum with my wrist, I strum with my elbow and shoulder in full arm swings. All of that can create serious abuse to a normal guitar but this guitar holds up like you wouldn't believe, and the fact that it's heavy makes me feel comfortable putting on an energetic performance. It's been dropped at least 30 times because I'm clumsy and have a bad habit of leaning it against a wall or chair when I'm not using it, and it still feels new when I play it. The finish is still smooth as well after 2 years and I've never polished it. This thing is built to last, and made for even the most reckless performers. // 10
Overall Impression: I just got a Marshall AVT valvestate 2000 half stack, and when combined with this lespaul, this is by far the best rhythm guitar setup for any modern rock music (with the exception of the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier amp). I couldn't rate any category lower than a 10 because I have no complaints what'soever. This guitar has done wonders for me. If I lost or broke it I would buy the same exact guitar again, no questions asked. It's my permanent guitar, and as long as this thing is still sold on the market you have no reason to spend more than 400 dollars on a guitar. // 10
Price paid: € 350
Purchased from: DLX Music (Finland)
Features: It was hand-crafted in China. It's got 22 frets, 24,75 rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays, mahogany neck and body, Tune-O-Matic bridge, two Alnico V passive humbuckers, 2 volume and 2 tone controls (one for each pickup), 3-way pickup selector, ebony finish. The tuners are non-locking and I have to tune my guitar pretty often because it doesn't stay in tune very long time. The guitar is pretty heavy and it's neck is not the best for fast playing. The guitar came with some crappy cable which didn't work properly when I tried it and had a terrible sound. I wish my guitar had a whammy bar and locking tuners. I like it that it has two independent volume and tone controls so I can quickly change my volume when I Switch my pickup. // 7
Sound: I play rock and metal. I think it plays them pretty well. I'm using Roland Micro Cube and I know it's no the best amp but it's the only amp I have at the time. I use DigiTech RP355 for recording. The sound is not very bright. The bridge pickup has brighter tone than the neck pickup and it's better pickup for metal and rock. The neck pickup is great for cleans and mild overdrive. It's got pretty midrangy sound and you can play funk rock kind of stuff with it and blues. When I play clean things with the neck pickup the sound sometimes gets muddy. I think Les Paul is made for many different music styles. I like its sound pretty much. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set-up well but it had one problem and I don't know did it depend on crappy strings or what but the high e-string 12th fret harmonic was out of tune. The action is OK. The pickup selector is noisy, I think, but my friend's Ibanez has as noisy selector as mine is so maybe they all are noisy. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I'm going to tell you more about my bridge problem. I tried to adjust the bridge but it didn't help. Then I restringed my guitar and it helped, for a while. Some time later the bad sound of the e-string came back. Then the string snapped. Maybe I just have had two bad e-strings. Sometimes when I Switch to the neck pickup it doesn't Switch the pickup properly and the sound is weak. I have to Switch to my bridge pickup and then back to the neck pickup and then it works again. I don't know what's the matter with my guitar, is it the selector or my pickup. My strap buttons are strap locks but I don't trust on them because the guitar has dropped some times when using them. Otherwise the guitar seems like it will last. I maybe would use it on a gig but it doesn't stay in tune very well so I don't know. The finish seems good. I have no scratches or anything on it. // 7
Overall Impression: This is the only guitar I have at the moment. I have been looking for a new one. I've been playing for about 2 years. I got this guitar as a present so I couldn't decide which guitar I wanted. If I could have decided I wouldn't have bought this because I wanted and still want to have a whammy bar. The best feature it has is two independent volume and tone knobs. I like it. I hate my high e-string that sounded bad. Now it doesn't because I have restringed my guitar. We'll see will my new strings sound as bad as my previous. I have tried my friend's Ibanez Prestige which had much higher output and brighter sound. Then I have tried our school's Ibanez RGA and I like how it feels in my hands but I don't like the sound of active pickups. This guitar could have brighter sound but I also like its midrangy tone that it has now. If you are looking for your first guitar and want a guitar that can play many styles, I recommend you to buy this. // 7
Purchased from: Local retailer
Features: This is a Epiphone Les Paul Standard made in Korea. It has 22 quite large frets (the size bigger than on Fenders) and has a 3way pickupselector and a tone and volume control per each humbucker. It has two passive humbuckers made by Epiphone. The neck is as thick (maybe a little bit thicker) as on a Fender Stratocaster on the low frets, but it gets thicker than the Stratocaster's neck higher up. The tuners are some kind of crap that doesnt stay in tune for longer than 10 minutes.
The neck scale is 24.75" which is the most common for LP models. There were no accessories included. It looks beautiful though. The fretboard is abslolutley magnificent! // 6
Sound: The sound suits my style quite well. The sound is quite bassy, but the sound is really falt. Not really clean, sounds a bitt messed up. Nothing intresting happens with the sound when you play it. The bridge pickup is in my opinion useless because of the horribly bad sound. The sound seems a bit "delayed" and has no full sound at all. I've tried to adjust the microphones, but nothing seems to help. At least you can get a wide variety of tones, with help of the pickup selector and the tone controls. Another cool thing is that the sound changes as you rise/lower the volume on the guitar. // 4
Action, Fit & Finish: I've had it for a while so I don't really remember how it was set up, but I have changed the action and some more minor things. Looks great! // 8
Reliability & Durability: As I said it can't stay in tune for longer than 10 minutes or so. And that's when play at home. I would never use it on stage, not even with a backup.
The frets, finish and guitar will last for a long, long time, just don't count on that the mechanics (tuners, microphones,saddle...) will last very long. The strap buttons tend to loose easily. // 4
Overall Impression: I've played for four years and I must say that i know kinda lot for just been playing for four years. This guitar is good for rock, new as old, and hardrock and metal. Of course you can play punk with it too. If it was lost or stolen I wouldn't buy another one and that is mostly because I think i need a better guitar. If I did lose it when I wasn't so good at playing guitar i wouldn't replace it. I would have boughgt another guitar, like a cheaper Ibanez or so. However, if you change the microphones, the tuners and the saddle you would get a guitar as good as the cheaper Gibsons (worn and faded).
Don`t buy this guitar for the fell of the neck and fretboard as I did!
I think that the looks and neck (and fretboard) of this guitar is really good, BUT almost everything else is really bad. // 4
Price paid: $ 550
Purchased from: american musical
Features: Made in korea, 22 rosewood fretboard, solid top, two volumes, one rhythm and treble, two tones, one rhythm and treble. Alnico humbuckers. There are lots of different finishes they offer, and I got transparent amber, a really classic looking color. tune-o-matic bridge. I got a nice hard case for 50 extra bucks, as oppose to 80. // 10
Sound: i play a lot of different things, i play some jazz, classical, but mostly rock. its great for rock, i play lots of chili peppers, incubus, queens of the stone age, all kinds of rock, metallica, zepp, it sounds great on rock. for jazz its an amazing sound too, its pretty versatile, you can make some really different sounds to fit your needs with this axe // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I replaced the pickups because they just didn't cut it for me, the action was great, the factory pickups are okay just for a beginner. A few days after it came in the mail, a strap nut came loose, but I rescrewed it back on, and it hasn't come lose since. The pickup selector is nice and tight. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar can withstand hours of live playing, you'll get more worn out than it will. This guitar can suit your needs cuz its pretty versatile and itll last you a long time. I would depend on it. If it got stolen id go out and desperately hunt down the robber before I went crazy. I would use it on a gig without a backup, but only if I didnt have a backup. If I had a backup id still bring one no matter what just because thats my old paranoid self, always needing backups. // 10
Overall Impression: I own a DigiTech RPx400 and a Zoom 707II which I've had forever and my guitar sounds great going through these. I'd go out and get it back with a vengeance if it was stolen, I compared it to a Fender Strat, and id choose a les paul over a Fender anyday. Fenders just don't cut it for me (it still puzzles me why they put pickguards on their basses, no true bassist uses a pick) once again a great product made by Epiphone approved by Gibson, this guitar is worth all $540 because I didn't have 1900 bucks for a Gibson at the time :D // 10
Purchased from: Gak.co.uk
Features: My Epiphone Les Paul Standard was made in 2004 in Korea. It has 22 frets, the neck is maple and is a solid top. Heritage cherry sunburst (flamed top) finish. Made of mahogany I think. Has as HardTail bridge. Two volume knobs (one for the ryhthm pickup, one for the treble) and two tones aswell. 3-way pickup selection. 2 humbucker pickups not entirely sure the make and model of pickups sorry. Tuning heads are made by grover and are chrome, all hardware is chrome. I got a pathetic 5 foot lead with my Les Paul which broke after a couple of band practices with it. // 8
Sound: I play varying styles of music. Emo, rock, alternative (Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Blink 182, Funeral For A Friend). This guitar suits it well, I bought this guitar as two of my favourite bands funeral for a friend and brand new use Les Pauls, and at the time I couldn't afford a Gibson, so an Epiphone was a comprimis really. Still sounds very good. I play it through a Marshall MG100 combo. So I get that real rock, distortion sound. I am very happy with the sound, the clean sounds very very fat. The treble on my Gibson SG isn't as fat as the rhythm on my LP! So that gives you an idea. Could be something to avoid if you are after a really raw distortion. The clean is very rich and fat, but its only when you play it with distortion that the guitar really shows you what its capeable of. Still sounding fat on distortion, sounds great and like a true british rock guitar. The one thing that really lets this guitar down is the noise. I stand about 15 feet away from my amp at our practices and I still get feedback, I can tell this isnt the amp as my SG doesn't have this problem. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was fully set up at the factory, and tuned, it obviosly lost its tune slightly during its shipping but its was more or less tuned. The action on this guitar was a big selling point to me, the neck is alot "lower down" which I like, the les paul is unique in this way. The bolt around where the input jack goes in unscrews every 2-3 days and the pickup selection has gone loose and is upside down from the words and wont Switch back! so I'm left confused alot of the time. Finish is nice, I didn't choose black due to fears that it will get covered in fingerprints and look bad. I didn't realise that Les Pauls were so heavy, the body is very solid and chunky which is fine wen sitting down, but makes jumping around stage hard. // 6
Reliability & Durability: This guitar has been through a couple of gigs and has lasted me. I hardware is fine apart frm the flaws mentioned earlier exept, the strap button which comes loose evry now and then, no matter how hard you screw it in, it'll find a way to come loose again. The hardware has dissapointed me but its not going to completly fail on me on the middle of a gig. // 6
Overall Impression: This guitar is a good match for what I play, I have found a better though, my Gibson SG Special. I have been playing for three years now and I bought this in my second year of playing, I was over the moon and has been my prized posession since that day, I recently bought my SG and my opinions on my guitar have matured. I still love it, but my love in the first place hindered the bad point so I didn't mind. If this guitar was lost/stolen, I wouldn't buy it again, it is a great backup guitar for gigs but I am no way dishing 320 quid 4 it again. I love the action the fat tone, even though I am into the raw sound of my SG at the end of the day, although 180 more, the Gibson beats this on every feature by a long way. But if your looking for a decent priced, sounding guitar this is probably a good bet, there are better out there for that price though. // 6
Purchased from: Musicians Friend
Features: It was made in China and has 22 frets. I got mine in ebony and it's got the Les Paul Standard look. I'm pretty sure it came with a Tune-O-Matic bridge. It has 2 tone and 2 volume knobs. It came with classic chrome humbucking pickups and it also has chrome grover tuners. // 10
Sound: This guitar fits my type of music perfectly. I play from punk to metal. This guitar just has so many tonal capabilities, it's awesome. It's not noisy. At first I thought that my rhythm pickup was screwed up because it buzzed but then we realized that it was just the amp buzzing. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was set up perfectly in the factory and the action was just right. It was good even for dropped tunings. The pickups seem to be adjusted pretty well and I haven't noticed anything wrong yet on this guitar. The only aggravating thing about it being ebony is the fingerprints and marks show easily. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar could definitely withstand live playing. The hardware seems like it will last forever or a really long time. The strap buttons are very solid although some people say differently because they just had defects. I would use this at a gig without a backup. I think the finish will last a long time and that this will be an awesome guitar. // 10
Overall Impression: I play from punk to metal and I think that this is a perfect match. I have been playing for almost two years but I'm better than most people that have been playing that long. I played a Squier Fat Strat before this and it was actually pretty ok. If this was stolen I would definitely buy it again. I love its tonal capabilities and the look and sound of this guitar. The only thing is the weight, it could be a little lighter. But overall, this is an awesome guitar that I will enjoy and gig with. // 9
Purchased from: A small local Shop
Features: It was a 22 fret I just assume since it was new when I bought it, it was a 2005 model made in, and this may be completely wrong, but I think it was made in China. It was a solid body with a sunburst top. Honestly I'm not positive, but I believe the body and neck woods were maple. The bridge is fixed. It is a string-through. There are two tone and two volume controls. They work nicely. The tuners are nice. I don't plan to change them any time soon. They overall lock nicely. I didn't get any real "accessories" from the store, except a card good for 10 manual string changes. // 8
Sound: I usually play punk or grunge, or even occasionally the '70s ballad. It adapts pretty well, but I think that's due to my G-Dec amp, which is amazing! It can get pretty loud, but only on a few settings on my G-Dec amp. In a normal or average amp the sound is pretty soft and adapts well to ballads or a pretty wide amount of modern rock. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: I haven't gotten any major changes done to the guitar except I changed the bridge a small bit. Every thing else was set of great! // 9
Reliability & Durability: The most major thing I've changed about my guitar is have the input/output jack changed, because there was a loose wire. I've had the guitar for about ten months and every thing is working great. Evreything is stable and solid. Ace Frehley (Kiss guitarist) uses a Gibson, because it's probably better made. The finish is always pretty nice. // 8
Overall Impression: I do usually play harder stuff, but I'm not sure if it's the "perfect" match. I've been playing, seriously, for about three years. I don't get lessons, but I consider my self an intermediate guitarist. I definitely should've asked if I was getting a good deal. I think I got an okay deal, but I would've liked it to be cheaper! If I lost this guitar, I would move on and buy a guitar a guitar with more, should I say "grungy sound." Honestly I didn't shop around like I should have, but I'm so far pretty happy with this guitar. I think it's a good "transition guitar." I think it's for the player Who is between beginner and advanced/intermediate. Overall the only thing I would change is the soft sound. // 7
Price paid: $ 554.4
Purchased from: Musik Produktiv
Sound: This guitar suits my style nearly prefectly which is anythig from hard rock (AC/DC) to thrash metal (Metallica). I use it with a Marshall MG15DFX and a Boss MT-2 and its absolutely not noisy.Sometimes the Neck pickup is a litlle to bassy, the bridge pickup is perfect for solos. I mainly use it with both pickups on, because its a full rich sound with enough highs and bass. With dist. it sounds really heavy (like for whom the bell tolls), but also you can get very nice cleans sounds vor stairway to heaven or nothing else matters. Very versatile. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Action was perfectly set up, but I don't know if they set it up in the factory or at the shop. No fret buzzing, not to high, intonation was good. I had nothing to change. The finish is amazing, no flaws on the paintjob, just two dings on the neckbinding and fingerboard. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This is a tank. It will definetly withstand live playing, I used it twice at 30 minute "concerts", but I'm sure it will last for ever. The strap button were solid but I chnged them with securitv lockes because they were on my strap. The finsh will last, I'm sure. All in all a very solid guitar. // 10
Overall Impression: As I said before I play mainly metal and hard rock and this is just perfect for that, but it works well for everything. This is one of the most versatile guitars ever. If I'd have to buy it again, and I would definatly buy it again, it will be stolen because I'll never loose this guitar, it's my precious. I've been playing for 2, 5 years but I think I'm pretty good (a friend of mine plays 7 years and we are at the same level) before I got this I played a stratcopy (55 EUR) and it is really worth it. // 10
Purchased from: Musikhuset Aage Jensen
Features: Made in Korea, 2001, 22 frets, 24.75" scale, chrome hardware, solid top. Body and neck is Mahogany, with a rosewood fretboard with mother of pearl inlays, Tune-O-Matic bridge and a stopbar tailpiece. 2 Gibson designed humbuckers (I cannot stress this enough Gibson designed, not by any means actual Gibson humbuckers). A 3-way switch, and 2 tone and 2 volume controls. // 7
Sound: It suits my music style alright, I play blues and rock. Such as Clapton, Mayer, AC/DC, Springsteen and Maiden, obviously a single coil would fit better in many cases, but it handles itself alright. But the humbuckers are terrible, they aren't very good, they sound is flat with to much bass, and without any real dynamics, I've changed them to a SD SH-2 And SD SH-1, which really fits this guitar nicely. The soldering and electronics inside is far from pretty, but sturdy, if you're willing to invest some money into the guitar you can get an alright sound, but stock it's not very convincing. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was pretty much spot on, but the pickups were terribly adjusted, and when they were corrected they sounded even worse. The jack plug keeps loosening, but besides from that it's pretty decent. The finish is alright without being flashy, about the same as you'd expect from a budget brand like Epiphone. // 8
Reliability & Durability: As I said, it's pretty sturdy built, it could withstand gigging quite well, I wouldn't bring it to a gig without a backup, because I wouldn't stand on scene tightening the jack plug. I wouldn't expect the finish to last a lifetime, even more so if you have a laminated top version. But so far I've been positively surprised. // 8
Overall Impression: I've been playing for 5 years, and this one is decent, and a good consideration if you're just getting into electric guitars, and with an upgrade like the pickups it'll give you a pretty good sound and lots of fun. If it was stolen, I wouldn't buy a new one, I think that the money it takes to make this one decent would be better spent in good second hand american Strat or perhaps even a new one. It's good as a beginner guitar, but as an intermediate and advanced guitar it's lacking in both finish and sound. // 7
Price paid: $ 677.1
Purchased from: Sound Control
Features: My Epiphone Les Paul was made in Japan, it has a nice rosewood neck with 22 frets. I think it was made in 2005. It has a awesome Tobacco burst finish, that looks even better when the scratch plate is taken off. It's got a Tune-O-Matic bridge, two volume, two tone controls, 3-way pick-up selector and some nice alinco humbuckers. It has a good size neck and I think almost anyone could pick up a les paul and play with no problems. // 7
Sound: Now the sound of a les paul is the reason everyone wants to buy one! The humbuckers on this bad boy are fantastic, they give a lovely creamy rich tone when on the 'rhythm' pickup they scream out bends and has the sort of sound you might expect to come out of Slash's Marshall (which is the sound I wanted to achieve). But the Les Paul is also very versitle and can handle soft blues, to punk rock, to heavy metal, to anything! I use my Les Paul through a Marshall 30MGDFX, which I recently bought to, it sounds amazing, it also sounds cool through a Fender amp or a Vox. I also have a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby which sounds absolutely awesome with the LP. The Les Paul suits my style of music because I play a variety of punk and classic rock but I reccomend if you only play punk music do not buy a Les Paul Standard go for a junior! // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: I'm proud to say, that this guitar is very well built and has no flaws really, it doesn't make any weird sounds or doesn't come apart. The pickups were well adjusted too although I decided to higher them up a bit for a touch more output. The woods also descent so no complaints here! // 9
Reliability & Durability: I haven't played with my Les Paul (live) yet. So I'l tell you what it is like to just play! At first when I got my Les Paul I really wasn't used to all that weight tugging on my shoulders cos I play a Tele, but after a few days you get used to it and you feel like it's a guitar you can really rock out with and it feels like you have a lot of control over it. There are no problems with the finish or anything as of yet but I might see things happening to it in a few years time. I probably wouldn't take it to a gig without a backup but that's just me. // 8
Overall Impression: My overall impression of this guitar is a very good one. I have a Fender Mex Tele and a Les Paul so I can create a wide range of sounds now I was looking for a classic rock sound to match the likes of Slash, Angus Young etc. And I definately found it. If you're thinking of buying a Gibson, don't! Unless you really have a lot of money to spend the Epiphone is a better alternative and the Gibson Les Pauls don't offer much more for the extra grand. Although I've only been playing for the better part of a year and a half I think I really know my stuff, I've played a lot of guitars and searched every where for a classic rock sound and the Les Paul provides it. The only thing I'd change to this guitar is perhaps put some Seymour Duncans in but that's my opinion. If I got it stolen or lost it I would probably experiment with something else but that is only because I feel I want a bit more scratch to the tone of my next guitar. The only thing I could compare this too soundwise would be a PRS but they tend to be a little pricier! // 7
Price paid: $ 429
Features: made in 2008, this guitar is a Standard 22 inch fret with a 24-3/4" scale with 1-11/16" frets. The neck is Set Mahogany, slim-tapered design with a rosewood fingerboard and mother-of-pearl trapezoid inlays. The body is a Les Paul style made of Mahogany with maple veneer over the carved top, solid finish, Ebony in this case. The bridge is a LockTone Tune-O-Matic style. The pickups are Gibson Covered Humbuckers with active electronics. The controls given are a single 3-way selector with 4 knobs, 2 for volume and tone of the neck pickup and 2 for volume and tone of the bridge pickup. // 8
Sound: I play mostly metal and its subgenres, emo, alternative, as well as some jazz and blues, and this guitar fits my styles perfectly. Currently, I am using a Boss Distortion DS-1 and a classic Dunlop Crybaby, and they compliment the sound of the clean guitar very well. The guitar provides a rich, warm tone. This guitar, overall, has proven that the Les Paul can span many genres and still sound like it was made for that particular sound. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The is guitar was set up almost perfectly in-factory, the only problem being the bridge needed to be set to reduce hum. The pickups were routed and adjusted to meet the highest of Epiphone quality. The Bride was properly routed, but needed height adjusting and the top was properly bookmatched. There were not visible or audiable flaws when removed from the box, as well as playnig it now, only a few months later. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will definitely last performing Live, with the hardware being extremely durable and the strap buttons being solid. The guitar is dependable and I could play a show without a backup, however it is never smart to play a show without at least 1 backup in case your guitar slips out of tune, you break a string, or you need a different tuning and don't want to detune over and over. The finish does seem like it will last over time. // 8
Overall Impression: Overall the Epiphone Les Paul Standard is a good match for my playing styles (mentioned above). I have been playing for over 3 years now and I currently own a Peavy Vyper 15w Modeling amp, a Gibson Signature Series G-400, a Washburn Acoustic guitar, the Les Paul I am reviewing, and the 2 effects mentioned above. There is really nothing I would have asked before purchasing this product, except "is there anywhere that I could find a better deal on this piece of equipment?". If this guitar was stolen, I would definitely buy it again, but I would also look at other products to keep my options open. I love the fact that the upper frets are very accessible and the tone it delivers is perfect for nearly every style. What I hate about it is that the guitar slips out of tune fast when tuned down to drop D. My favorite feature is the accessibility of the high frets.
I compared it to a similar SG model, and decided on this one because I prefer the Les Paul body shape as well as the Gibson pickups. The only thing I wish this guitar had was a pair of EMG pickups. // 9
Price paid: $ 250
Purchased from: Guy on eBay
Features: Made in 2006 in the Daewon factory in China with the standard 22-fret rosewood fretboard, mahogany single-cutaway body and pair of humbuckers... Three-way pickup selector, two volume knobs, two tone knobs, Tune-o-Matic bridge, etc. This is a well-built guitar with all the features you'll need, and the hardware is very good. The electronics are adequate, but you'd do well to upgrade the pickups. // 9
Sound: Let's face it - this is not a Gibson, and it will not sound like a Gibson. However, just because it's different from a Gibson doesn't make it inferior to a Gibson; it's a unique instrument in its own right. My style is often compared to J Mascis. Even though he plays a Jazzmaster, you can get that lean, nasty kind of tone out of this guitar if you turn the guitar volume down a bit, strum by the bridge and let your amp and/or overdrive pedal do most of the volume work.
Where a Gibson is full, mellow and well-rounded, this Epiphone is lean, sharp and aggressive. After switching out the pickups for a Kent Armstrong pair, the tone really opens up - and just imagine what it could do if you threw in some DiMarzios or Seymour Duncans. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I got this used, so of course there was some wear in the finish. I don't see any factory blemishes, though. The wood's sturdy, with no signs of warp or fracture. My only complaint is that the output jack is a little loose. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar's a true workhorse. While it's not as fancy as a Gibson (eg rosewood fretboard instead of the "nicer" ebony), it doesn't require the maintenance of a Gibson. This is my only guitar, so if it ever let me down, I'd be absolutely screwed - but it hasn't, and I see no signs that it ever will. // 10
Overall Impression: I'm drawn to melodic punk, shoegazer, and Neil Young-style hard rock. Epiphone guitars are perfect for that jagged, wild sound, the Les Paul most of all. I've owned a Fender Strat, but sold it after getting my hands on this guitar - the only guitar I've ever truly fallen in love with. The nice thing about this model is that, the way it's built, and the way it's priced, there's no reason not to customize this guitar and make it your own with different hardware, electronics, etc. // 10
Price paid: $ 450
Purchased from: Pianos Plus
Features: This is a suprisingly great guitar for being made in Korea. Everything's up to Gibson's standards and I just love this guitar. It's a 22 fret, anvil perloid inlay, rosewood set neck with a solid mahogony, dark gloss finish on the back and a gorgeous gold top on the top. Standard 3-way Switch. Gibson-Epiphone pickups sound great with the neck, middle, or bridge and are good on anything from Zeppelin to jazz. // 10
Sound: Good tone on the neck and screming treble on the bridge and nice mellow tone in between. No feedback thanks to the opposite poll humbucker Alnico 5's. It sounds good with rectified amp models on my POD and just as great clean with chorus. Nice rich sound and a variety of styles you can play it with. Good for down-tuning too, I play at D and Eb alot. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar has a great, classic Les Paul setup. Nice gloss finishing on the front, back, and neck with a nice dark mahogany giving nice looks. The gold top is really nice and shows off that it's just as good as a Gibson. The chrome hardware looks really nice and contrasts with the gold perfectly. Nice polished frets too. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is really durable. Seeing as it has a set neck and not a bolt on, the neck doesn't warp as much as my Strat. Sometimes goes out of tune, but it could just be my stringing :) Nothing has worn off or anything like SRV's "Number 1", lol. It's a very reliable instrument and will greatly survive gigs and preformances and will be good forever. // 10
Overall Impression: This is an AWESOME guitar. It's a VERY good alternative to spending $1500-2000 on a "real" Gibson. It's sounds just as good and has all the derability and sounds of a Gibson. I can play anything on it and it will sound good, and that doesn't happen alot. I'd recommend this guitar for anybody, especially if you're on a budget. And take my word for it, this is just as good as a Gibson, just a fraction of the price. // 10
Price paid: $ 530.7
Purchased from: Cactusaudio Birmingham
Features: My guitar was made in Korea. I bought it second hand at cactus audio in Birmingham. Although its second hand it still good quality which shows the person who owned it before me looked after it very well. It is two tone translucent cherry sunburst and it has a 22 fret rosewood bolt on neck which is very rare nowadays in Epiphone LP standards. It has a 3 way selector Switch and two volume controlls and two tone controlls. The bridge is a stop tail. There are two standard Gibson pickups. // 10
Sound: The tone has a lovely sound to it with both rhythm and treble. I use a Marshall MG30 and a DigiTech RP100 with it and with my les paul they are a perfect combination giving a good distorted and clean tone. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I got it second hand so I don't know how the action was set up but now it is quite low so it makes it easy to play fast. The rhythm pickup is set quite low and the treble high. // 10
Reliability & Durability: The guitar chips very easily so I wouldn't recommend carrying it around in a soft case. The hardware will surely last I couldn't see anything wrong with it at all when I got it and as far as I know it hadn't been changed along the line. The strap buttons are solid it is quite hard to get the strap on at times. I am in a band and I don't usally have backup with me. // 8
Overall Impression: I play lots of differnt styles of music but mainly rock and punk so a les paul is a great match. I also own a Strat copy, a custom Kga amp, a Marshall MG30, a DigiTech RP100, a couple of acoustics and a Marshall pedl10008. I have played alot of guitars including fenders, gretch guitars and gibsons and my les paul is definatly rated highly.
If my guitar was lost or stolen I would definitely consider getting another Epiphone. I love all of my guitar but I like the colour the most.
If anyone is considering buying a budget Les Paul I recommend you look arond and get an Epiphone. After all it's the closest to the real thing. // 10
Features: I love this rig, I don't know how old it is, but I'm guessing mid 90's, it's your basic Gibson Epiphone les paul, although I've replaced the factory pickups with a 496R and 500T (highly recommended). It has a beautiful honeyburst finish, more faded to give it that Vintage look. It was perfect when I got it 5 years ago, although now the finish has started to checker, which is no big deal to me, does not effect the playability, just gives it that much more "character". // 10
Sound: The original pickups had much to be desired of. They sounded nice, but for my playing style (Zeppelin style crunch and munch) they just didnt hack it. So I put in the adored 496R and 500T, all I can say is WOW WOW WOW! It has amazing sound, amazing sustain. I think due to the fact that of all the Epiphone pauls ive played, this is by far the heaviest beast of them all. It weighs a ton. I think that is its biggest advantage, and also it's biggest disadvantage. It gets a little old after a four hour show. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I don't know about factory setting, I traded a Strat for this from a buddy, he was a rhythm player, so it was a bit high, no big deal, these are so simple to adjust, took a whole minute. Now it plays like butter. The top is not a perfect bookmatch, but who cares, im not so much into the cosmetics anyway. All the gear on it is good, great, she stays in tune, selector Switch is tight, works like a charm. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This is a VERY reliable guitar. This guitar can and has withstood hour upon hour of sweaty frantic stage picking. The hardware is lasting, mine is at least ten years old, with all original hardware other than pickups. The finish is great, as with all finishes (depending on how much you play and travel) it will start to crack with time. This guitar has been all around the country, and played day in and day out. Keep it in a good hard case, and no worries. // 10
Overall Impression: I love it, I play 90% Zeppelin related material, and this fits the bill at a fraction of the cost. If you play classic rock, and are on a budget, take a serious look at these rigs. I have a tele and Danelectro, but this guitar receives most of my attention. If this guitar were stolen or lost, I would retire, I've never heard another Epiphone les paul that sounds like this one. Everyone that plays this guitar wants to buy it. (Maybe I just lucked out). // 10
Purchased from: Alto Music
Features: It was made in Korea like most other epiphones, I am not sure what year, probably 2002. 22 fret, rosewood fretboard on a mahogany set neck. 3-way selector and two Gibson alnico humbuckers. The body is mohogany and the top is alder I think with a flamed maple look to it. It has the standard tuneomatic bridge. the neck is pretty chunky but I like it. The guitar's features are all top quality for a 500 dollar guitar. // 10
Sound: I play everything rock, but I like to play the classic stuff mostly like Zeppelin. the guitar is great for rock. I use a Laney hcm65r combo amp and it sounds great through it. It has a rich fuller sound compared to the bright sound of a tele or Strat. The sounds can range from fat to fat pretty much. But I like that sound so it is fine with me. the neck pickup is pretty bassy so I don't use it all too often. I am thinking of replacing the pickups with higher output ones anyways, possible the tony iommi signatures from Gibson. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was pretty good coming straight from the factory. I lowered it a little which put my intonation out of whack so I have to go get that adjusted. The pickups looked like they were in the right place to me. The only thing oxidized on it were the strings but that was a standard fix. The controls are all really tight and I am surprised at the quality of the tuners. Stays in tune for a really long time. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I have had this guitar for about 8 months and nothing has gone wrong with it. The strap buttons are nice and tight and the guitar still looks as beautiful as the day i bought it. The one thing is the jack for the cable is a little loose but it can be tightened pretty easily. I took the pickguard off because it looked cheap to me but now it's perfect. I have a crappy Ibanez but I wouldn't want to use that as a backup for the les paul because the les paul is die hard. // 10
Overall Impression: I have been playing seriously for about 2 years this guitar is perfect for me. I played a cheap Ibanez with wicked high action for quite a while. It hurt my hand to play that thing. The les paul may hurt my back after a few hours of standing but I can deal with the extra weight for the extra sustain. I play left handed so when I find a lefty guitar I usually check it out pretty seriously. The les paul was the one I liked the most as far as playability and cost. I love the looks of it and the way it feels in my hands. I guess the only I dont like is the weight but that is not a big issue to me. I would totally try to find another if some one stole this one but who the heck steals a left handed guitar? I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a new guitar but doesn't have cash flowing out their rear end. // 10
Purchased from: Music World
Features: This is a great Epiphone with a lot of features. It was made in Japan in '03. It has 22 frets and has the traditional built in neck opposed to the bolt on necks, this is one of the features that makes the playing and especially the soloing easier. This is a solid mahogany body with a flamed top finish. The body style is the tradional one cutaway les Paul,(not the double cutaway). This Guitar includes the controls such as volume, tone, and a threeway pickup configurator. The pickups are just the standard Gibson humbuckers. The tuners are non-locking and are Epiphones, comes with case. // 10
Sound: This is a great guitar for playing different types of music. I like to play blues, rock, some punk and a little rockabilly, but mostly classic Rock. When I play it I use a Roland Cube 30 and a Digitech Guitar processor. This combination makes a great rich and pure sound. The guitar can make sounds such as soaring solos or pulverizing penatonics. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The setup factory on my guitar was fine, but there was a little buzz. The only other minor problem was that the neck pickup needed to be raised to get more sound. // 8
Reliability & Durability: Yes this guitar will withstand live playing, in fact I have already played live with this guitar at indoor and outdoor gigs. It also has good hardware so it will last.The strap buttons are good but because the les paul is so heavy my strap sometimes falls off. It is a dependable guitar, I wouldn't be worried if it were the only guitar I had at a gig. To finshing seems to be very well done and thick so it probably won't thin out. Also Epiphone/Gibson does a great job on there finshing so it will most likely last. // 10
Overall Impression: Like I said I play a quiet a bit of Classic Rock so having the Les Paul like Jimmy Page, Ace Fehley, Joe Perry and Slash makes it a good match. I've been playing for about a year and have had this guitar for about 10 months, I also have an acoustic guitar, a Roland cube-30 and a digitech Guitar Processor.If it were stolen I would be extremley angry but Would save even more this time aroungd and upgrade, for instance get the Epiphone Standard plus.
One thing that I love about it is that most people espsecially guitar players can tell right away that it is a les paul because it really is a one of a kind guitar, even though there has been many rip-offs of it, it will always be the best solid body. The only thing that I dislike about it is that it is so heavy that itgets tiring playing it standing up. Overall I like evrything about this guitar so I can't single anything out. The only other guitar that I really compare it to is other Epiphone Les Pauls.I chose this one because it played the best. The only thing I wish it had was the type of bridge to put a whammy bar on it. Overall this is a great guitar. // 10
Purchased from: Kays Music Shop
Features: This guitar is a les paul, so there is only so much to expect by way of features, but I was still satisfied. The guitar is mahogany alder (creating a balance between great sustain and manageable weight) with a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard, which has 22 frets. My guitar has a gorgeous cherry sunburst flame maple top and crimson stained back sides and neck - beautiful. The classic Gibson headstock shape is used and tuning is held via 3 a side kluson machine heads. The classic tune o matic/stopbar combination is here for great intonation and sustain.
The guitar has two humbuckers and a selector unit offering bridge neck or both. I can't honestly state the year of construction, but I think it was assembled in korea. The price include a 30 gig bag and several spare string sets - bargain. Overall the fetures are great and were up to or better than my expectations in all cases. However a mark off because some may want coil tab or whammy bar, which will cost extra. // 8
Sound: Compared to my Strat copy, which I began on, this is phenomenal, a huge improvement. The two humbuckers distort brilliantly and are fantastic for power chords and lead runs. Less distortion and performance is decent, the neck is warm and full, great for blues while the neck is less impreesive clean it is not bad, just not as good as the neck.
My only qualms with the pickups is that they are a littly to flabby with distorted chords than I would like, but I intend to fit a couple of seymour duncans, and I still won't have paid the rrp. Oh, and the humbuckers do exactly what they're meant to - all the eletrics in my room can be switched on and I won't hear a thing until I strike the strings. I play mostly rock, with a generous number of bendy solos and the bridge didn't disappoint, while the neck was nice for more bluesy and ballady moments. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Flame top - great. Pickup height - fine. Bridge - perfect. Finish and binding - flawless. I'll be honest, I couldn't believe this guitar's looks. For a "budget Gibson" its hard to see where the money was saved. The tuners are sturdy and I really like the look of them. Special mentions to the neck and fingerboard, which make this guitar great to play. The neck is perfect it makes evrything I play feel fantastic. And the finger board is just what I want from rosewood - smooth, but grippy enough to regulate bends and vibrato. // 10
Reliability & Durability: Les Pauls are very durable as a rule and this looks set to continue the trend. I'm not sure the pickups would last anyone forever, but it's hard to expect that at this price, however I'm sure they'll do for most people - I'm just a little precise about how I want to sound (hence the upgrade). Strap button are mushroom shaped for maximum stability. the hardware and electronics appear fine, but I may upgrade as I wish to record with this guitar, so I want the best performance possible. I wouldn't take this guitar to a gig without backup, but that is not because it's unreliabl, I just think that you can break a string on any guitar so its smarter to have some backup. // 8
Overall Impression: This guitar is great for rock, and has a nicely balanced refined side as well. It should cope with most things, though shredders may not like the neck - it's more Slash than Kirk Hammet, but I love it. I have only played for 11 months, but I assure you that I know what I am talking about, I practice a lot. I write my own song (about 35 so far) and I can Sweet Childe o mine to Enter Sandman, so don't dismiss my opinion due to short playing time - I'm better than friends who have played for 3 years. This guitar join a truly crap Shine Strat, an american made Peavey Bandit 75 and a Zoom 505 pedal as my gear and the Epiphone is currently my pride and joy. If the guitar was stolen the thief had better be able to run very fast. // 10
Purchased from: Musician's Friend
Features: This guitar features a mahogany/alder body and carved maple top. It has a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, chrome hardware, grover tuners, and classic chrome humbucking pickups. Of course, it has a tun-o-matic bridge w/ a stopbar tailpiece like many other Epiphones. Two tone and two volume controls (seperate for each pickup). I love the cream body/neck binding and the flame top. Looks absolutely marvelous. It did not come with any accessories, but still a great deal. // 8
Sound: I play rock, blues, and metal mostly and it suits my musical style just fine. It takes a bit of tinkering to get the exact tone that you want, but you will definetly get it out of this guitar. I play it through a Fender Stage 160 DSP and I use a Zoom 505 II multi-effects pedal. It sounds wonderful! I think that the wonderful tone of the Les Paul really shines through when you play it clean or with a little gain. Not like death metal gain, but maybe played through a blues driver. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar seems to have been built perfectly at the factory. I did lower the action a little (just to suit my taste, though). The pickups are awesome. Everything seemed perfect. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I've used this guitar during gigs without a backup, and I feel completely comfortable. Pretty dependable, I would say. // 8
Overall Impression: Overall, I would definitely purchase this guitar again. It is impossible to get that unique Les Paul tone from any different model guitar. If it were stolen or lost it never will be! I can't seem to take my eyes off of it! The bottom line is that I love this guitar and I can depend on it. // 10
Price paid: $ 915
Purchased from: Chris' Guitar Shop
Features: I think it was an '03. This guitar is simply amazing. 22 mahagony frets sure to keep your fingers gliding when you're playing even the toughest riffs. Its lamented top with a transparent finish with a Tune-O-Matic bridge which comes in handy. Has a cut away frame and very light. Mine is a Wine Red which are pretty valuable but they look great and sound amazing. Simply the best features out of any of my guitars. // 10
Sound: I play mostly for myself and friends. I play a variety of stuff. Things they like, what I like. I can go from playing the Eagles to playing Guns N' Roses within a matter of seconds. I use one of the new Line 6 Spider amps. Rich sound, also digital so amp will never short or bust. I hear no buzzing what-so-ever and with my channels, I can make it sound like whatever I want. It had no scratches or anything and I've surely put it to the test. I've put every bit of musical talent I have into this guitar and I get the same rich sound every time. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: This thing has the most perfect pickup adjustments ever made. Its great, made light and easy to play and with no flaws. Tuning pegs nice and tight for some easy touch up tuning. Easy to tune down which I do frequently. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I could drop this guitar on concrete and it wouldnt make a difference. I'd go live with it any day over any of my other guitars. And I've played this everyday and play everything from slow picking to tearing up a GnR solo, so I know it can withstand almost any playing. If there's a problem, you didnt get a good deal then because mine has no problems at all. // 10
Overall Impression: All I can say is wow. I play any style of music that comes to mind. If it was stolen or lost I'd go buy another. If I tried to play something else I'd cry. // 10
Price paid: $ 549
Purchased from: Aire Guitars
Features: Made circa 2000, 22 frets, solid mohogany body with contoured flame maple top, rosewood fretboard. Cherry burst finish, chrome and cream hardware, Tune-O-Matic bridge, passive electronics, 2 vol, 2 tone, 3 way selector Switch. Standard neck and bridge position Epiphone humbuckers. Standard Gibson style non locking green tuners. // 10
Sound: Excellent sound and impeccable playability as nice an action as a genuine Gibson! Much easier to tap and bend than on a Fender neck I think, although a 9 guage E string will tend to snap at the bridge graphite would be a good upgrade here, use use 10 guage strings. Keeps tune excellently unless you do a lot of bending. Very versatile sound, but best suited to rock and R&B. Over 30 seconds of sustain with distortion. Pretty weighty, not for wimps. I would recommend replacing the pickups if you are serious, the shelf ones can be a little underpowered. Originally it would pick up hum if near TV's etc, but I have since fully shielded the elctronics and it's silent now. I use a '70s HH Musician 100W and a selection of home made effects. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I bought this as a factory second it had a chip in the varnish on the headstock and a couple of cracks in the plastic hardware where some screws had been over tightened. Action was good to begin with, but was like butter after a little adjustment. Top is a beautiful mached book of flame maple I rarely see one as nice in any music shop. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't choose to play any other guitar (not even a Gibson unless the flame was just as good), definately gig worthy, although I wouldn't risk using a 9 guage top E string. The strap buttons were fine, although I have replaced them with locking ones for safety's sake. Finish seems very durable, althouh I've added guitar armour as it's just too perfect to risk scratching! // 10
Overall Impression: As a lead rock player this is my ideal axe. I bought it 3 years ago soley because it's a reputable company and the most beautiful guitar I can imagine. I wasn't dissapointed! I would definately buy the same (or an equally nice Gibson) if it were stolen. I replaced the pickups with Swineshead's which are much better than the originals. The fact that I can't use less than 10 guage is a slightly annoying, but I'm well used to it now. // 10
Purchased from: Second Hand
Features: The Korean made LP Standard really is a popular guitar, and for good reason too. Gibson quality at a fraction of the price equals a sensible choice for many a guitarist. The twin humbuckers, 4 tone/vol coupled with solid mahogany body all conspire to give you a hard working guitar (& bad back). The only real let down is the toggle Switch crackles when there's an output. I got the guitar 2nd hand off a friend who's now into dance music! // 8
Sound: I play mine with a Marshall 30w Valvestate. I use the LP to Drive the 30w amp to breaking point instead of relying on circuitry to get my bluesy tone, using the neck pickup. Switching the pickups mid-song allows for face melting solos and it really rings through. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The cherry sunburst, apart from being a classic colour is great. The flamed laminate looks good and reminds me every time I pick it up just how cool the guitar is. I bought the guitar second hand and it was flawless but the high gloss finish does tend to get scratches quite easily, and belt buckles are a prime suspect. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I would choose to play this guitar over any other humbucker guitar out there, and use another LP as a back up. In comparison to the 335 the LP holds tune and with 11s sounds the bollocks. The G does break but I guess that's just through consequence. // 10
Overall Impression: I play Strokesy chords, bluesy shit, and that kind of Clash/Gang of Four and Libertines style all thrown together. A quick roll of the tone, vol and toggle all lends to the aforementioned styles. I wouldn't ever give this guitar up (unless for a Gibson) but I do wish I had a Fender Strat then I'd have all my tonal angles covered. Your standard guitar in the real sense of the word sets the benchmark for which all others must follow. // 10
Features: I haven't got a clue when this was made I didn't even get a box for it when I bought it. Its made in korea which is nothing to be proud of but the build quality is excellent. The 22 frets are perfectly adequate for any type of music I've never needed any more anyway. The body and neck are both mahogany which give it an excellent tone quality. It's finished in honey burst and it looks absolutly excellent there isn't a mark on it it. But on the scrach plate there seems to be little black marks ingrained into it. The Tune-O-Matic bridge allows for easy ajustment of the action which is a good thing as I had to change this quite a lot when I bought it. The pickups are excellent and combined with the high quality materials in the rest of the quitar give a sound quality that is almost as good as a Gibson Les Paul. The guitar did not come with any accessories so it a good job I had everything I needed already. // 10
Sound: This guitar definately suits my musical style. I play quite a bit of Zeppelin and other classic rock and this guitar suits these perfectly. It is also very adaptable to many other musical styles such as punk and heavy metal. The Mahogany body gives it a great rich tone and long sustain. I'm using the guitar with a Roland Cube 15 amp and a Boss MT-2 Metal Zone pedal and this is a great combination however it would benifit from a better amp such as a Marshall, on these it sounds mind blowing. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was not set very well by the factory at all for some reason it came with incredably thick strings which almost madfe it sound like a bass! I also had to adjust the action as it was very high and the pickups also needed adjusting to get the sound I wanted. However now its setup correctly (for me), it's great. // 4
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will almost certainly withstand live playing but I'm not sure if the selector swich will last. I don't know whether I would use it without a backup as accidents do happen. The strap doesn't come off unlike my squire which lead to a rather large chunk of wood coming off the headstock. // 10
Overall Impression: It's a great guitar and an excellent alternative to a super expensive Gibson, just a pity I had to do so much setting up. // 8
Price paid: $ 378
Purchased from: Aage Jensen
Features: My Les Paul was made 2004 in Korea (I think), mahogany body with a beautiful Heritage chery sunburst maple top and also a mahogany neck with 22 jumbo frets and trapez inlays. The bridge is ofcourse a Tune-O-Matic and like all Les Pauls it has 4 knobs (two volume and two tone), two Gibson humbuckers. // 10
Sound: Well this baby is proberbly the most versitale guitar I have ever played, it suits every thing I play from punk to Metallica-like-things to classic rock like Led Zeppelin and the Beatles. I use mine with a Marshall 15DFX (best practice amp ever by the way) and a Boss DS-2 Turbodistortion. I tend to like the screaming sounds so have the tone knobs all the way up', though I only use the bridge humbucker. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Well this was my guitars BIG weakness, after a month of playing the output disappeared, but no problemo the guys in the store where I had bought it was quick to fix the issue. Other than that it was just fine. Thumbs down to Epiphone for that! // 6
Reliability & Durability: After the little thing with the output disappearing there hasn't been any problems and now I certainly trust this baby live (and I have done so before), no backup needed at all. The finish would withstand anything as it tend to jump around while playing and so far nothing happened to the finish. // 10
Overall Impression: I wouldn't trade this guitar for any other(expect maybe a Gibson Les Paul). I've played for almost 2 years now and I've tried a lot of guitars and my baby outshone them all. If was stolen I'd track the b--ch down and beat him up and ask my guitar to do the same (and it would, and it could). // 10
Price paid: $ 553
Purchased from: Steve's Music Ottawa
Features: 2004 Korean Les Paul Standard. It has a beautiful translucent red finish, with a book-matched flame maple top and mahogany body. It has a rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets and the standard Les Paul controls. I replaced the nickel grover tuners that came standard with Schaller 'green key' tuners to give it a more Vintage look. I also changed out the stock strap pins with locking Schaller pins, 'cause I hate dropping my guitars. It came with a really crappy guitar cable, but the guys at Steve's were nice and gave me a good deal on a leather strap and hardshell case. Overall, pretty standard, though. // 8
Sound: I play lots of rock and roll music with a cover band, and this guitar is versatile to handle anything (though I like to Switch guitars on stage for songs in other tunings, acoustic stuff, etc). The sound is clean and resonant, and like one reviewer pointed out, this thing holds notes for a very long time. With the mahogany body, the tone is really warm and mellow, which I love. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: My only real beef with this guitar is that the pickup toggle is really noisy. Other than that, it was playable right out of the box (though I fine tuned the set up when I got it home. I like my action just above buzzing). The bookmatched top is a thing of beauty. // 8
Reliability & Durability: Even though I only bought this guitar in March, it has stood up to a great deal of abuse playing live and travelling. I would absolutely bring this to a gig without a back up, though I'm to anal retentive to live that freely. // 10
Overall Impression: Ever since I started playing guitar in 1994, I have always wanted a Les Paul. An Epiphone isn't the same as a Gibson, but it certainly is a worthy substitute. Everything about this guitar screams rock and roll, and I would highly reccommend it to anyone looking to buy a guitar. // 8
Price paid: $ 430.05
Purchased from: Peter Cook
Features: My guitar was made in Korea, as most Epiphone's are. 22 frets. Nice woods - mahogany/alder body and a maple top. Mine is in a transparent amber finish, which, like all Epiphone's, is stunning! What I like about this guitar is that, despite the deceptively simple tone controls, you can get a huge range of sounds! The pickups, unlike lower end Les Pauls, are quite good. // 9
Sound: My style is mixed - classic rock, Indie, melodic metal, and this suits all of those styles and more. With a bit of fiddling, I can make a perfect Led Zeppelin sound, as well as Guns And Roses, Travis, Coldpay, Trivium, the list goes on. On heavy distortion the sound can be a bit muddy, but my amp (a really old Sony CD amp) only has that, so I wouldn't know about weak distortion. The sound is incredibly full, and never weak. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar had one tiny flaw - a bit of smudged laquer on the headstock. Apart from that, it was as I expected it to be. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I haven't played this live, but it seems pretty heavy. I estimate that I'd only be able to play three songs back-to-back standing up. Having said that, it is solidly built, and I would happily play this without a backup. // 8
Overall Impression: This matches my style well - the sounds are perfect. If it were stolen, I couldn't spend too musch time saving up for another, so I'd probably look at the Studio instead. This is a brilliant guitar, and a worthy copy of the Gibson models. The sound is full, the build is solid and is a bargain at 235. // 9
Price paid: $ 499.99
Purchased from: Sam Ash (Used)
Features: My guitar was made in 2000 probably in Korea. 22 Frets, and all those other normal Les Paul features maple body rosewood neck etc. It looks very nice and is in amazing condition aside from some rust on the strap buttons (however I replaced them with straplok's anyways). Chrome hardware, and nice inlays on the fret board. I'm not sure if this is the right kind because mine has an oldschool-like whammy bar (and it's amazing). // 10
Sound: This guitar sounds awesome and is a very big step up from my $120 squire. It has a nice deep, rich sound great for anything. Solos sound amazing and barre chords work well too. I have a Line 6 Spider 150 watt head played though surround sound with all the cool effects and all of them sound good except for the clean setting which sounds like light distortion using the lower pickup. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: Nice setup. The action is perfect and the pickups are just right. Everything is properly made, although because of the whammy bar it is a little harder to keep in tune. It also makes putting new strings on a little more of a pain. // 8
Reliability & Durability: As with all Epiphone Les Pauls, this is quite heavy compared to some others. However, I don't seem to mind any more than I do with other guitars. Definately usable on a gig without a backup. Easily played live. No problems except the weight. // 9
Overall Impression: I've been playing for 2 years mostly hard rock and hardcore power chords and solos cool stuff like that. I have a nice little cheap Squire that weighs about 2 ounces and sounds like hell. The Humbuckers are a great change from the Squire. If it were lost/stolen, you would find another person in jail for murdering whoever took it (JK). I absolutely love the tremolo bar, although it takes it out of tune if you use it too much. Sorry anyone who does not have one because I do. // 9
Price paid: $ 370
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: I bought this guitar yesterday and I have to say I am very pleased with what I got for the price. The guitar has a nice, fast neck, slender body, and responsive elecronics. The guitar is well equipped with a Mahogany neck and body with a flame maple top and a rosewood fingerboard. It looks exactly like a Gibson Les Paul Standard and comes in a variety of colors. // 8
Sound: This guitar fits my styles very well (I play Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones basically classic rock and shred). I use this guitar with a Marshall MG30 DFX and it gets a really nice Vintage crunchy sound when the gain is up and with the clean channel can get perfect tone for songs like Over the Hills and Far Away. The guitar is set up very nicly in terms of intonation, no buzzing and barely any feedback. The guitar has enough sound variety to play any classic rock and some arena rock songs. This things sound is very similar to that of a Gibson Les Paul Studio. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I purchased this guitar perfectly set up and nothing had to be adjusted in terms of action. The guitar contained some scratches due to the fact that it was a floor guitar at Guitar Center. No flaws effected the sound whatsoever and the guitar remained a real beauty. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I bought this guitar to be a beat-it-up guitar so I would not have to carry my Ibanez JS100 to my friend's house for band practice or anywhere else it may get hurt. This was without a doubt not meant to be my main guitar but it is alot better than I expected. I would say it is a very dependable guitar becuase I carry it to my friends without any casing and it gets along fine. // 9
Overall Impression: As I said I play shred and classic rock and I already have a JS100 for a broad soundscape but I got this guitar for travelling. I have been playing for 5 years and I think this is the best guitar I have ever played for the money. The guitar is about the same quality as a Gibson Les Paul Studio (no joke) and it saves you almost 800 dollars. If this guitar were stolen I dont think I would buy another becuase I am broke. Compared to my JS, this guitar is above average without a doubt the best guitar around for intermediate players or advanced players who need a beat it up guitar for traveling. The perfect match for people with a budget who play classic rock. // 8
Price paid: $ 414.75
Purchased from: Long and Mcquade
Features: This is a great guitar, golden tophat and tone knobs, 2 nice humbuckers, a 3-way pickup Switch (neck pickup, bridge pickup, and both) and has a beautiful flametop sunburst finish. It also has nickel tuners and a Tune-O-Matic bridge. It has 22 frets, a dark fretboard finish and pearl trapezoid inlays. One thing that greatly increases the look of the guitar is the cream body and neck binding. The cream pickguard is another great feature. // 10
Sound: This guitar is great for my music style. I play classic rock, thats it. I might play a little blues here and there but blues and classic rock are similar. If there are lots of amazing classic rock guitarist like Jimmy Page and Slash (to name a few) then it has to be good! The only problem that I have with the sound is when you use both of the humbuckers at once you get a bit of a scratchy sound. It actually sounds quite good in some situations. The neck humbucker has a nice warm sound that is very deep and very bassy. The bridge humbucker has a great dirty sound that works for almost everything. Overall the sound is amazing. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar has a slow action neck that is very easy to play and very comfortable to hold. This guitar contained absolutely no flaws save one (ironically the one that makes it impossible to play) the patch cord imput got very loose and went into the guitar. This made it so that I could not plug in my patch cord to play. I took it back to the store and using their tools they put it back on tightly in 10 minutes. Since then absolutely nothing has been wrong with it. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar would be a great choice for live playing. The strap buttons are very solid, but the only problem with them is since the strap button thats near the neck is almost vertical it has a tendancy to fall off. Using strap locks which cost about 2 dollars takes care of this problem immediately. This guitar is very durable, did I meantion that it's heavy? Much heavier than a regular electric guitar. I doubt that anything would ever break off on this guitar. I would never use anything on a gig without a backup but if I had to, this would be the choice. // 9
Overall Impression: This guitar is an amazing match for rock and roll. I love the look, the weight and the rich sound, I hate the location of the neck strap button (it's a small price to pay for such an amazing instrument). If this guitar got stolen I would not only buy another one, I would seek out the poor sap who took it and beat him. Another feature I love is that it has Les Paul's signature on the neck, horizontally so that it's readable while playing. If you are looking for a guitar that you'll use for rock, or want to try a different style, the Les Paul is the choice. // 10
Price paid: $ 567
Purchased from: Klangfarbe, Vienna, Austria
Features: The guitar was made in China, I guess it's a 2006 model. It has 22 frets, maple neck and a mahagony body with a light sunburst finish. The two chromed Hummbucker pickups are being regulated by four volume controllers and a treble/rhythm switch. I think the other reviews for this guitar give a pretty decent impression on what to expect and since I don't want to repeat facts you can obviously read in the other reviews, I'll skip this part. I just wanted to say that the strap buttons were quite small, or my strapholes being to big, just being too big to constantly slip out. I replaced them by security strapholders. // 9
Sound: I mainly play rock, reinterpretations of pop songs, ballads and blues. At home I'm using a Hughes & Kettner Edition Blue 15DFX amplifier and I haven't been able to test it on a hugher amplifier yet. The sound is amazing compared to the guitars I played before. I bought the guitar because I tested it for various playstyles I have and it was simply the best overall guitar for me. Anyone who yet had the possibility of playing a Les Paul knows what I mean: The guitar applies every playstyle pretty well so in my oppinion it's a solid overall guitar in every aspect. You can do quite everyhting with it. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Just perfect! Except for the strap buttons I mentioned before (but this might just be a problem of the strap I use). // 10
Reliability & Durability: The guitar itself is massive and solid, so I figure it would withstand live playing easily. Since I replaced my strap buttons with more reliable ones, I can clearly say I would depend on this guitar. // 10
Overall Impression: As already mentioned, I like digging into some old school and new school rock and ballads a lot. On the other side I like reinterpretations of pop songs I used to like when I was little and blues. The guitar just plays perfect in every aspect. I'm really thankful I picked this beauty over the other guitars I tested. I'm quite new into playing the guitar, I started half a year ago, but I play 6 hours a day. If this guitar was stolen and I would catch the thief, I'd kill him. Really. Nobody should steal a guitar, it's an instrument that brings joy to other people and people Who steal guitars are the worst. And yes, I would get the same one! I simply love the feeling of it and especially the chromed hummbucker pickups are great, since I used to play on single coil guitars till I got this one. I compared it to the Ibanez RG Series, Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster made in Mexico and to a Gibson SG and I think it was the most versatile guitar of those. That's why I prefered it over the others. I wish it had a Gibson name on it. I could not afford a real Gibson. // 10
Purchased from: My uncle
Features: This is a 1980 Epiphone Les Paul Standard Limited Edition guitar. It's reall a gorgeous thing, it's gloss black with a charcoal-gray flamed classic Les Paul "burst" and black hardware. I don't know anything about guitar technics, but bear with me and I'll give ya what I got. Like I said, it's gloss black, with black hardware. It still has the original tuners (not bad for a 26-year-old guitar). And original pickups, too. Neither I nor my Uncle touched much of anything, he simply took the pickup covers off and raised the pickups. I'm working on digging up the original covers so I can undo that. He also had it tuned to DAGDAD tuning down one whole step. The best aspect was the pearlized pickguard and truss rod cover. // 10
Sound: I play a lot of metal, so the dropped tuning was right where I would have put it anyways. I'm currently playing it through and old Crate GX-15R amp w/ built-in overdrive. It's not a very noisy guitar, like my old Yamaha can be. I didn't have much trouble out of it at all. When set on the rhythm pickup, it had a real good clean tone, even with the overdrive on. When I got through the beginning of System Of A Down's "Toxicity", I quickly flipped it over to the treble pickup and was shocked at how seamlessly it made a pedal-type transition. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action is great. I got way high up on the fretboard with no problem. The only flaw it had was old strings (Whoopee). // 10
Reliability & Durability: This is a stage weapon. I've never had any problems out of it since I purchased it at the beginning of May. // 10
Overall Impression: I've been through three guitars, and this is the absolute best one yet. There's one interesting aspect about it. It says "Limited Edition" on the back of the headstock, right where the headstock joins the neck. I think this means that it was one of the few Epiphones that came out of the Gibson plant in America, but I'm not sure. // 10
Price paid: $ 500
Features: I believe my Les Paul Standard is an '06. It is made in China, which is where I think jus about all Epi's are made these days. It has 22 frets on a rosewood fretboard with the mother-of-pearl inlay. Flamed maple top with mahogany body and neck. Tune-O-Matic bridge with Grover tuners, and chrome-covered humbuckers. Wow. Just wow. I had been looking at a new guitar for several months. I had always liked the LP-style, but I don't have the money for a Gibby. This is the next best thing. I have the Heritage Cherry, and it looks so beautiful. // 9
Sound: I play classic rock and a little bit of hard rock. This suits me perfectly. I can be bustin out the Jimmy Page or Alex Lifeson one minute, and be playing some Coheed And Cambria the next minute. The humbuckers, while not Gibsons, sound quite excellent, and the LP tone is unbelievable. Heavy and full, very soulful distortion. It's not noisy until I turn my amp on full gain, and even then, it's only a little buzz. I use it mostly with my crappy practice amp, but I also have played it through a Marshall stack, and it sounds awesome. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I'm no expert at guitar setup, but it's quite easy to play, and looks quite nice with no flaws whatsoever. The neck pickup was and still is a little low, but I'm going to adjust it soon. The neck is easy to play, and doesn't get sticky, like I expected. I will give it a nine, but like I said, I'm no expert. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will most definitely withstand live playing. I have heard bad things about Epi pickups, and they may need to be replaced in a couple of years, but the rest of the hardware is dead solid. The strap buttons are big enough to make me not worried about the guitar taking a stage dive, and aren't loose or anything. Yes, you can depend on this guitar. I don't play gigs, but I don't think I would need a backup. I have owned this guitar for two months, and still haven't broken a string. And yes, I play it every day, usually around an hour. Finish is excellent, sure to last. // 9
Overall Impression: Great guitar for distortion-controlled music, but also sound excellent clean. I've been playing for around 18 months, and have a cheap asian Strat copy, but this thing embarrasses it. If it were stolen or lost, I would hunt down the person that took it and murder them. And if they had destroyed it, I would save up and get another. I love the gorgeous looks and great tone. I played an Epi LP custom, and this thing was easier to play, because it seemed to have a thinner neck. I also played an Gibson LP studio, and this thing more than gives the Gibson a run for it's money, for less than half the price. I wish it had Gibby humbuckers, but I can add those later. All around, great guitar. Good job, Epi. // 10
Purchased from: tom lee music
Features: Gibson makes some of the best guitars in the world, and the les paul is no exception, but too bad for many of us, Gibson guitars are just way too expensive, so here come one of Epiphone's brand of Gibson's famous models-the les pauls Standard. This guitar's got 22 frets, a mahogany neck, a mahogany/alder body, Tune-O-Matic bridge, single cutaway, and 2 humbuckers and 4 tonal/volume controls, it's made in china but I don't know when. It comes with nothing at all but I don't actually mind, I just bought a gig bag, strap, cloth, cable for it. // 9
Sound: Amazing sound, covers a wide range, I can easily switch between the different options available and play greenday to Bowling For Soup to something else with no problems whilst sounding authentic. I use a Ibanez 10G amp, which isn't great, but the sound of it certainly sounds good, it can play softer sounds but can distort real nicely when you want it to. Brill. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: When I bought thhis from the store it looked okay, but by the time I got home I had to polish it, so the finishing isn't really good, but the action and set-up is really good, I can easily fret strings and have no problems when sliding, bending, etc. Pickups, bridge pins were all professionally set up and it looks, sounds, feels great. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I haven't performed with this axe yet I can't say for sure, everything's put together very well so I think it should be ok, the hardware has lasted my playing on many occasions. When performing with any guitar I would bring a spare backup, so this is no exception, but this guitar is certainly very sterdy so I won't worry too much about it anyways. // 8
Overall Impression: I play rock and I try other styles occasionally, and this guitar certainly delivers th tones I want-whether it be soft twangy tones to heavy distortion, this axe has got it all. The high playibility in this guitar definitely stands up to it's Gibson counterpart, it would also compare well with a Fender Strat, and even an Ibanez RG. If this guitar was stolen I'd probably kill somebody, steal his money and buy ten more of these back, they're so worth the money I payed, when you're deciding on your next electric guitar purchase, and yu haven't got an Epiphone Les Paul Standard in your collection, go get one. // 9
Price paid: $ 436.87
Features: 2004 Korean Les Paul Standard. It has a beautiful translucent red finish, with a book-matched flame maple top and mahogany body. It has a rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets and the Standard Les Paul controls. I replaced the nickel grover tuners that came Standard with Schaller 'green key' tuners to give it a more Vintage look. I also changed out the stock strap pins with locking Schaller pins, 'cause I hate dropping my guitars. It came with a really crappy guitar cable, but the guys at Steve's were nice and gave me a good deal on a leather strap and hardshell case. Overall, pretty Standard, though. It did look nice, though I came to find out that the top was a veneer, not real maple. // 7
Sound: I play lots of rock and roll music with a cover band, and this guitar is versatile to handle anything (though I like to Switch guitars on stage for songs in other tunings, acoustic stuff, etc). The sound is clean and resonant, and like one reviewer pointed out, this thing holds notes for a very long time. With the mahogany body, the tone is really warm and mellow, which I love. After 6 months, the guitar began to show off some less than pleasing attributes, like the neck pickup becoming the muddiest, tone free piece of crap I've ever heard. More on this below. // 5
Action, Fit & Finish: My only real beef with this guitar is that the pickup toggle is really noisy. Other than that, it was playable right out of the box (though I fine tuned the set up when I got it home. I like my action just above buzzing). The bookmatched top is a thing of beauty. However within a year, the following happened: needed a replacement bridge, 3 tone/volume controls, output jack, toggle switch. As mentioned above, I replaced the tuning pegs as well. // 5
Reliability & Durability: Even though I only bought this guitar in March, it has stood up to a great deal of abuse playing Live and travelling. I would absolutely bring this to a gig without a back up, though I'm to anal retentive to Live that freely. And here is the problem. When new, it seemed the possibilities were boundless. However, this guitar was an unreliable piece of crap. It constantly cut out, the neck pickup was essentially useless, and, until I replaced the bridge with a better quality model, constantly out of tune. Absolutely unacceptable. // 1
Overall Impression: Ever since I started playing guitar in 1994, I have always wanted a Les Paul. An Epiphone isn't the same as a Gibson, but it certainly is a worthy substitute. Everything about this guitar screams rock and roll, and I would highly reccommend it to anyone looking to buy a guitar. No matter how many times it gets said around here, an Epiphone is not a Gibson, no matter how badly you want it to be. You get what you pay for, and $500 USD gets you a pretty lousy guitar. I bought a Gibson LPStandard about a year ago, had it set up when I bought it, and have never taken it in for repair work, or had to replace anything on the instrument itself. The quality of Epiphone parts is budget at best; garbage at worst. I would never reccommend buying an Epiphone Les Paul to anyone (at least not the Standard model). // 3
Purchased from: Long & McQuade
Features: 1996 Korean Made Les Paul Standard, 22 frets, and a 24.75 scale. One word: sof-kingawesome. 22 frets, all mahogany, set neck, plain top. It comes with a pair of two Alcino pick-ups, which give off some of the most diverse tones, I can play everything from B.B. King, to Death, or Children Of Bodom. Passive pick-ups of course, HH configuration as with most Les Paul's. 3 way selector Switch, 2 tone knobs, and 2 volume. Chrome hardware, Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Tune-O-Matic Bridge. Rosewood fretboard, 60s neck, it's a dream! Gibson Deluxe tuners, non-locking keep tune great! Better than the Grovers which came with it in my opinion. Cream binding, but no free case. // 10
Sound: I play everything, and this guitars covers it quite well. I play blues, hard rock, and some of the most obscure metal bands ever, and this handles it quite well. I'm playing through a JCM 900, and a Peavey 6505, and this guitar can do anything. Dark mahogany sound, rich/full/warm tones, and some thick cleans which I love. This guitar can get noisy when I play high gain stuff on the JCM, but that's to be expected when I'm standing quite close to the amp. As I said, this is a very versatile guitar. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: When I got it, there was a bit of fret buzz, and the stock string were too thin for my liking. So, I put some 10-52's on, and adjusted the action myself, and viola! It was perfect, no fret buzz. The pickups were at preferred height, however, when I got it, there was dented frets. However, seeing as this guitar is now 11 years old, that's to be expected after a while. That's really the only thing that bothers me, this guitar is built like a tank, I've hit it time and time again, and it has not dented. However, it does have some dings from the times I've dropped it on stage, and on cement. Dings give a guitar character though, so I like it. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will and has withstood Live play, the hardware has lasted 11 years and is still in great shape. Strap buttons are a bit small, which is why I got strap locks, but they will hold any strap you put on there solidly. Just don't be swinging it around like a moron, or it will fly off and possibly trash your amp! I would gig without a back up, and have done so, it has not failed me. The finish would Live through a nuclear holocaust. // 10
Overall Impression: Metal, Blues, Jazz, Country, Hard Rock, Shred (not as easy though), etc. Great match for these. If this were stolen, I'd try and find it just for the pure sentimental value it holds, however I'd buy a Gibson after this. If this Epiphone could play so well, the Gibson's definitely play better. I only wish I had an extra $4000 lying around! When I bought it, I compared it to a Dean, and a G-400. I knew this was going to be my guitar from the moment I saw it, love at first sight if you will. It played absolutely brilliant, I played it for 10 seconds, before the guy asked me if I liked it. I said "Oh yeah," I love it. I have a MIJ SSS Strat, a weird little Hamer XP-1 (which is quite nice actually, very middy though), and an Ibanez. All of which are for a different genre and/or tuning. I must say, this is my favourite guitar. // 10
Purchased from: eBay
Features: It's a 2006 Epiphone Les Paul Standard, made in America. 22 frets on a maple neck, and it's a solid-top. The body is also maple. The finish is a beautiful cherry sunburst. It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge with passive electronics. It also has two volume and two tone controls. There are 2 Epiphone Standard humbucker pickups. It has Grover tuners, and it came in a hard-shell Epiphone case. // 8
Sound: I play a lot of blues and classic rock. For that, the Les Paul is perfect. It is a good foil for my Squier Stratocaster. I'm using it with a Boss Fuzz box, a Dunlop Crybaby Wah Pedal, and a Vox VA15 amp. The amp plays perfectly to the Les Paul's highs and lows when I haven't messed with the settings to much. I usually use equal parts treble, bass, gain, and volume for my amp. The guitar can make all sorts of sounds, from a rhythmic boom to a trebly squeal. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The action is perfect, not too low or high. The pickups are fine, and they are adjusted correctly to suit me. The top is beautiful, and bridge are fantastic. The guitar had no flaws at all when I received it. The bracing is alright, the fretwire was fine, the finish is great, and the hardware is all together and intact. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will withstand Live playing better than a lot of others. The hardware, especially the Grovers, seem like they should last a long, long time. The strap buttons are rock-solid. I know I can depend on it, and I would use it without a backup if I absolutely had to. The finish also should last a very long time. // 10
Overall Impression: Again, I play classic rock and the blues. This guitar is a perfect match for that style of playing. I've been playing about 5 years, and I own all the things I've mentioned as well as a Squier Bass and bass amp. I can't think of anything I would've asked before I bought it. If it was stolen or lost, and I had enough money, I would definitely buy it again. Compared to the Gibson Les Paul, it's an almost perfect match for hundreds of dollars less. Part of me wishes it had a Bigsby tremolo, but the rest of me thinks that would ruin the aura of such a legendary guitar. // 10
Features: Hand Crafted in the United States in 2006. With 22 Standard frets on a mahogany/alder body. A fast, set, rosewood neck this guitar is capable of the fastest licks. Two Alnico Covered Humbuckers sets the tone for this masterpiece. These guitars come with a free 10 foot cable. // 6
Sound: I play various types of music, and this guitar fits them all from country to metal this guitar will cover it. I am using a Wahsburn Bad Dog 25 Watt amp set on clean wil a Boss Ns-2 Noise Surpressor and a DigiTech Grunge distortion pedal and this guitar has a massive amount of sustain. It gives a bright sound with a boost of that treble pop but also delivers a warm rythym tone. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was set to a Standard which was good in my case because I'm still on the Standard action. The pickups were set up exactly how I expected which was how my Gibson Les Paul Custom is. The to tone control knobs were wired backwards but this was not a big deal for me because I planned to remove the neck tone knob with a mute Switch and wire the bridge and neck pickup tone knobs to one. // 10
Reliability & Durability: Definately gig capable with its sturdy hardware. I added Dunlop Strap Locks because the strap kept slipping, but overall I would and have used this for many gigs. The finish has stayed as if it just came off the assembly line and dust will not gather on it. // 9
Overall Impression: I liked the appearence of this guitar a lot but the tonal quality is as good as a Gibson. I've been playing for a couple years now and also have an Ibanez Artcore, and a Fender Avalon. If I lost this guitar I would replace it with another Epiphone Les Paul. It would be the perfecty guitar if it only said Gibson instead of Epiphone but that is more than okay. // 8
Purchased from: Bailey Brothers Music, Mongomery, AL
Features: Very impressed with the Les Paul Standard. For me to buy a guitar, it has to be made in the USA, no question. Beautiful 22 frets are lain on a rosewood neck. I chose the Vintage sunburst and I have absolutely no regrets. The body is the Standard LP model. It has four volume knobs that control: the volume and tone of the Treble mode, and likewise of the rhythm mode. Has a very distinct difference in tone of treble and rhythm, thus making the Epiphone Les Paul Standard very diverse in sound. Came with a free padded gig bag and cord. I use a Korg Chromatic Tuner that never fails me. // 10
Sound: LP Standard has a great meaty sound and feel to it. It's great for it's great for rhythm as well as solos. I'm am a diverse guitar player, and the LP fit me perfectly. My Marshall amp overdrive can really deliver the power chords. Again, it has a very deep sound that I thoroughly enjoy. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: My guitar came ready to go. It was even tuned. Conveniently placed pickups, except for one flaw: the front pickup was too high for my convenience, and my pick kept hitting against it. It was and easily fixable problem, though. The strings looked a bit dirty and maybe a bit used but, once again, an easliy fixable problem. Actually, I think that worked to my advantage because they were all warmed up for me. I loved the marble looking fret markers. The pickguard is elevated from the body for perfect convinience. // 8
Reliability & Durability: Seems very durable. This should should last me until college or longer (14 now). The finish seems nicely laminated and durable. As for the strap buttons, one is very loose and I will have to screw it tighter from the inside. It's a very heavy guitar, hard to play Live for an extended time, but with the right strap it'll be fine. // 8
Overall Impression: I've been playing since the age of 12, so that would be 2 years now. I have learned much and the LP Standard can do nothing but help me in my hobby. If I lost it, I would be stuck on whether I should buy a LP Goldtop or a Double Cut. I absolutely love the diversity of the guitar. It fits me perfectly. One thing that would set me aprt from all others is if I had a LP Standard with a maple top fretboard. It's a great product, espeacially if you want to step up from the guitar you got on sale at Wal Mart. // 9
Purchased from: Long And McQuade
Features: This guitar is a beauty and an accurate imitation of the real Gibson Les Paul both in looks in sound. 22 medium frets on a rosewood fingerboard topped with Trapezoid inlays, 24.75 inch scale, a set neck made of mahogany, a beautiful maple top, and a Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar. The body is of Mahogany as is the neck and the finish is a flamed maple top. The hardware is chrome. The humbuckers are two Passive Alnico Classic Humbuckers. It came with a gig bag, a strap and a cable. // 9
Sound: If you want rock, you got it. You want metal? You got it. You want blues? What do you think... Anyhow, this guitar handles almost all music styles I play. It even pulls of grunge fairly well. I run this guitar through a Korg AX1500G Effects Processor and a Fender FM65R Guitar Amplifier. There is barely, and I mean BARELY any feedback and it gives out, on the bridge pickup, a crunchy full sound, and on the neck pickup, it produces a darker, more mellow sound. This thing seems to be able to pull of Pinch Harmonics really well too! // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The action is LOW. A bit too low actually. There is slight fret buzz when you purchase it. You may want to bring the action up a bit or get it set up at a music store. Besides that, the everything else was great. The pickups were great and needed no modifying. The paint was flawless. There were no dents or scratches and nothing was loose. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I've dropped this many times (half the time on hardwood and even cement), scratched it a bunch and almost snapped the neck off and it still hasn't died on me yet. I can safely say that if this thing can stand my abuse, it should last me a long time. The strap buttons are pretty solid and I would think I could use this thing with out a backup and the finish was beautiful and still is. // 9
Overall Impression: Overall, this guitar is great. It's affordable, reliable and can handle all types of music. If this thing was stolen or lost, I would definitely buy a new one. No questions asked. I compared this to the Fender Stratocaster but the Les Paul drew to me like flies to light. Although, I wish it had a tremolo but, meh not a huge deal. // 9
Price paid: $ 760
Purchased from: kosmic
Features: This guitar is an amazing guitar. For the price of it, you'd think you stole it. it has a lot of the same features as a Gibson. Epiphone Les Paul standards have 22frets, made from Asian mahogony, made in Asia, have a Tune-O-Matic bridge, 3-way pickup selector etc. it has all the main features that you could want in almost any style of playing. // 10
Sound: The sound this guitar gives is beautiful. I play a lot of different styles with it and it suits any one of them. I play blues rock metal, almost anything I feel like playing on it, and the sound is quality. I have a Marshall AVT275 that I use with it, and having this guitar strapped to a Marshall can rip anything you can think of. It gives off a very enriching sound. Selecting the rhythm pickup gives of a deep pitch and hollow sound with selecting the treble it gives a classical rock sound. It can give off a variety of sounds and anything you want to play, you can play it on LP. It can give off almost any sound and is very suitable for practically any music style, from rock to reggae from blues to metal. This sound can suit anyone. This is the perfect guitar for anyone that wants a Gibson but doesnt't have the money. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Now the action of this guitar is the perfect action. I've played fenders but the action on this baby is unique, it's a lower action which makes it top notch for ripping a solo. However, not everything is sweet with a Epiphone, my LP came with loose screws and the imput kept loosen and coming out, but I fixed that. Also the nute surrounding the pick up selectors is still loose to this day and is a pain in the ass. If the people at the factory could put ti together right then it would be the absolutely beauty of cheaper guitars. But don't let that put you off, it's easily fixed. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I have played this guitar Live and it was perfect. The sound it gives off in rehearsal is the sound your gonna hear onstage. I have had the guitar for over a year and the hardware is still in top condition. There was a period where the strap buttons did loosen but never fell off, but that was easily fixable and also the strap continually fell off (the straps fault), but all you need is a rubber washer between the nut n strap n it's a ok. It is a very reliable guitar and I would definately take it to a gig with out a backup. I think the finish will be on there longer than the hair on my head. it shows no sign of disappearing. // 10
Overall Impression: I play many various types of music and I can adapt my guitar n amp to sound perfect for the style. I own many pedals that connects with me guitar n amp such as a Vox wah, RP-50, bad monkey, Boss DS-1 and Marshall Regenorator. I would of asked for a free quick service berfore leaving the shop just to save me hassels of DIY repairing. if it was lost or stolen I would definately by tis guitar again or I would buy a Gibson. Love almost everything about this guitar, especially the adaptability of the sound. There isn't anything I hate about the guitar, it is heavy but that doesnt't bother me at all. I did compare this guitar to some others such as a PRS and ESP. I chose the LP over the PRS because it was a lot more expensive, and I chose it over the ESP because you can only really play metal with an ESP, it doesnt't have the same sound adaptability. The only thing I don't like too mcuh about this guitar is the shape of the headstock, it's a dead giveaway that it aint a Gibson. // 10
Purchased from: Hames Music
Features: Not really all that many features on this one, but te ones it does have are excellent! Grover tuners, 2 volume 2 tone knobs (two for each pickup which is great) Alnico Classic humbuckers (wonderful) and 24.75" scale. Set mahogany neck, mahogany/alder body with a maple veneer top. Stopbar tailpiece and tune-o-matic bridge. // 10
Sound: This guitar is probably the best value for your price that you can possibly get. The sound is simply emmaculate. Perfect for every style you could possibly play. I have tried this guitar with many amps, and have not found one that this guitar doesn't sound good with. I use a Marshall MG Zakk Wylde micro stack, and this guitar makes a perfect AC/DC type tone with the distortion at about half. I play mostly classic rock and early metal, and I have found that this guitar is the holy grail for those styles at that incredible price. No noise whatsoever. The seperate tone/volume knobs give you complete tone variety and control. Sounds very close to the Gibson Les Paul. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The finish was amazing. I stared at it for a long time when I bought it. The setup as far as action was terrible, but you can't expect a good factory setup on any guitar. the intonation was perfect right out of the store. Everything is wonderful and works great. One complaint that I do have is that the Rosewood fretboard has a line of lighter colored wood under the low E string. It runs until about the 12th fret. Not a big deal, but it is an imperfection nonetheless. // 9
Reliability & Durability: The hardware is all built like a tank. I would undoubtedly take this on a gig with no backup. The grovers will keep it in tune, trust me. The finish seems very good and it seems that it will last a long time. This guitar could be taken on the road for a professional tour as far as I'm concerned (that is if the professionals weren't too embarassed to have Epiphone on the headstock). // 10
Overall Impression: Overall I would say that this guitar is a perfect match for me. I love playing it. As an intermidiate guitarist that is in a band, I would say that this is a good investment for any beginner, intermidiate, expert or even professional player. You may not have the resale value like a Gibson does, but you'll sure get your money's worth. I love everything about this guitar, and if it were lost or stolen I would be really upset, and I wouldn't buy it again, simply because I don't have the money. I would reccomend this to anyone, and there is nothing missing on this beautiful instrument. Buy it! // 10
Purchased from: Zzounds.com
Features: It has 22 frets, with a Rosewood fretboard(about medium width).My guitar is a solid top, made of rosewood, like the fretboard. The finish on mine is cherry sunburst, but you could get in in nearly any color. It's a single cutaway. I'm pretty sure they all come with string through bridges, but you could get what you want. The p'ups are passive. You get a volume knob, tone knob, and the little switch that changes which pickup ur on. The pickup configuration is humbucker-humbucker, and they're Standard Epiphone pickups (I got mine changed to DiMarizzios). The tuners aren't locking I don't think, and I honestly don't know the brand. If you buy the full pack, you'll get everything you need, but I just bought the guitar. // 9
Sound: It suits my music style great, because I play rock, classic rock, etc. this guitar is also great for blues. I'm using it with a Roland Micro Cube and a Boss distortion when I need it. It can be a noisy guitar if you run it through effects, but without them it's not very noisy. It has a very rich sound, great for bends and vibrato. The variety on this guitar is wide, you can go from blues to hard rock. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I got mine set up, because the action was a bit to high, and I didn't really like the pickups that much. The bridge was routed perfectly, I still have my factory bridge. There's not much to worry about with this guitar except for changing the p'ups (personal preference) and lowering the action. // 8
Reliability & Durability: Yes this guitar could withstand Live playing! The hardware lasts a really long time(not sure about the p'ups because I changed them). The strap buttons are pretty good, the straps only came off like twice in 2 years. Yes you can definately depend on this guitar! Don't think that it's low quality because it says Epiphone, because this guitar is not low quality, probably the best classic rock guitar in it's price range. The finish on my guitar is great, it only chipped where I've accidentely hit it with a pick. // 9
Overall Impression: I play all kinds of rock, and this is a great match for me because this guitar can change tones from soft to heavy. I've been playing for about 4 years, and this is my only guitar, and I own a Roland Microcube. I wish I had asked about the stock pickups, I didn't like their tone. I love the tone of this guitar with my new pickups, and the stock ones werent horrible, but they just couldnt play the harder rock. I don't really hate anything about the guitar to be honest, and the best feature IMO is the tone knob, there's a huge variety of tones. I compared this guitar with other les pauls, but I found this to be the best value. I give this guitar overall a 9/10! // 9
Features: I don't know where it was made or year but it has 21 jumbo frets with a solid laminated top, cutaway body, Tune-O-Matic bridge, ebony with white scrachplate, 2 volume 2 tone knobs, Epiphone pickups, grover machineheads (non locking) and passive pickups, Les Paul style body and has a three way pickup selector. // 8
Sound: This guitar suits my style perfectly which is just generally rock/metal but I play anything really. I use it with my bollocks Starfire amp, but I still gen a nice sound out of the guitar. This guitar has a great variety of styles but are only really within the rock genre but is not much of a problem for me. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Action was perfect when I bought it as well as the pickups depth. It had some flaws (minor scratches) but that what you get when you buy second hand. Strings were ok when I bought it but I replaced them anyway. I have had to fix the pickup selector more than once though as it has jammed and the finish has a few scratches. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will and has withstood Live playing and I think it will last me for many years to come but the strap button aren't as solid as I'd like them to be and with all les pauls you need a strap with strap locks otherwise it will fall off. I wouldn't have this as my only guitar at a gig beacause of the unreliable strap buttons but don't let that put you off as I just think it is my guitar that has loose ones and not all are like that so you should check before buying. // 8
Overall Impression: This is a great match for the style of music I play and I have been playing for about 3 years (self taught), not much equipment I use cept cables, amp and a crappy pedal. If this guitar was stolen I wouldn't buy this same one again but I'd probably upgrade to a better model eg black beauty. In general I am very happy with this guitar and it's playability and recommend you buy one if you are looking for a good guitar for not too much money. // 9
Price paid: $ 400
Features: I love this guitar. It's no to expensive, and it has lots of features. It has a 22 fret mahogany neck, medium frets, a mahogany body, a beautiful flame top finish, a single cutaway body, a Tune-O-Matic bridge, Alnico dual humbuckers, a 3-way selector Switch that lets you select between the neck, neck&bridge, and bridge humbuckers, and independent tone and volume controls for each pickup. It has Grover tuners, which are great by the way. // 10
Sound: The sound from this guitar is very good. The humbuckers give it a warm, crunchy tone that is really good for rock. I use the guitar to play rock, blues, and some metal, and it's great. I love the rich sound from the humbuckers, which for me is the highlight of the guitar. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The finish on this guitar is beautiful. The whole guitar is very good quality, so everything fits together smoothly and looks very nice. The action is great, you won't experience any fret buzz but it's no too tight. The Tune-O-Matic bridge is really great. When I got the guitar the inotation was a little off but that's an easy fix. // 9
Reliability & Durability: The guitar is very solid. I think it's very dependable. It's definitely durable and rock solid, but I have heard some complaints that the strap holder by the neck comes loose after a while, though I have not had this problem. The guitar will pretty muchtake anything you can throw at it, but I am gentle with it so I can't really say how durable the finish is. // 8
Overall Impression: I usually play rock and blues, and this guitar seems to match both very well in both sound and looks. I also play some metal riffs, which this guitar has no problem with. I love it. If it were stolen, I would buy another one in a heartbeat. My favorite feature is definitely the pickups because I haven't used humbuckers in the past and I was really surprised about their good sound quality. My favorite features are the Tune-O-Matic bridge and the pickups (and their independent tone adjusters). I was deciding between this guitar and an SG from Epiphone, but in the end it all came down to looks for me because both of them have similar features. // 10
Price paid: $ 457.5
Purchased from: Private seller
Sound: Like others have probably said before me, it's effectively a cut down Gibson Les Paul. In other words, while it may not be in the same league as it's older brother, this guitar definitely sounds the business. It's very versatile, I will play anything from Eric Clapton to L'Arc en Ciel. It handles everything pretty well. The pickups are fantastic as well, they really can scream. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: It was already setup when I got it, so I can't comment on it's state right out of the box. The guitar is definitely beautiful, most people will stare in awe when they first see it. Generally beautifully made and finished, everything down to the gleam of the polish is top notch. Only gripe has to be the strings. They had small dents in them, with small signs of oxidation. Had to have all of them replaced, as the guitar was new when I got it it was disappointing to say the least! // 8
Reliability & Durability: Is it reliable? Put it this way, if this guitar were to knock into something, I would be more worried about what it hit instead of the instrument itself. I am somewhat clumsy, so I have knocked the guitar into walls, desks, chairs etc. The only time something was damaged was when it hit the wall. The guitar was fine, but there is a nice little dent where the HEAD hit the wall! It's a very reliable guitar, it's essentially made through Gibson so you know it's got the seal of quality backing it up. Would I gig with it without a backup? Definitely. // 10
Overall Impression: I like slow Acoustic pieces, but like most people here I like to crank the amp up from time to time and really let it all out. Like I said before, it's a versitile guitar. I wish I had possibly gone for the Custom or Black Beauty for another 50-100, but that's just me being a snob to be honest. In reality, if I lost this guitar I would replace it in a heartbeat. I have grown attached to it, and I can't see myself playing another guitar. Except maybe it's Gibson predecessor. Why did I choose this guitar? My heroes played Gibsons and Fenders. My budget aimed me more at Epiphone and Squire. Epiphone blow Squire away. It was a simple choice. I loved the design, quality, finish and sound. Ideal for a beginner Who has given themselves a decent budget. The only thing I wish it had was a true Gibson style headstock. // 9
Price paid: C$ 499.99
Purchased from: Steve's Music Store
Features: The Epiphone Les Paul Standard was a wonderful purchase for me to make. I recently bought this guitar in February of '08. Everyone thinks that Epiphone's aren't that good because they are made in China, but Epiphones make some pretty good guitar. 22 frets made for quite a bit of playing space with the added cutaway, rosewood neck and trapazoid's in the neck looked cool. I believe the guitar is a laminated top. The guitar felt great overall. The biutiful Sunburst finish added a very warm, thoughtful look to the guitar. The humbuckers worked great and the guitar had nice harmonic responce. 3-way selector Switch, 2 volume, 2 tone added a very nice touch to the guitar, letting you turn on and off your volume on stage. The two pickups were pretty hot (NOT AS HOT A THE ORIGINAL Gibson Les Paul Standard) and worked well. The guitar did not come with a case but a hard case frome Steve's Music was about 80 bucks. // 9
Sound: This guitar was perfect for mostly anykind of style. The Epiphone LP could do quick metal riffs, some hard rock stuff, blues (my style) and a bunch of other stuff. I'm using a Marshall Master Lead Combo. The guitar wasn't noisy at all. The only thing that bothered me at first was when the guitar had a ton of string buzz once I brought it home. I just took of the strings, reset the Tune-O-Matic bridge the way I like it and I did my own setup. The I put on some Brand New Gibson Brite Wires .10 and it made the guitar perfection. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar wasn't set up well when I bought it. The pickups were adjusted okay for what I play. The top was perfectly bookmatched and the bridge was also amazingly done with pride. The only thing that was loose when I bought it was the bridge pickup tone control. The screws for the pickup were a little messy, but when on stage, you could even notice the screws! // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar was really good while playing Live. The only thing was that the top of the guitar would rub into your ribs, so I took some really soft seat foam and used paintion taped to tape the foam on. Do not use any other type of tape. It will ruin your LP). The Epi is my backup for my Gibson LP Studio). The finish is very well done and it won't come off with a little bit of pressure. It takes a gun to take off the paint! // 9
Overall Impression: I play blues, rock, old Elvis stuff and this guitar was perfect. Some of my friends play metal stuff and the guitar worked well and had a nice crunchy sound with a Boss Distortion pedal. If it were stolen, I would buy it again, totaly. I chose the Epiphone because every year, the Gibson's go even more expensive. I own a Gibson Les Paul Studio (Alpine White), an Epiphone 1966 G-400 (SG). a Gibson SG Special and a Fender Stratocaster. The Epi was really good compared to my Fender, and it whipped by in sound quality. // 10
Features: Was made in 1995 imported from America, you can tell because it's a lot heavier than it's chinese cousins, Standard 23 fret guitar, personal opinion says that 21 is the maximum you should play it at, unless you enjoy ultrasonic. Laminated Cherry burst top single cutaway mahogany, the fingerboard is rosewood with rectangular marble inlays, Standard Les Paul style which to me is 1 of the bes, has nickel hardware an active electronics system, 3-way tone and volume, which can sometimes be too little in terms of finding your own style, I bought my own hard case from P.M.T. // 10
Sound: sound can range from a clean open jazz sound, to a crunchy warm blues tone, my personal favourite though is the rough rock sound generated by the guitar effects, as said, my sound is that of the rough classic rock genre. I use a Marshall Mg at home but when I play gigs I use the Marshall Vintage series cab, the overdrive mixed with half bass and half tone compliments the treble of the Les Paul greatly, I sometimes add a few pedals, the main 1 is a J.D. cry baby, I do use some of the DigiTech and Boss pedals but I find they are bought by preferance. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The setup of Les Pauls is mostly the same, the action is tight and low yet not too low to allow for high bends, I prefer my action lower as I use both hands to pick of the strings, I aslo like the height of the pickups which have not been changed, they allow good sound and tone without much effort or hard work. The only annoyance's that you would find are the occasional loose screw causing an un-attractive buzz after every low note, the buckle for the strap is also an issue on mine as recently whilst rehearsing it decided to pull the thread out of the wood, if that does happen to yours then I suggest a quick fix as it's something that doesnt't require much attention but plays a key role, that is if you ever want to play standing up again! // 7
Reliability & Durability: I have been gigging for about a year and my Les Paul seems indestructable, it has a few knocks but that doesn't affect the sound, it perfroms every time and the quality never fades. The hardware hasn't tarnished and they are smoothly turned, the strap buttons are mentioned above, but agin I can't say that happens to all of them, if I needed a back up I would use this time and time again, as said it's reliable and like a best mate, always there when you need him/her. The finish is still as emmaculate today as it was when I first set eyes upon it and I have no doubt it will last forever. // 8
Overall Impression: As I'm only 16 and have been for all of 6 months, I am obviously not the most clued up, or the fountain of all knowledge when it comes to guitars, however I taught myself to play at the age of 7, at the age 9 I picked up the Epiphone les paul and have never looked back. I own a Fender Strat and a Washburn 12 string acoustic, I also have an Ovation semi-acoustic, which if you like sum serious acoustic love now and again, is the way to go. If I lost my L P I would probably use the Strat, but I really would consider a Gibson Standard, phoaw! Anyone who has ever played 1 of those knows that feeling. // 9
Price paid: A$ 900
Features: This is a 2005 Epiphone Standard Les Paul made in Japan. It has 22 frets at a 24.75" scale with a 1.68" nut width, a rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays and non-locking grover tuners on a set mahogany neck. It has a Flame maple top on a Mahogany body with an Ebony finish, and a Stop-bar Style bridge. It has two active Alnico V pickups, one at the neck and one at the bridge, with two volume controls (vol for neck pickup, and vol for bridge pickup), and two tone controls, as well as a 3-way pickup selector. // 9
Sound: I bought this guitar two years ago when I was really into bands like the Strokes and with my Les Paul and Fender amp I can get a great sound for that style. My rig is as follows: Epiphone Les Paul Standard (hoping to add an American Strat here soon) >> Big Muff Pi USA >> Homemade Tubescreamer (my friend makes them. They're better than any tubescreamer I've ever heard, and I've heard a few) >> Boss DS-1 >> Phase 90 >> Vox V847A Wah (want to change that to a 535Q Crybaby) >> Boss CE-20 >> Boss DD-7 (soon to add DD-20 here) >> Danelectro Reel Tape Echo >> EHX Holy Grail Reverb >> Fender FM 212R solid State Amplifier (want to change to Marshall Tube amp). It's using active (humbucker) pickups so if you're using a noisy amp or a noisy fx unit, this guitar will make the hum as low as possible. It has a great sound for all kinds of punk, rock, blues and plays well on most other styles. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came pretty well set up out of the factory. The pickups and the action were both set really well which is what drew me to this guitar. All seemed to me to be done really well with it. After a couple of weeks however I noticed 2 things: it had some fret buzz from a high 17th fret and only a huge amount of changing the action and bridge height could stop it, but I had the fret filed down and now it's perfect, and when I used gauge 9 strings the high E string kept snapping. It turned out to be a burr on the bridge saddle, but again a little filing and it was all fixed. So none of the stuff I had to do cost me anything. My local music shop's luthier guy did it for free and it took about 5 mins // 9
Reliability & Durability: Its a Les Paul. it's like the truck of the guitar world, it's solid it's heavy and indestrucktable. Not that I don't take good care of it. I won't wear a belt when I'm playing so it doesn't get scratched. it's great for live playing, unless you're playing a long set cos it's pretty heavy. The hardware is all chrome so it doesn't rust (which is a must living near the beach), the strap buttons were solid, but I replaced them with Schecter strap locks. I would use this guitar anywhere it's that solid and versatile, the only thing you can't get is an authentic single coil/strat sound. The only thing missing from my rig really is a Strat for that single coil sound and a Marshall tube amp. The finish is awesome, I've had it for two years and it barely has a scratch // 10
Overall Impression: These days I'm more into funk, indy, prog rock but still a lot of rock and punk, so this guitar does well, but I'm missing a Strat for a John Frusciante type sound. I've been playing for about six years, but the first few were slow and I was poor so this was my first real guitar (the previous one was a Samick Strat and it sucked), so it's really good for intermediate players, and even a virtuoso would have nothing really to complain about, though there are better guitars out there to be had. The only thing I wish I had asked when I bought it was: "why does it come in an Ibanez Box with an Ibanez Manual?" but hey whatever. If it were stolen or lost I would probably buy a Strat for my next guitar, but after that I'd go straight back to the Les Paul cos it has such a great rock sound. I love a lot and hate very lttle about this guitar. The only thing I'd complain about is that for a lot of The Music I'm playing these days the humbuckers are too fat. I compared this to a bunch of other Epiphone Les Pauls in the shop and they were all good, but what worked for me with this one was that it was simple. The rest all had really flashy flamed finishes and stuff like that, but I liked just the plain black finish. For me it made it stand out from all the more noticable ones. Anything I wish it had? I wish I had a Strat, but I wouldn't trade it for one. // 9
Features: Up for review is my Epi Les Paul Standard plain top. I purchased her from Guitar Center in August of 2006, and was probably made earlier that year. The body is listed as mahogany with a maple veneer, which is not visible because of the finish which I got in a plain gloss black finish. Ultimately, you get in an Epi almost all of what you get in a Gibson Les Paul, save for the higher end cosmetic differences (nitrocellulose finish, gold/nickel hardware, pots, pickups, high grade flame or quilt top) but for the price all that is almost incosequential and can be upgraded over time. This guitar is heavy as hell! I think moreso than it's pricier counterparts, so I'd invest in very wide and padded straps for this one. The pickups are a pair of Alnico Classic humbuckers, chrome plated, very good for factory installed pickups. I suppose in the end one could say you are really saving about a thousand dollars on a Les Paul by swapping the name on the headstock. // 10
Sound: Does it stack up to a Gibson? Yes, not all the way, but for $400-$600? The difference is not a bother. Some people have told me that the Epi Les Paul sound is a tad darker than a Gibson, and not so much high end treble. It's still a Les Paul, no matter how you slice it, and you can cover and replicate all the good Les Paul sounds we are all familiar with. That said, I'd advise a pickup change to enhance the guitar's tone and versatility. Drop in a set of Burstbuckers, and you'll swear it's a $2000 Les Paul! I wanted something slightly different, so I dropped in a Diarzio Evolution in the bridge and a Burstbucker Pro in the neck position. The sound is full, rich, good overtones, and I can use her for anything from blues to instumental rock to country and it suits them all. At this point, a reason why you should spend the extra money on this instead of a cheap Squire Strat: no noise whatsoever, even on high gain settings! // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: There's one thing about Epi's that bugs me, but it's a do-it-yourself fix: The input jacks tend to come loose. Some of the soldering there was shoddy too, but it's a simple fix, thoguh an annoying one. The other issue is the strap button screws which come loose on occasion, but a simple upgrade (snap-in buttons or go the EVH way and screw in a hook) can fix that. Other than that, everything is set up well, itonation is set up well, rarely a tuning problem. The tuning pegs are very well installed, though I still plan to replace them with Kluson tuners later. Neck action is pretty good, it was'nt made with shredding in mind with a little chunkier neck profile than most wide and flat necks, but it still feels good. // 9
Reliability & Durability: It's a very hardy guitar! I would neve take a Squier Strat out to play with, but this feels very sturdy and very reliable. I've gigged with her before and it's always been there for me. Course gigging without a backup? Well, no matter how reliable, never gig without a backup, because you never know when the theory of spontaneous and unprovoked cumbustion can try to prove itself. // 10
Overall Impression: This is the best all around guitar you will find for $400. It's a Les Paul through and through. I've had her for almost two years and have been playing for four, and I only wish I bought this one first and not the ol Squire. If it were stolen, I would not go buy another, only because I'd want mine back! Lesson to all: never try to steal a guitar that is owned by a lycanthrope. // 10
Purchased from: Lisenby's Music Shop
Features: Let me begin by saying that I've had this guitar for about 2 years, and it is my second electric (my first being an Epiphone SG Special). To this date, it is my favorite guitar. It was made in March '03 (I bought it used). I have it in an ebony finish and I've taken the pickup covers off (never really liked the look of them). The guitar features 22 hexagonal frets on a 24.75" scale rosewood fretboard. It has two volume knobs and two tone knobs, each controlling it's respective pickup. It has a three-way pickup selector near the top (which I have since rotated to switch diagonally instead of vertically) and Grover tuners (which stay in tune very well, I might add). The model I purchased also came with a cream pickguard (it now sports a Sobe sticker). I like all of these features, but there are a few things missing that I would love to add when I can cough up the money, such as a Bigsby tremolo and a killswitch (yeah, you can turn the volume on one pickup to zero for that, but then you can only use one pickup). Some internal fuzz effects would also be sweet, but for the price this guitar has some pretty nice features already. // 8
Sound: The stock pickups, while not bad, aren't exactly amazing when it comes to using heavy distortion for things like metal. Luckily, I play mostly progressive rock and blues type stuff, so it isn't a necessity for me to obtain loads of distortion. I use a pretty crappy amp with it (a California CG-60, if anyone's heard of it) but I can still get some pretty decent tones out of the guitar. With the treble pickup, you can get a really crisp clean sound or a crunchy sound that's great for hard rock (or, if you turn down the tone knob, classic rock). I tend to use the treble pickup a lot when playing things like Coheed & Cambria and Alter Bridge. The neck pickup gives a very full clean sound and a nice overdriven sound when distorted, which is perfect for blues soloing (or any type of rock soloing, really). I also find this pickup to be useful for playing grunge music like Bush and Soundgarden. Although coil-tapping would be a great feature to expand the tonal capabilities of the guitar, the tone knobs are sufficient for getting a lot of different types of sound out of it. Also, the sustain on this thing is AMAZING. O.O One of the main things I look for in a guitar is sustain, and this guitar has more than enough of that. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I bought this guitar used, so the owner before me may have fixed the action beforehand, but this guitar has the most amazing action I have ever felt on a guitar (well, besides several PRS's I've put my grubby hands on). I really hate putting new strings on it because I have to go through those few days where the action feels a little awkward and the strings buzz, but it always goes back to normal with use. There were a few cosmetic problems that popped up at first, such as a few of the knobs being too close to the finish and scratching it (not very much, but enough to be annoying), but that was easily fixable by just pulling them up. Another thing was a massive chunk of finish missing from the back of the headstock, but since I bought it used, that's not really a factory issue. // 9
Reliability & Durability: The first thing I did when I got this guitar was install strap locks (I had heard to many horror stories of Les Pauls falling to the ground beforehand). This served me pretty well for about a year, until one of the straplocks started to, well, not lock. The top straplock would randomly become unlocked while I was standing up, so this guitar fell three or four times before I decided to get new straplocks. However, the first time it fell, I didn't notice any serious damage other than it had gone horribly out of tune (it fell to the ground face-first because I just wasn't expecting it to fall). The next few times it fell, I half-expected it to fall, so when I tried to save it, only the G and B strings really went out of tune. There are several nicks and scratches all over the guitar, although the vast majority of them are from the previous owner (Who must have gigged like hell considering how much of a beating it took from my defective straplocks). I personally haven't seriously gigged with it, so I can't really say how much it can withstand in a Live setting. // 8
Overall Impression: Overall, this is a very solid guitar, particularly for the relatively small amount of cash I paid for it. It's perfect for the style I play (progressive rock, hard rock, blues) and for many other styles. The only guitar I would really trust more would be a PRS Custom (but I honestly would never throw down more than a thousand for a guitar). I've played several Gibsons before this guitar, and I can honestly say that they are not worth the extra $1500+ that would pay over this guitar. Yeah, they have a cooler headstock, but they sound almost the same and don't have the same feel that I love so much (odd, I know, but it's just my opinion, I guess). Hopefully I can scrounge up enough cash one day to customize it like I want (killswitch, coil-tap, fuzz effects, KAOSS Pad). // 8
Price paid: $ 449
Purchased from: Sam ash
Features: This guitar has really good features. 22 rosewood medium frets, very smooth. The body is mahogany and alder, and the neck is mahogany. Great sustain. Pretty heavy though. The finish is just absolute breathtaking, I have the cherry sunburst finish. Great tune o matic bridge, that makes changing strings a breeze. Has a 3-way pickup switch, and a tone and volume knob for each of the 2 humbucker pickups. Has great grover tuners that look good and hold tune the best. One thing that isnt so good is that is didn't come with anything except a jack for my amp. // 9
Sound: I play every style of music except for country, and there's not one thing that I can't play on this guitar. It can hold a nice clean sound perfectly, and it plays sick distortion even better. The sustain on this guitar is awesome, it has such a great sound. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: Of course every guitar needs to be set up right out of the factory, but this guitar was very close to what I wanted. The strings weren't that bad, changed them anyways, and the action was pretty close to perfect. the pickups were adjusted pretty good, except the back pickup is a lil high for my taste. All in all the gutiar holds up to it's value. // 10
Reliability & Durability: this guitar will definetly withstand Live playing, although for how long I couldnt say. It's reliability is pretty good, but basically you get what you pay for. A Gibson les paul will hold it's value over time, but if you need a wicked sick guitar to jam on and play Live for a few years you can't go wrong with this beauty. The strap buttons are very solid. I definetly would use this guitar without a backup. The finish is probably in the middle, if you really take care of it, clean it often and make sure not to bang it on stuff, it will definetly last. // 9
Overall Impression: I paly everything and this guitar definetly holds up to my standards. I've been playing 2 and a half years, and I own a few other electrics but this is my best one by far. If it were stolen or lost, I would probably get a Fender Stratocaster, because that's the other gutiar I've been dying to get and the only reason I didn't get it is because I got the Les Paul. I compared this guitar to a real les paul when buying it, and the difference is almost minute. Yes, there is a slight difference in tone, and durability, but for the price you can't beat this guitar! It is hard getting use to the rosewood fretboard though. It's a little bit harder to maneuver. But better for practice in the long run. // 9
Features: I'm not sure about a whole lot of this guitar, ie. where it was made or any of that, and to be honest, I'm not even 100% it's a Les Paul Standard, since the piece that covers the neck adjustment is gone. There are 21 frets on this guitar, not sure of the type of wood in the neck or body. It has a 3-way pickup Switch and 4 control knobs: 2 for volume and 2 for tone. I know it has custom pickups, can't exactly remember what the neck pickups are, but the other set is a Seymour Duncan Invader. It has locking tuners, planet waves. I really just bought it from this guy, case included, and that was it. The guitar and the case. He put the tuners and the pickups in it before I bought it. // 9
Sound: I usually play anything from The Offspring to Iron Maiden, to Atreyu and Bullet for My valentine, and this guitar takes it extremely well. I'm using a Zoom GFX box with it, and a Kustom amp (not sure what type, since it doesn't say on it, it's old as hell, so). It's not really noisy, doesn't have a whole lot of buzz when you're not playing, and it has amazing tone. The lead work I do now is so crisp and clear, and so full, even way up on the neck. It got a good versatility, I'd say, based on the many different styles of music I can play with it, and have it sound so close to the real thing. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The set-up overall was good, I mean, I bought it used from a guy who liked to work on it a lot, so the action was good, and the pickups are just awesome. The only real flaws it has are that the screws holding the pickups in seem a bit rusted, and some of them are going to be near-impossible to remove, and one of the tuners broke, so I have a random Ibanez tuner on it (it's what the guy said) and one of the knobs he put on is missing, but for the price and the sound, those are minor flaws to me. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar would do just fine in a Live performance. The hardware seems to be doing great, and I know the strap buttons are solid, since I put a strap lock on the buttons, since I was having trouble standing, and having the guitar stay on the strap. I would definitely use this guitar on a gig, without a backup, I believe it's ready top handle anything I throw at it. The finish is just fine. It's still extremely shiny, and doesn't seem to have any flaws in that department. // 9
Overall Impression: I like to play metal of all kind, occasionally some punk rock, but mostly metal. And this guitar can handle anything really, with the proper set-up of effects paired with it, I think you could get this guitar to sound any way you want. I think it's a perfect match for me on all counts. I've been playing for almost 4 years, and I have a Washburn X-Series, and my effects box (Zoom GFX-1). There really isn't a whole lot I didn't ask before I bought this guitar, so I have no regrets about it what'soever. // 9
Price paid: $ 399
Purchased from: Daddy's Junky Music
Features: This guitar was made in December of '06 in the Unsung China factory. Well, it's the normal 2vol, 2tone, 3way, 2 humbucker LP. Mahogany body and neck, plain maple veneer top, rosewood F/B. It has a tune-o-matic/stopbar bridge, and Grover tuners. The pickups are Epiphone's AlNiCo Classics, they're OK, but are a bit muddy. This may be due to the covers. // 7
Sound: This guitar doesn't do metal too well, because the pickups are muddy. I use it straight into a Marshall VS30R, and it sounds good considering the amp. It's not noisy at all. LP's are one of the most versatile guitars, only surpassed by the Stratocaster because it has a tremolo system, and I have no problems getting a decent sound out of it. I'll bet that the covers are the big tone(and brightness) - sucker here. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up surprisingly well at the factory, with the only problems being that the bridge was flexed in, and a tall fret. That wasn't a problem for me, since I had an extra bridge from my G-310 which has broken down (non reinforced basswood necks for the loss). The pickups weren't adjusted well, but that's about 4 turns of a screw to fix. There were a couple of finish flaws, but unless you're looking for them, you can't see them. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar would withstand live playing quite well. The only mod I've done so far is change out the tiny strap buttons for some straplocks, but otherwise it's totally stock, and perfectly OK. I wouldn't gig without a backup but that's just a rule of the trade. The finish will probably last. // 9
Overall Impression: If this guitar were stolen, I'd hunt the guy down, get my guitar, and beat HIM to unconsiousness with it. I almost got a Schecter C-1 over this, but I didn't, because the Les Paul has a certain charm to it. I really like the feel of the guitar, but I don't really like the pickups (again, it may just be the cover). The only thing I really wish it had would be a bone or Tusq nut instead of a plastic one. // 9
Features: I bought this guitar about 3 years ago from guitar center in Vintage sunburst with a case (extra $120). It's pretty much a typical Les Paul, single cutaway provides so so access to the upper frets (the heel gets in the way), Grover Tuners keep in tune for the most part. The tune-o-matic bridge provides easy adjustment so you can raise/lower the action and pretty much whatever else you want to do to it. It comes Standard with two volume nobs, two tone nobs, and a 3 way pickup selector. Unfortunately with the Standard pickups, it doesn't really make much of a difference in sound if you turn the tone nobs up or down. I've heard that with different pickups that there's a huge difference so I'll have to put some EMGs in and see. // 8
Sound: The solid mahogany body provides a deep, rich sound that, paired with heavy distortion, is perfect for metal or hard rock. It's not noisy at all, no buzzing or noise like with strats. Right now I'm running it through a Boss MT-2 Metal Zone pedal into a Marshall Amp and it's a dream. The two pickups do give completely different sounds, so you can play anything from jazz to metal solos at the flip of a switch. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: When I bought the guitar from guitar center, I found the action to be slightly too high for my taste. All I did was go home and lower it a tad. The pickups needed no adjusting at all. The finish and all hardware was in perfect condition, even though it was a floor model. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar WILL withstand Live playing. I've dropped this guitar, had the strap pop off, knocked it into walls, etc and it's still going strong. When the strap popped off (cuz I had a cheapo strap and it broke, the guitar's heavy, you need something strong) It fell about 3 feet to the tile floor and now it has a 2 inch dent in the corner with a little missing finish, but... the guitar stayed in tune, nothing functional was damaged, and where the dent is, you can't even see it unless you crouch beside me and look. So, you could probably throw this thing out of a moving truck on the highway and it still be playable, though I'm not suggesting it unless you like that beat up look. // 10
Overall Impression: I already mentioned that I play metal, and the sound matches well. Also already mentioned that I play it through a Marshall amp, you can see it on my profile. I would probably buy this guitar again if it were lost or stolen. It's been a really good guitar, and it's lasted through all kinds of abuse. The reason that I bought this guitar is that I fell in love with it. I played pretty much every other guitar in the store, and I just kept coming back to this one. It felt right, that's the only way I can describe it. The only thing I wish it had is an EMG 81/85 setup but I'll probably fix that soon. // 9
Price paid: £ 300
Purchased from: andertons
Features: The Epiphone Les Paul Standard sunburst, lovely guitar, it has treble and rythm and normal control. lovely colours on it, it comes from the middle yellow then Orange then red it look like a sunset it's really beautiful. It has a middlished sized fret board which is really easy to play on. It's also very easy to strng because it has a bridge. // 9
Sound: It looks really beautiful this guitar, if it was a girl I would Kiss it. I chose it because I like rock n metal n stuff, so I'm kinda like Slash, but I didn't want a Flying V or a razorback or anything choppy like that, so this was my perfect answer. a perfect guitar for after your fed up with your cheap starter guitar. I use my guitar with a lin 6 spider 3 amplifyer, and it goes so well! Because this guitar will sound original, you can make it sound like any type of music like metal, rock, classical, blues and much more! // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Every part of this guitar was mint condishion exept for one tiny part which noone could notice but it was there. It was where the elevated scratch plate joined up to the fretboard, at the very end of the scratch plate there was a bit chipped of which made it look a little unfinshed, but nobody can notice it unless you have studyed the guitar for hours because it the tinyest thing! // 8
Reliability & Durability: Everything is dependaple on this guitar, nothing with brake off unless you dilibratly smash it up. It should last a very long time till it breaks simply because it's a strong guitar and it's so nice and beautiful you just wouldn't be able to, you probably would be taking to much care! // 9
Overall Impression: I love this guitar to bits, it's just stunning!! look it up on google and u'd be amazed. If this guitar got broken badly and couldn't be repaired or it was stolen or lost I would may get it again but I may not, I love the thrill of playing the guitar I have but I do like other guitars as well // 9
Price paid: € 439
Purchased from: Goodwins
Features: Made In 07 in China, 22 Frets, Regular Les Paul Scale And Nut, Rosewood Fretboard, Mahogany Body and Neck, Maple Top, Ebony Finish, Left Handed, Bridge and Stop-Bar tailpiece, PAF style Humbuckers, 3 way selector, Grover Tuners, 2 Tone Knobs, 2 Volume Knobs, the tuners on this thing stay in tune perfectly BTW. // 10
Sound: First Thing I Did Was Plug It into My Old micro Cube, Sounded Like my old Lp-100, Then Plugged it into My Fender Frontman 212R And... WOAH!, The Vintage tone and fat sound from this beauty is amazing!, I Had a loan of a 1990 Gibson Lp a few weeks ago and TBH This sounds the same, Honestly. I'm Running it straight through my FM212R And it sounds amazing, I Play Stuff Like Led Zeppelin, Guns N' Roses, Sabbath And The Cult And this guitar fits perfectly, Great Sound! // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Action Was set up perfectly out of the factory actuly, Unlike My Old Lp-100, Pickups are perfect hight, No Flaws what-so-ever, Everything is set perfectly and this guitar will last for a long time, it's as heavy as a few gibsons I've held before and sounds as good! // 10
Reliability & Durability: This Guitar I know for a fact will go through Live playing without a back-up, I Like to have my guitar so that it's not polished every 5 minutes or that extreme care is taken with it, If it's worth the money it's gonna withstand what I'm gona put it through, I'm sure it will. // 10
Overall Impression: Like I Said I Play Zeppelin, Sabbath, The Cult And GN'R and this fits perfectly, I've Been playing 4 years and I'm 14, I wud buy it again for sure, I Traded in my old Lp-100 and got 189 for it so got this for just 259! Pickups have a nice Vintage fat tone and the neck pickup is just great for some nice blues In C Or B! // 10
Features: I've had this guitar for about four months now, and I couldn't be any happier to the point of time of where I've been playing. I've been playing for almost a year now, and I absolutely love this guitar. The mahogany neck is very smooth and I can easily move my fingers with no trouble at all. The sunburst finish is absolutely beautiful. In general, this guitar fails to disappoint looks and features wise. // 10
Sound: I play many styles, but I usually play metal and blues. Those are probably the best styles to play on this guitar, but it plays great on any other style. The sound is rich, and the sounds of playing a chord are stunning. I use a Fender G-DEC and it sounds great on just about any mode they have on there (even though some of the modes are rather pointless). Overall, the sound on this guitar will blow you away. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Just about everything about this guitar is amazing. The pickups are great, and the wood is pretty durable. I've accidently dinged it a couple times, but it didn't even leave a mark. However, when I bought mine, there was a slight crack in the back of the neck, but it didn't affect my playing style one bit, and I got a discount for that matter. Another fault is that this guitar sometimes gets out of tune pretty easily, but it's not that big of a deal. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Being in high school, I'm sure this guitar will last me through high school, if not college, but that's probably because I will upgrade by that time. That doesn't mean this guitar will not last, I'm sure it will last a very long time. The strap buttons are pretty solid, and I would deffinatly use it at a gig of some sort without needing a backup. However, e string sometimes gets caught on the fret, but this only happens rarely, so buyers wouldn't need to worry about it. // 9
Overall Impression: This guitar is amazing! I couldn't be any more happy with this guitar at my point of playing. This fits my style of music perfectly, and I'm sure I'll keep playing with a Les Paul in the future. This is my second guitar, my first being a crappy First Act, but everyone has to start somewhere. I'm so glad I got this guitar, and I have a bright future ahead upgrading it. // 10
Features: Some of the nicer features of this guitar are the number of frets (22), The mahogany body and and maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. The Tune-O-Matic bridge is nice too. There are two volume and tone controls and a 3-way pickup selecter. The pick-ups on this guitar are just regular P-90's but should be changed for some styles of music. The finish on mine is ebony but can vary depending on the money you spend. It has a set-in neck The only things I don't like are the chrome pickups and hardware. // 9
Sound: I think this guitar suits many styles of playing as well as my own style of classic rock including blues and country. I am currently using a Zoom G1X with it and it is ok. I personally prefer playing it plainly on the amp which is a Kustom tube amp. The Epiphone LP can make a variety of sounds and is bright and has a rich sustain. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar is set up almost perfectly at the factory. The action was good and nothing was rattling about in there (thank goodness! ). However my guitar came with a slight bend in one of the strings causing just one dead note. So my advice to you is to change the strings ASAP and if that doesn't work sometimes the areas where the strings pass through the nut needs sanded (get an expert to help with this! ). Other than that though it's all perfect. // 8
Reliability & Durability: The Epiphone LP is a very durable & reliable guitar. If you get one with gold hardware it tends to tarnish however. The strap buttons are very solid and I would definitely play Live with it. I would be so confident of this guitar live that I wouldn't bring a back-up. Though it may be necessary to bring one if I were to play in different tunings. The finish seems solid and looks to last a very long time. // 10
Overall Impression: I have said before I play classic rock. You will notice many 70's and 80's rock guitarists use an LP of some kind and this guitar is almost the same guitar as the Gibson version. In fact the tuning stabability is better on the Epiphone. If it were stolen or lost I would get another one but maybe in a sunburst colour. The other differences between this and the Gibson is the hardware material is chrome as oppose to nickel or gold and the Gibson would have a better grade of wood. If only it had a tremelo arm then it would be the only guitar I would ever need. // 10
Price paid: $ 449.99
Purchased from: Guitar Center-Santa Clara
Features: This guitar I believer, was made in 2007. He was inspected in China and In the U.S. It says it was built in the U.S too. The guitar includes 22 Mahogany regular frets. This is a good sized guitar. (I have long arms). Very, Very good and strong finish. Mine is in a Vintage Sunburst. It is perfect with the Tune-O-Matic bridge. The controls on the guitar includes the 2 way toggle Switch. Switching from effects to clean.(AKA Rhythm, Treble) It didn't have a toggle cap, but I bought one for it. The knobs include Volume, Distrtion, Treble and reverb. // 10
Sound: This best suit's my Metal, Blues, Rock, Alternative, punk, and country styles.(I play with a spider 3). The spider 3 made by Line 6 works great with this. I used to use a small Behringer beginner kit amp. Then I went to Line 6. The sound is wonderful for it's price. It's a great guitar in a great price range. IT also puts up a good competition against the Gibson Les Paul's. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up OK. My guitar was wrecked in the making. It had been chipped so it was knocked off by $350.00. But, I've banged it around a few times really hard and it doesn't eave a mark. The bridge was properly routed, the pickups were a little damaged from the fall too. But, overall it had no flaws. Great work put into it. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is probably the most durable guitar out there. It's been hit against walls, once fell and there has been no dents and scratches. Perfect for Live stage play. The strap buttons are pretty solid. Mine old strap was worn and ripped. I got a new strap and put washers on them so they wont pop off NO matter WHAT! It is a very reliable guitar. I wouldn't need a backup guitar. // 10
Overall Impression: My type of music ranges anywhere. This guitar is good for ALL types of music. It is a good match. I've been playing for just over a year now. I also own a Line 6 Spider 3, A Behringer beginner guitar and amp, a Rogue acoustic guitar, a tuner, slider, capo, picks, Live wire, Amplitube 2 Live, and Live wire. If it were stolen or lost I would buy another one. Or I would get a Gibson.*$$* This product is fine the way it originally is. I love 2 things about this guitar. The looks of having a Les paul and the rich sound of the guitar. Just... perfect! Nothing is wrong with it. My favorite thing about it is the shape of it. I compared this to the Ephiphone SG and the Gibson Les Paul. I chose this one because it was cheaper and just about had the same quality as the Gibson. I wish it had a whammy. Hendrix! // 10
Purchased from: CA House Music
Features: Awesome features on this beast. It has 22 frets, a Rosewood fretboard, Mahogany Body with a set Mahogany neck, and Maple top. It has a beautiful Heritage Cherry Sunburst finsish and a LockTone Tune-O-Matic Bridge/Stopbar Tailpiece. It came with AlNiCo Classic humbuckers and Grover Tuners and has 2 Volume and 2 Tone Controls and a 3-way selector Switch. It didn't come with a case, but I picked up an Epiphone LP case at the same store, so that was no problem, considering it is a common guitar shape. Can't complain about it coming with Grovers and a Tune-O-Matic bridge, but the pickups could have been better. // 9
Sound: This guitar is absolutely perfect for my music style. I play mostly Classic Rock (like Kiss, GNR, Sabbath, AC/DC, etc.), Modern Rock(Jet, Rage Against The Machine, System Of A Down, My Chemical Romance, etc.) Metal (Killswitch Engage, Dethklok, Bang Camaro, Avenged Sevenfold, etc.) and then some other stuff that is played clean (Bob Dylan, Eric Hutchinson, Switchfoot, Sublime, etc.), so just about everything, and this guitar covers all of these genres perfectly. The only problems are with the pickups because you can't do fingertaps and pinch harmonics (aka artificial harmonics) don't quite scream enough because the pickups aren't that great, but they are easily swapped for some hotter ones. I have used a Fender Frontman 15w amp, a Peavey ValveKing 112 (50w), a Marshall MG30DFX, a Roland Cube 30X, a Vox Valvetronics 30W, and a Crate V18, and this guitar sounds great paired with any of these amps. I recommend a tube amp, but not everyone can afford tube. I normally play it through a Marshall MG30DFX on a daily basis, and it sounds great with this amp. There is sooooo much variety to this guitar's sound it is almost unbelievable. The only noise I have experienced with this guitar is if you are playing in front of a CRT monitor/TV and you are distorted/overdriven. I use a Dunlop Wah Pedal and a Zoom 505 guitar pedal and it works fine with both of these, plus the effects that most amps have. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up pretty well out of the box. The action and intonation was fine, but the nut needed some work, but that is normal even with Gibsons. All I had to do was file the nut to fit the gauge of strings I use (.11-.48) and I had to put some graphite grease in the nut to prevent pinching. Everything else was great. The pickups sound great where they are, but I might move them around to see what other sounds I can get. There is also one tiny spot on the body binding that I could have complained about, but nobody will ever notice unless they are using my guitar as a pillow (as in they have there head right up next to it). The only other complaint I have is that the volume pot for the neck pickup is too close to the body and rubs the finish, but it's effect can't be seen, and if you pull a little when you turn it it doesn't rub. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will almost certainly stand the test of time. The hardware is all solid and has a good name behind it. Nothing seems lose or weak, and the finish could probably withstand a sandstorm. I have played all my gigs with this guitar with out backup, and haven't sweat over any of them. The strap buttons are perfectly fine, but I am gonna replace them with straplocks soon, because I tend to throw my guitar around a little during gigs, and have had my strap come undone 3 or 4 times now, but have luckily caught my guitar every time. // 10
Overall Impression: Great overall impression. I played this at the store and had tried a few other Epiphones, a couple Gibsons, and some Fenders before settling on this guitar. This guitar matches my music style flawlessly, and if this guitar were stolen from me I would most definitely buy another one. I picked this guitar over the others because of the great looks, amazing sound, and great price tag. The Gibson Les Paul I played honestly sounded worse than this Epiphone, and the Fenders weren't quite the sound I was looking for, considering mt main guitar before this one was a Strat. I have been playing for about 11 years now, with many more to go, and the only complaint I have about this guitar is the pickups. The aren't hot enough for things like fingertaping, and they don't quite scream enough during pinch harmonics. I absolutely love the finish of this guitar. I got the Heritage Cherry Sunburst and it is positively beautiful. My favorite feature is probably the Overall Value of the guitar. The only differences between this and a Gibson is the pickups, the headstock, the tuners, and the price. Considering that pickups can be replaced, the headstock is just looks, the tuners are Grovers and can be changed if desired, and the price is less than half of most Gibsons, I don't think you could find a better value anywhere. // 10
Price paid: $ 325
Purchased from: Ebay
Features: This is quite a versitile guitar for what I paid for it. It's pretty much as advertised: all the functionality of a Gibson without all the frill. It *is* built to Les Paul's specifications.
Its got two alnico humbucker pickups; each with a respective volume and tone knob. Tune-o-matic bridge. The selector switch, located on the arch of the guitar's body, is a three way selector with neck, bridge, and simultaneous pickup selection. Its a little heavier than a Gibson but just as user friendly and way, way cheaper. // 9
Sound: I prefer a bluesier based approach to guitar playing so I like to aim for tone. And this guitar delivers. I even still mostly play with my 10-watt practice amp, but it really doesn't detract from the range of sounds this guitar will give you.
Rhythm playing is very tight and playing leads is as smooth as it gets. It gives off a much smoother, mellower, and fatter sound than a Fender. Probably not as useful to a metal player out of the box, but there are dirty fingers models out there for that style. This is a straight up guitar for straight up sound. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I feel completely satisfied with how this guitar is set up right out of the box. The finger action is nice and low which I like.
I bought this guitar used, so it had some minor esthetic flaws but other than that its beautiful. All black with white trim and pick guard and pearl inlays. This is where the more obvious difference is between Epiphone and Gibson. The finish is extremely simple with no over the head flair, so if you are really concerned with the style you can probably fork over a little more for a flame top Epiphone or a lot more if you absolutely feel like you need a Gibson. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is a beast. It's heavy duty and durable and has never let me down. No issues with the strap buttons, and the every thing as far as hardware is built to last. The finish is fairly simple and might give way if it gets any really hard bumps, but resists everything in the normal ding and dent spectrum. Just take care of it and it'll keep true. Definitely a gig worthy rig.
It's a Les Paul. If that doesn't suit your standards then nothing will. // 10
Overall Impression: This guitar and I are really a perfect match for one another. I think that every penny was worth it. Even my dad agrees that his Stratocaster is not really as impressive as my guitar. And I paid less for mine.
If this guitar were to ever be stolen or somehow lost I'd first unleash hell and then go and immediately find an exact replacement. // 10
Price paid: $ 350
Purchased from: Guitar Center - Arlington
Features: I bought my LPS new in the fall of 2007, actually my first electric guitar. Solid body, single cutaway, 22 fret (medium jumbo), mahogany fingerboard, and dual humbuckers with 3way tone settings. It has 4 knobs, 2 (volume, tone) for the 'treble' setting, and 2 for the 'rhythm' setting. Chrome hardware and tuning knobs. // 9
Sound: This is a very, very versatile guitar as far as sound goes. Pretty much any style you'd ever want to play, you can do it on this guitar. It has a very rich and full sound without getting into 'muddy water', it can be pretty crisp. I play out of a LINE6 spyder 330, which has a ton of sounds and effects built in. But for it not even being the iconic Gibson, this Epiphone is an exceptional guitar, and rather affordable. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Pickups are pretty awesome, bridge was great. All the action was good.
My only complaints when i got this thing were:
- The G's (if playing Standard E) tuning knob was loose and easily came out of tune, but with a small philips-head screwdriver tightened it up, and it's fine.
-The input/output port, was loose, and actually let the receiver fall into the body of the guitar. Easy fix. I just had to take the washer and four small screws out, and removed the cover. After removing the cover pulled the receiver up and tightened it up. I've had to retighten it four or five times since I bought it. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I play this guitar at least twice a week Live, and have been for the last year and a half. And move it around alot. This is a VERY durable guitar. Hardware is all solid. Very dependable in my experience, no need for a backup. Finish is strong, I've actually smashed my face on the thing a couple of times, and bled on it, no damage to the finish. I've put this thing through alot, still play it almost every day. This guitar is pretty cool, just sayin. // 10
Overall Impression: I've been playing since late 2007, I play styles from deathcore, to really fast solo stuff, to church music, this guitar does it all. Stays in tune very well, I can be playing in Bb or Ab and swing it right back to Standard E, no problems.
I was surprised with this guitar, quite a find. If it were lost or stolen, performance wise, I would definitely see if I could find another one of these, excellent guitar. It is a bit on the heavy side, and can wear out your shoulder when playing for extended periods of time.
I love the versatility of this guitar, I love the sound of it. I tried a few Ibanez/Schecters, Lagunas. The closest thing I found (that I liked) was a Fender Telecaster... but it had a price tag well over 3x the amount of this guitar. The quality is simply astounding. Definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone who plays or wants to play guitar. // 9
Price paid: £ 400
Purchased from: R and B Music
Features: The body is a Standard Les Paul shape which is amazing and has 22 frets. The neck is Ebony and has Mother Of Pearl Trapeze inlays. The body is a gold flame top. The brodge is just Standard with no support for a Whammy/Tremolo Bar.It has a rhythm/treble switch. The tuners are locking tuners and are made by Grover. It has 2 humbucker pickups with 2 volume knobs and 2 Tone knobs, 1 for each pickup. I got a TGI strap because the guitar is really heavy and the TGI strap is a nice thick strap to support the shoulders while playing. // 9
Sound: It suits almost any kind of music, from Rock to blues to Death metal. I mainly play Classic Rock but like to play a bit of Metallica and Megadeth and it does the job well. I use a line6 Spider IV30 which I purchased for 80 from R&B Music also. The amp has 4 preset tones, Clean, for which it gives a great sound like Dire Straits. Crunch, which is perfect for AC/DC kind of stuff. Metal which I use for Metallica or if I want to make noise and Insane which I do not recommend as it is too loud and sounds terrible. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar is perfect aside from one minor thing. The screw that you attach the strap to kept coming out. I just superglued it to the inside and it seems fone now although I believe that that should of been sorted when I bought the guitar. Nothing has gone wrong with the guitar so far aside from that and I have had it for 9 months so I would like to think that it has been well made and set up. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I have had the guitar for about 9 months and it is in almost perfect condition although I have played it almost every day I have had it. It seems like it will last a bit longer. I am about to get an ESP Ex guitar and I will use that for the metal songs and stuff and as a backup to the Les Paul. // 10
Overall Impression: I play a variety of different genres and it suits all of them well, some better than others. I have been playing for about 4 years, and had an Ibanez RG before this guitar and I must say this guitar is better by a long shot. The thing that stands out for me is the look of it, The shape is amazing and the gold top colour just makes it look great. I was going to get the Fender Strat but when the shop assistant let me try them both, the Les Paul felt more "comfortable" and I am glad I got it. // 9
Price paid: € 380
Purchased from: AT Trade (Riga)
Features: It was made in China in 2007. The classic Les Paul pack - 2 volume control knobs, 2 tone control knobs, a 3-way pickup selector, 2 Humbucker pickups, Cherry Sunburst finish. I think it's quite hard not to recognize a Les Paul. On the day I bought it I had to carry it home in the original factory cardboard box because the shop had run out of cases. Only a short cable and an official poster were included. // 8
Sound: I'm a blues player at heart and in my band we play blues, jazz, rock and fusion. Most often I use: 1) the neck pickup (switched to rhythm) - to get the dark, fat bluesy tone which is perfect for my taste. 2) both pickups (swithced in between) with the bridge pickup's tone rolled at least two sections higher than the neck pickup - this is perfect for rhythm parts, especially when you need to add solo fillings because the bridge pickup adds the extra sustain and spice to the tone. I don't like the sound of the bridge pickup alone when playing in clean - it lacks bass and sounds like plastic, while, when switched to more than average Drive, it is perfect for sustained power cords and solos with juicy tone. When playing with the neck pickup and high level of Drive you get a raw and fuzzy tone which is perfect for songs like "Voodoo Child" in my opinion. This guitar is my main "battle-axe" as it is my only electric guitar so far. Currently I use a Vox Valvetronic amp with Boss OD3 overdrive. The Vox amp and my Les Paul is the best combination i've tested so far - even the bridge pickup on clean sounds quite good. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The headstock has a cosmetic defect which was quite hard to notice at first. There are several grey spots above the "Les Paul Standard" inscription. The pickup selector is noisy and as I would like to say - "moody" as sometimes it makes a disturbing hum, while sometimes after a successful stirring the hum disappears. Many Epiphone Les Pauls has the same glitch as i've noticed. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar gets heavily exploited at least 8 hours a week in rehearsals and gigs which often last for more than 3 hours with jam sessions. Currently I use Dunlop 10 (0,46) strings. These don't break very often (thank God!). The tunomatic bridge has this tendency for the smaller strings to break on high bends. I always carry an extra package of strings and nippers in the case - you never know when they'll break.
The Les Paul is famous for its heavy weight and yes - it sure is heavy! I spend the rehearsals mostly sitting because standing with this rock on your shoulder can be very exhausting. But the strap buttons are solid! // 8
Overall Impression: If you are a blues oriented player then this is the right instrument for you! I know that I will be a Les Paul fan until the end of my life. This guitar has tone and sound you can't miss if you play jazz and blues. Roll the tone knob to the minimum and switch to the neck pickup and you get a perfect jazzy warm tone! // 8
Price paid: $ 499
Features: I have used some pretty "crap" guitars in a bit lower price range than this but, this is probably the best guitar for the money you pay. It has a 22-fret neck with mother of pearl trapezoid inlays (like most Gibson LP's) with 2 great alnico classic humbucker pickups (Standard for a lot of other Epiphone guitars), Grover tuners that stay in tune very well, and a beautiful finish. // 10
Sound: This guitar will probably meet the needs of just about any playing style or effect, but it really shines most on the distortion settings. It gets great clean sounds as well, but its not as bright as other guitars of this model type. The guitars distortion sounds very clear, even when striking chords, but definitly shines with riffs and solos. The clean setting might seem a little dry but will be able to get great tones with the right amp settings. I play mine through a Peavey Vypyr and it sounds great. With my previous guitar on the same amp I had this problem with palm mutes giving off this loud ringing sound but this guitar has no tone issues at all and immediatly eliminated the ringing. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was setup mostly fine, but sometimes playing without an amp can serve some noticable issues like the guitar having a strange chunky sound when playing lower strings. You definitly will not notice this through an amp, so it shouldn't be much of an issue. The finish on this guitar is beautiful. Mine is a Vintage sunburst and I just love it. The definitly didn't waste a second detailing this guitar. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar does seem very well built and I can't find any major construction issues, but I do have one issue with I think my pick up cover is loosely attached, but other than that it should withstand gigs, travel, and some bumps and dents here and there. The finish does seem a little thin (not that I can tell that well though) but it should withstand a lot without chipping or wearing down. // 9
Overall Impression: Overall, I love this guitar and is easily one of the best deals put out by Epiphone, and for hundreds less than the Gibson model, there definitly isnt enough difference to shun the epiphones quality because, they are graet guitars. If I lose this guitar for any reason, I would definitly buy from Epiphone again. // 10
Price paid: € 400
Purchased from: Pro musica (Ireland)
Features: I believe mine was mad around 2008 or so, never checked it out, but seeing as I bought it new, I wouldn't think it was much older then that. 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, mahogany body with with maple top. Cherryburst finish (gorgeous btw). Tune-o-matic bridge, stock passive pickups, two volume, two tone, 3 way selector, grover tuners. // 9
Sound: The sound is absolutely gorgeous. I really mean it. I bought this guitar as a guitar to entertain me while I was waiting to get the money for a top of the range guitar... Honestly, I am in love with my Les Paul. Through my Crate GT1200H and Crate cab, it sounds amazing. The treble pickup is great for guns n roses, foxboro hot tubs, nirvana etc... The bridge pickup isn't amazing really, I would recommend switching it for Gibson/Seymour Duncan pickups if you can, but that is just being a little nit-picky though. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came perfectly set up, with low action (no buzz though).
Te pickups were very well adjusted, just exactly the way I like them.
The finish is brilliant, it honestly looks beautiful in cherryburst. Many people, even strangers, have commented on how beautiful the finish is.
Almost perfect in every way, except for two things, the jack input isn't the greatest (like most Les Pauls) but that can be remedied using a washer like I did.
My complaint is how easily the guitar picks up dents... I look after my guitar like it's my long necked baby, yet there are still tiny bumps in the wood... // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar could (and has) withstand live playing with no problems at all. This is an incredibly reliable guitar. The strap buttons are decent, but I would recommend butting strap locks of you want to move around onstage a bit (but I say that about nearly every guitar). I have used it without a backup in the past, and I need not worry about it ever letting me down. That being said, I now bring my Telecaster everywhere, it's best to prepare for the worst sometimes.
The finish will likely not wear off, it has multiple coats of lacquer... You'd want to be very rough with the guitar to wear it... // 10
Overall Impression: I play punk rock, classic rock, and metal (and sometimes I use it clean). And I will say that it covers most basses exceptionally well.
I've been playing for a few years now and I am still very happy with my Les Paul, to such an extent that it is the only Les Paul I want to play.
I love the shape of the neck, perfect for my small hands (I'm an adult with kid's hands! ). The only thing I don't like is the bridge pup, but many people love it. I love the neck pup... It's amazing.
I compared this to an ESP Les Paul of the same price, a Mexican telecaster, a Gibson Les Paul Studio (on offer xD) and a Fernandes of some sort:L Overall, my guitar (marley:) ) Blew them all away, to such an extent that the person selling it tried to convince me to take another Les Paul so that he can have mine:L.
I have been very lucky with my Les Paul, I know that I have one that was exceptionally well made. My advice is to do what I did, I tried out 11 Les Paul standards before I bought my one. And when I found mine I was in love. It may take you a while to find epiphone's jems, but if you find a gem of a guitar like mine, then you really are on to a winner // 10
Price paid: C$ 510
Purchased from: long-mcquade
Features: This Les Paul is a 2009/10 model. I don't kow where it was made but it was made well. It has 22 frets, a slightly fat neck and medium frets. The action looks really high but when I go to play it it feels low. Go figure. It is a cherry sunburst but not a flame top. It is made of mahogany with a rosewood fretboard. Two Standard humbuckers, 2 volume and 2 tone controls and a pickup selector. To my dismay the only thing it came with was a free guitar checkup, which, in my opinon, is quite lame. // 9
Sound: I play mostly rock and blues and this guitar is quite well suited for it. It does classic rock quite well and sounds good on my solo channel. The only thing it doesn't do is snappy clean blues but I have my Strat for that. It is very harmonic (think Rush's Red Barchetta) and does Van Halen style pinch harmonics great. It is whisper quiet and growls when I need it to. It is a little warm sometimes, but I just turn you the treble and I'm good. I use a Line 6 spider IV and it works like a charm. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Since I got it from the store, the action was set up well. Only problem was that the fretboard was a little dry, but some lemon oil fixed that. Pickups were placed well and no flaws whatsoever. perfect ten. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will withstand live playing for a local band and maybe small tours but not a big tour unless you take care of it. Haha like you'd take care of it on tour. The strap buttons are solid but I would have staplocks just in case. I would use it without a backup for sure, but since I am paranoid I always have one. The finish is rock solid whuch is good because faded Les Pauls look bad. // 9
Overall Impression: I play rock and blues and the Les Paul does it great. It does Heavy metal well too but I don't do that. If I had the money I would buy a better amp cause this guitar is great. If it were stolen I'd have to go to the store and try out another million guitars to find one the same. Then I"d use it to bash the head in of the guy who stole it. They are that solid. I have a 2008 Strat and these guitars cover the entire tonal palete I need. I just wish the store gave more with it. Even new strings, I mean I just spent six hundred dollars. But overall, great guitar. // 10
Features: Made in China. 22 large frets. Mahogany neck and body with a maple top. It has all the Standard LP features, except they are all bad quality. The frets are finished badly, the tuners are Grovers which is good, but they were placed sloppily on the headstock and I have trouble tuning one. The tune-o-matic saddle is of poor quality metal and is almost too thin to intonate. I had to flip around two of the saddle pieces to get the right intonation on the respective strings, which doesn't inspire confidence in that it is a good instrument. Yes, I was able to intonate it, but got the impression that if I used a different gauge string I might not be able to. Disappointing at best. // 7
Sound: I'm going to assume that who ever reads this knows what a Gibson Les Paul sounds like and will measure this against that. In general it sounds like an authentic LP, only weaker and harsher. I'm sure the low quality woods have to do with this, but most is due to the terrible pickups. They are lower output than Gibsons but at the same time somewhat noisy and harsh at low volume.
I suppose it you absolutely must have that LP sound (which is pretty unique) but can't afford a Gibson an Epiphone like this is probably as close as you'll get. But if the tradeoff is settling for an amateur sounding instrument, then I suppose you can live with this. But if you're like me, you are constantly reminded that it is an imitation and not the real thing. The best part: the sustain is almost and good as a real LP. Tons of it. // 5
Action, Fit & Finish: This was the deal breaker for me. If the craftsmanship were better, even knowing the woods used aren't the best, I might have considered swapping out the pickups and keeping this guitar. But after owning it for like three months everytime I played I was reminded of the shoddy fretwork, the badly set tuners, the sloppy paint and sanding - in short the substandard craftsmanship on the whole. I never could justify improving on something that was a lemon to begin with, so I just sold it. // 3
Reliability & Durability: I never played live with it so I don't know if it could take it. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of the electronics crap out easily, judging but the rest of the shoddy craftsmanship. The things that inspired the least confidence to me were the tuners (despite them being Grovers) and the pots, which I pretty much expected to fail at some point. // 3
Overall Impression: I strongly advise against buying an Epiphone unless it is one of the higher end ones that cost similar to a pro-level instrument and therefore defeat the purpose of getting this brand. There are loads of better deals out there.
I've been playing for about 15 years and picked this up after a few years of only playing acoustic. But I decided to return to electric and get into a band again and wanted the same guitar I had before I gave it up: a genuine Gibson Les Paul. But I didn't want to spend so much this time and settled for this knockoff fooling myself into thinking it wouldn't be that much different. Oh how wrong I was. This will not satisfy anybody who has more than a couple of years experienced playing. It simply is a poor quality instrument. // 3
Features: My guitar was made in 2009, hand-crafted in china, or at least that's what the sticker says(not gonna argue with the sticker). She has 22 beautiful trapezoid inlayed medium-jumbo frets, rosewood fingerboard and a mahogany neck. Solid mahogany arch-top body with a glossy sunburst transparent finish. Its a single cut-away Les Paul body (of course) with a traditional Gibson style tune-O-matic. All the hardware is chrome including pick up covers. The pickups are stock Epiphone double vacuumed humbuckers. She has 4 main controls 1 volume and 1 tone for each pickup and a 3 way pick-up toggle select switch. The tuners (machine heads) are die cast chrome Grover tuners. // 10
Sound: I play different types of genres mostly thrash metal, rock'n'roll, and some Acoustic stuff. I know you might say "well this is a Les Paul, its not made for metal" but your wrong, this guitar suits any type of genre and rocks out with rage! But it also plays beautifully on a clean setting. On clean it gives a warm full sound, and on a distorted setting it gives a nice crunch-crunch-punch sound. Closest thing to the actual Gibson Les Paul without cleaning out your wallet. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was perfect with no buzz at all straight from the factory, although I did have to adjust the pickups a bit. Everything was properly book-matched and it contained no flaws I could find, the wood is of excellent quality, the chrome hardware was perfect with a little bit of proper cleaning (the Sam Ash I bought if from has a habit of not cleaning their instruments after someone plays with it). The finish on this baby is outrageously beautiful, my favorite part of it is the back and neck were you can see the wood and the cherry gloss finish properly. Also she has cream binding on the body and neck which is the icing on the cake. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I don't play much live stuff, but if I did and when I will I'm sure she will last throughout the whole thing. I replaced the stock strap buttons and got Schaller strap locks for safe. This guitar is very dependable I would use this guitar without a back up with no worries. The finish does dink a bit if you hit the wall or the back of a chair(like I did). // 8
Overall Impression: This guitar matches any type of music. I have been playing for 2 years and own a Fender Strat and play with my friends guitars which are a Charvel custom, a Martin acoustic, a Gibson Les Paul, and a Jackson rr3. I own a decent practice amp but to really get the full sound of this baby I use my friends Mesa Boogie amp-head on peavy cabins. If there was something I wish I would have asked it would be if they had it in a flamed maple finish.lol. If it were stolen I would seriously cry.I would try my hardest to buy a new one, but maybe I'd save up another 1000 and buy myself a Gibson Les Paul. This guitar is the closest you can get to the actual Les Paul. // 9
Price paid: $ 480
Purchased from: Guitar center
Features: This beautiful Les Paul was made in china in 2010. It has 22 frets, trapezoid inlays, and a beautiful Vintage sunburst transparent finish. It has 2 passive alnico classic pickups. That look great on this guitar. It also has a tune-o-matic stopbar and great chrome, grover tuners. // 10
Sound: Great all around sound. Can get a rich and bright, bluesy tones and a deep crunch as well. Great for any kind of music from jazz to death metal. I've played it on a cheap practice amp and a Line 6 IV amp and it sounds amazing on both. I play classic rock, blues and metal and this suites my sound very well. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Great setup. The action was a little high for me but it's all a matter of opinion. No flaws on mine, though I've heard that it comes out of tune fast on others. No rust, dings, or scratches. The pickups were setup perfect for me. But once again its all a matter of opinion. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar could definatly withstand live gigs. The hardware is very durable and will probably last for years.the strap buttons are solid, I haven't needed strap locks yet. I would use this without a backup guitar if I had to, very durable, and reliable. // 9
Overall Impression: I would buy this again in a heartbeat. I love everything about this guitar and hate nothing. I compared this to an Epiphone Dot and a studio and both were no match for this wonderful guitar. The only I wish it had was a Floyd Rose but it would have been a lot more money so I'm still happy with it. // 10
Price paid: £ 360
Purchased from: PMT Bristol
Features: The Epiphone Les Paul Standard is immense! Made in the USA it has 22 jumbo frets with a rosewood fingerboard. The guitar itself is made from mahogany which gives it a fatter sound plus the set mahogany neck gives it huge sustain and the cherry sunburst finish is beautiful, it has a tune o matic bridge with a tailstop and passive alcino classic humbuckers it has a 3- way toggle Switch with two tone dials and two volume dials for each pickups making it very easy to use and of course grove tuners keep it nearly always in tune. // 9
Sound: This guitar suits my style of metal/thrash metal perfectly infact it went so much higher than expectations. I'm currently using it with my Line 6 50 watt spider and it really smashes the sound out the pick-ups are immense. There is nearly no buzz or unwanted feed back from this guitar, it has a evil fat sound when used with overdrive on and is epic for lead guitar with treble or rythm but when you turn it on the clean channel its perfect for quiter songs with no feedback still!. This guitar is perfect for all kinds of music. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar action was amazing, ready to own any kind of music style theres no flaws that i can spot apart from the pick-up covers are quite loose but there easily fixed and the bridge is very well routed and makes tuning very easy with no breaking strings :) // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar could be used for hundreds of gigs and not have to worry about anything. The hardware is solid as a rock and will last forever. The strap buttons are perfect you don't even have to hold the neck but for the sake of the guitar I advise you do. I can use this anywhere without a backup and the finish will last no matter how much you play I've hit it and used alot of pick-scratching and not even a chip in the paint. // 10
Overall Impression: This a perfect match for my metal style of music and surprisingly beats my Ibanez rg350 hands down but not quite as good as my Jackson RR24. If it was lost or stolen I would definately buy a new one it is just as good as any Gibson and is the same as a Epiphone custom. I have to say I love everything about this guitar I've been playing for 5 years and not much can beat this but I do wish it had EMGs just for that little extra. This is the first Les Paul I've owned and when buying it I compared it to a Ibanez prestige and a Dean razorback and it beat them both. // 10
Price paid: € 450
Features: I bought this guitar from a guy who sold it used, so I don't know which year or where it was made. But it's a great guitar for the price, and for being an Epiphone I think it's very good. It is a 22 fret neck, and I think the fretboard is made in rosewood. It is a solid top guitar made in mahogany, and the neck is also made in mahogany. It is flamed cherry top, and it looks very very beatiful. It's a tune O' matic bridge, and the guitar is equipped with two Alnico V humbuckers, and they sound pretty good. It's very the same as the Gibson Les Paul in my opinion with the setup and so on, only that this guitar is not the same good as the Gibsons, but for the price it's nice. // 9
Sound: I play rock, grunge, some metal, and hardrock of all kind, mostly Nirvana, Guns N' Roses and Bullet for my Valentine. I also play in a band that plays just that styles of music I just named. When I'm playing with the band I play the guitar through a Randall RH100 with the matching cabinet(or what it is called), and when I'm home play I it through either a Line6 spiderIV15, or a Roland Microcube, and it sounds very, very good through all the amps. One thing I don't like with it is that the guitar is actually a little noisy, and because of my neck pick-up got broken, and I haven't bought a new one yet, so I can only play on the treble. This guitar has a big variety of sounds, before the neck pick-up got broken I could play alot of different music styles, everything from blues and jimi Hendrix rock to Hardcore metal, so it's a big variety of sounds, and very nice and deep sustain. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: When I bought the guitar it was pretty good set-up, and for being used it was extremly nice without any flaws, scratches or anything like that, unfortantly I've made it bad through the time I have owned it.. But however, one thing that wasn't very well set-up was the bridge, and it wasn't good intonated at all, but it's easy to fix. Everything was good about it before I got it, now it's pretty worn-out, because I play every day, and play with the band, but the body is so solid, and all the mechanics almost also so it works fine. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar works pretty good live, I've only been played it live for 3 times yet, but it keeps pretty good, except that when you tune it down, it loses the tuning fast. The hardware keeps good even if I treat it hard, so I think it will make more gigs without getting broken, the only thing that have got bad with the hardware was that dthe saddle cracked into two pieces, but it did get fixed very easy in the store. The strap buttons seems very solid and haven't failed any time yet. I depend on this guitar pretty much, and the times I've played live with it, ihaven't have any backup guitar with me, mostly because my other guitar is'nt pretty good, but I haven't need one eihter so it's goes on fine lat gigs. The finish seems very solid, but at the side of the body it have went off a little because I crushed it into a microphone stand by accident, but the rest of the finsih is good. // 10
Overall Impression: The guitar comes very good together with Nirvana and Guns N' Roses styled music, and it okay when playing metal. I wish I had asked about the intonation and how much the price of it was when he bought it, because I don't know but I think I payed pretty much the same price as the price in a store. I've been playing for 4 years or something, going through 4 electric guitar I think, and this one is the best I've owned. One thing I love about it is the sustain of the body, and that it is a Les Paul makes me love even more, because I think it's a nice model, but the body weights pretty much but it's okay. If this guitar was stolen, I would probably buy a Gibson instead, much because they're better in kin of many ways, but it's a great guitar for being an Epiphone and for the pretty low price. // 8
Purchased from: local shop
Features: I think this model was made in China, some of its features include:
- 22frets
- nice big neck (for me its quite big but I don't mind)
- 24.75 inch scale
- I think its got a set mahogany neck
- its a Les Paul body, if you don't know what a Les Paul body is don't read this! Lol
- tune-o-matic bridhe with a stop bar tailpiece
- passive humbuckers
- its got a nice 3 way Switch and 2 volume and tone knobs for each pickup, there is one neck humbucker and a Bridge humbucker
- grover tuners, non locking but they're awesome
- I got a gig bag, picks, elixir nanoweb strings, a crappy cable, and a small bag for everything. // 8
Sound: I play from jazz to blues to hard rock but not too hard and everything in between, Oasis, The Strokes, Coldplay, Chili Peppers etc, and the sound I get with this guitar for what I play is near perfect, I have a Blackstar ht something and, the sound just makes you cry, truly beautiful, I have a Zoom G1XN multi effects pedal, a crybaby wah, a big muff (little) and a Boss DS-1 Distortion too, and its really something you can just close your eyes and play to, I really love the soudn of it, its not too nisy on any setting maybe because of the noise gate the Zoom has, and this guitar is as versatile as ever, I can get Jimmy Page's tone to a sort of funky chili peppers tone. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The moment I bought it I set it up at the store and everything seemed to be fine, until one of the pickups died, the Bridge pickup just went quiet, but I went back to the store and they exchanfed my black one for a sunburst finish just for 30 bucks, the pickups for me were fine and everything was in perfect shape, no nut flaws, no rough edges, the guitar is quite heavy compared to my american Standard tele but I like the heavy factor, just adds to that crunch the Les Paul has. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I have played like about 5 or 6 times in school and it was flawless, I played Oasis's "Don't Look Back In Anger" and it just shined thru the solo, this Beast is built like a tank, it CAN LAST A LONGGG TIME, I changed the straps for Dunlop straploks and its still lasting, I would use it wit a back up because honestly I think I'll get tired just because of the weight, this finsih is lifetime lasting I've hit it on my wall at least 10 times and I'm concered at the wall not the guitar haha. // 9
Overall Impression: I play mostly alternative rock and it suits it perfectlym I've been playing for 5 and a half years now I own a Fender American standars tele, a crappy Ibanez GIO for travelling/practicing in friends studio, and a Vox amplug, if it was lost, I'd probably save up and get a gibson, I compared it to deans ibanezes fenders and everything else, for the price, its truly an amazing guitar. // 9
Price paid: € 322
Purchased from: Sinphonia
Features: Made in China, Standard Epiphone Les Paul standard, black top with chrome hardware and brownish pots that I'll probably change in the future. Overall a very nice looking guitar with the classic Les Paul looks at a much lower price tag. Mahogany solid body with a very nice finish, the rosewood trapezoid inlays are awesome. It is a set neck and head stock, so that's also very good. It came with a plastic whitish pickguard that is screwed into the guitar's body on two points. I took it off because the guitar looks better without it, and left the screws there but I may have to replace them with something nicer because they look a bit off on the guitar. In terms of features, it has four pots, which is nice, it has three pickup positions, which is normal, 22 and a half frets, which is normal, very nice tuners and a tune-o-matic bridge. Standard. I miss a locking nut to help the guitar stay in tune (Les Pauls never do stay in tune very well, to be honest), though, but that's it. // 8
Sound: I'm using a Vox Valtetronix VT20+. The sound is good for a guitar of this price. The highlights are the riffs and the clean warm sounds that this guitar pulls off. I like a broad variety of music and this guitar is pretty versatile in terms of sound. I'm able to pull off a wide variety of tones playing with the amp and the pots, but don't expect this guitar to be able to sound like Dime Bag's Washburns. The bluesy sounds of a Les Paul are easy to find but it's also relatively easy to get them out and bring in something different. In any case, the sound is definitely good for a guitar of this price, but doesn't really compare with stuff that costs 4 of 5 times more. Which is to be expected and totally ok with me. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: My guitar was already set up when I got her, but I think I'll need to set her up again. I took a look at a boxed version and it was about the same. The action is a bit high, but the adjustable Bridge will let me fix that easily. The rest is very decent with a few weak points. Overall the guitar is well put together, no doubt about that, but the screws are cheap looking (they do their job but don't look nice), the pots are a bit uneven and a few very tiny glitches here and there, where the wood meets the plastic of the Switch and the pickups, but you'll need to look hard for something to complain about. The finish is awesome and the fretboard is flawless. The pickguard, however, looks like it was made, well, in China. There are bards bellow and it's a cheap plastic that doesn't go well at all with the rest of the guitar. My suggestion is take it off, you don't need it anyway, and your guitar will look much more like a Gibson Les Paul so there. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I have to say that this guitar doesn't stay in tune very well, but it's very minor. I've seen far far worse, even in high end guitars. The tuners are very good, but the nut is probably catching the strings, will have to get some graphite to it eventually. It is a heavy guitar, and you'll get physically tired when playing with her, but you'll also get used to it no problem. Playing live with it will probably be ok, the strings very seldom break and the electrics are reliable from what I can tell. But I would still bring a backup, because it is, after all, a cheap guitar. If you don't play live, though, I'm thinking this guitar will last you from 30 to 50 years of daily playing:D Well, maybe not that long, but it is very solid. // 9
Overall Impression: It sounds fantastic for a cheap guitar. Never mind the price, it sounds good, it looks great, if plays great, the pickups are reasonably good and have a good sustain to them. To sum it up: this guitar should never be coupled with a crap amplifier. So, if you are interested in this guitar, get a good amplifier. If you want something for your room, I recommend my Vox Valvetronix VT20+, or a Roland Cube 40XL, which has a very neat looper, great for soloing. If you are just learning and don't want to spend 165 or 205, then try them amps with the guitar, and always favor sound over features, because this guitar will allow you to play around with the tones and it'll do a lot on its own, without the need for complex amps or pedals. In any case, you oughta love how it looks and how it sounds. You'll be hard pressed to find a better packaged for this kind of money. I certainly couldn't and that's why I bought it. // 9
Price paid: £ 399.99
Purchased from: GAK
Features: 22 frets. Les Paul body style. Sorry don't know what the rest of the features mean. // 10
Sound: Amazing sound. Warm tone when using rythm or halfway between rythm and treble. Clear and clean when in treble. Use a Microcube and mostly on black panel with full volume and half distortion sounds great for songs like stairway to heaven and D'yer Make'r. Best fits somebody who likes classic rock style and jazz not really that good for metal but can work for metal as well. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: NO flaws as far as I can see yet. Absolutely perfect. Works like a dream. Hahaha. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I would use this in any gig without backup. I would reccomend changing the top e string regularly though. Amazing strenght nio need for a hard case it is ridicliously hard and tougfh an amzing instrument every guitarist should hve this. 20 more characters. // 10
Overall Impression: Playing for 6 years. Style: all styles great match guitar. Own 3 Acoustic guitars. I would buy this again if lost of stolen. I love its looks and sounds I hate its weight if it weighed less it would be better. B ut apparantley weight is good in a guitar. Fav feature would be the treble/rythm flick switch. Great instrument for serious players who can't afford expensive gibsons or are young like me. // 10
Price paid: C$ 540
Features: Mahogany body with hand-set mahogany neck. Rosewood fretboard with 22 frets, pearl fret in-lays and a 24.75" scale. My Les Paul Standard came in an ebony finish with cream accents (pick-up rings, pick-guard, toggle-switch). Silver Grover tuners, locking Tune-o-matic bridge and stop-bar. 3-way pick-up toggle-switch, Alnico neck pick-up, Alnico Classic bridge pick-up, and 2 volume knobs, 2 tone knobs. // 9
Sound: Excellent tones for jazz, hard rock, metal, classic rock, etc. A very versatile guitar. With the neck pick-up on cleans you can achieve this very smooth almost glossy-like clean tone, excellent for light jazz chords, relaxed solos and more. With the neck and bridge pick-ups both engaged, you can achieve a very unique tone that is only achievable with the Les Paul; a very nice belly-like clean tone! On overdrive the Les Paul is hot! Raw biting overtones and high output! Excellent mids overall. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The instance I picked up the guitar it was almost perfectly set up. Action was perfect, I didn't have to make any adjustments to either pick-up heights, and the finish was absolutely flawless. Frets are smooth all along the edges of the neck/fretboard, cleanly done fret-inlays, all tone/volume knobs roll smoothly and firmly. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar wails! It holds tune extremely well even after massive over-bends and hard chord chugs. I have already used the guitar once for a gig and it is definitely reliable. The finish is nice, it is not too thick and it also doesn't scratch easily. The one thing I would definitely suggest for any Les Paul owner/purchaser is to invest in strap-locks! For where one of the strap-button is located the strap tends to be put on an awkward angle where worn straps are very susceptible to letting go of the strap-buttons. // 9
Overall Impression: Definitely a must-have for any guitar-head out there. Excellent for cleans, recording, hard rock, classic rock, primarily most genres! This guitar looks beautiful, feels solid, and sounds excellent. A very good bang-for-your-buck. // 9
Price paid: $ 514
Purchased from: guitar center
Features: 2010 Japan made Epiphone LP Stardard left handed in ebony. 22 jumbo frets. Rosewood fret board. Alder neck. Mahogany/alder body.grover tuners. Factory everything[tuners, pots, switches, pickups] everything but strings. Strings are Ernie Ball regular slinky 10's. // 9
Sound: The sound on this LP is amazing. I put it against my buddies Gibson LP Standard, first week I had it. Both running out of a Marshall halfstack. I matched him almost tone for tone. [He has hotter leads due to slightly better pickups] but they sound they same. A little adjusting with my pickups and you almost couldn't tell the difference. Trust me I been playing 7 yrs. No unwanted noises from the pots or switches. I little fret buzz when I first put on the Ernie Ball strings. But that's easily fixable. I play everything from Neil Young to renditions of Gnarls Barkley to Rage Against The Machine to AC/DC to blues. This guitar covers them all without fail. In my opinion this is the most versatile guitar on the planet // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The action from the factory was perfect. Alot better then I expected. Better than some of my friends more expensive guitars. Pickups needed adjusting but that's personal preference. I like both of my pickups a little higher than most. But right out of the box, I couldn't hear anything wrong. They really screemed. This guitar is solid, heavy, everything an LP should be. I play out with it everyweek. Have gotten alot of complements on it. Knocked it around a couple times[after a couple drinks]. Took the lickin and wont stop tickin. I've read alot of bad reviews about these guitars. Just remember this. PLAY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT. I got home with this one and took the pick gaurd off to find a tiny little mar in the finish. Not a big deal to me, my hand covers it. But had it come from the factory like that. I might have sent it back. // 1
Reliability & Durability: Like I said I play out with this guitar every week. I've had it for almost two yrs now and its been out everyweek since the first one. As it is my only guitar. I have to gig without a back up. But she hasn't failed me yet. And I'm not expecting her to any time soon. The hardware is sturdy and the nickle plating still looks damn good. I replaced the strap buttons with strap locks. The stap fell off in the first six months. Wore out quick and they didn't put the stap button on the right angle by the neck[cause that's where all LP slip from] so I bought some strap locks for it. Now she don't go nowhere I don't want her to. // 8
Overall Impression: Overall my LP is the perfect guitar for me. It covers all my musical ranges. Has great action, sturdy construction, great sound clean or distorted. This is something to hand down to my son when he starts to play. If it where stolen I would definitely buy another one. // 9
Price paid: € 299
Purchased from: Feedback
Features: Indonesian made, not sure what year, could be 2011 or 2012, 22 fret 24,75" maple neck with medium-jumbo frets, rosewood fingerboard, '60s slim taper neck profile. The finish is a gloss black finish, Tune-O-Matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece. Passive electronics, 3 way toggle and 2 volumes and 2 tones controlling the 2 covered Epiphone Alnico Classic humbuckers and some non-locking Grover tuners. Solid mahogany body. Nothing extraordinary, just a regular Les Paul. It did not come with a case/gig bag. // 7
Sound: I'm playing hard rock, alternative rock, heavy metal, alternative metal and blues. It does the job. I really like the neck humbucker, especially when using a boosted solo setting. The bridge pickup is not really nice in my opinion. It is pretty muddy and does not cut through very well. Clean it sounds pretty dull, so therefore I am planning on replacing this with a Duncan Distortion. It is a versatile guitar. At home I'm using a Roland Cube 15XL and in the local venue when rehearsing I us a Peavey Bandit 112, the newer one. The cleans on the Cube are very nice, but I really can't get a nice high gain sound out of it. The Preavey does a better job. I've tried my guitar on various other amps, like a H&K Tubemeister 36, where the Les Paul Standard sounded very, very nice. Basically, sounds alright, just the bridge pickup is not really suiting my style. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: When I first got this guitar, it was the showroom model, so it really required a set-up. The pickups were adjusted pretty well. Although the wiring was horrendous. When I selected a diffrent pickup, the sound was cut and I had to switch back and forth a million times to get some sound, but then again it was like the volume was at 5. When I went back to the store, the wiring was almost loose, but they repaired it for free. I do not really have this problem anymore, just when I don't play for 12+ hours and switch the pickup, it cuts off. But you just have to switch back and forth again and everything's fine. Second of all, the screws of the input jack were misplaced and fell into the pickup cavity. Matter of unscrewing and screwing it back in, but still not a good thing. The paint is good, doesn't chip. Before I ahd straplocks, mar strap fell off and the guitar fell on the ground, it was only a minor damage, just a little bit of paint that fell off. Everything else remained undamaged. // 6
Reliability & Durability: This is my only guitar so automatically my main guitar and it will withstand live plaing for sure. Just install straplocks, but I would do that with every guitar. The hardware will definitely last. I've only gigged one time with another guitar, which was a borrowed Ibanez RG545 for Standard Tuning and the Les Paul for Drop D. Although it isn't smart to gig without a backup, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard will NEVER let you down! The finish will last, good example is when I play with spikes on my wristband. They are pretty sharp and I wounded people badly with it, but the guitar finish will just scratch a little bit, it won't chip. This makes it a very reliable live guitar, as long as you have some straplocks. // 8
Overall Impression: I've been playing for almost 4 years now and this guitar is great. I use it with my Roland Cube 15XL at home and a Peavey Bandit 112 at rehearsals. My only pedal is an Electro-Harmonix LPB-1 booster (very nice pedal for €33) and the Les Paul Standard does it's job pretty well. If it were stolen, I would buy it again, or maybe get something with either better pickups, like a Gibson SGJ. I really love the looks and neck pickup and I really don't like the bridge pickup. I just wish it had a better bridge pickup and some coil splits. All with all, I love my Epiphone Les Paul Standard cause it's a solid guitar that will never let you down and sounds pretty good, while you don't have to pay a lot. I would recommend it, but if you can find one second hand with better pickups, that would be even better. // 7
Price paid: $ 220
Purchased from: craigslist
Features: This review is of my Epiphone Les Paul Standard plain top electric guitar which I have owned for about four years at the time of my writing this review. According to the serial number on the back of its headstock it was made in China at the Unsung Plant in November of 2006. Like most Les Paul models it has a single cutaway mahogany body capped with a carved maple top. Contrasting the ebony finish is an elevated cream white pickguard, with matching back cavity covers, and 1-ply binding along the body and glued-in, set mahogany neck with slim-tapered profile and golden "Les Paul Model" silkscreen on the headstock. It comes equipped with two passive Alnico Classic humbucker pickups which are controlled through four amber colored, bell shaped knobs (2 volume, 2 tone) and 3-position pickup selector toggle. This model features Epiphone's legendary rock solid chrome hardware including Grover Rotomatic non-locking die-cast tuners, fully adjustable tune-o-matic bridge, and stopbar tailpiece for that legendary Les Paul sustain. Atop the neck is a 24-3/4" scale rosewood fingerboard with 12" radius, and a 1.68" wide nut followed by 22 medium jumbo frets, highlighted with trapezoid inlays. This guitar did not come with any additional accessories when I purchased it from the original owner off of Craigslist. // 9
Sound: Prior to owning this Epiphone Les Paul I had been playing guitars with single-coil pickups. However, I did own an Epiphone Les Paul Jr. Special II back when I was a teen, and an Epiphone SG Special in my early 20's, but neither Special model impressed me much. Years later, claims of increased sustain from its glued-in, set mahogany neck, and heavier sound of the Alnico humbucker pickups persuaded me to give the Epiphone Les Paul Standard model a try. I have not been disappointed, nor have I looked back since discovering that I am "Les Paul" kind of guy. The Alnico Classic humbucker pickups fit in well among rock genres (which I prefer). I'll go further and say the Alnico Classic humbucker pickups can fit into any music genre out there. After all, the Les Paul was designed in part by a jazz musician and was originally marketed towards jazz guitarist. Over the decades the Les Paul has been popular with blues guitarist as well.I have played my Les Paul Standard through a few amplifiers but I will stick with my primary amp to keep things short, my humble little Fender Mustang I. I do not use a whole lot of effects, typically just overdrive and distortion presets. I like to throw in a little delay and tremolo effect for fun here and there. Thanks to the humbucker pickups that "buck the hum" this is not a noisy guitar while sitting idle with the volume knob on, compared to most single-coil pickups. Overall, the Les Paul produces a tight and focused tone, from dark and warm, to bright and crisp, and all shades in between. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: Since I purchased this guitar preowned I cannot accurately speak on how well the guitar was set-up by the factory. However, assuming the previous owner did not make any adjustments, and knowing I myself have not made any adjustments, I'd say the factory did a fine job setting up this guitar. The action is to my liking. It feels right, not too high and not too low. The pickups appear to have been set-up properly as well, and I have not discovered any flaws with this guitar aside from normal wear from use. Overall, in my opinion the Les Paul single cutaway feels more comfortable and natural compared to other guitars I have had the opportunity to own. The best words I can come up with to describe how the Les Paul feels to me is "it feels like home" if that makes sense to anyone out there reading this. In other words, it's the "bee's-knees." Some complain about the Les Paul's weight being too heavy, but that's actually one of the many aspects that I love about the model. Thinking about it, I cannot think of anything that I do not like about this guitar. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I lucked out when I found this guitar on Craigslist; the seller was a kid who had wanted to learn how to play but gave up and decided to put it up for sale. It was like new when I bought it with the only blemishes being superficial pick scratches, and it has pretty much remained in the same condition. I have babied this guitar; actually, I have treated this guitar better than my own kids at times, sorry kids. The reason being, this guitar is a piece of eye candy and I want to keep it looking as such. I have always been cautious whenever I wear a belt while playing this guitar, going as far as sliding my belt buckle around to the side of my body, resting on my hip to avoid any buckle rash. The guitar appears to have been constructed with high regard to integrity. I was immediately impressed with how solid it felt compared to the Strat style guitars I have owned. I am confident this guitar can withstand gigging as I have seen musicians gig with similar, if not the same make and model. When I asked one musician why he uses Epiphone, he told me it helped him avoid damage to, or theft of his Gibson Les Paul while providing the same feel and tone of his Gibson. The finish has withstood my regular playing of it the past several years.Honestly, I have not had any issues with this Les Paul whatsoever. Another reason for my confidence in this guitar's ability to withstand live performances is the fact that one of my guitar heroes, Lars Frederiksen of Rancid, has recorded albums and performed live while using his completely stock Epiphone Les Paul Custom. Need I say more? The evidence speaks for itself. An Epiphone Les Paul can withstand live performances as well as touring around the world with Rancid. As mentioned earlier in the review, the hardware on this guitar is rock solid, and lives up to Epiphone's legendary reputation. Although this guitar has not let me down, I would not perform live without a backup, nor should anybody perform without a backup ready and waiting. Let's say a string breaks during your set. Would you rather (A) switch to your backup guitar between songs and keep the show and its energy going, or (B) stop the show, and look like an dweeb while you become the new center of attention while you restring your guitar and kiss the energy you had going good bye? // 9
Overall Impression: Personally, I enjoy listening to my favorite bands and play my guitar along to their music. I love listening to Rancid, Misfits, Social Distortion and Dropkick Murphys especially. The Epiphone Les Paul Standard is perfectly suited for this style of music (punk rock) as guitarists from Rancid, Social Distortion and Dropkick Murphys play Les Pauls. I have been playing guitar for the past twenty years now, and in addition to my Epiphone Les Paul Standard, I also have an Epiphone Les Paul Custom Black Beauty 3, and a Gretsch G5120 Electromatic hollow body. If either of my Epiphone Les Pauls were lost or stolen it is highly likely that I would go out and buy another one, although I would like to get my hands on a Hagstrom Swede or Gibson Les Paul. I really do love everything about this Epiphone Les Paul: the weight, sustain, carved top, slim-tapered glued - in set neck, trapezoid inlays, rosewood fretboard, the binding, Grover tuners, the pickups, bridge, hardware... everything. The only thing I would consider changing is swapping out the chrome tuners for vintage-style green key tuners. // 9
Purchased from: Omer's Pawn
Features: It's a 1982 Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Cherry Sunburst, 22 fret, with all the standard LP looks. Beautiful finish with the 4 standard Les Paul adjusters. Dual pickups, one is onboard but the other is a battery operated standalone. The onboard is the Epiphone factory model and the standalone I'm not sure. // 10
Sound: Wow. Enough said. With a dual stacked Marshall or with a single practice amp, wire it through your rig and it'll sound insane no matter how you play it. Distorted the sound of the actual guitar kicks through or clean it sings like something that can sing a trumpet or something. Either way it never buzzes and is responsive as hell to whatever you want it to do. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Bought it used (it's an 82) and it came perfectly tuned and ready to go. No flaws, there's one scratch on the neck but that's about it, the strings were set a little more raised than I am normally used to but it didn't take much to get used to. // 10
Reliability & Durability: The guy I bought it from said he'd played bar after bar with it for years and it still looks as nice as any picture you can find on the manufacturer's website. You can play it for hours with heavy bending and it rarely detunes itself. // 10
Overall Impression: I play a lot of oldschool rock and metal and it fits those styles perfectly. I've had friends who are into country/blues/jazz and whatnot and they could still make it talk in those languages. It's the jack of all trades guitar, man. I've been playing for just under 2 years and the noname guitar I had before doesn't even compare to this thing. If it was stolen or lost after crying like a little girl for a few days I'd definetly get another one. My favorite feature? Everything. I love the tone, the look, the feel, everything about this guitar is perfection. // 10
Price paid: $ 330
Purchased from: Nashville used music
Features: I got an icredible deal on a 2001 LP standard. This is a list of the feutres: mahogany body, rosewood fretboard, flame top (blue to pearl is an awesome look), pick gaurd. This guitar has been customized with a bigsby whammy bar and rolling nut and bolt (wich eliminates the tuning problems some bigsbys add). It had the volume knobs of the sunburst LP but I got some black Gibson knobs at strings'n'things and now everybody wants to play my baby. // 10
Sound: One thing that makes this guitar sound even better is a Roland Cube 30. It has a built in delay, reverb, flanger, phaser, tremolo and chorus. (I would suggest that amp over a Marshall 30 watt) I play several types of music but I play punk rawk the most. I can play clean and the guitar has a phat tone. With this it sounds just as good as my freinds $1,000 Strat. I can play any type of music with this thing. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: My freind Bought a new LP Standard for around $550 it was awesome sraight from the factory ( mine was a used one). My pickups were perfect. Because of the whammy bar there is a quarter of a circle showing from underneath the bigsby wher the filled the whole from the origial stopbar with a filler just bareley off of the finishes color. But straight from the factory my friends Heritage cherry sunburst finish looked just like the Gibson $3000 finish. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will take whatever you can give. The hardware is awesome nothing is loose at all. My strap has fallen off one time but that was myfault because I a really really cheap strap that had holes that were to big. The finish again is awesome and whereever they make these things those poor people working in overcrowded factories deserve a raise for this finish! // 8
Overall Impression: One thing about a Les Paul is that no matter what kind of music your playing it looks awesome. From AC/DC to blues, to folk music this guitar loks cool and makes the player look cool. I have been playing about four months now and have mostly taught myself. I also own an Epiphone acoustic wich is so awesome. I wish I had asked if this thing was still under warranty when I bought it not becauase anything has happened but in case something does. So don't forget to ask that question if buy a used one. If it got stolen then I would probably save up and get a another just like and if I had enough money I might upgrade to Gibson.
I love the finish the best and there is nothing that I really hate about except that some people think that I must be an idiot for buying one with a whammy bar (but I don't really care what people say the whammy bar certainly doesn't take anything away from the guitar it just adds to it and make very rare). The whammy bar is probably my favorite feature that actually effects the sound. I compared it to a Strat before I bought it and for the value it didn't even come close thats why I bought the LP. // 10
Price paid: $ 477.95
Purchased from: Long & McQuade, Saskatoon
Features: This guitar is amazing, it was made in China and I think its an '03. 22 frets. Relatively thin. Laminated top. The neck is mahogany and the body is mahogany/alder. Very nice. The finish is transparent, it's unbelievebly smooth. It's a Les Paul, so it's the standard Les Paul body, single cutaway. It's got a tune-o-matic. Active electronics, it's got volume, tone control for all pickups. I bought it straight on boxing day so I didn't get anything with it. // 10
Sound: I play mostly blues, or rock, or rock/blues, and it suits that perfectly. It has a very round sound. I'm using it with a Danelectro Vintage amp and I've been using the dirty sweet effect as well as a flanger/chorus pedal. The sound quality varies it can be very grungy and also perfect clean and clear. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Everything on this guitar is perfect as far as action, fit and finish. It's flawless. In the store where I bought it ther was another one that had some problems but as far as the one I bought it's amazing. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will take pretty much anything you can five it. It is completely solid. It's completely dependable I would totally use it without a backup. I see this guitar lasting for a long time. // 10
Overall Impression: I play alot of blues and rock like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and this guitar is perfect, the sound it produces and the action is like sticking my fingers in butter. I've been playing for quite awhile, my other guitar is an Ibanez G10 and there is absolutely no comparison between these two guitars. If it were lost or stolen and I had the money I would absolutely buy it again. I love everything about this guitar, especially the playability. I would highly recomend this guitar to anyone whos looking for something in the bluesy rock area. // 10
Features: This is a china made Epiphone Les Paul Standard, not sure of the year of production. I bought it a few months ago, and am very happy with it. The guitar is very well crafted, and is quite sturdy. The hardware seems very reliable, but I have only had this guitar a few months now, so how it holds up in time remains to be seen. I however, think it will last for quite some time. After adjusting the bridge, or sometimes after tuning, the g string tends to go out of tune quickly. This happens infrequently but is still annoying. The tuners themselves are Grovers, and aside from occasional tuning problems with the g string, the guitar stays in tune very well. I am constantly changing tunings due to this currently being my only guitar, so I'm unsure of how long the guitar can be kept in tune without any adjustments. // 8
Sound: The Les Paul can cover a wide range of tones, and is a very middle-of-the-road guitar when it comes to tones, in my opinion. The stock pickups can produce a very nice clean tone, as well as handle fair amounts of distortion. Depending on what pick up is selected and what position the tone knobs are at, the guitar can produce tones ranging from thin and trebley to thick and bassy. I play a lot of punk, post hardcore, metalcore and extreme metal, and the guitar can handle them all fairly well. The guitar is obviously not as suited for metal as an EMG equipped one, but still performs very well. I am constantly hooking this guitar up with Line 6's pod farm, which with all of its amp/effect modelling capabilities, shows how versatile the Les Paul can be. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up fairly well when I purchased it. The action had to be lowered quite a bit, but that was no trouble. Other than that I have made little changes to the setup and am very happy with the guitar's performance. // 8
Reliability & Durability: From my experience with this guitar, it is very durable. It has endured a few bumps and a couple of hits and has no dents, scratches or damage to the finish. I haven't had to adjust much of the setup. This guitar would most definitely withstand a live performance, and would be a good choice for a main guitar or a back up. // 8
Overall Impression: I am very happy with my Epi Les Paul Standard and have found it to be quite valuable for the price I paid for it. I think it's a great deal, and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a guitar that can cover a wide variety of genres. // 9
Homer F.
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