JimiZeppelin4

I mostly play blues, classic rock, and alternative. My price range is within $400-600. I was looking at other guitars such as a few Strats but I just love the overall feel and tone of a Les Paul so I'm going to stick with that. I also tried an Epiphone Limited Edition Riviera Custom P93 and I thought it was awesome. Some other guitars I was looking at are:

Epiphone Les Paul Standard $399
Epiphone Les Paul Custom PRO $549
Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Studio Deluxe $399
Epiphone Limited Edition 1956 Les Paul Gold Top $499 (EDIT: Not so sure about this one)

Obviously I don't have the money for a solid Gibson so I was wondering if these would be great upgrades. Also, If there are other similar guitars out there, please recommend some. Thanks.

Soccerguy

Is there any reason you're only listing Epiphones? I, along with many others, would suggest checking out some Agiles.
http://www.rondomusic.com/electricguitar-ss6.html
Start from the bottomish of that page and have a peek through to see if anything catches your fancy.

Robbgnarly

You can get Gibson LP studios for $500ish+ if you go used

__________________
2002 PRS CE22
197? Sanox Sound Creator LP clone (GFS Fat Pat)
2009 Epiphone G-400 (SH-4)
Marshall JCM2000 DSL100
Krank 1980 Jr 20watt
Krank Rev 4x12 (eminence V12)
GFS Greenie/Digitech Bad Monkey
Morley Bad Horsie 2
MXR Smart Gate

noisewall11

I feel like you get the most bang for your buck if you go with any of the pro models, you just can't beat them with all the tonal capabilty at that price range. The custom pros i've tried were pretty nice, but have you ever checked out the traditional pro?? They aren't quite as flashy looking as the customs, but the matte(?) finish on the back of the traditionals make up for it if you ask me.. much more comfortable and way faster than the gloss necks on the customs, and it costs less.

JimiZeppelin4

Thanks for your advice guys. I'm gonna go to GC and try them out this weekend.

SteveHOC

You should play around on some SG's, the faded models run around $400-450 used in my area (Dallas, TX). It's not that there's anything at all wrong with the guitars you have listed, but you can probably snag a great guitar on the used market with a $600 top-end.

JimiZeppelin4

Yeah a long time ago I was looking at a lot of SGs. I'll definitely check some out again.

uziyourillusion

Also keep an eye out for used Epi elitist les pauls. Made in Japan with USA hardware, long neck tenon, african mahogany woods, grover tuners, bone nut....all big impovements over a made in china or korea Epiphone,Agile, or even the Gibson studios.
There's one on eBay now for $650. That's a lot of guitar for that price, specs not far off from a historic Gibson.

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Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Got no religion, don't need no friends
Got all I want and I don't need to pretend
Don't try to reach me, 'cause I'd tear up your mind
I've seen the future and I've left it behind

dmbb1239

honestly the epiphone customs are my favorite guitars in that price range, ive owned several and they are sturdy as hell with a great tone, and easy playing neck

Maximus_2005

+1

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JimiZeppelin4

If I decide to go with a Les Paul, I'm narrowing it down to a New Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro or a used Gibson Les Paul Studio. Which one would be worth buying? The Custom is 549.99 while the Studio is ranging from 499-699.

T00DEEPBLUE

The Gibson obviously, unless you just want something that looks pretty.

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progdude93

Yeah, go used. If you can get the Elitist, go for it. Gibson discontinued them because they were competing with their higher-end models (and winning!).

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Robbgnarly

This is false. Epiphone Elitist are good guitars, but they were discontinued because of lack of sales in the USA. They were $1000+ new and you can buy a gibson(a nice Gibson) for that. So that ment competing with them-selfs.

__________________
2002 PRS CE22
197? Sanox Sound Creator LP clone (GFS Fat Pat)
2009 Epiphone G-400 (SH-4)
Marshall JCM2000 DSL100
Krank 1980 Jr 20watt
Krank Rev 4x12 (eminence V12)
GFS Greenie/Digitech Bad Monkey
Morley Bad Horsie 2
MXR Smart Gate

progdude93

Uh, the Elitists far outstripped Gibson Studio models (at least the ones I've seen). Which diminished the brand value of the Gibson name.

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Robbgnarly

I never said they were not good guitars at all, they are very nice guitars. But Gibson is going to sell (and did sell) many more guitars at the same price point than the Elitest models. And the fact that many people are going to be (and were) reluctant to Buy a $1000+ Epiphone when you can get a Gibson for the same price. So Gibson stoped all but the Casino Elitist model (I'm not sure if they are producing them this year and the Casino is the only one that sold well)

__________________
2002 PRS CE22
197? Sanox Sound Creator LP clone (GFS Fat Pat)
2009 Epiphone G-400 (SH-4)
Marshall JCM2000 DSL100
Krank 1980 Jr 20watt
Krank Rev 4x12 (eminence V12)
GFS Greenie/Digitech Bad Monkey
Morley Bad Horsie 2
MXR Smart Gate

progdude93

I'm not arguing with your point. I'm saying that Elitists were as good as many Gibson models, and that fact ruins the Gibson reputation. Kind of life Squiers being better than Fenders. If they were, they'd be discontinued, because they're supposed to be budget Fenders.

I see how my post could lead you to think I meant in terms of sales, but I was speaking in terms of quality.

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Robbgnarly

Even in Quality the Elitist are no better than Gibson. You will get a nicer looking guitar (quilt/flame top) than a Gibson at the same price, but quality wise I'd say it's about even. Most people here know that Japanese made guitars are as good as most USA made high-end guitars now a days.

__________________
2002 PRS CE22
197? Sanox Sound Creator LP clone (GFS Fat Pat)
2009 Epiphone G-400 (SH-4)
Marshall JCM2000 DSL100
Krank 1980 Jr 20watt
Krank Rev 4x12 (eminence V12)
GFS Greenie/Digitech Bad Monkey
Morley Bad Horsie 2
MXR Smart Gate

progdude93

I have a few MIJ guitars.... And like I said before, every Studio I've played has been patently inferior to Elitists I've played. Granted, I've only played two Elitists, so maybe my sample is off, but I doubt it, from what I've heard.

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