Les Paul 56 Goldtop ReissueFeatured review by: moonshot, on may 05, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: According to the serial number this guitar was made 12/15/08 in China.
I wanted a Les Paul style guitar with the P-90 pickups and this was the one that had the vibe that I was looking for. The Epiphone web site says it has a mahogany body, solid top and neck. The body and Neck do look like mahogany but since the top is painted Who knows? I have heard the top could be Alder.
The finish is obviously high gloss polyurethane. Gives up some in the tone department but is highly durable and shines up great! Typical Les Paul hardware and control layout. Decent Grover tuners. // 8
Sound: I play lots of styles but love hard rock and blues and this axe delivers in both those genres. It is NOT a metal players guitar! (Get a Jackson!). I play through a Fender Princeton 112 Plus practice amp and a Peavey Special 130 circa 1984. Also use a Zoom 505 and a DigiTech RP50. Yeah I know its basic but it works for me. The P-90 pups are one of the high points on this axe. They Shine on clean setting and with a bit of dirt on the amps Drive channel they scream the blues. Yeah the single coils hum a bit but no more than your Standard Strat. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitars setup out of the box was average. The action was a bit high but I like that in a blues/rock guitar. Maybe I got lucky but all the hardware on my guitar was in great shape. No loose Switch or jack and the bridge and stop tail look like solid pieces. The Grover tuners are work fine. Like any new axe, especially one in this price range, you see the flaws if you look close. Plastic nut, frets show file marks, cheesy knobs, but overall the quality is good for a Chinese made guitar. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't play this guitar Live until it was setup properly. After that sure. It looks great under the lights and the P-90's have great sound. Hardware is solid and strap buttons very secure. I believe I could depend on it but always have a backup. The finish is bulletproof. // 8
Impression: Like I say I play mostly blues and hard rock and this axe is great for both. I've been playing as a hobby for over 30 years and don't even consider myself a pro player. I also have a Gibson SG a Flying V and an Ibanez RG series axe. I bought this axe knowing it was going to need work but has potential. Everything I wish it had I will be installing in the future. I know it will never compare to a true Gibson Gold Top but if you want that Les Paul feel and vibe it is a good value at the price. // 8
Les Paul 56 Goldtop Reissue
Reviewed by:
UG Team, on july 09, 2003 8 of 11 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 350
Features: The guitar itself is made in Korea it has 22 frets, 3 way Switch, 2 tone, and 2 volume knobs. It has a gold top finish, mahogany body set neck and alnico p90 soap-bar pickups. there is trapazoid inlays and it is accented in a cream color (pickups, pickguard, back plates ete.) // 10
Sound: It suits my music styles which range from jazz/blues.. to alternative and punk rock... very full sound with the p-90's this guitar really kicks out some amazing solos.. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: From the factory the guitar was decent.. like normal the strings are just stock strings and rust in a week or so the pickups were perfect...They need to flip the tailpiece the opposite way from the factory it gives it more sustain.. Then there was a problem the 3 way Switch went bad and only one pickup was working.. so after putting a new Switch in there (cost 10.00$) it still didn't work.. it turns out some of the wires were literally ripped right from the volume and tone knob connectors... this was an easy fix.. but a little more care in the inspection department would be great.. other wise when finally done and set up with new strings and fixed it literally played better that a Gibson les paul..(and no I'm not dissen them because I own a Gibson as well..) // 10
Reliability & Durability: It definately will play live.. the hardware is amazing now that it is setup and fixed.. the finish has a coating over the paint so it will last.. the strap buttons are good and i do depend on it.. as for playin a gig without a backup.. I never play one without a standby because strings snap and stuff happens.. // 10
Impression: I've been playing for 3 years.. I have alot of gear.. A 1950's Gibson les paul JR a 1959 Gibson es335 (the Epiphone 56 reissue)and a "Strat" copy that we are doing some work 2.. I own 2 tube amps a Fender Twin Reverb from the 60's and a 52 or 53 Fender tweed amp... most of this gear is from my gramps that was in a band...
The guitar was awesome all around I would defiantely recommend it but you need to do a set-up and a string change when you get it... but that is a common thing. // 10
Les Paul 56 Goldtop Reissue
Reviewed by:
davidkcoile, on april 04, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 500
Purchased from: local music store
Features: I got my Epi Les Paul 7 years ago. It is made in China. 22 frets P-90 pups. 2 tone controls 2 volume controls. Mahogany body The dark mahogany back looks sharp. It is heavy like a Les Paul should feel. I bought a wide strap to make it easier on my shoulder. This badboy has sustain that just is awesome. The gold knobs look very good. // 10
Sound: I play blues, classic rock, rockabilly, contemporary Christian. This guitar is perfect for those styles. I play directly through my Fender amp. I use a little reverb on the amp that's it. I like the sustain and the bite the P90's have. The bridge pickup is very bright with a little gain it will rock. The middle setting is pure Les Paul warm and full. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The setup was pretty good when I bought it. The finish is very nice I had no complaints. I have had tighten up the jack a couple of times but no big deal. The metalflake paint is awesome looking The action is smooth and fast it plays like a dream. The neck is comfortable feels good to my hands. I couldn't find any flaws in the finish. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I have traveled and played this guitar live it will hold its own. The P90's cut through the mix with no problem. This guitar has never let me down. The Grovers keep it in tune. The P90's scream. I have had this guitar for seven years and have had fewer problems than any guitar I have ever owned. // 10
Impression: I play a blues rockabilly southern rock style this guitar was made for this style. I have been playing almost 40 years I have owned old Gibson Les Pauls Es 335's old StratsPaul Reed Smiths. I know there's a lot of difference between this and a Gibson Les Paul I just can't find 2000 dollars worth of difference. It's a good deal for the money. I play all around the southeast I will play this guitar anywhere. // 10
Les Paul 56 Goldtop Reissue
Reviewed by:
guitarmaster01, on may 24, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Features: It has 22 fat frets with a mahogany body and neck, wand a rosewood fretboard and trapezoid inlays.The finish is satin in Gold or black. It has the original Les Paul body style with a 24-3/4" neck. Lock Tone Tune-O-Matic Bridge and stopbar tailpiece for more sustain and easier string changing. The tuners are non locking with original Epiphone tuners. The guitar has 2 Alnico P-90 single coil pickups, the Switch is 2 volume, 2 tone with a pickup selector. The guitar came with a cable and a few tools. // 10
Sound: It suits all styles, it personally works good for me because it has that nice hard rock sound to that is great for hard rock to heavy metal. I am using a Marshall MA50C with overdrive, crunch, bass, middle, treble, and a little reverb. The guitar sounds amazing, it screams. It depends on what setting you want to put it on, it really has a full rich sound. This guitar can make alot of sounds you can turn the distortion higher or lower with the pickup selector. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up ok. The action was way off, it needed tuned, and the strings were really bad. The pickups were adjusted perfectly. The top was fine and the Bridge was properly routed. Frets were really buzzy, and the pickup selector was a little loose. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is nice and light weight good for gigs and live playing. The hardware is nice and solid nothing was loose. The strap buttons or nice and big so that your guitar doesn't come off the strap. It is really durable I use it as my main guitar, I would use it without a backup cause it looks nice and sturdy, if adjusted and maintained properly I could last forever. The finish is nice and hard no scratches with playing it looks just as good as when I bought it. // 10
Impression: It fits well with the rock style and blues style. I have been playing for Four years. And I own a Gibson Les Paul Jr. and a Johnson Acoustic dreadnought. I would not have asked them anything because this is a good guitar. If it was stolen I for sure would buy another one. I love everything about this guitar I feels and sounds amazing. I think my favorite feature is it sounds like a original Les Paul. I compared it to a Fender Stratocaster but the Stratocaster just didn't compare with sound, or quality of this guitar. // 10
Les Paul 56 Goldtop Reissue
Reviewed by:
willstriker777, on february 09, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: A$ 800
Purchased from: Logan's Piano
Features: This Les Paul Black Beauty guitar features 3 Alnico Classic humbucker pickups to extend your tonal range, a set slim-taper mahogany neck, solid mahogany body, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, block pearl inlanys, cream body, fingerboard, and headstock binding, and block inlays. Gold hardware. LockTone Tune-O-Matic/stopbar tailpiece and grover tuners. I also bought a hard case which costed $99 AUD. // 9
Sound: This wonderful guitar completely suits my style of music. Through this Les Paul you can play blues, classical and aswell as rock and metal. A bit of extra it can have more diverse types of sounds with a FX pedal. The rhythm pickup provides more of a clean sound while the treble gives more of a raw sound, through the third Classic Alnico Humbucker it just provides a better quality of sound. The only thing which troubled me was when I played solos and faster songs. My other Ibanez RG350DX allowed me to speed up and down the frets, although with this Les Paul it can be abit harder. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: Through my opinion this guitar was well constructed and there were no faulty bits. Nothing really troubled me, as the shop Logan's Piano I think takes great care of their guitars. Although the selectors for the treble and rhythm were abit loose, which wasn't a great deal. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar I would think it could last me a lift time. The gold hardware just makes this guitar not only look better but makes it look new. The strap buttons were completely solid and for such a great guitar I would recommend a hard case. Even though after playing it for a while you can smudge oil from your hands etc. on to your guitar but it can be easily removed. // 10
Impression: The style of music I play is mostly rock and classical rock, this guitar does match the types of music I play. I've just bought this guitar a few weeks ago, I also have an Ibanez RG350DX and an Ashton. I do think the guitar would look at have more versatility if it had a tremolo. My favourite features of this guitars would have to be the grover tuners and the humbuckers. I did compared with many other guitars, like the gold top les paul, SG, and the Ibanez but I chose the black beauty because it was far more unique then the other les pauls and it provided a diverse amount of quality sounds. // 9
im looking into this guitar aswell... my other option was the epiphone les paul custom (black white n gold) but it seems that i cant get that in australia? but yea i heard the P-90 are one of the best pickups around and i also know that david gilmour played a gibson les paul 57 goldtop with p-90 for another brick in the wall.. also it seems that neil finn from crowded house used one in their live tour. seems like a great guitar a definite purchase
I don't know if Gilmour used a Gibson Les Paul 57 Goldtop in Another Brick In The Wall, but i'm sure that he used that guitar in his last album, "On An Island".
I'd say that as a first guitar i would go for an LP 100 or a Special II. I am saying that because of the price. Sure this one sounds good (p-90 pickuos) but as a beginner, you might want to spend less money.
Dont' go too cheap on your first guitar or you'll outgrow it very quickly! Many entry level guitars have serious flaws that can't be adjusted for. Warped necks due to cheap woods, bad neck to body angle, crappy placement of bridges making intonation a nightmare, cheap tuners that slip or noisy, poor sounding pickups. Considering you have pay over a thousand dollars for a Japanese or American Made guitar these days (and it goes up from there), $350.00 puts you firmly into the serious beginner guitar quality level where it will do you for several years. As quality control varies more with less expensive guitars, I would suggest trying several of the same model to find the "best of the lot".
Yes it also came in ebony. If you go the epiphone home website you will see that it did.Though it was only available in the two colors gold or ebony.Hope this helped.
I'm a 30-year pro player and I've owned a TON of guitars of all vintages and price-ranges. I own an Epi Dot, which I LOOOVE!! I tried this guitar because I was searching for a P-90 equipped beast and I've always LOVED the Gold-Top's looks. I hate to say it, but I was disappointed. Not sure if it may have been a shielding issue with the P-90's, but they were MUCH noisier than similarly equipped guitars, and the neck wasn't NEARLY as nice as my Dot. I put it head-to-head with a P-90 equipped Godin, a PRS and a lowly 200-dollar Squier Telecaster Custom II made in Indonesia... and the Squier won hands down for great P-90 tone. The Squier neck needed a little work as well, but even before that, it was still better than the Epi. In the end, I chose an purchased the Tele Custom II over the Goldtop based on sheer sound. I realize it wouldn't be historically accurate on a Goldtop, but it really helped that the neck p/u on the Tele was reverse wound, meaning you get a humbucking efect with both p/u's selected (like pos 2 & 4 on a Strat)... but even on their own, the lowly Indonesian-built, Duncan-designed P-90's on the Tele were FAR quieter than the Epi, and overall, just had much better tone. I was bummed, cos I had really high hopes. The thing with these less-expensive guitars is that they lack consistency, so maybe I just happened upon a bad Epi and a good Squier.
im looking at getting this guitar (as my 2nd). the one im playing right now is garbage, so this looks like a nice step up. i'll definitely consider it.
i have an original fender 72 telecaster deluxe. I love it and all but i got to put it down... i can't risk messing it up its too valuable. thats why i bought this guitar. i cut the pick up wholes wider and put in seymor duncan 59 blues pickups. man does it sound beautiful. i loved the p90s too. but i really like seymor duncans.... do not get this as your first guitar. get a squire or somthing. get this guitar once you really know how to play.
I just picked up one of these from GC since they started producing them again. I just took it to my guitar tech and he was surprised at the quality of the axe. I wanted the P-90 sound since I already have 2 humbucker axes. This one is great for rock, hard rock and esp. that Dirty Blues tone. Also it ROCKS for slide.
I bought mine from Musos Corner here in Australia...great servie and team....ended up spending around 1400 for mine....liked the gold but bought the Black with Ivory edging. Hooked up with GDEC 30 and sounds great. GDEC not as great as Marshall but does the job for me atm even when trying to drive AC/DC songs....my 1st guitar...love it!!!!
I have a similar problem with the P-90's (bridge)being a little noisy (exagerated with overdrive or distortion)compared to my fender 2 strats(HSS, & noiseless) and 2 tele's( 52 Hot Rod Deluxe, 80's squire with a Lil 59 in the bridge and noiseless neck pick up). I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, nive tube amp. But the overall value playability and set up make it a great guitar. Great sustain and very fast neck. I have been researching changing out the P-90's but I'm not real convinced yet. If I do I think I will go with DiMarzio DP154, and DP162. Anyone else experience these?
Thanks
I picked one up just after X-Mas with a $100 off coupon, so it only cost me $399. It is totally awesome sounding and plays like a dream. I would recommend this guitar to everyone.
do any of you understand that the '56 goldtop actually has a LONG TENON? mine does! LOL
I am currently in the process of refinishing my Epi '56 Goldtop, and I noticed something strange. THE NECK IS MADE OF MAPLE, NOT MAHOGANY. Good luck figuring that one out.
