Multiple bound body with arched top and gold hardware, a quick mahogany neck for great action and feel and a solid, glued neck joint for stability and a great sustain all come together to make this guitar one of the best values on the market today.
Featured review by:
ZoSo.Led.Zep., on march 02, 2005 14 of 17 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 912
Purchased from: Musicians Pro Shop
Features: Made late 2004. Has a 22 jumbo fret fat Brazilian Rosewood neck (Custom ordered) with pearl block inlays. Is a glossy black with gold hardware. The body is Mahogany with the brazilian neck. It's a Les Paul body style with a gold Tune-O-Matic bridge. It has a volume and a tone knob for the bridge pickup and a volume and tone knob for the neck pickup and a 3 way Switch. It came with awesome Grover tuners which stay in tune for so long I love them. It also came with an Epiphone hard case and a Gibson lead which is soo cool and sounds great. // 10
Sound: I play classic rock like Led Zeppelin and Guns N' Roses so this Les Paul guitar is perfect for the music I play and my Marshall VS100 rounds off the package and is an awesome combo. Its not noisy and I love the rich warm sound. I've changed the Epiphone humbuckers for a Gibson Burstbucker 2 on the neck and a Gibson Burstbucker 3 on the bridge. You can put on the neck puckup and roll the tone all the way back and to Slash solos, or put on the bridge with the tone all the way up and riff like Jimmy Page. It sounds really good when on clean, quite warm tone. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Was set up well, a little bit of fret buzz with the factory strings but I replace them with my favorite 11s and tuned it down half a step and the buzz was gone. I changed the pickups afew days after buying this guitar but the Epiphone humbuckers seemed to be set up ok. There were no flaws it was really nice. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is built to last. I mean its a Les Paul! The hardware is holding up well but I've only had it for 3 months and the strap buttons are good. I have gigged this guitar without a backup and it went well and the finish is holding up well. // 10
Impression: This Les Paul and my Marshall are a perfect match for my playing style like Led Zeppelin and Guns N' Roses. I've been messing around with dads guitars all my life but started playing seriously like a year or two ago. If it were stolen of course I'd buy it again! But maybe try to convince parents to buy me a real Gibson? I compared it to Strats and I liked the himbucker design. A great guitar won't let you down! // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on january 23, 2006 4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 732
Purchased from: Merchant City Music
Features: I bought this guitar this year, it has 22 frets, rosewood neck, plays like a dream, I have it in white looks amazing similar to that of justin hawkins plays only the cheaper version, has two Gibson designed humbuckers, all gold hardware, similar to the Les Paul Custom Plus only better looking. It has a 3-way pickup selector Switch. // 10
Sound: Sounds amazing, suits pretty much any music style from '60s blues to '80s rock and modern day metal. The two Gibson designed humbuckers give the guitar a very delicate and blues style clean down and a shickingly overdriven tone. A must buy and for the sake of 400 quid it's a bargain, I mean obviousely theres a difference between the Gibson and Epiphone version but not a 1600 pound difference in my eyes. A must buy. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was pretty much set up properly and came from Glasgow and arrived in tune, the only down thing was the plastic guards etc. were not screwed in properly as if it had been built in a rush but nothing major. Easty to sort out yourself. The controls are really well designed as they are out of the way and I also find the bridge comfortable when playing palm muted pieces. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will most definitaley live up to its expectation it sounds great on stage but they are not that strong, unfortunately my sister managed to knock mine over onto carpet and the neck cracked, I found this quite unusual as I have seen people like Slash, Led Zeppelin, Zakk Wylde and Pete Townsend lauch there LP's across the stage and pick them up mid solo and carry on playing as if nothin ever happened. I found this unusual so I phoned Epiphone and the agreed and agreed to either repair or replace mine. They have agreed to send a replacement and it should come soon so there a great company and look after there customers well so thanks to Epiphone! // 6
Impression: My overall impression of this guitar is fantastic, although it has a few down points it is still a legendary guitar and lives up to its name. I am more of a rhythm and blues player and it is great for some songs but not brilliant for others which is why I have a Squier Telecaster to which is a stunning guitar, 15 years old and still plays as if it were brand new and together they can play any kind of music style. A must buy if you don't own oneand you want an LP then the Custom is your best bet by far. Hope my review helps you all. // 10
Reviewed by:
joe516, on march 22, 2005 3 of 4 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center Spokane
Features:
- 2004 model made where ever the new Epi's are made
- Thick mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard with nice sized frets
- Heavy mahogany body with maple arched top
- White finish with black and cream binding on the body, neck, and headstock
- Tune-O-Matic bridge.
- Three-way pickup selector (bridge, neck/bridge, neck)
- Two tone, two volume knobs
- Dual Gibson Designed pickups
- Grover tuners
- All gold hardware. // 8
Sound: I play just about anything. Like any Les Paul, it'll play any sort of rock/alternative/hardcore/metal or the likes. I find it a little too thick for jazzy stuff though. I play it through a Line 6 Flextone III Plus. Great thick and rich sound like you'd expect form a guitar as heavy as this. Its not the most versatile guitar. Way too bassy and thick for ligher stuff like I said though. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Very good quality, but like just about any guitar there are just a few faults. First, there were a couple very small blemishes on the finish near the neck. Very small though, I didn't see them until a month or so after I bought the guitar. The set-up (which I presume was done at GC) was a little off. I had to fix the intonation a little bit, but that was a quick fix. One of the tone knobs came off as well, but thats a 5 second super glue job. There is a little bit of fret buzz, but I could probably fix that when I have time to mess around with the truss rod. Lastly, the G-string has a little trouble staying in tune. I thought it might have been how it was strung, but when I restrung it, it was a little bit better, but not much. // 6
Reliability & Durability: I've had the guitar a little over 6 months now and haven't had any huge problems at all. Other than the tone knob falling off, this guitar is very solidly built. People say that Epiphones arn't very high quality, but I'll have to disagree. Sure, there are some bad ones that get through QC, but this one is top notch. I play this thing hard almost every day and there haven't been any huge issues at all. // 8
Impression: I've been playing for about three years now and this is my second guitar. It is a great match for most of the music I play, but like I said before, its way too bassy for my liking for lighter stuff. No regrets about this purchase at all. I would replace it if stolen or lost. The one thing about this guitar that I love the most is the look. The white body with black and gold accent is just plain sexy. Its a very classy "tux" look. When looking shopping for the guitar, I compared it to the Epi LP Standard. After playing both back to back, the $100 extra for was a no-brainer decision. The Standard seemed a little cheaper and didn't play nearly as well as the Custom did. I also played the Custom against a Gibson LP Studio as well. Again, the Custom played better than the higher priced Gibby. To prove that it wasn't just that Gibby, I borrowed my friend's Studio and played them back to back as well after I bought the Custom. Again, both him and I thought the Custom played better. I think the Epiphone Les Paul's are great if you don't have enough money to go for a higher and overpriced Gibson model. For the price, you'll be hard pressed to find a better overall guitar. Sure, the Agiles are nice as well, but from my experience, you'd want to replace the bridge and pickups. By the time you add that up, you're around $500 anyway. // 8
Reviewed by:
Slash_Rulz, on june 09, 2006 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 699.2
Purchased from: Local Store
Features: I'm not sure the year it was made, but it was made in Korea, 22 fret thin '60s style mahogony neck, mahogony body. Alpine-white finish with gold hardware. Epiphone humbucker pickups. Diamond-block inlays and Tune-O-Matic bridge. // 8
Sound: I play mostly Hard Rock and Metal. Guns N Roses, Metallica, Children Of Bodom, Nirvana, Velvet Revolver, some Hendrix, Pantera, Sabbath, quite a varied range. I use a Marshall MG100DFX and although the Epiphone humbuckers aren't the most fantastic in the world it still sounds great for pretty much everything. Great distortion and easy to play. The clean sound isn't as great as the distortion, I guess you'd say its a little weak. But a touch of flange to the clean sound its it's not too bad. It's never really noisy unless your standing ontop of it with the volume on full. But as I said before it covers almost any sound, from blues to hard rock to heavy metal. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: It was set up fine when I first got it, maybe the action was a little high but that took about 2 seconds to fix. The pickups were fine and the bridge was great. The pickup selector sometimes got stuck on one setting if I changed from rhythm to treble quickly but that was only on some amps, which were the crappy ones at school, seems fine on my amp. All the finish was great and the neck looked great. // 8
Reliability & Durability: It's great, it hardly ever goes out of tune, and is great for live performing, although because of the typical heavy Les Paul body it can be a little sore of the neck after a while, you get use to it. The only bad thing is, the gold hardware on the pickups and somewhat on the bridge are starting to wear off a little, and I've only had it for about 6 months, but I don't mind it too much, just gives it more of a raw, rustic feel. // 8
Impression: For $920 australian it isn't bad at all in my opinion. If it was stolen I would buy another les paul, whether it would be an Epiphone would depend on how much money I had. But it's still a good all-round guitar from lead to rhythm playing, it covers it all. // 8
Reviewed by:
VLVTRVOLVR13, on april 26, 2006 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 599
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: This guitar has a lot of great features that help to make it an outstanding guitar! 22 frets, solid carved maple top over a mahogany body, set mahogany neck, and rosewood fretboard. Grover tuners keep it in tune very well, 2 humbuckers, all gold hardware, the guitar comes in alpine white, black, antique ivory, and wine red. There is a volume and tone knob for each pickup and a three way selector. The Epi Les Paul Custom comes set up very well, it was perfect the way I got it, I was able to sit down and play immediately. Including all this it comes with the custom block inlay and a bound body which looks awesome! // 9
Sound: All I can say is the guitar can cover a wide variety of styles. It delivers a full warm sound and plays beautifully through my Vox combo amp. I use it for all styles(blues, funk, rock, hard rock, grunge, some metal). It is very versatile with the 4 knobs and three way pickup selector. I use alot of modulation effects like chorus and flanger, delay, wah, octaves, overdrives and distortion, basically my main pedal is the Boss ME-50 and it is an excellent combo. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: No falws that really jumped out at me. Pickups are a little buzzy on my Octave Fuzz setting, and sometimes the high E string will buzz but that is usually when I have moved from playing outside to inside. Everything came well setup and the action was great! // 9
Reliability & Durability: I dont gig, but I'll be dragging this guitar with me in the guitar and to friend's houses. It feels very dependable and the finish looks good too last. I haven't had it long so I can't comment too much on the guitars longevity. // 9
Impression: Perfect match for my style of music! As I said before it fits well, some of the artists I play are Nirvana, RATM, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, lots of other stuff. I compared this guitar to the C-1 Classic and IMO the Epiphone shines above. If it were stolen I would certainly buy another. I love the way I looks, plays and sounds, I hate that I didn't get it sooner! // 10
Reviewed by:
Corle, on august 01, 2006 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 473.21
Purchased from: Musicstop
Features: This beautiful guitar was made in 2004ish I'm pretty sure, no clue where its made. It has 24 jumbo frets on a rosewood neck, 24.75" scale length, neck set into a mahogany body with a maple top. Alpine White Ebony finish. Epi Les Paul body style with a gold Tune-O-Matic bridge. 4 controls are given; volume and tone for the bridge pickup, and volume and tone for the neck pickup. And a 3-way switch for the Gold '59 Gibson pickups (bridge, neck/bridge, neck). And non-locking tuners. No accsesories came with mine, but that varies from where you buy it. // 10
Sound: I play alt/punk/rock and this guitar owns every single aspect of evreything I play. It could probably suit any style so don't judge it by just what I play. I'm using it with a wonderfull Marshall AVT150HX halfstack and all I can say is wow. These two work together to make one heck of a sound, I could not ask for better. Guitar is not noisey at all, so don't even worry about it. And a little more on the pickups. When you play on any channel with the bridge pickup, it sounds really rich and deep, yet not muddy at all, not even when I crank the bass on my amp! an the neck pickup gives you an extreamly bright, crisp & clear sound. This guitar can go from bluesy classical stuff to metal. A++ on the sound, I would give it 11/10 if I could, but it only lets you go to ten. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up amazingly, the action was and still is amazing! Pickups were ajusted to perfection, the top was properly bookmatched & the bridge was routed perfectly. The guitar had no flaws when I bought it and still dosen't after one year of playing it! I have only taken it into to the shop once to get my neck ajusted because I got some buzzing in the higher frets, but this happens to evrey guitar so Who cares? // 10
Reliability & Durability: It's an Epiphone so what do you have to worry, anything that comes from Gibson is automaticly trustworthy. This guitar would easily stand live playing, even with the metal players that like to whip it around and wail on the strings. The hardware is very strong and durable, I don't expect I'll be changing it anytime soon. The strap buttons are extreamly solid, but you do need a good strap to do the job. I would and have gigged with this guitar, without a backup. And the finish, is it even possible to wear? I play a lot every single day and no rub, or even thinning so far, and it seems like it won't for a very long time. // 10
Impression: This guitar, my AVT150HX, and my style of music are a perfect match, there is no comparison. I have only been playing for about 4 years now, but don't get me wrong, I know my stuff! If this guitar was stolen I would cry, then buy another one. I love evreything about it, there is no cons at all, and my favorite feature about it has to be the two amazing pickups. I would compare it to a Gibson Les Paul Standard, pretty much the same sound, but a nice price difference. Pros: Amazing actions, Best pickups ever, Durable hardware and finish, Perfect setup, Controls for both pickups, too lazy to name more. Cons: 0, Nodda, Zip, nothing. Hope you found my review helpfull. // 10
Reviewed by:
king_nothing_91, on january 21, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 732
Purchased from: Soundcontrol
Features: The Epiphone Les Paul Custom started in 2003 and was hand crafted in china. It has 22 frets on a rosewood fretboard, a mahogany body and set mahogany neck which gives extra sustain. The finish I got mine in is alpine white and it looks amazing. It has a volume and tone control to each pickup and grover tuners. with mine I got a gig bag aswell. // 9
Sound: the original pickups which were Epiphone designed and had alnico magnets were great for blues (neck) and rock (bridge) but my main style of music is metal/trash to I replace them with em 81/85 set. I play through a Marshall mg series half stack and it sounds very crunchy and heavy which is great for metal. the original pickups were great and had a bright sound in the bridge position and a more rich sound in the neck position. They would be great for anyone that plays more classic rock like led zep, Bon Jovi etc. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Everything one the guitar was pretty much perfect when I got it nothing was broke or lose and the action was right. The pickups were well adjusted. However there is some bad paint work around where the body meets the neck. other than that it was spot on there was nothing lose or nothing where it shouldn't be. // 9
Reliability & Durability: In my band we've been gigging a lot and recording lately and the guitar with stands this very well. the hardware is still solid, no signs of losening, however I would put strap locks on asap as the Standard ones on the guitar don't hold. I always take a backup to a gig but know in my mind I wont need it. The finish on the guitar looks very durable and that it would last a long time. // 10
Impression: Since fitting the new EMG's it sounds like a very early Metallica/Maiden/Slayer sound which is great for the music I play. I've been playing almost 3 years now and also own a Jackson KVX10 with seymour duncans which is by backup guitar and although it's brill, the les paul is just so much better. If this guitar were stolen I'd definitely get another. // 10
Reviewed by:
the_guy, on december 12, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 656.97
Purchased from: nevada music
Features: 22 frets, mahogany body, rosewood fretboard, Les Paul shape (obviously), 2 Epiphone humbucker pickups, gold hardware, 3 way pickup selector, a volume an tone knob for each pickup, all finished in alpine white, a stunning looking guitar. No accesories included. // 9
Sound: I play anything from Indie to shred and anything in between, and this guitar is perfect for pretty much all styles. I’m using it with a Marshall MG15 practise amp, garbage I know but this guitars quality still shines through, I was lucky enough to play this through both a Laney VC15 valve amp and a Marshall JVM half stack and this guitar shone through both. This guitar has a very full and rich sound. On clean, I can get incredible warm jazz tones on the neck pickup and with the treble pickup selected, a nice jangly tone reminiscent of Oasis and Manic Street Preachers, a design for life. The sound can get a little muddy on this selection, but I barely use the treble pickup for cleans, because I have found the best clean sound of them all. When I select the middle option on the pickup selector (which combines both pickups) I get the most amazing clean sound. It's incredible, sweet, warm, bassy and the high end just shimmers, in some ways it's better than a Fender clean, more warmth and body. However the sound of this guitar is a little too dense for styles such as funk and Indie, so the Fenders are better for that. On to distortion. It's a Les Paul, the sustain is unbelievable, play a note and it will ring for what seems like days. The bite and clarity of the treble pickup excels for any form of rock, classic rock, even metal, and with the rhythm pickup, I get a very sweet solo tone that cuts through and stands out with incredible sustain. This pickup however, I find very muddy for rhythm playing, despite being the rhythm pickup, so I would maybe swap out this pickup for a Bareknuckle Mule or another pickup. The good thing about Les Pauls is that they are very easy to modify, if you want to enhance or have a different sound, then it’s easy to do so. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was very well setup, the action was perfect, on the low side but I like that. All parts were aligned properly, the pickups were perfectly adjusted. The finish was beautiful and there were no imperfections; the neck was straight and true, for the price, I cannot fault it. // 10
Reliability & Durability: The guitar is very heavy but very durable, I accidently knocked it on a wooden table and it did no damage whatsoever. I have had no problems with electronics but I shouldn’t really. The finish is very thick, which adds to the weight but also the beauty of the instrument. The strap buttons don't seem to be too solid so they might need replacing as the strap has come off a couple of times to my shock, but this can be easily resolved. This could do a gig without a backup but I use other guitars for different sounds anyway. // 10
Impression: I’ve been playing for 2 years and own a Yamaha Pacifica but have played other gear, such as Mexican Fender Strats and Teles, Jaguars, and even a Gibson Les Paul. This guitar is perfect for my music as it is so versatile, and for the price, the quality cannot be faulted. If it were stolen I would buy this again definitely, because I think this guitar is great quality for the money. I love the way it does both clean and distortion so well. The neck pickup is a bit muddy, but what do you expect, it's not an £1000+ guitar. It doesn't sound exactly like a proper Gibson, but it's close, and is much better value for money. I bought this guitar because I like and needed the Les Paul sound to add to my rig. I compared it to a Fender Standard Stratocaster (nice, but I have a Yamaha Pacifica which pretty much gives the same sort of sound at a slightly lower quality) and a Fender Standard Telecaster (ok but nowhere near as good as the American), but I chose this mainly because I have a Strat copy, so I wanted a guitar with humbuckers. I wish I had tried out the PRS SE range, but I prefer the look of the Epiphone. Overall this guitar is fantastic as a second guitar, and it can be used for gigs and recording too and sound great. // 9
Reviewed by:
nariek, on november 08, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 549
Features: This guitar has a 22 jumbo fret fat made out of Rosewood neck with pearl block inlays. My one is glossy black which really makes the gold hardware pop! The body is mahogany which means it isn't too heavy. It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge which is easily adjusted and grover tuners which stays in tune very well. There are 2 volume and 2 tone knobs; one set for each gold, Alnico pickup and there is also a 3-way switch. // 9
Sound: It definitely suits my styles, which are hard rock and metal. The les paul has an awesome distortion which is less crunchy than my SG but has a lot more tone which really brings out the distortion hard! I run mine through a microcube I'm currently looking for Marshall for gigs, instead having to borrow mates. Not noisy at all and the type of cable you use does make a difference so if Epiphone give you a cable with your guitar invest in a high quality one, it really does make a difference. It doesn't have the bright sound which you would find on a Strat, but you shouldn't expect that when buying a Les Paul on rhythm setting the tone is so full and rich it's just awesome. The Treble setting does have more definition but does lose some of the richness, so that's why I just have it on Rhythm all the time. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was a sufficiently set up from the factory, but as I do with all my guitars I got it set up by my tech, now it plays low and very comfortably. The pickups were perfectly adjusted, no problems there. Everything was nice and shiny and superbly fitted. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I think that this guitar will and has stood up to Live playing as long as you have a strong enough strap. The hardware has not tarnished yet and I have had it for 3 years, shows the quality. I would use it without a back up for sure. // 9
Impression: It is a perfect match for me I love it to bits, and so do the girls. It's one out of 8 and it definitely is the prettiest. I've beeen playin for 3 years and it would take too long to list wat else I have so check out the pics on mi profile. If it was stolen I would definitely get the same model but maybe in white because of Frank Iero. I love the contrast of the body colour and the hardware! // 9
Reviewed by:
Cheeseus36000, on july 12, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 704.55
Purchased from: Sound Control
Features: I think it was made in 1998 and crafted in Korea but I'm prety sure that the parts were made in the U.S. 22 thin frets are a abit tricky for really technical playing especially if you want to get really high up the fret board. Laminated top unlike the real Gibson model. It a 100% official copy so all the specs are the same. Locking stop bar and tune-O-matic bridge. Obviously like every other Gibson/Epiphone it has a thre-way selector Switch. The Grover tuners keep the guitar in tune really well. // 9
Sound: I play plenty of glam and Indie and it suits the style exceptionally well. I'm currently using a Line 6 Spider III and the humbuckers sound great especially on the rock solo setting. without distortion the treble sound is a bit raunchy but the rhythm pickup is soft but rich and warm. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was perfectly setup in the factory at least I think it was (it was second hand when I had it). The pickups are all in line and the guitar was bookmatched properly and the bridge was routed porperly also. It doesn't contain any flaws except for a scratch on the underside of the cutaway. // 7
Reliability & Durability: The guitar will definitley withstand Live playing (I should know, I jump and down with it in my room all the time). The pickups and hardware will last a centruy. The finish is good and will last but brass pickup covers get tarnished easily. The strap buttons are secure but continuously taking the strap on and off it can become loose easily. // 7
Impression: As I said this guitar is perfect my styles (Glam and Indie), I've only being playing 19 months and it's my second guitar, I'm so pleased that I bought it. I own all sorts of gear, a Strat, Marshall MG30DFX to name a few. If it was lost or stolen I would buy another, either that or an Epiphone SG (my next investment). My favourite feature is the humbuckers. I can't really compare it to anything because it's in a class of it's own. The only thing that I it had was a five way selector Switch but otherwise it's a 10/10. // 10
Reviewed by:
epiphoneg310, on august 06, 2007 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: GAK.co.uk
Features: My guitar was Brand New and made in January 2007 and was made in china. It has the Standard 22 frets full scale with sexy block mother of pearl inlays and the famous Gibson split Diamond on the head stock. The body is made of solid mahogany and so is the neck with a rose wood fingerboard and a carved top with a shiny ebony finish with cream binding on the body, neck and headstock. It has a tune-o-matic bridge with Epiphone USA made pickups that sound fantastic, 2 volume and control knobs with Grover tuners, all hard ware is gold. I didn't get anything with it except an allen key for the truss rod. // 10
Sound: this guitar is a spot on match for my needs (metal like Trivium and hard rock like Guns n Roses but I'm certain it could do blues and country if you're into that stuff).I've tried this through a friends Marshall MG100DFX and it sounds so sweet on clean it could charm birds from trees and with distortion make em explode! it's very bright on clean and with distortion it really crunches (in a good way). if I had to compare it to something I'd have to compare it to a Gibson Les Paul Studio or SG Special which for 300 quid is an absolute bargain. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was good, better than expected but the bridge pickup needed a little lowering. There were no flaws at all except a tiny pinhead indent on the back that I only noticed because it caught the light, but it was nothing to make a fuss over and all in all I was very happy with the setup. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't go to a gig with a backup because this guitar is so well made and I have so much Faith in it. I think the hardware would fade with time but in my opinion that brings character to a guitar, but the guitars finish wouldn't chip or come off if you did a quick polish every now and again but everything is very solid and sturdy I've given it a knock on the headstock a few times an no chips or splits or any sight of damage. // 10
Impression: I love this guitar, would never sell it or give it away and I treat it as if it was made of porcelain (although I still play hard). I've been playing about a year now and are starting to get speedier and better at playing and this guitar can handle it well. If it were stolen I'd beat the guy take his money and my guitar and buy another one to match. This is a top quality guitar for the price and I highly recommend it to anyone, if your short on your budget I'd say keep saving because believe me it's worth every penny. // 10
Reviewed by:
johnny-rock, on september 15, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 911.24
Purchased from: Leading Edge Music
Features: My custom is in alpine white with gold hardware, it's a great combination and looks awesome on stage. 22 frets with pearl inlays on a rose wood fret board. It has two Standard Epiphone humbuckers. 3-way selector Switch: Treble, Rythm and midway. 2 volume and 2 tone knobs. Grover tuners. the G string seems to go out of tune quicker than the others but it's not a problem. Medium action, easy to play. Because I work at the place of purchace I got a deal of the guitar and hard case for 1000. // 9
Sound: Sounds fantastic! Great sustain. I'm into playing guns n roses, led zep, ACDC, so it's my kind of guitar. I'm going to get active electronics put in but I have nothing to complain about the Standard. I'm putting it through a Roland microcube. it's just for bedroom use but still good. I've giged it with some Ashton 100 and 80 watts through a Zakk Wylde overdrive pedal and it sounded awesome! It's got a warm full sound on rhythm and a good strong lead sound on treble which I always use for soloing or lead work. good variety of sounds from clean to heaps of gain. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: the guitar was in great condition when I bought it. of course as with most Epiphones, there are some tiny finishing flaws but they are deffinately not noticable, only if your looking for them. The G-string seems to go out of tune quicker and with more difference than the others but it's not a problem. great action, easy to play. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is a tank. I've giged it and gone nuts and it stayed together fine. No loose knobs or Switch. when I got it I got straplocks put on. One of the locks didn't stay in that well but I got the hole filled in and redrilled and glued so it's fine now. I've knocked it a couple of times and there were no dints or scratches. I'd gig it without a backup, but I'm paranoid so I always carry spare strings and am tuning it every 5 mins. // 9
Impression: for my style of Gunners, ACDC, Led Zep it's perfect. I've been playing for 6 years and started teaching this year. I also just joined a bad with some mates. I used to have a Yamaha pacifica which was a good guitar which I had no problems with, but it was time to move up. If it were stolen I'd track down and kill whoever stole it and then maybe try to upgrade to a Gibson. But I would deffinately miss it. The white and gold looks fantastic on stage with all the lights. it leaves rival guitarists in envy. When I was buying it I was also considering a Les Paul Standard and an SG. but ther were some extra little flaws in those guitars and I wasn't willing to risk that, so I just paid the bit extra for a more reliable and better looking guitar. // 10
Reviewed by:
LesPaulCowboy, on november 14, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 299.99
Purchased from: Musicians Friend
Features: The Les Paul Custom is a great guitar. Mine was made just last year. The neck is thin and you can wrap your hands around it. The frets are big trapazoid pearl inlays. I do know the neck is a maple neck, and the body I do not know what wood it is. The bridge is a chrome tune-o-matic, the finish is a transparent with a Vintage sunburst. The given controls are you treble volume, and rythum volume, treble level, and rythum level. It also gives you the Switch to use only one humbucker at a time (top is rythum, center is both, and bottom is treble) The pickups are humbucker, 57's style humbuckers. My guitar came with just a cable and needed tools. // 10
Sound: The Les Paul Custom suits my style of play. I mostly play older rock, from late 60's early 70's. I also use it to play Johnny Cash. The guitar gives a real good tone, and stuff, by just tweaking it, using the rythum and treble knobs on the guitar. A flip of the selector switch, to rythum, gives you the nice warm feel of country, which lets you play a lot of Johnny Cash songs real well. While on the Treble you get the nice string sound that The Ventures made. The guitar lets you make a good variety of sound. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: My guitar came from the factory, as a referbished one, something about the wiring, and it had newer more expensive internals. It came with no blimishes or anything on it, and it was practicaly in tune, I just had to adjust it up or down a little. The humbuckers are great, and I have never had a problem. They pickup what needs to be picked up. The only problem I had is the strap button up front, wants to unloosen it's self and I have to tighten it, but I have been told by others who play guitar like I do, that it happens. I have found no flaws, and it's a great guitar. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will stand Live playing, and there is no need for a backup. Unless you are playing like some super heavy metal. The hardware is good, heavy chromed hardware. The strap buttons are good, but that's the flaw with mine, the one up front it likes to unscrew sometimes. But nothing major. But rember mine is referbished. The finish is superb, and should last until I die. // 9
Impression: I like to play older rock, and Johnny Cash. This guitar does all I need plus more. When I hook up my CryBaby pedal and my Crate Flexwave15R amp, I am ready to jam. I have had the guitar for about a month now, and it is a great guitar. I have thrashed it, and it still stands up. I looked into other les pauls, and other epiphones, but I figured out threw reasoning, that this guitar was the best guitar I could get for my money. If it were stolen, I would go out and beat the SOB Who stole it from me, I would hate to have to buy another one. I love it there is nothing I would really change. I wish it had a third humbucker in the middle, but that is not needed, and I am extremly happy with what I got. // 10
Reviewed by:
blaze2thekings, on january 24, 2008 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 580
Purchased from: guitar cntr
Features: Overall great setup, but the volume pots sucks as there is only on and off, no difference between the 2. The pickups are great for stock, but in my case new ones are needed to get those harmonics. It stay in tune well and all the pots roll nice and smooth, and still do actually. The finish was all white with cream binding, all mahogany, and it's new so made probably 2006 to now or so. // 6
Sound: I play everything. I put down hooks over my friends beats and I just like to jam to whatever song comes on the radio for hours. I prefer the beefy sound compared to a Strat. I have it through mostly Vox and Marshall amps and heads. The pickups are quiet but occasionally I get a constant buzz around some electric equipment, which my active pups in another don't produce. Overall the tone slices and there's great sustain, works well for whatever you want. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: I used to like the slimmer Ibanez necks, but now I'm used to the wider neck of a LP or SG or anthing similar. The frets were even much smoother than some of my Ibanezs. The action, bridge, etc etc, is all preference so blah. The finish is great however the cream binding does kinda standout as factory made on the body portion so an 8 instead of a 9. // 8
Reliability & Durability: Thick as a brick. It's got gold hardware that I know wont last because it's obviously not solid gold so in about 2 months it will be a dull chrome, but that's ok because I plan to change it anyway. The strap buttons need replacing, but I usually do anyway. My finish is just white which I purposely got so I wouldn't obsess over wiping prints off all day. // 8
Impression: I been through many guitars, from Fenders, to Ibanez, to Agile, to Jackson, to Epiphones, to Deans, to PRS, and others. It plays very well, as far as playability it's great and it's feels like a Gibson however, it doesnt't sound nearly like a Gibson or look like a Gibson because they have much better quality woods and the finish would usually be no less than 100% perfect (assuming a new Gibson). I always liked the looks of the custom more than a Standard, probably the block inlays, which I believe are the only difference in epiphones standards and customs, because they sure as hell sound the same. So if price is an issues get a Standard. But overall this thing has beauty and with the Gibson 500T, and 490 it's a 6-string razor. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on june 23, 2008 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 355.00
Purchased from: eBay
Features: // 10
Sound: Good God is this thing amazing! I play a pretty wide variety of music, including classic rock, metal, punk, and blues. I stick mostly to punk and metal. This guitar has extremely versatile tone. It has all the tone you will need and then some. You can put the tone way up for sound brighter than the sun, or drop it down for some really warm stuff. I havn't really found the need to put it on either extreme, but if I ever need to go further in either direction, I know I will always have room. And with seperate tone knobs for the bridge and neck pickups, anything is possible. I play this using a Fender amp. It sounds pretty good on the clean channels. Crystal clear. But the distortion is where this baby really blows you away. This thing is monstrous! It has such a strong sound to it. It sounds like a guitar that can't be stopped. Sound is full and rich. And the sustain is phenomenal. Will resonate forever. Very little buzz from the pickups. You will notice it if you are trying to listen for it, but these things are pretty stealth otherwise. If I could give this an 11 I would. The sound says "I'm here and there ain't nothing you can do about it!" // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came pretty well setup. Not perfect, but pretty well. My only real complaint is that the action on the lower end was a little low, so my sixth string was buzzing, but that was easy to take care of. And everybody has their own preference for action, so it is hard to knock them for it. There was some binding at the nut, but nothing a little lube couldn't take care of. Pickups were extremely well balanced. I did have to raise them on the lower end a little, but that is only becouse I raised the action on that end. Finish is amazing! I never get tired of looking at this guitar. The black finish has so much depth. I am very paranoid about wear and tear on the finish, so I am always making sure to keep it very clean, but it hides fingerprints and other dirt pretty well. The black and gold give it a "classy" look. Everything else is in excelent condition. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This thing is built like a tank! I havn't giged with it yet, but I am by no means nice when I play it. There is no doubt that this guitar can withstand live playing. I would gig with it without a backup. The hardware isn't just on the guitar, it is part of the guitar. Whatever happens, the hardware isn't going anywhere. The gold hardware does seem like it will tarnish slightly if you let it go for a long time. But if you take any kind of care of it at all, it shouldn't be a problem. I haven't seen any waer on the finish yet. It is very solid. I almost droped it once, but cought it by the neck. Unfortunately, the body kept swinging, and the body hit the corner of my bed. I was expecting to see a huge dent, with bare wood showing. There was barely a dent on the finish, and I can't even notice it anymore unless I look for it. // 10
Impression: I have been playing for 6 years, and I am far more excited about this guitar than I have been about any other peice of gear. This is definately a monster. It sounds and feels like you would think a Les Paul should. I am very impressed with its variety of sound. You can create just about any sound you want. If it were lost, I would think about getting an eletist Les Paul Custom. If I couldn't afford it, I would definetely buy this again. I think this is the best guitar for the money. It is very close to the lower end gibsons, and some might argue a little better than some of the cheaper Gibson models. Either way, it is similar quality, for a much cheaper price. I did a lot of research before buying this guitar. It out performed it's competion by a long shot. I love the 3-way pickup selector. It allows for ultimate tone control when combined with seperate volume and tone knobs for each pickup. If you are in the market for a new guitar, I would suggest giving it a try. Les Paul Custom is the way to go! // 10
Reviewed by:
Randomkid37, on june 30, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: £ 370
Purchased from: Dawson's
Features: I got my Epiphone Custom from a Dawson's branch in Basingstoke. They sell loads of instruments and their guitars are average, if not, decent enough to play. Mine has 22 frets, mahogany body and neck, gold hardware and two humbucker pickups with gold covers. Four controls: two volume and two tone. Rhythm & treble 3-way switch. Mine came with a gig bag, three plectrums and spare strap buttons. // 9
Sound: I haven't actually tried it on a decent amp yet since I haven't bought one. However, when I tested it on one of the rubbish amp my school has, the bottom three strings sound distorted when I strummed them hard, but it was actually smooth when I tried playing single notes. I still think it's a versatile guitar though I still have to test it on an amp. Fingers crossed. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: My guitar was, technically speaking, second-hand. The first buyer returned it because the strap button at the neck fell off, hence the free gig bag and plectrums and spare buttons. There were a couple of small scratches, too. The strings were perfectly put and the bridge was perfect. I could easily play on all the frets easily since the trings are neither too high or too low. Other than the strap button, it was great! // 9
Reliability & Durability: I think my guitar could withstand anything. I've bumped it once or twice, and it's barely damaged. It seems like a pretty solid guitar, but I'd probably keep a backup guitar since I'm fairly cautious. The hardware is not solid gold, it's just gold plated and it only wears out at the place of action: the bridge, but it's barely noticeable. // 9
Impression: Overall, if this guitar was a person, it'd be my best buddy. It's easy to play and barely got any problems. I've only been playing for half a year (I got this as a birthday/christmas present rolled into one, plus I figured it'd probably be the only guitar I'll ever buy). I bought this because one of the guys in My Chemical Romance has one, and it works like a dream. If it were lost/stolen, I wouldn't buy another one, though I'd probably very much regret losing it. I wish it had 24 frets, but anyhoo, it's still perfect! // 10
Reviewed by:
A Certain Death, on december 03, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: A$ 1300
Purchased from: SF Music, Australia.
Features: This is a Korean Made Les Paul, manufactured in late 2003 I believe. It comes with 21 jumbo sized frets, on a rosewood fretboard, with a maple neck. It is a solid curved top guitar, with mahogany body and neck. It comes in a variety of colours, mine is black, with white binding, and gold hardware. The Tune-o-matic bridge and stop tail team up with passive electronics, 2 Volume pots and 2 Tone pots, Grover tuners and a dual humbuckers manufactured by Epiphone to provide a hell of a playing experience.
No Accessories are included, but I DID get a poster, manual, and a FREE cardboard box! // 8
Sound: First of all, the versatility of any good Les Paul is massive, especially when you can change your pickups. Straight out of the box, you can achieve a great metal tone, sweet blues tones, and crunchy rock tones. I have had my pickups changed to the EMG 81+85 set, and they sound sweet in this baby. This combination of pickups and guitar destroy all, and paired with a Peavey 5150 half stack, nothing can beat it. I have no need for any effects at this stage, so I can't comment on it's sound with effects. At high gain levels, the original humbuckers squeal like crazy, so it is advisable to change the pickups out if you play in a band that's always cranking the gain and volume to 11. With a set of EMG's, the guitar puts out some of the best sounds I've ever heard, very full and articulate, with harmonics like a banshee. I've rated the sound at 7 because for heavy metal, you'll definately want to change the pickups. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The factory setup was pretty good from what I remember, with the action being at a perfect level in Harmony with the way the humbuckers were adjusted. The top was perfectly carved, with not a single out of place dent or line, and both parts of the bridge are perfectly positioned. At time of buying, there were no flaws to speak of, what'soever. However, due to living near the ocean, some of the once beautiful golden hardware has become rusted and oxidised. though some would call this ageing, and I think it makes the guitar look distinguished. // 9
Reliability & Durability: These guitars are like tanks. They will take whatever you can throw at them. Live playing is like letting it play in a sand box. The hardware DOES last, however it is also subject to rust depending on where you Live and where you keep it. The strap buttons never had a chance to prove themselves to me, as I bought a set of Dunlop Straplocks along with the guitar, but I do still own them, and may one day use them. I have gigged with this guitar for about 3 or 4 years, without a backup guitar, and never had a problem with it, apart from a string breaking mid-set here and there.
The guitar's finish has lasted superbly, with only a few dents and nicks here and there from almost 5 years of tough love. // 8
Impression: I play metalcore, and with a Peavey 5150 behind you, and a set of EMGs in your les paul, you feel like a king. I've been playing for about 6 years now, and own a fair few guitars I wont bother mentioning, as well as an Ibanez RG421, and the afforementioned Peavey 5150. I asked all I could when I bought the guitar so I knew exactly what I was getting. If this guitar was lost or stolen, firstly I'd take any neccessary steps to bring justice to the fiend Who stole it. Then, I would definately go buy another one, possibly 3 more. I love everything about this guitar. The body shape, the colour of it, and the way the neck feels especially. I didn't compare it to any other products specifically, just other les pauls, and this model came out on top.
it has all I need, never been a fan of tremolos. // 8
Reviewed by:
Rjhari10, on may 29, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 688.99
Purchased from: Guitar Center (Allentown, PA)
Features: Epiphones are not made in USA (China I think). It has a 22 Rosewood Fretboard with Block Inlays. All Mahogany with a Set neck. I got the Alpine White finish which looks beautiful with the Gold Hardware and Gold Tuning Pegs. This goes beautifully with the two Alnico Classic Humbuckers stock. It has two volume and two tone knobs as well as the famous Les Paul 3-way pickup toggle. The black Pick Guard as a nice touch to it also. To sum it up, this guitar is a beauty! // 9
Sound: Although I play more Punk styles, this Les Paul gets the job done. While it might not sound as grundgey as an Ibanez, it has a nice feel to it. When my Blues and Classical Rock urges hit me, this is the guitar I fall to! Using a small Peavey Solo Amp, this Les Paul still packs a punch. On very low settings it can be hard to distiguish details, but Who plays quiet anyways! (I do because of apartment regulations haha) When I get the chance to crank this baby up, it is a bittersweet enjoyment. Clear and sharp are the notes, but sometimes the lightest tap of unwanted strings puts a damper on performaces. There is no whammy bar included to many tricks stop and pinch harmonics and mediocre pick slides. Metal can be played on this guitar. Though not the most prefered style for this little puppy, I consider this to be a Jack of All Trades when it comes to versatility. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The out-of-store set up is pretty much flawless. Up-keeping is easy too. It seems to go out of tune more easily than other guitars, but proper care can elongate tuning time. To this very day the finish astonishes me. It looks just as glamorous as the day I bought it. After every jam session I hit it up with some Dunlop System 65 Body Polish and Dunlop System 65 Fretboard and String Cleaners for every string changing. The fretboard seems to show scraps from bends but that is only at very very close view. Daily care can keep this Les Paul looking good for a long time. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This Les Paul is kinda on the heavy side and can be a burden for long plays. It lasts the whole session but it becomes very exhausting. The strap stays in place nicely and supports the shoulder well. Again the finish stays sparkeling with regular care. While I've never dropped it, I'm sure this guitar would withsand most impacts. I feel that the hard case keeps this guitar secure and safe. This guitar lasts and does its job when called upon. I don't see any need for repairs in the future. // 7
Impression: For a Punk based player, this is not the end all be all in quality. But when I want to break for my Punk roots and expand my styles, this guitar does its job. I've only been playing for about 2 years and this is my only electric. That being said, this is a very good starter Les Paul. It provides quality and durability without burning a hole in your pocket. Again to this day I love the beauty of the Les Paul. I would but another one just because (Maybe the Ebony Finish). I am very pleased with this purchase and love this Les Paul. // 8
Reviewed by:
wrighty2012, on may 29, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 915
Purchased from: Dolphin Music
Features: Mine was made in 2007 in japn I think. the on I purchased has the Standard 24.75inch scale length and has 22 frets. this came with the maple top and mahogany back and both are perfect with the 5ply binding. has the tune-o-matic stopbar and stud tailpiece. as with most les pauls it has the passive electronics. // 10
Sound: I Play all types of music from jazz to metal blitzes all the style. with distortion the note definition is awesome. I've played and heard a Gibson and there's no difference. I play this through a Vox AD30VT and on every setting this shines. as for hum there's non what so ever it plays great and sounds great too. As for variety of sounds this will take on anything. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action on mine was medium high but manageable it just takes ten minuites if less to adjust to this and all is forgiven. the pickups were set just right as was the intonation making harmonics rich and full. Top was bookmatched but this can't be seen as it is a solid colour. The finish was perfect with not a single flaw an all round brilliant build. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This will withstand Live playing extremely well and I dropped it onece and there wasn't a scratch on the thing it's a tank for the hard rocker. the hardware will last as it wears nicely to a somewhat steve jones-esque wear it looks so much better when worn. The strap buttons had to be relaced for locking ones as these werent that strong. You don't need a backup with this I was playing for an hour Live and the tuning didn't move. the finish is moderatly thich and will last very well. // 9
Impression: Overall this is very impressive. perfect for all types of music easily. I also own a VOXAD30VT with the VFS2 Footswitch. I don't regret buying this one bit it's just right for larger hands. If this was stolen I would cry but I would by another one the second I knew it was stolen. What can't you love about it 100% awesome. I compared this to a Gibson Les Paul Standard an Epiphone G400 and an Ibanez RG. This just sounded the best. // 10
Reviewed by:
121lespaul, on april 17, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Music123.com
Features: The Epiphone Les Paul Custom is made in Epiphone's Chinese factory. It has 22 frets with a 24.75" scale with a nut width of 1.68". The neck itself is a set mahogany neck with Rosewood-block inlays. The body is a Mahogany Body with gold hardware. It has a single thick single cutaway body which gives a sustain like no other. Like most Les Paul's this one comes with a Tune-O-Matic Bridge. This comes with 1 Volume and 1 tone for each pickup. The Pickups are 2 classic alnico humbuckers. The custom comes with Grover tuners which have only made me happy with keeping it in tune there is no slipping what'soever that I have found it came with the usual cable and a couple picks. // 10
Sound: I play classic rock with a twist of Randy Rhoads and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect guitar for this sound. I push everything through a Boss GT-8 and then through a 1968 Fender Princeton Tube Amp and the sound that comes through this combination is totally amazing! When on your rhythm setting with the tone knob all the way to 10 it's a little blah for me can't really hear all the strings when strumming it all just blends together and sounds kinda muddy but other than that it sounds amazing! I have played everything from country to blues, blues to rock, and rock to metal and haven't wished for another guitar any of those times this really does have an amazing sound. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: I like my action somewhat medium and that's how it comes from the factory medium and I haven't even touched it since it just feels great right out of the box! I lowered my pickups a little because they were a little to close for my liking but I have friends that have left them how they are and it still sounds great. The bridge was perfect no need to adjust that I haven't touched it to this day. Like most guitars I've had the output adapter was a little loose but that took about 2 seconds to tighten. Other than that this guitar was ready for a show right out of the box. // 10
Reliability & Durability: The Epiphone Les Paul Custom could be sent to hell and back and still not lose any tone what so ever! This guitar can take a beating and not even show it. With Grover tuners and alnico pickups this baby is built to last. I don't see me changing anything anytime soon. The strap buttons will keep tis guitar from falling it's a little heavy but the buttons will hold it up with out a worry! The only reason I would use a backup is for string breaks. If they made strings that wouldn't break I wouldn't ever buy another guitar! this finish has withstood hours upon hours of continuous playing and still looks Brand New the black finish does show fingerprints easily tho. // 10
Impression: I'm a big fan of Slash and Randy Rhoads I think they are amazing and this guitar couldn't be better for this style of playing! I have been Playing for about 2 years now, and I own a Boss GT-8 Multi effects pedal and a 1968 Fender Princeton Tube amp. that's my main setup my other gear is in my profile if you want to check it out. I played this guitar for weeks before I bought it I was constantly at guitar center hooking up to different amps and different pedals and trying other guitars and this is the one I fell in love with! I couldn't be happier about it! This guitar is my baby through and through I would defiantly buy another but it wouldn't have the feel as the one I have does it's been with me through a lot of different situations. But if it were stolen and I found it I'd feel sorry for the person who had it because I'd be leaving with it in my hands again! I love everything about this guitar! The only thing that could be better is the rhythm pickup on 10 for the tone I just wish it was a tiny bit brighter. my favorite feature is the treble pickup on 5 for tone I love the sound that comes from it! At the time I had an Ibanez RG350DX and this blows that guitar out of the world! I also compared it to a Epiphone '50s style and the pickups just didn't have that Les Paul crunch. // 10
Reviewed by:
Coil_Tapped, on july 10, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 599
Purchased from: Professional Musician's Center of Des Moines
Features: // 9
Sound: This guitar is definitely made for those Who want a more rich tone. I'm a bit of a mellow player, comparative style to Joe Satriani, Dan The Man, and Carlos Santana. The rhythm pickup that came with it was VERY warm and mellow. And when I say warm, I mean that even with a metal distortion and a little reverb, you can get some very pretty tones out of it, it's not a shredding machine, more like something that the effect junkies out there will love. The bridge pickup actually surprised me. I actually thought about not changing it out. The distortion is absolutely gorgeous on that pickup, somewhat punchy, with a very throaty mid. Metal players may not like this too much, but any other sort of distortion wizard will love it. In clean is where this guitar really shines. The rhythm sounds like some of your higher end PRS guitars, very hard sound to explain, but it's very rich and the chording sounds really good, considering it has such a full tone. The bridge pickup in clean is what will get a lot of you funk and ska players worked up. Every note is punctual and clear, definitely required for anybody Who uses a wah. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The factory set up on the action and truss rod were my biggest complaints with this guitar. They totally just threw out random string-to-fingerboard measurements with every string. one would be 1/32 of an inch off, another would be 3/64, and still another would be 1/16. Very annoying! It took me forever to measure and gauge them just right. Plus, the truss rod was barely securing anything! That was a good 40 minutes. But in the end, I set it up the way I wanted. The finish, wow, it far outshines almost any other finish I own or have ever played. Gibson should use this paint job more, that way I can get my 335 prettied up without having to spend on the paint job. But I truly love this paint job, especially for my classier gigs. I'm just giving it a 7 because I believe the factory could have saved me a little trouble in adjustments. Fix those and this guitar is a real Beauty! // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar, for any of you little dudes out there, is very heavy, which is expected of most Les Pauls, but it seemed to me this one was especially heavy. Don't get me wrong, that meant that the sustain was beautiful, but it can get very old swinging that thing around for a 3 hour stage performance. Especially when you have a broken Strap-lok. It should outlive me, that's for sure. Very solid, and the bridge (which I usually have the most problems with in a guitar) is burried in this thing. Really deep. which makes tweeking or modding with it very difficult. But it really is a very good guitar that should last you a long time. // 9
Impression: So I'm on to year 6 in my playing, and I'm starting to realize what kind of a guitarist I want to be. This has taken a very long time, but my Les Paul has ridden it out with me. I own an Austin Strat (if you play funk, buy this guitar), my Epi Paul, and my Gibson ES-335. Now, my music is varried alot, and I mean a lot. Satriani-esque major and natural minor chorus lines, all the way to transposed Pan Flute music. Each of these 3 guitars contributes to every song I play in some way, one that's quick and punchy (my Austin), my Epi (for the sad, slower, more minor and harmonic movements), and the 335 (a good balance between the other two.) My single pedals and my PodXT make this baby sing, and I know I'd buy it again for sure. I suggest that if you are very technical and are looking for a "perfect sound", then this guitar is great. It has all the features of a Gibson, and is easily customizable. I mean, I changed the pickups, tuners, glow-gobbed the inlays (putting a permanent glow-in-the-dark finish on them), modified the bridge with a small pully system to work out a sound that replicates bending. So know that you can, literally, turn this guitar into anything you want. So, if you don't have the money for a Gibson, buy this. If you do have the money for the Gibson, by this anyway, because it'll be cheaper to have Gibson equip put in it anyway than buying a Gibson. Don't worry about the logo. Most people have no idea what the difference is anyway! // 9
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on march 03, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Sam Ash Music
Features: The Epiphone Les Paul Custom is awesome! It has 22 Rosewood frets, a curved, mahogany body, and a solid finish. Though it doesnt't have a "go crazy, wailing away, in your face" tremolo system, it has a simple to use stopbar (that is locking). Besides, it is much easier to change strings with! It has "Alnico classic" pickups which I'm pretty sure are Epiphone company pickups, but don't let the name fool you, these are really good stock pickups! Unless you really, and I mean really like pinch harmonics, then you might want to swap them out for EMG's, like Zakk Wylde. For everything else, they are fine. The guitar also has a 3-way selector switch (mine is loose, but still perfect working condition), and non-locking Grover tuners. They kind of piss me off, because they seem like they don't "catch the strings". So you tune up, then make a pretty big bend, and it's almost like you pull the string right out of tune! It alright though. // 9
Sound: I play mostly classic rock(led zeppelin), hard rock (Van Halen, Alice In Chains), and metal (Pantera, Ozzy). I play this guitar through a Peavey 5150 when I'm jamming, and a Marshall MG15CD when I am just playing by myself, and it sounds awesome! Except when my Marshall's gain is up to 10, which is almost never happening, there is no noise at all. You can really play anything from jazz to death metal with this guitar, and it's sounds good for every genre! // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The factory set-up was fine, and the pickups were good also, but I am weird, so right when I got it, I raised the bridge pickup a little bit. The Only negative thing about the factory set-up, is the 3-way selctor switch, it's became very loose, and it's really annoying when it's off to the side! Also, the binding on the body is a beautiful cream color, but the binding along the neck is more like white, it's just didn't fir the guitar, but it's still sexy! // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is fine with playing live, just change strings every couple of weeks. I play 2 hours a day, and I use D'addario XL10's, and I only change my strings every month. The hardware seems fine, but the nut is cheap looking. I want to replace it with a graphtech soon. The strap buttons were fine, but I screwed in Dunlop Strap-loks myself, and they are awesome. The finish is very nice for a solid color of a guitar, but the abrasive effect of my denim jeans make small little marks on the back, but then again, who is really looking a t the back? // 8
Impression: I have been playing for 2 years, and I am only 14 years old. I also have an Ibanez RG350DX, and I am thinking of selling it, for another Epiphone, maybe a Flying V! If it was stolen, I absolutley would buy it again, but maybe in white (I have it in the black). I compared it to a Gibson Les Paul Custom (not that I was willing to spend that much, but I wanted to Compare), and this one, I like just as much! The only difference is that the Gibson is heavier (better sustain), and It has better stock pickups. But I would rather have this, and put an extra $300 to get better pickups and call it a Gibson! // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on march 27, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 599.99
Purchased from: Music and arts center
Features: My custom was built in 2007. It is the alpine white edition. It has a mahogany body and neck with rosewood fingerboard. It has binding all around the body and on the fretboard (no aesthetic flaws either. kudos to Epiphone.) Not sure what to call the finish. The pickups that come with it are passive Epiphone pickups which sounded absolutely great. I however wanted to try EMGs and slapped an 81 and 85 in. it sounds great now and if you can afford it it's a cool look and sound. It has grover tuners and holds tuning well. It has a 3 way selector for the pickups. 2 volume and 2 tone controls. It weighs about 10 pounds as well. // 10
Sound: The sound on this guitar is heavy and full which is great for rock and metal which is aided by the emg's. I play rock, metal, classical, and jazz. It gets great jazz tones if you roll the tone of to zero on either pickup. I am using a line six spider 3 30 watt and the Boss OD-20 and SD-1. It sounds great now and is my main axe for it's thick penetrating sounds. It is ridiculously warm and rich. I can't believe how great it sounds for 600 bucks. I would not use it for country though. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The one thing wrong with this guitar (but is easily remedied) is the setup. You know how sometimes one of your frets seem like it's dead. Imagine nothing on every fret. I had to raise the action a great amount and then intonate it. The pickups were set up good but I changed the screws height for preference. No finish flaws. Nice nut height and no binding so far. The buzz may discourage any young beginners though. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This is a tough guitar. No scratches so far and does not dent easily. I replaced the strap buttons to Dunlop strap locks the day I got it because I wont take chances with it, so I don't know how good the buttons are and I can't tell you. I would definitely use it without a backup because unless you get mad at it and throw it out of a building, it will be fine. The finish seems fine and I don't see it fading any time soon. // 10
Impression: Les Pauls are very versatile and I would use it for anything that needs heavy distortion or a nice clean. I would definitely replace it if it was stolen. I got it because I wanted a custom and I chose white because of Randy Rhoads. Nothing wrong with it and is a great investment. // 10
Reviewed by:
KingNando, on january 24, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 988
Purchased from: Steve Forrest Music
Features: I believe this guitar to be made in late 2004, in Korea. It has 22 Jumbo frets, with a contour top. Both the body and the Neck are constructed of Mahogany, with a rosewood fingerboard, which has block style inlays. The finish is a solid ebony, a.k.a black. The guitar has the famed Les Paul body shape, with a Tune-O-Matic bridge and HardTail stop piece. The electronics are all passive, with 4 controls, 2 volumes, and 2 tones, as well as your selector switch. The pickup configuration is a dual humbucker layout. The tuners the guitar came with are Grover, 3 a side, and non locking. Included were a poster, a warranty card, some styrofoam, and a cardboard box. // 9
Sound: I play heavy metal. With a change of pickups, this guitar suits my playing extremely well. I left the original Alnico neck humbucker in the guitar, because I'm in love with the way it sounds, clean or dirty. I use this guitar with an Ashton GA100H solid state half stack and no effects. When I got the guitar, it was very hard to play Heavy Metal with, due to the microphonic feedback produced by the bridge and neck humbuckers, so I had the bridge humbucker replaced. I always play with the gain set above 4 o'clock, treble max, and mid at 11 o'clock. The sound of the guitar, even with the humbucker change, is very good. It sounds very heavy, but can be bright with a change of settings, and takes distortion a little better now. This guitar is also great for bluegrass and country music. You can roll back the volume, put on a straw hat and you'll be jamming along to some Lynyrd Skynyrd in no time. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: When I got this guitar, it was set up immaculately. All I did was lower the action by a small amount. It was pretty much great the way it was, I just prefer very low action. The pickups were also adjusted perfectly, and I did not bother to re-adjust them after lowering the action, because I didn't feel I needed to, as it sounded great the way it was. Why fix it if it ain't broke right? Upon purchasing the guitar, I found few to no flaws. Apart from a roughly cut nut, everything was as it should have been. Intonation was perfect, Truss rod seemed perfectly adjusted, and the electronics were in top shape. // 10
Reliability & Durability: Any Les Paul player will tell you that it's hard to bring down one of these beauties in a Live situation, provided the strap buttons do their job! I have played many gigs with my Les Paul, never have I encountered any problems directly related to the guitar. The hardware has lasted and remained stable, although it is fairly rusted and oxidised now, even with regular cleaning. I did'nt trust the strap buttons that were supplied with the guitar, as I rarely ever keep Standard strap buttons. They did not seem solid, and appeared rather small, so I replaced them with a set of Dunlop strap locks. I always depend on this guitar, both in a live setting, and at band rehearsals, and I have used this guitar many times without a backup at hand, and it has never let me down. After a year and a half of rough playing, being hit with the headstocks of band mate's guitars, and getting it's fair share of sweat dropped upon it, the finish on the Les Paul still stands strong. There are close to no scratches on the front of the body. However, as with most guitars, the back of the body has a nice case of buckle rash, but this is hardly an issue. // 10
Impression: I play heavy metal music, and with a pickup change, I have no doubt that any guitar player Who plays the same style of music would be satisfied with this guitar. I have been playing guitar for over 4 years now, and own an Ibanez RGR421, a Washburn X40, and an Ashton GA100H half stack, among other equipment. I didn't need to ask any questions when buying this guitar, as there wasn't really too much left to ask by the time the salesman has his way with me. If the guitar were lost or stolen, provided I was unable to retrive it, there is no doubt in my mind that I would get another as soon as humanly possible. I love this guitar to death, there isnt too much not to love about it. The only thing I can say that I hate about it, is that the hardware has begun to rust, and it is very noticeable, after less than 2 years of play time. I plan to replace the gold hardware with black Gibson replacement parts. My favourite feature of this guitar is the sound. It is very rich and chunky, just what I love in a guitar. When I purchased this guitar, I had my heart set on a Les Paul. I had been wanting to get a hold of one of those sweet lookin', round love machines for months. The only other guitars I compared it to were the other Les Paul models the shop had in stock, and I had a choice between lower end Epiphone Les Pauls, or a $4000 Gibson Les Paul. Had my budget been 2 to 3 times as much as I had, I would have gone for the Gibson. I coulnd't really wish for more than I got, as I am pretty much satisfied. I have only played 2 Gibson Les Pauls, and I believe that this is right up there with them. // 10
Reviewed by:
robsta_65, on january 31, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 600
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Solid mahogany body w/ 2 Alnico 5 pickups, 2 tone and 2 vol. knobs, black pickguard (I got alpine white), 3-way toggle, 22 fret rosewood neck that is set into body, block inlays, Grover tuners, LP Custom head inlay. I think it's from 04 or 05 and was made in China but set up in the US. // 7
Sound: The sound of one LP is pretty much the same for the majority. Before the flamefest starts, I will say that as an LP lover, LPs sound very much alike no matter what brand, only to be dramatically changed by the type of pickup. That being said, the sound that this guitar does give is a rich, clear tone with the stock pickups sounding damn close to Burstbuckers (the Gibson ones). It is full on both pickups, and w/both pups selected, it gives a very distinct Allman Bros.-ish tone. Tone and volume knobs are very responsive to the overall tone as well. I'm gonna change the bridge pup for a little more gain and raunchyness though. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: When I tried it in the store, the action was amazing. Not too low, not too high, minimal fret buzz. After about a week though I took it to a tech for a set-up. Sure enough, the intonation was off and he even tightened the tuners (a big help). It now plays 10x better after that set-up. But so does every guitar. // 9
Reliability & Durability: As the majority of players know, even drummers, there is no such thing as a light LP. Literaly Bullet-proof. But, that heft gets you: insane amounts of abuse can be taken, sustain that lasts for days with no vibrato and an extremely solid-feel and that is always nice. It may take a little while to tune, but it refuses to go out once it's there. // 10
Impression: My overall impression of this guitar is phenominal. As my first real LP, I can't get enough of it. If somebody stole it, I would probably cry and then never stop searching until I found it again, then rip off the balls of the dude that did it and put molten lead down their throats. Me trying to be funny aside, I can't speak enough of it. If oyu are in a store and you see an Epiphone LP that does not sound that good or play that good I beg you to ask to see another one. These guitars will not let you down. // 9
Reviewed by:
goodsum, on october 04, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: http://www.guitarstrings.co.uk/
Features: This guitar was made in late 2004 as far as I know, not sure where though. A nice set of 22 frets, the standard size frets really, it's just the perfect size for me, it bares great manoeverability along the thretboard. A lovely black finish which makes it a great looking guitar, whith a triple white ling of trimming along the edges of the body. The guitar had gold hardware for a spectacular look. // 9
Sound: Three settings, rhythm, an un-named in-bewtween setting, and treble. Rhythm give a great sound with just enough bass to it, which is wierdly enough great for rhythm. Treble is my favourite, a truly great sound for solos and general play. A true rock guitar. I use a Marshall 40W valve-amp, and the DigiTech RP300A, together they create an unbelievable range of great sounds which I cannot produce with any other guitar. I really could carry on with this guitar forever. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: A low action which allows easy play-ablity and minimum duffing from strings. Low E string sometimes vibrate with heavy play whilst open. Easily adjustible bridge, and all. When no srings are attached the bridge is easily accidentally adjusted. Very able guitar, I never needed to adjust anything. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I bought this guitar under the impression that the finish was very hard to sustain, but it has done brilliantly. I thumbled a CD case against it leaving 2 thick white scrathes on it, but later I noticed they just rubbed off and now you would never know they were there, which was a great relieve. Very long lasting. Some straps like to fall off which has cost me, as my last strap did and it fell on jack plug and the lead broke the jack-cover which only cost around £1.40 to replace. But now I have a more sterdy strap. I would take this to a gig without worry, but I always like to transport it in a hard case, not the sort of guitar I want damaged. // 9
Impression: This fits in very well with my kind of music, mainly rock but I vary alot aswell. All Oasis, Yellowcard, Guns N' Roses, Eric Clapton, Nirvana, Stereophonics and so on work great. I've been playing over 3 years, which isn't long in the guitar world, but I've come a very long way and I know that this was worth all £350, which is a good price for it. It ranges from around £315-£450 depending on where ou look. If this guitar was for some reason to disappear, I would get it again, or if I could stretch to the Gibson version of it. I chose this over all other Epiphones, and a range other models. All in all, a great guitar which I recommend to all my mates. // 10
Reviewed by:
guitarfan93, on october 05, 2005 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Features: Made in 2005, made in Korea, 22 frets, and I think the neck is rosewood (not sure). The body is a Les Paul body (not sure what wood). Bridge style is a standard (Gibson looking)neck. Active electronics (or that's what someone told me). 2 pickup volumes are given and two tone conrols. // 9
Sound: I play many different music styles (punk, blues, alternative rock, classic rock, and even some metal (kinda). I needed a guitar with versatilitity. I use a Fender FM 212R amp and a RP200A DigiTech multi effects pedal. There is not too much buzz to it but sometimes it can get a little noisy. Its not so great for really fast music with high distortion. I would say that the pickups are okay but I might upgrade to some other Gibson pickups. On a Vox setting this guitar is awesome. On a delay kind of distorted for mabye some slash stuff it is awesome (probaly best for this guitar. The strings bend very easily (great for solos). // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar is pretty well setup when I got it. I did have to do some adjusting to the neck pickup. The top is is ok. The bridge is good. The only flaw I saw when I got it was that the brige had pretty big dent on it, but that was because I got it at a place where people can pick it up and play it, and also the volume knob just fell of one day, but that was easy to fix. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will probaly last 5 more years, although I will probaly upgrade some of the accesories on it. The hardware will probaly last. The only thing that might not last is the tuning pegs. I don't really know if thestrap buttons were solid because I put a strap lock n it the first day I got it. It is definetley gig worthy. I will probaly have a backup through just because accidents happens. // 9
Impression: I play many different music styles (punk, blues, alternative rock, classic rock, and even some metal (kinda). It really matche well with punk, alternaive rock, and most classic rock. I've been playing for about three years now. I own a Squier Strat (sucks) Ovation acoustic, and a Yamaha classical. If it were stolen or lost I would probaly buy a Gibson either Les Paul or SG instead of another Epiphone because of the fact that Gibsons are higher quality. // 9
Reviewed by:
Isaac17, on october 10, 2005 1 of 3 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 450
Purchased from: eBay(used, perfect condition)
Features: Made in 2004, in korea. 22 Frets. Beautiful black finish. Well, for features, it basically has any features guitars have. No complaints. Well, actually, I have one. The output jack, where you plug the cable in, the nut on it gets loose once in a while. It's not a major problem. Once a month or every 2 weeks I have to tighten it with my fingers, takes 10 seconds. // 9
Sound: It's amazing. I play punk, rock, alternative, blues, etc. and it sounds just fine. I'm running it through a PodXT right now, without an amp, just the pod, and the Pod has too electronicy sounds, but I've played this through my Friends Vox AC30 4X12 and other amps and it's beautiful. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was perfect, not too high, not too low. The pickups are just fine. No complaints really, I haven't had any problems really. // 10
Reliability & Durability: The head is freaking invincible. I hit it on the wall on accident, didn't see a scratch. hit it on my buddy's ceiling, not a mark. I put in strap locks first thing. My strap tended to fall off often, so I put those on for like 10 bucks, and haven't had a problem since. Other than that, the guitar is freaking invincible, like I said. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 12, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 588.55
Purchased from: Long And McQuade
Features: My Les Paul Custom was made in 2004 in Korea (like all Epis except the Elitist series). 22 frets, grover tuners, Epi designed pickups (though I'm gonna replace them with seymour duncans) etc. It's basically like every other Les Paul that Epiphone makes except it has gold hardware which makes it look that much better. // 10
Sound: The sound that this guitar produces is great! You can get almost any sound that you're looking for from jazz, hard rock, to punk rock, and anywhere in between, with 2 tone and 2 volume knobs it's hard not to get the sound your looking for, I'm currently using a Marshall practise amp (GM15DFX) with a Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal. The guitar has great tone and stays in tune forever, the only time I retune my guitar is when I replace the strings or when I practise with my band, just to make sure everyone else is in tune, I play mostly punk rock (not like good charlotte punk, but the real stuff) but the band I joined is all about the classic rock and this guitar gets the job done with flying colours. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was perfect when I tried it at the store, I checked for and flaws and there was none to be found, I just adjusted the action a little when I got home, 'cause I like my action to be really low so its easy to play all around the fretboard but besides that it was perfect. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is built like a tank, it will last for a good portion of my life, feels solid but heavy, the strap button became loose after a while because I think the strap I use is very stiff, but thats nothing a handy screw driver cant fix, I have played gigs and I don't bring a back up cause I don't have one, but if I did, I still wouldn't bring it, this thing is totally reliable. The only problem I've had with this guitar is that the gold hardware is starting to rub off, and I can start to see spots of silver on the stop bar but besides that its awsome and totally reliable and will last a lifetime. // 8
Impression: The style of music I play is mostly punk rock but as I stated above the band I joined is all about the classic rock (AC/DC, Deep Purple, GN'R) and this guitar can handle it, I've been playing acoustic for about a year and a half and decided to buy an electric, I did my research about a good guitar that was in my price range, and it was between this or a Fender, the Epi Les Paul Custom was the choice for me. This guitar lived up to my expectations maybe even more! The playability, the looks oh my its all great! If it were stolen I would replace it hands down, I couldn't go a day with out it! // 10
Reviewed by:
Ambulance X, on july 26, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Made in Feb. 2005 in Korea, this guitar is quite a beauty. Ebony finish with gold hardware to compliment it, independent volume/tone control for each pup, rosewood fretboard (Different from the Gibson LP Custom, which has an ebony fretboard to my knowledge), binding on the body, neck, and headstock, a fairly thick neck and beautiful pearloid inlays on the fretboard and headstock. The only complaints I have about this guitar is that the tuners aren't that great. I've had my LP Custom for 3 days and the guitar keeps slipping out of tune. The other being that this guitar feels quite heavy compared to my old guitar. Other than those 2 things, this is an almost-perfect guitar. // 10
Sound: I mainly play metal/hardcore and this guitar sounds beautiful with distortion and/or overdrive. Although at the time of the review, I am ampless, but when I was trying it out at the GC through a Line 6 Spider 112, it sounded great on distortion and overdrive. Awesome sustain. This thing will scream forever, even with the stock pickups. I also dabble in punk and some cleaner alt. and Indie music which doesn't require distortion and it performs great. This guitar is very versatile and can probably be played for any type of music. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: It was set-up good. It was intonated correctly right out of the box, the neck action was set and I had very little problems playing it other than getting use to the thick neck. The finish was so shiny, I could see my reflection in it. The only complaint I have is that the binding was a little messy. There are very miniscule, hardly noticeable spots on the neck binding, but other than that, it was great. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This thing is like my dad's old Grand Trueno: it's a tank. It is extremely durable. I accidentally scraped it against a very rough cabinet door, and the finish withstood no damage. It's extremely durable and great for people who tend to thrash their guitars about and damage them. // 10
Impression: It's a great guitar for anyone. Les Pauls are the trademark of rock n' roll for a reason: because they're great guitars all around. And for $650, you probably couldn't get much better of a deal, unless you could find a Gibson LP Special for $650. I'd reccomend this to anyone and everyone. // 10
Reviewed by:
Tombe, on march 23, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 732
Purchased from: Academy Of Sound (Norwich)
Features: The Epiphone Les Paul Custom has a 22-fret ebony fretboard, rosewood neck and mahogany body. It comes in either black or white finishes, I have the black one. It has a Tune-o-Matic bridge, two Gibson-designed humbuckers with tone and volume controls for each one, and a three-way pickup selector located near the strap button nearest the neck. The bridge, pickups and pickup selector are all gold-plated. It has 6 Grover tuners, also gold. The jack socket is located on the side of the guitar, below the strap button, like on a Telecaster. Very versatile guitar. One thing to consider is that this guitar is extremely heavy, it's not one that you can throw around on-stage. // 8
Sound: A lot of people bad-mouth Epiphones, saying people only buy them because they're related to Gibson. Firstly, the only place where the word Gibson appears on this guitar is on the removable bits of sticky plastic that covers the (Gibson-designed) pickups when you buy the guitar. Secondly, could it be possible that people buy Epiphones because they're good guitars? Even through a Marshall MG30, this guitar sounds fantastic. Cleans on the bridge pickup are bright and full, harmonics ring out as clear as a bell, and the rhythm pickup gives a mellower tone, suitable for jazz or blues.
Put some overdrive into it and this guitar's true colours Shine out. This thing sustains for days (much like Nigel Tufnell's custom 3-pickup Les Paul: "You can, like, go out for a bite to eat and come back and it will still be going 'Waaaah!'"), every note rings out clearly, and the neck pickup gives the perfect sound for rhythm guitar. Tremolo-picking high on the fretboard on the neck pickup with a bit of reverb lets you do the Hope of the States 'make guitars sound like a string section' thing. I play indie/alternative and even though not that many Indie bands use Les Pauls it's still quite possible to get an Indie 'sound' (if such a thing exists) from this guitar. Of course, it can be used for classic rock and prog in the Les Paul tradition as well. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Action and intonation were textbook, I didn't have to make any adjustments. The finish is flawless, and when polished it's like a black mirror (another Spinal Tap reference there) coupled with the gold hardware, this is a very shiny guitar. The only minor problem is that one of the straplocks was a bit loose, but it wasn't anything I couldn't fix with a screwdriver. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I'm pretty sure this guitar will stand being played live, after the thrashing it's survived in band practices. I'd never use it without a backup. I wouldn't use any guitar with a back up. It's all very well and good having a Custom Shop Stratocaster, but it's not going to be a lot of good out of tune with a snapped string. I've never used it in a gig with my band, although I did use it four nights in a row for a school production and it was absolutely fine. This thing is built like a tank. It's a thick slab of mahogany with a rosewood neck, you'll need a lot to damage that. The black finish seems nice and solid. The gold finish seems to be wearing off the pickups a bit, but the tuners and bridge are still nice and solid. // 10
Impression: I see no ground for the arguments of Epiphone-haters. You're not paying for the Gibson name, you're paying for an extremely good guitar, which I'd much rather have over any similarly-priced guitars such as Fender Standards or Ibanez RGs. I've been playing for a year and a half, although thanks to a huge knowledge of music theory beforehand I've managed to become pretty good fairly quickly. I also own a Squier Strat (first guitar, of course) and a Marshall MG30DFX, which I plug the guitar into through a Boss DS-2 Distortion and a Boss ME-50 multi-FX. I also occasionally play using an E-Bow. If this guitar was stolen, would I buy another one? If I had enough money, I would. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on june 06, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 732
Purchased from: www.gak.co.uk
Features: Made 2004 in USA with the usual carved maple top and mahogany the Les Paul Custom is a great looking thorwback almost to the black beauty origonal model. All a classic glossy black with the white trimmings and gold hardwear, including Seymore Duncan gold ceramis humbukers, it really looks awesome. The 22 fret rosewood neck played perfectly (even with a glossed back of the neck). The 4 controls and 3-way Switch alow a huge sound range and make for an exelent varity of styles. // 10
Sound: My personal style is rock and metal with a blues edge but I do play sessions as well with various styles and find this guitar a perfect choice to use. The sound is vary variable weather you are looking for a Tony Iommi style Black Sabbath sound. Or a more melody orentaited style such as Jimmy Page it works perfectly. Though it does take a while to master this guitars range to find what you want straight away. But when you do all the sounds u want are eaisy to achieve. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I found this guitar set up perfectly as it came. The finish includes a thick varnish that lasts through gigs and eaisly polished up without ware. The pickup selector works great and is dampened so as not to echo or make any sound. The action and fret board were all well setup and filed alsoit stayes in tune very well. // 10
Reliability & Durability: as I said before the finish on this guitar will not ware off eaisly and the tuning lasts well so it is definatly a guitar I would rely on live, I already have of several occasions. The strap buttons are very solid and again gold in colour. The stock hardwear is definatly built to last and a back up guitar is definatly out of the question with this 1. // 10
Impression: I would definatly buy another les paul I already own 3 and I do rely on Gibson and Epiphone alot at the moment with 8/9 of my guitars made by them (the other is a BC Rich). I love the look and playability for any style with this guitar and it has never let me down. Also I'm glad it still has the old styling to it of the Black Beauty Les Pauls. The only thing I compared this with before buying it was an SG Special I chose this because it was cheaper and I already had an SG Special maybe by Gibson. I was intending to use this a s a stage guitar only but it definatly proved to be worth a lot more to me than that. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on july 02, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 588.55
Purchased from: Long & McQuade Music Shop
Features: I believe it was made in 2004. Mine was made in Korea. 22 frets on a pretty thick neck with a rosewood fret board on a maple neck. I have a solid black finish. 2 volume knobs, 2 tone knobs, 3-way Switch with 2 gold humbuckers. Tune-O-Matic bridge system. The pickups are Alnico humbuckers designed by Epiphone (I wonder why everyone else's is designed by Gibson). It's got grover tuners and all gold hardware. // 10
Sound: I play metal and rock, alternative, anything really. I must say that this guitar is very versitile. The tone range is amazing. It suits many of the styles I play. I use this guitar on my shitty Peavey Rage 158 practice amp. Even on a crappy amp it sounds wonderful. I use the treble on solos and harmonics which produce great tone and sound. The rythm is also good for warmer soft sounds but I like to use it with metal distortion. This guitar can honestly be used for anyhting. It's amazing. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The set up was good. Action was perfect. Stringing was obviously fine. Intonation was a bit off. Hardware is all decent except the bridge's gold color was wearing away a little. Nut was messily and the binding was dirty. The binding had all this brown stuff on it and I couldn't do anything about it because it was covered by the clear finish. Nut was also alittle dirty. Besides that everything was good. No scratches or anything. But the binding is pretty gross. // 8
Reliability & Durability: The guitar is pretty solid. Seems like a tank, but I'm not gonna bash it to test it. It's too beautiful. Hardware seems pretty good except for the color fading of the gold. Strap buttons couldn't be anymore solid. I would depend on it fully. It's a good guitar. Very durable. I'd use it at a gig without a backup. The finish seems thick and would last a wihle. // 8
Impression: My style revoles around rock so yes it's a good match to my style. Though it's weak on the metal scene its still decent for that style. I've been playing for over 4 years and my first guitar was some Oscar Schmidt guitar by Washburn. I also own a Peavey practice amp, a Line 6 Uber Metal pedal. Ibanez Delay Pedal, and a Zoom 1010 multi effect pedal. I didn't hesitate to buy this. it was a perfect choice. If I hadnt bought this guitar I would aimed for the Jackson RR5, white with black pin stripes. So sexy. If my LP were stolen I'd probably buy a cheeper LP, maybe a Standard or a Classic. I'm not gonna risk something so valuable getting stolen again by cheep ass fags who can't afford anything.
What I love about this guitar is it's sleek smooth looks. It's so beautiful with the gold hardware with the black finish and the mother of pearl inlays. I hate the gross gunk found on the binding and sometimes its weight. It's so heavy. I'm starting to get back problems from it. My favorite feature is the 3-way Switch and the 2 volume knobs and 2 tone knobs. You can preset yer tones and you can efficiently Switch between then with a flick of the Switch. when I bought this I compared it with the RR5 from Jackson but I ended choosing this one 'cause it was cheeper and its look were more subtle and its tone was so versitile. I wish it had Gibson's headstock with the Gibson logo on it. // 8
Reviewed by:
blue_strat, on february 08, 2006 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 323.91
Purchased from: eBay
Features: I don't know where this guitar was made, but I presume that it was the Far East (China, Korea, Japan). I bought it off a Chinese guy on eBay. 22 jumbo frets, 24.75" scale length, neck set into a mahogany body with a maple top. Beautiful gold hardware (you may need to wipe adhesive off the pickups after you remove the plastic covers) and a nice triple white binding around the edges. Mine is a glossy black, but you can get white ones also. Tune-O-Matic bridge mit stopbar, a volume and tone control for each humbucker and a 3-way Switch (N/NB/B). Grover tuners, which is nice, and two Allen keys (for truss rod and action) - the truss rod can be accessed by taking the cover off at the headstock. All in all, a hefty but beautiful guitar. // 10
Sound: This guitar could possibly be used for some electric blues (see John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton [1966]), but I feel that some hard rock n roll or metal is where it performs best. The rhythm pickup (at the neck) has plenty of rough brawn for some serious powerchording or low-tone soloing (think Sweet Child O' Mine); while the lead is great for some solos with a biting treble. Use both together and by adjusting the various vol and tone controls you can get a great tone for chord work or an in-your-face humbucker roar for a solo or riff. I use it with a Boss Overdive/Distortion set to full Drive, overdrive and a 15-watt Fender amp through the clean channel. The rhythm pickup can be noisy, but the humbuckers give out a great warm tone. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: With this guitar I find that you have to press down pretty hard around the 12th fret to avoid buzzing. I've tried adjusting the truss rod, but this hasn't done much. The finish is lovely, but esily scratched. There's also a bit of glue on the fingerboard, but it's not that bad. However, this is a bit disappointing for a guitar of this stature, so I would recommend buying one from a physical shop you can go to to check that it's up to scratch and without any. // 6
Reliability & Durability: This guitar, I think, would withstand live playing. It's gone plenty of beef to survive, and everything is well put together, so it's not going to fall apart in your hands. Also, it is made of mahogany, so if any stage invader comes towards you, you could knock them out without seriously damaging the guitar. // 10
Impression: I play mainly blues, rock or metal, and I feel that the LP Custom can perform well in all 3 but I feel a tendency to the latter 2. The scale length is shorter than my Strat's, so it's great for riffing. I've been playing for two years now and this is my third guitar (I started on an Encore acoustic). It is by far the most robust, and is great for in-your-face rock. It's not so easy to shred on (which is why Matt Heafy uses it). If lost I would either hunt the bastard who nicked it down and pummel them with it or buy another one. For anything more technical, though, I would use my Strat, simply because I love the feel of it and it has easy access to the higher frets. // 9
Reviewed by:
chickenfire315, on february 16, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 599
Purchased from: musicians friend
Features: Before I say anything else, my LP is a limited edition, so some things may be different from a regular custom, I'm not sure. Made in 2005, 22 frets, laminated top I believe, with solid mahogany below. Ebony & chrome paint job. Have had it for a month and I still stop and stare at it. Never seen a more beautiful guitar. 2 volume & tone controls, very nice for getting your sound just right. Decent pickups, kinda muddy unless the tone is all the way up. No accessories w/ guitar. // 9
Sound: I play classic rock so it suits me great, mostly AC/DC, etc. A great rhythm guitar, might need slightly brighter pickups for soloing, I know it's a Les Paul but still. I play thru a Kustom 65 watt at home and a Crate 120 at school. Both sound great. No pedals. Some hum on the neck pickup, not too bad. Turn up the tone all the way, usually. It's too dark if you don't. Very full sound, I'm a lead guitarist so maybe it doesn't suit me best. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: I didn't notice anything wrong with the action out of the box. I think it came with. 10s and intonation was right on. Pickups are dark. Slight glue residue? (Not sure) near nut and neck pickup, came off easily. Chrome hardware, including pickguard. Absolutely the best looking guitar I have ever laid eyes on! Scratched the back with my belt buckle. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is built like a tank, very solid and heavy. I wouldn't drop it but it would live. I will invest in some straplocks. I don't want my baby to meet the floor anytime soon. I would take it to a gig w/o backup definitely. The finish is very thick. Very durable guitar. // 10
Impression: This is a good guitar for classic rock as long as the pickups are set right. I have played for 5 years, own 2 corts, one acoustic, one electric, and it blows them out of the water, and I would not say they are bad guitars. Are you thinking about stealing it? Because I have a shotgun waiting for you! I would definitely hunt you down or buy another. Unfortunately, I was not really able to compare it with a comparable guitar, as I bought it on-line. // 9
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on january 30, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 1064
Purchased from: Allans Music Melbourne
Features: Hi firstly this is the most awesome guitar ever and I love it. It was made in Korea last year I think. 22 frets, mahogany body. solid top. It's all black but with white ivory edges and pearl inlay in the neck. It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge and because it's a custom I got it with emg active pickups which really adds to the sound quality. I got it with a Epiphone hard case. // 10
Sound: I play a huge variety of music ranging from mexican styles right through to Mettalica and it suits everything. The sound is clean and warm and with distortion absolutally amazing. I am using a Korg pedal which is crap, and a 15w practice amp and the sound is very good even on this. I can't wait to get a valve amp and make this baby sound even better (if possible). // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was perfectly setup when I got it as the shop where I bought it is very good. Nothing needed to be adjusted and there were no flaws in the finish which is black and glossy the only concern I have is that I will need to polish it becuse of finger marks but that's no big deal. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Will this guitar withstand live playing, hell yes it's amazing the perfect weight and the prefect sound. The hardware looks like it will last and all the knobs and dials are secure. I can really depend on this guitar but I wouldn't gig with out a backup because if a string breaks (which I doubt)I am really slow changing it. The finish will definatly last. // 10
Impression: As I said I play everything and the versitility of this guitar is amazing. I have been playing for about 2 years and this is my first real step up, instrument wise it is just 100% better than my first guitar. When buying the guitar find out how custom it is because a lot of customs are fairly common however mine isn't because of the emg active pickups. If I lost this guitar I would buy another one for sure it actually plays better than the fenders I tried which were thousands more. I love everything about this guitar. I compared it it to a normal Epiphone Les Paul Standard but the sound wasn't nearly as good as this one (becuase of the EMGs) I kindof wish it had a tremelo but I mean I don't really use it on my other guitars so it's not needed. // 10
Reviewed by:
shane-c, on february 12, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 503.25
Purchased from: petercooks.co.uk
Features: This guitar was made in 2006 in Korea, It has 22 jumbo frets and it has a rosewood fingerboard. The body is made from mahogany while the nack is maple (I think). The finish is a nice glossy black with a cream binding. The fingerboard also has nice mother-of-pearl style block fret inlays. The style is a Singlecut of course. It has a very stable Tune-O-Matic bridge and has all the usual Les Paul stuff like 4 controls and a toggle. It also comes with grover tuners which are very easy to use and very stable. // 10
Sound: My style is a bluesy rock and metal style and this guitar suits it beautifully. Pretty much all genres and styles can be accomedated on this guitar. The sound is generally thick and bassy with a good tone which is great sounding. The neck pickup can seem a little muddy under high gain and takes a lot of Precision and practice to get a clear bright sound from it. The bridge pickup is pretty good but overall the pickups are unremarkable. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The fit and finish is pretty damn good for a guitar of this price. The action was a little high for my liking but this was easily sorted. The pickups work well together and I have yet to find a fault with the construction of the guitar. The frets were a little scratchy when I first got this guitar but that was probably from sitting in storage for months at a time and not the manufacturer's fault. The nut is great and well cut and there is absolutely no issues with the switches and hardware. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is well laminated and is up to the rigures of gigging. The strap buttons are only mediocre so I would reccomend locking straps if you gig regularly. The hardware is chrome and will not rust in our lifetime! With care this guitar should last longer than you do. // 10
Impression: I play buesy rock and metal and as I said before this guitar suits all genres and styles. I have been playing for nearly two years now and this guitar is great. I also own a Tanglewood rock 3 and a Marshall MG30DFX. If it was stolen I would gladly buy this guitar again. I love it's versatility and thick tone but if you play professionally or have the cash, I would recommend some aftermarket pickups. I don't like the fact that the lamination of the guitar is a little too thick and gives the guitar a slightly plastic feel. // 9
Reviewed by:
XVentura, on march 21, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 500
Purchased from: Music Concept
Features: Made in Korea, 2004. 22 frets. Alpine White. Tune-O-Matic bridge with active electronics. 2 volume and 2 tone knobs for the bridge and neck pickup, with a 3-way selector. Seems it's Grover tuners as well, good stuff. Got a gig bag, a cable and 4 free picks as extras. // 8
Sound: Fantastic clean sound. I played it through an 100W Fender, sounded amazing clean and distorted (Boss DS-1 Distortion). However, at home, I play it through the Fender Frontman 15G, and well, every guitar sounds nearly the same on this absolutely shitty amp. I play rock, a bit of metal and quite a bit of Indie. I changed my stock pickups to Seymour Duncans as well ('59 for the neck and JB for the bridge). They're a bit too aggressive for Indie but absolutely perfect for any other kind of rock. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Action was setup nicely but there's a bit of fret buzz, which I'm going to take care of soon. Pickups were shite, which is why I changed them for Seymour Duncans. No flaws with the guitar. Looks amazing. The guitar was set-up fine (as mentioned), the pickup height was nice and produced a really nice sound but still, when you can exchange them for a pair of Seymours, you do. No arguing with that. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Yes it's good for gigging. Reliable as f--k. Finish is awesome and should last for quite a bit, and even if the gold finish doesn't last, that's not really a big deal. This guitar will be with me for many years to come. I wish there was a way to preserve the finish because it seriously looks good. // 10
Impression: I like this guitar quite a lot, suits the type of music I like to play. I've been playing for a year, so not really a long time. This is my first electric guitar (so don't trust me too much). However, I've played other guitars and well, this one is good, especially compared to the Epi LP Standard. Great first or second guitar, that's for sure. After upgrading the electronics, this guitar is amazing. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on december 11, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: GAK
Features: Made in korea in 2005. All gold hardware, has 22 jumbo frets. mahogany neck and body in ebony. It has a les paul style body with tunomatic bridge, Epiphone humbucker pickups, with 2 volume 2 tone knobs and a 3-way selector toggle switch. It came with Grover tuners which stay in tune for ages, in any tuning; Standard to drop B. // 10
Sound: I play mainly melodic death metal like Children Of Bodom, heavy metal like Avenged Sevenfold and some nu metal like Slipknot, and this les paul is great for all of this music. I play the lep paul through a Crate GT15R and use Behringer Ultra distort and chorus, and an Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer. The Epiphone humbuckers are great, the bridge pickup gives a nice warm sound for chords and the like, and the bridge pickup is perfect for solos and leads. No noisee to speak of if you have the volume just a little down from full. You can get pretty much any sound you want out if it, thanks to being able to setup each pickup individually with the controls. Harmonics works fine and the sustains legend. You can do any of the harmonics that Children Of Bodom use and you could do killswitch is you wanna knacker up the toggleswitch, but their easy to replace. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Was set up fine, a few loose nuts but easily sorted out. Didn't need to make any adjustments to the bridge or truss rod. The pickups set up well, neck warm, bridge nice n bright. Reaching higher frets [20-22] is a little tricky but can be done. No problems with strings and works fine with the Epiphone strings it came with, but I use ernie balls 10s out of personal preference. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Reliability is 99%, pickups, input and tuners are all fine and because its mahogany wood, it's not going to get bashed up to bad if you drop it. The only things I would watch out for is the strap buttons. After about 6 months the top button ripped straight out the guitar. It's relatively easy to fix using a piect of dowel put into the hole with some woodglue on it, leave to dry then rescrew the button back in and it's been fine since. It might have just been holding the guitar at a dodgy angle but it's worth watching out for. Strap locks are a must. As far as gigging I can imagine it lasting for years and so far no scratches. // 9
Impression: The Les Paul works great with metal and rock and my 15 watt Crate doesnt't do it justice. I played it through a Crate GT212 and it sounded awesome, no noise or fretbuzz. I've been playing for a year and a bit. If it was stolen I would definately buy another. Obviously I would rather have a Gibson, but for it's price the Epiphone is a bargain. My fave feature would be the ability to get any tone out of with with the controls. The strap button is the only minor problem with it and everything else is great. This guitar is legend and wont let you down! // 9
Reviewed by:
laneychief, on october 18, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: www.GAK.co.uk
Features: I don't have a clue where it was made. It has 22 frets with a rosewood fretboard. It's a black laminated solid-top, with a fixed bridge and humbucker pickups. Two volume, two tone controls. With grover machineheads. I really like the machineheads they are really smooth. I find that the Humbuckers that came with it when I bought it are brilliant for pinch harmonics. Nothing came included with it when I bought it. // 9
Sound: This guitar really suits any type of playing that you want to do, I play any and every style and I find that it is really versatile for anything from blues to heavy metal. I'm currently using it through a Marshall MG100HDFX, and a Jim Dunlop MXR Dime Distortion and a Jim Dunlop Crybaby. When in clean, and in the neck pickup position, it makes the nicest rich, clean tone it sounds beautiful. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: When I bought it the action on it was terrible, I like my action low, so I dropped it as low as it could go, that wasn't difficult. The pickups were just fine I didn't need to change anything with them, I really like them and I wouldn't want to change them. There was no flaws in it at all when I purchased it. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I've played quite a few gigs with this guitar and it handles them very well, I think that it will last a long time, it seems very durable, the strap buttons are perfect, I use Jim Dunlop strap locks just to save any embarrasing strap slips. I have used it at a few gigs without any backup guitar, I depend on it greatly and I trust that it will be a long time before It lets me down. The finish on the back is starting to wear off, due to my belt buckle and there's some scratchs on the top near the pickup selector from my plectrum. // 8
Impression: This guitar is really versatile and suits whatever style I feel like playing at the time, I play all styles. I've been playing for about 4 years now. I own a Marshall MG100HDFX, a MXR Dim Distortion a Jim Dunlop CryBaby and lots of different acoustics. If it was stolen or lost I might buy something with a floyd rose tremolo because I think I would prefer a tremolo arm and you can't have that because of it's fixed bridge, I love the colour and the sound. One thing, I wish it wasn't so heavy! Overall I love this guitar and it was a brilliant buy and I am very happy with my decision. // 9
Reviewed by:
Goodeyesniper24, on july 31, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 600
Purchased from: Musicians Friend
Features: Lets see here, its got 22 frets with block inlays on a rosewood neck which look really nice, the gold Tune-O-Matic bridge, humbuckers and grover tuners look great on the wine red body. It has a bound body, neck and headstock which really sets it off. The inlay in the headstock is very nice. It has a mahogany body and a set mahogany neck. There are 2 volume and 2 tone controls as well as a 3-way switch. It included a cable thats about it. Overall it has just about everything a Gibson has except it was made in china. // 10
Sound: The sound on this is great, the sustain is amaazing, it feals like it will never end. It has such a rich les paul tone. The rhythm pickup has a great kinda chug noise for rock and the treble pickup is great for solos. The treble setting which I use the most has such great sound. There is nothing I can complain about sound wise. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: This is the only area that I had a problem with, I did not buy the b stock and still it had flaws in the binding and one area in the finish, it annoys me to no end when I look at it. On the bridge there was an odd mark like someone had something on the fingers and touched it and it stayed there. Now I have a chinese factory workers finger print on my guitar. The pickups and things were set up nice however. Pretty much to my liking. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I would do pretty much anything with this guitar after I got some new strap buttons. The top strap always falls off, some locking ones would do the trick but I dont have the money at this time. Everything else seems like it will stand up to a lot of wear and tear. // 9
Impression: This is a great guitar, I play a lot of modern and classic rock and it dose just fine. I play with a Marshall MG100DFX half cab and the sound it just great. I think if it were stolen or lost, I would just buy a standard, this is a great guitar but for 100 bucks more you dont get a whole lot. I would recommend this guitar if you have the extra money. // 9
Reviewed by:
*Nirvana*, on september 30, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar center
Features: // 9
Sound: I play rock, blues, and metal mostly and it fits those very well. I can get a pretty good Black Sabbath tone on the neck pickup and for a metalica type sound the bridge works pretty well. I use this with a Vox AD100VT, a Dunlop Crybaby wah and sometimes a Zoom 505#2 nuli-effects. It is never noisy and I can almost always get the full sound I'm looking for. The only problem I have with it is the pickups. They're not bad but they're not great and I will soon be getting Gibson burstbucker pros for it. I like to try to play more stles of music then what I feel comppletely comfortable in, these include funk, jazz, and basically whatever I feel like trying and this guitar fits them all pretty well. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up pretty well at the factory. The action was good and low and it was comfortable to play as soon as I got it home. The pickups were adjusted pretty good but I adjusted the pole pieces to get a better sound. There were no flaws in this guitar when I got it. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will definitely be able to gig. The hardware will last but I expect the gold to eventually fade however It has not begun to fade yet. The strap buttons were ok but I replaced them with straplocks and I definitely would suggest this because Les Pauls are fairly heavy and will come off the strap if you move around. The finish has not worn at all yrt and seems pretty good. // 9
Impression: I have been playing about two years. I do not regret buying this at all, I'm very happy with it. If it were stolen I would definitely buy it again. My favorite feature is the neck, it is relly comfortable, has medium frets which are very good for me. I compared this to a Highway Strat hss and a Gibson Les Paul Vintage mahogany, I got this one because I liked the tone best and thought with some new pickups it would sound as solid if not more as a Gibson. I wish it had a whammy bar but like the look of it better without it so I'll probably get a whammy pedal. I highly reccomend getting this guitar. // 9
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on april 02, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Features: Not sure of year, made in Korea. 22 large-ish frets on a chunky neck, rosewood fretboard and it's a shorter scale length, 24.75". I do believe this guitar has a mahogany body with a maple top, very heavy anyways. Glossy black finish with gold hardware (very pretty). Tune-O-Matic bridge and passive PUs. Neck and bridge Epi humbuckers with 2 vol 2 tone and 3-way selector but you knew that anyway. Non-locking Grover tuners and I got a case thrown in. // 8
Sound: I play a wide range of styles and it will fit most but seems best at the heavy end of things ie classic to hard rock, metal, blues. I'm using it with my trusty PodXT Live as I am between amps. Hardly any noise on all but the most distorted of settings but I think that's more the fault of the POD rather than the Epi. Quite a rich mellow sound at the neck and a brighter sound at the bridge. You can get cleans out of it but it sounds best through a Vintage overdrive or distortion setting. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I haven't had to adjust anything, action nice and low etc. I haven't tinkered with the PUs yet but they seem ok. I haven't noticed any flaws in the finish but I have found the 1st string does get caught under the 5th fret occasionally and the socket comes loose also. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar should easily withstand live playing, built like a tank. I've knocked it several times and not a scratch. Hardware seems good. Strap buttons are nice and large but due to the large weight of the guitar I would recommend a wide strap and some strap-locks. I would use a more expensive guitar if I was gigging but I would always have a backup. // 9
Impression: It is perfect for my style, although jumping to 11s from 9s was a challenge. I've been playing 3 or 4 years to quite a good Standard. My previous guitar was a Yammie Pacifica. If some git stole it I would probably buy a different guitar just to have something different. I love the finish and being able to play GN'R, Led Zep etc properly. I wish I could get single coil tones out of it but that's what you buy a Strat for. I compared it with an Ibanez (I think it was an S series) but I was taken with the nicer finish and more Vintage tone of this. It ain't perfect but it is a very nice guitar for the price, better than many more expensive options out there. // 9
sabbath1313
: After hearing all the great things about Les Pauls I finally decided to try one and I was very disappointed. In my opinion this guitar is one of the worst I have played. I will most likely never own any Les Pauls. POSTED: 05/24/2006 - 06:56 pm / quote|
punkerkid!79!
: no!!! dont think that way, Les Pauls are the greatest guitars on this earth!!! dont let this cheap heathen epiphone model let you down, play a Gibson..... trust me
SG!
: gibsons are good if you have the money but epiphones are realy goood for the money so say if you did get a epiphone les paul custom it would be much much cheaper and then getting a gibson les paul custom. the gibson lp standars are about 2 grand STANDARD by the way this is in australia. POSTED: 06/22/2006 - 07:24 pm / quote|
Mahoru
: I own the Epiphone LesPaul Custom Ltd. Edition (ebony finish with black chrome mirror hardware), and I can say it really feels like a Gibson LP Studio. IT'S THE SAME. Don't get fooled by the price and the name, this is one of the best guitars you can get in this price range. If you like extreme metal, you should look first for an Ibanez or an LTD, but this one can make really hard and screaming sounds, too. POSTED: 07/02/2006 - 05:47 am / quote|
alphamarquis
: You have a hearing probably if you can't tell the difference.
Try the Epi LP Custom, followed by an Epi LP Elitist Custom, then a Gibson Custom Shop Epi Elitist Custom
I think you'll be able to tell the difference. POSTED: 07/18/2006 - 10:26 am / quote|
gibsonlespaul44
: i own a gibson les paul, and i personally think they are the best. its the best guitar ive played on. i have also played and epiphone. i agree with punkerkid79. try a gibson instead. there is a difference. POSTED: 07/28/2006 - 01:42 am / quote|
turbopunk2000
: This guitar is crazy-ass. I played a 1981 silverburst and it was pretty sick. Too bad i'm poor and can't afford anything good(i can't even afford a friggin les paul studio). POSTED: 08/02/2006 - 12:04 am / quote|
Corle
: sabbath, get your ears checked, or play it through a good amp, like a Marshall Super Triple Lead or somthing. I agree with both punkerkid79 & gibsonlespaul44. The real deal does make a difference. POSTED: 08/02/2006 - 06:36 pm / quote|
Mahoru
: Of course does, but there's a lil' difference: the Gibson LP Custom costs 3000 ? more than this one. ^^'
If you can pay it, it will be the best deal, but not everyone can pay nearly 4000 ? for a guitar. POSTED: 08/11/2006 - 06:56 am / quote|
Of course does, but there's a lil' difference: the Gibson LP Custom costs 3000 ? more than this one. ^^'
If you can pay it, it will be the best deal, but not everyone can pay nearly 4000 ? for a guitar.
u got them there...and what does better mean...sound id subjective to the listener... POSTED: 08/23/2006 - 11:50 pm / quote|
SystemFailure
: rather than all this arguin and stuff, out of either a Gibson LP Custom and an Epiphone LP Custom, What are the differences? Where is one better? Where is one weaker? POSTED: 09/26/2006 - 02:09 pm / quote|
KaiNgeld
: I think epiphone guitars have a great relation between price and performance and if you want a real good guitar...just change the pickups . I never said that it's better than a Gibson then, but it's quite good and it doesn't even cost the half POSTED: 10/12/2006 - 05:34 pm / quote|
chomieMan59
: I bought a schecter a while back, but im startin to wish i had looked at this one. I like the all black finish. I started off playin les pauls, and this one is gorgeous. POSTED: 10/17/2006 - 10:41 pm / quote|
thrashing4god
: I played a Gibson Les Paul the other day, and man I was disapointed. It was cool, but way different than i thought. weird feel and I don't like the way it plays. But they are still cool looking. POSTED: 10/19/2006 - 07:20 pm / quote|
Abnormal_Omish
: From the review that scored the guitar 10
When you play on any channel with the bridge pickup, it sounds really rich and deep, yet not muddy at all, not even when I crank the bass on my amp! an the neck pickup gives you an extreamly bright, crisp & clear sound.
May be a typo.... or knows nothing about what hes on about
I'm using it with a wonderfull Marshall AVT150HX halfstack and all I can say is wow. These two work together to make one heck of a sound, I could not ask for better. Guitar is not noisey at all, so don't even worry about it. And a little more on the pickups. When you play on any channel with the bridge pickup, it sounds really rich and deep, yet not muddy at all, not even when I crank the bass on my amp!
Hmm ive got a few les pauls and gig with that amp. It is pretty shit and if he thinks that it sounds beautiful maybe hes wrong about this les paul too. Im not saying this guitar is a load of crap but it makes you wonder if these people are really giving honest reviews or bragging about their shiny new toys POSTED: 10/19/2006 - 08:11 pm / quote|
found that somewhere...
made me laugh pretty hard POSTED: 10/19/2006 - 11:58 pm / quote|
avenged_lover06
: i have this, but with one difference
emg actives
81 and 80
makes a hell of a diffence with the tone and distorted sounds
even through a bad amp its great
but its not the best just the best for its price
if you find a gibson for the same price (apart from the seller being a sped ) you are a very lucky person POSTED: 10/20/2006 - 05:12 am / quote|
Those pickups rule don't they? XD I once tested the les paul zakk wylde, HOLY CRAP same pickups, sweeet. POSTED: 10/28/2006 - 07:05 am / quote|
Rock Boy
: The alpine white finish is sexy :-P POSTED: 11/02/2006 - 01:11 pm / quote|
Kikuta
: I love my Silverburst Epi LP Custom POSTED: 01/30/2007 - 07:36 am / quote|
the_stew
: I just don't like les pauls cause theyre soo heavy, as in weight, not heavy as in metal, i play a jackson warrior, now that's a beast of a guitar
keep it metal kids
\m/ POSTED: 01/30/2007 - 07:58 am / quote|
i have this, but with one difference
emg actives
81 and 80
makes a hell of a diffence with the tone and distorted sounds
even through a bad amp its great
but its not the best just the best for its price
if you find a gibson for the same price (apart from the seller being a sped ) you are a very lucky person
KaiserX
: yea, he must have meant 60. If you're gonna pay for a les paul and then buy EMGs it's gonna cost quite a bit. Go ESP! POSTED: 01/30/2007 - 03:31 pm / quote|
no!!! dont think that way, Les Pauls are the greatest guitars on this earth!!! dont let this cheap heathen epiphone model let you down, play a Gibson..... trust me
ive played a les paul studio at guitar center a couple of weeks ago and all i have to say is wow...gibson is overrated...maybe it was the strings or the fact that whoever tried to set it up musta been retarded or something. it sounded terrible and did not stay in tune, even for the 15 some odd minutes i was playing. maybe it was just this one, but its made me shy away from gibsons...maybe ill give another one a chance in the future, but being left handed, i wont see very many anyways. im fine sticking with my ibanez sz520. POSTED: 01/30/2007 - 07:20 pm / quote|
dr460n_n1nj4
: i purchased a roughed up ebony les paul custom from a friend. when i purchased it, it had tarnished and rusted gold hardware and pickups. when playing in alternative tunings such as drop d, the pick-ups wouldnt give the full tone and would cut in and out. nearly a year after getting the les paul is amassed all chrome hardware and a dimarizio d sonic pickup. i'vve been playing my les paul with the new setup for about 4 months not and i am amazed at the difference. while the chrome hardware only changes the aesthetics of the beast, the d sonic produces an amazing tone when combined withe sustain of the les paul. i've played gibson les paul standards, and they dont hold anything up to my remastered epi.
for the price, its a great guitar, throw another $150 into it on a great pickup, and it will blow any other axe away. POSTED: 02/19/2007 - 12:46 pm / quote|
psychoderek
: I bought a black Epiphone Les Paul Custom from China on Ebay, really good price. Fret buzz was terrible but had it set up at local guitar dealers and now it plays as sweet as a daisy except for one or two frets way up past the twelfth on the bottom E but as I don't play up there that much I can live with that. I used to own an actual Gibson LP Custom before I stupidly sold it and as far as I can tell there is hardly any difference between the Epiphone and the Gibson [except for the major difference in price!] Everything is just as I remember with old Gibson - I am really glad I bought as I could never afford a real Gibson nowadays and this is near-as-dammit the same. Sounds great, loads of sustain and the finish and overall appearance of the guitar I can't fault. If you can buy one from a shop where you can check it out first go for it!! Even within a brand some guitars need a lot more setting up before you can say you are entirely happy. I think some of my frets needed filing the guy at the shop said [which he did] but I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself. I also bought an Epiphone ES335 Dot and that's fantastic too but I think out of the 2 the Les Paul will probably get played more. POSTED: 03/20/2007 - 05:42 pm / quote|
I think epiphone guitars have a great relation between price and performance and if you want a real good guitar...just change the pickups . I never said that it's better than a Gibson then, but it's quite good and it doesn't even cost the half
Exactly. I put a '57 classic and a dirty fingers in mine and it sounds freakin' awesome. Still cost less than $700 altogether as well. POSTED: 05/04/2007 - 11:50 pm / quote|
Atreyu154
: Who comes into a les paul review to bitch about it being epiphone and that it isnt a ESP, Les Paul invented the electric guitar so while you praise the rest remember who layed the foundations and whether its epiphone or gibson is just a inset headstock and labour costs, As for my Custom best and only guitar i'll ever own or play. Thank you Les Paul. POSTED: 05/21/2007 - 12:01 am / quote|
RevengeGoose
: Um Atreyu I'm pretty sure Leo Fender came out with the FIRST PRODUCTION ELECTRIC GUITAR. Just a little tidbit too, first electric came out in the 1930s, but it was a lap steel guitar POSTED: 05/30/2007 - 04:29 pm / quote|
piefaceFX
: Good guitar, but my Agile AL3000 is better and costs less POSTED: 07/01/2007 - 03:50 pm / quote|
Korzack
: In fairness, true - They aren't the real things - It's like buying a ferrari where it's called ferrero (rocher). Yet, this is why they have the budget versions - we all know how dear a proper gibson is (£1500 against not even 400 for the epi? C'mon, and a decent bit of that is a name-check). Same with Fender & Squire, lol Although quite what you'd call the cheap version of a Ford is beyond me... a Fraud?) Also, a true custom LP is a £2000 plus job... This thing's about £500 (for dollars, just double it) Take that into account... POSTED: 07/12/2007 - 09:58 am / quote|
joe516:One of the tone knobs came off as well, but thats a 5 second super glue job.
UMMM... how will you ever take it off EVER?
I have Super Glued my Knobs before from playing it many days and sweating on em it will come loose or just take a blow dryer and wala (the paint is stronger then the glue so the glue will melt before the paint) POSTED: 07/12/2007 - 10:21 am / quote|
joe516:One of the tone knobs came off as well, but thats a 5 second super glue job.
UMMM... how will you ever take it off EVER?
I have Super Glued my Knobs before from playing it many days and sweating on em it will come loose or just take a blow dryer and wala (the paint is stronger then the glue so the glue will melt before the paint)
Ooorrr.....you could just use a flathead screwdriver and widen the seperation on the pot and put your knob back on...I don't belive knobs are EVER glued on, that's crazy talk. POSTED: 07/12/2007 - 10:40 am / quote|
rokero13
: great guitar POSTED: 07/12/2007 - 11:24 am / quote|
Change_In_Story
: Absolutely and undoubtedly the best guitar the world has have ever seen.I love the alpine white color. POSTED: 07/12/2007 - 01:36 pm / quote|
Shredder Guitar
: to the july 12th 2007 reviewer, thered be absolutely no point to a five way selector unless there was 3 pickups. POSTED: 07/12/2007 - 04:04 pm / quote|
rhcpfan118
: i have a black model i got used for 500 i think its a '92 model, not sure... anyway, AMAZING guitar for the money even new. it looks beautiful, i've gotten many compliments from it, and it's one of the best epiphones before you go into the elitist series. if you get a chance get one. i run mine through a fender 212 r amp and a boss od-3 distortion, dunlop wah, and electro-harmonix russian muff, it's a great sound. amazing action, nice clean fretboard. great buy. although some of my knobs are loose as well none have just all of a sudden popped off by themselves... i might switch all electronics to gibson items (toggle, pots, etc.) and if i don't do that at least i'll get a seymore duncan JB so i can come close to adam jones' (tool) sound. WONDERFUL GUITAR. POSTED: 07/12/2007 - 04:43 pm / quote|
rockfanatik00
: i got a 1972 gibson les paul recording and it sounds way to great for me downgrade to epiphone unless its a zakk wylde lp or if they would start makin epiphone jimmy page lp's POSTED: 07/13/2007 - 12:09 am / quote|
Kirenjob
: Great sound.. Too heavy to hold.. And the way the Neck is connected to the body is really uncomfortable. POSTED: 07/13/2007 - 06:21 am / quote|
rockonmetallica
: its a great guitar, it is heavy but u shud b able to get over that. I bought mine off eBay n had a couple of problems with it resulting in buzzing, but if i didnt have this (if i had bought it from a shop for full price) it would b 1 of the best guitars i have ever played. The tone on it is soooo nice and i think it is versatile, you can play stuff from thrash metal to swing (which i happen to do altho i play swing very reluctantly! :P) POSTED: 07/18/2007 - 11:26 am / quote|
rockonmetallica
: and the reason the G string goes out is coz of the size of the scale: me and my friend each own an SG and a Les Paul and, for some reason, the scale of the guitar causes the G string to go out of tune quicker than the rest of the strings POSTED: 07/18/2007 - 11:39 am / quote|
and the reason the G string goes out is coz of the size of the scale: me and my friend each own an SG and a Les Paul and, for some reason, the scale of the guitar causes the G string to go out of tune quicker than the rest of the strings
agreed, both my epi LP custom and Gibson SG 'g' strings go out of tune.. especially after afew string bends...
but i love the epi LP moe than my gibson sg... especially since i upgraded the pickups to dimarzio air norton and d-sonic, sounds awesome i mustve got a good one, becuase i played the gibson equivalent through the same amp and loved the tone but for the price the epi was quite close (before my PU upgrade), and my epi plays just as good, hence why i didnt go for the gibson, purely bang for buck reasons. plus the fact the epi is quite abit lighter than the gibson variant.
overall a great 'cheaper' guitar! the only thing i would recommend changing is the pickups and electronics (kind of let it down a bit) POSTED: 07/26/2007 - 05:49 am / quote|
Who comes into a les paul review to bitch about it being epiphone and that it isnt a ESP, Les Paul invented the electric guitar so while you praise the rest remember who layed the foundations and whether its epiphone or gibson is just a inset headstock and labour costs, As for my Custom best and only guitar i'll ever own or play. Thank you Les Paul.
ur an idiot, les paul didnt make gibson, and gibson didnt even make the electric guitar, leo fender did, get your sh!t straight POSTED: 08/06/2007 - 02:39 pm / quote|
xXSlashXx
: i decided to wait to say anything about this guitar until i was over its shiny new splendor. ive had this for over 8 monthes (with the pretty alpine white finish) and i still love it. it has excellent tones and sounds good from anything from blues to metal. POSTED: 08/06/2007 - 02:56 pm / quote|
dointime024
: The epiphone les paul standards and up from there all sound pretty much exactly alike. I have played Gibsons and the only difference is the feel, the gibson neck feels better and the body has something a little diffeent to it. But the sound is almost right on with the epiphones. POSTED: 08/06/2007 - 08:09 pm / quote|
Who comes into a les paul review to bitch about it being epiphone and that it isnt a ESP, Les Paul invented the electric guitar so while you praise the rest remember who layed the foundations and whether its epiphone or gibson is just a inset headstock and labour costs, As for my Custom best and only guitar i'll ever own or play. Thank you Les Paul.
i agree with you i love Gibsons as well, but the les paul isn't the first electric guitar, it's the first solidbody guitar POSTED: 08/06/2007 - 11:02 pm / quote|
phips
: which guitar is better? regardless of price...
LP Custom
or
LP Ultra..
? POSTED: 09/25/2007 - 12:49 am / quote|
flying-v06
: i would rather pick a tokai love rock there like £400 and as good as a gibson i own one and people actually mistake the sound for a gibson POSTED: 10/08/2007 - 10:58 am / quote|
bucketbots
: I HAVE GRECO LP POSTED: 11/08/2007 - 06:52 pm / quote|
LoveIsHell
: This guitar is good if your on a under £400 budget, and for that price it is good, if you have a decent amp and effects it will sound great. Though you've gotta remember that these are lesser versions of the Gibson models...just like Squires are lesser versions of Fender. Its up to you but i always say go to your local music shop and try one and out! POSTED: 11/22/2007 - 04:11 pm / quote|
Imafrog
: Which do you suggest....Epi Lp Custom Alpine White or the schecter c-1 classic, which is a lot more expensive and looks metaler or jazzier i can't decide? POSTED: 11/28/2007 - 12:12 am / quote|
jakethesnakeLP
: Get the Epi LP custom. I guarantee there is better sustain, better looks, and overall, more value. POSTED: 12/11/2007 - 07:12 pm / quote|
MCrmy777
: I buought this guitar about a month ago. Its way better than my other one. I have a Washburn W164 Idol. For this Epi, I paid like 650 bucks and it was worth it all. Good crunch and good clean. Alpine White. Fancy POSTED: 01/21/2008 - 05:41 pm / quote|
C40.is.hot
: The Schecter C1 classic will absolutely slay the Epi LP custom, hands down.
The classic has grovers, seymour duncans, tonepros hardware and is finished very well. More sustain from the Schecter since it's string thru
the custom has grovers as well. However, it also has cheap, chinese/korean hardware and pickups. I don't know what jakethesnakeLP is talking about. POSTED: 01/24/2008 - 05:04 am / quote|
u got them there...and what does better mean...sound id subjective to the listener...
good point my friend thinks Fender Twin Amp is a really bad amp but to me i like them plus they're good for jazz/blues POSTED: 01/24/2008 - 10:26 pm / quote|
rather than all this arguin and stuff, out of either a Gibson LP Custom and an Epiphone LP Custom, What are the differences? Where is one better? Where is one weaker?
well Gibsons are better in the sound (as most of you can tell) but epiphones you can get different colors (like the one i have its a red outer and i fades into a orange) but definetly get a gibson if you haver the money POSTED: 01/24/2008 - 10:29 pm / quote|
Who comes into a les paul review to bitch about it being epiphone and that it isnt a ESP, Les Paul invented the electric guitar so while you praise the rest remember who layed the foundations and whether its epiphone or gibson is just a inset headstock and labour costs, As for my Custom best and only guitar i'll ever own or play. Thank you Les Paul.
its not just a headstock are you F***ing crazy... you must have bad ears or something cause its not all in the look you have to listen the gibson pickups also make a big differnce POSTED: 01/24/2008 - 10:32 pm / quote|
When you play on any channel with the bridge pickup, it sounds really rich and deep, yet not muddy at all, not even when I crank the bass on my amp! an the neck pickup gives you an extreamly bright, crisp & clear sound.
May be a typo.... or knows nothing about what hes on about
I'm using it with a wonderfull Marshall AVT150HX halfstack and all I can say is wow. These two work together to make one heck of a sound, I could not ask for better. Guitar is not noisey at all, so don't even worry about it. And a little more on the pickups. When you play on any channel with the bridge pickup, it sounds really rich and deep, yet not muddy at all, not even when I crank the bass on my amp!
Hmm ive got a few les pauls and gig with that amp. It is pretty shit and if he thinks that it sounds beautiful maybe hes wrong about this les paul too. Im not saying this guitar is a load of crap but it makes you wonder if these people are really giving honest reviews or bragging about their shiny new toys
welsh Jones
: i am a beginner guitarist and own a acoustic guitar which i have learnd on for a few weeks now im thinking about buying a epiphone les paul custom for £200 do you recon i should buy it? POSTED: 02/13/2008 - 01:32 pm / quote|
SeveralSpecies
: I got this in Alpine white. I haven't gotten a good amp to go along with it yet, mine is crummy, but I needed a new guitar, as my old one broke. This is very good so far, and has got to be the sexiest looking guitar I have ever had. POSTED: 02/21/2008 - 02:06 am / quote|
SaintsinneR82
: i look at it like this,if you got the cheddar to dump on 3000+ guitar go for it...but for a guy playing for bout a year and a half...this thing treats me right....the neck is perfect the action is the way i liek it..low but jus high ENOUGH to let my pinches scream...and it looks good...sounds great thru my amp..a lil bassy,but im gonna switch out the picks for an emg active set...overall for 500 i love my guitar... POSTED: 03/07/2008 - 04:10 pm / quote|
wrighty2012
: this huitar is awesome its perfect for people who want quality performance and a killer name i own one and it blew me away against a gibson its just as good POSTED: 03/16/2008 - 03:17 pm / quote|
wrighty2012
: this guitar* sorry for the spelling mistake POSTED: 03/16/2008 - 03:18 pm / quote|
i purchased a roughed up ebony les paul custom from a friend. when i purchased it, it had tarnished and rusted gold hardware and pickups. when playing in alternative tunings such as drop d, the pick-ups wouldnt give the full tone and would cut in and out. nearly a year after getting the les paul is amassed all chrome hardware and a dimarizio d sonic pickup. i'vve been playing my les paul with the new setup for about 4 months not and i am amazed at the difference. while the chrome hardware only changes the aesthetics of the beast, the d sonic produces an amazing tone when combined withe sustain of the les paul. i've played gibson les paul standards, and they dont hold anything up to my remastered epi.
for the price, its a great guitar, throw another $150 into it on a great pickup, and it will blow any other axe away.
I don't know about anybody else here, but this worries me because one of the greatest things about gold is that it neither rusts or tarnishes. If the gold on this guitar is doing either than it means it is not real gold. Just thought I would point that out. POSTED: 03/18/2008 - 12:15 pm / quote|
wrighty2012
: the pickups are only gold plated so it does make a difference the elitest is solid gold!! POSTED: 04/01/2008 - 02:08 pm / quote|
KCW1229
: is this guitar good when you play a versatile range of music> ?? caus i have a choice between this guitar , ibanez RG350dx and a fender standard strat HSS POSTED: 04/05/2008 - 11:52 pm / quote|
is this guitar good when you play a versatile range of music> ?? caus i have a choice between this guitar , ibanez RG350dx and a fender standard strat HSS
The HSS Strat will be slightly more versatile. I always argue though that an LP with a little bit of modding (namely, a coil-tap option/swtich on the neck pickup) becomes more versatile than an HSS. POSTED: 04/17/2008 - 03:21 am / quote|
Hart_Attack
: strat? no, go for the ibanez RG350dx since it can go down the heavy side, unlike the Hss.. you get a good amount of hum like a regular strat. POSTED: 04/17/2008 - 04:10 am / quote|
Who comes into a les paul review to bitch about it being epiphone and that it isnt a ESP, Les Paul invented the electric guitar so while you praise the rest remember who layed the foundations and whether its epiphone or gibson is just a inset headstock and labour costs, As for my Custom best and only guitar i'll ever own or play. Thank you Les Paul.
ur an idiot, les paul didnt make gibson, and gibson didnt even make the electric guitar, leo fender did, get your sh!t straight
Review your history. Gibson (& Epiphone) were making Electric Guitars well before Fender even existed but they were archtop, hollow (semi-hollow) bodies. Les Paul had the idea for a solid body before anyone (remember the Log guitar??)which Gibson finally took up but I do believe it was after Fender's Broadcaster release. POSTED: 04/17/2008 - 09:52 am / quote|
joe516:One of the tone knobs came off as well, but thats a 5 second super glue job.
UMMM... how will you ever take it off EVER?
yeah you are aware that the tone knobs are ment to spin and not being stuck right? POSTED: 04/17/2008 - 10:24 am / quote|
JoeFro
: Ive got one of those, but its Ebony. It only cost me 500 bucks on eBay and the guitar was in perfect condition. POSTED: 04/17/2008 - 03:19 pm / quote|
kevlarmusicmojo
: i'm more of a fender guy, but epiphones are nothing compared to gibson. get that straight people. (that is, except for those hollow body casino guitars or whatever they're called) POSTED: 04/17/2008 - 03:54 pm / quote|
kevlarmusicmojo :
i'm more of a fender guy, but epiphones are nothing compared to gibson. get that straight people. (that is, except for those hollow body casino guitars or whatever they're called)
the point in their existence is for people who cannot afford a Gibson, the only difference is the name and pick-ups.
i have js aquired a triple-pick up ephiphone les paul custom, its awesome POSTED: 04/17/2008 - 04:55 pm / quote|
i'm more of a fender guy, but epiphones are nothing compared to gibson. get that straight people. (that is, except for those hollow body casino guitars or whatever they're called)
You should try an Elitist if you get the chance. They are very close to Gibson in all aspects except price (I have two and wouldn't trade them for only one Gibby LP!) POSTED: 04/17/2008 - 05:46 pm / quote|
zoomzoom
: dude people say epiphone is close to gibson but its really not at all. not to offend anyone, but epiphones are sh!t, especially compared to gibson. The epi pickups suck ass and the feel of the neck is so cheap it doesnt even feel like wood (most models). Just save up a bit more and buy a freekin gibson... POSTED: 04/17/2008 - 07:52 pm / quote|
ten_years_after
: i have a jay turser knock off and its accually quite good, for one it sounds a hell of a lot better than my neibor's strat that he payed $750 for. and also it has a better finish than the epiphone and maybe even a gibson, and it also has pearl triangle inlays on the fretboard, which i think look alot better than the usual block inlays, put some gibson pickups on it and it would be even better POSTED: 04/17/2008 - 08:55 pm / quote|
dude people say epiphone is close to gibson but its really not at all. not to offend anyone, but epiphones are sh!t, especially compared to gibson. The epi pickups suck ass and the feel of the neck is so cheap it doesnt even feel like wood (most models). Just save up a bit more and buy a freekin gibson...
You are obviously basing your opinion on Chinese Epiphones. If you ever get a chance to try an Elitist (Japanese version) Les Paul Iseriously suggest you give it a try. It is nothing like the standard EPi and has Gibson US made pickups not Epiphone Korean/Chinese ones. I've played "real" Gibsons and for less than 1/2 the price an Elitist would fool anyone with a blindfold on. POSTED: 04/18/2008 - 07:14 pm / quote|
KCW1229
: whats wrong with epiphone... its just the quality of material used (compared to a gibson) isnt it:>???
does the sound really sound different? POSTED: 04/22/2008 - 08:44 pm / quote|
KenG
: Quality of materials affects the sound. Standard EPI's have cheaper pickups and tonewoods aren't the highest quality. They are good guitars but you can't expect miracles for $500-600.00. Musical Instrument markup is at least 40% unless things have changed since I worked in a Music Store. That means a guitar selling for $500.00 was sold by the Manufacturer to the Dealer for under $300.00. By the time you subtract the costs of even cheap hardware & pickups there isn't much left to use expensive woods and pay for labour as well as make a profit. That being said, a novice or beginner is still getting an instrument that will sound good, stay in tune and allow their playing to grow till they are ready for a serious investment. POSTED: 04/27/2008 - 01:13 pm / quote|
KCW1229
: well in australia these epis cost 1299 AUD =P ^^hahaha POSTED: 05/01/2008 - 07:09 am / quote|
KenG
: How's that compare to Musicians Friend Prices??
When I look at Musician's Friend Website the EPI Standard LPs run from 400 -600 USD. Apparently an Australian Dollar is very close to a USD (0.97 or so). That means the EPI should only cost slightly more there not double the price. 1299 AUD should buy you an Elitist series. POSTED: 05/02/2008 - 10:10 am / quote|
KCW1229
: well thing is that price change with the AUD onand USD hasnt kicked in aussie yet lol POSTED: 05/04/2008 - 01:05 am / quote|
no!!! dont think that way, Les Pauls are the greatest guitars on this earth!!! dont let this cheap heathen epiphone model let you down, play a Gibson..... trust me
Hahaha! NO! It's funny how some people think. If you didn't like the epiphone man, you won't like the gibson because you have to be talking about playability over sound and they both play exactly the same, they just have god awful pickups in the epiphone! If you didn't like it try something lighter and completely different like a high quality squire where they don't have a finish on the neck, have completely different pickups and look completely different. I've always been a lp man and probably always will be! If you're a starter guitarist don't get one. If you're quite experienced you can make it sing and you won't let bad machine heads stop you either, cause any numbskull can get them replaced with this new magical thing called locking machine heads for about 20 quid! Take my advice dude try something else! POSTED: 05/27/2008 - 05:39 pm / quote|
jakethesnakeLP
: they are sexy guitars
im gettig mine soon
and should i swap the pup's for some Seymour Duncan SH-6?
i like the deeper sound that you get out of the guitar, but if you like brghter, thinner tone, then swap em.
huh?
When I look at Musician's Friend Website the EPI Standard LPs run from 400 -600 USD. Apparently an Australian Dollar is very close to a USD (0.97 or so). That means the EPI should only cost slightly more there not double the price. 1299 AUD should buy you an Elitist series.
yeah but import costs are a *****. epi's have to go to he USA for QC before they come here. hence epi's have crap QC. if they would ship them via japan for QC they would kick ass. POSTED: 05/28/2008 - 07:32 pm / quote|
dutch5367
: I've had my Les Paul standard for two years now and it's never let me down yet. I owned a Gibson Les Paul Studio before and I like the Epi standard much better. POSTED: 05/29/2008 - 08:19 am / quote|
I've had my Les Paul standard for two years now and it's never let me down yet. I owned a Gibson Les Paul Studio before and I like the Epi standard much better.
but if I could afford a Gibson Les Paul classic or standard of course I would get one. POSTED: 05/29/2008 - 08:20 am / quote|
Who comes into a les paul review to bitch about it being epiphone and that it isnt a ESP, Les Paul invented the electric guitar so while you praise the rest remember who layed the foundations and whether its epiphone or gibson is just a inset headstock and labour costs, As for my Custom best and only guitar i'll ever own or play. Thank you Les Paul.
Um, Dude, ill think you'll find that Leo Fender invented the First Solid Bodied Electric Guitar. The Fender Esquire, a single pickup version of the Telecaster.
THEN Gibson came out with the Les Paul POSTED: 05/29/2008 - 10:50 am / quote|
After hearing all the great things about Les Pauls I finally decided to try one and I was very disappointed. In my opinion this guitar is one of the worst I have played. I will most likely never own any Les Pauls.
no dont get discouraged epi les paul customs are a hit or a miss. Some a better then gibsons and some are worse then squires. You just have to try as many as possible finding the best one. POSTED: 05/29/2008 - 11:24 am / quote|
I was thinking about getting this guitar or the epiphone les paul standard as a second guitar...My mum says she's not going to buy me the real deal just yet...so would anyone recommend it to a year old guitarist? thanks in advance POSTED: 05/29/2008 - 01:22 pm / quote|
After hearing all the great things about Les Pauls I finally decided to try one and I was very disappointed. In my opinion this guitar is one of the worst I have played. I will most likely never own any Les Pauls.
no dont get discouraged epi les paul customs are a hit or a miss. Some a better then gibsons and some are worse then squires. You just have to try as many as possible finding the best one.
Its like that with all guitars, and dont buy display guitars, break that shit in yourself POSTED: 05/29/2008 - 02:08 pm / quote|
GibsonPWNS
: Id like to make a comment hear but i think the name does it for me.....
Anyway cheap or not you could still always throw in a set of burstbuckers or 60 reissue pickups and make these things sound like champs.... mind you its not gibson but for a lefty like myself we have to pay new price becuase its extremely hard to ind old and used in our style. But damn still it makes for a nice guitar if you put a bit of work in it. Specially on tubes.
Roge23
: This Epiphone is good because of the price but a Gibson Les Paul Studio has better tone (in my opinion), although most people don't want to spend $1100 on a guitar
hippie65
: My friend has this and it has the same pickups and sound as the Gibson. Only difference is the name on the headstock and price. POSTED: 06/05/2008 - 11:28 pm / quote|
i purchased a roughed up ebony les paul custom from a friend. when i purchased it, it had tarnished and rusted gold hardware and pickups. when playing in alternative tunings such as drop d, the pick-ups wouldnt give the full tone and would cut in and out. nearly a year after getting the les paul is amassed all chrome hardware and a dimarizio d sonic pickup. i'vve been playing my les paul with the new setup for about 4 months not and i am amazed at the difference. while the chrome hardware only changes the aesthetics of the beast, the d sonic produces an amazing tone when combined withe sustain of the les paul. i've played gibson les paul standards, and they dont hold anything up to my remastered epi.
for the price, its a great guitar, throw another $150 into it on a great pickup, and it will blow any other axe away.
I don't know about anybody else here, but this worries me because one of the greatest things about gold is that it neither rusts or tarnishes. If the gold on this guitar is doing either than it means it is not real gold. Just thought I would point that out.
pretanga
: hey guys. just wondering if the pick ups on the les paul custom can be replaced with normal picks like a seymour duncan jb or distortion at the bridge? im also wondering does the chrome cover on the picks always have to be covering the pick up even when you change the pick up. POSTED: 06/14/2008 - 05:36 am / quote|
pretanga
: hey guys just wondering can the pick ups on the les paul custom be replaced with a 'normal' pick up like a seymour duncan distortion or jb at the bridge? do they need specific dimensions etc is what im wondering. and also if you replace the pick up does it need the chrome cover to always be covering the pick up? POSTED: 06/14/2008 - 05:38 am / quote|
hey guys just wondering can the pick ups on the les paul custom be replaced with a 'normal' pick up like a seymour duncan distortion or jb at the bridge? do they need specific dimensions etc is what im wondering. and also if you replace the pick up does it need the chrome cover to always be covering the pick up?
The pickups are standard humbucking size so you can drop in any HB pickup. The chrome covers are just different construction form exposed bobbin styles. Either will be fine. Your choice. POSTED: 06/19/2008 - 12:42 pm / quote|
garrett5
: I might buy one of these bad boys, and throw in a set of '58 Gibson Pickups.
hughh1000
: be careful with this guitar the hot alcino pickup sounds good on clean and distortion, but the other one is dull and dry.
also on mine pinch harmonics are hard to do and so are natural harmonics, this is a lot of better on the hot solo pickup but still it isnt great. Mine came with a shocking buzz and a slippy tuning peg that wont allow itself to be fixed. hope this review was helpful. If you can't afford a les paul better than this, find one in store, make sure there are no hardware problems and then replace the pickups with duncans POSTED: 10/16/2008 - 05:09 pm / quote|
hooyahung
: i want to ask is there any method to check the place being made for the guitar POSTED: 10/31/2008 - 12:19 am / quote|
Msu_Man04
: Owned an Epi LP Custom for over a year now, and I absolutely love her. I don't see any reason how a Gibson could be better, but then again, I've never played a Gibson LP POSTED: 11/24/2008 - 11:35 am / quote|
yaaarp
: Woah. I have this same guitar and I must say I got a sweet deal. 400$ for the les paul, a hard shell case and a roland X15 amp. All used though. As for Quality my bridge pickup ( If that's what the lower one is called) is pretty crappy and harmonics are kinda hard to do. POSTED: 12/11/2008 - 05:05 pm / quote|
Jesus_Rev
: I think they look best in Arctic White XP POSTED: 12/22/2008 - 09:40 am / quote|
ElectriPUNK
: only difference between epi and gibson is the headstock POSTED: 01/25/2009 - 12:19 pm / quote|
Sigmar123
: http://www.aage.dk/shoppingsystem/vare.asp?varenr=28896
I bought this one recently, about 6 months ago. I LOVE it. Every thing is awesome about it, it is a waste of money to buy a Gibson, when you can get this. POSTED: 04/09/2009 - 10:07 am / quote|
Xanadu_ROCK
: I have it in a snazzy tixedo finish....black with ivory edges, gold plated hardware, mother-of-pearl block inlays.....sex machine lol POSTED: 04/22/2009 - 09:03 pm / quote|
Who comes into a les paul review to bitch about it being epiphone and that it isnt a ESP, Les Paul invented the electric guitar so while you praise the rest remember who layed the foundations and whether its epiphone or gibson is just a inset headstock and labour costs, As for my Custom best and only guitar i'll ever own or play. Thank you Les Paul.
i agree with you i love Gibsons as well, but the les paul isn't the first electric guitar, it's the first solidbody guitar
no it wasnt. the broad/no/tele-caster was.
also what are the nuts on these things made of? POSTED: 04/24/2009 - 11:51 am / quote|
JallanLP
: ahh i got one of these babies for christmas.
i reckon its great except one of my strap buttons came out only after a couple of months
and the gold harware seems to wear off pretty quick
great guitar though and good sound. POSTED: 06/10/2009 - 05:41 am / quote|
After hearing all the great things about Les Pauls I finally decided to try one and I was very disappointed. In my opinion this guitar is one of the worst I have played. I will most likely never own any Les Pauls.
/ my profile 
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. I never said that it's better than a Gibson then, but it's quite good and it doesn't even cost the half
same pickups, sweeet.
:P)