Featured review by:
unregistered, on january 13, 2005 41 of 44 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Avenue Guitars - Edmonton
Features: I just purchased this guitar, and wow, it is impressive. For almost 3 times less than a Gibson Les Paul, you get basically all the same features. 22 frets, mahogany neck, mahogany/alder body, tune-o-matic bridge, single cutaway, and 2 great sounding humbuckers. // 10
Sound: This guitar fits my musical tastes perfect. I mostly play classic rock, but it suits punk, blues, and metal perfect as well. I use a Marshall MG30DFX, and it sounds great, with no 'buzzing'. If your looking for a full rich sound, this is the best guitar you can buy. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The finish is brilliant. The pickups were adjusted perfect, and I especially like the Tune-O-Matic bridge. The tuning pegs are great, and hold tune very very well, and they look very nice also. The only problem I have had was the top strap button came off, and it looked like the hole was drilled to big for the screw, but that was covered by warranty. Highly recommended. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is a beast! It is so bulky and feels like it can survive anything you can dish at it. Very very solid, I would definetely gig with this guitar. The finish is very very solid as well, and looks like it will last me a long long time. // 10
Impression: For the money, you cant beat it. If it were lost/stolen, I would definetely buy another, or a Gibson, but I love the Les Paul model so much. I only wish it had a tremolo bar! But an excellent overall guitar. // 10
Reviewed by:
JadeFalcon5, on october 22, 2005 6 of 8 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 600
Purchased from: Renos Music
Features: First off, I love this guitar, the first night I had, it, I let it sleep in my bed. I'm not sure where it was made, but mannn! does it sound good. It's got 22.5 jumbo frets, and one of the fastest smoothest necks I've felt in a long time. I'm pretty sure it's rosewood. It makes my practice amp sound good! It's got a Tune-O-Matic bridge with grover tuners. I also like the 3-way pickup selector. It has 2 volume and 2 tone knobs. I love the way mine looks to. If you want to see it, go to www.myspace.com/jadefalcon. It has a Vintage sunburst finish, which always looks great on any guitar. // 9
Sound: Second, the sound of this guitar, is unlike anything I have ever heard. You can play any style of music with it, it'll always sound good. I'm playing it with a Marshall MG250DFX, and occaisionally a cruddy practice Fender. It sounds great on either. There is a huge variety of sounds you can make just by flipping the pickup selector. You can change from Jazz to country and twang in half a second. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action on this guitar is great. The pickups are set perfectly. The only problem I had was one tone knob was too close too the body of it. This problem was easily solved by pulling the tone knob out a little bit. The pickup selector is completely noiseless. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is always good, live or just practicing. The hardware is strong and sturdy. The strap buttons can hold perfectly. If I ever had a gig, I wouldn't need a backup guitar, this one is perfect. The finish is great, like glass. I dont think it'll wear out for a long time. // 10
Impression: The only problem I had with this guitar was the weight. At first it is extremely heavy. But my guitar teacher told me. With more weight and more dense wood, the more sustain and higher tone. And to my experiance this seems to be true. I've only been playing around one year, but I play for about 4 hours a day (yes I know, I'm a freak). If this guitar was stolen, I would cry. For days, many days. Eventually I would buy it again. This axe beats the snot out of my crappy Squier. The only thing I wish it had was a tremelo bar. But that's one of the only bad things about a Les Paul. It took me forever to find this guitar. I have seen many that looked like it, but not one that played or felt the same. You just have to keep trying until you find one you fall in love with. Which I definately did. // 10
Reviewed by:
Snuffles, on may 18, 2007 4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 410.01
Purchased from: Steves Music
Features: This is a great guitar. Awesome sound and a great fingerboard. Thisguitar has many features such as: 22 Frets with trapazoid inlays, alnico classic humbucker pickups, chrome hardware and a strong and steady stopbar, also a mahogany finish. Its electronics have volume for trebel and rythem modes and tone knobs. But the downside is that it's non-locking and it doesn't with any accessories. But other then that it's a great guitar; second to olny the Gibson itself. // 7
Sound: This guitar has a very full sound. On all the settings it's great. It's not noisy either. It's mainly ment for rock music though but you could play anytype on it but it's best suited for rock. It goes great with almost any amp and the patch chord spot is in a great place, it won't get in your way. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was built great, the pickups were perfect it's all even, no unfiled freat or loose controls. The bridge is great to, it was built solidly and it's easy to change strings. I couldn't find bad things about this guitar. The paint dosn't chip a lot either. This guitar can stand up to a lot things, but if you are going to change the pickups or bridge or whatever, if it's your first time, get a professional to do it. // 8
Reliability & Durability: If I where on-stage with this guitar I would trust it. But I would replace the strap-locks with some that are gaurenteed to not break or let go of your strap. I would play at a coffeeshop without a backup but if I where playing a big concert I would just get a Gibson. It's the same thing but better wood and such. I would trust the finish to stay ION fr a while too. This guitar is trustworthy though. // 7
Impression: This guitar suits rock music. It was built for rock music. I have been playing for a while and I have played other music on it but rock suites it. If I were to compare this to another guitar I would say the Epiphone is etter unless the other one was a top of the line guitar. I wish it costed a bit less though, it's a bit pricy it's good though. // 8
Reviewed by:
steve_slash, on july 28, 2006 3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 547.17
Purchased from: Gak
Features: // 10
Sound: My music style varies, But the main band I focus on is Guns N' Roses. I also play, Velvet Revolver, Iron Maiden, RHCP, Foo Fighters, Aerosmith & many others. It handles all of the styles for these bands as I team it up with a Marshall MG15DFX Amp. It gives out a crisp sound when played clean and a chunky rock n roll sound when played with distortion. Fiddling with the amp I can easily find any sound that I need through this beauty. I am only using (along side my DFX amp) a Snarling Dogs wonder wah 2 pedal for my Guns N' Roses solos. This gives off a good enough sound for my taste although some people may want a bit more in the effects area but overall it handles good. I use Ernie Ball hybrid slinky strings to get my sound. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar seems pretty well put together to be honest I have had no major problems up until now when the strap holders have come loose, keep falling out and will not screw back in properly. I am going to try and tackle this problem hopefuly but the main reason of it all is because of the damn weight behind the guitar. It is a little on the heavy side and this causes problems with the strap imo. No flaws other then this everything has worked well, The pick ups could be a tad better though. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar would definatly withstand live playing I would without a doubt gig with it without a backup. The hardware seems like it will last a long time. The strap buttons however arnt too great on my model, As described above. This is the only thing I would worry about when gigging. I was playing the other day stood up and the buttons just fell off but luckily I grabbed the guitar in time. Also with it being a big beast if it falls it falls hard. I also have to use strap locks on the buttons as I dont trust it to stay on without these either as it keeps falling of due to an awkwardly placed front button. The finish looks great. Nice and shiny with a glass like quality, I have it in Heritage cherry sunburst and its sexy. // 8
Impression: For the style of music I play it is a great match. I have been playing guitar for about 2 and a half years and this is a great guitar compaired to my first squire Strat. You can clearly tell the difference in quality as soon as you pick it up. It can pull of slash solos well when combined with my equipment. I wished I had held it before I had purchased it however (as I purchased it off the internet) just so I knew of the weight. If I lost it I would get a new one at the bargain price of £299. This is a great guitar and I can not afford a proper Gibson one yet so this is the closest I get for my musical style. I love the look and sound. I dont so much as "hate" the weight and the strap issue but it is more of an anoyance to me which could easily have been avoided with better craftmanship and a few lbs taking off. I do not really compaire it to any other guitar. It is the style and sound that I wanted therefor it was set in stone in my mind to buy this baby. The only other alternative would be to buy a Gibson les paul which I cant so id go for this every time. All round I would recommend it to any guitarist. Novice or experienced. // 9
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on december 13, 2005 3 of 4 people found this review helpful
Features: I just bought this guitar and I've got to say for the price it is, it's incredible. It was made in 2004 in China. It's got 22 frets medium frets, maple neck and mahogany body with a cherry burst finish. It's got the Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge which is great and makes restringing a whiz. It's got 2 chrome humbuckers (very sexy) one treble one rhythm and theres a volume and pitch control for both. Not sure about the brand of tuners though they arent locking they seem to stay in tune pretty well. When I bought it it came with a hard body case and a cable, the cable was terrible though and increased the feed back enourmasely, infact it was the only thing causing feed back because when I plugged in another cale it was silent. // 9
Sound: It honestly is one of the most versatile guitars I've played, it's great for clean things, jazz, blues, pop, then into rock, metal, heavy metal, death metal everything. I'm using a Laney amp and its has no feed back if you use the right cable. It has a very full sound due to its large body, very chunky sound is great. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: When I tested the guitar out at the shop it was flawless, great action, the frets were just a litte ruff at the edges but they fixed that up for me, the neck was fine, humbuckers all fine pretty much all fine. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar will last me a long long time and I hope it does, I wouldn't use a back up because this guitar is great. Strap buttons are solid just like the rest of the guitar. And the finish looks great and seems like it will last long. // 10
Impression: I play metal and it suits it fine. It's a great overall guitar, just wish it had a whammy bar. If it were lost all stolen they'd have to lock me up because I'd kill someone, but yes I would buy a new one. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on october 29, 2005 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 430.05
Purchased from: Peter Cook
Features: My guitar was made in Korea, as most Epiphone's are. 22 frets. Nice woods - mahogany/alder body and a maple top. Mine is in a transparent amber finish, which, like all Epiphone's, is stunning! What I like about this guitar is that, despite the deceptively simple tone controls, you can get a huge range of sounds! The pickups, unlike lower end Les Pauls, are quite good. // 9
Sound: My style is mixed - classic rock, Indie, melodic metal, and this suits all of those styles and more. With a bit of fiddling, I can make a perfect Led Zeppelin sound, as well as Guns And Roses, Travis, Coldpay, Trivium, the list goes on. On heavy distortion the sound can be a bit muddy, but my amp (a really old Sony CD amp) only has that, so I wouldn't know about weak distortion. The sound is incredibly full, and never weak. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar had one tiny flaw - a bit of smudged laquer on the headstock. Apart from that, it was as I expected it to be. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I haven't played this live, but it seems pretty heavy. I estimate that I'd only be able to play three songs back-to-back standing up. Having said that, it is solidly built, and I would happily play this without a backup. // 8
Impression: This matches my style well - the sounds are perfect. If it were stolen, I couldn't spend too musch time saving up for another, so I'd probably look at the Studio instead. This is a brilliant guitar, and a worthy copy of the Gibson models. The sound is full, the build is solid and is a bargain at £235. // 9
Reviewed by:
f-e-z, on august 07, 2006 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 640.5
Purchased from: Johnny Roadhouse Music
Features: My Les Paul (LP) was made in 1998 in China, it has a 22 fret maple fingerboard, I think they're thin frets, it's a solid-top, and is finished in cherry sunburst and is lacquered. The body style sticks primarily to the original LP shape and is roughly the same thickness. The bridge is as it is on a Gibson LP. The tone pot gives a volume for both pickups, and a kind of "balance" control, and a 3-way selector Switch. The pickups are some cheapo chinese ones, I've changed them for Seymour Duncan '59 models. It's a twin-humbucking guitar though, and is good at room volume levels. Included: Hard case, strap. // 10
Sound: The LP suits my musical style to a T. I play mostly "old-school" types of rock, a bit of modern stuff (Velvet Revolver), and as a result, barely touch the gain. I'm currently using a combination of a Fender Mini-twin (it's punchy) and a Fender Rumble 15 (bass amp) other than that, I've put it through my friends 100-watt, 20 year old Marshall, andit sounds like Page re-incarnate. It gives a very sustainable sound, very warm, and it is extremely versatile, so it covers a range of sounds, old and new. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar has barely been altered in this area. The pickups were setup perfect, the action meant it's a joy to play, everything was perfect, saddles were fine, frets fine, nothing out of line, tuning pegs held solid in a British summer for 3 days (temperature went from 30 to 15 and it was bangon every time). The only trouble was the plastic top on the pickup selector, but I'm told this is a common problem with LP models, and even Gibsons. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar has lasted me and my hard-rockin' dad 8 tone-rich years now, and by the feel of it, will last another 10, at least 6 more years before the frets need replacing. The hardware seems like it will last forever. The strap buttons are solid, I've only had to tighten them once every six months or so, no need for a straplock at all. I would use this at a gig without a backup, even if I drove over it's flight case before hand. The finish is a little suceptible to cracking, as it's lacquered. In particular, on the back, there are a number of dings and dents where acoustics and the like have been dropped on it. Other than that, the plastic binding is solid, so there's no likelyhood of it wearing off with playing. // 10
Impression: I play mostly old types of rock, Led Zepp, Van Halen, and a bit of modern stuff, Velvet Revolver, etc. and it suits them all, it's a very versatile guitar. I have been playing about a year now, and it's a very good guitar whethr you're Eddie Van Halen, or some spotty-faced 14-year old like myself. I was given the guitar as a gift, once I'd given up on bass, but there's nothing I'd wished I'd asked before, maybe "can you change the pickups if I get some new ones?". If it were stolen, I would hunt the little scrote down and shove a shotgun barrel down his throat, I would never lose this, I sleep with it sometimes to make sure. But yes, I would get another, maybe the Gibson, if I had enough. I love the fact it's so easy to play, and sounds so great, it leaves all those high gain, power chord Strat ripoffs in the dark. My favourite feature has to be the quality of the thing, even though it's just a Gibson copy. I don't hate anything about the guitar, but I dis-like the original pickups, they aren't much good at high volume levels, but sound great if you get to the top-end of a 30-watt "garage size" amp. // 10
Reviewed by:
LesPaulverizer, on february 20, 2007 0 of 4 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 436.87
Features: 2004 Korean Les Paul Standard. It has a beautiful translucent red finish, with a book-matched flame maple top and mahogany body. It has a rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets and the Standard Les Paul controls. I replaced the nickel grover tuners that came Standard with Schaller 'green key' tuners to give it a more Vintage look. I also changed out the stock strap pins with locking Schaller pins, 'cause I hate dropping my guitars. It came with a really crappy guitar cable, but the guys at Steve's were nice and gave me a good deal on a leather strap and hardshell case. Overall, pretty Standard, though. It did look nice, though I came to find out that the top was a veneer, not real maple. // 7
Sound: I play lots of rock and roll music with a cover band, and this guitar is versatile to handle anything (though I like to Switch guitars on stage for songs in other tunings, acoustic stuff, etc). The sound is clean and resonant, and like one reviewer pointed out, this thing holds notes for a very long time. With the mahogany body, the tone is really warm and mellow, which I love. After 6 months, the guitar began to show off some less than pleasing attributes, like the neck pickup becoming the muddiest, tone free piece of crap I've ever heard. More on this below. // 5
Action, Fit & Finish: My only real beef with this guitar is that the pickup toggle is really noisy. Other than that, it was playable right out of the box (though I fine tuned the set up when I got it home. I like my action just above buzzing). The bookmatched top is a thing of beauty. However within a year, the following happened: needed a replacement bridge, 3 tone/volume controls, output jack, toggle switch. As mentioned above, I replaced the tuning pegs as well. // 5
Reliability & Durability: Even though I only bought this guitar in March, it has stood up to a great deal of abuse playing Live and travelling. I would absolutely bring this to a gig without a back up, though I'm to anal retentive to Live that freely. And here is the problem. When new, it seemed the possibilities were boundless. However, this guitar was an unreliable piece of crap. It constantly cut out, the neck pickup was essentially useless, and, until I replaced the bridge with a better quality model, constantly out of tune. Absolutely unacceptable. // 1
Impression: Ever since I started playing guitar in 1994, I have always wanted a Les Paul. An Epiphone isn't the same as a Gibson, but it certainly is a worthy substitute. Everything about this guitar screams rock and roll, and I would highly reccommend it to anyone looking to buy a guitar. No matter how many times it gets said around here, an Epiphone is not a Gibson, no matter how badly you want it to be. You get what you pay for, and $500 USD gets you a pretty lousy guitar. I bought a Gibson LPStandard about a year ago, had it set up when I bought it, and have never taken it in for repair work, or had to replace anything on the instrument itself. The quality of Epiphone parts is budget at best; garbage at worst. I would never reccommend buying an Epiphone Les Paul to anyone (at least not the Standard model). // 3
Reviewed by:
NY773, on july 17, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: eBay
Features: It's a 2006 Epiphone Les Paul Standard, made in America. 22 frets on a maple neck, and it's a solid-top. The body is also maple. The finish is a beautiful cherry sunburst. It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge with passive electronics. It also has two volume and two tone controls. There are 2 Epiphone Standard humbucker pickups. It has Grover tuners, and it came in a hard-shell Epiphone case. // 8
Sound: I play a lot of blues and classic rock. For that, the Les Paul is perfect. It is a good foil for my Squier Stratocaster. I'm using it with a Boss Fuzz box, a Dunlop Crybaby Wah Pedal, and a Vox VA15 amp. The amp plays perfectly to the Les Paul's highs and lows when I haven't messed with the settings to much. I usually use equal parts treble, bass, gain, and volume for my amp. The guitar can make all sorts of sounds, from a rhythmic boom to a trebly squeal. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The action is perfect, not too low or high. The pickups are fine, and they are adjusted correctly to suit me. The top is beautiful, and bridge are fantastic. The guitar had no flaws at all when I received it. The bracing is alright, the fretwire was fine, the finish is great, and the hardware is all together and intact. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will withstand Live playing better than a lot of others. The hardware, especially the Grovers, seem like they should last a long, long time. The strap buttons are rock-solid. I know I can depend on it, and I would use it without a backup if I absolutely had to. The finish also should last a very long time. // 10
Impression: Again, I play classic rock and the blues. This guitar is a perfect match for that style of playing. I've been playing about 5 years, and I own all the things I've mentioned as well as a Squier Bass and bass amp. I can't think of anything I would've asked before I bought it. If it was stolen or lost, and I had enough money, I would definitely buy it again. Compared to the Gibson Les Paul, it's an almost perfect match for hundreds of dollars less. Part of me wishes it had a Bigsby tremolo, but the rest of me thinks that would ruin the aura of such a legendary guitar. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on july 06, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Long & McQuade
Features: 1996 Korean Made Les Paul Standard, 22 frets, and a 24.75 scale. One word: sof-kingawesome. 22 frets, all mahogany, set neck, plain top. It comes with a pair of two Alcino pick-ups, which give off some of the most diverse tones, I can play everything from B.B. King, to Death, or Children Of Bodom. Passive pick-ups of course, HH configuration as with most Les Paul's. 3 way selector Switch, 2 tone knobs, and 2 volume. Chrome hardware, Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Tune-O-Matic Bridge. Rosewood fretboard, 60s neck, it's a dream! Gibson Deluxe tuners, non-locking keep tune great! Better than the Grovers which came with it in my opinion. Cream binding, but no free case. // 10
Sound: I play everything, and this guitars covers it quite well. I play blues, hard rock, and some of the most obscure metal bands ever, and this handles it quite well. I'm playing through a JCM 900, and a Peavey 6505, and this guitar can do anything. Dark mahogany sound, rich/full/warm tones, and some thick cleans which I love. This guitar can get noisy when I play high gain stuff on the JCM, but that's to be expected when I'm standing quite close to the amp. As I said, this is a very versatile guitar. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: When I got it, there was a bit of fret buzz, and the stock string were too thin for my liking. So, I put some 10-52's on, and adjusted the action myself, and viola! It was perfect, no fret buzz. The pickups were at preferred height, however, when I got it, there was dented frets. However, seeing as this guitar is now 11 years old, that's to be expected after a while. That's really the only thing that bothers me, this guitar is built like a tank, I've hit it time and time again, and it has not dented. However, it does have some dings from the times I've dropped it on stage, and on cement. Dings give a guitar character though, so I like it. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will and has withstood Live play, the hardware has lasted 11 years and is still in great shape. Strap buttons are a bit small, which is why I got strap locks, but they will hold any strap you put on there solidly. Just don't be swinging it around like a moron, or it will fly off and possibly trash your amp! I would gig without a back up, and have done so, it has not failed me. The finish would Live through a nuclear holocaust. // 10
Impression: Metal, Blues, Jazz, Country, Hard Rock, Shred (not as easy though), etc. Great match for these. If this were stolen, I'd try and find it just for the pure sentimental value it holds, however I'd buy a Gibson after this. If this Epiphone could play so well, the Gibson's definitely play better. I only wish I had an extra $4000 lying around! When I bought it, I compared it to a Dean, and a G-400. I knew this was going to be my guitar from the moment I saw it, love at first sight if you will. It played absolutely brilliant, I played it for 10 seconds, before the guy asked me if I liked it. I said "Oh yeah," I love it. I have a MIJ SSS Strat, a weird little Hamer XP-1 (which is quite nice actually, very middy though), and an Ibanez. All of which are for a different genre and/or tuning. I must say, this is my favourite guitar. // 10
Reviewed by:
red_wolf_rocker, on june 17, 2006 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: My uncle
Features: This is a 1980 Epiphone Les Paul Standard Limited Edition guitar. It's reall a gorgeous thing, it's gloss black with a charcoal-gray flamed classic Les Paul "burst" and black hardware. I don't know anything about guitar technics, but bear with me and I'll give ya what I got. Like I said, it's gloss black, with black hardware. It still has the original tuners (not bad for a 26-year-old guitar). And original pickups, too. Neither I nor my Uncle touched much of anything, he simply took the pickup covers off and raised the pickups. I'm working on digging up the original covers so I can undo that. He also had it tuned to DAGDAD tuning down one whole step. The best aspect was the pearlized pickguard and truss rod cover. // 10
Sound: I play a lot of metal, so the dropped tuning was right where I would have put it anyways. I'm currently playing it through and old Crate GX-15R amp w/ built-in overdrive. It's not a very noisy guitar, like my old Yamaha can be. I didn't have much trouble out of it at all. When set on the rhythm pickup, it had a real good clean tone, even with the overdrive on. When I got through the beginning of System Of A Down's "Toxicity", I quickly flipped it over to the treble pickup and was shocked at how seamlessly it made a pedal-type transition. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action is great. I got way high up on the fretboard with no problem. The only flaw it had was old strings (Whoopee). // 10
Reliability & Durability: This is a stage weapon. I've never had any problems out of it since I purchased it at the beginning of May. // 10
Impression: I've been through three guitars, and this is the absolute best one yet. There's one interesting aspect about it. It says "Limited Edition" on the back of the headstock, right where the headstock joins the neck. I think this means that it was one of the few Epiphones that came out of the Gibson plant in America, but I'm not sure. // 10
Reviewed by:
Bizz, on december 18, 2006 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 677.1
Purchased from: Sound Control
Features: My Epiphone Les Paul was made in Japan, it has a nice rosewood neck with 22 frets. I think it was made in 2005. It has a awesome Tobacco burst finish, that looks even better when the scratch plate is taken off. It's got a Tune-O-Matic bridge, two volume, two tone controls, 3-way pick-up selector and some nice alinco humbuckers. It has a good size neck and I think almost anyone could pick up a les paul and play with no problems. // 7
Sound: Now the sound of a les paul is the reason everyone wants to buy one! The humbuckers on this bad boy are fantastic, they give a lovely creamy rich tone when on the 'rhythm' pickup they scream out bends and has the sort of sound you might expect to come out of Slash's Marshall (which is the sound I wanted to achieve). But the Les Paul is also very versitle and can handle soft blues, to punk rock, to heavy metal, to anything! I use my Les Paul through a Marshall 30MGDFX, which I recently bought to, it sounds amazing, it also sounds cool through a Fender amp or a Vox. I also have a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby which sounds absolutely awesome with the LP. The Les Paul suits my style of music because I play a variety of punk and classic rock but I reccomend if you only play punk music do not buy a Les Paul Standard go for a junior! // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: I'm proud to say, that this guitar is very well built and has no flaws really, it doesn't make any weird sounds or doesn't come apart. The pickups were well adjusted too although I decided to higher them up a bit for a touch more output. The woods also descent so no complaints here! // 9
Reliability & Durability: I haven't played with my Les Paul (live) yet. So I'l tell you what it is like to just play! At first when I got my Les Paul I really wasn't used to all that weight tugging on my shoulders cos I play a Tele, but after a few days you get used to it and you feel like it's a guitar you can really rock out with and it feels like you have a lot of control over it. There are no problems with the finish or anything as of yet but I might see things happening to it in a few years time. I probably wouldn't take it to a gig without a backup but that's just me. // 8
Impression: My overall impression of this guitar is a very good one. I have a Fender Mex Tele and a Les Paul so I can create a wide range of sounds now I was looking for a classic rock sound to match the likes of Slash, Angus Young etc. And I definately found it. If you're thinking of buying a Gibson, don't! Unless you really have a lot of money to spend the Epiphone is a better alternative and the Gibson Les Pauls don't offer much more for the extra grand. Although I've only been playing for the better part of a year and a half I think I really know my stuff, I've played a lot of guitars and searched every where for a classic rock sound and the Les Paul provides it. The only thing I'd change to this guitar is perhaps put some Seymour Duncans in but that's my opinion. If I got it stolen or lost it I would probably experiment with something else but that is only because I feel I want a bit more scratch to the tone of my next guitar. The only thing I could compare this too soundwise would be a PRS but they tend to be a little pricier! // 7
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 28, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 500
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: I believe my Les Paul Standard is an '06. It is made in China, which is where I think jus about all Epi's are made these days. It has 22 frets on a rosewood fretboard with the mother-of-pearl inlay. Flamed maple top with mahogany body and neck. Tune-O-Matic bridge with Grover tuners, and chrome-covered humbuckers. Wow. Just wow. I had been looking at a new guitar for several months. I had always liked the LP-style, but I don't have the money for a Gibby. This is the next best thing. I have the Heritage Cherry, and it looks so beautiful. // 9
Sound: I play classic rock and a little bit of hard rock. This suits me perfectly. I can be bustin out the Jimmy Page or Alex Lifeson one minute, and be playing some Coheed And Cambria the next minute. The humbuckers, while not Gibsons, sound quite excellent, and the LP tone is unbelievable. Heavy and full, very soulful distortion. It's not noisy until I turn my amp on full gain, and even then, it's only a little buzz. I use it mostly with my crappy practice amp, but I also have played it through a Marshall stack, and it sounds awesome. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I'm no expert at guitar setup, but it's quite easy to play, and looks quite nice with no flaws whatsoever. The neck pickup was and still is a little low, but I'm going to adjust it soon. The neck is easy to play, and doesn't get sticky, like I expected. I will give it a nine, but like I said, I'm no expert. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will most definitely withstand live playing. I have heard bad things about Epi pickups, and they may need to be replaced in a couple of years, but the rest of the hardware is dead solid. The strap buttons are big enough to make me not worried about the guitar taking a stage dive, and aren't loose or anything. Yes, you can depend on this guitar. I don't play gigs, but I don't think I would need a backup. I have owned this guitar for two months, and still haven't broken a string. And yes, I play it every day, usually around an hour. Finish is excellent, sure to last. // 9
Impression: Great guitar for distortion-controlled music, but also sound excellent clean. I've been playing for around 18 months, and have a cheap asian Strat copy, but this thing embarrasses it. If it were stolen or lost, I would hunt down the person that took it and murder them. And if they had destroyed it, I would save up and get another. I love the gorgeous looks and great tone. I played an Epi LP custom, and this thing was easier to play, because it seemed to have a thinner neck. I also played an Gibson LP studio, and this thing more than gives the Gibson a run for it's money, for less than half the price. I wish it had Gibby humbuckers, but I can add those later. All around, great guitar. Good job, Epi. // 10
Reviewed by:
Thunderstrucked, on august 02, 2006 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 554.4
Purchased from: Musik Produktiv
Features: // 8
Sound: This guitar suits my style nearly prefectly which is anythig from hard rock (AC/DC) to thrash metal (Metallica). I use it with a Marshall MG15DFX and a Boss MT-2 and its absolutely not noisy.Sometimes the Neck pickup is a litlle to bassy, the bridge pickup is perfect for solos. I mainly use it with both pickups on, because its a full rich sound with enough highs and bass. With dist. it sounds really heavy (like for whom the bell tolls), but also you can get very nice cleans sounds vor stairway to heaven or nothing else matters. Very versatile. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Action was perfectly set up, but I don't know if they set it up in the factory or at the shop. No fret buzzing, not to high, intonation was good. I had nothing to change. The finish is amazing, no flaws on the paintjob, just two dings on the neckbinding and fingerboard. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This is a tank. It will definetly withstand live playing, I used it twice at 30 minute "concerts", but I'm sure it will last for ever. The strap button were solid but I chnged them with securitv lockes because they were on my strap. The finsh will last, I´m sure. All in all a very solid guitar. // 10
Impression: As I said before I play mainly metal and hard rock and this is just perfect for that, but it works well for everything. This is one of the most versatile guitars ever. If I´d have to buy it again, and I would definatly buy it again, it will be stolen because I'll never loose this guitar, it's my precious. I've been playing for 2, 5 years but I think I'm pretty good (a friend of mine plays 7 years and we are at the same level) before I got this I played a stratcopy (55 EUR) and it is really worth it. // 10
Reviewed by:
Rourke, on july 24, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Musician's Friend
Features: Hand Crafted in the United States in 2006. With 22 Standard frets on a mahogany/alder body. A fast, set, rosewood neck this guitar is capable of the fastest licks. Two Alnico Covered Humbuckers sets the tone for this masterpiece. These guitars come with a free 10 foot cable. // 6
Sound: I play various types of music, and this guitar fits them all from country to metal this guitar will cover it. I am using a Wahsburn Bad Dog 25 Watt amp set on clean wil a Boss Ns-2 Noise Surpressor and a DigiTech Grunge distortion pedal and this guitar has a massive amount of sustain. It gives a bright sound with a boost of that treble pop but also delivers a warm rythym tone. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was set to a Standard which was good in my case because I'm still on the Standard action. The pickups were set up exactly how I expected which was how my Gibson Les Paul Custom is. The to tone control knobs were wired backwards but this was not a big deal for me because I planned to remove the neck tone knob with a mute Switch and wire the bridge and neck pickup tone knobs to one. // 10
Reliability & Durability: Definately gig capable with its sturdy hardware. I added Dunlop Strap Locks because the strap kept slipping, but overall I would and have used this for many gigs. The finish has stayed as if it just came off the assembly line and dust will not gather on it. // 9
Impression: I liked the appearence of this guitar a lot but the tonal quality is as good as a Gibson. I've been playing for a couple years now and also have an Ibanez Artcore, and a Fender Avalon. If I lost this guitar I would replace it with another Epiphone Les Paul. It would be the perfecty guitar if it only said Gibson instead of Epiphone but that is more than okay. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on july 03, 2006 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: A small local Shop
Features: It was a 22 fret I just assume since it was new when I bought it, it was a 2005 model made in, and this may be completely wrong, but I think it was made in China. It was a solid body with a sunburst top. Honestly I'm not positive, but I believe the body and neck woods were maple. The bridge is fixed. It is a string-through. There are two tone and two volume controls. They work nicely. The tuners are nice. I don't plan to change them any time soon. They overall lock nicely. I didn't get any real "accessories" from the store, except a card good for 10 manual string changes. // 8
Sound: I usually play punk or grunge, or even occasionally the '70s ballad. It adapts pretty well, but I think that's due to my G-Dec amp, which is amazing! It can get pretty loud, but only on a few settings on my G-Dec amp. In a normal or average amp the sound is pretty soft and adapts well to ballads or a pretty wide amount of modern rock. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: I haven't gotten any major changes done to the guitar except I changed the bridge a small bit. Every thing else was set of great! // 9
Reliability & Durability: The most major thing I've changed about my guitar is have the input/output jack changed, because there was a loose wire. I've had the guitar for about ten months and every thing is working great. Evreything is stable and solid. Ace Frehley (Kiss guitarist) uses a Gibson, because it's probably better made. The finish is always pretty nice. // 8
Impression: I do usually play harder stuff, but I'm not sure if it's the "perfect" match. I've been playing, seriously, for about three years. I don't get lessons, but I consider my self an intermediate guitarist. I definitely should've asked if I was getting a good deal. I think I got an okay deal, but I would've liked it to be cheaper! If I lost this guitar, I would move on and buy a guitar a guitar with more, should I say "grungy sound." Honestly I didn't shop around like I should have, but I'm so far pretty happy with this guitar. I think it's a good "transition guitar." I think it's for the player Who is between beginner and advanced/intermediate. Overall the only thing I would change is the soft sound. // 7
Reviewed by:
Silent_64, on september 11, 2006 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 640.5
Purchased from: Musikhuset Aage Jensen
Features: Made in Korea, 2001, 22 frets, 24.75" scale, chrome hardware, solid top. Body and neck is Mahogany, with a rosewood fretboard with mother of pearl inlays, Tune-O-Matic bridge and a stopbar tailpiece. 2 Gibson designed humbuckers (I cannot stress this enough Gibson designed, not by any means actual Gibson humbuckers). A 3-way switch, and 2 tone and 2 volume controls. // 7
Sound: It suits my music style alright, I play blues and rock. Such as Clapton, Mayer, AC/DC, Springsteen and Maiden, obviously a single coil would fit better in many cases, but it handles itself alright. But the humbuckers are terrible, they aren't very good, they sound is flat with to much bass, and without any real dynamics, I've changed them to a SD SH-2 And SD SH-1, which really fits this guitar nicely. The soldering and electronics inside is far from pretty, but sturdy, if you're willing to invest some money into the guitar you can get an alright sound, but stock it's not very convincing. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was pretty much spot on, but the pickups were terribly adjusted, and when they were corrected they sounded even worse. The jack plug keeps loosening, but besides from that it's pretty decent. The finish is alright without being flashy, about the same as you'd expect from a budget brand like Epiphone. // 8
Reliability & Durability: As I said, it's pretty sturdy built, it could withstand gigging quite well, I wouldn't bring it to a gig without a backup, because I wouldn't stand on scene tightening the jack plug. I wouldn't expect the finish to last a lifetime, even more so if you have a laminated top version. But so far I've been positively surprised. // 8
Impression: I've been playing for 5 years, and this one is decent, and a good consideration if you're just getting into electric guitars, and with an upgrade like the pickups it'll give you a pretty good sound and lots of fun. If it was stolen, I wouldn't buy a new one, I think that the money it takes to make this one decent would be better spent in good second hand american Strat or perhaps even a new one. It's good as a beginner guitar, but as an intermediate and advanced guitar it's lacking in both finish and sound. // 7
Reviewed by:
kfong03, on november 25, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: tom lee music
Features: Gibson makes some of the best guitars in the world, and the les paul is no exception, but too bad for many of us, Gibson guitars are just way too expensive, so here come one of Epiphone's brand of Gibson's famous models-the les pauls Standard. This guitar's got 22 frets, a mahogany neck, a mahogany/alder body, Tune-O-Matic bridge, single cutaway, and 2 humbuckers and 4 tonal/volume controls, it's made in china but I don't know when. It comes with nothing at all but I don't actually mind, I just bought a gig bag, strap, cloth, cable for it. // 9
Sound: Amazing sound, covers a wide range, I can easily switch between the different options available and play greenday to Bowling For Soup to something else with no problems whilst sounding authentic. I use a Ibanez 10G amp, which isn't great, but the sound of it certainly sounds good, it can play softer sounds but can distort real nicely when you want it to. Brill. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: When I bought thhis from the store it looked okay, but by the time I got home I had to polish it, so the finishing isn't really good, but the action and set-up is really good, I can easily fret strings and have no problems when sliding, bending, etc. Pickups, bridge pins were all professionally set up and it looks, sounds, feels great. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I haven't performed with this axe yet I can't say for sure, everything's put together very well so I think it should be ok, the hardware has lasted my playing on many occasions. When performing with any guitar I would bring a spare backup, so this is no exception, but this guitar is certainly very sterdy so I won't worry too much about it anyways. // 8
Impression: I play rock and I try other styles occasionally, and this guitar certainly delivers th tones I want-whether it be soft twangy tones to heavy distortion, this axe has got it all. The high playibility in this guitar definitely stands up to it's Gibson counterpart, it would also compare well with a Fender Strat, and even an Ibanez RG. If this guitar was stolen I'd probably kill somebody, steal his money and buy ten more of these back, they're so worth the money I payed, when you're deciding on your next electric guitar purchase, and yu haven't got an Epiphone Les Paul Standard in your collection, go get one. // 9
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 17, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Long And McQuade
Features: This guitar is a beauty and an accurate imitation of the real Gibson Les Paul both in looks in sound. 22 medium frets on a rosewood fingerboard topped with Trapezoid inlays, 24.75 inch scale, a set neck made of mahogany, a beautiful maple top, and a Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar. The body is of Mahogany as is the neck and the finish is a flamed maple top. The hardware is chrome. The humbuckers are two Passive Alnico Classic Humbuckers. It came with a gig bag, a strap and a cable. // 9
Sound: If you want rock, you got it. You want metal? You got it. You want blues? What do you think... Anyhow, this guitar handles almost all music styles I play. It even pulls of grunge fairly well. I run this guitar through a Korg AX1500G Effects Processor and a Fender FM65R Guitar Amplifier. There is barely, and I mean BARELY any feedback and it gives out, on the bridge pickup, a crunchy full sound, and on the neck pickup, it produces a darker, more mellow sound. This thing seems to be able to pull of Pinch Harmonics really well too! // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The action is LOW. A bit too low actually. There is slight fret buzz when you purchase it. You may want to bring the action up a bit or get it set up at a music store. Besides that, the everything else was great. The pickups were great and needed no modifying. The paint was flawless. There were no dents or scratches and nothing was loose. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I've dropped this many times (half the time on hardwood and even cement), scratched it a bunch and almost snapped the neck off and it still hasn't died on me yet. I can safely say that if this thing can stand my abuse, it should last me a long time. The strap buttons are pretty solid and I would think I could use this thing with out a backup and the finish was beautiful and still is. // 9
Impression: Overall, this guitar is great. It's affordable, reliable and can handle all types of music. If this thing was stolen or lost, I would definitely buy a new one. No questions asked. I compared this to the Fender Stratocaster but the Les Paul drew to me like flies to light. Although, I wish it had a tremolo but, meh not a huge deal. // 9
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on july 03, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Up for review is my Epi Les Paul Standard plain top. I purchased her from Guitar Center in August of 2006, and was probably made earlier that year. The body is listed as mahogany with a maple veneer, which is not visible because of the finish which I got in a plain gloss black finish. Ultimately, you get in an Epi almost all of what you get in a Gibson Les Paul, save for the higher end cosmetic differences (nitrocellulose finish, gold/nickel hardware, pots, pickups, high grade flame or quilt top) but for the price all that is almost incosequential and can be upgraded over time. This guitar is heavy as hell! I think moreso than it's pricier counterparts, so I'd invest in very wide and padded straps for this one. The pickups are a pair of Alnico Classic humbuckers, chrome plated, very good for factory installed pickups. I suppose in the end one could say you are really saving about a thousand dollars on a Les Paul by swapping the name on the headstock. // 10
Sound: Does it stack up to a Gibson? Yes, not all the way, but for $400-$600? The difference is not a bother. Some people have told me that the Epi Les Paul sound is a tad darker than a Gibson, and not so much high end treble. It's still a Les Paul, no matter how you slice it, and you can cover and replicate all the good Les Paul sounds we are all familiar with. That said, I'd advise a pickup change to enhance the guitar's tone and versatility. Drop in a set of Burstbuckers, and you'll swear it's a $2000 Les Paul! I wanted something slightly different, so I dropped in a Diarzio Evolution in the bridge and a Burstbucker Pro in the neck position. The sound is full, rich, good overtones, and I can use her for anything from blues to instumental rock to country and it suits them all. At this point, a reason why you should spend the extra money on this instead of a cheap Squire Strat: no noise whatsoever, even on high gain settings! // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: There's one thing about Epi's that bugs me, but it's a do-it-yourself fix: The input jacks tend to come loose. Some of the soldering there was shoddy too, but it's a simple fix, thoguh an annoying one. The other issue is the strap button screws which come loose on occasion, but a simple upgrade (snap-in buttons or go the EVH way and screw in a hook) can fix that. Other than that, everything is set up well, itonation is set up well, rarely a tuning problem. The tuning pegs are very well installed, though I still plan to replace them with Kluson tuners later. Neck action is pretty good, it was'nt made with shredding in mind with a little chunkier neck profile than most wide and flat necks, but it still feels good. // 9
Reliability & Durability: It's a very hardy guitar! I would neve take a Squier Strat out to play with, but this feels very sturdy and very reliable. I've gigged with her before and it's always been there for me. Course gigging without a backup? Well, no matter how reliable, never gig without a backup, because you never know when the theory of spontaneous and unprovoked cumbustion can try to prove itself. // 10
Impression: This is the best all around guitar you will find for $400. It's a Les Paul through and through. I've had her for almost two years and have been playing for four, and I only wish I bought this one first and not the ol Squire. If it were stolen, I would not go buy another, only because I'd want mine back! Lesson to all: never try to steal a guitar that is owned by a lycanthrope. // 10
Reviewed by:
guy_tebache, on june 27, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: A$ 900
Features: This is a 2005 Epiphone Standard Les Paul made in Japan. It has 22 frets at a 24.75" scale with a 1.68" nut width, a rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays and non-locking grover tuners on a set mahogany neck. It has a Flame maple top on a Mahogany body with an Ebony finish, and a Stop-bar Style bridge. It has two active Alnico V pickups, one at the neck and one at the bridge, with two volume controls (vol for neck pickup, and vol for bridge pickup), and two tone controls, as well as a 3-way pickup selector. // 9
Sound: I bought this guitar two years ago when I was really into bands like the Strokes and with my Les Paul and Fender amp I can get a great sound for that style. My rig is as follows: Epiphone Les Paul Standard (hoping to add an American Strat here soon) >> Big Muff Pi USA >> Homemade Tubescreamer (my friend makes them. They're better than any tubescreamer I've ever heard, and I've heard a few) >> Boss DS-1 >> Phase 90 >> Vox V847A Wah (want to change that to a 535Q Crybaby) >> Boss CE-20 >> Boss DD-7 (soon to add DD-20 here) >> Danelectro Reel Tape Echo >> EHX Holy Grail Reverb >> Fender FM 212R solid State Amplifier (want to change to Marshall Tube amp). It's using active (humbucker) pickups so if you're using a noisy amp or a noisy fx unit, this guitar will make the hum as low as possible. It has a great sound for all kinds of punk, rock, blues and plays well on most other styles. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar came pretty well set up out of the factory. The pickups and the action were both set really well which is what drew me to this guitar. All seemed to me to be done really well with it. After a couple of weeks however I noticed 2 things: it had some fret buzz from a high 17th fret and only a huge amount of changing the action and bridge height could stop it, but I had the fret filed down and now it's perfect, and when I used gauge 9 strings the high E string kept snapping. It turned out to be a burr on the bridge saddle, but again a little filing and it was all fixed. So none of the stuff I had to do cost me anything. My local music shop's luthier guy did it for free and it took about 5 mins // 9
Reliability & Durability: Its a Les Paul. it's like the truck of the guitar world, it's solid it's heavy and indestrucktable. Not that I don't take good care of it. I won't wear a belt when I'm playing so it doesn't get scratched. it's great for live playing, unless you're playing a long set cos it's pretty heavy. The hardware is all chrome so it doesn't rust (which is a must living near the beach), the strap buttons were solid, but I replaced them with Schecter strap locks. I would use this guitar anywhere it's that solid and versatile, the only thing you can't get is an authentic single coil/strat sound. The only thing missing from my rig really is a Strat for that single coil sound and a Marshall tube amp. The finish is awesome, I've had it for two years and it barely has a scratch // 10
Impression: These days I'm more into funk, indy, prog rock but still a lot of rock and punk, so this guitar does well, but I'm missing a Strat for a John Frusciante type sound. I've been playing for about six years, but the first few were slow and I was poor so this was my first real guitar (the previous one was a Samick Strat and it sucked), so it's really good for intermediate players, and even a virtuoso would have nothing really to complain about, though there are better guitars out there to be had. The only thing I wish I had asked when I bought it was: "why does it come in an Ibanez Box with an Ibanez Manual?" but hey whatever. If it were stolen or lost I would probably buy a Strat for my next guitar, but after that I'd go straight back to the Les Paul cos it has such a great rock sound. I love a lot and hate very lttle about this guitar. The only thing I'd complain about is that for a lot of The Music I'm playing these days the humbuckers are too fat. I compared this to a bunch of other Epiphone Les Pauls in the shop and they were all good, but what worked for me with this one was that it was simple. The rest all had really flashy flamed finishes and stuff like that, but I liked just the plain black finish. For me it made it stand out from all the more noticable ones. Anything I wish it had? I wish I had a Strat, but I wouldn't trade it for one. // 9
Reviewed by:
irish_hendrix, on june 20, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Ebay
Features: Was made in 1995 imported from America, you can tell because it's a lot heavier than it's chinese cousins, Standard 23 fret guitar, personal opinion says that 21 is the maximum you should play it at, unless you enjoy ultrasonic. Laminated Cherry burst top single cutaway mahogany, the fingerboard is rosewood with rectangular marble inlays, Standard Les Paul style which to me is 1 of the bes, has nickel hardware an active electronics system, 3-way tone and volume, which can sometimes be too little in terms of finding your own style, I bought my own hard case from P.M.T. // 10
Sound: sound can range from a clean open jazz sound, to a crunchy warm blues tone, my personal favourite though is the rough rock sound generated by the guitar effects, as said, my sound is that of the rough classic rock genre. I use a Marshall Mg at home but when I play gigs I use the Marshall Vintage series cab, the overdrive mixed with half bass and half tone compliments the treble of the Les Paul greatly, I sometimes add a few pedals, the main 1 is a J.D. cry baby, I do use some of the DigiTech and Boss pedals but I find they are bought by preferance. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The setup of Les Pauls is mostly the same, the action is tight and low yet not too low to allow for high bends, I prefer my action lower as I use both hands to pick of the strings, I aslo like the height of the pickups which have not been changed, they allow good sound and tone without much effort or hard work. The only annoyance's that you would find are the occasional loose screw causing an un-attractive buzz after every low note, the buckle for the strap is also an issue on mine as recently whilst rehearsing it decided to pull the thread out of the wood, if that does happen to yours then I suggest a quick fix as it's something that doesnt't require much attention but plays a key role, that is if you ever want to play standing up again! // 7
Reliability & Durability: I have been gigging for about a year and my Les Paul seems indestructable, it has a few knocks but that doesn't affect the sound, it perfroms every time and the quality never fades. The hardware hasn't tarnished and they are smoothly turned, the strap buttons are mentioned above, but agin I can't say that happens to all of them, if I needed a back up I would use this time and time again, as said it's reliable and like a best mate, always there when you need him/her. The finish is still as emmaculate today as it was when I first set eyes upon it and I have no doubt it will last forever. // 8
Impression: As I'm only 16 and have been for all of 6 months, I am obviously not the most clued up, or the fountain of all knowledge when it comes to guitars, however I taught myself to play at the age of 7, at the age 9 I picked up the Epiphone les paul and have never looked back. I own a Fender Strat and a Washburn 12 string acoustic, I also have an Ovation semi-acoustic, which if you like sum serious acoustic love now and again, is the way to go. If I lost my L P I would probably use the Strat, but I really would consider a Gibson Standard, phoaw! Anyone who has ever played 1 of those knows that feeling. // 9
Reviewed by:
BusterSword777, on july 07, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 250
Purchased from: Lisenby's Music Shop
Features: Let me begin by saying that I've had this guitar for about 2 years, and it is my second electric (my first being an Epiphone SG Special). To this date, it is my favorite guitar. It was made in March '03 (I bought it used). I have it in an ebony finish and I've taken the pickup covers off (never really liked the look of them). The guitar features 22 hexagonal frets on a 24.75" scale rosewood fretboard. It has two volume knobs and two tone knobs, each controlling it's respective pickup. It has a three-way pickup selector near the top (which I have since rotated to switch diagonally instead of vertically) and Grover tuners (which stay in tune very well, I might add). The model I purchased also came with a cream pickguard (it now sports a Sobe sticker). I like all of these features, but there are a few things missing that I would love to add when I can cough up the money, such as a Bigsby tremolo and a killswitch (yeah, you can turn the volume on one pickup to zero for that, but then you can only use one pickup). Some internal fuzz effects would also be sweet, but for the price this guitar has some pretty nice features already. // 8
Sound: The stock pickups, while not bad, aren't exactly amazing when it comes to using heavy distortion for things like metal. Luckily, I play mostly progressive rock and blues type stuff, so it isn't a necessity for me to obtain loads of distortion. I use a pretty crappy amp with it (a California CG-60, if anyone's heard of it) but I can still get some pretty decent tones out of the guitar. With the treble pickup, you can get a really crisp clean sound or a crunchy sound that's great for hard rock (or, if you turn down the tone knob, classic rock). I tend to use the treble pickup a lot when playing things like Coheed & Cambria and Alter Bridge. The neck pickup gives a very full clean sound and a nice overdriven sound when distorted, which is perfect for blues soloing (or any type of rock soloing, really). I also find this pickup to be useful for playing grunge music like Bush and Soundgarden. Although coil-tapping would be a great feature to expand the tonal capabilities of the guitar, the tone knobs are sufficient for getting a lot of different types of sound out of it. Also, the sustain on this thing is AMAZING. O.O One of the main things I look for in a guitar is sustain, and this guitar has more than enough of that. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I bought this guitar used, so the owner before me may have fixed the action beforehand, but this guitar has the most amazing action I have ever felt on a guitar (well, besides several PRS's I've put my grubby hands on). I really hate putting new strings on it because I have to go through those few days where the action feels a little awkward and the strings buzz, but it always goes back to normal with use. There were a few cosmetic problems that popped up at first, such as a few of the knobs being too close to the finish and scratching it (not very much, but enough to be annoying), but that was easily fixable by just pulling them up. Another thing was a massive chunk of finish missing from the back of the headstock, but since I bought it used, that's not really a factory issue. // 9
Reliability & Durability: The first thing I did when I got this guitar was install strap locks (I had heard to many horror stories of Les Pauls falling to the ground beforehand). This served me pretty well for about a year, until one of the straplocks started to, well, not lock. The top straplock would randomly become unlocked while I was standing up, so this guitar fell three or four times before I decided to get new straplocks. However, the first time it fell, I didn't notice any serious damage other than it had gone horribly out of tune (it fell to the ground face-first because I just wasn't expecting it to fall). The next few times it fell, I half-expected it to fall, so when I tried to save it, only the G and B strings really went out of tune. There are several nicks and scratches all over the guitar, although the vast majority of them are from the previous owner (Who must have gigged like hell considering how much of a beating it took from my defective straplocks). I personally haven't seriously gigged with it, so I can't really say how much it can withstand in a Live setting. // 8
Impression: Overall, this is a very solid guitar, particularly for the relatively small amount of cash I paid for it. It's perfect for the style I play (progressive rock, hard rock, blues) and for many other styles. The only guitar I would really trust more would be a PRS Custom (but I honestly would never throw down more than a thousand for a guitar). I've played several Gibsons before this guitar, and I can honestly say that they are not worth the extra $1500+ that would pay over this guitar. Yeah, they have a cooler headstock, but they sound almost the same and don't have the same feel that I love so much (odd, I know, but it's just my opinion, I guess). Hopefully I can scrounge up enough cash one day to customize it like I want (killswitch, coil-tap, fuzz effects, KAOSS Pad). // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 14, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 449
Purchased from: Sam ash
Features: This guitar has really good features. 22 rosewood medium frets, very smooth. The body is mahogany and alder, and the neck is mahogany. Great sustain. Pretty heavy though. The finish is just absolute breathtaking, I have the cherry sunburst finish. Great tune o matic bridge, that makes changing strings a breeze. Has a 3-way pickup switch, and a tone and volume knob for each of the 2 humbucker pickups. Has great grover tuners that look good and hold tune the best. One thing that isnt so good is that is didn't come with anything except a jack for my amp. // 9
Sound: I play every style of music except for country, and there's not one thing that I can't play on this guitar. It can hold a nice clean sound perfectly, and it plays sick distortion even better. The sustain on this guitar is awesome, it has such a great sound. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: Of course every guitar needs to be set up right out of the factory, but this guitar was very close to what I wanted. The strings weren't that bad, changed them anyways, and the action was pretty close to perfect. the pickups were adjusted pretty good, except the back pickup is a lil high for my taste. All in all the gutiar holds up to it's value. // 10
Reliability & Durability: this guitar will definetly withstand Live playing, although for how long I couldnt say. It's reliability is pretty good, but basically you get what you pay for. A Gibson les paul will hold it's value over time, but if you need a wicked sick guitar to jam on and play Live for a few years you can't go wrong with this beauty. The strap buttons are very solid. I definetly would use this guitar without a backup. The finish is probably in the middle, if you really take care of it, clean it often and make sure not to bang it on stuff, it will definetly last. // 9
Impression: I paly everything and this guitar definetly holds up to my standards. I've been playing 2 and a half years, and I own a few other electrics but this is my best one by far. If it were stolen or lost, I would probably get a Fender Stratocaster, because that's the other gutiar I've been dying to get and the only reason I didn't get it is because I got the Les Paul. I compared this guitar to a real les paul when buying it, and the difference is almost minute. Yes, there is a slight difference in tone, and durability, but for the price you can't beat this guitar! It is hard getting use to the rosewood fretboard though. It's a little bit harder to maneuver. But better for practice in the long run. // 9
Reviewed by:
oneblackened, on september 09, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 399
Purchased from: Daddy's Junky Music
Features: This guitar was made in December of '06 in the Unsung China factory. Well, it's the normal 2vol, 2tone, 3way, 2 humbucker LP. Mahogany body and neck, plain maple veneer top, rosewood F/B. It has a tune-o-matic/stopbar bridge, and Grover tuners. The pickups are Epiphone's AlNiCo Classics, they're OK, but are a bit muddy. This may be due to the covers. // 7
Sound: This guitar doesn't do metal too well, because the pickups are muddy. I use it straight into a Marshall VS30R, and it sounds good considering the amp. It's not noisy at all. LP's are one of the most versatile guitars, only surpassed by the Stratocaster because it has a tremolo system, and I have no problems getting a decent sound out of it. I'll bet that the covers are the big tone(and brightness) - sucker here. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up surprisingly well at the factory, with the only problems being that the bridge was flexed in, and a tall fret. That wasn't a problem for me, since I had an extra bridge from my G-310 which has broken down (non reinforced basswood necks for the loss). The pickups weren't adjusted well, but that's about 4 turns of a screw to fix. There were a couple of finish flaws, but unless you're looking for them, you can't see them. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar would withstand live playing quite well. The only mod I've done so far is change out the tiny strap buttons for some straplocks, but otherwise it's totally stock, and perfectly OK. I wouldn't gig without a backup but that's just a rule of the trade. The finish will probably last. // 9
Impression: If this guitar were stolen, I'd hunt the guy down, get my guitar, and beat HIM to unconsiousness with it. I almost got a Schecter C-1 over this, but I didn't, because the Les Paul has a certain charm to it. I really like the feel of the guitar, but I don't really like the pickups (again, it may just be the cover). The only thing I really wish it had would be a bone or Tusq nut instead of a plastic one. // 9
Reviewed by:
Drool_Mouse, on september 04, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 250
Features: I'm not sure about a whole lot of this guitar, ie. where it was made or any of that, and to be honest, I'm not even 100% it's a Les Paul Standard, since the piece that covers the neck adjustment is gone. There are 21 frets on this guitar, not sure of the type of wood in the neck or body. It has a 3-way pickup Switch and 4 control knobs: 2 for volume and 2 for tone. I know it has custom pickups, can't exactly remember what the neck pickups are, but the other set is a Seymour Duncan Invader. It has locking tuners, planet waves. I really just bought it from this guy, case included, and that was it. The guitar and the case. He put the tuners and the pickups in it before I bought it. // 9
Sound: I usually play anything from The Offspring to Iron Maiden, to Atreyu and Bullet for My valentine, and this guitar takes it extremely well. I'm using a Zoom GFX box with it, and a Kustom amp (not sure what type, since it doesn't say on it, it's old as hell, so). It's not really noisy, doesn't have a whole lot of buzz when you're not playing, and it has amazing tone. The lead work I do now is so crisp and clear, and so full, even way up on the neck. It got a good versatility, I'd say, based on the many different styles of music I can play with it, and have it sound so close to the real thing. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The set-up overall was good, I mean, I bought it used from a guy who liked to work on it a lot, so the action was good, and the pickups are just awesome. The only real flaws it has are that the screws holding the pickups in seem a bit rusted, and some of them are going to be near-impossible to remove, and one of the tuners broke, so I have a random Ibanez tuner on it (it's what the guy said) and one of the knobs he put on is missing, but for the price and the sound, those are minor flaws to me. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar would do just fine in a Live performance. The hardware seems to be doing great, and I know the strap buttons are solid, since I put a strap lock on the buttons, since I was having trouble standing, and having the guitar stay on the strap. I would definitely use this guitar on a gig, without a backup, I believe it's ready top handle anything I throw at it. The finish is just fine. It's still extremely shiny, and doesn't seem to have any flaws in that department. // 9
Impression: I like to play metal of all kind, occasionally some punk rock, but mostly metal. And this guitar can handle anything really, with the proper set-up of effects paired with it, I think you could get this guitar to sound any way you want. I think it's a perfect match for me on all counts. I've been playing for almost 4 years, and I have a Washburn X-Series, and my effects box (Zoom GFX-1). There really isn't a whole lot I didn't ask before I bought this guitar, so I have no regrets about it what'soever. // 9
Reviewed by:
expired111, on june 17, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: C$ 499.99
Purchased from: Steve's Music Store
Features: The Epiphone Les Paul Standard was a wonderful purchase for me to make. I recently bought this guitar in February of '08. Everyone thinks that Epiphone's aren't that good because they are made in China, but Epiphones make some pretty good guitar. 22 frets made for quite a bit of playing space with the added cutaway, rosewood neck and trapazoid's in the neck looked cool. I believe the guitar is a laminated top. The guitar felt great overall. The biutiful Sunburst finish added a very warm, thoughtful look to the guitar. The humbuckers worked great and the guitar had nice harmonic responce. 3-way selector Switch, 2 volume, 2 tone added a very nice touch to the guitar, letting you turn on and off your volume on stage. The two pickups were pretty hot (NOT AS HOT A THE ORIGINAL Gibson Les Paul Standard) and worked well. The guitar did not come with a case but a hard case frome Steve's Music was about 80 bucks. // 9
Sound: This guitar was perfect for mostly anykind of style. The Epiphone LP could do quick metal riffs, some hard rock stuff, blues (my style) and a bunch of other stuff. I'm using a Marshall Master Lead Combo. The guitar wasn't noisy at all. The only thing that bothered me at first was when the guitar had a ton of string buzz once I brought it home. I just took of the strings, reset the Tune-O-Matic bridge the way I like it and I did my own setup. The I put on some Brand New Gibson Brite Wires .10 and it made the guitar perfection. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar wasn't set up well when I bought it. The pickups were adjusted okay for what I play. The top was perfectly bookmatched and the bridge was also amazingly done with pride. The only thing that was loose when I bought it was the bridge pickup tone control. The screws for the pickup were a little messy, but when on stage, you could even notice the screws! // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar was really good while playing Live. The only thing was that the top of the guitar would rub into your ribs, so I took some really soft seat foam and used paintion taped to tape the foam on. Do not use any other type of tape. It will ruin your LP). The Epi is my backup for my Gibson LP Studio). The finish is very well done and it won't come off with a little bit of pressure. It takes a gun to take off the paint! // 9
Impression: I play blues, rock, old Elvis stuff and this guitar was perfect. Some of my friends play metal stuff and the guitar worked well and had a nice crunchy sound with a Boss Distortion pedal. If it were stolen, I would buy it again, totaly. I chose the Epiphone because every year, the Gibson's go even more expensive. I own a Gibson Les Paul Studio (Alpine White), an Epiphone 1966 G-400 (SG). a Gibson SG Special and a Fender Stratocaster. The Epi was really good compared to my Fender, and it whipped by in sound quality. // 10
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