One of the most popular Epiphone models, the Special II gives you all the essential elements of a Les Paul such as powerful twin humbuckers combined with a stop-bar tailpiece and Tune-O-Matic bridge for killer tone and great sustain. All at a price that anyone can afford.
Special II
Reviewed by:
Dannomite, on august 08, 2011 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: C$ 80
Features: I'm not sure what year it was made. Same features as every other Special II on the planet. // 8
Sound: The guy I bought it off of was running it through a tube amp of some sort and it sounded good. Even running it though my solid state practice amp was good. It sounded as good as you'd expect a budget guitar to sound. No better, no worse. I guess you could play pretty much anything with it. How well is another story. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: This is where the Special II fails. The poly finish on it is tough as nails, but that's it. I recently stripped the whole guitar down to use for a project and this is what I found.
-Advertised as Mahogany, but they fail to mention it's ply wood.
-Pickup cavities are poorly cut and slightly off center.
-The neck was too sticky for my liking (thick poly).
-The hardware feels cheap. // 2
Reliability & Durability: Despite the poor parts and craftsmanship, it's solid and will put up with a beating. Like I said, the poly finish is great and will put up with a beating, but who cares. It's not worth babying this guitar (the rest is just filler now) You could gig with it if you had to, but why would you want to. So many superior guitars for the price. // 8
Impression: I haven't forgotten that this is a budget guitar, BUT, I'd expect this level of garbage by a Made in China, no name Company. Not Epiphone. This has a brand new $185 cad price tag and it's worth half that. My advice is that if you want one, by used and don't pay more than $90-100. If you want new, Squier (Affinity Series) builds superior guitars for that price range. If you absolutely want a Les Paul style guitar, get the Xaviere XV-440. It's styled like the old Gibson Specials with P90s for $209. You can get them even cheaper if you get a blemish model. I have a blem XV-550 and it's beautiful. The blemish was the rear strap button was half an inch off. // 3
Special II
Reviewed by:
lshaddock, on april 07, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: £ 80
Purchased from: Gumtree
Features: Epiphone, the greatest copy of Gibson there is. Although this model looks quite basic it packs a lot of punch when plugged into a decent amplifier. The basi look was done on purpose by the designers of this guitar to make punk rockers like tom delonge look a bit younger and childish.
It has 22 frets with a very low action (probably the best I've seen). Although it comes in many colours I have a Gloss black finish which looks stunning.
Neck is painted which some people says is a pain in the ass but I have had it for 3 years and played hours on end on stage and have had no problem with stickiness from sweat. // 9
Sound: If I were to suggest a type of genre for this guitar I would choose mainly Bluesy rock - Pop punk. Myself I use a Marshall valvestate 100w and it sounds incredible and with very little if anything of feedback. The humbuckers are perfectly placed to get the correct sound for lead and rythm. With 22 frets it can go a pitch higher than an ordinary fender. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The factory made this guitar very well with the best actioned guiar I've ever played on. Pickups needed a bit of work but who doesn't like fiddling with their guitar a bit to make it perfect. :) Everything about the finish is brilliant. When bought it had no flaws in it at all that needed repairing and it was in perfect condition, and still is. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is super reliable and is a real joy to play. Although not the lightest of guitars its weight is very well distrubuted so it gives you a comfortable feel when playing standing up. As I've said already I've had this guitar for a few years now and nothing seems to be wearing away, no rust, no fretware damage. When going to a gig I always take one of my other guitars as a backup but out of my 11 amazing guitars I always take this one as my first choice and I've never had to use my spare. // 10
Impression: I play pop punk/punk/rock and this guitar fits perfect for the sound it produces and the way it looks for a punk rocker. I've always said Ibanez for heavy metal, Fender for blues - light rock, and epiphone/gibson in between. If it was stolen I would go straight out to buy another one, lol.
Love everythng about it, and hate nothing. Favourite feature go to be the head with 3 tuning heads either side, looks funky. I was going to buy an SG instead but I discovered they are like twice the weight as these.
The only thing which I would add if I could would be a second tone knob and a whammy bar. // 10
Special II
Reviewed by:
Zach101, on february 11, 2011 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: C$ 150
Purchased from: Local Music Store
Features: Bought this guitar from a local music store about a year ago.
Specs: 22 medium frets, 24.75 scale neck, Mahogany neck, Laminated alder/maple body, 1 volume knob, 2 tone knobs, Pickup Configuration: 700T, 650R, 3 way selector, 2 humbucker pickups, open coil. No accessories came with this guitar. // 7
Sound: I play mainly alternative rock/metal, a mixture of clean and distorted guitar. I use a variety of different amps, but I mainly judge a guitar based on what kind of sound it can produce in accordance with my pedal setup. This guitar has an okay sound. It doesn't sound too bad with heavier distortions, the clean is a little bit buzzy though. This guitar would be okay as a rythym guitar in a quieter group. However, it is not well suited for louder venues. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar's action is a little bit under average. The actualy body is a lot heavier than most guitars, which gives it an awkward feel. the neck is also a little bit too thick, making it more difficult to play faster solos. I would recommend this guitar for simpler playing as it is not well suited for advanced playing. This guitar has 2 humbucker pickups and therefore gives a fairly well rounded sound. The guitar itself contained no noticeable flaws, though it has no pickguard so the lower part of the body does scratch after some time. Also, some of the tuning pegs loosen after a while. The tone knobs are pretty good quality though; they don't loosen or malfunction. The finish/wood is of relatively decent quality as well. Overall a fairly well built guitar, but not overly versatile. // 6
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will withstand live playing. However, it will perform better if used properly. For example, it will probably perform best if it is used for rythym purposes (power chords, basic chord patterns, no shredding or anything like that) The hardware will last, provided the guitar is well taken care of. I would not use it a gig without a backup however. I would not use it at all without a noise gate to prevent the buzzing. Not that the buzzing is overly loud, it just gets annoying after a while. The strap buttons are NOT solid at all. On the first day I owned this guitar one of the strap buttons came right off. I put bigger buttons on and those ripped right out as well. I had to bring it back and get it "professionaly" repaired, so I was very disappointed with that. The model I bought was black so even after my constant use it's hard to see the scratches of the pick on the lower half of the guitar. Other than the strap buttons, it's a fairly // 6
Impression: This guitar was ok for a rythym guitar player playing simple rythmic patterns, but little more. (For live stuff) For at home practice, it's fine. I've been playing for 4+ years and was not overly impressed by this guitar. If this guitar was lost or stolen, I would probably look at buying something else (probably an Ibanez). I love that this guitar has the Les Paul style to it; it looks like a great guitar. Other than that it's not a very high quality product. I hate the fact that the knobs came right off and that the neck was too thick. This two factors limited the guitar to simple practice at home as opposed to the possibility of playing this guitar at live shows. I would recommend this guitar to beginners or to rythym guitar players who are on a budget. Other than that, it is unsuitable for lead playing and larger venues. // 6
Special II
Reviewed by:
arlojbaker, on april 16, 2010 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 130.00
Purchased from: Pawn Shop
Features: Basically just the guitar with a Standard set-up. Neck and Bridge humbucker pick-ups with volume and tone controls and a Switch to go to either one or both. Like everything with the guitar, not bad for the price. // 8
Sound: Once again, for the price this guitar sounds great. I have a smaller Randall amp and can (to my surprise) do a lot of different styles with it, which is good for someone like me who tries to play whatever whenever. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar is very open to change and being so cheap, I'm not afraid of breaking it so it has a lot of variety. I do have some problems with the action but lowering the strings would probably help with that. My special did have some almost serious problems with the tuning nuts and I'll probably have to get new ones soon but then again, I bought it at a pawn shop and the tuning nuts were original so I can't fault Epiphone too much on that one. // 7
Reliability & Durability: The guitar is pretty durable and would serve as a good back-up but not necessarily your main guitar (due to the average sound). The hardwood will last me a while. I bought it about 6 months ago and I haven't exactly treated it like a princess yet it still plays good. The finish hasn't worn off through my playing and the previous owner's time with it. The flaw I find in it is the tuning nuts are not very durable, at one point while playing my high e string became loose and I saw the screw holding it in on the floor. // 6
Impression: My overall impression of this guitar is summed up in 4 words "great for the price." I do wish I had a better guitar; but I lost this one? I would probably buy it again because I'm not in any shape financially to afford anything better. // 8
Special II
Reviewed by:
Neonknight2112, on january 06, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Craigslist
Features: 22 Jumbo scale frets. The tuners on mine were no name crappy tuners. I got a set of Grover tuners and it stays in tune all the time now. Tune-o-matic bridge, no problems with that so far and I've had it for around 8 months. Passive humbuckers, good but might replace when I get some cash for EMGs or some such thing. 1 Volume, 1 Tone, 3 way selector. I got a 15 watt amp and gig bag because the guy basically sold me the Starter Kit. // 7
Sound: Mostly I play metal and rock and so far this guitar has performed very well. I have it tuned for E flat with.11s. I use a DigiTech RP90 and a Marshall MG30DFX. Not noisy as I remember. Great distortion with this and putting it directly through to the amp gives a great dark clean sound. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: I haven't had need to adjust pickups or action or anything like that, but as I have already stated the tuners were crap. Finish is ok but not the best looking in the world. Frets I have had no problems with. Honestly I'm no expert on guitars but the bridge and everything else seems ok. The action was good when I got it but that might be because it was pre-owned. // 8
Reliability & Durability: 8 months and I haven't had a problem with it. Hardware is good but I had trouble keeping the strap on. Get a set of strap locks and it's all good. The input jack does need tightening once in awhile but it's not much of a problem if you do. If you don't it gets loose and there's a lot of noise I would definitely use without a backup. It's lasted wonderfully. // 7
Impression: I've played for almost a year now and it's good. If the guitar were stolen, I might upgrade to another Epiphone but I would have no problems buying this again. the only thing I would complain about is the finish, it's sunburst but it doesn't really look good. Good enough for a beginner but tuners need replacing and strap locks are a good idea because of the guitars weight. // 8
Special II
Reviewed by:
bobbyj84, on january 23, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 99.99
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: This is your Standard staerter guitar. Not too much going on, a normal Tune-O-Matic bridge with the stop bar and tail piece. I got the Vintage sunburst with chrome hardware, it was a sexy looking guitar if you ask me. The only controls are one pickup selector Switch, one volume, and one tone knob. They have an rosewodd fretboard with 22 frets. Other than that, not too much going on. // 7
Sound: I play mostly blues and classic rock on this guitar. I was fairly happy with the sound and all, keeping in mind with the price. The sound quality wasn't too great either because I was playing through a Marshall MG10. If you put it through I good amp, it sounded pretty good for the price range. The harmonics weren't that great, but that's mostly in the pickups. This would sound a lot better going through a better amp and a pickup switch. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was decent, but it did have a bit high action, which I'm not too fond of. Keep in mind this wasn't properly set up as it was a starter guitar. The electronics aren't great on this. Like I said before, the guitar would sound a lot better with a pickup Switch. The tuners were actually great on this, I was suprised. The nut on the other hand was awful. It looked like cheap plastic, not good at all. The finishes this guitar comes in are great, the Vintage sunburst looks insane, I strongly encourage it. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This is where I have a problem. The nut wouldn't stand up to a show playing. I couldn't play for a decent amount of time without a strign snapping because of the nut. It was cheap plastic. THE NUT IS AWFUL! Bottom line. The strap buttons were pretty bad too, my strap would continuously fall off. This finish was great, it wouldn't chip. So when it comes to reliability and durability, this guitar is very low quality. // 4
Impression: I played mostly classic rock and blues on this guitar. It was a great match. For a starter guitar, the quality is fairly good, however, you could find better. If you go for a low end Ibanez, Schecter, or maybe even Squier could be comparable to this. It was also hard to get quality tone because there was only one tone knob. If I did have to pick a starter guitar for someone to start with, this would be one of my first choices. Do beware of the nut though. // 7
Special II
Reviewed by:
kevcop9617, on november 13, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: local pawn shop
Features: I picked up this Epi Special, about 3 months ago.The head is the standard Epi head, and the switches etc, are Gibson. Whether this is true accross the board, I am unsure. it's probably Japan made, although it doesn't state that fact. The neck is Standard 22 fret, with frets thinner than my Strat. The body is alder, the neck is probably maple. I doubt it's mahogany. It's a solid black color with a very high gloss finish. The body is Les Paul style, although it's flat, rather than arched. It has the Tune-O-Matic bridge, and stop bar, identical to most Les Pauls. It comes with two nice humbuckers, stamped Epiphone on the reverse side. Its controls are one volume, 1 tone, with a 3-way switch. Probably not switchcraft though. The pots are indeed 500k Gibson pots. Whether that's the norm, once again, I don't know. It had the regular enclosed cheapo deluxe non locking tuners, but I have since replaced them with a set of chrome grovers. As far as accesories. // 6
Sound: I play a lot of Slash-esque riffs, and the special pulls it off rather well. The tonal quality is great, with the wax potted pickups and 500k pots. I get very little hum, and run it thru either a DOD or Zoom pedal hooked to my Crate amp. Harmonics are great, sustain is pretty decent, although my Les Paul kills it on sustain. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was very smooth, and the strings very close to the fret board. Pickups needed some finessing. The only issues I noticed was noise from loose strap buttons, and the wires needed trimmed. The wood quality was good, and luckily you can't see any wood, so the finish is impeccable. // 7
Reliability & Durability: It would withstand a live gig, however I believe the attendees wouldn't be that thrilled with it. The hardware is pretty fine, although it never hurts to upgrade. The strap buttons are mounted good, albeit a little small. I would definitely consider strap locks. The finish is deep, and glossy. I would bring it to a gig as the backup. If my Les petered out I maybe able to fake it to the end. // 8
Impression: All in all, it suits my musical taste. I have 6 other guitars, and this one gets used second to my Les. If stolen I would definitely buy another one. I am considering getting a second one, so I can hot rod this one. I like the color, the shape, the sound, I just wish they had doubled up the vol and tones, but then again, that's a Les. A bigsby would be fun, but as it is, it's a great value. // 8
Special II
Reviewed by:
chocolame, on july 19, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 250
Purchased from: Music City
Features: This is a pretty good guitar overall as far as features go. This guitar features a really nice Rosewood fretboard with dot inlays. I like the look of the fretboard because it really works with the finishes that Epiphone gives you to choose from. The neck is made of Mahogany which gives me the sound I like. It has 22 Jumbo Frets and is a good guitar to learn on. All chrome hardware really looks great with the all black guitar. The neck is a bolt on. The body is made of Basswood which I give a 5 out of 10 as far as sound. This guitar features two humbucker pickups which are: 650R at the neck and a 700T at the bridge. Both pickups are passive. I own the all black version of this guitar but there is another finish called Vintage Sunburst. I had a hard time fixing the action on this guitar which is a strike for this guitar. The controls that Epiphone gives you with this guitar are: Volume Control (1-10), Tone Control (1-10), and a 3-way selector switch to switch between using the treble pickup, the rhythm pickup, and using both. The treble pickup in this guitar gives a great harsh sound and the Rhythm pickup definitely gives a very nice smooth sound. When using the rhythm pickup you have to be careful about not turning the tune knob down too much or this guitar will give a very bass-like muffled sound. I play a lot of metal and I usually just use my Treble pickup because of the harshness it gives off. This guitar could very well be used to play anything from metal to blues. I bought this guitar with the starter pack. The starter pack includes a gig bag, three picks, a strap, a tuner, an amp cord, and a 10w Epiphone amp. The amp has an 8' Electar Labs speaker in it. The amp also features master volume, boost switch, gain control, 3-band EQ (bass, middle, treble), and a headphone jack. The headphone jack is nice for when other members of your household are asleep and you want to play. Overall the features of this guitar are good for the price. // 7
Sound: This guitar is a great guitar for metal, rock, and any variation of the two. I love the sound this guitar gives me. I have played all of the following bands with my guitar and sounded great: Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Rammstein, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Rush, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Ozzy Osbourne, Kalmah, Iron Maiden, Korn, Atreyu, Megadeth, ZZ Top, Cacophony, Pantera, Alice Cooper, Slayer, Rush, Kiss, Boston, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Judas Priest, Agalloch, Children Of Bodom, and Anthrax. To acquire those sounds I used the B-52 AT-112 amp and sometimes I used my Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal. Once again you have to be careful with the tone knob when your pickup selector is flipped to Rhythm. This LP can give some great sounds. When the pickup selector is flipped to the Rhythm pickup the guitar gives you a very smooth, luscious, and sweet sound. When the pickup selector is flipped to the Treble pickup the guitar gives you a Harsh, and cold sound. Overall you can get just about whatever sound you want out of this guitar. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: When I pulled this guitar out of it's package, I looked it over to check that everything looked good. The action was good, there were no scratches, no dings, and the bridge was setup great too. The pickups needed a little work however it wasn't too bad. The pickup selector is still loud and it is hard to keep disguised while playing for an audience. Whenever your playing on your amp and you need to switch between pickups you hear a very loud clicking sound. Over all the Action, Fit, and Finish is pretty good. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I have owned this guitar for about three years however never played it much until this past year. This year I have played this guitar ever day for about 3-4 hours a day and it is still working like the day I bought it! The strings that come on this guitar don't last very long at all so I would advise anyone buying this guitar to buy and new pack of strings at the same time. The hardware seems like it will last however I have had some problems. My output jack has come unscrewed multiple times and keeps shorting out. My volume knob also had some problems with unscrewing. I would not use this guitar at a gig without a backup simply because if I broke the strings on it then I would have nothing to play. That is the only reason I would not use it by itself though. The finish seems very good and does not seem like it would wear off easily. Overall the reliability of this guitar is mediocre. // 6
Impression: I play Metal, Rock, and any variation of the two and this LP suits my style very well. This guitar gives me the exact sounds I want out of it which makes me glad that I bought this guitar. I have owned this guitar for almost 4 years and every day has been a good day with this guitar. Something I wish I had asked before I bought this guitar was "Should I wait and save up to buy something better, or go ahead and buy this guitar now?" However if this guitar was stolen or lost I would not buy this guitar again. Just because I would not buy this guitar again does not mean that it is not a good guitar for beginners; I just would not buy it because my playing level has increased and I want a different guitar to suit my playing level. I would advise every beginner to buy this guitar because it is great to start off with. // 7
Special II
Reviewed by:
nialljames, on february 12, 2007 1 of 5 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Rolands Music Exchange
Features: Upon first site, this guitar was the shit. I got the one with the flames on it. It has 21 frets and the les paul style cut away for soloing, The fret board really pisses me off, The back off it is painted so if your playing a gig and you start sweating. That bitch is gonna stick. I'm not entirley sure what wood it's made out of but it dents very easily. I don't belive it has a bolt through the neck, to stop warping, I recently put 'Zakk Wylde Boomer Customs' on it and had to take them back off. It went out of tune incredibly easily. // 4
Sound: All I have to say, is that this guitar is best seen and not heard, the pickups are noisy when turned up load, you can get feedback from about 10 meters away from the amp. Best off in a music video, with the guitar parts dubbed over by a real Les Paul. I was plugged into a Marshall 50 watt amp, which gave me hell of a lot of feedback. // 3
Action, Fit & Finish: Not sure how well it was set up. I think the only repair I've had on it was when a washer fell out of the jack plug. I screwed it back on though. I can't realy falt anything else, all the other faults are in the other sections. The pick ups themselves are good for what I needthem for, jamming. They have never risen and I have never needed to ajust them. // 6
Reliability & Durability: Not the most reliable thing to keep in tune, if your playing a gig then use a really light guage string to put less pressure on the tunning pegs. Your best off with a hardcase as the softcases can wreck the tuning. The tuning pegs could have been beter set up. I would say that this hardware would probably last while. Put best not gigged, you will need to look afer it and it should then last forever. // 6
Impression: Overall Impression- not good, thick seriously before buying, take a good hour in the shop playing it to make sure it fits your needs, It's the kind of guitar that you open your case and everyone goes, "oh-ah" and then cringe as you begin to play it, it's not the best guitar on the market, but it is nice to sit there in college and just strum along as people walk past, seeing then nice guitar but being too noisy to hear it. // 5
Special II
Reviewed by:
Kiran Warren, on november 25, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Features: I'm not sure where or when it was made but it has 22 frets and has a plain black finish. It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge with stop piece and two passive humbuckers. It's got a volume and a tone and a 3-way pickup selector. I didn't get any other gear with the guitar. // 7
Sound: It kinda suits my style of music I guess, I usually play metal like In Flames, Through The Eyes Of The Dead, etc. I just use a crappy Maniac amp with no pedals or anything. It's quite fuzzy and creates a bit of noise when full distortion. But apart from that the guitar has a suprisingly good sound for it's price. Especially the clean tone which sounds alright. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up fine and the I never changed the pick ups or anything. But the tuners are bad quality and some of the screws come loose every now and again. The little bolt kinda thing around the jack and the pick up selector come loose often. The fittings in to keep the tuners in snug come out very often and are pretty much impossible to keep in there after playing frequently. // 5
Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't use this guitar for live playing but it's good for beginners or for just jamming. The hardware seems like it will last except for the tuners, they get more and more loose and time goes by. I wouldn't gig without backup but don't get me wrong this is a sturdy little guitar. The guitar has a black finish and it seems to be holding up fine and I have no dents on it. // 6
Impression: I play metal and this guitar was fine with low end sounds, but the high end was a bit screechy. If it were stolen I wouldn't get a new one because I'm about to get a guitar in a couple of days and it didn't cost a lot so it wouldn't be a big loss. This guitar isnt as good as others but for the price it's a very good deal. It's cheap, durable and you can play anything with it. // 7
Special II
Reviewed by:
logan97, on august 15, 2011 0 of 2 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Craigslist
Features: -It was made in China.
-it has twenty frets
-it has a laminated top.
-I don't know what neck woods.
-I think its a Les Paul body style.
-I belive its a string-thru body?
-there are two pickups.
-I belive they are non locking.
-it came with a gig bag and a cable and the amplifier. // 10
Sound: It suits my style of music perfectly! I like to play with alot of distortion and sometimes clean, and it works excellent with both. I use an Epiphone Studio 15R amplifier with it. It has a pretty decent volume with out an amplifier, it has a bright sound. I think you could make just about any sounds with this guitar. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: I got it from the previous owner, but it has not a single scratch or dent or flaw in the finish on it, I don't believe that he played it very much so it must of have been that way when he got it, so it must have been ste up well. It is set up very well! The string were on correct an everything, no lose screws, poor quality wood or anything, just perfect. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I believe that this guitar would withstand live playing, it sturdy. The hardware seems very high quality, the knobs are very fancy see through. The strap buttons are not going anywhere anytime soon. Yes I would use it at a gig without a backup. The finish is perfect, its glossy and works well with the white. // 10
Impression: I play all differeant types of music, from punk to alternative, and it works well in each song. I've been playing for a year and this is my first electric guitar, and this guitar has made Epiphone my favorite brand. I have felt MANY differeant guitars when trying to find one and I like this one better then them all. I would definetly buy this again. I dotn hate anything about it, but I do wish it came with a place to stick a whammy. // 10
I have an Epiphone Special II and i reckon its pretty good. Perfect for begginers or intermediates. Although i have found some things wrong with it. First of all, i had to get the bridge adjusted cause the harmonics were out of whack. The tuners are not the best either. Also, the little ring around the pickup selecter switch has come loose a few times. It doesnt bother me much though. When i had the bridge adjusted the guitar was fit with a new set of strings. At the moment my guitar sounds pretty good to me.
I have one, its my first electric. It is good for anyone, but I find the strings come out of tune often. There the nut at the head of the guitar, it moves around and puts all the strings out of tune. It is a great sounding guitar.
This is indeed one of the best guitars out there for its price.I have had one for over 3 years now and it still playes perfect. Other than the slight repair work on the bridge and frets i needed to get done on it after 2.5 years of hardcore playing, there is nothing wrong with it.
i got the special edition and i was wondering if this one is any good cus im in the market for a new guitar its down to this guitar and the epiphone les paul jr.
i've my epiphone special for over two years. the only problems i've had are the tuning keys one string always gats detuned easily. but nothins fallen apart on it. this guitar is fantastic.
My friend has one, and idk if its because he bought it on ebay, but this thing sounds like crap. It has an alright sound while playing in clean, but even then it can sound distorted. and the distortion just sucks. he tried playing along with me and i couldnt stand listening to his guitar. oh, and good luck trying to keep this thing in tune.
the special 2 for the little amount of cash it costs is a great guiter. not just the sound but the layout. to the peoplr that say it sucks..... well maybe learn to play.
ive had mine 2 ywars now and for an entry level guitar i think its top notch great sound, keeps in tune even after a beating, mine does anyways.
neck pbickup just sing smoothluy for lead,and bridge just the right amount of drive when using some sort of saturation. picked it up as i needed a third guitar, all different tunings. and for paying 130 bucks CAN im very happy
8/10
Great sound... And with my Marshall MG-10 and Zoom 505II im ready for rocking tha house... Ive had it for a year now... My dealer gave me an offer i couldn't refuse...
Well, I have it for about 10 months, and, well, its kind of reasonable. at the beginning I just wanted a goddam electric guitar, so, like a newbie wanting do just playin' some rock, i tried it, and I bought it.
i find it helpful for most of the types of rock, but here are some flaws...
first, the bridge, breaks the goddam strings too fast (not that i play hardly), and the ring in the jack's connector (or how da hell its called), falls down pretty quickly...
Mine came with a terrible setup, strings too far from the frets, and the pickups are just too close to the strings...
the sound its perfect for old rock, specially the bridge pickup.
i personally dont like the sound that makes in clean...but, there are tastes...
i wouldn't buy it again if anything happened...
Now, I just want a goddam Jackson DXMG, for makin' some better noise!!!
(I didnt want to put this like a review...too lazy for it xP )
Otherwise, I would give it an overall 5...
Oh, and of course, its better than a goddam Fender Squier, for just a tiny amount more, you get a better sound and quality, for beginner of course)
This is my first electric. This is definetly the best guitar for this price. It came set up just right, there wasn't any buzz and the action was just right. The pickups are good, but you can easily replace them with better ones. Great beginner guitar!
it is a pretty good guitar for a beginner, but since i'm no longer one i really want to sell it and get a Les Paul Standard or a Custom. it sound good at first, but later on you find various flaws on it. =/
I just bought and everything seems really good. It has a nice sound and I'm very happy with it. The only problem I could think of is that the strings are far away from the fret board which is a bit of a pain.
This is a perfect "first" electric, and a good guitar to keep and modify over the years. I say "perfect first" because it has some mallady's that will help teach new players how to maintain a guitar--the stock setup is crap. But once the action is right, it's excellent!
I love mine, and frequently play it, and actually prefer it over my much more expensive G-400. Compared to others in the price range, like Squier Strats & some Ibanez, this is an awesome instrument. Lots of haters here(lol...), but come on, it's a sub $200 axe!
As for the not staying in tune complaints, if it's strung properly, and the tuners are tight, it should be fine. I have had only minor issues with this. But if you play a lot, it's worth a cheap upgrade to some inexpensive Grovers. With decent cables and an amp, these pups sound pretty good, but they're also easily replaced. I'm upgrading to a Standard soon, but this one will remain in my collection.
My chief complaint is that the wood isn't the greatest, and dents easily. But the poly-coated veneer finish is beautiful (especially the "wine red") and, if cared for, this is an inexpensive but rich guitar that will last a long, long time.
Got mine a few weeks ago (wine red), as i have started playing electric guitar in addition to my acoustics again after 10 yrs of hibernation and been watching for a cheapo (homerecording only)
I uset to play a PRS Custom til i sold it in 2001.and i must say the LP II Neck ist pretty the same to handle ..i like playing on painted necks as i do not tend to sweat . I equipped it with 009-42 Elixir and it stays in tune even playing metal riffs and hard bendings.
Adjusted the PUs a bit , and it sounds fine.
Affordable for beginners, and compared to what we got for the money 25yrs ago its a huge difference.
I bought this guitar a month and a half ago. Since then, the screw for the strap has stripped, and the tuning peg for the 4D string has stripped as well. It's my first and only guitar. I'd give it a 4.
yeah i bought one of a pawn shop for $80. it was my first guitar so i dont regret getting it at all. You could learn any song on it and they sound is pretty sweet so i give it a 7 out of 10.
i have one. ive been having one for 2.5 years now. and its okay. its great for a beginner or intermideate player. but you can find much better ones, unless you are playing on staying on this price range.
tried it in a local shop...used with a crappy mega15w amp
...sound was unexpected good....and the lp shape made it feel to comfortable playing it...damn it, i`m getting rid of my ibanezes and gonna buy this sucker...with some active Dimarzio pups it`ll sound amazing but even without them it has still an awesome sound..
could be some truth in the saying " you never forget your 1st love" and as it was my very 1st guitar this is true. And in the following years i would say that it served me well. the only thing that wasnt "perfect" was the tone knob. it kept comming loose but nothing to inpair its efficiency. ill never for get my baby ( i know it sounds corny and lame but she was so there) and would even contimplate getting another (i lost my 1st 1 after moving )
This is arguably one of the crappiest axes produced by Epiphone and a shame for all the passionate fans of this formerly revered house. "Laminated Maple-Alder" is just a marketing euphemism for the real word: PLYWOOD. This guitar, which bears the name of an icon, is made in sheer plywood.
Then, its pickups have nothing in common with those of a real Les Paul: they are cheap Chinese stuff. I once measured all the impedances and outputs in the 4 LP Special II in a music shop in my city. NONE of them had the requiered specs and NONE of them was similar to another.
But this guitars's major problems are the weight's distribution - actually, its neck is too heavy and/ or the body too light - and the tuning pegs. Only by miracle, it stays in tune more than 10 minutes!
It's a real shame that Gibson is pushing Epiphone toward the status of a cheap Chinese brand. What's the use of making expensive high-level hollowbodies, if you make, under the same moniker, crap like this?
This is arguably one of the crappiest axes produced by Epiphone and a shame for all the passionate fans of this formerly revered house. "Laminated Maple-Alder" is just a marketing euphemism for the real word: PLYWOOD. This guitar, which bears the name of an icon, is made in sheer plywood.
Then, its pickups have nothing in common with those of a real Les Paul: they are cheap Chinese stuff. I once measured all the impedances and outputs in the 4 LP Special II in a music shop in my city. NONE of them had the requiered specs and NONE of them was similar to another.
But this guitars's major problems are the weight's distribution - actually, its neck is too heavy and/ or the body too light - and the tuning pegs. Only by miracle, it stays in tune more than 10 minutes!
It's a real shame that Gibson is pushing Epiphone toward the status of a cheap Chinese brand. What's the use of making expensive high-level hollowbodies, if you make, under the same moniker, crap like this?
In my review, I mentioned that I stripped the guitar. I found out that it's two 3/4" sheets of plywood laminated together with a ton of poly hiding the shame. The pup cavities being crooked is just icing on the cake. I just noticed today that they have a "Limited Edition" Special II! Thanks for wrapping shit in gold foil Epiphone and then charging more.
Don't get wound up over it. It is a starter guitar on the low end of the market that for the money plays very well. Compare it with a real les paul and it is awful, but for how much you pay it is good. And on the woods, most guitars are pieced together, but unlike most starter guitars, at least this isn't agathis.
I like mine a lot. It sounds good both on clean or distorted. The neck thickness some people complain about doesn't bother me at all, I play music from White Stripes, Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, mostly rock and hard rock; nothing crazy technical, but I think all that technical prog stuff sucks anyway. I pretty much just keep it on rhythm no matter what I'm playing. I just prefer that tone. This guitar survived 2 trips from NC to Oklahoma, without a case and surrounded by boxes and other guitars. It was used as part of a display in a gas station for like Coke or Mountain Dew in conjunction with Slash's tour, so it's gone through some shipping and wear. It only has one tiny dent shorter than the width of my pinky's fingernail.
I have to tune it every time I start playing, but for about an hour or two, it woks fine.
I have friends who all have strats, telecasters, gibsons, and one who's studying at Berklee who seems to know his stuff; none of them have complained about the sound of it at all.
The weight of it doesn't bother me, I don't even see why it would make a difference unless you were some real tiny kid or trying to do that stupid flip move screamo bands like to do.
I love it, I've been familiar with a few Ibanez guitars, and to me those mostly sound good with a crapload of distortion, and feel like plastic. This feels like it's sturdy and solid to me in comparison.
I like mine a lot. It sounds good both on clean or distorted. The neck thickness some people complain about doesn't bother me at all, I play music from White Stripes, Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, mostly rock and hard rock; nothing crazy technical, but I think all that technical prog stuff sucks anyway. I pretty much just keep it on rhythm no matter what I'm playing. I just prefer that tone. This guitar survived 2 trips from NC to Oklahoma, without a case and surrounded by boxes and other guitars. It was used as part of a display in a gas station for like Coke or Mountain Dew in conjunction with Slash's tour, so it's gone through some shipping and wear. It only has one tiny dent shorter than the width of my pinky's fingernail.
I have to tune it every time I start playing, but for about an hour or two, it woks fine.
I have friends who all have strats, telecasters, gibsons, and one who's studying at Berklee who seems to know his stuff; none of them have complained about the sound of it at all.
The weight of it doesn't bother me, I don't even see why it would make a difference unless you were some real tiny kid or trying to do that stupid flip move screamo bands like to do.
I love it, I've been familiar with a few Ibanez guitars, and to me those mostly sound good with a crapload of distortion, and feel like plastic. This feels like it's sturdy and solid to me in comparison.
Also, I got it for free, they were going to throw it out when that display was over. I didn't know it was supposed to be a beginner guitar until I read the reviews.
I have an Epiphone Special II and i must say it is a fairly decent guitar, it's good for a solid rock style, whether it be a classic style, or even a heavier more metal style. The action is the biggest problem i have is with the action, but justing that lovely tune-o-matic bridge should fix that. I've had no real problems with the guitar, except the tuners are cheap, however to should replace those with high end ones. I'd say this is a great guitar, especially if you dont have the money for a real gibson, or a higher end epiphone. Still, great guitar.
I have recently purchased an all white Epiphone Les Paul Special II and I am very happy with it. The bridge pick up measures out at 16.8 so it has a very heavy duty sound. But it also have excellent clean tones which makes it a very versatile guitar.
I have been playing for a little over 45 years and I have had a ton of guitars in my hands. Thin necks, thick necks, it doesn't matter as long as you are a good guitar player. The sound comes from your hands and fingers, not from pushing the preamp or a herd of stomp boxes.
In my humble opinion, the Special II would make a great workhorse guitar for playing everyday, while also making for a great first guitar. Mahogany body (plywood style of course), mahogany neck and the usual Tone Lock hardware. The only weak spot are the tuning machines. They are not Grovers but some cheap but serviceable tuning machines. These I would swap out.
But most of the parts stay, unless of course you just love to spend money. LOL! But don't let the guitar snobs put you off on the Epiphone Les Paul Special II, it is a great guitar for not a whole lot of money.
I got a Special II off of amazon.com for $160.
Its my favorite guitar I've ever owned, (Not saying much I guess, Epiphone LP Junior, and a Washburn x10) But still, for the price, great guitar
he understated the glory of this guitar!!! This guitar is the probably the MOST basic Les Paul model you'll ever find and it has a GREAT sound for only 200 bucks. Honestly this guitar is great it was the second guitar i bought and its doing great. This guitar is just amazing. great sound and everything
I now own a gibson les paul traditional gt, and a dean atf3000 and a fender US tele special and this. Trust me guys, for the price this is a great little guitar. I put a kill switch and some GFS power rails in it and its a brilliant guitar. Ive also giged with it a couple of times. Hard to beat, such a sweet sounding guitar and the neck is one of my favourite.
I hate people who say this is better than a squier strat, because it really isn't. This is really only worth about $100. The humbuckers hum, the tuners don't tune, and when they do they don't stay in tune, the finish is cheap, and it sounds like crap. My first guitar was an affinity series tele, same price as this. It had an amazing looking trans finish, perfect action and setup, and sounded amazing too, all for the same price. I don't want to hear any more squier crap, because this special sucks.
I have this guitar. Crap out of the box. Intonation was all out. Had to get it sorted, They found the exact same problem with the 2nd guitar they tried to give me aswell. Once they sorted that i have had no issues with the guitar. I've had a few guitar from Ј200 - Ј600. For Ј119 this guitar get 4/5 from me. Looks good, sounds good, feels good.
THe orgiginal Special II's were made out of plywood, and Epiphone even stated that in their brocures. They eventually went to Basswood and now are using Mahogony for the wood. Be advised, it is not Honduras Mahogony, but mahogony. The quality has improved over the years, and actually, this guitar has been used on stage by national acts. It is also the best selling guitar that Epiphone makes. It is an inexpensive, reliable and relatively good sounding guitar, and an excellent value. IF you take it for what it is, you can be satisfied.
)