Bach Les Paul copy

Les Paul body shape, bound top, bound fingerboard, trapezoid inlays, angled open book headstock, sunburst flametop. Mahagony neck and body, flamed maple arched top, rosewood fingerboard. 2 chrome covered humbuckers, 2 volume and 2 tone controls, 3-way toggle switch. Tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece. Set neck. Honey burst finish. White plastic nut.

Looks pretty much like the real deal. There are some minor cosmetic differences though. The tuners have metal knbs instead of plastic knobs and the truss rod cover is cream. Of course there is neither Les Paul Signature on the headstock, nor are there any inlays, beside the Bach logo. The frets are somewhat thinner than on a real Les Paul and the neck foot and headstock were glued to the neck, so it's not a one-piece neck.

All body cavities have been finished in a dark gray finish, maybe graphite lacquer, but even that would be kind of odd on a humbucker guitar. To me it looks as if the manufacturer is trying to hide something about the wood. Because of the lacquer you can't tell how thick the maple top is, or if it is just a veneer, or even worse, just a fotoflame. The mahagony seems to be mahagony though. The figure of the wood can be seen on the sides as well, so neck and body seem to be made of solid mahagony. The body is a three-piece.

In that price range the features are unparalleled. With regard to the price the guitar is a 10, otherwise it is a seven.

I'm a rocker, a roller, a right-out-of-controller. As long as the music is loud and kicks ass it is fine with me. I use a Line 6 Guitar Port, a Line 6 Flextone II XL and abehringer Bass V-amp Pro. Although all these devices offer lots of effects, I hardly use any. The sound of the guitar is okay. The neck PU has good bass, the sustain is alright, yet it lacks warmth. My American made Les Paul sounds fuller and warmer, but then again, it cost 6 times as much...

Pinch hamronics aren't too hard to get when in hi gain mode and using the bridge PU. But there are certainly guitars where it takes less effort to get them.

The action was and still is nice. The polepieces of the pickups are perfecly aligned with the strings. Intonation and overall setup were good.

However, the binding is starting to turn from cream to yellow in some places. It is only a minor cosmetic flaw, but worth mentioning.

The honey burst finish is okay looking. It's a tad too brownish for my taste. They should have started with a more yellowish layer, but that's just my taste.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? I'm pretty confident it will.

Does the hardware seem like it will last? Bridge and tuners should easily stand the test of time. I'm not so sure about the pots. One volume control is already starting to overwind.

The finish is rather too thick than too thin. Looks like it will last.

Strap buttons are small. If you don't trust small strap buttons, get yourself some strap locks.

This guitar is reliable. Apart from that pot, everything is in perfect playing condition. And even that pot is still working, it's just a little loose.

I've been playing for well over a decade. I own several guitars, a Heritage CM150, a Carvin Ultra V, a Garrison acoustic, a Variax 500 and some other guitars and two basses.

If it were stolen, I would not get another one, but not because it's a bad guitar, but because I finally concluded that I own enough guitars. Don't let yourselves be fooled by the relatively low numbers in my rating. I tried to rate it without respect to its price. This guitar sells for 230???. Keep that in mind. It is clearly not as good as my American made instruments. But it is a good guitar with features that you usually don't find in that price range. So overall I'm gonna give it a 10. Not because it is a flawless instrument, which it is not. It also isn't a top-of-the line Instrument. It is simply an incredibly cheap mahagony Les Paul Standard copy. In the <250??? price range, this guitar can't be beat. It is a fantastic value.