Dillion DLP650

I am writing this review in direct response to the posting by "Art" on 10-10-05.

I couldnt possibly disagree more. The features on my two Dillion Les Paul copies are top notch. Quality wood, decent electronics and awesome craftsmanship. The one thing that caught my eye on "Arts" post was his opinion of the binding. That is a feature that is truly fantastic on both of the DLP's that I own, along with all of the finish and details. These guitars have great tone and an awesome finish. I have played a lot of Gibson's and these guitars are the real thing. And I am not easily impressed.

Great tone. I will concede that the pickups are not quite what the 490 and 498 in my Gibson are, but for the $$ you cant go wrong here. It's a no brainer.

Awesome. As I mentioned above, my experience has been that the Dillions are truly something to marvel. And I am king of the guitar snobs. Great machine heads, nice action out of the box, beautiful quilt maple top and a solid chunk of Mahogany for the body.

So far so good.

John Dillion has always responded to my e-mails in a timely manner.

Been playing for 20 years+. I would highly recommend a Dillion. I personally own three of them along with an American Strat, a nice older Jap Strat, a Gibson LP DC Studio (excellent guitar) and a Takamine FP360SC. You cant get bigger bang for your buck than these and I am truly impressed.

This guitar seems to be feature freindly. But the parts are all LOW QUALITY Asian market garbage. The woods are also low quality. I cant believe some of these reviews. Has anyone here actually owned a Gibson? This guitar is garbage...

The sound is stale and has no vitality. The humbuckers are as bad as they come. I cannot begin to tell you how bad this things sounds. I had two Dillions. My first one was a DLP600. I sent it back after it came "mutilated". Jon Dillion sent me this worthless guitar in it's place.

The sadle was so hight that the pressure from the strings drove one side into the wood! The binding was as messy as you could imagine. This is not a quality guitar people. this is shiney junk with a solid look. If you want a great guitar get the ESP LTD EC-1000. iIt blows this thing away. It could compare to a real Les Paul. This thing is worse then any Epiphone i have ever seen. The neck plays like a cheap guitar. Meaning, you can't play anywhere on the neck. That is a sign of a cheap guitar.

Do I need to say anything?

Jon Dillion contacted me but after spen ding $450 on this piece of garbage wannabee guitar, I spent another $40 to send the guitar back to him. Only to receive another complaete piece of junk. Jon Dillion can go f**k himself!

Look people, I am being honest as I can. Do not waste your money on this guitar. It is not of professional quality as they make you believe. It is not a good guitar.

Made in 2000, it has 22 frets. Its an exact copy of a Les Paul, with the same controls (2 volume, 2 tone, 2 humbuckers). I'm not sure the exact woods, but it has a polished rosewood fretboard, tune-o-matic bridge. Its a dead copy to the gibson. the only differences that I can tell are that the top of the cutaway (the part that the back of your fretting hand rests on, if that makes any sense) is slightly rounder, not as sharp. The diamond on the headstock is not perfectly square, or rhomibal, or whatever. It has a cherry-sunburst flame that is really nice. Made in Korea.

This guitar sounds just as good as any Gibson that I've played. I can't tell any difference in the sound. It doesn't have much top end, so if you want a super-trebly sounding guitar, its not for you. It is a lot more mellow and rich than I've found strats to be. Again, sounds just like a Gibson.

I couldn't say how well the guitar was set up in the factory because I bought it used, and the previous owner had it set up for himself. The pickups that are in it are stock, and they sound good. I bought it for a discount because there was a big dent in the back (previous owner did it). The finish is beautiful, but its a little soft, easy to dent. Because of the bridge style, the action is easily adjustable, so one can find his sweetspot, whether it be right where the buzzing stops, or higher for a richer tone. Right now, I have it somewhere in the middle of those two. It has a polyerthane finish.

This guitar is not super durable. That is my only problem with it. I was changing the strings a week after I bought it, and I bumped it on the ground, and a chip flew off the common chipping spot (corner of side panel and back). But it was glued back on. I would gig with this guitar, but I would hesitate to do a crazy rocking gig with it. I'm buying strap-locks really soon because recently I dropped it (it was fine) but after the first chipping incident, I don't want to take any chances. I would never gig without a backup, and in a pinch, I don't think I'd take this one out. Its too fragile to not have a backup.

Before I bought it, I emailed with John Dillion, the president of the company about finding vendors in CT. Because I bought this used from Ebay, I haven't dealt with him since (and haven't need to). But the fact that the president of the company personally emails people who ask for anything is something to be considered.

I researched pretty thouroghly before buying this guitar, and I think that its great. It doesn't have the hand labor that Gibsons have, or the name, so it costs a small fraction of what they do. If it were lost, I wouldn't cry too hard because I payed so little. I'd buy another in a heart beat. The quality is so good for so cheap.

2003 Dillion 650 in HDC Tiger finish (a sort of flame maple carved top sunburst). Purchased brand new - plastic still on the pickups - from a private citizen in Brooklyn. No pickguard, which was OK with me.

This guitar is such a close copy of a Les Paul Classic that you would probably mistake it for one at distances farther than about 2 feet. Namely nickel hardware, 2 nickel-covered humbuckers, Tune-O-Matic style bridge, rhythm/both/treble 3 position switch, and separate volumes for the rhythm adn treble pickups. Kluson style tuners with green plastic keys. The neck has very pretty abalone inlay that gives off a nice pink and green under light. The guy who sold it to me threw in a gigbag.

Basically your standard Paul clone. Gets a 10 for accuracy.

The stock pickups were better than I was expecting. They both measured out around 8.05 ohms - I think they were identical. They didn't have much high end, and their low end was a little muddy, but with even a little distortion they were giving off a great Gibson crunch, we're talking "The Rover" style Page here. I wouldn't particularly recommend 'em for clean playing at all. I spent about 10 minutes with the stock pickups and then dropped in a pair of opencoil Fralins.

These pickups allow a guitar to truly blossom. The guitar is a beautiful tone machine now, but there is something tinny about the bridge. I topwrapped it and this just transmitted the tinniness to the strings. I believe that the stoptail and possibly the bridge itself may be made of chromed aluminum, causing this tinny sound, and I will be changing them out shortly. The studs are well set into the body so this shouldn't be too hard.

Other than that, the tone is great. It's very easy to run this fretboard like a real Paul, go from well-articulated down-low growl to sparkly chord to singing (or even searing) lead runs. With a new bridge I believe this guitar is going to play like a $3000 tone machine. The rating I gave is for the factory setup - new strings, the topwrap, and the new pickups make this an 8 and I'm hoping to make it a 9 with a new bridge and nut. I do not believe it'll ever sustain like a real Paul will, but its sustain is much better than my MIA Strat.

Dropping in the Fralins allowed me to see the inside of the guitar. Solder joints were clean and well done, pots and caps appeared to be of standard (not corner-cut) quality, pickup wire was something like 28 gauge coax (bit thin for my tastes.)

The guitar is really very beautiful. The binding shaving is a little spotty on both the body and fretboard, and there's glue spill both under the finish near the neck and in the neck pickup cavity. But the top is quite pretty - for this price I was half sure that it was photolaminate, but no, it's a real 1/2" thick carved piece of maple with a lovely tiger stripe and a very pretty honey-burst-like sunburst. I own a Fender Custom Shop guitar that cost 3x what this did and people by far rank this as my prettiest guitar. I think it's beautiful. Even the mahogany grain on the back, while anything but spectacular, is very even and smooth, and the finish looks about a mile deep. No bubbles, scratches, chips, or imperfections.

The neck is made of two pieces but it is not detectable, and it feels great to play. It's set quite well into the body and feels super sturdy. Size and shape are classic Gibson - feels very good. The trussrod is thick and adjusts easily. The frets themselves I think are lower quality wire, they came with a bit of oxidation on them, but playing is quickly wearing this off and the guitar is starting to feel much better. The strings that came on the guitar should only be used as garrottes.

The nut is garbage. Waxy, overcut, rubbery piece of white "plastic" that shreds up when you try to smooth it out. It's getting replaced as soon as I feel confident enough to try it.

The plastic pieces (pickup mounts, tuning peg keys) had visible casting sprue on them, it was annoying to have to shave 'em with a sharp knife, but this did fix the problem. The knobs are very pretty and look just like stock Gibson speeddials.

Oddly, there is an 8-part figure on the headstock, made of 8 triangles, and one of the triangles is plain white, no abalone. I'm wondering if maybe this isn't some kind of pearloid plastic and that piece was inlaid upside down by accident?

You get what you pay for, and I feel like I got a lot more than I bargained for in a $295 guitar. The rating takes the price into account.

I've only had it a week, so this is a great unanswered. The nut is crap. The bridge has to go. I was expecting to feel the same way about the tuners, but I actually like them. I am afraid they may not stand the test of time, though, in which case they'll have to go.

Paradoxically, the cheapness of this guitar means I feel comfortable opening it up and working on it, and in a way having handled and inspected all the insides makes me far, far more confident about this guitar than the ones I don't open for fear of breaking something. I know the pickup solder joints are solid - I did 'em myself. Strap buttons seem solid, pots are noiseless and smooth, rhythm/treble switch is a bit loosy-goosy but works quietly for now, everything else is good. The finish will go 12 rounds and stay standing, I'm sure - it's definitely one of the high points of this guitar.

I'd probably gig it without a backup, once I swapped out the nut and the 3-way swtich. That's high praise.

Got a personal email from John Dillion within 24 hours, but he was just writing to thank me for my kind words; dunno what would have happened if I'd had a problem.

I voided the warranty before I'd been home an hour with the guitar.

For $295, this guitar is a great deal, and with the Fralins it becomes an instrument I'd be proud to play in front of people. You can imagine I wouldn't drop a $250 pair of pickups into a piece of garbage. There are details that need correcting, but they are easily fixed - the essentials are in place - and that makes this a killer project axe!

Also, it's beautiful. If it sucked as a player, which it doesn't, I'd consider just hanging it on the wall. That's gotta be my favorite thing about it. And it cost less than a comparably finished body alone would've cost from Warmoth. I'm surprised more people don't know about these.

I purchased this guitar through Dillion.com about a year ago. Even though I GREATLY overpaid for this guitar, it had a few "high-end" touches. It is very heavy and solid mohagony(even though it is a very poor quality mohagony). Pickups are very similar to ones I have heard on the Gibson Les Paul Special's T496 498's(these are also in many other Les Paul's but the sound the Dillion makes compared to the Special is the same or vey similar). The output is just not as high & the pickups tend to whine a bit here & there. Finish is Epiphone/Samick quality. So it is a Korean guitar, there is no doubt about that. Controls,knob & the tune-o-matic style bridge are all electro-plated silver instead of being steel or nickel-plated steel.
They are Korean-made parts and are imperfect if you look at them closely. Unlike the real Gibson's whose parts are nearly flawless. The finish is nothing compared to a real Standard. I mean the finish on the Gibson just glows, and the woods are very grainy & dense. Tuners are horrible, I would say worse than Epihone/Samick & even many other Import guitars: Hondo, Aria & the Jay Turser's blow this guitar away as far as that goes.

The sound is slighlty better than decent Epihones but not better than all Epi's(and I am not just talking about the Elites's). It is a decent sound but not groundbreaking as some of these reviews suggest. You can go to any Sam Ash & buy a Les Paul Special for $549 and get a guitar which is superior to the Dillion in every way. The sound is very warm but not very bright. I find I need to raise volume high to get the proper feedback I am looking for. The switch on mine is practically usless now & I must get it replaced.

There was NO SET-UP! The guitar came with the cheapest strings money can't buy. The set-up & action was as if the guitar was mearly put together & then put in a box. Beginners stay away!!! The action was so bad I had to pay to fix it. The pickups were odly placed at slightly irregular angles. I had a paint bubble spot & the binding was worst than on the cheepest Epipone. My guitar has developed a sligh crack after 5 months due to the poor saddle installation.

This guitar WILL NOT LAST! At first the problems seem small, but seem to increase at an exponential rate. It feels like a guitar that could have been really awesome, but due to high costs of delivering such a product to the masses, it cannot be done. Instead you have this guitar. I would recommend someone buy a Epiphone guitar before buying this one. I will not by Dillion any more. I think the review are crap or are forgeries. This guitar is decent.

I delt with John Dillion. He appeared helpfull at first, but I felt like he was trying to confuse me. He resolved my issues the best he could.

I have been playing for 15 years. I have a Gibson Les Paul Standard which I would not compare to the Dillion in a million years. I don't want to insult my Gibson. I have a Gibson S.G, Peavey Wolfgang & a couple of project guitars + several acoustics.
I do not recommend this guitar to anyone. Many of the details this guitar should have, it doesn't. The details that it doesn't need, it has but they are of limited use.

2000-2001 Dillion LP copy in green quilt. Standard LP setup. 2 pickups, 3-way toggle. Creme pickguard and pickup rings. Mahogany body and neck. HEAVY!

I have two Dillion PRS copies and those stock pickups sound great. For some reason, the stock LP copy pickups didn't sound good to me. I guess I was used to my cheap Essex LP copy that I had DiMarzios put in. So, I decided to swap. I put the Dillion pickups into the Essex (and they sounded better in the alder bodied guitar) and I put the DiMarzio ToneZone in the bridge and the AirZone in the neck. I had them setup for coil tapping. Push/Pull pots were installed and the bell shaped knobs were hard to grip when I needed to pull up to split the coil. I ended up taking two gold knobs from my cherry sunburst DR500 and putting them on the pots. They are alot easier to grip and I don't pull them off the pot like the bell shaped knobs. The coil tapping on an LP is awesome. Eight different pickup combos to use. The best is playing clean with chorus and splitting both pickups. It's like having a single coil in the bridge and a single coil in the neck on at the same time. What other guitar does that? With a strat with hum-single-single, you can play full bridge and single middle. With my coil tapped LP, I can play full bridge and tapped neck. Play full NECK and tapped BRIDGE!:-) And don't forget about each pickup having it's own dedicated tone control. I play through a Mesa Boogie Mark III 1x12 combo w/ 1x12 ext. cab. For effects, I use the Korg AX-1000G. This guitar sounds amazing. Again, the Dimarzios and coil tapping help out alot.

I got the guitar from a guy on eBay so I can't comment about factory setup. The DR500 (PRS copies) I got were also from eBay (I found the cherry sunburst DR500 for $175. Lucky me.) so again, I can't comment about factory setup. But the finishes are awesome. I love this green quilt LP copy. I'm switching the chrome bridge and stop tail, for gold because I think gold just looks better on the green quilt.Gold tuners are being installed in place of the plastic greenish knobs that came on the guitar. The neck is also great. It doesn't feel like the "Baseball bat" Gibson LP neck. This neck feels thinner and plays fast.

I don't gig but even if I did, I'd have enough sense to know that you NEVER gig without a backup. This guitar is solid and will last a long time. The finish is beautiful. AOL keeps messing up on me when I try to add pics of this guitar to my homepage. But you can see the other Dillion guitars there. Page 2 has better pics. the address is http://hometown.aol.com/joernct

I've called Dillion and John Dillion answered all my questions personally. E-Mail replies were also swift.

I've been playing for 20 years. I've owned Ibanez. I have a Kramer Baretta with sustainer, had a Steinberger "Spirit", have Dillion PRS copies and am looking into a 12 string ac/el. If this guitar were lost or stolen, I'd die. Okay, maybe not die, but if it were stolen, I'd definitely get another one. I love this guitar and can't think of a reason to get something different.

It's a copy of a Les Paul Standard. An exct copy of a Les Paul Standard. The only difference I can tell between this and a new Gibson Les Paul Standard is tha the Dillion's "sunburst" finish a a bit brighter than the Gibson's.

Wonderful. Sounds like a Gibson Les Paul Satndard too.

If it weren't for the name on the headstock I don't belive there'd be a way of telling this from a Gibson. Fit and Finish of everything is first class.

Solid. Very solid. Can see having a problem unless it gets dropped.

Don't know.

This guitar is amazing. For $399 it's every bit as good as a Gibson.

Dillion DLP650-Blue Flame. Despite others' claims, this guitar does indeed have a solid mahogany neck and body with a real flamed maple top. This guitar IS a Les Paul without the Gibson on the headstock. I gave a rating of 8 because I expect this to be just like an LP and it is, but I like headstock binding and this guitar doesn't have it. (It does have neck and body binding, however).

I also have an import Strat and the Dillion blows it away. It sounds as good or better than Epis and Gibsons I have played. I have absolutely no complaints about the sound.

When Guitar arrived (via UPS), I lowered the action, tuned it and adjusted the pickup height. I think they must have beat the crap out of it in transit because the neck pickup was so crooked there is no way the factory would have let it out the door like that!

This guitar is beautiful. I can find no finish flaws anywhere. The only flaw I can find is a small groove in the neck binding on the top of the neck near the body joint.

I let two of my guitar-playing buddies try out the new Dillion and neither of them noticed the flaw until I pointed it out, so I may be overcritical. That is why it still gets an 8.

I will refrain from rating this category as I have only had the guitar for two weeks. It seems really solid, however.

Forgot to send a pick guard. Contacted dealer and he said that one is on the way. I had extensive correspondence with both the dealer from whom I purchased the guitar and the Dillion company itself prior to the purchase. Both were quite helpful to me.

The only problem I had is that I knew the exact guitar I wanted and I asked Dillion where I could buy one, seems simple right? Well, he never did help me with that problem. I was on my own to find what I wanted. He just gave me a list of dealers who were either overpriced or understocked or both. I thought I made a simple request, but I guess not. I wanted to spend my money on John Dillion's guitar and he could not/would not tell me where to get one. Weird.

These guiatrs are sometimes hard to find, but they are worth it if you have the patience.

Three year warranty.

Nothing is a ten.

This is definitely the guitar I hoped it would be.

It was very strange buying a guitar over the internet having never even seen a Dillion in person, let alone the specific guitar I was buying. I am glad I had the faith to do so. I finally found a dealer I felt I could trust and that made it easier. Don't do business with someone if you are not comfortable with them. I have had this experience many times and your "gut" is usually right.

If I lost this guitar I would certainly try to get another one.

I don't own a Dillion. I checked it out at a music store. I played this guitar but with the HDC Tiger finish.

http://www.dillionguitars.com/guitar/electric/DL650/index.html

Real old, crappy, strings made this thing hard to judge. Not to mention the lousy Marshall Solid State amp. I got a decent tone working though.

Features are same as a Les Paul.

Simply put, it sounded alot like a Les Paul! Don't know what pickups were in this thing but I liked em. They're better than the stock Epiphone pups for sure. Decent ballsy tone with some warmth. Cleaned up great too when the volume was rolled off. The taper of the volume pots was quite smooth. I was a little surprised by that since most cheaper guitars with cheaper electronics lack in this area. Neck pickup was particularily nice I thought. I'd like to hear this through my amp.

Finish/Craftsmanship: Not bad. Some shoddy spots on the binding like over-sanding and poor joints. The fret dressing wasn't very good but no major sharp edges. Some of the frets looked like they weren't seated tight. The top look good, the selector switch and knobs were tight. All the screws were tight and flush. Some of the parts like the pickguard and nut had some little flashings or burrs. Everything else looked okay.

Action/playability: Again, bad strings didn't help. Action was a bit too high for my taste at the upper end of the neck but playing chords and such down low was comfortable. The neck itself felt real fast and slick. I liked it. A little too flat of a radius though. The size of the neck felt similar to my LP Classic. Why oh why do guitar manufactures insist on still using those POS Klunsion plastic tuners?? Gawd I HATE those things. Total JUNK they pass off as VINTAGE...PFFTT!! Couldn't keep this guitar in tune. I blame the strings mostly but I still couldn't get them precise with those stupid tuners. I had the same problem on my Gibson LP Classic and my Epi Limited Edition LP so I know it's not just the strings. Can't stand em. Get real tuners like the Gotoh, Sperzel or Schallers.

Looks sturdy enough.

Never dealt with em.

Bottom line: The last Dillion I played was a real POS and I've cautioned people before about these guitars based on that one. This one was a pretty good guitar that looks real nice, could be made to play and sound well. To me, it still has the underlining feel of a cheap LP copy though. Lacking that REAL LP vibe that you can only get from a real one. Had some minor finish flaws and I'm positive they cut corners on the electronics and hardware. I personally believe it's a lamenant top too. I highly doubt its a REAL maple cap like on a Gibson LP or other. They can do all sorts of lamenant tricks these days and call it real!! If your lacking the $$$ for a real Les Paul, or if you simply don't care about the name, go ahead and check these things out. The one I played had a sticker of $389.

Korean made, propably '99 or '00. 22 frets, maple flame top, 2-volume and 2-tone controls, 3-way switch. Excellent Les Paul copy for the price. It has everything a Les Paul should have with no frills. I've been looking for the perfect LP, and found something better.

Perfect for my style, blues and 60's - 70's rock. Sounds great through almost any amp, even through a Pignose! I usually play through a Marshall and it sounds BETTER than a real Les Paul (especially when I think of how much I paid for it)!

Overall finish is excellent. Gibson could take a lesson from those Korean craftsmen. The finish is like glass and deep, as opposed to some Les Pauls which feel like sandpaper around the neck-body seam and around the pickups. My guitar had a few imperfections(a dimple in the finish along the neck, a distortion in the paint under the clear on the headstock and a tiny nick on the body). The action needed a little work and I noticed some fret buzz. I had to adjust the neck and bridge. Now it plays perfectly.

I've had it for about a month now, so too early to comment on reliability, but it stays tuned very well.

Haven't had any contact with them yet.

If this guitar was stolen, I would definitely buy another. This guitar is awesome, and is worth every penny. Until I can afford to throw away three to four grand on a Gibson, I am satisfied with the Dillion. If you want a guitar to play, rather than spend a small fortune for an investment(Gibson), Dillion is the way to go. The sound is perfect for blues/rock.

Korean made Cherry Sunburst Les Paul copy. Gorgeous color. This thing is beautiful, heavy, solid, very authentic feeling.
Kluston tuners stay in tune wonderfully. The neck feels great.
I just can't imagine paying the 3 or 4 grand for a Gibson when you can have this for $500
It has all the features that a Les Paul should.

I own more strats than i know what to do with, so i wanted to explore the fatter sound of a Les Paul, especially for blues and 60's/70's rock. I love the sound of this guitar, makes me want to play ZZ Top, Led Zep and the like. Only problem now is that i have to get a Marshall to play it through. My Bassmans just don't quite compliment this guitar like (I hope) a good brit amp w/Celestions would. Thanks to the low price i can afford to get a Marshall, had i bought a Gibson I would be lucky to be able to buy strings to put on the thing.
I wish i could get a little more treble with the very nice bottom end on the Rythm pickup, but again, that may be to do with my Fender Amp.

The action on this guitar is probably my favorite part. It's great for complex Steely Dan type chords. I like heavy stings, .12's, so i might needs a new setup, but i have yet to have any real problems with the action.
The finish is beyond reproach. I still find myself staring at this guitar almost six months after buying it. The wood is great as well.

Seems very solid. Strap buttons have yet to pop off.
Only problem i have had is the white screw on cap on the pickup toggle switch got bent, but i think that was due to my cat knocking the guitar over.

I've emailed Dillion a few times and have always gotten a response from him the same day. Excellent customer support.

Been playing badly for about 14 years, pretty good for a couple.
If it were lost or stolen i would probably buy a couple more.
I love the finish , the action, the price and the sound. Don't hate anything.
I have a Dillion LP Goldtop copy, and a PRS copy and beaucoup Strats. The DLP650 and my tobacco sunburst American Strat are comparable classic guitars.
Why pay for a name. Buy these and force the other corporate conglomerates to compete.

Not sure of year of manufacture (bought used), probably 1999-2000. Korean-made, 22 medium jumbo frets on a rosewood fingerboard, arched flame maple top, vintage cherry sunburst finish (like glass), mahogany body, set mahogany neck, trapezoid fret markers. Kluson-style vintage machine heads with pearl buttons, 2 volume, 2 tone and toggle selector switch, gold top hat knobs (not amber, VERY nice), 2 chrome PAF-style humbucking pickups, chrome tune-o-matic and stop tailpiece. After all that yappin', it's a copy of a Gibson Les Paul classic. It has everything an LP should, nothing revolutionary, so I won't go crazy and give it a 10.

I already have the strat realm covered, so I really wanted the other side of the coin (the YANG to the strat's YIN). What better place to get that than an LP style? I'm using the Dillion for electric blues, Chet Atkins style fingerpicking, jazz, alternative (Guided by Voices, Foo Fighters, Pixies), and good old hard rock/heavy metal (Ozzy, Van Halen, Black Sabbath). That's a wide range of music, but it all sounds FAT, which this guitar does QUITE well. Very smooth and rich with or without overdrive. Lovely sustain. I'm using it with a Hughes and Kettner Edition Silver combo (solid state, sounds great), a Johnson J-Station, and sometimes the J-Station into the effects return of the Edition Silver. Loads of variety, the Dillion hangs tough. The stock pickups are very good, I doubt I will change them any time soon. Quiet, no microphonics, even on the whack-ass "Johnson Lead" gain setting of the J-Station. Of course, it can't get fendery sounds, but that's why Fenders are Fenders.

I'm not sure how much setting up the previous owner did, but it seems like he either barely touched it or just really babied it. The protective plastic was still on a few parts. When I received the guitar via UPS, all I had to do was tune it up. The action was dead-on perfect, just the way I like it. The pickups are exactly where they should be, frets are fantastic (better than guitars 5 times what I paid for this), wood looks to be better-than-average to pretty darn nice, all hardware is SOLID, pickup selector is dead quiet. All guitars should be this cheap and have this high level of attention to detail.

This thing feels like a rock. Epiphone needs to take some lessons from these guys, because Dillion is in an entirely different league. I'm absolutely enamored of it, so I probably won't beat it up, but I think it could take loads of beatings before even starting to evidence it, let alone stop working. I would probably always have the strat along, but as more of a complimentary sound than a backup.

I have dealt with Dillion before in trying to locate one of these models new. It seems that Dillion dealers are selling these pretty well, and Dillion is racing to keep up. When I e-mailed the company for dealers, I received an e-mail from none other than John Dillion himself. NOW WE'RE TALKING! I like that. He directed me to a dealer, but luckily I found this gem on E-bay for about half of what it and the Epiphone case I got it in would cost new. Judging by this experience, I would say customer support would be admirable.

I've been playing for around 13 years. Other gear includes a hardtail American Series Strat, a Takamine classical, and a Martin 000-M acoustic (I think that's the number!). Amp is an H&K Edition Silver 1x12, and the J-Station serves in playing, practicing and computer recording. This guitar will do exactly what I bought it for, and very well, I might add. I would definitely purchase one of these again if the need arose. I compared it to every LP copy in this price range - the only one that came remotely close was the Springfield LP copy, but the body and headstock were just misshapen enough to be unappealing to me. The Dillion is pure Les Paul looks, plenty sweet.