Edwards E-LP-90LTS

2006 Edwards E-LP90LTS Les Paul style guitar, made by ESP in Japan.
2 Seymour Duncan Humbuckers (SH-1 and SH-4), 3 way toggle switch, 22 frets.
Solid one piece Mahogany back, solid carved plain maple top w/ a honey flame laminate, one piece long tenon mahogany neck.
Gotoh tune-o-matic bridge and tuners.

This guitar sounds amazing with the Duncan pickups. I play mainly blues based hard rock, and some metal, and this guitar is great sounding regardless of whether I'm playing clean or dirty, warm and bright tones. The thing that stands out most is the sustain, tons of sustain. I personally think it sounds better than the Gibson's.

The guy I bought it from had the action set up perfectly. Everything is proper order, no visible flaws that I can see or feel in any aspect of the guitar, the neck feels perfect, and the nitro finish is just gorgeous.

I've only had the guitar for a week, so I really don't know yet about the reliability or durability, but I'd have no problem trusting it to gig with.

Didn't deal with ESP.

I've been playing for 25 years, I currently own 2 Korean made Ibanez guitars, an SZ320 and an RG320.

If it were stolen, I'd definitely be pissed and would buy another, I'm already wanting another.

I love the Duncan pickups, all Edwards guitars come with Duncan and EMG pickups, which is really cool. I love tune-o-matic bridges also, and the Gotoh is top notch. What I hate is that it doesn't say Gibson Les Paul on the headstock, but the more I play it the quicker I find myself getting over that. I love the neck thickness, it's somewhere between a 50's and 60's Gibson neck.

I've played Gibson Les Paul's, tried tons of them out, as well as Epiphone's, over the last couple of years, and this guitar I bought blind online, and it completely blows away the Epiphone's in the same price range, and honestly it blew away Gibson's that were 4 times the price.

This guitar really shows what a scam it is have a list price of 3500 dollars for a Gibson USA Les Paul standard, Gibson charges in excess of 4 grand to make a Les Paul like this Edwards.

Sorry, but for once and for all: The top is a plain maple cap with a very thin veneer on it. Not thick as someone belived. Inside the pickup cavity there is a line that can be mistaken for a glue joint. It??s not. Sorry. The line is presumably a polish line or caused by the pickup. How do i know this? Check out the glue joint of the plain mable top and you will se that it probably dont line up with the seam on the top. I also made a small cut through the finish and the top in the corner of the pup cavity.
This is true for my guitar and there is no reason to belive there is any differnce between individual guitars when it comes to this.
Also there is no dressed frets, the finish is poly with a thin nitro top coat.
The bottom line is: If you want a solid striped cap, solid nitro, dressed frets and a fancy Gibson logo on the headstock you better buy an other guitar.
What you do get if you buy an Edwards is a great guitar with long neck tenon, one piece mahogny back and craftmanship that very well compensate for the lack of features mentioned before.

All you can expect from a LP guitar.

I love this guitar. I don??t care where it??s made. There have been some discussions of the origin of the guitar. Please no guitar racism. If you like it and it is good and inspire you to play, what matter does the origin make?
Setup was great, no flaws at all.

The top coat nitro finish will eventually wear of. Refinish the top is difficult due to the thin veneer. But honestly, when did you refinish a guitar the last time?
Beeing a Gibson clone, ther is of course a risk of decapitate the guitar easy. Be careful!

I been playing for almost 30years. I needed a LP style guitar to test the amplifiers i am building. I always been a singlecoil man, but this guitar makes me just want to sit down and play.
I did look at a new Gibson LP standard, and some other Gibsons as well. They just confirmed my impression of an overpriced bluff.
I purchased the Edwards on Ebay after reading differnt reviws of it.
I well replace the Edwards if it??s lost or stolen!

2006 Edwards Les Paul 'lacquer taste' 90LTS in Cherry Sunburst.Made by ESP in Japan. Nitro top coat finish over a flamed maple veneer.
Les Paul style guitar made to similar specs as the 50's with slight devation in the body contour. Stop tail bridge with gotoh hardware,tuners, rosewood fretboard,solid one piece mahogany body,set neck,long neck tenon,approx 1/2 inch maple cap with nice flame veneer.
Comes stock with Seymour duncan SH-1 in neck ('59) and SH-4 in bridge (JB) which is a popular combo. typical Les Paul tone control and switching etc.
The features of this model are great but since it is a copy and not an original I will give it less than perfect. Compared to similar 'knockoffs' this guitar is very well featured for a player intrument.
The best of the best reasons to buy this is the light weight of it. I only used my scales at home but this guitar is barely 8 lbs if that. I won't have to complaint about lugging a plank around for 4 hours every night. I am not sure if it is just very light mahogany or they drill relief holes like the modern Gibsons do but my back is very happy.

Sound is like you would expect from a Les Paul, the humbuckers gives a nice warm sound,great screaming lead tones and rich sustain. The switches and controls work well and there is no unwanted noise to my ear.
I can get that bluebreaker lead tone,or the 70's rock thump if I want.
I mostly play blues and rock and this guitar is going to shine for that purpose.
So far I can't imagine a better sounding guitar, I have a vintage ES335 and this guitar will hold its own I am sure. Aside from a ridiculously overpriced vintage guitar I'll never be able to afford, this guitar sounds and plays as well as any pro needs.As long as I am not endorsed, and have to pay for my own gear I will be looking for great deals like this guitar. It gives me more money to spend on amplifiers which I believe are more important to my tone.

When it came it was shipped from Japan and other than changing to 10-46 strings and a slight adjustment to lower the action it was a real player right out of the case.
The finish is very well done,nitro lacquer on the body over the beautiful flamed maple veneer cap. I top the neck pickup out to easily see the long neck tenon which is quite deep into the neck pick up cavity. The neck is chunky but no too large for my hands which are average sized.
The fretwork is as good as my Gibson ES335 and better than most of the USA gibsons I tried out at the store. The inlay is ok, but a nicer inlay could have been used in my opinion. The plastic peices around the pickups could also be better fitting but that is being fussy.
I removed the pick guard and of course now there are two screw holes. I can live with this because I prefer playing with out the guard. I used some paint to fill in where the screw holes were to disguise it a bit.
I can't find a real flaw at this point, it is impressive overall

seems built to last, I am not too hard on my equipment and this guitar should last as good as any well made instrument would.

bought from Ishibashi in Japan, very friendly and courteous and the shipping only took 4 days from Japan to Canada.

I have been playing guitar for 20 years, owned 2 Gibsons,many Fenders,Fender amps mostly, and currently play through a Dr.Z Maz18jr and a JTM45 clone amp. I am a blues-rock player who prefers to keep my rig simple, Guitar,tuner,OD pedal,into amp....That's all I need or want so I do not hide behind effects etc.
I research this guitar and took the plunge without the ability to play it first. Basically I could not find a bad word about Edwards LP on the net and I am totally fine with the fact that it doesn't have a 'Gibson' on the headstock. This guitar feels and plays as well as any Gibson I have ever seen under $3K. My friends Les Paul Double cut is a nice guitar but this Edwards is just as nice IMO and has better stock pickups.
Bang for buck is incredible and the one thing that concerned me when ordering was if this guitar had any vibe to it at all. My hands connected with this guitar and I found myself walking around the house unable to put it down. I will use this guitar as my main humbucker guitar in live situations until someday I have $5K to spend on a real Gibson Historic.
Just like alot of my guitars this one will likely see some upgrades but it is a great platform to being an unbelievable guitar.

Edwards LP-90LTS in Vintage HoneyBurst finish. Features and specs are very close to the Gibson Les Pauls: 1 piece mahogany set neck, 1 piece mahogany body, thick solid maple top, 24 3/4" scale, Seymour Duncan Humbuckers ('59 in the neck and JB in the bridge), 3 way toggle switch, 2 volume and 2 tone controls, aged nickel hardware, aged creme body and neck binding, pearloid trapazoid fretboard inlays, vintage keystone tuners, Gibson "open book" headstock shape. Dimensions and shape are about 98% true to Gibson specs from what I can tell. The bookmatched flamed maple top is a veneer, but it is not a paper thin one like on the Epiphones. The maple top is about 3/4" thick in the middle. About 1/4" is flamed maple and the rest is plain maple. The flame is most definately NOT a photo flame. It is a very deep and almost holographic looking flame pattern due to the thicker wood used. It looks beautiful. Came stock with aged nickel pickup covers, but I removed them to reveal zebra coil Seymour Duncan pickups (same models Edwards uses on the 85 series guitars.) This is the first guitar I've bought that I don't plan on replacing anything (other than swapping for straplocks). This guitar is fantastic.

Sounds like a Les Paul. The wood is very resonant, so it really sings unplugged. The stock Seymour Duncan humbuckers sound really great to my ear, but this is highly subjective. The JB in the bridge has good cut and punch, while the '59 in the neck is nice and warm without getting muddy. I pulled the nickel covers off the pickups, as I like the open coil look and it added just a touch of brightness to the tone. I love the sound of this guitar. Very punchy and full with lots of sustain.

I was extremely impressed with this guitar the instant I opened the box. I had it shipped to me directly from Japan, and not only was it setup perfectly, it was even IN TUNE!!!!! The finish is absolutely gorgeous satin finished lacquer in Vintage HoneyBurst. The binding looks great, the inlays are perfect, and the frets are absolutely flawless. This thing plays like a dream. The neck profile feels like the Gibson 50's rounded neck shape that's on their newer Les Pauls. The controls and jack look and feel solid and don't make any noise either. The pots have a good taper and it's wired like a traditional Les Paul. One thing i did notice is that the top is carved a little different from the Gibson Les Pauls I've played. The edges around the lower bout are a bit concave, which makes the overall thickness of the body at the middle a little bit thinner (maybe 1 or 2 mm - not very much). This guitar is patterned after a '59 Les Paul. I've never played a real '59 Les Paul, so these may be carved the same way - I'm not sure. Anyway it is a very subtle difference and is not a problem or detriment to this fine instrument at all. This guitar looks and plays as good as any Gibson Les Paul Standard I've ever played.

I haven't had this guitar very long, so it's hard to tell. It seems to be constructed very solidly and I don't forsee having any problems with it. The lacquer finish is pretty thin and is not quite as durable as polyurethane, but that goes the same for the $2000 Gibsons too. I'll most likely put straplocks on it, as I don't trust any kind of plain strap buttons, but they are tight and secure for now. The switch has a good tight feel and positive "click" to it. The tuners are all tight and work very smoothly. The hardware is all Gotoh Japan, so it's good quality stuff. I take very good care of my gear, so I'm pretty sure I'll be playing this guitar for a long time.

Haven't dealt with them at all. This is a Japan only guitar from Edwards/ESP, so I couldn't make a warranty claim here in the U.S. if I wanted too. I have two other guitars and have never had to contact the manufacturer for either of those, so I'm not too worried.

This is a fantastic guitar. This is the best "Bang for the Buck" guitar. It plays and sounds like a dream. Don't get me wrong, I love the Gibson Les Pauls, but if I can get a guitar this nice for $750, I can't justify spending $2000 to get a Gibson. If you are looking for a good quality, great sounding Les Paul style guitar, for A LOT less than the Gibsons, don't even bother with the Epiphones. Get one of these and you'll never look back.

Satin Nitro finish with cherry sunburst and aged looking INCREDIBLE!!
I read one guy said this was a foto flame top (same guy that said...this is no Gibson...probably someone who wasted a few grand on one and needs to justify it)
Anyway he is almost definitely totally WRONG!! I have the ESP catalogue and I have 2 of these guitars (an 85 as well...its much heavier with an ebony neck)
Anyway in the catalogue they continuously say flame maple top, and there are pictures as well.
So its not foto flame...I do airbrushing and artwork of all kinds and I believe I would know...and I dont think ESP would lie to everyone.
Its a maple cap...as they say it is!

This guitar sounds great!! I have been playing for 30 years plus and own and have owned loads of great guitars...I would stack it up against anything.
I have owned a genuine 59 Les Paul and a Gibson Black Beauty...I hated the low profile fretwork on that, but it was a 70's Black beauty and better than the newer ones around now...plus other Gibsons, loads of Fenders etc...
Its very light ...about 7.4 pounds,much lighter than a Les paul even tho its definitely mahogany, however this seems to make it sound really alive...its just fantastic, even AB'ing it with several of my other guitars that have Boutique pups..it compares so well its scary.
I play it thru a Vox amp and there is tone to burn...delicious,bluesy, smokey with loads of sustain...what more do you want?
Some guy on the one of the other Edwards review says...these guitars are basically no Gibson (meaning they are not as good)...well that is basically bullshit, I am no learner...I was playing in bands since 10 years old and I can tell you they are quite possibly better, even tho that was not what he meant.

It was set up nearly perfectly...what a great job the japanese do!

The finish is a Nitro Cellulose finish and as I mentioned the guitar is quite light, their 85 versions are much heavier, but they are cheaper so its not a cost cutting thing, I think they wanted it to have a lot of body resonance, and it does.
It seems to be very solidly built...easily as good as an old Gibbo Les Paul...I honestly dont care much for the newer ones tho, they are waaay overpriced and the quality simply doesn't come up to the price they fetch.
No wonder they dont build them offshore, they would be in trouble if they did....BTW I also own an Epi Les Paul (one of the more expensive custom ones)...it does not compare in any way with one of these babies!!!

Never dealt with ESP, but their japanese catalogue is amazing.
I am convinced that the Japs are second to none in building guitars, they can build guitars that gibson could only dream of.

I have been playing over 30 years, this guitar has perfect work on the frets and neck and generally all the main joints ...I love it!!

2005 Made and marketed in Japan by ESP. 22 fret Mahogany body and neck with a maple cap and flame maple top. Rosewood freetboard with trapezoid inlay. Nitro Cellulose Laquer top which I am now a believer that this does make a tremendous difference in tone! I am not sure if it is a foto flame or a thin veneer but the flame grain pattern looks a lot nicer than what comes on a new Gibson LP standard these days. Mine came standard with an ESP gigbag. Comes standard with Seymour Duncan SH-4 in the bridge position and a SH-1N in the neck position. I gave this a 10 because of quality, attention to detail and bang for the buck

I play classic rock and older metal so this guitar absolutely nailed the classic Les paul tone right out of the box. Think Slash or early Joe Perry. I play this through a Fender twin amp and a marshall JCM800 with a Marshall 2X12 cabinet. The only criticism is that the clean tone is a little bit bland, but that's what strats are for.

I was skeptical that these could be truly competitive with a Gibson Les Paul but after receiving I am now convinced more than ever that Gibson is living off of their name. The only thing that I would criticize here is that the niro finish is so thin that it almost looks like a matte finish or no finish at all. Gibson has them beat there. Fretwork - here's wherer this guitar shines. The fret detail is spot on typical ESP perfect! The main reason I finally got one of these is after seeing Gibson's fretwork, inlay work and choice of the wood they use for a fretboard slip so much over the years I couldn't justify spending 2 grand and up for a guitar that had a worse looking fretboard than stuff coming out of Korea and Mexico. Even their own epiphone line has better fret and inlay work!

Functionality wise, I think this guitar will last for years of abuse However, the only thing that would concern me is since the nitro finish is soooo thin I would bet that after a few years of gigging in smoky clubs this thing might start looking pretty haggard. This would bother some people more than others depending on your personal tastes. Some folks like the brand new off the showroom floor look while others may like the faded "worn in jeans" type of appeaance. I would definitely trust it to take to a show without a backup.

N/A I seriously doubt since these are only made for the Japanese market that you would get any support here in the US

I make a lot of comparisons in my review here to the Gibson Les Paul Standard because the Edwards is basically an exact dimension copy of a LP Standard. I chose the Edwards because I simply couldn't see what would make the LP worth $1000 more than the Edwards. The only thing that Gibson comes out on top with is resale value and a better finish on the body. If the guys at ESP can build a LP copy that is better than the LP standard sound-wise and quality for 1/3 of the price Gibson should be ashamed of themselves! I now understand why Gibson spends so much time effort and money suing other guitar makers because if they let these into the US Gibson would go out of business!

2005 Japanese Les Paul Replica. If you want one you have to order it from Japan. Check Ebay. 22 Frets, Seymour Duncan Jazz (Neck) and J/B (Bridge) Flame Maple Top with Lemon Drop Lacquer Finish, Mahogany back and Neck. Rosewood Fingerboard, Trapeze Inlays.

I play all different styles of Rock (except Hair Metal). Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Audioslave, Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, etc. it...

Playing it through a GNX3000 and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

This guitar has a deep rich tone. Lows aren't muddy, highs ring through without being too shrill.

Guitar was setup perfectly from the factory. It's almost scary how close to perfect it was after I tuned up. I like my action real low. I even lowered it beyond my normal and found no buzzing at all. I bought a Custon Shop Les Paul about 6 months ago that wasn't setup as well as this guitar.

I haven't played in a band for several years now. Though I'm looking to get back with a band. Currently a bedroom Rock Star. This axe is very solid, feels as though it could fall off the back of a truck (God Forbid) and still keep going. My only complaint is the Lacquer finish, its almost unnoticable, but there is a bit of orange peel in some spots.

Haven't had to deal with Edwards Customer Support.

But Katana Guitars, where I bought it from, was very communicative and helpful throughout the purchase.

I've found my Number One. I've been playing for over 25 years. I've owned all kinds of Les Pauls over the years. Customs, Deluxes, Standards, Custom Shop Jobs, Epiphone Elitists, etc... This guitar beats them all at this price. Even junky, crap Pauls are going for $1000+ on Ebay *rolls eyes*. My suggestion is this: if you want a great Les Paul at an even better price. Hunt one of these babies down now. God help the bitch that trys to steal this one...

So what I got here is a 2003 Edwards Les Paul clone made in Japan by the fine folks at ESP. I don't think it is one of the famed "lawsuit guitars". Also, it lacks some of the heft that I have noticed on Gibsons.

Body: Maple Top / Mahogany Back
Pickups: Seymour Duncan SH-4
Seymour Duncan SH-1n
Neck: Mahogany
Finger board:Rosewood/22Frets
Bridge:Tune-Matic/Stop Tailpiece
Color: Vintage honey burst with a laquer finish
Control: Vol x 2/Tone x 2/3way SW
Tuners: non-locking generic-looking things, but so far so good.

It came with an el cheapo gig bag and the dealer threw in a polishing cloth. Yee ha.

The guitar has great sustain, and the pickups deliver a great sound, throaty or mellow. Right now I am playing on a Marshall stack and with the gain cranked, the feedback is glorious.

The finish on this guitar is probably the best features. It's a beautiful lacquer-job over a vintage honey burst with cream bindings and red stained back. The inlays are well set, and the fretting is well executed... no jutting edges.

There was a slight over buffed part on the back of the neck, but that got me an extra 10% knocked off.

They pickup selector makes a slight pop when you flip between pups, and there is a manageable amount of background hum if you aren't touching something metal on the guitar when the volume is turned up, but, aside from that, the wiring has been solid so far. A bit of shielding (and better cables on my part) is probably in order.

Everything about this guitar seems solid. Nothing rattles, wiggles, or pops unless I want it to. I would gig with it without a back up, but that is largely because my backup is in TERRIBLE shape.

Since Edwards is a Japan-only brand, you may be SOL anywhere else. But I get the impression I won't have to deal with them.

I have been playing for just under ten years, but that is only at the most casual of paces. It's my third electric, and my favorite to date. If this were stolen (because I would never lose this baby), I would proabably replace it.

I compared it to comperable Burny guitars (another Japan only brand courtesy Fernandes), Orville guitars (Japan only Gibson brand), and Epihones, and for bang for the buck value, this guitar was the clear winner. Also check out the 90LTCs and the 85s... all very good guitars.

I just wanted to get this up on HC's database to get the word out. Here in Japan the sticker price is around US$900, but they usuallly sell for around US$700 new, US$550 used. I have seen this guitar available for import for around US$750.

Final analysis: If you see this on Ebay, pick it up. You *probably* won't be dissappointed.