Edwards E-LP-92CD

Comparison with Gibson Les Paul Custom
After a night playing the Edwards and a fairly thorough inspection I've made these observations: The Edwards weighs 9.02 pounds (the same as an average Gibson Les Paul). As near as I can tell it has the same exact body dimensions (which is at least partially the reason why ESP cannot legally sell their Edwards LP's in the U.S.). The neck seems to have appoximately the same dimensions as the '59 Les Pauls (and re-issues). The frets are medium-jumbo, but more along the Gibson wide-and-not-real-tall fret size than Fenders or other brands medium-jumbo frets (which are usually taller). No issues with fret leveling, dressing, etc - ready to go right out of the box. The fretboard is an incredibly smooth, almost uniformly black ebony - so much so that it reflects light almost like glass. Around a few of the perloid inlays "inconsistencies" in the color at the junction with the fretboard can be seen, but the junction itself is seemless. I've seen the same on Gibsons.

Electronics
In terms of electronics, the Edwards pots are high quality, Japanese made 500k audio tapers for tone, linear tapers for volume (the same values as Custom Shop Gibsons). I'm unsure of whether they have brass shafts or not (brass shaft pots tend to be less noisy) and I'm not willing to pop the knobs off at this point to find out. The wiring does NOT have braided shielding. This may be considered a fault by some traditionalists because braided wire is considered to be less noisy than regular non-shielded plastic-coated wiring. However, most modern humbuckers (such as the Edwards' Seymour Duncans) use four-conductor wiring surrounded by shielding and then covered in plastic. The shielding around the four wires is actually more effective at reducing noise than the old-style braided wire - which is why pickup companies such as Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio use the modern platic-covered four-counductor wiring. The only problem area is where the wires come out of their shielding and connect to the pots, though this is typically a short distance. The wires going to the three-position selector switch and output jacks are also not braided in the Edwards, but are bundled, shielded four- and two-conductor wires. Whether braided or shielded, bundled wiring is better is a matter for debate and is probably irrelevant.

Woods
Both guitars have mahogany backs, maple tops, mahogany necks and ebony fretboards (on higher-end Gibsons). Gibson uses Honduras Mahogany from South America, whereas Edwards uses African Mahogany (probaby Korina). Which is "better" is debatable. Many custom guitar manufacturers prefer African Mahogany, saying it has a slightly brighter sound with better bight than Honduras Mahogany. Honduras Mahogany fans say it sounds warmer. Many guitarists say they can't hear a difference at all. Considering my Edwards has a warm sound with "mellow" highs I fall in the "I can't really tell the difference" camp.

Construction
The Edwards has a long tenon neck joint whereas modern Gibsons don't (unless you shell out huge cash for a custom shop Les Paul). The long tenon is considered clearly superior by almost everyone with regards to tone, sustain and stability - a clear construction superiority for Edwards.

Hardware
Tuners: Gotoh SG301-04 (gold-plated), gear ratio 1:18
Bridge: Gotoh GE104B (gold-plated), hard zinc saddles
Tailpiece: Gotoh GE101Z (gold-plated), zinc diecast
The similar Gibson uses their own bridge and tailpiece (also gold-plated zinc) and Grover tuning keys. Edwards uses Japanese-made Gotoh components. I've had Gotoh tuners on a Fender Amer. Stan. Stratocaster since 1988 with no problems either with tuning or durability (they actually still look and perform like new even though I haven't at all babied that guitar). Since I've never had a problem with either Gibson or Gotoh hardware I can't make a direct comparison, although I can vouch that Gotoh are top-notch.

Sound
In terms of sound the comparison is not as straight-forward because my Edwards came with a Seymour Duncan SH-4b ("JB") pickup in the bridge and a SH-1n ("'59") in the neck. I don't have a Gibson with the same pickups, although the JB and '59 are a classic combination in a Les Paul, in order to make a direct comparison, so I'll offer these general observations on the Edwards' sound. Compared to four other strat-style bolt-on neck guitars that I have (one made of ash with a maple neck and fretboard, one of alder with a maple neck and fretboard, one of mahogany with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard, and one of basswood with a maple neck and fretboard) the Edwards sounds exactly as you would expect a guitar with a mahogany back, maple top, set mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard to sound. Simply put, it has nice low-end, a strong mid-range, rolled back highs and excellent sustain. Even though I'm sure it helps, the ebony fretboard does not give the guitar enough bite and highs to compare to a typical strat. In other words, it sounds like a good Les Paul should - warm and somewhat smooth in the upper registers. These characteristics come through even with the somewhat trebly Seymour Duncan pickups.

Finish
The paint is immaculate - smooth and glossy - with one exception of a very small ding on the back of the guitar. The little dent didn't actually make it through the paint, but can be seem when you hold the guitar in the correct light. I have no idea when or how the dent was made, if it was done in the factory or the shop, or even if it was done before or after painting. By comparison, almost all music shop guitars will have an equal or greater amount of cosmetic "damage", especially on the back (from people's zippers, belt buckles, etc). The paint is also an area where the Gibson and the Edwards differ.

The Edwards has a polyurethane finish with a nitocelluose top coat, whereas Gibson uses exclusively nitrocellulose. Some people are of the opinion that poly finishes don't allow the wood the breathe as freely as does nito and therefore poly finished guitars don't sound as good as nito finished ones. The counter-argument is that poly is more durable and doesn't deteriorate as quickly with age. Nitro is supposedly slightly more expensive, but guitar shops often charge the same to do either type of finish, so the cost and time to do either type of finish must not be that significantly different. Others claim that because nitro-finished guitars must be sealed before the nitro goes on that means the wood can't breathe anyway. Therefore the whole "nitro allows the wood to breathe better" may be nothing more than a "wive's tale" or a clever sales gimmick to justify inflated prices. Personally, it doesn't matter much to me. Of all the things affecting an electric guitar's tone (pickups, wood, fretboard, bridge, nut, etc) I tend to believe the nitro vs. poly finish argument is probably the most insignificant - certainly not worth the $3099 cost difference between the two guitars. I've never known a guitarist who can consistently "guess" which finish is on a guitar by the tone alone. It seems like tradition is the true factor here, not sound.

Playability
In terms of playabilty the two guitars are very similar. Same weight, same body, neck and nut dimensions, same frets and same neck radius. The Edwards feels heavy, bulky, with a substantial neck, lowish frets and flatish fingerboard. In other words, it feels like a Gibson Les Paul. However, I'm not a long time Les Paul player, so it's possible that there are some nuances that an experienced Gibson player would pick up that I didn't notice. As primarily a Strat player, to me the Edwards feels like any other Les Paul I've ever played, with the variance being no greater than you'd feel between any two differnt year or model Gibsons.

Craftsmanship
As far as craftsmaship is concerned there can be no debate that the top-of-the-line Gibsons are generally of extraordinary quailty. However, the past 10 years or so has seen quite a few complaints about Gibson craftsmanship. This has tarnished their reputation somewhat. I can only say that my Edwards LP is extremely well-built - probably the best I've owned in my 22 years of guitar experience. Perhaps the fret inlays could have been slightly better done on a few frets, and there is the very small ding on the back. However, I consider these things largely inconsequential. No instrument, no matter the cost, arrives in the customer's hands truly perfect. I couldn't expect the Edwards (or a Gibson) to be any better. It's almost like a display piece, bordering on being too nice to actually play.

Overall Impression
How does the saying go? If it looks like a Les Paul, sounds like a Les Paul and feels like a Les Paul, then it must be a Les Paul ...unless it's an Edwards copy. The main difference in this case being that the Edwards is 1/5th the price of a similarly equipped Gibson. Unlike the auto industry where, despite lingering misconceptions, American products actually are equal or better than their Japanese counterparts at lower or comparable costs (check the Chevy Malibu vs. the Toyota Camry in terms of looks, price, fuel economy and quality reviews), in this case ESP of Japan has produced a product roughly equal in quality to that of all but Gibson's highest level custom shop offerings for 1/5th the cost. Believe me, I would prefer to buy American any day, but whereas the Chevy Malibu is $1,482 cheaper than a similarly equipped Camry (according to both companies websites), a check on the internet discount guitar shops shows me that the Gibson equivalent of my Edwards E-LP-92CD would cost me an additional $3099. I shelled out $800 (plus $120 shipping and $80 customs fees) for an ESP Edwards E-LP-92CD, whereas the Gibson would cost me a minimum of $3899. Sorry Gibson, but no matter how "valuable" your name written on the headstock may be, and the fact that you may have a few "extras" that amount to a few dollars more, it doesn't justify the fact that you're charging almost 5 times as much money. That would be like Chevy charging $150,000 for the Malibu vs. the Camry's $30,000 price tag and throwing is a free T-shirt to justify the added cost. In this case, Gibson simply is not competitive.

Quality Summary
In the final quality comparison between a Gibson Les Paul Custom and the Edwards E-LP-92CD I'd summarize it like this: The woods are close enough to equal in tonal qualities to not warrant a judgement one way or the other, unless you are a tone fanatic with dog hearing. The Edwards long tenon set neck construction is superior to Gibson's short tenon. The wiring is probably not relevant, but purists would give the advantage to Gibson. If that's your opinion as well, you could re-wire the Edwards for $10. Presonally, I prefer the Edwards' Seymour Duncans to stock Gibson pickups. The craftsmanship and hardware, from what I can tell, are equal.

Summary
At the end of the day, no matter which one you prefer, the Edwards or the Gibson, the fact is that it's ridiculous even to be able to compare an $839 guitar to a $3899 guitar at all. I found no significant issues with the Edwards' craftsmanship and the materials are top-notch. Personally, I think the decision between Gibson and Edwards is a matter of personal preference and how important the Gibson name is to you rather than one of quality. In my honest opinion, based on 22 years of serious guitar playing, I'd have to say that their is no appreciable differences between the two brands in terms of craftsmanship, quailty, sound or playability. If anything I'd tend to go with the Edwards because of it's long tenon neck. If genuine Gibson pots and wiring was so important to me that I had to have it, I'd spend an extra $30 on the Edwards and upgrade it.

Made in Japan by ESP. 2 Seymour Duncans. Mahogany body(heavy) and mahogany neck, with ebony fretboard, gotoh hardware. In vintage white (cream colour). Binding on frets,body. Fretwork superb.

Quite simply the best sounding and playing guitar that I have ever played. I have been playing for 31 years at the time of writing.

The workmanship is the best I have seen. Way better guitar than a Gibson of the same price, in my opinion.

This is 2nd ESP I have had. The old one is still goin great.

The ebay seller was very helpful.

Best guitar. ESPs rule.