Edwards E-LP-98LTS

I bought my Edwards LP-98LTS in August '07 for $720USD. I bought it on eBay from Japanese seller, "yasoohmusic1109". After postage to Australia and everything else, it cost a grand total of $1040AUD at the time... which is a bargain by today's standards with the yen being as strong as it is and the aussie dollar being weak as it is.

It weighs 7.92lb (3.6kg). The body is made from ONE piece of african mahogany. The neck is a ONE piece african mahogany neck (with 2 "wings" glued to the headstock) with a rosewood fretboard. You'll find that MANY japanese les paul copies actually have an additional heel glued to the base of their necks, which in my opinion is not a true one-piece neck. I have seen this on some higher end orville's, greco's and even tokai's. This guitar has a very clean and tight long neck tenon, extending well into the neck cavity.

The cap is a real maple cap, measuring 1.5cm in thickness at its thickest point. The flamed maple is just a veneer over this actual maple cap. When I took the pickups out, I noticed an off centre seam in the maple cap, which makes me believe it could be a 3 or 4 piece maple cap, but 2 at the best, there's just no way of telling for sure unless you sand the veneer top.

The tuners, bridge and tailpiece are all high quality MIJ Gotoh hardware. The pickups are Seymour Duncan's '59 (neck) and JB (bridge). They come with matt finished pickup covers that are prone to aging and tarnishing quickly... a bonus if you ask me amongst all these "fake" worn/relic'd guitars being produced today.

The stock pots and electronics are decent quality. I changed the pots out on mine as I rewired this axe to Jimmy Page's 4 push/pull schematic. The stock caps are crappy for a guitar of such high quality, so i swapped them out for some good old vitamin Q's. I also swapped the original zinc Gotoh tailpiece for a lighter aluminium Gotoh version, that's just personal preference though.

The finish is laquer (nitro) on top of a thin poly coat. You have to get the higher-end models to get an all nitro finish. The headstock is titled at 17-18 degrees, as found on Gibson's. The nut is made from bone and was cut very neatly and accurately. I had to have a luthier re-slot the nuts only because I went up a gauge to 11-49's.

That's the other thing... this guitar came set up PERFECTLY. If I was to keep the stock gauge of strings on it, I wouldn't have had to touch a thing! But since I chose to go to a thicker gauge, i ended up setting the action, intonation, truss rod, etc accordingly.

The guitar keeps in tune PERFECTLY. I have 3 other guitars, so I may go up to 2 weeks without playing the Edwards. When I do come back to it, it's almost perfectly in tune!

Now there is some debate as to where these are actually made. Some say they are sawn and painted in China, and assembled in Japan. Who knows? ESP are keeping mum on this one, so we may never know for sure. Doesn't matter though, because it has all the features of much more expensive MIJ guitars.

What else can I say? Came with an ESP gigbag, some case candy and VERY well packed. Arrived in under a week from Tokyo to Melbourne. The frets are nice and durable, not like the one's found on my old epiphone. I wore through them so quickly that i swear they were made from some steel-butter alloy.

Sounds fantastic! It has much more bight than say an epiphone, due to having an actual maple cap. And the bottom end is there too thanks to the mahogany body. I used to own an Epiphone, and this is MILES above it. Epiphone don't actually use "mahogany", they use Indonesian Mahogany, aka Luaun, aka Luan. And the cap is usuall alder. These Edwards are pretty much identical to Gibson's, with a few exceptions i guess. Gibson's use Honduran Mahogany, they don't have a veneer over their maple caps and they have fret-edge binding. Are those 3 things worth an extra 2-3grand for me? heck no!

Stated above. Came set up perfectly, even including pickup height.

Is as reliable as any other LP out there. Prone to headstock breakages just like any other LP. Sturdy and built to withstand punishment in all other areas. The neck won't budge in 3 life-times, because the long tenon is so tight.

yasoohmusic1109 offered excellent customer support. Was having a "dispute/argument" with a local distributor who sells these Edwards LP's at about twice the cost. He said at least he would offer "support". Taking on the challenge, I emailed yasoohmusic1109 about a year after owning this guitar asking about truss rod adjustments. He drew a very detailed picture, included instructions, scanned it, and emailed it to me... how good is that?!? Can't comment on ESP though, I've never dealt with them directly.

It's the shizzle!!!

Great Woods, pickups, playability...Unreal at this price range IMO...22 Frets, Nitro, Duncan JB/59 Pickups, Bone Nut, Gotoh Hardware and Tuners and fantastic feel...

This guitar can scream and cry with the best of them. I like my Edwards LP more than my Gibby;s....The tone pots function really well being stock...No fretting out and a pleasure to play. This guitar can cover all the bases...awesome to say the least

Everything on this axe is incredible...I have no bad things to say...

Seems solid, holds tune very well...I'd gig this axe in a heartbeat...Seems very dependable

No idea...I'm sure your on your own here, as these are imported from Japan

I bought this out of curiousity..I needed a LP and didn't want to spend 2K, and this one fits the bill. Infact this guitar can hang even with Gibby's Custom Shop guitars..I have a coil tap on mine, it screams, sings and is very toneful and its a great everyday go to guitar

Japanese Les Paul Custom Black, passive pickups. Came stock with seymour duncans,changed to paf style humbuckers. The body is maple and mohogany according to the specs from the japanse seller on ebay for Edwards LPC it is a custom and has a cool looking headstock logo with pearl inlays very nice the neck prpfile leans more to a 60s lp neck the neck itself is a long tenon a feature only offered on custom shop gibsons
The finsh is nitro. the guitar has a very smooth feeling and looks really great,total tough guy LPC<<tuners solid and keep the guitar in tune well. The fretwork on Edwards les pauls is spot on nice meaty fret wire and i own
2 edwards the craftmanship on this made in japan guitar is Superb

Though a solid state marshall amp the guitar sounds great , and through a vintage fender tube amp it sound spectacular! This guitar is every bit a les paul save some money and buy and edwards instead of a gibson studio...edwards is much more playable and feels much better in the hand than a studio.

The guitar was set up well when it arrived from japan. i ajusted humbucker height to my liking

The guitar id fairly light compared to other les pauls 8 pounds so it would be a good guitar to gig with.

I own Edwards and a greco les pauls .You cant go wrong with them i love my edwards its a player. I did a test run on the gibson les paul studio im glad i didnt buy one im really happy with the Edwards.I Have so much gear.. i also LOVE telecaster but thats another review...Keep on Rockin in the free world!!!!

Made in Japan 98ltc Custom black,vintage finsh very smooth neck med jumbo frets easy to play ...the body is hard maple.. really nice looking LP ...came with seymour duncan humbuckers but i changed them out with gibson 57s smoother less brittle sound..im not a fan of duncans
i like the warmer sound of gibson pafs just what im used to, sounds like old school classic rock to me...

since i change the pick ups to gibson 57s im really happy with the sound of this les paul..i play through a fender princeton reverb from the 1970s sounds incredible through a tube amp! i really like the weight and neck of this edwards im small so its not a monster like my burny LP that weights close to 10 to 11 pounds this edwards weighs around 7 or so

all was great when i got the guitar from japan !

This guitar is a tank and will ,most likely live for 2 hundred years

Been playing Forever well since the 1980s to be exact pre high school,
i love guitars with Humbuckers,Tube amps all things that make sounds when you plug them in..I read a bunch about edwards before i took the leap and bought one from japan..all i read was true they are great Les pauls im glad i bought this guitar !

Les Paul Copy. 3 way switch plus Two Seymour Duncan Pickups;DH-1 bridge and DH-4 neck. Two volumes and two tones with ceramic capacitors and 500k pots, tune-o-matic stoptail piece bridge. 24.75" scale, Mother of Pearl (nice!) markers on a very nice Ebony fretboard. Mahogany body, maple plain top. Vintage white, more a pale yellow to me but very attractive. Bound front and back. Brushed/matte gold hardware. Gotoh tuners, somewhat generic. Old Fender amp style knobs, nice touch. Medium jumbo frets that are smooth as silk. Classic LP neck profile, thin but thick sort of D or U shaped. Absolutely the nicest bone nut I have ever seen, perfectly cut shaped for very, very smooth and easy playing. Body is very deep and wide as an LP should. Weighs around 8 lbs. The only drawback I found was thin screws that join the bridge to the body, but not an issue just not as thick as I've seen. Gig bag, no case

Dead quiet electronics. If you don't hit something, you won't know it's plugged in or your amp is on. SD pu's are predictably very good. Loud, clear with perfect LP breakup in a tube amp. Very sweet sounding especially the neck. Beautiful, tight soaring lead sounds. I had to fiddle with the adjustable pole pieces on the bridge to coax the right tone but I was able to dial it in. Suits Classic Rock, Jazz and some Country tones when in the middle switch position, tweak the volume knobs for that Gibson blend and a Tele appears...Just great. Every (alomost) review I read for Edwards raves and I see why. Chords and notes sustain effortlessly, seems as long as you want the notes to go.

Finish is very nice but not spectacular, binding on body and neck is attractive. MOP fret markers are pretty. Brushed gold hardware, umm ok. I'd rather it be chrome but it's still very nice. Nut and neck with are just perfect, your fingers just fall in to the notes. Everybody adjusts for their own comfort and sound, that's part fo the fun. Super playability. I couldn't put it down, frets are super smooth.

Other than the aforementioned thin bridge screws it seems very solid. Tuner scould be nicer. Pots, caps and solders are nice and neat and seem good quality. Gold usually fades off, but we'll see. Body and neck are brick thick and solid. Gigging sans backup is dumb and boring.

I hope I won't need them, doesn't seem like I will. One year warranty, I think.

30+ years of playing. Too much gear to list. I am not sure about comparing this to a Gibson without having one right there to check it out. That being said, these guitars are quite nice and won't disappoint. Playability and sound are the best things about these Edwards...and that's really what it's all about now isn't it? I would get another one.

No idea when it was made...made in Japan...no serial number...solid top. You know the drill. This is a knock-off Les Paul with Duncan pickups. I've been reading reviews about these particular guitars for several months and I was curious about how they "really" played. Unfortunately, it's a Japanese product and they're not sold here. Through some crazy stroke of luck, I happended across one (no, it wasn't an Ebay item!). The crazy thing is it was the EXACT COLOR (Lemonburst) and model that I was curious about. After reviewing all of the available information about these guitars, the x-factor for me was the neck profile. I happen to love the big baseball bat profile of some of the Les Paul's of the 50's...much to my surprise, the Edwards neck profile IS the fantasy profile! I've played many a Paul and said to myself "...gee, if I could just shave a hair off the back..." Well, this has that profile with the hair shaved off the back! Features...hmmm...it's got a bone nut (not the plastic Epiphone nut), vintage style tuners (plenty stable)...it's a Les Paul.

I've been hackin' away at the guitar for a little better than 30 years now...AND I'M STILL A HACK!!! (LOL) I play primarily Jazz, Blues, Funk, and yes...I'm an old school "Fusion" fan so I'm a big Jeff Beck/Jean Paul Bourelly freak. I've played in an number of band settings but now (with a family) it's the occasional jam with my weekend warrior friends. I STILL use my old Marshall JMP 50 watt Master Volume (small box) and I push it through a 2x12 Mesa cab. I have several Fender/Peavey/Mesa configurations for practicing around the house. Very simple...the Paul through the Marshall is "...da sound of rock!" The Edwards sound like a Les Paul should sound. The Duncan's are hot but not too hot. They are really colorful (which is huge for me as I rely on the volume and tone pots for the majority of my guitar "effects"). It has almost a "violin" tone quality. In my humble opinion...the Edwards rivals the sound of any U.S. product I've ever played. I have no desire to Gibson bash at all...this is an honest review of a curious product.

Ah...where the rubber meets the road. I can't comment on the factory set-up (I got it used) but, it's obvious the guitar had no issues and the guy said he's never had it set-up from the time he got it (which was new). I really took my time with the guitar before I laid down my hard earned coin to buy it. I could find no flaws in the finish...pickups are set properly...the top is one of the most beautiful of any guitar I've ever seen (sincerely) and I have to say it's about the most "playable" guitar I've ever owned. I'm not into the whole "Japanese Mojo" thing and like I said...for the most part Mr. Gibson USA builds a fine guitar. Maybe I got lucky but I'm here to write a review...this guitar plays like EVERY Las Paul should. It has a "snap" that only a Les Paul player understands. I think the Japanese Mojo is simply pride in their quality control. An awesome job was done on the neck...fret job was perfect. It is my understanding that this is simply how they are made and they all play like this.

Time will tell but I don't really understand the question here...unless you are in a "Who" tribute band...a guitar generally holds up well...it's wood with some strings on it. My guess is that it'll hold up just fine.

In conclusion...I think the Edwards is an awesome alternative to a 5K Gibson product. Again, I won't bash Gibson...I've played many expensive Gibson's that played as well as the Edwards but I can honestly say that I have not played a single one that played any "better" than this thing. I have many guitars (I have far more enthusiasm than talent)...many of then are actually custom made because I'm lucky to be best friends with a great luthier. I dig most guitar configurations (Strat's...Tele's...Paul's) so I'm not partial. I really mean that this is the best player in my stable. Yes, I would certainly buy another even if I never lost this one. I will say one more thing...the neck is so perfect that no matter how low you want the action, fret buzz just ain't an issue. As a personal preference, I like a higher action but it was set up SUPER LOW by the guy before me and it played fine with no frettin' out issues at all...

Made in Japan. 2007 model. Has the usual Les Paul volume and tone controls. Comes with Seymour Duncan SH-1 and SH-4 humbuckers. Nice bulky neck.. not too big, but not too thin either. I like a nice full neck personally, even with small hands.

At home.. I play whatever, but when I play with my band, we play contemporary Christian music such as Hillsongs and Jason Upton. I haven't got to play a show yet because I just got the guitar a couple days ago. It sounds amazing! The neck pickup gives you some really nice jazzy tone and the bridge is not too bright and sounds really good. When using distortion.. sounds amazing like most Les Pauls. The neck pickup will give you a very nice lead sound, such as Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N' Roses. The bridge will give you those screaming leads. Very good rhythm sound, very full.

I actually bought it used, but the guy had just bought it this year and had not played it much. I could tell. It looked brand new. He did tell me that he put 11s on it. It played amazing with the 11s. I am use to 9s and I could still play it with a fair amount of ease. Bending was a little tough at times. Have to toughen up on my part. Very nice finish, Cherry Sunburst. Looks great. Plays Great. Sounds Great.

Just got it, but I believe it would be just as reliable as any other guitar. Everything seems good so far.

Have not dealt with customer service.

Very good guitar. I would buy another one over a Gibson any day. Pay much less and get just as much. You would have enough money left over for maybe an Edwards 335 if you go the Edwards route instead of the Gibson. I am a Stratocaster guy actually, but I will be playing this a lot.

It is not actually a 98 lts but 98 ltc.Ltc goes for custom.Color is black.The main differnce it that custom has multi-ply bindings on back and top of body and headstock;ih has an ebony board and real Mop block inlays!It wheigts a ton!I think it is above 4 kiloes!
It has one piece Afican Mahogany back on hard maple top and neck is also Afican Mahogany one piece!
On some forums people say that custom is heavier than standard (Edwards)and also custom has more "towards" 50s gibson style neck. It is not the same, it is more D shaped than C on original Gison neck.
Full specs - BODY :
(Top)Hard Maple
(Back)Mahogany
NECK : Mahogany
FINGERBOARD : Ebony , 22frets
SCALE : 628mm (24.75 inch) / Medium
JOINT : Set-Neck
PICKUPS : (Front) Seymour Duncan SH-1n
(Rear) Seymour Duncan SH-4
CONTROL : Front & Rear Volume
Front & Rear Tone
Toggle PU Selector
BRIDGE : Tune-Matic / Stop Tailpiece

No weight relief!
Very well build

This is something that i'm very critical about, but this guitar is a keeper. I compared this guitar with original Gibson Les paul standards, studio, custom (vos) and some epiphones. For my ears, eyes and hands i would put it between gibson standard and custom, yes it is that good. Acusticly, the sound is huge and warm, something you wont find on many guitars these days.Seymour Duncan's are good, they have a lot of bite and are a bit bright that goes good with wery dark sounding body and neck.They are also hotter than gibson hum., have more gain.
I usualy play hard rock, metal (Zakk Wylde, Dimebag, Slash,Randy Rhoads...) and some blues-country style, and this guitar can do it all.If you are worried about playing soloes like the guys that i named, dont be.

Setup was ok when i got it but it is normal that everyone has it's one preferences and favorite setup, so naturaly i had to "move it" a little bit. Action was also ok, but the same stuff about setup.
Finish wass flawless - wery beautifull and similar with gibson custom vos.

I think that this guitar will last me a long time unless somebody give me Gibson custom for the same price :).
All Hardware is gotoh so no doubt about the quality.

I ordered it from ishibashi web shop, they were very professional and answered all of my questions in no time. Also a shipping took 4 days, from Japan to Italy, it is super fast. I recommend them.

I have been playing for about 14 years, had try lot of guitars. Now I own Esp Kh2 and this Edwards.Well this 2 guitars are totay different, but this was an idea, to have 2 tonaly different guitars.
For this price i dont know where i could pay so little for acurate copy of gibson guitar in it's appearance and tonal aspects.Don't forget that Edwards is Esp so...
I realy reccomend this guitar for everyone that want Gison les Paul guitar and does not want/dont have money to pay Gibsons.

Finish: Tobacco Sunburst (I'm advised nitro top, poly back, but whatever it is, it is excellent.)

Body style (Les Paul shape)
Bridge style (Tune-O-Matic)
Tuners (Non-locking, Gotoh)
Any included accessories? (Gig bag, mediocre for the quality of guitar)
Year made: 2007 in Japan
How many frets? 22
Maple veneer of Mahogany back
Pickups: Two Seymour Duncan Humbucker SH-1 and SH-4
Body and neck woods: Mahogany
Fretboard: Rosewood with trapezoid inlays

Perfect sound. Excellent sustain. Pickups are quiet yet powerful.

I purchased it from Japan. The seller shipped it quickly and it arrived 5 days after my purchase. Out of the box, it was absolutely perfect. The intonation is perfect and the guitar stays in tune even after bending on the fretboard and stretching string above the nut (like Page does in Heartbreaker and in the middle of the Lemon Song).

Too new to say, but this guitar appears to be very very well-built.

From Japan, I don't know how this will go. I expect very few problems.

I have been playing about 25 years. I have a 1975 Gibson SG (Firebrand), a mid-90's Fender Strat, a 2007 Squire (for beating upon), and now the best of all, this Edwards. When I got the Edwards home, I pulled out all my guitars to run a side by side comparison. I played them all through my Korg Pandora. The Edwards was by far the fastest, most solid, and for me the most fun. Having said that, I should note that stretching strings is easier on a Strat (or my Squire), but a Les Paul player will know that already.

I considered and played many Gibson Les Pauls, and honestly I'm fortunate enoungh to have cash to go buy one. But I read so many good things about the Edwards guitars, and played my friend's (112LTS Jimmy Page relic model) that I decided to go for one. I chose the 98LTS because I wanted a tobacco sunburst, and was not as interested in the relic. I think the 98LTS neck might be a bit fatter than the 112LTS, but it suits my perfectly.

If you are thinking about a Les Paul, I would really urge you to consider an Edwards first. In many ways (especially price), the Edwards guitar surpasses the Gibson.

I paid $870 including shipping.
Good luck.

Typical Les Paul Layout.2007,8.5 lbs.Wiring well done.Solid 1 piece Maple top vennier nitro over w/ long tennon[I checked when I swapped the pickups]. Hand made by ESP. 50`s neck.1 piece mahogany back and neck,rosewood fingerboard.Gotoh hardware Vintage correct saddle.Similar to Gibby VOS or Historic series minus the price.

Stock was very good. I always put an RS wiring kit and Wolfetone pickups in. Absolutely awesome sound. Sustain,clarity etc. You would have to spend around 4-5 k to get this sound quality out of Gibson.Best sounding Les Paul I have played including Gibson Historics and VOS.This is my second Edwards.

Hand made on the ESP line.Best frets ever. Build quality exceeds Gibson in every detail. Have been playing for over 45 years so I am well over the headstock glamor factor.You get it all. Long tennon.period correct in every detail.Sold my Gibson Historic after getting my first Edwards. Hard to put down ,very fine playability.Top drawer.No issues whatsoever,perfect right out of the box,been playing it for about 4 months.Stays in tune.What`s not to like?

Seems solid and well made . Time will tell.

I have to say that in my 45 years of playing this is the best Lester I have played.I now have 2[`56 Goldtop w/ P 90`s].The guitar sounds and feels perfect.Build quality superb. Got Mojo,you bet.We are supposed to find fault with reviews but honestly I can`t. Simply a great guitar at 3-4 k for 900 a steal.Very high quality guitar period.Enjoy!