Edwards E-LS-85LT

$625 was the shipped price from Japan. Mostly the same as in the previous review. LP Special replica, a hair under 7 lbs, TV yellow, body looks like a single piece, same with the neck. Keep in mind it's not a dead on copy of a single cut LP Special, but it's close. One main thing to point out is the nut width- mine's about 1 9/16"s, which is closer to a vintage Fender nut than a vintage Gibson. There are some other differences (like the neck joint, tuners), but like I said it's pretty close.

Also, I don't think it's nitro, at least not the whole thing. I've read different reports, some say it's poly with a nitro top coat, some say just the face of the guitar is nitro, etc. I could do some tests to find out, but I honestly don't care that much. Whatever it is, it's a very thin finish.

Sounded pretty good out of the box- very bright and resonant unplugged. Plugged in the Duncans are decent, but mine sounded a bit dark and muddy and most importantly- not as dynamic as P-90s tend to be. I decided to swap out the volume pots and caps- big difference. It's the kind of thing that may seem subtle to an observer, but when it's your axe I think you'll notice it right away.

I measured the stock pots when I pulled them- one was 250k and the other was about 100k. The caps were .047uF. I swapped in 500k pots and .022uF caps- obviously the results were more treble response, but also the dynamics and clarity I was after were now there.

I got this guitar for a specific project, which is a funky/disco/pop thing. This guitar is perfect for it, as the P-90s are very clear yet not always pristine clean. They can get a lot of "spank" and cut, but are never in that annoyingly bright range (like a Tele bridge PU might be) -they always have some warmth to them. Not as spakly as a Fender, but I think that's a good thing. While this guitar loves to "rock", it can do cleans very well, too.

For this project I use a Line 6 POD XTL, and the guitar reacts well to it. Before you write me off I also have a bf Pro Reverb and a tweed Deluxe clone, and it sounds great through both. Humbuckers tend to sound too muddy through the Deluxe, but these P-90s work well and retain thier clarity. With very mild OD you can get some great old school blues tones (especially in the middle selector spot). Even gets a good jazz tone out of the neck spot. When pushing an amp they really start to compress, but are still very dynamic. Flip on the neck and roll off some of the tone and you've got the Cream woman tone- treble pickup full on you've got Leslie West. With heavy OD they get fuzzy, but in a good way. Old Gibson P-90s are basically my all time favorite pickups, and while these aren't in the same league they're a fair substitute. But if you're into super hardrock tones you may want something with humbuckers.

Also, there is some buzz, especially if you're in a room with neon or in front of a computer monitor. But away from those things it's pretty quiet overall.

Action was OK out of the box. This has a wraparound bridge (which means you can't intonate individual strings), but I was able to set it pretty close. The nut is cut pretty well- a little low on the 'A' string. The truss rod cover is only held on by one screw, and mine seems a little loose. The main issues are the pots, switch and bridge. As I stated earlier I replaced the volume pots. I left the tone pots and switch in there, but can see swapping them for something a little more sturdy sometime soon.

Keep in mind that although these are full size pots (not the dreaded mini-pots often found in import guitars) the bushings are sized metric. So if you get standard US pots (like CTS) you'll need to ream out the holes in your axe to install them.

As I stated earlier it has a cheap switch. I think this will need to be upgraded. Also, I was told the bridge was Gotoh. Mine is developing groves where the strings wrap around- it's making me nervous. Seems like cheap metal/plating. I don't want anything there that's going the sheer the string, so I might replace that as well. The tuners hold their tune fine once the guitar's been properly setup. Most of my gigs with it have been fly out/one off gigs, so I've been using it without a backup. It's not something I like to do, but sometimes it's got to be that way. I'm more worried about breaking strings than the guitar malfunctioning in some way.

The general rule with import guitars is you need to swap the electronics and hardware. I was bummed as everywhere you read Edwards are great because they come stock with decent electronics and hardware, but that's not been my experience. I didn't have to replace everything, but I did/do have to replace some -hence the low rating. But as far as craftsmenship I'd give it an 8 or 9.

I'm in the US, so any warranty is void as this guitar is for the Japanese market only. I have had some correspondence with ESP Japan and they were very helpful, but it may take a long time to get a reply.

I've been in bands since I was 15, and in my early to mid 20s focused on jazz. I'm back playing pop and rock stuff again, as well as other things. I've got influences all over the place- '60s and '70s rock, '50-'60s jazz, '50s pop, '60s-'70s jamacian music, late '70s-'80s pop, punk and disco, early hip hop, etc. I've owned a bunch of different amps, from SS gear like a Roland JC-120 to classic vintage tube amps, and have even built a couple myself. Now I've got the amp modelling thing going, and although it's mostly for ease of use (and the fact that I'm flying out to gigs a lot) it actually doesn't sound too bad.

I've played all different kinds of guitars, but love vintage guitars. I love vintage Gibsons and should've bought an LP Special or Junior 7 years ago when I started looking- I'd have gotten a 4x return on it by now. IMO, these Edwards guitars are the closest thing going without spending ridiculous amounts of dough. They are without a doubt a notch above the Gibson USA stuff, and I would say a peg lower than the Historic stuff (which is very hit or miss, IMO).

The main negative for me is the nut width and the neck profile. I don't think the back of the neck is actually all that skinny, although it's nowhere near as fat as a '50 Jr. I think it just feels really thin due to the narrow nut. If it were stolen I'm not sure I'd pick another one up due to this, but I might consider having ESP make me one with the proper nut and a big, honking neck. That's how much I think of this company.

This is the first new guitar I've ever bought, and my first Harmony Central review. I truly believe an LP Special is one of the most versitile guitars on the planet. You can fake a lot of humbuckered LP sounds, as well as SG and Telecaster sounds- dirty, clean- it's got you covered. I'm not going to tell you that it's in the same league as a '50s Gibson, but it is the closest thing under $1000, that's for sure- maybe even under $1500 (yeah, I'm including the Hamers). It looks right, sounds right, and feels right.

One-piece slab mahogany body, exact copy of a 1957 Les Paul Special, two Seymour Duncan P-90's, vintage style non-compensated wrap-around tailpiece, 24.75" scale, 22 frets, vintage button-style tuners, thin nitro cellulose TV yellow finish, I believe it has the 60's Gibson-stle neck profile, as it doesn't seem as thick as the 50's style necks, bound rosewood fretboard, dot markers, to way switch on upper bout, independent volume and tone controls for the pickups.

Gave it a 5 on features, as it really isn't supposed to have any. This is one simple rock and roll machine.

Unplugged, this thing is alive. I probably played it for over a half an hour before I plugged it in. It really sings. It's also very light: just a hair under 7 pounds! The P-90's are really nice sounding. I wish they were the hum canceling, but it's a sacrifice for that sweet, pure P-90 sound. They sound BIG. I plugged it into my Sunn T50c and it did not disappoint. Cleans were sparkly, bassy and crisp. Overdriven, it had that classic rock growl. Pushed the distortion up, and it cranked out more hard rock tones, and I even got my metal riffs sounding really nice with it.

Flawless set-up out of the box. Strung with 10's, the action was low, frets were dressed nicely, binding was perfect, pickups were at a good height, finish looked great, control cavities nice and clean. A real looker as well as sounding great.
The finish is really thin, but that's the way it's supposed to be. It'll probably show wear and tear very quickly, and that's just fine with me. The body is a nice piece of wood, with nice grain.

The only things I need to replace are the strap buttons. They are a bit small, and my old strap slipped off a couple of times. I will swap them out for locking ones. I don't want to drop this thing. I am guessing they are vintage style too.
The guitar feels very solid in my hands. I would gig it without a backup.

Only warrantied in Japan, so it is null and void in the States. Plus, the entire warranty card is in Japanese. I couldn't fill it out if I wanted to.

I've been playing for over 23 years now, and have owned plenty of guitars. The Edwards is by far the best "bang for the buck" guitar I have ever touched. The Gibson version of this guitar would cost 4 times as much, and I doubt it's worth the insane price jump. I played some Gibsons that were similar, and I think the Edwards beat them hands down. My main guitar is a Bolin NS model, and these two guitars sound nothing alike, and that was the plan. I'm falling in love with the P-90s, and will probably look into some hum-canceling versions from Seymour Duncan if they have them.

It's a straight-forward rock machine that plays amazing, is light enough to play for hours, and has that vintage vibe without the hefty price tag. I am saving up for another one to mod and play with. Definitely the best value out there.