Epiphone '56 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue

Made 2004 or 2005. Korean. Mahogany body, alder top. Beautiful rich dark back with gold top. Epiphone alnico P90 pickups. Some people have told me the pickips are Gibsons, but it's more likely they are "Gibson designed" meaning they are off the Gibson specs and built in Korea. Grover tuners, decent electronics, solid tone switch. Really well built overall.

I play rock music mainly and this guitar fits that style perfectly. I use it against everything from a 1x8 tube amp to SS to software modelers and it sounds great all around (but it loves tubes, or rather tubes love it).

The pickups are single coil so they make noise, no more than your average strat. Older reviews claim that the middle position is hum cancelling but this is no longer true. I confirmed with Epiphone/Gibson directly that the RI models the original Gibson in that it's not wired for hum cancelling. The pickups are outstanding for an Epiphone Les Paul clone. For the humbucker-based Epiphones I recommend a pickup swap, but I would be hard pressed to change these P90s. Thick, creamy, woody, smooth are all words that come to mind when listening to them. Some people say they are too "humbucker like" but that's not true at all. I can't say how they compare against other P90s, but they do have a character all their own and are well worth keeping in the instrument.

The action was way too high when it came in so I lower it and it's fine now. I have not touched the pups at all as they sound perfect. No flaws in the finish, in fact it's a little too flawless -- I'm afraid to play it out!

A lot of older reviews slam the hardware for people cheap. These were pre-2003 models (identified by the green plastic, non-Grover tuners). Epiphone re-did the line somewhere around 2003 and everything is high quality now. The pickup selector is solid and I never had the amp jack go loose (which is always a problem for me). No problems whatsoever with the bridge or any of the other hardware. I had it for over six months so I can't complain.

Epiphone are great. When I go the guitar I was concerned it was wired wrong (no hum cancelling) and called over the weekend and reached someone. While he was not sure he did get back to me on Monday after talking directly with the Gibson engineers. You just don't expect service like that these days.

Overall a 9. Fantastic quality and sound overall. I don't know what deserves a 10, but I am holding off until I find one.

According the serial, built in 99, but was liquidation stock and as far as I can see is new, with no playing wear.Everything has been said, p90 pups, on a Les Paul. These don't have features. They're Les Pauls.

It does exactly what I want it to do, the pups are punchy and bright and overdrive really really well. If you like the p90 sound, this is a fine way to get it.

This is where the truth be told. I brought this home and picked it up and played it, and then picked up and played my '77 Gibson Les Paul Standard. Well, one of them is a Gibson, and the other one is a fine guitar, but it ain't a Gibson. Even unamplified with the same gauge strings, the Gibson is louder and has more sustain. Remarkable.

Having said that I have written a few really snippy reviews about Korean guitars, but Epiphone have got the specs sorted on this. There are plenty of other Korea-made guits that are marketed as being as good as an Epi. Not on the evidence of this they ain't. This is a quality instrument

BUT Koreans just don't have the eye for detail that the Japanese have, do they? The frets are well fitted, but are undressed. Easy enough for the competent owner or shop to do, but still. The pup selector is loose and rattles. Not much, but it does. The tuners are fake Klusons....Klusons are not great at the best of times and these are noticeably looser than the ones on my Gibson, despite the age of that guitar. And the buttons are green! And worst sin of all is the dreaded Korean scarf joint in the neck. Really what would it cost to not do this? Having said that, none of these (apart from the joint) are major issues, so it gets

Seems like a good strong gig guitar. That's what Epis are. Just fer chrissake don't let it drop. Finish is nice-- I've seen Korean guits that looked like somebody poured candy all over them the lacquer was so thick. It's thicker than nitro, but that's okay on a solid, and it's well done.

It's a great guitar, well up to pro service, and for the money I paid a real bargain. But don't let anyone kid you-- the devil is in the details and the instant you pick this up you know it's not a Gibson. Unless maybe you never played a Gibson.....

Mahogany body, alder cap i think, p-90s, grover tuning machines,rosewood fingerboard w/trapezoid inlays. gold finish isn't quite as lustrous as the gibson gold-top, but has a good vintage look nonetheless. tuneomatic bridge. Heavy as hell.

I play in a greaser/rockabilly/r&b band. This guitar is used as a backup and for a few particularly gritty tunes that we do. I wanted the 56 goldtop because I have some footage of Carl Perkins using the real deal from on Town Hall Party from back in the day. Gibsons quality control seems to have slipped while there prices have gotten ridiculous. There was no way I was going to pay big bucks for a new Gibson Goldtop and I'd have to mortgage my house to get a vintage one.

I aspire for pretty raw 50s-ish guitar tones like you hear on old Sun/Chess/King/Federal etc records. My main guitars are a couple of modded strats and a modded tele. I use a Fender Reverb Deluxe reissue or a Fender Pro Jr depending on the venue. I do use pedals. my standard setup is: Boss TU-2>Guyatone ST-2>Jauernig Luxury Drive>Tech 21 Double drive>Voodoo Labs MicroVibe>Danelectro Dan Echo. When I use the Pro Jr I lose the double drive, add a Boss TR-2 tremolo and Fender 62 reissue reverb tank. When I use this guitar I don't need the double drive for either amp.

This is a dense, heavy chunk of wood and that's how it sounds. It is a bit of a one trick pony, but if you use the pickup switch and tone pots you can get some cool vintage tones.
The p-90s on mine are hot. Hotter than any other guitar that I have.
The p-90s are a tad noisy. I also have an Epiphone Wildkat. The pickups in this are noisier than the wildkat. Whatever. It's rock and roll. It's supposed to be noisy. Oh yean this thing has great sustain too.

This came right out of the box. I had it set up before I paid for it. I use 10s on all my guitars and it seems fine. The neck is straight, the pickups are fine. There are no finish flaws, but the Gold finish has a little more brown to it than a Gibson reissue. The pickup selector is tight, but I've heard (and read) that the epiphone toggles can be bogus.

That being said. I am friends with some guitar guys from G.C. and I hear a lot of horror stories about the Gibsons that they get in. Les Pauls come in new with tone and volume pots mis-wired, broken switches and finish problems. New Gibson LPs cost a bundle. This is a pretty good guitar for under 500 bucks.

My band usually plays 2 75 to 90 minute sets on an average night. We play 2-3 times a month. I have played this guitar all night. It seems like it can take a sound thrashing. It holds it's tune fairly well. I'm a basher and I have yet to meet a guitar that I don't have to fine tune at least a few times a set. I always have a backup or two. I don't gig without a backup. This thing is heavy. It feels like it could stop a bullet.

i haven't had to deal with epiphone. i've never had a problem with any of my epiphones. I have a Wildkat, a dot 335 and the 56 goldtop.

This is a good guitar for someone that wants standard features and vintage styling on a budget. I would definately encourage someone to get one. If it were stolen or lost?? I have several guitars and trade and sell often. I've had this one for about 6 months now and it has served it's purpose, but I doubt that I'll have it a year from now. The only guitars that I'd hesitate to part with are my Fenders.

If I do replace this then I'd consider yellow a t.v. special, an LP Junior or one of the newer melody makers with the single p-90. Primarily due to the weight issue. I don't think that I could, in good conscience, play a Gibson Les Paul and if I had a real vintage one I'd probably sell it to buy several cooler guitars that I could play out with and wouldn't make me cry if they got beer dumped on them.

Same features as already listed. Mine has the Grover tuners. I replaced the strap buttons with locking ones. Common sense.

I play blues and funk mostly. This guitar completely nails the sound I love. Thick and creamy. The P90's may get upgraded but the stock p/u's are very good already. I've always been a Tele player but this guitar has really turned my head around. I don't find it overly heavy and have found many Tele's just as weighty or even heavier. The sustain is just wonderful as well. I'm running it through either a Hot Rod Deluxe or a Deluxe Reverb RI. Tuner > EQ > OD-3 or Sparkle Drive > Tremolo > amp. No complaints from me and lots of compliments from other players on the tone.

Had it set up by a guitar tech. Action is fairly low with no fret buzz anywhere. I adjusted p/u height myself. All normal stuff. No jagged fret ends. Frets nicely polished and level. Nice work. Will replace nut with probably Tusq from Graphtech. Stays in tune very well and no binding when I bend strings. There are no real flaws in the finish. At least nothing that you wouldn't find on a very expensive Gibson.

Overall this axe is very solidly built and I believe it will last many years of happy, drunken playing. The pots and switches will probably crap out before too long. Again, normal stuff because the electronics are not going to be first rate. No problem,simple fix.

I just deal with the retailer and their pretty good.

When all is said and done this is a fabulous buy. If it were stolen I'd go right out and steal another one for myself. I'm still paying for this one. I've been playing about 35 yrs. and have had lots of guitars. This may be my favourite. I've always got the itch to get something new but when I come home from the music store and pick up Goldie it just kills the urge to buy. I love it.

2004 Epi reissue GoldTop Les Paul,2 P90 Pickups, Grover Tuners, Alder top, maple or mahogony body. The gold top is kinda puke green in color. It is somewhat heavy, heavier than my 2004 Black Les Paul. I guess I'm kinda on an LP kick right now. The rest you know...

Sound is bewitching, as good a great hummy PU, maybe better. These do not sound like typical Epi PUs, got a classic sound to them, not overly microphonic as on other P90 guitars I've owned. Because they are single coil, by them selves, they are noisey, not more so than my Tele with Texas Specials, they HUM, spit, growl all by themselves. But, when being playing, the sweetest sounds come outta them, they are truely possesed. Rythym position is chunky but not muddy, the Treble position doesn't shreik but lets everyone you're there. You can play any thing and sound good. Just strumming and it sings to you. When using the middle position of the switch, its dead quite, just like using a single hum-pup on the Bridge. Just enough Bite to let you know who's boss, but mellow enough to sound nice.
Sustains all day like a LP should!

The action is a bit high, like my acoustic and suits me fine. There is next to nothing fret buzz at this height .. I hate fret buzz, distracts me while playing. I'm guessing here, but like any guitar, the lower the strings the more likely this guitar will produce fret buzz. Previously, I owned a WildKat which had P90 PU's and a Bigsby Tremolo. The guitar had bad string buzz, even with the strings adjusted higher than the stratosphere. So i traded it in to get this axe with P90's.
This is no shred guitar since the neck's back is painted and the fretboard on the wide side, but I do manage to perform a few fast scale runs and sweeps on it from time to time. I'm not saying one couldn's shred on it but that's not it's main purpose. Great Blues , Classic rock guitar and Heavy metal crunch can be had.

The neck is thinner than my other LP's but fatter than my Tele and Strat, it is also a little thin at the neck set. If this thing should fall wrong, I fear the neck will break at the joint. The bonus is , a thinner joint allows easier upper fret access. Frets are dressed perfectly. Finish is impeccible though the puke green paint may, in time, wear on me. Best built guitar I own and I own far too many.

This guitar looks like it will last, the pots and swich are better than the ones on my other Epi LP's. The puke green finish should hide minor scratches well. The tuners are Grover, I doubt these will cause any problems. The only issue as stated earlier is the neck, which if the guitar should fall sideways a bit hard, there a good chance of cracking at the joint set. For that reason I would not gig with it but don't think it detracts too much from its reliablility.

Haven't dealt with Epi

This axe has such a bewitching sound that when I first played it in the store, I thought it was a Gibson, I can't say that about my other Epi LPs. The puke green color makes the guitar look like its from the 50's. My wife who is into guitars and guitarists :-) thought at first I spent a small fortune on this guitar thinking it was made in the 50 or 60's.

Made in Korea, 2004. Mahogany body with alder top (Gibsons have maple tops), 2 P-90 single coil pickups, grover tuners, gold top finish, two volume/two tone controls, did not come with case, but I bought the epiphone hardshell case to go with it.

Sounds great. I don't know what the Gibson '56 goldtop reissue sounds like, but this has to come close. I think this is probably the best sounding pickup Epiphone makes. Clean sound is crisp and clear, distortion is good also. Gets a good early rockabilly sound with both pickups on, neck pickup nails Scotty Moore's tone on Elvis's Sun recordings, bridge pickup is somewhere between a tele and Gibson humbucker. There is nothing I dislike about the sound.

I was kind of worried about how the guitar would stack up in this category, but so far, everything seems tight. To my surprise, the guitar came with Grover tuners instead of the cheapo green plastic ones. These do a great job of staying in tune. Finish is great, action is good. The only, and I mean ONLY, flaw I can find with this guitar is that there is a gap between the pickups and the body. I don't know if this is normal, but it doesn't affect the sound or playability, so it's no big deal.

This guitar is going to take over as my main gigging guitar. It seems to be very solid, but only time will tell. Some other reviewers have mentioned scratchy volume/tone pots, but so far, so good on my guitar.

Haven't dealt with them

Been playing for 20 years, now. I have a 2003 Gibson Les Paul Standard with Burstbucker pickups, and this Epiphone sounds every bit as good. I wish I would have bought it earlier, it's that good. I wish Gibson would make an affordable P-90 guitar with a real finish. The faded guitars are neat, but the finish will wear off before you know it. My advice? If you want a P-90 guitar, don't buy a faded-finish Gibson, get this Epiphone. This is the best Les Paul that Epiphone makes, period.

Bought this year, so I presume it was made 2003 or 04. I presume you don't need the spec - it's a standard non-modified Epi LP 56 Reissue with a staggeringly beautiful finish.
Personally I have aproblem because the guitar is so heavy and I have some tendonitis in my left shoulder - bummer. This means sometimes when I wanted to use the LP, I've used a strat instead because it's lighter. However, the weight must be part of the reason the guitar sounds so good.

I play a variety of styles - mostly blues and rock. However, I occasionally gig supporting a local worhip act playing very rocky modern worship music, so a wide range of styles is required. I use it with a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fender Blues Jr. I have a JCM900 but have not had an opportunity to gig with that amp yet.
I play strats mainly and had a Sheraton for something different. That was great but I wanted something else so bought an Ibanez SZ. Sounded good in the shop but hated it at home. The shop were good enough to exchange the guitar for this LP, and I have been amazed at how adaptable this guitar is.
The P90's mean that it can do anything from really heavy power chords where the guitar sounds so much more meaty than my strats, to lovely bluesy overdrive, to beautiful clean tones. I use a V twin for really heavy rythm and leads, a TS9, TS808, or the amp for bluesy leads, and the sound is a complete knockout for that stuff. excellent range of clean sounds - every pickup combination is useable on this guitar.

The sound is go good that the first time I used the guitar in church my wife complimented the sound as "really gutsy sound". That's the first compliment about my guitar sound in years from my wife and really says a lot about the guitar.
There certainly is a problem with noise - just like any single coil pickup.

The guitar looks absolutely excellent. Other than the name on the headstock, I think that the appearance is up there with any Gibson. Rrally I am completely floored by the quality of this guitar. I don't know if it's an Alder or Maple top, but I would bet good money it's maple because the sound is so excellent.

PLayed 2-3 gigs and the sound is superb - quality is excellent. I had problems with my Blues Jr squealing and feeding back - but it did this with my strats too - so no bad reflection on the guitar. However, I would be tempted to change to P100's if I thought it wouldn't destroy the sound.

Unbelievable that guitars of this build and sound quality can be bought for #300. I've gone through several guitars before arriving at this one which has the perfect sound to me. The weight has led me to look around again, but I cannot find another guitar which looks or sounds this good. I've auditioned some of the PRS Soapbars, Santana's and Tremonti's. I like those guitars, but don't think that they really measure up to my Epiphone in sound or look.

2004 guitar, made in Korea. Les Paul features. 2 P-90 single coil pickups. 3-piece mahogany back. Maple top. Metallic Gold top finish. Came with grover tuners (great!) and a very well made nut. The neck is not as fat as Standard Les Pauls, but larger my other Les Paul (Epiphone Classic Goldtop).

This guitar sounds great for the price. The P-90's are great for clean sounds and for moderated overdriven bluesy style. Very bright. I'm using it through a Fender Twin, no stomp boxes. The guitar sounds very good acousticaly too. It brings lots of sustain. Just loved it. Suits my needs for hard rock and blues.

I boght this axe via internet. And here comes the trouble: the top finish has some irregularities on the surface. But what really frustrated me is that the 3rd fret was lower the the others, wich means I had to go through a fretwork before I could use it. The rest was perfect. The cavities are very well done, clean and with a coat of shield paint (wich really helps with noise in this case). The electronics are fine, clean, organizes and well-soldered components.

This is a very well built guitar, and will withstand live playing easily. Just fit in some strap locks and go. The hardware will last as long as you take good care of them. And so will the finish. I can and do dependo on it, though I always gig with more than 2 or 3 guitars (for different sounds).

Never dealt with.

I've been playing for 17 years. I have another Epi, a LP Classic Goldtop, a Condor LP custom, 2 home made teles, a SG Pierced from Epiphone, a SG G-400 from Epiphone, a Giannini Supersonic modified to get closer to a Jaguar, and some othe experimental axes.

If this guitar was stolen, I'd probably buy another.

Likes: great looking guitar (the goldtop finish is great), great sound for the money.

Dislikes: The Quality Control should be more careful.

Korean made Les Paul with (2)P-90 pick ups. Usual layout - 3 way selector, 2 volume, 2 tone, Tune-O-Matic bridge and (low and behold) it came with stock Grover machine heads!!! From what I can tell, this is a 2000 or 2001 model and they must have changed out the tuners recently. I dont like those plastic "feather" style and when mine came with the Grovers, I was a very happy camper (saved me 45.00). The neck is a perfect size, not too big like some Gibson Les Paul's and not too thin. Gold finish, mahogany. Very nice and solid Epiphone case and all the candy.

For the fisrt time in my life, I use the neck pickup more than the bridge. The tone is so nice and full. I play country/blues/rock and this guitar will be a perfect fit fot these styles. I play it through my very old but beautiful 1950 Gibson GA-20 amp and it is so very ORGANIC. Talk about rockin' blues-no need for reverb or really and effects, its all there. Possibly a more low end tone than a Gibson LP but P-90's are much nicer sounding than humbuckers (in my humble opinion). Select both pickups for a humbucker sound.

I've read bad reviews about the tuners and switches, but with the stock Grovers (I have a newer model), everything seem very solid. The three way switch seem very sturdy. The strap buttons are pretty small though (this I will change out). One other thing I was VERY happy with was the frets. Alot of new guitars I have played have very poorly dressed frets. These are silky smooth, like a 20 year old guitar. The edges are VERY clean! The finish is beautiful and to be sure, this Epiphone is as heavy as a Gibson LP. I was a bit leary about a Korean guitar, but so far this guitar is as quality as any USA guitar (though I'd prefer to buy American).

I'd take this thing anywhere. It's very, very solid. I did put a Bigsby B-7 on her just to get that occasional tremelo in there. It doesn't seem to change the sustain (which this thing is full of). I kinda wish the beautifly goldtop finish will fade some over time. I like guitars that are kinda flat, but you will not be dissapointed in this one.

Haven't had to yet, but comes with lifetime warranty.

I've been playing since 1973 and have been through Fender, Univox, Gretsch and a 60's red finish Gibson ES-335 that faded to a beautiful goldtop that I still lament for letting go. This one will be a keeper for a long, long while (hopefully). I was so glad to get the Grover tuners and the feel right out of the box was outstanding. If stolen, they better hide it away good. I'd probably get another quick. I'd like to have a Strat or Tele to round out sooner or later. But the LP setup is classic. I've played Gibson LP's and this guitar is as good if not better. P-90's to me have a better sound and though I have had experience with that 60 cycle hum inherent with single coil pickups, this puppy is so very quiet.

Korean made Les Paul with P90 style pick ups. Usual layout - 3 way selector, 2 volume, 2 tone, Tune o matic bridge and grover machine heads. Gold finish, mahogany, no case or candy.

I'm playing rock, blues, soul, funk - all sorts. Using it with a 1995 Fender Blues Deluxe, Marshall Bluesbreaker II pedal and a Boss ME50. This combination enables me to get a wide range of sounds. In particular, the neck pick up is full of warmth and depth, especially with a nice valve amp. The bridge pick up has plenty of attack, so the variety on offer here far exceedsa the epiphone humbucker equipped les pauls. The pick ups are single coil, so you only really get rid of the hum by standing away from the amp or selecting both pick ups, but it's not bad. Did a gig recently using both my american series strat and this - and decided to leave my Gibson SG standard at home. No regrets - had all the sounds I was after.

Bought new with the factory set up. I usually use .009 guage strings and I'm guessing these are factory fitted .010's so they're a bit heavy. I'll try both nine's and ten's before deciding if I want a set up, but the action came pretty close to ideal. Finish is flawless, frets are tidy and everything works.

I never play without a back up, but it's been solid so far. I've heard lots of complaints about switches, tuners and the jack socket, but I have no problems with mine. The tuners are Grovers, and I'm impressed - I go a long way without tuning. I was expecting to have to change but so far, so good.
Fitted some straplocks though - didn't want to take a chance.

No experience. Website's rubbish.

OK. I wanted a Gibson Les Paul Standard - but I'm buying a house this month, and couldn't justify the purchase for the time being. Leave it til next year. I wanted something with P90's that wasn't going to cost the earth. Also important was Gibson style controls - I like to have the neck pick up volume on 4 and the bridge pick up on 7 - giving me lots of tonal and volume range at a flick of the switch.

I loved the PRS SE soapbar, but it was a fair bit more expensive and didn't have the controls. Hated the les paul double cut, and came close to getting the Squier Tele Custom II, which is a fabulous, and surprisingly well made guitar for the price.

Also tried Epiphone humbucker les pauls, and thought they sounded distinctly average. In my humble, the 56 reissue was the best I could get for hardly any money. These are listed at #515 in the UK, and Peter Cook's in london are always competetive - #280 + #70 for a quality hard case I thought was splendid business....

Also have an American Series Stratocaster and a Gibson SG standard so with the '56 completing the set I reckon I have all my tonal bases reasonably well covered.