Epiphone Ace Frehley Signature

Ace Frehley Epiphone Signature Series Les Paul. Unsure of year, I just received it a few days ago and haven't had a chance to check out the serial numbers. It has a stop bar tail piece, Seymour Duncan Super Distortion pick ups, slick lightning bolt inlays on a rosewood fretboard, Ace's signature on the 12th fret and a comic book like depiction of Ace's mug on the headstock. The body and neck are maple, though the finish is a laminate? This one is cherry sunburst, as are most of them. Came with a standard Epiphone hardcase. A rather beautiful looking guitar!I purchased a custom cut pickguard for this guitar off of eBay. It sets off the look!

The guitar sounds true to a Les Paul. I play it through a Marshall JCM 2000 TSL, and it smokes! It produces a nice warm, bassy distortion, which kind of surprised me at first. I don't think you can dial a whole lot of different tones with this guitar. It is limited to the Ace sound- which is why I bought it mind you! But these comparisons are based on the fact that I already own 2 American Standard Les Pauls, so I am measuring this axe up to my other LP Standards, which may be unfair. Nonetheless, it has a cool sound and will be played out live. This guitar suits my style rather well.

Action was perfect when I got it. I put D'Addario 11's on it immediately. Here is where I am going to be picky: The neck feels like a short scale neck. I don't know why, but the neck feels a lot smaller than my American Les Pauls. I don't know if it is my imagination or what, but it seems short scale. The binding on the neck is a bit of a disappointment. The binding doesn't cover the crown ends of the frets, unlike my American Gibsons It looks like the binding was put on before the frets were. This doesn't affect playability, just a cosmetics issue. Kind of sloppy, but this isn't an American Les Paul either. Tuning pegs are average, probably won't hold out for too long. Other than that, average craftsmanship. I remind myself that it is an Epiphone, so it won't have quite the cosmetic suitability of my other Les Pauls.

I think the guitar will hold up to live gigs. I have seen this guitar used by KISS tribute bands, and they look well used. I have Dunlop Straplocks on this guitar to prevent it from eating the floor. It will be fun to gig with.

I bought the Epiphone version simply because I didn't want to shell out the cash for the American Ace Signature series. I am satisfied with what I have, but I will eventually purchase the American model when I can find one with a somewhat realistic price.If it were stolen, I would hold out for the American version. It plays well,sounds good and will be used. I am a huge Ace Frehley fan, and wanted to achieve that KISS sound.

My buddy got this guitar from his wife for xmas-He is a really big KISS and Ace fan, and his wife saw it at a pawn shop and picked it up for him. It looks to be a 2000 model-has all the ACE features-3 super distortion DiMarzio p/ups, maple neck, laminate flametop, cherry burst finish, lightning inlays, and Ace signature and face decal with one other cool addition...It's got Ace's signature and playing card drawn on the top by Ace in sharpie. There was a picture of Ace signing it included along with a nice hardcase. Pretty cool! As far as features, it's 3 p/up Paul and the quality and hardware are a cut above what I've seen on other Epis.

I've never been a huge fan of either DiMarzios or maple neck Les Pauls. That said, I have played and owned several 70's era maple neck pauls that were pretty sweet. This guitar really is only good for hard rock or metal due to the pickups intense output. It just won't clean up, but that is cool as it gets a perfect ACE lead tone! My pal uses this axe with a zoom effects pedal in his home studio-for that its great, but run thru my 50 watt Marshall, it has a fuzzy tone that isn't very articulate-mostly it works for hard bar chord rhythm and fast, hammered leads. Again, I can't cut it down as it was designed to get this specific sound. I like it overall, as it suits the purpose it was bought for.

Action was ok once I lowered it a tad and adjusted the rod, as well as replacing the strings. No fault of the guitar's though-it had been hanging in a pawnshop for a while! I had to adjust the pickups down as the magnets were robbing the strings of vibration. The top is pretty, but it's a very thin veneer, not a proper cap. All routing is correct. The binding has a few liitle sloppy tape spots and the finish is glopped on a bit thick, but nothing terrible, pretty good for what it's sold for! The controls and toggle are cheap and feel like it-I'd replace them, as well as the cheap plastic nut.

I'm sure it can be played out just fine. Hardware is chrome and sturdy enough. The thick poly finish will last longer than the wood under it, probably! Strap buttons are ok for home use-I'd use straplocks to play a gig. If my buddy wanted me to use it at a gig, I would-it seems solid-but I'll probably stick with the real Gibsons that I normally use.

Never dealt with 'em

I've been playing for over 2 decades-my buddy that owns this has been a drummer all his life, but has a Rick bass as well as a 77 Gibson Artisan I sold him. He plays enough to do some demos and have fun. He really would probably not have wanted this much had it not had the documented Ace autograph on it. He is taking it to have the signature sprayed over with protective claer paint. We both agree that when compared to the other Gibsons we have that it's not as good-but not by much! The maple neck and DiMarzios give this guitar a hard rock punch that can't be denied!! This guitar is lightweight for a Les Paul type, I love that! The only thing it lacks is an ebony fretboard like a real Ace model or Custom has-this maple rosewood combo gives it a sound more like a late 70's Standard has, although it's somewhat obscured by the raging pickups!The rosewood is nice though, after an oiling, it felt very nice. His 15 year old guitar playing stepson has a souped up Strat we built and he loves the Frehley! If hard rock sound and killer looks at a great price are what you seek-this Epi is one you should consider strongly, maybe not my old guy cup of tea, but a killer guitar that does what it is meant to do superbly!

2005 model, boght from Sam Ash, last epiphone left on the wall after disconinuing Gibson and EPI ( dont know why?)

Got it for 785.00 out the door

Well the D' SD pickups sound OK, I instantly thought change them out for super 2's or duncnan customs well for some reason the middle position hums like crazy and seems to be in single coil mode, this is the first les paul except my ibanez deluxe 59'r with maple neck that sounds like a strat, in fact I just got a Crate (never thought I would own one) vfx 5212 amp and it has the most sparkly,spanky strat tone in the midle position, especially clean, close your eyes and you think I'm playing a strat or a tele.......I think the middle super distortion is defective as only one coil works but what a sound!

The bridge and neck pickups are pretty distorted and dont have much dynamics and overly distort, I think this guitar would sound killer with a set of duncan customs. The action is very good except the middle pickup gets in the way of where I ususally pick and is hard to get used to.

this guitar had original 10's fom the factory and probably sat for at least a year and sucked, I put on some XL 9's and lowered the action, I have to say that it plays almost if not as good as its Gibson counterparts.

Epiphone used to be second rate in my opinion, maybe even third rate but in the past two or so years the quality and sound and palyability have rivaled some guitars costing 3-4 times as much, I have a Del REY I bought5-6 years ago for 500.00 bucks at a high retail music store, it looks good, plays good, the stock OBL pickups I havent even thought of replacing and frankly it sounds better than both Gibson les paus I own, I also bought a SG double neck for an incredible price because of tiny microscopic chip, for 659.00 out the door and it sounds incredible.

The Koreans are where the Japanese were a couple years ago and are making incredible guitars for a cheap price.

I own 4 epiphones and neve had a problem

I have been playing 31 years and I have 23 guitars and I have to say Epiphone is making some great guitars lateley, I dont think I would spend the extra $$$$ on a Gibson model as the Epiphones are almost even as good or better as the Gibsons in the under 1500.00 range.

This guitar has 22 frets....the inlays on the frets are really cool thunderbolts. the switch on the top keeps on getting loose everytime i play it... The body of the guitar is cherry sunburst and on the head stock is Ace's face...

The sounds is Amazing but i do suggest you use pedals to give it that amazing sound! i suggest you get a hold of a distortion pedal and a mutron octave divider...but if you can't find one get the new Mutron III pedal if you want to play rock which you can find at zzounds.com... but other than that i think it has an amazing sound

The guitar is a one piece and the pickups were made great! i love them! but the input thing on the bottom where the cable goes in get very loose and when i try to tighten it i doesnt work! no sound at all! so i have to go to a close guitar store to fix it...i suggest the guitar center which is stabled all over the USA.... and they do the same thing i do at my house and poof the guitar works! its amazing how they do it!

i can play this guitar for two days straight without a break and it still would work like wonders!! but then again no matter how rock solid your guitar is i would still use backup!

I have never talked to them or anything else cause my guitar hasnt had any big problems!

Made In 2003, Korean Guitar, inspected in the USA. 22 Fret, Beautiful Flamed Maple Top. 2 tone 2 volume 3 way switching, 3 Dimarzio Super Distortion Pickups that scream! Passive Electronics.I think it's made out of Mahogany but I know it has a Maple neck. It's a Les Paul, I'm sure all of you knew that with a Tune-O-Matic Bridge, I think its Grover Tuners but not sure. Rosewood fretboard. Just Beautiful, really everything I need so I give this a 10!

This thing blew me away. I didn't think it would be very good because it is an Epiphone but I am proved wrong. I played it through a Variax 60 watt amp I think. It is so amazing. When I was playing it, I was speachless. It has a really nice blues tone in the neck and middle pickup positions and when distortion is on, All pickups sound great. The Treble Pickup gives you that ACE Frehley sound. This is the real thing. I was thinking about getting a Gibson SG Special Faded but when I compared these two, this thing sounded so much better, extremley full sound

Everything was adjusted to my likings, no noticeable flaws, just beautiful.

This guitar will withstand everything, I dunno about the hardware but It seems pretty good. There was a loose nut where i plug the cord in but Nothing I couldn't fix. I got strap locks so this thing won't be falling off. I would use this without a backup but I always have a backup, you never know what might happen.

Never had to deal with them

I've been playing for a couple years and my only other guitar is a Fender Standard Strat. This is my number one guitar. It does everything I'd ever want a guitar to do. I love the sound, looks, and feel. I don't hate anything, its the perfect guitar for me. My favorite feature is the sound, just jaw dropping. I would really want to buy it again if it were lost or stolen but I'd have to get the money again.

Korean Made, 2000 Ace Frehley Signature Model. Mahogany body, maple top, Rosewood fret board with lightning bolt inlays, and the "Ace" signature inlay at the 12th fret. Ace face on the headstock. 3 smoking hot DiMarzio super distortion humbucker pick ups. Two Volume, two tone knobs. Tune-O-Matic fixed bridge, and 3-way toggel switch. Mine is the Heritage Cherry sunburst....This is the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen !

It sounds AWESOME !!!! It's distortion sounds like a broken chain saw...In a good way. The sound in not distinguishable between the Epi and the Gibson. Save your money and buy the Epi.

Well built....I could find no flaws in mine at all. All craftsmanship and electronics are as close to perfect as you are likely to get. Beautifully set up !

This guitar could withstand a Nuclear Blast !!!

Top Notch....I have delt with Epiphone in the past....not for this guitar, but I have delt with them.

I, like everyone else was worried about buying the Epiphone Model. I had heard bad things too. Let not your heart be troubled....Epiphone has come a long, long way. With the exeption of the tuners, volume/tone pots, toggle switch & the plug jack, it is the equal of the Gibson in every other asspect. If someone stole this guitar, I would be in the California State Prison system, doing 25 to life for having killed whoever took it. Of course in California 25 to life means about 3 years, and when I got out I would go piss on their grave !!! Great job Epiphone....I will definitly buy your products again in the future !!!

Esta es el modelo coreano de la Gibson Lespaul Ace Frehley, con la imagen del L.P. de ace frehley en solitario en la pala, y la firma de Ace en el traste n? 12, y la tapa del tornillo del alma, completamente de Caoba, con tapa de arce flameado y binding triple por todas partes de color blanco y negro, marcas de el mastil en forma de rallo, diapason de palorrosa mas bien claro que oscuro, clavijas selladas, tres pastillas dimarcio superdistorsion y los cuatro botones tipicos de Gibson, y el togle de tres posiciones que en la posicion del centro ace actuar la pastilla del puente y central, acabado heritage cherri sunburst trastes medio jumbo

Wassssh, supersonido increible!!!, jamas salido de las tripas de una epiphone.
Yo la utilizo con un zoom 4040 y un pedal marshall guv'nor a traves de su bucle de efectos directo a la mesa o al cuatro pistas. Poseo una Fender strato contemporary series con una seimour Jb en el puente, una Gibson les paul studio lite y alguna cosa mas, y la Epiphone es la que mas pegada tiene con diferencia,.Es ideal para metal , las superdistorsion le dan un caracter bestial, calido, definido y arrasadorrrrr...., la pastilla del mastil tiene demasiada pegada y es mejor bajarle un poco de volumen para lograr un sonido mas definido, la posicion central da otra opcion de sonido mas hueco, pero la del puente es la que dejara a tus amigos con sus Ibanez y ESP alucinados de su sonido, su tacto y su estetica por la mitad del precio.

El acabado es como puedes suponer de una tope de gama de las les paul de epiphone, lo mejor de lo mejor, eso si tiene algunos puntos flacos:
Los trastes necesitaron de una puesta a punto de pulido, el interruptor de pastillas es una MIERDA, falla mas que un burro meando en un dedal...., necesita sustitucion casi inmediata, las clavijas aguantaran mas tiempo y el resto OK. supongo que son asumibles frente a comprar la gibson original ( puedes comprar cinco epiphones por el precio de la gibson...)

Lo dicho el interruptor de pastillas es lo peor, el resto del hardware es bueno y las maderas y pinturas muyyy buenas. No Problemo.

no la he utilizado

Toco todo tipo de musica pero en especial hard rock and heavy metal, unos 18 a?os tocando todo tipo de guitarras y esta es la unica guitarra que no vendere jamas, creo que lo que pagas y lo que te llevas por ello es sumamente favorable, aun sin ser un fan de Ace puedes comprar esta guitarra. puedes competir contra la que quieras y no te fallara nunca, es una bestia con piel de cordero, con sustain Gibson, pegada Gibson, y nitidez y calidez gibson, ( es como si de pronto te hubieras comprado un super ampli de valvulas, te lo aseguro...), el unico motivo para no comprarla es que quieras un puente flotante o una gran marca en la pala, por lo demas una campeona

I have no year when this was made, but I know it was made in Korea. In fact, it was bought in Korea. I traded my Gibson SG Special for this guitar. I am a HUGE KISS fan and collector, so I was willing to make a deal of some kind. I don't know which model this is because there is no Ace Frehley face on the headstock, and the three pickups resemble Gibson-style pickups (complete with covers). Also, the knobs are black instead of gold. It does have the "Ace Frehley" and Lightning bolt pearloid inlays on the fretboard. Cherry sunburst with a Tune-O-Matic bridge. Came with a nice form-fitting case. I probably would have given this a "9", but without the Ace Face and Super Distortion pickups, it is a bit short of an "Ace in the Deck".

I don't know what kind of pickups are in this, but they are not Super Distortions. Whatever they are, they actually sound pretty good. For some reason, the middle and neck pickups are louder than the bridge pickup. Gibson and Epiphone seem to do that a lot. The sound is definitely full, but not bright. I have not tried this guitar through an amp yet (amp coming in the mail), but through my computer speakers it sounds really nice. Even acoustically, the guitar has a nice ring to it. I know a lot of people say that if they guitar sounds great acoustic, it will sound good electric. Guitar is not noisy at all. It might just be my ears, but it does not sound like the tone knobs do anything at all. Maybe someone hooked the wires up wrong. Like I said before, I wish the person, store, etc. would have kept the Super Distortion pickups in this guitar. It is an Ace Frehley Signature guitar, so obviously his pickups should be in the cavity. I will post another review on how it sounds after my amp gets here.

I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this guitar looked up close. Frets looked good, pearloid inlays looked nice, etc. The finish on the top looks fantastic. Only noticed a few areas where people got lazy and let paint run over to other parts of the guitar, etc. The middle pickup looks a bit oxidized, but I am dumping that anyway. Overall I was surprised, especially from an Epiphone.

Who knows what will happen in the long run. I am not an electronics or wood craftsman, so I would not be able to notice certain problems if they were right in front of me. I am going to have a guitar store replace the pickups with Super Distortions. Once they get in there and tinker around, I'll feel a lot better. Everything seems solid on the guitar and I think it will last.

I would not even attempt it with a company this size.

Time will tell. I want to fine tune this guitar so it is as close to Ace Frehley's guitar as possible.

I had a bit of trouble with the switch,but I may over used it!

I did change the neck pickup for a humbucker from hell(dimarzio)
to get a nice bluesy strat-like sounds.
I'm playing some hendrix/srv style to metallica (also some kiss stuff, hey what do you think?)so I need something with a wide spectrum of sounds.I plug that baby in a marshall TSL122
I'm also using a MXR phase100.I also have my secret plugging for
the middle pickup to get a zz top type sound!so IT's a very easy
poly-modifying guitar.

it came with a buzzing 11 fret,so i gess nothing is perfect!
I also had a saddle that was way too sharp which made me
break a few a stings!

Here in canada we have lots of change in wether,but the guitar did
support it really well.I'm planning on changing the bridge for a
better one.the straps buttons screw holes had to be fixted with
a bit of wood and glue mix.they gave on a couple of time.

great service!

I have been playing this axe for a year and a half now,I did customized it pick up wise and i am really happy the way it turned out
so far.You will never get a gibson LP stock at the same price that
will sound that good!I'd like to have the volume pots less likely
to get that mellow sound (almost jazz)for a pot that would keep
all its frequencies at low volume (on the guitar).

I'm giving it ratings on stock, then I'll say what I did to make it a 10 for me! I mainly bought this because It had a maple neck instead of alder or mahagony, and thats what I wanted in a LP. Came like the Gibson Ace guitar: 3 Dimarzio Super Distortions, 2 vol 2 tone, 3 way switch. Medium/high frets, can't really describe the neck shape. Just right actually. THINGS I CHANGED: Well I have finished neck, so I got some sandpaper and took of the finish on the neck. I play really agressively and my hands sweat a lot, so I couldn't take my hands gettin' caught up on the finish. Since I don't like playin signature guitars and just wanted it for the maple neck, I got rid of the stupd ass face on the headstock and the sig. at the 12th fret.

Sounded pretty damn good stock, but even better now. I added an EMG 81 to the bridge, and left the neck alone cause I liked the neck pickup. Super kickass!

When I got it the action was real high and it came with pazy ass 9's, so I put on 11's lowered it adjusted the neck the way I like it, and there ya go!

I have played live with this, and it plays and sounds better than Gibsons that i've played.

Dealt with Gibson, super nice and very helpful with what I needed to know.

I've been playin' for about 3 1/2 years, and unlike most shitheads that post stuff, I DO know what Im talking about. Im 16, and in the past I've done all kinds of reapair work and stuff for music stores. I've done neck scalloping, re-wiring, installed a Floyd rose, new nut, and some other stuff too. So dont think Im some stupid kid that has no idea what I'm talkin about cause I probrably know more than half the people that post reviews.

Well most Les Paul models have good features this one did, not too sure whether I like some of the tone settings but a few good features. The rythm switch does sound good on the other hand.

Well this guitar has Super distortion pickups and with distortion the guitar raws! the clean channel is nothing special and U had to fiddle about with the settings for a while to get the right sound.

Theres a nice action on the guitar,I altered it a little for better use, the finish of the guitar was nice.Another copy of a Gibson though in my eyes!

The Rythm switch broke on me which wasn't very durable and the pickups came out of place! Poor performance on this front.

I had to phone 11 times after being put on hold for half an hour.

I sold this guitar after about 3 months of purchase and i really wasnt happy with it! I do not reccomend buying it unless you like the finish!

This guitar was propably made in 1999. I'm not really sure. The mahogany body and the flame maple top look and sound great. The maple neck worried me in the beginning but i think i can live with it. Haven't yet had to adjust it so i don't know. The DiMarzio pickups are better than any of the pickups i've ever played with. Nice chubby sound. The factory strings suck big time, but they are easy to replace. Neck feels extremely good. Fast and with a good feel to it.

I play through a 15" Marshall Bass amp, so with the DiMarzios the sound is really full. The Bass amp worked well with my Ibanez RG, but now i'm forced to start thinking about changing amps. I play the kind of aesy to listen to pop-rock with nice melodies. I think that Ace didn't quite mean this guitar to be used that way. It's hard to get a good clean sound out of it, but i finally did it. Now it's just too bad that i only get one decent clean sound and a variety of distortion sounds. The one thing i really like is that it has no buzzing sounds when not played. Usually when you add enough effects the amp starts to buzz. It's very annoying. Now i don't have that problem any more.

The tuning pegs are almost too loose. But with the shitty strings it has when coming from the factory it sounds like it couldn't hold a note anyway. New strings fixed that. There's no need to start changing the tuning pegs. The pickup selector didn't work quite the way it should have when bought. It didn't connect at all when in the rhythm position. A little flicking of the switch almost fixed that. Now it works but still makes a sound when i use it. Also it has a little scratch on the neck, but that's just a minor defect.

I haven't yet had the plaesure of playing with it live. First gig with this guitar is a month from now. Everything in this guitar feels like it will really last. Only thing that wories me is the front strap button. It's kinda in a strange position so i'm not sure how it will last when played live. I don't have a back up guitar cause i don't think i'll need one.

I'm still waiting on a response to my e-mail. I haven't been waiting that long but still. I bought this guitar in Finland so i'm not sure about the warranty. It's lifetime if it's still effective when sold outside the US.

I've compared this guitar to every other LesPaul in the market (Epiphone, Tokai and Gibson to name a few) and it still stands out as the best guitar in that price range and even higher. I haven't been playing with it long, but it already made a lasting impression on me. It looks great, it sounds great and it's really comfortable to play. And for all that it's really cheap. I recommend buying one if you're in doubt.

Made in 1999. Has transparent black flame maple top which is gorgeous. Like the Gibson Joe Perry at a fraction of the price. Mahogany back. Has Three Dimarzio humbuckers and is fully bound like the Les Paul Custom series. (Headstock, Neck and body) The controls are typical Paul, 2 volume, 2 tone, three way toggle.
Per correspondence with Gibson, the neck scale, shape and everything are same as a Les Paul Custom. Has Lightening bolt shaped inlays which are unique. For church play I have to cover Ace's picture on the headstock.

Ok, I play through a Carvin Mts tube amp and have a variety of effects pedals. The unbiased opinion of this axe is as follows: With the Dimarzio pickups, this guitar has a very good Metal tone and an excellent classic rock tone. The neck position is capable of a great creamy blues tone when set clean.. The Super distortion in the neck is not going to provide a crisp clean tone. The Gibson Frehley has a Paf in the neck and Super Dist in the bridge.. I want versatility so I did swap pickups in the guitar to Bill Lawrences. Now it is incredible clean - metal..
Again, the guitar stock sounds very good and I really loved the creamy blues tone in the neck. (CREAM) But it was lacking Clean. That is why Im giving it an 8.

The action came very good. The trans black finish is gorgeous! There was one small flaw in the binding, looked kinda like a chip, but most dont notice and this may have come from shipping.. Every thing else seems to be good fit and finish wise for an axe in its price range. The control cavity was not pretty, but that is only for those who go into the guitar. and one of the control cavity screws was driven in alittle crooked. Those are nitpicks but Im being honest. Frets felt good and action and playability are great..
I did have to lower the neck pickup as it came to high and was too booming, and the stock strings were crummy.. I replaced the strings with D'Addario .10s and set the intonation and it plays as good as any Paul..
So, basically came very good, just better with minor setup as with almost any guitar.

I have played this guitar live and for practice and never had any probs. Epiphone has made great quality improvements in the last few years.
I was wondering about the tuning keys. I thought they seemed alittle cheesy although nicer than what used to come on Epis. BUT, I have had NO tuning problems and Gibson assured me these were built to withstand stage lighting even though I considered buying Gibson keys.
I did have one Problem with this guitar.. The strap button screw pulled out. Not cool... But, Im a believer in strap locks anyhow and I installed straplocks (which have bigger screws) and have had no more problems.
I use it without backup and the pots and toggle have held up. A squier strat I have the pots and 5way pooped out in a year..

Warranty is lifetime on the Epiphone. Nice.. Dealings with them are same as dealing with Gibson and Ive corresponded via Email and phone a few times before making a decision on this axe and also questioning the tuning keys. Response is not earth shattering but satisfying.
Plus, they offered to fix the strap buttons under warranty, but I opted for locks and did it myself.. Nice

Ive been playing a few years, and I also own a VERY modified Squier Strat.
I love the Les Paul playability and with this guitar the Trans Black top is gorgeous, plus it has no pickguard. I personally dont like les paul pickguards. Plus the Lightening bolt inlays add a nice change of pace.
It would be stolen only if someone prys it from my cold dead hands and I would come back and haunt them.
Only thing I would change is for it to come stock with a paf pickup in the front to offer a cleaner tone.. But that is a small snivel..
I had heard lots of stories about Epiphones and some of it true.. I have done my homework and know they have improved alot the last few years.
I played a Black Gibson Les Paul Custom and an Epi Les Paul Custom back to back one day. (same amp, same settings) They were remarkably similar in feel and sound. The differences: Gibson pickups were just a little stronger and if you really look close you can see some filler putty around the inlays on the fretboard on the EPI. (no effect on playing) Plus, one was priced $699 and the other $2000. So I decided then that the Epi was a good way to go. Figure a pickup swap with the money I save and Im set.
The Ace Frehley model came out.. Hot pickups out of the box, plus that Black Trans maple top... $799 vs $3500 for the Gibson version. PLease.... Id be afraid to take a $3500 axe out of the case..
And the winner for best guitar for money is def the EPI!!!
This guitar is a winner period. Ive had friends of different levels play it and all give me thumbs up, even Les Paul owners.

The guitar is a 2000 ace Model. If you want the specks you can check out everybody elses reviews or hit the epiphone web site. All I can say is that this is one beautiful guitar. I own the cherry sunbyrst model. I received this guitar today and after playing it for an hour I decided I needed to get on here and clear up some of the misconceptions from other reviewers.

The sound is brilliant and beautiful. I played it unplugged and the tone resonates off the wood better than either of my Gibson Les Paul Standards. I am currently playing it through a vintage club tube amp and it screams. I own an Sg-x also and am selling it today. It is a piece of junk in comparison. The pickups atern't the greatest for a clean sound but that is not what this baby was built for. If you like your music loud this will work for you.

I don't know about the factory set up. I think it was tinkered with by the the store I purchased it from. The action is great and the neck is fast. The only things I would change are the tuners and strings. The tuners are a little cheap but I also changed them on my Gibsons, so maybe I am just picky. No complaints except fo this. The action is great with no buzz again better than either of my standards.
The finish is great and mine is a second. I can't find a flaw. The embossed picture of ace is nice too. It is not a sticker and this is no toy.

It should withstand heavy giging but I don't know if I will use it to much for that. I am really hard on my guitars live but I play in a punk band and things get messy from time to time. I will use my seasoned guitars for that. After a few good scratches I will take this one on the road

I have dealt with Gibson before and they suck. Forget the warranty but that is true for most guitar maufacturers. Unless you are dealing with Martin guild or heritage forget it. All the others are to big to worry about your problems.

I have been playing for 14 years and have had to many guitars to list.
If this guitar was stolen I would track the person down and cut off their habds. I would then call up guitar web and purchase another. Whether your an ace fan or not this is one nice guitar. I have messed around with other epiphones Les pauls and none compare to this model.
If you want a great guitar this is it.