Epiphone Elite Les Paul Standard Plus

Specs: 2003, made in the fuji-gen factory in japan. It has a one piece mahogany neck with 22 frets and the body is made out of two pieces of mahogany. 2 volume and two 2 tones with a three way pick up selector. it is an h/h guitar with passive american made pickups.

The first thing that pops to mind when i think of this les pauls sound is FUll. The second thing i knoticed about this paul is how much sustain it has. It kills with my slo clone. The pick ups are very bassy though, not necessarily a bad thing. Also my slo doesnt clean up as well with the volume knob as my flying v with duncan pickups.

perfect! my only complaint is that they used ceramic disk caps but thats an easy fix.

solid, the metal parts do seem to oxidize a good bit.

never had to deal with epi so i dont know.

If it were stolen and i had to get another guitar i'd hunt down a burst one on evil bay. I love the tone this bad boy puts out.

Vintage Sunburst, Made in Japan, on Fuji-gen Plant, that has a reputation for excellent quality and craftsmanship. Solid mahogany body and maple top, hardshell case, made in USA pickups - 50SR and 60ST.

Very very cool! This guitar has a great sound! Like any Les Paul, this is not for any king of music! So, for hard rock (like Guns) this is excellent. The sustain is great! 10!

The factory set-up is perfect. The pickups are adjusted.
There is one and only a finish flaw. But this flaw is almost insignificant.

No opnion.

The Epiphone Elite is an excellent guitar.
If you can't pay for a Gibson Standard, the Elite Standard Plus is the best choice.
Now, unfortunately, this line is discutinued.

Everything you would expect for a Les Paul. Gibson made pickups, 2 volumes, 2 tones, 3-way pickup selector switch. Grover tuners. Mahogany body and neck. Nickel Hardware. Rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets. Beautiful Epiphone Elitist hardshell case. Cherryburst finish.

The sound on this guitar is amazing. Rich,deep Les Paul groove.
I use a Fender Champion 25 DSP amp. I play for fun and it suits me perfectly. I'm a collector as well as a player, and it gives me a Les Paul without the Gibson price.

This guitar was set up perfect for me from Epiphone. Made in China, no flaws or glitches of any kind. The finish is perfect, beautiful stain gleam. Extraordinary for the price. Very well made.

No fear about buying a guitar made in China. This guitar is solid, it will last forever (if taken care of). Built like a tank. Very dependable. Terrific color and finish. Nickel hardware is awesome.

Bought guitar thru the Guitar Center,no complaints. Kept me posted, when guitar was shipped and when I could expect it. It took less than a week to receive it. NO problems. Didn't have to deal with Epiphone, but, it was inspected and set up nicely in Nashville.

I've been playing for many years for fun. Collect classic, vintage guitars. I wanted a Les Paul, but, don't have $5000 for a Gibson. Believe me this Epiphone is a perfect replacement. I have Strats, Teles, Gretsch Tennessee 1962HT and now this Epiphone. Looking to add a Rickenbacker 325C64,a Robert Cray Custom Shop Signature Strat, a Gibson SG Standard (someday),a Gibson Firebird (someday).
If you are looking for that great Les Paul sound and looks and you can't afford a Gibson, buy this Epiphone. It is worth every penny and you won't be sorry

Purchased in 2007 and paid $900 US. This is a simple and pure Les Paul Standard with the nice upgrades in wood and finish. Japanese-made. The finish is a "Honey Burst" that is just beautiful and warm, just like the tone. The laquer finish is excellent. Pickups are the upgraded made in USA Gibson Burstbuckers. Tune-O-Matic Bridge is standard issue, not my favorite, so I'm going to upgrade it a bit.

I'm a Classic Rocker type, born and bread in the 60-70-80's. This guitar has all the tone, warmth and "bite" you could ever want in a Les Paul. The neck is just right with the 60's profile, not too big, not too small, but has all the right tonal qualities needed. Roll off the tone knob on the bridge pickup and you have the Clapton tone. A vibrant and lively guitar that reacts the way a Les Paul should through my Marshall JCM2000 DSL50! Clean or Overdrive, this guitar maintains clarity. Chords just sing and individual notes are nice and juicy. This is a sweet sounding Guitar.

Excellent! The guys at the shop did a custom set up for me. I recommend this with any guitar. A factory set up is fine, but if you have quirks as to string height, guage and all that, then just pay the $20 or so and have the guys help you out. If you know what you are doing, make the adjustments yourself.. As stated, finish is pristine and rivals the $3000 Gibson anyday. It is as beautiful as any vintage LP out there for 10 times the price. Binding is set well and done nicely. Volume and Tone knobs are solid, no play or dead spots. I grabbed every Gibson on the rack and just with the factory setting this was a Dead Solid Guitar! It was set up just for me, even prior to the final custom set up.

Again, Dead Solid. However, with any Tune-o-matic bridge, you get a sharp spot now and then and it may need some rounding off. I'm thinking of getting some teflon saddles, or upgrading them in some fashion so to have less string stress. I tend to bend and juice notes ala Mr. Clapton. Tuning-wise, the Grovers are fanstic and it stays in tune. Again, my small upgrade ideas are pennies as compared to paying thousands for the Gibson of same or lesser quality.

My dealer and Epiphone have one of the best quality control standards out there and have supported me. No problems thus far, so no dealings other than tinkering around with it at the shoppe. I own older Gibson from back in the 70's/80's and have always had good communications.

Bottom Line: Why pay Thousands of dollars more on a Gibson that is of lesser quality than this guitar??? Get past the name on the guitar and start looking at all the factors. This guitar is built better, sounds better and is an excellent value. For the quirky player, a few inexpensive upgrades and it fits like a glove. If you want the Les Paul sound, feel vibe or what have you. This is it. Gibson has great guitars (no disrespect intended)but to get this quality in a Gibson you are going to pay double, if not 3 times, the price. Hey Epiphone and Gibson are Sister brands anyway and Epiphone started it all. I've been playing some 30 years and owned many a guitar, this is a solid performer and a great value.

My Elitist Les Paul Standard plus was made in Japan in 2007. It has 22 frets, and great action. It's a solid top, and it came with the standard 4 knobs and toggle switch. The pickups are really great. Dont have the exact specs for them, but they are made for the elitist line by Gibson, so you can rest assured that the sound will be quite amazing. The body is made out of bookmatched african mahogony, and has a maple top. Fretboard is of course rosewood. I purchased the vintage sunburst finish. Looks great, just a tad too yellow for me, but thats just a personal thing. Alot of people like the finish quite a bit! The body style is your regular LP style, single cutaway. It can with a tune-o-matic bridge, and grover tuners (which I believe are standard on all the Elitists). The neck is a 60's style, which is perfect for guys like me. The guitar came with a specal "elitist" case. Black hard shell with purple lining. Alot of people dont like the lining, I happen to like it quite a bit!

My band plays music similar to copeland, weezer, and dashboard, and this guitar can handle all of the styles. The clean tone is really great, as is the distortion. My only complaint is that there isnt really alot of bottom-end to the sound, so you'll need to make a few adjustments to the settings of your amp. I play thru a line 6 spider 3 150 watt amp head, and the sound is pretty much amazing. Ths sound is full, just a bit on the bright side. With a good set up, you've pretty much got harmonics on every fret.

The action from the factory wasnt that great. I was getting a bit of fret buzz, but after a professional set up, it sounded great. The pickups came great right out of the case, no need to tweeak them. There werent any flaws whatsoever on the guitar. However, if youll be adding strap locks, be careful. The wood is so dense that you might push on the screw so hard to slide and knick your guitar. I knicked mine slighty, and it can hardly be seen.

This guitar can withstand pretty much anything. Its been thrown around and plays like its brand new. The hardware is also solid, and i havent had a problem with it. Strap buttons were solid, though i replaced them with strap locks. But over all the guitar is 100% completely reliable. You could have a backup, but you probably would never use it. Yeah, the guitar is that good.

I havent really dealt with customer support, but the warrant is a limited lifetime to the orignal owner of the guitar.

Ive been playing for 10 years, and this is by far one of the most solid guitars Ive played. If this were to be stolen, I would immediatly buy another. It truly is a gibson under another name. I really like the the overall sound of the guitar, as well as the weight (it isnt chambered). I compared it to the gibsom LP standards when shopping for guitars, but for the money this guitar blew the gibson out of the water. The only thing I wish it had more of was the bottom end in the sound, but it isnt too bad once youve tweaked your amp. A truly great guitar, I think anyone would be pleased with it.

Standard appointments, "light-burst" flame maple top, mahogany back, 50SR/60ST USA humbuckers, grover tuners. I believe I have a 2004.

Love it. Replaced pickups with Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz and it sounds spectacular. I play mostly rock/metal, but noodle around with some jazz and blues and this guitar does it all. Works great with my Vox, Marshall, and Bogner. Superb tone with any amp. I currently own 9 guitars and this one gets played more than all the others combined. Couldn't be happier.

Action is perfect, plays like a dream. Fit and finish are amazing. Only nit would be what looks like one minor imperfection in the top veneer.

Very solid instrument. Can't imagine any reliability problems.

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I've been a guitar hobbyist for over 20 years now, and this has to be one of my all-time favorite guitars. I've played many Gibson Les Pauls over the years, and have to say I haven't liked any of them as much as I like this guitar. I would definitely buy the same guitar again if this was lost or stolen.

Gorgeous faded cherry finish with a flame maple veneer on a maple cap, good tuners, same as gibson pickups (490r/498t), nice weight, bone nut, and good electronics make for a solid guitar!

I run it into a tube marshall dsl401 40 watt combo with a 1x12" extension cab. It roars with the same as gibson pickups, has tons of sustain, and the classic LP tone. You can roll the volume/tone back to get vintage tones or dime them out for screaming modern sounds as well.

Couldn't be better, sounds every bit as good as your average Gibson.

Mine is stamped "used" on the headstock and has some overspray on one small spot of the binding. The top is bookmatched subtly but PERFECTLY and is one of the best I've seen. The back is great looking as well with the mahogany grain.

Fit is flawless and it has one of the better necks I've ever played with, it's arrow straight so the action is down ultra low with no buzz even when really hammering on it.

Everything about these guitars are top notch. Everything about them but the finish (poly vs nitro) is equal to or greater than the low end gibsons, and rivals the standards and custom shops in some cases. I was lucky enough to get one of them, minus the small overspray mentioned earlier its a full blown amazing guitar and I wouldn't trade for anything less than a Gibson LP Standard faded that played as well.

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Been playing for seven years and also own an Elite SG, formerly I had an epi G400 sg. My instructor has a gibson LP standard and 2 PRS custom 22s and this guitar is equal to all of them, he even offered a trade for one of the PRSs after he gave it a go over.

These are worlds different than the standard epis in quality and tone, if gibson marketed them as "Gibson Japan" or something they would be selling more than they could make.

This is a faded cherryburst flame maple top with a wine red back and neck. It features standared Les Paul American made hardware including pots and pickup selector, with Grover tuners all H/W is nickel. Book-mateched AAA flamed and at some angles alomost quilted in spots maple top and bookmatched African Mahogany back. Neck is one-piece Mahogany, with the long neck tenon which made the Gibson Custom shop famous. Fretboard is Rosewook with real pearl trapezoid inlays, frets are medium height, bound neck and top of body. The pickups were changed by a previous owner, I am looking for Gibson pickups to restore originality.

As of right now is sounds nice but the pickup job was terrible. Once i replace the P/U's I'm sure the sound will be as it should be. Right now I have to play loud to get proper pickup response, but if its loud it sounds perfect. I will update after the proper pickups are restored. I play through a Mesa Boogie DC2 and a Gallien-Kreuger 250ML.

This is where this guitar shines. The action is perfect, tunes up like a dream. Real bone nut, not plastic. Frets are dressed and finished properly, no shapr edges, and meet with the binding perfectly. No burrs, or high frest. Hand selected woods properly aged and matched set this guitar apart from MOST of whats available in retail stores. It is like a custom oredered guitar.

This Les Paul weighs in at just about 10 pounds. I want a heavy Les Paul, not like a lightweight Studio (although they are nice guitars). The strap buttons are oversized, same as my Gibson Les Paul Classic Premium Plus, very solid, and secure feeling that the strap wont pop off. As far as a backup, I use several guitars for different tuning, so this is not an issue, although i would bring it alone if it was all i had.

I've been playing a LONg time, I have other Gibson Les Pauls and an Ovation accoustic. I'm glad i bought this because it is basically a custom shop Les Paul, except the shop is in Japan instead of Michigan and it cost $600 instead of $4500. I sold my Gibson Studio Plus and it had a Gibson sticker on the headstock, this one has Epiphone on the headstock, but is real pearl inlaid. Also this has the serial number imprinted into the wood just like Gibsons and unlike most Epiphone which ues stickered serial numbers.

I?m not sure what else you need your LP to do and still be a traditional LP. Add the long neck tenon, Gibson pickups and bridge, Grover machines and the 14 degree wood grain cut on the neck and it?s not even a question for me. It?s a 10.

Mine is a Standard Plus with book matched, honey burst flame maple top and book matched mahogany back. The flame is subtle. At some angles it explodes off of the top. At other angles it almost looks like a plain top. While an insane figured maple top is always cool. The subtlety of this top has a certain class of its own and is perfectly book matched contrary to what others have reported about theirs. It has a medium thick neck. Not as ?slim? as the 60?s model and not as clubby as the 50?s model. I think it?s just right for me but it is a bit on the clubby side I suppose. And they use real pearl and abalone for inlays.

It is quite light by LP standards. The seller told me it was 8.5 lbs. and that seems about right even though I haven?t weighed it myself.

Very warm and sweet. Unplugged it?s resonant, bright and snappy not dull and thuddy. Plugged in, the Gibson pickups are warm, rich and defined. I can play this guitar clean for hours and not feel the need to use overdrive. The tone is just so rich and harmonic. It often sounds like it?s swirling inside my Traynor 410 cab - Peavey Classic 100 head.

The bridge pickup is slightly bright but not harsh. If you prefer, use of the tone knob dials out this brightness and adds a bit of versatility. I find the middle position using both pickups to be a great clean tone. A very usable tone with good character which isn?t the case with many guitars with the selector in middle position. The neck pickup is very good. Not a lot of booming low end but a classic representation of a neck PAF.

Sustain is excellent and balance between notes is impressive. No frequency or string is more pronounced than the others. The mids are warm. The low end is present and the highs have a jangle yet none of these interfere with each other. Let a chord ring and it morphs into sweet overtones.

It handles overdrive well and will cover styles from Jazz to Blues and Classic Rock without even thinking about it. Depending on your Country sensibilities it will do Country. It doesn?t handle high gain as well as my Music Man EVH or my Wolfgang. But it will go there. I just doubt that a full time high gain monster would be satisfied with these pickups. As it is, this guitar covers classic ground with great proficiency.

This guitar was used and basically in new condition. I gave the truss rod a quarter turn and that?s it. The rest was set up perfectly. Action is excellent and the playability takes a very light touch and is quite fast. Especially based on the size of the neck. Mine is strung with 10?s

The only area of concern here is that two of the inlays on the neck are popping up slightly. These are easy enough to fix but it is disappointing when every other aspect of the build quality on this guitar is perfect.

As you probably know by now the finish is poly instead of nitro lacquer. The degree to which this matters is subjective. My intent all along was for this guitar to be a workhorse player. Poly is a workhorse finish. Depending on who you talk to, poly is either horrible for, or irrelevant to, the tonal characteristics of a solid body guitar. Honestly, I don?t care. This guitar sounds and plays great now. If it sounds the same in 50 years and doesn?t get sweeter with age, that?s just a cross my grandkids will have to bear. I didn?t buy this as an heirloom. I bought it for me to play right now.

And one more note on the finish. I?ve seen comments on poly and how guitars are dipped and the finsh is thick as a sheet of glass, etc. On some guitars maybe. Not on this one. The thickness of the finish on this guitar is very reasonable. Not thick and syrupy. Not suitable for an acrylic paperweight. It is the thinness One would expect on a quality electric guitar. And it bears comment that most guitars made now use some version of poly.

I have no reason to believe this will be any less reliable than any other LP that's ever been made. Check back with me in 30 years.

I have no idea what their customer support is. I'm not very optimistic but to be fair, I just don't know.

People who pooh-pooh Elitists tend to say, among other things, that these are just copies. Well, they aren?t copies of the Standard LP?s. Elitists don?t have weight relief holes drilled in the bodies to make them lighter. The wood used for Elitists is selected so they don?t have to drill weight relief holes like Gibson does at its Custom Shop. So I would assume that better wood and no weight relief holes is the best way to do it. As far as Gibson is concerned anyway.

Elitists have a long neck tenon and a neck joint that is used by the Custom Shop LP?s. Again, this is different than the neck joint used in the Standard LP?s. And this joint is a major selling point Gibson uses to pitch their Custom Shop models.

So if it?s just a copy, fair enough. But it?s a good copy of Custom Shop LP?s that sell for $3k plus or minus. And if an aluminum tail piece and vintage pots and caps are what you need, spend another $70 and mod your Elitist accordingly. You?ll have a guitar similar to a Custom Shop guitar for a fraction of the price.

I say all this, not because I want to join the Gibson vs. Elitist war that seems to rage. But, that the topic can even be seriously discussed speaks VOLUMES for the Elitists. Standard Korean and Chinese Epiphones wouldn?t hold up to the same scrutiny. Not because they?re bad per se. But because they aren?t on the same level as Gibsons or Elitists. So don?t disregard the Elitist just because of the name on the headstock.

Over all my only disappointment are the inlays popping up. Again, easily fixed. Not an unusual problem. But it still shouldn?t happen. If I'd paid more than $2k for this guitar, I'd knock off some points in this category for this problem. As it is, I'll gladly pay what I paid, make the easy repair and get on with my life.

Beyond this, I can?t find a thing about this guitar not to like. If you want an LP with a classic feel and tone, from a player standpoint, this is a no compromise LP that really is hard to beat.

Unless you need some extra cash, don't sell your Gibson just to get an Elitist. But don?t be surprised if you like the Elitist as well as your Gibson.

Im sure they are all listed below. The top is two-piece, solid maple which is a big difference from the regular Epi Les Paul models. The two-piece mahogany back was finished very well on mine and I had to look at the edge of the guitar to see the seam. American hardware and P/Us etc ect. It has all the features you would expect from a Les Paul. This catagory shouldn't really have a rating because you know what you want in a guitar and extra "features", like Fishman bridges, would be unnecessary to some (like myself) and add value to others.

I should start by saying I have very little experience with "real" Gibsons. I know that's the comparision everyone is looking for. I worked in retail and out of respect for the salesmen (and women) I don't go to guitar shops and play instruments I know I cannot afford. I ordered this one from Musician's Friend never having touched one and relying on their return policy alone. I had no trouble deciding to keep it. The stock P/Us sound very nice. The bridge is a little harsh and seems balanced too much toward the treble side. The neck sounds beautiful and mellow with distortion and the tone rolled all the way back. I will porbably replace both with Alnico II Pros b/c my "holy grail" of tone can be heard in any solo on November Rain. That's a matter of personal taste. They sound better than any stock P/U I have heard in the price range. Rating: 10 for the neck and 8 for the bridge = 9 average. This is my first set neck guitar and the sustain seems infinite.

I guess I should include which amps I use for reference purposes: 1994 Fender Blues Deville (when it works) and a 2006 Roland Cube 60 (solid state, Yeah!) Few effects, boss Distortion and a Dunlop Crybaby if any. This guitar really makes better use of your amp's natural sound w/o having to use effects. The Cube has several effects built in, this guitar sounds better on both amps than my Yngwie sig Fender.

Finish: Flawless. I have a Honey Burst model. The grain is deep and the clear coats still look wet. I love the character the dark imperfections that run with the grain in the maple gives the top (looks like it has cracks in the finish). Again, this is a matter of personal taste, but I like subtle flame/quilt over the AAAAA stuff.

My guitar had some problems with the final nut prep and neck binding however. The top edge of the neck binding looks like it never received a final sanding and appears to have some saw marks. Nothing big. However, a bigger deal was the final nut prep (or lack thereof). Stings G-e hang during tuning and fall out of tune when I bend the strings. I fixed the problem by starting with 1000 grit sand paper and polishing/shaping the slots until I reached 2000 grit. Epi claims the Elitist series gets more hands on attention, but I think thats just a reference to the buffing on the top coat and action/intonation final set up. Other than the tuning problems, the guitar had a great set up out of the box. Low action with no fret buzz.

The neck is larger than I am used to, but comfortable. I do wish the frets were a little taller.

The two piece back (and probably the grade of mahogany used) is the biggest difference I see between this guitar and its American cousins. I think it would take a professional musician to tell the difference tonally. I say that because there are Les Pauls on ebay that are approaching 50 years of age and are still kicking. I would expect no less from this instrument with proper care. The finish is not nitrocellulose but only time will tell what a difference (if any) that will truly make. I actually hope the finish ages, yellows and checks a little.

Hope I'll never need them. I would rather work on my own stuff than be without a guitar for months on end anyway.

Been playing for about 12 years. Own several bolt-on neck guitars (all with tremolo systems, fender style and floyd-rose). Of course I wish it said "Gibson" on the headstock. I would rather be playing on a guitar that rivals Gibson quality now instead of waiting until I can afford a guitar thats major difference is probably only the logo on the headstock. Wonderful fit and finish, just needed some nut work. I would buy another one with out hesitation (and may get one in a different color if they are still around in a year). Just get one and play, you won't be disappointed!