Epiphone Elitist Tak Matsumoto LP Standard

Made 2003 in Japan (has open book headstock unlike elitists that would proceed it, to my knowledge). Has 22 frets. Haven't checked cavity to see if laminate but it looks like one (still looks very nice). Standard LP controls. US made Burstbucker 2 in neck and Burstbucker 3 bridge. Has mahogany back and maple top with poly finish. Tunomatic jap bridge and decent tuners (stays in tune well). Nice case to boot. IS TONE CHAMBERED which was severely disappointing when I picked it up and is the main reason for my low features rating although most everything else about it is excellent. A pox on Gibson/Epiphone for not saying so on their website (their info on the top is misleading too).

I like angular guitar music (see australian bands deloris, bluebottle kiss, purplene) and the clean sound of both pickups, especially the neck one, sound really nice to me. I play through a Fender HR DLX which is obviously not the best (no mods) - broken chords sound great but strumming sounds like melodic machine gun fire (icepick sound). No hum out of the pickups. Really like the neck pickup but the bridge is a bit too hot for me. I am not that experienced with guitars in all honesty but what disappointed me was the lack of bass response. Sustain and resonance are excellent but bass response is not as strong as I hoped it would be (I put this done to tone chambering but can't be sure, have check pickup height). It's not that I don't like the sound, it's really quite beautiful, but I was expecting something a little more Les Paul.

Got 2nd hand through Ishibashi (great service all round) and I'm not sure if they set-up. Had it set-up again anyway. Fit and finish are exemplary to my somewhat inexperienced eyes. Neck is gorgeous, wonderful attention to detail. Nice abalone inlays. Bridge bar thingime that goes over the screws rattles a bit but nothing too distracting.

I don't gig. I play for pleasure at home so durability probably won't be an issue for me. Harware looks excellent but I have only had it a few months. Strap buttons seem solid and it certainly doesn't look or sound like it is about to fall apart any time soon.

Ishibashi were great (first time dealing with them). Haven't dealt with Epiphone. Warranty is void with 2nd owner anyway so I doubt I will ever do so. This is a Japanese made Epiphone too which are not sold in Australia so I don't know how much Epi reps here would know about them.

Have been playing on and off for about ten years. Also have a Fender CIJ Jazzmaster and a Fender Telecaster American Deluxe. I wish I had known about the tone chambering before buying the guitar but having said that I might come to thank Epiphone for leaving off on their website. I really do like it's clean tone. Very warm and resonant. Will buy "solid" solid body LP next time. It really is a very beautiful guitar and untouchable in terms of quality in its price range. Will probably buy an Edwards 130LTS next.

Made in Japan with extreme care at the Gibson Orville Factory. 22 frets on a select rosewood fretboard. One piece select mahogany neck -- long tenon neck -- like the Custom Shop Gibby's -- makes guitar extremely resonant and enhances the sustain. Custom Gibby Burstbuckers (2neck, 3 bridge i believe) that are warm, articulate, and hot at the same time... Mahogany body with laminated quilt maple top (said bookmatched flame maple top, but I discovered when inspecting guitar is a laminate) on top of a select maple cap. Tak-burst transparent amber burst finish with poly finish -- but the poly does not hinder the tone of this guitar at all. Meduim frets -- not meduim jumbo like its cousin. Tune o matic bridge with stop tailpiece. Standard green vintage style tuners that are WAAAAAY more tight and precise than the EXACT tuners on my Gibby LP. Thinner and more comfortable than a standard LP neck -- flatter and faster playing when action is set low. Came with a custom Tak Matsumoto Epiphone Elitist Hardshell case that is really nice -- as nice or nicer than the STD Gibby LP hardshell case.

I love the clean sound of this LP. With the long tenon neck and the enhanced resonance, the neck Burstbucker is so woody, warm, full, and articulate without being "mushy." Neck is a bit too "bitey" for what I'm trying to go for with this guitar, so I'm going to replace it with something fuller and richer sounding.
So far, this has sounded awesome with my Marshall tube amp, but I'm not going to college to learn how to play Zeppelin. Through an old Fender Bassman sooper clean amp, it just sparkles. Still clean, but full and lacking the "nasal" qualities of single coil pickup guitars.
Really, you could play literally anything you want on this guitar. It gets an A plus for being the ultimate utility guitar.

I got this guitar second hand so I can't comment on the factory setup, but I have read other reviews online about how awesomely playable these are right out of the box. Epiphone USA setup.
The overall workmanship shows on this example -- the quality is off the charts. I would put this up against any custom shop guitar and there would be no discernable differences except the custom shop guitar would have a solid quilt top versus a laminate, but the custom shop craftsmanship is definitely there. Boutique guitar really.
Even the back and sides are awesome to look at even though they're only mahogany... Binding gets an a plus also. Many American custom guitars have some imperfections with the binding and they nail it dead on. Very neat, including odd angular places on the guitar.
All awesome woods -- as nice as the Gibby USA stock.
Bridge and tailpiece have oxidixed badly and I am going to put Gibby USA replacement parts on.
Everything else again, a plus.

This guitar could gig nightly for years. Very solid. Finish is thick without being like its dipped in plastic, even though it is.... I would worry about dings on the top as this is a laminate versus solid wood, but the finish can withstand regular useage.
I would say that any Elitist would be dependable for years for any working musician, and you can forget the second guitar, this one doesn't need an understudy.....

Don't know -- like I said earlier, it was purchased used recently. I understand that Gibson customer service is almost always 100 percent focused on customer satisfaction. You always hear of a bad experience, but for every bad example I hear way more positive comments like Gibson went out of their way to please the customer...

I wish I knew that the top was not solid, as the advertizing and Epi specs would lead you to believe, but would not change my mind on this purchase as I am a fan of this guitar. One of the nicest LP's you could find for under a grand. I played mij Tokai's, and a whole host of other models trying to decide what to purchase and this one swept me off of my feet. I like the Tokai Japanese Love Rock models, and this one is close to a LS-150 that I encountered that would have cost me $1500 used with shipping from Japan. And I still get the long neck tenon for that custom shop sound. As with other Japanese made Les Paul copies have the long neck tenon and quality for less than half of their American made counterpart. If I settled for an Elitist LP standard or standard plus, they can be purchased for $600-$700 used -- a little more than the Korean Epi models are new, hell I could buy two or three of these for what Gibby wants for one custom shop model that essentially sounds the same. Do yourself a favor -- buy Japanese when possible -- these guitars do not disappoint. I have been offered way more than I paid for it while letting others check out the looks and sounds. They are floored by the quality, sound, and cosmetics for what I paid for this. Its incredible.
This is the ultimate dream guitar for the working musician, cuz you get the high end guitar look and feel for less than what you could pay for a crappy Korean made if you look and find one used. There is no guitar that you can buy for the money that even will equal this guitar. It kicks my Gibson's ass quite frankly.
Prices are rapidly rising on these Jap made models -- and with their popularity getting more widespread catch one before ya can't afford it., Remember, in the 60's nobody thought that the guitars of the 50's were worth anything and were used without thought to how much it would be worth, then boom, in the 80's a $500 guitar became a $50,000 wallhanging in some rich guy's house. They might not get that crazy, but Jap guitars will be custom shop prices within the next decade.