Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty

This guitar was made in Korea and was put together in 1999. I bought it stock in good condition.

The sound of the stock pickups was adequate, but I use 5E3 amplifiers in stereo and I needed a clean sound that I could run up to distortion without it sounding muddy. I opted for Burstbuckers. I also had my tech install a push-pull switch to allow for a variety of pickup configurations, including "all 3 at once". Since doing that, the guitar is the best sound I have ever heard. I play blues and country and everyone that hears it is breath-taken by the sound.

After a complete setup, I had to learn to play it. It frets easily and I was trying too hard. The action, when set appropriately, will give a buzzless sound that is clean and easy.

This is my last guitar. I am so sold on this setup, with the mods, that nothing can replace it. No reason to spend 5K on a guitar when you can spend $500 for a used one and make it sound like a million!

It has nice gold hardware, although it does wear over time, but I think that just makes it look "lived in". Has three pickups rather than two and it's a neck thru rather than a bolt on - overall the features are pretty standard.

I play anything from Def Leppard through AC/DC, Motorhead, Metallica, Slayer etc. This thing manages any of that stuff no problem. It has a very dirty distorted sound - think Slash - which I absoloutely love. The pickups are pretty high output and I actually much prefer them to the DiMarzio FRED and PAF Joe's I had put in my RR3.
This thing is just so much FUN to play loud!
That said, clean is pretty good too thanks mainly to the middle pup. Neck pup is just a bit too muddy for playing rythms either clean or distorted but it's great for leads.

Don't recall how the thing was setup as I had it done professionally once I got it. Now it's just a joy - the action is SOOO low, the frets are low and this is easy to play fast on. Again, this is much more fun to play than my RR3.
Only thing that's not great - and EPiphones seem to suffer from this - is the electrics. The volume and tone controls are either ON or OFF, you don't get much in between. Not much use, but then for rock and metal you're not really too bothered with this. Still, I did expect more, the Jackson does beat the Epi in that respect. Not only that, but the actual volume and tone pots feel spongy and not very secure. They've lasted me for years without falling off, but I hate touching them just in case.

I've had this for over five years and never had any real problems with it. It's a bit worn as I use it quite a lot, but like I say, it's "lived in" and adds to its character.
Stays in tune all the time, no problems there.

Never had any issues with the guitar.

I have owned a few cheapo guitars, and got this as my first really nice guitar. I've since bought an Epiphone SG, a Jackson RR3 and am waiting delivery of a Jackson SL3.
I will sell the Epi SG and RR3 but I'll keep this no matter what. It's simply a fun guitar to play thanks to the low action and filthy bridge pickup. And if you've seen a photo of a Black Beauty when it's clean you'll know how beautiful these guitars look.
Heavy, sturdy, total rock machine.

Great features, excellent guitar. Didn't love the P/ups so I changed to gold GFS Dream 90's for the mid and neck,, and a gold GFS Hot Liverpool overwound Retrotron Humbucker on the bridge. The neck 90 is reverse wound, so it is like a Humbucker when the mid and neck are both energized. I coil tapped the Retrotron, and installed a toggle to fire it up in any pickup selector position.

I count 8 different sounds now with the coil tap, switch, and pups I installed,,, and all of them are fantastic. The new pickups are very high quality, and the sustain of this guitar is incredible. A perfect match.

I got this guitar from a seller who sold it new, but damaged (frieght). Two cracks on the back of it,, but everything else was great. The finish on this is amazingly thick annd durable looking. I did all my own setup, but it was very easy, and set up perfectly the first time, in a few minutes.

This guitar is like a rock. Heavy, tough and built to last.

Never needed it.

I've been playing and setting up my own guitars for 35 years. I would absolutely replace this if lost or stolen. The guitar will play any style I have tried. It will sing sweetly, or rip your eardrums apart, or anything in between. Whatever you like.
I guess the only guitar that I have had that played and sounded like this was an old 3 pup Airline I had 20 years ago.

This is a Made in Japan Epiphone LP Black Beauty. The features are that of a Gibson LP Black Beauty, Ebony fretboard, MOP inlays on the headstock, solid maple top ect... The othere cool thing about these Epi Japan models are the shape of the headstock, they are the Gibson shape. It seems the difference comes with the electronics of the guitar. Japanese pick ups and cheap pots and switches ect...

The sound of this guitar when I first received it was just OK but then I switched the pups for Gibson 57 classics and changed the pots to CTS 500K pots and now she screams. I A/B'd it with an actual 70's Gibson LP BB and she is dead on. The score for this section is after the MOD. Before I would rank it at a 6

Everything is great! Feels just like a Gibson LP BB. The Epiphone LPs that you can buy here in the states I believe are made in Korea and let me just say that those compared to the Gibson counter part really do not come close. However if you can get one of these MIJ Epis, do it they feel just like Gibsons.

Built like a tank.

Have not needed to use.

For a fraction of the price, and I mean fraction, these MIJ Epi LP are the next best thing to having a Gibson. All one has to do is replace the pups with Gibson ones and replace the pots with CTS. Thanks God for ebay or I would have never been able to puchase one of these. If this were to be lost or stolen I would replace immediately.

This is a very well made guitar from Epiphone. It has all the standard Les Paul features. The extra feature which I like the most is the Middle pickup. The body wood is probably a Mahogany and fret board is made of Rosewood. It has a H/H/H pickups configuration, very cool indeed. It has Grover machine heads and all the hardware is Gold plated. I wish it would have coil tap switches for splitting the humbuckers to get single coil tones.

This guitar has really impressed me due to its remarkable sound quality. I found its sound so warm, full, rich and it really growls wonderfully. It completely fulfills all my music styles requirements. I use Fender FM212R, Yamaha G50 112 III and Yamaha JX50 guitar combo amps. The middle pickups sounds so sweet especially in Clean sound setting and if you add a chorus then it will blow your mind instantly. It is not noisey atall and if you add a overdirve with it while using the bridge pickup then it really comes to its own and you will hear it screaming, crying and singing wonderfully. However I found its bridge pickup not that bright though it has a good midrange but I rather wish it would have a more bite and brightness. Nevertheless, I must say that it is still an amazing guitar as far as sound qualtiy is concerned. I like its heavy weight construction which gives it a more powerful/warm/rich sound and sustain. I like its beautifull carved top for extremely comfortable playing. I somewhat dislike its fat, thick neck, I wish it would have a Fast Low-profile neck. I totally dislike its high sharped edged bridge saddles which tends to hurt your palm during strings muting technique.

I found the guitar set-up at the factory very satisfactory. However I found the action a little higher for my personal taste so I got it adjusted according to my need. The overall action is fast and very comfortable. The pickups adjustment is again very well set at the factory. I have noticed a few flaws in this guitar when I checked it thoroughly after openning its box, 1) Observed a slight pin-point paint chipping off near the neck-body joint area. 2) Observed a fading of Gold plating from tail-piece after few months of use and some stains were also appeared on it as well as on the machine heads which seem permanent. 3)The fret board rosewood is not A-class wood, I observed wide grains on wood surface. 4) There is a small pin-point dent on the body of guitar near toggle switch. 5) Observed insulation melting for one of the wires inside the pots cavity. In the end I must say that the overall finish is great and these flaws have no effect on its superb sound qaulity.

This is a very solid guitar and I have a full faith that this will withstand the live sitautions very well. The hardware is impressive but I am not saitisfied with the durablility of Gold-plating as mine one has developed fading and stains after only a few months of use. I am quite satisfied with the body paint or coating and I found it tough and durable. Yes strap buttons are very solid. I used it in live show without a backup.

I live in Pakistan. Once I contacted Epiphone customers relation department in US on email for seeking help but they never replied to my queries while on the other hand I contacted their China customers relation department from Pakistan and they guided me but not offered any help directly.

I live in Pakistan and playing guitar for the last 27 years. I have lot of gears including Yamaha AES620, Yamaha Pacifica 412V, Yamaha Studio Lord SL400S copy of Les Paul 1980 electric guitars, Ovation CS257 electric acoustic guitar, Fender D6 12-string guitar, Yamaha FG470S. Fender FM212R, Yamaha G50 112 III, Yamaha JX50, Behringer ultra acoustic ACX900 all are guitar combo amps. Got lot of Boss effect pedals and few from Ibanez, MXR, Danelectro and Zoom. One Seymour Duncan Woody pickup.

I replaced the stock pickups with 3 duncan performer pickups. Scorching, blistering solos, and rich clean sounds.

Great action. Of course, had to set it up, because it wasnt 'road-ready'.
Finish is glossy, and shiney. Can stay that way if cleaned properly and often.

I believe this guitar (with some component upgrades...ie..pickups, hardware, maybe electronics... will be very reliable. I use it now as my main guitar. I had previously owned a Gibson BlackBeauty that had been stolen. Strap buttons seem reliable enough.

I am currently seeking information on putting the black chrome hardware on it. Black Beauty Gothic?... hmmm... replace the gold tuners and bridge and tailpiece with gothic black chrome. Cant seem to find info.

Been playing for 35 years. I also own a strat. I really like the tone of the BlackBeauty in the middle pickup position. Very mellow, but has a rough edge if applied harshly.

right, this sexy getar has 3 alnico pickups, one of the main features on this guitar, nice glossy black finish with aged binding.it has some nice grover tuners and a tune o matic bridge, all in sexy gold harware, its the standard les paul shape,
Guitar number:U05013126
There are two seperate tine controls and two volume controls the volume controll for the rythem pickum controlling the middle pickup also.it has a nice fat neck,
a nice standard guitar...i love it!

this guitar has a nice rich warm sound when running on sclean and ont he rythem pickups.the sound is still fat on lead aswell, the middle pickum makes little difference, wich is a dissapointment,
i play lots of metallica(badly) espetialy the clean sonfs like nothing else matters, and the unforgiven. im running through a vantage 15 watt amp and zoom g2 pedal, sometimes the guv'nor 2 marshal overdrive pedal also. at the momoent im finging it hard to get a nice metallica sound using these but its not the guitars fault. its my amaturness'. i love the sound although with my set up it can be very frustrating.

i was annoyed with the pickups being lose on transport but everything else was cool, flawless finish

hardware has nearly gone, i have had it since xmas 05 last december,i fitted schaller straplocks to it and they both worked loose so i dowelled up them and then they were fine, i will gig with it when people start to take my music seriously:(, wouldnt need backup with this beast

no comment but a 10 cus the guitars good

been playing for almost a year, i wouldnt buy it again cus i wouldnt be able to afford it again but if i could i would,
i hate my set up i need a good amp with a nice tone, i got it 100# cheaper than at my local music shop tho.
If u have any information about getting a nice metal distiortion contact my email

2005 model. Read other reviews for info.

I play Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers and it suits all of these styles. I play with a marshall MG100DFX and it sounds great. This guitar has a huge variety of sounds from soft and melodic to a loud and sharp sound. Effects also sound great. I love a chorus/delay rythym solo. I ussually keep all the knobs fully up too get a loud rich tone and sound.

The only fault when I got the guitar were some unequal frets but that only took a day at the shop to fix. Everything else ws fine from the start.

One flaw was the strap buttons, while I was playing the strap fell off one of the buttons and the cord wedged into the plastic jack. I gave it back to the shop and I got the jack in replaced by a gold metal piece. After that I bought a pair of safety strap buttons so the strap can't fall off.

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This guitar is fuckin' awsome and the sound is amazing throuh my amp. I play in a band and it doesn't screw up at a high volume and it looks like a great piece of art. I'm very happy with my purchase!

97 Black Beauty, 3 pickups 22 frets, gold hardware, grover tuners, mahogany body, top and neck, black laminated finnish and lp style obviously.

my style is only hard rock classic rock and blues and this guitar is excellent for thrashing out sum of those riffs. it can be used for blues perfectly 2. im using an Alesis WildFire 15 amplifier it's small (considering im new having played 4 only a year an a half) but it has 70 effects built in. this guitar sounds awesome on the amp especially with a CryBaby pedal. the stock pup's r wat u would expect but they still pack a punch. the middle pup only slightly changes the sound but still makes difference i supose.

the action was excellent. it was set up very gd by my korean pals :p. i put the middle pup down slightly cos it got in the way now and again. i heard that the gold hardware starts 2 fade after a while but i dun care. i also heard that the input jack goes loose, but thats wer a tighten up comes in ;). but the black finnish relly encoureges u cos it lookes so LUSH!!!!

i would definetly play this live, it owuld stand out on stage 2. the hardware should last me through the years.the finnish is thick as shit so it'll take a battering for this 2 get mearly touched. the strap butons seem ok but in a few days i'll end up geting strap locks cos my other guitars come out of the strap and hit me in the head wen held vertical like slash ;p thats why i can never trust em. u can relly rely on this guitar the strings havent snapped yet neither ;). i will never gig without a backup, u never know wat could hapen ;p

it's under a lifetime warrenty (excellent) as long as i dun change anything.

iv'e only been playing for 1 and a half years and im not even scratching the surface of being good. i own an american strat, 52 tele and this of course and it is the best of the 3. if it wer stolen i would personally beat the person who stole it, i would by it again but i would look for 1 wih a bigsby on it. i love the fact that it has come right out of the gibson factory, wen u think about it coming out of the worlds greatest guitar factory it gives u a warm, glowing, warming glow inside. (haha off the simpsons ... mmmmmmm gisbson) ;p. i compared this 2 my strat and tele and this 1 came out on top. is only it had jimmy pages signature.

97 Black Beauty, 3 pickups with Bigsby. Either Gotoh or Grover tuners, gold hardware

The bridge pickup is kind of weak, and the middle pickup doesn't change the sound much as-is, but I'm planning on getting it rewired with a push-pull pot for more sounds.

The neck pickup sounds great though!

I got it used and it buzzes on the bottom two strings from the 1st to the 2nd fret. There's some fret wear visible, so maybe that's why.

The action is nice and low - maybe too low?

weighs a ton, appears solidly built. I got a hard case with it and take good care of it, so it should be fine.

the gold plating on the pickups has started to wear off, but that's to be expected with any BB that's actually been played.

never dealt with the company, but the people on the epiphone forum are friendly and helpful

this is my main guitar - i got it because Jimmy Page did all his session work with an original Gibson BB, and he knows more than I do.

I'm planning on replacing the pickups and doing the wiring mod from above but other than that there's not much I'd change on it.

well,what can i say about this instrument. there is such little this guitar cant do, apart from be light its unreal. iam so pleased i bought this guitar, a true rhythmist weapon of choice, astounding. sound, sight, strength, its perfection for the always welcome epiphone lower-than-just-a-little-weaker-than-gibson price bracket.

standard 22fret board/mahogany-ebony block inlays
full-on gold/black/cream body finish, the pic on the site makes it look nasty.
pick-ups are some what of a let down without good old fashioned valve amps that rele take this beaut hurtling back to 1963, this sounds fairly tactless and plain. to remedy this, try the following layout i have (trial and error irritatingly)

N - Seymour n d P90(any will do)or same manufacturer - pearly gates
M - either S n D invader for nu metal/punk(euch) OR bill lawrence L490 (mail order) but the middlebucker is actually madeby gibson anyway( even if it is still in korea) and may not need replacing
B - you will wanna change this btw if you want stage presence over lead if its metal or more. S n D - JB SH4, or a dime bucker

the over-all cost is alot if you dont know what youre doing, ebaying second hand pups is a good idea only if you know what youre doing. i will of spent close to ?470 on pups, not including me selling them off again mind, imake a small return. but i now have a guitar that can play every style,and make every other instrument around look feeble to the ends of the earth.

however, i have had this guitar for just under 3 years and i doubt i will ever let it go. for a starter, you wnt want to ever change anything less thebridge for a more metal sound asit is a rock instrument

as before

this is a rock guitar

just because hetfield has the 2 pup version, and plenny of other actually heavy metal bands feature this guitar as rhythm,chimaira , BLS and speed horn to name a few, doesnt mean its meant fr it. they have hadloads ofmods done to them, the alcino (if correct) pups are rarely that good and burstbuckers are often used.

for a fresh-off-a-squire player, bored as i was of the light, fradgile, puny and emotional wreck guitars like cheap-ass strats (you really have to pay too much for a quality one) a heavy duty and down and dirty LP is what you need,if not,maybe a tele.

if you are lucky enough to get the gibson brightwire strings as i was, this guitar will immediatly jump out of its shell, it took a full year of playing every day god knows how long to break the E alone!

after 2 years a new pup

or dipped in that crazy pup wax decently dodgy guitar shops have

new pups will be needed, see the crazy set up

this is a tank

solid to the bone nothing is weak on it, excelent.
the pups are alright, i stress it all over when they just loose the feel of the instrument
everythingsin orgerand the finish is imaculate, absolute gorge and no other word
the pup selector starts to get a lot of crackling between changes if changing amps quickly,most likeyl due to impedance changing. this is sometimes a drag and no one likes a deafening crackle froma pup change during song, however i do slam the toggle likecrazy, so im prolly to blame

invincible

never needed it

doubt i ever will, im more useful around it than a phone call anyway

if some devil possesed gypsy from the wrong side of town stole this baby, i would pull out the third student loan to buy and upgrade the whole thing again, this is one guitar i couldnot live without, infact, thing in my life, its just been such a great enhancer and driver of skill, it cant be riveled for how much ive came along. its a great confidence booster and brings a certain element of prowesse that very very few others can safely off without being overpriced. be weary of actual guitar shops,some can sell this for nearly ?6-700 nearly a$1000 which for an epi is abit pricey. but even if you had a LP for a starter (never met a guy who did and stook with them, they went back to bumming their light "responcive" - what ever that dictates strat that cost ?1099)you should be saving up for this guitar and buy online to save time and money, the dealer that supplied me is still up now i checked and has a website www.aireguitars.co.uk, they better pay me for this lol. ive played 19 gigs with this guitar alone, not including the epi archtop es-295 or tanglewoods, i think thers about 27 all in all. the inclusion of new pups however is amust for a definate pro however, dontforget, this is a gibson wired model!

i hope this has propted you to get the best thing since sliced bread, you wont be too disapoiinted, time sows the virtues of this beast like nothing else though, so dont be hasty and say its too difficult, its worth amount of playing to love it

A 2005 Model, absolutely gorgeous. I got it at Guitar Center in Atlanta. I had run into some inheritance money from a recent death. $13,000 dollars. So, I did what any 14 year old guitarist would do, I spent it all. I got four guitars, an Epi Black Beauty, an Epi LP Custom, a Gibson LP Standard, and a Gibson SG with maestro. This is the best of all of them. Sure, the Gibson has the flashy headstock, but this guitar sounds just as good for a third of the price. H/H/H, god, what could be more perfect. I have only been playing for a year, but I am damn good. Normal LP Settings. All Maple. The finish is amazing. It looks like you could try to scrape it off, and it wouldn't work. Heavy as hell, but that comes with the sustain, so it's allright.

I was born in the wrong decade. I can't stand that the world is being taken over by a whole bunch of whining emo bands. I miss the days of AC/DC, Aerosmith, The Ramones, Rolling Stones, and my favorite, Guns N' Roses. This guitar was made for that music. Sure, the neck is a little fat, but if you are good, it shouldn't matter. It sounds so round and rich, it is astounding.

Well, at Guitar Center, I had all of them professionally set up, so they are b-e-a-utiful. So, I give this a ten!!!

I have dropped this guitar 4 times, and it sounds fine, nuff said.

Don't know yet, but for all intensive purposes, 10.

I own the four other guitars I've mentioned, plus a shitty Yamaha. Read my review in the Yamaha Section on this site. I am in guitar heaven. If it were stolen, I'd kill myself. My favorite feature is the genuine Les Paul sound. I don't know what to say. Get a Gibson if you want Amazing Looks and Amazing Sound. Get Epiphone if you want Great Looks and F***ing Amazing Sound.

Enough frets
Laminated
Enough Controls
Humbuckers
Ebony finish
Les Paul style

I play from heavy metal to classic rock to death metal to southern rock to blues guitar
Most of the time the guitar does its job
May take a little screwing to get the perfect sound
Enough sound variety
Better pickups maybe

One word...gorgeous

yes yes yes yes

Very helpful

I love this guitar

2004
Made in Korea,Standard LesPaul features...tune-o-matic,stopbar tailpiece,2 vol. 2 tone,mahogany body,alder top,gold plated hardware,3 humbuckers,grover tuners,full binding,rosewood fretboard,22 med/jumbo frets,3 way pickup selector in the usual place.If you wanted a Les Paul then you got what you payed for.

This is one the more versitile units you're gonna find in this price range.It has a terrific range of sound possibilities from the 3 pickups.If you're looking for a strat sound from this thing...forget it.Don't get me wrong,it can do clean and jazzy with the best of 'em but there's a thick quality to it.Dirty it up and you got hard rockin' heaven.Don't expect much from a little practice amp though...you don't experience the full potential of this thing unless you go through tubes and a decent cabinet.I have a Marshall JCM2000 DSL50 through a Peavey 4/12 and it just rocks!I also have a small Marshall G30RCD and although it still sounds good,it's nothing compared to the "monster".You can get everything from Slash to Still of the Night/Whitesnake stuff and beyond.If you think your sound is too muddy,roll the damn gain off a little...too much distortion on this can be mistaken for mud but you have to EQ it right too.I own another Epi Les Paul Standard Plus and this one has a much thicker sound...just like it's supposed to.Stock pickups are good from Epi these days.Thick but clear if you have a decent sound setup.

I expect the gold hardware will fade as other players have stated but no biggie.I like to have a nice low action and the factory setup was good except the intonation needed some work.Piece of cake with the tune-o-matic.It plays sweet.Like to hit the Zakk pinch harmonics and this thing helps me pull those off.I'm self taught so I'm not the best at soloing but what I can do is effortless with this setup.Action set to borderline fret buzz.Examine yours before you buy by looking down the neck from the body near your face to make sure the neck is straight and you can set these up to play smooth and fast.I've had it only a week and have not found any defects or have any issues with switches,control pots,tuning,or anything.With anything you buy it's possible to get a lemon so check it out first.Had to lower the middle pickup though only because it gets in the way of picking sometimes.Just a preference.The finish is beautiful and the inlays done well.I know they're not real mother o'pearl but they look good.I agree with some of the other reviewers on the headstock...there seems to be an extra thick layer of clearcoat or something but you don't really notice if you aren't looking for it.

Never really cared for Epi's cheaper bridge piece but I think it will last.Some are real string eaters but my Standard Plus has not had that problem and so far this one hasn't either.I've played the crap out of it this past week with the original strings and haven't lost one yet.Strap buttons on all Les Pauls should be changed to straplocks unless you want to see if hitting the floor with it will hurt it.I think it would be gig worthy although a backup is kinda risky not to have.If the finish wears off then it's a player...if you want to keep a collector piece then shell out the 3 grand for a Gibson and put it in a case forever.Even the high dollar guitars will wear over time.I do expect to have to replace vol. or tone pots someday but this is one of the reasons it's a $700 guitar instead of $3000.

No experience trying to contact Epiphone.
Warranty is a "limited lifetime" warranty which means if you break it,then you fix it usually.This is usually only good for factory defects right out of the box,but in that case you go through the place of purchase anyway.

Been playing 22 years and I've owned my share of guitars.My first guitar was a dept.store Les Paul copy which I still own(it's junk).Most of the rest of the guitars I've owned I've sold....Japanese Jackson Dinky EX,2 Jackson Performers,a Jackson SL4 neck through,2 Gibson Les Paul Studios(which aren't any better than a nice Epi),an Epi Les Paul Classic Quilt,Epi LP Standard Plus(B stock made in China!!!with a Dimarzio Tone Zone in the Bridge,a BC Rich Warlock NJ Quilt.Sound wise there was an old Kustom Challenger amp,a Crate GXT-212(NOW THERE'S A COMPANY WITH SOME CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WARRANTY ISSUES)and the 2 Marshalls mentioned earlier in this review.I've done away with the stomp boxes for now and run through a Digitech RP300 for that beyond Marshall sound and acoustic sounds.For all you winers who think the p-up switch is in a bad spot and the damn thing is too heavy...buy something else.If you know you're after a real Les Paul sound,then this tank is for you.Part of the reason they sound that way is because of the density of mahogany-Heavy.If money was no object then of course I would buy Gibson stuff but since I don't have between 2-4 grand burning a hole in my pocket,Epiphone's Les Paul Black Beauty is the next best thing.I can't say it's as good as Gibson but I've had virtually identical Gibsons behave differently.One had issues and one did not.A higher price tag isn't a guarantee of higher quality.Check them personally...where you can play 'em b4 you buy 'em.Get yourself a good one and you won't be disappointed.If you steal mine,I'll come getcha.

What year was it made? Where was is made? (Japan, Mexico, USA, etc...)
How many frets?
Solid-Top? Laminated top?
Which controls are given (volume, tone, 5-way selector, 3-way, tap, etc...)?
Pickup configuration? (S/S/H, H/H, S/H, Piezo, etc...)
Make and model of pickups?
Active or Passive electronics?
Body and neck woods? (Maple, Mahogany, Alder, Ash, Basswood, Koa, Plywood, etc...)
Finish (Satin, transparent, quilted top, flamed top, etc...)
Body style (strat, tele, dreadnought, cutaway, thinline, etc...)
Bridge style (Tune-O-Matic, Floyd Rose, Wilkinson, Tele-style, String-thru body,
stop tailpiece, etc...)
Tuners (Locking? Non-locking? brand of tuners - Sperzel, Gotoh, Grover, Schaller, etc...)
Neck/Scale (Fat, Thin, Jumbo Frets, Rosewood, Maple, etc...)
Any included accessories? (Case, gig bag, strap, cable, tools, humidifier, etc...)

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?
What amps and effects are you using it with?
Is it noisy? On what settings?
Rich/Full sound? Bright sound?
What kind of sounds can the guitar make? How much variety?
Likes and dislikes?

How well was the guitar set-up at the factory? (How was the action?)
How well were the pickups adjusted?
Properly bookmatched top? Properly routed bridge?
Did the guitar contain any flaws? (misaligned bracing, poorly filed fretwire,
finish flaws, poor quality wood, rusted or oxidized hardware, loose tuning pegs,
poorly cut nut, poorly fit saddle, noisy pickup selector, loose controls, etc...)

Will this guitar withstand live playing?
Does the hardware seem like it will last?
Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off
with lots of playing?
Are the strap buttons solid?
Can you depend on it?Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?Ever try and get it repaired? Was it under warrantyHow long is the warranty

I'd like to share, that why dont you go make a review and not make me do a review

I think this is a 2003 model but not sure, it has 3 humbuckers and tune-o-matic with a stoptail. I came with Grovers, which is nice. Not sure of the wood on these Epi's but the board is identical to the ones on my Epi SG Custom and Epi Fbird7. The neck is fatter like my brother's 56 goldtop Epi as opposed to the faster profiles on my axes. It came in an SKB case, but I payed 25 extra for it so as not to have to build a case for it. On my SG and Fbird I changed the wiring to be like a LP Std, cutting out the middle p/up-but I left this one stock, switching-wise.

This guitar suits what I do in the band well-gives me a powerful lead tone and a nice Clapton "woman" tone on the rhythm p/up with the tone turned almost off. I use this thru a Laney ProTube 50 watt head into and old Ampeg 412 with Eminence speakers. I use a small stone ,TS-9, and analog delay.It was noisy but I removed the p/up covers and potted them in wax and changed out the cheap selector. This axe is great for ballsy rhythm, but the lead sound was shrill until I potted the p/ups and removed the covers. The guitar also benefitted from a bone nut(I replaced the crap plastic nut on all 3 of my Epi's.) This guitar gets a very gutsy detailed and rich tone in all positions and at all settings. I especially like the middle selection as the guitar gets a Strat-like sound but with enough heft to still have some punch when riffing. I gotta say-I like it and it fits in well with not only my brother's p-90 fueled sound, but also compliments the tones of my Firebird and SG. I am giving it a tad lower score because of the switch's poor quality and the need for working on the pickups to get them gig-worthy

It came set up with .009's that I swapped for 11-52 guage. the action needed jacked up and I adjusted the rod for a bit more relief. My other Epi's had sort of rough fret ends but this one was fine as-is. The guitar has some discolered binding from the factory so it was a second. The grover tuners were nice but had to be adjusted a little tighter to hold in tune with the heavier strings. As mentioned above the selector and nut were changed, and the pickup covers removed and pickups wax potted as they sqealed. Keep in mind they were fine at normal levels, but onstage at very high volume they sqealed like a stuck pig...this is probably only a concern to those who plan on using this axe for high-powered hard rock at ferocious volume! Like me!

My Epi Firebird and SG Custom are ruad dawgs from hell and this LP is built even stouter! The gold hardware is wearing like mad as I sweat a lot, but that is the norm. The finish is thick and durable. I screw the strap directly to all my guitars. This sucker can take a beating, but I never would play a paying gig without a backup, as too much can and will go wrong. But, I think outside of a busted string this one is tuff enuff to handle anything I can dish out!

Used axes...never dealt with Epi/Gibson

I've been playing 10 yaers, taght by my brother Cyrus. Our band 3rd Strike plays a mix of original hard punk/rok and covers. I got this axe because we play high energy for 2-21/2 hours without a stop and 3 guitars makes it easier on our tech guy. If it were stolen, I'd get another as I like it. It looks better w/out the p/up covers in my opinion, and looks kick-ass sitting between my white Firebird and white SG. I cannot think of anything I hate about it. These Epi's need a few minor things to be working-musician-gig-ready, but they are cheap so upgrades aren't that painful! I recently bought a Les Paul Special with Humbuckers for 400 bucks and it was a sorry cheap piece of garbage-I was shocked!!. I'll stick with my hotrod EPIPHONES!!!

You've read them before surely! But grover tuners are good, tho not as pretty as the klusons i geuss.. 3 humbuckers and 3 way selector switch each distinctive with the mid setting mixing the bridge and mid PU but slightly outphased like the Gibson original,but different...more funky! Just solid!!

I play a lot of varied music from country to metal, mostly i play Sabbath style stuff tho. This guitar really suits those old school meaty riffs and because its such a fat fucking guitar it has tons of sustain...ooohhh yeah!! you'll want to play anything with vibrato with this, sounds just like Tony Iommi with the right gear! But honestly this guitar has great harmonics, sustain and that proper gutsy warm Les Pau tone you'd expect from such a lovely guitar! Versatile as a motherfucker!

This is my only problem... ok the thing is tho i bought this off the tinternet in my homeland of england for the awesome price of #350, i thought id have to pay #600!! so when it came i was still upset (pissed off) that all was not perfect. You see, these are mass produced, in Korea nonetheless, sooo the set is quite crap unless your lucky. At the moment it sounds great, it really does, but because of bad set up there was sum nasty buzzing etc. a bit of fiddlin solved that but im gonna have to get it professionally set up and id advise anyone buyin this guitar to do the same. You see my mate did and it brings the best out of a fantastic guitar. Also neck was filthy and near the edges look dodily done, but still it feels great. adn some minor flaws with the finnish (but hardly noticeable, still looks like summut u wanna shag). Still like i sed i cant really blame epiphone tho (lazy fuckers go eat shit and make sumfin with quality)

Gold hardware looks like its gonna come off pretty quick, so im being careful and im hopin i can make it last by doin nothing but lightly rubbing it from time to time to keep it buffed. I jump around a lot with it (even tho it is heavy, so get your weights out and do sum push ups while your waitin to get one!! I think its about 8lbs by the way) and its not broke,strap butons worked fine. black guitrs are a pain in the arse to keep clean and there are a few light scratches but has not chipped and i dont think it will, the finnish is quite thick. It is rock solid and to be honest i cant wait till the gold wears off and sum more scrtches pop on, because at the moment its a pretty beast

Haven't ad to. But i bet they're shit and i have to go to korea and get a translator to get any answers

Iv been playing for about four years but i strive to learn as much i can about the guitar and musical world, so i know the sounds of a quality guitar and this is one. this is my first decent guitar if you get me but it plays (if set up properly)just as nice as a gibson Les Paul, i don't see this as a budget gibson, just one for people with more brains than money. The amount of tone you get per buck with this guitar is awesome! Its Gibson thru and thru just cheaper. I also want a Gibson SG Voodoo next coz i love that guitar and its meaty riffage potential! but for the money you get great versatility, tone, sustain and blah , blah , blah!!! What you readin this for you dumb Bastard??!! Just go buy it!!!!!!

I have a recent model of the black beauty with grover tuners, 3 pickups, gold harware and all the other stuff.

I play mostly indie and punk stuff like fugazi and minor threat and it is perfect for it. I use various marshall combos and heads and it sounds so sweet clean and distorted with a nice bright sound. It has a good variety of sounds from soft melodies to screaming gain.

This guitar's action is beautiful. The finish is beautiful and everything plays extrememly well.

This guitar will definetly withstand the road but of course i wouldnt use it without a backup on the issue of string breakage. I know its heavy but all les pauls are, and you get used to the weight really easy and im tired of people complaining about it.

limited lifetime warranty never dealt with the company.

ive been playing for about four years and im 14. Ive played a lot of gibson and epiphone les pauls and i love them all and fortunately, since i dont have a lot of money, i can get an epiphone les paul that feels almost exactly like the gibsons for thousands less. If it were stolen and i couldnt find who stole it, id get my dad to get me a new one.

damn there are 50 other reviews with this same exact information look at them.

ok here we go... the whole thing sounded bassy, even with smaller strings on them, theeen i went to play with my band. the th9ing wudnt stop squeeling. anything above like music store amp loudness makes it squeeel. it sounded fine in teh store, but not with teh volume above 2.

everything was perfect, except i had to lower the middle pickup becasue my pick wouold hit it when i was playing.

if the sound didnt suck shit, i wud use it without backup, its very reliable, and everything is solid. it did chip right on the heal tho but just a little one and i covered it up wil a black sharpie :-)

i bought this from zzounds. when i called them abouit my feedback problem they answered instantly, and gave some advice that moght help, and then when that didnt work, i called back, they answered emediatly and refered me to a gibson liscensed workshop right near my house. when he couldnt fix it either, they gave my a 100% refund.

giving that i had to send it back becasue it sounded bad im gonna give it a six. if it didnt squeel this baby wudda had a ten

it's a remake of the gibson '56 LP.22 frets. arched top mahogany of course. 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way switching.
rythm-neck, middle- middle, treble- bridge.
alnico magnet humbuckers.
i dont know- haha.
mahogany neck, mahogany body, mahogany top.
black satin-like finish.
LP body style...oohh yes. i love that so much.
stop-bar tailpiece.
grover tuners.
mahogany neck, i dunno what kind of frets.
hardshell case and a gibson lightning strap got bought along with the bad boy.

it suits my style completely. i can have 3 different volume levels with the 3-way/ pickup arrangement. i play christian rock/ praise and im so stinkin proud of it. Jesus rocks.

i mic a little 30w rogue cg-30r amp at my youth group and play through some behringer v-amp2(effects tweaked exactly to my tastes.)

it's passive on middle and very strong on the rythm.

very deep gutsy rythm sound. yet i can still get great lead tones when i want to.

tons of variety. heck i have 3 humbuckers!

love the gold hardware. i've heard that it fades, but hey everything in life does except for Jesus.

i took it to my guitar lesson after i got it and my teacher didnt have to make any neck/ action/ intonation adjustments. GREAT JOB EPI!!

the pickups didnt need adjustment. another great job by epi.

very proper;y bookmatched top. properly routed bridge.

no flaws whatsoever.

its passed the live play test wonderfully.

the hardware is solid as a rock as far as i'm concerned.

the finish will last for a long time. it's put on pretty thick.

the strap buttons gold finish is starting to wear. but i don't care.

i depend on it more than my jackson dx-10d reverse.

i would use it gigging with no backup without a doubt.

never dealt with em but they sure do know how to make guitars!!

haven't had to repair anything yet. i still have the warranty and it's lifetime.

i've been playing close to 3 yrs. and i own an old sigma acoustic, a jackson dx-10d reverse, a peace 5-piece zion series drumset, a zildjian 4 piece ZBT+ rock pack, a pearl sensitone custom classic(discont.), and a zxt splash.

i wouldve asked the retailer why in the heck don't you charge more for this??!?!

i would definitely buy another if it was stolen/ broke/ lost.

i love the gold hardware, classic gibby sound, and the weight.

i compared it to the gibson LP faded special and the BB had way more features and quality.

i wish it had a blender and pizza oven built-in to it. but, yeah you can't be that happy.

i'd like to thank gibson for making this guitar and for it's features and Jesus Christ for giving me my musical ability to play this guitar for his name and glory! JESUS ROCKS HARDER THAN ANY BAND OR INDIVIDUAL EVER COULD!!

22 frets
3 humbuckers
weight: 50kg

The golden humbuckers turned black after a couple of years. I polished them with some tooth-paste and now they are silver-coloured. Don't touch them and they'll stay golden I suppose.

Play this guitar an hour a day and you won't have to go to the gym anymore. It's a quite heavy guitar but if you aren't midget-sized you'll probably manage.

The Marshall AS80R (acoustic amp without distortion)I'm using at the time isn't very suitable for electric guitar and especially not for this guitar. The amp sounded great with a Matti Nevalainen vintage strat with three single coils though...
I've played the epi through a marshall vs100 and that was much better.
I also use an Ibanez tube-screamer and a Boss limiter/sutainer.

At first I played the guitar with thick strings. The clean sound of
the basestrings was terrible. Now I play with thinner strings which is better.

Don't buy this guitar if your looking for a good clean sound.
If you're looking for rich distortion sound it's a quite good choice.

The strings were too close to the fretboard which resulted in that the low e-string couldn't vibrate freely when playing hard. It was quite easily adjusted.

The switch is unreliable. You have to switch it back and forth to get any sound out of the guitar.
The plug got loose almost right a way.
It fell over once and the tone-knob broke.

I would gig without a backup since I don't own one.

The guitar stays in tune quite well though.

I've been playing for about 5 years.
I also own an electro-acoustic aria. Therefore I own the AS80R.

If it was stolen I would get a jackson.

I wish it would have a single-coil in the middle instead of the crappy humbucker. The other humbuckers seem better. I don't know why maybe it has to do with the positioning.

Korea, Three pickups, decent quality tuners, mahogany body, it's basically a copy of a Gibson Les Paul 'Black Beauty,' but with a different shape headstock. The neck is a tad on the chunky side, but not uncomfortably so. Plays smooth. Stays in tune. The Middle pickup is wired so that when switched to middle position, you get the bridge and middle pickups "out of phase," with sort of a srat-like 'quack,' but of course much thicker and darker. The pickups are stock. If i didn't like the way the guitar sounded, I wouldn't have bought it.

I play rock, blues, R'n'B, soul, country, power pop, metal, stoner rock, yadda, yadda, yadda, deconstructivist gregorian square dance reels, etc.

But what I have to say about the sound is this: tonight, I was rehearsing with my band, playing the Epi Black Beauty through my Balls M18 2X12 combo. I broke a string, and asked my friend if I could play his wine-colored Gibson Les Paul Custom. I said out loud "well now we'll hear a real Les Paul, eh?" And I plugged in, and I'll be damned if it didn't sound pretty much the same. The main differentce in tone I noticed was that the real LP was a little thinner and brighter sounding. Playability-wise, the real LP's neck was a little slimmer, which I like. But MAN!! When you consider the ASTRONOMICAL difference in price - $700 vs. $3,000! The Epi is a terrific guitar!

Brand new, the action was too low, to such a degree that the high E string was fretting-out in spots. I had my luthier friend set the intonation, and recently I raised the bridge height myself to accommodate slide playing, which this guitar is well suited for.

I've been gigging with this guitar quite a bit lately. It stays in tune, and I use light strings (.009 to .042). The finish is really nice, I've had lots of compliments on the look of this guitar. Had it since last summer, have not spotted anything amiss with the gold hardware, etc. I wouldn't use any guitar on a paying gig without a backup.

No dealings with Epiphone as of yet.

Started playing at 12, now 37. I have a few other amps and guitars & stuff. If it were lost or stolen, I'd be quite annoyed and probably curse out loud. I might replace it, or I might get a Gibson faded SG with crescent moon inlays. I go through guitars like socks....

Overall I'd give this guitar a solid 8. It has certainly been worth every penny I payed for it. People who think that Asians make bad gear are dumb and possibly racist.

the les paul black beauty 3
korean, 2002-2003.
22fret laminated top.
2 volume, 2 tone and a 3 way selecter switch.
3 humbuckers
body is maple, rosewood fretboard.
The finsih is an ebony finish.
Lovely grover tuners
included lead which failed in the next week or so.

This guitar really does kick ass for its price tag, it suits me and my bands style down to the ground, amazing "power" feel. bags of tone and options. i use a marshall valvestate2000 avt150 and it really goes well together. no noise or feedback. loads of variety, no bad points about the sound.

this guitar is set up amazingly, just what a beginner needs, pick-ups are well set up together to give loads of variety. there was one poor finish which i found but is hardly visable and thats the white stripe going around the edge of the guitar, where the 2 ends of the stripe is joined, there is a small mis-placement.
Amazing build quality!!!

this guitar is a perfect live guitar as the poly finish will withstand many knocks whithout any chipping. i dont think anything will go wrong with this guitar, everything is put together so well!!
the paint, tuning pegs and neck will definatly last a few years with no signs of wear. strap buttons are very solid and i will always use my epiphone black beauty for live gigs.

i have been playing a year and a half now and after learning on a squire strat for a year, with my epiphone i have already played three gigs, and one was backing up aeroplane blonde. if my black beauty was lost or stolen i would probably put up with my squire strat for a while until i can afford a gibson les paul.
Compared to the squire strat, this guitar is nothing short of amazing. i just wish it had the quality, sound of a gibson.

I have a 1999 model black beauty. All mahogany with i think a maple top. Three epi pickups, rosewood fretboard and epi tuners.

My styles are all over the place. Classical stuff to Slayer. I dont know why people hate epi pickups so much. They arent great but they do their job well. So far the only sound I can't get out of this guitar is a Texas Blues type sound which I wasnt expecting. Everything else is done very nicely. Most versatile guitar I"ve ever played.

Well the action on mine isn't set low so I can get string resistance but also a few bad frets keep me from going low but that is due to excessive playing. To me the action is heaven, fits my hand perfectly. The neck is slightly thinner than the gibson model but its better that way. The finish is beautiful but cant take scratches and dings to well.

I dont have a backup and will never need one with this guitar. Sturdy as a rock and you can tell by its massive weight, but hey like zack wylde says about LP weight "grow some hair on your balls wimp!"

Havent dealt with em.

Great guitar, highly recommended for a low budget guy and rich guys alike.

This is a great guitar for its price. The Black Beauty has three humbuckers (anyone who loves versatility will love this guitar; I know some guitarists aren't very versatile, though), all passive. The body is made of mahogany, as is the neck, with a carved alder top for just a bit of a brighter tone, and the fretboard is rosewood. Nice classy pearloid inlays. The neck is very fast playing, and probably the only drawback is that it's very difficult to reach the 22nd fret (21st fret is fine), but that's not a huge issue unless you're just weird like I am. And well, the easy solution would be tapping the 22nd instead, which is done a lot. It's just a very solid guitar with massive sustain (set neck with a HEAVY body). Oh, yeah, the body is pretty heavy compared to other guitars, but you get used to it. It's not an issue. And it's more comfortable for me, now.

I play pretty much everything from soft rock, blues, jazz, alt rock, hard rock, metal... But mostly, I play prog rock. This guitar meets every one of those requirements quite well. The only drawback is that it is only mediocre for metal. But this is really where the guitar shines. It will handle almost everything you throw at it. The bridge is great, turning the tone knob up for a great, bright, distorted lead tone for all the harder rock songs you're bound to play. Then, turn the tone knob down for a muddy, messy, grunge sound.

Flip to the mid. This is an interesting pick-up because it has the bassiness and warmth of the neck pick-up, and the brighter, dirtier sound of the bridge. Well, it's not bright enough and too bassy for lead... But the neck is TOO bassy and TOO warm for metal or hard rock rhythm... So I use the mid for my heavy rhythm playing. It's perfect. It handles distortion very well, but has that rhythm tone to it. Literally, I can get the perfect rhythm sound out of this for metal (that it is so bassy, yet bridge-like at the same time make it great distorted for metal; my issue with metal palying on this guitar comes from the bridge and lead).

Flip the switch up again, and you've got the neck. LIterally, this is the best pick-up. Make just a little brighter with the tone knob, and you've got a warm, creamy jazz tone. A great blues down. Turn the tone knob down, and you've got a bassy almost acoustic-like rhythm for softer sounds. Turn it up again, and strum some open chords, and every note rings clearly, warmly, smoothly. The epitome of "clean electric guitar." Leave the tone closer to five, and play some alt rock licks.

Literally, this guitar is probably the most versatile I have ever witnessed [i]with the stock pick-ups in[/i]. And maybe you're not looking for ultimate versatility in a guitar, but imagine if you're a metal guitarist, and want to be able to play chunky rhythms, insane shred solos, and everything in between. Well, switch the pick-ups out to better suit your tastes, and you have the ultimate metal guitar. If you're all jazz, blues, and softer things, then switch them out, and you've got every sound you could ever want, with gorgeous clarity. But the best part about this guitar is the potential to play everything. Switch the bridge out to something that is very heavy, very hot, and just scorching with distortion... Perfect metal/rock lead guitar. Switch the mid out to something a little more versatile and all-around rock-like, and you can get most tones inbetween, whether you want heavy rhythm playing, or just plain alt rock sounds. And then the neck... Do something gorgeous with this. Put a jazz pick-up in. Put a pick-up in known for gorgeous clean tone... And you now have EVERY sound you could ever want. In one guitar.

I ordered from Musician's Friend, and it came pretty much set-up. The action was too low for my tastes (perfect for a lot of people I know; I just play with higher action), so I raised it. The only issue I had was with my strap peg, because it came out, and the wood was almost smooth inside the hole. So I did the toothpick method, and it doesn't budge, now. The gold hardware on the guitar fades a little, but I've done a good job of wiping the guitar down after every session, so it's good and shiny. I won't mind when it fades, either, because it's starting to get a really good, aged look.

I have had this guitar for two years. Other than the strap peg, nothing has gone wrong. When I get some more money, I will turn it into the most versatile guitar ever. But the pick-ups that come stock are great, too. I have gigged with this guitar without a back-up, and it has never failed on me (unless I broke a string, but who can help that? That's not the guitar's fault). The finish is thick, and so far, has not scratched at all. I keep in the hardshell case I have, so maybe that's why it isn't scratched. I love this guitar to pieces, and it has not yet failed me.

Can't say.

I have been playing for three years, which is not that long, though, I suppose, but I'm better than anyone else I know save two guys who're just godly (one of which is in my band, so I'm good). Of every guitar I have played, this is the most versatile. There are sounds from this you cannot get with any other guitar. And any other guitar won't be able to match every sound the Black Beauty can pummel forth. You cannot, however, make this guitar sound like a Strat (thank god; least in my case), because no matter how bright it gets, it is still meaty. There is still a very full tone to it. It can get very bright, though.

There is nothing, really, I can say about this guitar that I really dislike. I don't hate anything, even if I don't get a great lead metal tone out of it. I mean, it's extremely versatile. It matches so many sounds, and furthermore, the POTENTIAL it has for reaching other sound is great once you ocnsider all the pick-up combitinations and such you can do to it. I don't think I'd even bother getting the Gibson, because I probably would've been not as happy. I mean, '57 Classics are great, but I would want to switch the pick-ups out. I would want each pick-up to be different, and while it is put together better, it seems to me that the Gibson is mostly for the pick-ups, which.. if I kept them in, it would never be as versatile as it could be.

If this guitar were lost or stolen... I would cry. I would cry, and stab the thief. I'd stab him repeatedly. And then castrate him. Yes, I would buy it again.

2003 model? Could be older as it had a lot of dust on it from sitting around the store. Standard set up with Grover tuners and typically dodgey Epi hardware.

My style is an typical conglomeration of post-punk angst with a dash of jangled Britpop.

The stock pick ups are pure mud. No tonal clarity. They Sound awful. I really don't understand why Epihphone even bothers since the first thing you have to do is swap them out. I went with Seymour Duncans and now this guitar sounds x100 better. No matter what you upgrade to it can only improve the sound. I think tinfoil and some ungrounded wires could sound better.

The third pick up provides the range I think is often missing from other Les Paul copies. This alone is obviously why I went with the Black Beauty. This thing has a balls-out roar and can deliver a fuller overall sound. The natural sustain of the guitar is great. Even if the body is made out of the equivalent of balsa wood. The only problem I have is that I wish the 3-way toggle had more options. There should be at least 5 settings, like on a Strat, but unfortunately Epiphone has deemed this unnecessary. So my next project will be to replace that switch (which needs it anyway). My evaluation of the sound is based only upon the new pickups- I think that replacing the stock pickups is a must.

Factory set up is moot because everybody's playing style is different and so are their hands. The factory strings are little better than household wire strung across the neck. They feel like plastic, not even like metal. Again, this seems like poor planning on Epi's part because if you were to judge this thing in the store by it's factory picks ups and strings... I doubt you'd buy it.

Once set up the neck is fast and comfortable. Really nice detailing and overall craftsmanship. Strange how Epi bodies are always really well made but the hardware is always shoddy. Hmmm. It is a beautiful instrument though, no doubt about that.

The toggle is VERY noisy. But the knobs and input jack are fine. The frets are well done and nothing has pulled apart or come unglued.

Live it's winner. the Grovers are fairly stable and the weight is just right for me. The gold plating is fast wearing off, but I really don't care. In fact I like the tarnished look. Makes me think I've been playing harder and longer than I really have.

Haven't needed it but I wouldn't even bother given what I've heard.

For the money, even after upgrading the hardware, this guitar is well worth it. It plays and looks great. I've always preferred the Gibson style guitar and neck but never have the cash to buy the the top shelf versions. I think with the right modifications this thing comes close. And if you wreck it or someone burgles it then your not out a lot of cash.

I'd definitely get another if anything ever happened to it.

hey this is a revision of a review i did a long time ago. frankly i'm fed up w/ the switch on this guitar. it breaks every 4 months or so. and ya know that wouldn't be all that bad...i could deal with that if all i had to do was buy a replacement, high quality switchcraft switch. but no...they have to make the hole for the toggle so that the only switch that fits in is their piss poor korean toggle. i'm about 4 months away from boring the current hole, because the switch craft isn't long enough, and putting it in there. then, my rock solid les paul will be fragile because it will only have 3/16ths of an inch of wood left. ya know, i've put far too much money into this guitar for it to just break. i know it's a 600 dollar guitar, and that might not seem to much next to a gibson, but that's a lotta money. i'm buying a fender. screw epiphone.

if any one is considering buying this guitar ask yourself a question first. "do i really need 3 pickups?" i used to think so till i played for a while and realized all i use is my neck pickup for clean and distortion. maybe i'll just have the guitar soldered so that that's the only pickup i can use...just bypass the switch. save up for a little while longer and buy a used gibson studio, not as pretty lookin but it's got a million times better tone and feel. a crappy gibson is better than an awesome epiphone.

22 frets, made in Korea, 2002-2003, Maple Carv-top, mahogony back, 2 tone, 2 vole, 3 way selector, 3 humbuckers (they arent the greatest)
neck is mahogony.

I play a general sound of hardrock, blues, and metal (black metal, thrash, etc) and I'm also into vitruoso styles of music. I'm basically using a marshall combo, 65 watts, dod chorus pedal, and a dunlop jimi hendrix wah. personally for me, I love the sound of it. It sounds beautiful for blues, and despite what you may think, It does sound good for metal (Opeth,et) But I also have it rigged with jazz strings, on standard. (SRV fan)

Action needed a little adjustment, but other than that it's fine, The bridge needed a little adjustment also, but thats just for my jazz strings, set up on 009's or 010's, it seemed fine.

Reliability, It needs a tonepro's bridge, without a doubt, and at first, the machine heads didnt do shit, they slipped alot, and the strings fell out of tune in 3 seconds. So I stripped those and put on some Grovers and it works fine. Also with jazz strings its less likely to fall out of tune.

I wouldnt use it at a gig, without a back up. It really does need a tone pro's locking bridge, the finish is good, the gold will fade though, sadly.

Never dealt with them. has a 5 year warranty I believe, but thats only if you dont change anything, which i'm going to do, so out of luck there

I've been playing since I was 9-10, and I'm 18 now. I also own a Jackson DKMG (one of my favorite guitars). If it was stolen, I'm not sure if I would buy another, Because no guitar is like another. My favorite feature is the Middle pick up, I do believe you get a lot more tone out of it (which matters alot).

No guitar is like another, read this, go from there, The guitar really needs to be broken in before it shines, and yes its not the real deal, but I don't have $3,000 and, half of the reason why Gibsons are so expensive is cuz of there name, edromanguitars.com (check out heritage)

I think this category has been beat to death. Came with an Epiphone Hardshell Case. Mine was made in Korea in 1995. Bought it in 1996. Still have it.

The sound is awesome on this guitar! I play a little bit of everything. Rock, Metal, Country, Jazz, Blues, etc. This guitar is best suited for Rock or Metal, but you can pull off blues in a pinch. I play through an 80 Watt Marshall Combo. I have several effects, but the guitar pairs well with my Boss Metal Zone pedal. Black Beauty + Metal Zone (Gain cranked to Max) + Marshall = Demolition Quality Riffs! Played clean, the pickups are a bit weak. A boost from a pedal of some kind is definitely in order.

It played well right out of the box. After playing it for a couple years, it developed a string buzz around the 1st-3rd frets. I took it to the local repair shop. A truss rod adjustment, intonation adjustment, slight string lowering, and $50 later, no more buzz. When I first bought it, the gold tailpiece was already almost silver. Since it was bought new it was disappointing, but everything else was in such good shape, I didn't want to take any chances by sending it back for another one. Especially since I had heard it would happen anyway. The binding was middle of the road quality.

This is a very durable guitar. Very solidly built. I think "like a tank." was used earlier. I agree. The paint has held up well. From standard wear and tear from years of use, I have a few dents in the finish, but the paint has never chipped off. The gold on the pickups has slowly been tarnishing. It might not have if I wiped them down after each time playing, but with the strings in the way, what a pain in ass. I have used this guitar at gigs with no backup and felt comfortable doing so.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 13 years. I also own a DeArmond Starfire Special, Yamaha 5-string Bass (w/Active pickups), A Seagull Duet II Acoustic with Solid Cedar Top and L.R. Baggs pick up, and various other El Cheapo guitars (Squire, Danelectro, etc.) If it was lost or stolen, there is a 50-50 chance I would replace it. For the money, it has been a diamond in the rough. If I did some shopping and found a great deal on a Gibson, I'd probably trade up though. I love the fact that it has been so reliable, has great sustain, almost never goes out of tune, and is very easy to play. I hate the tarnished gold hardware. What crap. I don't know why they even put gold harware on guitars that are going to be played.

I'm offering this as an update to my previous review. I had always planned to upgrade the pickups on this wonderful guitar to Seymour Duncan SH-1's. I finally got the pickups from Black Rose on line at a great price and with great support. I diverged from the look of the model by going with black SH1's. It wasn't cost, just my preference.

I took the conversion a step further. In a recent interview with Peter Frampton he talked about the new version of the Black Beauty is was putting out with Gibson. I like the way he has the pickups wired so that is what I did.

Here's the new arrangement:

The neck and bridge pickups are wired to the upper volume and tone control (the ones closest to the bridge). It is now a master volume and tone control.

The neck and bridge pickups are wired to the three-way toggle (which I also replaced and it made a major difference, like no sound when I change settings). So it operates like a standard Les Paul neck-neck/bridge- bridge, off of the same volume and tone.


The middle pickup is wired to the bottom volume and tone controls and I blend it in and out with the volume control.

I now have the same three settings as before except I can adjust the middle pickup - and that offers a lot of color experimentation. I also have a neck/bridge, neck/middle, neck/middle/bridge, and middle.

So, the combination of the enhanced pickups and re-wiring the pickup switching(I also replaced most of the wires that came with the guitar)has made this just a fantastic sounding guitar. My Marshall DSL50 head and 1936 2x12 with greenbacks sounds so beyond awesome it has openned up a whole new level of enjoyment for me.

It cost me about $240 in parts (pickups and switch) and $60 in labor

22 fret, Tune-o-Matic stop tail, Triple Humbucker setup

Very versatile, playing everything from jazz, to ska, to flat out punk rock with the flick of a switch (and a POD 2.0 of course)
Hard to "dial in" the sound you want, ends up being too much low end or too twangy without really tweaking it for a while.

The store I bought it from sets up every guitar before putting them out for sale, so i can say how it came from the factory. This thing played like a dream when I sat down with it at the store. Love at first pluck... The finish is prime with no visible flaws.

I've owned this guitar for about 4 years now and it is still going strong. The only exception in the plated hardware, which is almost all down to the chrome... The gold is all but gone. I know I don't take as good of care as I should (wiping down after playing each time and all), but I'm certainly not abusive either. Stays in tune for days...even when playing out.

Only time I contacted them was about the plating when it first started happening. The responded with "take better care of your guitar". To which I responded, "How should I take care of the guitar?". The answer??? "Just like you would any other guitar." Thanks...but obviously I don't know how that is. Not much help.

I'm just a hobbyist when it comes to guitar... I like to collect gear and I've been playing for about 13 years, but most of that time has been off and on. I've owned about 5 guitars, all less expensive than this. I LOVE this guitar even with all the gold plating worn off. I would definitely buy another one, even without losing this one! Then I would have two of these bad boys and maybe I could keep the gold from coming off the second one!

pickup sucks

i have an ibanez RG 170 R, my very first guitar.
Compared to the black beauty , the RG has a much more power so much more that that when u barre your power chords it sounds fantastic.
But this guitar has all the finest sounds and sharpness great quality for sound but not good for power. TO make this guitar your best axe , change/wax your pickups

great!!!!!

gold wears out

it's good yeah. but definitely not for metal..
it's okay for punk rock but best is changing the pickups n this guitar will be the best of the arsenal.. fuck gibson.. they rip u off.. get an epiphone =)

It has 3 pickups, gold hardware, great tuners, a gold POS switch, and pickups that sleep with pigs.


check other reviews for more specific info.

I've been playing for about 4 years and my equiptment has always been vary diverse. i've played an epiphone dot, a gibson dot, a fender standard strat, a fender toronado, an ancient squire strat (much better than modern squires), and now this Les Paul. For amps i've been playing pretty much the same thing, a fender twin reverb. For effects i've been using a proco Rat, a Line 6 DL-4, with a boss TU-2 tuner.

But enough about me, lets talk about Beth (i named her beth)

The guitar sounds muddy, like every other epiphone though right? I play this guitar through the cleanest amp ever made and it sounds muddy. i've put the bass knob to 2 and the treble to 7 and it still sounds muddy. The guitar definately has a rich full sound, and it feels great, but the tone is just pttttttttttttt.

If you gut this guitar which i'm planning on doing, it will sound amazing. I'm going to put in a 57' classic in the neck position, a 57' classic plus in the middle and in the bridge. i'm also planning on getting the switch changed because it twists and the ground pops off and makes a hell of a racket. with all this fixed, for about $400 with installation,it should sound like a million bucks hey it's better than spending $2300 on a gibson.

I got the guitar used, but i don't think anything was done to it. the action is perfect for me. even though the neck is like a 2x4 you can still nail barre chords and rip if you please. The pickups are well balanced, still sound muddy. the only problems i have with it is the pickup selector twisted and broke the ground, and it looks like it's trying to do it again. if you have this guitar definately get a gibson switch or at least use a star washer to prevent it from spinning. The guitar weighs a metric ton, but that's good, it lets you know it's made sturdy. All the hardware has a gold finish which fades from use but it adds character. The tuner pegs definately rock, compared to my strat this thing never goes out of tune.

did i mention this guitar is GORGEOUS?

The guitar will definately withstand playing live. Now the finish, ehh, it seems thin but i'm not one to worry about that. if i have a scratch on my guitar it's only adding character. who wants a pristine guitar anyway? it's just gonna make you worry about hurting it. Like i said before the guitar's hardware is all gold and is wearing down but it looks good still. the strap buttons are in there good but i don't trust them, i put in strap locks immediately. i am definately depending on this guitar not crapping out on me especially after all the money i'm putting into it. with a new switch selector and pickups it will be ready for the war. but because i'm a little OCD i'll get a back up guitar.

i haven't dealt with them. i got it from Daddy's Junky Music, they take care of me well enough.

I've been playing rock for 4 years, this guitar is gonna be going through a music man 130 head and a fender Ge-14 4x12 cab. It's going to fit in nicely once everything is set up. The guitar is beautiful, with new pickups and a switch it'll sound as good as it looks. if you have $800 to $1000 dollars to spend on a guitar, this is the one for you. you can easily make this into a Gibson Black Beauty and save $1500. If the guitar was stolen i'd buy another one, USED, and fix it up again. it's a great empty vessel, crappy sounding guitar, but with slight modifications you can make it sing.

You've read them. But this particular guitar just felt unreal when I picked it up and put my hand around the neck. It was different than any of the other Epiphone LP's I had played that day and I had made up my mind to buy it almost immediately. I gave it a 9 because I love the guitar, but these are basic Les Paul features - humbuckers a switch and a solid bridge. Not a lot of complexity - which is exactly what I wanted. A real classic.

I had played a strat for years and never could get it to feel right or sound right for me. The Black Beauty felt just fantastic in my hands. I was not certain I would like the 3 pickup arrangement with the bridge and middle working together, but now that I have played it for over a month, I have found that I like this position as much as the bridge or neck alone. There is significant difference in tone in all three positions and I really like that. Even unplugged I get a nice even sound from this beauty.

I do plan to put in Seymour Duncan pickups in the near future. Not because the stock pickups are that bad, but because I like the sound of the 59's

I liked this right off the wall. East Coast Music, where I bought it, also provided a free setup with the purchase. They suggested I take it home and play for a few weeks then come back in. I took the suggestion and sat with Barry while he set it up and played it at several stages during the setup. The feel is now fantastic and it plays so nice that I find myself playing during most of my free time even unplugged. That is the test of a great feeling guitar. I would recommend a good setup. I've had them done on other guitars, but not anywhere near as good as this one. It is impressive to see a great luthier at work and to be able to experience the adjustments as they happen.

The only blemish on the finish was a small bump in the lacquer on the edge of the neck right near the fretboard around fret 7. I took out a very fine piece of sandpaper and lightly sanded it smooth then took some toothpaste and buffed it to gloss (toothpaste has a very fine abrasive like jewelers polish). That fixed, I have no defects on the finish. It is a great looking guitar and when I have taken it to the store to test amps, I consistently get a comment about how cool it looks.

It is a bit heavy compared to my Strat, but it feels so good that I don't really notice it.

Everything on the guitar seems well made. I would only take extra strings to a gig. This baby produces all the tones I need.

never had to use them

I am a self taught guitarist having played off and on for 10+ years. Only recently have I started taking learning theory seriously. Having this guitar has rejuvenated my willingness to learn and it makes me want to play for as many hours as I can each day. A guitar that makes you want to get better is just what your looking for. I think this guitar is fantastic. I would go and get another one if this one were lost or stolen, but I fear that I may not find one that feels this good. My favorite feature is that it is black with gold. It is just a kick ass guitar.

this is a guitar. it was made in korea or some asian country. it has 20 frets on a rosewood fretboard. it has 3 humbuckers which really rock. 2tone 2volume. i have the epiphone stock hums and they work for me. passive electronics blah blah blah. its mahogany with a maple top. black satin finish (duh). its a pretty les paul that weighs about a ton but sustains forever. IT HAS A BRIDGE! wow. medium jumbo frets. didnt come with a gig bag or hardshell case which ticked me off. had to pay $70 for a nice case. good features. sexy gold hardware...

i play all styles but am partial to emo and (keep reading im not a punk-moron) some punk. it fits my style perfectly, which im not sure what it really is right now. im using a crapy lil 25w peavy transtube and the guitar still sounds awesome. its not noisy at all and has a big fat sound. it can make any sound you want it to. you just have to know how to use it :). i like the 3 pickups. played an epi custom and this sounds subtly different. i dislike that it was broken when they sent it to me.

from the factory it was broken. the fretboard was cracking off the neck! but it still played and you know i played that till the last moment i had it. it had awesome action and the pickups were well adjusted. musician's friend sent me another one (which rocked cuz i still could play it till the new one got here). i dont think this new guitar is as nice as the first one, even tho its not broken. the strings buzz after the 12th fret no matter how high you have them.

this guitar is built like a fricken tank. it weighs about 200 pounds. it could withstand live playing, but could you? the hardware looks kinda cheap but its gold and is awesome. i thought the finish was thick until i scratched it(whoops) the finsish isnt too thick and with as rough as it will be played i dont know if itll last. the strap buttons were ok, but after i dropped it and broke the jack plate i put on some straplocks. i bought a chrome plate because they didnt have brass or gold-plated (a downside to gold hardware). i can depend on this guitar fully. after being dropped numerous times it still sounds like new. i would use it on a gig but more likely than not i would have another guitar with it, just to keep it company :)

after they sent me a broken guitar i called them up and was like "what the heck". they were really nice and just sent me another within 3 days. 90 day warranty i think. its expired by now but i dont think id be able to part with it anyway.

ive been playing for a few years. i own a peavy 25w transtube, a squier strat (stop laughing bitch), a squier champ 15w, and am about to buy a Marshall AVT150H and a 1960A. i wish i had seen it before id bought it. it was broken! but still musicians friend sent me another so its cool. if it were stolen i would walk to my friends house and get it back from the guy (all my friends envy my perdy guitar because they play squeers.) if it were burned or it exploded i would prolly save up and buy a real gibson. this guitar rocks, dont get me wrong, but its kindof expensive and i wouldve just saved a little more and bought the real thing. i love the 3 humbuckers. it really adds a new flavor to the guitar. i hate that it buzzes... a lot. i would recommend this guitar to any kid whos sick of playing his squeer strat that he bought because he didnt do his homework first. i know i was. this guitar is a bit pricey for kids just starting out, but its worth every penny

My Les Paul Black Beauty was made in Korea. It has three humbucker pickups, that gibson shipping labels acroos the pickups, and they are wired Bridge, Bridge/middle, neck. All the hardware is gold plated.

Sound is awesome!! Its got the greatest sustain of any guitar I have ever owned, and I have been playing since 1969 and have owned many guitars. The sound is so good it is very playable rythm/lead wise not even using an amp. Hammer on's/pulloffs etc!! When I use it with my Fender cyber twin 2-12, it blows me away, with the sound! Its got a very rich sound! It sound so alive!!! I have never played a guitar that sounded so alive!! I can make it talk with sounds that I could never achieve befor! I Play many different styles of music, and love the sound of this guitar with all them. In fact, I won't even play my other guitars now, because they sound so dull.

Eveything on this guitar was perfect. The first one I ordered on the net had so many problems, that I got a RTA from the store and sent it back. It had mars and dings and the pick guard was hanginmg loose and the neck pickup was pushed in and it had broken strings on it and the pickup switch was broken. Also, it looked very used. The one I now own, I bought at a store that had it on display, so I got to try it out first. It was perfect in everyway. I made no adjustments to the neck, pickups, intonation, or anything. It was perfectly setup to start with.

I think this guitar would play in any situation for anyone, regardless of the style of music they play. Everything seems to be holding up accept for one thing. The gold finish on the bridge, seems to be wearing off because of my resting my palm there and muting the strings at times when I play. It has a slight silver cast to it now, but, I have to tell you. If thats all that happens, I really don't care if it does. I love this guitar so much, thats nothing but a sign of me playing it so much.

No prblems with the manufacturer. The first company on the net refunded my money with no problems.

I have been playing since 1969 and the combination of this guitar and the Fender Cyber Twin 2-12 is the best I have ever played. I have owned peavey guitars and amps and ampeg guitar, guild guitar and Crate amplifiers and others..

Made in Korea last year. 22 frets. Fat 50's style neck, stop - tailpiece, 3 Humbuckers, Mahogany body and top, gotoh tuners.

Sounds raunchy and how any guitar should. Gives real grunt even when played clean at low volumes. Rhythm Humbucker sounds round and phat, Bridge 'Bucker gives sustain and feedback to die for! There is nothing bad I have to say about this guitar sound. I am using it with a rough Disto' pedal and a cry baby Wah.

Guitar had quite a high action when I got it, but I have lowered it. It has quite a noisy but perpousful sounding "Clunk" when the pickup selector is used, but that's it

Have played with many people who have got expensive and up-market guitars at very high volumes and it has blown them away. The hardware and the finish look amazing and will not come off in a hurry. I would happily bring only this guitar to a gig.

I have been playing for around a year. I have one other guitar which is a "Vintage" Les Paul copy. If the Epiphone got nicked, I would buy the same thing immediately. I love everthing on it - the action, the feel - just everything! I play it through a Marshall 150 Watt Combo which sounds and looks fantastic.

this is an update on my black beauty,i recently got after waiting for 5 months.the old guitar apparantly had a nonfixable flaw ,so i got a brand new one,and this one`s a killer ,both in looks and sound.even the three way switch is working properly,but as always i`m gonna replace it for a gibson switch,and of course the humbuckers ,although for the price they are quite good.there are so many that put down epiphone`s humbuckers,but what do you expect???

Made in May 2002, Made in canada
22 frets, solid top, three way switch 2 volume 2 tone..
black, les paul style, neck 24.75
..case, strap, picks, polish cloth...etc..

This kind of guitar suits my style of music great which is blues/jazz/rock
I'm using a fender blues devil 212, with morley cry baby.
This set up is a really full sound
the guitar is a nice all around guitar good distortion sound, and clean
I love the guitar..but my only dislike is that you can't turn on the first and third picks to get a gibson sound..

The guitar is setup great.

Well i never had any trouble with it..

The company that i ordered it at was a very friendly group..and i would gladly shop there again..lifetime warranty on it..

I've been play for 8 years, i own a 1979 tele deluxe fender reverb 60 watt, I'd would buy it again if stolen, I love the neck(wide-fat) also the action and sounds great, I played a swamp ash special(prs) and i like the black beauty better,

2000,made in korea ,black ,fat neck,three humbuckers everybody knows the details...it`s a les paul

it sounds exellent considering the price.everybody is complaining about the humbuckers but what do you expect at this price range???very gibson-like tone and loooong sustain.

not very well i`m afraid.I had to send it back for repairs.the fret at around the 9th one was bad and made a nonmusical tone(plunk) whenever i pressed down my fingers so that had to be fixed.otherwise really good for the price paid.very good workmanship

it is solid as a rock.the goldplating will rub off after a while.that`s ok.I depend on it..nuff said

epiphone and gibson is the best.totally exellent support from them

been playing for 15 years or so,own 13 guitars .would buy it again if stolen .best epiphone lp I have encountered.although it`s not as good as a gibson I have to say it rocks

Made in 1998, gold hardware mahogany body and neck I think, with a rosewood fretboard. It has 3 pickups and 2 tone & 2 volume knobs with a 3-way selector. The switch selects bridge, bridge+middle, neck. It is not possible to have all 3 pickups on at once with the standard wiring.

This guitar can give pleasant clean and overdriven sounds from all of the p/ups. The clean sound is typical Les Paul, lots of body and not too much top end, and the overdrive sounds are very crunchy and have plenty of whack. The stock p/ups on this guitar really let it the rest of the guitar down though. There is no sustain (I get more from my Strat with single coils) and they are very prone to microphonic feedback even at low volume. I am used to Seymours and Gibson stock pickups on my V, and I will soon be replacing these with Seymours (JB & Jazz). Don't get me wrong though, this guitar can make some good sounds, but the pickups aren't up to high gain antics. I give it 7, but would rate it 9 after the pickup change(after hearing a friend's Epi LP with JB's in it)

I got the guitar 2nd hand from Ebay and the set-up was ok but I stripped it down anyway and set it up to my spec. The guitar was in very good condition and apart from a few flaws in the finish, mainly around the neck join, this is a very nicely built guitar. The hardware is ok (i've never been fond of gold hardware as it seems to go to crap unless it's very good quality) and the tuners work well. They do have a higher ratio then most tuners I have used though.

I am now a firm user of fixed bridge guitars based solely on reliability. This axe is very solid and I would use it live without worrying. I give it an 8, and it only really loses marks because of the gold hardware's tendancy to discolour and because of the electrics (I'm never a fan of stock switches and pots on cheaper guitars. I always use Schaller now, and would recommend them to anyone.)

Not dealt with.

Compared to my other guitars (88 Strat, Gibson V, Epi Sheraton & Steinberger Spirit) this is very good for the cash. The pickups let it down but they are easily changed (#240 approx for gold cover Seymours though!!!!). If it was stolen I would save up and get a Gibson Black Beauty. Part of the reason I bought this guitar was for the look. If you really don't need 3 pickups, and are not fussy about image, get an Epi Les Paul standard and bang a couple of decent pickups in it. It would make a lot a guitar for the money!

VERY PLEASED WITH PURCHASE....OF EPIPHONE LES PAUL BLACK BEAUTY BOUGHT THROUGH MUSICIANS FRIEND.SOUNDS GREAT..

CLEAN&LEADS ON PEAVEY 212BANDIT SOUNDS GOOD...DIRTY TRY THE MARSHALL:)

ACTION & FINISH VERY PLEASED GOLD PLATE WEARS WITH USE BUT THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED...

VERY DURABLE

N/A

OWN SEVERAL GUITARS ONE OF WHICH IS A GIBSON AND AM PLEASED WITH MY PURCHASE FOR THE PRICE YOU CANT REALLY COMPLAIN..

1997,three custom pickups, vibrotone tailpiece, made in Korea

I play in a band that plays a variety of music from early rock n roll to hard rock to blues to country. The sound of the lead pickup is good the middle pikup is pretty good and the neck pickup is crap. This guitar does not stay in tune for the length of one single song.

I like the action and the guitar is very attractive looking. frets are kind of out of whack.

does not stay in tune, so what is the point. A song only sounds good if it is in tune.

I've been playing for twenty one years, I have a fender strat that I can play all night long without retuning. I think from now on I'll stick with fender guitars.

This is a beatiful guitar with a gold finish it is a pleasure to play
it has 23 frets easy to play and very good for impressing the girls and it is very light.

It is perfect for the punk sounds like green day and the offspring the overdrive sounds go perfect with it, the sound is fantastic it has a full sound to it you cant beat it.

This guitar was fitted together perfectly even if if is a bit hard to pluck the strings with the pickups getting in the way. The only flaw i can find was that the tuning pegs are loose when they touch something and it goes out of tune which can F**K you off a bit

What can i say it is perfect there is nothing wrong the one problem is that the strap lock screw was coming loose so i just bought a new screw. it can cope with anything.

Never had a big problem but i guess they would be helpful

This guitar is brilliant it has a perfect sound and it is very beautiful i have been playing for 5 years now and i havent had a better guitar and i have had about 15 different guitars and if anyone hasnt got one get one you B*****DS.

I think it was made in Korea in 1998. 22 frets. Black finish on a mahogany body. Mahogany neck. Carved maple top. Rosewood fretboard. 3 gold humbuckers. 3-way selector for pickups. 2 tone & 2 volume knobs. Tune-o-matic bridge. Whatever. You can scan the other reviews for more detailed descriptions, because I don't like you enough to be more specific. You're a bit odd looking.

I get tired of people classifying gear to different genres of music. "Oh, you have to have a strat if you're playing punk.", "To be punk you have to do things this way." Screw all that. This guitar is a great guitar for whatever music you're gonna play. I happen to play punk stuff. My favorite bands are Nirvana, Bad Religion, Green Day, Pennywise, Mudhoney, Weezer and Pearl Jam. You can get a really heavy sound or a really great high end sound. The only thing that I don't like is the fact that if i'm sitting in front of my computer monitor playing, it buzzes on high end settings, but what guitar doesn't? To alleviate this problem, I just turn my monitor off, which is a pain since it takes 10 seconds to turn back on, and when you're recording, that can be annoying. Anyway, I love the sound, this guitar has helped me become a much better guitarist. Its great for soloing or anything. I used to use a whoppin' 22 watt harmony amp with a BOSS DS/2 pedal for overdrive and distortion. Now, i play through a Marshall VS100 Combo Amp, which despite some of the reviews for IT, ROCKS HARD!! I havent' been using the BOSS pedal anymore, because the amp's built-in distortion far surpasses the power of the boss. One of my favorite things about this guitar is that it NEVER goes out of tune, even when being transported in my cloth bag, with the exception of the g-string, which everyone knows always goes out of tune on any GIBSON guitar.

It came by way of UPS one fine summer's day. It was a glorious departure from my JCPenny bought Synsonics guitar. I couldn't contain myself upon seeing it. It played great right out of the box. But, since then i've had several problems with the pickup selector switch and knobs. For a while i lost complete control of the rhythm pickup, because the selector switch had faulty wiring. I jiggled the wires and foudn that in certain positions there were no problems. I (as strangly as it may sound) jammed some tissue paper in under the wiring after locating the best position for it. That seemed to work, but later, when one of the nuts holding in the tone knob started coming loose, I attempted to tighten it, but it the process ripped apart some of the soldering in the electronics. I quickly tore open the back panel and used some speaker wire to repair the break, and it it appears to have worked, with no loss in quality. The action was good out of the box, but needed minor tweaking to my tastes. There were no apparent cosmetic flaws.

Ha! Of course this guitar will withstand live playing. As many people have stated, this thing is built like a howitzer(Its a tank!), but with that comes the inevitable truth that the thing is heavy as hell. My friend plays a Squier Strat and this thing weighs a shitload more than the Strat. The gold on the hardware is wearing off after about a year, but that doesn't matter, cuz it was sorta tacky looking, but it actually looks more like real gold when there's a silver tint to it. The finish seems to be a couple of inches thick. Mine has a few nicks but i've never seen the wood and I'd like to keep it that way. The strap buttons were immediately replaced with strap locks and they havent' failed me yet. With a few minor repairs, it seems to be the most dependable guitar I've ever seen. I'd never need a backup with this guitar.

I've heard that the customre support is shit, but I've never heard of a guitar company with good support, but I hope I never have to contact them.

I've been playing for about 4 years, but seriosly for about 2 years. The first 2 years were good for solidifying my rhythm skills. I mentioned my gear above. I'd defintely get another one if it mysterious vanished. What do I love about it? What don't I love about it!!!! It just plain rocks. I've played several other guitars and I think this one is great. I've found none better for the value. I wish sometimes that the neck wasn't as thick or wide, so i could move around a little faster, but its not a big deal.

Solid body, volume, tone, 4 knobs, 3 way selctor, 3 humbuckers.
black finish, duh, came with perfect fit case, and tools.

sound is very versitile, i play many kinds of music from blues to rock to somewhat folky songs and it fits into every genre. the sound can be so deep and rich to very high toned. I actually use an acoustic amp with it and it suites it well or clean, crisp deep sounds. I also put a zoom 505 multi effects pedal which doesn't suite my style but i got it cheap so some effects work great for getting that distorted style lacking from my amp. The guitar can wale when i get the right effects going but plainly it sounds great. Its always clean. nothing i can think of that i dont like about it.

From what i know, its was set up well, it had all of the humbuckers set at the right heights and it even came in tune! THe action is amazing right out of the case, perfect height for the strings. No flaw. The pickup selector does make a flick sound when you change while playing through an amp but i am pretty sure all guitars do that.
THe tuners were loose the first few times but after a few plays they stay tuned well.

This guitar can withstand playing hard, the pickguird takes all the scratches and the body is left looking beautiful. the hardware does seem like it will last, it was recommended to me to get new pickups, but im very happy with these, i see no reason to. The strap button are solid, finish is very good. I would use this guitar on a gig without a backup

got a tune up free from the company, sent it at their cost!

I have been playing for 3 years. I own an epiphone electric acoustic guitar model AJ18sce and an AR acoustic amp and a zoom 505 multi effect pedal. If it were stolen i would definetly buy another one. I love the finish the hardware, the action, the variety of tones and the reliability. I compared it to some other epiphones and some fenders and i liked this one. I also found a very good deal on it. Great buy for any level player.

Black body, Maple neck and 3 beautiful gold humbuckers. Mother of peal inlays.

When I first played this in the shop, I fell in love with it. It has the perfect tone for 'Stairway'. Amazing sound.

I got it second-hand, so it wasn't set-up at all. But after messing with the truss rod, the action is as good as it can be (although still not as good as my Strat).

I have been gigging with this guitar for only two years, so its difficult to judge. In that time though it hasn't failed me. I got it second hand, but it is still in near mint condition. One problem is that the jack input always comes unscrewed.

For the price I paid for this amazing guitar I can't give it less than 10/10. I love this guitar more than my life. If it was stolen, I would cry myself to sleep, for weeks. I would deffinatly replace it, even though it would cost four times as much as what I originally paid.
For the best sound use a Marshall JCM900, on the clean channel.

Standard L.P. layout. 3 humbuckers instead of 2. 3way selector switch. Stock pick-ups

In my band we play a wide range of songs. All the from Eurythmics and Lene Marlin which is more pop-rock I s'pose, to the more alternative stuff like Cranberries and Garbage. My very own preference is Oasis, which I tend to categorize is Rock/Rock 'n' Roll. Until recently I've been playing through a Park 15 watter and a Cheri 40 W.(Yes, neither are tonemonsters) I've just bought a Marshall JCM2000, cause I wanted some thing bigger and better. I got for a really good prize. My pedalboard is made up of the following: Dunlop Crybaby(soon to be raplaced by a VOX) > Boss SD-2 Dual overdrive > Marshall Jh-1 Jackhammer > Marshall ED-1 Compressor > Boss TR-2 Tremolo and a DOD flanger i borrowed from a friend. In the begin when I was playing it, I only used the neck pick-up, coz the two others just didn't do a good job. It appeared there was some faulty wiring, and after I got it fixed, it sounded better than ever before. Having described what we play in the band, I guess you can tell our repetoire is somewhat wide-spreading. The L.P. B.B. isn't the best guitar if you're looking for that bright shimmering jangle, then you should buy a telecaster, but if you're looking for fantastic overdrive sounds, it's nearly perfect. I say nearly, coz I'm thinking of changing the pick-ups. Some 57 classics or latest generation humbuckers would sound great.
The neck pick-up tends to tell you it's there.

The action was set a bit high, so lowered it. the result: you can now play lightning fast.
No problem with the pick-ups, but I think the guys at the store check-out every single guitar they sell.
Very attractive finish. On the other hand you have to be pretty gifted to screw a black guitar wouldn't you!?!

I wasn't pleased the fact that there was faulty wiring in a newly bought guitar. It did cost around 750$. After I got it fixed it has never failed me once.
The strap buttons aren't a week spot. I will replace them with some straplocks, as I find it hard not to jump up and down the stage.
I will always bring a backup guitar, but that's not coz I can't trust my LPBB, it's in case I snap a string or 6.
At the end of the day, after it was fixed, my guitar won't fail me.
I give this category a 7, because of the horrible wiring it initially had.

Never dealt with the company, just the retailer. I think the warranty is 3 years.

I've been playing for some years (I don't know how many)
My gear: Epiphone L.P. Black Beauty, Epiphone PR-200 Acoustic, PARK 15 watt, Marshall JCM2000 DSL50, 1960A lead cabinet, Boss SD-2 Dual overdrive, Boss TR-2 Tremolo, Marshall ED-1 Compressor, Marshall JH-1 Jackhammer.
If it was stolen/destroyed I would get another one.
I love its looks, playability and sound and I dislike the very limited use of the tone- and volume controls. You have to turn them all the way down to 3 before anything significant happens. I now it's best to keep the guitar at max volume, but if you're giging without a soundengineer it's to be able to control you sound yourself.
I compared my guitar to several single coiled guitars (read: fender) but they just didn't do anything for me. They had a nice clean sound, but I found that they couldn't handle overdrive very well. I wouldn't use single coils for any overdriven jobs, okay maybe 1 or 2. I had already ddeclared my love to the Les Paul guitar, and when I compared it to the SC's performances in overdrive mode, I knew which one to get. It's rather important to be able to produce a good overdrive sound, when your favourite band, and thus sound, is Oasis.

I bought mine at Sam Ash in the Philly metro area in July 2000, so I am assuming this is a '99 or '00 model. Made in Korea, set up in the US. 22 frets, 3-way selector, three gold stock humbuckers, passive electronics, mahogany wood, beautiful black finish with white body bindingm Tune-O-Matic bridge, seems to be standard Gibson tuners, medium frets on 24.75" scale neck. I purchased mine with an authentic Gibson case, which is only $20 more than the Epiphone and definately worth it. Plush all over the place with a three-digit combination lock, and has the Gibson USA logo large enough so that people know that you're playing the best.

The guitar has an amazing, endless sustain, punchy, not boomy, bottom end and bright, not overly-trebly top end. Warm creamy mids. I am using a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe tube amp with this, and I use a DOD Death Metal Distortion pedal for bedroom practice, when I can't saturate the power tubes. I play mainly late '70s style punk rock, and this guitar is perfect for that. At bedroom levels, the guitar has an amazing sound, however the pickups are VERY noisy and feedback constantly once my amp is at 3 (the loudest I have heard it so far, and believe me those 40 Fender tube watts at 3 out of the 12 that the knobs go to, was MUCH louder than the other guitarist's Marshall Valvestate half stack cranked to 10) so this may just be because I was standing 10 feet from the amp while it was loud enough to play a large club unmiked. My only problems with the pickups other than that is that the neck and middle pickups seem to sound quite similar when distorted, and the mid and bridge pickups sound similar when clean.

The guitar was set up rather well, but the action was a bit too low. It's not a Carvin, and the fretwork wasn't enough for the action to be that low. There are a few black paint streaks on the rosewood fretboard, other than that it is an amazing and beautiful guitar that definitely puts it center stage. My pickup selector was a bit noisy going from mid to neck pickup when I bought it, and unfortunately it has now reached the point where I have to jiggle it to get the neck pickup working. Guess I get to call customer support soon. Also, the G string sticks in the nut after bending the string, and can only be put back in tune after a sharp bend behine the nut. Otherwose it stays in perfect tune, although I will definitely be replacing the nut with a Teflon replacement.

I always have a backup guitar, even if it's the $100 pawn shop special. The hardware has already started going bad on me, but the finish is gonna be there for life. I replaced the strap buttons with Shcaller strap locks the day I bought it. The guitar is dependable, but I cringe everytime I use the neck pickup.

Lifetime warranty to the original owner. I'll soon know how well this works.

I have been playing for 13 years, and I am playing this through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I think I just had bad luck buying this one. I know it's a great guitar and was probably abused at Sam Ash as a demo. I would suggest getting it from Musician's Friend or a similar dealer. If I lost this baby, I would replace it with a Gibson Les Paul Special or Studio.

It was made in 1999 or 2000. I got it in 2000. It was made in Korea and set-up in America. It has 22 frets. It has shiny and black finish(hence "Black Beauty"). Two Volume. Two Tone. 3-way pickup selector for the 3 classic Epiphone pickups. Mahongany body & neck. Carved maple top. Rosewood fretboard. Cream body, fingerboard and headstock binding. Regular old block inlays. Regular old tuners. No included accessories. Musician's Friend was cheap in that aspect.

Well, as has been said before, this guitar is good for any style, but tailored more for blues and jazz and sh*t like that. I mainly play grunge/punk/rock stuff. This guitar is great for that. I don't have anything fancy in the way of amps and effects, but I use the Boss OS-2 OverDrive/Distortion pedal. I use a 22 watt Harmony amp for practice and recording. I haven't gotten to play any real gigs, so I haven't needed a good amp yet. I'm not made of money. I don't know what everybody else is talking about, but this guitar isn't noisy at all, except for when its close to my computer monitor, but what else is new? It has an amazing sound clean or distorted. I love the way it sounds. I recommend if you can afford it, buy it. This guitar can make any sound you want it to. Great sustain. Good for rhythm. Good for soloing and everything in between. haven't found anything that I dislike yet. It would be nice to have a little more control over the pickups, but everything sounds excellent.

I don't know how this happened, but somehow I actually got something in the mail that wasn't completely f*cked up. Nothing is wrong with this guitar at all. Its beautiful in every way. The action is good. Some say its too low, but I like it. Its easily adjustable. Apparently, the gold finish on the hardware will wear off after a while, or so I'm told, but the gold finish isn't that cool anyway. Nothing was on backwards or missing. Looks perfect. Always will if I have anything to say about it. I can't complain about anything. Its flawless

As far as I can tell, it seems to be unstoppable. its heavy as hell, but thats good if you can handle it. Again, the gold on the hardware is supposed to wear off sometime soon. Hope it's silver underneath. Gold sucks. The finish is thick and glossy. No problems there. I ditched the strap buttons as soon as I pulled her out of the box. I didn't want anything to happen to her, so now she has lovely Dunlop straplocks. It never goes out of tune EVER. I've only had it for a short time, but I've only had to tune it a couple times. I've never actually played a real gig, but in my opinion, one should never play without a backup, even if it is some crappy Fender. I don't think you'd ever need the backup though.

Too early its life to tell you much in this department. Most of the time the term 'Customer Support' is an oximoron. Chances are that it sucks. Can't blame that on the guitar though. Its not its fault

I've only been playing for 3 years, so I don't really deserve this guitar. Its way too sweet for me. I don't own much gear. I make a lot of home recordings. I use a Peavey MD IIB Mixer along with my computer (equiped with a SBLIVE card). I use Shure Access mics, which aren't top of the line, but I can't afford top of the line, so f*ck off. I record a lot of my solo songs a long with songs for the three bands I'm in. All of which are punk or grunge/punk.

This is a copy of the Gibson 3-humbucker '57 Les Paul Custom. It was made in the Samick factory in Korea in 1997. The pickup selector switch is R/MT/T. The middle and treble pickups are wired out of phase.

I have played this guitar a lot for 3 1/2 years. I tend toward blues and progressive rock. I play through a Fender Superchamp/Rocket A10 dual amplifier setup. I liked this guitar right away, it plays well and in tune. As far as the tuners go, sometimes it stays perfectly in tune for days at a time, other times it is the G and/or B string that needs attention. I changed a lot of things. I re-shielded the control and pickup cavities and wired the switching so there were 3 volume knobs and one master tone. I also replaced the pickups with Duncan Jazz, '59 and JB. (With the middle and treble pickups no longer wired together I saw no need to make them equal output so I graduated them instead). I installed push-pull pots to get phasing on R and M and series/parallel on T. I also made a new micarta nut and installed it. I never would have gone through the trouble if the basic construction of the guitar weren't so sound to begin with. Now the sound is lovely, you can get awesome crunch and low-end throb and ethereal nasal tones, and everything in between.

This guitar is fully appointed with creme binding and Custom inlay on the headstock. The hardware is gold. The neck is U-shaped and fairly sleek. It has a glued-in neck and the woods (mahogany body, maple top, rosewood fingerboard) all seem to be good quality. It is beautiful to look at and my guitar has no cosmetic flaws that I can see. At least until I got aholt of it (there are a few solder burns now). Here we come to the qualifying part. This is not a Gibson! It lacks refinement in some ways. Although the neck is set up perfectly, the low frets on the low E and A strings buzz a little unless the action is set fairly high, and then they still can buzz, although not audibly through the amplifier. There is nothing in the setup to account for this, that's just the way it is. And the guitar has sweet spots and somewhat dead spots, it's just not totally consistent. But for the most part, the money spots are there. It's just a bit quirky. But it does sound really good for the total of a 900.00 investment (including mods). And it looks as good as ever. It is not and will never be a primo Gibson. But if you start with a guitar that plays well, add mods and elbow grease and your own discriminating ear, you can come close! [Lecture time: are you a professional musician with a healthy income or a doctor who plays in your spare time? Buy a top-of-the line Gibson! But if baby needs new shoes, don't! Putting a 2000+ guitar on a credit card can be a cry for help!]

I have been playing this guitar for years now, and it is totally solid. In fact, it sounds better the more it is played. The hardware (with the exception of the pickups, which I have replaced) has held up fine and the gold plating has not worn off. The strap buttons are solid. Get a soft leather strap for this guitar, it is heavy (mine is nearly 10 pounds). The balance is good, you just don't want anything cutting into your shoulder. This guitar would need no backup.

N/A

I have been playing guitar for 32 years. This is the first electric I have owned (I have always borrowed my friends' instruments - everyone seems to have an electric guitar they never use!)If it were stolen (i don't know why anyone would, with all the mods it would just confuse them), I would buy something else, probably. There is so much out there right now! It's a great time to play the guitar.

'98 or '99 Les Paul. Standard Les Paul set up: 22 frets, H/H/H pickup configuration, I won't go into too much detail because the other reviews give the rest. Mines got an ebony finish, gold hardware, vibratone tailpiece- this guitar is beautifull!!! The tuners are ok. I got a great hardshell case with it. Probably the only problem is that it weighs a ton, but thats the price you pay for that great sound

This guitar sounds awesome! The third pickup definitely improves the sound. I'm playing through a Marshall VS265 (love that amp too!) and it sounds like six-string perfection. I can get a great heavy distortion sound and a vintage, blues-like sound too. The sound has that nice bottom end and mid crunch with the clear highs.

It came set up perfect, the action was a little low but thats the way I like it. It plays wonderfully, even nicer than some Gibsons I've tried.

So far this guitar stood up. It seems to be built like a tank. I could probably throw it through a plate glass window and not even scratch the finish(but who would want to). I probably wuldn't gig without a backup just in case you drop it, but thats why I bought strap locks.

never dealt with them

How many times can say it, I love this guitar! Its got the calssic Les Paul sound without that hefty Gibson price. If I lost this guitar, I would definitely buy a new one. If I ever buy another guitar, it will probably be a Gibson SG special, just something that doesn't break your arm if you hold it too long.

This guitar is absolutely beautiful. Arched neck, pearl inlay, abalone custom headstock, arched top. The Vibro-Tone makes it look even more classy. The humuckers are durable aswell as beautiful. The bindings and gloss are superior.

The guitar sounds excellent. Although the pickups are microphonic, adjusting tone and switch can take care of that. I wouldn't recommed this guitar unless you're going to get a great amp with it, or you won't hear any difference from a squire strat.

No Kidding. I love my guitar, but there was enough factory defects for it to be a factory second. There was scratches on the humbuckers, paint on the hardware, no paint on parts of the neck, and some of the Vibro-Tone was silver.

Excellent. Hard as a rock. Get really greasy really fast.

The customer support is the pits. I called them regarding my finish problems and they couldn't offer me any support. Also, if I wanted them to even just inspect it, I had to pay the $100 to ship it to them. Just Awful.

I love this guitar, but I would never buy another one. The guitar is great, but the warranty is worthless, and I would have been happier with a Fender Stratocaster.

Usual 22-fret Les Paul Design, but with 3 humbucker pickups Black gloss finish and gold hardware...beautiful.

Play mostly rock and blues, suits the styles fine. Usually just play through a little fender practise amp, but I hooked it up to a friends marshall and it sounded awesome.
Pickups are a little microphonic however and I might change them in the future..but they are fine for now.

Good low action, beautiful finish.

The guitar is very robust and will take a few knocks....if i was good enough to play live (i will be one day hopefully), then i would have no hesitiations in using it without a backup..

Never used 'em

I have been playing for a year and a half and got sick of my crappy Squier Strat (affinity model)..wanted a decent guitar but was on a budget. Got a real bargain with this guitar, and it looks gorgeous as well. Kind of miss the tremelo bar a little, but you can get them with trems fitted. If someone stole this guitar, i would scour the earth for the motherf***er. Would definately buy one again though if it were to go AWOL.

It's your standard Black Beauty Triple Pickup. 22 frets, factory pickups, with an SKB case.

I play in a church youth group, we play some different kinds of music, from Christian rock, to punk, to slow driving styles. So far sounds great with my setup; A Peavey Bandit 112(Scorpion speaker), Zoom 505 effects, with expression pedal. Sounds really good with a little crunch, awesome with a really heavy metal setting, and totally awesome clean, with a little chorus, delay or anything. Can make any type of sound I want with my setup, fat, tight, it's the best sounding guitar I've ever owned or played.

Only problem was, when I had the guitar for a little while, it started to have rattles on the first three frets. And had a slite flaw on one of the volume knobs. Pickups were fine, bridge was fine, needed a new neck set to fix the rattles. I didn't have a warranty, that sucked. But, played even better after the new neck set!! Good balance. It's a heavy guitar, but you make up for it in sound quality.

Best guitar I've ever had, take care of it, and it will take care of you. The gold finish on the hardware will eventually wear off, but, you can't really do anything about that, just a fact of life. Play it live all the time, no backup, strap buttons are solid.

No warranty, never dealt with them.

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I saved $500, from them, awesome guitar, awesome value!!!

This guitar is the infamous triple pickup model les paul. It has 22 frets, a rosewood fingerboard, carved top, rectangle inlays, and gold hardware. Enough pretty equipment to give you a boner. The neck is binded and the bridge is a standard tune-o-matic. The finish is, of course shiny black. It weighs a ton, and prohibits jumping around while wearing it. Compared to my other guitars, this one has a lot of cool stuff on it. Thank GOD there is no whammy bar. I swear those things were built to detune even the cool guitars. Um, what else...this guiar was purchased at a pawn shop, so no warranty did I get. The tuners are gibson tuners. oh yeah.. Too bad the guitar isnt.

I play punk rock. Yeah, I know, why does a stupid punk own a respectable guitar? Well, tim armstrong plays one, and the white guitar player from the specials plays the gibson version. When I saw it in the pawn shop I let name recognition get the best of me. Anyway, its pretty standard knowledge that epiphone stock pickups suck - and this it true. I play through a Fender deluxe 85, which I think can make anything sound good - except my epi. This guitar does really good on the low end of things, and a good variety at that. Great on clean. High gain makes the pickups squeal and feedback like a microphone would, though. That sucks. standard pickups have no punch and the only thing that is cool about them is that they are gold plated.

Ho, baby. This guitar is awesome to play. The action can be set reallly low without buzzing. If I could wail, believe me I would. This les paul is balanced really well, the neck wont fall if you take your hands off of it. The bindings around the body of the guitar are smeared in some places, but, hey, its not a gibson. Everything seems to work just fine, and it plays very good. The pickup switch is a bit noisy, but I fixed that by bending the metal connector back into place. No biggee. There are no structural flaws. If there were Id be very mad at myself for buying a shitty guitar.

This guitar is reliable. It stays in tune, at least for me it does (the other guy says it doesnt) The finish is scratched up quite a bit, but it is not wearing away or rotting or anything. The gold hardware is starting to come off. Oh well. The hardware itself seems really durable. I dont think I will ever have problems with any of the hardware peices. I play this guitar alot, like everyday. Ever since I put in a seymour duncan, it has sounded lots better and there is no squealing. I would never go to a gig without a backup, thats just dumb.

nope, never dealt with em. I think epiphones have a lifetime warranty, but thats probably for the original buyer.

This guitar is built well. I really like it alot. Its such a change from my jackson that I like it even more. The stock pickups suck, but thats to be expected. Who cares. I just put in a seymour duncan in the bridge and everything is fine. If I would do it over, Id just save for a couple more months and get a gibson. Sorry epiphone, but nothing beats a gibson. I wouldnt have had to mess with the pickups or anything. I do like the guitar, though. Its really cool. If I lost it or it got stolen, Id hunt down the bastard who ripped me off and ask for it back. Then Id give it a big hug and say, "lets go home, honey" with a tear in my eye.

This guitar does come with the nice third humbucker, which is rarely seen. It has 22 frets, mohogany neck, beautiful black and gold finish that was done to perfection, the tuners work fine for me. the best feature on this guitar has to be the classic broken in feeling on this guitar. You can play up and down this thing for hours its great. Mine came with the case which was a beautiful hardcover case that fits very snug so it won't damage.

I love the classic Les Paul sound and i think the third humbucker add alot to your individual tone. I am blues fanatic, so getting the right tone is essential. I play it through a Digitech Rp-7 along with my 80 Watt crate. it sounds great .

The guitar was great straight from the factory the action only had to be adjusted slightly to my own specs. The stock strings suck!!! I think they are either 8's or 9's which i don't like,anyway i broke it as soon as i had it in tune and played the high e string. i had to adjust the pickup alittle but yet again that because i have to have it my own way. I have to say this, this guitar had absolutely NO FLAWS!!!!

This guitar will and has withstood live playing, who needs a gibson all you are buying is a name anyway. i have played a many a gibson and its the same i don't carewhat anyone says!! Hardware has lasted so far and it seems it will. the finish is still incredible I love it.Always bring a back-up but you probably won't need it with this baby.

haven't dealt with them... that s good!!!

I have been playing for 6 years now and i have been playing my ass off so this guitar is the best i have played yet.It is SOOOO COMFORTABLE. Its play ability is like silk you can go through the fretboard with ease. I would buy it again in a second. This guitar is great for any type of music i totally recomend it for everyone and for the price and beauty of it, it is well worth it.

I bought a used black beauty, and I love it! It's a '97 Epiphone made in Korea. The passive electronics and 3 pickups provide a professional sound that is almost as good as any Gibson. It has a quality made carved top that adds a real "look". The action is so low that it's obvious why it named the naickname "fretless wonder". With all the possible sounds imaginable, this guitar is useful for anything, although blues and jazz is where it seems most at home. The only problem is the cheap tuners, but they still work fine.

This guitar most have been made with the blues specificaly in mind. Its snorky, fat tone can change into a heavy metal machine at a flip of a switch, although I would never play that garbage. There is no humming, so this versitile guitar has excellent sounds.

The action is great- low and fast. The pickups seem to be a bit loose, though. The finish is beautiful- a real show guitar. No flaws there. The tuners and gold finish doesn't look as if it will last long, though.

This guitar really can take a beating. It seems to be made like a tank. I have not had a single problem even when I use it a lot.

I love this guitar, and even if I could trade this in for a Gibson, I wouldn't. It has soul and character and always works. It can act like any guitar out there, and I love it.

See other posts for features. I give it a six, since the three position pickup switch robs me of the value of three pickups. Tuners are better than the other Epi LPs.

The stock pickups are incredibly microphonic. Don't buy this guitar unless you are ready to replace them. The acoustic character of the guitar is very good. It has a full warm tone and sustains well. With a JB in the bridge, I am extremely pleased with the tone. My sound rating is with the JB and not the damn stock pickups.

The factory set up was too low. Sure it played easy, but it buzzed. Properly set up, it plays well, but it isn't great, just good. The finish on the guitar is good and I'm very pleased. However, the gold tone wears off pretty quickly. One annoying feature my guitar has is that one of the frets extends just a wee bit over the fret board and occassionally when I'm playing away, the high E will get caught underneath it. I have to stop and unhook the string. I know this is an easy fix, but its really poor workmanship.

I think this is a very sturdy guitar. With the replacement pickups, a good setup and the fret problem fixed, I think I'll have this guitar around for a long time.

I've been playing for 25 years, with a couple dry spells in there. I needed an electric guitar that I wouldn't cringe every time my kids wanted to "help daddy" (My 68 SG stays in the case until they're asleep. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and I didn't mind frankensteining it to suit my needs. In that respect I am very happy and feel it was worth while. However, If I had to do it all again, I would probably buy a Epi LP standard, since you don't get anything extra from the three pickups. Or, I mightr have spent more time looking for a used Gibson LP Studio to frankenstein.

Standard pretty much other than it has 3 pickups. Annoyingly, only a 3 position switch. I would have really liked to have been able to use top and bottom p/ups in combination to really tailor the sound, but I guess I just need to rewire for that (Only need a push/pull volume knob). The overall finish is VERY VERY good. LP's always look great in black, and although I was a little sceptical about gold hardware (which normally looks tacky)I was very pleased. Tuners are actually not too bad, a bloody site better than standard tuners.

Stock pickups are absolutely attrocious. Pickup output is VERY low and breakup is in a very non musical way. If you put a bit too much effort into a strum then it just sounds awful. The pickups are unuseable at gig level. However the sound is full of sustain (Which is nice) and hopefully with a full set of Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickups (79 UK pounds each (urghhhh)), she should sound rather nice. I tend to play tuned to D# so I have to use 10's or 11's as far as strings are concerned otherwise pitch problems ensue.

FINE. FINISH WAS VERY GOOD OVERALL

Everything is totally reliable, or will be until after I resolder and rewire the thing. I always use a backup, but that is no reflection on reliability. I always use 'straplocks' so 'buttons' are solid.

NICE. Although the pickups are dreadfull. At least its very pretty.

What year was it made? 1998 Where was is made? Korea How many frets? 22 Solid-Top? Laminated top? Laminated, I think Which controls are given 2xvolume, 2xtone, 1 3-way switch Pickup configuration? 3 humbuckers Make and model of pickups? Epiphone stock pickups Active or Passive electronics? Passive Body and neck woods? Body is maple, so is the neck Finish Very nice ebony finish Body style Les Paul Bridge style stop bar? Tuners Epiphone? Neck/Scale Pretty thin and fast neck Any included accessories? A TKL hardcase

It suits my style very well. I am playing very aggressive metal and the the guitar is very fast and has a lot of sustain.(massive body) I am using a Marshall Valvestate VS100RH amp-head and a 4x12 cabinet, nothing else The pickups are VERY noisy even when played in high gain settings with low volume, I think I am going to buy EMG's Rich/Full sound? Bright sound? I just love the sound of these pickups, too bad they scream so much. The neck pickup I will keep, because of its warm and deep cleen tone. The bridge pickup is pretty trebly, but has a nice "punch" to it, and I like that. Hope the EMG-81 gives me the same sound. The middle pickup is great for solos, just a little more bass than the bridge pickup, sounds sweet. I don't like the way my pick gets stuck in the middle pickup(I will lower it a little more I think) Because of the screamy pickups, I'd give it a 9

The factory set-up was great, I didn't have to do anything, just played right away. The action was very low, but without buzzing, really comfortable. They were well adjusted, but I want a little more gain, so I raised the bridge pickup a bit. Otherwise, even gain on all pickups. My guitar had no flaw whatsoever, not even a little paint or glue where it wasn't supposed to be. I am very happy! It looks great!

Will this guitar withstand live playing? Yes, and well I think Does the hardware seem like it will last? Not shure about this, maybe I need to change tuners sometime in the future. Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off? The finish will last many years, you could even eat on this guitar, I think. Are the strap buttons solid? No, so I changed these before I even played on the guitar. Can you depend on it? Yes. As much as on my mother. Would you use it on a gig without a backup? I don't have a backup, so i guess I have to.

Never dealt with them

I have played for 7 years now, and I am totally satisfied with this guitar, but I think I will change the pickups to EMG's to increase gain and reduce noise. If it were stolen or lost, I would buy it again. What do you love about it? The looks and the playability. What do you hate? I don't hate anything, but I do dislike the feedback the pickups produce. What is your favorite feature? The non-vibrato bridge and the fast and smooth neck. Did you compare it to other guitars? Yes I did. Which ones? I compared it to Gibson Les Pauls, and the only difference I discovered was that the Gibson is heavier and also, surprisingly, the playability wasn't as good as the Epiphone. Anything you wish it had? EMG's Anything else you'd like to share? Feel free to contact me if there's any questions.