Epiphone Les Paul Classic Quilt Top

Guitar was bought in 2002 new. Mahogany body and neck. Alder top with figured maple laminate. The fretboard is rosewood. Parts all same as standard Les Paul in configuration. The neck is fairly flat with what appear to be medium jumbo frets. They look and feel the same size as my strat but the neck is flatter. In any case it has all of the standard Les Paul features. If it had some special features, I would give it a 10 but nothing out of the ordinary here.

I'm mainly into 2nd generation classic rock like Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, AC/DC, Rush, etc. Pretty much anything that's melodic but rocks. I have a 20 year old Crate G60-GT amp. It doesn't really sound that good but it's good enough for the bed room. I mainly use my Line 6 Guitar port now instead of the amp anyway. Having played nothing but my American Standard strat for the last 20 years, the Les Paul was an eye opener. So much easier on the fingers. It felt like playing on little slinkys. This guitar is extremely playable. I fell in love with the neck on this guitar. After I bought this, a friend who plays in a local cover band let me use his LP Studio for a few days. To me the studio sounds different but not necessarily better and I think the Epi neck has a better feel. The Epi is much, much lighter than the Studio. It was amazing to feel the difference when I switched from one guitar to the other. And this Epi LP I thought was pretty heavy compared to my Fender strat. I use my strat now at times just to give my shoulder/neck a rest. The strat is by far a much more comfortable instrument to play for long periods of time I would say. Anyway, I've had it now for about 8 months or so and I'm still amazed you can get such a playable and descent sounding Les Paul style guitar for this price (around $500).

I've never changed the factory set up. It plays fine to me. It could use a little adjustment as the high E is a little buzzy in areas not enough to get too concerned about. Action is lower than my strat and very playable for me. The maple veneer on the top is perfectly book matched and looks good. I don't say great because the horizontal grain stands out a little. I suppose this is the alder top showing through the veneer. I don't see any flaws in the craftsmanship other than some stray paint specks here and there from when they painted the sun burst but you have to look very, very close to see them. Over-all this is a fanatastic looking instrument of above average construction.

Now the bad part. The parts on this guitar are crap. Immediatley had problems with the selector switch, and the input jack. I had to resolder the input jack because I broke the wire while trying to get it to stop cutting out on me. It's been pretty stable every since though. When I change the selector switch it sometimes cuts out on me. It hasn't done so recently, so, maybe it just needed a break in. Very annoying however. I haven't had any problems with the tuners other than one or two of them rattle at certain frequencies. Tuning as been rock solid so far. I definitely wouldn't walk on a stage with this guitar without first changing the tuners, input jack and, switch. Bottom line, this is a fairly well constructed guitar with crap components.

Never requested factory repair. So long as I can revive the selector switch,input jack, and if the tuners don't crap out I'll be ok. I have found their user forum very helpful for information. It seems to be well supported.

It's very unfortunate, but almost every review I have read says the same thing, good guitar construction and playability, crap components. This brings down the rating a bit but I wouldn't hesitate to recomend this guitar to any recreational player who's looking for an LP tone. It looks and sounds fantastic for a $500 Les Paul. Even if you had to put $200 to $300 into parts it would be worth while I would think. Maybe the Epi Elites would solve most of these issues but you're talking $1000 or more which is still $500 cheaper than any Gibson LP.

Korean born in 2002 , 22 semi-jumbo frets which were to my surprize finished quite nicely . This axe is finished in the tobacco sunburst quilt which is just a veneer atop a mahogany cap atop a mahogany body .
I was pleased with the weight due to the fact we all know that paulies way a ton . Electric's are typical Epi' I just replaced both pup's with Carvin's , but believe it or not i kind of miss the original's . They seem to capture the Gibson tone more . the Carvin's are a little more throaty which is also cool M22T and M22N to be exact . The finish is great , i have two other Epi's a Sheraton II and pr350 and all are finished very well . Changed the tuner's to Grover's and put a graphite nut on as i do with all my guitar's . The toggle is the next project , probably Carvin , also good stuff at a good price . I also Threw a new pickguard on it cause i just like the look of them .

I play blue's , classic rock and any thing i can come up with . This guitar was purchased to fill a tonal function . I write and record my own music and if i need a certain flavor i want it at my disposal as we all do i'm sure .
I play the paul through a Marshall 8080 for crunch and a Fender princton for lead . Most of my recording goes direct through a J-station . This guitar fit's the bill for what it's supposed to do , which is sound like a paul without draining the wallet . As i mentioned earlier this axe now has a nice clear throaty tone like when you've got the wah pedal in the sweet spot . The original's were a little more suited for today's heavy style but that's only about an hour's labor away if i need it .

The guitar came out of the box with the usual set-up which by being playable , it is not were i'm at . I don't expect any guitar to come perfectly set-up anyway . The only problem fret wise was at the 19th fret and was easily corrected with a little leveling . I had to perform that operation on a Gretsch that i payed three times as much for so ther' ya go . Finish is sweet , not bookmarked but nice . You know if you check out gibson's you wonder where do they get off . I've had just about every main brand over my almost forty year's of spankin' the plank and i have to say American guitar's no way justify there cost . What's the differance if you have one made by Mexican's in the USA or Mexican's in Mexico ? Anyhow the Korean's do a damned good job , they try harder !

I don't play out much any more , Jam's every now and then but my son does and has a standard he use's alot , no complaint's . Hard ware is a show chrome as upposed to the nickle . It's a little brittle like at the bridge post's which need a tender touch or the chrome lift's . This i live with because i'll set up my action to what i'm playing , i'm anal like that . I haven't had a problem accept for the toggle but that's next on the to-do list anyway .
Well it hasn't let me down yet and if some meat hook decided to rip me off i wouldn't think twice about replacing it also since it dropped another fifty buck's at musician's friend and available in anber , damn right i'll replace it .
I would have no problem taking it on a gig without backup . It stay's intune , it's painted in poly-armor . Unless you tried to punch a hole through the stage i think you would be okay .

Never use it ! Every axe i get get's something or other done to void the warrenty so it's not an issue . I do all my own work so they don't need to hear from me .

Let first say i'm a bang for the buck kind of guy and with the help and info i've gotten off this site and others like it , i've had good luck with my purchase's . Like i said earlier i have been playing a while and had the gretcsh's , Fender's , Guild's and Gibson's . Wish i had them today , i might be able to retire off them . Now i own two strat's , powerhouse and a standard . The afor mentioned Epi's a Gretsch sparkle jet and the best buy i ever made and that's a DeArmond M77T that i bought in the blowout . But that's another story
Like the guitar for what it is , a paul period . It does what i ask as of all my guitar's .
Had it came with all the up grades i made God'know's what they would have charged so i'me pretty happy .

Amongst my many other guitars, I have a Black 1999 Classic Quilt. It came with (Gibson spec.) P-94 Korean-mad humbuckers. Tune-o-matic & all that other Standard stuff. I purchased this guitar primarily as a guitar to "jazz up". I had heard good things about it previously from real musicians.

Like I said before, I purchased it as a work guitar and was already aware of the fact that the stock humbuckers (& toggle switch & tuners)
were all going to be replaced. But I will try to give a good objective opinion of the stock hums. I will agree with "the guy who can't spell" when he says most people won't need to change them, and that they sound very good for most applications. I think that is a key point that I will stress. And of course it does not sound like a Gibson, it's not. The construction is a bit different. I am not saying it is a bad sound. It just does not have the savory sustain and the pump that a Gibson has. But not all Gibson LP's sound great either. The guitar has capabilities to sound enormous. My guitar sounds better than almost any stock LP. But it lacks some of the guitars charactaristics that someone "who knows" will understand. It is a great sound electric guitar that anyone who is not a "professional musician" will have plenty of injoyment with. I've been playing for 15 years, and my dad has been for 40 and we both agree. It sound warm and crunch. Easy to play and not too much buzz or unwanted distortion, for stock hums. The only reason you don't see pros with it, is simply the stigma. And the guitar has to be slightly modified so it can be "pro quality". And please understand that Slash could play with this guitar in a blues club and you would not notice the difference. (I own 3 Gibson LP's KEEP IN MIND!)

The guitar looked better than two of My Gibson's did when I bought them! The grade of Mahogony is not the greatest, but Epiphone has doen a great job with these. STAY AWAY FROM EPIPHONE LP SPECIALS!!!
I also do not recommend the LP-100's either. I am only recommending the Classic Quilt top model, which is just essentially a Standard. The toggle switch really does suck, believe me...The plastice tuners make no sense. Just replace them & it will be fine. If you insist on replacing humbuckers, not spend more than $70 on eack one, and I would recommend you use Dimarzio's or Seymour Duncan's you can mix and match if you would like. It depends on the sound you are looking for. These two companies I find are more suited for LP's, especially Epiphones. So for both you should spend less than $140, but more than $80.

After I changed the original switches and tuners the reliability is excellent. No problems at all with hardware, at all. I do really like this guitar. If you don't take care of the issues as they happen and let them lag, you will be unhappy. If I were on stage I would use it as first! No joke-

Better than I thought. Compensated me because I spent my own money to make certain changes i.e tuner, switches...

This guitar is great but needs some minor cosmetic upgrades that would make this guitar the envy of every kid on the block. It is that good. I have 1 Lp Studio, 1 Lp 1980's Custom & 1 Classic from 1990 1 Washburn D10S, Esp VL, Peavey Suburst & 1 Takamine Jasmine E42.
So I have a good base of guitars. My father also has one vintage 1960 LP a few old Epiphones and a couple of Acoustics 1 Martin & 1 Ovaton(not sure which models)

My guitar is a 2000 LP Classic Quilt in a brilliant amber which is very tasteful & authentic looking. Actuallu better then some real LP's. It is a standard LP other then that. The quilted top looks great, much better then some complaints I hear about the Koreans being inconsitant with there abilities. That may be true, but it does not show on my guitar. Go to any Guitar Center or Sam Ash & pick up there LP's one-by-one, you will be amazed how many quality control issues they have!

The sound of the quitar with stock components is excellent, I would say better than most people need who insist on changing every aspect of their guitar try to make themselves believe there guitars will all of a sudden scream out when they play. Most guitar players who are not serious about it, who just want to learn how to play will most likely not need to change there pickups for at least a couple of years. The great thing about this guitar is how mult-accomodating it is for anyone playing any style at any level. This guitar has awesome sound capabilities, and delivers it better then many Gibsons!
If you change the tuners & pickups, this guitar can in many cases sound brighter over a larger range of music than MOST LP's.

I can't say enough about how good it is so I will say this: My friend who is a professional musician and ownes 3 Gibson LP's, swears to me how my guitar sounds better in many respects (of course his guitars have more of that signature sustain). He actually had to remove his "very expensive" LP pickups which came with the guitar to get more of a modern sound & replaced them with similar Duncan's that are in my guitar. A LP is only a real LP when everything is original. Look around, it is not the case. This model of Epiphone (always depends on the model with Epi) will give anyone injoyment at ANY level of play, because it has something to offer everyone at every level of play. If you want a LP sound and actually want to achieve it, buy this guitar. Don't listen to those music purists, listen to someone with years of experience who has many friends in the business.

No problems other than the cheap tuners & the toggle switch WILL break, only question is when. I do not gig and only play for my self. My LP friend can't believe the quality of this guitar, he is litterally shooken up over it. These are my friends who I know for a long time, who will not lie to me. That is the truth.

I own a Gibson SG Gothic, a couple of Washburn acoustics & an old Peavey Van Halen guitar. This is the next best thing to a real, in many cases it will be better than a real one with the changing of the pickups & tuners.

I own a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul Classic Quilt (limited edition) in a beautiful Amber. I purchased this amazing guitar at Sam Ash. Mahagony neck & body with a rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays which look amazing(I've seen similar models where it looked much worse)Beautifull maple top. Not the highest grades of wood, but this Les Paul has fewer pieces in it's body a neck construction then the cheaper Epiphone LP models.(Epiphone LP's vary GREATLY model to model)
Very thin neck & super-easy to play.

I hear all these people complaining about the sound of the Epi humbuckers which, were designed by Gibson & re-created in Korea(they are good by any standards, & a more then ANY beginner/intermidiate plaer needs, much more! Spending $300 on high-end pick-ups WILL NOT MAKE YOUR GUITAR SOND BETTER! You have to obtain a satisfactory amount of skill before you change your pickups(or the break). If you can get these pickups to scream & you feel they can tale you no further-then you change! These sound pretty good. May scream out some times in high and low settings. Sound is warm but not a resenated & probing as the Gibson, but clean sound is as good as most LP Standards. Actually my guitar sounds better then several LP Studios & an old model LP. I am very serious too. You will be surprised how good the guitar sounds out of the box. Change the pickups & tuners & put it up against ANY LP Studio. An idiot will be able to tell you what sounds nicer to the ear!

The guitar was tuned and set up perfectly, just as the sticker indicates that Gibson inspects and adjusts the guitars in America. So easy to play an so easy to to do almost anything, accept seriously grind. It can be done, but you must make some mental compensations as you play. My guitar'f finish was amazing, so amazing in fact that it blows away my friends Black Studion hands down. I have compared it to MANY LP's. It is as good or better than any of them! I found more quality control issues on Gibsons than I ever found on my guitar.
Of course they still use higher-quality materials & construct there guitars from fewer pieces but these guitars are really great. I did not like the cheesy plastic tuners or the toggle switch, but other than that, the guitar has amazing harmonic capabilities.

This guitar is a beast. I would like to see a Fender or Ibanez guitar survive some of these falls! What breaks on this guitar, breaks on every guitar. Guitar wear is excellent, trust me you will not make a better choice for under $750

Their not bad, their not good, but their not bad?

I don't want to bore anyone with useless dribble so I will say this: If you are a beginner who does not want to have to ever upgrade your guitar, this is for you. The guitars can be easly played by beginners, and still injoyed by professionals. That is the bottom line!

just incredible...im not sure why anyone would spend 3-6 times more on a gibson when the difference between them and these incredible epiphones is so slight only the most highly trained ear could tell them apart...

standard setup...works great for me...haven't tweaked a thing yet (except replacing the toggle switch)

the finish...oh wow...i don't even know where to start. i have the transparent amber finish and the quilt top is simply stunning. by far the most beautiful guitar i've ever owned and/or seen...incredible...

i've only owned a few months but so far so good...except the toggle switch. 5.00 at the guitar store bought me a rockin new one, problem solved.

haven't dealt with them

overall incredible guitar. this is the best guitar you can buy for under $1000, and i'd venture to say that with a little more money invested in new pickups and tuning machines, this guitar could easily hang with it's big brother the gibson classic... definitely a recommended buy for anyone who can't throw $2500 into a gibson...

Made in 2002, Korea (a good korean place I assume).
22 Frets
Quilt top, translucent blue quilt maple top. Mahogany back & neck. Lovely mother-of-peral inlays.
Standard 3-way toggle switch
H/H pickups...I think they're PAFs or somethin.
Real sad tuners, but I'll live with em.

Absolutely beautiful guitar for $400, best looking guitar I've seen in real life.

I play alot of metal, blues, rock, some country, works real well in any style except anything that you'd need a single coil with.
Awesome sustain, real warm sound. Tons more sustain than my Epi G-310....Excpecially on the upper frets, I can bend to sonic heaven with this sucker and the sustain it gets.

The action wasn't as good as what I wanted stock....But all it takes is a little adjustment.

Innotation, finish, binding, ect was stunning.

I've only had it a few days, so I can't comment on reliability, but it looks like it'll do real well. I'll be using this to play live.

No problems yet....No comment.

I've been playing for about 1 year, 3 months, I've been playing my brothers G-310 too much and finally got the cash to buy my own guitar. I got it since MF was having a sale on em for $400...It was worth every dime, runs circles around his G-310.

No complaints on anything but the action, I haven't played any other guitars in this price range that compares to this nice guitar.

nice looks paf style humbuckers. sounds nice and thick

good for metal or just about anything

it was set up ok

with in a couple of days the damn toggle switch started make this scratching noise.Annoying as hell.epiphone has been known to have shitty electronics.and this one goes on their long ass list.but wait the toggle switch just gave out. i sent it back to to epiphone they to put a new one in but the the damn thing is doing it again except now it when you change it to any position it has the same tone it dont change like it is suppose too.im for going to get a new toggle switch for it.but it looks killer and soundsn killer WHEN IT WORKS PROPERLY.epiphone please make better electronics cause your causing alot of people alot of stress.

if i was on the streets selling epiphone guitars, sure i would give good comments on the guitars. and also behind me i would have a BIG ASS SIGN SAYING, BEWARE OF SHITTY TOGGLE SWITCHES. hell when people would buy the guitar i would give them advice to buy a couple more toggle switches because their destined to stop working

i give it an 8 mainly for its looke and sound but sure as hell not for the toggle switches from the black lagoon.

Standard Les Paul features, quilt top is beautiful, made in Korea of course.

This guitar sounds great, I haven't however used it to gig, so I don't know how the Gibson designed humbuckers would do in an actuall stage environment. It sounds like a Paul through any amp you use it through.

The action on mine was a little high for me when I took it home, I set it up and adjusted the truss, the string height, the p/u height, added sperzel locking tuners, the guitar is flawless, exceptional finish, I can't find much difference in it and my brothers' Gibson Classic.

I'm sure you could play live with this guitar, although I have'nt been in a band for 15 years, the hardware is great except for the tone switch, which I fixed by bending the contacts a little. The finish is hardy, no worries there. I added strap locks to be sure not to drop it. I'd gig with it straight up.

Have not needed any warranty work, it does have a lifetime warranty though.

I've been playing 23 years, I have a Seventy four strat that I've had since I was 15, a Stienberger GT-Pro that I love, an ESP Ltd RS-200 that is also a great guitar from the store. I would probably replace it if it were stolen. Love the tone, oh and the tone. Compared it to the Gibson's, bought it because of the price.

2002 yellow quilt top bonded. Drop dead beautiful guitar. Two humbucker pickups...custom for Epiphone..sounds thin and tiny. Grover tuners but they are plastic..going to replace them.

I play rock, blues. Sound is good, better than I expected but not as good as the DiMarzio Humbuckers on my Parker Fly. Sound tends to be muddy on the front pickup and too "tiny" on treble.

I use a Ax2 AMP with a floor board.

Action good, a little string buzz, but it does not bother me. The guitar is well constructed without any noticeable flaws. I was amazed at the quality of workmans ship. Them Koreans are making good guitars...why not put some better electronics dudes. The three way switch is kind of cheesy, I am sure I'll be fixing this.

I like having only two pickups on a guitar for fast arpegios, on my Parker I tend to run into picking problems with the middle pickup!(maybe I just need to practice more LOL)

Neck is too thick, but I am used to the Parker necks which are just faboulus compared to anything else in the world. Same with the Fret work, playing a Parker kind of spoils you, and I don't like the rough feel of this guitars neck. This is kind of picky, all-in-all I enjoy playingh this beast cuase of it's looks, and I'll get the sound I want when I replace the pickups.

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I have been playing for a while, and I primarily play a Parker Fly guitar, but sometimes you just got to play a Gibson for the "Certain" sound. Well dropping multiple g's to buy a trick Gibson is not possible for me, so I bought this and I will put new pickups and tuners on it. It should play like a dream. This really is a very good guitar for the price. A couple hundred in upgrade and I'll have a $3,000 Gibson for $600 bucks. Well as close as I'm going to get anyway.

So many horror stories about Epiphone I was scared to buy but did anyway. I'm not sorry.