Epiphone Les Paul Standard Flame Top

Just your average flame top Epi. Beautiful flamed trans blue color. I fell in love with it hanging on the rack. All stock p/u's swithces and hardware. Grover Tuners are a nice touch. I bought this one as a factory 2nd with some very minor defects in the finish. They are on the back of the guitar so it can't be seen and does not affect playability in any way shape or form. My rig right now consists of a crate power block head with a Line 6 Pod 2.0 in front of it and 2 Crate single 12" cabs.

Like any Les Paul bodied guitar, the sound is rich, full and thick. Factory electronics are quite noisy. With all the wood that surrounds this guitar it can't help but sound ballsy. Sustain is quite good in its stock form but can easily be improved.

Action out of the box would best be described as "cheese grater" Intonation was not properly set.Fret wire on mine was very smooth with no catches on any of them. If you are reading these reviews and are considering an Epi LP, do yourself a huge favor and take your new piece to a qulified guitar tech for a full set up as I (and it looks like every one else) did. It's well worth the extra cash and will make your new axe way more playable.

I have mine for 2 years now and no problems with it at all. I did add Schaller stap locks to it with a longer and wider screw just because Les Paul style guitars are heavy.

Not had to deal with them

This is a nice guitar but not a great guitar. The nice thing about it is it doesnt cost alot and any modifications you make to it are quite affordable and are numerous to choose from. After I had mine a year I upgraded to an EMG 81/85 active pick up set and added a tone-pros bridge.I've also had the frets polished mirror smooth. I still only have about $800.00 in this guitar and I'd be willing to bet it plays and sounds as nice as any Gibson out there and costs way less.

This is a follow up review to my submission a couple of entries below. If you read that review, then you would find a pretty generic Epiphone Les Paul described. Since the time of the review, I have had everything in the guitar redone, and I mean everything. Here is a complete list of the changes:

* New Lindy Fralin zebra style humbuckers (w/ coil tapping)
* New Grover locking tuners
* New pickup selector switch and end jack
* guitar completely re-wired w/ Jimmy page style wiring scheme (more about that below)
* all frets leveled and set up perfectly
* gloss finish taken off of the back of the neck and replaced w/ a satin finish for faster playing
* 4 push/pull pots added for the wiring scheme

Whew! That was a lot of stuff! Well, the sounds I can get out of this guitar now are limitless! I have the two volume pots push/pull to take advantage of the coil-tapping, and while it doesn't sound exactly like a strat it still sounds great for a single coil pickup, and not much hum either. The two tone pots are push/pull to 1. take the pickups out of phase (or reverse phase) and 2. put the pickups in series (parallel) w/ each other. While I have no idea what this truly means, it gives me more tonal options and that is great! Combine all of the tonal features of a regular Les Paul and you can imagine the possibilities. This guitar is amazing now!

Well, I stated before that I have become more of a blues player, and I still think I use way too many blues scales, but once I started playing this thing through my Blues Jr amp, I didn't care what kind of player I thought I was. This guitar is a brand new guitar now! The Fralin's are no joke either. They really opened up the tonal possibilities of this guitar. This guitar can probably do any style (I say probably b/c there's just too much experimentation left to do). When it comes down to it, a quality sound starts with the clean sound of the guitar and the quality of the amp. Both are incredible, and so add more stuff on top and it only gets better. I can't give it a 10 though just b/c I know that it's not the best sounding guitar ever made, but it's so much better than most of the other stuff I've heard.

I had all of the work done at West Mobile Music in Mobile, AL, and they did a fantastic job setting this thing up. It plays effortlessly. To me, the intonation of a guitar is very important, and for this guitar it is perfect. The neck really feels different b/c of the fret leveling and the satin back. My hand doesn't get stuck on the thick gloss anymore. There weren't any other cosmetic changes to the guitar. It's still the same cherry sunburst flame top minus pickguard, but the zebra style PUps do look nice.

The only nitpicky thing about the guitar is that there is one dead spot in the wiring scheme. With the series/parallel pot engaged and the bridge PUp selected, there is no sound that comes out. I think that the wiring scheme just didn't have enough connections for that position, or that having only the bridge PUp selected is contradicting the purpose of putting the PUps in parallel with each other. I'm not truly sure though. It works with just the neck PUp, but not the bridge. This is only a nitpick b/c you have to be wary of it during live performances. Otherwise, it is a fantastic setup.

I've already used this guitar in a live setting, and it held up nicely. The locking tuners make all of the difference. The stock tuners were not the grovers on epiphones now (this guitar is about 6 yrs old), they were complete junk. They couldn't keep it in tune. Now, I haven't had any trouble with tuning except on the biggest bends, and then it's just slightly out of tune. So, I think it is a dependable guitar now. I still would one day like a backup though, and it won't be a Fender Custom Shop. It will be a G&L Comanche.

Since I don't think the factory warranty applies anymore, I can't really say much about this.

I've been playing for about 7 years now. I'm still fairly new to electric playing, but I'm getting better. I play this through my Fender Blues Jr. and I soar up to heaven. I love this guitar! I can't imagine if I lost it or if it was stolen. I've had too much work done and I think I would be heartbroken if something like that happened. I used to not really care about this guitar, but it has transformed into a truly great instrument and now I pay attention to all of the details. If you are reading this and you just have a simple set up like I used to, it might be worth it to check this setup out. It gives you so much tonal possibilities that normal Les Pauls simply cannot do. I now have a great guitar, and I'm proud!

I justed picked up an Epi LP Standard ,tobacco flametop. I played nice out of the box, but not nice enough.....The finish is great on this one, and the appointment is tight. It came with Grover tuners, and was stock.

The tone is exactly what I was looking for....The sound is me. I use a Musicman 65 2x12, and a cord. No effects, except verb and tremolo....I play alittle blues, jazz, surf and old R&B(swing) and am getting that "Big Box" sound for the swing stuff, The neck PU sounds great for blues with the tone rolled off alittle, and I max the bridge PU and it cuts great. I like this guitar.I played a couple of Gibsons the same day I got this, and I could feel the difference. But I'm no pup to this game, if that neck looks straight, and it sounds good unplugged,it can be tuned up, and become a girlfriend.
My guitar tech took this guitar and wailed on it. Weak links....replace the plastic jack mount...You will break it. He also put a switchcraft jack in, changed the bridge to a Gotoh, direct replacement,He had to open up the nut alittle, A string buzzed, crowned and polished those frets.....they were like sandpaper. He metered the electronics and didn't have to resolder anything. He put it up to his Les Paul(Gibson) through a plexi marshall, and said it measured up.The rest is up to me...

I had to send this thing to the chiropractor........I am a player for a living,it was OK, but had alot of potential.....PUs high E was weak, tech fixed.....The pegs were really loose out of the box. This is probably why people complain about tuning....Throw 50.00 at a tech, and make a 500.00 guitar play like a 1000.00 one...as I said before, the action NEEDS to be adjusted.......

I play in clubs.....3-4 nights a week......bought this so I didn't have worry about one of my babys up there......I have a month of working on it, and it's fine......ask me next year.....The tech said it was sound....I carry one guitar.

n/a

Give it a facelift and you have a great axe!

I got this guitar sometime around 2000 I believe. I don't know much about electric guitars, but I can tell quality when I see them. To me, it seems some of the features could have been improved without raising the price too much. The cherry burst with the flame maple top and transparent finish looks fantastic. I took the cream colored pick-guard off because I would rather show more of the flame top. My guitar actually has a bone nut instead of the stock one (details on that later). Two humbuckers (not sure what kind) round out the package. Other features are solid mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, 3-way pickup selector, and some kind of pearloid fretboard inlays, which are okay. Hardshell case was a plus.

Well, after the bone nut was put on the guitar, it sounds great. I don't have many effects, but I use it on a Fender Blues Junior all tube amp. The humbuckers really shine with the distortion pedals. However, for my musical style, I have become more of a blues player, and so I want a Fender Custom Shop strat for what I do. As I am mostly an acoustic player (worship leader/songwriter), this electric is getting me into the electic style well enough. And for the price, the sound is pretty fantastic!

Well, as I have learned more about electrics, I have been left wanting more out of the factory set-up. The tuning pegs are loose, and the plastic nut that came with the guitar was a joke (see below for details). Also, the pickup selector definitely has a short in it somewhere, b/c I sometimes get the mix of the middle position, and a lot of times the middle position is simply the neck pickup. The action was okay, but I think I might have had it lowered.

About that plastic nut....be warned! I have heard many people over the years say the same thing that happened to mine. After a couple of months, the top of the nut on the outside of the 6th string decided to break off, leaving me without a 6th string to play. Instead of replacing it with another plastic nut that probably would have broken as well, I decided to get a bone nut put on there. This did cost me $60 to get done, but has been worth it as it improved the tone. I wish that Epiphone would have paid for it though.

Also, the strap button on the tail end of the guitar was installed loosely, and over time as I had to tighten it, it completely wallered out the screw hole. I had to get this repaired also, and haven't had problems since.

I wouldn't want to use this without a backup simply b/c of the loose tuners. The guitar seems to get out of tune a little to easily.

I have never dealt with them. Not sure about the warranty, but I guarantee it wasn't a lifetime deal either.

I have been playing for 7 years now. I just bought a Breedlove custom SJ20/R acoustic/electric, and I also own a Larrivee OM-03E acoustic/electric and a Cordoba classical. At the time, I wasn't a seasoned enough player to really know what I wanted. I wish I would have asked to play some strats. If it were stolen, I would not replace it as I want to get a Custom shop strat in the near future. My favorite feature would have to be the flame top. Overall, this guitar is serving its purpose of introducing me to world of electric playing.

Cherry burst on a beautiful bookmatched 2-piece curly maple top, the rest of the body is mahogany, with the exception of the fretboard, which appears to be rosewood. It's a typical single cutaway Les Paul, with a stop tailpiece, adjustable bridge, Grover tuners, medium fat neck, plastic nut, 2 volume/2 tone, twin humbuckers, cream over chromed metal. I've dumped the stock Epi electronics in favor of EMG active electonics (I put 60s in both the bridge and the neck). The original electronics were nothing to write home about. Clean, the guitar sounded decent. However, the pickups sounded muddy as hell when I put it through the overdriven channel of my amp, and the stock pots acted more like off/on switches than pots. Now this thing can really scream--whether it's clean or overdriven, it sounds incredible, the pots work like they are supposed to, and the overall effect was to transform this guitar from a very good intermediate level one into a serious professional-grade axe. This one was far and away the heaviest one in the shop, it weighs a ton, but it just felt the best out of the 20 or so Epi Les Pauls I tried at various shops, and it felt better than the 20 or so Les Paul Studios I tried out as well. It sustains out the ying-yang....

I bought it as a second, there's a tiny little speck of dust deep in the clearcoat up near the selector switch, but it was enough to warrant Epiphone calling it a second.

MIK, 2006 model, paid $380 for it in a package deal--hardshell case, new strings, handful of picks, and electronic tuner...

Before swapping out electronics, I'd have rated it a 7, now I rate it as a 10.

After swapping to EMG 60s (bridge and neck), it does everything I could want in terms of sounding great clean or overdriven. I use a Digitech GNX3 on it when I want some sound other than running it through my little Marshall MG30 DFX or through my old Peavey Classic VTX.

Before, the electronics were fairly quite for passives, and the pots acted more like off/on switches than pots, but now, it's dead silent when plugged in, and the pots do what they are supposed to do.

Before the swap, the stock setup was rather muddy sounding when overdriven. It was OK clean, but crank up the gain, and it just went downhill fast. After the swap, running it clean, you can get everything from a that midrange-y jazz sound to a bright, clear tonally balanced sound, to that dark mahogany-body sound. Overdriven, it you canstill get all the above, but pushed way over the top... It just wails/screams, and the sustain is absolutely awesom... Before the swap, I'd have rated it about a 7, now I'd rate it's sound as a 10.

Factory setup was decent. It needs a little minor fret sanding in one spot on the neck to get it prefect if I want to drop the action down a whole bunch, but it plays fine with the action dropped a little from the stock factory setting--no buzzing frets, easy bends, and smooth. Intonation was perfect from the factory. The top is perfectly bookmatched, and aside from the speck of dust in the clearcoat up by the selector switch that got it rated a "factory second", it was as good as a Gibson LP costing three times as much. My only real complaint was the electronics, which I covered previously. The pots really were junk. The pickups would be OK if all you ever wanted to do was play it clean... I wanted more versatility, so I changed that out, and I could not be happier with that switch. I'd rate it as a 7 before swapping out the electronics, now it rates a 9, mostly because the frets were not absolutely perfectly level from the factory.

It would definitely withstand live playing, the hardware is very solid and the finish seems to be strong. With a set of Schaller Straplocks on it, and active electronics in it, I think you could depend on this guitar to do whatever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want, with no questions asked and no worries.

I could usethis guitar as a battering ram and it'd be fine afterwards!

Never needed it...

Playing for 30 years, I've got a 1995 MIM Strat, a EPI Gothic Explorer, early 80's vintage BC Rich Warlock, Peavey Classic VTX/Marshall MG30DFX amps, and a Digitech GNX3 setup.

If somebody stole this guitar as it sits now, I'd hunt them down and beat them with it, they play a tune (some Slayer would be appropriate,I think) with it all the way home... I just love the guitar as it sits. Compared to the lower end Gibson LPs, this one stands out like a sore thumb, but in a good way. For the price I paid with the electronics swap thrown in, it's a 10.... The basic guitar right off the rack would rate about a 7. Stock, they are a very good intermediate guitar, but not quite professional level.

I got mine second hand but in near mint state. The previous owner had it probably used only as wall decoration. The LP is made in Korea; don't know what year. The colour is tobacco burst and the flame pattern is really awesome. Tuners are from the green vintage type. For the rest it's your usual Les Paul.

6 Strings, tuners, two humbuckers, 4 pots and a mahogany body/neck. What more features do you need?

I play mainly (old school) punk and classic heavy metal and the Epi fits very well to my needs. I don't know if the previous owner had changed the pups but the Epi sounds mean, fat and dirty, plugged straight into my 30 watt Marshall practise amp. Even on overdrive the sound stays well balanced and detailed, just how I like it. Listen to the Sex Pistols 'Never mind the Bollocks' and you get the picture. Clean it sounds chrystal clear at the bridge and jazzy at the neck humbucker but it lacks the Fender 'bite'.My only gripe is quite an amount of noise if I switch to the overdrive channel but you only hear it if you are not playing and not touching the strings.

When I got home the first thing I did was change strings for a heavy set (11-52), fine tuning the intonation and lowering the action a notch. Action is a personal preference anyway. And despite the heavy strings I can have a real low action without strings ratteling all over the frets.
For the rest I didn't found a single flaw! The wood used, the flame top (book matched) and the finish are impeccable. This guitar is a pleasure even only to look at. It looks like a Les Paul, it feels like a Les Paul and it sounds like a Les Paul. What more can you wish for a fraction of the price?

For now I do not intend to gig (lol! I don't even have a band!) but if there will be an opportunity I won't hesitate to do so. It's a Les Paul remember.

Not needed.

I have been playing for 35 years and I have owned a Gibson Les Paul Standard, a LP Special and a SG.
During the time with the band I played through a Marshall 100W half stack and I used a whole bunch of Boss stomp boxes. Both the L.P's were OK after some setup changes, but the SG was a piece of junk. Probably Gibson had some serious quality control issues at that time.
But believe me, I really can't hear/see and feel the difference between the Gibson LP Standard and this Epi.

The Epi is almost too good to be true. It is just like somebody at the Gibson plant has accidently put an Epiphone decal on a 'real 'Les Paul. If it would be stolen or lethally damaged I would buy another one right away. Superb value for money!

It is a Les Paul...if you are here and you don't know, why are you here??? Classic, functional, beautiful!

I play rock, nothing too heavy, blues,and whatever drops into my head, through a Marshall AVT50 Valavestate 2000 (and incredible amp) or a 66 Fender Super Reverb.

Like a lot of us, I did some mods on the guitar, new roller bridge (do a lot of string bending) and right now I have a Bill Lawrence L-450 L2.4 in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan 59 in the neck, it is SOOOO sweet. It can do pretty much any kind of music as it is set up right now. I will give it a 7 as it came from the store, but a 9 or 10 as it is now!!!!

I have a set of new Bill Lawrence PUP's coming for it, can't wait. I can't say enough about them, not too often you can get pick-ups from a legend for this price, and the sound they have!!!!

This guitar is BEAUTIFUL!!! I catch myself just staring at it from time to time. It is 1/4 or 1/5th the price of its Gibson big brother, but if you can handle riding a Yamaha insted of a Harley, you can deal with this.

It has and it will "withstand" live play (whatever that means, I probably are harder on my guitars jamming than live).

As for hardware, and stuff...I changed most of it...it came with Grover tuners which is a VERY nice standard feature.

Don't know...I get a free set up with it from the store...as for Epiphone????

This thing is AWSOME for the price. My brother has Gibson Les Paul Special, and he is truely afraid to play the Epiphone. There is little if NO difference, but the price and name.

Like I said, its like Harley's and Yamaha's. Which is the better made more reliable bike. Those V-stars a beautiful, but there is still something about a Harley Davidson!!!

The Epi is EVERY bit as good as any Gibson I have ever played, for 1/4 the price...only you can be the judge. Can you get past the name....

You know the features.... 2 vol, 2 tone, 2 beautiful humbuckers etc... everything you need!

Absolutely phat! Unreal! So warm and full, great clean sound, even greater crunchy dirty sound! Even through my mid-priced amp, it sounds unbelievable. Best sounding guitar I've ever played.

Was set up pretty well (but not perfect) from the factory. Perfect finish. I have set it up with fatter strings (11-49s).

I keep breaking strings right on the bridge. I have filed and fiddled around, had it serviced many times by various people, changed the saddle ... I have nearly sorted it out!

other than that... input jack cames loose & strap screw pulled out of the guitar in the 1st week.. nothing that wasn't easily fixed. No problems since then.

No need as yet.

GREAT sounding guitar! AMAZING actually! Annoyed that I keep breaking strings. If it was stolen, I'd buy another in a heartbeat. Best sounding and best feel of all the guitars I currently have.

I bought it used (barely used -an employ of the store owned it for 2 monthes and replaced the pickups with dimazio's, then sold it back) It was made in korea.

It has the standard les paul features, no need to repeat them. I must say that the flame finish is just stunning to look at, absolutely beautiful guitar, don't care that it isn't a gibson. How do you give a rating for features that are considered a classic instrument set up. However it features high quality parts and finish that in my opinion make it well worth the dough.

This guitar sounds absolutely phenominal. I don't understand why there are so many people willing to shell out over 2 grand for a gibson standard, when a 500-600 dollar ephiphone sounds, looks, and plays so well. This guitar has a rich wonderfully warm sound, which sounds great clean and distorted. I forget that I'm not playing a gibson.
Any one can hear a difference between a epiphone and a gibson, but they could also here a similar difference between and ephiphone and another epiphone and a gibson and another gibson if you know what I mean . no two guitars sound exactly alike. If you blind folded them they probably couldn't tell you which one was which, and they might prefer the sound of the epiphone. I am giving this a 9, not a 10 only because i do not have the original pickups in it, although I have tried the stock pickups on the guitar when trying amps out at music stores and have loved the sound too, but therefore did not get to play my guitar with stock pickups. Even if you shelled out $150-$200 to replace them with premium pickups, (if you thought the stock epiphone don't sound just like a gibson) you d still have a great price compared to a gibson.

the guitar was perfectly set up, in fact in the 6 years that I have owned it I have never needed to adjust the bridge, or neck, can you imagine that? and I've put this guitar through a lot and I am always very picky about any ammount of buzzing, action ect...

The finish, top, the entire cosmetics of the guitar are absolutely flawless.

I prefer the neck on the epiphone to a standard gibson neck. It is substantially faster and more comfortable, of course thats just me, everyone has different hands, and what feels great to one is not to another.

Neck is very stable, the guitar maintains its tuning very well. It is also a little lighter on the back than a gibson, which is nothing to complain about.

I would say that this guitar has been very reliable especially considering all the abuse that I put it through, from constant stage theatrics, being left in a hot trailer, even spilling crazy glue on it. ( which i couldn't get all off ) One of the strap buttons gave out after installing schaller strap locks but that was entirerly my fault because the screw on the schallers was thinner than the originals, so naturally after rocking out for a couple of years the thinner screw in the larger screw hole eventually stripped the wood a bit, Thats when i used the glue to fill the hole back in.

I also had one of the tuners get bent, again my fault. I decided to replace them all with quality gibson tuners,

After all these years the tone knobs finally need to either be cleaned or replaced, I imagine I'll replace them with gibson ones when I get around to it. They work fine but crackle when turned, not that I use them very much.

Perhaps genuine gibson parts would have lasted longer, but then again maybe not. After years and years of hard playing and constant use, sometimes abuse I have had very few minor problems. those minute problems were not worth paying 3 or 4 times as much for a gibson-that may have had problems too at some point.

Never needed to never tried, bought it usedl, have no recollection about the prescence or abscence of a warranty.

Ive been playing for about 11 years, ,have owned more amps other guitars and gear than I care to mention.
If it was lost or stolen I would definetely buy another. This guitar has been my main electric axe, and I have always been more than happy with the tone, playability, and the way it looks. I love gibson les paul, but I have never felt that I have sacrificed anything owing this guitar. In my opinion it is well worth the 550 price tag it currently sells at.
You know how a strat copy ( even a higher quality guitar) just never looks as cool? -particularly in the headstock. (only because we associate the fender headstock as being what it should look like-including the fender logo) The same thing can be said for other les paul copies except the epiphone, Maybe it's just me, but it just doesn't have that copied look to it, and at times I honestly forget that its a les paul copy, and simply think of it as my les paul.
I would reccommend this to anyone who wants a les paul-even touring pro's.

Epiphone Les Paul Standard Honeyburst 2002 model. Made in Korea. This came with a flame maple top and was still called a LP Standard. I think later on, the non maple flame tops were called 'standard' and the flame tops had a 'plus' added to the designation. Standard Les Paul features. 2 chrome covered 'Gibson designed' pickups. I shall not repeat myself here as the other reviewers have it covered.

Music styles would be rock, no metal. Generally nowadays, mainly play Praise & Worship in my church band - so sounds range from distorted on fast songs, to fills and clean sounds on slower songs. Use it if someone is playing acoustic guitar, so the fatter tone of the LP can fill in another tone in the musical palette. I run this guitar through a Boss ME-50 multi efx and a Marshall AVT20 (home) and Peavey 65Watt amp(church - dunno which model). Most of the time , I use the bridge pickup for clearer definition. The neck pickup sounds ok when I am playing in my room but tends to get lost and muddy in the whole mix when playing it live in church. However, I can live with the sound, I'm not a pro and it serves it's purpose. Since the pickups are humbuckers, they are relatively quiet without 'hum'. Sustain (due to the body) is good, especially when playing lead. However, can lead to feedback if you play near your amp/monitor add too much sustain to the effects pedal, so I generally turn off my sustainer with this guitar as it carries itself.

Setup from factory was nice and low. Even the guy who sold me the guitar said it was setup nicely. However, like some other users have discovered, there is some buzzing on some of the higher frets on these batches of Korean Epi LPs, so I did some truss rod adjustment and bridge adjustments to get it out- but the action is slightly higher but relatively acceptable. In fact, all my electrics are setup low enough without buzzing that when I go to a shop and pick up a badly setup guitar, I can barely play it on the higher frets.
Finish and colour is beautiful. Flame top in a honeyburst finish. Often get comments on how nice the guitar looks. The guitar feels well constucted.

Yes, it will withstand live playing. Been using it without backup in church. No complaints about the finish. Due to the weight of the Les Paul, I don't do anything funny with it though , like jumping up and down as I have a phobia about the strap buttons coming loose. These may be unfounded, but when you have a guitar this heavy, better not take chances. With regards to the electronics on it, the pickup selector seems to be lowest quality item on the guitar. Like other owners, I have experienced cases in which the volume is low or off on a pickup selector position. This doesn't happen in the middle of playing though, it happens sometimes at the beginning of new session of playing (I mean , taking it out and plugging it in) I find that toggling the switch up and down once or twice brings it back to normal. Not a major issue though. Think the new China made Epis do not have this issue, so don't let it detract you from considering an Epi LP.

I e-mailed them once to verify what woods were used in the body. They got back pretty fast and were friendly. Otherwise, service support would have to be through the distributor here in Singapore- but haven't had to deal with them yet- but it's probably beyond warranty already.

Been playing around 5 yrs but must admit I am not very good, or at least nowhere I should be at 5 yrs. However, I love guitars and own 2 Yamaha acoustics, Fender Japanese '57 Reissue Strat, 1 Samick Strat Copy, this Epi LP (had it for 2 1/2 years already), and a Yamaha Bass. Have some DOD/Ibanez pedals and a Crate amp but my main setup is a Marshall AVT20 with the Boss ME-50 multi effects. No regrets about buying this Les Paul. Seeing Slash play a Les Paul was probably influence in this area. The value for money is incredible, at a fraction of the cost of a Gibson. If stolen, I would definitely get another Epiphone Les Paul (after all , they are owned by Gibson) and in the same colour. In fact, Epiphone is one of my favourite electric guitar manufacturers as they provide good quality instruments, a decent brand, at a great price. (No, I do not work for them, and I am not being paid to say this- feel the same way about Yamaha too) Of course I would love to get US made guitars, but the reality of life, and finances, dictate otherwise.

I dont know the exact year in which this guitar was made. I bought it used in italy in 1998 so i think it's probably an early nineties guitar. Korean made, this instrument is a cherry sunburnst flametop les paul model, really beautiful look and i like it more than the equivalent gibson models i've seen.
It came with stock pickups and u all know that 10 years ago epiphone made really bad pickups. I never had problems with tuners (the glow in the dark ones), this guitar is always in tune.
It came with a original epiphone hard case. I give a 6 cause of the crappy pickups.

When i bought this guitar i didn't know anything about guitar sound and i liked. When i started to use distorsion and more powerful amps i discovered that the pickups were like shit cause i always had a microphonic larsen. Due to this i replaced the pickups with seymour duncan 59's. I play very heavy alt rock and this guitar suits my style very much now. It sounds almost like a gibson. with this new features i give to the sound a 8

The pickup selector is not noisy but once, due to my stupidity, the guitar fell down and it was cutted away. I tryed to replace it with a gibson one but it didn't fit and i couldnt find any original replacement. Anyway i can still change pickup position without problems.
The main fret broke down (october 2005) so i replaced it but this is not a problem.

I played live 6 years with this guitar without any remarkable problem. Now i use it as backup instrument but this guitar is strong and solid.

Never had to deal with them.

Now i play with a les paul studio and i am considering to buy a telecaster. I love the color and the wood of this guitar which is one of the best flametops i ever seen around, moreover i love the sound (with sh1 pickups)which is almost like a gibson les paul sound even if it will never reach it. The frets are starting to consume a little, but what do u expect from a 300 euro guitar?
If u want a good sounding gibson-like guitar u can buy an epiphone and replace the electronics, the pickups and the tuners (if you have problems with them) and u will have it.
Sorry for my bad, contorted english syntax, i hope this review will be useful.

2 volume 2 tone controls. looks just like the Gibson les paul strd--only diff. is it has a pickguard and a diff. headstock shape. i took off the the pickguard so you can see more of the top. the humbuckers are horrible. the tuners are horrible. luckily i have a friend that worx at the store it bought it from so i got a $200 discount! WHAT NOW!!?!?

the sound is wayyyyy too muddy and not "hot" at all in the bridge. i changed the p/u's to a Gibson Dirty Fingers in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan '59 in the neck. now the tone is 100%. this rating is for the the stock p/u's otherwise it'd be a 10.

well i have to say i was very impressed w/ the flamed top, neck and paint job. the action was great too. mine is Heritage Cherry Sunburst flamed and it looks awsom!! the neck is sturdy and i heard there were 14 coats of laquer on this thing! one complaint: the bridge p/u was angled and was falling into the cavity but only on the left side. i had to put toothpicks to keep it strait. also i put a push/pull tone control coil tap so i can get those twangy Strat-like tones. I put Grover tuners on it too.

ive had it for a yr and its held up great. i changed the strap buttons to Schaller Security Locks and its great only the screws that com w/ the locks are too short so u need tooth picks to fill in the holes. what wound i do w/o toothpicks?!?!?!?

N/A

i love this guitar. i wouldnt trade it for anything except a Gibson LP Standard in the EXACT COLOR--heritage cherry sunburst. it is pretty light and w/ the right mods its a great gtr. but stock its not all that good. if u dont have the dough for the upper-class Gibsons (like me) this is a good gtr. GET IT W/ NEW P/U'S AND NEW TUNERS!!!!!

honeyburst,silver hardware,bought at guitar center 2002.

i spent about 4 hours comparing these to gibsons.the one i picked really stood apart from the rest,soundwise, even with cheapo epi
p-up's. i put a sd-59 in front and a sd custom in back, then wired up
the jimmy page switching system-coil splits,phase,series-parralell.
the number of sounds i can get out of this thing impresses everyone who plays it,the single coil neck sound even does a very reasonable
wind cries mary / trower type of sound. this guitar now works great
for jazz blues country rock and metal. i dont know if it has all the
tone of a vintage paul, but it does great in every situation it's been in. played thru a jcm800,silverface bassman moded to '59 schematic,ab763 deluxe w/ cathode bias mod,boogie nomad, torres 5e3 deluxe kit amp,and a dual recto. always found sounds from sweet to brutal.

took to billy at mee (phoenix), he used to be michael schenker's
guitar tech, he thought the guitar was in great shape,impressed with the maple and the mahogany. the tuners need to be upgraded, though

cable jack needed locktite,everything else is still alive and well

n/a

playing 27years

Flame top red Les Paul std. No idea when made, although Korean. 2 volume and 2 tone knobs, 3-way switch. The usual stuff on a les paul.
Pickups stock H/H (passive) chrome covers no idea of the model. Mahogany body, rosewood fretboard etc. Non-locking tuners made by epiphone, neck is round. Body style (which was asked in briefing) you will have to quess.
Got this ritter gig bag along when I bought this used. What can I say about features. Its nice to have own volume and tone for both pickups.
Maybe 8 would fit this category. 10 would reguire a solo boost switch and that kind of stuff.

Would suit my style fine without those LOUSY FREAKING PICKUPS. There is no need to say they have to be replaced. Sounds muddy like hell. Output is not hot enough. Real shit here. Sustain is good enough for me. But it comes from the construction (les paul bridge, set-neck).
I play this through Mesa Mark III simul-class head and a shitty marshall 4x12 cab which will soon be replaced, as will the pickups.
After pickup change (to Gibson, DiMarzio, Duncan) this could get a 9 from the sound.

Action is fine, its nice and easy to play. Sweet sustain. The neck adjustment (I mean the rod inside the neck) lacks, but it could be caused by the heavier strings I`ve attached. Dont like to say anything about pickup adjustment cause they cant be adjusted.
Bridge is fine (but gotoh would be better and can be easy replaced). The tuners then. Horrible. Along when they keep the tune pretty nicely they keep this buzzing sound which makes me crazy when I play unplugged in bedroom. They sound like they are full off small screws not attached to anything. They also need to be changed. Saddle aint too good. It has cracked, but holds the lower E-string in its place. Finishing: the surface is fine, flames look awesome, but there is small flaws in the bindings (16 fret above neck) but they dont affect on playing. Pickup selector aint noisy and the pots (500K as humbucker equipped guitar usually has) do their job.

I think it will manage in live situation and I would depend on it after few moddings (strapbuttons to locking ones, pickups, bridge). Hardware will last (although I`m not sure about those tuners) just fine. They have lasted in my earlier Epi LP. I think I can depend on this.

No idea.

I`ve been playing for 3 years. I own Ibanez RG, Boss DS-1, Dunlop Crybaby, Mesa Boogie Mark III simul-class head, Marshall 1982A 4x12 cabinet. I love the sustain of this thing, and hate the pickups nad tuners. If it was stolen after I have done my moddings I really would be pissed off and get a new one if I couldn`t affor a Gibson then. This is fine and cheap choice for expensive guitar like Gibson which propably would be better, but like I said, too expensive atleast for me. I didn`t compare this to anything because it was a bargain when I got this. After those moddings this can be brought atleast halfway to Gibson I think.

It's a 2003, Korean built, set-up in the states bla bla bla, it's a Les Paul, not much more to say about it, same set up they have had since the 50's, except this one has the 60's slim taper neck that I really love.

This guitar is great, after you add a few things. Like almost any guitar strait out of the box, they sound kind of fake and not so great. The stock pickups actually surprized me quite a bit and I ended up using them until I my lazy a** put in the Seymour Duncans. This guitar has a great full sound, perfect for my groups mixture of hard rock melodic metal. After I put in the Seymour Duncan it really screamed! I put in a Seymour Duncan Distortion at the bridge and a Ibanez Powersound at the neck, yep thats right a stock Ibanez pick-up in the neck, I have yet to find a neck pick-up that gives me what I want asides from this one, so I'm sticking with it. I took the stock Epi pick-up and threw them in my Ibanez, now that blew me away, that guitar sounds better then it ever did, better then having the Seymour Duncan in it! I give it a 9, but thats after giving it some new pick-ups.

Right from the store, the action sucked. So I sat in a hotel room setting it up after a show, it gave me somthing to do. After I got it set up it was great, never had a guitar play as well as this one does. It has no flaws or such the action was just set way to high fr my liking and the intonation was way off.I give it a 5 for the action but I'm giving it a 9 for it's finish, beautiful finish on this guitar! So all together I give it a 8.

Yea it's reliable, yea it's durable. I bought this guitar about 8 months ago and it has already endured the road. I bought this guitar while on the road and had it on the stage the second day and it has been my main guitar since. I'm not really abusive to my guitars on stage or anything, I sweat, I jump, my hand swing fast at it with a sharp plastic object, it does what it is supposed to. But best of all it stays in tune while on the road, I hardly have to tune the thing before a show,so needless to say I have no problems with it going out of tune on stage. I acctually give it a 10, I have had no problems and it has made my life easier!

Never dealt with them!

I have been playing for 11 years now I beleave, I own tons of gear, and for all you that care to know, here ya go...

Ibanez RG Series
Fender Standard Strat
Randall RH200 Head
Randall 100EG Head
(2) Madison 4x12 Cabs
Dunlop WAH
Boss Falnger
Boss Delay
BBE Sonic Maximizer
Rocktron Gainiac Pre-Amp(Not used on stage)
Samson Wireless
a few other things, but all of that is my live and studio set up for the most part.

I love this guitar almost as much as I love my wife, and my wife hates my guitar cause I spend more time with it then her, it's a great guitar and I don't regret getting it one bit. I give it a 10 cause for the price it is an awsome guitar, it would be an awsome guitar for $1000. but now I only have to worry about damaging a $600 guitar on stage rather then a $1000 one.

2003 korean heritage cherry sunburst epiphone les paul standard.
its got a beautiful matchbook flame top. standard lp features.
i've got a set of emgZW's on the way. they'll be here in 2 days and installed the minute i get them.
it came with grover tuners, very high quality. i was impressed. it was actually the number one selling feature of the guitar for me, aside from the top. its just beautiful man..
i got a hardshell case for it (i bought the guitar new, right out of the box) that has a body pillow in there that keeps all the weight off the neck. so features rating? the top gives it a bump.. and the grovers.. but otherwise.. its a les paul. what features? 8.

it sounds ok.
thats it. only ok. the 'gibson designed' humbuckers are meh. but they are leaving. soon.
i play a JCM800 2203 canadian with vertical inputs, drake, etc.. and i use an sd-1 for gloss on solos, and my dunlop original cry baby. i recently bought a freeway wireless (AT) that is great. not too noisy.. and the freedom of movement is worth a bit of noise anyway. adjustable squelch keeps the interference to a miminum keeping the 'tone' of the guitar true, which is important with a transparent amp like the 800. if you don't have tone before it gets to your amp, you'll sound like a fool playing through one.
all in all, the guitar is a little thin for a les paul. sorta reminds me an old les paul SG (before the removed the les paul thing).
can be plenty thick when you need it to. but not quite what i need.
with the stock pickups? the thing gets a 5. i know what emg's sound like, so it WILL get an 8 soon.

the factory setup was terrible. so the guy at the shop did a 'professional setup' for me. it was worse. buzzed on the 7th fret on all strings. i took it home and redid it myself. now its pretty damn good. i threw a set of boomer 9's on there. feels ok.
the pickups were adjusted improperly, and i still haven't changed it. the bridge pickup is very high, and it makes it too bright in my opinion where as the neck pickup is too low, and not getting enough vibration to be as thick as i'd like. doesn't matter though. they wont be there long.
the top is fantastic. i've seen gibsons and prs's that cost THOUSANDS more than this with lesser tops.
a couple small flaws. the binding above the second fret on the top of the neck has a small chip, which i think happened while the guy was 'setting it up' otherwise i would have asked for another one. there is a bit of a mess on the binding on the lower side at about the 10th fret. nothing too serious. but i did notice it right away. its on all the 2003's that i've seen in about the same area. it looks like they tried to dye the rosewood fingerboard and had overspray on the binding or something.. i dunno.
out of the box.. this guitar gets a 3.

its pretty damn solid. a little top (neck) heavy.. which is mildly annoying. not like my american gibby's that are all bottom heavy.. *shrugs*. all in all. its decent. i'll get used to it. besides.. i only payed 600 bucks canadian for a brand new guitar. whatever.
finish is great. and it will last. i care for my instruments. it will get road dings. and they will be worn with pride. but it'll always look good.
strap buttons suck. the same as a gibson. damnit gibby. get with the program.. sell your axes with straplocks preinstalled. or at least a bigger button.... (grrrr).
i can depend on it. i'd never gig without a backup. what are you nuts? what if you break a string? "hang on audience. i have to stop this set to change my strings and retune." while ducking bottles being thrown at your head. sounds like entertainment.

dunno. warranty? i had no idea it had warranty. its a guitar though. whatever goes wrong can be fixed by the owner.

i've been playing for 18 years. this is my first epiphone ever. i have a couple gibson u.s.a's.. an old sonex 180 deluxe, another standard, a jimi strat, peavey wolfgang, jcm 800, 1982b, peavey stage 150, peavey transfex 212 pro, takamine acoustics (x2), a couple pedals, wireless, etc..

if it were stolen or lost, i'd be pissed.. but i'd move on to something else. its a nice guitar. but its not exactly great. i'd probably buy a gibson studio. well. maybe. if it had grover tuners.

i love the top. the action is good (now) and the playability is decent. i love the price. can't beat it. i HATE the neck heavy-ness. and i hate the strap buttons.

i played 10 epiphone standards and 2 customs (epiphone) before i settled on this one. it was the second best epiphone that i played. the best being the heritage cherry sunburst custom. but it was at a different shop, and they wouldn't move on the price (too high for an ep). all in all, i'm happy. not in pure bliss or nirvana or anything. but i'm happy.

its good for hard rock and metal. and i can bang it around and not feel remorse. i'll give it a 7 cuz i'm a nice guy, and there is no such thing as a 10. people who give 10's must work for the company or something.

My 2000 Korean Epi LP has the same stuff that everybody elses' Epi Les Paul standard has... marginal tuners, inferior electronics, "punched out of cambels soup can" tune-o-matic bridge(the saddles are the worst), the two humbuckers must be a special design... wire wrapped mud, especially the neck bucker. Medium frets, medium neck(I have short fingers and the neck is good)Thin necks wear your hand and fingers out anyway.

If I sound negative I will get positive!

My rating is for stock sound and tone. The sound of the guitar with the stock pickups is the musical equivalent of having your hand over the guitars mouth. It would be good in it's stock condition for death metal, that crap don't have tone anyway.

On the other hand, this is a wonderful beginners guitar. It's a great platform to start with. This guitar can grow with you as you progress. As a beginner, you don't sound that great so you wont notice for some time that your Epi axe don't sound any better than you do. It's kinda like wine... the first time you drink wine, Don Perinone doesn't taste any better than Mad Dog 20/20. It all tastes like rotgut! The more wine you drink, after a time, you realize, " some of this garbage actually tastes worse than the others." Thus a wine connosewer is born!

When you start to become a tone connoisseur, that is when you will want to make some mods so you will own an awesome, toneful guitar.

1. On my guitar the first mod NEEDED was to replace the saddles on the bridge. The stock saddles had sharp edges because of being punched out. Because of playing 1-3 hours every day I should have bought stock in a string manufacturer. (this probably varies between guitars) You can fork out $60 for a REAL Gibson bridge or do like I did, put teflon saddles in. (Since I'm not endorsed, my equipment and mods are all on a budget superintended by my wife).

2.The only reason I mentioned the saddles before the pickups is you can save allot on your budget in string costs and actually be able to afford other great junk like pickups. A guitar tech would discourage you on my choice of neck and bridge pickups. Something about power differentials blah blah, blah blah or something like that. I don't have a signature sound because I'm much more multi faceted than that, so there! I play blues, 50's rock, surf, 60's rock, 70's rock (oh yeah) and early 80's hair rock. Pickups are Dimarzio:(http://www.dimarzio.com cool samples for pickups)

Bridge DP-100 otherwise known as the "Super Distortion" Hot, Fat/Thick, Tight. Should be called IMOP "Super Overdrive" I use this for 50's, surf, 60's, 70's crunch, 80's Hard rock rhythm. Lighten up on the pick-attack and she's clean, dig in and your in my zone!

Neck DP-156 Called "the Humbucker from hell" They say if you put it in the bridge you'll know why it's called that. In the neck position it brightens, defines, and makes the most out of the neck of a mahogany Les Paul. You have to give it some string clearance or it gets uncontrollable, unless you play death metal then who cares what it sounds like, right? I use it for clean playing, easy to get a jazz vibe, and its got an incredible fat tone on 80's high gain leads.

These two pickups give me a wide tone palette and the Epi is a great canvas all you have to do is paint them pictures with your playing.

3. Volume and tone pots. If you like to turn them up and down you better replace them. when you twist the tone pot its like shutting the blinds, it don't let any sun in. The volume pots break off too sharply. I'm still researching a good replacement. By the way, does anybody know the difference between a $5 pot and a $30 PRS pot?

4. Tuners. The Kluson lookalikes are ok, but while traveling I busted off one of the "glow in the dark" green plastic grips. I modded on the spot with some inexpensive martin tuners, I love the difference. The ratio is slower, more precise, and they look cooler, which is most important.

The only mod I have left to make now is a bigsby trem. In my current setup I love my Epi. If I were to rate it now it would be an 8. only taking a point off because it dont sustain as well as I would wish and theres no such thing as a 10. I also have a Fender American Deluxe Strat That has an incredible clean tone and covers the old music like a glove but my Epi is still my #1 axe eventhough it cost a third as much as the strat. The Epi in its current configurati

A little sloppiness in the finish. You have to be a foot away to see it. If you play it for 1-3 hours a day for two years like I have it's gonna look like a relic anyway. Ever notice how a guitar starts looking like it's owner, Neil Young is a case in point. I don't Play death metal so I haven't had occasion to throw it through the drum set yet, but it has picked up its share of dings. Action is great Had to have my frets dressed after a year. If I ever re-fret I'll go to Jumbo's. The top on my guitar is better than some PRS' I've seen.

The template question here at Harmony C. is, "Will this guitar withstand live playing"? Gee, I hope that everytime I play I don't sound like they need to pat dirt over my face and Put R.I.P. over me! I already mentioned I'm not endorsed and my wife controls the music budget SO I'M NOT GOING TO THROW MY GUITAR THROUGH THE DRUM SET... Besides I don't play death metal. Let me point something out for you. The highest quality guitar is going to sustain more damage and be more costly to fix if you throw it through the drum set than your Samick unless you are endorsed!

I fixed the strap screws by gluing them in the wood. It's cut down on the aging of my guitar considerably.

I've been playing 3 years but started initially 15 years ago. In my living room I have a 1400 watt PA. The guitars run into via two zoom 9150's, The bass runs in via a compressor and an Ibanez overdrive, The drum set is a Premier Artist Birch with lots of hundred dollar bills hanging in the air in the form of Zildjin cymbals. That set cost more than the rest of the instruments put together. Now you know why I'm not going to throw my guitar into the drum set. My living room can get louder than an early Stone's concert. Fortunately we live in the country. Besides, the neighbors a quarter a mile away say they like our music.

If the house caught fire, rescue the wife and kids, then run back into the flames and spend two seconds trying to decide between the family album and my Epi... grab the Epi and sprint back through the flames to safety. At least then I could sit by a fire truck and play the blues.

2002 model. Made in Korea. Everyone knows the setup, two humbuckers. Tune-oMatic ridge. Standard tuners, they're pretty dang good, tune it wo or three times a week. The plastic parts are not that great, but approprieate for the cheap price. Anvil mother of pearl inlays.A B-E-A-UTIFUL finish, looks the same as some of the Gibsons I've seen. I named her Roxanne. My brother bought it for me, he's "pretty fly for an old guy".

This guitar can play any style of music, mostly blues and Rock and Roll. I use a Fender Deluxe 90, and it sounds just like the Les Pauls that I loved playing in the rockin days of the 60's and 70's in my rock bands. The neck position sounds fatter than Rosie O'Donnel, but a little muddy. The bridge pickup wales big time, it is way veristile, it can sound like a Les Paul, Strat, es-335, and much more I'm sure. The selector switch gets loose sometimes and buzzes, but you just tighten it up and everything is groovey again.

When I got it, it was perfect, and still is pretty much, and it has taken mucho grade abuse. Like I said, that finish, dang foo, it elegant yet rockin lookin. The parts were made great, no complaints, great beginning guitar, a great intermidiate guitar and a great advanced guitar.I can honestly say that the only thing is that sometimes the selector switch buzzes, but I have had for over a year now and things like that happen. It can be fixed by either tighteeing some stuff or just get some new parts if needed.

I've done a little live playing, and it was great. The hardware proably won't last more than a couple years of wear and tear. The finish seems like it will withstand some years, it better. It is a rock solid sexy, rockin guitar that is versitile. I can depend on her all the time.

I think all guitars are different so try not to order one of the internet, because you might get a junky Les Paul (if there is such a thing). Check everything out first. It is so awesome for the price, all it is a cheaper version of a Gibson, so go for it, the rockin sound, beautiful looks, without the dang 4-digit price.

I think this is a 2001 model, I traded my Epiphone Sheraton for it as I wanted to move up to Seymour Duncan PU's. It was cheaper to buy this second hand than do it myself. good old Ebay!
Cherry burst, 22 fret, standart stuff, original tuners looked like glow in the dark plastic, replaced with gotoh's.
There has been a number of comments here about replacing parts on these epiphones and the relative merits of it. I pondered this for a couple of years before going for it, heres my thoughts:
The old tuners were OK, nomajor problems, the gotoh's atr better, less tuning, it goes days and stays in tune, no more tuning between songs, they look sublty different, but less cheap. Pick ups, I went for the change because our sound man was having trouble getting a sound that would cut through the mix in an 8 piece band, the strat was fine, the Epi was muddy. SD's make a huge difference, they give a clear, well articulated tone, even with a lot of distortion every note rings rather thay the 'mush' I had before. If you are thinking about switching, do it, you won't regret it! I even use the tone controls now......

I play blues, rock and some quieter stuff, amp is a Line 6 Flextone 2 thing with XLR into a PA. The guitar really suits the marshal sounds, clear but with loads of rip. The pickups are really tight and allow precise playing and rythms. Up the neck you get that classic les paul scream, classic stuff! There is very little noise even when you stand on the amp, tone pots give plenty of variety. Still use the strat for 'twangy' sounds but this is the business for rocky stuff.

I got this after a pro set up, action was fine, but I dropped it a little with no real buzzing. Finish is super, real high quality, I can't se how it could be improved, parts are less well finished, the plastic bits vary but can be replaced easily. No problems with the wiring yet. Wood on the top is not matched but still looks good, overall only 8 'cos of the original machines!

OK so far, looks raelly well made and finished, had to superglue in a strap button, had to do this on a few guitars before.

N?A

It's not a 59 les Paul bit it's the best I can afford, it sounds good enough, looks really pretty, just need that Gibson logo........
No one would tell the difference!

Guitar is a 2002 model, heritage cherry sunburst. Laminated maple veneer top, mahogany body. Standard Les Paul setup...

Sound is subjective, but here's what I think. This guitar has the newer "Gibson Designed" buckers in it, but they still suck. I'm planning on replacing them with Duncan Seth Lovers.

The big thing is the remaining electronics. The pots and switch have to go! Who ever heard of CONNECTORS in a guitar? Give me a break... I'm gonna switch the pots with CTS 500K Audio Tapers, the switch with a Switchcraft model, the caps with Orange Drops, and the wiring with shielded, braided cable....

In stock config, it really needs a treble-bleed cap on the rhythm pup, cos it's just too muddy when you turn down...

This is either a good beginner's guitar, or a good basis for creating an excellent custom guitar

Finish on the guitar is okay, although there are some small runs along the top edge of the neck binding. Nothing major, it'll wear off eventually, anyway. Doesn't interfere with playing.

Fit (construction) on the guitar could have been a bit better. The neck-set angle on my guitar is a bit steeper than it should be, which necessitates having to raise the bridge fairly high. Action is fine, with no buzzing, but a shallower neck angle would have allowed the bridge to be lowered, as well as the stop bar....

I've already addressed the controls; they're trash and should be thrown away soon after purchase...

Y'know, everyone fusses about the tuners, but they're really not that bad -- they're vintage-style; they're all like that. You just have to know how to wrap the string properly to lock it in, and don't use too many wraps. Probably wouldn't hurt to have the nut cut properly. Mine doesn't go out of tune, cos I know how to do it. For that matter, my 54 RI strat doesn't go out of tune, either, and I use the bar...

OK, off the soapbox... How reliable will this guitar be? Probably very after I replace everything with better parts! LOL... Seriously, you have to be careful with Les Paul-type guitars, as the headstocks are prone to snapping off. They're not as "tank-like" as Fenders.... Not a penalty for Les Pauls, though, that's just how they are...

Haven't had to deal with Gibson/Epiphone. Probably won't. If something breaks, I'll fix it myself...

I've been playing for 20+ years. I currently own 12 guitars, but the number fluctuates almost daily. I have a couple of strats, a couple of teles, a couple of "super strats" (80's models Kramer and Ibanez), an ESP Flying V, a Martin D-28, an Ovation 12-string, and an old Jazz Bass. Couple of amps (Peavey C-30 & Fender DR), miscellaneous electronic gear....

Basically I bought this to fill the Les Paul void at my house.... Probably should have held off and gotten an Elite series LP, but I got this for a deal I couldn't pass up

Not sure what year but around 2000 i guess. Got it used. Made in Korea. 22 Medium Jumbo Frets. Carved Top with a Maple flame - cherry sunburst. Mahogany back and neck with a rosewood fingerboard. Neck is fat similar to a 59. Ordinary looking trapezoid inlays. Binding on the neck and body, quite thick aswell. Usual controls, pups and bridge. What distinguishes this model from the rest is that it's a bolt on and has chrome tuners rather than the useluss ugle plastic ones. The bolt on neck has been done very well and the sustain is there just like a set-in neck.

Good for blues with the neck, classic rock and hard rock. But the pups do need to be changed. I'll give an update when i do. But at the moment the sound is full, a little muddy however, the bridge is a bit too raspy. Sounds much better than strats i reckon(too thin for my tastes) i play it through a Marshall Silver Jubilee, which i will be replacing since its too much for home use and more suited to harder edged late 80s stuff.

Slight buzzing on the low E, and well if u hit the strings hard there will be buzzing in many places, therefore setup wasnt brilliant. Pup heights are adjusted fine, the maple top is matched nicely, everything else is solid - input jack, switch, tone and vol controls, nut is good and the tuners are excellent. Good binding job aswell.

Dont play live so i wouldnt know. Hardware looks lastable but mahogany wont last as long as alder in terms of durability. Maple top looks like it will last. Strap buttons are ok. Always have a back up tho.

I've owned a 88 MIJ squier strat whose neck i prefer, but with the bolt on neck this lp has, i could get one custom made and replaced if i want. If it was stolen i would save up for a tokai because i reckon japanese guitars have greater quality over the korean stuff. Compared to the strat tho the sound is much more full and round, and usable.

This one was made in 96, I believe. I bought it used off of eBay, but in great condition. It's a cherry sunburst flametop finish that is absolutely beautiful. When I got this one, I had only been playing a couple years and was upgrading from my Samick. I loved it. Now when I look back on it (and compare it to my Fender MIA Strat), I see just how much it sucks! Well...not that bad, but the tuners are really lousy. Leave it to Epiphone to put on some crappy plastic tuners that keep breaking. They do a lousy job of staying in tune and frankly, I'm sick of tuning the thing! After about 6 months, the pickups started falling into the pickup holes. This is an easy fix, but the quality leaves a bit to be desired. The stock pickups sound just like stock pups on an Epi should. Muddy. I bought it for about $400, and I still think I payed too much. Don't let this sway you, this guitar is just fine for a beginner...but I wouldn't buy another Epi LP unless someone showed me a good one. Again, the finish was beautiful and the binding seems to be good.

As stated above, the stock pups left a lot to be desired. For a beginner, they sound just fine...but as you progress they just won't do.

The setup (when I received the guitar) was actually way too high...but I can't blame that on the factory...just the previous owner. The only flaw I really saw in this guitar was the hardware.

Still in one piece. The tuners break way too easily, but that can be remedied with some new ones.

Can't help ya.

This one wasn't a good one, but I've been told you gotta dig to find a good Epi. Maybe I'll try again sometime...those Rivieras look nice.

Its the best budget Gibson Les Paul you can get. Probably made somewhere like Indonesia or Korea or wherever. Its got a blue flame/quilt top. Regular Les Paul setup, same 2 humbuckers, tune-o-matic bridge. but it has a Maple top and Mahogany body.

Its no different from your average Les Paul and everyone is probably familiar with what sort of music you hear Les Pauls in. I play it through a Korg multi fx pedal so the sound of the pickups doesnt matter. I'm not great at pointing out small things in tone, and this guitar is alright clean into an amp, except you might find the neck pickup and neck/middle muddy on clean settings, but you can easily solve that by reducing the mid and/or bass on your amp/pedal.

Action is OK, works best with 10s. not quite so great for anyone who likes to give their guitar a good thrashing though, partly because the pickup selector gets in the way and you end up accidentally flicking it, and that problem meant it has worn away the connectors and in the middle position it cant decide what it wants to do. it also meant the bit of plastic on it might break, and the disc with the words "Rhythm" and "Treble" on it fades quickly. Construction and Finish when new ok though.
The guitar was once dropped, and the plastic tuning pegs broke, meaning we had to buy a whole Schaller set of Les Paul replacement machineheads. we had to drill the holes a bit more for the Schallers to fit through, and we accidentally chipped a lot of the neck. At the moment it plays very well, and there are no major problems.

This guitar would be brilliant for live playing, just as good as a real gibson. for #300 its quite good value. they seem to have marked them up to #500 now.
Epiphone is to Gibson what Squier is to Fender, except Epiphones are of a much higher quality.
one small problem is the jack which can come loose sometimes.

We havent required any customer support.

Much better than any other cheap alternative to a real Gibson. Our best guitar we have at the moment.
If we lost it or got it stolen I'd replace it with a Epiphone Quilted Top Les Paul, or a PRS Santana SE.
If your more of a thrasher I'd say go for an SG which is more or less of the same quality, but if your a soloist youd be better off with a les paul.

1999 Epiphone Les Paul Standard with flamed cherry sunburst finish. After working as a manager in a local Gibson dealer, I've seen lots of these sold and returned for repairs (usually switches, jacks or bad pickups). A friend needed money and showed me this guitar and it is one of those rare guitars that just has IT! Beautifull sound before plugging in. I immediatly bought it and went and found an old set of Lindy Fralin humbuckers and put those in before I ever plugged it in. I also got the hardshell case for it. Mahogany neck and body and a beautiful flamed finish. If this were a Gibson it would cost $4000 just for that top, even if it is just a vaneer. I will eventually change the tuners and electronics but for now everything fine. I'm giving a 7 rating only because you have to change the standard electronics to be able to consider this a pro level instrument.

With the Lindy Fralin pickups in it it sounds GODLIKE! The pickups are a matched set (7.2 reading) and combined with the spacious chambered chambers in side of this guitar sound beautiful. I instantly started playing old Bowie songs which never would have come out on my Tele. If you pick up an Epi be sure to try them out first before plugging in. If a guitar does not sound good acoustically than no pickup will help it!

I bought the guitar used and it was set up good and I haven' t had to touch the truss rod even though I changed gauges from 9's to 10's. Like I said before if this was a Gibson it would cost thousands. One of the best finishing jobs I've seen come out of the Epi factory.

So far so good but I know I'll end up changing the toggle switch, jack and tuners eventually so it only gets a 7.

Gibson/ Epi are okay to deal with IF you can get them to answer the phone. Try and work with them.

I've been playing for over 20 years and own 2 Custom Strats and a Custom Tele. This guitar is now getting played as much as those. I never thought I'd own an Epi but this one is a good one. Some one must have been having a good in Korea. This is true even of old (pre-CBS) Fenders, I'd better watch out here, the vintage snobs will come looking for me, but honestly I've seen and played 50's and 60's Teles and Strats that would make better firewood than guitars!

Beautiful guitar with great tone, everyone knows this!

Great tone, No noise, I love this by comparison to my Strat.

great action, beautiful finish. No Flaws

This is the only problem..When i bought this guitar and took it home, I played it for about 10 minutes and the bridge pickup went out..so i returned it and got a new one that day...here we are 2 months later and the bridge pickup is out again. besides that, there's been no trouble

So far they have been helpful, but we'll see if they fix my guitar.