Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plain Top

Classic Les Paul configuration. Solid mahogany body and neck,
plain maple top. Cherry sunburst finish.
Tune-o-matic bridge, stopbar tailpiece. Made in 2006, in China.
See it at musicians friend. I didn't get mine there, though.

Plays like the Gibson Les Paul that I owned up until two years
ago. It was a vintage 79 silverburst, so I grabbed the bucks while
it was in demand.
I play this thru a Peavey ValveKing, a Marshall 15 watt, and a Fender
Blues DeVille. Has the basic Les Paul sound while on clean setting,
but the pickups are a bit low volume, and a little muddy. Not bad
if you don't know the difference, but I do. Therefore, I replaced
the bridge pickup with a DiMarzio DP100 Super Distortion Humbucker

Factory setups are usually pretty bad, no matter WHAT kind of guitar
you get, regardless of whether it was made in the USA or overseas.
I always have to make adjustments, even on the Gibson USA guitars.
Since I rest the heel of my hand on the bridge while playing, I had
to file the bridge saddle for the low E string. It was sharp and dug
into my hand. A nail file and some emery cloth did the trick
BUT...I'm not faulting Epiphone for this. I had to do the SAME thing
on my Gibson USA's SG Standard, and SG Faded.
I also had to file the end of the nut on the treble side, since it
wasn't beveled as it should be. Had to do this on my SG Faded as
well.

The pickups were adjusted ok.

The strings weren't very good. I usually change the strings right
away, anyway. I use Ernie Ball 10's. The action had to be lowered
somewhat, to my taste. After that, it played like a dream. Perfect.
The neck is reminiscent of the 60's LP's....I've played Epi LP's that
had a really flat neck, and they really leave a lot to be desired.
But this one, has a full-contoured neck, something that you can grab
onto, without being a tree trunk.

The input jack was loose. I tightened it up effortlessley.

The frets are good. And, unbelievably...the fret ends weren't rough!
BOTH my Gibsons had rough fret ends, which I had to smooth out with
metal sanding paper and steel wool. Not so with this Epi.

The finish is BEEE-YOOOO-TEEE-FULL! Great job on this! The binding
on the neck and body is also perfect.

One of the reasons that I bought this guitar, is that I want the feel and the sound of a Les Paul without having to hire a security
guard to protect a $2,000+ guitar between sets.
It will definitely withstand live playing. And, if it gets a ding
in it, no big deal. I treat all my guitars with equal care, regardless of price, but it will hurt less to have this one damaged
than it will for an expensive one.
The hardware is rock-solid, as the stap buttons.
I ALWAYS have at least two guitars on a gig, so the backup question
doesn't apply.

N/A

Been playing over 30 years. Owned Gibson USA Les Paul and played it
for over 10 years. This compares to it quite admirably, for a LOT
less money, and a LOT less worry about having an expensive guitar
ruined or stolen. Les Paul himself claims that Epi's are just as good
as the Gibsons. I have to differ with that, because the Gibsons ARE
indeed somewhat better in quality...but not $2,000+ better than the
Epi's! The wood isn't as good, but it's not bad at all. Gibsons have
a nitro cellulose finish, which is supposed to let the wood breathe,
and, as time passes, the guitar is supposed to sound better with age.
Of course, that'll take about 20 years before you'd notice the difference. I want a guitar that sounds good TODAY, and even though
the Epiphones have a poly finish, they sound and feel great!

I'm looking into getting another one of these, but in the honeyburst
finish. If you're looking for a Les Paul at an affordable price, BUY
this one! A few mods, such as better pickups, will have the guitar
sounding VERY, VERY close to a Gibson Les Paul, and it won't cost you
$2,000+, either.

Pickups: 2 Humbuckers Neck pickup on mine sounded amazing, Bridge was not bad. (I changed both)
Neck Joint: Set
Neck Material: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood/Trapezoid
Binding: Body/Neck
Body Material: Full Mahogany Body!!!!!!
Top: Maple

I am primary an engineer, I Have been fortunate enough to work with the best guitarists in the business (Billy Corgan, Steve Lukather, Robbie Robertson, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Eddie Van Halen) For the price, this guitar sounds pretty damn good. I changed the pickups, I used Seymour Duncan APH-1 Alnico II Pro for the neck pickup and SH-1'59. After the change, this guitar sounds like it would cost thousands more. Plenty of bite with out being to bright or brittle when using the bridge pick up, and that smooth classic rock solo sound when using the neck.

Not great, but nothing I could not fix in just an hour or so.

Feels like it will last forever, but time will tell.

I play this through a Marshall TSL602 and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and it sounds great through both. If it was stolen, I would absolutely buy it again. Don't buy and other model until you check this one out!

Mine is a 2006 model with the Honey Burst finish and chrome hardware, made in China. The case was extra ($60). The LP Std Plain Top has a few important features that make it very different from the Epiphone LP Standard (and a Gibson LP Standard):

The Plain Top has a maple top with no flame or quilt figuring (as the name suggests) like the Standard.

The body is made from solid mahogany, just like a real Gibson LP; The Epi Standard has an alder body covered by a veneer of mahogany.

The Plain Top has genuine Grover tuners; the Epi Standard has Kluson style plastic button tuners.

The Plain Top has "Alnico Classic" pickups; the Epi Standard has lower-output standard pickups.

I play pop and rock from the 70's to today in a cover band. There are plenty of songs that have a signature LP sound, and I needed that sound!

I play through a Vox AC30CC2 with one Celestion Alnico Blue and one Heritage G12M speaker. I use an Ernie Ball VP Jr, MXR Dyna-Comp, Boss SD-1, and a Boss DD-20 Giga Delay.

Sound - this guitar has some strong woodworking and finish features, but the sound is the weakest part. The "Alnico Classic" pickups are barely adequate for clean sounds. Even with an amp as bright as an AC30, the tone is muddy and dark. Maybe okay if you play smooth jazz or BB King style blues but that's not my thing. Distorted sounds fair slightly better with the bridge pickup's midrange bite, but it's still nothing special. And on certain notes, the pickups emit a strange "whooshing" sound. In this category I have to give it a 4.

The guitar is expertly finished - a beautiful instrument. It gets high marks for appearance, but low marks for set up. Why? When I recieved the guitar, the low E string action was too high and the intonation was off. These should have been addressed by the "Gibson USA" technicians who are supposedly responsible for setting up each and every Epiphone. As a compromise, I have to give it a 7.

The finish appears to be a thick polyurethane and should certainly be durable. The chrome hardware also appears to be of good quality. I replaced the strap buttons with a DiMarzio strap with clip ends that screw into the guitar - I love these straps and have them on all 4 of my guitars! Once I get the intonation set, I believe this guitar will be as reliable as my others. I will gig with this guitar and my Strat to cover a wide range of tones.

Brand new - don't know.

I've been playing for 20 years. I've got a Taylor acoustic, a 50th Anniversary American Standard Strat, and an Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette. I selected this guitar because I want the LP sound. A real Gibson LP Standard is beyond my price range as a hobby musician - but for $399, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plain Top is a really nice guitar with POTENTIAL to be a great guitar. I'll swap out the electronics for about $200 (I'm putting Burstbucker Pros in - the same as an Gibson LP Standard) so the total price will be around $600 which is still $2,000 LESS than a real Gibson. I love the Honey Burst finish, and it weighs no more than my other guitars. For these reasons, it's a great value.

2006, 22 frets. Solid Mahogany body, just like a Gibson. I am suprised that these are not more popular than they are...for just a few dollars more you get solid mahogany instead of that mahogany/alder blend that most Epiphone Les Paul Standard's use. Beautiful Vintage sunburst...you know all other the features expected on a les paul...good pickups

This thing sounds like a Gibson Les Paul. Sounds just like I wanted this guitar to sound. I mostly use Ibanez with floating bridges and Dimarzio pickups, but I wanted this sound and stability for a few songs, and boy does this thing deliver.

I had to raise the action a bit as I was getting terrible fret buzz. I think I may need to raise the neck pickup a bit. Also, the tone and volume pots were not level, one was way to high, and two were so low that they almost scratched the finish. All easy fixes. I think I see a minor imperfection in the wood under the laquer, but it is so small it does not really matter. Resonates great unplugged.

This guitar is built like a rock. I have had it only a short while, but my rhythm guitar player uses epiphone les pauls exclusively and they have been rock solid for years.

I would never gig without a backup. I gig with about 4 backups.

I dunno.

I have been playing for about 18 years. I own a number of ibanez guitars and I do prefer them, but I wanted this one to add that les paul sound for some music. If it were stolen or lost, I would replace it with the exact same model. I like the solid mahogany body.