Epiphone Les Paul Standard

This guitar doesn't have a ton of features... It has a few, the average paul, it has the two volume and two tone knobs.It has a beautiful Heritage Cherry finish. It has dual humbuckers. I bought it used and it came w/a Seymour Duncan SH-2 Jazz humbucker in the neck and an SH-6 Duncan Distortion in the bridge. It has the pickup selector knob and the standard tremolo and tuners. It came with an Epiphone hardshell case.

It perfectly fits my style, I play Classic Rock, Metal, Rock, and a little bit of Blues. I run it through my Line Six Spider II which has great distortion, so I hardly use my Ibanez Stomp Box. No noise or buzzing/feedback that I have experienced with other Epi's (mainly because of the Seymour Duncans.) It has a ton of sustain and a deep, rich sound which I love. This guitar does Jazz, Country, any kind of Rock, Blues, pretty much anything you can think of. So far this guitar is flawless and I love it.

It was perfect when I got it.... It probably had a professional setup before shipping......

This guitar is very durable. I would depend on it through live gigs.

I have been playing for 3 and 1/2 years. I own a Fender Squier Strat, an Epi G-400, and a Washburn WR120. If it were stolen, I would buy another. I don't know why people go out and pay $1900-$2200 for a Gibson, this guitar sounds as good as any Gibson I have ever played for a quarter of the price.

my les paul was made in 2005, and "handcrafted in china" yeah right. It has all the features of a gibson... the top is flame maple. and depending on which finish you get, it can be darn beautiful. the pickups are either love or hate. some people wont like the mellow output, but it suits me fine. however, the pickup selector is very crappy, so make sure you get a gibson switch. the tuners, for me, were grover ones, so thats good.

i love the sound of my les paul. it gives a mellow sound, yet still all the notes i play, escecially bar chords come out clear. there aint that much of a difference between rythmn and treble, unlike a real gibson. i played it thru a peavey transtube supreme, and a b52 lg 412.

i recieved a 2nd, but i could not find why. the pros: finish is spectacular, well made generally, love the neck. cons: the PICKUP SELECTOR will die on you.

good durability, though my switch died fast. finish is pretty long lasting, even though i got a month ago.

didnt need to

this is my 4th guitar, and i love it like my son. if it were stolen, i would probably go into a maddend rage, and then buy another one. this guitar is a very good deal, seeing its quality for price. it cant compare to a gibson les paul, but the superiority of the gibson is not worth 1500 more dollars. trust me. the gibson is not THAT much better than the epiphone. a solid guitar.

the tuners are not so good

i think it sounds good it has a pretty "thick" sound
i use a tech 21 trademark 60 amp and a mi audio blues pro overdrive effect.I play guns n' roses,velvet revolver,iron maiden,led zeppelin,hendrix,acdc.

good

the tuners are not so ggod quality.

22 fret rosewood finger board, 2 volume and 2 tone controls, 2 Gibson Designed humbuckers, Mahogany/Alder body with Maple top. I score 9 here (just like its Gibson big brother) because it has no tremolo bar, and we?ll ignore the likes of Line6 Variax?s which for features at least gets an 11 plus.
I mention the Gibson LP here, because when I started playing guitar again a few years ago I wanted to know how the Epiphone compared. So to help anyone else asking the same question, I?ll try and benchmark the Epiphone against the Gibson.

The Gibson designed pickups are much better than those fitted to earlier Epiphone LPs, but they are still a little muddy. Where the current Gibson Burstbucker Pro?s ring crystal clear playing clean, the Epi?s seem a bit muffled, passable but not great. Played distorted, the bustbuckers have much more bite than those of the Epi. The Epi also seems to have slightly less tonal range. The pickup fitted in the neck position of the Epi really doesn?t work that well for me, its sounds dull. The bridge PU on the other hand is not too bad, it is brighter as you would expect, but has more clarity and bite.
If you want to gig with the Epiphone you may want to replace the stock pickups; Seymour Duncan SH-59?s may be or EMG or what ever is to your taste. If however you just want a guitar to play at home, the standard pickups are certainly no disaster. All in all, the Epi does capture, in general terms at least, the warmth and sound of its bigger and more expensive Brother.
Another factor about the Epiphone is the quality of its switch gear, the volume and tone control?s. Adjusting the tone or volume on a selected pickup translates to crackles over the amp. Also switching between pickup settings can cause an unwanted silence, because of poor contact, normally works second time though! The Gibo is by comparison faultless (well all the ones I?ve played at least).
If not for the controls I may have been tempted to give the Epi a 7, but as it stands the Epi gets a 6, and its big brother a 10. Actually for sound I personally think the Gibson Explorer is even better, those nasty hot ceramics PU?s really do kick arse. But sounds like colour are very much a matter of personal taste.

Considering the price I really think Epiphone have done a great job. All the Epiphones I have played have looked and felt good, have a good action and are very playable. OK so the Gibson feels a better guitar, the strings for example seem just that little lighter on the fingers, it has a better neck and is all round more playable.
One point where some may consider the Epi wins over the Gibson is weight. The Epi is a bit lighter and as a result is slightly more balanced and less tiresome on the shoulders.
By and large the Epi holds is tune well, although when played hard it does need a bit of re-tuning. The Gibson is solid.
I did have a problem with the nut of the epi where one of cuts was slightly too deep and this resulted in fret buz on an open string. This was really no big deal and was sorted by the shop very quickly and has been rock solid ever since.
Another problem is that over time the Epiphone has developed some very minor cracks in a couple of the (plastic) trapezoid inlays, these are hardly noticeable and does not effect how the guitar plays. I don?t know if this is a common problem.
And the Gibo, well you are talking quality (10/10), but I have come across the odd duffer.
The Epi may loose a couple of points by comparison, but it?s still a good guitar.

Apart from the controls and the trapezoid inlays problems mentioned above, the Epiphone is rock solid. My only worry is that these faults may later result in the need for repairs. The Gibson gets a 10 here.

Never had to contact Epiphone directly, but purely based on their web site which is a bit limited, I?ll give them an 8. Gibson who I?ve never had to contact either gets a 9 for their website.

I been playing guitar on and off for 35 years now. Although classically trained, I mainly play rock, blues and metal. I have a number of other guitars, both acoustic and electrics including; Gibson LP Std, Gibson Explorer, Line6 Variax (which is a hoot) and I play through Marshall amps.
Ephipone have overall put together a good package with its good points being its looks and feel, its weakest point being the electronics. If you are thinking of buying an Epi then swapping the pickups and controls, you may want to consider a Gibson LP Studio instead! The Studio doesn?t have any bindings and this really drives down the cost and as a result you?ll get a Gibo LP for only 10-15% more than that of an upgraded Epi.
When considering all the factors including price, I think Ephiphone have done a great job in producing this guitar. True it is no Gibson, but the Gibson costs nearly 4 times as much yet isn?t 4 times as good.
So for those on a budget (for what ever reason) who want a Les Paul, the Ephiphone is a good choice. However if you do have the cash, there?s really only one choice, it?s a Gibson.
Final score Epiphone 7 Gibson 10.

1990 epiphone les paul made in korea.has 22 frets,2 volume and 2 tone controls,2 humbuckers (unsure of make i think they are just standard).mahogany body with rosewood fingerboard.almost exactly like gibson.bought it in 2005.

i love to use this guitar when playing all styles except for shred which my wasburn caters for much better.the neck is a bit to big for shred but that is standard on all les pauls.i plug it into a marshall 100watt dfx and it sounds great clean,dirty or with the effects.it is noticeably louder when on the bridge setting.

this guitar was absoloutely perfect.the action was fine,the parts all felt solid etc.ther are still no faults.

i've used this guitar live and found it to be great.if you are small the weight might be a problem.the finish is exceptional,the guitar feels solid and i have never took a backup to a gig.as long as you are careful and dont drop it it should last for a lifetime.just be careful not to drop it because the neck could come off-same with a gibson.

never needed to.

ive not been playing electric long but i already own a few guitars.this is almost certainly my favourite.i prefer it to fenders,ibanez and it was definetly the best guitar for #200.i would definetly buy again if it was stolen.

This is a stock blue sunburst Epi LP std with a nice flamey veneer top. Hardware is stock. Heck, you know the specs. Oddly enough, I used to play in a hard rock band and used 2 LP std Epis onstage (did not want to use my old expensive Gibson LPs in clubs) a red quilt top with black hardware and a CSB flametop. However, my stage axes had Sperzel tuners, EMG active p/ups, bone nuts, and jumbo stainless frets, as well as swithcraft jacks and toggles, and Bournes 1 meg pots. Not even close to stock! (I actually went and got these 2 Epi guitars out of a storage locker that I have at SIR, and both were in tune and functional after almost 2 years of sitting in road cases!! pretty good!) This axe was bought as a surprise by my best friend for his 15 year old stepson. This kid is already a helluva guitar player,and has outgrown his souped up Squier Strat. For the street price, I feel this little LP copy is great for someone wanting some LP style and playability on a budget. The upgrades my old stage guitars had were worth much more than the guitars they were applied to. Unless you are making your living with an axe, these type upgrades on this type guitar are cost prohibitive. Also, my Epis as well as an Ace Frehley model owned by the same friend were Korean. This new one is Chinese, and I think as good or better in quality. I will rate it like any LP-not alot of features, but all you need for authentic LP vibe.

It suits me not at all, but I am many years older and much more experienced than the intended user of this guitar. I find that it simply has no tone at all-just output-It will be used with a Marshall AVT 35 watt combo also purchased for the stepson's use. It has ok clean and distorted sounds. I fully expect that I will have to upgrade the pickups (as I did with the young man's Squire Strat) pretty soon as he has pretty discriminating ears and was raised using his dad's as well as my vintage Gibsons Ricks and Fenders. It is a wee bit noisy on distorted settings. I do feel however, that this guitar exhibits great sound and utility for it's intended market and price range. I like this guitar's light weight and transparent acoustic tone-nice and resonant, like the Ace Frehley model. My mid 90's Korean made Epis were heavy like a 70's Paul which suited the mods I had performed on them. More on this later...

Action was medium, Intonation needed minor adjustment, as well as pickup height. Routing was spot on. Veneer on top was pleasing to the eye. Frets were a little dull, but even and well seated. Binding pretty good with a couple scraping flaws, nothing big. Saddles and nut cut a little shallow. I noticed that my old Epis had quilt and flame veneers on a thick maple cap (as does the Ace model) whereas this one seems to be of some type of Asian mahogany variant (Agathis?) As such, it has the shape of a LP guitar, but really performs somewhat differently. In my opinion, most good Les Pauls weigh around 9-12 pounds, this one is about 8lbs. Very comfortable, but sonically lacking. The pots and switch, as well as the hardware are useable, but not very good quality. I would imagine I will wind up replacing most of it as time goes by. Also, this guitar has the thickest poly finish I have seen-probably very durable. I really don't dig the blue sunburst, but The young man it was bought for picked it out and loves it. All in all-a great little starter LP for the money that will serve it's purpose quite well. This guitar was bought as a reward for the stepson getting good grades. The boy is shooting for an overall 3.0 average upon graduation, as we have promised him a new Gibson upon reaching that goal. Oddly enough, I noticed that the boy is a little awed by the new Epi and is still playing the heavily modded Squier, but I suspect this will change as he gets more used to it. Good enough quality on this Epi for the price. Rated accordingly.

As much as it will be carried around and played by teens, I think the body and neck will hold up well, not as sure about electronics and hardware. I feel it will be dependable. I wouldn't gig with it right now, but I know that it already has been used at the stepson's school and church as well as at a couple parties, with no problems. The Squire Strat serves as backup for him. Frankly, I would have loved to have had this LP, a Marshall combo, and a very nice customized Strat at 15!! I also would have loved to had this young man's natural talent at that age!!

Never had any issues with warranty on any of these products-will rate as no opinion to be fair.

I have been playing over 20 years, mostly in a professional capacity. The young man who owns this has been playing for 1 1/2 years and is a born guitarist and songwriter. It would be hard to steal as he never is out of the room it's in and it travels with him at all times (even at school!) This guitar is just marvelous for the price paid. It's new owner loves everything about it. I feel this guitar is well suited to it's purpose, although I am sure as time goes by it will need certain parts upgraded. After all, the boy that owns it has been around pro grade instruments all his life.

Made in August 2005 in China. 22 Frets. 3 way togle switch. 2 Humbucker designed by Epiphone, Alnico classic / Alnico classic plus
Non- looking Groover tuners.
Cable, tools.

Good LP-sound sound after setup the humbuckers. Distance to strings was much to high. Good fo my style after adjusting the pickups. Playing Blues and Hard Rock. May be the new Epi stock pickups are better than the last genaration (Gibson designed).

Very poor factory setup. Neck, pickups, intonation and string action had to be adjusted. On of the tone potis were noisy. Could be fixed very fast. But perfect and very nice sunburst finish.

The guitar seems to be very solid. The instrument is new. Still no problems with Reliability/Durability. I changed the strap buttons with security looking buttons.
I would use this LP without backup. The Groovers staying good in tune.

Dealed with Thoman in the past. Very good customer support.

I play more than 20 years. In the past Classic and Folk. Now I have much fun with this Epi Les Paul playing Blue and Hard Rock in a Band. I compaired it to a Mex Fender Strat. But I love the rich and full LP Sound.
If it was stolen I wouls buy a new one. Take ist to my holidays for all the setups which have to be done to this guitar.

Made in Dewong, China 0805. Alnico classic + alnico classic pro humbucker. Heritage cherry sunburst. Groover tuners. LP Standard Features.

Playing blues and Rock. After the all the setups are done, great sound. Not far from the well known Grarry Moore LP sounds. The new alnico pickups (designed by Epiphone)seem to be different an much better then the often discriped oder Gipson designed humbuckers.
Give a 7 because of the poor pickup setup.

Factory Setup was terribel. I had to setup: neck, intonation, pickup adjusting (much to high distance from strings, bad sond), sting action very much to high (far away from the factory standard).
Tone Poti of the lead pickup is noisy.
No finish flaws. Seems as no of the Chineese Epi staff cares for the setup quality.

The Groovers staying in tune. Have to adjust only a bit after the 6th or 7th songs. After all setups I had to make, easy to play. Fast neck.

Well known good support from dealer (Germany)

Playing more then 20 Years. Most time classic and folk. Since 2 years also blues and hard rock.
Compaired to a Fender Mex Strat. I decided for the deep rich LP sound.
All in all ist's a good guitar for the price.
If it were stole or lost I would decide to by another one. But take it with me to my holydays because of the lot of setups have to done.

It's a 2004 Heritage Cherry Sunburst Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Two Alnico V Humbucker pickups. 22 frets, rosewood fretboard. 2 volume, 2 tone and 1 3-way selector. Chrome Grover Tuners. Chrome hardware. Stop tailpiece. Basically everything you need on a Les Paul!

I got this guitar solely on on reason: I am a Jimmy Page freak! My parents understood and this was my X-mas present, and lemme tell you I almost fainted when I saw it. I play Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Blues, Punk, Rockabilly, Jazz, Country, and Grunge and this guitar works on EVERYTHING! Now the the neck pickup is noticably louder than the bridge pickup (you can really, REALLY tell when it's clean) so I have though of putting in a Seymour Duncan SP-90 Hot Soapbar in the bridge (or a Seymour Duncan SH1-'59 in the bridge). But overall, it sounds damntastic!

Everything was fine. Finish was flawless. Pickups were at a good height. No flaws over all. Set up was fine.

It's a Les Paul. It's the greatest guitar ever made. It WILL last. I did buy some Dunlop Strap-Locks for it and now it's indestructible!

Never had to deal with the company. I believe it's a lifetime warranty

I compared this to some Fenders, but this was the one for me. It's a Les Paul, the greatest guita ever made. 10 is not a high enough number to rate this!

Made in Korea, black Epiphone Les Paul Standard with a cream pickguard and cream full body, neck and headstock binding. I bought it used so I don't know what year it was made, but I bought it in 1999. 22 frets, solid top, standard Les Paul features with a setneck. I don't particularly like the machine heads, vintage gibson style with these ugly green plastic tuning pegs, but I wanted to leave it stock so I haven't changed anything and it stays in tune ok as long as you don't do any heavy duty dive bombing.

I play classic rock and blues, mostly late 60's through mid 70's stuff and this guitar handles it quite well. Running it through a Hartke Piggyback G60, Marshall MG30DFX and Marshall MG10CD. I don't use any effects, just overdrive. Not noisy at all. Nice warm sound, plenty of bang for the buck. You can do metal on this guitar if that's your thing. Les Paul's aren't know for their versatility but for what I paid for it, I'm pleased.

I can't speak for how it came from the factory. It was setup fine when I got it. No flaws. Bought it used but it was in mint condition.

I don't gig. Don't have time to because of my job as a Physician, but I am sure it would hold up just fine night after night. Everything is ok hardware wise. I would never gig without a backup.

Been playing for 40 of my 45 years on earth. I have this, a Fender MIM Strat, Fender MIM Tele, SAGA HT-10, Strat and Tele kits that I put together and I use Martin and Takamine acoustics. This is a good guitar. Nothing negative that I can really say about it.