Epiphone Les Paul Standard

2008 China, 57clasic alnico 5 epi neck humbucker ohmed to 8.9. Hotch alnico 5 epi bridge humbucker ohmed to 13.5. Alpha pots, cheap caps. Fat neck profile. Black paint, beige trim. Laminate Mahogany body with maple top.Laminate Mahogany set neck, Ebony fretboard. Grover tuners. ABR-1 style epi tune-o-matic with stud bushings(big stud holes)

I play mostly rock and blues. I use only tube amps. This guitar is very quiet no buzzes, scratches, pops, or hums. Almost a Gibson LP, its pickups are moderately hot, with a well rounded warm but somewhat bright sound(I role back the tone knobs a bit). I can get most the sounds out of it I want. Great Sustain! I think the bridge pickup can get a little to crunchy sounding, still not bad.

Not the worst setup ever, but only o.k.. The action, string spacing, and fret work was very good. The pickups needed adjusting right out the box, the bridge pickup was so close to the strings it shrilled out of phase, lowered both pickups, no problems now. The ABR 1 style bridge has very little intonation range, so the G string stayed slightly flat on intonation until a bought a Gotoh model#1511 replacement bridge, perfect intonation now! The nut slots were a bit tight, a touch with a file and some "Graphit All" white graphite, no strings binding now! The nut was also a bit high so I sanded it down a bit and rubbed out some rough egdes. The finish is good, the only flaws were where the pick guard was mounted left some indentions in the uncured paint, and the binding paint is a little uneven in places, and sharp on a couple edges.

Think this is the best Les Paul for the buck! Period. Rock solid! Dependable!

Never used it.

I'm a fourteen year guitar player. I have lots of gear. If this guitar was stolen I would freak out, and buy the same one again. I actualy had a Gibson LP stolen from me, it hurt me bad. I could of have four of these great Epi Pauls for the same price as that Giby. I recommend this guitar to anyone who wants a Les Paul but dose not want to spend a lot of jack. Also, I highly recommend the Gotoh bridge upgrade($20-$30). As far as things I don't like, the bridge is the biggest issue, come on Epiphone and get it done right!

09 model, i think it's made in China. I've had it for 5 or 6 months. Got mine in black. It's a Les Paul, so you should know most of the features. This guitar has Grover tuners, and is solid mahogany (neck too). The neck is painted, which i would rather not have because it isn't as fast as say, an unpainted satin finish neck. It is pretty thick, and rounded, which makes it comfortable, although not extremely well suited for metal soloing.

I use this guitar through a Morley Bad Horsie Contour Wah to a Peavy Vypyr 75, which is great. I mostly use the Mesa/Boggie Dual Rectifier model, which is great for what i like to play (METAAL!). The stock pups are very good when played at low volume, and get an extreme sound if raised a little bit, although there is some hum if that is done. The only problem is when this guitar is played at gigging volumes, and i have gigged with it before. There is a lot of feedback, although i use do a ton of gain. If you put in some decent high output pickups, this baby would scream. With the stock pickups, you can get literally any sound, from metal in the bridge with everything at full blast to jazz in the neck with the tone turned down some. Would've given a 10 if the pickups would've been better for metal, but that's really just personal preference.

The factory setup was PERFECT. The pickups were in the sweet spot for just about anything, although they sound better for metal if raaised just a touch. Everything was dead on, the fretwork rivals any guitar i have every played. The only issue is that the pickup switch is very noisy, but if you change the switch lightly (don't bang the crap out of it) this isn't really an issue. Also, i really don't change pickups very much, so this doesn't really matter to me.

Like i said earlier, it's solid mahogany. It seems indestructible. The finish is great, and not the fake flamed maple like on the other finishes available. This guitar is extremely heavy. I have heard of people messing up their backs because they play Les Pauls a lot. The strap buttons aren't great, and my strap kept coming off until i got a locking strap (it wouldn't fit in the case with straplocks). Definetely couldv'e been a problem, but it's an easy $20 fix.

The warranty is a limited lifetime, which is great. Nothing has gone wrong on it, and probably never will. I've never had to deal with the company, and i doubt i will have to.

I've been playing for a year and a half, and am starting to get into soloing. For this reason, i would've wanted a guitar with jumbo frets, but i really didn't know better. If this guitar was stolen, i would buy an ESP or a Jackson with a Floyd Rose, and then go track the guy down and beat him with this guitar. It would take it, and there probably wouldn't be much of a scratch. Still, i wish it wasn't so heavy.

Dunno when it was made but it's a Chinese one. Tobacco burst with what appears to be a decal showing the grain of the maple top, not actual wood. The back and sides are painted black and don't allow you to see the wood either, so even though it's supposed to be mahogany I tend to wonder.

The tuners although Grover were installed unevenly and the d-string tuner has way more play than normal so it was probably damaged from the factory.

The bridge piece is too slim and forced me to flip around a couple of the saddles in order for it to intonate, frustrating. The bridge screws into the body also are a little outside, look like they could come off.

The sound is the best part, although not a Gibson, it sounds similar. Still as close as you can get without buying the real deal, better in sound than the offbrand copies. Great sustain as expected, classic rock in all its glory. But, I attribute most of this to the design that Mr Paul came up with, not Epiphone.

The pickups are noisy yet not that hot though. But I imagine with burstbuckers in it, you could make it so nobody knows the difference. Why anybody would want to invest in one of these is beyond me though. Not worth upgrading.

The setup was terrible from the store. I intonated it and set the neck and action and got it so it sounded good with no buzzes through the amp, but was never able to lower the action as much as I wanted without it buzzing out massively unplugged. Although this doesn't affect the amp sound, it still reminded me everytime I picked it up of what a cheap, sloppy instrument it was.

The finish was the sloppiest part. The bindings not straight, crooked trapezoid inlays. The dovetail piece of the neck that is rounded at the back and meets the body was notoriously uneven.

From a far it looks just like a Gibson, but for anybody who's owned one, they know instantly it's a cheap copy.

This is the category that finally motivated me to sell it. Sure, you can get by with it for that LP sound, but if you are serious enough you will spend enough time with this thing to notice exactly how inexact it is.

A quick mention of its case: since the Les Paul has an angled neck, it's very hard to find a good case for it that fits if you don't want to buy the brandname version, which is always more expensive. I bought a hardshell case from Epiphone since I never ended up finding an offbrand and was also disappointed with its build quality.

Despite being more expensive than any other comparable case on the market, the thing started falling apart on its own without even subjecting it to hardly any travel.

It was a "hardshell" case but was pretty flexible anyway and the cheap vinal on the outside started coming unglued. Pathetic.

The input jack always kept unscrewing itself, which although seems like something totally minor and fixable, is frustrating and is a possible shortout on stage. Plus, the tuner had a problem and the bridge gives me the impression it could actually come off cause the bolts like I said before were halfway out from the factory. So no, it isn't very reliable for continued stage use.

Don't know.

I bought this because I was so obsessed about replacing a Gibson Les Paul back in the day I had to sell. I was blinded by the glory of the concept that is the Les Paul in the store and I did a very immature thing and bought it despite the fact that I knew all along it really wasn't the same thing.

Don't do the same as I did. Be honest with yourself, this is no Les Paul, no matter what you do to it later. And upgrading it is like putting a turbo into a Yugo, you can always improve on it but why on earth would you want to waste your time and money.

I finally sold it on ebay cheap and with the money bought a brand new Ibanez AG75 hollowbody for less than what I sold the paul for used.

Amazing since the Ibanez has perfect finish, decent hardware and is an all-around better instrument. It's a guitar that is actually useable and likeable by a pro, not just a toy for bedroom playing like the paul.

But in retrospect, I am still a little annoyed with myself for having bought it in the first place. I'm also seriously disappointed in Epiphone.

I know there are exceptions and every once in a while one came come across a charmed Epi that was made well, but the great majority I've tried are like mine was, poor on most levels.

I don't consider it a good value, because to make it as good as my Ibanez I would have had to spend at least another US$200 to fix the tuners, have the frets dressed and leveled, get a new bridge and possibly even swap out the pickups. And even then the craftmanship would still be poor.

People, if you absolutely must have one, get a Gibson and buy it used or a Studio model, even an SG as a substitute, but don't buy this lemon.

Furthermore, shame on you Epiphone for trying to card this piece of junk off as an LP. If he were younger, I imagine Mr Paul might have done the same as he did in the 60s and told the company he didn't want to have it put his name on the SG.

Even the case started falling apart. To me Epiphone=junk.

Same as the Gibson Les Paul. A special mention for the Grover tuners that came with it. They are excellent tuners but my particular set came with the D string tuner messed up with way too much play. Poor quality control on the part of Epiphone. Also, the jack input kept unscrewing itself, a very frustrating issue.

Finally, the tune-o-matic bridge piece was too slim and in order to get the right intonation I had to flip around the saddles because I maxed out their range. This was with 11 gauge strings, so I suspect if I put any higher gauge on it the bridge would not be able to intonate correctly. Cheap and amateur.

Considering the price, the sound was really good, very similar to a Gibson but not as hot because the pickups aren't Gibson. It did sound a little colder and emptier than a Gibson but again, considering the price, one shouldn't complain. All in all, very respectable sound, thanks to the Les Paul design, which to me is the best solid body guitar design in the world. You can make this baby scream because although it is a copy, it is still a Les Paul.

If you close your eyes and forget all the guitar's other problems, for a few minutes the sound actually makes the guitar redeem itself.

The factory setup was horrendous and like I said before, is very close to not able to intonate correctly with heavy strings because of the thin bridge piece. The action is not bad because the angled Les Paul neck allows for great action just because of the genius design Mr. Paul came up with decades ago. But the frets were very uneven, forcing me to raise the action higher than a well-made Les Paul in order to avoid massive fret buzz. In the end I made a trade off and just set up the action to buzz like mad as long as it didn't come through the amp. Still, kinda a downer if you pick it up without an amp. Reminds you instantly of what a cheap guitar it is.

As for the finish, it just plain sucked. Poor paint finishing, uneven bindings, the fretboard had glue and carelessly selected wood. Looks great from a far but if you're holding it, you know immediately it's a cheapo copy.

My particular one I think was worse than most though, I've seen some Epi Les Pauls much better crafted, leading me to believe one can actually get a good one if they absolutely have to own a Les Paul and can't compromise and buy a better-made copy from another brand.

Considering the loose input jack and the crappy D-string tuner, I think this thing probably is not reliable for stage work. I didn't have any problems with the electronics, but I got the feeling they would likely arise later on, if I hadn't sold it first.

Don't know.

I wouldn't buy this guitar if I were serious about playing. I ended up selling it cheap shortly after I got it and bought a brand new Ibanez AG75 hollowbody for less than what I got from selling this used. Amazing considering the Ibanez is a far superior instrument in craftsmanship and sound. Embarrassing for Epiphone if you ask me. I was just so obsessed about getting another Les Paul after I had to sell an excellent Gibson Les Paul Studio a few years back, that I got this, because I'm not about to spend more than two grand for a real Gibby standard. Too much if you're not a pro. But this is not a good compromise. If you can't afford at least a Gibson Studio model just be honest with yourself and don't get a les paul. It's like buying a Ferrari kit car. Looks great from far away but pop the hood and you're in for a good laugh, or a belly ache thinking about how you were duped into buying this lemon.

2000 model made in Korea. Has the basic features you'd expect on a Les Paul. This is my second Epi Les Paul. The first one was a '97 model with a neck that twisted beyond hope of repair. Gibson replaced the guitar and trasferred my pickups and tuners from the old one to the new one.

I've never heard the stock pickups for this guitar. Gibson transferred the 498T (bridge) and the 490R (neck) from my old LP. After 9 years she still sings like a lady and just gets better with age. The bridge pup has the nice fat Gibson crunch and the neck pup has this warm tone that's great for blues and jazz. Never played it along side a Gibson LB but to my ear (since it's got Gibson pickups) it sounds like a Les Paul.

No complaints at all here. When Gibson replaced my old LP they most have chosen the cream of the crop. This old girl has a luscious ebony finish that's flawless. The binding and inlays are perfect. The stock tune-a-matic bridge is rock solid. I had replace the stock Epi tuners on my old LP with actual Gibson Classic Tuners so the guys at Gibson transferred those to this guitar and did a GREAT job. Tuning is not a problem. The controls and electronics are stock and have never given me any trouble. Gibson even transferred my Schaller strap lock buttons to the new guitar.

Can you say, "Built like a tank"? this Les Paul is made on mohagony all the way. No alder here. I tend to treat both my guitars with the respect a fine instrument deserves. I'd have no worries about gigging live with it.

As I mentioned above, the support I got from Gibson when the neck on my '97 Les Paul warped was outstanding. They transferred ALL the custom hardware from the old guitar to the new one and did an excellent set up job on it. When it arrived back at Boykin's Music in Richmond, Va the guy I was dealing with asked if he could check it out. So he plugged it into a Marshall head with a 4X12 cab and he was blown away.

I've always loved the look and sound of a Les Paul Standard, but just couldn't justify the cost of a Gibson. The Epiphone Les Paul Standard with a couple upgrades fills the roll perfectly for a fraction of the price. I play though a second generation Peavey Bandit 112S with a 112S external cab. My other guitar is a heavily customized Ibanez Blazer BL1025. I call that one my "Stunt Guitar" because of the mods it's had done to it to turn it into a do everything axe.

If someone stole my Les Paul, let's just say they had better book passage off the planet and leave it at that. I'd defenetly get another one, but would probably have a hard time finding one as good as the one I have.

Righto! Epiphone les paul standard, made in China 2003. Good solid run of the mill Les paul replica. Mahogany body with a maple cap on it, not 100% sure of the neck, probably maple. Heaps of sustain so maybe mahogany?

Neck is ... Not as chunky as I'd thought, my hands aren't huge nor are they small but it feels great. Gloss finish and rounded in an odd but comfortable way. Headstock is the... Actually, not so appealing Epiphone shape. Adorned with grover tuners.

Has the Gibson style fat and chunky bridge and tailpiece. They come to bits easy with loosening of the screws, but they're rock solid when you're playing and strung up.
The pickups are raw and raunchy; the middle position gives one a nice growl on clean. The bridge has the usual humbucker grunt (don't get too happy, it lacks a little low end power.) The neck ... Gawd. Don't replace it. It's fine. Gets an 8 for being second hand. Harhar.

The pickups are stock standard, and do what they should. I am a poor student so what I have at the moment is a blessing! After playing a telecaster for a year, moving to a les paul for... Hell, less than 1/3 the price the tele. was, it has blown me away. You have the power of a cool jazz sound, something you'd expect from BB King, something else that delves into european metal, and a rock and roll flamethrower strapped over your shoulder. This mother f... This guitar does... More than what I'd expected it to do [being a chinese made replica]. I play through a zoom 505ii pedal to a behringer bx600 bass box [that gives me a gruntier sound than anyone else!] and Phwoar, this is... This thing blows you away. It does all sorts of stuff from the clean, smooth as a baby's bum jazz tones, great for picking and blipping around with, right the way through to really hard stuff, getting to the point of death and black metal, which is pushing it a bit [perhaps take the covers off the pickups?]

The sustain is very Gibson. It does not die. [If you know what you're doing.] The low end blows your head off. Good for mimicking the p.a.f sound like on Brothers in arms [Dire straits].

There's one thing I don't like [that doesn't really get to me that much], and that's there the cutaway sits on my leg. Not something I won't get used to.

Gets a 10 for value of second hand goods and being the man.

Seeing as I bought it used, the thing was sorted right out of the case. The bloke I bought it off reckoned the strings needed a change, but, they didn't. They'll be good for a while yet.

The pickups were a bit... Odd. I dealt to them [not alot to do] and put the action down slightly... After I'd figured out how the bridge worked. [Haven't had a proper look at a Paul before!] Tuned it up, and away I went.

The finish is very thick; it has binding [single ply] on the body and neck. Very smart looking guitar. Being the second hand guitar it is, it had the few imperfections and a hardly noticeable belt rash on the back you'd expect. I think I can see the lines in the maple top through the finish, but, oh well. It's excellent. I think one or two frets might need being stuck in, but, who uses 21 anyway? That's c#. Yuck.

The neck pickup's tone pot [dedicated!] was scratchy, but a bit of twisting it round fast fixed it in 30 seconds. This section gets an 8 also for being second hand.

I reckon I could play at the vector arena [local huge stadium], in a few bars etc, this thing would hack it no trouble. The catch being I'm not in a band.

The hardware is solid as... Something really solid. This is not a flimsy $300 guitar.

The finish on it is lovely and thick; very pretty looking guitar in gloss black and cream adornments with all the other **** being chrome.

The strap buttons are bigger than on my tele and don't look like my strap will fall off anytime soon. If it does, it will be picked up and played as is.

This dept. gets a 9, because I've heard of Epiphone [moreso Gibson, actually] headstock joints being quite weak, and easy to snap.

Who knows. Changing bits of guitar can't be that hard. I know a few people that will do it for me and not f... Bugger it up.

Since I've been playing [started 2004. it's now Sept. 2008] I've owned absolutely bugger all guitars; a cheap ashton acoustic [ooh, ouch.], a squier bullet strat, a Fender '60s classic tele [first decent guitar!]. Then there's this thing, the Epiphone les paul. Playing through a behringer bx600 bass amp with a zoom 505ii pedal. It's neat if you know how to use it.

If this bugger of a thing was nicked, I'd definitely not be happy, Jan. This is not a guitar to be taken lightly. Though, a DEFINITE WORD TO POTENTIAL BUYERS : Epiphone les pauls etc. these days [chinese made] are strictly hit or miss guitars. You're either going to get a Ferarri or a Lada; find a dollar on the pavement or get kicked in the shins. Play around on a few les pauls before you settle on buying one. The build quality varies astonishingly.

I compared this with an Epi. flying v which I think has the same specs as a Lp. studio model [yuck]. the V was brand new for about $750 nzd no case; The paul was $550 used with a case. They retail for $1099 without a case. I wish it had previously had the bridge pickup cover removed. Just for a meaner look and more high end in it, and coil taps on both pickups.

Gets a 9 all round cuz I decided to be a bit picky. If you see one for sale, don't hesitate to give it a shot, especially older korean models.

2006 Korean Guitar. You know the specs by now. Mine came with HSC.

I would like to give 2 different reviews for the sound of this guitar. I have owned it for over a year, so I have had time to weather the storms of ownership, and believe to have found the highs and lows of the instrument.

The pickups on the stock Epi are just too muddy for my style of music. They seem best suited for players who are mainly playing power chords, or possibly for players who are linked to a digital modeling amp like a Line 6. They are ok when distorted heavily, but not great for sounds on the verge of breakup.

The tone of the guitar on the other hand is a completely different story. With a mahogany body, maple top, and rosewood fretboard this guitar sings when not plugged in. That made me decide to install better pickups (Anderson pickups specifically) into the guitar. Once this was done, the guitar had clear voicing, creamy distorted tones, and is a real pleasure to listen to.

So with the stock pickups, for the style of music I play I will give the guitar a 6.5. With the andersons, I will give the guitar a 9, so overall I would give it a 7.5

I can't speak for the factory, as I purchased the guitar used, and I always take my guitars to a luthier for the initial setup. I will say this, there is a fret buzz on the open "g" string that drives me up a wall. Also, the pickup selector broke off, so I had to have a new one put on.

Reliability wise, I have no fear to use this guitar live. It is made of solid wood with hard binding and chrome hardware. There is nothing to be afraid of there. Unless you like to throw your guitars in the middle of shows, but then again I guess if you break this guitar at a gig, you could probably break any guitar at a gig.

Why deal with the company when you can work with a quality luthier you can go see.

I have been playing for the better part of a decade, and have owned a lot of gear during that time. If it were stolen or lost and $600 was my limit I would probably buy this guitar again, but I would rather save money for an anderson.

Epi LP standard, plain top, 22 frets, trapezoid inlays, vintage sunburst, chrome hardware, grovers, alnico v humbuckers, rosewood fretboard, maple neck, dedicated tone and volume controls, toggle switch.

I play hair and glam metal with my band, and death metal for myself, this guitar fares well but not amazingly. The pickups have a very dull sound and the palm mutes just don't produce the grinding tones my EMG jackson does. I wish the sound was brighter on both clean and distorted settings. But don't get me wrong I only get these problems on my practice amp. On my Fender Deluxe Reverb I get a great grinding distortion with a digitech death metal pedal.

The action is low which is fine, however there is a horrible amount of fret buzz and I dont think the fretboard was sanded properly. The strings were very rusty and scraped the wood, I immediately changed the strings to Ernie Ball Customs and the playability soared. I also had to re-adjust the frets.

This guitar is not a good live guitar for me anyways, because I dont like the weight. The strap buttons are nice and solid though and if necessary I would use it live but not unless it is the only guitar i had available.

Bought from Guitar Center, extremely helpful and caring I recommend to everyone to go there.

I've been playing for about 3 years. I own a ****** LP special from epiphone, a gibson invader, fender deluxe players strat, and a gibson es-335 (from a garage sale 200$ yeah!) I made the mistake of buying a guitar solely on looks. I saw the LP and I thought holy crap! a REAL LP but i didnt consider my playing style and sound. Yet again dont get me wrong, I love it just dont LOVE it. I compared it to the fender deluxe and the deluxe played better and felt better but the LP had that powerful humbucker sound which i needed for metal. I recently traded the LP in for the fender i mentioned earlier, love it alot! If it was stolen I would probably buy an sg or another strat.

We all know the classic Paul setup- 2 alnico classic hummers, 2 tone 2 volume controls, 3 way selector. mine is a mahognany bck and maple top. Replaced tuners with Grovers, mulling a pup change.

Good Paul sound from nice and chunky to a ringingly sweet treble. Running thru a Crate VTX65b with a Ts 9 overdrive. Able to get that J Page tone with no problem. Also grest on jazzier stuff. With the amp pedal combo really able to get almost any sound I choose to emulate.

Setup great out of the box from MF. Had it for almost three years now looks as good as the day i got it. Nice ebony gloss finish. Have been over the axe forwards, backwards and sideways and so has my local tech shop, no complaints or problems. Grovers made a big difference but the stock tuners were just fine.

AS i stated earlier almost three years in and the Paul is better now than when I got it, finish is great, tone is awesome. I know that a ploy finish isn't suppose to enhance the sound with age like Nitro does, but it sounds better, can't wait for it to reach ten. Have a Carlos acoustic(don't laugh) that is 29 yrs old and it sounds(no ****) as good as the Low end Martin I tryed out two months ago, so some inexpensive guitars do get better with age too. I gig without a backup with no worries.

Life time warranty, but i haven't needed it.

Been playing 41 years. Dad and granddad had pauls..one a '58 standard and the other a '66. I have them both now..too afraid to take them out of the house and won't pay two plus Gs for a new one. the epi gets the job done. Also have a Tele and an Es 335 custom copy, the Epi holds its' own in fast company. Use the VTX65B, a rewired Fender "franenstein" tube with two 12's and 100 watts all tube and the tube screamer, in combo with the Epi I get all the tones I ever wished for and then some. Buying an Epi Goldtop and a Prophecy LP one for my B'day later this year and the other for Christmas. I would burn any ***** that lays a hand my Epi.

No idea when this was made, probably in 2007. Seeing as how its an Epiphone, it was likely made in Japan or Korea. Has 22 frets with pearl-block style inlays, very classy! I'd say its a solid top but then again I don't know the difference. This model has a tone and volume knobs and what I'm GUESSING to be pickup knobs (I can't tell what they do). The guitar has two humbuckers, whatever comes on an Epiphone Les Paul standard. Has a beautiful sunburst finish, I wouldn't ask for anything different.

Now this guitar sounds WONDERFUL, for just about anything except metal (with the exception of hard rock). If you couldn't see the headstock you wouldn't know the difference between this guitar and a genuine Gibson Les Paul. This guitar hardly buzzes at all. Like a Gibson, this has that beautiful warm, rich sound.

Well I'm guessin' that this guitar was set up at the store I bought it from. But when they set it up they knew what they were doing! Although the action, when set low or at medium, the frets buzz on the low E and A, especially when power chords are utilized. But hooked up to an amp, you can't tell that the frets buzz at all so its nothing to rant about really. I wouldn't replace the pickups in fear of losing that warm Gibson tone, after all, it'd be more than a shame to lose that! As far as that goes though, the guitar contained NO flaws whatsoever.

This thing is tough. Quite. Although I wouldn't suggest taking a hammer to it! I've had this guitar since December '07 and the finish hasn't even begun to phase, still looks brand new. If the hardware doesn't last, then I'm a monkeys uncle, because like every Gibson-made product, its built to LAST. The strap buttons aren't coming off any time soon, even if you wanted to rip them off (not that I've tried). Without a doubt though, this thing is 100% reliable! If I gigged or went some where with it (and not a backup guitar), I would be confident that this guitar could stand up to about any challenge.

I bought this from the Dexter Music Center, the employees there gladly demonstrated how well the guitar played and were very friendly and helpful. The thing came with a warranty, but I don't remember how long it was, but it was long enough that if anything happened to it now, I'd still be under warranty.

Its a Gibson Les Paul standard without the trademark Gibson headstock practically. Just think of what a Gibson Les Paul standard is like and visualize it with an Epiphone headstock. I would reccomend this guitar to just about anybody for the tone and price. I have a 1961 Melody Maker, and really, they're quite equal in tone, but that also depends on what tone you want.

Just as a warning, this thing is made for hard-rock and lower. Not quite metal friendly.

You all know the features. My lady was build in China and I think they have used an unusual amount of varnish for the finish. Nevertheless the Honey-burst finish looks pretty nice and is giving this lady a very expensive look - as my daughter says.

I??ve prefered to play acustic guitars (Ovation, H??fer) years before. Got some experience with a Fender Strat - stopped for 10 years and entered jazz and blues guitar 2 years ago. I use a Roland cube 30 for this lady and a Beringer sound modulator for the note book when playing just with head phones.
I??ve tested some of the LP-standards build by Epiphone and I??ve to say that the sound varies very much. My lady sounds very rich with a rich sound especially from the neck HB. I use D??Addario EXL110W strings and they give a much more intense sound than many other strings I??ve tried (from .009 up to .013) The neck HB is perfect for Jazz and Blues and I??ve to admit that I rarely use another configuration.
But as I??ve said: sound characteristics seem to vary comparing different "individuals" of this modell. Test your lady before buying!

Baught this guitar from a Music Store where they adjust all Guitars perfectly. Can??t judge the quality of the factory.

I just play this guitar at home and on very small sets. It works without any problems since 2 years (and I play it every day, travelling a lot as well). The toggle switch is a little wobbly and the buttoms have been placed sloppy.

Did not need this so far.

This is a guitar which enables you to play a great variety of sounds. The price is reasonable. You should play with the guitar before you buy it, because the individual sound might differ.

If my lady will be stolen, I shurely will replace it.

This Epiphone Plaintop Honeyburst was made in China in 2008.It has 23 frets.The pickups are Gibson design Alnico V's.2 volume,2 tone controls in the old style Gibson top-hats.Passive Electronics.Finish is Gloss Plaintop Honeyburst.When I say plain,I don't mean it's ulgly,in fact it's quite striking.Les Paul body style.Frets seem jumbo and neck is right in the middle between thin and fat..nice feel.No case or bag but there was a cheap cord that I probably will never use.Tunamatic bridge with stopbar tailpiece.I was looking for a great guitar for under $500...I found it!!

I have been using it with a small Peavy tube amp and also a Marshal DSL 401.THIS GUITAR ROCKS!Pickups are very very good...Alnico V's..no need to change em in my opionion.Nice AC/DC crunch on the bridge pickup and on the neck nice Funky...Doobie brothers "Long Train Comin"Plenty of Sustain.This guitar Sounds great.A+

This is the Second guitar I received.The first had buzzing and cosmetic problems..like..a knot in the neck by the first fret..also the first finish bled into binding.AMS was very good at taking it back and immedialtly replacing it....

The second Guitar was absolutly PERFECT!!I believe there has been a significant improvement in Epiphone Quality in recent months...BRAVO Gibson.Nut beautifullt cut...Action perfect...Everything....ROCKS..And I'm a finicky guy...

Yes,it can withstand constant use.Very Solid looking guitar.I have ordered the Epiphone LP case..hoping it's good.I would use it without a backup,it's that good

I didn't need customer support,But,I'm not trustful of the Warranty.The only real help from Gibson is there 1-800 number.If you get to the point of needing to go for repair...GOOD LUCK

I had a couple of Rock bands in the 60's.Now I'm just livin the dream.I have done an open Mike...that was fun.I have a Tele.Strat,SG 61 reissue,SG Classic,Epiphone Casino Elitist...very nice...Fender Blues Junior Amp...Epiphone Valve Junior..and lots of Boss pedals and Many Acoustics...just got the Taylor Baby...Very nice.

If this Epiphone were stolen,I would get another.I Love the sound,feel.I hate that I had to eturn the first guitar to finally get perfect one.It has everything a Rocker needs :)

2007 Chinese Les Paul Standard that was a factory 2nd. 22 frets
This one is light more like a Studio than any of the other 4 Epiphone Les Pauls I had. The finish isn't transparent but I'd be inclined to say this guitar either is hollowed out in certain areas or is alder wood. I changed the nut to a Tusq nut right away and put String-Saver saddles on it. I took it into a luthier as I bought it off eBay and he found the frets were very uneven. I guess that is what made it a factory 2nd because everything else is fine on the guitar. Anyways he set in and glued the frets and dressed them and now it plays very well. I got a hardshell case with it even though I only play at home. I figure every guitar of mine should have a nice place to rest. The Grover tuners perform wonderfully. I give it an 8 because it was a 2nd and because the factory nut and saddles are pretty cheap. But for $379.00 it is a good value for those looking for a Les Paul styled guitar.

I run it through a Digitech RP50 effects unit into a Peavey Studio Pro amplifier. It has a 12" speaker so it provides good sound from a relatively cheap amp. The pickups are okay. They sound pretty much like my other Epiphone pickups with the exception of two of my previously owned Epiphones which both had 57 Classic/57 Classic Plus
pickups in them and they were pretty fine. I may at some point change to a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck and a JB at the bridge, but I'm in no rush. The sounds I can get with the stock setup are pretty good. The neck pickup is not muddy and the bridge is bright and can get raunchy with some distortion, which I like when I'm in the mood. It is good for jazz, blues and rock. Not country though. But I have a Telecaster for that kind of twangy sound. I give it an 8 because the sound is good but if Epiphone spent another $50.00 bucks on this guitar they could install much better pickups in it and I would gladly pay the extra $50.00

The guitar was not set up well from the factory and required work at my local luthiers shop to get it into Grade A playing condition. As I mentioned before the frets had to be re-set and dressed. The paint job was fine and the gold hardware looks fine. It gets an 8 because my Fender came with a decent factory setup, and the quality control sticker(which has been removed) should not have been put on this guitar that had terrible fretwork. Note also that it has a logo on the back saying this is a limited edition custom shop model. It should have been fixed before they rushed it out of the factory.

It is a solidly built guitar and I believe that it would stand up to live playing quite well. The gold hardware finish will likely wear off pretty quickly, but it it would be dependable as long as it wasn't abused.

No warranty since it's a 2nd. I would never take it to the local Epiphone dealer. I take it to the local Ibanez shop where they do good work at a fair price. I think if you take care of something from the start it will last and you'll never have to deal with a warranty issue. I think the Chinese factory still has a ways to go before it matches the quality of the South Korean models of 2003 and before.

I have been playing off and on since I was a teenager in the 70's. I just play for fun. I won't buy another Epiphone guitar on eBay without playing it first. I think that I'll buy my next guitar (an acoustic)locally and try it first. I compared it with an Agile Les Paul copy. I had two Agiles before and I had to return one of them with a crack in the neck. I chose the Epiphone this time over the Agile because it's expensive to ship it back if there is a problem even though the Agile dealer is great. My other guitar is a Fender Standard Telecaster which I will review next.

2 passive stock humbuckers,rosewood fretboard. black/white,grovers, les paul style single cutaway guitar, jumbo frets.

I like this guitar for the money. It has the weight which contributes to the sustain. I knew I was most likely going to have to change the electronics/pickups but the guitar provides a great base product to upgrade. The finish work is very respectable relative to its Gibson peer.

Classic Rock run thru a Vox 30 watt Valvetronix. The stock pickups are decent but nothing special. Good harmonics, feel and playability. I will upgrade with some hotter pickups. Rhythm pickup is a bit muddy. Middle and Treble position are OK.

Many of these companies cut corners on the finish work but, again, I like the base product features and finish. The strings buzz a little but I will have that worked out with a set up and some heavier strings. The frets, usually the area suffering on these copy guitars, are very well done on mine. Smooth jumbo frets with no overhang thanks in part to the bound fretboard. A very nice looking guitar.

Feels like a heavy duty and durable guitar - weighty. Parts are solid with no loose connections. Well built. Neck is solid and joins the body well. I would play live with it.

Not a lot of experience with Gibson but they do offer 24 hour customer support.

This is a very good guitar. I don't understand the folks that expect a $3,000 Gibson Les Paul for $400 bucks. Just make the upgrades and setup and you will have a very nice guitar. Good looking, solid build, smooth playing - what more can you ask?

This Epiphone Les Paul was made in China and i have no idea what year. It has 22 frets The controls are 2 volume controls (for each humbucker and two tone control likewise. The pickups are passive being Epiphones own and they perform well. The body is a solid chunk of mahogany, enough said. The neck is glued on and has a rosewood fretboard. It has a flamed top. It has Gibson/Epiphones stop tailpiece. The tuners are top quality grovers and have satisfied me from the onset. It also has a fat wide neck, that is very fast and comfortable for a les paul. not tons of features so it won't give it 10, but it does heaps of tones

It is perfect for my rock/blues music style. I run it through a Behringer GMX212 (sadly) so the tone of it dosen't quite show. It is hum free and completely silent due to the humbuckers, which are medium output. The sound isn't particulary bright, but is very, very rich. it dosen't do shimmering cleans all that well, but your eyes will light up when you run it through a Plexi or something like that, it is made for this kind of amp.

The action is not to low, not too high, perfect for playing and sounding good. Th guitar only had minor flaws like the neck-strap button coming loose every time you use the strap, and the pickup toggle coming loose, but these are minor cosmetic flaws and are easily fixed, other than that, the guitar is absolutly perfect.

I have used it on a gig and it is very solid, the hardware will last if you look after it. I don't think the finish will wear off, and so what if it does, it will only look like a well aged les paul. I would trust this guitar with my life, very solid and unsmashable, it just wouldn't break like a flimsy bolt on neck type (you all know the model im talking about)

Never dealt with them

I have benn playing for 4 years now. I fit was lost or stolen i would be seriously pissed off, because it the most expensive thing i own, and I treat it like a baby (wiping down after gigs etc.). The only thig i don't like about it is where the intonation screws are, but i don't care, I get music headquarters in newcastle to do it for me for reduced price because i buy everything there. If you want a serious Les Paul, at a reduced price, run and get one of these axes, you will not regret it

Nothing I can add here that hasn't been described in full better than I could. Semi-hollow body certainly helps make it lighter!

With a good amp it seems to produce a good tone and the humbuckers can certainly be adjusted enough to mimic almost any type of music as long as you have the right amp (I'm a beginner with a nice Vox Ad30VT which sounds great to me). The pickups aren't as loud as real Gibson or others but they do the job. The neck pickup is very quite and doens't offer much. It acutally sounds kind of nice unplugged.

This is the area that I have the most gripe about this guitar. It buzzes a lot. When I mentioned it to the sales person they said it wasn't that bad but after only a month is certainly gets on my nerves. It's adjusted as well as it can be so must be caused by crappy frets. When bending the strings it ofter causes my finger to go under another string causing a possible twang. Also, bending the A string a bit may make the top E string slide off the end because the neck is very narrow. The action just doesn't feel very good to me. The finish on the neck causes my hand to sweat and get sticky so I have to use talc or baby powder to keep from sticking. Because of all of these issues I wish I could get different guitar that I like more.

This guitar seems very sturdy, I haven't had any issues and it seems to hold its tune. I am a beginner so don't know how it would hold up at gigs.

Unfortunely it lookes good but just doesn't feel very good or play easily. You have to be very skilled to keep from doing something wrong (keep frets from buzzing, sliding hand without sticking on neck, bending strings without causing problems). I would love to buy something else and probably will sell on craigslist for cheap.

Typical made in China Les Paul features: 24.75" scale, 3 mahogany body with laminated flame maple top and laminated back, body and neck binding, 2 piece Mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets, plastic nut, 2 Epiphone humbuckers, 2 tone, 2 volume knobs, 3 position switch, THICK polyurethane finish, grover tuners, abr-1 bridge, tailpiece. Mine is a Translucent Red Wine.
The pickups are sort of cheap. I played the stock pickups for about 7 months but recently replaced them with Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck and a JB in the bridge and replaced all the electronics and wired it to the specs of Jimmy Pages Les Paul. I will elaborate more on them on the sound. Everything else is acceptable

I play basically for pleasure by myself and with friends. I typically play classic rock, The Who and Led Zepplin etc. and my own version of James Brown funk using a Fender Blues Jr., the one with the Jensen speaker. This little 15 Watt amp is fine for me and waht I do. Like I said above I played with the stock pickups for about 7 months or so. The bridge pickup was okay but the neck pickup was pretty quiet and muffled in my opinion. I recently changed out all the electronics on it and replaced them with a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck position and a JB in the bridge position. I had it wired to the specs of Jimmy Page's Les Paul. I strung it with Gibson Vintage strings. This greatly improved the sound and tone variation of the guitar. I got much much more output with the Seymour Duncan pickups. The Jimmy Page wiring specs gave me increadible tone variation (coil tap on poth pickups using a push/pull pots on the volume knobs. Using push/pulls on the tone knobs - the neck tone knob puts the pickups in a seiries -the bridge tone knob puts the pickups out of phase.) I am still playing with all the tone variations but even my wife said "it vhanges the sound of the guitar entirely." With these changes I would probably rate this and 8 or 9. I plan to get a Duncan Twin Tube stomp box to get three channels out of my songle channel Fender Blues Jr. Overall a good guitar for the price under $400 not including the upgrades I made.

Set up was okay out of the box to get going but was much improved with a professional set up. Frets were a little uneven. I bought mind as a blemish off ebay. It took me a long time to find any blemish at all. After a couple days looking it over I found a small buff marks where the neck meets the body but that is it.

The finish on this is pretty thick so I think it will take a beating. I keep mine in an ABS case when not playing it so I think it will last a long time. Since I do not gig professionally I do not need a backup. It is all for self pleasure.

Since it is a factory blemish I will not get any support. The company I bought it from was a perfect trasaction.

I've played off and on for about 15 years with long gaps between. I am totally slef taught with a few periods with lessons here and there. Putting all the time together probably about 2 to 3 years. Looking back, I might have held out for a good shape used Gibson Les Paul studio since after upgrading I would have probably found one in the price I spent on the Epiphone and upgrading it. I like the guitar because it is a good starter and would recomend it for anyone learning. Shop around and you'll find one for the price I paid stock used with probably all the upgrade you need on it for the price you'd pay for it stock. But hey you live and learn.

all the standard les paul features...2 humbuckers, tune-o-matric bridge, 22 frets two volume two tone controls with a 3 way toggle switch, groover tuners etc...mine has a nice cherry burst finish on it...and above all it is made up of mahogany (not the ply-wood used in lower end models)..i only rate it 7 coz the features r pretty standard and i like to have a whammy bar on it

i play nearly every thing from thrash metal to traditional folk songs..the pups r just ok and they dont sound even close to the burstbuckers on the gibson...this thing sounds great acoustically which suggest that by a change of pups it can actually sound very well..but with stock setup its just ok...i gave 8 bcoz it can play nearly every style of music.

gr8 action just about what i like not very low and not very high finish is flawless and above all it has one thing which i love most the guitar's neck make u fell actually when u r playing it

very durable and reliable if used with care (it is not meant to be thrown and can't bear u jumping on it) polish is good

haven't dealt with them

i'm very happy with this guitar and its wise 2 buy these and later change pups then buying a 2.5k gibosn...just by spending a couple of hundred dollars u can have a guitar that sounds like a gibson..again i say acoustically it is gr8

Usual Les Paul features: 24.75" scale, 3 mahogany body with laminated flame maple top and laminated back, body and neck binding, 2 piece Mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets, plastic nut, 2 Epiphone '57 passive humbuckers, 2 tone, 2 volume knobs, 3 position switch, thick polyurethane finish, grover tuners, abr-1 bridge, tailpiece, made in China...
Mine is colored in Translucent Amber.
All is pretty much well except finish which i don't like as it is too thick, though the guitar looks awesome! Pickups are cheap - the same with the nut, everything else is actually good...

I play classic rock, blues and hard rock, using a Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 amp and DigiTech Bad Monkey overdrive and Marshall Guv'vor2 overdrive pedals. With stock pickups it is very quiet, but the pickups are sterile as expected, i recommend to change them when available. Get a real deal if you want to improve the guitar. I went with SD Antiquity and straight away it sounded MUCH MUCH better. Nut was also replaced with a Tusq nut from Graphtech in order to get a better sustain as well as the tailpiece which is now aluminium Gotoh - though i do not think that it made a big difference. I've also changed the pots with quality CTS audio taper 500k log. Next is to change the switch with a proper Switchcraft as the stock can be noisy...

So my advice is to get a proper set of humbuckers, pots and a switch, and get a new bone, Tusq or some other quality nut.

Or even better...

Get yourself an Edwards Les Paul from Ebay for the same amount of money you have spent on buying and upgrading this guitar - it is MUCH better guitar, you get nice Nitrocellulose finish, SD Jeff Beck pickup in the bridge position and the SD '59 pickup in the neck position, also you get the deep neck joint, one piece neck, solid maple body top, 2 piece body back and better hardware. A friend of mine who makes pickups said after he tried the Edwards that with new handwound pickups it is capable of killing almost every Gibson Les Paul Standard - believe me he knows what he is talking about as he is one of the best luthiers i've seen!

For ??300 it is a good sounding thing, not spectacular but ok, a lot better with upgrades...

Factory setup was sort of ok, but i prefer to set it up myself the way it suits me. Intonation was very bad, so it had to be done, other than that action was ok. I needed to tighten the tuners, and the bridge and tailpiece studs could have been much better drilled in so they wouldn't stick out as much, but it is not that bad.

It is capable of live playing, it seems reliable and hardware will last for sure. Finish can be checked only if you drop it or drop something on it, so for those who like their guitars without a scratch it will be easy to keep it that way as the finish is very thick. I can definitely depend on it as with the improvements i've done it sounds really well, and yes i would use it without a backup, but i have a strat as well which i would use on the same gig so it would have a sort of backup. And yes, if you like to move a lot during playing, get straplocks to avoid swearing which will be inevitable if you drop it as it is heavy.

never got to speak to them, but judging by their website the customer support must be horrible. Still... contact your luthier instead :)

I've been playing for over a year and own a USA Fender Strat Standard and Marshall DSL 100 with a couple of pedals. I sometimes regret that i've bought this guitar as for the money spent on it plus the improvements i've made i could have bought a better guitar, but after all it is not that bad, and as the matter of fact i would recommend it to the beginners or anyone who doesn't have the funds to buy something better, but do yourself a favor; if you want to buy one, buy a good used one, as there will be a lot of guys like me who will not like the guitar as much and will sell it after a short time period, that is a good opportunity to got it for ??200 or maybe even less as the new ones cost about ??270

Is it worth the money? Well depends... I do like it, but again, if you can save about ??100 or ??150 more, get yourself a much better deal with Edwards or maybe Tokai which is much pricier than edwards, but also very good japanese guitar - if you don't believe me check the reviews here.

Gorgeous honeyburst unlike any other Epi's LP Plaintops I've seen in stores. Much darker and redder. Standard Lp Style. Cream Binding that doesn't look awful and pinkish like on Gibsons. Tune-o-matic import bridge. You know the deal. 2006 model with plain top and god knows what for wood. I'd say a 7 overall since I need to upgrade the bridge and I already installed locking tuners.

Sounds like butt when plugged in. Dull. Sounds great acoustically, it really does. Definitely requires new pickups. I'm surprised it hums as much as it does. At least it has good harmonics.

Ok, here are the issues and things I should have noticed before I considered buying the guitar (I never remember to really check things out, my own fault, I need to make a list and bring it next time...). Whoever drilled the peghead holes did a godawful job because they are uneven and asymmetrical. The G string is too close to the middle of the peghead and makes the whole arrangement look lopsided. The G string tuner was slanted when installed. I did a better job with my Sperzels and it was my first try, but of course the G string peghead is still

LIke I said, who knows what wood was used. I tried putting in a Graphtech nut, which by the way folks, are never the right size. This one wasn't high enough and I couldn't even raise my bridge enough to get rid of 1st fret buzz. Fret work is fine though. No problems whatsoever. Intonates damn near perfectly.

If Warmoth had this Honeyburst color(not that Amber malarkey they try to pass of as a Honeyburst due to a lack of consesus on the general color) and painted their LP's like Gibson with no burst over the pickup selector, I totally would have ordered one with white binding on the neck and body, with pearl block inlays on an ebony neck, tummy cats and a nice shaped heel. Although, the whole bolt on thing seems weird...

It will last if I don't smash it for being upset with myself. The amount of money you have to spend these days for a well built Les Paul...

No idea

Been playing 10 YEARS. Own two new 4003's. USA Strat. Marshall 1987x reissue, and tons of pedals. Lovetone Doppelganger. MXR Blue Box and Phase 45. Captain Coconut II. BYOC Slow Gear. EH 16 DD, EH Del. Elec. Mistress, EH POG, VS h2o, EH Little BM, Boss OD-3, AnalogMan Blue Driver and TS-808 mods.

I can't put a Graphtech nut in it because even though they offer Epiphone nuts, they aren't high enough and cause awful buzz on the 1st fret. The pegheads are misaligned, the stock pickups sound like butt through my rig compared to my Strat, and the only thing going for it right now are the looks. I bought this in hopes of upgrading it with SD Peter Green pickups and upgraded wiring, but I'm so frustrated with the flaws I never noticed off the bat and the fact that I can't put a Graphtech nut in that I'd rather smash it or pawn it off on Guitar Center.

I find it criminal how much Gibson charges for their guitars, especially since they closed down the Custom Shop to personal orders so you can get what you ACTUALLY WANT, and nothing less than $2,500 is even worth purchasing from them. Their Classics look and sound terrible, and their Studios feel and look worse than Mexican Strats ( which quite honestly, have btichin' harmonics.) If only I had ordered my custom Gibson when I had the chance... Oh poverty...

SO PLEASE, PLEASE, before you buy one, especially if you are considering upgrading one, make sure there are no design flaws. Really, save your pennies and get a Warmoth a Gibson. Bite that miserable bullet. Hopefully one has the looks and sound you NEED.

Mine is a 2004 Epi standard, all stock. You all know the features but noone seems to be very critical of them, so i'll just go ahead and do that.
-Flamed top. Very very thick finish, kills dynamics and along with bad pickups ruins any hope of high end sparkle.
-The tuners are grover, and they suck the guitar has never been able to take bends.
-The frets where reasonable for an aisan, mass produced guitar. Had them redone by a *skilled* luthier.
-The controls are great, they do exactly what theyre supposed to.
-The strap buttons where utter shite i've had them repaired 5 times each to date but now the finally seem to hold.

Jimmy Page, Slash, Clapton, Moore and so on and so forth. Those are the names and tones most people think of when seing a Les Paul. Let's just say this guitar doesn't seem to cut that sound. Im using this *thing* with fender tube amps.
The shiny moments with this guitar is def. with the gain half way up. It does seem to need an excesive amount of treble from the amp though. Clean tones forget it useless!
It doesn't seem to take pedals very well. But then again few humbucker guitars do.
An average guitar nothing more.

Cant remember except for the poor frets. I've had this thing for four years.

I'll outlast this thing by decades! I'm not afraid its gonna fall apart. It has on many occasions already!

Never dealt with 'em.

Average guitar, not poor, not great. I comparison to my AM fender tele this thing completely humiliates itself. The pickups are bad beyon belief, the only reason i havent changed them is that I wouldn't be able to justify pouring anymore money into this thing.
To expensive for a starters guitar, buy a squire or something cheaper from Epi. For intermediate players I would recomend saving for a schetcher or a gibson or something like it.
To expensive, to poor and far to dead! This is not just a nightmare story it's the truth.

It's a '99 Standard, bought (gently) used in 2003. Typical thin, fast Epi neck, woods appear to be the correct mahogany/maple combo rather than the alder you sometimes see listed in descriptions for Epi Lesters, although it's a thin maple veneer rather than the two slabs that cap the Gibson models. You know the rest.

Mine is pretty heavily customized, but I HATE when I read a review of a guitar that I'm considering buying stock and all I hear is how the instrument performs with all these aftermarket alterations, so for now I'll stick to how it came.

I run this mostly through a PODxt hooked up to a decent sized power amp and studio monitors. I occasionally use an Ampeg Jet with various pedals, but I'm almost exclusively a hobbyist at this point, so that's rare. I use it for the kinds of things you'd use a Les Paul for, classic rock (Zep, Allmans, Ronson, early Clapton, 60's era Stones), heavier British flavored (flavoured?) blues, and anything that calls for a thick, distorted tone, from your Steve Jones-style power riffing to Joey Santiago-influenced craziness.

It sounded pretty good right from the get-go. Epi pups are not nearly as bad as their reputation; in fact, if you dig a more vintage, alnico type of tone, I think they do that better than those awful ceramic things that come standard on a lot of Gibbys. They'll get you in the ballpark, anyway.

This guitar does, and will always, lack some of the sonic complexity of a full fledged Gibson Lester. The wood makes a big difference. That said, I think it's mostly a difference that the player will notice rather than a listener. The resonance and vibe of high-quality mahogany and a decent maple slab is something you can feel more than hear. But if what you want is Les Paul tone this will get you there at a price you really can't argue with.

Can't speak to factory set up. Action can be set very low and fast, like any decent Gibson derived solid body. Seems well made for a guitar in this price range. It's solid mahogany, you can tell from the rear routing when you pop the cover, and the neck join is sturdy, good sustain. Finish is bulletproof, which would bother me on a Historic Reissue, but is fine here. For those who complain about the tuners: the vintage style tuners are like that on Gibsons too. They actually work well enough, but they feel flimsy. If you can't stand it get Grovers, everybody back in the day did.

A couple of serious flaws: The bridge was cheap and didn't feel very solid; installing a Tonepros was an easy fix and made a noticeable difference in resonance, sustain and intonation. Of greater concern was the fretwork. If you've played more high end guitars you've probably noticed the fretboard is almost always much improved in feel over less expensive guitars, and this Epi LP is no exception. Definitely something to consider. Aside from feel, my major quibble is this one dead spot on the high E string at the 10th fret that kind of drives me insane.

It's solid enough for a Gibson-style guitar. Drop it and that angled headstock will snap. Trust me, I know. See above re finish and hardware. My pup switch went out after about a year. I wound up gutting all the electronics and replacing them so no telling if something else might have gone wrong. The wiring looked kind of chintzy. The rear strap button is very loose and won't tighten, but as I said I'm a home player these days, so I don't really care.

Never been one to bother.

I've been playing about 15 years, and I've bought and sold a shameful amount of gear in that time. At this point I have a career and reponsibilities, but I make it a point to plug in and wail several times a week, just to take my mind off how old and boring I'm becoming.

What you need to know is that for a quarter of the price of an LP Classic, this will get you the LP sound, both live and on tape (er, hard drive). Switch out that crappy bridge and install a set of 57 Classics and no one YOU will ever meet is going to be able to hear the difference. Will you derive the same visceral satisfaction you would peeling off Beano licks on an R9 Historic? Hell no. But if you're on a budget (isn't everybody?) and you need an LP in your arsenal, this will get you the sound you're looking for.

This guitar looks great in it's Blue Burst finish, and I've removed the scratchplate to show it off.
It has an ALDER body with a mahaogany venner on the back and a maple veneer on the front, a mahogany neck and a rosewood fingerboard.
Hardware and scale length is typical Gibson, as is the neck, being similar to the Gibson Les Paul Standards 50's shape.
It didn't come with a gig bag which is a shame for a ??300+ guitar.
I have swapped the pickups for some Seymour Duncan's, but I do this to all my guitars.

The guitar doesn't sound like a pukker Gibson. It is close however. It has a throaty mid range roar that is the result of the construction. Play loud through a Marshall in a band and it really is hard to hear the difference between this and a real Gibson.
It is very versatile, with nice clean sounds, amazing crunch tones and, with the Seymour Duncans, great through a high gain amp.
The stock pickups couldn't take too much gain before becoming muddy and indistinct, so I swapped them for a JB/Jazz set and now the guitar sounds awesome.
I think Gibsons decision to use an Alder body is because they want people to buy a Gibson to get he Gibson sound. They don't want people buying a ??300 Epiphone to get the Gibson sound. This guitar does have a great sound in it's own right though, and should be judged on its own merits.
You wouldn't catch John Frusciante or Andy Summers using one, but it's great for everthing else!

The frets could do with being a bit bigger for me, but that is my taste. It plays slick and smooth and I am very happy with it. The flat fingerboard is great for bends.
Build quality is very good.

Built like a brick sh*thouse. I've added Grolsch bottle 'strap-locks' but I do this to all my guitars. It stays in tune, the finish is very thick so is very hard to damage.
No complaints here, except that the finish is slightly sticky and drags under the hand compared to a USA Gibson or PRS.

Never needed it for this particular guitar, but information is really easy to find and Rossetti are very good to deal with.

It's not the same as a Gibson Les Paul but is a very good guitar in it's own right. If you have to have a proper Les Paul save up a little bit more and buy a secondhand Studio, but for everyone else, this is fine!

The finish looks nice. Honeyburst finish w/plain top with double humbuckers and a thin 60's style neck. It's funny because I compared it to another Honeyburst Epiphone Les Paul Standard plain top and the color was way different(in the same Guitar Center). One was a sand color with little to no burst and mine is almost a burgundy/cinnamon color with a nice amber in the middle. MADE IN CHINA. Yeah. 3-way pickup switch, 4 knobs, 22 frets. All the usual stuff.

Intonates damn near perfectly with stock bridge. Of course, they will be replaced with Tone Pros bridge & saddle kit. Also, the tuners definitely need to be switched out for locking ones, but it's nothing I wouldn't do on a Gibson or my USA Fender.

The binding on Epiphones I have find have a much better color to them, not the pinkish hue that plagues the Gibsons which looks awfu;.

Quite honestly it looks better than most of the Gibson I'ved seen except for the Midnight Manhattan LP (which was incredibly stunning and I should have bought) they released in a few years ago for a limited time.

Sounds great acoustically. I was impressed. I'm not sure my USA Fender sounds as nice.

Using this with: Marshall 1987x reissue (bought new '05), Analog Man TS808, Analog Man BD-2, EH Little Big Muff (another great pedal), Fox Fox Captain Coconut II with Univibe after the delay pedal, Visual Sound h20 pedal (chorus & delay), Lovetone Doppelganger, MXR Phase 45, and finally an EH 16 digi-delay. I have an armful more, but not enough room until I get a nice pedalboard.

Basically, it sounds pretty good with stock pickups clean, but sounds delicious with my setup, didn't notice any hum other than that caused by my chorus pedal. Of course, the 1987x reissue is too bright on the High Treble channel as everyone knows, so that has to be modded, since it doesn get in the way of finding good sound sometimes. I'd recommend switching these pickups for Seymour Duncan Phat Cats or Seymour Duncan Custom Shop "Greenie" humbuckers, which are Peter Green pickups, complete with out-of-phase tone when the switch is in the middle position.

Suits my style because I love the look of the LP and it's great for that spacey classic rock with slide work.

Overall: OK sound when plugged in, great when unplugged. Upgrade to noiseless SD pickups!

Action was great, but I prefer it much higher and even for good slide work. Pickups seemed fine and the plain top is gorgeous. Not really any noticeable flaws I'd care about except for a tiny bit of brown (half a mm wide, inch long on the neck binding). Must be from the wood.

Everything looks great, and honestly for this amount a money, you gotta wonder why someone would drop over a $1000 on a Les Paul Studio, which plays, feels, and looks like muddy butthole on a rainy day in Scotland. I was in the market for a Gibson Les Paul Classic, until I played one and it was ok, but looked terrible.

Hardware should last but I upgrade my guitars anyway except for my Rickenbacker basses.

Strap buttons seem solid, I have no worries about durability. Should probably still get strap locks though. My Fender's strap buttons get loose a lot.

N/A

Been playing 10 years. 10 for bass, 5 for guitar.

I own two Rickenbacker 4003's, one black, one "Montezuma Brown". Awesome color and sound. A Japanese Fender Marcus Miller, a USA Strat, a Mexican Strat (great harmonics), and this bad larry.

I don't know if I'd buy this again, unless I saw it in a slighty deeper brown color which is now impossible since Gibson closed their custom shop to orders from the public.

I compared this to a 60's reissue Gibson LP, which runs for $3,000. It sounded great and played well, but wasn't a fan of the look, and quite frankly, cost too much, as almost all Gibsons do.

We all know the stats by know, but for the sake of conformity, my Epi has the cherry sunburst finish, set mahogany neck into a mahogany/maple body, two passive humbuckers and what appears to be plastic binding. I've heard that the flamed maple tops on these are actually just veneers (ultra-thin piece of wood), and that there is alder between the mahogany and maple. I still have the stock humbuckers in mine, and though I usually run the guitar's controls fully open, they seem to function perfectly well for fine adjustment.
The guitar is a little heavy, but not nearly as much as a Gibson.
I will say that the particular guitar I bought has a neck comparable to a Gibson 1960's neck, meaning that it is a little thinner that a Gibson 1950's neck.
I'm giving the guitar a 9 simply because I would really have liked to have the binding go all the way around the headstock as well as the neck and body, but I'll admit that it is a somewhat superficial complaint. If I could, I'd give it a 9.5.

I'm running this guitar into a Boss Tuner, BBE Boosta Grande, Dunlop Crybaby 535Q Wah, Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Chorus, Boss Noise Suppressor, Line 6 DL4, and Ernie Ball passive volume pedal. All pedals are powered and sit on a SKB PS-45 pedalboard, and then go to my Mesa/Boogie Nomad 100 head (with Groove Tube 12AX7's and EL34's) and Mesa/Boogie Traditional Rectifier 4x12 cabinet.

I use this guitar for blues, reggae, hard rock, and gospel. The sound is not quite as warm and strong as a Gibson, but well worth the cash spent on it. I've debating dropping Seymour Duncans into it, but that will have to wait a bit. As it is, I enjoy the sound of this guitar with my wah into my crunch and high gain channels. The guitar does have a strong, throaty bite all across the fretboard. It sounds very balanced through my clean channel, but seems a little too heavy to play funk or reggae.

I'll give a 9 overall in this category because to me it sounds pretty warm in the low and mids, and still maintains a strong high end that isn't shrill. However, I think that it could have stronger output. Compared to other guitars in this price range, I give it a 10.

I can't commend on the setup from the factory, as I got this guitar used. The pickups have always sounded decent to me, though as I mentioned before, I will probably switch them out at some point. The flamed top wasn't perfectly bookmatched, but still looks pretty good to me, so much that I just took off the pickguard and mounting hardwear to show off more wood. I get lots of favorable comments on the finish, colors and wood grain combination. There is a tiny bit of paint overlapping the bracing, but it's only visible to me when I'm playing and never to anyone else.

I've had this for six months, and it's held up very well for playing 1-4 times a week. I think the hardware will last a while, but everything does wear out eventually. This finish is strong, but one nice thing about having a $500 Epiphone to a $2200 Gibson is that if by some accident you would scratch, chip or dent the finish, it isn't as critical an accident. I did switch out the strap buttons for Straplocks because I tend to move around a lot on stage, and I would strongly recommend this to anyone that plays live.
The guitar does seem reliable enough to use without a backup, but I always take my Strat with me. You never know when a string will break between songs, and sometimes I'll have to change guitars during a set to get a different sound.
I'll give it a 9 for the lack of Straplocks, but otherwise it's a pretty stable instrument.

I bought it used, so I can't comment on the warranty.
So far, I've never had to take it into the shop, though if I do, I'll take it to Warner's Guitar Repair in Edmond, Oklahoma. He does wonderful repair work, and I'd highly recommend him to everyone in the area!

I've been playing electric guitar for four years. This was bought to be my primary guitar, as I started off and still use my Lotus Les Paul (with Seymour Duncans), as well as my Fender Deluxe Player's Stratocaster. I listed my rig above, and I'm very satisfied on the quality of this instrument. Eventually I'll trade up, but this guitar serves me very well for the present. I love the finish and paint on the guitar, as it looks gorgeous!
I do want to warn you, not all Epiphones are constructed or sound very good. I played five other Epiphone Les Paul Standards, and not one of them sounded exactly the same! I also tested this guitar against a Gibson Les Paul Standard and Custom Shop AAAA, and I think that the Epiphone sounded better than the Gibsons. In all fairness, tone is subjective, and Gibson's quality control has taken a dive in recent ears.
While it is certainly not my "last-you'll-ever-buy-or-want" guitar, I am pretty happy with this Epiphone. I would recommend anyone looking for a solid, reliable, rock 'n roll guitar to give one of these a try. Good luck!

Honey-burst Flame-Gorgeous! Tune-O-Matic-Plastic Keystone Tuners ( purchased before they went with Grover)The tuners are good but Grover's are better. Fat neck- feels great! I bought it new about 7 years ago. Korean made.

I like the pu's because they sound perfect with my amp a Roland Cube-60. My settings are; clean JC channel, all knobs at 12 o'clock except Presence- off. I use the amp's Phase at about half and the Delay also at about half that's it. The sound is beautiful! I do not use Distortion or Overdrive ever to me clean is best at judging tone and articulation and this guitar delivers. I haven't made any modifications just lowered the action a bit but not too much as this helps the notes ring and sustain. I play all styles mostly Rhythm.

Good factory set up but a few personal tweaks help to make it your own. As I said, I've not replaced anything. There are no flaws at all. I hear a lot of bad stuff about Epiphone pu's. I can only give my personal hands on experiences; I have nothing but praise for them.
Both have a clear, natural sound. I use all 3 settings. I don't play loud so clear tone is crucial to my playing. Frets are perfect and the edges are filed super smooth. I have custom made guitars that aren't as cleanly built as this one.

Here's what motivated me to write this review. I actually forgot I had the guitar. It was in an upstairs bedroom in it's case collecting dust not played for years. I came across it today and decided to give it a look and hopefully play it. I was amazed at what I saw! The guitar looked perfect! I took it downstairs to set it up and found I only had to tune it. It plays perfect! And the neck stayed perfectly straight through years of intense heat and cold, dry room conditions. That's what it's all about. Bravo Epiphone!

Limited lifetime warranty. No repairs needed. Haven't had to deal with the company.

I've been playing almost 40 years. I own many guitars, amps and effects but lately I like clean jazz like tone. (Big Pat Martino fan.) I have recently purchased an Epiphone SG-400 (Blue) and an Epiphone Les Paul Studio (White) both are brand new but once again required little set up and they they play super.
Would I buy another Epiphone? I think I just answered that question.
I love 'em.

Cosmeticaly these are about as good as it get, glossy, good workmanship, Grover tuners, good solid feel.

This is pretty much a Gibson Les Paul except for the pickups, I know because my instructor has one, and we ran it them through the same amp.

All said it's a nice little guitar.

Over all I give this guitar an 8.

Unless you compare this to a real Gibson LP, with the same amp, same fingures of someone who can play you will not know. Really your just guessin, so I did. My instructor, came over with his Gib LP, Mesa Nomad and ran them both.

Clean channel they are identical, weight wise, identical.

Here is the difference, the pickups. Gib LPs have bursbuckers in them, very hot, and Epis have kinda muddy tone humbuckers. Drop $200 on the some burstbuckers, live with the Epi label and I think you will have a LP for about 30% the price of a new LP $2300 Gibson standard.

A good player, a good amp, the right pick can make this sound nice. For rock, banging away on a Marshall, this is pretty nice.

Where I might go is insall the burstbuckers, because I think the tone would be cleaner in overdrive, not as muddy, and it breaks up nicely for the harmonic kinda squel that a reall LP can get. Ofcourse a better player then me might be able to do that with this EPI

This is as good as anything out there.

Been fine. Stays in tune, no issues.

Haven't needed them.

It's nice enough to look at that I hang it on my wall.
Up close it's perfect, grovers are great, it feels great, play comfy.
Get a real Epi case for it, and it's about as nice as it gets, looks like a million bucks.

Sound is the only detractor here, muddy pickups that maybe with the right amp, pick and player can improve. Death metal guys with lots of distortion, playing though non tubes will probably be just fine.

Tone junkies like me would do well to put some burstbuckers in, invest a little to get the tone of a Gibson LP. I haven't done it, but when I do I will review. Everyone wants a Gibson LP, like everyone want a Marshall half stack(I have one) Can this EPI be as good, I don't know, but I suspect so, at $2200 new for a LP, the $1500 that you save on this Epi with upgraded pickups could pay for some nice amps.

I give this guitar a 7 which is not a slam, it's good. I don't think a ten exists, its a one of a kind, it's perfect. A nine is a custom model, an 8 is an off the rack guitar that you got lucky and it worked. So this 7 guitar can be an 8, which is about as good as it gets.

I got this guitar about 10 years ago, so I suppose it's a '96 or '97 model. It was when they first introduced the transparent flame tops, I believe. Anyway, mine has a flame maple top, and the standard Les Paul setup.

Like most people who have Epiphone Les Pauls, mine has different pickups. I had them changed out about 8 years ago, and that was before I had a computer to read all the chat boards telling me to do it. In fact, I have two Epiphones, and they both now have Duncans in there. Let me tell you that an Epiphone with good pickups is going to be almost every bit as good as a real-deal Gibson. I say "almost" because I do have a real Gibson, and I like it better than this Epiphone. But that's not to say that my Epi isn't a fantastic guitar. In fact, I have played quite a few Gibsons that don't sound or play nearly as good as my Epiphone. I got lucky with a good, resonant plank of wood. You can, too, if you try out the guitar before buying. Play it without an amp - that's how you can tell if the wood is worth the purchase.

Anyway, on to my guitar. I have a pretty standard setup of a Duncan '59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge. After so many years, the pickups (they have nickel covers) are looking a little tarnished, but they still sound great. The JB will make your amp growl (even some solid state ones, but I play through tubes), so you might want to curl the tone knob back a bit. That really tames the pickup, and since it's so punchy, you still keep clarity. The '59 is your regular PAF pickup - you can make it growl if you want. It all depends on the attack. This guitar sounds really fat and heavy. Not so much heavy metal, although you can do that with ease on this thing. I mentioned that I like my Gibson more - that's because it's a little less hot than this Epiphone. I may switch the pickups out of this Epiphone for some GFS P-90's, just for a new sound. As is, you can hit a lot of styles with this guitar - it can get that dull thud jazz guitar sound, or screaming rock overdrive. I wouldn't really recommend it for country or reggae, since its sound is way to fat for those.

I have what was supposed to be a transparent amber burst. It's not even close. It's a weird orange-yellow that's not even trans amber. At first, I hated the color, but it has since grown on me for its uniqueness. I haven't seen another guitar with this color. The action is fantastic, especially after a pro setup. I use heavy guage strings with a wound 3rd, and this guitar still plays fast. The tuners are pretty crappy, but they keep their tune fine. I'll upgrade them to Grovers eventually, but I've been saying that for years.

I seem to burn through selector switches in this guitar... it's probably because the shop I used to go to kept installing crappy switches. Can't be the guitar's fault! Also, I flick the switch constantly - I love filpping it back and forth through sustaining notes - that's probably why I have the switch problem.

I've dropped the guitar loads of times, and it barely has the scratches to prove it.

No experience with them.

If you're in the market for a Les Paul, you won't go wrong with an Epiphone. Just test the guitar out first and make sure the wood is good. You can always change hardware and electronics to your liking. Epiphones look great, they're well-built, and the stock electronics aren't as bad as a lot of people say. The sound works for a lot of people. For the price, you get a lot of guitar.

I got this guitar as a graduation present, and I love it. It looks really nice--a nice gloss finish over a vintage sunburst. The tuners are Grovers and hold a tune quite well. Never had any problems with the Tune-O-Matic either.

There are two humbuckers, and although they're cheap stock pickups, I've never really felt the need to replace them with anything more expensive. They get the job done and they sound decent. A little pickup adjustment makes them sound better.

It was made in China, and I'm guessing it's probably a 2004 or 2005 model.

Most of what I play is contemporary Christian worship music and this does that well. My set up is:

Epiphone Les Paul Standard > Boss CS-3 Compression/Sustainer > Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter > Boss OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion > Boss EQ-20 Advanced EQ > Boss CH-1 Super Chorus > Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor > Marshall AVT50H and AVT412 cab/House System

I don't think the guitar itself has ever been noisy, although some of the pedals can be. It sounds great with my effects chain and I very rarely get bad sounds out of it.

The tone is OK with a factory setup, but I played around with the pickup heights a bit and I got something a with a little more bass. The treble pickup gives a nice bright, twangy sound suitable and the rhythm pickup has a full bass end and mid range.

If you don't have your amp set up right, the guitar can sound shallow, and it happens to me every once in a while. It typically sounds pretty good, though.

I got the guitar new, so everything was in good working order--no scratches or dents or missing knobs or anything like that. One of the volume knobs was a bit close to the guitar so it didn't turn as easily as the others, but that's pretty minor.

The action and intonation were not really all that good when I got it, so I ended up doing some adjusting and it sounds much better now. Ditto for the pickups--OK setup from the factory, but it can still be better.

I play this guitar at least once a week live and it's never failed on me once. I always gig it without a backup because it's a solid instrument. The knobs seem kind of cheap, but they work and haven't fallen off yet. The tuners are Grovers and are very solid. The strap buttons themselves are sturdy, although they're a bit small--I've had my strap come off the buttons before, and the holes in my guitar strap aren't exactly huge.

I've never had to deal with Epiphone, so I can't comment on their customer service.

I also have an Ovation CU247 and a Seagull S6+ with a cutaway. I really like this instrument, and while I wouldn't put it up against a real Gibson or an American-made Fender, it's not junk. I don't care what people say--Epiphone isn't some kind of cheap garbage. They're not professional quality, but they're still excellent guitars.

I don't know that I would buy another one if it got lost or stolen, because it was a graduation present and the sentimental value is big, so I couldn't really replace it. I might buy another Epiphone LP, I might buy something else.

In any case, this is a good instrument.

Epi Les Paul 2004 Wine Red
Amazing Flamed TOP! I think it was made in China. I am not sure.

I cant compare it to Gibson Les Paul because I own a Gibson and I know the difference among them. Even so, the Epiphone is great Guitar. It suit my style of music and my gear. I use it as backup in jam and small venue. it is main guitar in rehearsal studio.
For the price I paid this guitar I am very satisfied. I bought it used at store. It is worth it!

My guitar is perfect!
No problem...

Very good!

Never had problem!!!

I??ve been playing for 12 years. I mostly play a lot of Gibson and Epiphone. As I said above - We cant compare! The gibson is better than Epiphone. No doubt! But the Epiphone is a great guitar I can use it in anywhere, anytime, anyway... If you have a good amp You never will claim. You will not have reason to regret!
Choose with care and test before you buy anything!
Sometime peoples dont have patience to try and to search the right guitar... I had patience and I found the right Epiphone Guitar.

I'm giving this guitar a 10 for features because in my opinion, it has everything a decent player needs to get great tones. It's a classic design and needs no improvement.

The pickups are probably the weakest link on this guitar, although for the price, they are not bad at all. I play blues, hard rock and punk-you can still coax some great tones out of this guitar when it's bone stock. The guitar has great resonance and excellent sustain- if the electronics are upgaded this would make a professional, killer sounding axe.

For a budget-priced guitar, this thing came set up like a beauty. Finally a budget axe that stays in tune!!!! The action is low and smooth with little buzz, and the finish and binding look absolutely superb- this guitar is a real looker! Mine has a gorgeous tobacco burst finish. The body also has quite a bit of weight to it, which a like- it feels like a solid hunk of wood.

Haven't played her out yet, but it seems built very solid like it could take quite a beating. This is meant to be my backup guitar so it'll likely see little action, except for practice.

Can't say.

This was an Ebay find that I bought on a whim, and I'm damn glad I did. For the price, it's a great axe. Once I change out the pickups, I just might use this as my main guitar. If you ever wanted an LP at a fraction of the Gibson price, go pick one up!

Blue quilt top LP Standard, rosewood neck, alnico humbuckers, 3 way pup selector, cream-colored binding, grover tuners, nickel plated hardware, made in China; but "100% inspected and Set-up in the USA" the sticker on the back of the headstock proudly proclaims.

This instrument is absolutely beautiful!! The finish is gorgeous and perfectly applied. The binding is perfectly set. No flaws whatsoever. This guitar will turn some heads in case your playing doesn't. The only negative is the volume and tone controls are the most phenomenally tacky copper color I have ever seen. Really, really ugly. I'll be replacing those soon.

I bought mine at Guitar Center, and had been shopping for one for about a year. The day I went in GC had six others in stock, and this one had a slightly richer, more complex, sound than the others. The others didn't sound bad: this one just sounded better.

If you've heard a Les Paul, then there are no surprises here: it's pretty much what you'd expect, which is a throughly rock and roll instrument. While you can get some lovely clean sounds this guitar wants to rock. Others on this forum have noted that the pups aren't that good. They're right about that. It's not that they're bad, it's just that they aren't that great (but then, heck, this guitar only sells for between $350-$500). Depending on the vibe you're after I could easily see this guitar fitted with soem after-market Seymour Duncan "Antiquity" or Gibson "Burstbuckers". I'm thinking that would give you 90% of that vintage Lep Paul mojo.

Mine was setup perfectly. The pups were well adjsuted and the string height was that magic distance between "low, but not buzzing". The others I played were setup quite nicely too. This seems to be something Epiphone is really paying attention to. Kudos to them. As noted above mine is a blue quilt top and the bookmatching is excellent. The finish is gorgeous, but then I've played a lot of Epi LP's in the last year and thought they were all beautiful looking instruments. Again Epiphone seems to be really focused here.

This thing is built like a tank. I can see it lasting a lifetime.

Haven't needed. Don't expect to.

Whenever you rate a budget priced guitar like this I think you have to rate it in terms of "bang for the buck". Does it sound like a '56 Goldtop? Well no, but as Guitar Player magazine recently pointed out, with some after market Burstbuckers you could be competeing with the new Vintage re-issues that Gibson is doing (they run in the $5,000 range).

Even if you don't do the pup upgrade you still have a solidly built, great sounding instrument. If you want the Les Paul vibe, but you're strapped for cash this is a purchase you will not regret. Kudos to Epiphone for producing a class instrument at a budget price.

blue finish, China-made, rosewood neck, grover tuners etc
fairly standard - nothing eye catchingly special

I bought this guitar last year and on the bridge pickup, it sounds really good, just as it always has. The neck pickup, however sounds weak and thin and barely pickups much sound most the time. I use it live because the bridge pickup run through a marshall 50 watt sounds so good, but I really want to change the pickups on it. With new strings it stays quite well in tune, because of the grover tuners.

Straight from the shop in Reading, the guitar had a nice blue finish, and no dents or anything like that. The action was alright and there weren't many general flaws with it at all. The pickup on the neck wasn't too good but I still bought it, after playing it through the bridge pickup. Unfortunately, after a slight problem with one of the strap buttons which lead to a few drops of the guitar, the finish has been compromised.

This guitar, through bridge pickup is really good for live playing, but because of the strap button, I might bring a spare guitar. It would probably be fine though.

No opinion

I've been playing for 2 years now and I have a cort acoustic, a marshall 50 watt amp and also an aria black strat which costed little cash. This guitar has genearally been very good, despite a few issues which are resolvable. I would recommend it, but I would still rather have a more reliable guitar like Danelectro because this guitar isn't as soild as a rock when it comes down to it. But it sounds good, and that's what matters really.

I have been playing for about 30 years, and have almost exclusively played Strats. I wanted to give a Paul a chance, but did not want to drop over 2K in the process. I went down to the local music store and played about eight different Epi Les Paul Standards. Each played and sounded slighly different, so I suggest playing a bunch before you buy. I bought a honeyburst one that felt righ. I studied the construction and was impressed at how well this one was put together and how good the brilliant gloss finish was. The only odd thing was the matte finish on the control cavity covers. I later removed them and discovered they had been put on upside down at the factory.

The bridge pickup sounds surprisingly good, the neck is way too muddy and bassy even when lowered to compensate. I changed the tone circuiot cap on this PU to a smaller value and regained some highs, but it is still slated for replacement. With the bridge PU in my Plexi 50 Watt Marshall I can get some great ZZ top tones through the Tube Screamer. The guitar breaks up well and has a full heavy hitting tone. As noted the neck PU is not used much at this point. For the money, this was a great buy, I have no remorse over the deal.

The action was set up OK at the factory, but the frets were not leveled enough to get it where I like it. Also the intonation was not even close on a few strings. I leveled the frets, adjusted the bridge, cleaned and oiled the neck put on some new strings, set the intonation with a strobe tuner and now it is fantastic. The guitar has great potential, it just needs a little help getting there.

I have only owned the guitar a couple of months and have not played a gig with it yet, so it is too early to tell. I did replace the tuners with some vintage LP style ones from Gotoh as the Epi ones tended to go out of tune a little too frequently.

As stated before, I have been playing a long time. I own a stable of Strats, some vintage and some new, a Dobro and a PRS now the Epi. I am very happy with it, but as stated, be sure to play a few before choosing, and be repared to do some set up work, or pay a tech to do it and you will be happy. After reworking mine, it plays as good as any Gibson I have played. I have two PUs on order, a Seth Lover for the neck and a Pearly Gates for the bridge, and can't wait to get them in. For the money, you cannot beat this guitar.

we all know what a les paul is. mine is a 2006 china model. i got the black one as it has all the same stuff as the sunburst but is much cheaper. i paid $340 for mine brand new. i kinda wanted a sunburst but i thought they all had cheap nasty finishes when i checked them out at the store. the black one looks classy and is the original finish for a paul i believe. quality control is **** on these. i played prob 8-10 pauls before getting the one i now have. many of them had serious issues. play before you buy... seriously.

i have a love hate relationship with this guitar. im a good guitar player that moved through several guitars before getting this one. the epi gold top i had for awhile was cool but sounded muddy to me. the casino is great but its too jangly. in the end i decided that itd be better to go cheap and upgrade later. with any epi i feel id have to change out the pickups so i might as well do it on the cheap. i havent yet upgraded it. somedays i play it and i love the classic tone i get. somedays i feel the pickups are weak and noisy. these pickups arnt great but i know the guitar will sound amazing once upgraded. clean sounds are the best on this guitar. blues, jazz, and classic rock are the best styles for this guitar as is. im playing mine through a vox. this thing cannot do metal at all as is. i play blues mostly and somedays this thing really has serious attitude. somedays i wish i had saved alittle more and bought a highway 1 strat.

this particular guitar was set up ok from the store. others were not. i set the action low on mine. buzzes in a good way. set alittle higher and theres no buzz. guitar came great from the store. i liked the neck on the custom much better than this one but the custom wasnt worth the money as it sounded exactly the same as the standard.

the guitar is heavy and im sure i could bang it around and itd be fine. the switches and the knobs seem to be of very good quality. dont feel cheap at all. the bridge on mine started making a buzzing sound which was messing with the sustain. i put some paper on it and its fine now. it bothers me but i was planning on replacing that anyway. the tuners are good. i tightened the screws on mine so that the knobs felt more solid in my hands.

no need.

ive been playing for 13 years mostly on ibanez guitars (with mods) and various pawn shop gems. i bought this guitar because i wanted a quality guitar that i could upgrade. many other guitars i played at the store like teles and strats were cool but were more expensive and still needed upgrades. if this guitar were stolen id be pissed but i wouldnt buy it again. at the time i hadnt heard of the highway 1 strats. i prob would have liked that more. right now im debating if i should sell the paul and get a strat or just go ahead with the upgrades. honestly though, this guitar was much more versatile than many of the strats i did play. a strat cant do jazz at all.

Honeyburst 2006 model. Made in China. Standard Epi lp Stansard.

I was completely blown away. I was NOT expecting the guit to sound this good! Classic Les Paul sound. The bridge pickup is tremendous. Classic Les Paul pump and growl. The neck a little less so. It is a little muddy and wont completely clean up. But there really isn't $1,700 worth of difference between this guitar and a Gibson. For a live player, you really can't go wrong with th Epi LP. I understand that there are big gaps in quality between each guit that comes off the assembly line, but I also understand that that is changing with the switch of production to China. All I know is that the one I have is a great player. Because I am recording with this guitar (and needed a little more string-to-string clarity) I did change out the pickups and electronocs with a Seymour Duncan Jazz in the neck and a JB in the bridge and HOLY SMOKES, is this guitar ever a keeper now. But I have to say that the Epi bridge pickup was a tad more harmonically wild than the JB! I am hanging on to that pickup and will probably put it in the bridge of one of my strats.

Incredibly well put together. Not flawless, but close to it. Neck feels and plays great. Only one buzz on the high E at the 12th fret. No buzzes anywhere else. Paint was really well done. One little bump on the neck up near the body that wasn't sanded out. Everything is lined up perfectly, (do you remember that guits in this price range years ago ALWAYS had terrible alignment problems? Not anymore!) Hardware was better than expected, especially the tuning machines. As with all Epi's the electronics are not very good, but I didn't have any problems with them before I switched them out.

I see no problems gigging with this guitar>

I've been playing for 34 years and am just returning to Les Pauls after about a 25 year hiatus. Of course, I can't afford a Gibson, who can? But I really am not all that disappointed about it. This Epi LP Standard is like coming home to me. It has all the vibe of a Genuine article, and I had enough $$ left to feed and clothe my daughter! I would strongly urge anyone thinking of buying a Gibson to try a few of these out first. I would definitely get another if this one was stolen.

The guitar is a 2007 Les Paul Standard (made in China at their new factory), honeyburst with a gorgeous flamed maple top. Mahogany body and neck, maple top, rosewood fretboard with pearloid trapezoid inlays. Standard everything like you would get from the factory

I mostly play hard rock and progressive rock/metal, but I also play jazz and alternative rock. The guitar has the ability to make every sound I need and then some. I am just running it through a Vox AD30TV ( I am currently in the Army, and I don't have the need for anything larger) and the guitar just sounds incredible through. Everything from the glassy Gilmourish tones to Opeth, this guitar has it covered. It sounds full, almost like getting hit in the chest with a hammer when distorted, but when run clean, it mimics classic jazz tones without any issue. Considering there are only so much this guitar can do, it does all of them amazingly well, and that is without any updrading.

The guitar out of the box had the action a bit high, but I can't let that influence this review. After spending no more than ten minutes setting it up, it played fantastic. The top looks immaculate, the bookmatching is perfect. The binding is almost perfect and the fretwork compares with that of my PRS. There are no dings or any flaking in the finish.

The guitar is built like a tank, the only things that I will do in the future is replace the tuners with Sperzel locking tuners, change out the pots eventually and maybe get some different pickups. But for right now there is no reason for me to do any of those things. Before I enlisted in the service, I played professionally, and at the time I used a Carvin DC400TA, a 2005 PRS Custom 24, and a few assorted Mexican Strats. While I can't say I would use it at a gig without a backup (because lets be honest, no matter how good the guitar, you always run in to some issue) I would use it right up there with my other guitars, if not featured.

N/A

I have been playing for 7 years and currently I own a Carvin DC400TA, a PRS Custom 24 and an old Strat. As far as amplificiation is concerned, at home I have a rack system and here at the barracks I have a new Vox AD30TV amp. If the guitar was lost or stolen I would definately get another Epiphone. After trying several Gibson's over the years I can't see myself spending that much money on one when Epiphone's feel and sound just as good (to me at least). Considering how little this guitar costs, I can't say I have a single complaint.

Black, solid body, Tune-O-Matic. An axe. Bought through Ebay. Just didnt like the original reddish knobs and replaced them by black dice knobs, now it looks awesome.

I mostly do church music so it fits perfect my playing stile. I personally use for solos and mostly using the clean channel, just some chorus and light reverb. It performs fine as rhythm guitar as well. It has a warm sound, my guitar player just fell in love with this guitar.

As I bought it used, I just restringed it, dissasembled, cleaned it and set it up all my way. No flaws apart of normal use wear.

An axe, it will last for sure.

Not dealt with them

Well my opinion has some bias: I love this guitar...

I chose this Epiphone Les Paul Elitist Standard over a Gibson Les Paul Studio Plus model. Both guitars had AAA flame maple tops, but the Gibson was over $500 more in most places, a little less at others, and simply not worth the extra money. I'm more concerned with playability and looks than whose name is on the headstock. The finish is a thin lacquer iced tea sunburst with the nicest flame top I have ever owned on a guitar. Grover tuners; made in Japan in the Fuji Gen Gakki factory, as are all the Elitist series guitars. It has the standard Les Paul pickup configuration with USA made 'buckers and the usual control setup. The body is hand-selected and kiln-dried mahogany, and so is the neck, with a nice rosewood board. The fretwork is flawless.

It suits my harder side of playing very, very well, and as I'm 5'6', it fits me well. I use a newer Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and assorted stompboxes. It's not noisy at all (humbuckers aren't, generally), and with the USA 'buckers, it screams when cranked and sounds mellow when turned down. Classic humbucker tones all around. I see no reason to change the pickups at all. They do the job and have plenty of power. The sustain is great.

The factory setup is OK, but I plan to have it set up professionally anyway, and soon, and also plan to change the strings it came with; .009s, which are too light for me. It stays in tune pretty well, and it will stay in tune better once it's set up right. Action is fine, neck is straight, pickups adjusted nicely. The top? Well, let's just say, the top is spectacular in its "flame-iness." The nicest top of any guitar I've ever had (I said that already). With the faded iced tea 'burst, it looks a little like Peter Green's old Les Paul. The fit and finish is flawless from the factory, as I expected. They do great work at the Fuji factory, and have for years. You can count on it.

This guitar is built like a tank. No doubts it'll survive live gigs in every way. Finish is solid, hardware is solid, strap buttons are fine. This is a totally dependable guitar, but I always take 3-4 guitars to gigs, so it will never be the only one.

No problems at all with the instrument, so no opinion on customer support. Good warranty.

I've been playing rock, R&B and blues for over thirty years and own 17 guitars. If it was lost or stolen, I would definitely buy another. I love the playability, the looks, the flame top, and its classic, vintage Les Paul vibe. I chose it because it was a better deal than the Gibsons I was looking at, it sounded as good as any of them and felt great. I wish it came with a Bigsby option. Otherwise, it's a killer guitar. Comes with a very good HS case. It may look like I paid too much for it compared to some of the other prices listed for this model, but I got the industry standard 40% off list based upon current retail prices, which go up sometimes twice a year at Gibson. I've owned at least five Les pauls, and this might be the best one yet.

well this beauty was getting hungry, so naturally, i fed it. i made a decent roast chicken basted to death, followed by a crisp salad with toasted croutons and parmesan with an excellent dressing (in my opinion). i was dead chuffed with myself when i finished everything. oh and also i made a scrummy apple cinnamon cake for afters. i think this stunning piece of equipment was deeply satisfied.

my style is mainly either italian, japanese or english cuisine dependng on how i feel. i think it suits my styles perfectly, with the perfect precision and it's modern techniques.i love it to be honest.

i would say my presentation is quite...rustic, you know, move it 3 times then dont touch again. it has to have a natural look and feel to it.although sauces are important and i use them a lot , i wouldn't say it's always necessary.

my portions are generally large, which is just how i like it. there is no point serving tiny portions when someone is dead hungry is there?

if i get a complaint from a customer i tend to either refud them or make them another dish, unless they're just picky. dont get it often however

income is great at the moment and i think my skills are increasing, rapidly. soon im going to add a new section to the menu 'eau cuisine' . with seafood and more complex dishes. i thnk my customers love to visit and im getting to know them. gainiong quite a reputation actually.

Honeyburst finish. Maple top, Stop tailpiece, LP body with cutaway, two humbuckers, 22 frets, 2 tone/2volume controls, Pearloid trapezoid inlays in neck. Made in China, 2006 model. No bag, case or accessories included in purchase.

While I've read complaints on the electronics of the Epiphone LPs, I honestly can't complain about the specific LP I own. I think it sounds great through my Fender Blues Jr. amp. The neck pickup provides a meaty bass and the bridge pickup is actually brighter than I expected with a hint of creamy sustain typical of the LPs. I traded a Fender Mexican Tele for this guitar and am most definitely not disappointed. I should note, however, that I do use a Boss distortion pedal through the blues junior. Without the pedal, the LP still gives a great tone, just not as heavy. But that is due to the nature of this amp, not the guitar.

I played every Epipone LP standard in the store and they were all excellent. They were all also the 2006 models from China. I believe Epiphone bought their own plant in China that now specifically produces Epiphone guitars, as opposed to several other brands concurrently as it used to be. The guitar was set up perfectly. Absolutely no fret buzz all the way up the neck. Action was perfect, hardware set up great. Absolutely no flaws on the guitar and I studied it closely before and after I bought it.

I think this guitar would withstand almost anything. Hardware seems solid to me. The finish is top-notch (honeyburst finish). Strap buttons so far seem extremely adequate, although like any other guitar on earth, you probably need straplocks if you're rowdy and use a strap. I would use this guitar without a backup for 1.) I love the sound and verstility and can't make myself put it down and 2.) it seems to be one of the most solid guitars I've played. I also own an American Strat (the first year Fender made the neck and bridge changes - either 2000 or 2001) and I love that guitar. But this Epiphone LP blew me away when I picked it up and played it. I'm worried that my Strat may be not getting the attention it deserves.

Never dealt with customer support. It does come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty.

I've been playing for 12 years off and on and have always had Fenders. 60s strat, Mexican Strat, Mexican Tele, American Strat, Squire Strat. I play a lot of blues/rock and those have always suited my style. I am a Strat man. That being said, I picked up this Epiphone LP and was hooked. I will NEVER get rid of my strat, but I wanted a different sound to compliment my strat and was just not happy with the mexican tele I traded for it. I played a friends Epiphone LP before going to the music store. Then every Epi LP I played at the store seemed to rock just as hard (Just wish I had that Marshall I plugged them into!) This guitar is so easy to play, it makes you think you're a better guitarist than you are. Now, I've never played a Gibson LP. I figured there was no need because I could never afford one and I didn't want to know what I was missing. But that being said, I can't imagine the Gibson sounding much better than this Epiphone. I still can't believe the price tags on these Epis. I just can't get over the sound it delivers. I feel like I'm having an affair with this guitar and hope my Strat forgives me, but I can't put this lady down. I think when taking into account price and quality, this is the best guitar I've owned.

I am updating my last review. As I and others have said the guitar benefits from a pickup change. After I changed the pickups the guitar sounded much better but still dark, I said that I couldn't get sparkle from it and the tone still lacked compared to a Gibson with Burstbuckers. Well, back to the tech to cure the humming problem and he mentions that the caps are 47's. This value is a high impendence usually used on basses to roll off the highs. He said to install 22's. I had him put bumblebee caps in (22's, at $60 each) and let me say that this guitar sounds awesome. Better than the stock gibson. It is much brighter, punchier and just sounds alive. I can only guess that epi used the high impendence caps to roll off some highs to compensate for the rather brittle/shrill stock pickups. Next I have to change the pots from 250k's to 500k's. Apparently the lower value pots offer higher impendence and compress the tone of the pickups. Again I don't know why cheap guitars come with 100k or 250kpots. 250k is ok for a strat but most lps need 500k, some use 1meg. Change your pots and caps and let your replacement pickups come alive! Also, some people point to the wood as the tone culprit. My experience tells me the electronics are the main problem. Luckily, that problem is easily remedied.

your guitar is a fret leveling and polishing from nirvana. Unless your guitar is a Carvin or a "custom shop" instrument, you need this work.

Wail away!

I honestly don't know.

As the guitar sits now, it is awsome and makes me think I can get away with modifying epi's instead of blowing 2k on a Gibson that still needs a decent set up to play well. But, $200 for pickups, $120 for the bumblebees and I can only guess about $90 to have the tech change out all the pots plus I still have cheap tuners and loosey-goosey bridge hardware that should be changed, so maybe $200 more for that stuff plus $500 for the guitar and I have, lets see, $1110.00. So, still less then a Gibson, but I can sell a Gibson for $1500 or more. My Epi is still worth maybe $400 used. So, so you invest money into the epi or Gibby? I still don't know.

Your standard Epi Les Paul. Black with cream hardware. I paid $450 at Guitar Center after some haggling.

The key difference: I swapped out the muddy stock pickups for DiMarzio Virtual PAFs. Definitely worth the $140. I also got my tech to wire them Jimmy Page style (coil tap, series/parallell, phase switch) which is a nice touch too -- especially the series/parallell option, which gives a tougher, "boxier" tone. That was an additional $30 for the needed pots and $150 for the labor.

I'd rate this guitar a 5 before switching pups. Evidently how they shave money on these babies is building them in China (no problem there) and using cheap electronics. New pups are a must.

Set-up was OK, I took it to a tech for a better setup. The finish, etc., is fine. No problems elsewhere.

No problems here. Has held up fine at some pretty wild gigs for six months so far.

n/a -- not needed yet.

Again, new pickups are a must. You're paying $500 for a decent Les Paul, might as well spend another $120 or so to make it sound good.

2001 or 2002 made. 22 frets, standard Les Paul controls, hum/hum pickups, body is Mahogany with Alder top. Ebony gloss finish. Bridge is tune-o-matic with stop piece, standard LP type tuners, neck is kind of chunky, but when getting an LP, you should know that it's got some thickness to it already. I believe it's a mahogany neck, rosewood board, and it's setneck. Came with an Epiphone case.

I couldn't ask for more in a budget LP, feature are perfect, nothing missing.

This guitar is great for all the styles of music I play (punk, hardcore, gothic rock, etc.). Running it through my Marshall most of the time, but just for practice I run it through an Ibanez. It's got that Les Paul tone, definitly, but not quite as good as a Gibson Les Paul. The only real bad thing with this is the stock pickups, they're a bit weak.

Overall, sound is great, but lacking in the pickup area. With a swap of pickups, this is a really great sounding guitar.

Guitar came set up pretty crappy, but after setting it up, it was great. Had a little trouble with uneven frets on the upper few frets, but my tech filed them and no more problems. Again, as I notice on a lot of low-mid or mid level guitars, finish flaws come up around where the neck meets the body.

The guitar I got, after a good set up, plays really great.

This guitar has been gigged by me and a fellow guitarist in my old bands (we sort of shared it at times) many times, and definitly holds up well. The tuners on this could be replaced, and probably should be, because I found that this guitar had some trouble holding tune (nothing to serious though). With this, I'd definitly get some straplocks, I don't think I really trust the strap buttons on this. When we were gigging with this, I always had backup around, but never needed to use this.

This guitar is iffy in the reliabilty area, but strap locks and new tuners will fix this for the better.

Never dealt with them, but I have heard they were good from other people I know.

I've been playing for four and a half years, and own...a Squier Strat, two Fender Strats, an ESP/LTD H-250, and a ESP/Grassroots Forest GT. This guitar is rather high ranked in my line up, and one of my favorites. The only real thing that botehred me alot, was the strap buttons on this. If it were stolen, I'd probably upgrade to a Gibson or something similar. One of the best things about this guitar is that you can get Les Paul tone for $400 or so. Again, I'd like to bring up the strapbuttons and tuners, and I really wish they were both better.

Bought in Brazil at this date. Heritage Cherry Sunburst. Same specs as the others, but with Grover Tuning Machines...
Came with a Epiphone gig bag and a t-shirt.

I was looking for a guitar with humbuckers and decided for this one... No humming at all... nice highs and lows, suits every kind of music...

The factory set-up was preety good, the best i've got from a new guitar (I already own a 2001 Squier Affinity and other crapy Strat from an unkown brand here from Brazil).. The finish is preety good, but I've noticed a few painting flaws on the body... That could be just a little better... But overall it has a very nice finish.

I think this is a guitar that will last a long time... I'll just replace the pickups some time in the future...

I play guitar for almost 7 years and this is my third guitar... I own a Squier Affinity Strat, a Collins Stratocaster (this is a very crapy guitar), a Cosmic acoustic guitar (steel) and a Condor nylon acoustic guitar. I usually use this gear to record at home and to play once in a while with my friends... If you don't have enough money to buy a Gibson, this Epiphone is surelly the most recommended choice.

I got this guitar brand new from Mucicians friend. I cant belive this thing is from Korea. 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way selector. Just the way I like it. The two pickups are perfect for me, add just a little over-drive and you get a nice smooth sound. You people know the rest.

I play rock & roll (early 60's stuff), blues, and hippie music. It sounds pritty good, no complants. When I got it I plugged it into my small Marshall i was pritty disapointed. I had allot of hum. I tried to angle myself to get red of it but couldnt find a good place. The next day i was at the local guitar shop and tryed it on a VOX and it sounded really good. Ive tryed it with some more amps since then and think that a rogue amp I played on was the best. Not by itself but when i used my cry baby and boss super overdrive it was great.

This is the first thing any one will notice about your guitar and i get so meny complements on this thing. It all looks so nice I hear a Heavenly band open up into gospel music.

This thing is solid. A little lighter then the gibsons i noticed, feels good really. IT stays intune like a dream.

Never had to.

I've bin playing about 3 years now and play a hole lot, my hole life is about music. If I didnt love the sound and feel of this guitar I would send it right back but this thing is such an honor to play I would die if any thing happened to it. There were only 2 guitars I could have afforded i would have posibly picked over it, Epiphone g-400 custom(3 pickups sound really good i think), or an Agile LP copy.

Made in early 2006, specs as already reported. Grover tuners, stock pups, Vintage Sunburst finish over a body of mahogany + alder, as heavy as a Gibson or only 0.01 or 0.02 pounds away... sure!!!

This one has no defects as stated by other people in electronic terms. Even, it is pretty impressive in this field. I had a Gibson with similar specs to compare it. The Epi can be only a step behind in these areas:

- sides and back of the guitar are, in the Gibson, transparent so you can see the wood colour. In the Epi is the same very dark tobacco of the finish.

- I think the binding is painted, and if it's painted it's very finely done. But I tend to think it's really a binding. You pass the finger over it and you feel an edge between the creamy line and the body. In the gibson it's clear a binding.

- seems quite glossy the finish. I wish it had less varnish. Doesn't affect the playing at all (it improves it instead) so... I come from satin finished guitars and had to adapt it, pretty quickly done. I prefer the satin nevertheless.

- the knobs are better in the Gibson. This one has kinda-hat volume and tone knobs in amber; the colour is very fine but the shape isn't. But it's one of the things very easily replaceable.

- the weight... well, you can't feel the difference if you blindly pick a Gib or this Epi. You can't. This guitar is PRETTY HEAVY.

There is a noticeable difference between this guitar and previous 2005 Epiphones as I saw in another shop. In every aspect. In every detail. This one is a superb instrument. Remember you must make a difference between what you can change from a guitar and what you can't. You can't change woods, weight, colour, shape (or you can hardly change it); you can change the pickguard, pick-ups, pick-up covers, tuners, frets. The review is in it all, specially the unchangeable terms. As for the others, I am very happy with them.

Sound is one of the most personal details in an instrument. What I like can be disliked by you. You can reckon it just scrolling down the reviews, but as for me.... Sound is unbelievable. Playing mainly through a Marshall MG15DFX, stock pickups (quite loud!). Thought of a change but soon discarded it.

Unplugged, it sounds brilliant. In the clean settings, the neck pickup is amazing, what a warm, clean/semi-acoustic sound; in the middle is the best, both warm and bright; and in the bridge pickup it is such a classic rock'n'roll sound.... uuuuuh. Those two pickups are sensational!

In distorted, you get such a great amount and variety of sounds from both pickups that you cover everything. My preferred style is blues and hard rock so the softly distorted sound turns this baby into the perfect blues machine, with such a crunch... I easily got Gov't Mule first album sound. No difference. I swear. With more distortion the bridge pickup shines more than the neck, getting into metal from Iron Maiden first albums, for example. But the neck is tremendous too for soloing.

Overall the guitar is capable of EVERYTHING, just play with volume and tone from the guitar or eq settings on the amp. If you don't extract anything you want from it it's YOU the one responsible. Because it was also tested on a Fender Twin Reverb by a pro player and he was pretty impressed. He is looking for a Gibson LP Custom and he couldn't stop praising the sound, this babe.

Action is untouched. I am fine with it. Neck pickup was a bit low, so I raised it. The problem came with the neck which was way too straight and it caused some buzz. Adjusted and... buzz went away.

More expensive guitars come with worse problems, come on.

A Les Paul can break a tank. This is no exception.

Looking at the other reviews, I am amazed at the electronics. A lot of people complain about them being very weak. The ones here are flawless at all. No crackles. Tone and volume respond as they should. What I suspect is that these people had bad luck. Or I have a lot, because every instrument I play seems not to have any defect.

Never needed. Only, when adjusting the truss rod. Apart from that, nothing else.

The perfect machine. A Gibson costs +2,000 euros more. The quality of this baby cannot justify any jump. Forget fashion and coolness. No justify. If it costed 600 or 700 euros, it would be worth it.

It's a Les Paul. Not a Les Paul copy as a lot of people here say. It's 100% Les Paul. Both Gibson and Epiphone (Orville too?) are allowed to wear the Les Paul logo. Remember a certain Lester Polfus first efforts at what factory...

I wouldn't be ashamed to bring this baby anywhere despite not putting Gibson in any place. This one doesn't need any important word to rule over far more expensive models. Because my fingers will make the difference; the baby will help me.

Look for early 2006 chinese Epi models. I have been reported in a lot of shops about their supreme quality. As for this model, they are true!

1999 from S.Korea, 22 frets, 2 volume, 2 tone controls, 2 stock humbuckers passive, appears to be made of mahogany, honeyburst finish with cream colored pickguard, Bigsby-style vibrato, vintage -type green tuners, got a free gig bag with it.

Suits my style of playing (classic rock, blues,heavy rock) I use it with a Laney LC-30 tube combo, usually just plugged in direct. I have some assorted effects, if i use anything it's just an RP50 for different amp sounds. I changed the stock bridge for a roller bridge I bought off ebay. I also routed the strings over the front bar of the unit instead of under it.What a difference that made. After using 10's I changed to 9's so I make bending a little easier. The vibrato unit stays in tune just as well as my Strat Plus with tremsetter. Of course I had to fiddle around with pickup heights and intonation but I am very satisfied with it's playability. Think Neil Young's "When You Dance, I Can Really Love"

I have no issues about how well the action, fit or finish was when I bought it. I have always done my own upgrades or set-ups. However two of the pots keep getting scratchy, I have taken them apart and swabbed them with electronic cleaner and they work fine for awhile. I may upgrade them eventually. The pickup selector switch seems very loose compared to others of the type I've tried in stores. But since it ain't broke I ain't gonna fix it.

I don't play for money, but I believe it would hold up well. I had thought about replacing the tuners, but the guitar stays in tune, so they'll stay. The strap buttons are still in tight, although I would suggest straplocks for anyone who likes to jump off their stacks from time to time. I have other guitars, but I would take it alone.

Have never dealt with them

Been playing 23 years or so, I have a '90 Strat Plus, customized '00 Mex. Strat, '76 Fender Musicmaster bass , old Washburn acoustic, Laney LC-30 with Celestion G12S-50 speaker, assorted cheap effects,practice amp, etc. This guitar has been a welcome addition. Because it looks so cool, it gets all the attention whenever someone sees it. I would definitely get another even with the bigsby unit, 'cause I know how to make 'em work. I just wish the electronic parts were on a par with the rest of the instrument.

2006 Chinese LP Standard. Same basic features as set forth below. Tuners purport to be Grovers.

Basic rock sounds. This guitar will be played by a 12-year-old through a Fender Hot ROd tube amp. It seems well-suited to that task.

I am writing this review to make a basic point that I've only seen touched on a few times below. The finish and action of the guitar I bought is not bad. However, I played and looked over 6 different guitars until I found one that was half way decent. The quality control on these Chinese LPs is awful. Some guitars had the pickup switch in sideways, others had uneven nuts, still others had loose screws holding the pickups in. Apparently "Set Up in the USA" means nothing more than that someone in the States peeled off a sticker and affixed it to the back of the headstock. DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE ONLINE. It took quite a while switching guitars at Guitar Center to find one that was problem free in the set up department.

Feels solid. Pickup selector might not last. Good for a start. We'll see.

I agree with the general consensus that this is a completely different (and inferior) animal than a Gibson Les Paul, but is a nice guitar and a great value nonetheless. I bought this as a gift for my son's 12th birthday and think it is a great choice for someone like him who: (a) likes to rock, (b) has some talent and (c) is improving, but who (d) does not need a $2000+ guitar. The main point I want to make, however, is that there is no consistency in how these guitars are put together. Having looked into the matter I realize that the reason the reviews of this particular guitar vary so much is that the quality varies significantly from guitar to guitar. So, if you are considering an Epiphone LP Standard, be smart and test drive a few. You may be surprised at the level of inconsistency but could end up with a winner.

OK, I get a little tired of so many "experts" giving their opinion and realistically seem to spend more time playing around with their guitars than actually using them to make music.

I have played them all, Peavy, Ibanez, Gibson LP, Fender strat and tele and they all have merit. Personally I have chosen the epi les paul standard, sunburst. I have been playing for over 30 years, ( I am still well under 50)I find that each person has a different ear and will like a different guitar, that is a fact we all know.

I personally can buy a Gibson Les paul but I choose hands down the Epi les paul standard. I have not changed the pickups but I do have a wizard technition who has adjusted everything possible on this guitar and you can play the heck out of it. I have had 7 #1 songs on Sony Acid Planet out of 483,000 musicians which is pretty good. The guitar is light, I find the finish beautiful and no flaws. 23 frets if you can squeal the last one, act 22. I do a lot of recording and I use a Norman accoustic, Fender Bass, and the ONLY guitar is the epi les paul. A very famous musician told me about 20 years ago the following" you can have the greatest guitar with every feature available but if you can't make it sing it is useless to you. The price on the Epi was around $500 Can brand new and I do not intend to change anything, the grovers are fine, the tone is great, I use a fender twin. You should be able to use a bit of delay with either a Wah Wah or a flanger to get a screemin guitar sound. This was made in China and I do find this also to be extremely easy on my fingers.

Darrell

I play mostly blues and guitar rock. It can scream or be really tasteful, the epi does both

The guitar was not set up well at the factory, but it sure is now!

I would always take a backup guitar on a gig, more for breaking a string. Take a listen to Brian May with the home made guitar he has and tell me if he does not make magic with that guitar!

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yes, do not buy a guitar because someone tells you too! If you like what it does for you, the price is decent, you have done some homework, go with your gut, not with your cheque book

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.

I had no idea where it was from as it had the Gibson headstock. I played it and loved it. Not sure of the year. Made in Japan. All the same features as a standard Gibson Les Paul. Nothing different...I believe they're made with US bodies but cheaper hardware. Great finish too. Fretboard is smooth and fast. Thin 60' neck from what I can tell.

This guitar is without a doubt the best guitar I've played in a LONG time. Playing wise it's no different to my 93' Gibson Les Paul Special. The pick-ups are as good as any mid range Gibson. Played through a Marshall JCM 900 SLX it sounds awesome. Striaght AC/DC tones. The neck pick-up sounds a little muddy but great on clean channel.
The frets are great. The quality IMO is no different to that of a regular Gibson LP standard. It's goot a nice smooth fretboard and it basically plays itself...

Bought used so I guess the store set it up? Played great after some tweaking. Top is bookmatched almost perfectly. Looks like a million bucks.
Pick-up's are not US BUT they sound great.

I'll play it for many years to come. Built like a tank. Like I said, as good as any Gibson these days.

None to speak of but no need really...

This guitar is awesome. It plays like a $1000+ guitar. I would be lost without it. All my Gibsons have taken a back seat to this guitar.

honeyburst 2005 Les Paul Standard,Grover tunners,22 fret,mahogany body with veneer top,3way toggle and seperate bridge and neck volume and tone controls.

The style I play is bluesy but big on distortion. I use a digital style amp for at home practice and Marshall JCM900 for everything else. The sound is ok. Rich on the neck setting with clean tone but a little muddy for my taste. I should point out I have the stock Alnico pick ups that came with the guitar but they won't be in there for much longer. All in all they're pretty much garbage. For beginners that don't know the difference between these and good pick ups will be satisfied. This is my first Epi LP, my main guitar is a B.C. Rich Monckingbird fitted with Seymour Duncans and you can bet your ass thats whats going into the LP.

The setup is great. Low action, smooth and fast neck.
There is a few flaws that I noticed only after I bought it, such as:
Finish flaws around the edges and inconsistent colour (light to dark)on the neck. ALso the strap button by the toggle switch is totaly out of position, you can't play the guitar standing up without the thing falling every 2 seconds. I've compared with other Epi LP in the store and they're positioned like a 1/2 inch lower than mine!

The guitar is built very well for the price range. Highly recomended to anyone buying they're first guitar or anyone looking for a second guitar for live playing. I can say with minor setup and pickup swap this guitar ROCKS. Seems like a winner to me if you get past those little flaws.

Great guitar for the price.
If it was stolen in the first week i had it, I would find it somehow, rip the pickups out and shove them up the guys ass.

lefty chrrey sunburst. bought in 2003 I believe. the body wood is unknown. you'd suspect it's a mahogany body, but I highly doubt it.

it sounds decent if you don't know what a real Les Paul sounds like. I didn't know myself when I bought it. I swapped the Pups with Seth Lover and Kent Armstrong, then it became hotter!! wow, the difference you can hear is just amazing. but then I didn't know what to expect from a Les Paul until I jammed with a guy who played a real Gibson stock LP. WOW. I then realized what a piece of crap this LP is! mid you, I replaced the Pups with really nice quality pups. but still this one sounds tiny and skinny compared to the Gibson LP. now this makes me think the body wood is actually alder or ash, if not, even plywood. the maple top is probably a photo laminate. there's no warmth in this LP. but if you are looking for a LP "look" with decent sound, this might be for you. but don't expect it to sound like one.

it had a crack on finish on the back side. but I don't think that'll affect the sound at all. I tweaked the pup height, and bridge. nothing fell off. but when I opened up this LP to change pots and swtch, oh my god! what a mess! compared to lots of LP wiring diagrams out there, it looked nothing like any of them. I was amazed it sounded at all.

this was a backup on stage, but thank god, I never had to use it. thank you Strat! I'm sure this will withstand any situation. like I said, nothing fell off yet. I don't think that will happen any time soon.

never dealt with Epiphone.

if you are looking for a LP looking guitar that sounds decent, get this one. but if the LP sound is what you are after, don't bother with this one. I am a firm believer of upgrading budget guitar to create the ultimate Axe that can be comparable to the high priced original. and I'm not picky when it comes to tone and so on as long as it sounds good on its own. but no matter what mods you make to it, it will never become a LP. go for a Tokai LP or Agile LP which is what I'm going to buy when I sold this crap.

This review is for the Epiphone Les Paul Standard when it's totally stock and unmodified in any way. Made in China at the Deawon Plant in March of 2005. Mine has a beautiful heritage cherry sunburst finish and weighs in at a heavy 9.5 lbs, which by the way, i think is a good thing. The body is mahogany/alder with a really thin flame maple top. The neck is one piece mahogany, 22 frets and the headstock (with the Epiphone logo) is glued to the neck about one inch above the nut (so would you call that a 2 piece neck?). The nut is a cheap plastic one that i intend on changing for a bone nut eventually. Tuners are Grovers but i've read elsewhere that these are not the same as the USA grovers, but a cheaper asian version, don't know whether thats true or not. Guitar also has brilliant cream colored binding and pick guard.

The humbuckers come with nickel covers on the LP standards. The pickups they put in are designed by Epiphone USA and say 57CH(G) on the back, so i'm assuming they're modelled after '57 PAF pickups. The sticker also reads DOT:NECK,BRIDGE LP:NECK on the neck pickup, so i guess these are the same pickups they pop into their Dot series guitars. Whether or not a Les Paul and a Dot series guitar should be sharing the same pickups is another thing all together.

All the rest are pretty standard Les Paul features (i.e. 3 way selector switch, 2 volume, 2 tone pots, tune-o-matic bridge, stop tailpiece, etc)

The ONLY accessory i got after much haggling was a free set of d'addario strings... no case, no picks, no little hangie tags, no booklet/manual, no allen key for the truss rod, nothin! I like my little hanging tags and booklets :(

The neck pickup sounds like total crap so i replaced it with a seymour duncan '59 after a week. But this review is for the stock pickups, so... the neck pickup sounds like there's a blanket over your amp, or ear plugs in your ears, or the guitar is submerged under mud, you get the picture?!? You play a G chord and you hear a noise that sounds like a G chord, but you dont hear the D note or the B note that make up that G chord, just one noise, make sense? good! The bridge pickup is a lot better, higher output and more defined highs. Not too high to make your ears bleed, but high enough. This will have to be swapped out one day too though, just lacks the clarity i want. The in between setting is nothing to write home about either.

Acoustically, this Les Paul sounds great. The notes sustain for ages and sound warm and not too bright. If you've played a strat type guitar unplugged before you'll find that it sounds brighter and more twangy. There is some fret buzz, especially on the low E and A strings, mainly between the 1st and 8th frets. It's annoying but it doesnt come through on the amp so its tolerable i guess.

The Les Paul sounds lovely with just a slight bit of distortion or over drive. This guitar was MADE for rock, blues, pop, and jazz. With seymour duncans... whooooo, NICE.

SOUND only gets a 6 because of the slight fret buzz and garbage stock pickups.

This is the second Les Paul i've owned. The first one was replaced for my current one the very next day i bought it. The reason? It had a totally dead note on the 20th fret across all six strings. Not just a BUZZZZZ, i mean DEAD note! I discovered it while playing the solo to November Rain (thank slash for using those upper frets, or i may not have noticed for quite some time). I took it to the guitar store and their guitar tech played around with the truss rod (he's a 20-something year old kid who had trouble locating the 20th fret and needed me to point out which one was the 20th!!!!!!) Needless to say, he had no luck in fixing the problem. How could THAT have passed QC??? Sheesh! I was glad, because it meant i got to swap it for another one. There's 2 reasons i was glad:
1. They only have one of each finish on display at a time. This meant that the guitar i swapped it for had only been on display 1 day whereas i had no idea how many days on display or how many people touched and played with the dodgy one i was replacing
2. The finish around the pickup selector switch's plastic ring was cracked... once again, QUALITY CONTROL?!?

Now, to review my current les paul. I'll start with the action/setup. I don't know if it was setup from the factory or from the guitar store, but the setup was BAD. Frets buzzed heaps and yet the action seemed high. Intonation was off. The nut was really poorly cut as the first 5 fret positions all played somewhat sharp, indicating it wasn't cut deep enough. The guitar store said i had free setups for a year, but after watching their guitar tech struggle to find the 20th fret, i thought NO WAY AM I GOING THERE! So i decided to go to this other guitar store with a good reputation and fork out $100 extra for a PROPER setup. Made a world of difference! The action was lowered and yet heaps of the buzzing went away (good truss rod setup no doubt). The frets that needed it were levelled/crowned. Intonation was setup nicely, and best of all, the notes within the first 5 frets play almost perfectly in tune (for those in the know, a guitar can NEVER be PERFECTLY intonated). One thing's for sure, i'm not going back to the guitar store i bought this puppy from.

The top is wonderfully bookmatched and sexy as all hell! Beautiful binding, no smudges here. The neck joint is a work of art, no excess glue, no cracks, no smears, just perfection. The inlays are great! People complain about seeing glue and poorly set inlays, but this guitar, dare i say, has PERFECT inlays. Rosewood fretboard is a delight to play on (condition it with lemon oil from day 1 people). The finish gets a 98% from me and loses 2% due to a tiny (match head sized) bit of maple top chipped away at the bridge pickup under the mounting ring, very hard to spot, thats why i missed it when i was inspecting this guitar at the store.

The bridge could have been of a slightly higher quality, but hey, this is a $800 guitar afterall.

The clear finish shines from a mile away and seems very durable. Fingerprints are not an issue on this one. Hard to scratch too. Just one word of caution, do not use a guitar stand with plastic padding on this. I did and now there is a permanent mark around the neck where it rested, my fault i guess :(

If i was to rate this guitar on action/setup AFTER the additional $100 i spent on the setup, i'd give it a 9, but stock from the shop it was 5.

I'm gonna stay true to my 'stock only' review and give it an overall 7 in this category due to the poor factory setup, however, after a professional setup it would be closer to 9.

The 3 way selector switch will die one day, not good quality. The neck pickup tone pot is already dirty and the sound pot is getting there. I don't use the bridge pots that much but assume the same will happen.

Poor electronics on these epiphones.

The grovers seem quite stable. The finish is durable and will withstand some abuse. The strap buttons need to be replaced with quality locking ones.

I will probably replace A LOT of things on this guitar in the future to get it to an overall 9 or 10. I've already replaced the neck pickup to a seymour duncan '59 and i've wacked schaller strap locks on. I intend on getting a SD SH14 for the bridge, a bone nut, locking grovers, rewire the whole guitar, replace pots and selector switch, etc. It will cost a lot of $$$$ but i'm sure it'll be well worth it and still under half the price of a Gibson Les Paul.

It gets a 5 for the poor electronics. Think about it, to put a decent selector switch in, good pots and proper shielded wire would only cost about $10-20 US more in china ($20 goes a long way there). I'd be MORE than happy to pay $40 more for this LP to give them double what their costs are, knowing that i wouldnt have to do it myself later and pay an australian guitar tech $70 an hour to do it for me, plus about $80 for the parts.

Haven't used them, the store said i should go to them with any probs, dunno if i want to though. 1 year warranty.

Overall, this is a NICE guitar. Just be prepared to invest almost as much money into it as its worth. The guitar cost $800 aussie bucks, and on top of that i've spent $120 on a case, $130 on a neck position SD pickup, $100 on a much needed professional setup and $23 on schaller locks ($1173 TOTAL). There's a lot more to be spent and will probably end up costing a total of $1500 when i'm done with her.
I intend on reviewing this guitar again when all mods are made.

My advice to all you out there thinking of buying one of these Les Pauls is shop around until you get the right one. There are some DODGY ones out there that have blind and deaf chinese QC inspectors looking at them.

Bought new in 1997 - Korean made, 22 frets, 2 humbuckers, etc. etc... i.e. pretty much the same features as any other Epiphone Les Paul.

The slim taper neck is a little too slim for my taste - I find my fingers get in each other's way a bit. Other than that this a very nice guitar - well-balanced and comfortable. Like any vintage knock-off, it's not an all-singing, all-dancing, kitchen-sink-fitted-as-standard instrument, but it has everything it needs to do what it's supposed to do.

This is why this guitar has remained my favourite in all the time I've owned it! Using the neck pick-up at low volumes it has a sweet, round, fluid sound that I really love for playing slow blues. With a bit more volume the sound gets throatier, with a lot of body to it - this is my favourite sound as it seems to bring out the best in my own personal tone. On the bridge pickup this guitar sounds positively jangly, more so than I would have expected when I bought it. I like that setting for chords and for playing folk-rocky stuff.

For reference, I play blues and classic rock (fave players being Peter Green, B.B. King and Clapton), and I play this guitar direct into a 30-watt Marshall combo (mostly on the clean channel). I use 0.11 Gibson strings and mostly play without a pick.

I've never had the chance to compare this to a top of the line Gibson, so I can't say how it would hold up. It may not have an exceptional sound but it doesn't have a sound that I don't like, and the neck pick-up at high volume is the sound I'd be judging a '59 flame top against if I had 3 or 4 grand to spend on one (a man can dream can't he?)

Only two complaints here:

1) The action was set way too low. No fret buzz or anything, but too low to allow much in the way of dynamics or to allow slide playing. I guess this is a personal thing but it feels to me like a lot of guitars are set up to make you think 'wow, this'll be easy to play' when you first pick them up in the shop - not to give you the guitar's best sound, or a set-up that's going to be useful in the long run.

2) The pick guard's a little flimsy. On the (fairly rare) occasions when I'm flat-picking I rest my fingers on there and there's a definite give. I can't say this is much of a problem though.

Everything else was in top shape - no flaws in the paint job, pick-up set up or hardware, and the tuners are smooth and stable.

I think the simpler a guitar is, the less there is to go wrong, and this a simple guitar. The strap buttons are solid - they occasionally unscrew themselves a little with weather changes, but not enough to risk coming undone.

The finish (opaque black) shows no signs of wear and tear after 8 years of playing it, and I've had no problems with any of the hardware. I'm singularly clumsy and none of the bumps it's taken (in a gig bag) have left any visible marks.

It's a great guitar for gigging, and if I had to gig without a backup (not the smartest move if you have a choice) I'd be pretty confident - it's never let me down yet.

Never had to deal with them. Got a 5-year warranty which I never needed and the guitar's never needed repairs.

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years - started out with a nylon-string before progressing to a Fernandes strat and then the Epi. I also own a Squier Strat 7 a Squier P-bass, and a 2-grand Selmer Series 2 alto sax. The Epi is the best of the guitars by some way. I think it's tremendous value for money, 'cos it may be a worse guitar than a Gibson or a PRS, but I don't think it's 2 grand worse.

If it was lost or stolen I'd probably buy another, or else sell my soul for a Gibson...

I'm putting a new review as I have more experience with it since my last post. I also played a nice real gibson and man...my epiphone is for the garbage.

Compared to the real LP the stock pickups are not alive. That real one had a nice growl to it, the pots were more responding. The pickups are starting to make noise now (after having it 5 years).
The volume of the bridge pickup is way lower than the neck one. This happened after one gig and never got better. I have to set both volumes at 10 now to have some response from it. Not good, since on some effects of me I use the guitar volume for gain(zvex fuzz).

BAD!
The pickup selector broke off the day I bought it. replaced by real gibson part, still working. The G-string intonation is very hard to get correct, and on that string the second fret is too high. There are also some nerve holes in the fretboard which are annoying me more and more.
The scratchplate rattles now and screws are coming loose every often. Same for the input jack. I'm tired of tightening this every gig. Screws are oxydized now, but the worst part: I loosened screws for the truss rod plate and one screw had no thread on it! It was broken off. The head of the screw was glued on the plate but was not holding that plate. So this means that instead of putting in a new screw they just glued it in the factory.Nice discovery...

changed the strap buttons, and stock tuners have too much play in their housings. Finish is good and I still can depend on it.

Sorry Epiphone, I tasted the real Gibson...

2005 model made in china. 22 fretsdouble humbucker configuration with a tone and volume control for each pickup. 3 way switch passive pickups. Mahogany and alder body with a mahogany set neck. I got the heritage cherry sunburst and it is absolutely amazing. tune-o-matic bridge with a stop bar came with grover tuners not sure why since all the pictures ive seen show it with those old vintage style tuners. a bit thicker neck than i am used to (my other gutiars are an ibanez rg-120 and a bc rich warlock) but still a very comfortable neck. no included accesories i had to buy my own gigbag from guitar center...cheap bastards...

this guitar sounds out of this world to me i dont konw why everyone seems to hate the pickups...i love the clean sound of the neck but i will probably replace the bridge with a seymour duncan laer for better disortion since i play mostly metal. im currently running it straight inot a crate xt120r amp. my only complaint is it doesnt have the nice thick distortion i get with my rg (it has an emg 81 in the bridge) so i give it an 8 for the distortion

this guitar was set up perfect from the factory. i might lower the action just a bit later on but i wont change a thing other than that. the tuners are great i havnt had to tune it since i got it about 5 days ago. it seems very sturdy but i might need some straplocks since my strap has come off it twice already.

i have never played live but i think this guitar will definately withstand a gig its built to last. once again i think straplocks are needed. i would totally gig without a backup

never dealt and hopefully never will

overall a great guitar if you are thinking about buying ti dont think buy it!

Everything you need. 2 ok sounding factory pickups, pickup selector two volume and two tone controls. Tuning pegs high quality.

I love the sound of this guitar. I am a huge fan of the rhythm (neck pickup) tone select as it is warm and clean. I find the treble a little too trebly but this can be changed to suite with the tone controls. The only thing i warn you is that the humbuckers are high power output so you may discover slight distortion when played loud on smaller amps. I found it happening on my MG30dfx. Other than that great warm sound. I use Epi Les Paul Standard --> Boss Blues Driver (great pedal) --> MG250dfx. Amazind Sound.

I bought this is ebony and i think it is beautiful! Watch out it chips easily!

Not had any problems so far and i have had it for a year.

Amazing guitar if you just dont have enough money for a gibson. I think it is better the the Gibson Les Paul Studio for less money but obviously not as good as the more expensive Gibson les pauls.

All you'd expect from a les paul: 22 frets, 24 3/4 inch rosewood fingerboard, mahogany body, 2 humbuckers (as far as i know they're gibson designed, but not syre), 2 volume and tone controls, tune-o-matic bridge etc. mines got a flame maple top and is heritage cherry sunburst. nice grover tuners, was quite impressed by them. pretty standard stuff. fitted straplocks myself(if you have a les paul and you dont want it to drop and break you should really get these).

nice warm sound. classic humucker sound. not that high output it has to be said, but still pretty good. bridge pickup adds lots of treble to really cut through.sounds good distorted. neck pickup great for jazz or blues. would get a 10 if they were nice seymour duncans and not 'gibson designed'

finish is good.nice lookin top, well put together. it was set up for 9's but i put 11's on it and set the bridge for those.my only complaint is the action is a bit high and the 10th fret is a bit raised on the side of the lower strings, so there's a bit of buzz if you hit the e string in any way hard. only give it a 7 cos of that. apart from that perfect

as long as you put strap locks on and dont try any stunts like puttin the headstock through an amp this should be very reliable. never had any problems.had it like 4 months now and nothing has ever gone wrong.you do need the straplocks though

nover had to deal with epiphone, but there is a limited lifetime warranty on it ie they guarantee that it will never depelop a fault due to workmanship or materials(apart from paint fading and cracking). seems pretty good to me

got a fender mexican strat, fender acoustic and this guitar. used to play through a fender stage 100 but sold it and got a laney lc15r(an amazing ampa) couple of pedals, thats pretty much it.been playin for 4 years. bought this cos i wanted a humbucker guitar as well as my single coil strat.was lookin at an epiphone dot as well but chose this.

2005 epiphone cherry sunburst les paul standard, made in china. i've read here where a buncha guys bought their epi lp & immediately customized it, replacing the capacitors, potentiometers, cables & wiring, bridge & saddles, and -of course- the pick-ups. maybe i just got lucky, but i think mine sounds (and plays) awesome w/stock set-up. i suppose i should mention that i live in the greater los angeles area & the guitar center where i purchased mine had a couple dozen of this model to choose from. so i had the luxury of trying them all. the one i wound up taking home stood above the rest in two categories: a) it was MUCH heavier in weight than the others and b) it played flawlessly all over the neck, no fret buzz or "dead spots". who knows- maybe in time i'll come across somebody who has a GIBSON les paul that puts mine to shame & then i'll feel the need to start ripping it apart. but in the mean time, i believe i've got a keeper. oh yeah... almost forgot to mention that the burst is pretty cool too.

as you could probably already guess, the unplugged acoustic sound from this guitar impressed me very much at guitar center & was one of the main reasons i bought it. so i get it home & plug it in: epi les paul> maxon ds-830 distortion master> maxon ph-350 rotary phaser> maxon ad-900 analog delay> laney hcm65r transistor amp. amp set for clean, phaser & delay on subtle settings to "thicken" the sound, & ds-830 set to BARK! oh yeah! diads & triads absolutely stop small game dead in their tracks, power chords have fillings-loosening bass & high end sizzle, and single note leads sing & sing & sing. i've never held notes for so long as i do now w/this set-up. i have other pedals (some are even brands besides maxon, wise-ass) & other amps (a couple low-wattage tube jobbers), but it just so happened this is the first chain i linked it up to & i thought it un-necessary to bore you w/all the sordid details of my gear collection. does my sound rival that of a 1960 les paul routed into a roger mayer-modified fuzz face into a 1965 marshall 50-watt stack? probably not. but seeing that this scenario would involve wads of cash associated w/government military contracts & the personal employment of a guy who lives on another continent, i'll stick w/my set-up.

i believe i already mentioned that the sunburst finish is beautiful. sure, it doesn't have the figure or "flame" of a vintage or current american-made reissue les paul... but, uhh, those cost "significantly""more". fit? i'm no luthier, so i shant fake that i'm qualified to critique every last thing about a new guitar. i will say that if something were wrong, it seems to me it would be evident in the sound & playability of the guitar. and, again, i feel that my opinion on these matters is clear. as far as the action of the fretboard is concerned-- top notch. A+. couldn't be better. get my drift?

the guitar is relatively new, so it's a little hard to grade in this department. everything feels solid & i take really good care of my stuff; i expect it to last. one question i would have is: isn't wear on the finish & oxidizing of the hardware considered (in the vintage guitar game) a quaint peculiarity that shows the guitar has been "broken in", "gigged out", or "relicly aged"? if i'm not mistaken, fender actually has a line of guitars that come this way right out of the factory & carry higher price-tags than their immaculate brethren. just wondering.

i take the opportunity here to say that i hate this category.

i'm 40 years old. i've been playing for 19 years. i like pop melodies w/a rock & roll slant. after reading some of the other posts here on harmony central for this guitar, i can't help but wonder if my review should be thrown out. i mean, can the one i bought really be that much better than that of some of these other poor chaps? or am i just ridiculously easy to please? i know the answer to the last question, but you, dear reader, do not. like the sign says at the entrance to the miniature golf course: PLAY AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Just a note for anyone who finds the stock pickups a little lifeless. I was pretty happy with mine, but never used the tone controls as they were too on/off in operation. Recently the guitar developed a fault which meant I needed to look into the wiring. I decided that as I didn't use the tone controls I'd take them out of the circuit. I rewired so that each pickup went to its usual volume control, then straight to the switch, then the jack. Not only did this solve my mystery fault, but it seems to have opened up the pickups another notch. They're not necessarily brighter; they just seem to have a little more room to "breathe", almost as if the tone pots were flattening the signal slightly even when fully open.

It's a simple mod if you know which end of a soldering iron gets hot, and for me it's given my Epi a new lease of life.

standard features. I purchased this lightly used in 1992. It was made in Korea. It features what I would call sepele or asian Mahogany for neck and body. It has a flame maple veneer on top which looks rather like AA. You'ld think if it was only a veneer they'd put a nicer one on there. The new ones have better flame. It features plastic inlays that look like your mom's tuppeware. The nut is plastic and the hardware is pot metal. The tuners are inadequate and imprecise. The body features 4 pieces of would seamed together I assume with a lamination process. The headstock is grafted onto a generic Sammick neck. The finish is polyester. The control cavity is unshielded. The control pots are small and scratchy. Everything is affixed with tiny self tapping wood screws, about a quarter of which have stripped by now and require constant attention. The headstock logo is another plastic inlay but looks like mother of pearl. This is a cheaply made guitar with cheap componants. I'll hazard a guess that the newer ones are better appointed, I believe this is a first year production guitar. Still it only costed $309 and its a les paul so it gets a 5.

The guitar sounds like a les paul. I changed the pick ups to Seymour Duncon Alnico Pro II's which remade this guitar. Playing leads on the rhythm pick up give a creamy woman tone that quite frankly I prefer to the some settings on my Gibson LP with the Burstbuckers. The guitar overall sounds dark, I never seem to get enough sparkle from it and the Gibson sounds much better except for the aforementioned instance. I play hard rock and metal. The neck is small in dimension, narrower and thinner than the 60's neck on my Gibson. It allows for some fast fretwork and is comfortable. Maybe that is because I have used it as my main guitar for so long. There has been an anoying hum with high gain settings that I have always endured. One of these days I'll see if it can be fixed. I haven't changed anything but the pickups.

This guitar actually tolerated a low action for a while. The fret wire is very soft. Don't use steel wound strings on this guitar, nickel wound is recommended. Eventually it was in dire need of fret leveling. I had my tech do a level crown and set up. the guitar is my best playing guitar now. I had the Gibson done as well and I would say the epi came out better. The poly fiish has held up very well. It looks like it is a mile thick but is flat, durable and always shiny. It cleans easily and is not as prone to fingerprints as the lacquered Gibson is. Also, it is odd to see that the chrome hardware is as new. The Gibson pieces tarnish easily and dull even after a few hours of playing. The binding is sloppy with some overspray evident. The pickup selector cuts in and out. The input jack occasionally makes loud humming noises. The knobs are always scratchy, all need to be replaced.

This was a used in a band for a while and all the banging caused the pickup windings to come loose. I play with a heavy right hand. They were squeling and feeding back. The replacements have been problem free and boy what a nicer sound. Hard to describe, it is just better. The stockers were seemed to have lower output, narrower frequency response, and a cold inorganic sound quality, like a ceramic big magnet scorcher that doesn't scorch. It doesn' need a back up because it is the backup.

never dealt with them

Overall, I would buy another Korean example if I could get it at a similar price. It would need another $400 in work to change everything and set it up. What makes it worth it is that even after all that expense it still is half as much as the Gibson and can be made to sound good and can be made to play as well as anything else. The Gibson needed just as much work on the fretboard when I finally bought one in 2004. Epis certainly look good and the new ones look great. I will probably get another because it is a good candidate for customizing. The Gibbys are too dear ($$$) to me to start changing stuff. If you need a Les Paul on a budget this will do it and will probably work ok for a couple of years and is actually usable as purchased. If this review seems scathing, it isn't, its detailed and honest any that is the only useful review. Keep in mind I still have the guitar after 12 years and play it more than any of my others (Jackson, Gibson, BCRich, Ovation). I like it very much. For the price it gets a 7.

Yes I finally have my own Les Paul. After sharing a Epi LP custom with my son, I bought one for myself.
2005 Les Paul Standard made in China.
Grover tuners. the rest is well known.

A lot of people seem to have troubles with the stock pick-ups. I compared this Epi les Paul with a Gibson Les Paul studio and could not say there was much more definition in the Gibson. It just seem to have a bit more treble in the neck pick-up.
The instrument sounds brilliant to me. I use a Roland Cube-30 and through the clean channel it sounds fantastic.
It covers a wide range of tones from jazzy to very sharp on the treble.

I had already seen this guitar a lot in the shops but when it finally came out of he box it turned out to be a model made in china. I couldn't help thinking that this one looked even beter than the korean ones.
The cherry sunburst is so beautiful !! I know it just a thin layer of veneer but what the hell !!!
The finish is absolutly flawless. The neck is nice and smooth. Just a little buz on the high E at the 10th fret, wich was easily fixed.
The tuners are oke but,like with the custom, I have my doubts about the pots and the switch.
The 8 is for the fact that one volume control fell out from the start that was also fixed under warranty.

Beside the electric parts I think this guitar is solid as a rock. I most certainly think you can depend on it in live situations.

If have never had to deal with the company. What I hold as a minu against Epiphone is the fact that there never is a product brochure available in the shops. The brochures you can download on there webside are not complete in their information.

I have been playing for 30 years and beside this guitar I own a Tokai strat 1984 and the Cube 30.
If the les Paul was stolen I would definitly buy another one.
This guitar sounds and plays fabulous and looks absolutly stunning.
Great deal for the money.

Dimarzio Virtual PAF pickups, Tonepros Bridge and saddles, 50's wiring, Sprague capacitors, original toggle switch, original pots (going to be replaced), internal cables are replaced with high grade shielded cables.

Very good compare to real Gibson, nothing to complain.

Action and finish are good.

Bad pots that I am going to change it, cause it makes cracking noise when I turn it. Bad saddles it always break my strings. I don't have any problems with the tuners, but I would like it to be Grover.

Never due with them

It won't last with the stock components, you have to invest as much as the guitar itself to make it up to standard. Epiphone use poor parts in this guitar. There are lots of better choice in $550 price range, but if you like DIY, it is a cheap guitar to start with. Once you change everything, it sounds just like a Gibson if not better.

I'm not going to write about the features. There are already over 300 reviews of this guitar, most of which include full detailing of said features. Nevertheless, mine was built in 2001 and was purchased from ZZSounds as a 'blemished' item. Where and how it's blemished, I have no clue since there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. I'm thinking they sold the last blemished stock and were forced to give me standard stock at the blemish price, but I don't know that for sure.

Out of the box, I'd rate the sound of this guitar a 6. It's very muddy, with no clear separation between the strings, and no distinct tone, much less major difference when you use the tone knobs. After I replaced the stock pickups with PRS Santana pickups, I'd give it a 10. It now fits my musical style perfectly. I play a variety of original rock and punk rock, ranging in style from Beatlesque to Social Distortion and the Ramones. Since I'm reviewing based on the 'out of the box' state, it gets a 6 here, even though mine is now a 10.

Honestly, no flaws that I could find, even though it was called a 'blemished' item. It was in better condition than I've seen much more expensive guitars and basses out of the box. The factory setup was nearly perfect when it came to action, bow, and pickup height.

I'm not entirely sure the tuners are going to last, but everything else on this guitar is there for the long haul. It doesn't weight very much for a solid body, but feels very sturdy, with a good finish. The strap buttons are solid, but I will probably replace them with locks at some point. I don't know if I'd use it on a gig without backup, but that's only because I may be the worst solderer in the world. Otherwise, I'd have no problem depending on it without a backup.

Haven't had to deal with Epiphone.

I've been playing guitar for about three years, and bass for nearly six. I knew that I was going to buy an Epiphone Les Paul with the intention of upgrading the pickups and whatever else needed to be upgraded, so there were no surprises. Obviously, I wish it came with better pickups and tuners, but I knew that to be the case, so I can't complain. If I lost it, I'd do it all over again, including the choice of pickups.

2004 honeyburst chinese, cheap veneer top. I've been told that the body is actually mostly alder, rather than mahogany. generic chrome tune-o-matic bridge. This model has chinese grovers which don't work very well.

Sounds ok, the pickups aren't the greatest and replacing them would be a good idea but they aren't horrible. Not bad but not too good either.

The setup was all right. Action was really high and the neck had too much relief but that was easily fixed. Pretty hard to get proper intonation. The frets aren't very even but the worst problem was when then upper portion of the fretboard developed a large hump. This made the guitar unplayable, action had to be raised and still notes would fret out, bending was impossible.

I've had this guitar for about a year nothing has broken. the hardware is ok but this guitar does not stay in tune at all. the strap buttons come loose constantly and i would definetly not gig with out a backup, i wouldn't even gig with this guitar in the first place.

I've been playing for 5 years and can't really reccomend this guitar to anyone. I've played dozens of cheaper guitars that sounded and played way better than this one. Playing this thing is pretty frustrating.

2004 Black Epi Les Paul. Alder top, Mahogony body, or so I'm told being a black guitar hard to tell. 2 HUM PUPS, one vintage in the neck, 1 hot in the bridge. chrome hardware white bindings and pick guard, you know a Les Paul

The sound of the guitar when I first brought it home was pretty good. BUT problems arose a week after I got it, the bridge PU went , then it was alive, than it went dead. I waited too long to return the damn guitar being outta town on business so i brought it in for warranty repair. The guy at the repair depot (which was in guitar center near me) said no problem on fixing the guitar but a new PU would take 2-3 weeks. Being the impatient guy I am and wanting to replace the damn switch I said lets look at a parts catalogue. More on that below. The guitar sounds awesome with the new pickups, much better than stock with a lot less noise due to the upgraded PU and/or parts. If any one tells you the stock PUs are good, they are right, but not excellant like the SD 59's in there now ,,, smoking.
I will rate the guitar with the stock PUs, with the 59's I give a 10

The original switch and volume controls look to be standard fare for a cheap guitar, for 500 bones I expect better. an Agile or Ausin or any number of LP copies at the $300 range are built as well with comprable electronics. Epi could do better in this department. The original Hummys are good, no question, but the bridge in mine bit the dust for some unknown reason. Again, for $500, where is Epi's quality control?
New Switch, Pots and CAPs along with PUs are installed. The switch and POT shafts are Brass and are defenitly better than the originals. The SD 59's on the neck and bridge are a far cry from the stock ones. BTW, i've heard it say use the '59 on the neck and something hotter on the bridge. From what I hear on this guitar, the '59 on the bridge is excellant, HOT, chunky, cuts thru,, anything you'd want in a bridge PU. The SD '59 bridge is hotter than the neck by at least a third on the volume scale.
The fit and finish are excellant. Fret buzz is almost non existant. The guitar tech that perfomed the repairs put on a new set of strings and set the height, which is perfect though the factory setup was not bad either. My rating is based on the repairs that needed to be made

With the new parts there s/b no issues the guitar it self is sturdy enough. I don't Gig, but if i did i would use this one as my main guitar and my Tele as a Backup

The warranty claim was taken care of by the tech with no questions, I give Epi that. But the time for the PU delivery was WWWAAYY too long, glad I didn't wait

The Epi LP is a great guitar esp. after the upgrades. But the question is reliability? mine was almost DOA making one wonder about quality control. The good news is Electrioncs are realitivly cheap to replace as the whole exercise cost me $300, ok not that cheap but the sound of the guitar is on par to a more expensive guitar.

it was made in korea around 2000. it has a flamed maple heritage cherry sunburst cap and a mahogany body. it says limited edition on the back of the headstock. its about 2-3 lbs lighter than the new les pauls. 3-way pickup selector, blah blah

the neck pickup is round and dark. its purty muddy.
the bridge is bright, crunchy but doesn't have much note definition. majority of people always switch out the stock pickups considering that EPIPHONE PICKUPS SUCK!

the action is about medium. the neck is 60's style (which is nice compared to the fat ones on the new epi lp's) the finish is like crossflamed which is unique. everything's great.

i've played it at church couple times. the pickup selector died on me so i had to get that fixed up. its pretty sturdy. nothing special though.

i got it used so didn't have the warranty

there's nothing special but if you're too poor for a gibson (like me), its the best choice. or you can buy them japanese copies like greco, burny or epiphone japan and orville.

Made in China, 2003. heritage sunburst. Looks amazing from far. Some blobs of paint on the headstock and bubbles in the varnish on the body show a lack of attention to detail, and no QC control.
Gobs of varnish on the whole guitar including the neck, help to create a good looking guitar, and hide flaws. Electronics are crap. The switches and jack plugs are loose, and work themselves loose with time. The tuners just don't keep the guitar in tune for any length of time.
The volume control pots are scratchy. What the hell. These should be quiet from the factory.

Sounds like absolute crap. Cannot be compared to a real Gibson.
The Epiphone Les Paul I got had Gibson pick ups, so I can only think that the soft maple they use to make the body creates that mushy sound.
People buy these guitars because they want to think the Epiphone is in fact a Gibson with same pick ups. Well these guitars are made in the thousands from some sweat shop in China, and look nice from far, but are far from nice.
Amps I played this through were a Fender Hot rod Deville, and a Mesa Boogie Lonestar.

Buzzes from the get go. Poorly intoned. I cannot belive they actually set this up from the factory. Frets are just horribly finished. File marks still apparent on some. Action though is okay, once it has been set up properly.

Finish is solid, but then again you have ten tons of varnish. This varnish is soft, and you can make an impression in it if you just press the back of the guitar hard against a button on your shirt or pants.
The volume and tone controls come off easily. Dont tug too hard on them.

Dunno. Does the dealer send it to China for warranty work?

Before you buy one of these, play other brands of guitars in the same price range, like the Godin or the SE range from Paul Reed Smith. Then Compare the sound you get from this Epiphone Les Paul mass produced from China. You be the judge. The sound you get is like some one has put a blanket over your amp no matter how you tweak it.
If you want a pretty guitar, that looks nice in the stand, and looks good on you, but sounds like mud, then buy it.
If you want to get a guitar that you will have to trade in for a fraction of the price you had to pay, after you realise every other brand sounds so much better, then buy this guitar. It's not and never will be a Gibson.

'96 Black with cream piping, 22 fret...your basic Epi LP. Someone had already replaced the bridge pick-up with a Gibson, so I had a Seymour-Duncan '59 put in the neck...great combination now (not flat & dull like the Epi stock pups). Replaced input jack & toggle switch. Also had all the cream colored plastic replaced with all black; now looks as good as it sounds. Kept the stock machine heads but will likely replace with Grovers and replace the plastic nut with something a little more solid (ivory?).

Sounds so much better than the P.O.S. Gibson Faded SG I wasted $600 on two years ago. The LP is just solid, in both feel and sound. The replacement pick-ups make all the difference. Running through an Ampeg VL-1002 (Lee Jackson) and a vintage 4x12 Yamaha cabinet. Effects include a Sovtek Big Muff, SansAmp GT-2, MXR Phase 90 and a Hughes & Kettner MKII (tubed Leslie Simulator). Big, beautiful sounds.

A bit dinged up, but it's almost ten years old. However, even before set-up, this thing played like butter...even better now. My friend said it best...it's right there for you; you're not even conscious of the frets or the amount of pressure you need to apply to get the notes. Best feeling guitar I've ever owned.

Put on strap locks first thing. A little loose, so had the holes re-drilled, doweled and re-screwed...not going anywhere! New 3-way switch (American made) will probably outlast me. Seems indestructable, but never say never...always have a back-up.

Don't know...don't care. Have a great luthier in-town who works on all of my guitars and basses.

Been playing on & off for 25 years. I've owned a Washburn Tele-Copy, a Rickenbacker 6-string, too many Fenders to mention, and a Gibson SG...this guitar blows them all out of the water. This will be my main player from now on. Honestly, I can't see paying the Gibson prices; just find an Epi you like, customize it however you want and you'll still end up paying 1/4 to 1/3 of what a Gibson would cost. If it were lost or stolen, I'd start the whole process over again...it's a no-brainer. Viva la Epiphone!

Im pretty sure this guitar was made in korea, not sure though. It's got grover tuners (great idea), tune-o-matic bridge, and a great finish. The neck isn't super thin or thick, its right in the middle. The pickups suck though. They don't have personality. I recommend changing them, you'll have a whole new guitar.

This guitar sounds great (once again, changing the pickups is a must) I played my friends Gibson Les Paul and then my Epi, used the same amp with similair pickups, and there were no noticable differences in sound. Great guitar for the price.

Terrible pickups. Great finish. Very nice looking axe. My only complaint is how easily mine gets finger prints on it, but thats expected from such a shiny guitar.

This guitar has had no problems whatsoever, its been really good to me. I've giiged with it and it sounds amazing. I pick up this guitar and know that ht e sound will be great every time.

Never dealt with the company

If this guitar was lost or stolen, i would definently by it all over again. It's a great-sounding, great-looking, solid guitar.

I got it yesterday. Haven't put it down yet. It is an amazing guitar. The finish is amazing. Heritage Cherry Sunburst. The only difference bewteen this and a Gibson is that it is made in China. The mahogany is beautiful. I had them install strap locks the day I bought it. (Guitar Center is the best guitar store in the world). Can't go wrong with the Les Paul look. The trapezoid inlays are a trademark. Grover tuners is a good idea. Mine came with them. Guitar center threw in a gig bag, strap, strap locks, strings, and picks.

I originally had a Yamaha, and that did not suit my style. I am a Guns N' Roses junky. My band plays that type of music. So what better guitar than a Les Paul. It is so full. I have no problems with this guitar.

Low E and A buzz, that is it. Everything else is set up great. The pickup selector is silent. No problems there. It is a new model, so no wear. Flawless in every way. No problems with this guitar.

I have only had it for one day, but I play very hard, it feels sturdy. I had strap locks installed, so, they are ok. It is a rock, im told. Always bring a backup.

I own two guitars, this and a Yamaha. This one kicks the Yamaha's ass. The Yamaha is a good practice and backup, but this is tradition. I love the look and feel of this guitar. The finish is amazing. I am playing a vintage. If it were stolen or lost, I would kill myself. I compared it to a Gibson, no difference at all.

this is a 22 fret guitar with chunky fretboard. it has the original tuners on it which in my opinion are quite good but if you leave the guitar it easily goes out of tune. I think the original pickups are not that good so ive installed two kent armstrongs whick make it sound beefy.all in all i think this guitar is almost as good as my fathers gibson and im not lying!!!

this guitar suits loads of music styles. you can play heavy metal example metallica , megadeath ect. you can also play stuff like ac/dc, thin lizzy , guns n roses ect because it produces a really nice rock sound or you can even play blues such as steve ray vaughan. this guitar sounds good through a good old valve amp!

I think the guitar is strong and built to last, I have banged it loads of times and no paint is chipped of either. On the epiphone there is also a thick coat of lacker on it unlike the gibson, so it is tougher aswell.

this guitar will definately withstand live playing because it was build exactly for it, the finish is amuculate, the strap buttons or solid but I recomend a strap lock (there only 3.99) I think you can depend on this guitar as if your depending on your house, this guitar is a true classic rock guitar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have never had any problems with this guitar. And i recomend for you to look on ebay for the cheapest deals!!!

I have been playing for 3 years now and this guitar stand out other than all my others. I just can not explain how good it is!!

Made in 94...not sure where!! Has a real nice translucent finish though!!

Sounded pretty good clean but distortion was total shit...until the pickups were changed to an EMG 81 & 85, sounds fuckin' awesome now.
With the stock pickups I'd give it a 5...with an EMG 81 & 85 close to 9!! Close to a 9 because it's still not a beautiful clean tone...good but not great!!

Great action, never had a major problem with the tuners, although the G string will slip a tad here & there with major bending (which is natural)...The tailpiece has corroded & now looks like shit but is being replaced with new US gold hardware all around(including tuners - Sperzel's)!!

This guitar is reliable, simple as that!! I've had for 5-7 yrs. now & no major fuckups from this thing...The finish is great but ALL HARDWARE MUST GO!!

Never had to deal with C.S!! It's a tough guitar!!

I've been playing for close to 20 years now. Played live for 12 & got a real job!! I do have a Marshall 8080 & a Boss GT-3(that I rarely use) for the house but no major equipment anymore!! Although a new Strat is in the near, very near future!!

It's an Epiphone Les Paul - what more do I need to say?

As you are buying a Les Paul and thta is what you are expecting, I'll give this a ten.
If you want loads of features - your looking at the wrong review.

For comparison, my Epi is 10 years old, and this is what my comments are based on.

Sound - the sound of this guitar is terrible.
It lacks definition on both pickups.
To demonstrate what I mean, imagine that you have an OK guitar and an OK amp, and then place a thick mattress over the amp and THEN walk to the next room to play the guitar.

Things improve a little when you turn up the gain on your amp, and select the middle position on the pickup selector - you can start geting something resembling tone out of it.

But otherwise, this guitar should sound much, much better - and I suspect it is down to the useless pickups.

Also, beware the pickup selector - it fails easily and will lead to you losing sound on certain positions.

The pickup switch on this guitar will always work its way loose, because of its faulty design. I suspect the switch rotating in its socket then leads to the whole switch failing later.
Difficult to say if the pickups are properly adjusted, as they are so useless.

Everything else is good on the fit and finish.

The pickup switch is about the most mickey-mouse an effort that Epiphone could have got away with. It failed on my Epi straight away. Looking at it, it is so poorly designed it is guaranteed to fail.
Everything else is good. It is well built and will last you a lifetime if looked after.
I'll give it a 3, which is a shame as the rest of the guitar is good. But a crappy pickup selector is simply not acceptable for this money.

Have contacted them once here in the UK - they were helpful.

This is a good guitar that is let down by the useless electronics that are fitted to it. Why can't Epiphone fit the right parts to it in the first place? Fitting in the factory a good pickup switch and pickups is childs play, and cheap too these days.

If you buy an Epiphone, you will need to buy replacement pickups at the very least. Personally, I am having this done on mine soon and also a complete rewire and new (non-Epi) pickup switch fitted. All of this will cost me about $300 parts and fitting. I could do it myself but I want it to be done 'right'. I am getting the rewire done as I don't have much confidence in the Epi wiring.

Why bother? Well, the rest of the guitar is very good - the neck, fretboard and everything make the instrument a good one that is let down by cheap electronics. A shame really.

Having said all this, I like mine - I have owned it for 10 years and I will keep it for ever, as it is VERY easy to play and you can get a bit of tone out of it with the gain switched up. For me, it is a guitar that encourages you to play - and that can't be a bad thing.

Still, it is a 6 on the original guitar - I expect it to be a 9 or 10 after the modifified electronics.

Mine was made in the mid-90's in Korea. I think the older ones are better than the newer models. All the features have been covered, so I won't be redundant. Mine is basic high gloss black, with cream pickguard and full body, neck and headstock binding, which is different than a friend of mine's newer model, which only has the top of the body binded and the neck, but the headstock is not binded. I put grover tuners on this one, because those ugly green things that came on it really sucked. I had to do a little redrilling to get the Grovers in, but it stays in tune very nicely now. Mine has more of a thicker, 60's neck on it. Good guitar. I can't max it out, but I do believe an 8 is fair.

Well, I have a lot of guitars. I've been collecting them for 20 years now, so I have them broken down to where I use certain guitars for certain kinds of music. This Les Paul is used mostly for hard rock or blues rock. I mostly play things like Cream, Sabbath or Zeppelin and a lot of things that just jump out of my head. This Les Paul handles all of those really well. I have several Les Paul copies that do sound a little better than this, but then again, this one has some sounds I can't get out of them. Between this one and my three Les Paul copies, I can get all the hard rock and blues rock sounds I want. It would be nice to have one single Les Paul that could give me every sound that I want, but oh well, I don't think I can afford one like that. I can't see myself paying $2,500 on a Les Paul when I got little ones to feed and don't get anything but tips and free beer for the gigs I do. I only use Marshall Amps. I have a little MG10CD in my bedroom, I have an MG15RCD in my living room and I have an AVT 50 in my music room and that's the amp I gig with. Not much on effects, but I do use a boss distortion pedal and occasionally a ZOOM 707 effects pedal. Not noisy at all. Nice bright twangy (almost telecaster) sound on the bridge humbucker, mellow bluesy sound on the neck. Don't ever use the in between. I don't think Les Pauls are made for "variety" of tone. I have a Fender Stratocaster for that. I like this guitar overall. The only thing I don't like about it is that I wish it had a coil tap, and a fishman acoustic pickup somewhere in it, then I'd have a little more versatility. I give it an 8.

I don't know how it was setup from the factory. I traded an Ibanez RG350 for it. It was setup ok when I got it. There aren't many tech's here in the Philippines, so I just lowered the action a little and adjusted the neck a bit and it's fine. No fret buzz and nice low action. It had a couple of dings and some belt buckle rash on it when I got it, but then so did the RG350 I traded for it.

Well, I play with it every Friday and Saturday night. I'm American living in the Philippines and we play at a bar......for whatever tips people give us and for free beer. Mostly I do it just for fun. We are all Americans, all of us retired military and all of us are 60's children, so our music is from that era. No pop shit, just pure no nonsense blues and rock. Everything is solid as a rock, in fact this is the only thing I can give it a 10 on. I never gig without a backup.

Never dealt with Epiphone.

I've been playing since the late 60's. I have this Les Paul, I also have a Fender American Standard Stratocaster as well as a Fender American Standard Telecaster. I've got a Rockstar Solid Body Les Paul Copy as well as a Rockstar Semi-Hollow Body Les Paul copy, as well as a Rockstar Fat Strat Copy and Telecaster Copy which I put a humbucker off of a wrecked Gibson 335 at the neck position. I also have a Fernando Stratocaster Copy and a Fernando Copy of a Kramer 1984 Eddie Van Halen model, with a Floyd Rose, locking tuners, single humbucker and only a volume control (which is one of my favorite guitars) all of which are good guitars and I will do a review on them. I have an old Harmony Acoustic Guitar made in 1945, the year I was born which is a great guitar, as well as an Epiphone Hummingbird and an AJ18 Epiphone Acoustic Guitar. I've got a shitload of other guitars, but it would take up most of Harmony Central's space to put it all here. I plan on reviewing about 20 of my favorite guitars on here though.

Standard LP Made in Korea, looks nice and everything but looks aren't everyhing. Neck is pretty thick which is usual for this style of guitar. I don't have a bias against foreign made guitars because workers in Korea can't make a good guitar out of crappy parts.

The sound is pretty muddy. Not a lot of definition or attack. It pretty much sounds like crap. This is unsuitable for any style of music. Les Paul himself would turn over in his grave if he knew what Epiphone has done to his classic design.

This is where the guitar really sucked. The bridge saddles were rough and not refined, The tuners are crappy in both function and in looks. The action was a mess when bought new. The pup switch was crap as well.

The guitar feels solid but in my 34 years of playing gigs anything can happen. In other words i never gig without a backup because doing that is stupid.

Epiphone is an old company that is completely about selling you a nice looking guitar. Their company wants your money and nothing else period. They should be aschamed of this product's low quality for $600. I'm not expecting a Gibson LP for this price but at least make the guitar with some quality in mind. Like a

Unlike other reviewers so far i don't purchase guitars and then put $200 into modifying them. As for this guitar take it from me it ain't worth it to try to polish this turd. I returned this guitar 2 days ago and i special ordered a Yamaha Aes 620 which i think beats the crap out of this turd. Go for a Yamaha not this pathetic excuse for a LP. The yamaha even got the Guitar Player Magazine Editors Pick Award(November 2003 Issue)

This guitar was made in China in late 2004. Since Epiphone moved their factory out of Korea the quality of their products has improved tenfold. Honeyburst finish, 22 Frets, it has a flamed maple top that looks about as thick as a sheet of paper, underneath that the real top is Alder, and the back is Mahogany. But for the money you'd never get a "real" figured top. 2 Volume, 2 Tone, 3 Way selector, standard Les Paul controls really. The stock epiphone pickups are apparently "epiphones take on the '57 Classic". They aren't really that bad, but i'm going to replace them with Bill Lawrence's soon.

I play mostly metal/neoclassical stuff, my biggest influences are probably Zakk Wylde and Steve Vai. It works well, though once i change the pickups ill get that punch and definition that the stock ones lack. I play through a Marshall 50 watt JCM900 half stack, and this guitar is dead quiet, even on high gain settings. The sound is warm, but pretty low output. Being a Les Paul, it can handle any musical genre.

I had to lower the action of the guitar when i got it, and tamper with the bridge a little to stop that horrible fret buzz. The pickups were perfect height from the strings, the bridge was routed well and there were absolutely no flaws in the finish.

It's a Les Paul, so its very solid. I'm not worried about the finish wearing off, i like the look of worn guitars. I use strap locks, but not the ones that replace your strap buttons, and the buttons havent failed me yet. I would gig without a backup, mainly because i can't afford another decent guitar.

Never dealt with epiphone

I've been playing for ten years now. I own this guitar, an Ibanez Acoustic, a classical guitar, a JCM900, a peavey rage 158, a ibanez wd7 and a boss bf-2 flanger. If it were stolen or lost, i'd probably claim on insurance. then i'd get a dean. In the end, with a little tweaking there is no difference between this and the more expensive gibson models playability wise. Gibson=Overpriced.

2004 Black Epi Les Paul, one covered vintage humbucker on the neck , one covered "hot" hummy on the bridge . Thick body but not on the heavy side, about 7-8 pounds, not nearly as heavy as my '94 LP. I'm guessing Alder, the wood density feels like the one on my MIM Strat. The Top may or may not be maple, being Black and no clear finish hard to tell. The top is carved really well, Real Grover tuners, the rest you know. I ordered the guitar from my local Guitar Center, the salesman saya "fresh from the factory", which I wanted. Didn't want to spend over $500.00 for something that had scratches and someone elses filth on it but mainly I don't like buying guitars hanging from the rack, especially expensive ones. Yes 500 bones (without tax!) is expensive. Hanging on the rack does something to the neck if left there for a while IMHO, more on that below. I give it an 6 due to the Alder body, I expected better, 10 for the PUs and tuners.

When I first played this guitar the neck PU was really quiet, I had to put the gain up high on my amp to get any sound out of it, noise, tone, whatever.... Fiddeling with the wiring (see below)brought the thing to life. Now its cooking, nice , nice , nice... The neck pickup has a clear, even when over driven, nice sound. It follows my fingering letting subtle detail thru without being overly microphonic. The neck PU is not as hot as the bridge, has a mellow bluesy tone that doesn't distort as easily the bridge PU. Both seem to compliment each other when the switch is in the middle position. Both are a touch on the noisey side but not overly so.
I own a BC Rich Warlok (amoung others,way too many ;-) ), which I believe is close to this guitar in wood and electronics, the main difference - the Warlok has Seymore Duncan Vintage PU on the Bridge, and hotter Duncan PU on the neck. I was thinking of transfering PUs from the BC Rich to the Les Paul if the Paul's PUs were trash, but IMHO, no need. The Warlok with the Duncan's has a heavy and lifeless sound compared to the Paul's. I play metal, blues and find the Duncan's PU's limited in clarity. The PU on this Paul have a clarity even when driven to distortion, it just sings, for that I give it a 10.

As stated earlier I ordered this thing thru GC which meant I wanted to setup the guitar myself not relying on the setup from GC, if any. Out of the box it had problems:::::::
The neck was bowed backwards, string buzz was bad due to no relief. After adjusting the neck to about .010 relief, string buzz all but disappeared and the action, surprisenly, was spot on. This
is the second guitar I own (besides my '94 LP) that string buzz is almost non existant at low string settings,less than 1MM height, IMHO a testament buying a guitar not hanging on the rack for a long length of time and the build quality of the body and neck.
Each volume and tone control rubbed against the body, one so much so I couldn't turn the knob. So I put a flannel towel over the controls and used pliers to raise them. The knob that was binding now comes off too easily, go figure.
The Bridge PU as stated earlier made almost no sound out of the box, I was going to return the guitar for a full refund fearing Epi's lack of quality control across the board now a days but, I decided to check the wiring. No cold solder joints, missed or incorrect wiring (used a schematic),, nothing stood out. Then I got the idea, from my days of building many a speaker system to discharge the 2 small Mica caps, just to give it a shot, YEEHA the bridge PU was up to speed! Don't know if it was coincedence or what, very strange.
Guitar's finish is inpeccable. NO paint overruns, nicks on the binding or anywhere else, over glue marks,,, perfect from what I can tell. The black on this guitar is BLACK real deep color. The Grover tuners are smooth and after a week has kept the guitar in tune. the White binding contrasts the black color well, the PU covers are chrome. Fret work is good no sharp ends, the saddle where the strings rest is smooth. Inotation was spot-on after neck adjustment. The button straps are solid though the guitar is not as heavy as other Pauls I tried, at first this kinda bugged me. The thing is as heavy as my strat, (even stepped on a scale measuring both guitars weight), IE not as heavy as a Paul should be? But given the tone of this thing and comfortable playability, I don't mind so much. The neck feels like a Steel string Acoustic guitar neck, wide and flat. Fits me perfectly since most of my practicing is on an Acoustic.
The box it came in had a quality control card with nothing checked off, the foam bag the guitar came in had some initials, guessing it was the QC inspector, really gives the warm and fuzzes, doesn't it?

To me reliabilty would be in question for gig'ing or long term use. I expected to adjust the neck (had to), string height and innotation (didn't have to),, did not expect electric and control knob problems, they are also listed by others as potential issues. It's too early to tell how the guitar will hold up over time though the body and neck will, I am sure. Electronics (not PUs) and controls may be another issue, also stated by those who written before. For Gigging (I'm not brave enough yet) this guitar as configured now would have some failure after some use, esp. the electronics.
The important things are in order, neck and body,,, and because it's a Paul, finish. for that I give it a 9, for the Electronics I give it a 4, maybe too generous?

Have not dealt with Epiphone but the GC, where I dump a lot of greenbacks,treats me well

After fixing the guitar's issues, it is a dream to play and hear, better than my 1994 Paul. I believe the lighter body and new Epi Alnico PU are the reason. One would think Epi (Gibson) wouldn't raise pricing because of the less expensive wood on this model, though in fairness, the Black oh, ok, Ebony Model as in the sales brochure, is 100 greeners less than clear finishes. It could be sold for less ($300-$400)and Gibson would still make money, at 500 bones Epi (Gibson) makes a fortune on this aged design. BUT It's still a very good guitar and a bonefide Paul which for most people (including me) that's all that matters. (just like Harleys!!)

22 frets, H-H pups, mahogany/alder body, flamed maple top, cherry sunburst finish, Tune-o-matic bridge, grover tuners, cream pickguard.

I play mostly metal, punk, and anything between. However, I didn't want a guitar just for that, as I do play a wide variety of styles at times. I feel that this guitar does deliver for this.
I play my Les Paul through a Marshall DSL40 (all valve).

On clean, the bridge pickup tends to make a little natural distortion when played hard, which can be nice. On the neck pup, it is very clean, and sounds beautiful.
With moderate overdrive the bridge pup has a really nice bite to it, and when on the neck pup it sounds really fat.

Perfect for Led Zeppelin and the like.

When I first received the guitar it had a bit of fret buzz. I took it to the shop to get set up, and when i got it back it was horrible. Super high action, intonation was out, etc. So I set it up myself, and it now plays nicely.

I LOVE the finish, the flame cherry sunburst looks so sexy.

But there is a couple of flaws with the guitar... but what would you expect from an epi.

The tailpiece has a couple of minute dents in it, no biggie. There is some traces of glue around the inlays, no biggie either. My biggest issue with it is the frets. Some of the frets look like they aren't stuck in very well, at the ends they arent very flush with the fretboard.

But it hasn't really been an issue yet, and I hope it won't be.

I would (and will) definatly use this guitar live, it seems pretty solid. I have installed StrapLoks on it, and am now quite comfortable using it as my only guitar. I never play live without a backup, what if i break a string!?!?

I am really hoping the finish lasts, it's too beautiful to dissappear :(

Never dealt with them.

Great guitar, I would reccommend it as a step up from a starter guitar to anyone, or as a backup for an experienced player with a gibson les paul that wants a backup.

Basically my favourite features are it's looks and it's sound.

If it were stolen I would claim insurance, and say it was a gibson (yeah right)
I would buy another if the need presented itself.

Cherryburst finish, white pickguard, alder body with mahogany centre and bound flame maple top, mahogany neck, 21 fret rosewood fingerboard, trapezoidal fingerboard inlays, Kluson-style tuners, Tune-O-Matic style bridge/tailpiece, two humbucking pickups with chrome covers, 3-way pickup selector, made in Korea.

The quality of the construction is not that great. There is tons of filler around the fingerboard inlays, the nut isn't that well installed, and the bridge pieces are super light. Pots are also a bit noisy. You can see the corners that were cut during the manufacturing through the translucent finish on the neck and body.

Guitar actually resonates fairly well because of the fixed bridge and the weight of the body. The humbuckers sound a bit thin, but you can manage by playing around with your amp settings. The pickups have decent output, but they are a bit on the bright side for humbuckers. The bridge pickup sounds good with distortion, but a bit thin and harsh when played clean. The neck pickup is better, and you can get that plunky sound with both pickups on.

You can coax a warm jazzy sound from this guitar if you spend enough time playing with your amp's eq. Overall, the sound is good for a guitar in this price range, but not great.

Bought used, so I had to set it up myslef. I typically string this guitar up with 11s which really help the low end of the guitar quite a bit. Biggest complaints are the excess filler around the inlays, the poorly fitting nut (it's not even the same shade of white as the neck binding), noisy pots and the cheap bridge material.

This guitar does seem very reliable. It does feel quite solid and has not missed a beat in the past 5 years that I've owned it. The only problem is that the tune-o-matic bridge is prone to breaking strings. May be due to the cheap casting they used to make the bridge saddles.

Overal, this is a pretty good guitar, especially if you can pick one up used. I don't think it's worth the money new, especially with what Epiphone is asking now for these models. It's also great if your budget says there is no way you can afford a real LP, but you're looking for that LP vibe.

Since purchasing the guitar two years ago I have grown extremely disapointed with its hardware.

I now have a good amplifier, which I plug straight into, and thus have finally heard my guitar's true voice. Suffice to say I am less than impressed by it. The guitar lacks mid range punch and clarity, and consequently warmth. I have come to find out via Dinosaur rock guitar's website that the heavy Les Pauls (those greater than 8 pounds)are inferior to the lighter ones. The heavier les pauls tend to have a weak mid-range while having a booming low frequency and shrill high frequency response. Unfortunately I believe this is exactly the case with my Les Paul.

The action, fit and finish are still excellent! However please read the reliability section I have some important comments to share.

The hardware on this guitar is terrible! I am not an abusive player and yet I have broken two of my guitar's tunning pegs, the pickup selector switch and the bridge saddles. The last one is my favorite. At one point I was constantly breaking strings until it dawned on me to examine their saddles. Upon examination I discovered the high e, b and g string saddles were very rough. The strings were actually sitting on razor sharp, and thin, pieces of metal. I have stopped playing the guitar and when I have some free time will file the saddles smooth.

Two years after purchasing this guitar I have concluded that if it cost about a $100 less and came with better hardware it would be a fantastic guitar but at a price of over $500 dollars it is not worth purchasing. The hardware problems are significant because they have undermined my confidence in the guitar. Whenever I play it, the spectre of hardware failure always lurks in my mind diminshing my enjoyment of what could be a fine instrument.

Many of the other reviewers mentioned replacing the hardware and pickups, which is a good idea, but after spending such a sum of money one would be better off saving a bit more and buying a Gibson Les Paul in my opinion.

Korean-made in 1998. Standard Les Paul features. Very cheap humbuckers and tuners. However, relatively beautiful ebony finish.

Should have suited my music style well (alternative rock). Amps: Fender Frontman 25R, Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber +. Sound of the guitar: muddy, way too much on the bass side. It was impossible to adjust this. No brilliance at all. Usually I am not deaf but I must have been when I played this guitar at the shop, through my own amp. With the factory pickups this guitar is useless. Obviously, some other people relate the rating to their own upgrades. In my eyes, it is objective to give this guitar the rating which corresponds to what Epiphone sells to you.

Average action, average set-up. No flaws, loose selector switch.

I bought this guitar for a particular live gig. The guitar was unreliable as it went out of tune all the time, due to the cheap plastic tuners. However, the hardware seemed like it would last.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing for 16 years. Other gear: e.g. Fender Highway 1 Stratocaster, Stanford F1P acoustic. With these I am happy. For the Epiphone Les Paul: upgrading the pickups and the tuners is essential. Otherwise, this guitar is completely useless. One day I lost patience and threw it out of the window. Three pieces remained and I have no regrets.

This is an amazing guitar!Especialy for its price. This is a great all around rock guitar, From stevie ray vaughn to linkin park. It has a warm punchy tone which personaly i love. But this guitar has its downs. THE HARDWHERE! When i got it i think the original owner tightened the tuners to much.So i had to replace the tuners, and while i was doing that 4 of the 6 tuners broke in half! The main reason i got it used was because Les Paul is making the body wood on it alder which is a strat wood, so my advice is to get a used one with mahogany wood.

2002 Epi LP. 22 fret 2 Hum, Set neck. 22 3/4" neck scale

First of all these are NOT mahogany.FAKE maple flame top.Maybe the neck but I'm guessing the body is alder. Tuners are some vitage knock off crap, The bridge is a tune o matic knock off. Just your basic copy of a les.

I bought it frome a friend because I just thought it would make a solid backup. At the time I was playing through a triaxis and a 2:90. The sound was almost unbearable, muddy and sloppy. No string definition. I thought the guitar was wired wrong but no. Installed various pickups but still it sounded bad. I cant Imagine a type of music where its tone would be suitable.

The frets were jaged and uneven, the electronics pots, caps, switches were the poorest quality. Had lots of fret buzz up high and a couple of dead spots. The bridge saddles were held in buy a little wire clip and they moved around. No wonder this guitar would not stay in tune. The finish was the cheapo plastic like job most low end guitars have. The wood! I cant believe they get away with calling it a mahogany body in musicians friend. Dont be fooled. Pick up a real les then pick up this imposter. The weight diffrence alone should tell you the story...

Well I had it for about 2 months and sold it after all the stuff I did to try and make it half way playable. These guitars go for around 600 bucks.PLEASE! What a rip off! You youngsters out there who want a les paul save your money and wait till you can afford at least a les paul studio. This is not a les paul...Maybe a LESS paul.
I wouldnt trust this guitar for live playing or any type of playing. Your basic Korean POS. IMO

2 thumbs down. I'd rather play a banjo.

Just to give a thumbs-up to the posting below by Anonymous at 12/19/2004 18:43. As many of you know, Epis are built by Samick in Korea under contract to Gibson. Samick is now the largest guitar manufacturer in the world, building the lower-cost import models for many manufacturers. As far as I've seen, they build solid, durable guitars out of decent wood -- in the case of the Epi LP, real-deal slabs of mahogany. Their maple tops are only a laminate for looks, but so what? Better than those wallpaper "photo-flame" things, sez I. They do a damned decent job with frets & binding as well. So, as Anonymous says, swap out those pickups (hell, go for it & swap out ALL the hardware & electronics -- it ain't that much for what you'll end up with) and you've got a professional tour-quality LP for a fraction of the cost of a US Gibson. Same goes for Epi 335s or SGs.

I'll tell ya, man, I've seen & played Korean-built stuff that don't need NOTHIN' swapped out. Fender's Lite Ash Strat & Tele with Seymour-built Seymours -- NOT "Duncan-designed." And Brian Moore's imports -- Great Gawd A'mighty! Pricier than most Korean gits, but gawd-dayum!! top-notch in every respect.

Psst -- for all you players who lust after hollow- or semi-hollow boxes, but turn green at the cost of a Gibby or a Guild, the Chinese-made Ibanez Artcores gotta be the deal of the century. Useable as is, they're also prime candidates for swapping out hardware. Jeezis, you can buy a 335-type double-cutaway semi-hollow Artcore all day long for 3 Cs or less. A coupla Seymour 59s, some Schallers, some decent pots -- cowboys & cowgirls, you're ready to ride.

Don't be snobs -- if I hadn'ta been a snob when I was a pup, I could be sittin' on a fortune in Ekos, Supros, Silvertones, Airlines & Teiscos. Who knew?

This is an update from an earlier review I gave. I realized, the more I played My Epi Les Paul the more I found it to lack the certain sound I wanted. I thought it was my amp (marshall solid state piece), so I bought a Tone-Jam Sniper EQ (great product- highly suggest everybody has one), but that didn't really fix my problem. I tightened things up a little bid, but the pickups still semmed to be made of mud. So, I took the plunge (I'm a 16 year old with no job :/) and bought new pickups. I purchased a Seymour-Duncan JB for the bridge and a '59 for the neck...Holy crap!!! What an improvement. The JB gave me the tight bass sound a I wanted, instead of the flabby rear end. This gave me the right sound to play a lot of metal (mostly Metallica-gotta love 'em.) The '59 in the neck has a very sweet PAF sound to it. Tight bass, buttery sweet, throaty leads and sweet, soft cleans... So kids, the moral of the story is that although this Epi is not a Gibson, you can modify it and monipulate it to give you a good sound. People say,"Oh, it's Epiphone, I would never play that piece of junk." Well folks, those people are f'in idiots. I tried my rig (epiphone w/ urgraded pickups, Sniper EQ, MXR ZW-44) through a JCM800- wow is all I have to say. I plan on buying a Laney AOR 3012 (sounds very similar to a cranked PLexi/JCM800), and my rig will be killer. If you plan on buying this guitar, the stock pickups will hold you over for a while, but you will probably end up replacing them.

mine is a Heritage Cherry flame top. piece o' shit p/u's, i modded the crap outta this one.

im letting u know rite now-this rating is for the stock p/us. ok. ive put a Gibson Dirty Finger bridge p/u and a Seymour Duncan (Genuine) SH-1 '59 neck. WOW!! theyre relly good pickups. also i did the Jimmy Page wiring...now it has a push/pull coil tap to get those twangy sounds too! then i put some grovers on it and gave those piece of trash tuners to my dog to chew on.

the finish is great except:

1- i hated the way the pickguard looked so i took it off and where the screws were it had cracked! the stap buttons were OK but i put some Schaller strap locks on it. wayyyy better.

2- MY BIGGEST PROB. W/ THIS GTR....when i replaced the p/u's i put in the bridge pu and noticed it leans toward the neck so the coil nexx to the stop tail is higher that the coil closest to the neck. sry it the best way i can explain it. i had to stick some toothpicks to even it out.

also - the "Flame maple top" is actually a veneer! >:-X the mahog. back and neck are laminated. oh well...at leest the gtr weighs only 8.7 lbs instead of a shoulder de-forming 10 lbs like its Gibson brothers.

i love this guitar. ive hit it up against alot of things. i cant see any wood b/c of its 14 layers of laquer!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!! this is by far a great gtr. i would gig most definatly w/o a backup. the neck it sturdy and thew finish will last

n/a

i know i was sorta ranting but overall i love this thing. when i got it modded it so much betta. if u aint got the $ or just dont wanna spend $2000 on a Gibson the this is a great bet!!! i love it!!! buy it

Same as everyone else's. 1998 model. Beautiful top.

Like everyone else says-the pickups are trash. But this guitar can be used for any style. I use it with a Peavey Triple XXX half-stack and I've had the guitar for 6 years. I find it sustains like anything. I've played a 'real' Les Paul, which was obviously better but IMO not much. With the factory pickups and setup it gets a 6 here.

I can't remeber that far back.

I've played the crap out of this guitar and gigged numerous times without a backup. It's strong as hell, and because you didn't spend $3000 on it you don't have to baby it not that it needs it. Thousands of hours playing it and it's only got one little ding and some buckle-rash.

Don't know.

I liken this guitar to a Honda. You can go buy a corvette or a mustang, or you can spend a lot less and customize you Civic. These guitars are the same. You can pay $500CAD which is about $405 US, and get a really excellent base. Switch the pickups,the input, the toggle switch and tuners and then maybe a coil-tap. A proper setup, and you have an extremely versatile, beautiful sounding guitar. The money you save an go to effects, wireless system, etc. Sor for the price of a Gibson Les Paul Standard, you can get your customized Epi, a tube amp, and a bunch of effects and other goodies, making music and having the time of your life.

My guitar is a 2004 model. It was made in china. my guitar has a buitiful ebony finish with cream seramic (at least i think ist called that. it has 22 frets and it joins the body to the neck at the 19th fret.it has two alnico pickups both covered in crome plating. its tuners are crome grovers (my personal favourites).as most les pauls it has four controls (two tone, two volume) which is very handy meaning you can control both pickups individualy. It has a control swiitch that switchs between the treble the rythem and both pickups.Its got a nice wide neck which i like because i have big hands.

shit yea it suits my style i makes a f***in wicked sound. i try to play the greatest music that ever existed' LED ZEPPELIN, black sabbath, guns n roses, red hot chilli peppers, AC/DC and deep purple none of that gay punk crap.it syle of music i play and it suits it perfict. the tone unmatchable (except for the sound of a true gibson). it sounds great even through my piece of shit ashton amp. you can get a brilliant distorted sound, a warm deep tonal sound of a crisp clean sound. my only dislike for the sound is that it takes alot of fiddleing around with the tonal nobs to get the exact sound i like.

the action was almost perfect just needed a lowerd a little bit (but thats just how i like it personaly. its main let down was its fret but on some fret when it got a low action.the finish is buitiful as i have already stated not as nice as a flame top but still nice. the pickups didnt need ajusting.

since im not old enough to gig i cant answer a couple of those questions.(im only 14) been playing for 4 years.The srap buttons are anoying i hve to tightin them every time i play. if i could i would gig with it but i think id have a back up, better safe than sorry.

it has a life time warranty, but i dont think ill need it. ive never delt with the company personaly.

ive been playing for four years and onley in the last two years ive been playin electric. ive preveously owned two electrics both bottem of the line.the amp i use is a piece of crap but even then it still prduces a buitiful rich tonal sound. if you are thinking of buying an epiphone les paul dont settle for the speicial the sound of the speicial is shit compared to the sound of the standard its worth the extra money.my favourite feture of this guitar is the pickups and the sound they produce. i compard this guitar to the guitars ive had preveously a carlosand an ashton. if this guitar got stolen id be gutted i would save my pennys up and by a gibson les paul standard with a vintage cerry flametop. on the whole this guitar is a marvolous guitar a great value for money i would recomend it to all intermedate guitarist like myself