Epiphone Les Paul Studio

Mine was made in 2009. Ebony finish, all mahogany. Mine has Seymour Duncan SH-5's in it (aftermarket replacement). It didn't come with anything else, such as a case. Grover tuners, which is a plus.

My sound is straight rock n roll, from the 1960's through to today. I needed a guitar that would cover all genres with ease. One that would be comfortable, sound great, can handle clean and overdrive, and stays in tune.

I use a VOX AC15 with NOS tubes.

Before I replaced the pickups, the stock Epi pups were muddy, dark and lacking depth of tone. I was not concerned though, for a $400 guitar they have to cut corners somewhere. They obviously didn't cut corners in the fit and finish since it is solid mahogany with rosewood fingerboard, grover tuners, etc.

I replaced the pickups with Seymour Duncan SH-5's. Now the guitar comes alive! I've never had a better sounding, more comfortable, better able to handle all types of distortions and overdrives, kind of guitar.

It sings when I want it to, has great sustain, and the cleans sound great. It is my favorite guitar that I own, as well as the nicest sounding of any that I have ever owned. Overdrives are deep and rich, and the volume/tone pots work very well.

Action was high, of course. I lowered it, no big deal.

Pickups were replaced.

No flaws that I could see. The finish was superb, all of the frets were properly dressed and highly polished. The body was perfectly sculpted and finished. The guitar feels good, weight-wise. Inside, the routes for the pickups and electronics are all properly dressed and grounded.

They paid attention to all appropriate details when making this guitar. They didn't go overboard, but they also didn't ignore important aspects of the construction.

I played a long 4 hour show with it last week. It stood up perfectly. It stayed in tune well and the body is very comfortable.

It's very solidly built, the neck is a tad thick but that does add to its strength.

The finish doesn't look weak or prone to chipping.

I replaced the buttons with straplocks, they are solid enough.

I depend on it, but never without a backup. You can always break strings.

Limited lifetime warranty of which I negated when I switched the pickups, so that's a moot point. I'm not too concerned as I have electrical experience so I have no problem replacing every bit of wire in the thing. As long as the wood stays in tact, I'm happy.

I've been playing since 1992. I have owned several Strats, several epiphones and an Ibanez. I've owned more amps than I can count, and dozens of effect pedals. I don't keep gear very long since I tire of stuff quickly and have bad GAS.

I would replace this in a heartbeat if it were lost or stolen. Its a beautiful guitar.

My favorite feature is that it is solidly built, even for a $400 guitar. Its weight and heft make it feel reliable. It's not neck heavy at all. It sits perfectly in my hands. The neck is easy to reach. I does its proper job of getting out of my way and allowing me to make music, as opposed to fighting with it.

I chose this guitar because:
a.) I wanted a mahogany body, I figured that would sound better with a bright amp such as a VOX.
b.) I wanted a stopbar tail and fixed bridge, they stay in tune better than Fender's style.

It produces excellent tones. For my money, there isn't much difference between this and its Gibson brothers. Once I put American electronics in it, then they are essentially the same.

Frankly, anyone claiming to "hear" the difference between nitro and ploy laquers are sniffing too much paint.

Lastly, you have to remember that after leaving the Chinese Epiphone factory, it was shipped to Gibson's factory in Tennessee to be hand inspected by real luthiers. You can't beat that, really.

As others have said before me: this was made by a Gibson-owned company and it has Les Paul's signature on the headstock, therefore it is a real "Les Paul". Period.

Mine was made in China, and I'm assuming that according to the serial number on the back of the headstock, that it was made in December of 2008, so mine is a newborn so to speak. It is a limited edition custom shop model in Alpine White so that too is a nice bonus. It has 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, Mahoghany body and neck, 3 way pup switch, 2 sets of volume and tone controls along with a tune-o-matic bridge with alnico classic humbuckers. The tuners are the standard Grovers and seem to work quite well while the neck is quite chunky and is 24 3/4 scale.

I'm using this with my Crate GTD 120 combo and it seems like a perfect fit, although the pickups tend to produce some hum and feedback at louder volumes, so using a noise gate is recommended. The pickups on this guitar can produce some serious sustain contrary to popular belief. I see no reason to swap these out for another set of Gibsons or Duncans. These are quite to my liking and I'm pleased with them. The clean tones from them are full and lush and are good for any type of music from Blues to Ballads. Using Distortion or Overdrive will put this guitar in a hard rock/ blues setting with no problem at all.

Here's where I had to do some work when I got this little guy home. It seems to me that Epiphone should do a better job of training their employees in china on how to do a proper setup on their guitars before they ship them out IMO. The string action on this was way off thus causing tuning instability and the intonation was off also. It took me about a hour to correct these and let me stress that all guitarists should learn how to do their own setups. It'll save them headaches, not to mention the costs of bringing them in to Guitar Center or anywhere else to have a setup done. Other than what I mentioned, everything else on this guitar was flawless. This is one well made instrument. I couldn't find any flaws at all in the finish or the frets, electronics, bracing,loose hardware, or anything else.

I have a habit of babying my equipment, so reliability should not be a problem at all. I feel that I can depend on this with no problems at all, although when I do play out, I always bring a backup just out of habit. As I mentioned earlier, this is one well made guitar that I feel will last me a hell of a long time. I am quite pleased with my purchase of this product.

I've been playing for over 36 years and besides this, I own a Fender Strat, a Crate GTD 120 combo and a Digitech RP-70. If anything happened to this guitar I would definately go out and get another one. I've always wanted a Les Paul but didn't want to pay the outrageous prices for a Gibson. Epiphones IMO, are just as good and are much more affordable for those of us on a budget, and besides, they are owned by Gibson.

Made in China, but isn't everything these days? Mahogany body & top. It has all the typical LP controls, etc. All good quality, good feel & install. I've seen the pickups listed as "Vintage" and "Hot". All I can say is they're not Burstbuckers, but they're MUCH better than the ones in the LP Special I had years ago. Tuners are chrome Grovers.
I have a limited edition model in Alpine White & Tone-Lok (sic) bridge.

I'm playing this straight through an old Peavey Audition, I think it's 30W. Sounds good in my basement & with a drummer. Getting DiMarzio's soon, Super Dist. & PAF Pro.

It needs a pro set-up. All fitment & hardware was good. No complaints.

I've had it 2 months & like I said, it sounds great in my basement. But I'm playing for 25 yrs. off & on I know quality when I see it.

I couldn't say, has a "Limited Lifetime" warranty, can't recall the details.

I walked out of Guitar Center after spending $400 & I have a beautiful, solidly-built guitar. Would I like a Gibson? Sure, but for the money, I can't complain about anything. I bet I could plug into a JCM 800 & play anything from the 60's or 70's. Once I find my old distortion box, I'll cover the rest. I'll put in the DiMarzio's & really take off.
I haven't really played in a couple years, so I'm reliving the 'Zeppelin, Deep Purple, AC/DC songs. I got the itch again, so I'll be buying more gear as I progress. But I can't believe this guitar only cost $400.

Cost me 400 Euro's at my local musicianshop.
Made in October 2007, in China. (just checked it at http://www.guitardaterproject.org, for this special occasion :D)
Frets.
It has 22 frets, but not the standard Les Paul/ SG frets. The frets are more roundcarved, and a bit smaller than your average Gibson/ Epiphone Les Paul/ SG.
Looks.
It doesn't have this binding on it, these contrasting lines around the edges of your guitar, and both sides of your neck, which are a matter of taste. Mine is a lightly purple kind of wornCherrey, kinda kool, the wornCherry finish is awesome. It didn't worn off anywhere, even though I hit some closets, chairs and walls. (don't ever try to play guitar and walk downstairs at the same time.
About the body. It's all mahagony, as Les Pauls should be(my opinion), and it has these ES335 Dot-inlay, which I think most players are more used to, so it's straightaway playable.
Hardware.
It doesn't have a tremolo-arm, don't buy a Les Paul anyway to do tremolo-stuff, this guitar is in my opinion not ment for tremolo-thingies. And thank God for the Tune-Omatic bridge. I've had a Fender Telecaster from 1963, but it always went way out of tune. I can bike(we do a lot of biking in the Netherlands, lol) to my guitarteacher with my lady in my guitarbag, and not having to retune.
Grver tuners, check other reviews whether they lock or not.
No included Accessories.
Not a ton of features, but for the money!

This guitar suits a lot of stuff, when you know how modificate your love, you can do anything. I can get a lovely Jazz sound, can make it sound like AC/DC's SG's, can do some funky stuff, it all sounds good, except for surfer stuff. Don't play surfer stuff anyways :D
Whenever you're very picky you can hear the most unhearable noise at bridge pickup 10, 60 watt guitar amp at 10. Don't use this combination of settings, you will blow your ears way. So we can say that it's noiseless. I want to buy a Strat to be albe to play more Clapton/ Funky stuff, and becease they are so beautiful.
For the unhearable subtle noise(and I do mean unhearable:D) a nine

This was a shop- modificated guitar, so it was all perfect, pickups a bit to tony, so I lowered them, Jazzy sounds and stuff like that. Mind you: the guitar rings whenever you set the action to low, so be aware of that, whenever you buy a studio you max. sound, and you won't get that with ringing strings
Not a single flaw.

I trust this guitar for a 100 percent. she's a really well built lady, she can withstand anything. I suggest you always bring another guitar for string-breaking accidents, but you can trust the guitar absolutely. The strap buttons are crap, but here in the Netherlands we have these Grolsch beer-bottles with rubber caps, with a small hole in the middle. The caps fit perfectly on your buttons, and put them on your buttons after you've put on your strap, and your guitar will never fall down. A six for the stupid strap buttons

No idea of the support. (never dealt with them)

I love it being so cheap, for having an amazing sound.
I love it for never wearing it's finish off.
I love it for the playabilaty.
I love it for the looks.
It's a keeper.

I have an epiphone les paul studio gothic, which means black finish, black hardware, and one very metal set up!
it features,
Black chrome hardware
Rosewood fretboard with 22 frets and XII inlay at the 12th fret
Mahogany body and set neck
2 Alnico V humbuckers, which ive swapped for EMG 81 and 85's
two volume and two tone, 3 way switch
Satin black finish
24.75" scale
grover machine heads which i am quite dissapointed about, the guitar does not seem to hold tune as well as my ??80 yamaha pacifica!

1.6" nut width

i play metal generally and with the emg's its perfect for the job, i play it through an old linear 50 watt combo and a battered DOD thrash master, but it creats the perfect sound for my style.

i bought mine seccond hand but well set up very well, did not have to adjust a thing, only complaint is teh 9v battery for the EMG's moves around a bit, and rattles.

thsi guitar has never let me down, everything is solid and well built.

nevr had to use them, and hope not too!

not too much more i can say, excelent guitar, i would reccomend fitting emg;s or seymore duncans for a more metal tone. best guitar ive ever owned

Vintage Sunburst. Which means all black except the light top. three colors. very nice. clear gloss. all excellent except for beneath the pickguard the screw on top has scratches in the paint around it.

Single Cutaway solid mahogany. Carved top. The top grain is all one piece, very upscale looking.

Tune O matic, works perfectly, good chrome. Grover Tuners. Alnico Magnet passive humbucker pickups. black rings and bezels, no covers.
24 1/2" scale. dot inlays, no body or neck binding.

2007 chinese model. 22 frets. comes with nice manual and so forth.. cable and truss rod wrench.

Standard controls. vol vol tone tone three way.
all solid and smooth.

Allsolid mahogany. weighs about 9 lbs, too.
nice fingerboard.. rosewood.

I'm giving this a ten because the features are:
set neck.
mahogany body.
alnico magnet humbuckers.
grover tuners.
and those features are all exactly what I expected and I'm perfectly happy with them.
This is a hell of a lot of guitar without some of the cosmetic niceties, but that doesn't mean it has no features.

and oh yeah! It came with a really slick poster of a Casino.. with all the other epi guitars on the back.. both excellent posters for your music room. Mine went up right away.

My current music room set up, which is what I use the most, is an Epiphone Valve Junior Head and one 12" cabinet. I plug the guitar into the Digitech rp7, first.
I play mostly rock and blues, and this is a killer guitar for this style of music, and will handle a lot of other styles easily.

I cannot fail to mention that I beleive the all mahogany body gives this thing a push above typical les paul clones.
Buy this one! It's got massive tone on it's own!

Very quiet humbuckers, with a nice midrange, not too pronounced, and excellent highs. Good old humbuck bottom end, a bit lighter perhaps than something truly vintage.
These pickups have very nice response when they are lowered or heightened, or if the poles are adjusted. String to string balance is better than many if you take the time with it. And, it's fast!

I'd call this a brighter sound than some humbucks of the jazzy bent.. or even the fusion bent.. these have a very nice cutting tone. easy to mix!

I've been going through ZZ top, sort of the old fart getting around to tunes he never got a chance to play before.. and this guitar is killer on that stuff.

Boy.. this set up fast. and easy. and everything on it was smooth as you could hope for.
The bridge went up and down slick.. the saddles intonated smooth and fast, the tuners hold well and operate perfectly. nice big buttons, very nice feeling.
What I'm saying here is that with just your set up you ought to make excellent sounds with this guitar.. no sweat.
I'm giving it a ten.

Here we go with the pros and cons section on this guitar.
It came from MF with a broken string. No outside box damage. I sent pics, they said they'd accept a return. I said, no thanks I'm keeping it.

There was a dent in the board beneath the high E string just below the nut, right where the string was broken.

Also, when I took the plastic off the pickguard there were four scratches on it, plus two sections that were not shiny or new looking, but blurry and screwed up looking.

I don't think MF is going to give me a new pickguard, so I'll tell Epiphone when I fill out my warranty card.

Now the pro side
beauty finish. all over. well done Epiphone.
Action was a tad high. The very last two frets rattled on the high e string only.. which I promptly levelled with a small hand file and paper and steel wool to polish.. and it took all of four minutes start to finish.
I adjusted the pups of course. each amp is different. effects pedals vary. you have to set up for your other gear and for your playing style.
It was generic. Like it's supposed to me.
Easy to change, and now it's perfect for me.
Beauty top, I was so glad they bothered to have the carved top, but to have a nice piece of mahogany up there. one piece.. really makes this guitar look great.
Everything was detailed correctly.
good smooth frets. nicely crowned. good nut work.
a peach.
That's why I kept it despite the screwed up board and guard and the scratched paint beneath the guard.
Too nice to take a double chance one!

I'm giving it an 8. because it had flaws.. and because MF should have done something.
but I feel bad because at least one point of that is for MF. and in full honesty, I doubt I'd take a full point away considering how well everything else was done.
so.. remember I'm being a jerk on this one.

Oh man. it's two days old. But I've been playing my epiphone sheraton for 14 years about and except for fretwear it's like new.
This one is every bit as good.
Everything about it says longevity. I see no scrimping on parts quality.
Haven't popped the covers, but the pots are smooth and have a full range.
I'g gig with this anytime, and I'm absolutely sure it would be problem free.

Epiphone has always been great with me. They've sent me free posters, always communicated well.
I've never had a complaint that meant warranty service.
I own two epi valve juniors, one epi vj cab, my epi sheraton and now this epi les paul studio.
I am totally happy with epiphones replys and repsonses for the last 14 years.

I've been playing since 1965? has it been that long? I own about thirty guitars, and have a small store where I build and repair guitars.
I own solid bodys, semi hollows, classicals, acoustics, basses, etc. etc. personally.
I would buy this guitar again in a heartbeat. I believe epiphone has a real winner with this model.
I love the sound. I love the beautiful job Epiphone did on a guitar in this price range. A beautiful job on the look and the sound.
I compared this to everything I've played all my life, of course, it's called experience.
I play it everyday, (I can say that though it's two days old, because I know I'll have it out permanently) and it's more than I expected.
It may very well be nothing more than an epiphone special II with the neck glued in. I don't know. I do know, it looks fantastic, it sounds wonderful. The pickups are fine.. the tuners work great.. on and on.
This is a definate ten. A no bullshit ten.
If you get an example of this guitar as nice as the one I have you will be happy. period.
229.00 with free shipping.
I see they sell for 299.00 almost everywhere and I believe MF is not going to have the 229.00 models for long.
Grab one. There is no reason not to have a great little solid mahogany *like the original* les paul in your hands.. and no reason this one wont stay there for forty years.
Feels great to own it!

The following is a first-day impression. I might write a second review in a couple months' time.

This instrument is everything many people think of when they think of the Les Paul design, but since this is the Studio, a step down cosmetically from the Standard, it has no binding, open-coil instead of covered pickups, dot instead of trapezoid inlays, and no fancy flamed maple top. Everything else is there.

Made in the Gibson-owned Qingdao China plant sometime early in 2006, from what I can tell from the serial number, and it's been sitting around at Musician's Friend for a year until I bought it.

So much more powerful than my Squier Strat. Since I spent all $300 of my budget on this, I'm stuck with a Squier SP-10 amp. Fortunately, I use a Zoom 505 (snagged for less than $20) and that improves it. The Squier amp is rattling before the might of the dual humbuckers. Maybe it's because of the power of the dual humbucker design, or maybe these pickups are far better than people say. It, along with my Squier Strat, will be enough for my covering video game music.

Action and intonation was great straight out of the box. Finish is a beautiful Heritage Cherry Sunburst. However, for some reason, the strings are about a millimeter or so off center at the bottom of the fretboard. Doesn't affect the playability, though, and I didn't pay the full $350, so I'm not complaining. Still, it's worth a point off the score.

It seems gig-worthy, and the hardware seems durable enough. The finish seems unbreakable without some abuse, which I obviously will never do. If I ever gig, I could trust the strap buttons (my strap is pretty crappy, though) and I would never gig without a backup, but it seems good enough to not need a backup.

Many are complaining about the nut and the selector switch, though.

Haven't had a problem in the day I've had it for. In my update, I'll probably not have a problem. I did have a problem with the Epiphone Faded G-400 (the nut broke) and Musician's Friend had no problem taking it back.

I found this for $299 new on Musician's Friend (at the time of writing this, these are still $299), probably because they are discontinuing the sunbursts (on Epiphone's site they list the available colors of the Studio as ebony, arctic blue, worn brown, and worn cherry--no mention of the sunbursts).

I've been playing for about about a year and a half straight (since I was 14), after a failed attempt when I was 8.

There is nothing left to be desired. I returned an Epiphone Faded G-400 to get this, because I wanted a good Les Paul-type guitar, set neck, carved top, and not an Agile. I can't believe that Musician's Friend had this one sitting in stock for a year before I bought it.

see other reviews

I really like the diversity of sound it produces. I play through a little 30 watt marshall, and it can give me that classic deep les paul tone, or flip the toggle and and a few knobs and get a nice thin cutting tone with a hint of twang. I think this guitar espically suits me, as I enjoy a lot of indie, as well as some classic, alternative and heavier rock. I really like strats and teles, and was thinking about buying one of them, but I think ill hang on to this for a while. afterall, youve gotta have a bit of originality, right?
ps I have the stock pickups still in it

well it doesnt really matter what i say here, because every les paul is different. make sure you play a number of them before buying though. personally, mine has nice low action and no buzz. i did not have this guitar set up. i'm happy with it as is.

i ve had it for 3 or 4 years now and it has stood up pretty well. i play it every day and jam with it all the time. the toggle switch broke off but that wasnt a big deal.

n/a

i ve been playing since i was 10 or 11 and i m 20 now. it's a great guitar if you have a low budget and just wanna make and play music...thats what its all about. sure you can spend over a grand on a gibson...but why? with a few mods, this guitar is just as good. one thing i favour in this guitar appose to the gibson model is that it's a lot lighter, and the neck is not as thick. if it were stolen, i dont think i'd get another, as i don't have any money, but i will say that i m satisfied with it. make sure you play a bunch of different guitars. you dont wanna end up like those poor sap's on here bitching about buzz and high action....when its their own fault for making the shotty purchase

Was made in 2004 at Daewon plant, China. Features have been covered extensively here, I suppose. A solid guitar, with no frills like maple tops and gay binding. All I wanted, so it gets a 10.

Play all sorts of rock, a bit of blues, some acoustic stuff, reggae, singer-songwriter stuff... I play nylon-string acoustics(here in Brazil we use them as bashers, not steel-strings like you americans do), so I my style is definitely non-electric(I hammer-on and slide instead of bending, don't tap, strum hard, fingerpick a LOT) Handles the rock with aplomb, and the cleaner stuff sounds surprisingly nice as well... Probably thanks to my Fender Frontman 25R's clean channel... Drive channel can be annoying if you can't set it up smart... But yesterday I got a close Slash solo impression just with some knob setting... With a EQ or boost pedal I could pull off that tone and switch back to the fine rythym tone I coaxed out of this unlikely guitar-amp pair... Treble pickup doesn't have the sweet highs I hoped to get... Could change pickups, though I got such a beautiful almost-acoustic tone out of the two that I just don't want to lose... A solid 8 because the clean surprised me, but the distorted stuff didn't

Impressive. Don't know ho much the store I bought it in had to do with it, but it was VERY well intonated, and didn't have a SINGLE dead spot on the neck. Well-dressed frets, flawless finish, controls feel just fine. However, the volume and tone controls don't adjust as gradually as I'd like, and pickup switch sometimes won't let me have both pickups on, which pisses me off. Can't tell about strings, I left the store with new ones already installed.

Two words: Sherman Tank. Apart from the pickup switch, which is a bitch(sorry for the stupid rhyme), no hitch with input jacks or whatever else. Would gig without backup anyday, this thing is a Les Paul, folks. Not much to go wrong, just a solid piece of mahogany with 2 pickups and Grover tuners that do what they should. Why do people use guitars with so much crap on them?!? To play shred on top of that?!? Ridiculous...

Haven't contacted Epi or it's Brazilian distributor yet, so can't tell. Not that I'll likely need to, with my local shop helping me out pronto with anything I need, as repairs go.

Been playing for 4 years, lusting for a Fender Strat for 2 of these years. Was gonna get it but wound up with this so I could afford a slightly better amp(damn, gear is expensive in Brazil). Still lust for the feel of a raw maple neck, but this is a fine guitar. Own a Crafter nylon-string acoustic, which I love to death and has the thinnest neck I've ever seen on a classical, but I digress. If lost, would get another cause I think I turned into a Paul player for life. Love it's sound and especially the feel of the neck, never tought I'd get along this well with rosewood. Compared it to a LOT of stuff, Squiers, Ibanezes, Corts, all the asian and Brazilian brands. Got this one 'cause of the price and lack of frills that weren't wanted or needed. Gets a 10 here because it's my overall opinion, and I just love the damn thing to death, not to mention for the price you pay for it in the US, it's a LOT of guitar.

Bought used with EMG 81 and EMG 85 pickups
Mahogany body and neck
Black finish, carved top
22 frets
Rosewood fretboard
Set neck
Block inlays (not the dot inlays like on the new ones)

I can't vouch for the stock Epiphone pickups, but with the EMGs, this is a really great-sounding guitar. I'm running this through a Line 6 POD 2.0 and a Behringer KX1200 and it sounds beautiful. Like I said, can't say much for the stock pickups...but upgrade this guitar with any decent set of humbuckers and you'll be happy.

I bought this used with pretty low action (a little fret buzz). The nut may be the only thing you might want to replace. Nice finish...looks great with the arched top. This is one of the older versions of the guitar with the block inlays rather than the dot inlays - looks very similar to the Gibson Les Paul Studios.

Haven't gigged with it, but it's a well-built guitar.

For the price I paid ($225 US), it was an awesome deal, especially with the upgraded EMGs. If it were stolen or lost, I'd probably go ahead and buy another with the same pickups.

If you're looking for a decent, cheap guitar, used Epiphones will work fine. With a decent pair of pickups, this guitar is pretty damn awesome.

Brand new 2005 "limited edition" .One of the "Guitar of the Month" models. Very nice wine red finish with Gold tuners,tailpiece,etc.no gold pickup covers like the Gibson version, but its still looks very nice,sonice that I saw it in the store and had to return the next day to buy it. I've owned Epi and Gibson Les pauls before so I knew what I was dealing with

Sounds good..not great,but not bad or,"OK" either,a solid 7 out of 10 in general. It has the Paul thickness and low end alng with the creamy highs. Ive played it through my 5150s, Behringer Vampire, and Line 6 Spider 2 and I can get usable tones all around. Pickups are quiet with no squeals. I bought an Epi Les PAul back in 1996 that I returned because with any amount of volume/gain it sounded like a dying pig, and went out of tune went you even looked at it...no more, you cant even compare the Epiphone Les Pauls of today with the garbage they made 10 years ago, thumbs up Gibson.. I mean epi, whoever.

WOW,I was shocked at how nice this guitar was put together,finished,and set up for only $349!!!?!!!! GORGEOUS wood, no glue spills( usually an Epi trademark) or blemishes, everything tidy and neat. No fret buzzing, perfect intonation, frets, nice low action...seriously, one of if not THE nicest off the rack guitars Ive ever played/bought,and I own/have owned some expensive axes including Gibson LPs, EBMM EVH models and "Axi", PRS, etc..... The only thing is that like a lot of guitars you have to "find" an Epiphone this nice. If I bought this through the mail sight unseen who knows what I would have got? I dont even want to change the strings on this one...its THAT sweet!!!

Its an inexpensive axe but its not cheap, big difference. I wont be gigging with it since I got it to practice on and still use other guitars with 9 gauge strings for shows. I dont care how much it cost, this is a real Les Paul,and they are all tanks! Strap buttons are meant to be replaced with locking ones anyway

I called them once and they were ncie enough

I owned the wine red/gold Gibson version of the Studio sold it a couple of years ago. I have bad GAS like a lot of guitarists and regretted not holding onto it since loved the finish among other things. That one cost me $1200. When I saw this one I had a severe Les Paul GAS attack and had to have it! Since I got this for $100 less than most of the online dealers I saw it advertised on, and since its a limited piece with only 500 being made, and since it feels, sounds and plays so well, I have to give it a 10. I every Epi was this nice I would have a room full of them!

my epiphone les paul was made in 1992, according to the serial number, and i'm not exactly sure where it was made. it has 22 frets, 2 volume, two tone control knobs, and it has two chrome plated humbuckers. it has a cherry sunburst top, and a stop bar tailpiece. the body is alder and it has a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. the tuners are non locking and the neck is fairly medium. the nut grooves are fairly small, and weak. i chipped part of the nut off on the left side of where the low E goes because the strings i was putting on were the misfits skulbuster strings. the E is a 52 and didnt fit in the groove until my dad broke that piece off. I got this guitar as a gift.

this guitar sounds good for an epiphone, i would have to say. it suits my style fairly well, as i play in........... well our band doesnt have a genre. we use some ska chords, which sound great with this guitar. i was using a 15 watt marshall with this guitar, but then i got a guitar research t64-rs 4x8 halfstack. its sounds awsome. the clean sounds mildly distorted but i like it. the distortion is UN-FREAKIN-BELIEVEABLE. the amp does have a tubed pream and it sounds great, especially for an epiphone. it is very bright. the top strings have never sounded better with another amp.

the guitar iis put together well. there is only on thing that sux on it and that is the rhythm/treble switch. i have been constantly having to fix this, because when switched fast, it turns the sound from highly distorted to a low volume clean. it gets really annoying.

this guitar has withstood live playing as i have played shows with it. the chrome hardware hasnt rusted a bit, and the finish there are only little chips in it on the back. those were my fault. the strap buttons are solid and i have straplocks on there anyways. I depend on this guitar a lot even though there are six others that my dad owns including a telecaster, which i bought him, and a 1965 gibson dove. i have used it in a gig without a backup because it is the only one i have.

ive never had to deal with a company becasue like i said, this guitar was a gift. i dont know if i even have a warranty.

i have been playing for a little over a year, even though i was playing bass first. three words. I LOVE IT.

Used 1998 Model Cherry Sunburst -- Paid $250 cash for it in 2000.

Giving this a 7 out of 10 because of the set neck and carved top.
Mahogany body I think.
Rosewood fretboard.
Trapezoid inlays.
Cheap Kluson knock-off machine heads by Epiphone.
Two piece neck.
Two Humbuckers. (Chrome)
Les Paul hard stop-tail bridge. (Chrome)
No tremolo for you Fender/Jackson fans. Got to use those fingers!
And remember... it may not say Gibson on the headstock, but if it has Les Paul's signature on it, then it is a Les Paul. End of story.
Also, did I mention how wonderfully light this guitar is compared to every other les paul.

Sound was thin and muddy, and... and that didn't bother me one bit. I don't play in front of crowds. I don't even play a guitar in the guitar store unless I'm really considering buying the guitar. I wanted a cheap les paul, and I didn't want a bolt-on neck knock-off. I'd been playing all of two years at the time, and could not afford a high end guitar with a high end amp. Believe me... good amps are just as important when it comes to sound. For this price, you can't expect Gibson USA sound. Pots were never scratchy that I can recall. Great guitar for blues, rock, and contemporary country.

Action was low and professionally set up at the shop by their guitar tech. I have no idea how it was set up from the factory. The mahogany wood grain was beautiful to behold through the translucent finish. This was the older model with the trapezoid inlays and the chrome covered pickups (not like the dot inlays and open coils on the new ones). I still think that it was the best looking guitar I have owned. The neck was a two piece, meaning that they used one piece of wood for the actual neck, and "married" the one piece headstock to it near the nut. If you look on just about all epiphones (don't know about the elites) at the back of the neck near the nut, you can see this line where the headstock is glued to the neck. Also the strap buttons SUCKED! Had a cheap, black plastic pickgaurd that I immediately removed.

I had the guitar a total of four hours. I'm jamming some AC/DC when my strap comes loose from the tiny screw head epiphone called a strap button. The guitar falls headstock first into the ceramic tile floor. I screamed like a little girl *** *** **** **** *****. The damage? Amazingly that two piece neck I told you about above... did not break. On the contrary, the guitar took the impact pretty well. One of the tuners was bent, the clear coat on the top edge of the body was cracked, and the cheap pickup selector switch was broke. I'm anal as hell about my guitars. If I shell out mucho dinero for one, I don't want a scratch put on it. So naturally I was peeved. The guitar still played wonderfully, but the cosmetic blemishes caused me to later trade in the guitar. For gig puposes... you need the Les Paul weight to get the Les Paul tone. This guitar can sustain, but it's tonal range is somewhat limited. Suited my needs fine though. Also, sometimes I would open the case to find little pin head size dents in the finish. That clearcoat was really weak. Tuners were cheap, and it needed some grovers. No bad tuning problems though.

Never needed them. I got this guitar used, so no warranty for me.

I've been playing for about eight years now. I'm still no Jimmy Page or Ace Frehley. At this moment I own an Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom, a Gibson Faded SG Special, a Fender Mexican Strat, and a Big Baby Taylor. I play through Kustom amps. When I got rid of the the Epiphone Studio, I bought a 1998 Gibson The Paul. The Paul weighed about the same as the Epiphone studio, and (pickups aside) was not nearly as nice as the Epiphone. I kick myself in the butt every day for getting rid of her. I watch ebay auctions relgiously now, trying to get this axe back. The Zakk model is great, but heavy. I loved this guitar's light weight. I've had dozens of guitars, mostly gibson and epiphone. This is the guitar that "I" fell in love with. I can't explain it!!!

Made in 1995 I think, since I bought it when I went back to the states and that's the last time I went there. Made in Korea. All the rest is covered. Cheap, Studio Les Paul, nothing flashy, all black, stays in tune ok, good machine heads, but funky lookin tuning keys. We have to settle for what we can living here in the Philippines, so I went back to the states and bought this one because it was actually cheaper to fly back and buy it than it was to order it. Good guitar, not a great guitar as far as features go. I give it an 8.

I play everything. I was born in 1944, started playing guitar in 1954, been playing ever since. I play everything from 50's rock like Chuck Berry and Elvis, Delta Blues, Blues Rock, Beatles, Stones, Country and write my own stuff. Suits it all just fine. I don't gig anymore so the only amps I am using at home are a Marshall MG10CD, a VOX Pathfinder 15R and a VOX AD15VT. Sounds good on all the amps. Bright twangy sound at the bridge, but of course beefier than single coils. Nice bluesy sound at the neck. Don't use the middle often. It's a great rock and blues guitar. I prefer my Fenders when I'm doin country or rockabilly. I like everything about it.

I bought it at a music store in San Francisco, CRS as to the name of it. It was setup perfectly. No flaws, pickups perfect. The studio is a stripped down paul. No body binding, just the basics, which is what I like.

Well, I've had it for 10 years. I gigged with it for 7 years, so I guess it will hold up to live playing. Never broken down and I've changed nothing on the guitar since I bought it. Looks as good as the day I bought it. Yes to all the other questions except no one would gig without a backup. Quicker to change guitars than strings.

Never dealt with Epiphone.

Been playing since 1954, so I guess that would make it 51 years. I have what I mentioned plus a Fender American Standard Strat, a Fender American Standard Telecaster, a Gibson 1960 model Standard LEs Paul, a Yamaha Les Studio Pro Les Paul Copy, a Fernando Strat Copy, a Rockstar Hollow Body Les Paul Copy, a Rockstar Fat Strat Copy, a Rockstar Telecaster Copy, an SX Les Paul Jr 2P90 pickup Copy, an SX SST57 Strat Copy, a Squier Standard Stratocaster and Squier Standard Telecaster and a Washburn X-40. I also have a 1956 Harmony Acoustic Guitar, a 1960 model Gibson Acoustic Guitar, and an Epiphone AJ-18 Acoustic Guitar. I have a Takamine Acoustic Electric Guitar and as few local made Filipino electrics and acoustics. You might say my hobby is gathering guitars and amps. I love this guitar, but it isn't my favorite one. Actually my favorite one is my Rockstar Hollow Body Les Paul Copy, but Harmony Central don't seem to want us old retired fellers over here in the Philippines write about the Rockstars and Fernando Guitars. I didn't compare it with shit. Saw it in the window of the store, walked in, asked the guy how much, he said $400, I said I have $320 and he said it's yours If it were lost or stolen, I'd probably get myself one of those Epiphone Les Paul Standard Elites or an Epiphone Casino. I have learned that when you dish out all them fuckin bucks for a Fender or a Gibson, you are just paying for a name. Any difference in playability or tone is purely psychological. It's the player, not the guitar. My Squiers and Epiphones sound as good as my Fenders and Gibsons, and the Fernandos and Rockstars sound just as good too, but with a hell of a lot less money. I'm to old to give a fuck what's written on the headstock.

Made in 2001, in Korea. 22 frets. Probably a laminated top, very basic Les Paul features, two volume, two tone controls, 3 way selector switch, two epihphone humbucking pickups, passive electronics. Body and neck are Korean Mahogany I'm told. Set neck, not bolt on. Mine is wine red with a black pickguard, really nice finish. Tune-o-matic bridge with stop tail piece. Grover style tuners, but the tuning keys are an ugly greenish plastic color. Neck is very nice, thin, fast, rosewood fretboard. Came with a cord. Not a lot of features, very basic Les Paul.

Well, I'm 51 years old and I'm stuck in the music of my college days. I like Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, America, Dire Straits, elecrtric Blues, like Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, things like that. Not much into the newer music, although I think with age, I've started to like country music. The guitar handles all of these styles of music ok. I don't like it as much as I like my strat and Tele. This is probably a good "heavy metal" guitar but it does ok on classic rock, blues and country guitar. Anything from a bright twangy sound at the bridge humbucker to a mellow bluesy sound at the neck humbucker. The bridge humbucker can be kind of thin and you have to roll back the tone knob quite a bit if you want a little more bass. The neck humbucker is ok, but somewhat muddy. Humbuckers reduce the noise a lot. Just the buzz from the Marshall Amps, but the VOX is quiet. This was my second electric guitar, have been playing acoustic for over 40 years and when I got it, I had only a Marshall MG10CD Amp, and I would also play it through a Boss distortion pedal through my stereo. Since that time, I've gotten a Marshall MG15RCD and a VOX AD15VT. Sounds good on all the amps, but best on the VOX. The MG10CD is a kick ass little amp, but the MG15RCD is a little dissapointing. I don't use any effects, just a little reverb, I do have a boss distortion pedal, but rarely use it. I've found that I like the crunch you get just from cranking the volume up a bit on clean. This is a good but not great guitar, will do anything including metal. It is a very stripped down, basic version of the Les Paul Standard.

Flawless.

Well, I'm not a professional player, just mess around at my office and at home, but I believe it would withstand live playing. Finish is fine, hardware is fine, strap buttons are solid, I've had it 4 years now and it still looks, plays and sounds as good as the day I bought it. I don't gig, but I don't think anyone would gig without a backup.

Never personally dealt with Epiphone. I've bought all my guitars and amps through guitar trader. They've been great.

I've been playing 40 years. No, I'm not a pro. Back in the 60's my dad gave me an old harmony acoustic guitar, which I still have. Later I bought a Gibson Acoustic Guitar and still have it. I also have the amps I mentioned above along with a Fender Standard Stratocaster and Telecaster. No, I'm not a cheapo. I just have no delusions that I am going to be a rockstar, so multi thousand dollar guitars and amps are not necessary for me. I'm a psychiatrist by trade, so all through college, medical school and residency, my focus had to be on school and guitar was and is still just a pass time. I'm decent, but no Hendrix. I bought this guitar to use in my living room. If it were lost or stolen, I'd probably get an Epiphone Casino. I like this guitar, but it isn't the greatest thing on earth.

great guitar, big change from the strats i was playing before.

it suits most of the songs i play and sounds great with the marshall 15cdr distortion. very sweet sounds.

great to play, looks really nice (cherry sun burst) very strong colours.

my fender strap doesn't keep a firm hold on the buttons. the angle i play it at and the angle of the buttons on the guitar causes it to slip. luckly i catch it before it falls this happened to me 5 times in my last band practice. but it hardly scratches and is very strong.

n/a

Great guitar! shame bout the strap buttons. cheaper but still a good version of a gibson.

ALready been mentioned. Standard les paul features.

The les paul sound on a budget is obviously the best way to describe this. sounds nice for soulful leads. Big powerchords respond very nicely. Very classic rock. However the neck pickup is far to muddy to achieve bright sounds. The bridge pickup can also be rather tinny some people may like this? I use a fender princeton chorus and no effects.

The guitar is very noce to look at this seems to be where all the money has been spent. It is light comparted to a proper gibson les paul however i have found this to be a good thing for long playing sessions. it had a good action out of the box. looks solid out of the box. however.....

I have had this guitar for about a year i cant see this guitar ever being able to be played live without substantial upgrading. The strap buttons keep pulling out of the woodwork screws and all. The pick up selector failed after a week. The input jack seems to have broken. the 3rd string buzzes terribly when played open. i couldnt not depend on it. also this does not seem to be a one off. i know several people with epiphone's that are like this. the pup selecter seem designed to fail. very poor

the reliability really brings down what otherwise is a half decent instrument

It is a Les Paul special with a sunburst middle.
22 Frets
Light Weight
Bought at Sam Ash

The sound I was hoping for never really rang true through these humbuckers. I have a Crate 120 watt solid/tube amp. Sounded okay, but not the crunch of a true Les Paul.

The factory, even after being set-up at Sam Ash, sucked! THe strings were very high. Even after I took it home and lowered it, stayed high due to fret buzz! The action, thus, was never at a level I hope it would be.

I have played guiatr at gigs and it held up okay. I jumped around and ended up braking the cheap plastic nut. It was fixed, but not the same.

Didn't have to deal with Epiphone but sam Ash did do a good job in reparing my nut.

Because of my disenchantment with this axe, I gave it to my wife's younger siser. Stay away from this guitar if you want something with quality. I bough this guiatr because it was cheaper than the Les Paul standard. Realzing what a crappy guitar this axe was, I should have just shelled out the extra money and bought a Les Paul standard or any top of the line LP copier - such as Agile guitars. Buyer beware!

I bought it today (09/04/04) for aproximately $1000 (Argentine Pesos). Is pretty much to us 'cause because here in Argentina 1 Peso = three dollares...so...

I think this guitar is suit to me, because the 2 humbuckers are really cool and the sound they give me is the one i was looking for. I bought in a guitar shop. (La calle talcahuano para los criollos...jeje)

It has 22 frets and the woods are great!

Like i just said, the sound of the humbuckers are really good, so it is a really good guitar.
I'm using an 25 watts amp and the sound is wonderful, I think that in a Feder amp it will be great...very great

No noise at all... I really like the sound of it.

The set-up is nice. I have no complains.
The pickups are just great, the only thing is that I have to raise up a little the bridge because the first string was touching the humbucker. That's all...
The woods are really good...
My volume and tone controls are GREAT, are the same of Gibson guitars (the black ones).

I didn't take my Epiphone Les Paul Studio to a live concert (i bought it 8 hours ago!!) but, in my opinion, this guitar can be perfect to a concert (live). This sounds great, so i don't see why not to carry it to a concert.
It is solid as a ROCK!!!

I dind't have to use it and I hope not to use it never...!

older model perhaps 1999?
standard les paul features and specs....duh
laminated top
i got a punk ass case with it...my cool-ass uncle gave this to me cuz he bought it and later became a strat/tele/danelectro guy
i give the features a good review cuz it did suck but my uncle and i have both "tinkered" with it
over all pretty meat and potatoes paul

suites my tastes perfect
i play mostly metal like coal chamber, deadsy, soad with this particular model
its really light so i dont hurt myself to much jumping about...hehe
i use a beringer amp whitch kiks major ass
full sound
original pu's replaced with duncan JB and 59...soooo sweet
exellent sound very rich

when my uncle bought it i would have gotten rid of the thing but he's do-it-youreselfer so he worked on it
the nut snapped pretty quik so he made a brass nut for it made the action nice and low
frets have some dings in em'...my fault
it used to be cherry sunburst and had a decent lightly flamed top...so i sanded it off and painted it neon green(tech note never use krylon it'll never dry right and whaatever paint you do put onit let it hang by the peg holes to dry then coat it with wal mart spray can laqcure)
pick up selector switch was loose...uncle's fault im sure ;) but it has scince been corrected

it is very sturdy if it can handle my abuse....seriosly i beat the shit out of the damn thing
very durable hardware
i hope my new finish will hold up for all the work that went into it
strap buttons are solid but a little protection is just smart get straplocks
quite dependable
as of all the tunings i use i could never gig without bakups or multiple instruments but if i could id trust this'n

ive only dealt with my uncle and scince he's a lot like me i'd either go for a 10 or a 2 depends....

iv'e been playing for almost six years and i own about 14 other guitars currently, my fav is still my jay turser sg custom, you should check them out if you like quality
i love that the body is really light but that makes it a bit neck heavy
in its current state...if it were stolen i would perform unessecary surgery with powwer tools on the culprit and then hand him all the organs and stuff to him in a ziploc bag...you know, to seal in the freshness...

this is a 1998 korean-made guitar with 22 frets. 2 humbuckers each with a volume and tone control. 3-way selector switch. cheap pick-ups and tuners. set neck, which is nice. mine is a green-ish color.

for the price, i think the sound is pretty darn good. i play regular rock n roll with a little bit of weird sonic youth-style craziness thrown in and i think this guitar works well. it's generally bright. the bridge pick-up is best for more straight-forward and louder rock, while the bridge pick-up (which i prefer and which has a particularly full sound) is good for playing around a bit more.

i bought this used, and my guess is that the original owner had it set up pretty extensively. the action is terrific. this guitar is one of the most playable guitars i can think of.

this guitar definitely has some problems, the main one being that all of the hardware is pretty cheap as a means of keeping the cost down (the strap-buttons, however, are great). the tuners are pretty bad and the guitar goes out of tune more often than i'd prefer, and the input came loose and i had to have it fixed. however, i do think it would withstand live playing and i definitely plan on using it when i start playing out. i'd bring back-up, however. still, it's a pretty consistent instrument.

never dealt with the company

i've been playing on and off for about 7 years, but i've only been serious about it for the past few months. i also own an acoustic guitar, which is in about the same price range as this les paul. if this guitar were stolen, whether or not i'd buy it again would depend on how much money i have at that moment. if i had enough to spare, i'd find myself a lower-end gibson. if not, i'd definitely buy another LP studio from epiphone. the playability on the guitar is fantastic and i can't recommend it more highly to someone who is more of a beginner and wants an instrument that will encourage him/her to play frequently.

Purchased in 1998 in small music stoire in Gainesville, Ga. I'm not even sure if this is the right model for this forum, but its an Epiphone Les Paul type of guitar thats very light and very thin solid body of what looks to be ash?, it's very light weight. there is no binding the edges are rounded off,the cutaway is not sharp as a Les Paul, this one is more shallow. It is solid black with two humbuckers and a Steinberger model tremelo with locking nuts. The neck is maple with black no-name tuners. there is a sticker on the neck heel that reads "LP-2/EB". The neck is bolted on.

Suited my playing style at the time, metal, and it was used with various crappy solid state combo amps and a plethora of cheap pedels. Sound was okay with full, balls out distortion from a proco rat, but was not so sweet with a clean tone, kind of thin and cheap sounding. The original pickups are long since trashed, I beleive they were EMGs

Action was okay from the store set up and never had a problem with the neck movement, the finish was good. The frets wore quiet fast with about two years of hard use, and one of the plastic-looking inlays began to come unglued. The Steinberger tremelo was a royal bitch to keep in tune, you could lock it into place, but it never wanted to stay that way, it always got knocked unlocked. Knobs eventually came loose and dropped off. Locking nut was poor to keep in tune.

I could not trust this guitar live without a backup, no way, no how. Strap buttoms are the usual too small factory ones, and eventually had to scrap the whole rig when one day the wood between the tremelo and bridge humbucker broke through releasing the tremelo and rendering the whole guitar useless. It literally fell apart.I packed it back up in its case and never looked at again for the next 14 years. I opened it up several months back and took it apart for examination. The bolt on neck had a plastic shim installed for neck angle I guess, and there was very little shielding tape in the cavities, go figure.

Never delt with Epiphone, I was so ashamed of buying this stinker I never bothered to contact them. I'm pretty sure that it had no warranty left to use anyway. The music store I purchased it from had changed owners and moved across town.

Been playing 20 years now, only 4 years when purchased. There are so many questions I should have asked before buying, but I was dumb and wanted any Les Paul. I also had little bread to spend, I knew at the time it was not a top shelf axe, I just never expected it to break like it did. Plus the Steinberger name on the trem gave me some confidence that it was a guitar of some pretty good quality. I chalk it up to a learning experience. Epiphone always will have trouble selling me any more instruments, however. Having gained much more experience with guitars and construction (now I build them)nowdays, I plan to fill the trem cavity, replace the neck, and rebuild this axe to something playable. I will resurrect this paper tiger into a servicable guitar. Live and learn.

This guitar is from around 2000, so i've been playing it as my main guitar for around 4 years. This guitar was made in korea (grrrreaaat) and is better looking than it really sounds. 22 fret solid body/neck. 2 vol 2 tone w/ 3way switch. Too bad i dont have the money to replace the junk stock pickups. The machine heads are plastic with a 'glow in the dark' green color.....UUUgly. Nice shiny black paint looks very nice with the crome bridge and pickups.

THE NECK BRIGE CRACKED AND BROKE OFF while i was tuning it today. I am so pissed off. Apparently this guitar cant handle a .52 E string. This guitar sitting in a nice shiny garbage can will fix this problem.

This guitar does not sound good. It is a step up from the les paul 100 which i previously owned, but still not what im looking for. Dont expect a very clean sound unless your using the Treble setting. The Rhythm pickup is complete crap, theres little or no treble even when its on 10. I got this checked and theres nothing to do but change the pickups.....not a chance i would ever waste more money on this thing.

This guitar was set up decently from the factory. Your gonna want to put those pickups as close to the strings as possible, otherwise you get some serious distortion.

The bridge would NOT allow me to use a .52 E sting which really isnt that big.

This guitar is OK, nothing more. I would bring a backup because who knows what'll go wrong next.

Im sure epiphone wouldnt bother helping me. They've got "better" things to do......sure.

I've been playing for 10 years. I use a marshall vs100r head through a jcm900a cabinet. Im not happy with the sound. Next time im going to buy an ibanez or something better.

Standard Les Paul Set Up. Mine Is Sea Foam Green, Made In 2000, Very Thin And Very Light !!!

When I Got It, I Really Liked The Stock PU's, But They Began To Sound More, And More Muddy To Me All The Time. I Put In A Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon At The Bridge, And A Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates At The Neck.....WOW !!! What a Difference. I Give It A 6 out of 10 With The Stock PU's, and I Give It A 10 out of 10 with The PU Swap !!!!

Set Up Was Very Nice. Great Low Action. No Flaws In The Guitar That I Could Find.

It's An Epiphone......It Is Ready For Battle !!!

Epiphone's Customer Support Is Second To None !

I Have Been Playing 12 years. In Addition to this Guitar, I Also Have An Epiphone Les Paul Ace Frehley Signature Model As Well. I Originally Bought The Les Paul Studio So I Could Give The "Ace" A Break. When I Got The Les Paul Studio, I Just Fell In Love With It. I Like The "Ace" Better, But This Is A Great Guitar. Highly Recomended. Epiphone Has Come A Long Way, And Is Now Making World Class Guitars !!!

Same as others, mine is wine red

The sound of this guitar with the original pick up is ok, but I put a seymour duncan JB in the bridge position and wow!!! with the JB, the sound of this guitar is just great! It beat the sound of the Gibson LP studio of one of my friends. I use it trough a marshall mg250 2x12 and a fender pro stage with a Digitech RP2000, a Boss Metal Zone 2 and a Danalecto beftone, this gear is just perfect for me. Well I play blues to metal to punk to psychedelic, jazz, rock of all kind, etc... and I can say for sure that this guitar is very very versatile.If you don't have a lot of money and want a nice guitar with great tone and not noisy at all, then buy this one and put a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge, you'll have the perfect deal.
7/10 with the original pickup
9/10 with JB

I've been using this guitar live from one year and never had problems with. This guitar is like any real LP, this is a tank. I changed the strap buttons for some strap locks, and i think everybody should do this as the price of this is very low. I don't use any backup and don't need to (I think)

Never dealt with

Well, for the price and with the JB pickup, this guitar is just great. I own a shitty squier strat and my LP studio sounds 100000 times better! I also tried many guitars as Ibanez, Jackson, Fender and I can say that I don't regret it. If it were stolen or lost, i'd probably try to find a Gibson LP custom, '87 (lite) if possible, on ebay, but for now i'm happy with this one

Its a damn Les Paul, you know all the features

i play classic and hard rock. This guitar is perfect for everything. I can play black sabbath, zeppelin, godsmack or metallica. it has a great hard crunch with the warm feeling that Les Pauls are famous for. but this axe is for hard stuff. it doesnt sound to great on a clean channel or for some light rock crap or somthen.

you probly gotta have your techman give it a fix up and have it set to how you like it. but with the right set-up this beast will sound perfect.

great, i have banged the hell out of it and its perfect

Overall this is just a great guitar. Its stock settings are commendable. You could change the pick-ups and tuners and it would satisfy and pro. if you dont have the budget for a gibson, this guitar will do for you whatever you want.

Epiphone Les Paul Studio, ArchTop of course, 22 frets, 4 controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3way switch, H/H. Passive humbuckers, Epi stock. Mahogany Neck, Mahogany-Alder body. Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish, which looks really impressive, Epi-Stock tuners, Tune-O-Matic bridge stoptail. i doubt the use of 2 woods for the body, since I opened the cavities for the potmeters, and it seems to be just 1 type of wood.

This Epiphone amazed me at first, but I play it for about 6 months now, and I'm less enthusiastic as I were at first. The sound is just "OK". Nothing special. It has a kind of mellow, not to overdriven output on the bridge Humbucker, the one at the neck position is somewhat cleaner. The pickups aren't shielded THAT good, sometimes you hear some loud humming, but it is occassional and I think due to the place I'm playing in. The Toneknobs don't help the overall sound that much. Just to turn away the treble. The sound could have been brighter IMO, but ok, it's not a high-end guitar, so let's say, for the money, it's definitely good.

Side note: The neck Hum. has sometimes some harsh sounding sound like it's really distorted; I think it's just the heigth of the pickup being installed, gonna fix that soon.

the action was great, it plays flawless, except for one little cut into the 9th fret, above the high E string, which can be harrasing if you do some big stringbends. The pickups are well adjusted, maybe the neck PU is being adjusted a little too high. The top is great. No flaws at all, perfectly laquered. the only flaws I could discover was one little chip which has been fixed, it's almost invisible, only if you give it a detailed look. Overall: Just good, nothing special. It's a bummer 'cos of the cut fret though.

This guitar definitely withstands live playing. It stays in tune VERY good, even if it gets warmer and warmer...The hardware seems it will be good for quite a few years, so no probs with that. The finish is good, no problems. The strap buttons are a bit weak though; At the neck, the strapbutton is kinda unscrewed, just for a tiny bit, but you can notice it. Just need to screw it in for that tiny amount. It's really solid, it's a great guitar to play on, only thing that bothers me is the G-string tuner, which isn't that good; Hard to tune (not THAT hard) and it's easy to detune. But I;ve heard some more things about the G-String tuner from Epi/Gibson, so I guess this is a common problem!

Never dealt with them...

you know the routine. It's a cheap les paul.

Good highs. Good lows. A little weak in the mid range. The stock pickups aren't the hotest, but they are still pretty good.

When the guitar arrived, I had my tools all lined up to set everything. To my shock, it was just about right. I had to some minor tweaking for my personal preference, but holy smokes. Bookmatched top looked good. The finish looks good too.

Sorry, but I wouldn't just take this guitar to a gig. It looks solid enough, but I don't have a level of trust for it yet. Maybe a couple more gigs.

Haven't tried, nor would I.

Great guitar, if you like les pauls. I have found since playing it more, that I don't care for the sloped back neck. But that is just preference. Great for lead guitar since it is easier to access the uppper frets, bad for rythm guitar. Good for what it is a cheap guitar. I would give this a 8.5 in it's price range, but overall when compared to everything I have played it hits between 7 and 8.

It is a basic Korean made Epiphone LP if you have gotten this far you know what features make up an Epi-Gibson. I bought my used for a little over $300

It came with stock gold plated pick-ups, and actually came with grover tuning pegs. The nobs are the more modern "speed nobs" I like them all right, but some hate them.

Incredible sound, very quiet guitar. I have replaced the stock pickups with some Alan Holdsworth double coils, and they rock. I sold my Fender because after playing the Epi, I couldn't stand the constant buzzing of a single coil guitar. I did do some modifications and added coil tapping, but I still prefer the sound of this guitar tapped than a true single coil.

I love the action, but I like the shorter neck. Some people hate the scale... so go buy a Fender. A guitar is never set up to an individuals liking when it comes, of course you have to tinker... what's new? Would you buy a guitar and then bitch because the seat wasn't set to your height?

This guitar holds it's tune very well, and besides an acoustic, it's the only guitar I play live

Don't know if I will ever buy another guitar

Well you know what it comes with and its features, so I won't waste your time. go to music123 or musiciansfriend to go figure it out, if you haven't already. Though I would like to point out that the tuners on this guitar makes your guitar get out of tune at some point, I suggest some "Groover Tuners"? Plus the input gets loose and the knobs can get loose as well.

It gives a pretty decent sound but nothing special. In my opinion it just doesn't have that roaring distortion sound but what do you expect.

read my feature part to see the reliability of this guitar. I had to get it fixed alot of times.

I really never ask them but they SHOULD be supportive since they made this thing.

Its just a $600 guitar waiting to be brought only to get you dissapointed. I suggest you really shouldn't buy this guitar, I would have brought a Squire instead. Just Junk! Gibson should just close Epiphone down.

It's a pretty standard lp studio model with a solid top and finnished in a wine red. the volume controls for both the neck and bridge pickups work perfectly, same as the tone controls. the knobs are translucent black and the guitar has humbuckers that aren't bad, but also nothing special. The 3 way switch is a bit annoying coz its in a bad place and u sometimes hit it when playing. The cable u get with it aLso works fine.

The sound that the guitar makes is nice and full and bassey on the rhthym setting, or more twangy and tremolo sounding on the treble setting. The guitar is also good for making a lot of noise. I use it sometimes with a phaser pedal which also gives a cool fluctuating sound. Bad points are that there it a bit too much buzzing as the strings hit the frets too much.

The factory must have been having a good day because i cant find anything wrong with it. The action is perfect, the pickups were fine, everything fits perfectly, no loose pegs, and perfectly polished hardware.Most things are adjustable anyway.

The finnish is like a tank- iv'e bumped it a lot, and nothing happened. Im not so sure a bout the humbuckers, as they dont seem to durable, and the slightest thing can dent them. The strap buttons are good and strong- iv'e got a bastard of a strap, but the guitar seems to hold on to it good.

This guitar is very versatile, and can be used for most kinds of music (i guess) i mainly use it for punk and it work good. If it were stolen, after being VERY pissed off, i wound probably try something else just plainly for the reason that i would want to see what other kinds are good. The guitar is easy to play, but palming can be harder than on other guitars ive tried because or the thing that raises the strings. The wieght of this guitar is a bit heavy, and put strain on ur shoulders.Apart from that, it is a good intermediate guitar (intermediate because pro guitarists get something more expensive)and im glad i bought it.

Made in Korea in 2000 (if I interpret the serial number correctly).
22 frets
standard LP features
2 std. epiphone HBs (which are soon to be replaced by Seymour Duncans)
neck should be mahogany, body seems to be alder with a mahogany core, but don't quote me on that
chery sunburst finish, very well done
came with a short and pretty useless cable, but it's the will that counts, right? :)

this guitar was intentionally purchased as a backup, or let's say, an addition to my strat
I play alternative rock and since this is a very wide field, a fender and a gibson or epi are a good team for that purpose.


my setup: Epi LP Studio/Fender Mex. Tele/Ovation Celebrity Solidbody -->RAT-->BOSS HM-3-->BOSS CE-5--> Hughes & Kettner Attax 100 plus extension cab (1x12)

this guitar is not noisy at all and seems not to produce feedback, even at high volumes. the reason might be that the pickups have taken a bath in hot wax. I saw that when I took em out to turn em round...oh yeah, I forgot to tell you: I reversed the humbuckers, the pole pieces now look to the middle of the guitar. actually no hearable difference to the normal setting...almost :)

set up poorly, but that was done in the store where I bought it.
no flaws elsewhere.

no problems here, I've gigged with it and I'll keep on using it live.

never dealt with em.

nice guitar for poor people like me

Features are Standard Les Paul.
And very useful they are to.
Many people (myself included) believe studio's to have some kind of Mahogany in the body.
THEY HAVEN'T
THEY ARE ALDER

Sound is good, due to the set neck and tune o matic bridge. Well, its a big improvement on my floyd rose shred machine (which has zero tone)
Quite a rich sound from a good valve amp.
Good with overdrive/dist.
Clean sounds are full and fruity

Set up was poor straight out of the shop.
Tune o matic doesnt have enough play in it to properly set the intonation!!!!

also, the nut was cut so high, the distance you had to press the strings down to touch the frets was so great, that its puts the notes out of tune!!

neck was also warped, making upper register playing poor

much better after my tech did a good set up though

All the hardware on this guitar sucks
tuners: cheap, flimsy, unsturdy (you know the ones, the green muthas!!!)
pickups: cheap, muddy, microphonic
selector switch: craped out after less than a week
nut: piece of plastic junk, cut very badly

BUT , what do you expect with a guitar for less than 300 pounds?
I knew the hardware on this sucked when i bought it, as i planned to change ALL OF IT

never dealt with them, allthough when i sent an initial email regarding the selector switch to epiphone/rosetti quoting the serial number, they said they had NO RECORD OF A GUITAR WITH THAT SERIAL NUMBER!!!!!!

which did concern me somewhat
have i bought a 'cut & shut' ??????

Been playing for 10 yrs, and played many different guitars. Its taken me a while to realise that floyd rose bridges kill your tone.
This guitar has flaws, but it is a decent price, and has potential for improvement, ie:
New pickups (dimarzio evolution in the bridge, DAMN this thing is hot!) with 3 position mini switches, to allow parallel, series and single coil operation of both humbuckers (giving about 16 different tonal options!!)
New tuners and nut
New 3 way switch, and new tone and volume pots
Strap Locks
A damn good set up by a good tech

After all this, this thing screams, and gets a 10
Before mods, i'd give this a 7
(the cheap hardware doesnt bring the rating down , because they have to be expected at this price

Made in Korea, set up in the US. I think its a 2001 model. basically a les paul shape, but lighter. Its an alder/mahogany body with a mohogany neck. Mines black, but also comes in some sunbursts. Its good on features, basically a Les Paul standard thats been stripped down.

I play punk and rock, but I need something that has good clean sound. I use a marshall 50 watt solid state with a boss distortion and a morley wah. It sounds great, I tried the standard les paul, but I liked the lightness to this, and the price. The standard is a fuller richer, deeper sound. I liked this because it has more bite to it. It gets a great clean sound, and the distorted is better than any guitar I played in its price range. You could use this guitar for just about anything, except maybe some jazz, or blues, you'd want to go with a hollow body.

Seemed fine, no flaws.

It will withstand live playing, and I would gig without backup.

I love this guitar, it took me a very long time to find the right guitar. I had an Ibanez GAX70, then I got a fernandes native, and then when I finally decided to get a good value guitar I bought an Ibanez s370, but I hated the floyd rose tremolo, so I got this, and its great, haven't found anything bad with it. If it were stolen, I'd probably save up and buy a gibson, but for $400 this is a great guitar

I think mine was made in 1998. Same features as all the other studios. Cherry sunburst finish. Most of the stock parts were quite cheap (i.e. nut, tuners, input jack, toggle switch, etc). I replaced the nut with a Graphtech, got Grover tuners, replaced the stock bridge pickup for a Seymour Duncan Distortion and neck pickup for a SD '59, and installed straplocks.

I play some punk and some hardcore and a little ska only when I'm in the mood. I have a Digitech RP200, but I don't use it that much so it's just running to a Randall RG100 ES head with some unknown cabinets (still trying to find the right cabs). It gets a decent tone (after the pickup change of course). The Distortion Humbucker is not noisy, but it was made for only distortion; and the '59 has a really full/balanced sound. I'm sure this guitar can do many different types of styles. So before PU change, I give it a 4. After pickup change, I give it an 8.

Factory setup sucked but that's to be expected. The fretboard has a few scratches and the quality of the wood is not the greatest. The nut was cheap and therefore replaced by a Graphtech as mentioned above. There seems to be some barbs on the saddle because my A string constantly breaks there. I'll probably get that replaced in the near future. The finish is decent, but there are a few flaws and lately some finish behind the neck is flaking off. I can't say I'm shocked that this guitar was not perfect.

This guitar will last long enough until I get a better one. I can definately depend on it, but not without a backup. I've had for about a year now and it's still in good shape despite my brutality towards it. The screw that held on the strap button did once rip out. I mean the screw tore through the wood, but luckily the straplocks used larger screws.

The warranty seems good, but I've made so many modifications to it, I'm not sure if I still have a warranty.

The guitar now is a "good" guitar, but there could be some improvements. If someone stole it, I would kick his/her ass and then buy a different guitar with the money pawned from his/her car (or anything else of importance) =). But it's a decent first or second guitar because it's affordable and lightweight. After owning the guitar, I feel that I'm not a Les Paul kind of guy (Gibson, Epi or otherwise). At least it's a little better than a Fender...

see previous review

see previous review

This review is an addition to my 7/8/2001 review of this product. A week ago I had my first major problem with the guitar. As I was changing the strings, the low E saddle on the CHEAP PLASTIC nut simply FELL OFF!!! Instead of sending it to Epiphone for 3 weeks and another CHEAP PLASTIC NUT, I took it to my local luthier and spent $35 to replace it with a bone nut. The bone nut looks much nicer than the old one, and I'm told will last forever (figuratively speaking).
While I was there, I had them do a full set up on it. The action was set to medium (the factory had it set high). The neck pickup was way down in the cavity, so the guy raised it a little. Now the guitar sounds much fuller and has a ton more output in the neck position. The bridge pickup, on the other hand, was WAY too high, so he lowered it a little. Now the center position on the switch sounds much more balanced. A few weeks earlier the guy sprayed the 3-way switch with some contact cleaner, and it works like a dream now! 2 months and no problem. The guitar sings now like it never did before. In short, have a pro set it up!

Here's where I have to vent a little. A while ago, I decided to replace the tone/volume knobs with nicer Gibson Top Hats. The only way to do this is to pull the old ones off, and push the new ones on. These things aren't easy to push on. After putting them all on, none of them were balanced. So, I pushed them down more. As I was doing this, i heard a CRACK! "OH SSSHHHIIITTT!" Now there is a deep crack rightnext to the rhthym pot, and a surface crack that runs from the tone to volume pot. In my first review I said that the "finish looks like it will last a thousand years". This is NOT TRUE. It's not as deep as it looks.

They hooked me up with a Warranty place. I decided against taking it there.

Just keep in mind its shortcomings

This Guitar Here was made in some other country and not hand made in the Great City of the United States. It has many frets that play very smooth.its a solid body guitar. Very thin compaired to most epiphones or gibsons. Thsi has 4 knobs that do somthing with the volume and tone. It has cery nice chrom pickups. Its an all black guitar with chrome very sweet guitar palys like a dream or a guitar whatever you prefer.

This guitar fits my gigging needs I'm in a band "Shvantz" We mostly play "Iron Man". My neighbors sayu i practice very hard and need to work harder at it if i want to be like Fred Koechendorpher. This guitar is very noisy when plugged into an amp. This guitar mkaes sound sliek a guitar nice sweet tone. I reall y liek this guiatr alot. It makes me look kool.

I was not present when this guiatr was set up but its plays perfect just like a gibson which really awsome. The humbuckers are awsome. No flwas in this guitar that ive found soo fare but i'l keepo looking.

I've hit this guitar against lots of things and it still plays awasomi think it help sto hti it a few times

Great suport of the customer i bought it i should know.

over al this guitar is perfect in eveyway i would never get rid of it unless it broke.

2001 Epiphone Les Paul Studio. Heritage Cherry Sunburst Finish. Most people know the features, but I'll list a few:
-22 frets
-2 "Gibson-Designed" Humbucking Pickups
-2 volume knobs, 2 tone knobs (ugly see-thru plastic)
-Tune-O-Matic Bridge w/ Stopbar Tailpiece
-Non-locking tuners w/ pukey green plastic knobs

My music style includes Classic Rock (The Doors, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd), Hard Rock (Van Halen, Guns N' Roses) and some Grunge (Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots). This guitar is extremely versatile. The stock humbuckers provide good tonal range. I'm currently plugging it into a 120 Watt Crate GFX-212T. My advice is to use this guitar with at least a valve-state or tube amp.
The pickups don't give feedback and are not microphonic. They offer low to high end tone, but lower-end comes more naturally. As with most humbuckers, tones are warm and full. The sound can get muddy if you use ther wrong settings. DON'T ALWAYS SET THE GUITAR TO 10! They give you those controls for a reason. I like to mix the pickups, set volume to about 5 on the treble and 6 on the rhythm. Tone control knobs should also be used to get a variety of sounds.

Factory set-up was pretty good, but i managed to screw up the intonation on the first day...be warned, when you try to change strings, the bridge can fall off! The pickups were quite low, so I had them raised about mid-way. The woodwork was very good, and I could not spot any flaws on the body.
As far as faults, I must report the usual one--the 3-way switch. After two weeks, it started acting up, and now, at 5 months, i really have to spend time to get it working again. Often simply switching back and forth really fast will fix it, but I advise you to take it to a luthier and have them deal with it. And oh yea, the tone pot for the rhythm pickup crackles sometimes when i turn it.

This guitar is my only electric, and I plan to stay that way until i really NEED to upgrade. It will definitely do live playing, but make sure that your 3-way switch is clean before going to a concert! The hardware is still in perfect condition, and the finish looks like it will last a thousand years. The strap buttons look solid, but you should put strap retainers on any guitar you care about (i recommend the Dunlop LokStrap system...about 5 bucks at any guitar store). I would gig without a backup simply because i can't afford one! Even if I had another guitar, this guitar has so far not given me any reason to doubt it's abilities.

AS of yet, no need to contact customer support, but I hear good things about them. But don't be stupid! Send in your warranty card!

I've been playing 6 months and so far this guitar has answered my every need. It it was stolen, I'd go to work on the fool with a pair of plies and a blowtorch. I have to say that i probably would opt for a Gibson model, but that's just me.
I think it would be more likely that i would have modifications done to this, like maybe switching out the tuners for nicer-looking Grovers, or putting in Gibson '57 Classic pickups (oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh...).
My friend has an Epi G-400 Custom and I played it for a while before I bought this. The SG has more of an AC/DC style crunch than the Les Paul, but I prefer the more mellow lows and highs of this guitar. It is superb for playing rhythm for ANY kind of music.
I would just like to respond to the poor soul who posted before about not changing the pickups and all...Obviously he doesn't own and instrument, doesn't know much about playing one, and thinks that buying expensive equipment makes him a better musician. If you sound like sh*t, then you'll sound like sh*t on any instrument! If you are a decent musician looking for a plethora of new tones, then buy this guitar. You will not be disappointed.

I like this kind of guitar, the sound is very good,the neck is good for my music, the humb, have a greet heavy and soft sound, and I like so much the guitar design.

In general i play hard-rock, (Led zeppelin,deep purple,pink floyd,guns n' roses,van hallen),I have mashall amp.
The sound is GOOOODDD

GOOD GOOD VERY GOOD

I don't have any problem

I like all ephiphone guitars

This review is merely a commentary to other reviews. Lots of people say to replace the pickups. HEL-lo! that creates a TOTALLY DIFFERENT GUITAR!!! Buy a sh*tty fender if you want a fender sound. Don't destroy a work of art like a Les Paul. Sure, the epiphone is a copy, but it's the love that counts...your love for the guitar. Personally i love Led Zeppplen (Jimmy Page is the greatest guitarist of all time, f--k off Metallica), and nothing emulates Zeppelin like a Les Paul. I can't afford a gibby, so this is a good choice for me. And i am told epiphone is more consistent than gibson. Say and think what you want, cheapo fender lovers, but i will always hold this guitar in high esteem!

Beautiful Heritage Cherry Sunburst

Copy of the greatest guitar of all time

I bought this guitar as a used demo. It was a demo for the new Gibson-Designed pickups that now come with Epiphone Les Pauls. Therefore it came virtually new. Made in Korea, It has a Blackburst Carved Mahogany top with black hardware. It sports a rosewood fingerboard, 22-fret neck with trapezoid inlays, and, of course, h/h pickups. It had the standard tuners, which look rather chintzy, what with the plastic handles and all. It had the tune-o-matic bridge, and didn't come with any case or anything.

I play rock/classic rock/blues, and the warm tone suits me great. I play with a Crate 30 Watt and a whole range of Boss/DOD effects including OD/Distortion, Stereo Chorus, Reverb/Delay, Compression, and Phase. It's got a very clean tone, and the new Gibson pickups really rock. The neck pickup is full and warm, and puts out a lot of volume. It hit the spot for my lead sections. Also, I'm not normally a bridge pickup person, but this one really sounds nice and warm without being too brassy.

This guitar has an awesome low action, nice and easy to play without buzzing (ever). The neck is nice and small in one's hand, and the frets are clean and make pulloffs a joy to perform. The fit from the factory is really good, I got it in great working order. Only two gripes, 1. The switch for the pickups was torqued and pointed "Rhythm" when you had it on "Treble". 2. The pickguard was not attached properly, but wasn't broken. The finish was beautiful.

The hardware on this guitar is pretty solid. I've only played live once or twice, each time without a backup, and this guitar seems more reliable than the one I used then. The strap buttons don't look all that big, but they won't go ripping off. . . . The finish is nice. . . it came from a music store as a demo, so every schmuck in there was picking it up and acting like a rock star with it, so it's in excellent condition, especially given the abuse it's no doubt seen.

Never dealt with the company.

I've been playing for 5 yearrs, and I've played many guitars, but I knew I had to get my hands on a Les Paul. No musical career is complete without one. Since I have a LOW budget, I found the Epiphone to be satisfying, great sounding, reliable and easy to play. While it doesn't have the perfection of a Gibson work of art, it is still a fin

2000 model, 2 humbuckers, transparent black maple flame top, tune-o-matic bridge, chrome epi tuners. the green 'glow-in-the-dark' plastic gibson tuners werent appealing to me, so i found one with standard chrome epi tuners.

i havent played that many electric guitars, i bought this guitar for its looks and its reputation. i plug in to a digitech rp100 processor and i create any sound i want.
the 3-way switch is scratchy and will cut out. it needs to be replaced with a better design or better manufacture.

acrylic or nitro finish was perfect. i was impressed on the workmanship of the abalone inlays. the flame top has a perfect crossover grain. the look and finish of this guitar is good for the heart and soul.

i would play it in the subway without a backup because im not schlepping another rig down there! hardware seems solid; i would expect the 3-way switch to fail at any moment. i think you should get a locking strap for any guitar you care about.

im not sure why i would call them or what they could do for me. if they could send me a new 3way switch, i suppose it would be worth a call. otherwise, like most things, i expect to pay for any improvements or modifications that i make.

i have an old epiphone accoustic (japan) that i learned to play on. it was the quality of that instrument that led me to purchase another epiphone. my friends play epiphones as well and i respect their judgement.
if it was stolen, i would be upset and probably throw my insurance money toward the purchase of a used gibson les paul just to see what all the fuss is about. i expect that the epiphone would provide greater satisfaction per dollar than the gibson.
i keep it on a stand in my living room. when i play it, it is a joy for me to hear, and when im not playing it, it is a nice piece of artwork.

*It was made in 1998, i believe it was assembled and setup in the USA with foreign parts.
*Has 22 frets
*laminated top
*2 volume 2 tone, 3 way selector Rhythm, Treble, Both
*2 Humbuckers
*Gibson pickups stock (however, review will be based on performance with DUNCAN JB pickup in bridge)
*Passive electronics
*Mahogany neck, Mahogany/alder body and top, rosewood fretboard
*Ebony finish(glossy, mirror like luster)
*single cutaway les paul
*stop tailpiece
*les paul tuners green color
*rosewood fretboard with medium sized neck (i've felt thinner and thicker)
*Came with hard case

It suits my musical style, well i think i built my musical style around it. It gives a jazzy style in rhythm section, which sounds very "slash" from guns 'n roses, replicates sweet child of mine exactly. Treble setting with my JB pickups sounds like Fuel, in the song hemorage. I use it with a valvestate 65 and jcm 900 from marshall. SOunds great through any amp though, never heard it sound bad through anything, even hooked it up to the car with a cd player car kit and a 1/8 to 1/4 adapter. I use boss stereo chorus, dunlop crybaby, and an art levelar. back to the guitar, It gives a dreamy feel in distortion like deftones but with a more organic sound. Its great for old school rock 'n roll. Different strings give you significant differences in sound. GHS give you a less organic sound, ernie ball are great for blues. The sound is as thick as gibson but lacking the roughness, has a dream-like sound in distortion. Has a rich full sound. You can do pretty much any music with it because of its wood combination it sounds like the cross between the fender strat(lacking its full twang) and the gibson les paul. Only draw back its not extremely good at sounding like a gibson or fender, but has the trademark epiphone sound like that of the beatles at times.

The action came great. Felt like i was playing air guitar. Pickups, i didn't like too much, they were what made the guitar short of professional, the duncan's i have now make it sound what it was trying to sound like. Had no flaws though, and the paint looks as though the whole guitar is composed of it.

Its great, beat the crap out of it and it sounds even better. The hardware will last for years but the pickguard and the selector switch plastic cover fell apart. But with the removed pickguard and new selector switch cover(69 cents), it was very solid. The finish makes it seem like its not made of wood, very well done paint job, you can see yourself in it even with hadprints. Strap buttons are very solid. I can truly depend on it, but would use a backup of the same kind when i put it out of tune, which takes a while but it happens. I gave an 8 because of the pickguard and the selector switch cover, but everything else was great.

lifetime warranty

I've been playing it for 3 years, sounds great. If i went pro, i'd keep it, wouldn't trade it for any gibson, prs, or anything, maybe another epiphone, but i'd use it to add to my sounds, because it doesn't fall short of anything. I'll hang on to it for a long long time.

I've had this guitar for 2 years now and I love it. 22 averagely sized frets, with a nice action on the rosewood fretboard. Normal sized neck width, & smallish gage. I can achieve all the sounds I want with the 3-way selector switch and amp tigether, from clean and bassy, to wildly overdriven with lots of treble. Incorporates two fairly powerful humbucker pickups, which look traditionally placed against the Les Paul single cutaway body shape. Great black finish on the guitar makes it look like a Les Paul Custom (wish it was)! With the guitar I was given a free gig bag, spare set of strings, lead, and pitch pipes.

I tend to play mostly clean music such as Stereophonics, Travis, Coldplay, etc, so the clean sound outputted is very clear and sharp. I had a fairly tight budget so I could only afford to buy a 15W Watson XR15 amp to go with this classy instrument, though my amp does the job well, and I can achieve a respectable range of sounds. I have to say the overdrive is very good, & the humbucker pickups work well with them as they're quite powerful. Fairly noisy with the overdriven setting, though I like noisy stuff :) Like it lots.

The guitar seems to be set up pretty well... only my pickup selector switch casing broke off after about a month, so I had to buy a new one. The top; yes, properly bookmatched, and the brodge looks fine. There was only a very small, hardly noticeable scratch on the back of the body near the jack. The rest of the guitar looked fine, very well manufactured.

Yes the guitar will stand live playing, I've played in a few pubs and stuff with it, and it sure does withstand live playing. Everlasting hardware! The finish is very durable and strong also. Solid strap buttons, and yes I can definitely depend on it. At one time I didn't tune it for a week and it still stayed in tune. It's a great instrument.

I've never had to deal with Epiphone, though I understand that the warranty is very good.

I've been playing the guitar nearly 4 years, and I bought this guitar 2 years ago. If I was to go back to the shop where I got it from, I wish I had asked about other guitars available aswell, though I had my mind set on a Les Paul! But I'm very happy with it. I love the way the guitar visually looks, as it's got a black body, and a black scrathplate, black headstock, so it looks mean and powerful because of this. I also love it because it's so easy to play, the fretboard is so smooth. I'm thinking about getting a guitar pedal or maybe an FX unit in the future so that I can achieve an even bigger variety of sounds. I'd never sell this instrument cos I love it!

Korean Built, 22 frets, "honey-sunburst" finish, 3 way selector, H/H config (passive pickups) Tune-o-matic bridge, truss rod key included.

Pickups were a bit noisy, not the same quality of sound that you get from a proper gibbo LP, middle switch setting sounded rubbish (very low volume)

The angle the neck meets the body is totally wrong, the tune-o-matic had to racked right up to avoid fret buzz. The bridge was fairly poor, the high E string kept breaking at the bridge, and I had to get the saddle fixed to stop this.

This guitar would not withstand live playing, the pickups are very tempremental (which led to a very stressful recording session, where the pickups would cut out halfway through a take).

Got it fixed by a friend.

This was the first electric I ever got, and it more or less sucks. I wouldn't buy one again. If you want a Les Paul, then save your money up and get a proper Gibson one.

Made in 2000, 22 jumbo frets and all the other features normal for a LP copy. 3 piece mahogany body with alder laminated quilted top. black polyurethane finish. headstock is different from the original LP, it doesn't have the opened book looks. body shape is also slightly different because it doesn't fit into an LP case....and that although epi is a gibsons company - i expect better than that!

as i started to play only a year ago and this was my first guitar, i cannot really say if it suits my music style... but the sound coming from the epi hb's was muddy from the beginning, so i immediately replaced them with gibson's 57 classics (classic plus on bridge). that improved the sound markedly to nice full and warm sounds from the neck pu and brighter, sharper sounds from the neck pu. i used it first through a crate 15w practice amp, but replaced that later with a marshall jtm 60, which also helped a lot to make the sound more brilliant. i guess the variety of sounds you can produce with this guitar is average, just les paul type, though not screaming or really singing.

the setup was ok, i adjusted the pu's to the highest possible position, but that's just my liking. no real flaws were to be seen, only, compared to my tokai LP copy, the fretboard is very rough and not half as nicely finished. moreover, i definitely totally disliked the size of the frets; they are so high that it's almost impossible not to inadvertently alter the tone-pitch, especially on the bass-strings. i found it very hard to place my fingers softly enough on the strings not to produce a bending.
the g-string resonated with one of the tuners - annoying! the tuners actually did not keep the guitar in tune for a time longer than half a day - and that without location and or temperature changes!
the overall finish was ok for a beginner's guitar in the 400US$ price range, only when i exchanged the pu's i noticed that the neck pu hole was not painted with black isolating paint as were the electronics hole and that of the bridge pu. i wonder why?

finish seems to be tough enough, hardware except for the tuners, too. since i don't have live experience, i cannot comment on the other topics.

no need to deal with customer support

no, i wouldn't buy that one again; in fact, i try to sell it just now. actually, i bought it because i desperately wanted to start playing guitar and didn't want to wait any longer. this guitar was in my price range and i liked the looks of it, although, had i had the choice, i immediately would have gone for goldtop or a violin burst. after half a year, i came across a fernandes super grade and was amazed at how perfect it was in all aspects. i dug into that and a little later bought a new tokai love rock, and since i own that, i see how much difference there can be between guitars - totally amazing! the guitar stays in tune, has a wonderful fretboard with medium frets, a very bright sound that was only improved by putting the 57's in, and looks simply wonderful with its violin burst finish. i cannot imagine a real gibson to be any better in any aspect.
but back to the epi lp: i think that for the price paid it is a slightly sub-average guitar, good only for beginners or people who don't have that much money. but even then, it should be possible to find something better than that - a s/h fernandes or tokai for example. maybe i just had the bad luck to pick an axe from a bad series, so my review reflects only the quality of this particular guitar.

I believe mine was produced in 1998. It has all the Les Paul essentials. 22 frets, 4 control knobs (two volume and two tone), 3 way selector switch. It has dual humbuckers (not really sure of the exact type), but they have nickel plated covers. Mohagany body, rosewood fretboard- super glossy finish on top of ebony. Hard tail bridge and non-locking vintage style tuners. The gear ratio on the tuners seems to be around 6:1. The neck is solid and seems to be just the right size for an average-sized hand. This guitar normally comes with a gig bag.

This guitar can mimick all the sounds that I need it to. I play from light rock to heavy metal. I use it with a Marshall Valvestate VS65R and they make a great combination. The humbuckers are very quiet. When I play clean I get a great brilliance that is hard to get out of a Humbucker guitar. And when I play overdriven/distorted I can crunch like Godsmack, and Rage. This guitar seems to be designed to reproduce that AC/DC sound as well as Led Zepplin. If you like blues rock (like I do) you'll really appreciate this guitar.

I didn't have any problems at all with the guitar. I didn't have to make any adjustments or waste any time. It was all plug and play. What I really love about this axe is the finish- the ebony with clear coat looks incredible on stage. I couldn't tell if the lady fans were staring at me or my guitar. :) I did decide to go with better tuners after a few weeks. The origionals are a bit lacking when it comes to staying in tune and they just didn't look as good as my new Schallers that I have installed.

This guitar will easily withstand live playing. The hardware is very reliable and I use this as my main guitar. It has fallen from my shoulder strap and I was able to pick it right back up and play without even thinking about it. The finsh seems to be scratch-resistant- though it doesn't say that anywhere. I depend on this guitar and would easily use it in a gig without a backup.

Never had to deal with Epiphone- I understand they have a lifetime warranty in case I ever do.

I have been playing for a couple years now and I have had a chance to get my dirty hands on just about everything out there. This guitar feels so good when you play. I like the fact that the Studio is a lighter weight Les Paul since I normally play for about 4 hours at a time everyday. I got a great deal when I purchased this guitar. I know that if it were stolen- I'd send out a search party and buy two more. I was going to buy the Gibson origional version of this guitar, but when I played this one I decided to get it right away. The only thing I didn't quite like was the tuners, but I expected to change out a whole lot more of this guitar when I bought it. I never find factory tuners to be that great so I don't consider that a factor. I would just like to say that Epiphone did a great job in reproducing a legendary guitar. For the price, this guitar has incredible value.

This is a fairly standard guitar as far as features go, separate volume and tone controls for each humbucker, three way pickup selector, Tune O Matic bridge, Neck and Bridge pickups (Epiphone). I've been told that the wood used is similar to that used in the Gibson LPs, but Korean instead of American. As I said, there aren't too many features on this guitar, but I found it had everything I needed for a first guitar. I think that having separate controls for each pickup was particularly good in terms of versatility.

I play all kinds of music, when I bought this guitar I was into AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Guns n Roses, so a Les Paul was a pretty obvious choice. At the moment I'm listening to (and playing) alot of chili peppers and Hendrix, so I think my next guitar will be a Strat. But anyways back to the review, I've played this guitar through alot of amps, I own a small axetech amp with a mid frequency boost which I use pretty much all the time. I've also played through Pro Amps (not a good choice), a Marshall JCM 2000, a Fender Princeton, and various Peavey Amps. Out of all of these, I would have to say that this guitar responded best to the Marshall.

I love the rhythm channel on this guitar, just roll the tone right back and you have the smoothest, mellow sound. In my opinion that's where this guitat kicks the hardest, just getting a really fat bluesy sound. Although that's not all it can do, it's really easy to dial into a good sound for pretty much any style you want...within reason!

Here is where we get into the not so good stuff. I've found that one string buzzes sometimes when it's open, and having replaced the string multiple times, had the bridge checked etc I can only guess that it's a problem with some loose hardware somewhere in the head.

I've also had problems with tuning, the machine heads don't really stand up well to my style of playing which involves alot of bending. The pickup selector was poorly wired, although this problem was easily fixed. The saddle in the top E also had a barb in it which meant that if any stress was put on the the strings (ie bending) caused them to snap quite easily. Once again an easily fixed problem.

I'm not overly happy with the way the guitar frets in the upper strings, it seems to be a question of sacrificing tone for action, and the frets seem to be alot closer together than they are on more expensive guitars such as Strats and Gibsons. I know, what do you expect from a cheap first guitar, but hey I'm just pointing out the facts.

Well, as I've mentioned before the guitar has problems with tuning at times, which means I wouldn't gig with it if I had another option. Because I don't have another option I've just gotta make sure I check the tuning as often as possible. The electronics are reliable, I've heard of guitars that get temprementle, but I've never had a problem.

Everything about it is pretty fucking solid, I've abused it enough to know! I'd gig without a backup if it weren't for the cheap machine heads....

Never dealt with the company, no idea about warranty. I've paid for all the repairs I've had done.

I've been playing for a year and a half now, and this is the only guitar I've owned. Before I bought this guitar I played a few other cheap pieces of junk, but for the pric range this one blew them all away. If it were stolen I'd find the motherfucker and beat them to death with it. This guitar has kinda grown on me, despite all the faults I've mentioned I still love this guitar and I reckon it's the best in it's class.

I think it was made in Korea, but assembled in the US

It has a nice vintage tone but better if if you swith pickups, I recommend Seymours.

Nice color better than standard

Not very well

It has an online warranty

I've been playin it for half year now

A limited edition les paul studio copy, set neck, typical les paul electronics and controls. but you could tell by the weight that this is not a les paul, much lighter.

As it came the sound was good for a les paul copy, not quite the amout of crunch or sustain, but better than most copys i have tried with the exception of the takoi, but ten they are almost as much used as a real les paul. After owning it for a few months i installed vintage pickups from a 72 Vee, this addition brought so close to my frinds real studio that you could not tell the difference. So there it is, if you want to make this copy as close to the real studio as you can, find some vintage pickups! the rating is for the before pickup mod, i would give it a 9.5 after!

action was ok for a copy, had to adjust the neck some, file the nut, lower the bridge, still could never get it quite as nice as my friends real studio, but very, very close!...I give it an 8 as it came from the factory.

Epiphone makes probubly the most solid copy of the real thing, very well put together! the only problem i had was a weak output socket, put in an after market and it was fine!

A great company, called them for a new switch cap, mine was missing, and thought i had a problem switch but turned out to be a loose wire, they still sent me both free of charge!

for the price you cannot get a better copy of a real les paul, but it is still a copy, you can get the sound close to the real thing but it will never feel like the real thing, but then alot of us cannot afford the real thing. I no onger have this guitar but not because i didn't like it, if i had a real les paul i probubly would of sold it also, I wanted one guitar that covered more ground, settled on an ASAT Deluxe, read my opinion on this guitar!

I bought this guitar for obvious reasons: 1) It was an Epiphone. 2) New, not a scratch on it. 3) It had four controls. Now with four controls, you can do a lot. I always used to crank em all full blast, but I now learned that that isn't the way to go. Though the bass and treble tone controls are a little shabby, volume controls are excellent (it's the kind of guitar where the volume actually LOWERS when you turn it down. Pickups are ok, not gibson though. Well what do you expect from an Epiphone. But if you go down to a store with $100 and buy some Gibson USA pickups, slip em into your LP Studio, you've got a gibson. My guitar's finish was Ebony, and it shined in the lights. The features on this guitar are quite the bunch.

I play hard rock, metal and alternative, kind of like Silverchair and Blink, and Metallica. This guitar sure shows it's power. It suits my music fine, and it's rather lightweight, so therefore it's comfortable. I'm using a Peavey Rage 158 and Danelectro Distortion and Chorus with it. Not very good w/ Danelectro pedals. I'm picking up a BOSS Hyper Metal, and that's worth buying for this guitar. Not noisy really, only if you have a shitty amp. It's got a nice bright, mellow sound when it's on clean, and a biting, kick-in-your-face sound on crunch. And because it has four knobs, your sound varies So much. I also like how you can slide down the neck easily and you don't have to press down with herioc effort. One minor flaw, pickups aren't THAT good.

The guitar came out pretty nice. Very light, so you're able to move around with it when performing. You don't have to strum or pick hard, because the bridge is quite LOOSE and TIGHT at the same time (know what i mean?). Pickups were Ok, kinda loose, and were sorta scarred. It had a properly bookmatched top and a clean routed bridge. It did have a flaw though: The tuners looked dirty and had a bad look to them. You might want to change the tuners to chrome or gold. Everything else was all good.

THIS GUITAR WILL LAST AND LAST. I can definetly depend on this instrument. The finish looks thick and smooth, and will most likely never wear off. Though this guitar is a Les Paul STUDIO, it can withstand quite a lot of live shows as well. This guitar is worth buying for performances.

One last note: I've been playing for 3 years and for those past years, I've only owned one electric. This is the best electric guiar I've ever played on. Get it. It's worth it.

1998 made. Can't remember where!
22 frets
Two volume pots, two tone (One each per pickup), 3-way switch
Two Gibson humbuckers
Dunno about the body, but the neck is rosewood
Transparent kind of roasted colour
1 cable (dodgy, unusable)

I play heavy-rock and heavy-metal, both based largely in blues. The sound is just fantastic. This was my first electric, so I bought it with a Fender Frontman 25. Through that, you can just get a huge range of tones. From a huge, ppphhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaatttttttt thud, with loads of overdrive or distortion, using the neck pickup, to a jangly indie sound without the effect, using the bridge pickup.
This guitar can sound full and rich, or brittle and harsh, it's up to you.
In fact, for #200 in the sales, you couldn't find a nicer sound. It's an absolute beast. The ONLY problem, for that price, is that it whines. A lot. The feed-back is just incredible. This can be remedied by slightly turning down the volume.

I bought this at Musical Exchanges in Birmingham, England. Despite being a respected dealer (and owning the largest guitar shop I've seen), the Les Paul was somewhat less than satisfactory. Although the pickups where well-set, the action was appalling. I immediately lowered the strings and fiddled about with the rod. Once set-up, though, it has played nicely, though for a guitar of this price, obviously, it isn't perfect. The strings needed to be changed. They were not round. More square!

I have had to clean the switch. For a period, the neck pickup did not work at all. You have to take the switch out of the back of the guitar and sand down the contacts.

On the whole, well made.

Save yourself the hassle I've had and buy some new machine-heads with the guitar. I have now twisted off four of the six plastic bits, just tuning the thing.

Also, I break far too many first strings, although I am not a thrasher of the strings. The bridge needs to be filed a little.

The rest is fine. I fully intend to gig without backup until I have purchased another guitar (probably a BC Rich Warlock).

Never had to talk to anyone. I've had it since January 1999.

I've been playing for seven years, and only managed to get an electric in January 1999. Since then I have been using the guitar every single day, without fail. It is strong, durable and sounds like an angel or a demon and the flick of some dials. I am now in a much better situation to judge what I am buying, now, so, I would consider something of better quality (and regrettably somewhat more expense), but for a first guitar, it is fantastic. You won't find better in its price range.
While looking at guitars, I picked up myriad Fender and Squire Strats. I wouldn't wish a cheap Strat on my worst enemy. While being (still) the guitar of choice for many first-time buyers, the Epiphone Les Paul is an altogether nicer guitar. With a full and bassy sound and a half-decent action, it is very, very good.
Perhaps the guitar could have done with a single-coil in the middle, just for variety, but otherwise, it is a fine workhorse and will always be a staple guitar in my gigging diet.

Manufactured in Korea, year unknown, you could say the features are "Standard Les Paul". Here are the specs straight from the Epiphone web site:
Pickups 2 Humbuckers ,passive Hardware Chrome Scale 24.75" Nut Width 1.68" Neck Joint Set Neck Material Mahogany Fingerboard Rosewood/Trapezoid Binding None Body Material Mahogany/Alder Top Mahogany/Alder
Mine sports a nice translucent burgundy finish, very nice!

Since my last attempt at submitting a review was plagued by technical difficulties, I'm not sure whether or not my original post went through... if it's twice, I apologize, if not, here goes:
After trying it out more thoroughly at home in my Fender Blues Jr amp, those stock Epi humbuckers are very, very loud! By turning the knobs down, it sounded more than just decent, it sounded great! But that's a mark of a great amp: it makes a decent axe sound good and a good guitar sound great!
The key is to adjust the guitar volume knobs to "agree" with the amp - I used to keep all guitar controls full blast ... there is a lot to be learned from experimenting with different settings!
I admit that I'm in the "after glow" of the purchhase, and I do have a DiMarzio Super 2 and a Carvin Humbucker waiting "backstage" should my ears decide this guitar lacks anything ... so far, through my amp, I must say the pickups impress me. I was expecting the pickups would be the first thing I'd change, but I guess not now!
I'm into bluesy music: blues influenced rock, folk rock as well, and my own brand of pseudo-psychedelic rock -I'm a brit rock fan (Zepplin, The Stones, The Who, the Fab Four, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Deep Purple etc., etc.) so I take bits and pieces from various styles (or at least I try!) and combine them.
It took me a while to figure it out, but I'm a Les Paul man, period. This axe confirms it!

The action is what made me chose this guitar among the others. Agreed, the looks got my attention, but that setup was better than the other guitars I tested ( othe Epis, as well as Godin Radiator): low action,little or no fret buzz. I still have a free store setup that comes with the purchase, but does it need it?
I guess once the wood settles with temperature changes I might want the setup then.
The pickups are well adjusted indeed: so loud that I had to turn the volumes down all the way then turn them back up to where they sounded the nicest ... I'll say it again, I wasn't expecting that level of quality there!
It's a plain mahogany body with a translucent burgundy finish, I saw no dips or scratches, very, very nice.

The only weak point I see to that guitar is the old fashioned acorn-type tuners, they look shoddy and cheap ... then again, they (or similar ones anyway)seem to be favored by Gibson as well.
If one should break or become ineffective at keeping the guitar in tune, I'd likely replace them with Grovers or Gotoths. Otherwise, they'll stay on.
Otherwise, it seems well built and durable, but keep in mind I just bought it! Since I baby my stuff, it will last me!

Since I have a warrantee from Long & McQuade, they'd be the ones I see for any servicing if required. I can't otherwise comment on the quality of customer support.

Been playing for a while (good Lord is it 14 years already?), once played bass in a semi pro outfit (another story). I also own a home made double cutaway Les Paul Jr, fitted with Seth Lover pickups; and a Frankenstrat fitted with Duncan Alnico-Pro II pickups.
My amp is a Fender Blues Jr (best amp I've ever owned) and I use several different pedals (too long a list) depending on what effect I'm trying to achieve.
Since I know how inconsistent Epi's can be quality-wise, I jumped at the opportunity when I saw how feather-light this Les Paul was, and how "Gibson worthy" the action was (low, buzz-free, comfortable). I wasn't expecting the pickups to sound good as well, that's a bonus indeed.
Should it become lost or stolen, I'd collect my insurance premium and get another for sure, provided the action & pickups are this good on the replacement!
I love the weight & action, I also love the looks: those trapezoid inlays & inlaid Epiphone logo look very sharp! The only thing I dislike is the tuning gear, but they haven't yet given me any reason to doubt their reliability.
I also tried out an Epiphone Les Paul "sparkle" (felt like it weighed a ton) a generic Epiphone Les Paul (bolt on neck) nice but boring looking and well, a bolt on neck! Also tried an Epi SG and SG custom. as well as a Godin Radiator. The Studio was the only one that had it all together, light weight, great action, good looks and good sound too!
I guess splittable humbuckers would make it that much more flexible, but it has a LOT to offer as is!

This guitar was crafted in Korea, I am unsure of the year. The features are standard Les Paul - here are the specs straight from the Epiphone web site:
Pickups 2 Humbuckers (passive) Hardware Chrome Scale 24.75" Nut Width 1.68" Neck Joint Set Neck Material Mahogany Fingerboard Rosewood/Trapezoid Binding None Body Material Mahogany/Alder Top Mahogany/Alder
The finish on mine is a nice deep dark burgundy, which lets the wood grain show through.

It took me a long time to realize that I'm a Les Paul guy, end of story. Since I just purchased the darned thing, I'm in the afterglow of the purchase so I won't say it's the best sounding guitar ever made, but when I tried it out in the store, using a Fender Blues DeVille, it sounded pretty darned decent.
I enjoy blues, blues-rock, folk rock, as well as a weird neo-psychedelic mess (I'm a Brit Rock fan, what can I say?).
It has a nice clean sound, perhaps (and I do mean perhaps) a bit thin in the neck position - but the store tryout was rather quick: it sounded clean and played nice (see action fit & finish) that's good enough for me!

The factory setup is pretty damned good. I do have a free setup with Long & McQuade's that comes with the purchase, but that guitar's action was so low and buzz-free straigh "off the rack" that it really got my attention.
It's feather-light - a big plus for anybody who's ever had a pinched nerve or some other similar injury.
The finish looks gorgeous, I've seen no scratches or dings in the wood. A bit of dust was the only visual flaw!

The only weak point I see with this guitar would be the old-fashioned acorn type tuning gear. They just plain look shoddy.
The overall construction is, however, very well made. I baby my stuff so I know it'll last.

I've never dealt with the people at Epiphone, can't comment here!

Please note that the price quoted was after trade-in. It listed for $545.00. As I mentioned, I'm a Les Paul guy: my other axe is a home made Les Paul Jr with double cutaways fitted with Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickups. I do have a Frankenstrat on standby if I feel like single coil tone.
I play through a Fender Blues Jr amp. Depending on the song, I'll use several pedals: Dunlop Rotovibe, Boss T-Wah, Zoom Amp simulator/Delay pedal, various distortion & fuzz boxes and a Boss Acoustic simulator ... mostly, I'll like the guitar straight in the Blues Jr!
What I love about this guitar is the light weight, smooth, low action and the good looks! The pickups sound decent but that's a secondary thought: should I feel (once the afteglow wears off) that they lack punch, tightness or whatever my ears feel may be lacking, I have a set of pickups gathering dust in my closet ... both splittable humbuckers which would add that much flexibility to it.
My only real concern is the tuners: they look cheap and frail, but it would seem that all of the better Epis & Gibsons use those acorn tuners ... if they keep the guitar in tune and don't break on me, they'll stay in. If one of them wears out to the point the guitar won't stay in tune, I think getting Gothoths, Grovers or Sperzels shouldn't be that difficult or expensive.
I compared it with other Epiphone Les Pauls & SG's as well as with a Godin Radiator, this one Les Paul beat them hands down in the weight & low action category. And it looks nice! Love those trapezoid inlays!
The inlaid "Epiphone logo" in the headstock looks pretty hot too!

This is a 1998, I think, Les Paul Studio. It has the standard LP features: solid body, carved top, two humbucker pickups, 3 way selector switch, tune-o-matic bridge, etc. The neck is nice. Not too think, not too thin, and good for just about all kinds of playing. The tuners, well, they are shit. As soon as I get the money, Im replacing them w/ gotoh locking tuners.

Nice. The pickups arent great, but I think I got a good one: they arent that bad. I use a Fender Frontman 25R usually. Usually, I use the neck pickup, or both, because, the bridge one has too much treble in it, but its not too bad. I play some blues, classic rock, and punk rock, and it does all pretty well.

The guitar was set up surprisingly well at the factory. I had to have one of the tuners replaced, and Im about to replace them all, but thats Epiphone for ya. So far, my biggest beef has been the P.O.S. nut. The second time I changed the strings, the damn thing snapped in two. But hell, it was plastic. Epiphone would only replace it w/ another plastic one, but when the luthier went to take the nut off, he found that some laquer had splashed onto the head and stuck the nut in. So, when he took the nut off, some of the finish on the head chipped off. He felt bad, so he made me a nice nut out of bone, and I havent had any problems since. I give it a 6 because of the sloppy finish splash, and the shitty nut.

I only play w/ my friends, not live, so I dont know about the reliability during live play. It seems pretty reliable, though, as soon as you replace the nut and tuners. Some people will want to replace the pickups, as well, but mine work well, and I can deal with them for now. I wouldnt ever gig w/ out a backup, though.

It has a lifetime warranty, but they wouldnt replace that cheap ass nut with a real one, so I was a bit peaved. Other than that, nice.

Not bad. Replace the shitty nut and tuners, and maybe the pickups, and its not badd. Its lighter than the standard and custom les pauls, too, which I like. I hate wearing a heavy guitar. If it was stolen, I would probably get a standard though, even thought I like this one a lot. The standards are too heavy, in my opinion. A pretty nice guitar, but look at all the ones in the store, and pick the best one.

'95 I believe. Made in Korea. 22 frets. Solid top. 2-tone, 2-volume 3-way selector. two humbuckers-stock. Mohogany neck, rosewood fretboard, and a thin layer of either maple or alder on top of a mohogany body. Cherry sunburst finish. tune o matic/stopbridge tailpiece. Regular epi(cheap)tuners. Not a load of features, but its a les paul.

Suits my style well. I play Guns n roses, aerosmith, ozzy, etc. Pickups suck. I use a Marshall vs102R through a dunlop crybaby, and usually use a Roland effects board while recording. It's got sustain, but its neck is bolt on so that takes a little bit away from that. The pickups tend to be noisy at high noises. I'm going to replace them with seymour duncans. This guitar gets all the sounds of a Gibson just at a lower price

Action way too high. The truss rod needed to be adjusted, and the nut was too low. I had to replace that, but I bought it used so some of this was expected.

Will withstand playing live, but the hardware is crap. The finish isn't very good to begin with. Replaced the strap buttons with strap locks. I would not gig without a backup, cause I don't plan on looking like a fool when I break a string. Besides, this is my #2 guitar soon to be my #3.

Don't deal with epiphone. Bought from pawn shop so no warranties or customer service.

For $200, this is terrific. I've been playing for 4 years, but I'm pretty decent. I love that it's a reliable backup. My favorite feature is that its a paul at such a low price. If it was stolen, I'd get over it. I wish it came with better stock pickups. I've had it for a while, but the pickups just started to screw up recently.

This is a '98 ebony, with white pickguard. 22 frets. Standard Les Paul set-up (H/H) with 2 volume knobs and 2 tone knobs. I replaced the bridge stock pick-up with a Seymour Duncan Distortion Trembucker because the stock pick-ups squeal when you turn the amp up. Still looking for a good neck pick-up. Has a stop tailpiece, of course. I got this one with a hardshell case. Can't forget the pick-up selector.

It suits my music style perfectly, rock and roll!!! (VH, GnR, Aerosmith, etc.) I use it with my Aden Delay, Crybaby Wah, and my DOD Mystic Blues overdrive pedals. The pick-up I have has great harmonics in my Lead 12 Marshall. It has amazing highs and lows. Not that good with the mids, but what rock fan uses that?? As I said, the only problem I had were the noisy stock pick-ups.

The action is great!! I lowered it as low as it will go without buzzing. The only flaws were scratches (put there by me, of course).

I would use this guitar as my main guitar at a gig, that is, if I don't get my Wolfgang!!

It's under a lifetime warranty.

Buy this as a beginner/ intermediate player, it's great.

Guitar is about 96-97 studio les paul. Solid top with cherry sunburst(nicely finished). Volume and tone pots for both humbuckers. Conrols are dismal. Stock Epiphone pickups had to be taken off and repaced - they were too muddy and lacked dekinition. no tuning problems - stop tailpiece and nice tuners (non locking) kept everything sounding nice. Neck was comfortable with mediun frets. and a rosewood fingerboard (22 frets).

I like to play shred, Neo-Classical, Classical, and rock. The guitar was disappointing in all respects. I used it with a custom shop Trace Elliot C50 combo, and it sounded muddy all the time. Hence the replacement pickups which helped matters a little but not a lot. Guitar is suited only to tashy rythm playing.

Medium action, extremely poor quality wood and pickups, Stain from the neck was spilled on the fretboard...need I go on?...

Played three gigs with it before selling it on, so I can't comment on reliability. But being a Les Paul I can't see any problems in this area.

Lifetime warranty (I think), but I had no dealings with the company.

The fact that I sold the guitar and purchased a Godin sums up my feelngs on this guitar. Shoddy workmanship, terrible woods, dismal pickups combine to make this a truly "entry" level electric. Gigging musicians avoid it.

this is a pretty good guitar. it was made in october 98 by some korean factory. 22 frets with a mohogany top. it has 2 volume and 2 tone controls and a 3 way toggle switch. 2 generic passive epiphone humbuckers. the body is mahogany and alder, the neck is mahogany. its a transparent vintage sunburst finish (very very nice) it looks nothing like the les paul special II. it has a tune-o-matic bridge with a stop bar tail piece. the tuners arent too great, pearloid generic epiphone tuners. the nut is 1.68" wide, with a scale of 24.75". the frets are a medium size (i think) with a rosewood fretboard with traditional trapeziod inlays.

the sound suits my music style very well. the pickups aren't too bad for a 400 dollar guitar. i play mostly classic rock (pink floyd, led zeppelin, black sabbath, stevie ray, skynyrd, etc.}. im using a zoom 505 pedal and a fender princeton 112 plus amp. its has a very rich and fat sound like a les paul should. you can play anything from great sounding blues to shitty alternative music if you want. with the zoom 505 i can make some good sounds with this guitar. the only thing is that it sounds kind of weak compared to a gison, but way better than a standard strat. but it still sounds great.

the guitar is set up well. no fret buzz at all. the intonation is perfect!!! the pickups were a little high so i lowereed up. the top is properly matched, and the bridge is properly routed. the only flaw is the on the side of the fingerboard, their is a couple spots of stain from the neck.

this guitar seems to be pretty reliable. it will probably with stand playing live. the hardware is pretty good. the finish is very thick and wont wear off for a very long time. the strap buttons are pretty good. its a dependable guitar. id use it on a gig without a backup.

never dealt with them.. lifetime warranty

ive been playing for 2 years and have read all kinds of magizines and catalogs. they all say its a pretty decent guitar. if it was stolen i might buy it again (im thinking about that g-400 custom). i compared it to strats and teles and this one was better for the price. the only difference between the studio and standard is the binding. it also has a black pickguard and black knobs. thats it. if you want those 3 things, shell out an estra $60 and get the standard. bottom line -- a good guitar for the price.

Umm.. It's an Epiphone Les Paul Studio, all black. I suppose it was made somewhere by a 5 year old who got paid a couple of pennies. But that 5 year old must be a phenom, because it's the best guitar that I've ever played on. Made in 98. Bought it from the best guitar store in the world. Moore Music in Evansville, IN. It's got 2 pickups, humbuckers, chrome overlay. Stock, of course, and will be forever. I don't really like it when people replace the pickups... it changes the sound of the guitar, and you're not playing the same guitar you were before. Might as well get a new guitar. A lot of people say the pickups in these things are crap, but isn't that what gives it it's individual style? If you can't learn how to play on one of these, and get the best sound out of it possible, then you probably should go play some standard fender stratocaster.. whoo hoo those are original. But anyways. It's all black, black pickguard, looks like a rosewood fretboard. It looks REAL SHINY LIKE. Fingerprints show up on it real well though. Has a single cutaway at the top, thin profile, VERY LIGHT. Don't know what kind of bridge it has, but it doesn't have a wammy bar, thank god. Non-locking tuners. It's got a 3 way switch on it, one for lead, one for rhythm, and one for in between. Each pickup has it's own volume and tone switch. When you put it on the middle setting, it uses all 4 nobs.. each volume, pertaining to each pickup, and each tone nob to fine toon the sound. You can really get a variety of toons with the way this works. Tooning nobs are kinda cheap looking, but when you get down to tooning and fine tooning, they are VERY accurate and don't lose the tooning unless the string itself stretches or something. Very nice very nice. I would make NO modifications to this guitar at all. Doing so would be like putting a different engine in your car. It would still look like the same car, but wouldn't have the same personality. The guitar cost me $680, worth every penny.

The sound of a guitar is not something that the player creates. The sound of a guitar is always there, hidden inside its soul, you just have to find it. Depending on the way you have it set up, it can sound thick and bluesy, or high and mighty. Clean sounds awesome, and distortion opens up a new avenue of perfection. I've found pantera, metallica, greenday, offspring, somebody kill me by adam sandler. Whatever type of sound that you want, you don't need to change the pickups to find it.. you need to change how you're looking for it. I haven't gotten any effects yet.. I am using a peavey bandit 112 with it, and man is it cooooool. but this aint an amp review. I can't think of anything about this guitar that I don't like. No, this isn't an "everything is perfect" review, because I am very critical, but I also know when I've got a good thing.

If you have the money, I wouldn't get a studio, if you perform that is. Get one with a better finish. All black is okay, but not too cool. I've seen a studio that was about $150 more, but it had a gothic sunburst with pearl pickguard. ooohhh.. But anyways.. The guitar, I noticed, has one single flaw. A deep gash (about a quarter of an inch long) on the fret board.. finished over, and not noticeable until I took all the strings off and decided to study the intricate detail of this black beauty. Probably one of the korean workers wanted some revenge or something, but not noticeable at all. All the hardware was put together nicely, haven't had to make any adjustments as of yet. Plays very nicely, strings don't hurt very much, you don't have to push down like an acoustic, but it does take a little pressure. But, it keeps the strings from buzzing.

HA. I dream about when I'll be good enough to play live in front of a lot of people, because I would just rock the house with this guitar. Very VERY reliable. I've had it for 2 months, play it every day, and i've only broken one string. I replace the strings every now and then anyway, because it just aint natural to have strings on that long, whether they're perfect or not. I've found that d'addario strings work beautifully on this guitar.. tune nicely, sound great, only broke one e string.

Never had to mess with them.

Been playing for about 8-9 months. I wish I had more money so I could have gotten the one with a much better finish, but they sound the same so I can't complain too much. If it were stolen, I would wreak havoc on the soul that took it.. I would probably cry forever, then buy the Joe Perry Signature Edition lespaul. My favorite feature is the versatility.. great lead, great blues, thick distortion, tinny distortion, whatever you want, it's got. Highly recommend over a Fender Stratocaster. Those things are like corvettes, they may look good, cost a lot, but a crap. Epi LesPauls are like Dodge Rams. Look good, maybe expensive, not the most flashy or racey, but man can it pull it's load. I give it a 9 rating, because it can't be completely perfect, but dangit it's close.

Containing 22 frets, the neck is okay. It's neither really good or bad, it's mediocre. The good thing is that it is glued into the body instead of bolted ( better quality than the Les Paul Special II ). It has the original factory humbuckers which are controlled by their own individual tone and volume controls. It also has a Tune-O-Matic bridge. It's made of alder ( the body). It is a solid body made of three solid pieces of wood placed together ( not plywood, the pieces are placed side by side ). The tuners were put in by a child earning 0.0000002 cents an hour somewhere in Asia because they were not screwed in very straight.

It sounds pretty good for 250 dollars! Of course the humbuckers are not the greatest, but they can be replaced. However, they are microphonic unfortunatly. I practice through a Peavy Rage amp and I can talk into the pickups and my voice will come out of the amp when in overdrive. I also picked up an AM radio station on it clearer than my stereo can! But, this could also be caused by all the wires around. I bet Carvin pickups can't do this! Oh well, no other 250 dollar guitar probably sounds as good as this one does.

It was set up very well for the type of guitar it is. One way to tell is by the serial no. If it starts with an E or U, then it is good, if F or S then it sucks. Anything else, it's in between. All the controls were surprisingly good for being an Epi. No flaws. Could be because the ser no. started with a U. The finish is great! Mine is cherry sunburst. It will be tough to ruin. It is polyurethane... one tough mother. One beautiful guitar!

I'd play gigs with it if it had better pickups. Most people would not though because it is an Epi. It would have to be up to you. To tell you the truth, I love this guitar! I only payed 250 for it! I think the finish will definatly last. It will stay beautiful for a while. It is very thick.

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I've only been playing for a month, but my friend has played for 8 years and he helped with this evaluation. So have your own reference and don't take my word, but for 250 dollars we both agree that I got a deal.