Penco Les Paul Custom Copy

My neighbor was throwing out this guitar when it was in bad condition. So, my dad and I fixed it up with pretty much new everything.

-Made in mid 70s in Japan, same factory as old Ibanez
-22 frets w/ block inlay
-Color: Laminated top, Tobacco sunburst
-2 volume, 2 tone , 3 way selector
-pickups: H/H Passive

The pickups were broken so i dont know what it orriginally sounded like. We replaced them with crappy $30 humbuckers. I am goin to get SDs for it
Even with the crappy pickups it sounds pretty good so the original ones must have been great.

a lot was missing but the actual guitar itself was in very goo condition

this guitar could be thrown down a flight of stairs and not break!

out of buisness

this is a very solid guitar. plays as good as my $600 jackson

If you ever come across a pre-lawsuit guitar, grab it!

I have a 1970's Penco Les Paul imitation guitar. It features are the same as the Gibson Les Paul. Bought this guitar in high school from a high school buddy. Between the two of us and a guitar shop, many parts of the guitar are tinkered with or replaced. New tuners, nut, whole new internal electronics, different bridge pickup, installed strap. For 35 years old, the guitar is in great shape. The guitar is HEAVY, very solid.

The pickups and internal wiring arn't original so I'm not sure how well the original penco performs. I'm satisfied with this set up. Real crisp, weakish hollow sound from the bridge pickup (may be original). Not unpleasant, very vintage sounding. Strong neck pickup with good lows. Very large contrast so the range of sounds is impressive. (at one time I had a wiring system that could invert the phase of one of the pickups to create destructive interference and huge harmonics) I like the sound setup so I'll give it an 8

I love the fret wires on the Penco. They began life very low to the neck. After one resurfacing, they are even lower. The small fret wires allow the action to be very low also. Some tone is lost with lower action, but when you push on the strings, more of your fingers contact the fretboard. This give a very interesting feeling. It really feels like you are playing the board and the strings are just there. The finish still looks great after 35 years. Its a brown yellow blend finish. very pretty. I give the rating a 9 because the fretboard and neck are so smooth that playing the guitar is a wonderful experience.

IT'S 35 years old!!!! How many other things not only 1 last so well, and 2 are still as good as their counterparts built today? The guitar has taken many spills and still gets back up for more. The parts that were broken and worn were all easily replaceable: ex) tuners. What I don't like is that the Truss Rod appears to be ineffectual after 35 years. What can you do? The neck is Perfectly straight (I've heard there should be a little bow in it) Oh well. For durability I give a 7. Still playable after all these years

Company's gone. Pensylvania Music Company. Imported from Asia, sold in America, got sued for making copies of popular guitars (so I've heard). I'm very disappointed that there is no one to call and talk to about my guitar that is obviously out of warante (why would I any way, it's a great guitar). The good news is that the company and the Asian manufactures did such a great job at stealing/copying (I prefer "reverse engineering" that Gibson replacement parts fit perfectly. As long as Gibson stays in business, Yea!

Great guitar to have and play. Easy to work on if you want to try out guitar tinkering. This guitar feels as good as mid range priced guitars 800-1200$ guitars. This guitar blows away ANY introductory or low end guitar guarenteed!!!! Oh, I just spent 135$ buying Johny his first new guitar from a big box store, or a local guitar shop. SUCKER! Those are only fine for the Sheep who can't find a good used PENCO! Introductory Fender goooooooooood, baaaaa, looks like the one Eric Clapton plays, baaaaaa. Sorry, just joking. Like I said, you need to get up to 800$ before a new guitar can compete with the Penco. Every average to good level (bar gig guys) guitar player I've showed the Penco to loves it. Some have even used it on stage and made it scream!
To the low level mid twenty something guitar store worker in 1992 who made a joke about the "custom" label on the truss rod cover... you're probably still spewing your uninformed dribble 14 years later. (no offense to guitar store workers cause it seems like a really cool job, point was that the cat was a pin head)

I have a mid 70's Les Paul Custom copy made by Penco. It is black with off-white trim on the body and off-white neck binding and black pick-guard. The hardware is gold. The tops of the pickups (not sure what kind they are but they look like hummbuckers) are faded a bit but the rest of the hardware is in good shape. I bought this guitar used for $100.00 back when I was in college. I liked the Les Paul look, the finish, and it was made by the same company that made the Ibanez knock-offs. My jammin' buddy had an Ibanez and I loved how it played so I figured I was safe with my purchase.

Has a nice full sound perhaps even better than my real Gibson LEs Paul Studio. I use a small squire amp with a number of stomp boxes.

The guitar plays quite well and once I set it up for correct string height and intonation it was awesome. It stay in tune and has been very reliable. After 30 years this guitar still has a nice shine to it and the hardware, although aged, has done so evenly and adds a certain 'patina' to the instrument that gives it a 'vintage' look. For a knock-off it would seem to be of good quality. Interestingly enough this guitar is pretty heavy. Heavier than my strat or studio. Very solid and the neck has never moved.

I honestly believe that this guitar will outlast any other in my collection, except perhaps my Ibanez. Honestly, this guitar has been played, banged by my kids, gone through several moves, survived college, and drunken practice sessions and keeps coming back for more.

Penco who?

Overall I would give this guitar an 8. It's a fake but it still plays nicely. It sounds good, the electronics are a bit scratchy these days but hey after 30 years...

I still enjoy playing it but most of the time it hangs on the well with the others in my collection. I have no idea of it's value on e-bay or at a store. I'm sure I could get my 100 bucks back plus some. I saw one shop in Connecticut that has one that looks exactly like mine in about the same shape for 600 bucks. (Hmmmm) But the memories that this guitar carried are priceless to me.

Mid70s Les Paul Custom Knock off, made in Japan
22 Frets
Laminated Golden/Black Sunburst
Standard Les Paul 2 Humbuckers, 2 V/2 T pots, and 3 way toggle switch
Modified by me to have an EMG-85 and 1 V pot
Standard Tune-o-Matic Bridge
Crap ass factory tuners
Rosewood Fingerboard w/ Mother of Pearl Block inlays
Neck is Wide, not too thick, feels nice. Bolt-On.
Gold Hardware

I play a bunch styles, none well :-)
Mostly early '80s metal, extreme hardcore punk/thrash, some blues, noise rock, avant free jazz noise crap. The pick up more than anything makes it versitile. I like it.

I got it as a hand me down from my dad who bought it in the mid80s for $150, no idea how it was set up originally.

well it's 25 years old it's still in good shape. The Strap buttons did pull out I shoved a wooden match in there and screwed it back together and it's been ok for a few years.

I'm a drummer mostly, I've only done one gig with it. Seemed sturdy :-)

I'll give it a 5 for "average" as I have no idea.

The company is long gone.

I have been playing for 18 years. I also have a Yamaha Acoustic (model Unknown), Dean Baby ML (1983), Epiphone SG Bass, Memphis P Bass clone.

Marshal 4x12" cab, Peavey 2x15" cab, Kustom 200 head (bass head), no guitar head right now unfortunatly.

I have had a few guitars this is my Favorite, I have a bid on a 2nd one on ebay right now. I had a couple Guild guitars before this is just a good Gibson knock off and probably plays better than their current $1200 guitars! (which says more about Gibson than Penco really) It plays well I can do what I want on it, what more can you ask for?

I bought this guitar for $200 over the internet cuz it had a nice color(cherry sunburst) and it had all the cosmetics(pearl inlays ,etc.) I plugged the guitar in and it played like crap the pickups hardly picked anything up. I replaced them with Gibson pickups 490R and $98T like the standard. It now has a beautiful fat tone that I have always dreamed of. ok tunners made by "Kramer" TUnomatic bridge everythin else is like a regular Les Paul.so after my modifications I give this guitar a 8 just cuz the neck is bolt on and it always has to be aligned.

RIch fully warm sound on the 490R humbucker. Best sound I have heard in a long time overly sweet long ass sustain. 498T gives you some sharp distorted Stone Gossard type distorsion sounds. I bought this guitar mostly cuz I idolized Stone Gossard of pearl Jam.

Gorgeous sunburst Top. pearl enlays, the works. action sucks and has to be adjusted every week.

wouldn't rely on it without backup because the pickup selector sometimes takes a while when it swiches pickups so I would switch and then 5 to 10 sec later the sound will gradually come back.

Penco----> BS company no one has everheard of it, some company in Korea probably owned by samick.

I have been playing for about 4 years and I also own in terms of guitars a yamaha acoustic FG-401 and a Pacifica 112 guitar. I am currently in the market for either an epiphone les paul , a loe end gibson , or a high end fender strat(62 reissue). I have a Fender Amp and in terms of peda;s I am obsessed. Boss DS-2 turbo distorsion, Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-9, Morely wah/volume ,Dunlop 535 crybaby, MXR phase 90, Boss BF-2 flanger, BOss DD-3 digital delay, Dunlop TS-1 Tremolo, And Dunlop Univibe.