Today I went to play guitars and that usually results in me playing a strat, a telecaster, a gretsch and whatever fender Jaguar they have knocking around (regardless of shop).
Today I tried a Gibson Les Paul... I've never even picked up a Les Paul and I've played for a good 20 years now. Hated how it looked, loved how it played. I then saw the price tag and moved to the Les Paul tribute, didn't like the way it looked or played....
I then moved to the Epiphone rack and played an unsightly green Les Paul pro; my God it was good and I must have one.
I'm probably going to upset a lot of people here but I am seriously not keen on the bursts and fancy flame tops of Les Paul's which is why I didn't walk away with any of the epiphones today. I do REALLY like the look of a Les Paul in ebony...
My localish PMT has both the Epiphone Custom Pro and the Epiphone Black Beauty in stock - love the three pickup look on that one.
Can somebody please school me on these two guitars or alternatives. Always had a really good experience with epi acoustics and the quality of the LPs today was outstanding.
Cheers!
Comments
I have a GT 56 and its a great guitar.
http://www.epiphonewiki.org/index/Les_Paul_Standard.php#Les_Paul_Standard_Plain_Top
Or if you wanted to push the boat out.
http://www.epiphonewiki.org/index/Elitist_Series.php#Elitist_Les_Paul_Standard
I havent played the newer Chinese made epis and I am sure they are great guitars but I have had two late Korean guitars 2000-20004 and both were great, I had an early Korean one and it was a bit pants, might have just been me though.
If second hand is an option I'd suggest looking for an Edwards, Tokai, Greco or similar MIJ beast. You could also get a Gibson "tribute". Any of these could be had around the £500 mark with patience.
My favourite "budget" LP is the Vintage V100pg- their Lemon Drop model, it's great- provided you don't mind thin necks.
In the past I have had custom shop R9s, Tokai Les Paul's etc but this is the most fun and it's only 8.4 lbs. Also, with a guitar that costs 500 quid you are not as precious about it and just play it. I removed the pickguard and next up I will remove the pickup covers.
Obviously, I know this is not as well made as a US Gibson and the components are cheap compared to that but I don't really care at this point. Listen to the tone Bonamassa gets from the Epi norms burst on YouTube and then tell me that doesn't turn you on!
At current sale prices, i reckon its the best value Epi LP at the moment.
Adam
And I'm seriously loving this,
http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Electrics/Les-Paul.aspx
http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Ltd-Edition.aspx
The Trad '60 looks nice too, but again, neck profile?
Honestly though, I really did prefer the entire feel of the epi. And I'm not fussed about spending a third of my budget... There's plenty more pedal GAS to be had this January.
Re Vintage - I had a vintage SG 10 years ago and it was SUPERB, I packed up and moved abroad and got rid of everything other than a couple of guitars, big regret.
Wow! Not sure about the sparkler but the burst aint half bad, and I ain't usually a fan of bursts full stop.
The Pro ones are the ones to go for imo, apart from slightly cheap/loose feeling pots I don’t think there’s anything that would need replacing. I like the Probuckers and the Pro has a slightly thicker neck than the normal ones. If you want a *really* nice one and don’t mind EMG pickups I’d look at the Bjorn Gelotte signature as it has a better/bigger neck profile that’s more standard Gibson in feel. There’s also the inspired by 1955 Custom with Gibson P90s which I have had major GAS for forever.
For me the only real reason I’d maybe go for something else is if I wanted the proper headstock shape, and also the Gibson nitro finish looks and feels nicer than the plasticky poly of the Epiphone.