Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

F

Farkus

New member
My little brother likes Les Pauls for some reason. :joke:

Myself, I've never liked the feel or sound of the Les Paul family of instruments, so I don't know much about them, but thought you guys could help me out.

He wants to get a LP, and would like to know if going the Epi route is an okay way to go, in terms of sound/playability as well as general craftsmanship (will it stand up to constant use, etc). Like I said, I don't know much about them, but assume they use cheaper electronics, etc, but since I do all my own work, I would help him out there. Right now price is an issue, but he'd rather spend the money on a Gibby if the Epi isn't going to do the job or is seriously sub-par compared to the Gibby.

I would just go and try them out/compare them for myself, but I have such little experience and, since I'm not a big fan of how they sound, probably wouldn't be the best judge. So, I ask those of you with experience for your opinion.

Thanks in advance for your responses!
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

Epi's aren't bad, but like any guitar you have to find the right one in my opinion. I overall prefer Gibsons to their Epi counterparts, but I've played some Epi's that have blown away Gibsons. I changed the electronics in my Epi, but that was personal preference.
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

Buy the Epi.

I owned an Epi LP Standard, where I changed out a lot of the components (electronics, hardware, pickups) and it played beautifully. I completely loved it. I replaced it with a Gibson, which still doesn't sound nearly as nice (but sustains/plays better).

So buy the Epi. They can be really fantastic guitars.
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

Epi les paul custom's are great guitars and can be right up there with Gibsons in quality. New pickups and possibly electronics are probably going to be needed though.
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

Epi's are a budget axe and should be viewed as such.. cheaper hardware, electronics, woods, finnish

My Epi's i can't see sinky a lot of money in aftermarket parts.. i would not mind a new Epi LP Custom oneday, and very well may buy one in the future... out of all the Epi's i like the Customs.... If i do get another epiphone it will be pretty much left stock besides maybe some Pickup upgrades. Less and Less i can't see myself modding the hell out of cheap axes.. Pickups are always cool to upgrade..... but when you get into changing tuners and bridges i might as well buy a better more expensive axe like a Gibson LP Studio
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

Epi quality seems to have gotten better and more consistant. many now have grovers so that eliminates one issue. Try some and find one of the better feeling and sounding ones. The pots and switch prob will fail , but sounds like you can take care of that.
As he improves, duncans will improve the sound.
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

hey how's the quality on gibson studios?? or vintage mahoganys, basically any of their cheap axes (cheap yeah right)....
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

I liked mine so much... I bought another.



Farkus said:
My little brother likes Les Pauls for some reason. :joke:

Myself, I've never liked the feel or sound of the Les Paul family of instruments, so I don't know much about them, but thought you guys could help me out.

He wants to get a LP, and would like to know if going the Epi route is an okay way to go, in terms of sound/playability as well as general craftsmanship (will it stand up to constant use, etc). Like I said, I don't know much about them, but assume they use cheaper electronics, etc, but since I do all my own work, I would help him out there. Right now price is an issue, but he'd rather spend the money on a Gibby if the Epi isn't going to do the job or is seriously sub-par compared to the Gibby.

I would just go and try them out/compare them for myself, but I have such little experience and, since I'm not a big fan of how they sound, probably wouldn't be the best judge. So, I ask those of you with experience for your opinion.

Thanks in advance for your responses!
Click to expand...
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

Epi's are a great substitute for a Gibson, but that's exactly what they are - a low cost substitiute. That doesn't mean they're not great guitars. I've got 2 Epi LP's now and 3 Gibson LP's. The Gibsons do have an unmistakable vibe and feel, but the Epi's still sound and play great, so I plan on keeping 'em. Put some duncans in the Epi, and it should satisfy your LP craving...

If you can't foot the price of an LP studio, definetly go with the Epi.
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

My Epi LP Special II plays and looks like a dream...the sunburst colour is awesome, the orange is transparent so you can see the wood. I'm changing the pickups in it, but the stock ones are fairly decent. Good bang for your buck.
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

mrturtle_91 said:
My Epi LP Special II plays and looks like a dream...the sunburst colour is awesome, the orange is transparent so you can see the wood. I'm changing the pickups in it, but the stock ones are fairly decent. Good bang for your buck.
Click to expand...

My first electric was actually an LP100 Plus... This is one of Epi's most inexpensive entry level guitars. I only paid $100 for it, and even that was a great guitar...

...If you can, get a standard or a custom...
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

There's nothing wrong with the Epis, IMO. Just search through a bunch to find the best one and you're good to go. I got lucky and found my Standard Plus in a short amount of time. It's seen a few pickup swaps but the stock pickups aren't all that bad actually. A few months ago I put in a SuperD/PAF combo and now it sounds how I want it to. I want a Plain Top and an Ultra as well. A Goldtop would be nice too, I love me some Goldtops. :)
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

Fellas, thanks for the responses!

Yeah, the deal is my little bro would like to have a quality axe...I thought about a Les Paul Studio, but like I said I thought I'd check out the Epi's too. I saw a couple of the Standards and they looked nice...in black they looked great. As for pickups, I have an unused PGn and Custom bridge I though I might give him...I've heard they sound good in a Les style instrument.

Thanks again guys!
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

I don't care much for Epi's myself. Too heavy, to cheap looking, just don't have the groove like a Gibson. If I were in the market for an LP I'd wait and save for a Gibson.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with Epi LPs. They're still fine guitars, and with upgrades they can sound and play as good as most Gibsons, better than some maybe.
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

I have played some epiphone's with gibby pickups that totally blew my mind, im not a fan of the short scale though.
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

Epi with a PG/Custom - if the action is good let it rock!
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

I have a PGn and a Custom bridge in my epi les paul custom. It's pretty good, but a little unbalanced (the pearly sounds quiet when switching one to the other), but much better than the stock pickups. It gave the guitar much more potential, more tone and less stuck in the mud. i find myself using the custom bridge most of the time.. (i thought the PG would get more use when I initially installed them). Overall I am very happy with the duncans in my les paul, pickup swaps are a must. I'm not saying i don't like the PG, but surprisingly i like the Custom better, it's a great bridge pickup.
 
Re: Epi Les Paul-need some advice.

3nz said:
hey how's the quality on gibson studios?? or vintage mahoganys, basically any of their cheap axes (cheap yeah right)....
Click to expand...

I bought a studio off of ebay a couple years ago. wine red. I absolutely love it! (Loved it. Had to sell it recently due to loosing my job) It gave me LP tone, LP feel, plus, I like the neck shape. Not a clubby as some LPs Ive played and just felt right. Here she is:
WINE1.jpg


I had the painful experience of shipping her out today to the new owner...


Ive always wanted a les paul custom, but not any more. I still love the look, but dont like the price and dont like the tone of the ebony. I cant justify paying 3 times more just for the look.

Anyhow, my studio pleased me so much, I bought another.
BLACKLES1.jpg


Im gonna try to hold onto this one, but if I dont get a job soon, it'll have to go.
Try to play as many studios as you can..Mine are amazing, but Ive played some at guitar center that were crummy..
 
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