Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

[sc02ma]

Hey Folks,
Just picked this LP up. Can't find pictures of the model on the internet. SErial is U99071834 which the guitar dater says is 1999 Unsung. The guy I bought it from says it's a LP Custom and the top is mahagany but I can't find this in the 1999 catalog. Is this rare? Or.... did I get scammed?

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

I don’t know much apart from it’s got the binding and inlays of a Custom. It’s kinda cool.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

No one is really knocking off Epiphones. I mean why when you could get more for a "Gibson".

So let us assume legit, and what model. Made in Japan or Korea?

If nothing else, it looks cool.

Welcome to the forum btw.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

No one is really knocking off Epiphones. I mean why when you could get more for a "Gibson".

So let us assume legit, and what model. Made in Japan or Korea?

Oh you'd be surprised, not so common here but I've seen them and they're usually really, really bad.

That one looks legit to me and IMO is cool as hell. I love all mahogany Les Pauls, I've seen the Standard they did like that but never a Custom.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

Well, there are all mahogany Gibson Les Pauls so an Epiphone Les Paul in all mahogany make sense to me. I'm not an Epiphone expert, but I think you're probably safe. I think the finish is really cool too.

What color is the back? Is it the same?

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

So it's all mahogany, no maple cap. For the wood experts ... is the grain pattern that uniform on some types of "mahogany"? Maybe a veneer with really uniform grain pattern? Doesn't look like it but could it be a photo-top?

 

[JMP/HBE]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

Not rare, likely a veneer top.

Pull the neck pup & take pics of the cavity.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

So it's all mahogany, no maple cap. For the wood experts ... is the grain pattern that uniform on some types of "mahogany"? Maybe a veneer with really uniform grain pattern? Doesn't look like it but could it be a photo-top?

We inherited some mahogany furniture from my wife's great aunt, a buffet and a dining room table from the 1930's. The grain on that mahogany is straight and tight like the pic of the guitar. It's possible that it's a veneer or photo top. That might mean the body is really alder, or mahogany with alder top, like some of the Epi LP standards.... hard to say. I know the Gibson version is all mahogany.

Also, mahogany is harvested from many parts of the world, so it's cheap enough that it wouldn't be prohibitive on an Epi Custom, at least I don't think so.

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

We inherited some mahogany furniture from my wife's great aunt, a buffet and a dining room table from the 1930's. The grain on that mahogany is straight and tight like the pic of the guitar. It's possible that it's a veneer or photo top. That might mean the body is really alder, or mahogany with alder top, like some of the Epi LP standards.... hard to say. I know the Gibson version is all mahogany.

Also, mahogany is harvested from many parts of the world, so it's cheap enough that it wouldn't be prohibitive on an Epi Custom, at least I don't think so.

They use some type of mahogany on many inexpensive Asian guitars so I have no doubt that the Epiphone is some type of mahogany. But even if you look at the Gibson all mahogany Les Pauls, you usually don't see a uniform grain pattern like on the tops. You may on some, but most of them you don't. That's what got me thinking about it being a veneer if not a photo-top.

 

[Chris Pile]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

First of all - whatever it is, it has a great look! My guess on the wood is luaun veneer.... Often marketed as Philippine Mahogany, which isn't Philippine, and isn't mahogany.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

View attachment 87215

Needs black knobs though

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

That's really beautiful. I like it. I haven't ever seen an Epi Custom with a mahogany top like that one, but my guess is that it is legit. Could be a custom order?

Definitely needs black speed knobs.

 

[Lovegun]

Re: Help Identifying a 1999 Epiphone Les Paul - Is this Rare?

Nice guitar. Could it be a refinish? Here's a link to the now defunct Epi wiki and the Custom page https://web.archive.org/web/20160425150714/http://epiphonewiki.com:80/index.php/Les_Paul_Custom