PipeRain
New member
So, for years I have hated Les Paul's and LP "Clones", but recently have thought I should give one a try. I decided that on the one hand I'm not going to drop the scratch for a legit Gibby on a "What if" but thought I should either get as close to the source as I can justify or go with a "Good" clone. Having had a very good experience with Rondo/Agile in the (Distant) past I added them to the list. I tried a half dozen or so Epi LP's and hunted around the usual interwebz suspects for a while and finally found this guy on the Guitar Wallet Sucking Center's used site. I gathered up a pile of stuff that I no longer use and headed down, traded it in and walked away with this guitar and a little over $50 in my pocket. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. To answer the eternal question, "Does it sound/play as good as a legit Epi or (God forbid) Gibby?" I would answer, "I have no freakin' clue, but it certainly meets MY needs and MY expectations". It is butt-heavy and solid as a rock, but well balanced. I suspect this guitar was bought, played for about 30 minutes or less then put in the case and forgotten until it was sold. It is in all but brand-new condition with a very few very minor scratches on the back. Even came with a pretty nice Rondo hard case. Fit and finish is above average for a clone, the only defect I have found is a small spot about 1/8" X 1" where it looks like the stain wasn't completely wiped on the upper side of the neck where it meets the body. No overspray on the binding, no hanging frets, the tuners are smooth and solid, the hardware is solid, if unspectacular, it has large Alpha pots that are smooth and even. The ebony is smooth and even. It is stained, but the stain job is well done and doesn't look obnoxious. All in all a good buy for $300 I'd say. The pickups are pretty decent sounding, warm and smooth with a pleasant and sweet but not particularly "Present" top end. I don't know if they are stock or not, I haven't yanked them out and flipped them over to see.... yet. It sounds good from clean mild/moderate gain but at metal levels get pretty soggy, but I have plenty of other options for truly high gain.
I am planning on swapping the knobs for creme speed knobs and I am not crazy about the top-hats on it. They look nice, but not quite "Right" to my eye.
I am planning on swapping the knobs for creme speed knobs and I am not crazy about the top-hats on it. They look nice, but not quite "Right" to my eye.
