Review: Epiphone Les Paul Standard

Well guys, Natural One said he liked sunburst Les Pauls, so here a review on Epiphones Les Paul standard in sunburst for you guys to enjoy. I would have done a Gibson model but i thought i should do reviews on more affordable models first. Of course this review was found on UG but i picked what i felt was the most helpful of the lot.

Features: My Epiphone Les Paul was made in Japan, it has a nice rosewood neck with 22 frets. I think it was made in 2005. It has a awesome sunburst finish, that looks even better when the scratch plate is taken off. It's got a Tune-O-Matic bridge, two volume, two tone controls, 3-way pick-up selector and some nice alinco humbuckers. It has a good size neck and I think almost anyone could pick up a les paul and play with no problems. // 7

Sound: Now the sound of a les paul is the reason everyone wants to buy one! The humbuckers on this bad boy are fantastic, they give a lovely creamy rich tone when on the 'rhythm' pickup they scream out bends and has the sort of sound you might expect to come out of Slash's Marshall (which is the sound I wanted to achieve). But the Les Paul is also very versitle and can handle soft blues, to punk rock, to heavy metal, to anything! I use my Les Paul through a Marshall 30MGDFX, which I recently bought to, it sounds amazing, it also sounds cool through a Fender amp or a Vox. I also have a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby which sounds absolutely awesome with the LP. The Les Paul suits my style of music because I play a variety of punk and classic rock but I reccomend if you only play punk music do not buy a Les Paul Standard go for a junior! // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: I'm proud to say, that this guitar is very well built and has no flaws really, it doesn't make any weird sounds or doesn't come apart. The pickups were well adjusted too although I decided to higher them up a bit for a touch more output. The woods also descent so no complaints here! // 9

Reliability & Durability: I haven't played with my Les Paul (live) yet. So I'l tell you what it is like to just play! At first when I got my Les Paul I really wasn't used to all that weight tugging on my shoulders cos I play a Tele, but after a few days you get used to it and you feel like it's a guitar you can really rock out with and it feels like you have a lot of control over it. There are no problems with the finish or anything as of yet but I might see things happening to it in a few years time. I probably wouldn't take it to a gig without a backup but that's just me. // 8

Impression: My overall impression of this guitar is a very good one. I have a Fender Mex Tele and a Les Paul so I can create a wide range of sounds now I was looking for a classic rock sound to match the likes of Slash, Angus Young etc. And I definately found it. If you're thinking of buying a Gibson, don't! Unless you really have a lot of money to spend the Epiphone is a better alternative and the Gibson Les Pauls don't offer much more for the extra grand. Although I've only been playing for the better part of a year and a half I think I really know my stuff, I've played a lot of guitars and searched every where for a classic rock sound and the Les Paul provides it. The only thing I'd change to this guitar is perhaps put some Seymour Duncans in but that's my opinion. If I got it stolen or lost it I would probably experiment with something else but that is only because I feel I want a bit more scratch to the tone of my next guitar. The only thing I could compare this too soundwise would be a PRS but they tend to be a little pricier! // 7