Epiphone Les Paul vs Gibson Les Paul Guitar Review
(6 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5)
Loading ...August 1, 2009 by Chaz
Epiphone Les Paul vs Gibson Les Paul Guitar Review
Epiphone Les Paul
The Epiphone Les Paul Standard with plus top may be the best electric guitar in its price range. Two Alnico Classic humbucking pickups deliver big slabs of the fat, warm tones, transcontinental sustain, and deep, soulful distortion that made this guitar famous. Crafted with a solid mahogany body and flamed maple veneer over carved top, set mahogany neck with a slim-tapered neck profile, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, cream body and fingerboard binding, and chrome hardware. Limited lifetime warranty.
Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top Electric Guitar Features:
- Solid mahogany body
- Flamed maple veneer over carved top
- Set mahogany neck
- Slim-tapered neck
- 22-fret rosewood fingerboard
- 24-3/4″ scale
- 1-11/16″ nut width
- Alnico Classic humbuckers
- Locktone Tune-O-Matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece
- Cream body and fretboard binding
- Chrome hardware
- Price: $549
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul Standard Traditional Plus electric guitar has all the traditional features you expect from a Les Paul: mahogany body and set neck, figured maple top and a pair of Gibson’s awesome ‘57 Classic humbucker pickups. The Plus on this guitar is the gorgeous, figured maple top—just the right touch on this iconic rock machine. One not-so-traditional improvement—the neck has been dressed by Gibson’s Plek machine, a computer-controlled robot that analyzes the neck, files the frets, and cuts the slots on the nut to a hundredth of a millimeter accuracy for optimal action and intonation without string buzzing.
Gibson Les Paul Standard Traditional Plus Electric Guitar Features:
- Body Wood: Mahogany, non-chambered weight-relieved
- Top wood: Figured maple
- Scale Length: 24-3/4″
- Neck Joint: Set-in
- Neck Wood: Mahogany
- Fretboard: Rosewood
- Plek’d on Gibson Plek Machine
- Neck Shape: ’50s rounded
- Frets: 22
- Nut Width: 1.695″
- Fretboard Radius: 12″
- Bridge: Nashville Tune-O-Matic
- Tailpiece: Stopbar
- Pickup Bridge: ‘57 Classic Plus humbucker
- Pickup Neck: ‘57 Classic humbucker
- Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way pickup selector
- Vintage speed knobs
- Tuners: TonePros Kluson-style
- Hardware color: Chrome
- Binding: top and neck
- Finish: Lacquer
- Price: $2299
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I’ll save the money and take the Epiphone. Epi play as good as Gibby’s after a quality set-up. You’d have to be very anal to think there is a $1,500 difference in tone quality.
yeah chaz is right the epi’s play just as good after a set up. they sound exactly the same, and if they don’t, i have a top of the line epi custom PROPHECY les paul and it has gibson dirty fingers pups!!!GO WHITH A PROPHECY!!!!!!!
Forged Abou Dit – Gibson rocks. I tried to convince myself about the Epi, but the neck and tone are miles apart. I took the Epi custom back and got an LP Studio that kills the Epi – no comparison in anything. Quit trying to convince yourself and get the Gibson. Find it on sale at Guitar Center – ask for a discount – they do negotiate.
Look, you can buy a VW or a Lexus. Now you can try all day to convince yourself you have a Lexus while diving your Jetta around but….well, you’ll figure it out.
I have two Epi Les Paul Special II guitars. Basswood body, bolt on neck “ebonized” ie. chem-treated rosewood boards, from China. I have played 43 years, owned over 120 guitars, 25 at a time, played all styles. These guitars at less than 200 bucks beat any Les Paul I have ever owned by a long shot. Obviously computer controlled build. Accurate and consistent guitar to guitar. Excellent well dressed frets, lack of binding is a plus. Intonation near perfect. Best of all the pickup selector switch is at the bottom where it belongs : out of the way. Simple vol and tone master. Best Gib-type and Les Paul style I have ever seen, and its light. And the real plus: quiet pickups with plenty of chimey treble and really sweet midrange tone. The last thing I want to do is dis someone’s pricey American guitar, but folks you have to be honest about hardware – it is what it is. PRS figured out the controls location, and Taylor realized the tone balance of a bolt-on neck. There is nothing special about the way guitars were made in the 50’s and 60’s. I was there. The majority were crummy, and thats a fact.
Design has come a long ways, and manufacturing as well. An instrument is a music machine, not a piece of furniture. If you want to test this, purchase an Epi LP for 170 – 200 dollars and put it up against your finest 4000 dollar Gibson E-series or custom, or against a $4000 dollar PRS Gib copy. I think you’ll see what I mean. Now, what does this mean for the manufacturers?
I don’t know, but we have to go forward, just as technology in all other fields. Good luck with your playing and remember, harmony and fun is the goal.
Wow, great post! Thank you.
I have to agree… there is no substitute for a REAL Gibson Les Paul. The quality between the Gibson and the Epiphone are totally different. The Gibson plays and sounds so much better. If your ear and hands can’t tell the difference, save your cash and get the Epi. Mine could tell the difference so I got the Gibson. Yeah, they are expensive, but worth every penny. End of story. Now stop lying to yourself and get the Gibson.
Set Mahogony neck in a solid mahogony body…? I’d say if the guitar is not staying in tune, it’s not the neck flexing. Think about it. IF the neck was that weak, wouldn’t there be a significant bowing? I’d look more at the tuning machines. Generally that is usually where the problem is. Especially when it comes to guitars with solid bridge and tail pieces. Strings loosing tune are caused by one thing and one thing only… the tension level of the string has changed. If the neck and body are solid… the bridge and tail piece are solid… it only leaves one other choice. Well assuming that the strings were properly strung and stretched of course. The only thing that makes the Epi a $500-$600 guitar vs. the $1,800+ that the Gibson sells for, is the fact that the people who made it don’t get $15-$25 per hour and full benefit packages. That’s how I see it… sorry.