Epiphone Les Paul or Similar.

Malc · 30 Nov 2007 at 12:42

I obviously would like a Gibson Les Paul Standard but I can't warrant the extra £1000 over an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Also I can't see it being 4 times the quality.

Anyway I've had my eyes on a Trans Amber Ephiphone Les Paul for a while.(It looks Awesome!) Yesterday I went into my local sound control and tried it out on a marshall stack (It was an MG series stack so it wasn't that good, god knows why they didn't have a TSL or something in there instead).

Anyway, it didn't sound that good through the amp, but unplugged accoustically it sounded very full and resonant, so with new pickups and through a better amp I imagine it would sound pretty good (I played some nice open chords with a bit of crunch and it sounded really full and resonant, always a good sign

)

The setup was awful though, the action was very high and it didn't feel that nice to play. It might be 'cos I'm coming from a fender strat though.

I also tried a PRS SE Tremonti. That didn't sound as good accoustically (Not as resonant) but it fell nicer and more natural to play.

So......

My question. Is it possible to get as good of a setup and action on an Epi Les Paul as an American Strat? And in anyones experience, are there better Les Paul Style guitars out there for upto £400? (£300 Preferably). I would consider the PRS SE Range if they are a lot better than the Epi because I prefer the look of the Epi's.

Note; I'm probably going to change the pickups in the guitar anyway. So Another question is, What are good Humbuckers for a mainly classic rock sound?

Cheers

OzZie · 30 Nov 2007 at 12:49

The problem with Soundcontrol is that they don't bother setting any of their equipment up, because they have so much stock. Even their Gibson models are setup really badly (fret buzz, bad intonation etc) and so it would be enough to put anyone off buying it. My local SC are the same. :mad:

If you bought the LP, the least you should ask for is a decent free setup. I would tell them this prior to buying it and see what their attitude is. If they say they will do it, then try and play the best Epi LP they have, and imagine it with a half decent setup. Failing that, find another music store that will have Epi LP's and i can guarantee that they will throw in quite a bit more than Sound Control ever would.

As for Pups, i would get the '59 SH1 in the bridge, and a Alnice II Pro in the neck. Paired with a Marshall, it'll sound preeettty nice

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/

Malc · 30 Nov 2007 at 13:02

Yeah I've noticed that in Sound Control.

I would nip into the guitar shop around the corner but the guy in it is a complete bull ****ter. He tried telling me that to get hold of a mustang bridge to modify a Jazzmaster it would cost £300!

The thing I'm wondering is, Will an Epi Les Paul ever have a good action?

OzZie said:
As for Pups, i would get the '59 SH1 in the bridge, and a Alnice II Pro in the neck. Paired with a Marshall, it'll sound preeettty nice

Also my amp is a Vox AC30. I reckon those pickup's will sound pretty good through it, they don't look too high output and well rounded for most styles.

OzZie · 30 Nov 2007 at 13:10

I don't think that you will get a Les Paul that will have a lower action than a strat without encoutering issues. They can still have really low though if that is what you are after. Like mine, you may have to get a tech to file the frets down so that it doesnt buzz.

Those pickups should sound really nice too through a decent valve amp like that. Can't beat a classic 60's british amp + classic pickups :cool:

THMRK · 30 Nov 2007 at 16:54

You could look at Tokais if you can extend your budget a bit.

Northwind2 · 30 Nov 2007 at 19:11

OzZie said:
As for Pups, i would get the '59 SH1 in the bridge, and a Alnice II Pro in the neck. Paired with a Marshall, it'll sound preeettty nice ]

I like the '59 in the neck, and something a bit hotter in the bridge... My SG Special had a Custom Custom then a Distortion, but I used the '59 most of the time.

Epis aren't generally a good buy, cost wise. There's nothing exactly wrong with them, they're just expensive for what they are. I gutted my brother's LP Standard, fitted grovers, a pair of burstbuckers (his choice) and better electronics, and spent a stupid amount of time on the action and fretwork (again, nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't particularily good), and I have to say it's now a very nice guitar... But it cost him about £500 for guitar + parts, and my labour would have been easily another £100 on top of that, that's more than I paid for my Gibson SG Special.

Tk7 · 30 Nov 2007 at 20:27

Don't overlook a 2nd hand Les Paul Studio, in my opinion. I used to own a black one with chrome hardware, fantastic guitar.

If you don't mind the slightly stripped down look (personally I prefer them, looks wise, don't like the binding on a full fat LP), they are great value for money. They use the same pickups as a normal Les Paul too, which I think sound great.

Used to have mine through a JCM2000 DSL half stack, sounded great. Financial situation dictated the sale, but how i'd love to have one again.

Baz · 1 Dec 2007 at 21:28

To be honest, a lot of Epiphones are as good as Gibsons, they have the same pickups and electronics, the wood is different though, but can you really justify the extra grand, apart from the willy waving of having your very own Gibson...

Northwind2 · 2 Dec 2007 at 01:06

Baz said:
To be honest, a lot of Epiphones are as good as Gibsons, they have the same pickups and electronics

There's a few that that's the case for, but the standards and customs at least still have the same rubbish switch and "Gibson designed" alnico pickups. I know there's some that come with higher spec parts, but they're also more expensive, frinstance the Joe Perry one has Burstbuckers like a Gibson, and the Ace Freeley I think has all dimarzios, and the Zakk Wylde has EMGs- but they all cost second-hand Gibson money. Not that there's an awful lot wrong with any of the spec, it's all perfectly adequate stuff.

Malc · 2 Dec 2007 at 16:09

Cheers guys.

When it comes down to it the only thing I'm bothered about is the build quality of the guitar itself not really the hardware cos I can upgrade that.

Has anyone got any recommendations for a Les Paul style guitar. It doesn't have to be a les paul just a heavy full sounding guitar.

The Tokais are out of my price range from what I've seen. I'm going to keep my eye out for a second hand studio though, they look quite good value for money.

Thanks.

Northwind2 · 2 Dec 2007 at 19:13

Have you tried the Epiphone G400 (SG) models? They're a bit more variable than the Les Paul Standards, I think they're more dependant on the quality of the wood but they're made to the same standard with more or less the same parts. Lighter, but IMO about as good if you get a decent one, and a fair bit cheaper. They've all got SG neck dive though, which is a pain in the a*** if you're used to guitars that balance.

One from leftfield, Squier Tele Custom (that's the one with 2 humbuckers). I'm not sure if the pickups are duncan designed like the other Vintage Modified models though. I really like these, not a universal opinion that

but they're solid, good sounding guitars, wee bit rough around the edges but they're half the price of an Epi Standard. I'm a Tele fan anyway, so maybe I'm biased.

Having said all that, if it was me I'd be going directly for the PRS Singlecut or Custom SE, or a used Fender Custom Tele, or is it Tele Custom? Or possibly even the horrible good charlotte signature thing, since it's always very cheap, I saw these for £270 last year from Soho Soundhouse.

Baz · 3 Dec 2007 at 08:13

Northwind2 said:
There's a few that that's the case for, but the standards and customs at least still have the same rubbish switch and "Gibson designed" alnico pickups. I know there's some that come with higher spec parts, but they're also more expensive, frinstance the Joe Perry one has Burstbuckers like a Gibson, and the Ace Freeley I think has all dimarzios, and the Zakk Wylde has EMGs- but they all cost second-hand Gibson money. Not that there's an awful lot wrong with any of the spec, it's all perfectly adequate stuff.

True, there are some with poor parts, I must have been lucky with mine, it came with the same Gibson pickups that they use on the Gibson Les Pauls, and it was £450... Sounds fantastic, one of the nicest guitars I have played.

Jimbo · 3 Dec 2007 at 10:59

Im gonna get a Epi les paul but I'll need to wait until after xmas now, im too late.. damn. This will do me until I get better and then its on to the Gibsons.

I will also pick up a Fender strat somewhere down the line, lol. At the mo im using a Squire and its fine, but I allways wanted a LP, and the epis are lovely and very close to Gibsons in my opinion.