Review: Epiphone Les Paul Standard

This might be the best deal I've ever had on Kijiji. For $250 and a bit of gas, I took home an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Considering these go for $300-$450 typically, it's a good deal. But throw in a case and the fact that it is a really excellent example of this particular model, and it's an excellent one.

Feel Shame

I dislike Epiphone. This will be a recurring theme. Haters gonna hate.
One of the many, many problems I've had with Epiphone was with the name itself. An Epiphone Les Paul? Pfft. Fender uses its name on products in the same price range as this, so why not Gibson? Likely something to do with "Made in the USA," but don't quote me on that.
That headstock taunts you - you know that shape alone will give away your lifetime of bad choices to all who view it.

"Oh, an Epiphone? Yeah, they're nice too," they say in their judge-y-est tone whilst dismissing all future opinions of yours. Feel shame, you unclean wretch.

I've always felt that in comparison, a Fender Standard Stratocaster (MIM) was a much better instrument than an Epiphone Les Paul (MIK or MIC). Based on my previous experiences with Epiphone, it isn't an opinion I'm going to apologize for.

A Figurative Metric Ton

Les Pauls are always heavy compared to their Californian competitors offerings, but this one is extra chunky. I don't have a scale, but I would easily put this at 10.5 lbs. After awhile I don't notice, but switching out to my EJ certainly puts it in perspective (7.25 lbs). 3 lbs may not seem like a lot, but when you think of it as 45% heavier, it does now, doesn't it?

Neck

IT IS NOT A SIXTIES NECK!!! Praise the 7 gods, someone with hands larger than a hobbit can play this without succumbing to all manner of unholy arthritic conditions afflicting the fingers and wrist. Seriously though, it's a nice chunky neck - a '50s profile, if not a touch bigger. Much bigger than most I've experienced from this brand, but maybe this is the norm now.

The tuners are Grovers, as opposed to Klusons, which is something to look for - they indicate period of production, which is in turn an indicator of QC. Beyond serving as that indicator though, I'm not overly impressed. They hold, which is really what matters, but there seems to be some slip when tuning, as if the first eighth turn is meaningless. Oh well.

Pickups

As I mentioned in the earlier post, the pots were all in need of some contact cleaner to clear them up. I was pleased to see full sized 500K pots in there, and can live with Alphas instead of CTS. This is a budget guitar after all.

The pickups themselves aren't bad at all. The previous owner removed the bridge cover, but had the pickup set too low, negating the impact. Raising that pickup resulted in much better balance and much more punch from the bridge. They lack some dynamic range, and compared to the GFS alnico 2s I have in the blacktop, they are a touch more compressed, but they hit the amp hard without being too harsh or too dark.

I'm not saying I wouldn't change these out, but at $250 it's really hard to complain.

Paint, Disconnects, and Nitpicking

When dealing with used guitars, it's almost nearly impossible to fairly comment on the fit and finish of a guitar. After ten years, whatever imperfections that do exist are surely the work of the previous owner right?

Maybe not. Check out the close up on the right

What is that, paint? Is Epiphone painting fingerboards and being a little sloppy about it? I've never seen this before, but with rosewood rarely being uniform in color, I understand why they did it. Just bad taping I guess. Can't feel it, so my shivagit level is low here. It does highlight the disconnect I have between "budget guitar" and "Les Paul" though. 

Neck binding, carved top, set neck, 17 degree pitch back on headstock - All these things speak to an old school way of doing things. You can almost see Ron Swanson nodding in approval.

What do you mean you paint the wood? What's wrong with wood color?

Epiphone is not that - It's mass produced. You'll never have that feeling, and apparently you'll also have rosewood colored paint on the binding. In fairness, I know that Gibson has really let themselves slide in the QC department, but it is still disappointing.

Fender doesn't have this problem. Fender started out as "mass produced" and "cheap". It was basically Leo's ethos, so Fender has never had to apologize for it ('80-'86 aside). See how "handcrafted" messaging can come back to bite you in the ass? Take that Swanson.

No Shame

I've been nitpicking. Old habits die hard. Sorry.

Honestly, it's hard to believe an instrument of this quality is available at this price. $250 at retail will have you walking out with an Affinity Stratocaster at best. That same $250 just landed me an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, and while I'm still not right with the name "Epiphone" in my head, this guitar and it's owner feel no shame, because it's an excellent guitar in it's own right.

I still think the MIM Stratocasters are a safer bet if you're new to the used market - less to go wrong, easier to fix when it does. At $250 though, it's hard to not imagine Jimmy Page, and Slash, and Billy Gibbons, and...

You get the idea.