Epiphone les paul -good buy ?
Discussion
Ive got around £300 to spend.
I like the look of les paul style guitars but get confused with the different specs v100/standard/custom/studio/special etc
or would i be better off with a gibson melody maker or a sg style or even a telecaster (as i have an effects pedal for a more rock type sound)
at the moment ive got a strat copy (AXL)with humbucker in bridge position-it sounds and plays well but goes out of tune easily
in the past i owned a fender musicmaster which i found pretty poor ,then had a westbury custom which was a great guitar but i dont think are availible any more.
As you can see im confused/undecided and dont like music shops much -guitars with no price labels hung out of reach staffed by teenagers who are not interested in selling anything.....get the picture
tia stu
I like the look of les paul style guitars but get confused with the different specs v100/standard/custom/studio/special etc
or would i be better off with a gibson melody maker or a sg style or even a telecaster (as i have an effects pedal for a more rock type sound)
at the moment ive got a strat copy (AXL)with humbucker in bridge position-it sounds and plays well but goes out of tune easily
in the past i owned a fender musicmaster which i found pretty poor ,then had a westbury custom which was a great guitar but i dont think are availible any more.
As you can see im confused/undecided and dont like music shops much -guitars with no price labels hung out of reach staffed by teenagers who are not interested in selling anything.....get the picture
tia stu
When I first started looking at electrics I looked to see which artists made the sounds I wanted to make. Then I looked to see what they were playing. Most of them were playing Les Pauls, and I liked the way they looked, so that was that. Saying that, I am considering a getting a single coil guitar at some point to broaden my horizons a bit.
My first good electric guitar was an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. I don't know if it is just mine in particular but the guitar itself is excellent. The only thing letting it down are the electronics, but until I got a decent valve amp I didn't notice. I've since ended up with a Gibson R8 Les Paul and while it is magnificent, it's not worth the extra money to get one. Not really.
The different Les Pauls have different construction and different electronics. The Standard is the one that most people play when you think of the Les Paul. Customs have more bling, but there might be other differences. I've never liked them myself though. The Studio has no bling at all and is cheaper because of that. The Special is a budget version that has only one pick up and again, no bling. No idea what a V100 is.
Telecasters are twangy guitars. I've never really liked playing them but if they make the kind of sound you like then get one. It's all about what you're comfortable with.
It's unlucky that you don't have a decent guitar shop near you. I'm lucky that I have two great shops only half an hour or so away that are staffed by keen musicians that want you to try everything, even if you're not buying. Visiting a guitar shop is a great way to spend a couple of hours. I think if I were you I'd be hunting around to see which shops are good near you. It'd be well worth a trip a couple of hours each way to visit someone who actually wants you to enjoy yourself and discover what you like.
One final thing. If you like your current guitar does it have a fixed bridge? If not cheap vibrato bridges are a nightmare to keep in tune so it might be worth blocking it off and turing it into a fixed bridge. There are lots of instructions on google about how to do that and it would transform the tuning stability.
My first good electric guitar was an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. I don't know if it is just mine in particular but the guitar itself is excellent. The only thing letting it down are the electronics, but until I got a decent valve amp I didn't notice. I've since ended up with a Gibson R8 Les Paul and while it is magnificent, it's not worth the extra money to get one. Not really.
The different Les Pauls have different construction and different electronics. The Standard is the one that most people play when you think of the Les Paul. Customs have more bling, but there might be other differences. I've never liked them myself though. The Studio has no bling at all and is cheaper because of that. The Special is a budget version that has only one pick up and again, no bling. No idea what a V100 is.
Telecasters are twangy guitars. I've never really liked playing them but if they make the kind of sound you like then get one. It's all about what you're comfortable with.
It's unlucky that you don't have a decent guitar shop near you. I'm lucky that I have two great shops only half an hour or so away that are staffed by keen musicians that want you to try everything, even if you're not buying. Visiting a guitar shop is a great way to spend a couple of hours. I think if I were you I'd be hunting around to see which shops are good near you. It'd be well worth a trip a couple of hours each way to visit someone who actually wants you to enjoy yourself and discover what you like.
One final thing. If you like your current guitar does it have a fixed bridge? If not cheap vibrato bridges are a nightmare to keep in tune so it might be worth blocking it off and turing it into a fixed bridge. There are lots of instructions on google about how to do that and it would transform the tuning stability.
I recently got an Epi Les Paul Gothic - it's basically a Studio with an unusual paintjob. It has Alcino V magnets too, apparently, but I don't know if that's any different from a normal Epi Studio or not.
I'm very happy with it. Sounds as good as I'd hoped - it chugs along like a Peterbilt. Build quality and setup are both just fine and it is comfortable to play... it's very heavy though.
I think they're good value.
I'm very happy with it. Sounds as good as I'd hoped - it chugs along like a Peterbilt. Build quality and setup are both just fine and it is comfortable to play... it's very heavy though.
I think they're good value.
Mystic Slippers said:
Ive got around £300 to spend.
I like the look of les paul style guitars but get confused with the different specs v100/standard/custom/studio/special etc or would i be better off with a gibson melody maker or a sg style or even a telecaster (as i have an effects pedal for a more rock type sound)
Epiphone's can be good (I've got a "Dot Studio" 335-a-like which is lovely!) but (in my experience, which isn't necessarily representative) the quality control and out-of-the-box setup can be a bit variable on them compared with some other guitars at the same sort of price point (notably Yamaha and the PRS SE range) so I'd be a little wary of buying them from a shop that you don't know will give good pre/post sale service. If you like the look of the Les Paul I'd suggest taking a look at the PRS SE Single Cut which is a slightly more contemporary spin on the same theme, an absolutely blinding guitar (my youngest son's got one, and I've got the "Soap Bar" version with P90 style single coil pickups), and absolutely outstanding value for money - make sure it's the "SE" version you're looking at though as the "Full Fat" USA built version may be just a little outside your budget...I like the look of les paul style guitars but get confused with the different specs v100/standard/custom/studio/special etc or would i be better off with a gibson melody maker or a sg style or even a telecaster (as i have an effects pedal for a more rock type sound)
I think the Melody Maker's a lovely little guitar but possibly just a bit too basic for some tastes (think Caterham 7 to the Les Paul's Porsche 911) and (like the Telecaster) can sound fabulous through a good amp in the hands of a skilled player but IMHO are very "Transparent", by which I mean that if you get it right they sound terrific but if there's anything remotely sloppy about your technique it'll be obvious to anyone within 15 miles, you could argue that this makes them the ideal instrument for new/improving/developing players (and the Melody Maker was designed as a "student" instrument) as it rewards you when you get it right but punishes you when you get it wrong, however the experience can be a little dispiriting if you're used to something more forgiving
Eldest son (can you see a theme developing here?) has a Gibson SG Special which at ~£500 isn't that far out of your budget and is a nice guitar but in my hands only seems capable of playing AC/DC riffs for some reason...Mystic Slippers said:
As you can see im confused/undecided and dont like music shops much -guitars with no price labels hung out of reach staffed by teenagers who are not interested in selling anything.....get the picture
You're going to the wrong guitar shop. A good shop (and I'm lucky enough to have 2 within range) is a very pleasant place to spend an hour a two, makes being parted from (potentially) large amounts of money a completely painless experience, and will be happy to see you back again if you need any help, advice, or service afterwards...Good guitars but can be heavy if you play it stood up a lot, ive also got the G400 SG and thats a lot lighter but as said above its still 90% Gibson.
IMO the relationship between Epiphone and Gibson is a lot closer than any other company imo, ESP and LTD, Fender and Encore are all pants but Epiphone cuts it.
IMO the relationship between Epiphone and Gibson is a lot closer than any other company imo, ESP and LTD, Fender and Encore are all pants but Epiphone cuts it.
Edited by LeeThePeople on Wednesday 25th February 15:22
The Epiphone Les Paul Standard is a pretty good piece of kit - you can get them with 'plus' top which usually means a really nicer looking guitar to. I just sold a standard plus with an amber flame top that was a great looking and sounding instrument for £200. Though I think now they only differentiate by calling one model 'plain top'
The plus tops make them a little more desireable to sell on if you want to but to be honest demand is pretty strong anyway.
£300 will easy get you a a really nice one - if you're patient you may even find a second hand one with uprated pick ups for that price range (I saw one a few weeks back on EBay with Bare Knuckle pickups loaded into it)
Cheers
DC
The plus tops make them a little more desireable to sell on if you want to but to be honest demand is pretty strong anyway.
£300 will easy get you a a really nice one - if you're patient you may even find a second hand one with uprated pick ups for that price range (I saw one a few weeks back on EBay with Bare Knuckle pickups loaded into it)
Cheers
DC
LeeThePeople said:
IMO the relationship between Epiphone and Gibson is a lot closer than any other company imo, ESP and LTD, Fender and Encore are all pants but Epiphone cuts it.
PRS and PRS SE - My youngest sons SE Singlecut, I've got an SE Singlecut Soapbar, and I've also got a Mira. Yes the SE designs are simplified over the USA guitars (a little less so in the case of the Mira) but the SEs are bloody good guitars and they do a fair job of capturing the (for want of a better word) vibe of "the real thing". Actually it was being blown away by the SEs that led to my buying the Mira, as up to that point I'd considered PRS to be just a little too in-your-face flashy for me, but having played the SEs and then being persuaded[1] to try a "real" Custom 22 when the relatively restrained[2] Mira came out to rave reviews I was pretty much waving my credit card in the air right away...Edited by LeeThePeople on Wednesday 25th February 15:22
[1] To be honest it wasn't that hard!
[2] Slightly less restrained in oh-so-retro, lightly sparkly, lilac. I really can't think what possessed me to try that one but I'm very glad I did 'cos it's much nicer than the "vintage red" one I picked up first and looks gorgeous under lights!
--
JG
I forgot about PRS, they are pretty much all I play nowadays and my Tremonti is almost as nice as my Smokeburst McCarty, quality is up there with Epiphone imo well pointed out.
If anyone is after a PRS there's a seller on Ebay Canada who does them very cheap when the exchange rate is right, most of the time 50% off UK RRP. Cant remember his username but worth looking out for.
If anyone is after a PRS there's a seller on Ebay Canada who does them very cheap when the exchange rate is right, most of the time 50% off UK RRP. Cant remember his username but worth looking out for.
Heard good things about the Epi Les Paul Standards....will need a pro setup probably but a great base guitar. I have had contact with the lower models and they were very dissapointing though, so a standard would be my choice.
A Tokai would be a great alternative, even more of a copy of the Gibson les paul (particularly the headstock shape which is the same in all but the name on the top) and are very well regarded (personally I would take one of these over an epi)
And the PRS SE's are a great option aswell (as mentioned) either a singlecut or the traditional PRS doublecut
A Tokai would be a great alternative, even more of a copy of the Gibson les paul (particularly the headstock shape which is the same in all but the name on the top) and are very well regarded (personally I would take one of these over an epi)
And the PRS SE's are a great option aswell (as mentioned) either a singlecut or the traditional PRS doublecut
Many thanks for your replies ,some positive comments about the epiphone which i was swaying towards (sunburst les paul standard).
Had a quick mooch at the PRS looks a great guitar but creeping out of my price range -ideally sub £300.
Hadnt thought of converting my AXL to fixed bridge but will keep hold of it anyway as noname guitars are worth squat all.
Will have a look out for some decent music stores - a lot of the small local independants seem to have closed down.
Might take a trip to wolverhampton/birmingham in the near future or failing that online/ ebay
Had a quick mooch at the PRS looks a great guitar but creeping out of my price range -ideally sub £300.
Hadnt thought of converting my AXL to fixed bridge but will keep hold of it anyway as noname guitars are worth squat all.
Will have a look out for some decent music stores - a lot of the small local independants seem to have closed down.
Might take a trip to wolverhampton/birmingham in the near future or failing that online/ ebay
If your budget can stretch your getting a lot more guitar for little more money if you can afford a PRS. Email gak.co.uk and ask them what there best prices are.
Or try these.
http://www.reverb-store.co.uk/
They are happy to beat foreign prices so you might be able to get a good deal, I got £100 off a Yamaha MM6 keyboard just by filling out the online form asking whats the lowest they could go, say your a student too.
Or try these.
http://www.reverb-store.co.uk/
They are happy to beat foreign prices so you might be able to get a good deal, I got £100 off a Yamaha MM6 keyboard just by filling out the online form asking whats the lowest they could go, say your a student too.
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