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Epiphone Les Paul Standard..........

WhittyWhitty Posts: 61
edited January 2004 in Musicians and Gearheads
Hey,

Just wondering what the general feelings are about these guitars from people on this board. I have a Squier telecaster from 1996 (made in Mexico) and it is way too noisy and trebly for my amp. I have a JCM 900 Marshall and I've used my friend's Gibson Les Paul Studio on it and it sounded like a perfect match!

Anyways, any help about the Epiphone Les Pauls would be great. (Mainly which parts are shitty on them, etc.)

Thanks,
-Mitch
"It makes much more sense to live in the present tense."

Toronto 2000
Montreal 2003
Halifax 2005
St. John's (2x) 2005
Boston 2010
Hartford 2013
Quebec City 2016
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    upgrading the pickups and pots in them can yield a pretty good guitar. but there is such a huge price range within all the epi pes paul's so which one's are you looking at?
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    The Epi Elites are not far off from the Gibson versions..
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • pariahpariah Posts: 596
    Originally posted by Pacomc79
    The Epi Elites are not far off from the Gibson versions..
    But that goes up for the prices, too...
    "Until you realize the importance of the banana king, you will know absolutely nothing about the human-interest things of the world."
  • WhittyWhitty Posts: 61
    Hey,

    I was looking at the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Flame Top. There was one at my local store yesterday and it looked so good. Didn't have time to sit and play because someone else was playing it. It sounded great. It was retailing for $650 Canadian, regular $800.

    I'm just wondering what kind of mods would have to be done to achieve the tone of a Gibson. I've heard it requires very little work, and in some cases none at all.

    Any help is awsome,

    Peace,
    -Mitch
    "It makes much more sense to live in the present tense."

    Toronto 2000
    Montreal 2003
    Halifax 2005
    St. John's (2x) 2005
    Boston 2010
    Hartford 2013
    Quebec City 2016
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by Whitty
    Hey,

    I was looking at the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Flame Top. There was one at my local store yesterday and it looked so good. Didn't have time to sit and play because someone else was playing it. It sounded great. It was retailing for $650 Canadian, regular $800.

    I'm just wondering what kind of mods would have to be done to achieve the tone of a Gibson. I've heard it requires very little work, and in some cases none at all.

    Any help is awsome,

    Peace,
    -Mitch

    The tone is there. It sounds like a gibson. Gibsons use better denser wood which yields better sustain and slightly better pickups and pots etc but the Epiphone Les Paul Standards sound fine the way they are. Differences are often subtle. If you can play the two next to each other you can usually tell the difference but it dosen't need any mods to sound good. It's perfectly fine the way it is. I know a few people who have nice gibsons and play epiphones on stage so they don't harm their babies. All I would suggest is that you have it set up well by a pro when you get it. You'll get the same type tones as a general gibson.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • MissYouAllDayMissYouAllDay Posts: 939
    you play a tube marshall and a squirer. A little mismatch there eh :)

    Suprised you don't have a 1G guitar.

    I would buy a great guitar before I bought a great amp like yours.
    In fact that is what I'm doing. I'm buying an american tele HS then eventually am gotta get a marshall head stack combo or the mesa/boogies everyone raves about.

    So a JMC 900 is a tube head amp right? Like over 1 grand
    I miss you already, I miss you always
    I miss you already, I miss you all day
  • WhittyWhitty Posts: 61
    Hey,

    Yeah, I wasn't really planning on buying a new amp at the time, but it was such a good deal, I had to pick it up. I traded in a Marshall MG 50 RCD (solid state, 50 Watt, sounded like shit), and a Marshall Valvestate combo (2x30 watt, sounded brutal), and got a JCM 900 head and a 2x12 Marshall 1936 cabinet for $400 cash

    The deal was good, so I picked it up. Now my tele just doesn't sound right with it. It requires the growl and crunch of an LP.

    Later,
    -Mitch
    "It makes much more sense to live in the present tense."

    Toronto 2000
    Montreal 2003
    Halifax 2005
    St. John's (2x) 2005
    Boston 2010
    Hartford 2013
    Quebec City 2016
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by Whitty
    Hey,

    Yeah, I wasn't really planning on buying a new amp at the time, but it was such a good deal, I had to pick it up. I traded in a Marshall MG 50 RCD (solid state, 50 Watt, sounded like shit), and a Marshall Valvestate combo (2x30 watt, sounded brutal), and got a JCM 900 head and a 2x12 Marshall 1936 cabinet for $400 cash

    The deal was good, so I picked it up. Now my tele just doesn't sound right with it. It requires the growl and crunch of an LP.

    Later,
    -Mitch

    check out the Gibson SG Faded those pickups are the same that are in the Les Paul Studio.

    I think you'll be quite pleased with the Epiphone LP Standard.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • MissYouAllDayMissYouAllDay Posts: 939
    I intend to eventually get a JCM 800 head. Is the 900 just as amazing I think it is? Hmmm my own marshall tube head with a 4x12 cab ....someday.

    I intend to play a fender tele HS american through it. Should be sweet. Whats it sound like? Hows the gain on it?
    I miss you already, I miss you always
    I miss you already, I miss you all day
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    I had an Epi 57 Les Paul (gold-top, not 3-pickup ebony) and I fricken loved that guitar....

    The pickups and pots will be more than fine... the only thing I would suggest is getting graphite saddles for the bridge and replacing the tuner machines with locking Grovers (or equivalent) and then getting it properly set up with the right string/gauge.

    The sound will likely be very tasty to the ears...

    The Faded series from Gibson is pretty reasonable, the Faded SG and Faded Les Paul are both quite nice.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • PJVITALOGYPJVITALOGY Posts: 54
    sorry...ive only been playin guitar for 4 months....whats a pot?
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    Originally posted by PJVITALOGY
    sorry...ive only been playin guitar for 4 months....whats a pot?

    The knobs that affect volume and tone, in this context.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    Here's two interesting guitars... food for thought...

    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=040107225710150131025144614285/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/517222/

    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=040107225710150131025144614285/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/517512/

    Props to Paco for mentioning the SG. The DC Paul looks damned nice, though... I sorta want one.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • pariahpariah Posts: 596
    Still curious why they'd make Gibsons that are cheaper then some Epi's... I'd like one of those SG's though...
    "Until you realize the importance of the banana king, you will know absolutely nothing about the human-interest things of the world."
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by pariah
    Still curious why they'd make Gibsons that are cheaper then some Epi's... I'd like one of those SG's though...


    Korea has been building guitars for almost 30 years now. They are getting more and more skilled. Epi Elites are basically close to the same quality of the Gibson USA (Nashville) lines with nice finishes and hardware etc. They don't have to get the extra name trade money or pay the craftsmen quite so much so its cheaper than an american Gibson would be roughly by around $1000.

    Gibson Memphis guitars are built in the USA with many of the same woods as their bretheren but with few appointments like inlays p/u covers or nice finishes I believe the finishes are all satin this cuts down the price substantially.

    Its a way of getting nicer guitars to people with a desire to buy gibsons who can't or won't drop $2500 on a guitar. It extends thier market. Many people simply want the name Gibson on the headstock Gibson Memphis allows room for that crowd and carries on a tradition of well built affordable guitars that many can afford as well as very expensive inlaid masterpieces.

    Damn I should work in PR. http://www.gibson.com.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • pariahpariah Posts: 596
    Whoa... I have much to learn. Thanks a lot.
    "Until you realize the importance of the banana king, you will know absolutely nothing about the human-interest things of the world."
  • redbeardredbeard Posts: 2
    One of the guitarists in my band rocks the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Flame top that Whitty was talking about. He plays through a vintage peavy 50w tube amp with a custom 2x12 cab with celsestion V-30s. It is indeed a great combination. Like somebody said, they sound great out of the box, and with a little attention (and extra dough - new pickups, pots) they sound even better.

    If you like the way that guitar sounds, then I say get it.

    And to MissYouAllDay,
    I would go with the Mesa/Boogie head over the Marshall head in a heartbeat. they are just all around more thought out, they have better tonality, and are pretty much the guitarist's amp. Randall Smith, the designer/founder of mesa engineering has been doing nothing but pushing the envelope of guitar amplification, and searching for the purest tone. Mesa was one of the first amp manufacturers to introduce a high gain channel, and were immedialtely sought after by bands like Santana, the Rolling Stones and the Who. The first 3000 amps sold by mesa were built by him and his friends in his Mountain Shack in Marin CO., California. The company remains grassroots to this day. All their amps are still hand wired, triple checked by musicians and technicians alike. Porcelain tube sockets instead of plastic.

    anyway, I suggest to anyone looking at a marshal triple lead to play a Mesa Dual or Triple Rectifier, and see if they like they way it sounds.

    i'm out. (wah wa nah.)
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