Epiphone Les Paul Black Beauty

I bought this guitar off of eBay for about $450. I wanted it because I'd heard a lot about it and because it was so BEAUTIFUL.

First off, I must say that this is the best sounding guitar I've ever played. With reverb and light distortion, oh my gosh, it's so awesome. The sound is very rich and full, a tribute to the extra humbucker. Not only is it beautiful, but it has wonderful sound to back it up.

Hmm.....I can't think of anything for my self, but if you want to play a lot of lead, I would get the Les Paul Custom, and not the Black Beauty. Why? The extra pickup gets in the way of the pick if you play lead, but on the LP Custom, it's the exact same thing, except that the third pickup isn't there.

Like all Gibsons and Epiphones, it's build like a tank. The one I got had a few dings in it, but you can barely see them. The quality of this guitar surpasses anything except its Gibson counterpart.


Bottom line, this is a wonderful guitar for someone who wants to play rhythm, but not lead. If you want lead, go with the LP Custom. One thing I have noticed is that the gold hardware looses its finish after a long period of time. Just a thought....

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this at peterborough music and paid 499GBP for it. Bargain. I'd tried several guitars and this was just the best.

hmmmm, well its gorgeous! Black with all gold hardware! the 3 humbuckers are awesome. At first i though the middle was useless but it didnt take me long to figure out how to put it use. The sound is incredible! deep and powefull but smooth. Clean it plays like a dream, perfect for the woo-ing! put it on distortion and its a rock feind. You really dont need much gain to get an awesome sound and if you turn it all the way up it and you get some wicked modern metal sounds. The best thing about it is if you like the white stripes with a bit of a fiddle you can it to sound just like jack white's guitar. the neck and fret feel like silk. I was looking for something with a thin neck but it really doesnt matter with this. I dont play solo's, mostly rythem and i can move differnt cord shapes all over the neck with speed and ease. People say les pauls are heavy. No guitars are heavy!, just heavier than other guitars. So i dont see what the problem is. personally i like to feel the weight of my guitar.

I tried a korean made Fender Strat with Seymoure Duncan and it was £499 woth of crap. I treid a burns Brain May for £500a nd that was nice but nothing like my Balck Beauty.

The shape isnt as comfomatable as my start copy, when sitting, but its not too much of a problem. There was a tiny ding on the head stock. The pickup selecter should be 5 way, not 3 but i may look into getting this upgrade.

The term axe is best used hear. This thing feels so solid i reckon i could take someones head off with it. easy. i've only had it 4 days though so i cant comment on how long it lasts. One of the 'buckers was slightly at an angle, and i'm talking about 2 degrees. not noticable. besides, i like thinking mine is a little different.

Bottom line, dont buy this guitar. Its mine! seriuosly though, i'm considering going into international waters so i can marry it. I love it and have no regrets. Its beautifull, and sounds great. a real mans guitar.

If anyone stole it i'd hunt them down and force them to listen to Blazing Squad. Torture!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Epiphone Les Paul series black beauty/Ebony guitar is basically a cheap version of the Gibson custom custom shop three pick up Ebony guitar. This guitar is not built as well as a Gibson Les Paul guitar because of the inaccuracies in the weight and feel of the body. This guitar doesn't carry the same feel that the regulars Gibson Les Paul can feel. The tone can be very close and very similar but there's that extra missing link that makes a Gibson what it is today.

UTILIZATION

Epiphone Les Paul Classic Specifications

Pickups: 3 Humbuckers
Hardware: Gold
Scale: 24.75 inch
Nut Width: 1.68 inch
Neck Joint: Set
Neck Material Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood/Block Inlays
Binding: Body/Neck/Headstock
Body Material: Mahogany/Alder
Top: Mahogany/Alder
Finish: Ebony



SOUNDS


If you've ever spent any time with you get some Les Paul guitar then you know that they are warm, very beefy, and thick sounding. This guitar is going to give you that same type of beefy warm thick tone. However when you're playing it just seems to be something missing in its feel, weight, and balance. The Gibson Les Paul has an extra 10% which I think maybe constitutes the large price but it certainly does give the player that feel of workmanship and solid built instruments. This guitar does not give you that sense of workmanship and feel.

OVERALL OPINION


These guitars are fairly inexpensive if you can find them in the used or even the new classifieds . You can find a new one for right around $750. The Epiphone guitars are pretty popular because they're basically a lesser version of a Gibson guitar. So they're fairly popular and they're somewhat inexpensive compared to a Gibson Les Paul guitar.