All user reviews for the Epiphone Les Paul Junior Pitch Black

Features — 7
Bought new from a shop, 2010 model. This showcases a classic no-nonsense approach to instrument building, with bolt-on neck, stock Epiphone tuners and one humbucker. This guitar has a single cutaway, 21 frets, a wrap-around bridge, and one volume and tone knob. No other fancy features, it's pretty much designed to get you playing as quickly as possible. The neck is a little fatter than I expected and has a gloss finish. It's a little raw and unrefined, but works well for the vibe of the instrument.

Sound — 8
Suited my blues and classic rock style well, the sound could go from fat and full, to clean and smooth. Classic PAF vibes. Although the pickups did not handle crisp tones well, and sounded muddy at times. Played it through a Marshall combo. I didn't use any effects with it and just cranked up the gain a little when playing AC/DC, Hendrix, etc. It's not a noisy guitar. You can get a wide variety of sounds, although I wouldn't play Metal or anything too heavy, go for a Jackson or ESP in that case. It's perfect for that classic rock or blues sound.

Action, Fit & Finish — 8
The guitar was well set up by the shop. I did need to adjust the truss rod several times over the years, but nothing dramatic. Wiring and finish were all fine, good quality there and no complaints. Same with the frets, nothing to flag. All in all a solid instrument that looks and feels more expensive that it is. There were no flaws upon purchase. I was very impressed by the out of the box nature of its playability. Well done Epiphone! This is how it should be. It felt better finished than a Squier Bullet.

Reliability & Durability — 8
I would use this as a second live guitar, or rehearsals and home practice. Reason being the pickup quality could be better but it's good at this price point. Durability is fine. It's dependable and looks quite cool. I had fun using it and it never let me down. It's a great feeling and sounding guitar, I would easily recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative to a Squier or Gibson. I would swap out the pickup for an Epiphone Probucker or Gibson with clearer tones. I like the overall reliable feeling you get when playing this guitar.

Overall Impression — 8
Costs have been cut in terms of the pickups and tuning keys, although upgrading these would cost the same price as the guitar itself, if not more. The humbucker version sounds like a typical mid-range Epiphone pickup, i.e. hot enough for classic rock but quite muddy when going clean. It’s a cool mod or project instrument, and you wouldn’t really gig it as is. It’s fine for playing at home and recording basic tracks. You can’t argue with the iconic look made famous by so many artists from Keith Richards to Billie Joe Armstrong.

I've played guitar for over 40 years, taking my first guitar lesson as a 10 year-old. I've played in several bands, performing folk, bluegrass, all-ocassion, country, and rock music in six different bands. Currently I'm in a folk/bluegrass trio, and a four-piece rock band. My musical tastes range from rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, jazz, classical and everything in-between!

I purchased my one-year old Gibson Les Paul Junior used through Elderly Instruments in Michigan. I payed $600, which included a deluxe TKL Gibson embossed hardshell case worth $150. You can get one new through Musiciansfriend.com or GuitarCenter.com for
$749. That includes a gigbag.

Gibson's Les Paul Junior is one lean, mean, rockin' machine! The solid mahogany body gives the Junior it's great tone. The single-cutaway body style and light weight make it very comgortable to play, especially on those long gigs. The Gibson P-90 pickup gives it it's growl. With one tone and volume control, it's easy to dial in the sound you want. A very comfortable, 24-3/4" neck with rosewood fretboard also makes it a joy to play. No 'faded' finish here; this guitar comes with a great nitro finish, and the burst is super. It has chrome hardware, and a compensated wraparound bridge. The tuners are decent, but I'd like to see an adjustable bridge. I also replaced the gig bag with a hardshelled case for better protection. I play this beauty through a tube amp, and it sounds fantastic! It's got that great gibson tone, and the mahogany body really resonates. A good value for the money.

I'm not crazy about the tuners. They're decent, but I'd like to see better quality tuners. I'd also like to see a fully adjustable bridge. That way height and intonation can be dialed in precisely. It should also be sold with a hardshell case.

This is a quality Gibson instrument. Although it's low on the Gibson line, fit and finish are great! The neck is vintage Gibson, nice fretwork, smooth edges. I couldn't find any finish flaws either.

I love this guitar! Good looking, comfortable to play, great sounding! It's a stripped down, no frills rocker that'll put out great sounds for many years!

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

Simply put, I got because of the price. I bought it online from Musician's Friend for 99$

I like the classic Les Paul shape. It actually sounds pretty good through my Fender amp.

The cheap tuning heads. I bend the g-string once or twice and its time to re-tune it.

Seems to be pretty durable. I don't use a tremolo, so I like to be able to bend the neck a bit to get that sound.... and well, I haven't broken it yet.

Decent guitar for the price. It's no Gibson obviously, but it basically serves its purpose. Makes me dream of a real Les Paul worse than ever.

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

I bought this piece of art online in Germany for Euro 950.-- incl. a hard shell
case. My dance band gigs a lot and I have been playing a Fender Stratocaster the last years, because of the light wait advantage. The band members had been getting on my case though because of the typical Fender "high end" that I personaly love, but just doesn´t fit in for every style of music we play. The Les Paul Junior Special was one great deal and the perfect oppritunity to step in "low budget" in to the world of Gibson. Be aware that Gibson has stopped building this model as of 2002. The one I aquired was the last "new guitar" on stock in Germany (so the dealer).

This guitar does everything a versitile guitarist needs and wants. It has those modern P-100 pick-ups that can be tone controled with 2 Volume & 2 Tone control knobs. No unwanted humming on stage or in the studio, wich is important. It´s awesome sound that goes from Blue Grass over Classic Rock, clean sounding Pop or Jazz and wont take a back seat on Heavy Metal, either. The sustain is a dream. The action down low makes this the fastest guitar I have ever worked with. The neck is a slim tapperd, well formed mahogony that is predestinated for rythum as well as lead. The attractive natural wood finish makes it look sharp & sleak. Quality produkt for a down to earth low price. One great bargain I´m very happy with and would not ever want to miss again.

The strap knobs are a bit too small and with a "used" strap, the guitar will fall.
I have all my guitars/basses with a strap-
lock sytem. The Les Paul Junior Special will take you dancing, if you play it right, so do concider the strap-lock.
I guess I´m just spoiled from the Fender Strat, because the LP Jr gives me a small back ache after 2 to 3 hours of playing.
The dot inlays are also too small for that dark in dark (Rosewood/Mahagony)neck, that takes just a bit of getting used to.

This is a true Gibson USA quality produkt.
The workmanship is a piece of art. The guitar is alined and finished by hand wich makes the neck to bridge construction just perfect. It´s nicely balanced and the Tail-piece and Bridge go over "hand in hand". I haven´t broke a string yet (!) The wood finish is a real eye catcher and will not starn or scratch easily. The hardware is easily acessable and you can change the alignments with no problem at all. I even beleave, that the soft green" tuners actually glow in the dark.

This guitar will take any guitarist farther than thought possible. It allmost talks to you while playing and forces more effort and quality. It allmost plays on its own. What I personally love about this LP Jr. is that it´s basically a smaller, lighter and easier to play model of the big brothers (Standard & Classic). This light Les Paul Junior Special is a gift to any smaller guitarist that wants all the options of a heavy duty Gibson to a low cost, affordable price. This guitar offers all of the Gibson quality advantages I was looking for.

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

I bought this guitar on eBay from a private seller for $900 USD

This thing has it all. Perfectly understated matte black paint job, black chrome hardware, ebony fretboard and an extra thick neck (almost like an acoustic). Couple this with Gibson's trademark AMAZING tone and sustain from the 490R and 498T pickups (these babies SCREAM!) and you have one helluvan instrument. From aesthetically beautiful looks to top notch hardware, this is one of the coolest guitars ive ever owned.

It's a little on the hefty side, especially if you're used to featherweight fender shredmachines. Also, the fret ratio is a little different, less spaced out than on fenders. But this is for the better I think, even if it takes some minor "getting used to." Apart from those very minor quibbles, I am VERY pleased.

Gibson . . . nuff said.

This is a sure buy for any Les Paul fan who wants a wicked looking and playing new axe for his collection. Great for gigging too! All the groupies love the sexy paint job.

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

I used to own an Ibanez GSA60 electric guitar which suited my needs very nicely, i have been playing the guitar for about a year now. I wanted to make a jump to the intermediate range of guitars and was looking at a Japanese Fender or a Epiphone Les Paul. The first time i tried out an Epiphone i was like "Woah!" as i sounded so much better then the Ibanez. Ultimately, a great offer came my way and i bought this Gibson Les Paul Junior Special for 850SGD.(About the same price as a Jap Fender or Epiphone) It is the 2001 model and is 1 year old.

The guitar sounds really good with its 2 P100 pickups, warm but not too warm. I play rhythm in a ska/punk band so i need a 'shiny' clean sound but personally i prefer something more powerful. This guitar proved to be the one for me because it is not as warm as the other les pauls, yet warmer than a Stratocaster. The sustain was pain superb, like all the other Les Paul models. Alone, i do a lot of Blues and this axe does blues very well too. In fact i would say it plays Blues better than rock.

The 2 strap knobs are really small and given that the guitar is heavy, it can slip really easily. That can be corrected by getting another strap though. One more thing i dislike about this unit is something very general about Gibson. The Les Paul Junior Special is the cheapest true Gibson model but honestly, it can easily come off as a high range Epiphone. In fact the Epiphone even has the pearl Gibson words on the headstock while this true Gibson doenst. Gibson is one of the top makers of the guitar and i believe they should standardise the way they design their guitars. A cheaper Gibson Les Paul is still a Gibson Les Paul, and a Gibson Les Paul is questionably one of the best guitars in the world.

This guitar is a very very solid model. The construction is good.

For the price, this guitar is a very very good buy. It is a true Les Paul by Gibson and it has a different sound from the usual LPs. Dun be put off by the P100s, they are great for the "unconventional" gibson user, like me - a punk rocker who wants ample sustain and a brighter sound. If you are considering a high end Epiphone, get this instead.

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

I got this guitar from a guitar store in a flea market in about 1998. It was in great condition withy all the original parts. I paid $80 dollars for it without gigbag or case.

I love the 3 tone sunburst finish and the single coil humbucker. You can play Blues to heavy Metel with this baby. The flat top design is also a nice touch

Nothing really. It is a great guitar.

It is one of the sturdiest built guitars for under $300 i have ever Played. The neck is fastplaying with its rosewood fretboard. It stays in tune for days.

A great deal for a hundred clams. It't a VERY good guitar. I HIGHLY reccomend this guitar!!!

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

I aquired this guitar because it was the best deal on an American made Gibson instrument at the time; $450 no tax or shipping, from Musicians Friend.

This is a great guitar. It is very simple, only one p-90 pickup. The tone and volume knobs are great they give you a lot of control over the sound. The stop-bar bridge is not as good as a tune-o-matic, but it is historically accurate and serves the purpose fine. The neck is also very nice. I love the quality of the rosewood in the fretboard. The all mahagony body and neck create a great tone and sustain, rings like a bell though too high sounding for lots of modern music. You can adjust to get a better tone for metal though, heck lots of artists have used this guitar.

I don't like the frets they are not rounded off enough, they are old school, but can make sliding accurately difficult. I also don't like the look of the tuning pegs, they ar the small plastic old school ones. The gear ratio is also too high from the factory on the tuners for my tastes, you have to continually over and undershoot the target note. The tuners are good, however, and to the people who judge a tuner by how long they can go without tuning I say that you should tune your guitar everytime you take it out of the case or off the stand to play a new session. No tuner should take the place of tuning your guitar.

The contruction of the unit is great because it was hand made in the USA. The finish is kinda thick, but very nice looking. Again, the quality of the wood is great and the electronics seem pretty good. I don't like the style of the truss rod, but that is ok, it doesn't really need that much neck adjustment and when it does it will suffice. Overall, excellent.

Overall, this a great simple, well made guitar. Has very much a P-90 sound, but I like that for blues-rock which is what I mostly play. With effects guitars kinda even out anyway, so for effects people the quality of the construction and the low price should appeal. The best value you can get unless you get the SG Junior, which is cheaper. A great guitar, highly recommended.

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

I bought this off of E-Bay (Rondo Music)because I like fixing up cheap but decent guitars. This is a copy fo a Les Paul Junior Special with 2 P-90s and a set neck. I paid $140.

The cheap Chinese P-90's sound AMAIZING! After leveling the frets and filing the nut, this has become a sweet little ax. I ahd been looking at gig bags for it, but it deserves a case.

This thing weighs a TON. Almost too heavy. The frets needed dressing and the nut was way to high, but remember, it was $140.

This is a set neck copy of a Les Paul Junior Special with 2 execellent P-90 pickupsand a Tune-O-Matic copy bridge. It is made from some kind of unknown hardwood with a dark stain and a very shinny finish. Good copy tuners.

I was going to give this to one of my kids. However, after some work, I have given away a home built Telecaster instead. I'm going to excavate some chambers in the body to lighten it and use it as a preformance guitar.

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

Purchased this guitar online for $499 (shipping was free) from Musicians Friend. I already have several guitars, including a Les Paul Custom, but I've always liked the look and simplicity of the Junior, with it's single pickup and wrap around tailpiece. This is a single cutaway, vintage sunburst model.

I like almost *everything* about this guitar, it's very cool looks, it tone, which can go from very clean to crunchy distortion, and even its price. It has quality written all over it.

The only downside is the 60MHz hum of the single P-90 pickup, though that is only noticable when I'm not rockin' out and can be compensated for pretty well by using the volume control between tunes. I'm considering replacing the P-90 with a Duncan "Dog Ear" Stack to remedy the hum issue, but, then again, the tone of the stock dog ear P-90 IS killer.

Solid construction, exactly as you would expect from a Gibson. This is a beautiful, balanced instrument that can be played long and hard without going out of tune.

If this were stolen, I would replace it, if I could, as Gibson stopped making these in 2001, and sites like Musicians Friend are selling what's left. Currently, they no longer have the vintage sunburst that I bought, only solid black models. And I am considering buying one of those as a backup, I like the guitar THAT much. I play the Junior more than any other guitar I own, and I have a Mockingbird Supreme, two USA Jackson Soloists and a Les Paul Custom.

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

I purchased this instrument from Musiciansfriend.com for $499.00. It is a 2001 model, I bought on closeout early 2002.

It's a Les Paul! Very cool vintage flat-top look. Slender neck, low action, great sound. The P-100 pickups have great growl and clean highs though a Marshall amp.

I only regret that my skills don't match what this guitar is capable of sounding like.

Manufactured outside Nashville TN, USA. I play this instrument for extended times and do not notice that it ever goes out of tune. And upon checking, it usually isn't. Basically, when it goes out of tune often enough, I know it is getting to be time to change strings.

I love this guitar, no regrets. If it were stolen I hope I could find another to replace this one. But, it wouldn't be the same. I got a killer deal on this guitar.

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

Bought this in Glasgow and it cost me about £200, i am guessing its second hand but you could never tell.

The visual appeal is just HUGE, a pure matt black finish he guitar yells look at me, it makes u feel dark and strong, you cant help but play metal andeven if you dont tehguitar is suited to nearly everything. The Alnico humbuckers soud ot of this world and give a really "ripe"out put, killer sound that frightens away lesser guitars(evil single coils. The neck is amazing and i just cant fault this guitar.

Wll its a bit strange to etused to after playing other guitars, i at all possible up grade the pick ups (for the more professional player) for everyone else they ae fine, it can also b occasionally heavy this is due to the sturdy neck so strat users beware

Rock solid, very strong however the paint can occasionally chip but not often, the rest of the is guitar is simply amazing and cannot fault the workmanship of the guitar, but can we expect anything else from gibson, exactly no

Overall really nice suit all types of players not just metal, however the looks may only attract such players, but if you want an amazingly, cheap, great guitar buy this one

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

I purchased mine for $1200.00 at Mars Music store.I purchased this guitar because like
tons of other guitarists, I'm a huge fan of Les Pauls.

I like pretty much everything about this guitar. It plays great. The pickups sound
awesome. In my opinion, the all black body with black chrome hardware looks really
cool. It has a great clean sound. Along with a great distorted sound.

The only small downside in my opionion would be how quickly ebony fretboards
get dirty. But all you have to do is properly clean and take care of the guitar, which
should be done anyway, and this problem is easily solved.

Its a Gibson Les Paul. I think that speaks for itself in terms of quality.

This is an awesome guitar. Basically, a Les Pauk Studio with all black hardware. So
if you like the Les Paul Studio, you'll like this. I also have an Ibanez Rg-770, which
is also a great guitar, but i honestly havn't touched it too much since i boought the
Les Paul.

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

-Made in China (Limited Edition), excellent finish!
-22 Medium jumbo frets, one humbucker bridge
-Alder body
Wraparound Bridge-Black (Les Paul Junior type), mechanical manual lubrication
-1 Volume, 1 tone
Bolt, Mahogany, Logo "Limited Edition" on the back of the head rosewood fingerboard

UTILIZATION

The handle is very distinctive "Gibson", Big and round, it did not uncomfortable ride! The matt black varnish gives a good glide and gentle while moving the wrist really amazing! The 22 frets are very well fitted and finished, again, is well done! It's really good job! The key, though not the best in the world, is still very good. With regard to access to acute, the surprise is also good to meet you! The wrist goes smoothly, it will not be embarrassed, since the thickness of the credit union that is is still thinner than a Les Paul standard. Although it is not very conventional, screw the handle does not diminish, nor comfort, nor to the aesthetics of the instrument. The matte black finish with black hardware of the Junior is really nice, a hybrid between a classic and a modern finish! The mechanical manual lubrication is not bad, they keep well agreement after a series of energetic bend! That said ... It will see over time if their changes will not be necessary. But for now, it's been a month since it stays in place and with a little care they should take a long time!

With regard to the ergonomics of the guitar, it's the spitting image of Paul with a few exceptions ... It may well be lighter than a standard, it is still weight. While sitting upright with a strap like the LP Junior is balanced and comfortable to play! I note that the thinness of the body (42mm), involved sitting causes the same discomfort in the chest a telecaster, if it was cranky about something ... well done!

SOUNDS

Played without being connected, it gives off a small sound very promising! see a more trendy ... Go! I plugged into my head Vox AC without any pedals between the two. In his clear, it is snapping up highly in the midrange frequencies. The notes are well defined and playing with the tone knob you get to modulate the balance of the microphone. Phew ... sustain a clean sound is rather long. Usually fitted with a P90, this has the Humbucker Junior, who is predestined to see rock music ... So very rock on the way disto ... I turn the channel to drive the amp. The slamming the microphone appears less, but still remains present. Blues riff on some rock, slamming it becomes very useful when solo and notes are defined without slobbering. In agreement also blocked the full and we can say that the micro filled his role well! Without being either the best of its kind, it is still very usable and shows the same incisive! Brit pop, rock so Ash Power ... A very good point for him!
Now, to get an idea of ​​its worth is in its' high gain "I am the branch with my EH Metal Muff pedal. The flapping is still present, you have to play with the tone knob to allow metal riffs . Again it's still usable though for the change of micro Metal become almost mandatory! rendering is too "fat" and too slamming ...

OVERALL OPINION

I bought this little guitar in Paris a month ago for the fun of owning an original instrument, and I do not regret my purchase! She is very beautiful, very fun to play. I'm used to higher-end instrument, but much like the ramp, the better it is more accomplished than some guitars that are worth double or triple. The value for money could not be more democratic (109 Euros). Since I mounted him an EMG 81 Humbucker active and my happiness is complete! Note: Manual mechanical grassage are still there after a month and it does not move!

The pros: The look, sound in blues and rock, build quality and finish. The great price

The -: The micro slamming home too, in a sitting position, the cash builds in the chest hurts (I'm quibbling here a lot lol)

Know that if you like scratches ... Hurry you to go try it! it is limited edition and to my knowledge I have seen in a shop in Paris!