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salastyle007 « Epiphone LP Jr - A Fun Instrument »
Published on 08/30/21 at 04:17
Best value:
Correct
Audience:
Beginners
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.
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.