All user reviews for the Epiphone Les Paul Standard (1989-2013)

I bought it from SoundMove Music here in sunny England for £399, that's about $600, I think. I was, like another person reviewing this guitar on this site, originally looking at Fender Strats, but the gorgeous honeyburst finish caught my eye and I was blown away.

I was worried about the fact that I didn't take the one in the store, because I didn't have the cash on me at the time, but as it turned out, the one they ordered in for me was SO MUCH BETTER!!! I must have struck gold with this guitar, it just sounds so sweet! The only thing was the bridge pickup, which I changed to a Seymour Duncan Invader, for a better 'rock tone' and more bite. The guitar (with a bit of work on the action) is now officially perfect and I would recommend that p'up to anyone, particularly with an Epi LP Standard. It stands up to ANY Gibbo, PRS or Hertitige (I challenge anyone to beat it!!!) and have had proper professional session musicians amongst others tell me so, I don't think I will ever trade up on this type of guitar, ever, I love it death and beyond.

Only thing was the bridge p'up, which I felt was just a little weak for hard rock and metal, but the neck humbucker is sweet, it's great for blues and melodic rock especially, and captures harmonics with just as much clarity as an EMG, only this does it with CLASS. (When playing Master of Puppets, when I solo I actually switch to the neck! No trem, so can't replicate exactly, but the hard tail gives the guitar great sustain.)

Two humbuckers, chrome hardware, mahogany set neck, mahogany body with maple cap, two volume, two tone controls. Typical LP stuff really. The honeyburst finish is utterly mind-blowning and looks so good with an open coil pickup and covered humbucker. I'm gonna stick a coil tap on next, then it will just be unbelievable. The set neck makes for a sturdy feel (it's great for headstock bends) and if you play aggressively it is very reassuring to play such a solid and well built guitar.

This is an unbelievably great guitar for the price, I played my first gig with this guitar and will probably play my last with it too. I only wonder if I lucked out tremendously, if the wood is from some increadibly healthy, tall tree and the guys doing the set-up were in a really great state-of-mind the day this one went through. I hear Epiphones (like a lot of mass produced guitars) can be a little-hit-and-miss so when you find one you relly connect with don't leave the store without it, it's your guitar and you won't regret buying it. It feels great, sounds great and looks great, what more could you ask for?

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

I paid 355 for this lp at music123.com. i got such a good price by telling them that i found a cheaper price. those FOOLS!!! i lied there wasnt a cheaper price that i knew of

i like the fact that this guitar is is les paul. it's hell lovely looking and cheap. It's cheaper than gettin a fucken gibson. you get the looks and proper inspection on it.

this only thing i didn't really like bout this guitar is that the head of the epiphone is different than the gibson. i think it kinda looks.... well, kinda fruity.
The other thing that i have to complain about is the pickups. i think that are pretty horrible. they're muddy. if you want good sound, replace tha damn pickups. switch for treble and rythum sucks ass too. it's pretty cheap. the output plug and the switch gets pretty loose. one thing about the guitar i am really unsatisfied about is the pick guard hole that were drilled into the body. a fucken piece got chipped off. i found out the first time i took the pick guard off.

the quality is average. they could do much better drilling the damn holes in to my piece of wood.

this is a pretty good guitar for the price. they are inspectedby gibson, that i heard. It's a fucken fine looking guitar, well duh, it's a les paul. instead of spending 1500 on a gibson, you can spend 1/4 that price on an epiphone. the pickup really need to be changed if you want good sound. other then that it's worth it. i would recommend this even thought it has some downsides. their pretty minor.

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

I recieved this guitar as a Christmas present this year from my wife. She bought it at Crossroads Music in Delaware, Ohio. I think she got it for $579.

I am really impressed with everything about this axe. The color is a transparent Amber Sunburst. I have seen some Gibsons that look similar to this finish, but not exactly like it. As of yet, I HAVE NOT SEEN ANOTHER GUITAR IDENTICAL TO THIS ONE. Its also the Flamed Maple carved top. I love the trapizoid inlays and the copper color knobs. The cream colored pick guard looks great too, as well as the vintage style greenish plastic tuners. It seems set up just fine as it is. I love looking down the Amber color neck as Im playing it, it makes the fretboard stand out and just seems different than a dark colored neck.

There isnt anything that I dont like about this guitar, except that I wish it had the gold hardware. I also wish that it actually said STANDARD on it on the Headstock.

The construction seems every bit as good as any Gibson Ive ever owned, as I had two Customs back in the early -mid 70's. Its a rock solid heavy guitar. The finish is absolutly perfect and the grain patterns are very good and consistant. This guitar is very,very well made and definetly worth the money.

This guitar is a keeper for sure, and Im glad my wife picked this one up instead of the ebony one. I think it would be very hard to find a new guitar as nice as this one in that price range. Its front and center stage in my collection at the present time.

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

AFTER RECENTLY PICKING UP MY OLD ACOUSTIC AFTER A 20 YEAR BREAK I NEEDED SOMETHING A LITTLE EASIER TO PLAY.AFTER READING REVIEWS ON THIS SITE I OPTED FOR A LP STANDARD BY EPIPHONE WHICH CAME WITHIN MY BUDGET.
PUCHASED FROM AIRE GUITARS, IN LEEDS UK FOR £329.DELIVERED NEXT DAY.

FIRSTLY THE NECK IS A DREAM,THIN ENOUGH FOR ANYONE LIKE ME WHO HAS SMALL HANDS,ALLOWING ME TO GET MY FINGERS ACROSS ALL THE STRINGS EASILY.COUPLED WITH ITS LOW ACTION IT MAKES PLAYING A WHOLE LOT EASIER.ALSO A VERY NICE LOOKING INSTRUMENT SOLIDLY BUILT, YOU FEEL IT COULD TAKE ANYTHING YOU COULD THROW AT IT
THIS COULD BE THE GUITAR THAT GETS ME OUT OF THE BEDROOM.

BIT OF A TWANG ON THE "g" STRING WHICH I AM SURE CAN BE ADJUSTED.ALSO NOT REALLY A CRITICISM BUT WEIGHS A TON SO NOT FOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR A LIGHTWEIGHT GUITAR

CANNOT FIND ANY FAULTS WITH THE BUILD QUALITY OF THIS GUITAR ALTHOUGH I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE PICK-UPS COULD BE BETTER.

IF YOU CANN'T AFFORD A GIBSON BUT STILL FANCY A LES PAUL THEN DON'T HESITATE, GET ONE OF THESE

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

I acquired this guitar at the East Coast Music Mall in Danbury for 527$. I was playing a Fender Strat and needed a Guitar of my own, instead of my step-fathers.

The neck on the Guitar is slim enough for my 8th grade hands. I love how the Tone on this guitar sounds. All my friends like it and they are all jelous.

I have had only one string break on me. I think the cause is from the bridge and how much tension it put on the D'ADDARIO strings when I palm muted. The 3-way toggle selector cap went missing for some reason, but luckly we got it replaced for a buck! My E-string Still drops tune, but I think it because I play too hard. This is heavy guitar at 10 1/2 pounds. Other than that It has been Great to me.

This thing gets wacked every when and only one chip is in it. I am amazed on how well the body is. The one Drawback is the Machine Head is bent. Don't ask how it happend. I'm sure it was'nt my fault.

So far this guitar has been perfect for me with its nice Sun-Burst color. I have never played a Real Gibson before so I can only say this is a 3.

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

I bought this at Atomic Music in College Park in DC for 1207.50 used.

A truly amazing guitar. It needed some fixing up and adjusting, but definitely great. I compared for a while between the Standards, Classics, and even Customs. When I went to buy, I first tried a 2001 Standard (slightly different than the '02 Standard), and it was just 'Okay.' Nothing extraordinary, but not bad in any way. The classic sounded the same as the first standard, and I still didn't really know where to place it. Then, I tried a studio model, and because it was the least expensive, I was seriously considering it. But LET the cheap price fool you- It's a very cheap guitar. It sounded DEAD. Terrible. I only had to play two chords. The pickups were even terrible. So then I played the standard, and trust me, the smoothness, tone, pickups, feel, and everything about it felt right. It blew every other LP away, and I've played almost all of them. I then went to look for one used, and found a pretty scratched up, nice-looking one at Atomic, and it sounded just as amazing as the one in the shop. I immediatly went for it, knowing it was a perfect LP.

Only the fact that I had to get some work done to get it to sound the way I wanted. But after that, it sounded gorgeous.

Flawless. It needed some work, but that was all from wear.

I would definitely recommend the Standard to anyone serious about getting a good Les Paul. It sounds much better than the other Les Pauls. Although it is expensive, what you pay for is the better worksmanship, quality, and overall sound. I'd also say that the Classic isn't bad, it's more of a 'any old Les Paul.' It's just a regular Les Paul tone. Nice, but not surprising. Go for the standard. You may want to lean towards the less expensive models, but they do not compare to what you get from a standard. I also get a much louder, out-front sound than I would out of my strat, or an Ibanez. I'd give it a four because of the work I needed to have done because I bought it used, but from the sound I get out of it now, it's a five.

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

I bought this used on E-bay for $475. It is fully upgraded with a Gibson 57 classic in the neck position and a Seymour Duncan 59 in the bridge. All switches, pots, tuners and other hardware have also been upgraded.

This is a SOLID guitar. No difference when compared to a 'real' Les Paul. The pick up combo in this unit gives it authentic Gibson sound. The only way to tell that this is not a Gibson Les Paul is that it says Epiphone on the head stock. The finish is beautiful also, deep tabacco burst.

It has a couple of dings and light scratches in the finish and some minor fret and board wear, but hey it's ten years old. The upgrades made it worth the money.

Solid, top quality. I can't see any reason to get a Gibson over this Epi, other than just owning a Gibson. I had a hard enough time getting 'permission' for this one, so the Les Paul dream will probably remain a dream. Until then the Epi is more than enough guitar for me.

I have played a few stock epis and heard the concerns about the electronics so had decided to upgrade one if I bought one. This guitar was already max upgraded and in the condition I wanted. It even had a very similar pick up combo to what I would have picked, and these work great. All in all a fabulous deal on a fabulous guitar that I am not afraid to play for fear of scratching.

Heartily recommended.

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

I purchased this guitar from www.musiciansfriend.com for $549, because I fell in love with the Les Paul model after playing a friend's.

The best things about the guitar are the pickups. The thick, rich sound is beautiful. The neck is pretty quick, and u get clear notes all the way to the 22nd fret.

It's a bit heavy; hard on the shoulders, but even so well worth it. I really can't think of much else; maybe if Epiphone could put the same tuners on the guitar as the Gibson version (even though the strings have kept in tune for long periods of time, I have heard some stories about them being less reliable than the Gibson tuners).

Tops in quality. If you're going to spend a decent amount of money on a guitar, make sure you get what you want. The guitar definitely matches many other guitars of higher prices in construction quality. Les Pauls are rough, but just dont scratch the finish.

It's a kickass guitar. Pick one up today!

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

1st of all,i would like to tell,that i am from pakistan,as you people might know,it isn't a country where music is too much encouraged,therefore no support is expected from the parents.Anyways,mine parents are a different story,they do support me and they did,by making available,the money to purchase the guitar i am reviewing right now(and with a hope in my heart,that i might win another one ).Anyways,there arn't many decent instrument dealerz/shops,infact almost none,here in pakistan.Therefore i had no choice but to buy a guitar online.My cousin who is studying in the USA,had to come back to his hometown(pakistan),which rang a bell in my mind.i thought why not purchase a guitar online get it shipped at his place and he will hand-carry it back here in pakistan.i did not wanted the guitar to be shipped here directly because,well you might not know that,pakistani cargo people are savages :D!!!!.They don't really handle things with care,especially guitars,as there arn't many people who buy guitars or get it shipped,here in pakistan.Anyways i started surfing musical instruments-oriented websites,when i stumbled upon musiciansfriend.com.I found the prices to be very resonable + i really like the website's interface :D .So,i choose musiciansfriend.com to buy a guitar online.Now the matter was,which guitar to get.I am totally mad about the shape of the LES PAUL standerd guitar.I did not had too high a buget to afford a GIBSON so i settled for an EPIPHONE model of the LES PAUL standerd electric guitar(another reason for choosing it was that it was one of the bestsellers on the website !!).i always wanted the EBONY colour(and it came out the be the cheapest available options in all the colours available..what more could i want !!!),so i went for it.It is $499...pretty reasonable for the std LES PAUL shape.Thats the story of Where,How i got it and how much i paid for it.


well..I LOVE THE UNIT :D!..Well ok,yea yea I know,theres no need to get hyper!!.Well ok,first of all it is one of my faverite guitar body shapes,the LES PAUL standerd shape.2ndly,it has 2 classic chormome humbuckers,which delivers the awesome LES PAUL sound.My friend has a GIBSON and surprisingly there isn't a too obvious difference in the sound of my guitar and his!(poor he..as he spent a LOT more than me! :p).
I really liked the rosewood fretboard.It has a really solid feel,infact the overall feel of guitar is very solid(which gives u a sense of security!;-D ).
Another thing that I noticed and really loved about this guitar is that from heavy distorted riffs to melodious blues melodies,it delivers such a perfect sound!,which is a great plus point in my view if you are a person who doesn't just stick to one style of music,like me.
One more thing,it has the LIMITED LIFETIME WARRENTY offer!!..which means if by filling out the WARRENTY FORM,if ever my guitar gets faulty,i can always get it repaired/changed!


umm...nothin much really.Its just that,I wished the tuning pegs were made of metal or atleast painted with silver or some other metallic colour,instead of a somewhat strange greenish colour!And yeah another one that the colour(EBONY) i bought is great and thats exactly the colour I wanted,but theres a problem with it,even the slightest speck of dust(and theres pretty much here in pakistan) becomes very prominent on EBONY colour,plus hand stains and all also become pretty prominent.It aint really a problem or something to dislike as a person can always wipe the dust off and all,but I guess this wouldn't had been a problem with the other colours(the natural LES PAUL colour and the vintage colour).

well the standerd LES PAUL shape,Rosewood fingerboard,solidMahogany body,Carved maple top,Cream body and fretboard binding....in short its AWESOME!!!

Well what more to say.I really love my instrument.And I belive,so will the people who choose to buy it.If u want the classic LES PAUL SHAPE,TONE and you don't have too big a buget...GOOO FOR ITTTT!!!!!!

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

Well, I was searching for a good incentive to help me stop smoking (it actually worked, 5 months and still counting!) and since I was missing my old Ibanez Artist tremendously (sold for a ridiculous price 6 years ago), I decided to buy a new electric guitar. When I entered the store, the Epi Les Paul were obviously the big sellers. I was quite happy since I've always been a Les Paul lover but never had enough money to get one. I finally bought a Les Paul Standard Heritage Cherry Sunbust for $529 (canadian dollars).


I've always loved the Les Paul neck. Aside from the look (the flametop is beautiful!), this is the number one reason for buying this guitar. I've tried new Ibanez guitars and hate the Wizard ultra-slim necks. It a bit stange, since access to higher frets is harder on a Les Paul, yet I feel right at home with this neck. And the sound is also as close as you can get to a real Les Paul. Rich and warm, and as much crunch as you want.

Well, I changed a lot of stuff but to be honnest, I will separate real problems from personal dislikes.
- The Tune-O-Matic bridge has a big problem. The A and D string keep breaking (I have to change strings every week) unless you raise the tailpiece to a ridiculously high level. I'll change the saddles to take care of that, or the whole brige if the price difference is not to big.
- The 3-way toggle switch was making so much noise I also had to change it.
- Aside from that, I changed machine heads for Groovers and pickups for DiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge) and Paf Pro (Neck). These were personal dislikes, stock compenent are OK (not great, but OK).


The body and neck quality is excellent, it's sturdy and well finished.
As previously stated, the electronic components are very low quality and may cause problems.
The machine heads are very ugly but work well. The pickups are moderately good, the bridge is better than the neck, which is very muddy. They are still 10 times better than the crap you find on Ibanez gutars.
I'm overall very satisfied with the construction and finish of this guitar.

Well, the guitar got me pissed on several occasions, and I have a love-hate relationship with it. Since I've played for several years on a very good guitar (Ibanez Artist with stock Dimarzio Pups), I may be a bit demanding. With everything I've changed now, it's an excellent guitar, yet I've spent more than 900$ to make it so. Nevertheless, for this price tag, you won't find better in my opinion. And for this price tag, you can't possibly give it more than a 3. Othewise, how would you rate a real Gibson Les Paul?

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

Through a local music store. I rang around a few places and they gave me the best price of $1200 australian.

Ive been playing a sqier strat for about 3 years now and, even with the lightest gauge strings available, doesnt come close to the playability of my new Epi Les Paul. I originally got the honeyburst finish but I returned it and had a Heritage cherry sunburst ordered (it looks alot better). The flame maple top looks stunning. I played a Gibson les paul at the same shop and the Epi compares very well.

My only complaints are the green machine head buttons. Also the pickup selector switch feels a bit loose. And if you try to remove the pick guard (which I think makes the guitar look better) your left with two small screw holes. Very minor complaints as you can see.

The construction of the guitar is outstanding. The finish looks absolutely beautiful. Great "full" tone (none of that twangy strat sound). The playability is second to none. the neck has a lovely smooth feel and the inlays are set perfectly.

If your having second thoughts about buying this guitar, buy it you'll be more than happy with your purchase.

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

Long and McQuade Toronto, Ontario
price: $490.00 Canadian!

Great colour= transulcent amber, classic look and finish. Seems to have a qauilty construction. Easy playbility. A solid axe.

The neck seems to made of plastic though it isnt. The top string tends to vibrate hard when plucked, bashing against the neck leaving unwanted noise.

see above

Great looking axe with solid playability. Great for the price though gibson, is really lacking in the quality control department as late. I love the Les Paul sound and also have a Fender Standard strat which is about the same price range. Go for the strat just better made qaulity for this group of quitars, however i cannot speak for the big dogs of each company.

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

I bought this guitar in a guitar shop in Norway. I paid about 700$, but that's because everything is rediculously expensive here... I was looking for a starter guitar that wasn't completely horrible and not too expensive.

I like the Finish A LOT. This is one of the things that are of slightly less quality than the AAA (very good wood)that gibson uses, but it's still very nice. It also has A very good tone and you can change some of the parts and end up with a guitar nearly exactly as good as the real deal. Doest costtoo much either.

I have some minor problems with the look of this weird metal supporter that's screwed into the underside of the waist and it can get a bit heavy after a while so you need a good strap, but then again that is a sign of quality, so...

The construction is very nice. The neck is glued, not bolted and nothing seems loose, even after having used it for a few years now... There is no laquer under the lids behind the tone controls and the rythm/treble switch, but that REALLY doesn't matter... You never see it so..

A very good guitar in all respects, change the tuning system, costs about 40$ and perhaps the pickups, even though they're very good and you've got a first grade guitar...

One thing though, make sure you buy the Zhech version. NOT the Korean one. The Korean one is not nearly as good, and none of the comments i've made will correspond with a Korean one. Ask the klerk, but don't be fooled either.
You know those little screw resembling things on the humbuckers?? Make sure they're flat and slanted, not roundish.

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

I bought my epi at TK music in north wales. I went into the shop desperately wanting an ibanez just because of the name but, after playing a few low end range ibanez i was put off. this drew my attention to the les paul. it was new in at £360. This was more money than i had. the looks attracted me. thats all i can say. But after playing it i couldnt resist.

i love the tone. its warm and so nice. from sweeps to shred sound great and the neck feel is perfect. i think the instrument can be exploited to its full capability with the 4 tone and volume controls and overall it looks stunning in honey sunburst.

i think the pickups may sound abit cheapy compared to other guitars in the same price range. but the tone from the mahogany body makes up.
a big problem is the neck.. if you sweep and want to play jason beckers - serrena. u will find it hard at the high frets because of the neck gets in the way.
i dont like the green tuning keys.. to me they look ugly.
no real complaints though

overall it is a amazing price for the unit and i recommend it over a real gibson!


great value for money.. superb tone.it jus owns so much.

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

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING IN BANDS FOR THIRTY YEARS AND HAVE ALWAYS WANTED A LP, EVER SINCE I HEARD CLAPTON ON THE "BEANO" ALBUM. WELL I INHERITED A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY LAST YEAR AND THOUGHT "ITS NOW OR NEVER". MY LOCAL USED GUITAR SHOP HAD A FEW GIBSONS AND THERE IT WAS ON THE WALL. SLIGHTLY SHOP SOILED BUT A BEAUT' NEVER THE LESS. CHERRY SUNBURST AND WEIGHING A TON!! BUT WHAT A SOUND!!! I PAID £1150 FOR IT BUT IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY.

THIS GUITAR IS THE "KING". LET NO ONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE. I HAVE A STRAT AND AN IBANEZ. NEITHER OF THEM ARE FIT TO TIGHTEN THE STRINGS ON THE LP. IT "SINGS" WHEREVER YOU ARE PLAYING ON THE NECK. CRANK IT UP THRU' MY MARSHALL OR LANEY STACK AND IT ROARS!!!!!!!! SOME HAVE SAID THE LP IS NOT VERSATILE LIKE THE STRAT....BOLLOCKS. IT LEAVES THE STRAT WHIMPERING IN THE CORNER FOR TONE AND PLAYABILITY( I EXPECT A FEW WHIMPS WILL DISAGREE)!!! THE TONE CONTROLS AND VOLUMES ARE RESPONSIVE AND PROGRESSIVE GIVING OODLES OF CHOICES FOR SOUND. FOR BLUES/ROCK/JAZZ OR POP, YOU WON'T BEAT IT.

SORRY...NUTHIN; TO SAY!!!

HEAVY, VERY HEAVY, BUT I PERSONALLY LIKE TO KNOW I HAVE A GUITAR AROUND MY NECK!MAHOGANY AND MAPLE A GUITAR MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN(OR IN THIS CASE NASHVILLE, I TRACED THE ORIGIN AND DATES ETC.FROM THE GIBSON WEB). THE TOP IS ONE PIECE MAPLE SHOWING THE GRAIN THROUGH THE FINISH. THE NECK IS UNBELIEVABLE, JUST FITS RIGHT EVERYWHERE.
THE PICK-UPS SOUND GREAT AT ALL VOLUMES AND TONE SETTINGS. ALSO A SUSTAIN YOU WOULD DIE FOR. ESPECIALLY AS MY BAND PLAY A LOT OF CLAPTON AND FREE COVERS.

IF YOU HAVE THE "READIES" AND CAN JUSTIFY THE COST TO THE WIFE, THEY RETAIL IN THE UK AT AROUND £1500 AFTER DISCOUNTS AND FIGHTS!!! GET ONE, HEY F***ING ROCK MAN!!!! I GIVE IT 6 OUT OF 5!!

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