Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus - A Review

Not unlike the Fender Stratocaster, the Gibson Les Paul has become a guitar symbol, preferred by guitarists in such different styles as rock, metal, blues, jazz, and country. From Ace Frehley to Zakk Wylde, the fans of the Les Paul are all over the globe. For us ordinary humans, there's usually one serious downside to purchasing a Gibson Les Paul. They don't come cheap! The average typical price of a new model is well over $2,000, which is hardly small change. What's a Les Paul lover to do?

Enter the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus!

Aside from its signature Epiphone headstock, an Epiphone Les Paul is a Korean-made guitar that plays, feels, and looks like a "real" Gibson LP without the prohibitive price tag. It even bears the signature of the late, great Les Paul on the headstock. So how does it stack up?

We reviewed a transparent Blue Les Paul Standard Plus Top, and I have to note that the instrument has one of the most gorgeous tops I've played in this price range. The figuring is absolutely beautiful, and is gloriously complimented by its creme-colored binding and chrome hardware. Appearance-wise, the Epiphone LP Standard Plus Top is simply a beautiful guitar.

Having used a Gibson LP Standard for some time, I was interested to take note of how the Epiphone LP would stack up, and I have to say that I was tremendously impressed. The slim-tapered neck reminds me of the 1960 Gibson LP Standard neck and in many respects was much faster than my Gibson LP Standard with a 50's style neck. The rosewood fretboard felt great and the frets were smooth and nicely polished all in all, but not quite as pristine as my Gibson LP. Be that as it may, the fretwork is still very good, especially given the instrument's low price.

The alnico classic pickups convey the classic LP bite out of the bridge pickup and a smooth and round tone from the neck pickup. I almost always swap pickups out of my stock guitars and would likely do the same here. I think a Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz would sound perfect in this electric guitar, but the replacement would be more of a preference than a necessity. These pickups sound solid and might just be what you're looking for without the need for new pickups. They did tend to squeal a bit at high volumes, but not annoyingly so.

The give and take in a model such as this guitar aren't easily apparent. Epiphone saves some costs by having a veneer flame top glued to non-flamed maple. Likewise, where Gibson LP Standard bodies are made from a single mahogany slab, the Epiphone mahogany body is laminated, just like the neck. Nevertheless, these cost-cutting decisions allow the guitar to weigh even less than their Gibson siblings. For the cost you pay, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top is a beautiful sounding and nicely playable LP for a small fraction of the price of the Gibson model.

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Gibson Classic SG Standard

Buying the right Gibson guitar is not easy and if you are seriously searching for a Gibson guitar, allow me to give you a little pointers about buying a Gibson guitar online. Whatever your interest in Gibson's guitars whether you are a beginner, a player, a collector or even a relative intending to buy a Gibson as a gift, it pays to know exactly what you want.

How on earth can you go about buying the Gibson guitar of your choice? Look online, there are plenty to choose from. There are also hundreds of genuine musicians and companies in your town who are bending over backwards to assist you. They are guitarists who want to help you find precisely what you are searching for and at the a price that suits your budget.

Think about this. If you had your heart set on a Gibson Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar, Gold Top, where would you go? Go to Bing, Yahoo or Google Or if you are looking for a classic SG Standard or an L-200 Emmylou Harris Model; you get the picture I guess. Where can you go? Easy! Search Yahoo, Google or Bing on the internet for the exact one you want.

It can be a little more difficult with used guitars. Say you were looking especially for a Western Classic Prewar 200 you might go to a guitar forum. Typically you will find that someone will tell you that There is a light hairline crack which doesn't appear to adversely affect the guitar. The guitar plays smoothly with nice action and a very sweet tone. Neck angle still looks good after all these years. And this is what they ARE telling you! What are they NOT telling you?

The best thing is this. Go to your guitar store and then check advertisements in the local paper,. Compare! When and only then, double check that this the particular guitar you actually want, be certain of what you are getting, check the price, the quality and what guarantee you can expect.

Once you are satisfied with all that, go check the prices through the internet. You will be happily surprised at what you get. You will deal with trusted professional musicians who will most times throw in some hidden extras. They provide the service and guarantees when you find a Gibson guitar online that is invaluable too.

Once you find what you want, at the the right price and from a trusted music store, buy your guitar and wait for the UPS truck to show up. All you need to do is to get close with your new friend and make music!

Of course and as you know, Gibson guitars are amongst the most valuable guitars in the world. There are Gibson guitars for sale everywhere and at all different prices. I trust that this article helps you on your way to finding your Gibson guitar. Know what you want, do your due diligence and enjoy your music.

http://gibsonguitarsforsale.com/

Gibson Les Paul Standard Review - Are the Changes Worth It?

The new Gibson Les Paul Standard is a terrific guitar in many ways, and we sense the spirit of classic Les Pauls here.

Along with the Fender Stratocaster, the Gibson Les Paul is synonymous with rock & roll and blues guitar. Though the shape and thick, chunky sound have stayed constant throughout the years, the particulars, from pickup selection to neck design, have been modified to reflect Gibson's continued desire to innovate.

In 2008, Gibson introduced a Gibson Les Paul Standard that contained more than its fair share of alterations, some welcome and some not. Let's take a look at the guitar's construction details more closely.

Features

The new Les Paul Standard now includes Strap Locks (Dunlop), chambered body, Grover Locking Tuners, TonePros bridge/tailpiece, Neutrick output jack, and a setup via Plek.

The body wood is mahogany with a figured maple top. The scale length is 24-3/4" with a mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard. The pickups are Gibson's own Burstbucker Pros. A quality hardshell case is standard equipment.

Performance

We didn't ascertain any lack in tone due to the chambered body, and played acoustically, the Les Paul Standard had a well-balanced, deep tone. If you've ever gigged with a Les Paul for any extended period of time, you'll prize the lighter weight.

Since I ordinarily substitute tune-o-matic style bridges with TonePros, the upgraded bridge and tailpiece are a welcome addition, as is the Plek setup, which resulted in a solid playing and sounding guitar right out of the box.

We did have to make a small truss rod adjustment, but for an instrument that was sent halfway across the country, that's regular procedure. For the record, though, this guitar was ready to take to a gig straight out of the box. Not bad.

The finish on the revised Standard is as superb as ever. We went over a Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish that had just a gorgeous flame. We found no defects in either finish or fit, and the fret dressing and setup was as good as we've ever seen from a production instrument. Gibson also opted to exclude the pickguard from this model, though you could easily install one if you miss it. The pickguard is included, however.

We were intrigued when we found that Gibson built this series using an asymmetrical neck profile; however, we have to say that we're glad they did. The profile sports a thicker bass side and a thinner treble side.

Think of it as the best of a 50's and 60's profile in one neck design. The fretwork and factory setup were the best we'd ever seen from an out-of-the-box Gibson.

It's hard for us not to think of a LP without thinking of the sound of a Les Paul cranked up through a Marshall, so we ran the Gibson through a reissue Marshall JCM800 half-stack. We liked what we found, though you do need to know that the chambered body gives the guitar something of a ES-335 sound when cranked. Think old Clapton.

The Burstbucker pickups seemed to be a pretty nice fit, since they are aggressive and dark by nature. There are unquestionably some definitive Gibson tones to be found here, though the chambered body/Burstbucker combination has its own unique flavor. To each his own. We liked them.

We have to say, though, that there were a couple of things we just didn't care for. Gibson chose to include Neutrik locking input jacks, for example. Some individuals love them, but we're not fans. Still, the Neutrik jacks are superior quality, so we appreciate that at least.

Same goes for the PCB mounted volume and tone pots. In fact, all pots, the pickups, the selector switch, and the jack are all connected to a main PCB board via pluggable connectors. While it's cool in a way, it could also greatly hinder switching a pot or swapping pickups. We were left rubbing our heads on this one.

The Bottom Line

Still, these concerns are minor. Overall, the new Gibson Les Paul Standard is a terrific guitar in many ways, and we sense the spirit of classic Les Pauls here. Gibson also now makes a "Les Paul Traditional" that might appeal to individuals who want a more conservative Les Paul. Obviously, Gibson has something for everyone in their Les Paul series.

Name of Gear: Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus

List Price: $3,899.00

Manufacturer Info: Gibson Musical Instruments; gibson.com

Pros: Excellent setup; good classic LP sounds; nice feel

Cons: PCB mounted pots

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