FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Epiphone Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar

Question:
Is the Epiphone LP custom any good? I live a small town and can not try one out. Only saw picture on the net. Any inputs?

Answer:
My first electric guitar after a long guitar-less period was an Epiphone LP custom in cherry sunburst. Mine was a great guitar for beginners because it delivered great sounds, was well-made, was actually affordable, and looked absolutely stunning. It was also lighter than an original Les Paul. There is host of subtle (but noticeable) differences between Epis and Gibsons in general, but individual instruments can differ widely from the average. The pots and pickup switches on the Epis are rumored to be of lesser quality than those on the Gibsons. The pickups themselves have a noticeably different sound, even though I could only hear that when I was directly A/B-ing them. If you want the original sound, only an original will do. But remember that Gibsons are about four to five times as expensive as Epis, so you could get a great guitar by buying a good-sounding Epi and replacing only those parts that need replacing. If you are a beginner, or need an affordable guitar with a great basic sound, an Epi's not a bad choice, if that's the sound you're looking for. (If your heroes play Les Pauls, play a Les Paul too. If they play Strats, go look for a Strat instead, etc.) Personally, I went through somewhat of a transformation. I started out as a Les Paul player. I actually hated how Strats looked and sounded. Now, I have both a Les Paul and a Strat but tend to play the Strat more. It's all good.