I have a chance to trade my Hot Rod Deluxe for a used Epiphone Les Paul Custom but I'm not familiar with Les Pauls so what should I look for in terms of damage, possible problems, etc?

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

I haven't seen any problems at all in any of the Epi Les Pauls I've played. In fact I have a Traditional Pro on lay-away for Christmas.The only places where you may encounter problems with a Les Paul-but not so much in Epis for some reason-is the neck/body join and the headstock where the volute used to be.I believe that most Epis have a larger volute than Gibsons and aren't as prone to breaking or cracking at the headstock just behind the nut.An Epi Les Paul is a great choice as the best Les Paul I ever played was an Epi '59 reissue with Burstbuckers.I've heard of people running into the occasional lesser quality pots but not so much recently.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I'm no expert but you always want to be on the lookout for cracks in the neck near the headstock on any Les Paul. Broken headstocks are common.

The Custom should have 5 ply binding on the body and you want check that for flaws. Also check the neck binding. You can get chips in the paint around the control cavities on the back of the guitar. Obviously plug it in and play it in all of the pickup positions, and check that the pots work. I always check the neck and frets for buzzes and that the action is okay.

I have an Epi Les Paul Custom in Silverburst and I think they are really nice guitars.

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Well I got her, and she was in pretty good condition. The nut is pretty jacked up but that's an easy fix. Everything else looked great, no scratches or anything. She sounds fantastic, very nice warm tone. Now I have to learn how to set up an LP.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Here are some good threads on set-up, etc.

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/epiphone-les-pauls/14714-complete-epi-custom-setup.html

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/tonefreaks/48038-how-use-controls-les-paul.html

How 'bout posting some pics too!!

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Pics or it didn't happen!

CC

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Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5

I'm glad you got her V.B. ,you'll have to bring her with you on the next trip to home turf so we can get together and jam.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Here you go...

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

It looks really sweet, congrats and good luck with her!!

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The funny thing is, she feels pretty weird. Definitely not as cozy as my Strats. Before I only played Les Pauls at guitar stores for short periods of time and they all felt strange to me, and so does this one. She plays nice and sounds good and maybe after I set her up the way I like she'll feel a little more familiar but it's going to take some time to get used to the curves.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Looks like a nice guitar

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

I sat her down last night and gave her a full set-up and I must say she feels much better now.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Congratulations Voodoo Blues! That is a beautiful Epiphone Les Paul!

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.