Looking to expand the herd with something different like maybe an Epiphone Les Paul. Is an Epiphone kind of like what Squier is to Fender or is it more like what MIM Fenders are to AM Fenders? Specifically, I'm considering an Epiphone Les Paul Tribute Plus which features Gibson 57 Classic pickups... Opinions? I'm not looking to spend too much $$$..

I have a Epi Black Beauty and like it alot. I do think the upper end Epi,s are very good.

You would have to go with the upper end ones.

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Gary

I have two Epi LP's. I think the std and studios are more like the MIM Fenders and upper end Squiers. The specials are more like the lower end Squiers. Epiphone is a good bang for the buck. I have two Epi's, an Elitist LP and a '56 reissue LP and I like them both, but I'm just not a Les Paul guy.

Something else to think about. Guys on other forums are raving about the Agile LP's from Rondo Music. I've never played one but the general feeling is they are as good or better than Epiphone. Good luck.

I bought an used Epiphone Sheraton II hollow-body guitar two months ago and I think it's a wonderful guitar.

Recently I've played a couple of other Epiphones in a local music store, and they all seem to be pretty good. I guess the quality control in Chinese Epiphone factory/factories has increased in the past few years.

I have a flamed sunburst Epi Dot that I picked up new for $400. P/Us are a bit muddy sometimes, but it plays well, looks great and doesn't cost $2,250 and (way) up. Good bang for your buck or Euro.

My first electric was an EPI SG special..it was not special..in its favor it did have fairly low action..but the tuners were horrible and it had to be re-tuned constantly!! I have been an acoustic player for a long time wanted to try the electric thing..in my mind the SG style was closest to a dreadnaught (not easy to live in my head) I will say Im glad I bought it to first start on just make sure I really wanted to play electric..but I am also going to say I do NOT miss it one bit and would not trade my plus ever! Much more comfortable all the way around...I also hated the painted EPI neck a LOT!
As most will tell you no matter what you decide to buy if possible try it out first you never really know until you hold the guitar

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Mona
"Music is What Feelings Sound like"

I have a EPI LP tobacco sunburst "plain top" I love it. Great fit and finish, sound all around good buy for about $400-450. I would compare them to an MIM standard.

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I remember when we were free!

Epiphone's are pretty poor quality. I have an ES175 Epiphone and while i like it, with all it's imperfections, the standard of componebts are terrible. Machine heads that are so stiff and unresponsive. Same thing with the bridge and other components. Really cheap and nasty.

It could be made into a better guitar by changing all that but for what it is it doesn't seem worth the bother or the expense.

Hard to intonate properly and very hard to get and stay in tune.

Epiphone used to be a great American made guitar. Nowadays they're very poorly made, in Korea i think.

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

Howdy!

I bought this for £200, 12 years ago...



Swapped the pickups and the knobs and didn't buy another guitar for 7 years. Money well spent.

Andy

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Pending Greatness

I've had two Epiphone Les Pauls in recent years and I still have one but it has been modifed. The guitar itself is very good and I have done nothing with it except set it up. The pups and pots are not very good and I swapped them out. I tried Gibson pots for the first year or two but they're not as good as the PRS pots I have in it now. The stock pups have a sticker that says "Duncan Designed." Don't let that fool you. They are not Duncan pups. I have a Dimarzio Super-Distortion at the bridge and a Humbucker-From-Hell at the neck and I couldn't be happier with it. Everyone who tries it falls in love.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Arjay, the black SG made me drool a little bit.

Anyone that makes a blanket statement that Epis are of inferior quality is talking through their hat and has little or no experience with Epis.There may have been a shred of truth in that in the 90s when MIC Epis didn't have the stringent QA procedures that they undergo now but these days Epis are way above the quality of most guitars in their price range-with the exception of Fender-and are a pleasure to play.I have bought 6 Epis in the past 3 years-2 are Les Pauls-and they are exceptional guitars even surpassing the guitars of their parent company,Gibson, in many cases.My latest Les Paul is a Taditional Pro and it sounds so much like an original PAF Les Paul that it's absolutely astounding.My John Lennon 1965 Casino is the easiest and most comfortable guitar I ever played and is my favourite of all my 30 guitars,except maybe my '65 Strat.I have a '06 Custom Shop Firebird V that sounds just like a mid 60s SG,which were and are the most desirable of all S.G.s.The quality of the electronics,hardware,tuners,fit and finish etc. of Epis have never been an issue for me and as I stated previously-it may have been problematic in some cases in the 90s and before, but if you buy an Epi Les Paul-or any model-you won't be disappointed.If you are looking for a Les Paul,I strongly suggest the Traditional Pro model as it has coil-tap and as I said previously sounds incredibly like a PAF Les Paul.If you want absolutely astounding sound,playability and quality I suggest the 1959 and 60 tributes.I played a '59 tribute last year and it was the best Les Paul,bar none,that I ever played and it was only a little over $1000 but I imagine it would probably be cheaper in the U.S. Please post pix when you decide-Happy Hunting.

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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 love this thing

In the past few years Epiphone has been upping the anti so-to-speak, on the quality of product they are putting out. Get the right one, and no need to upgrade anything. And they are good looking. This is my Honey right after I got her. I have removed the plastic covering from the pickups now.