Epiphone Les Paul Studio
These are by far my most favorite guitars I have ever owned. One is a Epiphone Les Paul Studio in Arctic Blue and the other is an Ebony. Just like their Gibson cousins they follow all same characteristics as the Gibson Les Paul Studio. The Les Paul Studio is a fabulous instrument and the tone and power is amazing! Just like my old Les Paul only better. I once owned a Gibson Les Paul Custom that I bought new in the Spring of 1989.It was such a beautiful and elegant and expensive instrument that I was actually afraid of damaging it every time I even opened the case. So, even though I had the prince of all guitars in my possession I resorted to playing my Lotus Les Paul copy for most of my playing and limited the custom for studio work or special gigs. Several years later there were some major life changes like getting married and starting a family so I eventually sold it along with all of my other gear and never played the guitar until some years later.
After becoming a Christian in 1993 I re-fell in love with the guitar during a Christian retreat. I wanted to begin playing again and set out to find the perfect guitar and I found the Epiphone Alleykat that I bought new online. It was a semi-hollow body that featured a humbucker in the bridge position and a New York mini-humbucker in the neck position. The guitar was an absolute joy to play and to look at. I noticed right off the bat that the neck felt like my Les Paul’s neck from years before. The Alleykat was designed more for jazz and blues but it could really tear into any kind of music and keep up with any guitar but I decided to sell the Alleykat a few years later because I had started playing a Stratocaster for the clean sounds our music required. That itself is weird because until then I never really liked the thin sound of a Stratocaster. I actually grew to love it but I still missed that warm sound of the Les Paul and would eventually start a search again for it.
When I began that search for a different sound I ended up buying the Epiphone Les Paul for these reasons; I loved my Alleykat and since Epiphone is directly tied to Gibson I decide what the heck- get and Epiphone Les Paul! What’s more, I decided to not get a custom but get the guitar that has a perfect balance of everything- the Les Paul Studio. I am so happy I did. This decision was not based on price like you might think it would be. No, it was based on the fact that I actually wanted to play the guitar without being afraid of scratching or dinging it. I wanted to be able to let it take a hit and not cause me to go into cardiac arrest. The ONLY thing I do not like about these Les Paul’s is the un-unique sound of the neck pickup. But, I believe that is just the nature of Les Paul’s with stock humbucking pickups in the neck position. The sound is still warm and clear but just no comparison to the neck pickup on a Stratocaster.
The Arctic Blue Les Paul is a factory second. It was taken around again and re-stamped again at the factory. This basically means that as the guitar was being readied for shipment it was discovered that there was some sort of issue with the guitar and that it would have to be corrected. When the factory does these corrections they change the serial number on the instrument as well. This is why you see the label on the headstock rather than it just being stamped into the wood. Upon inspection I detected no imperfection in the body, color, sound, or action of the guitar. I did set it up and completed all of the adjustments and it really is good as any other Les Paul. The Ebony Les Paul is a first run-just as awesome as the blue one and is my number one for playing when I am the only guitarist.
Now a word to those reading this article with the hopes of learning about Epiphone guitars and whether or not they are worth the time and investment. You will hear people say some not-so-nice things about the Epiphone Les Pauls when compared to Gibson Les Pauls. Let me say this about that. Gibson Les Pauls are not the same as the were back in the 50′s through the 70′s. People who buy them like the think they are but, in fact, they are not. Your standard run, non Custom or special guitars, are made as cheaply as possible to get the most profit for the product. Business 101 stuff here. In my studies of Gibson vs. Epiphone you would be VERY hard pressed to find anything that stands out as being a superior or inferior trait about any of the two. If I had my way and I had to pick from a regular Les Paul Standard or an Epiphone Les Paul custom for about the same price guess what I would chose? Can you say duh the way Partick Star says it? The custom will still say Epiphone on it not Gibson. THAT is what people want- the name. To each his own I guess. But I want a guitar for its sound and playability, not its name.
Information about the Epiphone Les Paul Studio:
The original idea for the Epiphone Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar was to create a somewhat lower-priced Les Paul by dispensing with some cosmetics. The result was an especially clean, handsome guitar with all the Les Paul essentials. Newly designed in 2004, the Studio now has a thicker body that matches its namesake, hot open-coil Alnico Classic humbuckers, a set mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, and mahogany body with carved top. The LockTone Tune-O-Matic Bridge and LockTone stopbar tailpiece add more sustain and make string changing easier. Specifications include: Set mahogany neck, Rosewood fingerboard, Mahogany body with carved top, Hot open-coil Alnico Classic humbuckers, Dot fingerboard inlays, LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge.
