1st Epiphone LP Purchase....Advice please!

[Alty]

Hi all, whilst doing some research about possible ebay purchases I ended up here (Fake Epi Thread) and thought it seems the best place to start asking.

Looking for advice about a Les Paul for one of our daughters (12) who has shown an interest in getting one, as she's a girl, appearence is on the list of priorities and intially she likes the look of the Sunburst but after talking to her she is now happy (If that's possible) to consider other colours.

We started looking at the usual suspects, Started kits etc and ended up at a 'Standard' on Ebay:

Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar - Limited Edition | eBay

Which is a 2011 China model (Serial supplied) with receipt from a Retailer and not sure what the LTD Ed brings to the table....cosmetic? and is the £200 BIN price good value?

Or would a New Studio (For similar money as above, from Thomann) be an option for her? We have looked at the LP-100 and Special II but thought the Sunburst finish wasn't as nice as the next models up in the range.

Or stretch the budget and go for a new LP Standard from Thomann (£50 cheaper than UK prices)?

She will have to keep which ever we get for a while so durability and everyday useage is a consideration.

If you need any more info or think I've left anything out please just ask.

Cheers

Leon

 

[Dr. Pain]

When I read 12 yo daughter I instantly thought of...

But you'd have to hunt down a used one.

Has she tried a Les Paul for size? I'm not sure of the weight on the cheap ones but my Epi Trib + weighs 9 pounds. I love it but it's heavy and I find my Stratocaster much more comfortable to play. I know there's a big difference between what you're looking and what I have but I'd still try one on for size. She might find it uncomfortable.

 

[tragewombat]

LPs are heavy, so I wouldn't give them to a 12 year old girl. The only notable exception* in the Epi Line-up is the Les Paul Ultra, which is weight relieved.
Another option are the Les Paul Specials (LP Special I P90! Yeah!!! ahum cough)

Daisy Rock makes guitars explicitly for girls. I have no hands on experience with those, so I cannot comment on their quality ( they seem to get good reviews though)

*correct me if I'm wrong here

 

[Alty]

@ Dr. Pain, I had to LOL as if she even thought we'd get something pink for her she wouldn't speak to us for a year....could be a plan....but being serious for a sec, she's not a pinky/girly type of 12 yr old. (Pierce The Veil, Fall Out Boy, Bring Me The Horizon...).

Appreciate the other consideration/options as well, she has tried one in a shop for size and it was OK, she's about 5'3' and it was a worry when she bought her Acoustic that a full size one wouldn't be comfortable for her but she is fine with it, but we are going to revisit a shop tonight to check again before any monies are laid out.

The Ultra is out of budget unfortunately and we did start with a Special but just considering other options before buying.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Rocco Crocco]

I think a 12 YO girl could handle a Les Paul just fine. She's probably sitting most of the time while practicing, anyway.

Good Luck and I hope she sticks with it. Also, be happy she'd not interested in drums!

 

[Lutherie]

Come on guys, pink only
A standard would obviously be a nice choice, as for the Studio it is basically a Standard but with out the cosmetics.
How about a SG? it is lighter and fits better for shorter people the G400 is a very good one although it would be Black or Red. The you have the "Emily The Strange G-310" it is a bolt on neck but has good looking paint job if you are interested in that and is going cheap second hand.

 

[MrGansburg]

If you look at the most recently completed auctions on Ebay for similar guitars you’ll find they went for £150 - £180 + P&P. Personally I think the one you linked to is a little overpriced but it all depends on what you want and what’s important e.g. original receipt.

I have no link to any of these and can't verify their authenticity from a cursory glance but you could try something (used) like:

Epi (translucent blue) with case - item 331036844056,

Epi (honeyburst) with case & more - item 111180905217

or for £200 you could have a brand new Vintage V100 (Cherry Sunburst).

I have one of these (different colour) and it’s a very nice instrument. Also MLP member Malikon is sponsored by them so he may well be able to answer and specifics you may want to ask (or you could listen to some demos he’s done with these guitars).

 

[Dr. Pain]

An SG might be the go. Nice and light. I'd say explorer too but the only one Epi seem to make now is Thunderhorse.

 

[lucifarion]

How about a SG? it is lighter and fits better for shorter people the G400 is a very good one although it would be Black or Red.

I would agree that SG are much lighter and thinner then a Les Paul, but I totally disagree with them fitting better for shorter people. The way the neck is joined to the body gives it a much longer feeling neck (the scale is the same I know flame off peeps). I know tonnes of vertically challenged people who can't play an SG because of this the lower frets (1 through 5 generally) feel like they are way out there. I'm not saying they're bad or not to be considered (they are great guitars, albeit a bit neck heavy at times). Honestly if she digs the Les Paul body style, try something like an LTD EC-256FM. The reason I say this is that they have slightly thinner necks, and much thinner bodies (much lighter too)... yet they still look like a Les Paul, and sound fantastic. I own one and it's one of my favourite Les Paul style guitars of all time. (If you're interested you can always check out my profile for pics)

 

[TerryH]

You may want to look again at the LP100, even if the finish isn't as nice as the higher up models. The LP100 has a smaller body along with a slightly smaller neck, so might be a great starter guitar for your girl. Do you have a store where she can sit down with some of them and see how they feel in her hands?

Still a pretty good looking guitar...

 

[Cyclave]

In Store USED EPIPHONE ULTRA LES PAUL QUILT TRANS EBONY WC | GuitarCenter

Call the store and ask how the condition is. 30 day returns.
$350 with a case is a great price for 'Great' condition.

DEMO: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KfeqJ1pZJc"]Epiphone Ultra 2 Les Paul - YouTube[/ame]


My brother has one he got from GC used, and it's awesome. Weighs 7.2 lbs, which is the same as my MIM strat AND Epiphone G400. LIGHTEST LES PAUL I'VE HELD.


And about the SG discussion, they are NOT for short people especially when sitting down. Have you ever played a SG and LP one after another? Me and my friend recently noticed this. SG's are the 'longer' guitar; LP's are easier for shorter people to play. I forgot why exactly.

 

[paruwi]

Hi Leon

and welcome here at MLP

If it had to be a real Les Paul I'd suggest one of the Ultra series,
My Ultra II is 3,2 kg not some 4+ like many other LPs
eventually you can find one used in your price-range
Her shoulder will thank you later....

Another lightweight option would be the Nighthawk RI
less than 2,5 kg - more versatile than most LPs

BTW I got my 12 YO daughter an Epi SG-junior


edit

oh keep in mind YOU should like the guitar, too - just if she loosing interest...

 

[Lutherie]

I would agree that SG are much lighter and thinner then a Les Paul, but I totally disagree with them fitting better for shorter people. The way the neck is joined to the body gives it a much longer feeling neck (the scale is the same I know flame off peeps). I know tonnes of vertically challenged people who can't play an SG because of this the lower frets (1 through 5 generally) feel like they are way out there. I'm not saying they're bad or not to be considered (they are great guitars, albeit a bit neck heavy at times). Honestly if she digs the Les Paul body style, try something like an LTD EC-256FM. The reason I say this is that they have slightly thinner necks, and much thinner bodies (much lighter too)... yet they still look like a Les Paul, and sound fantastic. I own one and it's one of my favourite Les Paul style guitars of all time. (If you're interested you can always check out my profile for pics)

As my vertical chalenge is in the other way, I would not know from first hand experience. This wisdom I heard from one Mr Young who is known for is love of SG's when asked he said the LesPaul was to big and heavy for a small guy like him self.

 

[TheAce93]

Buy her any Les Paul she wants and a nice wide padded strap to distribute the weight properly. Once she gets used to it she'll hardly notice it's there. If she's just learning then most of her playing should be done sitting down anyways.

The Ultra is a nice guitar but part of the appeal of LPs (in my opinion) is the nice weighty feel of a solid curvy mahogany body. It feels sturdy and sounds great

Good luck!

 

[Alty]

Come on guys, pink only
A standard would obviously be a nice choice, as for the Studio it is basically a Standard but with out the cosmetics.
How about a SG? it is lighter and fits better for shorter people the G400 is a very good one although it would be Black or Red. The you have the "Emily The Strange G-310" it is a bolt on neck but has good looking paint job if you are interested in that and is going cheap second hand.

Thanks for clearing up the difference about the Sudio and Standard, are all the Parts/Electronics the same?

She doesn't like the SG at all, didn't feel right and although it was looked at because on the Acoustic she uses a Capo a lot, learning Ed Sheeran songs atm....so thought it might help but it was a no go.

If you look at the most recently completed auctions on Ebay for similar guitars you’ll find they went for £150 - £180 + P&P. Personally I think the one you linked to is a little overpriced but it all depends on what you want and what’s important e.g. original receipt.

I have no link to any of these and can't verify their authenticity from a cursory glance but you could try something (used) like:

Epi (translucent blue) with case - item 331036844056,

Epi (honeyburst) with case & more - item 111180905217

or for £200 you could have a brand new Vintage V100 (Cherry Sunburst).

I have one of these (different colour) and it’s a very nice instrument. Also MLP member Malikon is sponsored by them so he may well be able to answer and specifics you may want to ask (or you could listen to some demos he’s done with these guitars).

Thanks for the links but not enough time to sort something out really, one only had 15 mins left by the time I checked the link and prefer local as easier to check condition and authenticity.

The one I linked to has a BIN price of £200 but he's lowered the reserve today and thought considering the condition and retail price thought it was not too bad, also has the original receipt for £380 so a nice genuine one I would have thought. He's also tried to sell it before and had a reserve of £220 but didn't sell it and it only got to about £150 IIRC.

I'll take look at the Vintage and it's only an hour drive from us as well, cheers.

I would agree that SG are much lighter and thinner then a Les Paul, but I totally disagree with them fitting better for shorter people. The way the neck is joined to the body gives it a much longer feeling neck (the scale is the same I know flame off peeps). I know tonnes of vertically challenged people who can't play an SG because of this the lower frets (1 through 5 generally) feel like they are way out there. I'm not saying they're bad or not to be considered (they are great guitars, albeit a bit neck heavy at times). Honestly if she digs the Les Paul body style, try something like an LTD EC-256FM. The reason I say this is that they have slightly thinner necks, and much thinner bodies (much lighter too)... yet they still look like a Les Paul, and sound fantastic. I own one and it's one of my favourite Les Paul style guitars of all time. (If you're interested you can always check out my profile for pics)

Thanks, I'll check out the ESP and keep my eye out for one but is a little out of budget, new anyway.

You may want to look again at the LP100, even if the finish isn't as nice as the higher up models. The LP100 has a smaller body along with a slightly smaller neck, so might be a great starter guitar for your girl. Do you have a store where she can sit down with some of them and see how they feel in her hands?

Still a pretty good looking guitar...
Pic Snip....

Yes, we've been a couple of local stores and the trouble was we started at the Special and worked our way up and once she had a Standard in her hands it was game over for the others but she will listen to other suggestions now the excitement has calmed down a little....although had to stop her trying to grab 3 Grand Gibsons off the wall to try, on the way out....

In Store USED EPIPHONE ULTRA LES PAUL QUILT TRANS EBONY WC | GuitarCenter

Call the store and ask how the condition is. 30 day returns.
$350 with a case is a great price for 'Great' condition.

DEMO: Epiphone Ultra 2 Les Paul - YouTube


My brother has one he got from GC used, and it's awesome. Weighs 7.2 lbs, which is the same as my MIM strat AND Epiphone G400. LIGHTEST LES PAUL I'VE HELD.


And about the SG discussion, they are NOT for short people especially when sitting down. Have you ever played a SG and LP one after another? Me and my friend recently noticed this. SG's are the 'longer' guitar; LP's are easier for shorter people to play. I forgot why exactly.

Cheers but easier for us to buy in the UK and less hassle and it was gone by the time I checked it out....

Hi Leon

and welcome here at MLP

If it had to be a real Les Paul I'd suggest one of the Ultra series,
My Ultra II is 3,2 kg not some 4+ like many other LPs
eventually you can find one used in your price-range
Her shoulder will thank you later....

Another lightweight option would be the Nighthawk RI
less than 2,5 kg - more versatile than most LPs

BTW I got my 12 YO daughter an Epi SG-junior


edit

oh keep in mind YOU should like the guitar, too - just if she loosing interest...

Thanks for the welcome, I think the Ultra could be out of our budget even second hand, unless we were lucky, to be honest I don't think she's tried a Nighthawk or seen one so could be an alternative.

LOL, your not the first person to say that about me liking it but I'm left handed so no bonus Epi for me....

Buy her any Les Paul she wants and a nice wide padded strap to distribute the weight properly. Once she gets used to it she'll hardly notice it's there. If she's just learning then most of her playing should be done sitting down anyways.

The Ultra is a nice guitar but part of the appeal of LPs (in my opinion) is the nice weighty feel of a solid curvy mahogany body. It feels sturdy and sounds great

Good luck!

Yes, she is sat down all the time atm whilst learning and a valid point as has been mentioned earlier, it was something she mentioned when she tried one, about it 'feeling' better than the others....and that's a good sign IMHO.

Thanks for all the replies guys and making my decision harder....more choices...., just messing and appreciate the comments up to now.

Leon

 

[paruwi]

Thanks for the welcome, I think the Ultra could be out of our budget even second hand, unless we were lucky, to be honest I don't think she's tried a Nighthawk or seen one so could be an alternative.

LOL, your not the first person to say that about me liking it but I'm left handed so no bonus Epi for me....


Leon

It was worth a thought...

My daughter is a lefty, I convinced her to try guitar as a righty....
so far it works....

 

[Lutherie]

I think you need to go for the PlusTop or a Custom to get different hardware. The Studio and Standard have more or less the same. If I remeber right the difference is that the Standard has covers on the humbuckers, trapesoid inlays, binding on the body and thik gloss finish. But I beleve the eletronics, picups, tuners, bridge and tail are the same.

The plus top pro has probuckers and nice flame, while the custom will have block inlays, binding on the neck and head as well as the body you also get gold hardware on the custom.

As for what to buy, if you are worried about getting a real one you could always grab this one from Thomann for £244, it is new, genuine and would play and sound nice.
http://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_les_paul_standard_rc.htm

 

[Alty]

It was worth a thought...

My daughter is a lefty, I convinced her to try guitar as a righty....
so far it works....

It was....


When I personally thought about trying to play many years ago I used to use a right handed guitar upside down, as my brother who is right handed used to mess with it as well, I think he still has that guitar, an EKO Ranger V I bought for £12 in the 80s and LH ones were too expensive but my enthusiasm wasn't great enough to carry on and gave up.

I bought a LH Tanglewood from ebay about 8 yrs ago for £40 in a feeble attempt to try again but life got in the way....it has recently been restrung and retuned so I might potter along to keep my daughters enthusiasm going as she really loves it atm.

Leon

 

[James R]

I think at that age girls and boys are trying to get away from things that look like they're meant for a child. I recently helped my 9 year old niece pick out a guitar. I honestly thought we'd be looking at pink girly type guitars but to my surprise, she gravitated right to an esp LP style guitar in cherry burst. I thought it would be too cumbersome for her but I was waaaay wrong. Granted, she always sits while practicing but that's neither here nor there. She now has a very nice, fairly quality built electric guitar that she'll be happy to rock on for years to come.

 

[Alty]

I think you need to go for the PlusTop or a Custom to get different hardware. The Studio and Standard have more or less the same. If I remeber right the difference is that the Standard has covers on the humbuckers, trapesoid inlays, binding on the body and thik gloss finish. But I beleve the eletronics, picups, tuners, bridge and tail are the same.

The plus top pro has probuckers and nice flame, while the custom will have block inlays, binding on the neck and head as well as the body you also get gold hardware on the custom.

As for what to buy, if you are worried about getting a real one you could always grab this one from Thomann for £244, it is new, genuine and would play and sound nice.
Epiphone Les Paul Standard RC - Thomann UK

There are some beautiful looking Epi's out there and thanks for clearing the difference up, good to know.

I wasn't worried at first about getting a genuine one until my search pointed me to the 'Fake Epiphone' thread here and never even thought about it and never realised there were any.

Until I found the Thomann site, thanks btw for the link....I couldn't find a Standard locally for less than £300 new and is very tempting.

Cheers

Leon