Epiphone Les Paul Standard 60's - I am so done with Gibson I think

[rbraad68]

Looks just like a Slash Appetite but with a nicer neck and a lot cheaper.

Although, the top on this one is sweet, but still looks close to the same as you have above.

Gibson Slash Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar - Appetite Amber

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, AAA Flamed Maple Top, Mahogany Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Appetite Amber

www.sweetwater.com

Yeah man that is exactly what i'm doing!! I got the faber aged nickel kit ordered. I just need to figure out what im doing with the harness?? I posted this picture already but here is the faber bridge pieces in aged nickel...

 

[rbraad68]

OK I have to bring this thread back to life!! Cleaning and restringing my 60's Bourbon burst. I have to say that these 60's standards epiphone put out are great guitars. The maple cap on this thing is hudge! I think its thicker than my other Lps.. I measured it back when i first got it and i believe it was 3/4 of an inch. My JB lazz isn't as thick either are my 59's. I would have to measure them when i change the strings to make sure...

 

[rbraad68]

Here is another pic of the 60s standard and my JB 59.. I really need to start playing this 60s guitar a lot more. Damn thing is bassicly still new just doesn't get any love due to my 59's and all....

 

[rjwilson37]

Heck yea, I totally love my Les Paul Standard 60's. It has taken 2nd place now since I purchased the Jerry Cantrell Wino Les Paul Custom, but I go back and forth with these two guitars, I just love them.

 

[rbraad68]

Heck yea, I totally love my Les Paul Standard 60's. It has taken 2nd place now since I purchased the Jerry Cantrell Wino Les Paul Custom, but I go back and forth with these two guitars, I just love them.

Something about this 60's model it just seems better built and i can swear my other models including my 59s and JB don't have as thick of cap as this 60s guitar. When I change the strings on the others i am going to measure the cap. I know when i measured the JB lazz it had a 1/2 inch cap. I totally love the neck profile on this thing too... I almost didn't get the 60's standard. I am glad i decided to get it for sure...

 

[Spooky88]

In 2017, I bought an EPI 1275 white double neck with the hard shell case (scratch and dent) for 580$ through MF. I used my MF points to “pay” for it. So it was “free”. I had to do some setup work on it myself to get it to where it works best for me. Keep in mind, I wanted the Gibson model but at 7$k new/4k$ used I said no way. And building a Warmoth parts double neck would’ve been 2-3k depending on hardware. I’ve been very happy with the Epiphone. Very good guitar once I got it setup. When I initially bought it, I thought I’d have to upgrade the wiring, pots, pickups etc. TBH it sounds great so I haven’t made any hardware changes to it. In my experience, I haven’t seen very many Gibsons I’ve wanted to own. A very short list. In fact 2. A buddies 1979? Black beauty LP and another friends 2016 Gold Les Paul Standard. Both great guitars with great action and tone. You’d think I’d find an LP at GC or any guitar shop that were as good as those 2. Nope! At this point I may as well save my money up for a birdland…. Haha!

 

[Nikki M]

The other factor is resale. A Gibson is worth about twice as much now where an Epi is about a third less.

Hmmm..
maybe..
maybe not..
I have several Gibson LP Standards..
and
several Epi Jobos..JJNs..all unplayed.. I can sell the Epis for more than I originally paid...the Gibson LP Standards sell for less than I originally paid...
Waiting for the Epi 1959s to rise in value..as they should.. sigh

 

[Ib93]

So here is the $3,000+ question. Why do people keep buying the Gibson LPs? The flaws that the OP experienced seem to be the rule and not the exception with Gibson. If a brand of refrigerator costing $500 consistently had a reputation of doors not closing properly or not cooling properly without some type of repair they would be out of business quickly.

We wouldn't put up with this from any other consumer product but alas people will stand in line to get a poor quality, inferior product from Gibson. Economics would indicate that we get substandard products from them because we allow them to sell us inferior products. Maybe when you get one that's right it is magical but how many turds do we have to go through to get one truly worth the exorbitant prices that they charge.

I think Epiphone has found it's way as far a quality. If you put 10 Gibson LPs next to 10 EPI LPs you will find the quality is way better with the Epiphone LPs. I realize that part of the allure of the Gibson LPs are that they are made here in the USA but also on that note....SHAME ON GIBSON!!!! They should have a little more AMERICAN pride and strive to make their product of higher quality than their lower priced alternative. But nope....be lazy as a company and just keep making sub standard product.

Just my two cents.

 

[80smetalhead]

I’m definitely not on the “Epi’s are better than Gibson’s” train. I own quite a few guitars including a couple of Epiphone’s. I use them both for gigs when I’m unsure about gear safety.

Both needed A LOT of work to be playable and reliable enough to gig with. Both needed full set ups with fret level and dress, pickup swap, clean up the wiring and replace the wonky jacks and switches. After all of this work ( and $) they were gig ready.

On the flip side my 2003Gibson Les Paul Standard and 2021 R68 reissue Les Paul Custom only required minimal tweaking. Tone wise you can’t even compare these guitars to Epi’s which have always sounded a bit duller to my ear due to non nitro finishes. Other Gibsons I’ve had have needed a good setup, fret level and dress. But doing that is just a preference to me, not usually a mandatory need.

If your happy with Epiphone more power to you. But one bad guitar experience doesn’t define an entire company even if you occasionally have to weed through the occasional bad one to find a winner. Having the right luthier helps too.

 

[musicmaniac]

Hmmm..
maybe..
maybe not..
I have several Gibson LP Standards..
and
several Epi Jobos..JJNs..all unplayed.. I can sell the Epis for more than I originally paid...the Gibson LP Standards sell for less than I originally paid...
Waiting for the Epi 1959s to rise in value..as they should.. sigh

I believe your talking about exclusivity with those. And there are people who will pay more for certain guitars of course. As for the '59's I've seen them for sale for $500 regularly and that's a loss of about 30%. As for Gibson's, most of the older guitars (pre price hike) are selling for around 30% more.

 

[rjwilson37]

I’m definitely not on the “Epi’s are better than Gibson’s” train. I own quite a few guitars including a couple of Epiphone’s. I use them both for gigs when I’m unsure about gear safety.

Both needed A LOT of work to be playable and reliable enough to gig with. Both needed full set ups with fret level and dress, pickup swap, clean up the wiring and replace the wonky jacks and switches. After all of this work ( and $) they were gig ready.

On the flip side my 2003Gibson Les Paul Standard and 2021 R68 reissue Les Paul Custom only required minimal tweaking. Tone wise you can’t even compare these guitars to Epi’s which have always sounded a bit duller to my ear. Other Gibsons I’ve had have needed a good setup, fret level and dress. But doing that is just a preference to me, not usually a mandatory need.

If your happy with Epiphone more power to you. But one bad guitar experience doesn’t define an entire company even if you occasionally have to weed through the occasional bad one to find a winner. Having the right luthier helps too.

I don't really care about resale value when I am looking to purchase a guitar, as someone mentioned above and I have the money to spend on any guitar I want. But... I am not going to throw away money for something that should have really come with minimal setup needed. I was really looking forward to the Gibson being my number 1, but I could not even get it tuned easily at all. That was even after 3 trips to the luthier, and these are the people who have setup quite a few of my guitars perfectly. Once the guitar was tuned in that zone, it was fabulous, but it should not be that hard, none of my other guitars have that problem. I sent it back and since there were no more available to replace it at that time, I picked up this Epiphone Standard 60's. It was almost perfect, right out of the box from Epiphone. I just don't see the point going back to a brand new expensive Gibson Les Paul guitar. I did find an older 2014 120th Anniversary Les Paul Signature in like new condition which is fantastic. I do really believe in the Nitro Finish allowing the wood to breath better and as it soaks in over time, it helps improve the quality of tone coming from the guitar. So... I did want a nice Gibson Les Paul Standard to have and keep forever and I did end up getting one. But it shouldn't be that hard to get a good quality Gibson Les Paul brand new, but it seems that it is difficult to get a really nice one.

Other than the Nitro Finish thing I mentioned above, my Epiphone Les Paul's are top notch and right up next to my Gibson's for Quality, Feel, Playability and tone, if you finally get a good one from Gibson that is. You don't need to spend 2-3k for a Les Paul to have a high quality instrument, the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson and Signature models have definitely got you covered for a fantastic instrument to last you a life time. Every Epiphone I purchased the past 2 years, which is around 6 of them, I did not have to send back, they were higher quality than the Gibson I purchased/received.

 

[Greg Dunn]

I own and play both Gibson and Epiphone guitars, it's really hard to justify spending 3K on a new Gibson (non Custom/Murphy Lab) guitar when the specs on the new 2020+ Epis offer nearly everything but the nitro finishes that Gibson USA has to offer. I buy guitars to play them not collect for future resale. My 2022 Gibson 60s Standard had to be replaced 2 times because of defects that should never have left the factory, the one I have is a killer guitar but 1 out of 3 isn't good odds.

 

[rbraad68]

In 2017, I bought an EPI 1275 white double neck with the hard shell case (scratch and dent) for 580$ through MF. I used my MF points to “pay” for it. So it was “free”. I had to do some setup work on it myself to get it to where it works best for me. Keep in mind, I wanted the Gibson model but at 7$k new/4k$ used I said no way. And building a Warmoth parts double neck would’ve been 2-3k depending on hardware. I’ve been very happy with the Epiphone. Very good guitar once I got it setup. When I initially bought it, I thought I’d have to upgrade the wiring, pots, pickups etc. TBH it sounds great so I haven’t made any hardware changes to it. In my experience, I haven’t seen very many Gibsons I’ve wanted to own. A very short list. In fact 2. A buddies 1979? Black beauty LP and another friends 2016 Gold Les Paul Standard. Both great guitars with great action and tone. You’d think I’d find an LP at GC or any guitar shop that were as good as those 2. Nope! At this point I may as well save my money up for a birdland…. Haha!

I would love to find a double neck epi for that price. The double neck is on my list one of these days man one of these days. I got the 2020 50's standard in the gold top really nice guitar man. I replaced just about everything but the wood on this thing. Easily one of my best playing guitars. I have 3 of them now a 59 that started life as an aged cherry burst and 2 of the 50's standards. Cant get enough gold top guitars...

 

[jamhandy]

I've been playing guitar since 1975 (and now at 60yo, disabled and will never be able to afford a Gibson, and don't want one...) and so far on layaway or some type of stretched payments, I have been able t buy and am completely happy with several of the Epiphone new line up of "Inspired by Gibson...

- Epiphone Firebird (feels like a Les Paul, really fantastic)
- Epiphone Les Paul Modern Figured (3 push/pulls, grover locking tuners, etc, etc)
- Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard (Gibson USA burstbuckers from the factory, what a guitar)
- Epiphone ES-339 (new Inspired by Gibson (IBG) version, noticeably better build than the previous ES-339 Pro)
- Epiphone Johnny A Signature (pre-IBG)
- Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor-II Pro Archtop (pre-IBG)
- Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro (pre-IBG)(gave $150USD used for it, gutted the electronics, replaced w/ Dimarzio pups, all new push-back wiring, CTS push/pulls and wired 50s style for an additional $250USD)... and the kid that sold it to me also gave me the Epi hard case for the same $150... LOL...with the new electronics, I'd put it up against any new production Les Paul by Gibson...

 

[syco]

I've been playing guitar since 1975 (and now at 60yo, disabled and will never be able to afford a Gibson, and don't want one...) and so far on layaway or some type of stretched payments, I have been able t buy and am completely happy with several of the Epiphone new line up of "Inspired by Gibson...

- Epiphone Firebird (feels like a Les Paul, really fantastic)
- Epiphone Les Paul Modern Figured (3 push/pulls, grover locking tuners, etc, etc)
- Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard (Gibson USA burstbuckers from the factory, what a guitar)
- Epiphone ES-339 (new Inspired by Gibson (IBG) version, noticeably better build than the previous ES-339 Pro)
- Epiphone Johnny A Signature (pre-IBG)
- Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor-II Pro Archtop (pre-IBG)
- Epiphone Les Paul Traditional Pro (pre-IBG)(gave $150USD used for it, gutted the electronics, replaced w/ Dimarzio pups, all new push-back wiring, CTS push/pulls and wired 50s style for an additional $250USD)... and the kid that sold it to me also gave me the Epi hard case for the same $150... LOL...with the new electronics, I'd put it up against any new production Les Paul by Gibson...

I have the Trad Pro II and Trad Pro III Plus top and they are among my most favorite and well put together guitars .

 

[rbraad68]

I have the Trad Pro II and Trad Pro III Plus top and they are among my most favorite and well put together guitars .

I have to admit my 50's and 60's guitar for what i paid for them ( 499 ) new two yrs ago they are among my best playing guitar i own!! My 60s guitar build quality is amazing ! I can swear that it has a thicker top than the rest but need to measure it to confirm...

 

[DrBGood]

All these Traditionals do they all have a chunky neck ? I keep hearing anything and everything about their profiles.

 

[syco]

All these Traditionals do they all have a chunky neck ? I keep hearing anything and everything about their profiles.

Trad Pro & Trad Pro II have "chunky " D necks . The Trad Pro III + & IV have the slimmer C necks . At least on mine .


Trad Pro I & II . Slim Taper D 14'' Radius . Trad Pro III Slim Taper D 12" Radius . Trad Pro III + Medium C 12" Radius . Trad Pro IV Slim Taper C 12" Radius .

 

[rbraad68]

Trad Pro & Trad Pro II have "chunky " D necks . The Trad Pro III + & IV have the slimmer C necks . At least on mine .


Trad Pro I & II . Slim Taper D 14'' Radius . Trad Pro III Slim Taper D 12" Radius . Trad Pro III + Medium C 12" Radius . Trad Pro IV Slim Taper C 12" Radius .

Are these the newer ones? What you describe is about right for the newer models. I have a 2016 Standard and man it has the slimmest neck i have ever played on a LP !!

 

[syco]

My Trad Pro II is 2014 . Trad Pro III+ is 2018 . Trad Pro IV I got a few months ago .