Epiphone Les Pauls should cost more, here's why.....

[needlespauls]

Hey guys/gals. Don't go all nuts on my title just yet lol!

I was just thinking that the prices on Epiphone Les Pauls, both the plain and plus tops are really really pretty reasonable for what you get. Epiphone has improved its hardware a bit as of late, even their pickups are not so bad and its pretty cool that they are stepping it up with new designs like the "ProBucker" pickup. Cool stuff. Tuners are great, etc.

BUT, and I repeat, BUT.......

For $100-$150 more per Les Paul model wouldn't it be nice if the bodies of these guitars were made of no more than 3-pieces of VISIBLE mahogany, NOT covered in a veneer that hides many pieces of mahogany-ish and or some other wood. Wouldn't it be nice to not have a separate piece of wood for the heel and separate piece for the headstock (scarf-joint?). In other words, a 1 piece neck. Plain tops would have an actual 2-piece maple top with NO plain maple veneers (ridiculous), and plus tops would have the same flame maple veneer over a solid plain maple 2-3 piece top.

Thats all.
$549 for the current Les Paul Standard? Not bad at all. Great actually. But wouldn't it be worth it and still very affordable for customers AND Epiphone to have all the decent (should be a given) specs that I listed above???
Wouldn't any or all of you guys/gals pay $599 for an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plain top that has an ACTUAL bookmatched plain maple top with an actual mahogany body and neck????? An actual licensed Les Paul copy with NO VENEERS to speak of, just pure guitar????? What am I missing here?
Am I way off track here? Just a little? Or am I right on.......

 

[Sirzach]

Nah, because i could get a lower end gibson for a couple hundred more.

Though, your idea does sound good.

 

[needlespauls]

Fair enough. But which lower-end Gibson would you prefer if I may ask? A Vintage Mahogany Studio? I could see that but with a mega improved Epi LP with a real visible bookmatched maple top and a visible 1 piece neck is quite a legit alternative to the VM Studio. For those that want a maple top, not just maple-looking, it would be a real Les Paul!

 

[Sirzach]

Fair enough. But which lower-end Gibson would you prefer if I may ask? A Vintage Mahogany Studio? I could see that but with a mega improved Epi LP with a real visible bookmatched maple top and a visible 1 piece neck is quite a legit alternative to the VM Studio. For those that want a maple top, not just maple-looking, it would be a real Les Paul!

You do have a point. I was thinking that or a faded SG.

 

[needlespauls]

You do have a point. I was thinking that or a faded SG.

Faded SG's can be sweet too. Unfortunately for me the neck shapes on those don't work well for me.
The Vintage Mahogany Studio's are really cool. I like the satin/nitro finish more than I like the feel of the regular Gibson nitro finishes. Much less sticky. The VM Studio's are very toneful guitars, nice and rich and open sounding, can be a little dark. The BB Pro's in those help though.

I think that if Epiphone added the improvements to their LP's that I mentioned above, they would give beginners a full Les Paul that they could be very proud of. And for guys like me that have been playing a while and have been around some really nice guitars, a guitar that hold's its own not just in quality of materials and build, but god forbid an even more improved open sound!

 

[needlespauls]

The way I see your post, you are expecting Gibson to market what is basically a Gibson Les Paul minus the Gibson electronics, build them in China, and to sell it at a low cost under the Epiphone brand name.

Never going to happen because of your last line in your second post...

Well, relatively speaking.
It still wouldn't technically be as nice as a Gibson Les Paul because it would have in most cases a 3-piece back of standard grade mahogany, not Honduras or even African mahogany, versus Gibsons Central American? 1-piece backs, and same with the necks. Not as high grade mahogany. Still, a poly finish would be used where Gibson has a more desirable nitro finish, and don't forget the fret nibs with the binding. There would still be enough of a difference, IMO.

 

[LesPauI+SG=Win]

I would totally enjoy if Epiphone did this. Good ideas

 

[Fuelish]

For those that want a maple top, not just maple-looking, it would be a real Les Paul!

Nah - unfortunately, there are still the headstock snobs who'd want the Gibson design....which I think is pretty generic, personally....I prefer Epi's hs shape, quite honestly...

 

[needlespauls]

Nah - unfortunately, there are still the headstock snobs who'd want the Gibson design....which I think is pretty generic, personally....I prefer Epi's hs shape, quite honestly...

Oh I agree, especially for the player that really just prefers playing Les Pauls. But I bet you could draw in players that are just looking for the best "single-cut" style guitar that they can afford!
Have you ever played the new EC1000 Deluxe from LTD/ESP???? They are damn near as nicely made and playing as the Japanese made Epi Elitists (I have an Elitist for comparison)! Of course these LTD's are made by World Musical Instruments in S. Korea, but hey the MIC stuff is coming along.
Now for almost $200 less than some of these LTD single-cuts, WITH a real maple top, and the nostalgia and mojo of being a "Les Paul", I think Epi would kill with these!
Squier has hit it HUGE with the new Classic Vibe series guitars. They have done it right. Instead of just putting up nice electronics but keeping the same blah woods and stuff, they have beautiful alder bodies and quarter sawn maple necks with great finishes. Great sounding alnico pickups to!

Epiphone has missed the game with the Tribute and 59' ,overall I'd say. Upgrade the Woods and construction methods used!!! Not throw a bunch of more expensive and nice gadgets onto an "OK" built guitar!! Yes, I know both those guitars have a long tenon and maple cap, but you still have veneers everywhere top and bottom, 3-piece necks (heel,neck, headstock, blah!), and mega mystery piece maple caps.
meh...I was impressed when they were released, not so much anymore.

 

[snaredrum]

coughjapaneseepiphonescoughcough

 

[sasquatch]

I could swear my 2010 Traditional Pro has a one piece neck. I don't see / can't locate a seam on the thing anywhere. Heel tab seems to be the same piece of wood. There is no visible seam on its headstock like the one on my 2007 LP plus. They are no visible wings either.
The neck is completely open pore as is the back of the guitar - yet by looking at the edges I do detect a veneer on the back. Very Neatly Done!
Furthermore the body (- unless it has micro-seams that look like tiny little seams with no change in pore pattern where the CNC may have stopped for a moment then resumed cutting-) is possibly a 2 pice body.
I do have a 2 piece body on my 2009 SG but it is covered with veneer (made in China Qingdao, serial '15')
and stock pickups that rival my Dimarzio's
This guitar gets played alot and is a main giging instrument

So...things are definitely getting better in the Epi camp

 

[AnthemBassMan]

-One way to check the heel is to pull the neck p'up and look from the inside. It may be hard to see from the finish, but inside will show you what's really going on. Check it out at you next string change.

L8R,
Matt

 

[07LPStandard]

MIJ/Elitist Epiphones have these features already.

Add to that improved hardware.

Wood is important and all, but if Epiphone were to up their prices, I would sooner want to see better hardware and electronics.

Face it: if Epiphone DID change the base construction, you would STILL have to replace all the hardware and electronics to have a great guitar. And in that case you're better off just buying an Elitist from the get-go.

What WOULD be great is if Epiphone would start producing Elitists again.

 

[sasquatch]

-One way to check the heel is to pull the neck p'up and look from the inside. It may be hard to see from the finish, but inside will show you what's really going on. Check it out at you next string change.

L8R,
Matt

OK I will - hopefully I'll see a long neck tenon and 'Gibson USA' on the pickups!
(Yea, right Mr. Dreamer...keep dreamin')

 

[Fuelish]

What WOULD be great is if Epiphone would start producing Elitists again.

Agreed.... have only seen/held one once in my life, seemed unbelievably nice. Has Gibson ever given a "justifiable" reason for d/cing them??? Am sure they wouldn't say the obvious reason...

 

[07LPStandard]

Agreed.... have only seen/held one once in my life, seemed unbelievably nice. Has Gibson ever given a "justifiable" reason for d/cing them??? Am sure they wouldn't say the obvious reason...

Can't really blame Gibson.. the Elitists rivaled Gibson's construction and craftsmanship, as well as tone and looks, at a fraction of the price. They would really have hurt Gibson's sales after a few more years.

 

[EXiiT]

coughjapaneseepiphonescoughcough

+10000 - More MIJ's please. That's all it would take to have me content.

 

[needlespauls]

MIJ/Elitist Epiphones have these features already.

Add to that improved hardware.

Wood is important and all, but if Epiphone were to up their prices, I would sooner want to see better hardware and electronics.

Face it: if Epiphone DID change the base construction, you would STILL have to replace all the hardware and electronics to have a great guitar. And in that case you're better off just buying an Elitist from the get-go.

What WOULD be great is if Epiphone would start producing Elitists again.

I sold my Gibson LP Standard in order to buy my Elitist. Yes I thought it was that good. The Elitist line is incredible for sure, but electronics and hardware still benefits from an upgrade, as do other Epi's and gibsons. Don't forget, the elitists while very much so worth it were $1100 and up for the Les pauls! I was talking $599 for quite an improved LP plaintop from what we have now. That's half the money of what the Elitists went for!
Also, why not bring back the Elitist line too! Quality for all price ranges!

 

[River]

Color me not caring. Multi-part bodies and necks don't bother me, nor do veneers. I've got a 45-year-old guitar with all of the above, and it's held up phenomenally well and sounds great. If I want to brag about not having that shit, I'll just talk about my Gibsons.

 

[redcoats1976]

The way I see your post, you are expecting Gibson to market what is basically a Gibson Les Paul minus the Gibson electronics, build them in China, and to sell it at a low cost under the Epiphone brand name.

Never going to happen because of your last line in your second post...

im afraid he is right...it would be real competition then.