Gas. LesPaul classic

[Silvertonebetty]

So I’ve been having a craving for a lesPaul on and off for a few years now and I’ve been watching this one on reverb probably for the last year so I’m highly thinking of going to my local shop in a few weeks ordering one . A natural ,lemon drop and honey burst are my favourite finishes for a lesPaul. I like modding my guitars so it would foolish not to mention way out of my price range to buy the Gibson counter part . Before I actually pull the trigger is there anything I should be aware of ? And why does Gibson have to ruin things with push pull pots . I’m thinking on a lesPaul custom wire harness and possibly some t-top replicas . The best sounding lesPaul I’ve played was a 79 lp custom loaded with t-top pickups. It’s was so smooth .

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

That one sure is a looker!


Since you're going to invest (spend!) in modding that Epiphone,
have you thought of buying a used Classic?
You mentioned watching it on Reverb, so I guess you did.

Check your local ads, CL and the likes in case you get lucky.

To each his own but spending on an Epiphone is not a good return on investment.
I've seen many people spend a lot and in the end, it is still an Epiphone and it doesn't
appreciate in value that much. And in the end it just keeps you further from buying
a Gibson.
If you add up the costs of the new guitar, pickup harness, pickups and what not,
you're probably not far form a used Gibson.

Just a thought.

 

[Silvertonebetty]

That one sure is a looker!


Since you're going to invest (spend!) in modding that Epiphone,
have you thought of buying a used Classic?
You mentioned watching it on Reverb, so I guess you did.

Check your local ads, CL and the likes in case you get lucky.

To each his own but spending on an Epiphone is not a good return on investment.
I've seen many people spend a lot and in the end, it is still an Epiphone and it doesn't
appreciate in value that much. And in the end it just keeps you further from buying
a Gibson.
If you add up the costs of the new guitar, pickup harness, pickups and what not,
you're probably not far form a used Gibson.

Just a thought.

Lol yeah I have looked unfortunately there’s nothing where I live and we a currently under lockdown so getting second hand might be iffy.

 

[rjwilson37]

Yep, the Epiphone Les Paul Classic is a nice inexpensive guitar, and you can mod the heck out of it to your liking. You should be able to get a new one for around $450-$500. Why buy used when you can buy new for only $50 difference.

 

[Silvertonebetty]

Yep, the Epiphone Les Paul Classic is a nice inexpensive guitar, and you can mod the heck out of it to your liking. You should be able to get a new one for around $450-$500. Why buy used

I sgree

 

[DrBGood]

To each his own but spending on an Epiphone is not a good return on investment.
I've seen many people spend a lot and in the end, it is still an Epiphone and it doesn't
appreciate in value that much. And in the end it just keeps you further from buying
a Gibson.

It is a great investment if it makes you play it every day with a smile. If you buy a guitar as an investment, spend your money on a Gibson, but if you buy a guitar to play it and don't want to be afraid to see it age with use, then buy that Epiphone, bring it where you want it to be (you might not have to do anything to it) and play the heck out of it.

Then if you end up losing a few hundred dollars selling it after 5 or 10 years, divide that amount by the number of hours you've played it and you'll realize it's the best investment you could have ever done.

 

[rjwilson37]

The Epiphone 59, Standard 60's or Modern with a proper setup/fret leveling if needed are just as good as a Gibson. They may not have as much of high-quality wood or finish as a Gibson, but from a feel/playability and tone standpoint, they are right up there next to a Gibson. People take and cart around there Gibson's just as much as people cart around there Epiphone's, it does not matter the price or name on the headstock. I am not afraid to see any of my guitar's age or have wear and tear be it my Gibson's or my Epiphone's.

The Epiphone Les Paul Classic is a great starting guitar, I think it is a Step up from a Muse for sure. You will definitely want to upgrade the pickups though, since the Classic's pups are just ok at best.

 

[rich85]

The Classic model is the bargain sleeper of the entire Epiphone line in my opinion. The build specs are the same as a 60’s Standard just a plain veneer top instead of the flame one and maybe a slight difference in neck shapes but wouldn’t be a whole lot.

With new pickups it will sound as good as any other Les Paul, Gibson or Epiphone, you compare it to.

 

[Silvertonebetty]

The Epiphone 59, Standard 60's or Modern with a proper setup/fret leveling if needed are just as good as a Gibson. They may not have as much of high-quality wood or finish as a Gibson, but from a feel/playability and tone standpoint, they are right up there next to a Gibson. People take and cart around there Gibson's just as much as people cart around there Epiphone's, it does not matter the price or name on the headstock. I am not afraid to see any of my guitar's age or have wear and tear be it my Gibson's or my Epiphone's.

The Epiphone Les Paul Classic is a great starting guitar, I think it is a Step up from a Muse for sure. You will definitely want to upgrade the pickups though, since the Classic's pups are just ok at best.

Yeah I’m not a fan of the burst bucker pro epiphone or Gibson. So far the pickups I like are the 57 classic,Seth lover t-tops and I must admit old maxon pickup are pretty good too.

The Classic model is the bargain sleeper of the entire Epiphone line in my opinion. The build specs are the same as a 60’s Standard just a plain veneer top instead of the flame one and maybe a slight difference in neck shapes but wouldn’t be a whole lot.

With new pickups it will sound as good as any other Les Paul, Gibson or Epiphone, you compare it to.

I hear people say it’s a veneer but the epiphone says “plain maple cap”

 

[rjwilson37]

It is a Maple Cap on the guitar body, it is just a plain veneer finish over the Maple Cap.

 

[Silvertonebetty]

It is a Maple Cap on the guitar body, it is just a plain veneer finish over the Maple Cap.

Oh . Well that sounds like a waist of money putting a veneer of a plain maple top over the plain maple cap

 

[DrBGood]

Oh . Well that sounds like a waist of money putting a veneer of a plain maple top over the plain maple cap

Not if the cap is made of ugly maple or more than 2 pieces.

 

[Silvertonebetty]

Not if the cap is made of ugly maple or more than 2 pieces.

I guess that makes sense.

 

[Jay4321]

The Classic model is the bargain sleeper of the entire Epiphone line in my opinion.

I would say it's not unless you like the neck profile. I took mine and reworked the heck out of it to get it right.

The Moderns are fantastic though, specifically the tuners and pickups are very impressive, and I don't really mess with the push/pulls on either. Only mod I've done was to add a Les Trem to one of them, though I will swap pickups in one for variety. For now they're just set up for different tunings. And they didn't jump in price.

 

[Silvertonebetty]

Any experience with the custom ? I know it’s a little bit more but it does have an ebony fretboard and I know the zw lp custom had a good neck on it

 

[rjwilson37]

I have the Epiphone 2021 Les Paul Custom in Ebony with the Ebony fingerboard, Slim Taper D neck profile and it plays like a dream, so smooth and easy to move around on. The Probucker 2/3 pickups that come with it sound fantastic as well.

 

[Jay4321]

I had an older Custom in wine red but not since the revamp. I can only speak to that one but I never got on with it even after a couple pickup swaps and several upgrades. I'm a wine red guy too, wouldn't hate seeing them release a new Custom in that color.

The moderns have ebony boards. If the Customs also have the slim taper necks I'm not sure what the difference is without looking, aside from the extra binding and inlays. I thought they didn't come with locking tuners and could look right now but lazy, so so lazy. They look like they have the same keystones but obviously in gold from the front. Do they lock or maybe they don't have push-pull? Acfually now that it's come up I'm wondering why they're $100 more.

 

[rjwilson37]

The Customs come with Grover Kidney tuners, I put the Keystone Vintage Locking Tuners on mine. Yep, you're paying the extra for the multilayer binding front and back as well as headstock and the diamond inlay.

 

[Jay4321]

Eh. The markup between my Gibby SG Tribute and my Standard is like 500 bucks for some binding, trapezoids and paint, so I guess. Tribute was a dud though had to return

They need a gold top Modern for these Epis. I have the red and blue and will grab a black one before too long. Epi did a great job with most of the ISG series. Definite appeal for someone like me who likes to have a guitar for everything

 

[rbraad68]

I got one of these classics at GC used for 229 bucks during the lock down here in Texas. The guitar was brand new and who ever bought the thing dropped it and took a small chunk of out out of the back of the guitar. The guitar was repaired and sold on the GC site used. I wound up putting the entire 2021 Gibson electronics and pups in it with the 61r and 61t pups in the guitar. Deff a great guitar to mod if you can get it cheap enough.. I love this thing i named it " Road Rash " If i consider the hard shell case it came with the guitar. I only paid 129 bucks if you minus the price of a case. The damage wasn't too bad and you can't see it on the front of the guitar....