Meanwhile, the dual-humbucker format and solid poplar body offer a convincing taste of that thick and warm LP tone that you’d expect from a guitar bearing Les Paul’s name. But how refreshing it is to witness Epiphone applying a worn finish to a beginner electric in the shape of the Epiphone Les Paul Special Vintage Edition, giving it some of the kudos and magic of a 1950s guitar. With vintage models held up as the acme of guitar design, it’s no surprise to see so many aged and relic’d finishes on the market. The neck profile is reassuringly meaty and supremely comfortable and should you feel like bending a note and holding it, you’ll be knocked out by the sustain. With its ProBucker pickups (which replicate the vintage Alnico II magic of the original PAF humbuckers), classic finish and tonewood cocktail of solid mahogany and maple up top, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard ’50s in Metallic Gold is a real chip off the old-school block. Best distortion pedals: top high-gain stompboxes for guitaristsīest Epiphone Les Pauls: Guitar World’s choice.Best electric guitars under $500: budget electrics that rock.So let’s take the car off Craigslist before you do anything silly, and see if we can find you a great LP that you don’t need to sell the family silver for. We’ve got 10 of the best Epiphone Les Pauls on our list, with something for everyone. And it’s indicative of the energy and innovation afoot in Epiphone HQ that the manufacturer also offers models that serious players will consider on their own merits. Others offer an approachable second guitar, for intermediate players who are getting serious about the instrument and want to take their playing and their sound to the next level. Some of these are perfect for beginner electrics, priced to be someone’s first guitar. Secondly, you might notice that it offers a cornucopia of Epiphone Les Pauls. Firstly, that the manufacturer has an abundance of its own designs – right now, there are few more exciting brands on the market.
One look at the latest Epiphone catalog will tell you a few things. That’s where Epiphone – a Gibson brand since 1957 – comes in.
The thing is, even with Gibson’s Tribute Series offering a stripped-down Les Paul that costs around a grand, not all of us can afford a US-built model.
Gibson’s peerless single-cut was the original aspirational guitar. For many guitarists, the Gibson Les Paul is the alpha and omega of electric guitar design.