Customer Reviews

Epiphone LP Special II Les Paul Electric Guitar, Ebony

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Epiphone LP Special II Les Paul Collection Electric Guitar is a GREAT GUITAR for $169.00 (The average selling price at the time of this review). The pickups, tune-o-matic bridge and stop piece are the same ones used in Epiphone's more expensive guitars, and are similar to what's used in much more expensive Gibsons. Although the tone adjustments have been simplified to a toggle between the three pickup combinations and an overall tone control for both pickups, this is not as big a deal as many might make of it. Given the vast array of other things that influence electric guitar sound -- strings, amp choice and settings, effects pedals and so forth -- the guitar sounds great as is.

The finish and general fit and balance of the guitar are great. There was a time when budget guitars screamed cheap and were quite obviously low class in a lot of areas. Those days are past with the Epiphone LP Special II.

All that said, there a few things to remember.

* The guitar comes with very light bendy strings. This is probably due to market data that tells Epiphone that the bulk of buyers for this guitar are teen Guitar Heros who think that string bending every note is an essential aspect of shredding and wailing. If you plan to put heavier strings on the guitar (like 12-51s for example) for jazz or other styles of music then you will probably need a truss rod adjustment to compensate for the added tension. If you don't know how to do this, ask someone who does. You can ruin a guitar, permanently, by being too aggressive with a truss rod adjustment.

* The guitar has a mahogany neck, but a basswood body. Do not let anyone tell you this is a bad thing. Basswood is a completely acceptable wood for musical instruments. It is not worse or better than mahogany or maple. It is just different. Once again, the differences involved will probably be irrelevant when added into all the other things that players do with amps, strings and pedals to create tone and sound from an electric guitar.

* Epiphone has more than one factory making these guitars. One is in China, the other in is Indonesia. The guitars made by each are very close in every detail, but not exactly, perfectly the same.

* The Chinese examples of the sunburst model that I have seen have a slightly golden-orange tone to the sunburst pattern, more like the traditional sunburst color in American guitars. The Indonesian examples I have seen have a much more over all orange look. Basswood does not have a lot of visible grain. The example guitar shown in the official Epiphone product photos, the photos you see on most web sites like Amazon and Musician's Friend and so forth, are probably a little optimistic when it comes to visible grain and the golden hued quality of the sunburst finish.

* The Chinese examples I have seen tend to weigh more. One Indonesian model I saw weighed a full pound and half less than the Chinese model right next to it. There is not, unfortunately, any way to tell from the box or from the barcode or SKU number on the box what factory a given example inisde the box came from. The system will deal out whatever is in stock at the moment.

The world is full of guys who will zero in on all the details they find inferior about this guitar by noting the rather obvious fact that this is not a Gibson Les Paul Standard costing $3,000.00. There are some people who will complain that this guitar has a bolt on neck. True, the set necks of the more expensive Epiphones and Gibsons are nicer. But, considering the fact that every Fender Stratocaster ever made had a bolt on neck, is this really a big deal? Would Jimi Hendrix have played "Purple Haze" better if his Strat had a set in neck? Probably not.

The guitar this model is probably closest to, in spirit and purpose, is not the Gibson Les Pauls but, rather, to the old Gibson Melody Maker guitars from the 60s. That said, this is a hell of lot more guitar for the money than any Melody Maker ever was, and adjusted for inflation, relative to what a Melody Maker would have cost you in 1968, for example, it is almost like Epiphone paying you to play it.

People listen to music, not guitars. Music is made by players, not by pickups and electronics. If you're on a budget, this is an outstanding choice. If you're not on a budget, it's still a very good basic instrument. RECOMMENDED.

I picked up one of these babies about 6 months ago to use as my "travel" guitar, and it has yet to let me down. Granted, the day I got it, I changed out the pickups with a DiMarzio Double Whammy in the bridge and a Virtual PAF in the neck, so I can't tell you much about the sound from the factory electronics. However, the guitar plays wonderfully. The only irritant was that, in order to get perfect intonation in Eb tuning (one half-step below standard tuning on all six strings), I had to reverse one of the saddles.

Otherwise, no complaints whatsoever -- it came from the factory with the truss perfectly set, and it only took minor tweaks to the action and a slight shim for the neck (I'm obsessive when it comes to fast action on my guitars), and I was shredding away in no time. This is an excellent guitar for a beginner, or, if you're a more advanced player in search of some vintage looks on a budget, this is right up your alley. Get a new set of pickups -- EMGs, Seymour Duncans, or DiMarzios will work great -- and you've got looks AND tone. Just don't expect that solid mahogany-body sustain you'd get from a real LP -- this one's plywood. Agathis. Tonewood. Whatever Epiphone's buzzword of the week happens to be.

Bottom line: for $150, you can't go wrong with this guitar. Out of all the guitars I own, I keep coming back to this one. Of course, unlike your average Jackson or B.C. Rich, the Les Paul body design doesn't have any pointy things to dig into one's crotch... That might have a bit to do with it as well. Are you still reading this? Just buy it already!

This is a great guitar to learn the basics on. I have owned a LP2 for a year and I have nothing bad to say about it. The guitar stays in tune and has a solid construction. This guitar is well worth the money!

Listen,If you want an inexpensive guitar with great sound and easy playability, buy this one. Period.

I bought a black one to leave in the trunk while I was at work, in case the guys called for a practice session, so I wouldn't have to go all the way home to pick up my gear.

I have other, way more expensive guitars, like a Gibson ES-335, Dean 12 string, and a Fender Strat, but I gotta tell you, I like this one soooo much I play it more than the others! No kidding.

And if it gets banged up, so what??? It costs a buck thirty! Buy another. In facte I bought 2 others with different finishes, just for a cheap change up guitar.

Dig it.

I also bought this guitar like a Christmas present for myself. And I can say this guitar sounds great, is beautiful for me.
I can say this Les Paul is very good and I recommen to everybody

I wanted to start playing guitar with no previous experience so i went to guitar center where i live and strolled around looking for an inexpensive guitar that was not "cheap". This guitar caught my eye, it is perfect for a beginner or anyone who wants a les paul on a budget, like me. I bought mine used for $80 and it was red but i figured that this price could not be beat and for a starter what does the color matter it doesnt make it sound ant different. Anyway if anyone is starting to play guitar BUY THIS ONE and i also recommend the Spider line 6 amp to go with. I enjoy metallica and it sounds great for the stuff ive played so far.

Epiphone Les Paul Special II Electric Guitar, Black

I bought this guitar as a Christmas present to myself, and I'm very pleased with it. I use a Digitech SP50 modeling pedal and this guitar works perfectly with it.
It's solid but not a backbreaker like other Les Paul models, but still delivers a great consistent quality sound.
I have no trouble keeping it in tune, though I did put new Super Slinky strings on it as soon as I got it.
I play in a church worship band every Tuesday and Friday and this guitar has turned a lot of heads both in the band and the audience. Many people have noted it's great sound and sleek looks.
I'm 100% satisfied. Great job Epiphone!

So far this guitar has treated me well as a beginner. However, the screw holding the peg for the strap came out within 15 minutes of opening the box. They had tried to fix the hole that was drilled too large by adding a nail, but it did not work. Essentially, I felt like I was getting a used guitar.

(note: I am still a beginner guitarist, so I am aware that all you tone-nazis out there will probably completely disagree with most of this. This review is meant for people in my same situation; that is, people who just started out, don't have an ultra-precise ear for tone, and aren't willing to sink a bunch of money into this just to find out they suck lol)
Three years ago I decided that I wanted to try my hand at playing guitar... I needed a hobby, but wasn't really sure if I had the manual dexterity to do something like that. I learned some stuff on an acoustic for a while, got a little better, started thinking, "Hey, maybe I can do this..."
So, two years ago, I got my dad to get me this Epiphone Les Paul Special II (I actually got the pack with the amp, but I didn't use the amp for very long, so I felt it more appropriate to post my review here; The amp was alright, for a little amp, but I wanted something with more power for playing Metal on).
I got it in black, so I can't say much about the burst finish (I have seen some in stores, and the burst finish looks kinda bad to me, to be honest...), but after two years the black finish is still deep black, and pretty tough; I've knocked that thing against so many things, still barely a chip in the paint.
I really liked the strings that came with it, but eventually I decided to upgrade to some Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom's... not much of a difference, to be honest, just a little deeper.
I bought this guitar thinking that if I started to get good, I would just upgrade it into a really decent guitar (I wasn't sure if it was worth investing too much money in this at the time...), which is why I give this guitar a five star review, even though I am planning to upgrade almost all of it...
The guitar does not stay in tune well at all, I believe because of crappy tuners (although another reviewer mentioned neck/body issues that I might have to look into), so I plan on upgrading to Grovers.
Also, while the pickups can get some really good tones, they aren't quite as... dynamic as I'd like them to be... I plan on switching out the bridge with a Toni Iommi Signature, and the neck with maybe a 57 Classic... maybe eventually drop a single coil between them...
Anyway, while I make fun of it's cheapness to my friends a lot, I actually love this guitar. It's got a decent tone, a decent look... it's just generally a decent guitar.

My Setup:
This Guitar
Kustom "The Contender" Amp (a pretty decent amp for $150; only bass and treble knobs though)
Line6 Pocket POD (a great digital effects processor, also for pretty cheap)
Keyser Capo and a slide (can't remember which brand)

This is a professionally crafted and really sounded great, i just feel dismayed that the original string on the 6th was already broken... other than that this sound great and ready to rock right out the box.