Customer Reviews

Epiphone Special-II Les Paul Player Pack, Vintage Sunburst

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

 

 

I bought this exact guitar when I was 12 years old, now at 23, it still works and is in great condition. This guitar is wonderful to start learning on, especially if later on you plan on playing an authentic Gibson Les Paul, which is is nearly double the weight. This guitar has a slightly smaller scale which is better when you are starting off, and all Gibsons, as well as Epiphones have heads that are angled slightly at 45 degrees from the neck which is better for sustain. The neck is slim and easy to wrap your fingers around, even if you have short fingers. You'll find that compared to Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters, the Ephiphone's neck will make you feel as if your fingers are sliding on water. The strings are closer together than the other guitars such as the Parker Fly or the Fender Strat, and that makes it good for not only chords, bar chords, and the like, but also good for solos. Whether you are sitting or standing, the body is comfortably shaped. All in all, it is worth the cost.
The only thing wrong with this guitar that most people will eventually notice, and have problems with, is the infamous 5th fret buzz. It does not go away. It the guitar's only defect. But if you are jamming a lot for hours on end (like I have) you probably won't even notice.
If you are trying to decide Fender Stratocaster (a very popular beginners guitar), vs. Ephiphone Les Paul Special II, go with the Les Paul. It is much easier to play if you can get past the fret buzz, and its dual humbucker pickups will give you a nice round, full, tone. Of course, if you can afford an investment such as the Gibson version, then why not go for that ;o)

I received my player pack about a week ago. Everything was included in the pack and "seemed" great. I got the Sunburst pattern and the guitar looks really nice. The amp and the rest of the gear was all good for the price. The problem was that when I tuned the guitar I had to raise the bridge way too much to get rid of some buzzing from the fret bars. Even after that I still got the buzzing when I played vigorously. Also I could feel the edges of the fret bars on the neck which I think means that the wood of the neck had shrunk and probably warped a little (sitting in a warehouse too long maybe). I chose to repair these issues instead of returning the guitar. I like it very much and I doubt that getting another pack at the same price point would get me any more quality. If my experience was not the norm then I would give this pack a 4 or 5.
**UPDATE
The warped neck was unrepairable by the epiphone dealer in my area. They sent it back (warranty) and I got a NEW Epiphone "Dot Studio" as a replacement because it would have been 90 day till they could replace it with a similar model. I really like the "Dot Studio" and it is a nice upgrade. So I got a really nice deal in the end.

I bought this set for my husband for his birthday. The guitar is just beautiful and the amp sounds great and is compact. The guitar case is good quality too. Personally I don't think the pitch pipe is good for those who want to learn to play. I spent $30 and got a really nice guitar tuner. The picks are average quality and the learning CD won't get a newby very far. The few negatives are far outweighed by the beautiful guitar and amp. I'm so glad I settled on this guitar and so is my husband. :)

I ORDERED THIS ITEM IN MARCH AND THE AMP HAS ALREADY QUIT WORKING. IT HAS NOT BEEN MISUSED AND HAS NOT BEEN USED VERY MUCH. FOR $200.00, I WOULD EXPECT IT TO LAST AT LEAST A YEAR.

I love the guitar, the amp kinda sucks but the guitar, picks, and tuner are great. my first guitar, but for the price very good quality

I just started playing, so i wanted something somewhat cheap, and this is a wonderful guitar to start out with. The guitar sounds great, and it has a lovely finish to it. It comes with pretty much all you need, the guitar, a case, a short instructional dvd, some picks, a strap, an amp, and a few other small things. The only problem is it didn't come with an auto-tuner ( I got a pitch pipe). Which i would suggest you pick up, if you are just starting out. However, the dvd tells you how to tune, so it isn't all bad. All an all i couldn't be more happier, and I am shocked, some people gave this guitar a low rating, when compared to other low priced guitars.

I was looking for a basic guitar to add to the home studio. Need a basic rig to just do some samples into Garageband or Logic Pro. Upon the arrival of this SWEET guitar, I was highly impressed. Feels great, plays great, Light, well balanced, Beautiful coloring, Solid feel and sound. Pickups look cheesy, but I planned on changing those out anyway. From the sound that has been recorded, I don't know if I need to change anything. For the extra $50 I spent over just buying the guitar, was a decent deal. Nice to have a portable amp now, gig bag, and some decent cords. Play on!

this guitar looks incredible. i do not know much about guitar, but i have friends that do, and they are highly jealous of this beautiful guitar. super fast shipment, i would highly reccomend.

The amp performance is bad, also started making crazy noice the 2nd day of arrival. Disappointing when you give someone a gift, and doesnt work.

We bought this for a beginner and soon discovered it was almost nonplayable because of flaws in the heads and nut.We didn't expect this to be "set-up" but it is preety much impossible to tune which for anyone is very discouraging. Too bad Epiphone lets the Chinese downgrade what used to be a good model.