They've really cranked up the quality on Epiphones. I've got a Les Paul Traditional Pro IV and it slays. ... impressive guitar!

[JohnnyGtar]

I had the Probuckers in a sheraton. They were really good pickups and the coil splits sounded really good too, I just never use coil splits personally. Definitely seemed hotter than the '57's in my ES. Sounds like the Classic Pros should be killer pickups.

I was browsing a metric ton of LP and LP copies including Epiphone, but I found a killer deal on a '09 honey sunburst Edwards in-state for under $600. Dark rosewood board. Factory duncans. Needed cleaned up and a setup. I top wrapped my favorite set of strings and man It's the easiest playing electric I've ever owned. Ultimately planning on a pickup swap anyways but I can live with the Duncans for now.

That's great! Edwards makes some awesome guitars. Congrats!

 

[JohnnyGtar]

@VonBonfire, what pickups will you get for that guitar?

 

[VonBonfire]

@VonBonfire, what pickups will you get for that guitar?

I know this sounds strange but I ordered a lollar db tonight for the neck. I really want to try something different other than the same old PAF-type stuff and I didn't want to try to deal with it in my ES because wiring those sucks. I needed a backup guitar anyways so I thought a Paul fit the bill. I think I might try the 59n in the bridge position temporarily. It's kind of muddy through my Twin in the neck position and I played a lot with the height/pole pieces. If I like the lollar I might just grab a bridge version too. And maybe the recommended 1 meg pots. This guitar is my test bed basically.

 

[ccn]

You need to dissect the Epi and Gibson to see where the real differences are and there are major differences between them but it takes a deep dive to understand them . Few can tell just by looking and handling them.

 

[Stripped Rights]

You need to dissect the Epi and Gibson to see where the real differences are and there are major differences between them but it takes a deep dive to understand them . Few can tell just by looking and handling them.

Assuming materials and neck joint are identical, the only difference is bridge pickup placement. Epis bridge pickup is closer to the neck than Gibson. Every EPI is like that AFAIK.

 

[JohnnyGtar]

You need to dissect the Epi and Gibson to see where the real differences are and there are major differences between them but it takes a deep dive to understand them . Few can tell just by looking and handling them.

The main differences are:

A solid maple cap that's not as thick as cap on the LP Standard. The LP Studios also have a thinner cap.

Indian Laurel fingerboard, but the wood they use is pretty dark in appearance.

Satin finish. (Epiphone calls it "worn".) My guess is that it's thin Poly. Can't see them using Nitro lacquer on a guitar at this price point.

The pickups are a big improvement over the old Epi crap pickups. (See posts 18 and 19 in this thread.) They are push/pull for humbucking/single coil operation.

I've only seen a photo of inside the control cavity and have read some info online. Pots are CTS with soldered connections except for the pickups which have a quick connect setup. Also has treble bleed caps on the volume pots. IIRC they have Orange Drop caps but can't confirm.

It's a great guitar and price wise it's a STEAL. I highly recommend them.

 

[JohnnyGtar]

I know this sounds strange but I ordered a lollar db tonight for the neck. I really want to try something different other than the same old PAF-type stuff and I didn't want to try to deal with it in my ES because wiring those sucks. I needed a backup guitar anyways so I thought a Paul fit the bill. I think I might try the 59n in the bridge position temporarily. It's kind of muddy through my Twin in the neck position and I played a lot with the height/pole pieces. If I like the lollar I might just grab a bridge version too. And maybe the recommended 1 meg pots. This guitar is my test bed basically.

Please let us know what you think after you swap them out!

 

[Rex Rocker]

I have an Epi 1959. I'm selling it. It looks pretty, but it doesn't hold a candle tone-wise to my cheapo Gibbo.

I think the recurring issue with these is the fretwork is usually attrocious out of the box. I bought two Epis last year. Both were high-fret galore. The 1959 was fixed by a simple fret job. The other (Custom) didn't have the frets seated well, and they were lifting off the treble side of the fretboard.

The Locktone bridge or whatever is garbage too. It rattles like crazy, and the plating is super feeble. Especially on the gold ones.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think they're bad guitars, but they're kinda spendy for what they are. They're decent, but they're also like 2-3 times as much as Squier Classic Vibes, and I don't think they're better.

The new headstock still looks ugly, BTW. At least on the Standard-type LP's. Like a big boat paddle. It looks fine on the Customs. JMO, of course. What always bothers me is they're the "official" licensed LP copy, but looking a it next to a Gibson, it's really obvious there's a lot of artificial product differentiation. They don't get the shape/dimensions/pickup placement any closer than any other average LP copy.