Blue Les Paul Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

This guitar had been on back order for almost two years. I ordered then cancelled twice after long delays. Finally, the world went back to semi-normal, and I was able to order it and receive it in 5 days. Absolutely stunning finish. The blue case it comes in is an added bonus. I have a 2004 Gibson LP Standard with Burstbucker Pro's, and that is the standard which all others are judged. This Epiphone Les Paul holds its own when played back to back. The Seymour Duncan JB is bright, articulate, and adds about 10% more volume to your rig. It is made to rock hard, so dialing it down might be a challenge, but I am not using this Tommy Thayer Les Paul to play Elizabeth Reed. Fit and finish were fantastic right out of the box. The only thing I turned screws on was adding strap locks. The Electric Blue finish is mind blowing and you will be able to pick up some purple hues because of the amount of glitter in the finish. Rock and Roll All Night! My only gripe is that I wish Ace Frehley had a finish this cool, but then again, he wasn't in Kiss as long as Tommy Thayer. This is coming from a kid who learned to play guitar from the original Space Ace.Justin

Phenomenal Instrument. Superbly crafted. Slim tapered 60's neck. Excellent fretboard. Smooth playing Guitar with an Ultra Comfortable neck. The Seymour Duncan JB Humbuckers (The Bridge has Custom Blue Pole Pieces and the Neck has a Chrome cover and bezel) are very touch sensitive, powerful and have this incredible tone!! The 18:1 Grovers turn so Smooth and keep it in tune. The intonation is fantastic. It is Non – Weight Relieved which might account for the incredible Sustain. The Sparkle Electric Blue Finish is Absolutely Stunning and flawless. As is the binding. Although It seems more purple than blue. The chrome Tommy Thayer Truss Rod Cover and The mirror pickguard add so cool accents along with all the bright chrome hardware. The electric blue hardshell case is so fantastic and reminds me of a plush Limo!! The Tommy Thayer picture and Certificate in a fancy hard binder adds a very nice little surprise to the "Case Candy".JJ

Overall: Definitely overpriced, but then again, you’re paying for the name and the free guitars Tommy Thayer’s getting out of the deal.It claims to have two Seymour Duncan Jazz Bridge pickups. Those are my favorite pickup, I already have them in two other guitars, and to me, the sound out of this doesn’t feel like them.It does feel a bit cheaply made, even compared to the Epiphone Wilshire I own, which is another artist model and was three hundred bucks cheaper than this.I don’t know if it was damaged in shipping or was already broken, but my neck pickup does not function. Switching to the middle is noisy and thin and the neck position is a killswitch.The bridge pickup has some wiring issues as well, the volume pot actually has to be backed off slightly from 100% before it will work. I don’t want to go through the process of returning it for repairs or replacement. I’m not good at wiring my own stuff but it’d be easier to bring it to a local guy. Especially if shipping was the issue to begin with. The control knobs don’t feel like the were placed in properly, either, they’re uneven and wobbly, not flush with the body at all.The only reason to buy it is the finish, and it does look great. The chrome hardware is also quite snazzy, far more mirrored than usual.I don’t know if it’s $800+ worth of great, probably not.I don’t regret buying this but I also wouldn’t buy it again, if that makes any sense to you.Joe

My first electric. Got it in a combo kit with amp and bag. Hook it into my computer now and rarely use the amp for anything. That being said, as many people have mentioned the bridge. If this isn't your first guitar, or you are looking for a second guitar – don't get this one. I learned about intonation and action and all that while having this guitar. You can only set the intonation on the outside E's and everything else is just what you get. My the height of my bridge for medium action on the low E is maybe a 1/16 from bottoming out, any lower it will buzz more. To get the same range of action on my high E my bridge is almost a 1/4" in the air. I do not know enough to get into shimming the neck to get it leveled out more, I just know enough to assume a 1/4" rise over 3" space probably isn't a good thing. However! I've learned plenty on it over these last 6 months. I bought this guitar because I did not want to invest a lot of money into it if I wasn't going to stick with it. I bought this in February of 22. The first 5 months I probably played on it maybe 50-60 hours. These last 4 months I've probably played on it 1-3 hours a day. I started using apps to learn and being able to plug it directly into my computer has been amazing. It's served it's purpose, I'm now getting to the level of playing where I'd like a better quality instrument and am looking in the $400-$500 range. For a first guitar, and you're not sure if you're going to stay with it, this was great for me and I will pass it on to someone else to get started with. Other than the bridge intonation and probably not flat fret board, I have had 0 mechanical issues with it.Jay

I'm reviewing the gold top model. I own a lot of guitars but I didn't have a gold top Les Paul and always wanted one. This is an amazing guitar for the price! Fit and finish are perfect. It sounds and plays great. I love it. Note, always put a new set of strings on a guitar that comes with strings on it. It's a simple fix for a lot of problems you thought you had, but don't. Who knows how long they've been on or what brand they are. Now, the details. Frets were perfectly level, no sharp ends. Slight amount of oxidization. I polished the crowns and ends with Micro-Mesh pads. I used 6000>8000>12,000 grit pads. I wasn't taking metal off, just polishing them to a jewelery finish. Really makes bends and vibrato silky and smooth. I do that to all my guitars. I like the Indian laurel fingerboard. It's a good alternative to rosewood. I cleaned it with alcohol, then applied a very light amount of fingerboard oil/conditioner. Let it sit a few minutes then wiped it dry. It has a beautiful look and feel now. As for setup, the only thing that was set correctly was the intonation. So I lowered the bridge to the (low) action I like, and it was pretty clean, a little buzz on the upper frets. The neck was trussed completely flat, so I loosened the truss rod about 1/4 turn and that gave it the right amount of relief. No more buzz. Next, I filed the nut slots slightly wider and deeper. Action was too high off the nut. I use XL strings (9-42) and the slots were even too tight for them! That was the only real glaring problem on this guitar. Tight nut slots cause tuning issues and your average customer isn't going to have the tools or skills to fix that. I have a set of precision nut slotting files and feeler gauges to cut them to the proper depth. Man, that was the magic touch. The action is amazing now, all the way up the neck. No problems with tuning stability. And that's all I needed to do. It plays like a dream. I thought I would need to swap out the pickups but I like these. I'm old and play mostly classic rock, and these sound just right for the Les Pauls of that era. I get that sound that Gary Richrath (REO Speedwagon), early Joe Walsh, Duane Allman, Dicky Betts, Joe Perry, Page, Billy G, had in the late 60's – 70's. I ran it through a Goat distortion simulator and got Tom Scholtz Boston sound perfectly. It was actually better than another LP I have with DiMarzio super distortion pups. Easier to control the overdrive. All in all, Epiphone has really raised their bar. If you have typical electric guitar setup skills, you'll make this a sweet playing guitar. If you don't, it's worth it to find someone who does. Just a few minor adjustments and you'll have a fine axe to play.Rich

I am basically play for my own entertainment, and this LP Modern is rapidly becoming my favorite, even though I also really like my G&L Tele and Strat models. The shorter scale makes a difference and I find the neck fits my hand really nicely. The sound is great, as is the finish. Having said that, I would have given it 5 stars, but my guitar came with 5 areas of light scratches and scuffs, including under the protective plastic on the pick guard, but I was able to polish all of them out to where all but one area is completely gone. The worst spot was by the toggle switch, which is all but disappeared and probably with a little more polishing, would go away completely. I didn't want to take the chance of going thru the clear, but am happy with the results. Someone else who is uncomfortable with that process may find it unacceptable, but I doubt those issues are common on Epiphones and MF's return/exchange policy would certainly cover that as I was assured if I wished to do so. The Sparkling Burgandy finish is a real eye catcher and now it makes me want to pick up the guitar and play it, which is the whole point. The added weight relief makes it enjoyable hanging on your shoulder. This is a very nice guitar for the price and then some. And Devan Miller has been great during the whole process and follow up. Very knowledgeable, patient, and extremely helpful in answering all my questions. Highly recommend him as a rep.Steve R

Overall: The Epiphone Les Paul Modern sounds great and looks amazing. The new/old Kalamazoo headstock is a game changer for the overall look of the instrument. With push/pull coil split and phase switching there are a wide variety of useful sounds over and above the traditional Les Paul. Any differences between Epiphone and Les Paul pickups can be compensated for with EQ, especially while using overdrive. There is a bit of noise similar to single coils when using the coil split function.The guitar came with a great setup from the factory. Action and intonation are about the best I have seen of any of the dozen or so guitars I have owned. Tuning stability is exceptional. This is noteworthy for an Epiphone as there are often issues with tuning stability on Gibson LP's due to the angle of the headstock being greater than the Epiphones. The locking tuners are an excellent upgrade, and should be standard on most guitars these days. Regarding quality control, I identified three high frets that are causing some minor fret buzz, but not enough to send it back. Some minor fret work will resolve this, but you should take this into consideration if you are not inclined to spend extra money on a brand new guitar for fret leveling. I have read that this is a common issue with 2020-2021 Epiphones. Fret ends have some sharpness to them. The black pickguard has a gap around the neck pickup. Not very noticeable unless you are looking for it, but I am not sure why this is an issue. I have seen it on other guitars of this model. Though it is an Epiphone, this seems to be one area that would not be difficult to fix in design. Finally, there are minor quality control issues on the finish mostly around the binding with paint bleed or similar. Overall, at this price point, the guitar is a great purchase for the hobbyist, considering the Gibson version will cost about $3,000. However, with so many quality guitar choices in the $1,000 price range, I am not sure I would pay much more for an Epiphone, and am glad they kept the price point in this range.Shanon

I love the look of Les pauls. Theres nothing that sounds like a Les Paul. However Ive owned three Gibson Les Pauls over the years and they have all been disproportionately heavy in the body to my liking and dont sit comfortably when playing as the body always wants to slide down. When I heard about the Epiphone Muse with its lighter body I had to have a go with one. Its perfect. I expected the pickups to need replacing but Im astonished by how good they sound. The finish is beautiful. Only slight niggle is that one of the knobs pulls off too easily when you use the push pull – easily rectified though.simonkerr

This is pretty good guitar. Epiphones are hit and miss as far as set up, but mine came in set up well. I bought it because I have left shoulder problems and my les paul custom pro killed my shoulder after a bit. This is a lighter guitar and was a relief to my shoulder. Stays in tune well, sounds good, and feels great. I don't know if I got a fluke or what, but this guitar plays like butter. Frets all feel good ( which I usually have to do some work on most Epiphones) The pearl white looks really clean, and goes great with all my other white guitars.Gorden

Overall: This is my umpteenth Epiphone custom sg guitar ive bought since the last guitar i had which was the more lower end 61 standard i bought here used last year. The caps pots and Gibson USA burstbuckers are definitely a step up in the right direction and are true to the original reissue Sg standards back in the beginning of the Gibson sg. It sounds like a 2000 dollar Gibson reissue sg but at Epiphone import prices. I intend on keeping this guitar for a lifetime and is a good backup guitar to my similarly pricef esp ltd viper 1000 deluxe i bought a year ago from a competitor in the now disconnected tiger eye finish from zZounds. Lastly i also intend on getting a real Gibson sg custom 63 version used for a discounted price. One more thing i might buy a backup les Paul sg standard by Epiphone just in case this one gets stolen or lost. Thank you Epiphone custom for stepping up your game and making better sg custom shop guitars than in the past. The black Epiphone sg custom with gold hardware is no joke either and i might another one when i get done paying for this Les Paul sg standard first fron here.Isaac

I got this guitar in sparkling burgundy and the finish is beautiful. The workmanship on this guitar is great; it feels very high quality. The fretwork is also really good, with no fret ends sticking out to cut my hands. That being said, the pickups are not very good. I initially debated purchasing the guitar since it sounded very ice-picky and thin when I played it in the store. But I decided to take a chance, knowing the return policy that GC has. I brought it home and the first thing I did was go over it completely. The fretboard was very dry. Even my wife, who doesn't play guitar, looked at it and commented on that. So removed the strings and polished the frets and cleaned/conditioned the fretboard. Then I swapped out the Alnico Classic Pro pickups, which are rather bad, and put in a set of Probucker 2/3 pickups that I had sitting around. Better strings, polished frets, and some nicer alnico 2 pickups made a huge difference. It sounds full and thick and warm, and it plays like an angel. I highly recommend it, as long as you can swap out the pickups.Robert

This Epi is the best out of my 4 Epiphones and right next to my Gibson Les Paul. I weighed this at about 7.8lbs. I had to leave the pickguard off. Fret ends are smooth and the neck is between a slim-tapered and chunky. I love the Probucker pups, which, to me, are similar to the Gibson 490R and 498T pups that I have on my SG. This axe presents a lot of 'firsts' for me-my first modern relief axe, my first access Les Paul so it's nice to have the extra room at the higher frets, my first set of locking tuners which makes changing strings so much easier and these Grovers hold well. The pot tapering is superb and the out-of-phase switch has a nice sound, too…Overall, this is the perfect axe for beginners and the perfect axe for professionals. You deserve to play one for yourself. Play it plugged AND unplugged…Feel the resonance.John564

I brought the Caribbean Fade, and it's amazing looking. Great sound, really has that Gibson sound. Finish is really really nice, very well put together, perfect weight, great guitar all around for the money. I am a huge fan of both Gibson's, and Fender's, I may lean alittle more towards the Fender side though. I will say for the money I bought after playing them both back to back that the new Fender Player series Mexican Stratocasters sound almost as good as the Fender American's nowadays, and for the money if you are split between a Epiphone (trying to get the Gibson sound on a budget), and the Fender Player Mexican (looking for the Fender American sound) these guitars are both about the same price, I would get the Fender, maybe not as pretty as the Gibson, but the Fender is the most versatile guitar there has ever been and the Player series is alot of guitar for only $700+ dollars, and is very close sounding to the American. But if you want a Gibson and can't afford their outrageous and I know they are amazing, but I just don't see or hear $2,800 worth of guitar there. But I do hear an amazing Epiphone Les Paul for under $800, I guess my point is, you could buy an Epiphone Les Paul Modern, and a Fender Player Mexican Stratocaster, and still have a $1,000 to spend on an Amp for the price of the Gibson alone, and I feel the same way about the Fender American model, although I think the Fender American at only $1,700 is a superior guitar to the $2,800 Gibson, you just get alot more guitar for $1,100 less then the Gibson. Save your money, this Epiphone Modern is a great guitar that sounds amazing and looks amazing. One thing I didn't realize, and this is another reason to go with the Fender Player series, is your going to have to pay a professional to put your pick guard on your Epiphone, as it does not come attached. I'm sure that will be another $100, as I'm not scewing anything into my guitar without the insurance a store would have to replace it if something went wrong haha. Personally I don't beat on my guitars enough, and with how pretty the Caribbean Fade looks, and with the Epiphone having more clearance from strings to tje body, then the Fender, I'm leaving it off. Hope this helps, if you are dead set on wanting the Gibson sound at a budget the Epiphone Les Paul Modern is a great guitar. One other thing you will most likely also have to buy a specific case as it doesn't fit in the basic hardcase I bought when I bought my Fender. Gibsons body Shape is more unique then alot of guitars, and I wouldn't risk using anything other then specifically designed Gibson/Epiphone cases, wear as a PRS, Ibanez, and a great majority of guitars fit in the standard hard case. I spent the extra $130 for a Epiphone case. As it was resting on the tip of the guitar in my standard hard case and that's a big no no. Enjoy!!!J

Sound: Pickups sound great with several different voicing available with the coil taps and phase switch. Features: Just feels like a top shelf instrument. Ease of Use: Playability was great out of the box , it is outstanding with a truss rod and bridge tweak. Quality: Fells extremely well made. Value: I think it is comparable to other guitars in this price range Manufacturer Support: No The Wow Factor: It is absolutely beautiful – the prettiest guitar I’ve owned and I’ve owned over 70 guitars! Overall: First of all, I have extremely high expectations when an import guitar cost $700, so this review is written from a critical viewpoint. I ordered Thursday night and it was in my hands Saturday morning at 11! Great job. Epiphone box packaged inside of a bigger box albeit with no packing material between the two. Guitar arrived unscathed. Epiphone decals and warranty info but no truss rod tool. I was so happy that the pickguard wasn’t installed nor are there holes drilled in this beautiful finish, but it was included in the box. The fret ends are as smooth as silk! I was worried about this as my 2020 Epiphone Explorer felt like a cheese grater. Action was a little high with zero neck relief from the factory. Frets are actually pretty level. I gave it the slightest amount of relief and dropped it to 2/64 on both the low E and high Es. Predictably, it had some buzz up past the 12th fret. I raised it to my standard 4/64 and 3 /64 and there is zero fret buzz. Way to go a Epiphone factory! The Grover locking tuners are great but whoever put the strings on at then factory doesn’t know how to use them properly as they still wrapped them around the post. The electronics all function as they should and have a quality feel to them. They have a full range of motion and not just on/off like some cheaper guitars tend to have. The fit and finish is near perfect. I found just a very slight over spray on the binding on the treble side and a finish imperfect on the side of the nut. Other then those two things, nothing- it’s perfect! The Caribbean Fade is the prettiest did sg I’ve ever seen in person – the wow factor is huge on this guitar.Arnie

First of all, why I waited so long to add a Les Paul to the collection is beyond me. This thing is so comfortable to play, between the weight balance and the neck feel. I mostly play slim taper as I've smaller hands, but theres just something about this 50s neck. The feel is something I'd describe as substantial, like you're not just playing something that's super light and borderline weightless, but instead an extension of yourself. The range on the P90s is absolutely bonkers. The lows actually give you some great clarity, while the higher you go, the more it pushes and begins to punch. The neck pickup (and middle position as well) sound wonderfully warm and comfortable, especially through my Orange TH30. I do not understand why I waited so long to get my first Les Paul, and I can safely say this guitar will not leave my side for a long long time. Bonus points for how quick this shipped…ordered on a Friday, delivered on a Saturday! Freaking fast, and faster than I anticipated, but not complaining at all. Thank you so much AMS for helping me be the rock star I know I am!Matt

So I have several guitars and have come to enjoy the sound of p 90 pickups. Wow. This thing does not disappoint. The quality of build is outstanding. The Tv yellow is beautiful. Being mostly a Fender player, I was very unsure of the neck size. Wow, I actually love it. Being a bit older, this guitar neck is actually a little easier for me to dig into. The frets are amazing. I can do thinks on this neck that I can no longer do on my thinner necked guitars. It's an awesome guitar. I never owned a Gibson but wow.. the Case itself is worth the purchase. Holy moly every guitar should automatically come with a case like this. Awesome purchase.Dorje Champa

This guitar has an amazing vibe to it. The P90s are awesome. They have that midrange snarl that we all know and love. The 50s neck is very chunky, but in a good way. The feel of this guitar literally throws be back in time to the 50s. Combine that with the retro look and the classic TV yellow finish, it just makes me want to jam to some good old school rock and roll. Being a couple pounds lighter than my Standard, I can play this one all night without any shoulder issues. There is so much to love about the look and feel, but let's not overlook that fact that this is a tone monster! I will definitely be using it in some upcoming recordings. That being said, there are some not so awesome issues that need to be mentioned. A very minor issue is the intonation. All the strings were slightly sharp at the 12th fret. This was even across all the strings, so it has nothing to do with the wrap around bridge. This could have been set properly before leaving the factory with a small turn of the set screws in the bridge. No biggie though. A couple minutes with a screwdriver and a tuner and I have that issue fixed. The bigger issue is the condition of the binding and the fretboard. It looks to me like they were both damaged by the Plek machine during the factory setup. There are compression dings in both, the binding and fretboard. There is also a section that looks like a file carved into the fretboard. There is a similar compression ding in the binding right behind the nut. If that wasn't enough, the binding on the low E side is uneven and looks like a groove is carved into it lengthwise. You can see these in the attached photos. I don't know how these defects made it past quality control. If I was doing the final setup at the factory I would have flagged this one as a factory second. I guess the rumors about the improved quality at Gibson is a matter of the luck of the draw, because the fit and finish in the areas I mentioned are quite poor on mine. Yes, these flaws are cosmetic and won't affect the playability in any way, but I still expect better from Gibson. I guess some things will never change over there and this is what we have to expect if we want their name on the headstock. I give this guitar an A+ for tone and feel, a D for quality control and defects. All things considered it gets an overall C+. At the end of the day it is still a keeper because I love playing it, defects and all.Mike

I have wanted a Les Paul since I was in high school in the 1980s. For my 50th birthday (Jan 2022) I really was determined to get one. But, on a country church pastor's salary, no chance at a Gibson, even Epiphones were pricey for me. Thanks to some generous friends who saw a post of mine on social media about my dream guitar. They took up a collection and told me to buy a guitar! So I did! I purchased the Translucent Blue. It is everything I hoped it would be and dreamed of having since I was in high school. Ordinarily, not a fan of factory strings, usually change strings first thing when I get a guitar. But this sounded fantastic out of the box. It's not very often a product lives up to expectations, much less exceeds them. This Les Paul is everything I hoped and then some. The Translucent Blue is an absolutely GORGEOUS intstrument. It plays great, sounds fantastic. Be warned, Les Pauls are heavy guitars. If you're used to something more lightweight, this may be a surprise. I've played them before, I was expecting it to be heavy. This feature might turn some off, but I'm fine with it. Bottom line, if you're pondering getting this guitar, make the leap! You will be glad you did!!!Pastor Frank

Holy wowzers I'll try to keep this quick. I'm one of those guys that has had TONS of guitars. I currently own 10. I had a Gibson LP but ended up parting with it years ago and have recently started wanting one again. Did a lot of research on just about every LP clone out there including ones from Japan, etc. Why not just get a Gibson you say? Well obviously because of the price tag and how much extra it costs to get the name on the head-stock. In no way do you need to spend triple to quadruple the amount it takes to get a Gibson if you don't feel like it these days. These Epi's are cut using the same exact machine that the Gibsons are cut on here in the USA. The same wood is used. This particular model even has CTS pots, a GraphTech nut, and ProBucker pickups. The major difference is China. Yes, China. I would have balked at that years ago, but I also own a J. Mascis Jazzmaster that is made in China and it is absolutely flawless… just like this Epiphone. As a bonus, the "made in China" is only a sticker. You can just remove it so you'll feel much better about yourself when you look at it haha. Without rambling on and on, I always check Guitar Center online to see what is available at my local stores when I am in the market. This one caught my eye because I'm a sucker for quilt top LP's. I called in and had the local dude confirm it was there and he said it hadn't even been taken out of the box yet. BONUS! I rushed to the store and got to unbox it myself. I always like to see guitars like this in person to make sure the top looks good and there are no glaring QC issues. In this case I was extremely satisfied. It came right out of the box with perfect action and perfect intonation. Literally all I had to do was stretch the strings and tune up and it was ready to rock. Here are a couple more nuggets before I sign off to play it more. The frets on this one are nailed. Smooth and polished. The quilt top is unbelievably gorgeous (just look at the pics). The weight is about right for a LP. Chunky and not too light like a super shredder. I love that. The pickups are exactly what I need in my collection. They will do just about anything but super clean chimey ambient tones but who cares, I have other guitars for that. All of the switches and pots feel excellent so I am feeling like I will not have to change one thing on this guitar making it a steal at this price. If I had to nitpick one thing, I would like to see Gibson "allow" Epiphone to use the same exact head-stock shape that the Gibsons use. Fender does it with Squiers so what's up with that Gibson??? While the new "inspired by" Gibson head-stock is WAY better than the older ones, it is still a shame they are so hard headed and that is yet another reason why I chose to get an Epiphone. Again, that is being extremely nitpicky. In conclusion, the newer mid to upper end Epiphone guitars are worthy of checking out by any level of player. Do yourself a favor and at least pick one up if you get the chance. Now excuse me while I go blow my windows out.Mark

Picked up a 2019, same exact model about a month ago. Quality and build is superb, the carved top has even more flame than I expected. I wanted an "understated" look, and it's perfect. Flame changes with light. The nitro finish is buffed like new, unlike the VOS models, and the natural dye on the back and neck is rich and deep. Instrument is plek'd, action and intonation are flawless. The CustomBucker pickups are all the rage, you can only get them on a new instrument, and are supposed to be the best PAF repro so far. I'm still trying to decide if I like them, my ears say that the 60s have more natural midrange than 59s, but I can eq it out on my amps. They also seem to be unpotted. I'm really inspired by the sound and feel of the '60 LP, the looks and quality are just icing.Ron

I've been dabbling with learning how to play the guitar for several years, I've even took a guitar class at the local community college but have gotten frustrated easily to where I quit. I'll say that I have had a "on again, off again" relationship with guitars for the last 15 years. I am not an expert in guitars and am steadily learning the process – how they are built, the electronic parts, etc. I decided to give it a go again with this inexpensive guitar that is a great little learning tool for the novice player like myself. One thing I did do when I got this is change the strings. I watched several review videos on this model and one the the first things people recommended was to change the strings. So I bought a box of Ernie Ball Regular Slinky's (10-46) and re-strung the guitar immediately after I got it out of the box. I am pleased with my progress so far. Could be the fact that I found a great website that gives excellent beginner lessons and helps me to understand the fundamentals of guitar playing. Things that the college instructor didn't teach very well. Of course, it helps that I can play the videos over and over! I'm upgrading to a Fender Mustang LT 25 amp, which will give me a huge range of different tones that I can get out of this guitar. As my skills develop and I get better (hopefully), I will look at upgrading to a higher price point guitar. I would love to get an SG! If you are looking to get started in the guitar community, I would recommend this model to get started. I've watched many videos of experienced guitar players jam some pretty cool riff's with this thing!Jason

This is an incredible guitar for the money. Only thing that needed serious help was the action at the nut. Using the stock nut and a set of nut files, I set it up to my preferred specs of 1/64th of an inch a two the first fret. This ensured comfortable playing as well as tuning stability. After cutting the nut slots to the right height, looks like the file made sure the strings wouldn't catch and now the guitar stays in tune much much better. I would replace the pickups with p90s if I could. Some modification to the pickguard might make this a possibility. Sometimes, I forget I'm playing an Epiphone. With the nut corrected it really is possible to get it feeling pretty good. Here are my personal specs: .005" neck relief measured at the 8th fret. 1/64ths action at the first fret across all strings. 1/16ths of an inch action at the 15th fret. It does not play as well as my Gibsons do: the explorer feels much lower and faster with the same specs and my les Paul traditional does reel in some "big time" tone. In spite of this, the Epiphone SL really does hit the mark. It's capable of all the same specs after adjusting the nut, making for a very playable guitar. I also don't believe the tuning issues are due to the economy tuners since after I adjusted the nut the guitar stays in tune much better. I bought a replacement black tusq nut but have not installed it. I wonder if there's even really a need to do so. This action at the nut is very low but the guitar pulls it off very well. I'm sure that with better pots (remember this is an economy guitar) andLeón

I gig over 100 times a year. I play Les Paul's. My current number one has burstbucker pro pickups. This modern has them as well with the asymmetrical neck. it sounds and plays amazing, and will likely replace my standard has my number one. I checked it out for quality issues. This is a very well-made guitar. Only one small thing it arrived with a broken tone knob cap. I called Gibson and I got one in the mail two days later very quick.Bill

I've been a long time Gibson fan and have owned several over the years. I've held on to the good ones and have gotten rid of the rest. Gibson has been known to have their quality control issues for quite a while now and being that I'm an online buyer I was reluctant to pull the trigger on this one. But…I heard that Gibson was under new management and I'm also a sucker for an ebony fretboard, MOP inlays and locking tuners…so I pulled the trigger! Let me say that this one is an absolute keeper! The fit and finish is perfect except for a dull spot on the finish under the pickguard nut/pad (this is from putting the guard on when the finish hasn't cured all the way), the binding is flush with the side of the of the body around the entire guitar (a common problem from routing the binding channel too deep), and the frets edges are finished smooth even in the higher register. I love everything about this guitar, the sparkle finish of the Graphite color top (it's shows but is not over done), the pickups sound great and have the switching capabilities for any style of music, the bypass switch is super cool as it takes you from whatever pickup/coil tap combination you're in at the time right back to a straight bridge pickup, and the neck feels good and natural at any place along the fretboard. If I had to say something negative about the guitar, I would say that they didn't do a great job on their intention of the "new modern contoured heel" because it still has a blocky corner at the neck joint, but as a Gibson owner I am accustomed to blocky heels so I really doesn't bother me. First time buying a guitar from Sam Ash and it was set up perfectly and was immediately playable. The tech that set this up knew what he was doing! You have a repeat customer here!!Dave C.

The action and finish were flawless out of the box. The compound radius neck was very comfortable for single note playing. Unfortunately, the guitar body did not resonate well when playing chords. It might have been a one-off fluke. Although the LP was very playable, I preferred the width and scale of an Ibanez RG550 neck.Anonymous

What a brilliant guitar and superb value package! I have owned ‘real’ Gibsons over the years and bought this outfit as a birthday gift for my granddaughter who is learning to play. She has had a fender acoustic for a couple of years and now wants her own electric guitar. I chose this outfit as having previously owned one in the past I like Epiphone guitars. Before giving it to her I thought it best to check it over and set it up but there was nothing to do really, after tuning this guitar was perfectly playable right out the box! The feel, balance and weight is very like my Gibson and the sound is superb. The amp is excellent and packs enough punch to put a smile on your face too. She’s delighted with the built in tuner as well as the other essentials included in the outfit. What’s not to like? I can’t find a better value package!W O.

My original review still stands, but I made cosmetic-only upgrades for less than an average couple's meal at a casual restaurant that makes this look much, much more expensive. No tuner, pickup or pot swaps. Replaced black plastic parts with cream, added cream pickguard, replaced chrome tuner knobs with Klausen-style ivory-look knobs. Installed chrome pickup covers. Replaced speed knobs with gold top-hats.Easily done to make this look like a proper Les Paul. I'm happy with the looks for the little extra money spent.Steve

As the song says: "I'm a Sucker for a Cheap Guitar". I own over 30 – some cheap, some not so cheap. This one arrived perfectly set up: low action, no buzzing, no sharp fret edges, easy to play – amazing for a guitar in this price range. Although not great, the pickups even sounded acceptable. It's heavy, which to me means good, though not as heavy as my Gibson. It's OK-looking, but needed something to enhance it – a pickguard. I added one and it looks much better – more expensive. Instead of cutting off part of the guard to accommodate the knob as I've seen some others do, I drilled a hole big enough for the nut on the body underneath the knob to fit through the guard (see photos). Since the guard isn't much thicker than the nut, it allowed the guard to fit flush with the body and the knob to turn without any restriction of motion, and the pickguard is not butchered. It's a very clean look – like it came that way – not modified. So, I am pleased with this instrument, and would recommend it to anyone for any purpose: especially beginners to play or someone like me who just collects cheap guitars to hang on the wall of their studiio.Steve

This Les Paul is a winner in everyway possible. Some folks have complained about the finish or lack thereof, meaning it isn't glossy, it's essentially flat gold paint. The neck isn't satiny either, it's "aged" as though it has been played for years. That aside, the guitar sounds and plays wonderfully. The pickups are crisp and wonderfully bright with none of the usual muddy neck sound that one expects out of a Les Paul style guitar. The coil split is pretty darn good at creating a good single coil sound which give a nice pattern of sounds to be used. As far as the fit and finish, the neck was great out of the box, no problem with fret sprout. The tuners are nice and do the job as intended and everything was as it should be. For the money it simply can't be beat, and is well worth the relatively small investment to own a Les Paul.George

Right out of the box, it was set up fairly well. Action appears to be about right for the lower frets. Up around the 12th fret, it's a little high but not unplayably high. It will need a new nut, though. The 3 high strings, in particular, tend to go out of tune and get caught in the nut when tuning. The pickups are a massive improvement over my other guitar (2001-ish Epi SG Special). I can get a lot of good tones out of it, both clean and dirty. Using the coil split on both seems to sound more accoustic like to me. However, I think the pickups may not have been potted very well. They do sound a bit microphonic. All in all, I think it will make a nice guitar with just a few upgrades.Matthew

I couldn't help but notice the previous owner of the guitar I bought had a sanded neck. He tried to Van Halenize it and failed miserably. However, I did expect some cosmetic damage, so I wasn't surprised. After adjusting the bridge and pickups back to their normal positions, I tried the guitar and fell in love with it. It's a great guitar, and I will buy another one if anything happens to this one. I had my heart set on a pacific blue, blue burst, or radio blue LP. The purple burst and the silver burst are also very nice looking guitars. But, my favorite color has always been blue so that was always first and foremost when it came to selecting a LP. I have three other LP's, but this one has such a good feel to it, I find it hard to put it down. I am very happy with it! I've even named it Sweet Madame Blue. Yes, after the song by Styx. If you name your guitar, you know you're serious about it.Ivan

They did a wonderful job on the graphic! Build quality with set neck is very good. You might want to do some upgrades. The pickups and wiring are not very good. I replaced the pickups and rewired the whole guitar using shielded wire to cut down on the noise. I don't understand why they can't use shielded wire over in China – it can't be that expensive. i kept the pots (i did have to replace one), and surprisingly, the tone caps and pots work very well and I left them alone. I also replaced the tuners as the stock ones were cheap and slipping a bit. The guitar can be set up to play very well (you'll also have to replace the factory strings). The guitar has some weight to it and doesn't feel cheap. You can get all the LP tones minus a bit to sustain because the body is solid basswood (good and better than ash), and not mahogany. I very happy with mine and it looks and plays like a much higher end guitar. The graphic has an artistic look instead of the generic clean red, white, and blue you see on many flag guitars.circio

I had read alot of reviews before purchasing this guitar.Alot of them were very negative,and a few were positive,I took a chance in ordering it anyway.and very much glad I did. It is truely an amazing great guitar,I would highly reccommend buying this guitar without hesitation.wallbanger505

Only $300 difference from standard and $500 from modern LP… tough choice. I like flame tops for sure but bored of tobacco burst, honey burst, cherry burst and other plain traditional bursts… so leaned towards something more classic modern and bold… so went with translucent cherry. And my back isn't great so wanted something lighter. The coil tapping is nice to have but isn't great… especially compared to my PRS guitars. I'm not sure why Gibson can't figure this out. Again nice to have but wish Gibson could do a better job with this. Coil tapping quality was the same on my studio. I absolutely love the pickups on this guitar… probably some of best humbuckers ever made because of the extra brightness and clarity. I've sold so many of my guitars with humbuckers and gravitated towards single coil guitars because humbuckers are typically muddy in comparison. These 61's are a game changer for me and got me interested in Gibson LPs again. I love the colors of the LP modern too… but not sure what you're are getting extra for the added $500 other than a carved heal joint which I'll never use… and ultra weight relief… which is good if you have a bad back. But I think the electronics are the same with slightly hotter pickups. I guess boils down to which pickups you prefer and color. I love the classic and modern LP colors… again tough choices…but classic is perfect for me… I really love them all for different reasons though.Thad

What we have here is a great American made Gibson Les Paul for a good price. I bought one a year ago and bought a second as a backup/different tuning for stage use. Not that the guitar requires a backup, but strings break and things happen. The 490 pickups are great all around work horses. While I'd recommend different pickups on a per person/per style situation, these are right in my ball park and do what I want them to (goosed with an OD or boost at times). All of the electronics and hardware are fine. Same with fit/finish and the gig bag (which is also very nice). As I said, I have two of these now. The first is a year old and has been through once a week rehearsals and twice a week gigs. The satin finish on the neck settles in nicely with a bit of playing and sweat. It gets slicker over time, shows age, and feels great. Same with the body as well. As with all satin finished guitars, it wont stay that way. Playability on both were perfect out of the bag. No sharp frets and setup/intonation were just to my liking. Now let's compare these Tributes to a Standard. I won't discuss the chambered body versus non nor the maple versus mahogany necks. You really won't notice the difference other than the weight. More weight does not always equal better tone. Here's the thing, I don't notice a difference in tone between the Tribute and Standard….well, not enough to justify the cost difference. I had my doubts when I ordered my first one that it could stand up to my Standard. But I dug it off the bat. To quell my doubts, I had the other guitarist in my band run it through its paces so that I could stand back and hear. That was the Les Paul tone….I was happy. As such, I ordered a second as they were in my stable to stay. Solid guitars with great tone that I will not cry about when they get dinged or messed with at a gig. Now, the Tributes are thinner than the Standards. And of course no bling such as binding or headstock inlays. Switch washer comes in the bag should you choose to install it. But the tone and playability is what you expect from a Les Paul. I would, and have, recommended these to my friends. Great instrument at a great price. BTW, the included case. This was an incredible surprise as I didn't know what to expect. It's a lether "type" exterior, great padding, pink fuzzy interior, LARGE front pocket, and double backpack straps. It's a VERY nice bag! Accessory kit gets you a picture of your guitar being setup, documents that you will probably not read, a few tools, and as of this posting, a nylon guitar strap. While lower in scale compared to the Standard (what with it's hard case, multi tool, and leather strap), it's still rather cool. All in all, these are my go to guitars for stage and studio right now. I have more expensive guitars, but cost doesn't equal tone or feel.Brandon

Looks great, sounds great, plays great. One of the nicest gig bags I've ever seen. Came out of the box at the store set up and tuned! Fit and finish were perfect and the wine red just pops under stage lighting…unlike the one that was on display…and this is why I don't buy guitars online! Got it home, changed the strings to the gauge I prefer, lowered the string height a smidge, and checked the intonation which was spot on. Took it to a pro jam out in the valley where it got lots of compliments from the other players for it's sound and looks…it's as nice a Les Paul as I've ever played. If you get one like mine you won't regret it! But go to the GC and pick yours out and save yourself some possible grief. You won't regret that either!Stephen

I just purchased my sunburst Les Paul studio on 11/20/21. The action is low and incredible. The neck is small which is perfect for me. This Les Paul is very suitable for professionals and young teenagers that are still learning. Playing it comes with ease and requires only a very light touch. It has a lot of the very same qualities that a Standard has. Especially the tone. Wait till you get yours. You won't be the least disappointed at all. It's worth every penny. I give it 5 stars or two thumbs up. 👍 👍Daniel Trimboli

My first electric. Got it in a combo kit with amp and bag. Hook it into my computer now and rarely use the amp for anything. That being said, as many people have mentioned the bridge. If this isn't your first guitar, or you are looking for a second guitar – don't get this one. I learned about intonation and action and all that while having this guitar. You can only set the intonation on the outside E's and everything else is just what you get. My the height of my bridge for medium action on the low E is maybe a 1/16 from bottoming out, any lower it will buzz more. To get the same range of action on my high E my bridge is almost a 1/4" in the air. I do not know enough to get into shimming the neck to get it leveled out more, I just know enough to assume a 1/4" rise over 3" space probably isn't a good thing. However! I've learned plenty on it over these last 6 months. I bought this guitar because I did not want to invest a lot of money into it if I wasn't going to stick with it. I bought this in February of 22. The first 5 months I probably played on it maybe 50-60 hours. These last 4 months I've probably played on it 1-3 hours a day. I started using apps to learn and being able to plug it directly into my computer has been amazing. It's served it's purpose, I'm now getting to the level of playing where I'd like a better quality instrument and am looking in the $400-$500 range. For a first guitar, and you're not sure if you're going to stay with it, this was great for me and I will pass it on to someone else to get started with. Other than the bridge intonation and probably not flat fret board, I have had 0 mechanical issues with it.Jay

I'm reviewing the gold top model. I own a lot of guitars but I didn't have a gold top Les Paul and always wanted one. This is an amazing guitar for the price! Fit and finish are perfect. It sounds and plays great. I love it. Note, always put a new set of strings on a guitar that comes with strings on it. It's a simple fix for a lot of problems you thought you had, but don't. Who knows how long they've been on or what brand they are. Now, the details. Frets were perfectly level, no sharp ends. Slight amount of oxidization. I polished the crowns and ends with Micro-Mesh pads. I used 6000>8000>12,000 grit pads. I wasn't taking metal off, just polishing them to a jewelery finish. Really makes bends and vibrato silky and smooth. I do that to all my guitars. I like the Indian laurel fingerboard. It's a good alternative to rosewood. I cleaned it with alcohol, then applied a very light amount of fingerboard oil/conditioner. Let it sit a few minutes then wiped it dry. It has a beautiful look and feel now. As for setup, the only thing that was set correctly was the intonation. So I lowered the bridge to the (low) action I like, and it was pretty clean, a little buzz on the upper frets. The neck was trussed completely flat, so I loosened the truss rod about 1/4 turn and that gave it the right amount of relief. No more buzz. Next, I filed the nut slots slightly wider and deeper. Action was too high off the nut. I use XL strings (9-42) and the slots were even too tight for them! That was the only real glaring problem on this guitar. Tight nut slots cause tuning issues and your average customer isn't going to have the tools or skills to fix that. I have a set of precision nut slotting files and feeler gauges to cut them to the proper depth. Man, that was the magic touch. The action is amazing now, all the way up the neck. No problems with tuning stability. And that's all I needed to do. It plays like a dream. I thought I would need to swap out the pickups but I like these. I'm old and play mostly classic rock, and these sound just right for the Les Pauls of that era. I get that sound that Gary Richrath (REO Speedwagon), early Joe Walsh, Duane Allman, Dicky Betts, Joe Perry, Page, Billy G, had in the late 60's – 70's. I ran it through a Goat distortion simulator and got Tom Scholtz Boston sound perfectly. It was actually better than another LP I have with DiMarzio super distortion pups. Easier to control the overdrive. All in all, Epiphone has really raised their bar. If you have typical electric guitar setup skills, you'll make this a sweet playing guitar. If you don't, it's worth it to find someone who does. Just a few minor adjustments and you'll have a fine axe to play.Rich