Epiphone Limited Edition Wildkat Royale Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I keep playing, buying, selling, looking for MY guitar. High cost, low cost, Epi, Fender, Gretsch, Spear, Ovation, Martin, Tak. I keep listening and trying. More than reputation, I want TONE. I'm a P90 guy because P90s sing loud and clear – no rumble. So, I bought this Wildkat – P90s, sound, looks, finish, feel, balance. I love it. The volume pots amplify all the way down to "1" which many guitars cannot boast. This may be the guitar I have been searching for. Give me time. We shall see.Lou

A friend of mine bought one of theses and loves it. So I decided to buy one. I got the Gold finish and could not be happier. The set up out of the box was pretty good, the strings being a bit low for my tastes but nice. It has a nice round sound with no fret buzz at all. I played it through different amps and it comes alive through my Marshall. It also sounds really good with the Boss GT-8. This one is a keeper. Don't let the low price fool you, this is a great guitar. Way to go Epi.Fender man

To start, I've been playing guitar for over 26 years & own over 20 guitars. In that time I've played a lot of axes and periodically will add a new one to the collection. I had my eye on this one for quite a while, but the model with the Bigsby was just not for me. (I wasn't interested in the trouble I have with my Gretsch always going out of tune with the Bigsby) So when I saw this one, I knew I needed to try it out. I went to GC & bought this guitar about 6 months ago. The appearance is beautiful. The hardware & guitar body is of excellent quality. (You can feel that it is a quality guitar when you're handling it) The neck is wide, but I like that feel. The things that may be a matter of preference would be the following: (1) The weight of the guitar….it is a quality guitar that makes it a bit heavier than your average axe. (2) The hollow body sound: I personally think it sounds great, but then again, not everyone may agree. (3) The pick-ups. These babies are awesome!! I love them!! Definitely not your dual humbucker or SSS sound. These things are in a league of their own. Again, this may not be to everyone's liking. Conclusion? Great all around guitar at an exceptionally low price. If you've been admiring this beauty from afar, get in to try one out. If you appreciate good classic tone, you'll love this instrument.FreakyBro

Based on the CONS people have listed here, after 55 years of playing everything from Folk to Country to Praise and Worship on everything from my first 'cross-the-border, nylon-string classical to the Big Boys' Strats and my big-bowl 1976 Balladeer, I guess I must still be tone deaf and have no feel for an instrument because I liked this guitar from the moment I saw it, felt it, played it, and heard it. Not being the most expensive guitar on the rack, I did not expect it to be perfect. But, I have been greatly and very positively surprised at how close it is to meeting my every criteria. I have a full-size hollow body that cost me a bunch more and the tone variation from Neck PUP to Bridge PUP on the Wildkat is so much better! The volume balance between the PUPs is spot on. However, I purposely did not buy the Bigsby-equipped model: not because of expected tuning issues but because I like a clean appearance and the Bigsby really loads this little guy up! And, replace the P90s with 'buckers? Wow, I bought the Wildkat SPECIFICALLY for the P90s! Seems there is no explaining differences in taste. I applaud you all for your own musical and tonal discernment and for your comments! My summary? If you are looking for a fun guitar with great sound, this is your baby!Brother Lou

I purchased the blue royale model and, there is a review for that one. Super Guitar but, the blue just didn't do it for me so I ended up selling it to a guy that loved the blue color and, he was in heaven and, he a got a nice instrument. It wasn't but a short time and, I started missing the whole guitar except the blue color so I got the wine red Wildkat, I guess I'm kind of a red guy because I have several guitars in shades of red. This wine red color is stunning and, all the chrome hardware is a perfect match. I also have a Riviera in wine red but, it has gold hardware and, this guitar is a thing of beauty in looks and sound but, lets get back to the Wildkat. The semi hollow with the P90's is what sold me in the first place. The Bigsby vibrato is very cool, in all my years of playing I never touched a Bigsby until this one and, I like it very much. I have not had any problems with tuning. With a new guitar the strings must be stretched and, retuned a few times or there will be tuning problems as the same with restringing. Also lube the string slots in the nut and bridge and, that goes for any guitar with a vibrato. I usually use a No2 lead pencil and, run it in the grooves that's it. This is a semi hollow guitar but, it comes very close to being hollow as in the picture I've posted. That's why this guitar has the sound that it does. I've played it through every amp that I have, Fender Twin Reverb to a small practice amp and, it sounds Great through every one. The electronics are a little different but, it doesn't take long to get used to it. I'm always up for a challenge anyway. I am very pleased with this guitar as I was with the blue one but, red is my color. I would highly recommend this guitar to anybody looking for that something different in a guitar as I was. I have noticed that P90's are showing up more and, more with artists on TV, videos and, in magazines, must be a reason! Give it a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised.terrygh

This is really a Great guitar. I was looking for something different, something that I didn't have. A semi hollow with P90's and a Bigsby and, a beautiful color! I had to do a little setup, the normal stuff I always do with any guitar that I own, action, a litttle truss rod tweak, slight adjustment of pickup screws, intonation was perfect, stretched the new strings a few times with retuning and, that was it. Play time! The only way I could get this guitar out of tune was to work at it. Normal playing with string bending and subtle use of the Bigsby which is the way it was meant to be used yeilded Great results and, no tuning issues. The Bigsby is meant to be used like the vibrato on the Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar (subtle) If you're a divebomber with a vibrato get something with a Floyd Rose and, go from there. The P90's definately have a different sound than Humbuckers that's what makes them what they are. If you experience a hum or 60 cycle buzz, be sure your amp is plugged into a grounded receptacle, It does make a difference. Nice feel, Good balance, Vintage sound, these Royale Wildkats are superior made guitars. Highly recommend one if you're looking for that something different guitar. The pic that I posted looks Great but, in person it's stunning!terrygh

I keep playing, buying, selling, looking for MY guitar. High cost, low cost, Epi, Fender, Gretsch, Spear, Ovation, Martin, Tak. I keep listening and trying. More than reputation, I want TONE. I'm a P90 guy because P90s sing loud and clear – no rumble. So, I bought this Wildkat – P90s, sound, looks, finish, feel, balance. I love it. The volume pots amplify all the way down to "1" which many guitars cannot boast. This may be the guitar I have been searching for. Give me time. We shall see.Lou

A friend of mine bought one of theses and loves it. So I decided to buy one. I got the Gold finish and could not be happier. The set up out of the box was pretty good, the strings being a bit low for my tastes but nice. It has a nice round sound with no fret buzz at all. I played it through different amps and it comes alive through my Marshall. It also sounds really good with the Boss GT-8. This one is a keeper. Don't let the low price fool you, this is a great guitar. Way to go Epi.Fender man

To start, I've been playing guitar for over 26 years & own over 20 guitars. In that time I've played a lot of axes and periodically will add a new one to the collection. I had my eye on this one for quite a while, but the model with the Bigsby was just not for me. (I wasn't interested in the trouble I have with my Gretsch always going out of tune with the Bigsby) So when I saw this one, I knew I needed to try it out. I went to GC & bought this guitar about 6 months ago. The appearance is beautiful. The hardware & guitar body is of excellent quality. (You can feel that it is a quality guitar when you're handling it) The neck is wide, but I like that feel. The things that may be a matter of preference would be the following: (1) The weight of the guitar….it is a quality guitar that makes it a bit heavier than your average axe. (2) The hollow body sound: I personally think it sounds great, but then again, not everyone may agree. (3) The pick-ups. These babies are awesome!! I love them!! Definitely not your dual humbucker or SSS sound. These things are in a league of their own. Again, this may not be to everyone's liking. Conclusion? Great all around guitar at an exceptionally low price. If you've been admiring this beauty from afar, get in to try one out. If you appreciate good classic tone, you'll love this instrument.FreakyBro

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 was quite lucky to get the last Worn Yellow in stock online (for now). It arrived the next day. After some easy setting and adjusting it started to play very nicely. The sounding is quite pleasant and the playability is great. I'm an acoustic player who is very picky on the sounding of a guitar, now owning an all-solid Yamaha which sounds great. And I'm happy to have this Epiphone to try some new types of sounding. Overall, a great buy at this price! Highly recommended!David

Went in-store and purchased this blue beauty, got it home tuned her up plugged her in and on my VOX VT20X this Les Paul sounds amazing!! I also own a D'Angelico SS and a Squire fat Strat and obviously none of them will sound exactly the same however the LP for the price sounds far better than I expected. This is my practice guitar and who knows maybe even a couple of upgrades and it will be my travelling guitar. Well balanced lightweight even the factory strings worth keeping for a while. Definitely a good buy.jason

This is a very nice guitar for the price. I am mostly a strat/lp rock and heavy blues player and I wanted something different to get me into that jazz and rock-O-billy vibe.This baby gets the job done! It is an acoustic and electric all in one package and it looks so cool! It keeps my fingers "honest"…fret hand and picking hand. The neck is super smooth after some break in time and the sounds from the pick ups are very nice and articulate. Love the push pull options. So many tones are available with this set up. I even run it through my Mini Recto on clean channel or the overdrive channel and this thing kicks it! Got to be careful though cause it will feedback like crazy at too high of a volume in front of the amp. Only problem is the roller saddle/bridge..if you get too aggressive with picking the strings will sometimes pop out of the saddle. I have learned to dial back my picking attack and that helps..but sometimes I really wanna bang the strings so I will have to maybe get a standard non roller bridge and give that a try. I don't use the trem that much anyway. Otherwise…Killer Guitar. Almost my fave now!JC

After the amazement I recieved from the purchase of an Epi Riviera P93 from Musicians Friend a little over a year ago, I set my sites on a full hollowbody . Even though I had full confidence in getting the Emperor in same fashion,I still played what was available from Gretcsh,Ibanez, and schecter to make sure my judgement was sound.I was not let down. The guitar I purchased was a used return from Musicians friend. The previous purchaser had the stock strings taken off and 9-42's installed. The guitar sounded thin and unresponsive. I know that accoustics and full hollow body guitars perform best with thicker strings so I immediately put 11-49 D'addarios tuned to Eb on it.After the string install,I did a full set up with the string height at .060" at the 20th fret. There were NO buzzes to be heard! I then plugged it into my 1966 fender princeton reverb (not a reissue!) and set the pick up height to balance the volume between bottom and top strings. What I heard was absolutely amazing. Once everything was adjusted propperly this guitar sounded,reacted,and played like a guitar 6 times its price! I then plugged it into a modded line 6 vetta 2 modeling amp and went through a gamut of presets. This guitar ran every style of music, except modern detuned heavy metal,with ease! Being a luthier, I am a stickler for detail.The top end Epiphones are absolutely amazing in their build quality. The binding/inlay work is flawless and the gloss trans wine red paint is richly deep in appearance but not like most guitar finishes that are so thick that it chokes the tone. The new electronics design is a major plus that other hollowbody guitars under $2k simply do not have out of the box. The tuners-bigsby-roller bridge combo is tight and precise – after string break in it was hard pressed to go out of tune even after several hours of play. This guitar is a true testament to the days of when Epiphone was still an independant company and the "House of Stathapoulo" would be proud! Hats off to Epiphone for a great bang for buck product and to Musicians Friend for great service!Cyclonic

because i finger pick/slide, when i got home and plugged into my Orange amp the sound was much better then the outlet. since a use the slide alot i thot, well, i wont hope for much since the strings are way down near the fret board, but to my surprise, with a light slide and some finess, it handle it well, probable owing to the fret boards radius. i'm not saying you could hit it hard but for such tunes as little red rooster it was perfect. my take on it is that it is very amp sensative, i suppose every guitar is. By the way, in the outlet, the amp i used was a marshall small tube amp and it really mixed well with the swingster, i'm not a marshall fan but with this exspierence, my next amp might be a small tube marshall. i thing the split pups are great… i am just a little concerned how many times i will be able to push and pull, feels just a bit cheap., but they certainly due the job. ireally like the ability to control the out of faze sound.. the sound can go really slipper or dark and smokey. just what i need, no need to change guitars.i bend the strings with my fingers but the bar looks kinda cool and can be pushed out of the way. after taking one for a test drive at a local outlet, i wasn't impressed.. i wrote a review which never made it in reviews… i suggested maybe it was dead strings or tired amps i used.. this time with new strings and diffent amps, everything changed big time..i played early electric blues, LIGHTNIN HOPKINS etc.the neck is great especial for keeping a bass line with my thumb. hurrying up the neck for some riffs still with the bass line moving smoothly all do to a quality fret board/neck. found no defects at all. i tuned it to many open tunings and it delivered and stayed in tune. i had the gretsch version.. real nice guitar but not for my tonal needs and action.. still it was a great guitar.suits all my needs

I love this Casino. I knew I wanted a P-90, and I really wanted a fully hollow body. I wanted to see if I could replicate a I've been agonizing over the purchase for months, looking for every possible solution, and was almost ready to pull the trigger on the Epi USA version, and after MUCH research, finally decided to go with the regular Epiphone. The construction, from everything I read, is excellent, and I knew that if necessary, I could always switch out the pups. Well, I can't say enough about how good this guitar is! I am extremely fussy on setups (I do setups on my own guitars and for other people) and this thing was ready to play right out of the box! I literally didn't touch a thing except to tune it up. I won't even have to dress the frets. I may touch them up just a bit (again, I'm really fussy) but they feel better than most guitars that cost three times as much. It is really beautiful. I love the vintage sunburst. The finish is flawless. Now for the important part – it plays like a dream. The neck profile is extremely comfortable. I can move up and down the neck as fluidly as on any guitar I own. And the sound! I was amazed at how present it is, even before plugging it in. I see this little sweetheart spending a lot of evenings on the couch with me. Soft enough not to overly bother my wife, but again – very present. Plugged in – well lets just say I won't be replacing these pups. It is exactly the sound I was hoping for. I'm no Grant Green, but I can certainly understand why he loved this guitar. Would I recommend it? Heck yeah! Country? Check. Classic rock? Check. Rockabilly, surf, blues and even jazz? Check, check, check, and check.Jess

Had the money to buy any guitar in the shop. Liked the looks of the SG, worn ebony with rosewood fingerboard and the Gibson speed knobs. Having only played guitars with 9.5 radius, I found the 14 radius was better for bar chords. The craftsmanship is excellent, can find no flaws the body or neck. The truss rod was out of adjustment, considerable back-bow. I fixed that, and set the action low. The intonation was spot on. Frets were polished with no sharp edges. I plan to upgrade the cheap electronics with new pots. As for the pickups, they sound ok. Since I use a modeling amp, not a big issue for me. The nut is a GraphTech synthetic bone. Nice touch for an inexpensive guitar, since i do not like changing them out…too much risk of damage. I have fender Strat and Tele, but have not put this down since purchasing it. Once I upgrade the electronics, this will be a very solid guitar.Jeff

Great sounding and playing guitar, I replaced the synthetic saddle for bone, original was to tapered on the high E new saddle took care of that. Buy the epiphone or roadrunner jumbo case, nothing else fits, make sure if the guitar comes straight from the factory you use a humidifier in your case for at least 6 months. Especially in colorado. Then if you leave it out without a humidifier that you dont have forcrd Heat or air conditioning vents close to the guitar. This guitar has great projection.Kenny

After purchasing this guitar from American Musical Supply, I was really nervous awaiting its arrival because this was actually my first time purchasing an instrument online. I’m used to going inside music shops and trying out different gear and playing guitars before I buy them so I know that what I’m taking home with me already feels comfortable and right in my hands. This guitar in particular, however, is not a style that is normally kept stocked in the stores for customers to test drive before they purchase. Similar models are available in stores near me but I think anyone who has ever wanted this particular model from Epiphone knows that they have heard and felt the beautiful sound that projects from this big guitar and I am here to tell you that my “leap of faith” online purchase was nothing more than a huge win in my book! This guitar looks, sounds and plays just as I expected it would with much more to offer once it’s actually in your hands! I’m personally a country/blues guy so this guitar definitely fits right up that alley in my opinion. It feels so solid in your hands and the tone is just plain awesome! The Jumbo body allows the sounds inside the guitar to reverberate through your body as it’s pressed against you before making its way through the sound hole where it flourishes into that awesome deep, thick sound. From the factory the guitar is set up beautifully and very playable right out of the box. Quality parts, quality wood and quality electronics as expected from Epiphone and very well executed in this model. Definitely worth every penny for the undecided guitarist but hey, don’t take just my word for it! Pick up this awesome guitar from Epiphone through these good folks here at American Musical and set yourself up with one of their payment plans if that interests you! It’s an awesome way to be able to get the gear you need and the gear you’ve been wanting without breaking the bank right on the spot! Excellent Job by Epiphone once again and an excellent job by American Musical for supplying it at an awesome price and providing sweet payment options for your customers and future consumers!Billy

I once owned a Gibson J15, that I bought from Guitar Center, and I loved it, but I always wanted a J200, I just could never afford one. Well, I ended up having to sell my J15 to pay rent one month, and I ended up having some extra money from it, and thought why not give the Epi a try? It's closer to the Guitar I always wanted anyways. I was blown away. It has all the high end stylings of a Gibson J200, maybe even more if you consider the built in tuner and cutaway features for about 3000$ less. Well, unfortunately I only owned it for about a week before my car broke down and I had to return my Epi to pay for the repairs. I've regretted it ever since. I would have rather donated blood 50 times than have returned that guitar. (Fortunately I just got my tax return and repurchased it, and it seems like it sounds even better than before). As I was saying, it stacks up against s Gibson guitar nicely, the shadow preamp isn't as nice as any LR Baggs system but it will certainly give you lots of usable sounds. I think this is the best guitar in the 500$ price range and I'm disappointed in Guitar Center for not carrying it in store. I'm a firm believer in the fact that having a guitar you like, you like the looks of, you like the feel of, will make you a better guitarist, and that's what this beautiful, fat boy jumbo acoustic has done for me. I actually like mine so much I decided to put some money into it for upgrades, and I haven't been disappointed. I stuck some Grover Keystone tuners on it in gold of course ( had them on my Epi Les Paul before and thought would look cool so I just swapped them), some Martin ebony bridge pins, and some D'Addario EXPs and this thing sounds unreal now. So, if you're reading this because you're unsure as to whether you should buy this guitar or not, yes, you should absolutely buy this guitar and never look back.Anonymous

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

I am both surprised and please with this guitar I purchased this guitar at GC Nashville after returning a Gibson Les Paul Classic that I bought online. (lesson learned, don't buy from GC online.) The staff there were great and had no issues with me returning a $2200 guitar that I bought online. Even more supportive in helping me pick out a much less expensive guitar. Great people. This Epiphone is awesome. The fit and finish are great. The action is low and no buzz. The tone is great and It is lighter and easier to handle than the Gibson . The best part is it cost a third of the one I returned. I really wanted a Gibson but I am so glad I picked up this Epiphone. A word of caution. I looked at and played several guitars at GC before choosing this one. I even played a couple of other Epiphone Les Paul Customs. No two were the same. One had razors for frets, one had an action you could drive a truck under and this one was just right. Go in an play them before buying.Mike

This is my second 6 string electric, and I couldn't be HAPPIER with it! My first guitar is an entry level Epiphone SG Special that was a couple hundred bucks back in the day. It got the job done…good frets, good tune, good everything. I recently decided to step it up and get a "mid-range" guitar but still not break the bank with an Epiphone. And I'm not calling Epiphone cheap…they are just more in my price range when compared to Gibsons. Stepping it up is the right description for this guitar!! It is AMAZING! The feel, the tone, the look! It sounds great and feels good in the hands too. I especially love the Silverburst color!! The main reason I wanted this specific guitar. It's Adam Jones from TooL color scheme finish but on an epiphone! They are coming out with his own model of epiphone, but I'm impatient lol. Looks are important to picking out a guitar as much as sound! The inlays on the fretboard look beautiful. The pick guard and finish are beautiful, the trim/binding around the guitar… this guitar has reignited my passion for playing! As of this writing, I have no complaints! Excellent guitar!Matt

I purchased this guitar because a Les Paul was missing from my gear arsenal and I didn't want to drop three grand on a Gibson. I played a wall model at a local GC store and decided to buy, but requested a factory new model sent to me, because the wall model I played had some nicks in the fretboard, a sketchy 3 way switch and had worn strings and the intonation was way off above the 14th fret. I paid for next day air shipping to expedite the process because I tend to want the things I pay for fairly quickly. The shipping tag originated from the same city I live in, meaning they had a factory new either in the warehouse or at the neighboring store about 20 miles away. So I essentially paid 42$ for expedited shipping and could had likely gotten it same day if I asked the right questions I suppose. Shame on me. The next business day my guitar is delivered to my residence, I open it and immediately inspected it for possible shipping damage or factory flaws. It arrives with a broken 3 way switch, all strings tuned nearly 2 steps flat and also needed to make a truss rod adjustment to straighten the neck. Completely unacceptable that these issues left both the factory and GC's "quality control" in the condition it did. Luckily I work at a local small box music store and worked with our own luthier after hours to set it up and correct the problems. All that said, this guitar is absolutely fantastic. It plays and sounds very good and even though the stock pickups aren't top tier, they are excellent performers at a very reasonable price point. Monster value in this guitar. If you can acquire one some where other than Guitar Center, do it. If you do purchase from guitar center, make absolutely certain to have it looked at by a professional before accepting it. 5 stars for the guitar and it's value. 1 star for guitar centers lack of QC shipping items.Dan

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

I was kind of apprehensive about buying this because it was so inexpensive. However I thought with a solid ash body, maple neck, And rosewood finger board if it was decent how could you go wrong. All I can say is wow! There were absolutely no flaws that I could find! Set up was great right out of the box. The neck has a flatter radius than a fender strat, for me that makes playing it easier because of my large hands. Feels and plays at least as well as the mim strat I had a number of years ago. Frets were dressed nicely and there were no fret sprouts at all. Satin finish on the neck makes playing a dream.Marc

This guitar is amazing. It's built with good woods, and the workmanship is almost perfect (One minor flaw.) This guitar is a very good deal. I like the maple neck, because of the sturdiness of maple (How many Gibson and Epiphone headstocks have you seen snap off ?) Using maple, for the neck, along with a Fender style design around the headstock make this guitar look sturdy. The sound of the guitar is just lovely. I play jazz (no distortion or string bending.) The tone is clear, but with a thickness (fullness) with the stock pickups. The tuners are good. All in all, I call this a heck of a deal. The neck profile on this guitar is a little thicker than the Squiers.Ken

I have read good reviews about this guitar, but the real thing turned out to be above my expectations. I own Gibson and PRS guitars and was curious how this ~$150 version stands in comparison. And to my amazement it rocks no bad at all. Craftsmanship and performance are very good out of the box w/o adjustments and settings, just tune a bit, plug and play. Considering the price there are lot of options to upgrade, but I will keep it as is for now. Monoprice service was also remarkable. Guitar was delivered in 3 days, new in factory box and perfect condition. It comes with Indio tailored padded gig bag, very handy. Great guitar to start music journey for beginner, pretty good for intermediate player like myself. Highly recommend.Vladimir

Indeed , the Epiphone Emperor Swingster guitar is certainly not a "Gretsch White Falcon" . To me , because I just believe , for "the money" , Epiphone guitars and the other instruments Epiphone manufactures , such as mandolins , as well as amplifiers , also, , are just fine , fine things , properly priced . The "dedicated" factories in Java (Indonesia) as well as the dedicated guitar manufacturing "factory" in China ,are producing , in my humble opinion , again , some seriously excellent guitars . The "Masterbilt Century collection" of fine "arch top" guitars , and the "pro" line of guitars , or "Elitist" models , "inspired by" and "signature" models as well , are , to me , just great , great things , to me . , as well as the Swingster Emperors are …well , to me , they are unreal . Indeed , try one or 3 , and tell me I am incorrect in my assessment . You will not be able to "tell me I am incorrect" . I certainly believe that statement . To me , in my own humble opinion, the things are indeed "that nice" . Oh yes , they most certainly are , indeed 🙂 Right on …rock on and peace to all , always and forever . 🙂Steve

Its something I've wanted for 10yrs or so, it sounds like a gretch, plays like a Gibson + its built to a very high standard in Korea, I'd wanted the Gretch noise but not the Gretch build as the bridges move around on them the Swingster's is pinned, also with split coils, I don't need 2different hollow bodies for single/humbucking sounds, in short, I love it! Great colour too…Delta Blue Metallic. sigh.Andrew T.

Absolutely fantastic instrument! Low action, light strings, and very easy to play. Even when it isn’t plugged into an amp, it sounds crisp and resonant. And when it’s plugged in (I use a Fender Mustang Micro), it sounds smooth and beautiful. And to top it off, it looks stunning! An absolute gem of a guitar.Andrew B.

Sound: A sign of a good electric guitar is how well it sounds unplugged. This 1000BV is loud, full, and sustains very well before it's even plugged in. I bought the 1000BV with EMG pickups. Most people associate EMG with metal, and yes it goes a long way in that genre but they are equally adept and great sounding for blues, jazz, rock, and clean tones. I am very happy with the tonal versatility of this guitar. Cleans are clear and full, heavy drive has the chunk you want, and in between they just growl like they should. Features: I appreciate the locking tuners and Tone Pros bridge. The tuners are ESP branded but are smooth and seem to stay in tune quite well. The TOM bridge was easy to adjust and lock back into place.Active pickups are a matter of taste. I chose EMG because I like the sound they give, and I already have another guitar with the Duncan JB's. Ease of Use: The guitar came out of the box set up perfectly to ESP specs. Having said that, ESP thinks low action is 2mm at the 12th fret for low E, and 1.5mm on the high. This is way too high for my tastes. Adjusting the truss rod, string height, and intonation was a breeze. In a world filled with Floyd Rose, you lose appreciation for how easy a TOM bridge is to work with!The neck is definitely thinner than a Les Paul, but not super thin like a Jackson or Ibanez neck. It is similar to the PRS Wide Thin carve. Very playable if shredding or legato is your thing, and equally comfortable with the thumb over style. The neck finish is matte and feels as smooth as an unpainted neck. Moving up and down the fretboard is comfortable and easy. Quality: The quality of this instrument is superb. I have gone over it with a fine tooth comb and cannot find even the slightest imperfection in fit and finish. If you were to hand this to me blindfolded, I would easily believe it to be a guitar costing twice the price. It was that good. Fret work was spectacular and on par with my American PRS CE-24. Rolled off edges, no burrs or sprouts, smooth all the way up and down the neck. Value: This guitar is a tremendous value. For a list price of $899 you get every penny worth and more. I would put this up against any American made instrument costing 2 or 3 times more. High quality name brand components installed on a beautifully constructed instrument are what this guitar is about. Manufacturer Support: I have not had to deal with ESP directly yet, but they did suspend my account from their support forum for no known reason lol That's why everyone has more than one email right 🙂 The Wow Factor: It's an unassuming looking guitar that would fit on stage playing metal or smooth jazz. It sounds amazing clean or dirty and is a great alternative for someone who loves the traditional look of a single cutaway guitar but desires a more playable neck and less heft. Overall: I had been eyeing this guitar for quite awhile. I admit that when I found out production of the 1000 series moved from Korea to Indonesia I was very disappointed. The internet is full of horror stories about instrument quality dropping after models start getting produced in different countries, especially after having a great reputation for quality at the previous factory. I wavered back and forth and had second thoughts even after ordering. Thankfully zZounds has a great return policy so I took a chance.I AM SO GLAD I DID!!!!!!!If you are looking for a solid body single cut guitar you HAVE to give the EC-1000 a look. For half the money of most other domestic single cutaways you get a great playing and great looking guitar that is just a joy to play. Build quality is absolutely top notch and on par with or better than some of the best domestic instruments I've owned over 4 decades of playing.Allan

Where do I start? I love everything about this guitar and it is my favorite that I own. If you’re looking for something that sounds very sweet and beautiful clean, this is not the guitar for you. That’s not to say that you can clean it up a bit with maybe some stereo chorus reverb or delay but as this guitar stands on its own, it truly suits one purpose for me , it is true metal madness euphoria. Not only do the pick up scream but this guitar is not only beautiful but constructed perfectly. It is the best most comfortable neck I’ve ever played and it is rocksolid!!! The satin finish on the back of the neck makes it effortless to slide up and down. I’m typically not a fan of gold on guitars but with the black matte finish it actually is pretty sharp and not too Goddy in my opinion. I am mediately replace the strings on this guitar with some nice thick ones for drop C tuning. Even with the 24.75 scale it Plays drop tuning nicely without string floppige. As long as you have the right strings on this exit is no problem. This current model has the EMG pick ups. I am seriously considering getting another EC 1000 with the Pegasus sentiment pick up combo. It’s a little heavier than I thought it would be but in a good way. This guitar is perfectly balanced and the body is definitely thinner than a Les Paul. That’s one thing I didn’t like about Les Pauls is it was thick bulky heavy and a baseball bat neck. I honestly couldn’t be more pleased with this guitar. Love the EC 1000 and the great service I always get at American musical supply. I’ll be honest, i’ve went through about half a dozen brand new guitars and returned every single one of them except for this one. I believe I am pickier than most, if I spend $1000 on a guitar I want to fall in love with it and not settle. If you like playing James Taylor and Crosby stills and Nash I suggest you look elsewhere. If you want to rip some faces off get this guitar!!!!Brett m

I bought this LTD EC-1000 after playing it at the shop for over an hour. This guitar delivers in spades the metal tone I was looking for. (I tried against Duncan Seymour version) With the right setup, it will CHUG! The chugs that is produced is so satisfying and inspirational to downstroke riffs like Papa Het for hours. Action is set at 2mm low E and 1.5mm at high E. A bit higher than I am used to but easy to get used to. This guitar is a beauty and plays and sounds great! You can't go wrong!Kalyan R.

Overall: I've been a guitarist since the late 80's, but I no longer play professionally, but I do play at home a lot. I've sold off most of my Gibsons (I held on to my '19 Les Paul Traditional) and I'm having a blast with these new Epi models. Everyone is raving about the Standard and the '59 models, and rightfully so. I own both, as well as a new Custom Silverburst and they're all great. This Classic is no exception. It actually arrived needing the least amount of setup work of all the others. The Alnico Classic Pros are brighter and a bit hotter than the Probuckers, but they're not at all harsh. The electronics work as expected, the neck pickup sounds sweet when split and the Phase feature sounds good with some moderate gain. The nut was cut extremely well and the frets don't need really much dressing. The neck is a little slimmer than what I'm used to, but it's easy adapting. The fretboard is a bit dry, but that's normal. Actually, these new Epiphone models all arrived in better condition than most of my Gibsons did in the past. The new Epiphone models are players guitars. Not wall art or collector's (cork sniffers) guitars, I wouldn't hesitate to take any of them to a gig and have fun with them. That's the whole point, right? I just wish they had made import guitars of this quality when I first started playing.Uriah

Out of the box and tuned, this guitar was completely unplayable with the neck so bent that pressing the strings at anywhere beyond the 8th fret fouled the frets higher up the neck, this also meant the action (measured at the 12th fret) was over 6mm. Fortunately I’ve a good understanding of how to set-up a guitar so adjusted the neck to have minimal relief with the truss rod – as a point of interest there was no truss rod allen key in the box, so just as well that I have my own tools. Once the action was set to my preferred settings (and by no means not as low as many like it) I had loads of fret buzz all over the place. So resetting the neck flat and using a ‘fret rocker’ I found 17 of the 22 frets (at various points across the neck) in need of remedial work to get them level. However as the guitar was new I decided initially to just add a bit more neck relief & set the action a shade higher, while I decided if I should just send it back or spending some hours sorting the frets in the near future? There are some positive points! I really liked the ‘worn’ (satin) finish although I feel there should have been a higher discount over the gloss finished versions as this must have saved loads of time during the finishing process. The Alnico Classic PRO pickups sound powerful with loads of variation between the neck and bridge and support coil-splitting. With the coils split option, with push/pull volume pots, there is (as expected) a significant drop in output but they do sound good, verging on P90 territory, rather than Strat/Tele sound ‘alikes’. One of the areas that lower cost guitars usually fail on is the quality of the tuners, here they have fitted Grover Rotomatics with an 18:1 ratio. They are smooth and easy to operate with the large kidney button heads, holding tune very well. The nut, a Graph Tech, was superbly cut, but unfortunately this was completely wasted with the poor quality of fret levelling from the factory as several of the strings would buzz when played open when set at a reasonably low action! The trapezoid neck inlays are very well fitted and although acrylic, do a very good impersonation of mother of pearl. Visually the guitar look stunning with its unusual colour and matt (worn) finish, but I do find the inclusion of gold knobs a bit of a clash with the all Nickel hardware and at the back cream control plate covers just don’t look right and should have been black. But both of these last two issues are a really cheap to resolve at about £12 for both black cover plates and 4 clear knobs. Overall both positives & negatives to consider and if I’d been unable to adjust the guitar myself, there would have been no option but to just send it back for a refund/replacement (hence 3 stars which I think is quite generous) as it is I’ll be keeping this. If I could have bought this locally it would have been great to try before I bought, but my local Epiphone dealer (90 mile round trip) didn’t have any in stock and was unlikely to get one, so I went the mail order route. The guitar is now playing well and will be even better when I get the time to sort out the frets and put a set of 9-42 gauge strings on.Paul

This guitar is absolutely stunning. At about $450 the Epiphone Les Paul Special certainly hits its price point without question. This is the 2nd time I bought this guitar, but I couldn't resist buying this again. I'll start with the cons first, that I noticed applied to both Special's I've owned.. The poly finish is thick. The combination of the "tv yellow" color and the thick polyurethane sort of gives a toy like feeling, or a bit of a cheapness to it.. Speaking of "tv yellow," it's really more of a Dijon mustard/ Carmel color. I don't think that's a bad thing or ugly by any means, but as other reviewers may have stated, the Epiphone isn't quite as accurate to its high end counterpart. The pickup routes and control cavity were also a little bit choppy, but that's just nit picking. If you buy this guitar, you will most likely need a setup. 2nd time around, I knew that going in but both guitars I bought needed set ups. That being said, this guitar is awesome. Surprisingly the laurel fingerboard was really smooth and moist. I do not sense bad or tall frets, but are scratchy at first. The P90 pros are so good. The CTS pots are so dynamic. The volume and tone sweeps combined with these P90 pros are so dynamic and touch sensitive, that they can hang with the best of em. The guitar resonates so well and plays both clean and crunchy top notch. Punchy and warm…Absolute quality electronics. I haven't found a bad tone in any position. If your used to playing your guitars with everything at 10, this guitar with inspire you to play around with all the tonal possibilities by simply rolling in & out your pots. The neck on this is fat, and so nice but not absurd. I highly recommend it. For the price, you can't go wrong and will love the tones, just plan on getting a setup and you will absolutely love this guitar.Zac F

I have always wanted a 335, but did not like the larger size. I saw this 339 and stepped up and bought it home. Had to wait 6 weeks, but was it ever worth it. This is the best guitar I have ever played or been around. Cannot make my mind up if it plays better than it looks, or if it looks better then it sounds. It came set up really well, intonation and all. All I had to do was tune it and go. Cannot find one flaw in the paint, assembly or anything wrong at all. It rings so true, holds a note and there is a major difference when selecting either pickup or both, and the tone and volume controls lets you have an infinite setting control on tone and volume. Set the bridge to really ring out and the neck one a little muddy and together it is killer, but can flip the switch and brighten a solo up good. An absolute joy to play. Just strike your favorite chord and let it ring…beautiful fun. I was worried about the neck thickness, but it is a non issue. Easy to chord, simple to fret in any way you please. I cannot express just how happy I am with this guitar. Michael at musicians friend was a great help in every way getting it here.Keith

Very comfortable to hold and play, with a slightly chunky neck which is my preference. Combines the best aspects of 335s and Les Pauls. It's also heavier than I thought it would be (again for me a good thing, I don't like feather-light guitars) I was expecting SG weights and annoying neck dive. As suggested already it seems to sound somewhere between a full-sized 335 type and a solid body, which again isn't much of a surprise. Seems to have more twang than my LP which is good for my taste, which is more soul and funk. The finish is also perfect, though slightly different to the one advertised at the time of purchase. The neck fades into a natural varnish rather than the all-black paint. Also the sides are solid natural varnish rather than the fading between black and natural effect.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I've been playing guitar for over 15 years. I got an 05' Gibson SG Standard for my 13th birthday. Over the years of influence in your ear about other guitars, you decide to dabble with different sounds and set ups. After playing a few strats, a ES-339, and a LP Standard over the years, I've always found myself to be happy at home with my SG. The 490R and 498T pickups are the best pickups Gibson made in my opinion. The versatility is astounding, ranging from jazz-fusion types like Larry Carlton, to the crunch of post hardcore, while pitching perfectly on iconic 70s solos and leads. Wether you're new to the Gibson family, or looking to add to your Arsenal, the SG Standard will forever please, and forever fit into any track.Jack

Absolutely love this guitar. It has taken the spot of my main Gibson for playing out. I alternate between this and my Dark Night American Pro II Stratocaster. The color schemes go well together and match my band's logo color scheme and branding so that's kind of a cool plus. I love the neck profile, the U shape is chunkier than a 60's Les Paul but is very comfortable in my hand and really reduces fatigue when I'm playing chords. I am still able to shred away with ease during solo time. I'm a huge fan of the nitro cellulous finish. I really like how the mahogany body resonates…I think it improves the tone. The QC, fit and finish on this guitar seems flawless to me. Gibson has really stepped up. Lastly, I want to comment on the soft case. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I was very surprised at how much padding there is and how plush it is on the inside. It is much more portable than a hard shell and honestly, with the shoulder strap….I may prefer it over the hard shell. It's easier to take to practice or a gig and the pocket has enough room for my wireless buds, iPod and foot controller (for iPod). I'm really stoked with my new SG, and I'd love to get one in white with gold hardware if AMS will ever offer it;-).Jon

Overall: This guitar showed up in need of a complete setup. Nothing was properly adjusted and setup, and I’m still not sure about the neck truss rod. Fortunately for me I know how to setup a guitar, however everything was out. When I set up a neck I usually adjust for .009” relief. I am unable get that with this neck probably because the truss rod was installed wrong at the factory. I might send this one back for that reason because if I ever go to a light gauge string I’d have to raise the action at the bridge so high it would be unplayable. As far as the CTS pots, they’re a very cheap version and they’re not very good. I replaced all of them with Bournes 500k pots and installed a Switchcraft jack. It definitely makes a big difference. Now that it’s been setup and fixed, except for the neck truss rod, it’s a great guitar. The Epiphone pickups sound great and the tuners are nice too. The finish is perfect and the stock hardware seems good. I certainly can recommend this guitar, but I feel zZounds should at least try and send these out in better condition. A setup like what I did would cost about $150. The last guitar I bought from zZounds was perfect, they let me down this time.Scott

I am both surprised and please with this guitar I purchased this guitar at GC Nashville after returning a Gibson Les Paul Classic that I bought online. (lesson learned, don't buy from GC online.) The staff there were great and had no issues with me returning a $2200 guitar that I bought online. Even more supportive in helping me pick out a much less expensive guitar. Great people. This Epiphone is awesome. The fit and finish are great. The action is low and no buzz. The tone is great and It is lighter and easier to handle than the Gibson . The best part is it cost a third of the one I returned. I really wanted a Gibson but I am so glad I picked up this Epiphone. A word of caution. I looked at and played several guitars at GC before choosing this one. I even played a couple of other Epiphone Les Paul Customs. No two were the same. One had razors for frets, one had an action you could drive a truck under and this one was just right. Go in an play them before buying.Mike

I'm in a Fleetwood Mac tribute band. I wanted a period-correct guitar but could not afford a Turner or a Gibson Les Paul so I settled for the Epiphone. I was pretty happy with the guitar the first month….until at rehearsal, I "lost" my high E string. At first, it appeared to have disappeared off the fretboard. But upon careful examination, I found the string caught under the 5th fret 'tang'(?). The fret itself was not perfectly flush with the fretboard, leaving just enough of a tiny gap to catch the string as it rolled off the fretboard during playing with finger vibrato. Upon further examination, it looked like frets 4, 6 and 7 were not quite flush either. I remedied the situation somewhat by purchasing a Stew-Mac roller bridge that allowed me to slightly shift the string positions further in and away from the fretboard edge. I had previously attempted to pressure-seat the offending frets with a woodblock and hammer, but they would not budge. The roller bridge seemed to help somewhat. But today at rehearsal, I felt some stinging irritation on the inside of my left thumb near the 'web' between thumb & forefinger when I moved my hand quickly up and down the neck. Looking closely at the frets, I noticed that the end edges were extremely sharp as if having never been dressed properly. All that said, I realize this instrument is a 'budget' one when compared to American-made Gibson / Fender / PRS products. I'd read some great reviews on this guitar and made the purchase on that basis. But, once again, it is the same old story – "you get what you pay for". I should not have expected the same build quality and attention to detail like that found on instruments costing four times as much. I suppose a refret is the only solution now. Buyer beware.CHUCK

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

What can you say? Epiphone has always made a good guitar, even before they became part of the Gibson family. The Epiphone SG and Les Paul models are top notch guitars, and are a great value for the price. So if you're looking for a good starter electric guitar, I recommend Epiphone all the way.krimzo_96

Great guitar, looks good, plays quite easily. Barely had to tweak it at all. A lot more economical than a Gibson(most don't realize it isn't.) I am very happy with this guitar and would recommend it to anyone who wants quality on a budget.richa.schau

I am a professional musician and play 5 days a week — I play my Epiphone SG full time. I don't have to take my Gibson 335, Les Paul, SG or Tele. This guitar holds it's own with any of them. I've been a player for 50 years. Highly recommend…musiclane301

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