Gibson Epoch Black Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

I have been a Sweetwater customer for longer than I remember, and one feature I have always loved is the pics and weights of the actual guitars so you know what you're getting. So, I found a 60s Faded LP with a ridiculously low weight of 8 lbs, 2oz. The top looked nice, not anything crazy, which is fine but the one feature I love about the top is the mineral streaks (flecking) in the top. The streaks really add character. I was less into a fancy top than a light weight, good playability and great sound. And I was not disappointed. My rep, a fine young man named Jacob Terhune, expedited the shipping, and I had it in my hands literally the next day. Opening up the new case, and smelling that wonderful new Gibson smell is something I've always loved. The case candy was all there and speaking of the case, It was made by TKL just like back in the day and that is super awesome! My guitar is light as stated, and the satin finish is very well done, feels super smooth and I like that the back is natural with nicely matched grain. I did my usual setup and going through my LP and I think the quality on my LP was top notch. There were no file marks on the board, no scratches and every aspect of the build was great. The 61R/T pickup combo is great, I did have to adjust the pole pieces (which I do for every guitar), and just sat there making small adjust meats and I'm so pleased with the sound. The setup from the factory and the inspection from Sweetwater were fine, but as always I tweak it here and there. I did lower the nut slots only .003 of an inch, since I like the action at the first fret at .020". The fingerboard was a little dry, but much better than my 2020 Flying V board, but I hydrated it just a bit more. As far as sound, this LP is outstanding. It's very loud and projects sound well when you strum it unplugged and the entire guitar vibrates so much that it'll tickle your hands as you play. This guitar just feels alive, and it make me want to play, and if I'm not playing it, I love to just look at it. I guess I'm simping for my guitar, and I'm good with that. I see many people on Youtube run down Gibsons quality, but I have to disagree based on mine. My LP is outstanding and I would highly recommend one of these with no hesitation.

Going on a two-month report. The pickups are the strong suit of this guitar. They are like telecaster single coils but on steroids! They have a low-end snappy output on the neck pickup, excellent for jazz, blues, hard rock & metal. Mid-range is very stable in the middle position i.e. funk, rock, and pop. Also, the bridge pickup is what people strive for in an LP i.e. metal, classic rock, & hard blues. It has That classic overdriven PAF tone. It's worth spending the $$$. The quality is genuine and the slight VOS aging is a nice touch. The relic is not overly done but has a slightly played look. Tuners are superb, metal components are aged, & the lacquer is just right. Indian fretboard looks like ebony and the trapezoid inlays are aged just perfectly. Also, the case is beautiful along with the awesome case candy. Overall, this is worth every dollar. It's surprisingly a very versatile guitar!

When you want a Les Paul you’ll want a real Les Paul so that’s a Gibson and not a single cut guitar by any onther manufacturer that has its looks changed because it may not look like a Gibson Les Paul. Furthermore: the Gibson Les Paul since its inception in the ‘50’s has always been and will be THE benchmark. Period. This Gibson Les Paul Classic is a gorgeous, great guitar and very competetively priced too. For your tone you really do not need an AAA flame top; many of the best sounding ‘vintage’ Les Pauls are plaintops. And when you do not want one of the ‘burst’ versions that just do not quite meet the looks of the old ones, this Translucent Red is the way to go.. you’ll be buying a guitar that reminisces of George Harrison’s ‘Lucy’ and Dicky Betts’s ‘Redtop’ without having to fork out Custom Shop money. You’ll also get 4 push-pull pots that effectively give you all the inspiring tonal options (including the ‘Peter Green’ out of phase tone) you’d find in a Custom Shop Jimmy Page # 2 (read the spec sheets) but again without having to pay the Custom Shop Price. Between 1990 and 2008 there was also a ‘Les Paul Classic’ too but the ‘Classic’ version on sale these days has little to do with that previous ‘Classic 1960’. The Burstbucker pick ups are supposed to adhere to the specifications Seth Lover intended and that Gibson was applying to the 1961 P.A.F. / Patent Number Pickups. And indeed the Burstbuckers are clear, brilliant, a bit ‘bright’ and not ‘woolly’ or ‘fatty’. More a bit like the P90 ‘without hum’ it was designed to be but then a little more powerful, without the screaming harshness of some ceramic pickups Gibson used in the past. The Grover tuners – although I prefer the looks of the Kluson keystones – are also ‘60’s-modifications’ and I must say they have a wonderfull ‘solid’ mechanically feeling action. The crown inlays in the fretboard are a perfect fit (unlike some others where gaps were obvioulsy filled up with glue or something) and the fret bindings have been finished properly (in the past I’ve seen that done less scrupulously..). The Classic also sports the ‘modern’ larger strap holders so it is not imperative to fit straplock systems right away… Any drawbacks? Some people might scare back at the weight: it comes in at 4.25 kilo’s and the Slim Taper neck profile (also a ‘60’s’ characteristic) has to be your thing. Minor detail: upon arrival the fretboard was very dry but all it needed was some luscious application of Axe Wax and now the fretboard has the same nice even chocolate brown hue as my Gibson 2019 Firebird. When you are on the search for ‘a’ Les Paul, at least try the Les Paul Classic as well. I have sold two M.I.J. Tokai LoveRocks (a 2002 and a 2003) to fund the purchase of the Gibson Les Paul Classic; that was a gamble but I was right in doing so; the Les Paul Classic really pleases me a lot more. And a note I must add: mine came perfectly set up by one of the guitar techs of Music Store; thank you! Even the intonation was spot on !

First review I ever wrote. I would feel remiss if I did not post this. This guitar is the finest guitar I have ever owned–and I own 10. The neck feels incredibly smooth, and the finish on it is beautiful. However, I did change the strings to Thomastik-In feld 12 guage. It gives me the low mellow sound I need for my style of play. The guitar sounds incredible. Can't put it down. I always wanted a Gibson. It only took me 62 years to get one (started playing when I was 10). Bottom line, albeit it is pricey, its worth every dime.

First off, let me say that I wrote a review on this instrument when I first got it a couple of years ago, but I'm writing another review because now I what I'm talking talking about, unlike I did back then. That being said, this guitar is amazing! I own a Squier Stratocaster Standard and a Yamaha APX500II acoustic (I like cheaper guitars. They play better to me for some reason.) My Strat has a thinner and smoother neck, so I use it for the better feel. But for tone, this LP has got it in the bag! I told a friend I got a cheap Les Paul, and he asked "un-covered or covered pickups?" I said they were un-covered, and he was so happy. Granted, covered pickups look much better, but for tone, un-covered is the way to go. And humbuckers, no less! If I could choose between my Strat and this Les Paul, I would probably choose this Les Paul, as the tone and sound is unsurpassed by even the finest Gibsons. As for looks and feel, this not too bad. It has a thinner body than other Pauls, and a bolt-on neck makes it a little different, but it's fantastic. Also, the pictures on Musicians Friend hardly do it justice, as the guitar looks so much more beautiful in person (I have the heritage cherry sunburst.) I strung this bad boy up with a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt Series .10's, and it is unsurpassed by anything! A lot of people complain that the strap buttons are bad. Well… they are. But I had strap locks on this thing for a bit, and they were great, because they completley sovled the problem. I gave the locks to my church's bass player as a gift, and I bought a DiMarzio ClipLock strap earlier this year, and with the combination of this strap and the lighter weight of the guitar itself, this thing is very comfortable to play standing up. My only con; it has dot fret markers, not the block ones. But who really cares? It's the best Les Paul you can get for this price range, and it's even better than most in the $1,000's range. I would guarantee if you buy this, you will not be sorry!

Overall: The Good: took a chance to save some money on a "blemished" deal. Have had good luck with these in the past with zZounds, and as before, could not find any blemishes in regard to the finish. The setup, however, was abyssal. Once setup, the guitar is fantastic. Lighter weight than my other Epi, and.my.Gibson. The Probuckers are amazing. Great clarity and I see or hear no reason to replace them. Liking them better than my 57+ classics. Black guitars and me don't get along, as I have always sold them off. The graphite black and plain back on this guitar is gorgeous. Most likely a keeper. Neck feel is perfect. Coil split and tone controls really make a difference. Many sounds can be had. May soon become my #1 guitar. Plays effortlessly. The Bad: guitar setup was non existent. Tuners were crooked, nut slots too high, pickup height too low, pick guard installed incorrectly, uneven frets, action set for limbo, and scratchy pots. After cutting deeper nut slots, leveling and crowning the frets, lowering the action, adjusting truss rod, readjusting tuning pegs and pick guard, spraying the pots, and installing quality knobs, the guitar is now fantastic. I can understand why it was returned as it took a lot of work to get it playable. Luckily, I do that all myself so no extra $. Sadly, although great luck with zZounds in the past, this will be my last order until either:1) zZounds offers shipping options other than FedEx. Or2) Fedex gets their s**t together and figures out how to deliver packages to the correct address, with accurate tracking, and without damage.

Overall: My 13th Epiphone L.P. since 2006, and second of the new "Inspired by Gibson" series (first was the Standard 50's). I am blown away by these next-level Epi LPs – my 50s was astonishingly similar sitting next to my Gibson Original series 50s goldtop, both asthetically, AND sonically speaking, with only slight pickup characteristic differences. This is also my first SlimTaper neck. Thankfully it wasn't an earth shattering change – we'll adapt just fine. My new tuxedo custom came in at a perfect 8lb 13oz – my ideal weight range for a Paul – especially considering these guitars are coming in with about 1.5# weight swings. Got lucky there. Absolutely no build or quality issues, looks incredible, and is appointed well. It is leaps ahead of the very disappointing Frampton signature Epi I bought last year – my only truly lousy Epiphone. NEVER AGAIN will I buy a chambered Les Paul, in ANY form – all the tone gets totally sucked out! Guitar also came in with a perfect setup, which is rare (even though my setup guy always does a once-over on all my guitars). Some fret polishing couldn't hurt, though. Only concern with this purchase was with the final shipment packaging from zZounds – no packing material in the final carton, just loose box in a box. I think that's a first.

Overall: I am very very happy with this guitar. It is not a perfect instrument, but for the price, you can't really get a better semi hollow, and with the 339 body, its almost impossible to find a sub $500 model. Was really happy with the specs that Epiphone has upgraded to, the grover tuners and graphtech nut really help sell the package, (i hate switching out sub-par parts). The paint job on the F holes was a little lacking but I was able to touch up with a paint marker and the plywood top was sanded a little to much in some places, revealing the ply, but I really can't complain. the stock pickups sound great and while setting the instrument up, I was very impressed at how solidly put together it is and how well it plays. Great fret work, usually the frets are lacking on a guitar in this price range. It would be great to see a deluxe model for the 339 with some more cosmetic upgrades and pickups but this instrument is a steal, get it now!

Not much to say about a GLP – its an amazing guitar as you'd expect and anyone can carry it and comparably price instruments. However, it's the Sweetwater service that makes the difference. Grant is great and super responsive to my questions and issues. You can tell that the people who work here play and love music. I completely trust Sweetwater with my musical instruments. I just purchased my second guitar with them yesterday and the process was fantastic. At this point, I'm only going to buy here. Even if I found an instrument at a cheaper price through one of their competitors, it wouldn't be worth the care and service you get at Sweetwater. 5-Stars guys! Customer 4-Life!

So it arrived today! it came in a very nice branded MusicStore box with a short checklist of things done before packing. This is nice as makes me confident the purchase was made with premium supplier. The standard Gibson outfit package is really cool. There's a branded soft gig bag with nice fluffy interior, a bag strap, a cloth, few marketing leaflets, and, a photo of the guitar that was made in the factory. Very cool. Value wise, its fantastic. The guitar out of the box looks great. it feels and looks premium, although it is a distant and poor relative when standing next to LP's Reissues or some other top-shelf models. Visually, its a different line. The guitar was pretty much setup to play from the box (thanks musicstore team), which was a nice surprise too. Unplugged, there is more than enough sustain, vibe and articulation details. This instrument sounds very much like pricier Les Pauls, even with no power. The neck is nice and fast with medium jumbos, allowing to play pretty much everything you want. Once plugged in to 90s JCM 800 set, it did deliver pretty much everything the more expensive Gibsons' do. There's sustain, articulation, the 'gurl' of Gibson. Studio workhorse, worth every penny. Which was a bit of surprise as the Studios' are slightly lighter in body construction. Some complain about finish quality, but i have not observed anything limiting playability yet. As mentioned before: if you place it next to a top-shelf Les Paul, you WILL see a difference. You will see dozens of differences in finish and quality as these instrumets are different. But, to me, its a great guitar, and I would reccomend that to anyone looking for Gibson sounding instrument for relatively moderate price. LP Studio is probably the cheapest and easiest way to get real Gibson sound for "OK" money. I have one comment to MusicStore team regarding the purchase process: It would be nice to allow customer to change payment option in case of problems with the one initially chosen.

First of all, the ultra light aging done by the Murphy Lab looks and feels amazing. The finish checking is stunning and it straight up looks like it was built in 1956. They nailed it. Frets are perfect and I was able to set the action really low without any buzzing or issues whatsoever – a testament to how well this was built. It really plays like a dream. The P90's are perfect too – like single coils on steroids – everything you want a P90 to sound like – Clean, chimey, articulate, but also warm, fat, and searing. They cut really well in a mix, especially on the bridge pickup into an overdriven amp. They really sing. It's such a beautiful instrument in every way. Get one!

Overall: I was feeling totally Corona bummed out. Uninspired, depressed, just a big pile of blahhhh. I had been wanting an esp for a minute and popped on zZounds and ended up checking this ltd out. So stoked I did! Had to do a couple adjustments, trem spring tension adjustment (slight) and then tune up , with grover, radical (non locking tuners!! These just are rock solid tuners.. with this setup, after your strings are broken in of course– it will stay in tune Fer dayyyyzzz) so I plugged into my hot Rodded 6505+ with biased jj tubes,,, and this is just a beast of a guitar . Finish is flawless, cannot tell the difference between this and my buddies Japanese ESP. Knobs are rad and solid, push/pull pot on one–which adds a killer flavor. Then there's the emgs, just pure metal and I can get killer, rich, warm tones on the cleans too. Basically, I'm a changed man. I was jamming with my door open and a hot chicken walked by and smiled. Yep. Music is the universal language and I am happy. All kidding aside, this is a great guitar and has my full approval. I'm an esp fan big time now!! Thank you zZounds for trusting me again !! I have soo many rad guitars and amps from you guys!!

this is the best guitar I've ever had. I thought my best guitar had been Japanise Jackson with two hot rails and a humbucker in the bridge. The second one was LTD EC-1000 I bought in Music Store as well. But I must admit that my new ESP LTD Black Metal Satin is far better in my opinion than both my guitars with SD and EMG pickups. I think the name of the guitar "Black metal" is just a kind of a stereotype and may put someone off buying it if you are not a Black metal head. I do like various metal genres , however, I'm not a fan of death and black metal, but I had been 100 per cent sure that this guitar would satisfy my metal taste anyway. I It looks agressive and it is definitely prone to metal but not only for "Black" or "Death". If you like Steel Panther or Gus G, you would be pleased with this monstrous axe! The sound provided by SD Blackened winter pickup is just what you really need to get the best metal sound ever. String separation in every chord you play is both clean and powerful simultaneously. If you want to shred, you won't regret it as well. This metal masterpice will be my favourite guitar for years! And yes, I 've immediately taken to one H pickup and a Floyd rose-no more you need for creating a great sound. Thank you Music Store and ESP for letting me have such a great instrument!