Epiphone Les Paul Modern - Sparkling Burgundy Review

Epiphone Les Paul Modern Sparkling Burgundy

The photos don't do this guitar justice. It's absolutely gorgeous in my eyes. It plays as good as it looks as well. Take a look at the specs and you'll see Epiphone did it right. This is one of those guitars that is a one owner. Definitely a till death do us part model.

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4 months in and loving it

Purchased one of these as I liked the idea of a lighter body LP with some of the more updated features and playability compared to traditional models.I couldn't afford the real deal, so this was the next best thing that ticked all the boxes.Build quality and finish.... Excellent. My example is on par, and in some aspects better than some of the genuines that I've handled (once the… read more frets are polished). Yes that is my only complaint as they aren't as smooth from the factory as I'd like. An hours work and they are mirror perfect.Tone.... Out of the box, very good, but after loading some Elixir 10-46's and carefully adjusting the action and intonation, it improved. Then after playing around with the pickup heights and individual pole piece screws, it is now absolutely brilliant. Yes these do need a little work to get the best out of them, but no different to any guitar, acoustic or electric.Playability.... Very comfortable neck and super easy to get to the highest frets.I've got this neck dead flat with a super low action and there's no buzzing anywhere.Stability.... Still shaking my head in disbelief. Once the new strings had a few hours of playing on them, this axe just doesn't go out of tune even after hours of playing. Come back to it the next day and maybe have to tweak one or two strings by 2 or 3 cents. Features.... I love these pickups and all the switching configurations and tones you can pull from them, the lighter weight, ebony fingerboard and the locking tuners were all deal sealers for me.Value.... Buy one of these for $x or the real deal for $xxxxx and get virtually the same (minus the prestige).Was a no brainer for me with zero regrets.

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Looks and Sounds Great

I typically go for the stained burst look on guitars, but this sparkling vintage burgundy was hard to pass up. While this is a "modern" style for Les Paul - mainly due to the neck contour, chambered body, and pickup/wiring combinations, on a standard humbucking mode you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between this fella and a standard. Funny thing with the asymmetric neck… read more is that you don't immediately notice it - until you switch to one of your other guitars that doesn't have it. It's subtle, but it's there. Play one for 20 minutes, then swap to a standard neck and you'll see what I mean.The ProBucker pickups are essentially Alnico II's - so you get the standard 'crunch' you'd expect with a little warmth/butter on the side. The output between H and Single coil is pretty even too (not nearly as drastic as you get on some models). Pros - Gorgeous - the pics don't do it justice. It actually sparkles - SO many pickup configurations - Weight relief body - the modern chambered body is about 8.5 lbs. Still not "lightweight" by any means, but every oz helps for longer sessions - The knobs have little rims around the tops to make it easier to pull-up for coil splitting, phasing options. - Grover locking tuners included Cons - Really just some minor QC issues on my particular guitar - stain overlap on the binding, very slight paint overlap on neck binding where it meets the body, and about 6 rough frets on the treble side of the neck. - Didn't come with a gig bag (one of those Epi-lights would have been awesome) - Plain head-stock / truss cover. I'd have preferred a matching head-stock paint or even a modern E on the truss cover. Minor wish list item, not really a con. Overall With the extra pickup configurations between normal humbucker, split single coil, and phased pickups I've counted over 20 configurations (not counting what you get with the tone knobs and your amp / pedal settings). This is truly a versatile guitar with lots to offer. The ProBucker Alnico II pickups sound great no matter what configuration you choose. For the money, this is one great guitar. P.S. A big shout out to Brian for helping me land one of these and suggesting a good-fitting case (went with the Gator). Sweetwater continues to raise the bar on customer service and response.

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Best epiphone les paul ever played

Bought this modern Les Paul, and in my opinion its the best Epiphone Les Paul I've ever played and I've played a lot of them over the years. Great carve on the neck, 12 inch radius, ebony fingerboard, weight relieved body. Two coil split, plus a phase switch, and the pots are all CTS and it makes a difference, bridge and tailpiece are real steel and not the old potted gunk from… read more the past, grover locking tuners, graphite nut, for the price there is no way you need to spend thousands on a Gibson . . . the pickups for me sound great and do not need replacing. the sum of its parts as put together by Gibson which oversees and has upgraded product across entire Epiphone range is a great move for guitarists! The guitar is really a Gibson with a Epiphone name on it. The blue, black, and red are great color tones too!

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This is a gorgeous guitar

If you want a proper Les Paul, brilliantly priced, and that comes loaded with features that bring an absolute classic to the highest of today's expectations, you will hardly find a better choice. This guitar is impeccable, a gorgeous addition to any collection as well as a smart and dignifying point of entry to the Les Paul world. Needless to say the guy's first guitar was built… read more at an Epiphone factory, so this fortunate creation brings now full circle to a history of true love of music and rock n roll.

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