Epiphone Les Paul Standard '50s Review

It was nice right out of the box

Great guitar. It played really nice right out of the box. After a day of playing it, I changed the strings to my prefered gauge and brand and set the intonation for the new strings. The pickup height, nut slots and action were all good. I did polish the frets. The tone is great, I love 50s wiring and low output pickups. The pots are responsive/musical and the volume pots clean… read more up nicely without the treble loss when you roll them back. Very happy.

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Impressive delivery from Epiphone

If you're shopping for this guitar, no doubt, you are wondering how it compares to the Gibson version. So, I'll get right to it. It's not a Gibson, but it's close. And for the money, it's probably a better deal. I have some real-deal Gibson Les Pauls, as well as a '58 VOS I have gigged with for many years, and this '50s gold top is nothing to be ashamed of. I purchased this guitar… read more and the Epiphone '59 re-issue to replace that VOS because I don't like taking it out every weekend. Bottom line is that the Epiphone can hold its own with playability and tone. Granted, it's not QUITE as resonant as a Custom Shop guitar, doesn't have the ultra fine finish and fit, and doesn't have the same top quality feel, but it's close enough that if you didn't have them side by side, it would be tough to tell much of a difference. All that said, the neck on this Epiphone is not as big as my '58 VOS. Which translates to me as being a little less comfortable to play over a 2 or 3 hour stretch. But I like giant necks, and this one is by no means bad. Just not AS big. I have the older Epiphone '56 Gold Top reissue and it's major shortcoming was that it actually had a slim 60's neck, which I find far less playable. My Epi '59 reissue has a larger neck that is more on par with a genuine late '50s Gibson. The pickups in this model are pretty good, but I will likely swap them out as there is just a little something lacking in the overall tone when played back to back with the Gibsons I have. Pots and switches work well, and the finish is nice. Just wish Epiphone would ditch the veneers on the backs and offer some nitro finishes...

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Oh My - Awesome

The look. The feel. The sound. Yep - a time machine ride back to the 1950s. I have wanted a Gold Top for a long time. Finally pulled the trigger on one. I'm glad I did it at Sweetwater. The setup was great. Enjoying it very much. I ordered the Epiphone case to match. It's Never too late to have a Happy Childhood.

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Very nice quality

You can't beat a classic and this is one of the best, very good quality has great sustain and tones absolutely love this les paul. And a big thanks to sweetwater on the setup and shipping i received it next day.

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Beautiful Les Paul Goldtop

First of all, many thanks to Ian Angle who has been helping me out at Sweetwater for years now on everything from software to guitars. He let me pick out the one I wanted and sent me full photos. Also, the shipping and packing department at Sweetwater is fantastic; not a scratch or a ding. The box was packaged with care and loads of bubble-wrap; the guitar was safe during a 1000… read more mile journey. AND they send you candy in every order. Cheers! I thought I would spend about 90 days with this beautiful piece of joy, before sharing my thoughts with others who may be looking to buy one. I am no expert guitarist. I never was into the whole goldtop thing; have a bunch of bursts. But when I first held this guitar, with natural light coming through the window, I understood the whole goldtop thing. It is visually stunning, from the metallic gold that reflects and refracts the light just right, to the complementary colors of the top, binding, and back. The back appeared to be redder in the online pictures, but it actually is a perfectly reddish gold hue to match the front. The gloss finish makes it always sparkle in the light, and amazingly no fingerprints come off on the front. It's like fingerprint-proof. The neck is a perfect (58/59) feel. It's thick, but not a baseball bat. It is so loud and bright when you strum it acoustically that you would not believe it. You can feel every note all the way down the neck; resonance is amazing. The Pro Buckers are good, better than expected. They do not sound muddy at all. You get a real Les Paul sound; you get nice clean tones; plug it into Guitar Rig6 and go to town. Check out the specs online; Epiphone's 2020 guitars were all amazingly well done. I stuck a Bigsby on and called her Jolene; now I hardly ever reach for the bursts. The goldtop just has a certain feel, mood, when you play it (as do all guitars, I guess). If you like Les Paul guitars, you will love this guitar.

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