Epiphone Les Paul Studio Electric Guitar Smokehouse Burst

Most Liked Positive Review

Astounding if You Find the Right One

I was able to find an astounding example of an Epi LP Studio in Smokehouse Burst at a GC in Highland Park, IL after visiting 4 other GCs in the Chicagoland area. No manufacturing flaws. Setup was superb with low action all across the neck, well-intonated, good dampening of harsher frequencies, and it sounded clean and articulate like an LP should even with high gain. A/B'ed it with a Gibson LP Studio through the same amp. It was almost identical in sound and playing feel. The Epi's PUs had slightly less output, but it wasn't anything a small bump in amp volume couldn't fix. I highly doubt anyone could tell the difference in sound if blindfolded and volumes were matched. This wasn't the necessarily the case for some of the other Chinese Epi LPs examples I tried. I went through others that didn't feel as well setup or didn't sound as good. I'm not saying they were trash. Epi LPs are on average really good guitars for the price. They all sounded and played decently, but some had actions that felt a bit high, some had necks that felt slightly cheap and hollow, some sounded a little noisy and inarticulate with high gain. At this price point and due to variances in Chinese manufacturing, I highly recommend physically going to multiple GCs and playing a lot of Epi LPs within a short time. I recommend first playing some real Gibson LPs to get a general feel for what what you're aiming for. Then go on the Epi hunt so you can feel and hear the small compromises that the drastic price difference entails (Epis have really narrowed the quality/sound gap, lately, but the differences are there if you look for them). In my case, I found one with practically no compromises when compared to a Gibson LP Studio. The GC employee asked if I wanted a new-in-box guitar instead of the one what was hanging on display. I emphatically told him, "No, I want THIS one!" It was that good. With perseverance and patience, you can find your special, Epi guitar that meets or exceeds a real Gibson LP. When you find it, don't hesitate. Just buy it and be astounded at what a steal of a guitar you got.