• Incredible Value ... incredible guitar!

  
  As reviewed by Jim Harbur on 8/15/2011

  I?ll start this off by letting you know that I have been playing guitar for over 40 years. In my opinion, no one has ever come closer to the ?perfect guitar? than the Les Paul. They are instruments that will deliver no matter what type of music you are playing. They can scream metal one moment, moan out some soulful blues the next and swing it up alongside any hollow body jazz-box. I own 7 of them myself, including the Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro ? the Gibson version of the guitar I am reviewing here. I was first attracted to this guitar by the beautiful Korina finish and the fact that these Epi Traditionals sport most of the same features as the Gibson. Korina wood is actually a species of African Limba ? a wood that has many of the same tonal characteristics of mahogany, but is much lighter in color and is also somewhat lighter in weight. I?ve always loved Gibson?s use of the wood in guitars such as the ?58 Flying V and Explorer and this Les Paul is a real eye-catcher. As they say, however, looks aren?t everything ? especially in a musical instrument. After playing this guitar, I am here to tell you that these Epi Traditional Pros hold their own against the Gibson version at one quarter of the price! Say what you will about collect ability, resale value and bragging rights ? if you are looking to purchase a guitar to MAKE MUSIC, you simply can?t go wrong with this guitar! Some details: The neck features a hefty D profile. Not a ?baseball bat?, but good and chunky. It fills the hand nicely and actually aids in note bending since the neck will actually help you apply some pressure you normally have to rely on your fingers/thumb to accomplish. Those of you that have gotten used to slim ?shredder necks? should really check these larger profiles out. They?ll take a little getting used to, but these 50?s and 60?s rockers really knew what they were doing. I set the action down nice and low and there was not a buzz to be found anywhere on the fret board. The electronics are wonderful ? all pots and caps were well seated and silent as is the three-way switch. We?ll see how long it lasts and how soon a replacement will be required, but everything was great out of the box. Epiphone?s Alnico Classics deliver a nice, punchy PAF-like tone, and the addition of individual coil-splitting for each pickup makes for a very versatile palate of tones to draw from. Fit and finish were flawless on the model I picked up. Not a hint of overspray of any sort of blemish to be found. I will say that the ?satin? finish on the back of the guitar and neck is a bit rough compared to the Gibson, or for that matter other Epiphone models like the Ultra and Prophecy, but it?s way smoother that the Gibson ?faded? models and nothing that won?t sort itself out after a few weeks of playing (or a quick buff with some fine grit sandpaper if you are the inpatient type). So there you have it. These are simply outstanding guitars (and I?m not even going to add the ?for the money? caveat). If this finish doesn?t do it for you, then take a look at the other finishes that are available in standard mahogany models. I am VERY happy with this guitar and extremely impressed with what Epiphone is accomplishing in creating quality musical instruments!

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• Korina Epi delivers big on honest / natural tone

  
  As reviewed by Mark McDiarmid on 11/27/2012

  I bought this guitar because I already had a Korina bodied strat that I like a lot. Let me start by saying that the guitar has a wonderful honest tone that is natural and characterful. Its bright and tuneful, but it is clearly not a traditional Les Paul sound. I have a Les Paul standard that I've compared it to and it doesn't have that compressed singing tone that you'd expect from a mahogany bodied paul. Personally I really like the character but I think its a matter of taste. The neck is pretty large and rounded, I think some folks would call it a 50s style neck. Initially, it might put some folks off, but I have large hands and I've since resisted the temptation to re-shape the neck. In fact, I think its more relaxing to play than my standard. The finish on the neck is satin over unfilled mahogany so the it feels quite rough to begin with. I buffed mine down to a semi gloss finish although I think this would occur naturally through continual playing. I actually like the fact that the neck back has some texture because it never causing stickiness unlike a glossy lacquered finish. The weight of the guitar has been mentioned in the reviews already and I think its a mixed bag here. My sample weighs in at 6.8lbs which is a featherweight compared to my 10.5lbs standard. I'm sure this adds to the brighter nature of the sound it creates. Despite its light weight, the guitar I have produces a smooth reliable sustain through my Dr. Z. I see this same sustain characteristic with my korina-bodied strat, so I'm going to put it down to the korina. The combination of the epi pickups and korina provide plenty of attack and the whole guitar feels very responsive and resonant like a good quality acoustic might. Played acoustically, it's loud for an electric. I played it acoustically with my two buddies and was just about able to keep up with them even though they were strumming traditional acoustics. Volume and tone controls function very well and provide smooth and proportional control and adjustments. The push pull pots allow for single coil operation and this in turn provides for broad range of tonal variations. With both coils tapped and the middle position set on the toggle to engage both pickups, the epi produces a strat-like cluck when strummed. The neck pickup is more hot than a vintage wind and it has a fair amount of attack and little compression. The front pickup is closer to a vintage style wind. Regardless of pickup selection, the sound is warm, honest and musical. Plenty of pickup output on both to push my Dr. Z and Fender Pro Junior into breaking up. The frets on my sample were only partially sorted out. I had to crown the upper frets from 15 to 22 which allowed me to further lower the action. I also took time to prepare the other frets and polish them to improve playability and comfort. This made a huge difference and I'd recommend it to any one who buys one of these guitars. Intonation was set perfectly which was a sign that someone had paid some attention to that at the factory. After a couple of hours of polishing and truss rod adjustment, I got the action right down to the point where it plays very fast. The Grover tuners on my sample are excellent and are very smooth and progressive. I've had no issues with it going out of tune while playing it. It even stayed in tune after some of our kids gave it a good Hendirx-stlye beating on Thanksgiving. So I would describe the tuning as very stable. In terms of looks - I'd rate this as a unique looking guitar. It has a look of an antique colored guitar and the combination of the simple off-white binding, pickup mountings and pick guard are perfectly complimented by the color of the amber top hat control knobs. Epi choose to seal and polish the top which shows off the even and attractive grain of the Korina cap. The rest of the guitar is satin finished which looks and feels great but I doubt it will before the back is covered in dings because the satin finish is simply not as hard at the poly coating. Overall fit and finish I would rate as an 8.5/10. While there are joints in the guitar that you can feel, at least they are not hidden under layers of lacquer. The nickel finish if more chrome that nickel, so I'm not sure it will develop that vintage aged patina that I've seen on my Standard, but we will see in time. Overall, I'd say this is as a great guitar. Buy one if you want a characterful, musical tone with great playability, versatility and sustain. If you're looking for a traditional Les Paul sound, I'd hold out for a Les Paul Studio or similar. You won't be buying mine because I won't be parting with it!

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• Real value

  
  As reviewed by Bruce Teague on 3/9/2012

  Big thumbs up to my GC here also. When I bought this the pup switch had bad connection. GC fixed it immediately at no charge. I was very taken with the different look of this guitar, but VERY happy with the feel of the neck. The split coils make it so versatile. Light, sounds chambered, which gives it a more versatile sound than trad LPs. It would be very hard to get a better guitar. Tuners suck as they do on all Epi's, but this stays in tune a bit better than the last one I owned.

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