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Epiphone

collapse expand iconDescription

The Epiphone Les Paul Special-I limited-edition electric guitar brings true Les Paul design, feel and tone to players on a budget. Epiphone has crafted this solidbody electric guitar with many features reminiscent of Gibson's legendary Les Paul model, including a basswood body, bolt-on 1960s SlimTaper mahogany neck and 700T/650R humbucking pickups. The result is an instrument that looks, feels and sounds like a real Les Paul without breaking the bank.

Powerful Humbuckers Deliver Legendary Les Paul Tone

The Epiphone Les Paul Special-I is equipped with a pair of open-coil humbucker pickups that provide the fat, warm tone Les Paul guitars are revered for. The 700T bridge pickup delivers a bold, aggressive sound when soloing and riffing, while the 650R neck pickup produces a smooth, singing lead tone. These pickups give you archetypal rock 'n' roll tone reminiscent of legends like Slash, Jimmy Page and Ace Frehley.

Comfortable 1960s SlimTaper Neck Profile

The Les Paul Special-I features a 1960s SlimTaper neck profile that provides comfort for marathon practice sessions and live performances. Its slim feel makes it easy to play fast licks up and down the neck. The mahogany neck construction also contributes to singing sustain.

Durable, Lightweight Basswood Body

The basswood body helps keep your Epiphone Les Paul Special-I guitar lightweight on your shoulder and back compared to a heavy, all-mahogany body. Basswood is a very common tonewood on Les Pauls, known for offering a balanced sound with tight lows and smooth, articulate highs. The single-piece body construction provides rock-solid tuning stability.

All the Essential Specs of a Real Les Paul

Beyond its looks, the Epiphone Les Paul Special-I limited-edition has many other specs inline with Gibson's Les Paul Standard. This includes a 24.75" scale, 12" radius rosewood fingerboard, 1-11/16" nut width, trapezoid inlays and Les Paul's trademark headstock shape. It comes equipped with a wrapped tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece for easy restringing and setup adjustments.

Epiphone Les Paul Special-I Limited-Edition Electric Guitar Worn Cherry
Epiphone Les Paul Special-I Limited-Edition Electric Guitar Worn Cherry
Epiphone Les Paul Special-I Limited-Edition Electric Guitar Worn Cherry

collapse expand iconFeatures

  • Basswood body
  • Bolt-on 1960s SlimTaper mahogany neck, 21-fret fingerboard
  • Intonated, one-piece wraparound bridge-stopbar, covered, 14:1 die-cast tuners
  • Epiphone 700T bridge and Epiphone 650R neck humbuckers, 3-way switch

collapse expand iconSpecs

Body
  • Body wood: Basswood
  • Body finish: Polyurethane
Neck
  • Neck shape: 1960s SlimTaper
  • Neck wood: Mahogany
  • Joint: Bolt-on
  • Scale length: 24.75"
Fingerboard
  • Radius: 12"
  • Number of frets: 21
  • Nut width: 1.6875"
Electronics
  • Configuration: HH
  • Neck: Epiphone 650R
  • Bridge: 700T
  • Control layout: Master Volume, Master Tone
  • Pickup switch: 3-way
  • Special electronics: 500K potentiometers
Hardware
  • Bridge design: One-piece wraparound
  • Tuning machines: Covered, 14:1 die-cast tuners
  • Color: Nickel
Other
  • Number of strings: 6-string
  • Case: Sold separately
  • Orientation: Right handed

Featured Articles

collapse expand iconReviews

4.35

266 Reviews

87%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend

Its great i love it
Its great i love it
Great "on the road" guitar!
Ok first guitar
I would buy this great begginer guitar
Super happy I bought It!!
Clean tone
Amazing guitar :)
A nice light guitar with good sound
Wrong color!
A very good starter guitar.
I needed a guitar, bad.
I needed a guitar, bad.
Great guitar for a low price!
For this price this is a decent little guitar.
Great guitar for tinkering, and perfect for beginners!
Great guitar for tinkering, and perfect for beginners!
Great guitar
Excellent Choice For A Mid-Range Priced Guitar
Great Playing, Great Sounding for any price
Great sound and inexpensive. Fun guitar, fantastic sound.
Astoundingly Excellent Guitar

Most Liked Positive Review

5

Great Playing, Great Sounding for any price

I seriously love this guitar. While I've owned guitars costing 10 times as much as I paid for the LP Special I P90, none of them sounded better or played better. While the electronics, tuners, and other hardware are nothing special, I've had no issues with any of it. After a setup by the tech at GC, the action is nice and there's no fret buzz. It stays in tune well enough, and it sounds like a dream. The P90 pickups have that special flavor you just can duplicate elsewhere. Unless your're a shredder, you'll love this little guitar.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

3

Beware the bridge

I purchased this at my local GC as my first foray into electric guitar, looking for a lower cost option since I didn't know the level of commitment I'd maintain. The overall set up out of the box was very playable, complete novices have plenty of tones to explore though the neck/rhythm pick up is a bit flat and muddy sounding. After pouring close to 100 hours of play time and a new set of strings into the guitar, a few things really started to become bothersome: - The intonated bridge is, well, awful. - Stock tuning machine heads are frustrating and won't keep the guitar in tune for more than a few songs. - Again, that frigging bridge... I learned a lot of things from this guitar about what I wanted/needed to make for an enjoyable playing experience. If you have the $50 or so extra get the Special II for the Tune-o-Matic bridge, it'll save you a lot of frustration.

Filters
Best Uses
  1. Practicing166
  2. Jamming121
  3. Small Venues56
  4. Recording48
  5. School Bands37
Cons
  1. Fret Buzz39
  2. Craftsmanship21
  3. Flat Sound12
  4. Poor Pick Up11
  5. Poor Intonation2
Describe Yourself
  1. Novice81
  2. Experienced77
  3. Professional Musician17
  4. Child5
Pros
  1. Fun To Play155
  2. Good Feel147
  3. Good Tone119
  4. Good Pick Up98
  5. Solid Electronics77

Reviewed by 266 customers

  • Tuning

    4

    submitted3 months ago

    byJay

    fromColonized Country

    It's a very nice guitar for the pricing if u were under a budget like i was this holiday, but, one caveat is that the tuners don't hold very well, so, playing 2-5 songs, expect to have to return a few strings after.

  • Budget pricing includes a few premium features

    5

    submitted3 months ago

    byLaurence

    fromEugene, Oregon

    I've been very pleased with my Epiphone Les Paul Special-1 HH guitar. For the low price you actually get a 1-piece basswood body (no glued together pieces). While you get just 2 control knobs (1 volume 1 tone) both of them use nice large 500K potentiometers. The ceramic Humbucker pickups (Epiphone 650R and 700T) seem to have plenty of power and punch. The same pickups are also used in most of Epiphone's lower-priced models. The neck and fretwork are excellent, while there is not too much good to say about the tuners, except that do work at a basic level. One more remarkable feature is the incredible power and duration of the sustain. I suspect that this probably due to the single-piece wrap-around bridge, and perhaps that single-piece body doesn't hurt!

  • I feel like this is a quality product for the price

    4

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitted3 months ago

    byThomas

    fromChase City Virginia

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    The guitar has been great so far. We have enjoyed playing it and look forward to making further purchases with guitar center

  • Returned after 2 weeks. Does not hold tuning whatsoever!

    2

    submitted5 months ago

    byJose

    fromCerritos, CA

    I spent more time tuning the guitar than I did practicing. Once it was "tuned", intonation was always off. No adjustment at the bridge. Tuning machines have too much slack. Needed and additional $150 in upgrades to make it sound right. Returned it and bought a Squire affinity. Happy!

  • 5 star for this price point

    5

    submitted7 months ago

    byMark

    fromHouston, TX

    I just brought this Gray one home with me, from Guitar Center (they priced matched the Musician's Friend special price). Tuned it up and started playing. Action is descent right out of the box, strings are ok for now. I was impressed that it is this nice for this price. This is the 3rd one I've bought over the last 5-6 years. I like to use them as "project" guitars, and have learned how to setup, swap pickups, and even paint these. I would recommend them for a first guitar or a knock around where you don't want to bring your '79 LP standard out in the backyard.

  • Better than I expected.

    5

    submitted8 months ago

    byPaul

    fromNorth Carolina

    I bought this as a backup in case there was a problem with my Schecter. It plays and sounds good. I might bring it out for some songs at a gig. The color is more burgundy than the cherry red of the GC site. To me it looks better in person. A bargain at the discounted price. 👍

collapse expand iconQ&A

Have a question about this product? Our expert Gear Advisers have the answers.

  • submitted4 months ago

    asked byMarc

    fromWisconsin

    What is the difference between the Epiphone Les Paul Special-I & the Special-II?

    What is the difference between the Epiphone Les Paul Special-I & the Special-II?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    The Special-I has a basswood body. The Special-II has a mahogany body.

  • submitted6 months ago

    asked byLTJ

    fromEugene, Oregon

    Hasn't the very first review been either misclassified (applies to another model) or was submitted by a misinformed customer? This is because this review has comments on the P-90 pickups. But clearly this guitar features a pair of Epiphone Humbucker pickups (650R and 700T), and not P-90's.

    Hasn't the very first review been either misclassified (applies to another model) or was submitted by a misinformed customer? This is because this review has comments on the P-90 pickups. But clearly this guitar features a pair of Epiphone Humbucker pickups (650R and 700T), and not P-90's.

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    We appreciate your feedback.

  • submitted8 months ago

    asked byGarrett N

    fromPittsburgh.

    What strings are on the guitar.

    What strings are on the guitar.

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    .10, .13, .17, .26, .36, .46

  • submitteda year ago

    asked bycolin

    fromCoquille, Oregon

    What size frets are they? Thanks.

    What size frets are they? Thanks.

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    Frets Medium Jumbo

  • submitteda year ago

    asked byChris

    fromundisclosed

    Can you add a tremolo bar. If not how could you

    Can you add a tremolo bar. If not how could you

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    It would take a lot of work. It would cost more than the price of the guitar.

  • submitteda year ago

    asked byJeffrey

    fromChattanooga Tennessee

    Manual?

    Manual?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    I'm sorry but we don't have spare manuals.

  • submitteda year ago

    asked byDarlene

    fromTexas

    This guitar, is it the exact one that comes in the guitar bundle, the special l bundle, the worn black and brown neck looks slightly different

    This guitar, is it the exact one that comes in the guitar bundle, the special l bundle, the worn black and brown neck looks slightly different

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    Yes, it is the LP Special-1

  • submitted2 years ago

    asked bySt

    fromLA CA

    Does This come with a cable for an amp?

    Does This come with a cable for an amp?

    Open Reply - Gear-Adviser
    Unfortunately, no. Please see----------Livewire Advantage Instrument Cable Angled/Straight 10 ft. Black

  • submitted2 years ago

    asked byTonyg

    fromNebraska

    Is there a pick guard I can put on this guitar? If so, do you carry it?

    Is there a pick guard I can put on this guitar? If so, do you carry it?

    Open Reply - Thomas
    This may work::::::::::::::Gibson Les Paul Custom 5-Ply Pickguard with Screws Black

  • submitted2 years ago

    asked byAdam

    fromLouisville KY

    Hello. Would a soft case be recommended for this product? If so, which one?

    Hello. Would a soft case be recommended for this product? If so, which one?

    Open Reply - Thomas
    No, I never "recommend a soft case. "Musician's Gear MC22LP Deluxe Hardshell Case Black"
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