Tom Barnard from Aldershot | Purchase date: 01 March 2008 id: 720

This is, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable guitars to play around today. From the sturdy, smooth neck to the incredible tonal qualities of the humbucker pickups, this guitar never ceases to impress in terms of looks, sounds, AND playability. I own two electric guitars (and have played virtually all the mainstream models at some point or another) and the advantages of this guitar can be seen especially when compared with my Ibanez JS-100, which costs almost twice as much as this Epiphone. The Les Paul's sensible bridge delivers a pragmatic, attractive feel; and boasts more character and far fewer headaches than the JS's Floyd Rose (provided you can bend strings without a whammy bar). In terms of looks, though occasionally ostentatious, this beauty never fails to impress and maintains a classic feel. Adjusting the tonality of this guitar is incredibly simple, especially when contrasted with the complex saddle system of my Ibanez. The value of humbuckers is often underestimated, but when it comes down to it, in my opinion, if you want a sound that you can manipulate most effectively through effects or subtler changes, the clean input of the humbuckers on this guitar wins over the single coil systems hands down, every time. Also, you get the impression of an actual change in the voice of the guitar when switching between pickups, as is not the case with less versatile pickup systems. When you keep the tone knobs at zero, the sound is pure, raw pitch - no messing around, and as you twist them up to ten, it's as if the guitar suddenly becomes a 12-string, and the vibrant tones are clearly identifiable as those of a Les Paul. Disadvantages are few... one being that the jack input it at the bottom of the guitar, meaning you can't sit with it over a surface at that point, without bending the jack. That's it. Don't be discouraged by the "Epiphone" label, you won't hear any real difference between pure "Gibson"s and "Epiphone"s til you're playing through Mesa's anyway. A GLORIOUS GUITAR!