Epiphone Les Paul Tribute Guitar

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IndyWS6

IndyWS6

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Greetings :)

What's the consensus on the Epiphone Les Paul Tribute guitars? I saw the press on them mid last year and decided to take a chance on one and have been pleasantly surprised - especially in comparison to other Epi LP's I'd looked at. For the money ($799 List), they have quite a few Gibson-specific parts, as well as other features that would seem to make them better than most standard Epi's. Would I prefer to have a "real" Les Paul? Well, yeah. But, if you ignore the hideous (in my opinion) headstock shape, this thing is a solid guitar. Build quality is surprisingly good, too. The only issue I found was a discoloration in the maple top about the size of a dime. You can't feel it, but it looks like a drop of water (Chinese sweat? :D ) hit the wood after sanding and before the clear coat. Other than that, I really can't complain.

Some Specs:
Solid mahogany, carved maple top, two colors: Faded Cherry Sunburst or Translucent Black (I got the FC version), two neck choices: 1960's slim-taper or assymetrical (I got the slim-taper version), vintage "deep-set" neck tenon, Rosewood board with MOP trapezoid inlays, Gibson USA '57 Classic and '57 Classic Plus humbuckers with push/pull, Switchcraft toggle and jack, Mallory-150 tone capacitors, LockTone bridge and stop bar tailpiece, strap locks and Grover locking tuners.

I got mine for just over $700 shipped, including tax, which seems like a pretty good deal all things considered. Anyone else have one? What do you think of it?

Rock On :rock:
 
IndyWS6":wa1i3sw1 said:
Greetings :)

What's the consensus on the Epiphone Les Paul Tribute guitars? I saw the press on them mid last year and decided to take a chance on one and have been pleasantly surprised - especially in comparison to other Epi LP's I'd looked at. For the money ($799 List), they have quite a few Gibson-specific parts, as well as other features that would seem to make them better than most standard Epi's. Would I prefer to have a "real" Les Paul? Well, yeah. But, if you ignore the hideous (in my opinion) headstock shape, this thing is a solid guitar. Build quality is surprisingly good, too. The only issue I found was a discoloration in the maple top about the size of a dime. You can't feel it, but it looks like a drop of water (Chinese sweat? :D ) hit the wood after sanding and before the clear coat. Other than that, I really can't complain.

Some Specs:
Solid mahogany, carved maple top, two colors: Faded Cherry Sunburst or Translucent Black (I got the FC version), two neck choices: 1960's slim-taper or assymetrical (I got the slim-taper version), vintage "deep-set" neck tenon, Rosewood board with MOP trapezoid inlays, Gibson USA '57 Classic and '57 Classic Plus humbuckers with push/pull, Switchcraft toggle and jack, Mallory-150 tone capacitors, LockTone bridge and stop bar tailpiece, strap locks and Grover locking tuners.

I got mine for just over $700 shipped, including tax, which seems like a pretty good deal all things considered. Anyone else have one? What do you think of it?

Rock On :rock:


Where did they source the "mahogany"? Would be my first question...

Where did they source the "rosewood"? Would be my second.

After that, I'd ask the genus/species....


"Mahogany" and "Rosewood" are not species specific terms...and SE Asia is known for taking random woods (some good, some less so) and calling them whatever they think will command the highest price.

It all boils down to what you think the guitar sounds/feels like. If you like it...nothing else matters. But due to the variance...I wouldn't suggest buying one sight unseen. YMMV, My $0.02...etc
 
All good questions - I don't know. I do know that the Gibson-supplied information stated "Gibson tonewoods" - which could mean just about anything ;) . I bought mine sight unseen from Sweetwater and am happy with the result. I played a lot of Epi's that were hanging in the local Sam Ash store and none of them played as nicely or felt as solid. If nothing else, this is a guitar that I can play without fear - it's never going to appreciate in value, it was only $700+ and feels "good". I have nicer guitars but would like to keep them that way. If this one gets some "character", I won't be as likely to get bent out of shape :thumbsup:
 
IndyWS6":2f59r662 said:
All good questions - I don't know. I do know that the Gibson-supplied information stated "Gibson tonewoods" - which could mean just about anything ;) . I bought mine sight unseen from Sweetwater and am happy with the result. I played a lot of Epi's that were hanging in the local Sam Ash store and none of them played as nicely or felt as solid. If nothing else, this is a guitar that I can play without fear - it's never going to appreciate in value, it was only $700+ and feels "good". I have nicer guitars but would like to keep them that way. If this one gets some "character", I won't be as likely to get bent out of shape :thumbsup:


Sounds like a keeper! Good score!
 
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