Epiphone Les Paul Standard Guitar Review

The Gibson Les Pual is the class of the electric guitar industry. It is a standard to musical instruments as Led Zeppelin (whose guitarist played a Les Paul) is to classic rock. It has been a mainstay in the music industry for decades, and, unfortunately for many musicians, it is tough to get a hold of if you don't have a large amount of money to spend. As an alternative, Epiphone offers its Les Paul Standard Electric guitar. Let's take a look at how it measures up.

Features: The Epiphone Les Paul Standard is about as close as you can come as far as features go to the real Gibson Les Paul. It has a solid mahogany body with a set neck, also fashioned from mahogany. The surface of the body is a maple veneer over a carved top piece. Upon first inspection, it is very difficult to distinguish it from the Gibson Les Paul just looking at the body. The fretboard of the Les Paul Standard is made of rosewood, and has pearloid trapezoid inlays. All of the hardware (the tuning heads, pickup covers, and Tune-O-Matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece) are chrome. Electronically, the Epiphone Les Paul Standard features two Alnico Classic Humbuckers, with two volume and control knobs and a three way selector switch.

Playability: What I really like about the Les Paul Standard, besides its stunning looks, is how it feels. Something about the Les Paul body style just makes it comfortable. The neck of the guitar is tapered, making the fretboard nice and fast. Also, the set neck makes for easy high fret access. The smooth look of the Les Paul generally translates to a smooth feel, which many musicians really appreciate.

Sound: Most users agree that this is the Epiphone Les Paul Standard's strongest suit. The Alnico Classic pickups really deliver that genuine Les Paul sound. Sometimes you can't even tell the difference when the Standard and an actual Gibson are played side by side. It delivers that fat, rich tone we've come to love and expect from high quality Les Paul's.

Overall: The Epiphone Les Paul Standard, on the higher end of what the Epiphone brand has to offer, simply delivers. It looks great, plays great, and has the sound that serious musicians tirelessly search for in a guitar. If you are looking to save a little more, search for the factory B-Stock version. They come out of the factory with minor cosmetic issues, but are available online for as low as $500.