Epiphone Les Paul Studio Guitar Review

Epiphone continues its production of Gibson brand style guitars with its Les Paul Studio. The idea behind it was to make a guitar with all the essential features that makes a Les Paul what it is without breaking the bank of the buyer. To do this, Epiphone stripped down some of the cosmetic factors found in typical Les Paul copies to offer an affordable guitar that focuses on substance over style. Let's take a look at how well Epiphone accomplished this with the Les Paul Studio.

Features: To further reduce the price of the guitar, it is manufactured in China. The body of the Les Paul is made of mahogany wood, and features a carved top. In a measure to save the customer some money, the finish looks more like that of entry level guitars. The neck is set into the body, and is made of mahogany as well. Its fretboard is rosewood with pearl dot inlays. The tuning heads and bridge are both chrome, and the body features the signature Les Paul pickguard. Electronically, Epiphone's Les Paul Studio has two open coil Alnico Classic brand humbuckers, two volume and two control knobs, and a three way pickup selector switch.

Playability: The one thing I noticed about the Epiphone Les Paul studio is the neck. This thing is both very wide and very thick. It definitely takes some getting used to. But, it has a nice action (string height from the fretboard) and something about the body shape of a Les Paul just makes it very comfortable to play. The nice thickness and weightiness of it simply feels good in your hands.

Sound: This is where the Epiphone Les Paul Studio stands out among midrange guitars. Epiphone purposely cut back on cosmetic features like inlays and pickup covers to provide an authentic Les Paul sound. As could be expected, the neck pickup provides excellent thick, warm tones. The bridge pickup is perfect for some harder edged playing. If I had to describe the sound of the Les Paul Studio with one word, it would be versatile.

Overall: Epiphone did a good job in stripping down Gibson's classic to make within a reasonable price range. It may not be as pretty, but its substance, the way it sounds and plays, is not something to be ignored. If you are all about your music and don't care terribly much about looks, this guitar is well suited for you. The Epiphone Les Paul Studio, depending on which store you are at, ranges from about $350 to $400.