Gibson Les Paul Studio or Epiphone Les Paul Standard?

Question

Hi all,

I plan to upgrade my old guitar+amp. I'm going to get some sort of marshall amp, but on to my main question. I really want that gibson les paul sound and I'm deciding between the Gibson Les Paul Studio and the Epiphone Les Paul Standard. The Gibson LP Studio is in the $1300 range, but I might be able to find it a little cheaper (seen it go for $900-1000, and I could always get one used), while the Epiphone Les Paul Standard is $550-600. Is the studio really worth it over the standard?

Buying the Epiphone LP Standard would allow me to spend more money on a good Amp and I'm looking to get a Zvex Fuzz Factory to go along with my Digitech RP-350. I'm not sure how much of a quality/tone difference there is between these two guitars though. I like the different finishes that the epiphone offers (more 'burst' type finishes that I like).

If anyone could add their opinion or anything to help me out, that'd be great.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hey there, There's a couple of things I would consider based on your post:



The Gibson Les Paul Studio is a very nice well made guitar, but for $1,300.00 it's not fair to compare to an Epiphone @ $550.00



The Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus is made of a body that is part mahogany and part alder. No Gibson Les Paul has ever featured this mix. It's my opinion that this is to cut the cost and make room for the Flamed Top.



The Epiphone Les Paul Plain Top features an all mahogany body but it doesn't have the flamed top. Please note that the flame top is just a veneer on top the maple and doesn't add anything to the sound. The extra mahogany on the body does.



The Plain Top is only $449.99, with the extra $100.00 I would upgrade the pickups and compared to a Standard plus it would be a much nicer guitar.



I do not agree that an Epiphone Les Paul Custom is better than the Standards or closer to the Gibsons, In fact I would bet that the Plain Top with new pickups, new electronics and a good set up would be ten times better than a Custom and much cheaper.



Go for the Epi and get all the toys you want. But also consider upgrading the guitar before spending money in multieffects.

Answer 2

Gibson Les Paul Studio Standard

Answer 3

Epiphones are excellent for the price, but they really don't match up to a real Gibson (although Gibsons ARE often overpriced). The biggest difference between the two is the wood. Epiphone and Gibson both source their wood from the same places. The better samples are sent to Nashville to be made into Gibsons while the rest goes to Korea, Indonesia, Japan, and China to be made into Epiphones. Sometimes a piece of wood will just barely miss the Gibson cut and one Epiphone guitar will be WAY better than the others. If you get lucky and find one of those, swap the pickups out and you've got a killer guitar for a nice low price. That 60's tribute LP gives a lot of bang for your buck. It's loaded with P-90's though, so if you're looking for a humbucker tone, that might not be for you. I've got an Epiphone V and Les Paul, both of which cost less than $400 and they sound AWESOME for that price... especially the V (but I switched out the pickups on it). The hardware is top-notch. Both came with Grover tuners (which are some of the best on the market) and the same exact Tune-O-Matic bridge you'll find on the Gibsons. First Class Jackass doesn't have a damned clue what he's talking about. I've never had any problems with either guitar, and while I could probably do any necessary repairs myself, I can't imagine any shop turning you away because it's an Epiphone. They aren't bottom-of-the-barrel instruments by any means.

Answer 4

I agree with el comando except for one minor thing. I have heard epi LP Customs with gibby burstbucker pros in them and I think they are better sounding than the gibby studio and right up there with a gibby standard. Of course that's because of the burstbucker insertion but you'll save tons of cash dropping 600 an an Epi custom and 300 on the pickups (incl. shipping)

compared to 1200 for the studio or 2grand flat out for the standard. Good Luck, I have the same dilemma but was lucky enough to find an Epi LP custom classic (black/gold/yellow) coil pickups $1082.00 orig. on sale for 649.00 .

check it out on link below. WAILS! played it Sat.

cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dllViewItem&category=33037&SID=I-080510&item=170202949514