If you are looking for classic Les Paul looks and a humbucker sound, it is hard to go wrong with the incredibly affordable Special II. Features include a Mahogany neck, a Rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, volume and tone control, and chrome hardware.
Featured review by:
unregistered, on november 12, 2004 16 of 18 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: - Made in 2001 in the USA
- 22 jump frets, rosewood fretboard
- Mahogany/rosewood neck, alder/maple body
- Dot inlays, chrome hardware
- Ebony black finish
- Les Paul form factor
- Tune-o-matic bridge
- One volume, one tone, one three-way Switch
- Two humbucking pickups
- Non-locking tuners
- Came with gig bag, strap, cable, set of Dunlop Tortex picks, (2) Ernie Ball string packs.
This guitar has some very nice features. It obviously isn't going to be quite as expansive as its "uptown cousins" as far as the on-board controls go, but for the price, the features list is very, very nice. Less controls for me to worry about anyway. // 8
Sound: I'm a metal player for the most part, and the distortion sound is very good. Even on my small Marshall MG Practice amp. The only un-wanted noises made are due to the amp limitation. At a respectable volume on my amp, this guitar really cranks out a full and strong sound. Especially after stringing it with the thicker strings needed to play in lower tuning. I now have a set of Zakk Wylde Boomers (10's) on it, and it sounds phenominal, especially when paired with a better amp, like a Line 6 Flextone III. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar has nice, even action all the way down the fret, and the pickups start off well and stay nicely adjusted now matter how much you play it. Nothing was damaged when I got it. Perfect condition. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I play at all kinds of places and volumes. It's good to bang on, and it can also be one you take nice care of too. It depends on what you want from it. However, it's quite capeable of covering any and all bases. The stop-bar tail peice might eventuall rust out after a couple more years, but it's an easy item to replace, and it eventually happens to all guitars from my understanding, so no big deal. I went for an entire year (moderate usage) without changing the strings, and none of them broke. They only recently started to sound a little off. I wouldn't be worried about anything breaking. The finish gets finger prints on it since it's pure black, but that's nothing a cleaning cloth won't take care of. // 10
Impression: I play all kinds of metal and "nu-metal". Sevendust, System of a Down, Skindred, Drowning Pool, Linkin Park, DreamTheater, Godsmack, and bands similar to them. THe guitar fits in very well since most of the bands tend to use Les Paul's. I've been playing for about two years total, and playing regularly (every day) for about a year now. The only other guitar I have is a Jay Junior Dreadnought accoustic guitar. My LP is far more fun to play. And while my uncle has a music studio in Boxford that I go to every Sunday, with several different nice guitars including a Shecter Diamond Series, and a Dean Les Paul, I find myself playing my Les Paul Special II far more.
If the guitar were lost or stolen, I might get a Custom Les Paul and string it with the same strings, just because of the extra features it has. If I wanted to save a few hundred for an amp though, I'd buy one of these again. It's a solid product for advanced users, and it's very beginner friendly as well. I love the sound and the look, nothing makes me hate any part of it. The only draw bag with the Les Paul's is they tend not to have whammy bars. No need on most the songs I play, but it would be a nice feature to add. But anyway, if you want a new guitar that can perform well for one hell of a price, stop sitting here and go buy an Epiphone Les Paul Special II! // 10
Reviewed by:
CandyCaneChild1, on november 26, 2004 4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 200
Purchased from: Musicians Friend
Features: - Made in Japan
- 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, dot inlays
- Solid ebony body
- Tune-O-Matic bridge
- 1 volume and 1 tone control, 3 way selector
- 2 open coil pickups
- Epiphone 10 watt amp, picks, gig bag, video and strap included.
Good guitar for beginner/intermediate players. Best value guitar for price. // 8
Sound: I play all styles of rock, and this guitar has been able to handle anything I dish out to it. By itself with no effects or pedals put through it, the pickups work very well. There is no feedback what-so-ever put through clean or distortion. They're definitly not the best pickups money could buy, but they are underpriced for this package. This guitar puts out a great sound. Although more tonal controls would be nice, I'm not complaining about it. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: For a $200 guitar, it was put together extremely well for a factory guitar. I didn't have to adjust anything out of the box. Everything has functioned great, save for the machine tuning pegs that will come out of tune with relatively hard playing. Also, the input guard has bent a little over time. Other than those things, the guitar has functioned very well. I would have liked a polished finish, but it's still nice. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is obviously good enough for live playing. The hardware on it has not faultied enough to make an extreme difference for playing live. The strap buttons will lose the strap easily, though, so get some strap locks if you plan on playing live. (It would suck to be rocking out a solo then have the guitar fly out of your hands). I can definitly depend on this guitar enough to use it in a show without a backup. I don't think the finish could last longer than a decade, but by then you should have gotten a better guitar. // 10
Impression: Anyone who has tried on a LP, knows that it fits any style of music, and the Epi version replicates it's Gibson brethren perfectly. I have been playing for around 2 and a half years, and this is my main guitar. I really like it's ability to go through so many different sounds with so little tone controls, but I don't like it's weak machine tuning pegs. If this guitar was stolen, I would probably just buy a Standard Epi LP, but only because this is a beginner/intermediate guitar. Great guitar for the money. // 10
Reviewed by:
angusyoungwb, on september 19, 2005 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Carlton's Music
Features: There's 21 frets, mahogany neck wood, volume and tone controls, rythmic, treble and normal conrols like all Les Pauls, and mine came with a strap. That's all I can remember from memory. // 8
Sound: This guitar suits my music style really well. I play mostly AC/DC, Metallica, GN'R, then lots of modern stuff too. Right now I'm using a cheap First Act amp with gain, tone, and volume. It's my first amp and I am hoping for a new one soon. The Special 2 on the amp is not that bad just really a practice amp and the guitar is not that noisy unless you have a lot of gain or distortion on a cheap amp. This guitar has a bright sound but with a good amp you can get very good distortion. This guitar can play all kinds of music just you need to have a good amp. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: I bought the guitar used but it came with everything in good and working order. The guitar doesn't have much flaws except the strap buttons came loose. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar can definitly play live. It seems as though it could last a lifetime. My strap buttons like I said came loose but I tried other Special 2 on expensive amps and the buttons were fine on those. This guitar is pretty dependable and I would use it without a backup. The finish is great. // 10
Impression: I play classic to modern rock and it blends well. I've been playing for 3 months but I practice for about 6 hours every day. I own a cheap First Act amp and a black strap. If it were stolen I would definitly get a new one of these. I love the great Les Paul with the price. I hate I didn't get it sooner. I love the Les Paul sound and feel with the price and availibility. If you are looking for a beginner or intermediate guitar then this is the one. // 10
Reviewed by:
FRDesign, on february 05, 2007 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Long & McQuade
Features: My guitar was made in 2006. it's a Les Paul Special II. It is very basic with 1 tone knob, and 1 volume knob. It has chrome tuners which are non locking. The guitar has a Chrome Tune-O-Matic bridge which works great. I've broken a lot of strings, and this makes it quite easy to change them fast. I only gave it a 6, but if it had more features, I would have gave it higher. But what else can you get for this cheap. It is in the cherry sunburst finish. I'm hoping to get a pickguard soon. The store gave us 30 free picks and a cable, But I had to buy my own case. // 6
Sound: This guitar suits my style of music well. I mostly play classic rock, and bands like Velvet Revolver, Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. It sounds a lot like Slash's, which is good, because that's what I mostly play. It's great for me, and I'm playing with a crappy Yamaha 10W Amp. It sounded awesome with my friends Marshall. If you play metal, I would not suggest this, it's more of a blues sounding guitar. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Everything is great, except for the Humbuckers don't seem right, they seem to be weirdly adjusted. The wood is good, and it looks nice, And the finish is lasting long too, which is good. Everything elsewhere was set up great, and it was ready to play as soon as I got it. There was one scratch on the back I didn't see however until I took it out of the case. If you did get this, Don't go on a gig with the strings it comes with. They break pretty much instantly. The treble/rhythm switch feels loose. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is heavy, and I believe it would last playing Live. I would bring a backup however, just in case of a string breaks, or anything else. The finish is great, and I love the color. The strap buttons seem to be put on pretty good. The stock stings sucked, and I replaced them with Dean Markley's which work great. Otherwise, I love how it feels, and I would bring an identical backup just in case. // 8
Impression: If you only have a hundred or two to go out and buy a guitar, this one is a good bet. If you like classic rock and want to start playing with a guitar which sounds great, or just want another guitar you should consider this. If this got stolen, I would either get another one or a Epiphone Les Paul 100, the step above this. // 8
Reviewed by:
Jaz915, on march 14, 2007 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: www.Gak.co.uk
Features: // 9
Sound: I play main metal and thrash e.g. Metallica, Trivium, God Forbid etc. but also play anything from flamenco to country, '70s rock/blues. And this guitar handles these many different genres surprisly well. I play through a 50w Marshall MG50DFX amp (not the best amp ever). This guitar you would not expect to be able to handle the metal/thrash sound and speed. But amazingly handles it very well. Providing you are using balanced jack leads, it's virtually noise less when left up played. This guitar you can tell suits hi-gain and some distortion and gives a good quality tone, however it does seems to lack richness when on a clean tone, it seems to be either to treble or too bassy, never the less it is possible to get a nice warm tone once you get to know the guitar. I am seriously impressed with the quality of the sound, I have never played a guitar anywhere as good as this one for the price I payed. If you don't have much money this is definitely the guitar for you. I could be happier with it. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar arrived set up extremely well, the action seems perfect, nothing wrong with the pickups. Everything seemed to be perfect. Very good quality. I've had this guitar just over a year now and it still plays as if bought yesterday, very impressive! // 10
Reliability & Durability: I believe this guitar to be very reliable, I've never had a problem with it. I've never really even thought about if I could rely on it or not because it's never caused any problems. The hardware seems solid enough no signs of wear and tear. I would use it a gig and definitely depend upon it, it's easily capable of giving. The finish seems very hardwaring. However mines scratched to shit but that's my fault because I tend to chuck it about. But these scratches aren't really visible unless you look closely. Very reliable and durable. // 10
Impression: Well I play metal lots. I mean this guitar can handle it well but obvioulsy not designed for this genre and I am looking to buy a new guitar. But for the price you wont fine anything as good as this even for playing metal. I've been playing nearly three years and playing this guitar for one or two years. Most definalty don't regret buying this guitar, it will probably stay with me till I die. If I only had around £100-£140 I would definitely buy it again. I love how versatile this guitar is and never seems to struggle with anything I put it through with a great tone and sound. I would strongly advise if your into your metal, don't have that much to spend, and are looking for a great guitar to start learning with then you need this guitar. You won't find one as good for the same price. Obviously it's not the best guitar in the world, but for what pay it's amazing. // 10
Reviewed by:
Demagogue01, on june 14, 2005 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 100
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: First off, all Epiphone parts are made in China, but the guitars ar assembled and inspected here in the usa at the Gibson factory, so all Epiphones are basically Gibsons with a smaller price tag. My guitar is a 2004 junoir model. This has nothing to do with size, just features. My guitar came with one open coil humbucker and volume and tone controls. It has a gloss black finish with a protective clear coat on both the body and frets, like most other Epiphones. // 6
Sound: I usually play hard rock, and this guitar works very well. It seems to sound very good no matter what style I play tho, wether it be hard rock, classic rock, soft accoustic songs, solos, or whatever. I have a cheap little Squire Sidekick with overdrive, and a 15 watt Marshall with basic distortion, and a DigiTech Death Metal pedal. It sounds good using the pedal on eithr amp, or the Marshall's distortion, but the Squire's overdrive just sucks. Either amp sounds perfectly clear and sounds great when played clean. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Overall this guitar came in excellent condition. All the wood is good with no flaws and all the meatl and hardware is bran new with no problems. Everything was perfect and ready to go except for one thing. The action was too high, way off from the Epiphone suggested height, but it was very easy to set it to my likings. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar will definatly withstand live playing. I've used it a lot and never had any problems with it. I don't expect the finish to wear any time soon. The pickup prolly wont last too long seeing how its open, and dirt and other stuff seems to be magnatized to it. At a gig I would use a back up either way just in case a bolt of lightning from god strikes my guitar, but I would definatly keep the back up in the van. // 10
Impression: This guitar works very well for my style, and any other. It plays very easy, and I can do anything I want with this guitar, except for use a wammy bar. I've been playing for just over a year and have a acoustic guitar as well, and have played many of my friends guitars, and I like this one the most. There is nothing really that I hate about the guitar, but it would be nice to have the higher model with more features. If it were stolen I would hunt down the person who did it and kill them. But if I couldnt find the prson, or my guitar got run over by a Mac truck somehow, I would definately by another Special 2 without hesitation. For the price, this is arguably the best guitar. // 8
Reviewed by:
Patrick420, on december 31, 2003 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Musician's Friend
Features: I have the 2003 model, apparently assembled in the US. It has 22 frets on a rosewood fretboard. Has a knob for volume and a knob for tone, which is all I need starting out. I could even do without the tone knob seeing that I never adjust it. Also has a Switch that instantly changes from rythm to lead, or from neck pickup to body pickup. The guitar has two nice humbuckers, perfect for what I use it for. The body looks great, just like a regular Les Paul with a Vintage sunburst finish, and is made from alder/maple. I bought the guitar in a pack that came with a pretty nice Epiphone Studio 10S amp, an Epiphone gig bag, a strap, a cable, some picks, and an instructional video. It was a great deal. // 10
Sound: As I said before this guitar is perfect for what I am playing with it, which is mostly rock, some punk, and some metal. I am playing it through the 10w amp that came with it, but I have tried it on a more expensive 65w amp and the sound was still just as sweet as any $1000 Les Paul. The sound is very crunchy, just as any rock guitar should be, but I have also produced some mellow tones after playing around with it. I just love the humbuckers over the single coils. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was in perfect condition when I got it. The action was set just as it needed to be. The finish on the body is pretty much unscratchable. Both knobs turn smoothly and the rythm/treblr selecter will not come loose unless you beat it with a hammer. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I haven't played this guitar live yet, but my friend doesn't even carry a backup when he uses his Special II live. The body can't be beaten up. I have run the headpiece and the body into walls and desks and everything else imaginable and there are no scratches or marks anywhere. The finish will NOT wear off no matter what I put this thing through. The strap buttons haven't given me the slightest bit of trouble, only the strap that came with it is poorly made, but I wasn't even expecting to get one. When I get better and start playing live, I would definately use this before spending my money on anything else...well unless I was rich and could buy countless Gibson Les Paul Customs to perform with. // 10
Impression: The Epiphone Special II is the best guitar out there for the money. I have tried other guitars such as Fenders and Squires, but this is by far my favorite. The humbucker pickups and the powerful sound just could not be matched by those. I couldn't imagine playing rock with anything else. The Les Paul body is beautiful, and the Vintage Sunburst finish is great. If this guitar were stolen or lost, I would definately get another. The only thing missing is the fret marker inlays are dots instead of the trapezoid shape on other Les Pauls, though I can definately live without those. I highly recommend this guitar to any beginner-intermediate player, or even an expert who is just looking for a cheaper back-up guitar. // 10
Reviewed by:
HMR, on may 24, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: // 10
Sound: Well, I play mainly punk rock and some classic rock. It works extremely well for the classic rock. But, when I add the distortion it had some fret buzz. I am using the 10 watt amp that came with it. (Epiphone Studio 10 series) It has a full range of sound with the tone knob and the 3 way Switch. Overall, it's ok. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up very well at the factory. It was completely tuned and the action was perfect. I needed to make no adjustments. The pickups were aligned well and so was the truss bar. The strap buttons however suck and I am going to go into more detail on the next section. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar is great for Live playing. Just did a gig at my school the other day, and it worked perfectly. I did not have a backup guitar in case it got messed up some how. The hardware seems solidly built. The strap buttons however suck! Replace them or get locks! I really emphasize this since when I was playing in my garage, the strap fell off. it's really lucky I caught it or it could have been smashed to bits. The finish is really good, just don't bang the headstock into stuff because it chips off easier than usual there. // 8
Impression: My overall impression is that as a beginner, this guitar was perfect for me. But, now that I am moving on to more advanced stuff, I am looking at buying a Fender Strat. It is perfect for beginners looking for a cheap but quality guitar. I know about 5 people Who bought this as their first guitar and were happy with it. // 7
Reviewed by:
randyrhoads723, on may 26, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: The Epiphone Les Paul Special 2 is a very good beginner guitar. If you're on a tight budget then, this is a perfect guitar for you. The finish is black, has a les paul body style (obviously) it has a tunomatic bidge and a neck and bridge pickup. It has rythm and lead pickup selecter and both pickups. It came with a gig bag. It was made in Indonesia. The body is alder/maple, and the neck is mahogony and rosewood and a rosewood finger board, and 2 humbuckers. 22 normal sized frets. // 8
Sound: It does not have a wide variety of sounds but like I said, it's for beginners or someone on a tight budget. Well, it has a lot of fret buzz unless you change the strings right away, I use it on chorus, higain 3 on a Vox amp, good for classic rock, hard rock, not that great for heavy metal, unless you get different pickups and higher gauge strings. It is good for tapping if you don't mind a little extra background noise, and it still has a little distorted sound on clean settings. Very playable fret board, pretty fast, 22 frets. Nice humbuckers. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up quite well at the factory, the pickups were adjusted fairly well, the action was fine, maybe a little high. The bridge was routed fine, the tuning pegs were a little loose (only the G string one) and the tone knob is loose. The nut is cut fine, the pickup selector is not noisy at all, the strings were already a little bit worn out, nice shiny black finish, but scratches easily, I recommend buying a polish cloth or something. The input jack sometimes falls out, but is not a large problem. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I beleive this would be a good guitar for small gigs, but I would not go without a reliable backup. The strap buttons are extremely solid, the hardware is not the greatest but it lasts surprisngly long for the price of the guitar. The finish is good enough to last for a while, but, may need to be replaced with lots of playing. Does not have a pickguard, that's one downside, also the pickup selector I not up by the neck as on most Les Pauls but, it's down by the knobs, also there are only 2 knobs. // 7
Impression: I play mostly classic rock and hard rock, every once in a while I will attempt a heavy metal song but this guitar just isn't cut out for that. I've been playing for 3 years and I have a Vox amp and a monster cord, roadrunner gig bag. The reason I picked this guitar is because I am on a very tight budget. I wish I would have thought more carefully about getting this or an Ibanez. Now I would probably have bought the Ibanez. If this were lost or stolen I would probably buy a new guitar, probably an Ibanez. I love this guitars playability, but I hate the hardware and the tuning pegs. I compared this to a B.C. Rich and got this because it costed a lot less. I wish this guitar had a tremelo, that's probably the one thing I want most on it. // 7
Reviewed by:
athlete1, on august 20, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: This guitar is a solid body electric guitar with 22 frets. It has a rosewood finger board and has several choices of finishes, such as ebony, white, sunburst; ect. It is in 24-3/4 scale and the body is Lam Alder or Maple, while the neck is Mahogany. It has two open coil humbucking pickups that you can switch between with a Standard 3-way switch, and one tone and one volume control. All in all it is very well set up, and I like it more than a real Les Paul because it is much lighter. It's Switch is near the controls so that is also easily reached. I would rather it have more controls though.You can also buy it in a set with an amp and gig bag and such. Standard Les Paul bridge and tail piece. // 8
Sound: Sounds very nice clean, very full and rich. Goes very well with valvotronix amps which I use. Sounds great with flanger, reverb, comp, delay, tremolo, phaser, and wah. Sounds OK overdriven or distorted. Not too great for metal, but by adjusting controls and effects it will work. Decent variety of sounds, but it will take a little while to figure out how to get them. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: Well set up from the factory, though some things like the jack and humbuckers needed to be tightened a little so they weren't loose. Thick finish that holds up great, and you won't notice if it gets any dings or smudges unless looked at closely. Keep it clean and it will stay near mint. All in all it was nicely set up, and needed little work. The strap buttons were not properly set and fell out though. Check them and glue them in. // 7
Reliability & Durability: Pretty reliable. It always sounds consistent, and stays in tune OK. The tuners slip once in a while though, and the strap buttons don't come properly installed. The finish will definitely last. Very thick and nice to look at.I would have a backup on hand with this one, though. // 6
Impression: Good match for rhythm and Satch and Vai stuff OK for heavy shred.Great guitar for the cost. I would buy another in the future if something happened. Great guitar to have for jams and mellow music. The best thing on it is the finish. Feels great. Only things I don't like are the strap buttons and how it is a little loose from the factory. I would also rather it have soap bar pickups than open coils, but the stock pickups are fine. This guitar is well rounded, and is basically a real Les Paul, only a little lighter. This guitar lives up to it's name. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on february 06, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Sam Ash
Features: // 8
Sound: I play rock ranging from Jimmy Eat World to Thrice, and this sounds great on both. I've run it through a Marshall JCM900 head and 1960A cab with no effects and it sounds beautiful. I've also run it through a DigiTech RP-50 directly into a board for recording and it sounded just as good. The Bridge pickup falls a little thin on clean tones, and the neck pickup is too fat sounding with distortion. The volume difference between the two is high. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up extremely well straight out of the box, and there were no flaws to be found whatsoever. The pickups were adjusted well, and the action was decent. I have since lowered it, because my tastes and style changed, and now it has a slight buzz on the 7th fret of the low E string. Other than that, it was nearly perfect. No complaints here. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar has been used without a back up for several gigs with absolutely no problems. I only had to tune once before the gig. The strap buttons are very solid, but that hasn't stopped me from dropping the guitar on more than one occasion (faulty straps) one of the times I dropped it the D string tuning peg broke, but it was easily replaced. The finish is thick but I managed to break a few chips off when I dropped the guitar on cement (again, faulty strap) after about 5 years of owning this guitar, the pick ups are extremely rusted, as are pretty much all the screws. But, surprisingly, it still sounds good. // 10
Impression: as I said earlier, I play any kind of rock I'm feeling at the moment, and it fits them all. the neck pick up on a clean setting has a nice thick bluesy feel, and the bridge with distortion sounds amazing, I can get screaming metal tones and warm overdrive out of it. I've been playing for about 6 years (this was my second guitar, my first being a broken down Strat copy bought used off ebay for $80) and this guitar has been great. I wont even bother rating anything that came with it, as it was all completely terrible. If they had sold it by itself back then I would have just bought that and saved the wasted $50. I recently ordered online an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, Squier Standard Telecaster, and a Boss ME-50 to add to my inventory of equipment, and so I can have some variation in my recordings. If it were lost or stolen, I would miss it dearly, but I'd be content with all my new gear. I'm also going to save up and buy a Voletto 212 50 watt all tube combo amp. This product is great for the money. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would, but I'd try to get the guitar by itself, not with the crap they try to force on you for an extra $50. // 9
Reviewed by:
zeppelin_05, on february 04, 2004 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 250
Purchased from: Samash.com
Features: This gorgeous guitar was made in 2002, dunno where though. It has 23 frets, with a dot inlay fretboard, and bolt neck, made out of mahogany wood. It has chrome hardware,and its body is made out of maplewood, with a laminated top satin finish. It has two open coil humbucker pickups, one volume and one tone control, with a three way Switch that goes from treble, to normal to rhythm. It has a Les Paul style cutaway body, after all its a special LP model. Mine came with a gig bag, a nice strap, a cable, electronic tuner, an instruction video, a mini 10 watt studio amp and some picks.
The whole package was awesome, but the cable was kinda short and crappy, it only lived through about a month and a half. The amp wasnt that good either, but for a beginner player it filled in the spot for the time being. // 8
Sound: The sound is the classic Les Paul sound, except for the sustain. It has and Awesome mean crunch to it, so the guitar works perfectly for classic and hard rock, metal and some sorts of punk, which is basically what I play. Definetely not the guitar you're looking for if you want some smooth tones, but hard and heavy describes it pretty well. The 3 way selector creates three different sounds, and when used with the tone controls, it can definetely chuck out some cool sounds. The mini amp it came with makes it sound really metal-ish, but I bought a Roland Cube 30, and the guitar sounds Perfect under the different settings.
It has a slight amount of humming, but hey what more did ya want? // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar didn't have any factory flaws at least until now... Everything was right were it was supposed to be. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I have played live once or twice with the guitar, and it has survived everything from head first falls to water spills right in the humbuckers, and it stills plays as if it were spankin new. The finish seems solid, and it hasn't been scratched yet, and the hardware is yet to be harmed. I feel like I can rely completely on the guitar, without a backup, after all I've done that already. // 10
Impression: I love this guitar, period. Its mean crunch and smooth looks make it a great choice for any beginner who would like to play rock, metal and punk. If it got stolen or lost I would definetely but the guitar again, specially because of the great price. My only suggestion for anyone who is up to buying the guitar is to get a good amp for it...don't take the crappy turd it comes with. // 10
Reviewed by:
Gabel, on october 05, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Förstärkardoktorn
Features: // 7
Sound: I play rock and punk, mostly Nirvana, AC/DC, The Clash, The Ramones, Guns N' Roses and White Stripes. It suits that well. The two pickups are really good (esceppally for that price). It covers almost every humbucker sound you need. I run it through a cheap Behringer 15w amp (but I'm going to get a Vox amp. My father plays in a band and tried to play through a Marshall amp and said: woah, great sound! I relly like the sound! // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: It was poorly tuned when we bought it, but that was the stores fault. The pickups were fine! I didn't need to change the setting there. Everything was routed fine. No flaws from the factory (bad tuning, stores fault). Everything else was top notch! // 9
Reliability & Durability: I have not tried to play live, but I dropped it once and smashed the head into walls sometimes, and no flaws at all! I took it with on a trip with my class. Everything execpt the tuning was fine! It's really reliable, but it goes out of tune really fast. I only needed to change the e string once (beacouse I hit it to hard with my pick, so my fault) everything works. I could play a gig without a backup, but only if you have a tuner/good tuning "ear." // 8
Impression: It works great with my music and a bit more. I have been playing it for 6 months, still in "out of the factory condition." Great guitar for great price, if you need a good guitar but only want to spend 300 dollars, this is a great altenative. If it was stolen I would not buy a new one though. I would either buy a Gibson Les Paul or an Epiphone Standard Les Paul. I don't miss any faetures. // 9
Reviewed by:
Flametop001, on november 10, 2005 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 120
Purchased from: Music And Arts (Virginia)
Features: This guitar was made in Japan I think. It has 22 frets. The body is made of alder I believe and mine has a sunburst finish. It has a les paul style body but is much thinner than a real one. It has a Tune-O-Matic bridge and comes with passive pickups, with a three way Switch. It has cheap tuners and 1 volume and 1 tone control. // 6
Sound: The stock pickups aren't very good for distortion, but for the price they were ok. I bought it because it was cheap and use it as my practice guitar so it didn't really matter to me. I switched the pickups out with some Duncan's and it sounds alot better. I use this guitar with a Randall RG200 combo and you wouldn't even be able to tell that it was a cheap guitar if you just listened to it and didn't see it. It's got decent harmonics and tone for the price, and I am actually glad I got it because I don't have to scratch up my other guitars or anything when I practice. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: Since I bought this guitar from a music store there were some minor adjustments that had to be made as far as intonation, tuning, and out of personal preference, action. I can put the action down fairly low (low enough) without the strings buzzing like crazy. Again, for the price, it wasn't too bad. // 6
Reliability & Durability: I'm not sure if I would ever play a gig with this guitar, but I suppose if you wanted to try it you could get by. The hardware on the guitar is all fine except for the tuners. They have a tendency to go out of tune after a few minutes of use, but getting new ones fixed this problem. The finish on this guitar is OK, but not the greatest. After awhile I had alot of little swirls and small scratches in it, but once again the price made this not matter so much. // 6
Impression: I usually play metal and this guitar is good enough for practicing. I've been playing for a few years now and have a Jackson DKMG and a Washburn. This guitar doesn't compare to them really, and if it were stolen or lost I probably would not buy a new one. I would just buy a different guitar. I don't really have any major likes about it other than the fact that it was cheap and it's my main practice guitar, and I don't really hate anything about it. One thing I wish it came with when I first got it were better tuners and that's about it. If you aer looking for a cheap guitar to use for practice or for your first guitar then this fits the bill. // 7
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on november 22, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 276.5
Purchased from: Long&mcquade
Features: // 5
Sound: It suites my style well which is AC/DC, Zeppelin, Green Day etc. and any kinda good rock or punk or metal. I'm useing a Marshall 15CD with no pedals but it sounds great on distortion. It's noisy if I turn everything up but if I have middle volume, low trebile high bass and full distortion it sounds great. A mix of all kinds of sounds it can sound rich and full if I play lightly bright if I play it moderaltely hard and very muddy and deep if I beat the hell out of it. // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: I fiddled around with that the seconed I got it so I don't know the action was. I didn't adjust the pickups 'cause they were fine for me. no flaws apart from the non-strap locking bouttons but oh well. // 9
Reliability & Durability: after the beatings it's gotten from hitting my floor well I was doing something similar to Angus Young and running around with it yeah it will. Yeah the hardware seems good though I am still a beginer so not sure. The strap buttons suck. I'd use a backup at a gig but the exact same guitar. It's soild the finish beucause I use heavy picks and play hard on it and it's good. // 8
Impression: I play rock, metal and punk and it's an amazing match. Been playing since July. Nope it was a day present so I don't know. If it were lost or stolen I'd ball my eyes out I love this guitar. I love almost everything about it but hate the wight of it. No it was a day present so I didn't get to compair. Yes buy it but exspect your fingers and back to hurt afterwards and get Boomer 9 strings they really are great. // 10
Reviewed by:
evill22, on january 18, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 200
Purchased from: Musicians Friend
Features: // 8
Sound: I've always played a classic and modern rock style of music, and I feel that this guitar fits those music genres perfectly. Usually I use my Jim Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Wah-Wah pedal and a DigiTech Hot Head Distortion pedal, and together with this guitar, it sounds awesome. I use a Vox DA15 with it, and it sounds a little scratchy, but that can be blamed on the amp, not the guitar. The sounds are unlimited with this guitar. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was in perfect shape when it arrived at my house. The pickups were perfectly lined up and the bridge was a little off, but it is easily adjusted. The guitar seemed free of flaws when I got it, however it seems that the slightest pressure either direction on the neck of the guitar, seems to have the same effect as a whammy bar, something that can be a disadvantage when trying to sustain a note. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This guitar seems more than perfect for live preformances. I've already been in a band battle, and this guitar hasn't disappointed me. Everything is solid and in place perfectly. I did end up bringing my another guitar to the battle, but I didn't end up needing it. // 9
Impression: This seems like a perfect guitar for anyone Who likes to play any kind of rock music. It has fit my needs perfectly. If it was stolen, I would probably get a Standard Gibson Les Paul, just because I like that Standard look more than the look of the Special 2. I also own an American Strat from Fender, but I think that this guitar blows that away. // 10
Reviewed by:
WickedBeast666, on september 05, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: // 7
Sound: It suits my music style pretty decently. I have a tendency to very from metal to a rythmic blues. So it is very versitial surprisingly. A very good starter guitar with great sustain. Though the 10-watt Amp that came with it did not do it justice. So I retired that amp and I am now using a Line 6 Spider 3 with it, and Loveing it. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: The action from the factory was extremely poor. I had to have it ajusted by a friend of mine Who is a guitar collector. The Pickups were ajusted perfictly for an all-around sound. The body of the guitar was pretty good. The finish on the guitar did seem to have a dullness to it. // 7
Reliability & Durability: This guitar would easily withstand Live playing to my suprise, but it may need better pickups for a greater sound. The hardware is of good quality. I have owned this guitar for 3 years and only have one problem with bad sodering. The Strap buttons are extremly strong. It can also withstand an amazing 2 days of playing with out needing to be retuned. It holds it's tuning very well for non-locking tuners. The Finish has Ware off on the back of the guitar but that is do to my belt. // 9
Impression: It is a extremly good beginner guitar. You can't ask for much because of the price, but they deliver more then you pay. It would be better with active pickups. I plan on getting a Higher quality guitar after this one, but I am going to save this guitar for any children I may have. It is very comparable to the Les Paul Stuido Goth guitar that runs for 400+ Dollors. // 7
Reviewed by:
classicrocker01, on october 22, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: musicians freind
Features: My Les Paul was made in China in 2007. I bought it wanting a cheap instument for my first electic after playing bass since summer 06. It has 2 Epi open coil 'buckers, and only 1 volume and 1 tone knob and a 3-way pickup selector that isn't in the normal LP position. It has a fixed Tune-o-Matic bridge. No pickguard. No gig bag or anything, just a cable. // 7
Sound: I play lots of classic rock and older metal, such as Metallica. It fits these styles plus most other styles, it's very versitile. I run it through a Marshall MG15DFX (which I can't understand why it has such a bad reputation, it sounds great) with a Morley Bad Horsie 2 wah. I've also run it through a very expinsive Marshall tube, Orange Crush Series, and a Fender studio. It had a decent sound, but it could be better. Sound can be full, thin, thick, or just about anything else. A little noisy, but very good for the price. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: Finish is beautiful, better in person than any picture. Pickup selector Switch is around knobs which drasticly cheapens the look. Action is just right, was set up perfectly from the box. Body is basswood, but doesn't cheapen sound. No flaws. I was very pleased, just a simple tuning and I was ready to rock. Tuners, however, could be better they come out of tune often, but not overwhelmingly bad. // 9
Reliability & Durability: You could've put this guitar on the Titanic when she sank, brought it back up, thrown it in the Grand Canyon, and gigged with it that night. This is one area it gets a 10. It's fallen off stands onto hardwood floors and the finish didn't even scratch (but the floor did) I would use this without a backup for sure. // 10
Impression: This is perfect for my rock style. It is great for a begginer because it is cheap and good quality. I just wish it looked more like the Gibson. If it were stolen I would probley upgrade to an epi LP Standard, or at least a Les Paul 100, which is just a little more $$$. If I could do it over again, I would save a little longer and get the 100. But if you don't have a constant source of income, the special 2 is perfect. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on may 21, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Id like to start off by saying that I'm a beginner and this is my first electric guitar. This is a great guitar, for the price. It doesnt't have a lot of bells and whistles. I bought it seperate from the LP Special II player's Pack which is a great value though. Look into it at Guitar City. // 7
Sound: I play mostly classic and punk rock. It is versitile in it's playing abilties if you have a good amp and sounds really well when playing Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and ACDC songs well. The pickups are ok but they could use replacing. You also want to replace the strings after purchasing this guitar. The onlt other thing is there is only one tone knob for two pickups which limits it's variation/distortion capabilities. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The action on this guitar is OK. Not great but not bad. I'm able to solo well on it and the neck is the perfect diameter. The fretboard is nice however the strings seem to be far away from the frets. I got the white version of this guitar which is beautiful but a little boring. Also the treble pick up is a little loose and the tone knob bent but other than that I've had no problems. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I've dropped the guitar once and it's fine but I haven't taken it outside of my house yet. The guitar, like all epiphones and gibsons is covered by a lifetime guarantee, if you don't change the parts. // 10
Impression: This guitar is a great beginners guitar because of the good action versatility and amazing price. it's especially good if you want to play classic or punk rock like me. However I suggest this guitar to beginners only. // 9
Reviewed by:
Womage, on june 10, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: £ 120
Purchased from: MBmuisic
Features: // 7
Sound: I play mostly rock, alternative, hard rock and sometimes some metal/metalcore, the guitar suits this style well. The guitar goes well with my 15w cube practice amp and BD-2 overdrive pedal. It has a deep sound to it, and the humbuckers produce a good sound on all three settings. If you put a heavy gauge of strings on the guitar there is even more possibility for a more powerful sound. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: I received the guitar when I first started playing and it needed no adjustments, as the set up was fine. The finish is very good, no dinks or damage at all. The pickups were adjusted well from when I received the guitar. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar can withstand Live playing very well, I would definitely take it as a backup to a live show as it is incredibly durable, no matter now much you throw it around on stage, it will be fine after. The hardware seems like it will last, maybe more used components will need replacement after a few years of use, but as is the same with most guitars. I would play it live without backup, as I is a good-all round guitar. The finish seems surprisingly strong for a guitar of this price, even though it lacks a scratch plate, the finish has stood up surprisingly well to the impact of picks and so on. // 10
Impression: I play metal and hard rock and the guitar is a good match as it has a powerful sound you will need, I also own a Mexican Strat and I see the Special 2 as a guitar to use for heavier songs that require dropped tunings and heavy strumming etc. If it were lost or stolen, I would probably buy it again, although the Epiphone 100 is a similar price and has more features. All in all it is a solid guitar that won't let you down, and most importantly, it's ideal for a beginner to start on with the simple controls and reliablity. // 10
Reviewed by:
Raijouta, on june 12, 2008 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: The MusicMart
Features: This guitar was made in 1996 when I checked the serial, in Japan, but I've owned it since 2006-ish. It comes with 22 rosewood frets. I have no idea what it's made out of but it's too heavy to be plywood and too warm-sounding to be alder or maple, but I doubt it's mahogany. It comes with a Tune-o-Matic bridge, one tone and one volume knob, and two humbucking pickups. // 7
Sound: At first the guitar had an okay sound. Eventually the bridge pickup "died", and around the time I got my Strat both pickups "died" (I'd assume the solder for the cables got loose) However, once I'd fixed it, it sounded much better. The only thing is the bridge pickup produces more feedback than it used to. In actuality, I'd venture this guitar would sound a lot better on a better amp than my Marshall MG. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was fairly medium at first, but eventually I lowered it to suit my tastes. The pickups were the same height, and I adjusted those as well. The pickup selector is fairly noisy, eliciting a cavernous, echoey sound when switched without muting the strings, but it's only noticable to a guitarist thanks to the Marshall MG's crushing distortion. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This guitar can take a beating. Even with vigorous, concentrated effort with the pick, the finish won't strip or rub off. However it does peel if the guitar were to be dropped. There are several spots where the paint has been peeled back because of a fall. A piece of the nut broke off when I was bending behind it and as such it's pretty hard to play chords involving the low E string (I had to slice a new channel for the string to run through, much closer to the A than I or any other guitarist is used to) I've replaced the strap buttons with straplocks simply because I play my guitar at certain angles and the strap is pretty prone to just ripping off. I always gig on this guitar simply because it gets the high-gain sound that the Strat just can't get with it's single-coils. Another problem is that the tone knob is cracked inside because a friend of mine dropped the guitar face-front, but it's still fully functional. // 7
Impression: I've been playing for about two years, and as a beginner guitar, this is pretty good for what I paid. I play mostly hard rock and sometimes shred, and the pickups can handle it pretty well. Since I should be acquiring a Peavey Valveking tomorrow I hope the tone will be even better through it. If this guitar were stolen or lost, I'd probably end up getting an Epiphone Prophecy or customizing my Strat with a humbucker. But really this guitar has been through some good times with me and I wouldn't part ways with it, except maybe change the pickups later on. By themselves they're pretty good, but they could be better if they were Duncans or DiMarzios. // 8
Reviewed by:
Roy McCartney, on july 10, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 230
Features: If you are looking for a guitar with a pretty sound and a "friendly" price, the Epiphone Les Paul Special II is the best option. It was made in Indonesia, under Gibson license, and it's a good choice for a classic Les Paul sound with an amazing price! It has a mahogany neck, with a 22-frets rosewood fretboard, a Standard Epiphone head, single cutaway design, a volume control and a tone control, a rhythm-treble 3-way selector switch, two open coil humbuckers, chrome hardware, without a tremolo bar system, available in black, ebony, white, heritage cherry sunburst, vintage sunburst and wine red colors. It included a cable. // 10
Sound: I'm a huge blues and classic rock nut, and this Epi suits perfect to these styles. I usually set the rythm humbucker with he tone control on "0" to get close to an Eric Clapton's "woman tone", perfect for any distortion blues songs. It also offers a very nice smooth acoustic sound to play styles such as folk, bossa nova, blues, rock, etc. Although I've got a basic amp, the sound is pretty good, and I've played in on huge amps and auditorium speakers, so the sound is quiet perfect. In general, this guitar offers sounds for any kind of rock, soft acoustic and other nice styles. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The factory made a great set-up for this guitar, nice action, well adjusted humbuckers, well bookmatched tops and routed bridge, it fits well, with no flaws in my case. Good finish. Although it has not the quality standards of a Gibson Les Paul, it's a good made one. // 10
Reliability & Durability: The Les Paul Special II is great for Live playing, and it look great too! The hardware and all the settings are well done, so I'm sure they last a long time. Is a very reliable gear, you can depend on it (but it's good to have always a backup). // 9
Impression: Well, for the blues and classic rock (and any kind of rock) this guitar suits great! I've been playing it for half a year, and I can feel a good difference: I used to play a basic Washburn. I love the sound it gives to my styles, and the color (cherry heritage sunburst). I hate how underrated this guitar is, and I wish it had a tremolo bar system. The Epiphone Les Paul Special is a good choice for an easy play, nice price and great sound, so it's kind of a perfect guitar for beginers to intermediate players. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on may 20, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Id like to start off by saying that I'm a beginner and this is my first electric guitar. This is a great guitar... for the price. It doesnt't have a lot of bells and whistles. I bought it seperate from the LP Special II player's Pack which is a great value though. Look into it at Guitar City. // 7
Sound: I play mostly classic and punk rock. It is versitile in it's playing abilties if you have a good amp and sounds really well when playing Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and ACDC songs well. The pickups are ok but they could use replacing. You also want to replace the strings after purchasing this guitar. The onlt other thing is there is only one tone knob for two pickups which limits it's variation/distortion capabilities. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The action on this guitar is OK. Not great but not bad. I'm able to solo well on it and the neck is the perfect diameter. The fretboard is nice however the strings seem to be far away from the frets. I got the white version of this guitar which is beautiful but a little boring. Also the treble pick up is a little loose and the tone knob bent but other than that I've had no problems. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I've dropped the guitar once and it's fine but I haven't taken it outside of my house yet. The guitar, like all epiphones and gibsons is covered by a lifetime guarantee, if you don't change the parts. // 10
Impression: This guitar is a great beginners guitar because of the good action versatility and amazing price. Its especially good if you want to play classic or punk rock like me. However I SUGGEST THIS GUITAR TO BEGINNERS ONLY. // 9
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on may 12, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 277.2
Purchased from: Ad Lib Music
Features: This Guitar is My first one and it's features include: 2 Double Coil Epiphone Humbuckers - Tune O Matic Bridge - 22 Jumbo Frets - 3 way Pickup Selector - Volume Adjuster - Tone Adjuster - Chrome Tuning Pegs and Hardware - Dot Inlays In Frets - "Vintage Sunburst" Body Color. // 8
Sound: I play a Variety of Music from metal to blues but my main style is classic rock, like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and stuff similar to that. This guitar is very good for blues and rock and works Ok for metal also. I have a Roland Micro Cube and the two work well together. The Humbuckers cancel out nearly all noise except for when you crank up the volume. it's a great sounding classic Guitar // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: This was where I have Problems with this Guitar. The Nut is to deep on the two lowest strings (E and A). This causes an annoying buzz with even a light strum. I also noticed 2 small white lines (possibly cracks) in the wood underneath the lacquer. One of the tuning pegs is also kinda loose, which knocks it outta tune quite often. The plastic volume knob also came off in my hand while I was using it. // 4
Reliability & Durability: The Finish is pretty good. The strap buttons are on the small side though. I wouldn't gig without a backup because of the badly fitted hardware. it's a good practice guitar but not for gigging. It would work Ok if there was no other option though. It should last a Good Few Years if it's properly maintained and taken care of. // 6
Impression: My main reason for choosing this Guitar over the Squier Strat (which was the same price range) was the much better pickups on this guitar. The Pickups are the best feature on it, they rock! Overall, it was a cheap buy and a decent guitar. The only problem I have is the hardware. I probably was just unlucky to get this particular one. Nice Sound, Good Overall Guitar. If it was stolen I'd probably Get A Proper Les Paul because I'm now a more experienced player. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on november 03, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 250
Purchased from: Daddy's Music
Features: This guitar I purchased about 6 years ago, and I still have it. It was set up in a Gibson factory in 2001 of August, It is now 2007 of Nov as I write this!. This was my first electric guitar. It has everything you need to get started in rock. It supply's you with the bare basics at a cheap cost. Two made in Korea Humbuckers, a bolt-on 21fret neck"which is a good thing", two nobs one for vol. the other for tone, and a three-way Switch that I am not to crazy about. This is a std sized guitar. it's not like the std LP's the whole body is flat, it's not figured, remember this is a starters guitar!, The guitar is set up by Gibson though. I guess they ship the parts from Korea then Gibson sets it up. idk, but it's lasted and it got me through. I switched to a Mex Fender Strat 3 years later and that guitar is amazing as far as quality. My next guitar will either be a PRS SE, or Epiphone LP Custom. // 7
Sound: It defiantly suits my style. I play modern hard rock, blues, and jazz. It can handle it all. I first started off with a cheap amp by Epi for it, then I bought a cheap Fender frontman amp for it with an effects processor and let me tell you, it sounded pretty good. I just bought a high end Fender Blues Jr. Blackface tube amp, and both my guitars sound amazing through it. And yes, this guitar is noisy unless you have a N.C. which takes away from overall tone sometimes, but my Strat doesn't have that problem because I put in Noiseless Pickups. Come on Gibson and PRS make some noiseless pickups please! This guitar sounds like an Epiphone the bite is not as powerful as American wound Pickups, but it's good for a starter. I've played Gibson's and If you want that sound then purchase Gibson Pickups for your Epiphone it will save you an arm and a leg. // 7
Action, Fit & Finish: Very well set up, better than my Fender when I got it. I had to set up my Strat all on my own. This guitar has lower action though than my Strat. No buzzing at all, but even if their was just go online and look up at Gibson on how to set up your Stop-tail piece. Everything was mint out of the box! // 10
Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't play this guitar Live, just because of the 3-way switch. It is nothing but a bad, loose connection in their! It makes that horrible scrambled noise when you touch it. My Fender switch doesn't have that problem. "Come on Epiphone" make better electric parts. If the switch would stay yes you could play Live. My friend has an Epiphone STD LP. And he has that same problem with his switch. If the switch worked better I'd give this a 10. My friend has had his Epi for 4 years now and it is starting to crack around where the neck meets the body, that's why I'm considering buying a different brand, next time. Other than that Sturdy guitar. this has a bolt-on neck so no worries. It's stood up to a whole 6 years of use and I don't even have a case for it hahaha. // 8
Impression: Basically I really didn't want this guitar I wanted the more expensive versions, but hey if your just a starter, then it's good enough. It makes a nice Christmas gift for the surprise to the beginner player. Overall I was happy with it and it got me through. What a nice guitar. Thanks Epiphone! // 8
Reviewed by:
Mistaa Man, on november 19, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 138.25
Purchased from: Music Stop
Features: Made in 2006, my Indonesian-made Epiphone Les Paul Special II has 22 frets on a rosewood neck, bolted to a mahogany body. Stop-bar tail-piece and chrome hardware with Epiphone non-locking tuners. Set up the same as my Ibanez with 700T and 650R pickups, this guitar packs it in! One volume control with 3 way selector, and tone control, however, I wish there was 2 volume controls and tone controls. No whammy bar (I don't use them anyways). // 8
Sound: It suits my music style fairly well, except for the drop-c stuff and real heavy metal stuff like Disturbed and Slipknot, that is what my Ibanez is for. But other than that, it goes very well with my other music which is rock and metal stuff. Using it with Line 6 Spider III on "Insane" mode and cranked up to eleven, this thing kicks butt! The only noise I seem to get, but this is with every other guitar I used on this amp, is on the "Crunch" setting with full Drive. It has that bzzzz noise. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The action was great! It was very very low and really easy to play and move around from fret to fret. The pickups were adjust okay. Not great but okay, but it sounded good in-store so when I got home I adjusted the pickups and now I have the sound I am looking for. Basically the only "flaw" is that there is a scratch that is hardly even noticeable, on a higher up fret area on the neck. But it doesn't affect playability one bit. So technically it is not a flaw. Excellent condition for the price of it. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar definitely could withstand a gig. It seems to be very durable, I just got it yesterday and I already dropped it and smacked it off a wall, accidentally of course. The hardware seems to be able to last, the guitar holds tune fine and the strap buttons seem to be in there pretty good from my understanding. I would use it on a gig without a backup only if I didn't need to play anything played in drop C, like the real heavy stuff like nu-metal, because this guitar doesn't seem to play that genre. But I would definitely gig it with no backups. The finish seems very good and strong, I think it should last a while. // 10
Impression: I play lots of heavy rock, heavy metal, and now I am starting to play nu-metal. This is a fairly good match, except for the nu-metal, as previously mentioned. That is what I use my Ibanez for. But this really matches the rock/metal stuff I play. I have 1.9 years experience and I play an Ibanez Gio GSZ120 which is very very nice. I play on a Line 6 Spider III 30 Watt which is very loud. I own a Kustom bass amp which remains unused (sold my bass) and I own a Fender Gemini II 1987 Acoustic. // 9
Reviewed by:
RoaryB., on february 04, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 181.17
Purchased from: www.gak.co.uk
Features: This guitar was made in China, I am not sure when. It has a fairly thick neck with 22 jumbo frets. Laminated Alder, in Wine Red with a Mahogany/Rosewood neck. Features the classic Les Paul body style with a Tune-O-Matic/Stopbar tailpiece and tone and volume knobs and a 3-way pickup Switch. The Pickups are open-coil Alnico V Humbuckers. A low-quality cable was included with the guitar. // 7
Sound: I play most styles that fall under rock. Mainly metal, punk and blues, lots of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Metallica and this guitar handles each very well. It sounds amazing given it's price when I play it with my Vox ADVT-30, and I can use my DigiTech Grunge pedal with it for extra distortion, but it does tend to hiss quite a lot, this could be due to the pedal or the amp though. It has a nice acousticy sound clean as well. I mainly play it in treble, and it gives a good full sound, handling distortion very well. It suits my styles, and can make a wide range of sounds from thick heavy overdrive to all out scream with the right effects. Excellent sound given it's price, and very versatile. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: When I got the guitar, I did not have to make any alterations. It was very well set up at the factory, with a nice action, and I did not need to change the strings. There were some fine hair-like scratches in the finish, which was strange considering how well it had been packaged for transit, but other than that, it was fine. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I would say the guitar could quite easily withstand Live playing, although I would definatley have a backup. The hardware is very sturdy chrome, although it could chip I would say it will last the lifetime of the guitar, and the strap buttons are rock-solid. It's a very hard wearing guitar, I have dropped it and knocked it several times to no I'll effect, other than some minor aesthetic damage in the finish. The finish is relatively easy to scratch, but I don't think it would wear off easily. All the same I would buy products to take care of the finish as it is a really nice colour. // 8
Impression: This guitar is a good match for me, as it can adapt to most styles, and often surprises me with its versatile sound. I have been playing it for a year now, and while I previously played it with an ancient Marshall Reverb 12 it did not perform nearly as well as it has been with the Vox ADVT-30, so I would definitley recommend it with a quality amp. If it were lost or stolen, I'd be pretty upset, but might consider something like an Epiphone SG rather than buy another one. The things I like about it are it's looks, and it's awesome sound as well as it's unusual colour. I don't like the weight of it though, and the neck is a bit too thick for my liking. I sometimes wish it had some more features, but for the price you can hardly complain. An ideal choice for beginners I'd say. // 8
Reviewed by:
Rageoffury16, on february 13, 2004 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 210
Purchased from: East Coast Music, Danbury CT
Features: This Epiphone LP II is made in 2003. It was made somewhere overseas, unfortunately not in America, but still it is a great guitar. It is a 6 string and has one volume and one tone control knob, I wish it had two tone knobs but it's still fine. The pickups are humbuckers (standard on Gibson and epiohones) and the it has a 3 way selector, one for the bridge, one for the neck and one for both. It has 22 frets it has a maple neck and a stadard headstock. It is obviously the classic Les Paul style but instead of the normal curve top it has a flat top, it's sorta cross between and SG and a LP. The finish on mine is a red glossy, but you can also get it in Black/Sunburst and a Yellow/Orange Sunburst. It unfortunately didn't come with a gig bag or any accessories. But it's definitely worth the 210 dollars. // 10
Sound: I normally play Punk rock, classic rock like Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, etc and it suites all styles. I use a Peavy 112 65 watt transtube amp and Boss Mega Distortion pedal. It sounds amazing on both clean and the endless list of distortions that u can make on the pedal. I have no dislikes it perfect for a intermediate guitarist. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The Setup at the factory was ok. I still had fretbuzz but after a quick adjustment on the neck and bridge by my teacher it was fine. The pickups are fine as soon as you take it out of the box. The hardware is great and I have no complaints as of yet. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I definitely would play this at a gig, I'm bashed it into walls by accident and the finish has not chipped or anything, the hardware seems to last and the strap buttons are solid, but I suggest a strap lock if you plan really playing (ie headbanging while playing and doin the whole punk thing lol) I could definitely depend on it and would need a backup. // 8
Impression: As I said I play all kinds of rock and it matches perfectly. I have been playing for 3 years and its the best electric I've owned. I also have a Squier Fender electric and a lotus electric Fender Strat copy. My acoustic is a guild and that is so sweet. I asked every question imaginable before buying it and I love it. I would buy it again if I lost it or something but I also think I would possibly upgrade either a Gibson Lp or a Gibson SG. I love the humbucker sound and the action. I compared it to mexican Fender strats and a Epiphone SG and it surpassed them both if you are to get either a Strat or a SG, go with Fender american and Gibson SG. // 10
Reviewed by:
darigaaz2022, on september 01, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: Rik's Guitar Center
Features: This guitar is very basic. A couple of humbuckers and 1 volume and tone control. Everything on this quitar works perfectly. Can't ask for a better deal. // 10
Sound: I'm a heavy rocker who also likes to take a break and kick it back real mellow. This thing can play both styles with ease. I love this thing better than my friend's Fender is which cost over twice as much. It has awesome lows but still can belt out screaching high notes. I run mine through a Roland Cube 30 amp and it sounds amazing. I also use a DigiTech Grunge pedal and the combination is right for any kind of heavy rock. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Only problem here is the action can be hard to adjust. It works fine though once fixed up. Slight buzz in the lower tunings though. Finish and fir are what you would expect at this level. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This thing last like you wouldnt believe. I've only had 1 problem with this guitar, and that was the output jack got loose and the nut got stuck. As a result the jack swivled in the mount and twisted the wires and cut the connection. This was easily fixed but it was a little bit of a pain. Everything else survived hell and works fine. // 10
Impression: This is a perfect guitar for a beginner. It sounds better than a lot of other guitars that are more expensive. I would choose this over a BC Rich Bronze Warlock, or a Fender Standard Strat or Tele. You could not ask for a better deal. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on july 26, 2004 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Features: I'm playing this guitar for a half year and now it isn't as perfect as it was. Perhaps I played a bit too heavy, because now the bridge pickup is moving a bit, perhaps that's because it's a open humbucker and not a burstbucker or something like that, but it doesn't bother the good sound. Another thing which I don't like are the strap buttons which aren't really able to fix the strap. I took a little metal-ring and put it between the thick end of the button and the guitar ( at the neck-button)
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