Almost Perfect! The Epiphone Les Paul Special Review

[@intheblues]

Thanks for watching folks! Ben's right handed guitar reviews will be up each week on the same time/day as this video was released! There's more coming up! Links below. 🛒 Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/mgJ7By 🛒 Thomann - bit.ly/36tw7Vc 🛒 Guitar Center - guitar-center.pxf.io/qnL7qq 🛒 Sky Music - alnk.to/goW9XiP (Affiliate links)

[@blakjack3053]

Im glad Epiphone is making them better.. I used to buy Gibson and Fender guitars but nowadays filling my damn gas tank and fridge forces me to buy Epees and Squires !

[@davidharding200]

You’re not missing out. Epiphone and Squier quality is very good. I can’t buy a Gibson. Too disappointed in the build quality. Happy to have a couple of Epiphones for the same money.

[@seanc.5310]

I have the Gibson version of this it's become my favorite guitar! I tried out one of these epiphone LP specials and it's very good. I still prefer the neck feel and tonal aspects of the Gibson but at this price point just pick one up!

[@LMacNeill]

I just love the clean sound you get from a pair of P90s. When I think of all the old recordings of Les Paul and Mary Ford from back in the day, that's the sound that I hear in my head. And yet, you can still make them snarl when you crank them up. Definitely my favorite pickups.

[@markdakel9253]

Fantastic playing, that’s an excellent guitar with a lot of versatility snd its a very affordable guitar. Gibson has slowly but surely enhanced the Epiphone brand, I think they’re doing a fantastic job with the offerings they have.

[@sirbaronvoncount4147]

There is no shame in playing an Epiphone they are excellent guitars overall

[@DMSProduktions]

NEXT will be an off shore tiered Gibson models!

[@ryangunwitch-black]

I just played one of these at my local mom & pop (thankfully they do still exist!) And I fell instantly in love. Then I tried a Les Paul Epiphone closer to a grand and didn't like it nearly as much!

[@comparedtowhat2638]

Nice playing and all that but get rid of the neck pickup? Are you nuts? The darker the better. Having that contrast is fantastic. The separate volume and tone controls allow you to blend and modulate to taste. Otherwise buy a Strat!

[@LewiDoesMusic]

Wow!, very nice tones from that Les Paul!, and then there are some people out there that don't really like epiphone but if you think about it, epiphone actually does really great guitars! Awesome playing too!

[@ryangunwitch-black]

A rock n roll band with one of these and a CV Tele could kick some serious arse.

[@tonefish3825]

Try lowering the neck pickup. P90s are quite sensitive to pickup height.

[@jamalabdul2009]

I currently have this guitar on back order from Sweetwater (was showing mid April, now mid May) and since I’m buying both deaf and blind, this review is extremely helpful! At $499 USD, this looks to be an excellent guitar for the money, however I wrestle with the quantity vs quality balance. Epiphone is by no means a lesser brand because of the location of their manufacturing, but I do ask myself “will I keep this guitar forever?”

[@vocalion9519]

This is the most fun to play guitar I own. You won’t be disappointed if you decide to wait.

[@jamalabdul2009]

@@vocalion9519 Thanks for the input! Perhaps patience is a virtue!😎

[@mikepj1025]

These new Epiphones are incredible not just for the money but just overall. I never liked any of the previous generations of Epiphone I’ve played. The pickups tend to be a little muddy or dark but that’s just a personal preference thing. If I play my Gibson and Epiphone back to back, they are very close, BUT there are a few subtle differences that Epiphone just can not duplicate. The feel of my Gibson Traditional and Epiphone Slash Les Paul are very similar. It’s the overtones or undertones while playing that stand out as different. I put USA Gibson BurstBuckers 2 and 3 in my Epiphone and it definitely made a huge difference but it’s still different than my Gibson. To me what makes a guitar a lifer is the feel. The tone can always be changed.

[@BenDewhirstMusic]

@@jamalabdul2009 glad you found my incessant noodling of help! Hahaha, cheers.

[@Rafael-zl4vu]

Dude, there are several epiphone special (the cheap ones) that are on the business for over 30 years, or something like that. This is a really good guitar, well built guitar. MAYBE you'll chance the bridge or tuners in 10, 20 years. Just because it's not a Gibson it doesn't mean that wont last forever.

[@garretazonsa]

This is currently my number 1! It's just the ultimate rock/punk guitar for me. I just hope they made the finish a little transparent so it doesn't feel that plasticky. And with every budget Epiphone the craftmanship leaves a lot to be desired. But overall they hit it out of the park on this model. Excellent review and playing Ben! Thanks as well, Shane!

[@voiceofexperience]

Agree about the finish being too opaque. As for the QC, Epiphones these days seem to be consistently better in this regard than their far more expensive (in fact rip-off) Gibson counterparts.

[@drippinglass]

That’s the biggest visual difference between this and the Gibson. They really got the finish right on the TV yellow Gibson. You can see the grain throughout, and the color is more lime. Just beautiful!

[@Arthur.in.the.Fridge]

@@voiceofexperience Absolutely not true. I've had 3 of these. Sent them all back. The frets are terrible. Gibson's are all put in a plekking machine are are far superior to Epiphone's. Even the SG I bought 3 years ago. Frets all over the place. Absolute junk.

[@paulcasilio1119]

Thank you Ben, and thank you Shane. Funny thing is about a year and a half ago I bought the Gibson Les Paul Special in TV Yellow (love it), partially based upon Shaun's review, but also because I couldn't find the Epiphone version anywhere. So much bang for the buck with that Epi.

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

Sure you are stoked with the Gibson !

[@paulcasilio1119]

@@malcolmhardwick4258 oh brother, Malcolm…indeed I am. 😁

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

@@paulcasilio1119 The love affair continues !

[@ces69]

I own a couple of guitars with P90’s and have found they respond really well to the adjustment of the pole screws. I find unscrewing them a little and raising them up can add a lot more brightness and attack. Spending a bit of time experimenting with adjustments and balancing individual string tone and volume can provide substantial gains!

[@nikolacvetkovic2276]

Great review and playing, but... Instead of changing neck pickup just low it down pretty much and then raise the pole piece screws up. That cleans it nicely and get You rid of that mud in low end.

[@ericwarrington6650]

Killer tones Ben! I was so disappointed when Shane sold the Gibson special he had...I really loved how he sounded w that axe..maybe he will take to this one..lol

[@intheblues]

It had the same dark sounding neck pickup as well but the reality was, I just wasn't playing it as much as my other guitars. :)

[@ericwarrington6650]

@@intheblues no biggie brother! 😂..I just remember the video watching you let it go and whining about it to u in the comments..lol...you rock everything you play man..I enjoy watching whatever you choose to play

[@simonpark843]

Nice playing and some usable tones from that guitar. Another great video!

[@xb5883]

I have one and love it in every way. Probably my favorite guitar.

[@ferramirez4570]

You're looking good Shane!

[@intheblues]

🤣 I grew a foot and put on 20kgs of muscles. lol

[@neart2810]

Next to my tele this my favorite guitat i have ever owned.

[@yaguitar]

That is a lot of guitar for such a good price. Ben, you are making a mark mate!

[@joeadame6527]

I bought mine a year ago and I love it! What an underrated beast!

[@anthonyinch4316]

Good video, good guitar 👍 but personally I disagree about the the neck pick up.

[@ianchappell2907]

The issues with the pickups is easily resolved, switch to 50's wiring and those pickups open up really well. No cost mod

[@SomeKindOfMadman]

I love a good P-90 guitar. I agree with you on not digging a too dark neck pickup. Thank you for upload.

[@xb5883]

The neck pickups on these are glorious. If you play with more gain it is ok that it's not so bright. These guitars nail woman tone or even cocked wah kind of sounds.

[@BenDewhirstMusic]

Absolutely, man. There's always a use for a pick-up like that, hey? Cheers, mate!

[@alanknott363]

@X B I like that the pickups are quite different to each other, rather than being too similar because of the added possibilities this surely gives to the middle position when using both pickups. 👍

[@loupascarelli]

LOVE THE AXE .. I OWN THE CHEAPER MOD WITH 2 KNOBS.. CHANGED TUNERS , NUT (TUSQUE) STILL NOT THRILLED . .I DO ENJOY THIS MOD YOU TESTED.. YOU ARE DEAD ON WITH THE PUPS.. BUT THEY ARE TO MY LIKING.. THANKS FOT THE SHOW..

[@sirbaronvoncount4147]

Seymour Duncan makes a hot P90 that is sublime

[@mookmook5715]

Epiphone has really lifted there game in the quality and the new headstock shape is killer.. 10 out of 10 Epi !

[@lincolnjohnson6511]

Great review! I have the same guitar and love it!

[@doogledog1740]

Thanks, Ben. I have one of these and enjoy it. I think Shane had the same issue with the darker neck pickup on the Gibson LP Special he had not too long ago (?). An odd thing about the Epi version is that it's not quite TV-yellow, but more of a mustard colour. Doesn't matter overly, but it's funny that they chose to do that. Perhaps a point of differentiation with the Gibson version.

[@misterknightowlsguitarrant6984]

Tv yellow is such a hard color to nail down exactly what shade it really is. Especially since we don’t have anymore black n white tv’s to check them out on lol

[@doogledog1740]

@@misterknightowlsguitarrant6984 Yes, it's an intractable problem. If we only had something to check the colour against.

[@doogledog1740]

@@misterknightowlsguitarrant6984 Yes, it seems an intractable issue. If only there was some way to compare the colour to known specimens. Ahh, that could never be done!

[@misterknightowlsguitarrant6984]

@@doogledog1740 but the vintage ones are 50 60 years old with a nitro finish that fades… it’s tougher to nail down old colors than people think. Looking at pictures helps but what about the lighting in those pics and videos lol I’m just having a lil fun with ya. Yeah this one is a little more mustard-ish than typical tv yellow but it’s close enough.

[@doogledog1740]

@@misterknightowlsguitarrant6984 They don't need to concern themselves with vintage examples. Just get it closer to what Gibson issues as TV Yellow today :-) I expect they do it consciously to instill (another) point of difference. Epi themselves can't be ignorant of it.

[@jonathanhandsmusic]

Good review! I got one of these when they first came out, and it’s a nice guitar. I don’t use a lot of effects with it, maybe just a little delay and reverb. For my style, mostly blues jazzy, it’s a great guitar that fills in between my Strat and Tele tones. And the fat neck is perfect for me. Well done.

[@rayjames433]

Great work Ben hope we see more of your talent

[@intheblues]

There's at least 8 more videos coming up each week. :)

[@quiksilver78]

@@intheblues 8 videos per week? wow! or you mean 8 more weeks; 1 video per week 😅

[@baabaabaa2293]

Onya Ben! Luvd it! P90s me fav pup, lower the neck pup if it's a bit woolly, helps.

[@DMSProduktions]

I see shades of Chris Buck in Ben's playing!

[@sassycat]

Ben sounds like he's got jazz chops. More of that! 🐱

[@DesertScorpionKSA]

You could try lowering the neck pickup to brighten it up a bit.

[@DennisAlvarezMusic]

Nice review Ben! I think we're all getting used to you. But you're doing a great job here. I know that your presence on this channel makes it easier for Shane to cover more guitars that are harder to find in lefty versions. I'm a long time subsciber and I approve! :-)

[@BenDewhirstMusic]

Hey, thanks bud. Really appreciate the kind words and acceptance. Cheers for the kindness!

[@bob32069]

I have one of these and everything about it is fantastic. For the price, even more so. I changed out the pickups for Greg Koch p90s, but the stock pickups sound great, I did it mainly because I was looking for a little diy project to do. The intonation on mine is perfect, no complaints about the bridge. You can alter the sound of the pickups by raising/lower and/or adjusting the tilt. I don't think the neck pup sounds too dark.

[@leehenderson8132]

Love yer jazzin around.

[@J.C...]

Wooo! P90's!

[@jonathanavery7583]

I like this dude. Cool outside the square playing too. Good review. I have a 90s Japanese Orville LP Special and I love it. If folks are looking for dynamic and versatile, the LP Special had it in spades.

[@johnwinward2421]

I've got a 1968 Japanese 'Mosrite copy' (Morales Mosrite Ventures'). it has a heavy mahogany body, big neck, 3x3 Kluson-style split-post tuners, tiny frets and two P90 (Maxon) pups. I hink of it as a Les Paul Special double-cut with Bigsby.lovely damn thing.

[@Rob15234]

The neck pickup always bothered me too. I could never articulate why, I just couldn't stand neck position on it.

[@johnladdsmusic]

I’ve had this model since Christmas 2020 (my wife surprised me❤️)…I agree with the neck pickup being a little muddy…the bridge kicks tho..the neck is about as chunky as I can take it…mine is quite light weight wise thankfully. The Gibson equivalent is 4x the price (in Canada). Whether it’s worth it depends on your perspective…the nitro finish, seeing the wood grain and the pickups are definitely a nice feature on the Gibson…that said the Epi provided a cost effective way to get into my first P-90 guitar..I may swap the pickups one day…overall it’s a fun instrument

[@alwaysevolving281]

I’ve been really wanting to try one of these and put some noiseless p90’s in there. I have a Gibson LP special in olive drab and got it before epiphone dropped these. I love the Gibson! It’s great! Would love for it to have a little sibling.

[@tenebroruncr4374]

I have the guitar since before summer and say that I like it a lot, especially the good sound of the pickups. Very clear and crisp. The thickness of the mast what I like least, I prefer the slim tapper of my other Epiphone. Definitely great guitars for the prices.

[@nellayema2455]

Good job, Ben. I'd try adjusting the neck pickup height or the pole pieces before writing off the neck pickup.

[@beatlemike9]

One of my favourite guitars!

[@voxelraster]

The headstock is too long. Other than that, it's a pretty good guitar. Not as refined feeling as the Gibson version, but sounds great!

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

I’m a lefty and I bought an agile like that mostly because I don’t like yellow and mine is red And brownish

[@calbrockocat8728]

Good job, Ben! Lovely bit of kit that one!

[@Jason.King.at.your.service]

I bought this guitar a few weeks back. The frets were terrible and the action was mega high. I bought the Pelham blue SG special too about two years ago. Same problem with the frets. Something they definitely need to sort out.

[@Hotelguitarplayer]

Great job with the playing my friend, made that epi Les Paul special with the p90's sing! Would love to see a review of the epi 59 les Paul with the burstbuckers. Great guitar!!

[@RokDAWG1]

If the neck is dark then why did you turn the volume down a the tone? That makes it darker. Kinda dumb

[@Slushpuppie55]

Great Guitar for the required investment 👌. Nice review once again Ben.Thanks Bud.

[@Trial212]

Don't know how I missed this!! An excellent review! I got lucky and found mine when they were on backorder seemingly everywhere. It was used but not abused at all. Got it for a low price, I love it!! I'm surprised that Gibson is letting Epiphone make such a good guitar!! Keep up the good reviews!!

[@DMSProduktions]

IS there a DC model?

[@kel_25]

Cool looking guitar, great sounding guitar, awesome playing. 👍

[@homeworldmusic]

Took me a year to settle in with my Epi SG modern, but it's become my best buddy at this point. Gotta tweak them controls: guitar, pedal, amp, to get where you want to be.

[@voiceofexperience]

1:20 The neck pup is just fine imo. Also the middle position would not sound as good if the neck was brighter.

[@daleduke1315]

Good job Ben. Epiphone, Gibson still makes big money... Shane convinced me to by Epiphone inspired by Gibson, 60's model. You make me save for this one. Thank you.

[@Dwightpower88]

I got one of these, the frets were all over the place. Not good at all. Took me a while to figure out the buzzing frets. Just one leftys experience. I think I'll try some p rails to get getting the sound.

[@mr1bienvenu1]

I've had mine for a month now and I LOVE IT ! I've replaced the neck pickup with a Seymour Duncan P90 Vintage and now I love both pickups. The fit and finish was flawless and the action didn't need any adjustment 😎🤟

[@leehenderson8132]

This is the newer gibson model ya?

[@1vexed73]

Great video like the headstock better then the regular epiphones

[@dawoud8013]

Thank you for the demo ! overall it tiny sounding... a bit boxy... like throught an NS10 speaker ^^

[@doctorskull8197]

Outstanding video ‼️😎

[@roosky203]

I just got an Epi SG traditional pro (Guitar center version of the SG standard with push pull and sparkle finishes) I like it better than the Gibson SG Faded I owned

[@ImLeuff]

I'm so glad you said it, I have a "vintage p90s goldtop neck pickup" sound in my head as one of the "holy grails" (think Gilmour on Another Brick in the Wall solo or his Rattle that Lock album) and I keep trying to find out if these epiphones come anywhere near it. You're right, it is too dark for those shimmering cleans. For what it's worth, I think the maple cap on goldtops adds a bit of brightness but yeah, very cool guitar, not exactly what I'm looking for. Now I only need to find out if the Gibson Tribute Special P90s is any closer :D Thanks man!

[@quiksilver78]

Didn't you review the lefty version of this, Shane? and/or did you or could you compare it to the Gibson version?

[@intheblues]

I owned the Gibson LP special and I think Dr Ric featured one in our keys to the guitar shop series. 😎

[@quiksilver78]

@@intheblues there’s a video idea now: are lefties made better or worse than right handed guitars? The same? Or a bog standard never-ending comparison of Gibson vs Epiphone 😁

[@TimO-wt9sz]

Bee cool to see some other guitars from yer end of the world tagima ,bacchus ,perhaps ?In a more kind of Of the hole affordable to mid range...kinda diggin the thought behind the installment plan 👍😊keep up the good work and imo the neck was to dark for me as well.I like to listen to all the demos through 🎧I really believe it helps her what your trying so hard for us at home to be able to recognize 🎙🎸.

[@lll8638]

That misty snippet was great

[@BenDewhirstMusic]

My favourite standard by a country mile. Glad ya picked up on it, cheers for the comment!

[@lll8638]

@@BenDewhirstMusic It's my favorite too. Glad to have you on the channel.

[@BenDewhirstMusic]

@@lll8638 glad to be here, man. Thanks again.

[@thejoshbtv]

This may be a reference that not a lot of people will get, but Ben looks like Utred from "The Last Kingdom" to me.

[@BenDewhirstMusic]

I'll take that compliment any day of the week, twice on Sundays haha. Haven't seen the show but now I know I'm in it, I'll have to add it to the list!

[@paschalisantoniou974]

Beauty!

[@withnail60]

It’s a total bummer, it doesn’t come left handed here in Australia, my only other option is the LP special TV yellow, by Gibson, for 50 times the cost 😢

[@cedricbaccay633]

They need to add more colours!!

[@stefanwolf888]

I have a Yammy Revstar with P90's awesome and an agreeable neck profile, had a Godin Icon with Lollar P90's and miss the sounds I could get but could not get on with the U shape neck so had to go.

[@brandoncarter1579]

Ordered one for my son for Christmas. Can’t wait to play it when he’s not lmao.

[@dequiarro4417]

Great sound, imo p90 on Epiphone sounds right but humbuker not.

[@adamp6401]

Would this be suitable for pop punk? I’m currently using a player strat and have been thinking about putting a hot rails pickup into the bridge. I have small hands so this could be a killer to play I assume? However, I LOVE the finish!!!

[@PhoenixDawn93]

Billy Joe Armstrong from Green Day uses a Les Paul Jr, with one P90 in the bridge, so it’ll definitely do pop punk, and will nail the green day sound in particular

[@fiddlix]

A fantastic review and playing by Ben. Kudos.

[@mr1bienvenu1]

I just ordered one. I've fallen for P90 pickups lately.

[@DavidHBurkart]

Great job Ben. Playing is excellent. Love those Epi LP Studios!

[@austinjosef41]

Theres one at a pawn shop for $220. What do yall think

[@Arthur.in.the.Fridge]

Sent multiple back. Nice neck and finish, but the frets are terrible.

[@slimturnpike]

Poly finish?

[@doogledog1740]

Yep.

[@Abbynorml1979]

Been sold out since I saw the left version. Gotten 3 guitars and 2 basses since and now can't afford it when it comes available lol

[@johnmccormick8159]

Is it hum canceling in the middle position? I'm not a typical Gibson/Epiphone user, so I don't know this stuff. Love that jazzy stuff!

[@erifkind]

Hum cancellation in the middle position works only if both volume controls are at the same exact level (full volume). Otherwise they don’t cancel the hum. I never understood this combo of controls with single coil pickups.

[@johnmccormick8159]

@@erifkind OK, thanks. I appreciate the reply. I now understand why Fenders generally have fewer controls and why its important to balance bridge and neck pickups. Great sound from P-90s though.

[@mkrj2576]

If this came in a natural stained finish I'd likely get one. But, I just can't stomach that yellow.

[@solarkantari5d]

Have one of these to play in the London Lab... picked it up for about 310 quid... Can't believe it, the Prophecy is true 🤣

[@carlosmanuelgonzalez310]

Les Paul Special was Bob Marley's guitar!!

[@Stratboy999]

What's not to like?

[@SJ_FB25]

This or PRS SE soapbar p90

[@MrJingles021]

I've been wanting a guitar with P90s and this did not help.

[@mattburrows185]

Seeing Bean in 4K makes my face look like this 🙂

[@IamMusicNerd]

Shane sure looks different with hair

[@intheblues]

I also grew about half a foot haha

[@manbearpig2164]

I like it, I'd buy it

[@imwastedhere]

I think their about to release a Lefty version of that guitar

[@daw162]

I got one of those a few years ago for $129, open box. It was almost a great guitar, but for $129 it was a great guitar. Not sure what wood it was, agathis or who knows - who cares. The finish was some acrylic off the gun finish that looked surprisingly good for what it was and felt good - WAY better than a heavy acrylic finish. it didn't intonate perfectly, and had minor fret leveling issues and benefitted from a fret polishing and a rough fingerboard. I literally buffed the frets and fingerboard all at once with buffing compound on a pedestal buffer and it was almost like magic. Since it was so inexpensive, it really didn't matter that I buffed the wood, too - actually improved it and sealed it with the stable wax in the buffing bar. ahh....s__t. this isn't the same guitar. It's a nicer one. i'd still buff the entire fingerboard on that one.

[@cliftongardner4367]

Got one, love it, probably plays better than my Gibson SG… But my SG is still my favorite guitar. To me, the P-90 “pro” pickups work best at a low-medium gain sound. Pure cleans and high gains are a little lacking; but my Tele and SG cover those bases. Still a great tool in the toolbox!

[@Jason.King.at.your.service]

I bought this guitar and the frets are terrible and it has really high action. It sounded incredible though,

[@aperezdeal]

Am I the only one wanting an SG jr from this line up, solid colors so we don’t have to deal with veneers? Just me?

[@slimturnpike]

You're not alone. I want that exact guitar from Epi

[@doogledog1740]

Have a look at the Epiphone SG Special P-90. The faded Pelham Blue model looks great, (a strong contender to this TV-yellow LP Special).

[@aperezdeal]

@@doogledog1740 oh how I have tried. I had 3 all with twisted necks and 1 with a dead neck pickup (I work on guitars but I’m not about to remove the fingerboard and plain the neck unless I’m being paid to). I do have the sg61 w vibrola in olive drab which just needed a normal amount of fret work.

[@doogledog1740]

@@aperezdeal Surely you've used up all your bad luck by now. Try again :-)

[@aperezdeal]

@@doogledog1740 as a married man I am in no short supply of bad luck 😀.