Epiphone Les Paul 1959 vs Greco 450 pt2: A Master Luthier's opinion of the Epi 59.

Today we visit a master luthier and ask his opinions on the Epiphone Les Paul 1959!
Please take the time to visit Ferns website and Facebook!
Fern's Guitars
www.fernsguitars.nl
www.fernsguitars.com (international)
+31(0)6.200.79.500
/ epiphoneguitarfanclub
'Secret Weapon' the adjustable sanding beam to level frets (As seen in this video)
rectifymaster....
From Fern-"It is designed and made by an Italian luthier Davide Bassilo, living with his Japanese wife in Tokyo. He is very friendly and communicative. His tools are not as widely know as for instead the StewMac tools, so a little extra attention can't hurt in my opinion."
The potmeters used in the guitar are CTS potmeters, custom ordered by the Lollar company, to their prefered specifications.
www.lollarguit...
From Fern-"I work a long time already with Lollar pickups and I consider them of being the best in its sort. The potmeters are a recent addition. In the past they did Emerson parts (emersoncustom....) which were also custom ordered CTS pots, but, as I understood from Lollar it was difficult to do business with them. The quality of the parts was excellent though. I used for a long time WD custom CTS pots, but will now renew stock with the Lollars."

[@theguitaristas]

Hey Mike, I know you saw my comment and I received your reply thanks.... but can't see it on your channel page at the moment, is there some weird KZbin voodoo going on where they have randomly deleted it? I notice this seems to occur from time to time and its frustrating! In meantime I reiterate... great film! Cheers dude

[@USTTRM]

Yes, KZbin is gas lighting us a bit I'm afraid! Well I will reiterate my thanks to you for your kind comments and also that every one here is looking forward to your next episode! Cheers!

[@theguitaristas]

@@USTTRM Thanks man, the info you presented here on body and neck construction is really helpful...it's a subject of great debate amongst the cork sniffers how pieces of 'mystery wood' Epiphone use so it's good to have a professional opinion.. and what he says about the scarf joint will definitely ruffle a few feathers! Nice one.

[@automatoncollectives7237]

@@USTTRM This tech could have told you you were playing a Tele and you would have believed it. Shame.

[@theguitaristas]

@Zen I didn't say it was a one piece neck...

[@kimedmond5377]

I bought the 59 had it plek’d. It’s so nice this guitar. I was shocked at how nice it was. Cherry burst

[@moongazer5073]

Love my Epiphone Les Paul and my Viola bass , the quality tone and overall playability is outstanding

[@USTTRM]

For some reason KZbin is not allowing me to see all comments being made. Thanks for replying and I'm hoping we can get the issue fixed.

[@DeathPenny]

As an owner of a tobacco burst version of the 59 epiphone, I would love to know how her polished up the finish like that, it looks amazing

[@deadoctopi5070]

You can use automotive 3 stage polishing or 2 stage, cut, buff, polish, or just try to polish with an automotive polisher and get their crappy “satin plastic video game controller” finish back to a nice gloss. It’s probably thick enough to not worry about burning through.

[@coffeerocker1429]

How did you go with polishing? I also have the tobacco and would love to see how you did.

[@jasonpitre1249]

a buffing wheel and two stages of compound would be my guess. tough to get into the small areas however. He did a great job!

[@jasonpitre1249]

He would have had to pull the pickups, pickguards and switches as well as all of the hardware.

[@stevepotter7448]

Nice to see Honest,Quality workmanship. Beautiful guitar, Sir

[@USTTRM]

Thanks for that. I appreciate you’re taking the time to watch!

[@shannonhondo260]

Good Lord that looks gorgeous!!! He did a great job. Greetings from Dallas Texas

[@USTTRM]

Thanks for dropping by!

[@jeffroq]

Great video - thanks for sharing this upgrade story. 50s wiring is the future - ironically.

[@WickedFesterBand]

I just got one and the frets are fine. My first two “Inspired by Gibson” Epiphones needed fret work, last two didn’t. Love the Katana fret leveling tool. I have one that the owner of the company gave me and it is an amazing tool.

[@USTTRM]

Rock on!

[@dcamp671]

I have the dark burst and was contemplating gloss polishing the top as well. I did a practice run on my Prophecy SG and am happy with it, this convinced me to strip her down and start polishing. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@MiguelKooreman76]

Fern is a great and very knowledgable guy!

[@USTTRM]

Agreed!

[@Buc27blount]

The luthier did a great job on your guitar. From the electronics to the neck setup. I know you will enjoy playing it more.👍

[@MrStonerpark]

He did indeed. Really great guy too.

[@USTTRM]

I fully agree!

[@jamesdavis6450]

Great video. I'm long-time user of the Katana system and love the results I get with it.

[@justo316]

I have a Prophecy and was considering picking up a 59 as well. The one thing I really am not a fan of is the satin finish on these guitars. To me, it makes it look like a cheap toy. I was already tossing up the idea of polishing my Prophecy. This video just confirmed that it's something I need to do ASAP. Looks great!

[@benallmark9671]

I hear ya but man that satin feels ten times better then gloss finishes. I think anyway

[@justo316]

@@benallmark9671 completely agree that satin feels much nicer, but I only need it on the neck and back. I would prefer the top to be glossy

[@benallmark9671]

@@justo316 me too

[@automatoncollectives7237]

justo316, if aesthetics is what you chase in a guitar...you’re destine to fail.

[@aniquinstark4347]

You can do a really light polishing with a piece of suede leather. It makes a matte poly finish look more like an aged lacquer finish.

[@Ken-yg4um]

all that work on a brand new EPi that's suppose to be the holy grail of epiphone at this price point IDK

[@USTTRM]

No, I got your meaning. Its a lot of work and to get that neck and frets just right cost money alone, forget the rewire! But its a keeper guitar, it's worthy of getting right because its got good bones.If you can get one at a discount and invest into what it needs, you really got a winner that are getting harder to obtain.

[@Ken-yg4um]

@@USTTRM I have one in Aged southern fade and so far I see no reason to even consider getting it rewired and the frets are fine with mine just saying.

[@luisg1653]

@@Ken-yg4um I have one as well, even after setting up the 2nd and 3rd frets are a bit proud. It isn't bad but they will buzz if my grip gets clumsy. Love the guitar though, in my admittedly amateur opinion it is a nicely made instrument and the value is hard to beat.

[@ahiwalter9153]

I think to not expect a mass produced product to need some work is a bit unrealistic. Wood isn’t a static material & the various stops a guitar make from its factory to our hands is hard to calculate so the guitar very well could of been set up well from the beginning & shifted through time.

[@nachom1971]

Would have loved to hear his opinion about the maple cap on these.

[@USTTRM]

He is checking out the comments so maybe he can chime in.

[@joehahn8817]

That's a three piece neck my man. There's a scarf joint and a stacked heel. And just like your luthier said, it's a stronger design. These '59s are great guitars. I love mine!!!

[@roughcutguitars]

This is an outstanding, thorough look at the guitar with pretty much all the heads-up points covered. I personally really appreciate the look at how you tossed the satin finish. Wish Fern had gone more into detail since I'm going to take on that task on mine. Still, this proves it's worth the effort and risk.

[@randysnewbiebluesrockguita7782]

I have a 59' Epi. reissue dark burst and I like the satin finish on it. There are so many gloss Epiphone's out there and I have a Custom pro in Ebony and a Honey burst Quilt top both gloss and Love em but it was nice to have a change with the 59'. The one here in the video did come out looking fantastic with it being buffed out though.

[@gregperkins7723]

When I watched this video I was excited about doing a polish. Then I looked at my beloved satin 59 epi and said hell no! I love the satin too.

[@eddiemautone209]

I HAVE A EPIPHONE FIFTIES LES PAUL LEFT HANDED ITS. GREAT VERY STRONG PIC UPS I HAVE IT OVER FIFTEEN YEARS STILL SOUNDS AND LOOKS AWSUM 😊

[@eddiemautone209]

THESE EPIPHONE GUITARS ARE UNBELIEVABLE THE SOUND I PLAYED MY EPIPHONE LES PAUL AT COUNTY CLUB LOUNGE OVER EIGHT YEARS IM A LOCAL SINGER AND GUITARIST OVER FIFTY FIVE YEARS I KNOW ABOUT GUITARS 😊😊😊😊😊

[@MrSebastianMars]

Why to buy 59 Les Paul which originally had paper in oil caps and outstanding cts pots from factory and swap to ceramic caps and the same pots??? Absolute stupidity.

[@RayC234]

I was wondering the same thing, don't these come stock with CTS Pots and Mallory Caps?

[@cromBumny]

Great guitarists prefer them, and not Greicos, Wolf or Chyna built Epiphones

[@cromBumny]

My Epiphone Les Paul Modern, even after Sweetwater adjusted the fret board is still buzzy...don't like it

[@northernthrifter8817]

Thanks Mike i think I'm going to be get the 50s standard, i much prefer the gloss finish. I haven't done any soldering yet but I've bought the tools, I'll see what it comes like and take it from there.

[@caseysniper308]

i have this guitar in same color and a 50's gold top. the 50's seems to play better but both are great. like the polishing on the 59

[@Adipsia1]

It's great to see such neat and meticulous work carried out on an inexpensive guitar. I hope that Fern was paid well. His services are worth far more than any Harley Benton or Epiphone upgrade.

[@PaulSter]

Great work and nice luthier. Your narration is clear and really well done. Thanks for sharing. In addition to my Gibsons, I got two of the new Epis and think they're excellent. A LP Custom and SG 60s (sent a red one back with a bad switch and a few dead spots and before even returning it, bought an 'in-stock' Pelham Blue one (I had just purchased a red Gibson '61 RI

[@adomehus]

here is a little piece of info on the muse models there is a mahogany veneer on the top of the maple top

[@motorcyclemark2889]

My 60s standard is two piece body I am in love with it . also its brand new my frets were level .

[@Moyetniishiswa2000]

I’ve got the 59 standard outfit and I really like it ... but I don’t love the satin finish. You’ve inspired me to get it polished.

[@jamesteddy1379]

My maple top under the flame veneer is a three piece though , you can see the vertical laminate lines on the bridge side of the bridge pickup cavity. Not complaining though , just an observation.

[@jst601]

Nice video. Always enjoy seeing folks tweak to taste. And any time a tech is willing to spend time w/you & share thoughts & opinions is icing on the cake. Yum. That neck goes *under* front pickup in these. Another plus, Epiphone. Super value guitar that sounds absolutely fabulous. It delivers. Wish the frets were bigger, my only "dislike" after playing one at the store where I teach. Even so, no way would I did that axe or not recommend it. It's truly a great guitar. Thanks again for the cool video. Stay safe.

[@mhicks5008]

I picked up one of these guitars in that same finish in March - and I love the thing. Mine still has the satin finish but I love the look of it polished, maybe I'll have that done on mine. My frets didn't need leveling but the truss rod needed adjustment, other than that, it was pretty good out of the box. It's my first Les Paul (I've played a Strat since 1974) and I didn't expect to like it as much as I do.

[@USTTRM]

“It’s a fantastic first LP to own!

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

So your epi did not have shabby fret work like this one? Glad to hear that is a isolated issue because the fret work is really important to me.

[@mhicks5008]

@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 - no, the frets were fine. the truss rod needed adjustment and the action was a touch low, but the frets were good to go.

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

@@mhicks5008 thanks good to hear!

[@pharmerdavid1432]

The shop I'm visiting today has four of the dark aged cherry bursts, and they do their own setup before putting them up for sale (no extra charge!): they do a fret level-crown-polish, file nut, adjust intonation, etc. There aren't many retail shops left that offer that kind of service anymore, so I feel good supporting one that does. I'm confused as to why you're doing the upgrades, considering how much they must have cost - I'm estimating $300-500USD for the work you had done, plus material cost (maybe more?)? It would have been interesting to hear a before/after video, but your opinion about any improvement in tone is even more valuable, since you can hear it much better, and I assume that will be the next video (hopefully)..? I'm curious about the neck feel, which is critical to me, so if I don't love the neck, one of them won't be coming home with me. I've always been a Les Paul Special fan, because the maple cap seems to make the notes sound harder and harsher, plus adding weight and cost too....but sometimes great sounding Les Paul Standards do sound enticing! The "mahogany" Epiphone uses is from Asia - not from Central/South America species (aka: Honduras mahogany), a cheaper and less desirable species. BUT, what really matters is the feel and the sound - if it feels and sounds good, I'll be bringing one home today. I'm guessing my Special will sound so much better I'll pass on Epiphone's 1959 Les Paul Standard, but if I do bring it home I'll edit my comment here and tell you about it. Cheers!

[@brickbreaker8148]

The finish on these is made to resemble an aged '59 dude, now yours looks like every other heritage cherry Standard out there.

[@USTTRM]

Yes I understand your point but to me it didn’t quite look like what they were aiming for. Thanks for dropping in and please come back for part.3 when I will talk about that.

[@TheTacticalButterknife]

@@USTTRM the only thing I didn't like about mine (in aged dark burst) was the top finish, I polished it up and fell in love. Great guitar. I think they missed the mark on the finish by just a bit.

[@USTTRM]

Yes! My thoughts exactly.

[@williamdon3442]

Beautiful guitar sir. The 59 is definitely on my wish list

[@billybat5790]

So you replaced the electronics and didn’t bother to add copper foil or shielding paint while you did that? That would of made more of a difference, kinda strange how it looks like it originally doesnt have it Is it for the vintage tone?

[@GuitarKraft]

I think he found a good customer 😄

[@kostapanis]

Yes 👍🏼🎸🎸🙂🎸 greetings from Olympus Guitars.

[@USTTRM]

Thanks for stopping by!

[@jasonnorris5298]

Great video man I'm really interested in these 1959 models myself , I don't like the Satin, so good to see what a good buffing does, it also looks like he may have died your fingerboard, that didn't look like an Indian Laurel to me also looks like the back of the neck may have been shaved can you shed a little light on this please? Thanks the jaybirdI

[@bluespig1]

Greetings from Australia. I had a blast in Amsterdam, great folks.

[@avjake]

Thanks for the heads up on the Lollar Pots. That might be my Epi's next upgrade.

[@mikepj1025]

Should have bought a used Epiphone 50s Standard and just had it gutted. When you bought the guitar, you paid for all the upgrades it had. For this money, you could have easily bought a Gibson. I don’t understand the thought process here. Beautiful guitar.

[@jamesduckworth9117]

You just glossed over the polish job on that guitar. I was wondering if that was even possible. What did your luthier use to get that polished finish

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

Everyone that has done this used Dunlop Carnauba wax and a lot of elbow grease!

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

Really disapointed to hear these need Fret Leveling. Nornally they at least level the frets on the imports from the factory but they still need to be dressed and polished. Maybe this is a isolated issue? My $500 Jackson adrian smith had leveled frets all i had to do was smooth the fret edges and polish them. this is a $800 guitar and needs a $150 leveling job out of the case???

[@johanndaart7326]

I agree that as costumers we should expect higher standard, but that's the current market.

[@USTTRM]

Yes I understand your point. I have owned many of Gibson USA Standards and I never had fret issues..other issues but not frets. Still it’s now perfect so I’m ok with paying a little more as it’s still a good value.

[@RayC234]

You'd be surprised how many brand new guitars that come fresh from the factory that need fret work.

[@zjokka]

7:45 "sound wise I leave it up to you because I don't hear a difference" That's why he replaced 4 perfectly ok CTS pots and two capacitors? Also have a look how he doesn't understand STARGROUNDING: you should bring all pot grounds to one central point, not connect one pot to the other with TWO solder joints on these. Oh yeah, he's mumbling some bullshit about lead (Pb - which he mispronounces as to rhyme with feed) in the solder as the reason for replacing all the electronics on you guitar? Also the Katana tool -- really strange, solving a problem that only this (master?) luthier has?

[@TommySprocket]

But he put new "pot meters" in it! Lollar's are so more better, lmao

[@zjokka]

@@TommySprocket so much better for jacking up the repair bill! Btw Lollar pots are made by CTS btw

[@ricardoslhenriques]

The luthier did a great job... since one realizes the client left it ENTIRELY for the service to decide, it seems...

[@markdouglas8073]

That comment about “lead” (Pb) was not bullshit. It is the law (EU) and you need to think about health risks of the workers who come in contact with it every day in a factory.

[@davidburke2132]

@@zjokka he clearly said the Lollar pots are from CTS. His point is well made (if you listen to him) that there are CTS pots and CTS pots. It’s not even necessarily about how they are made but how they are selected for tolerance, sweep, etc. If you buy “standard” CTS pots they’ll be more variable… if you select ones made or selected to a high performance spec like Lollar’s they well be more consistent, but of course you pay more for them to be made and selected in this way.

[@gerdesrm]

I don't understand what he's saying at 5:10 as to why he replaced all the pots and caps. Lead (which he pronounces "leed")? What cant be repaired?

[@USTTRM]

It’s because of the rules regarding lead in the EU. No such regulations in China so the materials used can be more lenient in regards to lead in construction with the solder used. He decided best to replace it all.

[@FernsguitarsNL]

Thanks for watching! Newer guitars are forced to use no-lead (sorry for my wrong pronunciation!) soldering nowadays to be RoHS certificated, and to be able to be exported. Mike asked me to do anything to make the guitar great, and I wanted at least to rewire some cables, because they were soldered in a way the braided shielding could make easily contact with other parts, causing mailfunction. And I wanted to install two orange drop caps. The problem with lead-free solder is that it doesn't mix with lead containing solder, wich works far better and makes a better connection. If mixed, the solder makes a very brittle connection. When removing the potmeters for the body polish, I also noticed the pots were standard CTS pots. To clean them all to provide new soldering would take ages + I had these nice Lollar custom tapered CTS pots with brass shaft here, that was the best replacement and would speed up the work. So now there is a clean and quality soldering, with upgraded parts. A benefit of the brass shaft is that the split shaft (were you put the knob on) will not break as easy compared to the zinc ones of the standard pots.

[@FernsguitarsNL]

@@EdisonStarfire thank you!

[@dimebagtribute]

@@EdisonStarfire RoHS stickers on guitars just tell us the factory auto-approved their guitars to be under the RoHS rules...

[@gerdesrm]

@@FernsguitarsNL Ah, so you wanted to replace components in the first place. Now I get it. I thought you did it to REMOVE all lead, but if I understand you correctly, you actually ADDED lead solder where there was none to begin with! Thanks for the response.

[@andrewwagner6851]

The greatest sale in the world

[@gooberthoreau]

Really sounds like since the "relaunch" of the Epiphone models they have had a lot of issues with frets. Not sure if it is because of rushing production, cutting costs (production/QC) or what, but they used to be known for good fret work at that price point and now it is something I see in every review.

[@dionysusthemadgod]

Why would you take a stoptail guitar with a separate bridge and string it like a wraparound? Seems pretty counterintuitive.

[@davidletterboyz]

It's called top wrapping. It's an ancient technique passed down from urban legend 😆 Ok jokes aside, it's supposed to decrease the break angle at the saddle and reduce tension. The string contact area to the tailpiece is much larger and hence longer sustain and resonance. Supposedly. Coincidentally I just tried it for the first time last week. It really reduced the string tension a bit but I feel I got to pull higher to reach the same bend octave. I could be wrong though.

[@USTTRM]

Yeah that’s the skinny of it. Been doing it that way since 1979, so yeah it could be urban myth by now!

[@soulagent79]

Top wrapping your Gibson is a good idea if you think it has too much sustain and tone.

[@pharmerdavid1432]

@@soulagent79 You can raise the tailpiece to achieve the same lesser sustain and tone, if that bothers you.

[@Sinar-P]

If I went to a luthier and he ripped out my perfectly acceptable wiring because its "illegal" to have lead solder I'd have done my nut. The governments of Europe are happy for you to get poisoned in numerous ways with everyday products when it suits them but you can't have a guitar with lead solder in it. I think your luthier saw you coming. I'd love to know how much he added to the price of the affordable Epiphone. The other thing is you will never get that money back if you sell the guitar. I'm sure the neck work makes it lovely to play but I very much doubt that wiring makes any difference in a gig situation.

[@get_downed_boi6270]

i just bought an epiphone 1959 special edition lemonburst for $859..... after watching this video i dont know if i just pony up the cash for a gibson or just swap the electronics and buy fret leveling tools myself.....

[@HankMartin-ll4pi]

Like yourself i had my frets levelling done on my 59s Epiphone in dark aged. I didn’t go for the gloss finish on the front of your guitar it a looker just subscribed to your channel as well.🎼🎸🎵👍🏼😊

[@USTTRM]

Thanks Hank! Yes it was needed on my guitar. Some guys get lucky and get a good one out the box however!

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

I am really dispointed to hear the frets need Leveling? Normally even on inexpensive guitars the frets are leveled from the factory but do still need dressing. Sounds to me Epi is just installing the frets and calling it a day?

[@markntexas8265]

thinking of getting a 59 eppi and spraying it with nitro clear coat that looks awesome

[@coffeerocker1429]

Great video. Really enjoyed this. Well done.

[@USTTRM]

Thank you very much!

[@williamdon3442]

Is the headstock angle same as Gibson did epiphone fix that. How does it hold tune??? G string ???

[@USTTRM]

Its a better angle.

[@blackstrapelectrikco.8565]

Do you know if your luthier had to sand out the top before polishing, or if it was flat enough to go straight to buffing?

[@USTTRM]

No need to sand in this case.

[@fredepstein]

Vettel left Formula 1 and became a luthier in the Netherlands.

[@cgdv1515]

That is not one piece neck. It has a scarf joint on the headstock.

[@greenmanalishi6963]

Man what a great video, perfect balance between interesting questions and wise replies. How’s he polish the Les Paul so nice?

[@peehandshihtzu]

Looks good Mike, that baby is gonna serve you well, I knew it was a matter of time before you dug into it, when you mentioned it in a recent video I had a hunch we'd see something like this soon. It did not disappoint and that top pops now, say good bye to list price value, it is it's own beast at this point, LOL. Great video and happy jamming Friend. :)

[@USTTRM]

Hey sir thank you as always! Yeah buddy I can't say how lovely that top is. It's as lovely as any Gibson LP I've had, heck you've seen them all so im sure you can agree. I'm excited to show the results of the upgrade to the 59 and vs battle next show. happy jamming right back at you!

[@peehandshihtzu]

@@USTTRM Yes I agree, just needed a nice buffing. Looking forward to that vs video for certain. :)

[@guitarbygus]

How did he polish it? Or was it stripped and glossed ?

[@bruceberry5331]

Great video! How much did this cost you in the end? 😬

[@mjvicc1952]

What did the luthier use to polish the top?

[@anthonythornhill8715]

I would love to get that shine on mine.

[@JohnPArgueta]

Nice vid man. Is there a part 3 where we hear the axe sing?

[@USTTRM]

Yes!

[@COLDMKULTRA]

Really good video man ... really good ... Thank You !!!

[@CJ-ge4tt]

How did you get that polished finish? I want to do mine!

[@USTTRM]

Look through the comments. Fern answered a similar question.Thanks for watching!

[@ferretna6054]

@@USTTRM bruh

[@HOUSEDOMEFUNKofficial]

Write us the full name of that KATANA strings on fret levelling tool, wooja, Mike?

[@northernthrifter8817]

I've made one myself, just buy a truss rod off eBay some double sided scotch tape and then a strip of 400 grit paper. A bloke called Sam Deeks has a you tube channel and he does complete set up videos using the home mate fret leveler.

[@margaretzabinski9977]

Great stuff! Thanks

[@blueillusion3d426]

How did he polish it to make it shine like that on the front. That looks amazing!

[@sme-guitar1445]

I’m wondering the same thing. Hopefully we get an answer cuz I’d love to do that to my 59

[@USTTRM]

Go over to mylespaul forum and search polish. Lots of great tips to get the same shine Fern did there!

[@sme-guitar1445]

@@USTTRM Awesome. Thx man, will do. I got the same finish and I love the looks and the flame just would look better with a bit of gloss I think. I’m not worried about it as far as resale because I don’t plan on getting rid of it. Mine fretwise and setup wise was spot on. I’ve heard a few guys say that theirs needed some work.

[@FernsguitarsNL]

Thanks for watching! It basically takes a good quality polish compund and some elbow grease.. I did it by hand and took off all hardware. Started under the pickguard to be safe. And work from smaller surfaces, don't try to do all in one go.

[@blueillusion3d426]

@@FernsguitarsNL I'll try that, thanks Fern

[@guitarbygus]

How did he polish that!

[@patmichaud8757]

that is a 3 piece neck...not a 1 pc. there is a neck scarf joint for the headstock...and a 3rd piece at the heel.

[@onemorething100]

After spending all the Money for the upgrades, Why not just Buy a Gibson?

[@jameshughes6049]

These have an aged finish, not meant to be glossy.

[@andreborges2881]

Not aged: satin. Aged would be a V.O.S. Custom Shop Gibson finish, which actually looks nothing like satin.

[@jameshughes6049]

@@andreborges2881 It is an aged finish. Not satin. I've seen someone buff & polish it to a high gloss finish, can't do that with satin.

[@andreborges2881]

@@jameshughes6049, a satin finish is a gloss finish not buffed to gloss. It is the same thing, only lacking the buffing. Gibson "aging" (within V.O.S. standards) is an additional layer of material resting upon the glossy finish (which you can buff off, with so you want).

[@andreborges2881]

That said, "aged" as presented is a catachresis by Epiphone to mean satin, I gather.

[@rikiandov17]

Regards Guys Nice Video. If you find a nice Epiphone its worth uprading with either Gibson 57s or Standard Hmbuckers , I have done Epiphone Explorer with 490s and its awesome , yet to change the pots to CTS with some nice russian treble bleeds.

[@ThePaddedPedalroom]

Cool!

[@USTTRM]

Hey sir! Thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed the jam on your channel the other day!

[@ThePaddedPedalroom]

@@USTTRM Thanks Man! Keep on Rocking! ;)

[@amandahahl1561]

Hi!😃🖐

[@USTTRM]

Fine, and you?

[@ticklesmcqueen2702]

Also there are not the same pickiups, your old ones were epiphone plug , not braided gibson

[@Gibliner]

Hi Mike. I think we might have the same name 😜 Can I ask how much you paid to have the satin finish buffed to gloss? I'm considering having a local luthier do the same thing to my '59 Epi and wanted something to compare his estimate to. Thanks! 🤘

[@pharmerdavid1432]

Even I can polish my own guitars.........

[@anotherstart1]

A good guitar, but Gibson is great. These are a alternative at best. The quality of the wood the scarf joint veneer and plastic finish is why it’s a 1/3 of price. You could buy a used studio for less and have the real thing.

[@bigswededog]

Respect your opinion, but, I've seen some Gibson's that were garbage. The name on the headstock doesn't make it a great guitar.

[@vannakh473]

Can't compare the gibson LP to an epi. Both good guitars just completely different animals.

[@22eirrah]

I have the ‘mazzel’ that i live in the neighbourhood with my e 59...

[@adamwatson6916]

Epiphone uses a mahogany substitute it's a mahagony like wood .

[@spankeyguitars8457]

nice upgrades!

[@amandahahl1561]

How are you today? 🤔

[@Kevin.Hearty]

The Epiphone headstock angle is less than Gibsons, so in theory Gibson headstocks break more easily.

[@davidburke2132]

Is 2 not “multiple” these days?! 😛 I get the point you’re trying to make that the mahogany body isn’t 3 or 4 pieces with a veneer over but bear in mind that traditional Les Pauls were made with a single piece mahogany back (only the maple top was two piece) and the Gibson Historics are still made that way, so this Epiphone is not as per the Gibson Historic specs. I don’t criticise them for that, it is a lot more expensive to use single pieces of mahogany and at this price point I wouldn’t expect them to be able to match the Gibson Custom Shop’s spec, but I am trying to explain why some people are still calling this a multi-piece body (which it is as it’s not a one piece).

[@pharmerdavid1432]

I would rather have multiple pieces of real mahogany than 2 pieces of cheap Asian 'mahogany' - not real mahogany on these.

[@guyfawkes8313]

Are they 500K Pots?

[@jeffreybuckingham3782]

Duh!!!! Why wouldn't they be?

[@automatoncollectives7237]

14:00 Happy with the work? You didn’t even plug it in. 😂😂🤦‍♂️. I’m sure you’ll now be able to pick it out of a line up, tonality wise. The dude did unnecessary work.

[@Dad-Gad]

Wtf is up with that bridge pickup !!!! It's almost out of the pickup surround !!!

[@30smsuperstrat]

I have that tool from Japan 😄

[@DavidMacVicar]

So he’s not really a fan by the sounds of this.

[@USTTRM]

No he thinks it a really good instrument but admittedly needed work to make it great.

[@automatoncollectives7237]

He was fleeced.

[@jeromejackson2455]

My brother hey you are black like me rock on

[@dingledwarf98]

Lol he scammed u dude u coulda left the pots n shit alone u shoulda got a player strat or something from fender bro

[@ticklesmcqueen2702]

Spends all that money on an epiphone and have to spend more , buy a gibson next time

[@barano9729]

You’ll spend at least 7k before you start getting into the nicer sounding and playing Gibson Les Pauls, because at that price range the artisans at Gibson go the extra mile to make the instrument worth someone’s while. I’ve got a 2014 Gibson LP classic that I paid 2k for that should’ve never made it out of the factory and into to the trash heap. At least he’s getting something he enjoys playing for next to nothing.

[@USTTRM]

I'll give you a thumbs up because its guys like you that im trying to turn to the dark side. Seriously, I have owned many gibsons and I would invite you to look at other videos on my channel discussing them. I'm fairly good judge and these epiphones have the mojo.

[@ticklesmcqueen2702]

@@USTTRM Darkside? i have epis and gibsons so need to convert me, my epis are good but not a patch on my gibsons

[@USTTRM]

Sorry, StarWars reference! Yeah I’m going to do a program talking about how I believe Gibson is going to be shifting more of their lower tier models over to Epiphone.

[@blakjack3053]

Epiphone..the Gibson of broke ass guitar players 😁

[@srh361]

In other words don't waste your money on Epiphone.

[@cmet8280]

All this guitar needed was a neck adjustment and a couple frets leveled, the electronics replacement was totally unnecessary. I watched plenty of Gibson reviews which needed just as much work @ 2-3 times the cost. I own both Gibson's and Epiphones by the way.