Epiphone Les Paul Studio Review & Tone Test

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

Hey mate, a couple weeks ago, I bought a EPI Les Paul Studio in wine red. It was made in April 2021. I bought it at Guitar Center. It sounds great! When I hook it up to my BOSS GT-1 effects processor, the gain sounds are 👍 Clean sounds OK. I must have gotten a good one. The techs always set the guitars up before being put on display.

[@larryfranklin3305]

Well I just got one smokehouse burst today wide range of sounds definitely happy 🎵🎶

[@santrixhimself3679]

congrats on the 20k subs!

[@PaulCooksStuff]

"that's the kind of thing that should not get out factory door or the retailer" Especially not put on the shopfloor for demo. You'd think they'd at least cherry pick a playable one from the storeroom that passing tyrekickers might be seduced into buying. But your review is still helpful and appreciated 👍

[@GraemeCampbellMusic]

Sounds great. I got one of the new worn finish Epi Casinos and all that needed was a tweak here and there, so it’s a shame the set up on this one wasn’t good. I bought a Gibson tribute last year and the fretwork on that wasn’t great, with a very dry fretboard.

[@frankcarter6427]

no guitar more than 100 quid should need tweaking at all, it should play from the box, £200 squiers do

[@GraemeCampbellMusic]

@@frankcarter6427 Every guitar potentially needs a tweak. They are made to be adjustable because we all have different preferences. Plus there is climate, transport, storage. Badly cut nuts and bad frets shouldn’t be happening, you are spot on with that, but adjusting a truss rod to account for feel, string gauge etc isn’t any worse than adjusting your car seat.

[@carlosclaptrix]

Wow, when I got the Harley Benton SC-450plus for 159 € it didn't have any issues. I unmounted the scratchboard, put some Tonerider AC II in it and got a really great Les Paul style guitar.

[@essp404]

These harleys are sounding like the way to go, does it have the coil split electronics like the epiphone studio?

[@carlosclaptrix]

Yes, that's the "plus" It think.

[@essp404]

@@carlosclaptrix cheers. look like i have a new guitar ordered!

[@anitapalmer271]

Appreciate that you took the time to correct the original poor set-up. Thanks much for playing it through its sounds.

[@DanielMedina-xb7pf]

That’s the one I just bought!!! I love it!

[@adhoc37]

Thanks John. Honest and good examples.

[@gusdogbrownlab435]

I've had several Harley Bentons..the worst one I've bought was still ok...but needed some work.(and it was a B stock) The best one was excellent. Got an Epi Les Paul and it is also excellent...but bought it second hand though.

[@ste5012]

Nice playing John , Thanks for advice , By the way love the series your doing on chord progression,s

[@thegaindane]

Sorry to hear about the issues your new guitar had right out of the box. It's nice to be able to fix stuff like that yourself 👍 It still looks really gorgeous though. I hope you're happy with it now after a bit of work on it. 😀

[@chrisforever1255]

14:45 So funny John - exactly thats my situation with "Fender-style" guitars! All of them I had are moving on to other lucky musicians. I am a "Les Paul" (and here in fact Gibson)- guy and it seems my hands and mind are made for this kind of guitars! There comes the time every guitar player finds HIS passion! Keep on your great work! Greetings from Germany!

[@tyecook9630]

I'm currently seriously considering buying the exact guitar new from a shop. I tried it and the action is a bit high and there may be other adjustments that need tending to. That doesn't particularly concern me as I have a guy who's a wizard with guitars and I take everything I ever buy to him instead of opting for the complimentary store setup wich is ok at best. This guy goes over literally every possible aspect of the instrument for me at a reasonable price and I don't mind paying it for such peace of mind

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Not long after this one I tried the Epiphone LP Classic Worn & I found it a much better guitar. Might be worth taking a look at?

[@tyecook9630]

@@JRobsonGuitar oh I'll definitely check those out too, I'll find them in a shop and have a look. They're also right within the budget I have in mind and it would be foolish not to try at least a few different things before pulling the trigger. Having been a squier guy for so long and having all different varieties of such I want to expand my horizons into the les paul world without spending a ton but also want something decent. The epis in these price ranges seem like pretty darn good guitars for a home playing intermediate on a good day mostly cowboy chord wonder like myself hehe...I'm in no hurry and looking forward to the search for my first lp😊

[@DanielMedina-xb7pf]

I just bought this guitar at Guitar Center. I got it for 449, I’m guessing the price was because it was on demo. It had the low end side of the bridge at around 5mm and the high end at around 3 mm. The intonation was off for the low e side. I evened out the bridge to around 4.5 mm across the bridge and the intonation problems were resolved. I love this guitar. It is more beautiful than the pictures portray it online. It is a beautiful guitar. I tried a few, including a couple PRSes and when I picked up the Epi Lp I made my choice after one strum. It sounded awesome in the store. With the money I saved I bought a MXR prime distortion pedal. The MXR sounds amazing. So I’m happy and definitely would recommend to any buyer who has it in their price range. I did take 700 dollars with me ready to spend but ended up saving money that day. Once again, it looks much much more beautiful in person than online.

[@stevienugnugent9986]

I just purchased one from guitar guitar 🎸 in white I'm hoping it will meet my expectations I've got an Harley Benton telecaster great guitar for the money. I've got a prs se santana nice guitar well made 👌

[@devlinmaguire8074]

I have always liked Epiphone and owned several I still have a Dove acoustic, owned a couple of Dots, but I had a Casino Coupe which was a bit of a dog and needed work never fell in love with it so punted it (after I got it sorted), so yes quality can vary, which is the job of quality control surely

[@stevepelham9010]

Thank you sir! I was tempted to get me one Smokehouse birst but nothing seems to have been improved, still the same peece of crap as my two epis was 10 years back.

[@mikenorman6697]

I think your assessment of the Epiphone guitar was very fair minded. Appreciate what you said about the Haley Benton equivalent. Even if the HB is better set up....IF a more vintage tone is more desirable to someone (it would be to me!) - you'd need to factor in the cost of replacement pickups plus someone to do the work (I'm crap at that kind of thing!). So IF you were to find an Epiphone that was set up decently....that still could be worth the money over the HB if you were after a vintage tone maybe?

[@hixsy]

Well I have the gibson equivalent and to say it played well from the case would be a lie.. Needed a little work setup etc. However I love the guitar and the way it sounds and now plays. Im prepared to put up with the harder work I need to put in because of the sound it throws out its great and with the coil split it's a dream. I've got a harley p90 les paul and that's great but to compare to the way this gibson feels and sounds is a ridiculous comparison the gibbo blows it away. It's was 1300£ and yeah it's defo not 1100£ better but it's is a quality instrument none the less

[@iannicholls7476]

I’ve always been a single coil kinda guy but I’m starting to be drawn by clean humbucking sounds and those were great. It’s a pity about the set up issues.

[@jimmyjames2022]

Only thing that still keeps Epiphone competitive, it's a more affordable 'authentic Gibson house brand', for people that want that Gibson experience. But if a player has to do all the work that John has on this Epi, what's the point of the brand recognition. The neck and fretboard have to be playable, it's a bare minimum. Epi obviously has the market share to throw away to Harley Benton and mid tier brands like Schecter or Godin that offer much better QA/QC. (This isn't the first "meh" review of an Epi I've seen, there's a pattern here.)

[@breevwhyman2985]

John,.....i think i am going nuts....because i could have sworn i heard somebody raving about How good NEW epiphone lines of LP's are.........he was very impressed so i can only imagine he was talking about the models at £700 ish..........HALF THE PRICE OF A GIBBY LP STUDIO i would need to check.......but most reviews of guitars like what you have there are not that great.....

[@PeteAxeShields]

My two penneth, for what it's worth :-) A shame about all the set up work that needed to be done John ( and it should never be sold in that state ) but after you'd tidied it up, you ended up with a lovely looking and lovely sounding guitar at a very reasonable price - so I'd still be tempted to hang onto it if I were you. I get what you are saying about the Harley Benton ( amazing value instruments ) but I love the paint job on this Epiphone and it will always resell a lot better than the HB. I also would struggle to be inspired by it when the Signature guitar is purring away and looking so damned sexy on the wall lol .... all the best John x

[@saleseng]

With the exception of my DC pro which came set up just absolutely fantastic, the issue I see with most of my other Epiphones is the necks ship with little to no relief, maybe have a slight back bow to them..I guess they don’t bother adjusting the truss rod as they leave that up to the customer and their particular region of the world and climate where the guitar is going to end up anyway🤷🏻‍♂️ as far as the nut goes it seems like a lot of those import guitars come with tight nuts that you have to fight against that I don’t know, I just play the hell out of it and stop noticing it at some point I guess😂

[@mentaldk329]

Shame for that coin it needs fret work. Agree, Pick ups sound good. Liked your playing.

[@charlesgrey8651]

With all the sound settings, it gave me shiverings on the spine, Holy Christ, .... They did it right this time, ... well, it's also the player playing this fine plank of wood 🎶👌👍❤👏

[@jeronimomartinezfabregas]

John, you could swap it for a Harley Benton SC-Custom and, if the PUs aren't to your likeing (mine has the LAFs which are the more vintagy of the Roswell humbuckers, yet they can still pack a punch), just put in some of those Vanson Alnico IIs...you'd still be in for way less than that poorly fretted Epiphone...just a suggestion. Grover tuners, graphtech nut, thin satin neck; the only thing is it may be heavy (or not to you, being as big as you are). Though as always, buying budget guitars is always a gamble to some extent.

[@billsedge7360]

Ex demo could also mean someone took it home and brought it back under the return period, maybe they heard all the issues you mentioned and couldn’t fix them, but you’d think The dealer would,!

[@ptalley316]

I love the term”Baltic bitter!”

[@JuHuiChan]

Wow.. i just bought this guitar before few hours...

[@jeefder]

i bought an epi lp standard in 2010,got the usual fret buz,sat in the spare room since then,never buy another one thats for sure

[@njuham]

My epiphone "es-335" studio dot doesn't even come with pickup covers. It's pretty bad, I am tempted to drive down to Middlesbrough and bring to you to auction away for charity.

[@Bocephus69]

This dude sounds like Mrs. Doubtfire. LMAO... Just having a bit of fun John. :D

[@Barbarapape]

Sounds good after you have had to do a full setup and fret levelling. I agree with other comments that i would have sent it back, no wonder that it never sold as a demo guitar, it would have put me off even trying another sample. Clearly Epiphone need to improve their factory quality control before their reputation suffers even further.

[@sgtmac62]

LOLS: "sounds good after"... yepper. Most guitars probably would.

[@OzzyMandias]

Too Bad you got a Old Nag , I had an Epi Zakk Wylde once so I think I know the kind of Beasty it is but I have to say...My Vintage PGM now has the best action of any guitar I've owned, I can't see me getting another Les Paul anytime soon.

[@lordcustard-smythe-smith9153]

I have five Harley Benton guitars. All have perfect fretwork. I also have a 2020 Epiphone Les Paul - same problem you had. Fret buzz requiring a fret level and crown, poor nut, high action. I have since bought Harley Benton's, but not Epiphone ! I don't think you have a 'one off' !

[@D-A-1776]

Mine was perfect out of the box, must have been where you got it from. Seems they sold you a bad one. My local shops have them and they're all perfect

[@nigelpickett2471]

Fret buzz, was it around the 5th fret? That was common amongst the new models. Always found Epi pickups are a little 'dark', see you tomorrow for beers. Stay safe.

[@sgtmac62]

Jon. Played 2 different ones recently. Dull and lifeless compared to my 2008 LP Studio with BB pups. Necks felt goo-ee. Both felt like something was just not right. Disappointed really. Fit and finish both suffered to the cost Epi is asking. You can many a new/used one of these for around $800 US w/case.

[@ruitravanca9059]

Hi, Compare to other Guitar Yamaha AES 620, what is your feedback? M thanks

[@toesoverthenose]

Hey John! Hope you are well. What pedal are you using here?

[@JRobsonGuitar]

I wasn't using a pedal at all. I was recording direct into Reaper with the Positive Grid Bias Amp plugin. You could see the settings on screen 👍

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

Have you ever played a Gibson SG 61 Standard?

[@adriyanmusic]

I believe that is the best les paul for less money, wich is actually looking , sounding and probably feeling good while you are playing

[@cruiserus1]

Hi I would like to know what your opinion is about the epiphone studio but the ones that were made for 1997 in korea are better or the same quality? Thanks

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Never played one, mate. However those Korean Epiphones seem to have a good reputation. I think they came out of the Samick factory which is renowned for building great guitars.

[@zlobert9877]

So you think that the sc-550 II is better than this?

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Yup 👍

[@kmitchell3008]

WAS THIS BEFORE GIBSON STARTED PLEKING ALL GUITARS ?

[@jeefder]

i got an epi in 2010,the standard,what a mess, never going to buy an epi again and yes mine was roughly £400 then

[@derekclacton]

Nice demo John - good sounds but I do wonder what they thought it would demonstrate! With those problems the shop should have returned it not sold it on, or sorted them out first. It’s not as if it was cheap and there’s a reputational issue for both Epiphone and the retailer ...

[@joelcamp5445]

It’s hard not to think, the shop knew the frets were crap, and decided that raising the action was the 10 second bodge job they could be arsed to do. They crossed their fingers and hoped no one would call them on it. Shame because it looks and plays well..

[@berrykrautboy5368]

"Play me, play me, play me..." John, I bet that a pro like you who has signature model at hand will never be friends with a guitar like this. And why should you? From Germany with best regards

[@cruiserus1]

By the serial # said U9712 ( December 1997 Made by Unsung, Korea) Thanks

[@JTrip20]

I’ve had mine for a year now with no issues. That I know of. But wtf do I know

[@JammyGit]

As far as my experience with Epiphones go, I wouldn't say it IS an isolated incident. I bought an Epiphone J200 from Dawson's music shop and dear me, what a bag of cack the fit & finish was. Things like this make me lose confidence in any particular brand, and for my money, I'll never buy another Epiphone again. They're no better than Harley Benton or any other cheap brand of guitar, because in the world of marketing, Epiphone is just another brand.....Albeit not as marketable as Gibson, but marketable nonetheless, moreso than Harley Benton. So that extra £200 premium means you're paying for the Epiphone brand, when in reality, John was correct in saying that Epiphone and Harley Bentons are probably made in the same factory 😆

[@mattgilbert7347]

$350AUD for a used, good condition one of these Epiphones or a new Harley Benton? Whaddya reckon?

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Harley Benton SC550 with the stainless steel frets would be hard to beat.

[@enricodirocco7975]

Why didn't you send it back? 🤔

[@JRobsonGuitar]

I had other projects with deadlines to meet that required this guitar. Sending it back would have delayed things so I did the necessary work to put it right.

[@leftbehind4030]

The fretboard didnt do it for me

[@DrCAS1964]

Hi

[@jrchanning]

The guitar sounded good once you had sorted it out but pretty poor quality control for it to go on sale in that condition by the maker and retailer !!

[@JDKingStratslinger]

Sadly, my experience with Epiphone has been very hit or miss -- with too many misses. I'm happier with a Gretsch, either Electromatic or Streamliner.

[@Kevin.Hearty]

According to Trogly and he reviewed dozens of them, all but one of the 2020 Epiphones he demoed needed the frets levelled, and a full setup after purchase. So your guitar isn't a one off with these problems John, unfortunately. Thank goodness for the likes of you and Trogly who are honest about these problems.

[@650thunderbird]

👍 👍

[@The_Macaroon]

I knew it! Itch scratched get rid. Oh and HB LP copy and pair of Vanson zebras and your laughing.

[@vincentdoyle6987]

Chinese made. Can never trust them to make anything good. The Korean made epiphone LP guitars, especially those from early 2000 to 2005 are as good as any.

[@klauswigsmith]

??? More than 1/2 of the stuff in your house in made in China. Granted my Korean made Epihpone played better than my Chinese made Epiphone out of the box, but once the luthier got a hold of it, this Chinese made Epihpone plays as good as any American made Gibson, however, none of that means the Chinese are incapable of making good stuff. They're just....inconsistent. Sometimes you get gold, sometimes you get lead.

[@brianbrazil4426]

That depends what factory the guitar was made in. There are several great guitar factories in China. Not all of them are bad.

[@darrenj.griffiths9507]

lol Harley Benton. Like there's a comparison

[@MrJabinho]

If you buy a secondhand studio then price is 50% or less.

[@SidBonkers51]

Its unbelievable isnt it, you wouldnt buy anything else for £400 that wouldnt work, would you? Yet Guitar manufacturers and retailers think its perfectly acceptable to sell you an instrument that isnt fit for purpose but theyre happy to charge you another £50/£100 for a set up so you can play it.

[@adrienneraeash3440]

"High gain sounds" lol

[@billsedge7360]

Sell it to me ,☺️

[@aliengrey6052]

I don’t like epiphone guitars at all . Harley Benton are much much better.