I would polish the satin on the Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard Aged Dark Burst

DISCLAIMER: This is not a sponsored video. The guitar was given to me by its owner for a review. This is an honest review and represents my personal opinion.
2020' Epiphone 1959 LP Standard Aged Dark Burst 🌅
As expected - I loved it. The neck profile, the pickups, the hardshell case, everything is great.
One thing bothers me - that "Aged Dark Burst" finish. That was a bit of a surprise for me especially after reviewing the 50s Standard and the 2009 50 Year Anniversary 1959 Limited Edition. I was not expecting satin on a Standard. Especially a Standard that is supposed to be "the closest representation of the Gibson 1959 Standard LP to come out of the Epiphone factory factory in collaboration with the Gibson Custom shop".
I mean, I get it, a lot of people don't like gloss finishes and the satin neck feels great, but I did not expect it on a guitar that is supposed to pay tribute to the real 59'
I was gonna say that the new 59' Epi is the best value for money out of the new Inspired by Gibson Standards but I feel like that finish might be a dealbreaker for a lot of people. It feels off, especially right after I have played a Gibson Custom Shop 1959 Standard Reissue. Epiphone almost got the neck profile and the weight right, but the bridge, pickup spacing and finish totally pull me out of the "True Standard" experience. Good thing the BurstBuckers are there, combined with the CTS pots and Mallory capacitors they provide that nice and creamy sound.
I know that it is too much to ask for but I wish Epiphone would make a limited run of those with a thin Nitro layer 👀 That would make the 59' perfect for me.
P.S. Could it be that Epiphone finished it like that so we can apply our own nitro 👀😅
0:00 Intro
0:34 The 59' Standard
5:23 The Specs
7:08 The Pickups
8:07 Bridge & Tailpiece
9:10 The Finish
10:21 Body & Neck
13:50 Back & Electronics
17:15 The Case
18:26 The Weight
18:52 Tone Demo
21:24 My Thought
Facebook: / georgevguitars
Instagram: / georgevarbanov
Gear used to record this video:
Amp: Diezel VH-4 120W Head
Cab: Diezel 2x12 Vintage 30 Rear Loaded
Mic: Shure SM57, Audio-Technica AT2035
Interface: M-Audio 192/4
Camera: Sony A6400 with Sigma 30mm F1.4 and Iphone 13 Pro Max
Stands: Athletic stand for cab microphone
#epiphone #lespaul #lespaulstandard

[@mortonwilson795]

I have the Cherry Burst - love it. I prefer the satin finish. Beautiful instrument.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah seems to be a 50/50 love/hate thing that finish. I like how it looks on camera, no reflections. 👀

[@losthwy]

Your videos are full of knowledge! Measuring and comparing the pickup difference between the two guitars never occurred to me but ofc such a measurement would profoundly affect playability and the feel of the instrument. Ty for this video!

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

I am glad you like them. Yeah everything is important. It is even more important if you are a skilled player, which I not. :>>

[@capitan_sevilla]

That satin finish + a Heavy Aged relic like those from the Gibson Murhpy Lab, and man, you have a beautiful guitar at a really great price

[@avh9394]

Great review. Great vid, thank you! Gonna check out your Prochecy reviews now. Thanks again!

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

🙏🏻🤟🏻

[@tonyb9864]

I LOVE my '59! Got the cherry sunburst and I love it. Compares VERY well to the Gibby '50 reissue.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Do you like the satin finish

[@poodleguiderpeyes7388]

@@GeorgeVGuitars The satin finish on the neck is so smooth and sleek, I like it! The '59 is a nice guitar at a great price. I enjoy playing it.

[@ptalley316]

Love mine too:)

[@alraymond1618]

Great review. Very thorough!

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

😳

[@aliengrey6052]

Now. I have the dark burst and I love it. Pickups are sublime. Some high frets but that’s it. Nothing a luthier can’t cope with. Weight is 8lb 4 oz and the fit and finish are great. Case is well built. This was a new “ second hand guitar” but the one I purchased new from a well known online shop arrived with a sugar rough finish and poor fittings and very heavy at 9lb 15 oz, and arrived with a broken neck ( I sent it back ) So the QC varies. I wouldn’t complain about the weight as that’s subjective. Get a good one and get it well set up and you’ve got yourself a great guitar. My Gibson les Paul 2021 classic is a brilliant guitar but I do prefer the burst bucker 2 & 3 pickups on the epiphone.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Good point

[@SimonSawal]

I think it’s a very nice guitar. I tries one myself and it was one of the better les pauls i played, more expensive gibson les pauls included. Only thing was that the satin finish looks not so vintage to me. Beside that, the guitar still feels and looks great! 😁

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

You can easily fix the finish situation with some polish

[@eddiemautone209]

😊 I have epiphone Les Paul standard left handed over 12 years it still sounds great made very very well I know I been singing and playing guitar over 50 years I know how to fix them also

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

They are great guitars. 50 years is half a century, hats off.

[@biggesthuckler]

Hey George, your channel is awesome man, keep making videos! Pickups aside, would you pick this over that black edwards elp 130 sig you own? Wondering which one your prefer. Cheers ric.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Thank you. The edwards belongs to a friend and No, absolutely NOT. The edwards wins by far. We are talking about ESP Standard quality here. The epiphone is probably around the LTD 400 series mark.

[@adamwatson6916]

I put custombuckers in 2 of these epi 59s and I have 2 58 custom shop les Paul's reissues and with the same pickups the sound scary close.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Damn, you took out the Custombuckers from an R8 to put in the epis?

[@MultiGoulash]

These guitars are all available for a lot less from most retailers, forget buying direct from Epiphone. These are £729 from numerous guitar shops in the UK

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Good deal

[@alexhernandez6027]

I just polished the top of my dark ages burst and it came out nice I left the back and neck , sides satin it looks good to me

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

I saw the photos, It looks amazing! 🔥🤘🏻

[@guitarbygus]

what did you use!

[@alexhernandez6027]

A 6" buffer and some car polish

[@alexhernandez6027]

@@guitarbygus I could show you a picture but don't know how to send it on you tube

[@guitarbygus]

What about Instagram?

[@senamarcoss]

Hi George, did you like better the Epi Les Paul Custom Inspired by Gibson or Epiphone Les Paul R9 1959 limited Edition?

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

They are too different to compare. I am a Custom guy soooo... 🤣 But the 59 was well built too.

[@cameronduffy8115]

I have the same dark burst but I'm choosing to polish my with the sleeve of my shirt while playing the strings off it 🤪

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Go go go 🤘🏻

[@JuanJaim]

Awesome video! I have one of these on its way, found a crazy deal on a used one and can't wait to compare it to my Standard 50s. Question: what's the name of that tool you used to get the neck profile? The one that takes the shape 😁 I'd like to add that to my tool box!

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Congrats on the good deal, the tool is Contour gauge: www.amazon.com/Contour-VIRIDI-Profile-Duplicator-Irregular/dp/B085ZTXP1R

[@TheBoorkie]

I was hesitating between this one but finally got the epiphone joe bonamassa lazarus les paul instead and i gotta say i thought that satin finish was really good looking and felt super nice! I think i now prefer prefer it to the glossy finish :) Epiphone make really decent guitars for the money 👌🏻

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Man, I wanna try the Lazarus

[@welshman71]

Just picked up a Lazarus, man what a cracking guitar it is. 👌

[@YashVardhanTanwar]

How much of a difference do you feel between Indian Laurel and Rosewood?

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

None, just the looks, and the laurel is a bit les porous

[@doc_matter]

That guitars pickup rings have been replaced with the tall rings

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Maybe

[@bastardsinarms]

I watched both of your reviews on propchecy les paul and this one and honestly I cant decide which one to get, I am a little worried that I might not be able to get a decent les paul for this price range since they are all made in China I guess, maybe I should just go for a mexican strat. What would you suggest?

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Try the regular Les Paul Custom Epi

[@bastardsinarms]

@@GeorgeVGuitars unfortunately its not available where I live

[@aliengrey6052]

Are these burst buckers wax potted?

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

I think i mentioned it somewhere in the video, probably in the pickups section.

[@leagueofotters2774]

GC had a big sale here a last week. I picked up mine for $599 US....I guess it is a no brainer at $400 off.

[@Philmod68]

Yeah same here! Got mine last week with a trade in(Epiphone Les Paul my brother just got me)...wayy worth it.😉👍

[@Zoso981]

I polished the finish on my '59 Epiphone Les Paul, but it still had an "Orange Peel" to it. I've since sold it, I never really bonded with it.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah I know what you mean. Actually my Ebony LP Custom has an orange peel look to it. I think the 59 needs not only polish but a layer of nitro on top of that

[@Zoso981]

@George V Guitars I think you're right. I currently own the LP Standard 50's and the new Adam Jones LP Custom, (which I highly recommend) next purchase will be either the Slash Anaconda burst, or the Jerry Cantrell Wino. I can't decide....

[@Edward1312]

The reason there is a difference in distance between the Epi and the Gibson bridge pick up in relation to the bridge is because one manufacturer is using metric measurements during construction and the other (the Gibson) is using Imperial measurements. Because of this the Epi pickups can never be positioned exactly the same as the Gibson's.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Makes sense

[@TheWGLOVER]

Not really true.

[@Edward1312]

Prove it!

[@jpeterson213]

Is there any chance that you will review a yamaha Revstar standard in future?

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah why not 👀

[@jpeterson213]

@@GeorgeVGuitars just asked😅, thought you would only review Lespauls and signature models...

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

@@jpeterson213 Check the previous videos. There are around 90'guitars until now ;)

[@Mountainrock70]

I put BurstBuckers in the Epi Standard 50’s. Best of all worlds now.

[@willman43]

It comes with Gibson pickups. Does it really need a pickup swap?

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

I would too, not a hige fan of the BurstBuckers

[@CesarGonzalez-hw9dm]

The three way switches aren’t bent, they’re all just mounted at an angle because of the carved top

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

I know that and I am sure that it can be compensated but they don't do it.

[@simmonsjonboy3128]

I got the dark and lemon burst and I polished the satin out of them I couldn't believe they left them satin not just satin it was a sh.. t job of that but man the difference it made they are my babies right beside my silver burst that I chromed out with mirror pick guard

[@garyb1036]

What polish did you use?I bought the lemon burst and thinking about doing it myself

[@oldasrocks9121]

This one or the 50s Standard, prefer one more than the other?

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

This

[@650thunderbird5]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@johnmoua235]

Why such hate on the satin finish?! I could go either way but the satin isn’t bad to me. But like you said there are options for gloss it up. I’m sticking to the satin. Thanks for the video

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

No hate, just not my thing. I could live with it on a Prophecy, but on a 59 it is a bit weird.

[@Hotelguitarplayer]

Hey if you play it enough it buffs itself right out👍I know, I have one lol

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

@@Hotelguitarplayer Nah it doesn't buff evenly.

[@Hotelguitarplayer]

@@GeorgeVGuitars ok George, was just trying to have some fun with it, but your not having any of that lol but I will say with some elbow grease and time and polish they can get pretty glossy!

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

@@Hotelguitarplayer Yeah with some polish it gets shiny evenly. There is an example of that in the video 👀

[@adamwatson6916]

It's not a multiple piece mahogany body it's a 2 piece just like Gibsom USA 50s and 60s standards and the maple cap is alot more then 3 pieces. I have seen one with the veneer removed and it had an 8 price cap.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

2 is also multiple ;)

[@wdeahl]

I think I prefer the 2009 1959 Epi version a bit more, at least between these 2 specimens.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Interesting

[@adamwatson6916]

I like the Burstbuckers but the Gibson custombuckers in the R9 sound alot closer to real 59 PAFs.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Well yeah but they can't afford to put those in the Epiphone

[@mikeb5372]

You played an original 59?

[@andrewbecker3700]

Epiphone does not use any heavier mahogany. It all varies in density and weight. The only difference is the choice pieces get sorted better for Gibson.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Well yeah

[@kennyblackbird5674]

Epiphone use less body wood for their Les Paul models which accounts for the less body wood thickness than a Gibson.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Interesting

[@kennyblackbird5674]

@@GeorgeVGuitars yeah of course. Epiphone Les Paul models look like toys to my naked eyes . I'll give credit to pre teens because some are very smart but when it comes to making guitars you just can't use children to craft guitars!

[@adamwatson6916]

The necks on the epi 59s are not all the same. The shape and measurements are all over the place. Some are .86 at the first Fret and some are .9 are the first. The gibsom R8 and R9s necks are all over the place as well just like the originals. There is no 1 59 neck profile. They were were hand rolled and sanded necks. There are real 59s with thinner necks and some with thicker necks. You can't really play 1 epi 59 and claim they did not get the 59 profile right. You can't do a 1 for 1 comparison with an epi 59 and a gibson R9 and say epi did not get it right because the 2 necks are not the same . The 59 profile can be medium C or it can be more of a soft V ..they were not slim taper and they were not baseball bat necks but they could be anything in . between.

[@0000song0000]

Wish i could go try some then. Is it weird tht the most comfortable LP neck i ever felt (for me) was some Indonesian Epi Special II? It was a 2014, touched it at a pawn shop but did not buy it, because "do i really need a cheaper guitar?" but seriously, it really fit me like a glove 😪

[@duzzrus]

Кому не нравится сатиновая отделка, ведь можно просто полирнуть и будет блестящая)

[@bratskiy.ostrog]

Привет мой друг! Звукосниматели хорошо будут работать в режиме хеви металл??? Спасибо....

[@qwertz12986]

These burstbuckers honestly sound nothing like the Gibson Custom Buckers. too muffled and lacking overtones... Yet great guitar for its price.

[@adamwatson6916]

Epi never said the bridge was a real ABR 1. The idea was to give the bridge a faux ABR 1 look it's the same with a finish. It's faux aged and it's not done the same way as a satin finish

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

What do you mean "never said it was a real ABR-1". It says ABR-1 in the specs, but it is still the Tune-o-Matic Nashville style. The finish is almost identical to satin, whichever way they call it. The whole thing seems like a wordplay from Epiphone.

[@danieloleary4560]

Polished mine

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Looks great, right?

[@danieloleary4560]

looks awesome@@GeorgeVGuitars

[@Edward1312]

There are plenty of us out here who like the Satin finish so dont automatically assume everyone likes the polished finish you prefer.

[@Slash1066]

I have this guitar and I love the satin finish, makes it feel vintage

[@sydguitar99]

But most people prefer gloss so that's why he said that.

[@Edward1312]

@@sydguitar99 Where is the evidence, nothing more than anecdotal in your case.

[@sydguitar99]

@Edward1312 maybe the fact that gloss finish guitars sell more so manufacturers are incentivized to produce more lol. That's hard as evidence as you, people vote with their wallet

[@sydguitar99]

@@Edward1312 people vote with their Wallet, and gloss finish guitars get produced more because they sell more

[@BeeRumblin13]

For $1000 that binding better look right.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah I think so too 🤣

[@SubutaiTuul]

Prefer the satin so personally wont polish mine. Also regarding the neck its pretty close to accurate theres no real 59 neck as that also came in different sizes thanks to gibsons famous incosistencies.. ive seen other reviews where is compared to a 59 where the 59 neck is slighty thinner.. also the Weight varies mine is 3.9kg.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Yeah, true that. I am also guessing the Gibson reissue is different than the actual 59 👀

[@SubutaiTuul]

yea for sure, its like the whole PAF arguement on what a real PAF measured.. even tho those were also wildly different yet people argue over it lol

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

@@SubutaiTuul Thats the thing with Gibsons that I like actually. They are all different. You grab a ESP Kiso Custom - they are all made to perfection... and thats a bit boring for someone who reviews guitars 🤣

[@SubutaiTuul]

@@GeorgeVGuitars Maybach also makes some amazing guitars ive heard. Schecter as well and Eastman, ive been looking at Eastman and Maybach a lot lately. but for sure perfect guitars arent fun to review.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

@@SubutaiTuul Interesting 👀 I gotta check Maybach

[@MyLifEcademy-sr4hy]

Satin beats the inch thick plasti-crap Epiphone uses. I am amazed the Chinese arent pumping out nitro finished guitars given cheap labor and no environmental controls.

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

The new Epis have 1 piece neck and mother of pearl so why not nitro indeed. But I doubt it. Takes a couple of days to apply.

[@paisteplayer1040]

Dont waste your money on a Gibson that likely wont even be this good

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Ok 👀

[@paisteplayer1040]

@@GeorgeVGuitars I have owned hundreds of Gibsons a good epiphone is as good a a typical Gibson

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

@@paisteplayer1040 sure

[@paisteplayer1040]

@@GeorgeVGuitars You are fully entitled to your opinion.. Im sitting surrounded in 25 top shelf guitars from many makes, mostly upper end PRS.. Keep spending 3k on Gibson that isnt any better than a higher end epiphone, that your choice

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

@@paisteplayer1040 cool

[@markwilliamsmusic2987]

2 piece body one piece neck... just sayin' 😅

[@GeorgeVGuitars]

Doubt 👀