Epiphone Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar - Aged Dark Burst Reviews

I just got this guitar a couple weeks ago and I really like it. I also have the fifties standard and they're both really nice guitars. The main differences are the finishes and pickups. The fifties has a gloss vintage dark burst and epiphone pro bucker pickups which sound great, the 59 has an aged finish and Gibson burstbucker 2 and 3 pickups. They play great, we're well finished and sound really good. I have to send a special thank you to my long time sales guy, James Masterson who has been taking care of me for several years now. He always does a great job for me and I've bought several guitars, an ox box and two Mesa amps. He's a great guy and deserves a five star just for him but these guitars are really nice.
So now they really are a limited edition since the new upgrade pickups are causing a price increase.

I owned a Gibson Les Paul in the 70's and traded it for another guitar, which I regretted years later.
I purchased the Demo model of this guitar last week and it's virtually a clone of my old Gibson.
It arrived securely packaged and it plays exceptional right out of the box. The fretwork is perfect and the action is right where I like it. The only work this will ever need is changing strings. I got lucky when I bought this demo model and saved some money. Sweetwater will have my business in the future! This is an exceptional guitar and I will never part with this keeper!

Epiphone 59 les paul reissue
Everything is great on this guitar action,pickups oil caps gives great tone control. I love this guitar. The price great. Well worth it. If you have a chance to get a new guitar. I recommend you buy this one.

I have two Gibsons that are twice the price and this thing beats them hands down

Normally a Strat guy, I decided I needed more humbuckers in my life and went for this 59 LP. Also, I opted for the PLEK. It showed up and after waiting (almost) 24 hours, I couldn't put it down. All the frets feel great. The neck is as smooth as butter and the fretboard is easy to bend on. The bindings, finish and hardware are beautiful and the case is really nice too! This guitar just sings, man! The tone is way beyond what I was expecting and I know my American Ultra Strat will be a bit jealous with how much I'll play this nee one.

I got my 2021 Epi '59 LP Standard Outfit used in a private sale. I had my eyes on them when they first came out and steadily watched the price go up and kicked myself. Glad I got one for a killer price. I have a Gibson LP which I love but this one is an amazing guitar as well! Def worth the money. Sounds and plays beautifully! It's great to have another LP on stage...oh wait...it's my 3rd one! Haha...I have a 2020 (19?) Epi LP Custom Pro Koa as well! I love all three!!! Excellent build quality!!!

Those burstbuckers sound fantastic, this thing is a hot rode. It's pretty much a standard with all the mods you would do to it come stock. Oh and once you set it up it plays amazing, great action. For a thousand bucks you get a lot, pro level guitar for the studio or stage.

Nice price for a guitar that has about a million positive reviews on YouTube that are honest and declare the striking similarities to the other ones in side by side demos that start around 2000 dollars more.

This guitar is amazing!
Beautiful finish, perfect neck and perfect tone, no b.s.

A good friend of mine owns a real '59 Les Paul and an Epiphone 59 Les Paul with the Faded Southern Finish and says there's no difference in the tone so he uses the Epiphone on tour and doesn't take any chances with losing his real '59. BTW, these guitars are limited edition and will go up in value, wait and see.

As someone who had a cherished Gibson LP traditional a few years back, I'm not easily impressed by many guitars, let's get that out of the way. NOW, I have been wanting another LP guitar as that's truly my home, although I love a good strat, and I came upon this Epiphone. The upgraded electronics and hard case is what sold me on it as that's easily bucks of upgrades, and if I had gotten a stock Epi I would have definitely swapped pickups and switches regardless. Made sense. I had the 'but it's not a Gibson' mentality till it arrived the other day, and after spending my entire Saturday playing it it is PHENOMENAL. The Burstbucker pickups have lots of crunch and clarity, the pots clean up nicely and make it easy to have a clean neck sound with a fully distorted bridge sound all at once, no pedals or channel switching required. Satin finish has a bit more sheen to it than the pictures lead on, the parts feel solid, DEFINTELY a LP as this thing has some weight to it, but I don't mind a heavy slab as that definitely contributes to the sauce this thing has. The thing is set up perfectly thanks to the service Sweetwater provided in doing so - intonation is spot on, action is fantastic, neck is a little dry so I'll be oiling the fretboard when I swap strings next, but overall it's prime. GraphTech nut helps it stay in tune with lots of blues lead work, but I'll also be adding a bit of pencil lead in the nut for some added lubrication. Fret ends ARE in fact a little sharp, but I'm a truck driver and my hands aren't delicate things, so when I'm in the zone playing smooth licks and chords the last thing I notice or care about is 'sharp frets.' POINT IS: it is a FANTASTIC LP for the price. If you have the scratch and are a stickler for 'perfection' then go ahead and get a Gibson cause yes, it is better, that's why it's 3199 lol, but if you are a serious player and you need that LP sound/feel at a reasonable price point, just do it. Don't let the 'it's not a Gibson' mentality get you, cause I know that's why you are reading this review in the first place hahah.

To sum it up: my non-musician girlfriend was listening to me play this through my Blackstar HT1 practice amp, dirty channel riffing some Skynyrd and such, and she stopped me to say: 'THAT sound, that's the sound I remember hearing when my mom would play her old records from the 70s when I was growing up, that just brought me back.' If that doesn't say something then idk what would.

Cheers, and keep rockin \m/

Legit weight, legit tone! Only minor criticism is the fretwork, but leveled and dressed them and it sounds like the video now.

I just got one of these aged dark burst. Burstbuckin' goodness!!! It does it all for me. I still want a tv yellow special but this 59 is so beautiful in sound, I am pleased and
Very nice case too.

I didn't know what to expect when I purchased this guitar online. I knew that Gibson and so I say inspired by Gibson really really up the ante for Epiphone. So I'm happy this guitar is amazing the pickups are Gibson USA burst buckers and really that's the only difference between most Gibson's and epiphones anyway. It sounds and plays reminiscent of the 59 and sounds killer.

Got this about 3 weeks ago (beautifully packed and shipped by SW - thanks Ryan!), busted a string yesterday (it ships with some weird Gibson Britewire strings apparently) and used the string change as an opportunity to do a full set up on it today. Figured I should do a review with some first hand insights gained during setup to help out anyone considering grabbing one. Short answer for those who hate long winded reviews: Get it, you won't regret it for one second!!

Overview: Fit & Finish - Granting that this can't really be considered a "cheap" guitar (except in comparison to it's Gibson brethren) I was quite surprised at its fit and finish right out of the box. Without exaggerating, it was virtually perfect. The only tiny imperfection I could find was a bit of dark top finish slightly overlapping the light binding on the bottom edge of the top. You can only notice it if you look REALLY hard from a very specific angle. Everything else was simply beautifully done. I have a Fender American Ultra Strat that cost well over 2x what this cost, and the Epiphone is every bit as good from a finishing perspective.

Playability - Excellently set up right out of the box. A true joy to play. No buzzing, easy action and I personally love the feel of the somewhat beefy neck and the relatively wide nut width (big hands). I don't know if it has a rolled neck, but the fret edges were smooth as a baby's butt with the exception of a couple way up around the 20th. You need a strong back, it's a big baby, mine came in at 9.49 lbs. If that bothers you, you can definitely find lighter ones. Sustain is excellent. The Gibson Burstbuckers sound great and give plenty of responsiveness and tonal variety. Tuners are firm and confidence inspiring. I personally like the look of the satin finish, although I guess not everyone's a fan.

Setup Observations: Did a full setup today and noted the following -

- Frets were really good. Only 2 were slightly high (8th and 14th) which was fixed with a couple of light taps, otherwise dead level. No sprout whatsoever. Gave them a polish, but there was absolutely no corrosion and just a little very, very minor roughness here and there.

- Neck relief was dead on perfect. I left it at .006" at the 6th fret which is I guess their factory spec (and mine too, haha!).

- Bridge radius was a little off, but it usually is on new guitars I think. Had to file down the low E, G and high E a small bit to get a perfect 12". Fretboard was dead on 12".

- Bridge action was very close to standard spec of .060 for the low E and .050 for high E at the 12th. The low E was perfect, the high E was low (.035) but I raised it to spec with wheel at the saddle. Noted that even with the strings loosened I couldn't turn the wheel by hand - VERY tight. Had to use some mini vice grips to turn it. Maybe it will loosen up a bit with age. At the nut, the action was higher than standard spec (.020 E/A; .018 D/G; .016 B/E) across the board. I think manufacturers do this so there is no buzz out of the box at the first fret. The nut was nice and very cleanly cut so it just took a few passes with files on the nut slots to get it to spec. Still not a hint of buzz.

- Intonation. Everything went very smoothly until intonating, which wasn't bad out of the box, but I wanted to get it perfect. I noticed something odd right away. Maybe it's standard for Epiphones (I've never had one before) - the individual saddle pieces are oriented square side forward for the 3 highest strings and square side toward the tailpiece on the 3 lower strings. It doesn't really matter but the problem I ran into was that the A and the D were flat at the 12th and 17th so I had to shorten the strings but I ran out of room!! After tightening, the saddle pieces on those 2 strings were jammed up against the front stop and the fretted notes were still flat. I did some quick Internet research and saw that you could flip the orientation to give yourself some more room to shorten. All good and dandy, but a royal pain in the a** with the TINY retaining wire holding the saddle pieces in place. Getting that back in place isn't fun. Long story short, all ended well with getting all six strings perfectly intonated at BOTH the 12th and 17th fret. Pretty rare in my (limited) experience. Usually have to compromise a bit.

- Pickup height - This is very personal, but I did notice over the last couple of weeks that the neck pickup seemed a good bit "cooler" than the bridge pickup in terms of volume. Sure enough, when I checked it it was quite low. For now, I raised it to standard spec of 3/32 and it really helped the balance. I'll probably do more tweaking as I get more familiar with the pickups.

This long-winded description probably made it sound like the guitar was a "problem child". Nothing could be farther from the truth. Out of the box it played as well - better to be honest - than almost all of the guitars I've tried. The adjustments are mostly for my own understanding of the guitar and to document the specs for future tweaking. And to give you guys a heads up on things you might want to check if you do buy one. And I think most of us like playing with our guitars even without making music, haha.

All and all, this is a guitar I will happily keep forever. It satisfies my love of the Les Paul sound and character without feeling one iota of "compromise" blues. I can't recommend it highly enough, particularly at its price point (with a sweet little retro (non-travel) case to boot!).

Huge shout out to Sweetwater and Ryan McKowan, my sales rep, who is a great guy and always takes the time to check in and see how things are going with my gear adventures. This was the first time I've bought a guitar online and I was frankly very nervous about it. Guitars are so personal to me, I almost couldn't imagine I was actually doing it. Ended up feeling that even if something did go sideways, I could go to Ryan and SW would do what they could to make it right. Class act all the way.

-

I WAITED ALMOST 5 MONTHS FOR THIS AWESOME INSTRUMENT. MY FRIEND AND GO TO SALES REP GOT THE BALL ROLLING, AND I HAD THE GUITAR SET UP BY ONE OF THE TECHS. AT SWEETWATER. MAN THIS LES PAUL KICKS A#S! I RUN IT THROUGH THE ORANGE RT35 ORANGE CRUSH.And It Will SMOKE MY FRIENDS. THANKS TO ALL THE TOP CLASS SALESMAN INVOLVED IN MY PURCHASE. YOUR SALESMAMSHIP AS USUAL IS 2ND. TO NONE!

Love this guitar, great service playable right out of the box.

I purchased the Epiphone 59 Les Paul because I hoped it would be the closest I could get to a premium Gibson Les Paul for a moderate price. I loved the neck profile and Gibson Burstbucker pickups and believe it more that met my budget Gibson goal. It is a great value so I recommend it to anyone with the same hope. I rate it 5 stars.

Sweetwater's performance was also 5 stars. The guitar and case were well packaged and arrived on time. The guitar was exactly as the photographs but the action was not to my liking, so through conversations and videos Sweetwater technicians helped me adjust the action to better suit my playing. They were polite, professional and interactive checking back often to make sure the guitar was working and that I was satisfied. Unfortunately, the notorious heavy weight of the Les Paul model aggravated an earlier neck injury so I returned it. Again, Chris Jenkins and his associates were quick to respond with a return label and refund. I could not ask for anything better from them. Thank you Chris and associates.

I actually got this as a gift for my brother, and he has been enjoying it greatly. I've played on it a bit. The feel and sound are great, has a good weight, pickups are great too, and with a case! Such a great deal. Don't pass this up.

I struggled between getting this one and the Gibson Les Paul Tribute. I pulled the trigger on this one and I have not been disappointed. This is an incredible guitar for the price. It feels and plays amazing. I actually ordered one and wasn't too thrilled on the top. Easily returned to Sweetwater thanks to their painless return policy. The second one I received was more my style and I just fell in love. I've always been a strat guy, but I just can't put this one down. I'd love to spend $3000 on a Gibson, but for the time being this will be my go to guitar. Don't hesitate if you are on the fence!

Like most who have looked into this guitar, I will openly say that I will likely never be able to afford a true 59 Les Paul. However for the money, this instrument cannot be beat. It sounded incredible right out of the box. It growls from a Marshall like you'd expect, yet can be jazzy if you want it to be. I have owned a Gibson in the past and this is in that league, particularly when you consider the cost. It feels so comfortable in the hands thanks to the satin finish on the neck. It looks absolutely beautiful in dark burst as well. Pictures do not do it justice. I opened the case and literally said "wow" out loud. Shout out to my sales engineer, Nick Graham, as well. He was always able to answer my questions quickly and accurately, and was extremely thorough in making sure I was happy with the guitar every step of the way. For what you get out of it this instrument could be double this price and still be worth it. You will not regret it, and it may just be your favorite one yet.

I cant put it down. This guitar sounds and plays very well. It looks really great too. The aged sunburst gives it that classic look. The other available colors look great too. Kinda want all of them. Great guitar very pleased, I'll be playing this one for a long time.

This is my 3rd Les Paul and it moved straight to the head of the class. My 50's Gold top is close and the Les Paul Standard PlusTop Pro is now going to be for sale. The Plus Top is still a 9 in my book and pretty as hell but the other 2 are more like the originals. I've never used the split coils, that what my strats are for. I only had to tune the 59 up and haven't had to touch it since. Only the G string needed an intonation adjustment and I need to lower the action a 1/16 and she'll be perfect. Love the satin finish on the neck so much the Gold top will get a sanding treatment next. Pots are the best in my collection and the Gibson PAF pickups are bitchen too. It's a keeper for life.

This thing is phenomenal! Close your eyes you wouldn't even know it's an Epiphone.
The quality on this guitar is outstanding plays like a Les Paul should feels like a Les Paul should.
Blends well in the mix especially when using a tube amp such as a Marshall.

Get one you will not be disappointed!

This guitar is phenomenal. The neck is great. I now really see how different guitars can bring out different aspects of your playing. I feel the joy of the big brother Gibson without the cost.

This is one terrific guitar! The feel of the neck, the finish and oh, the sustain! If your quiver lacks a LP and your budget isn't all that Gibsony, this guitar is a great choice. I love mine.

I have been a fan of Epiphone and Gibson guitars for many years. I love my Gibsons but typically I won't take them to open mike nights or to my friends house to jam with the boys. Lately, Epiphone has been making some incredible guitars at astounding prices. I believe the Epiphone Limited Edition 1959 Les Paul Standard is at the top of the Epiphone line. I bought the aged dark burst and it is a looker. I like the fact that you can view the various guitars available and choose the actual guitar you want to order from Sweetwater. My guitar arrived set up to my liking with no issues in fit and finish. This guitar includes Gibson USA pickups, CTS pots, Mallory capacitors, and Switch Craft three way selector switch and output jack, basically, it's a Gibson under the hood. Playability of this guitar is as good as any of my Gibsons and it sounds like a Gibson. I also have the same guitar in the "Lazarus" edition but I like the color of this guitar better. It also comes with a very nice hard shell case. You would have to pay $ more to get a similar Gibson but, this plays better than my Gibsons. The only two things I wish Epiphone would have done differently is go to a rosewood fretboard and a glossy finish, but that doesn't detract that much from this guitar. The bottom line is, this guitar plays and sounds great and at this price, it's a no brainer.

Awesome guitar! Nothing lacking. I played a Gibson 60' reissue and I honestly like the Epiphone better. Maybe that othe guitar was just a dog. But for the $2k difference in price, it shouldn't happen at all. But don't be fooled by the "Limited Edition" thing. It's total BS.

I absolutely love this guitar, and had purchased all the colors. Since I was positive I would always have one of these permanently in my arsenal, I decided to pull out the stops and go for the Plek setup. Unbelievable. If you have been hesitant about springing for the extra cash, it is totally worth it. Dang, my Epiphone 59 plays and sounds better than any of the Gibson Les Paul's I have owned, and I have owned the pricey 58 reissue VOS w the Orange drop capacitors. Thanks Matt Hasek,my sales engineer.

I held off on writing this review for a bit to make sure it wasn't gear acquisition excitement. It wasn't. This is a great guitar. I had considered getting a Gibson, but this costs less than an entry level Gibson, and I wouldn't consider this an entry level guitar. It feels and plays great. Out of the box, the neck was a bit dry, and I didn't like the strings that came with it. After oiling the neck, and throwing on some Elixir electric strings, this thing plays like butter. I was also worried about the neck profile, as I am used to Fender necks, but after a minute or so of playing, I don't even notice the difference. This guitar also has gotten me to play with the volume and tone knobs quite a bit more. On my Fender guitars, I would typically roll off a bit of tone, and always play with the volume at 10. With this there is such a diversity of sound that you can get with just the volume and tone settings. I would highly recommend this guitar if you can get your hands on it.

I've owned cheap guitars and pretty expensive guitars over the years ($). This guitar feels great. It plays great. It sounds great. For the price I was really worried because let's be honest, most $ Gibsons suck, and epiphone isn't the "highest quality" guitar at times, but I really liked how this looked and something told me to just get it. And I'm beyond happy that I did.

I promise you it's worth at least TRYING but I find it hard to believe that you will be dissatisfied. Do yourself a favor. Get one.

Far Out! Love this guitar.mostly an acoustic player but learning electric. Pickups are awesome. Love the sunBurst.

Well worth the wait: beautiful to look at, kickass tones, awesome playability, and of course a perfect set-up job from the Sweetwater folks. Special shout out to my always responsive tech, Ashton V.!

Love it. Neck is definitely chunkier than a 60 slim taper. Once you get used to that though it sounds great, when I'm about to record I find myself using this over my others. Love the finish on it too. Using it tonight again.

Considering the fact that I didn't own a Gibson beyond my Studio model, I knew I had to have this Epiphone. Before I picked it up from Sweetwater, I first had it plekked. I will one day buy a Gibson Les Paul Standard but in the meantime, I'm really glad that I bought this guitar. I love everything about it. It sounds fantastic and the veneer looks great!!!

Finally received this incredible guitar after many months of waiting—- but it was worth it. I have my share of Gibson and Epiphone Les Pauls, but this one is uniquely powerful. It excels at rhythm and leads. Slight minuses for the rhythm pickup being a little less open sounding than a true Gibson '59, and having a matte instead of glossy finish. But overall score retains a 5 star because of great pricing and top notch setup. Again, great job Sweetwater!!!

First of all a big shout out to Matthew for his help with the sale and setup. A big shout out to all who worked on the setup in the shop as well. This is the Les Paul of my dreams given my budget. Had to wait five months for it to arrive but it's well worth the wait. I've had a Gibson in my hands and this guitar has the same feel. Much more substantial than my Les Paul custom pro. A beautiful guitar from the sound and appearance right down to the case. Get one, you won't be disappointed!

I have 5 Gibson Les Pauls, and this one is my favorite to pick up and noodle on. I wish my other LP's had this neck profile. I love it. And, the satin finish on the neck makes it so comfortable to play right out of the box. The truth is that if I had a private luthier build me a Les Paul to this speck ( solid mahogany body, AAA maple cap, pro electronics and parts, etc), it would cost me over 1,000 in parts alone. Epiphone built me one for 799.00. That's the way I look at it. Buy one! You won't be disappointed!

This is a follow up review one i did on 12-9-20 the volume control knob is working perfectly love this guitar.I play this way more than my 2017 les paul classic might sell the classic!

Hello…my thoughts on the Epi '59 Les Paul Dark Burst…
1) Great service by my sales engineer - Riley Koenemann. I contacted Riley early in 2020 when I first heard about the guitar. He got me preordered and close to the front of the line. I'm pretty sure I was part of the first wave released and got mine in August. The guitar was set up great and I haven't had to adjust anything yet. Thanks Riley!
2) The neck is just plain awesome. Instantly felt comfortable and easy to play. It's a great shape and size; no problem with chords or lead playing. Finish is smooth and fast.
3) Pickups sound great. Warm, full sounding clean chords in the rhythm and middle position and biting, soaring lead tones in the bridge position. The volume and tone controls are plenty responsive: 10 is 10, five is five, and so on.
4) Great sustain. From the tuners to the body to the bridge, it all seems solid and good quality. The set neck joint looks flawless to my eye. I'm sure all of this combines to give it that sustain.
5) There are a few flaws, but nothing of any consequence to me. There is a nick in the bass side binding near the first fret and the pickups rings don't quite smoothly contour to the top.
6) I think it's important to remember as nice as this guitar is, it is an Epiphone build and most likely will not rival, say, a USA Gibson LP Standard build. However, give a true nitro finish and it just might. Overall, it's an affordable, cool looking and great sounding guitar that I'd be happy to gig and record with.
Thanks again to Riley and the whole Sweetwater team! Cheers!

Wanted to take a second to thank Nolan my sales engineer who worked hard to get me just what I wanted. This guitar is beautiful and plays great! Thanks Nolan!

Every part of this l.p. Is very good. The price is not bad. I'm impressed that ep I finally got it just right. It is amazing that they can do a good fret job if they want to and they did. Great were a little rough so I took care of it and don't my own set up. Now it is so nice that it plays and sounds like a expensive custom. Very good right out of the nice case, but now it's better than you can imagine I'm so impressed I might get another if I can find it. Don't mess around get one. You will like it. I would not give this one up. Very nice. Thank You Sam Hillman at SWeetwater, the best at what he does.

This thing is amazing. Best playing Les Paul I have ever owned, better than my 2019 Gibson Les Paul High Performsne which is a $3,000.00 guitar. It is the neck carve, which is different that any other Les Paul I have played, and the attention to detail they put into the fingerboard, frets, and setup. Turns out Epiphone really can set up frets properly if they choose to! Seriously though, buy one of these immediately before they are all gone.

I have two now. They are that good.

Adam Taylor from Mount Vernon, Ohio here. I'm a cover and tribute band guitarist who plays more than 70 paid shows a year. This guitar is with me for every single one of them. I have owned real Gibson guitars since I was a teen, having the good fortune of my first brand new Gibson SG standard joining my arsenal when I was a junior in high school. Since then, I've owned multiple more SG's (vintage and modern production), Gibson Les Paul Standard models, a Firebird V and others. That being said, I know the attributes that real Gibsons bring to the player, from the perspective of all the senses.

Although I can tell that it isn't a Gibson LP Standard or Classic, if given the choice between a Gibson Les Paul Special, a Gibson LP Tribute or a Gibson Les Paul Studio, I'd pick this guitar hands down.

I prefer the subtle, controllable and creamy character of the Gibson USA Burstbuckers, over something like the 490 series found in many Gibson Les Pauls that don't have '57 humbuckers or another type of PAF style. They're less harsh on the upper end and easier to control the overdrive integrity if you're playing a lot of 70s pure guitar rock. But, if you want to chug, crank the pre-amp gain and enjoy the ride. They'll certainly get the job done. But to me, the true measure of a guitar's usefulness is how much pure resonance it allows through in a traditional medium and high gain situation, such as that with a classic Marshall.

Any cheap pickup can do heavy, as long as you understand the basics of tone and EQ. But getting a specific and nuanced vintage tone print requires sonic detail and character that a lot of hotter pickups just don't do well.

I LOVE the non-gloss finish. To me, this is a bonus feature that sets this guitar apart from even the other upper-end Epiphones that cost more than it does. The dead giveaway that screams "copy" on non-Gibsons is always a super glossy clear coat. In fact, many of my import LP's gave gotten the Scotch Brite pad on a sander treatment and then swirl and scratch remover, but that's another topic entirely.

The neck on this guitar is thick. At first I wasn't sure how much I liked it, but it has grown on me. The Indian Laurel looks like a much higher quality wood. The Kluson-style tuners behave themselves just fine.

Where I feel like this guitar really shines is with the Graph Tech nut and Tone Pros bridge, coupled with the nice full-size CTS pots and Mallory capacitors. These are all upper-end features. And the best part is, you don't have to worry about it being a huge deal if it gets nicked up or dinged up at a show.

This is the first time in my adult life that I've PROUDLY donned an Epiphone on stage. I'm definitely not making fun of the brand anymore. Unlike many guitar snobs out there, I've become LESS of a cork sniffer with age and experience and I really enjoy making import axes outshine more-expensive counterparts.

Highly recommend! Keep it rockin'!

-AT

This is a great guitar! First and maybe the most important point is, it stays in tune and I have no issues with tuning stability. No Gibson G string blues here! I set it up to my desire. Minor truss rod adjustment, brought the action down, set the intonation, pickup height, and oiled the board. This is all stuff you must learn to do. The pickups and tone are the real deal. All the reviews are spot on. Fantastic tone thru my Princeton and Marshall. The only issue I HAD with this guitar is the crappy satin finish. What group of knuckleheads ever thought this was a good idea! Maybe the bean counters though if the finish was gloss they would take a severe hit on the Gibson line. Well I have a fix to that issue. Buy a bottle of Howard restore a shine and spend some time rubbing. The end result is a nice semi gloss that actually looks closer to an aged played in guitar. I'm super happy with the results. Just look it up on you tube. I am super happy with this guitar and would purchase it again if it was lost or stolen.

I have wanted a 59 reissue for as long as I can remember, but cant let myself spend $7k. This guitar is fantastic and gets me close enough. It feels great, fit and finish is spectacular, the hardware and electronics are top notch.

I always put hipshot tuners and straplocks on my guitars, and this is no exception, other than that, this will remain stock.

The only complaint I have (and I have this with many guitars in this range, except PRS SE) is that the frets are gritty. I did a quick smoothing with fret rubbers, but a proper polish will be needed for this to readch its potential.

I bought two of these guitars a while back, one to be the backup to the other. These guitars sound fantastic, look great and are like butter to play! I highly recommend them. I took a half point off because as mentioned in a couple other reviews, one of the guitars all of a sudden lost volume in the middle of a gig...Not cool. I switched to the identical backup and carried on...The next day I opened the back to check for cold solder joints, test the pots, etc...But couldn't find any issues, other than the wiring was a bit sloppy looking. The guitar was playing fine, like nothing ever happened. So not to waste time troubleshooting an intermittent issue, I decided to replace the entire wiring harness, pots, caps, toggle switch and jack with slightly better components. The Epi's electronic components are name brand, but not sure they're the best these name brand companies offer. I don't want to deter anyone from purchasing this guitar, because I love this model and its now my go to, even over my old Gibson Les Paul Custom...I like the Epi's neck profile a little more and find it easier to play. And sound wise, it's great! Just be aware that you may need to change out some components if your sound all of a sudden fades out. To me it's not a big deal, but I took a half point off for failing on me in the middle of a song during a gig....

What a guitar! I love it! I've only had it a couple of days, but it's everything I expected. It's inspiring me to play even more as I'm exploring it's classic Les Paul tones. It's both well-made and nicely appointed. It's shapely and easy to manhandle with its' violin-like curves. The veneer maple top has a stunning tiger-stripe grain. As advertised, the 59 neck is indeed beefy. it feels like an axe-handle (pun intended). But, it's comfortable, smooth, and physically reminds me that I'm playing a 59-like Les Paul. I wouldn't change it. Tone-wise, it's very versatile. Playing it straight through a quality tube amp (no effects), it delivers everything from warm, round, jazz tones to flat-out throaty honk. It can be clear & crisp, thick & snarly, and fat & full. It's very expressive and has great dynamic range. I think it's an extraordinary value. To me, this Epiphone is the epitome of value. It's likely as close as I'll ever get to owing an actual 59 Les Paul (or reissue). What I didn't get in older tone-woods, I'll make-up with my hands. As the old saying goes, 'A lot of tone issues can be resolved with practice'. Special thanks to Sales Engineer Randy Poteete for telling me about the quality of the Burstbucker 2&3 pickups and procuring the guitar for me. Also, thanks to Assistant Stephanie Snowberger for keeping me informed as to its delivery date. It was worth the wait. Sweetwater rocks and so does this guitar.

Have plenty of guitars and this is my "cheapest" guitar currently in the collection but it keeps getting played still a month after receiving. Great option if you can deal with a logo not saying gibson.

I've been playing this guitar for about two weeks now and all I can say is wow. I just recently traded a Gibson Custom Shop R8 and I wanted something cheaper to replace it. I have to say for the money you can't go wrong with the Ephiphone. It has a great sound with the USA made burstbuckers in it. This guitar stays in tune unlike other Ephiphones I've owned in the past. It has everything you would want in a Gibson without breaking the bank.

For the price point, it's not a bad guitar. Mine needed some fretwork out of the box, but once my tech gave it the once over it plays really nicely. Heavy, as expected, and the satin finish is something different.

Title really says it all. This guitar sounds absolutely amazing. For the price you cannot go wrong for a new guitar. However, when comparing to a Gibson Tribute (especially used) the playability and fit and finish of the Tribute was better to me. It's a very subjective choice.

If you don't compare it to a Gibson this is hands down an essay choice.

This was my first Sweetwater order for starters and the customer service was spot on. The shipment speedy and guitar spot on. Not disappointed with the Sweetwater experience. As far as the 59 Epiphone- I love it, the semi gloss- not soo much. While I feared the veneer- it actually looks karate kicking in person. HUGE thanks to Sweetwater and you'll be emptying my wallet in the near future!

I was very pleased with the fit and finish of this Epiphone. Epiphone has really upped their game over the last few years. Guitar was good out of the box. Playable, no fret buzz. The Gibson USA BurstBuckers do not disappoint. Control knobs are smooth and solid. Switch craft toggle stout and responsive. Now, for my liking it will need a setup. Strings a touch high in the upper resisters for my play style. This is not a critique as every players likes and dislikes are different. Also, when we are bridging the $ range let's be honest, there are other options out there. We've all seen inflation infect our lives. In conclusion, good guitar, plays, looks and sounds good.

I read many reviews mentioning how this guitar was even better than many Gibson Les Paul. I thought it would be a nice upgrade to my Epiphone Les PaulTraditional Pro II, but other than getting a heavier guitar, I don't see much of a difference between those too… except the price tag lol.
Im playing both guitars through a spark amp. Im not sure if this is why both sound similar to me.
I decided just to keep it, but it made me realize how good the Pro II is.

Love the guitar. Only issue I have with it is the nut slots. The string action at the first fret is way to hight. Easy enough to fix with a setup. Not something a beginner should try to adjust.

Ok so this is the first time I've purchased a guitar that I felt was only 90% complete, I had to "finish" the Les Paul myself which isn't necessarily a bad thing , so the great things about this les paul are the electronics, pots, pickups, tuners and the bridge and tail piece seem to be of a higher quality than I'm used to seeing on a Epiphone. So the mat semi-textured finish on the top of the Guitar didn't work for me and from what I've read about this guitar doesn't work for most who purchase it, this is easily remedied with some McGuire's ultimate compound, cut the compound with a little distilled water take the hardware off the body and polish until your desired finish, I took mine to a period correct semi-gloss. Looks fantastic now. The Indian Laurel fret board is not bad as far as feels goes, feels somewhere in between rosewood and ebony, however the color can be lacking and mine was Sahara desert dry, use danish oil ( Walnut ) for color, this will not hurt your fret board in any way along with fret doctor fret oil will give you a good color and condition, this may take 6 applications. The intonation was just ok, I add to adjust mine along with a slight trust rod adjustment. Now one of the impressive things about it was that I didn't have to do a fret leveling job on this, I fully expected that I would have to do one and didn't. The neck angle is also correct to a 59. So where they skipped....the fit and finish and QC were lacking on this guitar. There is a noticeable and tactile seam all the was around the guitar where the binding meets the finish ( this should not be there ) this frets where not dressed, I had to polish the frets and dress the fret ends. I had to snug every screw on the guitar. The neck is NOT a 59 profile neck at all and the head stock is a lot thinner than normal which means a thinner scarf joint where the headstock meets the neck, now this may not be a problem at all we'll see. The nut was loose on mine, I could take it right off, a tiny bit of wood glue fixed this. The pickup rings are not 59 spec as well the bridge pickup ring is too shallow. Opt for the bone nut that sweet water offers as an add on. My 2012 Joe Bonamassa epi Les Paul gold tops fit and finish is superior to this 59 in every way with the same pickups. Can you get a better guitar in this price point? Yes. I can name 10. Can you get a anything close to a 59 Les Paul in this price point? No..lol. Now that I've finished the Les Paul it plays and sounds as good as any Gibson LP I've ever owned.

Features 5 stars
sound 5 stars
playability 5 stars
fit & finish 3 stars
qc 3 stars
period correct 4 stars

This Guitar is the best

This is the third les Paul I have owned in my time. I am really mostly a Strat player. I had owned an epiphone LP plus top and a Gibson traditional. The plus top missed the mark and Gibson although very nice was imbalanced (body was way too heavy) so I sold/traded.

This guitars finish and fit is nearly flawless - only minor details I can find (taping off on the binding was a tad off so stain is on some of the binding. The finish is satin and really has a nice feel (non sticky). I'm not sure if everyone will like it but I don't feel it's hokey or fake looking but at same time I can't say it screams vintage. The flame on the top is matched well and fairly nice for this price range. The pickups are nice and not too brittle or bright. Although you can get decent overdriven tones… I feel harmonics are missing a bit. I like volume roll off a bit with overdrive or gain settings.

The guitar stays in tune amazingly well for my experience… as good as the Gibson traditional did but weighs far less (8.8lbs)

The case is pretty solid and really no complaints there

Now for the things that could be improved.. fretwork was rough. Scratchy frets throughout. It was like they leveled the frets and never smoothed to a polished finish. The nut slots were a bit too tall especially on the low e and a strings. Lastly, the tunomatic bridge with the spring retainer design needs to be replaced. The retaining wire vibrates… this is more than a common complaint… just put a better bridge in.

I decided to keep this one… got the nut and frets done from a luthier. I have also ordered a new bridge.

This guitar was on back order for me for well over a month so kinda felt committed to keep it and make it work. Thanks to Charlie Davis for his help and follow through.

If you are ok spending a bit extra to finish the guitar properly.. I feel it's a good representation of a les Paul… if you are on the fence and the lack of the Gibson logo will eat at you… I would probable look elsewhere.

Really nice guitar came set up perfect out of the box The closest I'll get to a real one sounds fantastic I have a 2017 standard Les Paul but I like this better it just sounds so good get one before they are gone you won't be disappointed my only problem is bridge pick up volume control it does not work I can't turn volume down all the way the volume pot is stuck at full volume not too much of a problem cause I usually keep it all up full anyway I would have sent it back but I don't want to let it go I will probably bring to local tech and send the bill to sweet water they said they would reimburse for the repair What a great company the only place to do Buisness

This guitar looks amazing, sounds great (when it works), and feels as good as my Gibsons. When I first got it I lowered the action, plugged it in, and it sounded awesome. Played it for a couple of hours and was thrilled to get a guitar that played and sounded so good for this price. So why 2 stars? The next time I picked it up and started playing it, something didn't sound quite right. The bridge pickup sounded thin, weak, and the output seemed like it was much lower than it should be. I was using my amp's gain channel and was barely getting any kind of distortion. I thought maybe it was my imagination so I grabbed a couple other guitars and those sounded fine. The neck pickup also sounded fine but whenever I was on the bridge pickup, it sounded and felt dead and lifeless.

Someone suggested that I check the resistance with a multimeter. The BB3 in the bridge should read 8.4K. I checked it and it read zero. I then checked the neck pickup to make sure it wasn't my multimeter and it read 7.4K which is what a BB2 should read. I toggled back to the bridge and it was still at zero. I toggled back and forth a couple of times and suddenly the bridge now read 8.4K. I plugged it in and it sounded perfect again. So I sprayed the pickup selector switch and pots with deoxit and toggled the switch and turned the pots a bunch of times.

Next day I plugged it in and started playing. Everything was fine but about 20 minutes in, the tone suddenly dropped out again, no gain, no bite, output felt super low again. I measured it with the multimeter and it was again reading zero. I toggled the switch back and forth, turned the pots, but nothing worked. I know these have CTS and Switchcraft electronics but my guess is they're using the cheapest ones they can get rather than the higher quality ones on the more expensive guitars. Or just bad soldering.

In a review for one of the other colors someone mentioned experiencing something similar from their bridge pickup (unusually low output, thin sound) and they even swapped out the pickup and the problem was still there. My guess is they had the same bad component mine did, maybe the selector switch or one of the pots.

TLDR; Beautiful guitar, plays great, feels great, excellent neck and frets, but questionable quality electronics or soldering.