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

I was never an Epiphone fan. I bought this on a gamble. I am glad I did. Plays very nice, sounds very nice, and all the reviews about sharp edges on frets may be true but they are smooth and feel great on this one. Did not get plecked either. By far the nicest Epiphone I have played and plays better than some Gibson's I have tried. Is it a Gibson? No. Is a Gibson 59 VOS $ better? Probably not.

The minute I opened the case and actually got it in my hands I had goosebumps. It felt great as I played it the first time. I know I found my go to guitar. Simply love it

I played a 72 Gibson Deluxe from 1972 to 2004 this guitar is absolutely the best Les Paul I've ever played unbelievable sound perfect Nick Sweetwater did such a great job ordered it on Thursday got it on Saturday thanks guys

This is my first guitar after the inexpensive starter kit guitar. The sound and quality difference is amazing. I was nervous about ordering it without trying it first but the 55 point check list was nice and my sales rep Evan was great about explaining everything and getting it shipped out quickly.

This Epiphone is awesome! The Gibson pickups are phenomenal! I think I got some really good pickups in this one. They sound just a little better than my Gibson Les Paul Standard. Love 'em. Thanks Kurt Martin for all your help!

The 59 Epiphone Les Paul was everything I expected but times 10. What an incredibly sounding guitar. I admit the only negative I thought I was going to have was the satin finish. The very second I opened the case and seen this beautiful work of art for the first time was the last time I thought about the satin finish. It's incredibly beautiful. The sounds that come out of this beast is pure awesomeness. If only I could ever do it full justice.

Now about Sweetwater. I have to say that purchasing this guitar through Sweetwater was one of the best buying experiences I've ever had. From the serial number specific photos and choice. To the next day shipping, 55 point inspection, the double boxing, with up to date tracking was second to none. The little touches like being assigned a sales rep for life, who called to see if I had any questions the day it shipped. Imagine that!!! A company that really cares for its customers in this day and age. There were absolutely zero negatives about this entire process. I can't wait to do it all over again.

I've been playing for years, and always wanted a LP. I'm mostly a Fender guy. I've always enjoyed the mexi models and outfitted them to my liking. Never been able to justify spending Gibson money. Unless it's on pedals and amps of course. This LP is unreal. Knocks the Tributes and Studios out of the park in my opinion. I dropped a set of the Mythos PAF's in it and it SINGS. Plus I can beat the hell out of it and not feel guilty, which is a requirement for me. If you're on the fence, buy it.

I have an owned a variety of Les Pauls over the years some Gibsons, some Epiphone. This is by far the nicest sounding Les Paul I have ever played. I was comparing it to a Murphy Lab 1959 the other day and granted looked amazing but this one sounded better. You will not be disappointed. It is one of the nicest guitars on the market at an incredibly low price for what you're getting all Gibson hardware inside and it has the weight that you want.

My first Epiphone and it is a great guitar. I play it all the time and love the playability and the precision with which it is built. Couldn't ask for a better guitar. It's a keeper.

OK let me start out by saying Ryan Gregory from Sweetwater is the absolute BEST!! I have done business with Sweetwater for a number of years now and the experience has ALWAYS been top notch.
Alright onto my review of my Epiphone 59 Aged Dark Cherry Burst.
I have owned it now for several months. And it is my absolute #1. My go to guitar. I own 2 other Epiphone Les Pauls. Slash signature Victoria Goldtop with Slash sig. pickups, and a Pelham Blue Modern. By far the 59 feels better to me. the neck profile is Perfect! the tone from the Gibson probuckers are Amazing. No quality control issues at all this guitar is a beauty. The 3 way switch is precise. The volume knobs and Tone knobs are very responsive. The setup right out of the box was spot on for me. And it was in tune blew my mind. The case was nice could be a little more sturdy. but it was period correct. No sprout on the frets smooth as a whistle. The tuners look Amazing. This thing plays beautifully sounds amazing feels Amazing. Great Job Epiphone! Great Job Ryan Gregory and all the people at Sweetwater!! Thank you!

This guitar has gone to the head of the class for me! Sound, Feel and looks, it has it all! I am now an Epiphone Buyer only. Thanks Sweetwater!

If you're thinking about getting this guitar, go for it! Great quality. Sound is excellent! And with Sweetwater's inspection process, you can't go wrong.

Love this guitar. Intonation is good and it's comfortable to play. Gigged with it a couple of times and it's a keeper

Love to play this guitar and sounds great , thanks to Zack and Sweetwater for great service as always

I have been wanting a Les Paul cherry burst color for many years, and this a great looking, sounding, and playing guitar! The day after I placed my order Adam, one of their sales engineers, called to tell me the guitar I ordered was on back order, and it could weeks before it was in stock again. The next day Adam called to tell me he had some of the guitar color I ordered in. He emailed and texts me pics to pick the color I liked best. He got the guitar shipped out that day. My guitar arrived missing the toggle switch tip, but after a follow up with Adam that is being sent to me. If you're looking for a great guitar this is what you are looking for. Exceptional customer service! I will definitely do more business with them in the future.

First let me say I very impressed with this guitar. As a former student at Berklee Collage of music with a Bachelor's degree in guitar I have played different guitars and also have a few Gibson's in the past. I have several Epiphones from a custom and a pro top plus Les Paul but by far this is the best one in my collection as it were. Works great with the stomp boxes. I will agree with what someone had said I seen that if you changed the head stock and a few components you have a Gibson. I love the feel of it and the tonality qualities of this guitar. It is the second closest thing to a real 59 and the only other 2 things is a real 59( who can afford $250,000.00 for a guitar?) and the Gibson VOS 59.
This is now my number one Les Paul. I love how Sweetwater has it set up to play right out of the box. The only thing for me is ,mind you this is ones preference is I will change the strings to Earnie Ball 10s .To anyone who wishes to own a Les Paul ( on a budget)I highly recommend this one. You will not be disappointed.

I wish to say a special thanks to Chris Arnold who is a awesome sales associate. He knows his stuff and any time I call him and he is not able to get to the phone he calls me back as soon as possible. Great Guy! He sincerely cares about helping you and making sure you get what is right for you. If he does not have the answers he will find it out for you and get back with you asp. Too be honest I would not want to deal with anyone else.

I have delt with other music suppliers in the past but my last two major purchase's have been with Chris at Sweetwater and from now on this is my go to store for any musical stuff I may need.+

I am blown away by this guitar. I had sweetwater PLEK it and set it up. Shout out sales engineer Lucas Payson, he always takes care of me. This guitar is incredible. Looks amazing in person, plays incredible. Sound is HUGE. Something about the epiphone brand I actually prefer to Gibson. Get this plek'd and you've got the ultimate Les Paul.

Let me start by saying I own some high-end Gibson CS LP's, but I got this as a gift as my family knew my first guitar was an Epiphone. Out of the box, the finish is nice, everything was perfect except the top of the frets, they were smooth and not sharp on the sides though. Not even a blemish on the finish. The case was kind of plastic-ey on the outside but still better than nothing (or a gig bag) the interior was really nice and soft. I opened it up and verified it did have all the correct pots, switches, and pickups. When I tuned it up and played it I noticed the frets were gritty on the top, making string bending difficult. I immediately went to the store, got some new NYXL strings, 1500 grit sandpaper, 00 steel wool, fret polish and blue masking tape. I spent an hour doing a setup and sanding and polishing the frets. Slapped the new strings on, did a setup, and OH MY GOD. This thing was playing & sounding AMAZING! I hate to say it, but it plays and sounds just as good as my 2.7k Gibson LP Standard. I'm still in shock at how good this guitar really is after just a little bit of work by me. Had I purchased this myself, I would not be disappointed. I've been playing this guitar every day now. I will still give it 5 stars just because I am that impressed regardless of the fret tops. Buy one, set it up and don't look back! - I may even buy one in another color!

I bought 4 of Bonamassa Les Paul and 4 59 standard with case Les Paul. All the Bonamassa guitars looked ok not AAAA veneer any of them and they looked better then pictures of anything I have seen none had the sound or playability of the standard 59 with case satin Les Paul guitars. The Bonamassa Les Paul guitars felt and played like crap compared to all the in each color of the $ 59 Standard Les Paul guitars. I sent back all the Bonamassa guitars and kept every 59 standard's. It wasn't even close considering the Bonamassa was more expensive by $ and the hype. Rather have a AAA carved top. Than a carved top with AAAA not really veneer. The standard is gorgeous better neck better fret job. Bonamassa is a good looking guitar but you know it's a complete fantasy guitar and plays as if. They have the worth of the two types completely backward. Hope no one pays more than $ to find out they just got a hurried make of a guitar that can't compete with the incredible made standard. Regardless which kind you get you will have to take the time to round the fret ends a little bit to bring it to perfect. I would go with kluson tuners though the I was surprised how much better the Epiphone tuners have gotten but still. I'm sure someone got a good Bonamassa somewhere but not me from 4 different stores bought all on the same day. If they were so great people wouldn't be selling them even to make a couple hundred bucks. No matter what a guitar that plays that good you will keep. Proof is all over everywhere. Beware of the hype of Bonamassa compared to standard's. The are both China made Les Paul guitars but the standard feels as if Nashville really touched them and more.

So, I have had this guitar for over 6 months now. The guitar sits on a stand, and the case sits vacant in an out of the way place. After febreezing and spraying it with Lysol I though I had gotten rid of the stench - but NOPE! It is still there. I am still trying to get rid of the rotten fish stench.

I ordered this guitar from my 'Friend,' (SW was always out of stock) and I should have sent it back. I assumed all the cases smell bad. Last week I was in a local Mom and Pop guitar shop and they had two of these guitars with cases. Looking like a weirdo, I stuck my head in the cases and they had no smell of any kind.

So, if you get one and the case smells like the dumpster behind a seafood restaurant - send it back right away.

Guitar is still greats

At one point during the wait for this guitar, I'd seen footage of the backed-up cargo ships off our SoCal ports, and I emailed my Sweetwater Tech, Stephen Oppenheim, saying I thought I knew where our Les Pauls were...
Yeah, it was a bit of a wait, but well worth it! I've been an Epiphone fan for years, and they've typically been just a pickup/electronics swap-out away from standing shoulder to shoulder with their Gibson counterparts; I've found them to be perfectly serviceable, well made guitars. Epi's new "Inspired By" line of guitars takes that quality to the next level. I now have 3 of them; an ES335 Traditional, an SG Classic (with P-90s), and now this '59 Les Paul reissue, and out of the box I'd stand any of them up against their pricier cousins.
Fit and finish on this LP was impeccable, and Sweetwater Guitar Techs Alex T. and Donovan T., did a great job in their inspection and set-up, all I had to do was tune it up. Spot-on intonation, no dead spots, no buzzes, no sharp fret ends. No overspray or glue goofs, and I love the aged gloss finish. The neck has that 50s girth without being too clubby, and that aged gloss finish (I'd call it a satin finish) makes the neck feel like a well-worn old friend. I have an Epi 1960 re-issue that's a good guitar, but it's a 12 pounder! At nearly 9 lbs, this is no bantam-weight guitar, but with a good strap (I prefer Franklin) you can play a show without requiring back surgery the following day.
Tone? Well, I used to be a huge fan of Gibson '57 Classic pickups (they're on my '60 re-issue, and were a factor in its purchase) but this guitar changed my mind. I've found these Burst-buckers to be amazingly tonally diverse. The bridge pickup, with a little compression and a smidge of grit, will get you into Brad Paisley chicken-pickin' territory (We don't need no stinkin' Teles!). Crank up the overdrive and channel your inner Jimmy Page. From Mark Nopfler to Duane and Dickey, from Bloomfield to Neal Schon and Joe Bonamassa, all those tasty LP tones are here. (And at a price that would allow you to grab one of the stellar "Inspired By" acoustic guitars, too, and still be well under what a Gibson LP Standard '50s will run you.) In all seriousness, if you're looking for a Les Paul that won't break the bank or cause a divorce, don't let a bit of a wait deter you, this might be just what you're looking for. It sure was for me!
Kudos to Epiphone, I think Lester Polsfuss would be proud of this one!
And thanks to the good folks at Sweetwater - Stephen Oppenheim, and Guitar Techs Alex and Donovan - for making this happen!

I can't put this guitar down. It not only sounds amazing it's extremely comfortable to play. I have a 73 Gibson Les Paul Custom loaded with 490s and this guitar holds it's own compared to that. Over the last few years I have become an Epiphone fan. Epiphone is producing high quality guitars at affordable prices.

Was looking for a Les Paul to learn with and was looking for quality as well as a middle price point without going $1K+ and this '59 Tribute Epiphone is more than I asked for. Tuned out of the box with this excellent hard case to come with. Highly recommend! Thanks to Brook at Sweetwater for solid communication and quick deliver once in stock.

I have 4 epiphone standards that I like to use all have Seymore Duncan pickups and redone electronics and pots switches jacks etc .But from the time I got this one ,I knew it will stay as it comes.Great job guys.After letting it get acclimated as suggested, I plugged her in and ripped into communication breakdown Sounded awesome Great guitar guys and clean sounded awesome too.Get em while u can .

I really like this guitar. I do not usually write reviews, and I always think there are too many five star ratings… but in my humble opinion this guitar earns the five stars. There are those who are impossible to please - and I suppose for those people I could understand going down to a three star review, but for my money, it is five stars all the way.

When I was a high school kid and me and all my warped little posse of friends played guitar there were two distinct camps: those who had a MIM Stratocaster (or the like),and those who had some sort of Epiphone Les Paul (or some sort of knock off). I guess I fell into the later category because I played a Hamer Slammer Eclipse for years. Eventually I got a Danelectro 56 U-2 reissue and a MIM Strat, and then I started to think single coil pickups were the sound for me. I have always loved the Beatles, and when I finally got my hands on an Epiphone Casino I thought that was my forever guitar.

Over time, the Casino stayed my favorite guitar ( like Sir Paul said 'if I could only have one…') but my collection grew. I picked up a 2003 Gibson SG special in cherry red with Seymore Duncan 58 pickups, and I really liked it. I got back into the fat sustain and grind of humbuckers. I had grown to love Epiphone (I have four, now five) and I started to look for an afordable LP style guitar. As much as I love Epiphones, the ugly headstock on their solid bodies was a dealbreaker for me. I was leaning towards a Guild Bluesbird with Seymore Duncan pickups, when Epiphone changed their headstock for the better and released the 59 Les Paul. The Epiphone 59 had USA Burstbucker pickups, a hard shell case, and the matte finish (the Guild just looked so dipped in plastic…) that I thought "What the heck?," and took a chance. It was also $ less than the Bluesbird, and came with a hard shell case.

I am glad I did, because the guitar looks and sounds fantastic. I cannot find an issue with the fit and finish (although I am sure if I got out a jeweler's loop and was determined to find one I could), and the sound is fat and harmonically rich and sustains for days. After a $ set up and a fresh set of Ernie Ball 10s it plays and feels great too. It does everything you want a Les Paul to do, and it costs $ less than the cheapest Gibson LP.

I will say that the hard shell case, although looking great, absolutely stank like rotten fish. It was so bad that the guitar even stank after I let it sit in the case overnight. I left the case open in the garage and sprayed it with frebreezre 3-4 times a day for a month and it finally stopped stinking. It was really, really bad. I do not know what the deal with the case was, but it absolutely reeked.

In conclusion, this is a fantastic Les Paul guitar for the people. It is worth more than twice the price, and it costs less than a third of what a Gibson Les Paul Standard costs. I am telling you, get one while you can, and tell any guitar snob who
gives you a hard time for playing a Chinese Epiphone to piss off.

I ain't even got it yet, but I bet it's gonna be awesome. First guitar I've ever bought "site unseen." They're gonna plek my frets and put a bone nut on it! Keaton is my Sweetwater rep. I bet he's a player. Very cool and professional guy. He knows guitars! He knows what I'm looking for. He's a young guy, I'm 63, I think we're on the same page. He was digging my "Clash" sticker on my '63 Tele!

After years of trying to find an affordable Les Paul I am completely happy with, I have found it. I went thru bare bones Gibson studio satins, an Epiphone Tribute plus and an Epiphone standard I upgraded, but none were what I was wanting. While they were all great guitars in their own right, I felt that something was missing. I couldn't justify spending the amount of money on a higher end Gibson let alone a custom shop model so as soon as I saw the Epiphone 1959 I was sold. After watching as many videos on it as I could, I put in my order on the Sweetwater website even though they were out of stock. Andrew called the next day to confirm I knew it would be a few weeks before they got it. He gave me an estimated timetable and followed up a couple times before the guitar shipped. Top notch customer service! The guitar arrived around the estimated time, nicely packed and with the proper and good advice to let it acclimate 24 hours before opening due to the change in temperatures (guitar arrived mid January). I patiently waited until the next afternoon before unboxing. The guitar was securely packed and the inspection card revealed everything was good. The guitar is beautiful! It was in tune out of the case and played great. It feels better than the the other Epiphones I've played. The neck is thicker and feels good to play. I plugged it in to my little Fender Champ tube amp and was blown away. The sustain! I switched on my Big Muff and Carbon Copy pedals and wow!!! Pure rock. I dialed in some more traditional blues tones on my Boss ME 25 and continued to be amazed. The cleans are crystal clear, and I love the classic Les Paul tones I can get. I am very happy with everything about this guitar. The value at this price point is exceptional. It has everything I wanted from the Gibson pickups to the hardshell case. Great guitar and a great experience with Andrew and Sweetwater!!!

After a couple weeks of playing, I am absolutely in love with this guitar. Everything that makes a guitar great is here. It looks gorgeous, it has perfect fit and finish (zero bleeding into the binding which is common on Epiphones), the high quality electronics/pots/switch, and the super-slinky string tension. If you are contemplating picking one of these up, go for it. I promise you won't regret it.

Note: I did have Sweetwater set-up the guitar and they did a great job. The intonation is perfect and the action is butter. Again, I have nothing negative to say about this guitar.

I simply can't emphasize enough just how great this guitar is ! I read the reviews and talked to musicians that I know, so I was fortunate enough to get this Honey of a Guitar a bit sooner than expected Thanks exclusively to Jared Kalish at Sweetwater Music ! I can't remember EVER getting an axe this good, at the price it sells for, with all of the top notch electronics and gorgeous finish , plus a hard shell factory case! Epiphone has stepped up in a huge way!! And I LOVE the neck and the set up that was done by Sweetwater, is just freakin perfect, I'm a player of 50+ years and have owned MANY Les Paul guitars that don't even come close to this one! So, get one while they last Brother's and Sisters because they are TRULY awesome in every way. Five Stars for my rating, and a big smile as I start figuring out what stuff I can sell so I can buy a few more of them!! Lol! And I'm serious Folks! WooHoo !!

Ditto on all the excellent reviews by folks here. They are spot on the details. It's really an incredible value. Rock solid fun guitar to play acoustic or all rigged up as you like. For me it does not replace my other Gibson LPs at all, but rather it sits right next to them entirely on it's own as a unique and super cool instrument. Amazing quality job by Epiphone and the Gibson Custom Shop. Thank you! And after all, one can never have too many guitars and you won't regret getting one of these sweethearts, ever.

This is not a second rate copy of a Les Paul, this is truly a Les Paul in every sense. If you're not sure about whether or not you'll like the neck, maybe the following will help. This guitar is very close in weight and feel to my 2018 Gibson Traditional. It weighs in at 9.66 lbs That's 0.1 lbs heavier than my Traditional. The neck width is identical to my Traditional at the nut, 1st Fret, 5th fret, and 12th fret. The neck thickness is identical to my Traditional at the first and 12th fret but 0.1 inches thicker at the 5th. So if you want a Les Paul Traditional with Burstbucker 2&3 rather than 1&2, this guitar was made for you. Also, if you like to judge a guitar by how it sounds unplugged this guitar will definately "resonate" with you. (See what I did there?) It has more "acoustical-ness" than my Traditional. Thank you to Dontae Harris and all the Sweetwater Staff for always taking special care of me. God Bless!!!

I have been keeping my eye on this model all year ever since NAMM 2020. I inquired about it with my Sweetwater rep Joel before there was ever a listing for it online. After waiting for some time for the "right one" to come in, I was able to get this one in before Christmas.

As someone who has owned Les Pauls from Gibson, Gibson Historic, Epiphone, and a variety of Les Paul replicas from Japanese makers like Tokai, Crews, and Edwards, this 1959 Limited Edition model is probably the value winner out of all that I've ever owned.

The playability, sound, and finish are all top notch. While not quite as "rock solid" in feel as a Gibson, it also doesn't seem like an Epiphone either (which in the past felt plasticky and not very Gibson-like). The binding work alone makes this look more expensive than it was.

Little touches like the Switchcraft pickup switch (short stem like a Gibson rather than long stem like other Epiphone models) are something I take notice of. The guts (electronics) of the guitar are Gibson as are the Burstbucker pickups. The pickups themselves have wonderful clarity and great tone, but are not as high output like some may want (but accurate to a true '59). But you still get crunchy chording, clear harmonics, and juicy leads out of this. Very rewarding guitar sound wise.

The color of the finish might be the only "con" I have, as the cherry sunburst is a bit brighter than I expected. But the dull satin aspect of the finish balances that out. It feels similar to a VOS nitro but obviously not on that level. But still so much nicer than the typical poly finish of other Epiphones. I'm reminded of the faux nitro finish of Edwards E-LP models I've owned before.

This is a very "lively", resonant guitar that really makes it so much more enjoyable to play. Again, not to make the comparison overkill, but definitely not like past Epiphones I've had before than were in no way acoustically loud unplugged or felt vibrations through the neck.

Speaking of the neck, the neck profile is nice. For my taste, it could be even fatter, but the profile itself it true to a '59 model. I also found it a bit thicker than the Epiphone 50's Standard. This is certainly not like my R7, but it's no Slim Taper for sure.

I couldn't recommend this model more. These WILL sell out quickly but if Epiphone (Gibson) is smart they will continue down this road of making more "historic", high-spec models. I believe they should go more "mid-tier" because this guitar looks/feels/sounds better than entry level Gibsons.

For me, this guitar means I can keep my more collector guitars put away most days while having fun with this one.

Last but not least, the hardshell case that it comes with is really nice. It's a Lifton style case with aged hardware and pink velvet lining. For it to come included with the guitar, all for just north of $... makes this an incredible bargain.

Again, my Sweetwater rep Joel made this an easy purchase with great communication during the entire process. Customer service still is Sweetwater's advantage over their competitors.

I can't express how well this first looks, plays, and sounds. I had to change strings to my choice and intonate for the change of strings, and wow. I've owned many Gibson Les Paul guitars, this one is awesome. Big shout out to Shawn Fitzgerald for securing this for me. He went advice and beyond with communications.

Like Tim in the previous review the minute I saw Andertons NAMM video. I went on the hunt, Ordered it here at Sweetwater and waited, I was very well worth the wait. I have 4 Gibson Les Pauls (2 studios, 1 standard, and 1 Custom shop Historic) this one I would rank between my standard and my custom,
absolutely a great guitar, plays great right out of the box, Stays in tune even after not being played for a few days. You will not find a better guitar at this price point. They should charge more in my opinion. If you get one you will not be disappointed. I just ordered myself another one in Honeyburst. One simply does not have too many guitars.

When Anderton's demoed these during Winter NAMM 2020, I scoured the Internet for more information. Anderton's confirmed some stuff too early and I was hooked. Finally, they were available on Sweetwater and I got in touch with my rep, Mike. Put that preorder in. Months later, it arrived. I bought the Aged Dark Burst. It's perfect. I still can't believe it's not made in America. The build quality is excellent. The neck is very comfortable to me. The Burst Bucker pickups are nice and articulate. The case is gorgeous too. Indian Laurel board is very nice. Wish they'd have gotten Rosewood but no big deal. I don't think it affects tones much.

I had an American Gibson SG (2010) and an American Gibson Les Paul Traditional (2014). They didn't get played (I'm mostly a Strat guy). I ended up trading both of those for a PRS. But there is nothing quite as warm or rich as a Les Paul, and I wanted that tone back in my arsenal. I didn't want to give 3 grand back to Gibson, but when I found out this model had the same USA made electronics that my Gibson Les Paul had, I decided to try this one out. I had Sweetwater do a setup and upgrade the nut right off the bat. When I got it, I pugged it into my PRS HRDX 20... and just blown away. Yep. That's the rich Les Paul tone. It sounds as good and plays as well as the Gibson that got away, at 1/3 the price. It's a great guitar. Not "for the price". It's a great guitar, and if you don't care about resale (meaning, you only care about the musical instrument), this as good as my Gibson was. If they were the same price, this is equal in all regards, but Sweetwater's setup makes it feel even better.

First, Nich and Lauren did a GREAT during the Black Friday sale! I'm sure it was pure mayhem and they never missed a beat. This guitar is everything i've wanted without a huge expense. Sounds great. Finish is awesome. Just wish they had spent more time on the nut, not their best work. But other than that it really looks and sounds good.

For the sake of the review, I will leave out what a mess the "launch" for this guitar was. I will say that my sales engineer Josh Lively was super helpful and patient throughout the process of ordering and getting this guitar which took almost 4 months. It arrived in prefect condition and played amazingly. I have had one issue with a high fret but nothing that can't be fixed. The value included with this guitar alone is insane. A good hard shell case, Gibson pick ups, CTS & Switchcraft electronics for only $...? I almost bought two of them. It has that good Les Paul crunch everyone is after and a beautiful finish. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a nice Les Paul.

I wanted a new Epiphone Les Paul this year but none really appealed to me until this neck profile sparked my interest? Burstbucker 2&3 pups and lifton style hardcase sealed the deal for me! My luthier said it sounds and plays better than many LPs costing thousands more! Get em while thier hot! It's money well spent.

Looks great, plays well, doesn't need a setup. I will replace the pots with mojotone pots. The cts pots are just not responsive. Also will need a new toggle switch. Mine is extremely stiff. Frets are perfect, no sharp edges at all.
In all, I love my '59!

Beautiful finish and playability. I might be considered a pariah for this, but I have started to mod it. Swapped in locking machine heads for tuning, and looking at swapping out pups for Duncan's or Barenuckle. There just isn't enough oomph for me sonically. I want something that will produce tones from Cooper to Bad Co, Moby to 4 Non Blondes, and even some Evenescence. Great foundation for customizing.

Have owned a few (all sold last year) Epiphone "inspired by" type LP's. The best was a 55 Custom with a custom shop - style Pink Interior case. This latest 59 style LP is approaching Gibson specs and has the pink case (good).

But...the thing I did not like with this model was the rough fret finishing. Perhaps that is not considered bad by some, but if you claim quality is "good as", then that one did not meet the grade.

You can find plenty of good reviews for this guitar, but nothing regarding the downsides. So I'll just cover a few here for some balance in the reviews. As a reference, I basically only shop in the $600-$1600 price range.
1) Pots are very stiff. I'm going to have to swap out the volume pots for sure.
2) Strap buttons are still the cheapo Epiphone version, not the Gibson version. They work fine however.
3) Pick guard creaks a lot if you play using it to stabilize your hand.
4) Case feels very light and cheap as do the latches. The plush interior is a very light shade of pink.
5) Figured veneer top is faint and not well defined. It may as well be a blurry photo.
6) High stiff action direct from the Epiphone. I dropped mine down to 4/64th after installing 009 gauge strings.
---That being said, it's still worth $... as it plays and sounds great. The matte finish looks quite good too. The Indian laurel fret board is nothing to brag about but hey, at least it's a real piece of wood. I don't care about the case, I use padded cases nowadays anyway. I guess my only real disappointments are the pots and the veneer.