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New Epiphone Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar - Ebony

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, Maple Top, Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fretboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Ebony
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Epiphone Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar - Ebony
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Epiphone Tackles Custom Les Paul Design

Since it's grand entrance in the early 1950s, the Les Paul Custom's iconic visual design and sonic versatility have touched the hearts of countless high-profile musicians. Broken down to it's finest components, the Epiphone Les Paul Custom's thoughtful mahogany body construction and maple top bear the sonic and visual resemblance of it's contemporaries, while favoring several period-correct appointments to match the standard of it's mid-century roots. A pair of Gibson's USA-series humbuckers positioned in the neck and bridge cater to several sonic possibilities, from clean rhythm keeping to devious hot-rodded squeals and everywhere in between. Topped off with it's proprietary Tune-o-matic bridge, stopbar tailpiece, and an assemblage of "Tuxedo" inspired upholstery, the Epiphone Les Paul Custom harbors the leverage of Gibson's most iconic 6-string design at an approachable value.

A tribute to classic Gibson design

Sweetwater guitarists have deduced that the historic Les Paul design bears three crucial hallmarks: playability, comfort, and tone. The Epiphone Les Paul Custom's solid maple and mahogany body represents the original model's time-tested tonewood design, developing bold sonics with excellent control and natural sustain. On the neck, the Les Paul Custom's ebony fretboard carries 22 frets at a 24.75-inch scale length, offering a modern playing field with the exceptional navigability that its ancestor was known for. It all comes down to a delicate gloss body finish on top of the Les Paul's classic, ergonomic shape, offering a bounty of comfort in both stage and studio playing situations.

Genuine Gibson humbucker voicing

Intentions to shred crunchy leads and keep clean rhythms can easily be made with the Les Paul Custom's onboard Gibson humbucker combo. With a Gibson USA 498T humbucker in the bridge position, finding the right balance of upper midrange squeal and amplified articulation is a cinch. Likewise, the guitar's Gibson USA 490R in the neck delivers powerful rhythm tone with plenty of room for midrange tonal exploration. Together, the 498T and 490R form an excellent humbucker bond that's attuned to prevent feedback at high levels, making it a perfect sonic option for plenty of genres and play styles.

Dressed to the nines in period-correct regalia

Adhering to its "Tuxedo" aesthetics, the Epiphone Les Paul Custom is fit to the gills with historically accurate appointments, including multi-ply body binding, a classic Gibson-style headstock, and a long tenon set neck joint. The guitar's Graph Tech nut, combined with a proprietary Epiphone Tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece, formulate a consistent playing field while keeping intonation remarkably stable via Grover Rotomatic tuning machines. In terms of it's appearance, the Epiphone Les Paul Custom is a stunner — featuring a healthy mix of antique gold equipage and inlay visuals to keep its vintage roots well within bounds while performing as a true modern instrument.

Epiphone Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar Features:

  • A collaborative Epiphone and Custom Shop take on the one and only Gibson Les Paul Custom
  • Mahogany body and solid maple top provide structurally sound, recognizable playing performance of contemporary Custom models
  • Gloss-finished set mahogany neck with Les Paul Custom profile supplies superior movement around the fretboard
  • 12-inch-radius ebony fingerboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays and Graph Tech nut
  • Gibson USA 498T and USA 490R humbucker pickup combo combines hot alnico-style crunch and modern classic rhythm potential
  • Traditional “Tuxedo” fittings with period-correct long neck tenon, multi-ply binding, and pickguard
  • Gibson Les Paul Custom headstock design with Mother of Pearl Epiphone logo and split inlays
  • Onboard volume and tone knobs with 3-way Switchcraft toggle scour an expanse of possible electric tones
  • Proprietary Epiphone Tune-o-matic bridge with Lock Tone stopbar tailpiece for exceptional support and easier string changes
  • Sightly gold hardware and Grover Rotomatic tuning machines for enhanced reliability and intonation support

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape Les Paul Custom
  • Body Material Mahogany
  • Top Material Maple
  • Body Finish Gloss
  • Color Ebony
  • Neck
  • Neck Material 1-piece Mahogany
  • Neck Shape 50s Rounded Medium C
  • Neck Joint Set Neck
  • Radius 12"
  • Fingerboard Material Ebony
  • Number of Frets 22
  • Scale Length 24.75"
  • Nut Width 1.692"
  • Nut Material GraphTech
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Lock Tone tune-o-matic bridge, Lock Tone stop bar tailpiece
  • Tuners GRover Rotomatic, 18:1
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Gibson USA 490R Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup Gibson USA 498R Humbucker
  • Controls 2 x volume, 2 x tone
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings Gibson, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Hardshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: ECLPCEBGH1

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Much better!

Arrived today! The set up was very good! No high or low frets, no dead spots. Truss rod was set perfectly. I did take the low E nut slot down a millimeter or so but the rest of the nut was cut very well. The frets did have that scratchiness but I put on a podcast and commenced to give the frets a 0000 steel wool polish, followed by a nice shine using Stew Mac polish. The fingerboard needed lemon oil conditioning. I lowered the bridge just a bit ( 1.5 on the low E and 1.25 on the high E) measured from the 12th fret. I must say, the guitar's look and finish are very well done. No issues.. I really like the sound of these pickups! I have a Classic Les Paul with 57 classics. I prefer the sound of this new Epiphone Les Paul Custom in comparison. Normally I play 9-42.. with this guitar however, I restrung with fresh 10's. They feel 'sure footed', stay in tune perfectly and the benefit of easier string bends with 9's is not that much noticeable than the 10's. I have the Kalamazoo headstock Epi Custom also.. It is very nice but the brand new one is a marked improvement. I prefer the neck profile on this new one compared to the older one. My Kalamazoo will soon be on Reverb. The recent increase in the Gibson Custom ($) makes the Epiphone a very close facsimile at a fraction of the cost. The poly finish looks very good and will be much more durable than a nitro finish. The genuine mother of pearl is a beautiful upgrade! I can recommend this purchase based on the one I received today. Thanks Sweetwater for the inspection and fast shipping.
Rated 5/5

Beaut’

Wow! Always wanted a Custom and couldn't justify the cost or weight. This is as good as my Gibson Les Paul Standards, the Gibson pickups on the Epi sing!
I was able to get one about 8lbs and it's perfectly balanced.
Great fit and finish!
Music background: Weekend Warrior
Rated 5/5

Improvements where they count

There's been a lot of angst on social media about Epiphone prices, but let's analyze this logically. Prior to the new "Inpsired by Gibson" line, Epiphone sold a Les Paul Custom in your choice of black or white for $. These new guitars cost 63% more, a pretty dramatic difference. But for those few hundred dollars you get Gibson USA pickups, Switchcraft/CTS/Mallory electronics, mother of pearl inlays in both the headstock and fretboard, and an included hard shell case. Best of all (in my opinion, although I seem to be in the minority) you get a durable, long-lasting poly finish instead of nitro that will wear, crack and yellow with age.

A couple of years ago I bought a Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Custom, the guitar that these Epiphones copy. Comparing it to the Epiphone it had nicer inlays, better pickups, and better electronics but was otherwise virtually identical. With these new models, Epiphone has addressed the only three concerns that matter to me. Your priorities obviously may vary, but for me this is a bargain at less than one fourth the price.

The fretwork is very good on this guitar: no sharp ends, and no grittiness when doing bends or vibrato. The pickups sound great, exactly like a Les Paul should. The finish is exquisite, but the binding may not be quite as good as a Gibson (one would hope they spend more time on it given the price difference). There is a very subtle height difference if you rub your thumb from the back of the neck over the top of the binding; you can't really see it, but you can feel it (barely). People who don't go over their guitars with a microscope, as I do, may not even notice.

The only sour note (again, subjectively) is the mustard yellow interior of the new hard shell case. I would have preferred pretty much any other color. But the case fits well, looks nice on the outside, and has new gold latches compared to the previous Epiphone case.
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