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Epiphone Les paul Special II

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(@alexduller)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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Topic starter  

Hi all (not sure if this post is in the right section). Basically I want to buy a guitar for around £150 with humbucker pickups. I was having a look in SoundControl and the epiphone les paul special II caught my eye. I tried it and was impressed with the sound. I was wondering whether anyone has had any long term experience with it or if there are any good alternatives that would be worth taking a look at.

Thanks
Alex :D

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 Nils
(@nils)
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Joined: 20 years ago
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Hi all (not sure if this post is in the right section). Basically I want to buy a guitar for around £150 with humbucker pickups. I was having a look in SoundControl and the epiphone les paul special II caught my eye. I tried it and was impressed with the sound. I was wondering whether anyone has had any long term experience with it or if there are any good alternatives that would be worth taking a look at.

Thanks
Alex :D
I just sold one of them and enjoyed it for the time I had it. Overall it is not bad for the price. Check Ebay since they tend to turn over a lot as people grow and want a better LP.

There has been a lot of good feedback on the ones at Rondo which are in a similar price range.

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(@dogbite)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 6348
 

I played one a while back. it was my back up guitar.
I felt the guitar was very playable. the frets were easy, the neck was soft and fast. must have been the scale length.
it's weight was easy on the back. a girlfriend loved playing it as it suited her frame. if you are a truck driver then dont get that guitar, biut if you are normal or average sized it would be a good match.

the finish was beautiful. all mahogany in trans back.
the tuners seemed ok. never had a problem. the switch could have been better. dispite my cleaning and care it popped every now and then.

the humbuckers I did not like. I know I am a died in the wool single coil man, but have a good ear and am open to the humbucker sound.
those pickups had no character. they were mushy. true the neck and bridge pups had different sounds. the bridge was nice and open and warm for jazzy tones. the bridge was trebely, but as a whole the sound wasnt distinct. it was mushy.

a simple pup upgrade and better switch would make the guitar very nice to start out on.
I would believe that you would out grow it. there is little resale advantage on these.
in fact, I gave it away to a young starter who had no money. he loves the guitar. plays through a Rolland.

he said he resoldered the switch and it doesnt pop as loud now.

my two pence.

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(@alexduller)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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Topic starter  

Thanks for the advice :) I think I'll probs go for it now and then I can always upgrade the pickups in teh future.

Alex

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(@metallicaman)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 312
 

Hey alex, I have had a black epiphone special II for about 7 months. Its a pretty good guitar for beginners and has good sound for the price!! :D

Sing Me A Song Your a Singer, Do me a wrong, your a bringer of evil. - Dio


   
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(@ricochet)
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Joined: 21 years ago
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I've had one for about 4 years. Mine was in fact a factory second that the Gibson repair shop had refurbished. Don't know what was originally wrong with it, they fixed it right. It came perfectly set up as a shredder's guitar with low action and strung with 8s. I actually played slide on it that way for about 2 months, which taught me a lot about slide control. I put a set of 12s on it, tuned it to Open E and let the action rise, not adjusting the truss rod. Perfect for bottleneck playing. It's been strung that way for nearly 4 years now, never having a problem. It's a great sounding guitar, very playable. The only fault I've found is that one of the tuners feels a little notchy when adjusting it. Holds its tuning perfectly well. The original cheap humbuckers in it are perfect pickups for my sort of blues. It's a great deal for the money. I wouldn't get it and spend a lot of money upgrading stuff on it, enjoy it for what it is.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@bobblehat)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 309
 

If you you havent bought it yet try and find a les paul copy made by "Vintage" The quality and playability is superb for the money.I bought a Vintage SG copy for £140 about 3 yrs ago and its fantastic.They have recently upgraded all their hardware so their even better value for money now.In my opinion their much better guitars than the cheap epiphones.check out the reviews at harmonycentral.com.

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(@alexduller)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 58
Topic starter  

Yeh, I was looking at the Vintage guitars but never got round to trying them..next time I go shopping I'll have a go :).

thanks all again for opinions and advice :wink:
Alex

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(@undercat)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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I always tell people to give them a shot before they pick up the generic strat-ish guitar. Lots of beginners will appreciate the wider string spacing, warmer sound of humbuckers, and the lack of hassle that sometimes comes with a trem system. And they're decent guitars to boot.

As with almost any cheap guitar, I wouldn't buy one without playing it (or bringing someone a little more experienced if I was new to the buying game), but I think that's true of all inexpensive beginner guitars.

If I was forced to sell all my gear and had to start over with $200, I'd negotiate for that and a little practice amp. Great bang for the buck.

Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...


   
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(@rik-anderson)
Estimable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 139
 

Alex,

Have you had a look at coda music? http://www.coda-music.com . They are flogging the Epiphone Les Paul Special 2 for £89.00. That would give you some cash over towards an amp (if you need one) :D

If you get one let us know what you think of it.

The only thing that keeps me from realising my full potential is the depressing awareness that it wouldn't take much time or effort...


   
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(@cifran03)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 14
 

I am not sure if I can ask this question in this section, but I am thinking on buying my first electric guitar. My teacher giva me some advice on that, he personally has a gibson and he told me to look in to it. I really like the gibson sounds.. I found one that is in my price range but I was wondering if any one has any good comments on this gibson?
http://www.music123.com/Gibson-Les-Paul-Special-w-Humbucker-i93773.music


   
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 Nils
(@nils)
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I am not sure if I can ask this question in this section, but I am thinking on buying my first electric guitar. My teacher giva me some advice on that, he personally has a gibson and he told me to look in to it. I really like the gibson sounds.. I found one that is in my price range but I was wondering if any one has any good comments on this gibson?
http://www.music123.com/Gibson-Les-Paul-Special-w-Humbucker-i93773.music
I replied to your other thread that you started with this question.

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(@rparker)
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Posts: 5480
 

Kind of a safe way out of that "growing out of it" dilemna would be to keep it when you upgrade and make it your open D axe. You can also put an inexpensive set of GFS pickups in it to get a fairly impressive growl.

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
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