Good guitar for most players. I think as any other Epiphone Les Paul Standard it's kind of muddy sounding. But it is good on the whole. Good looking, well assembled, average hardware and average wood. As I said, good enough for any average player (not being professional).
The pickups on the epiphone are blue printed exactly from the gibson version. Same wiring mix,same exact metal percentages that is why they put the word"Custom" in front of the ProBuckers. They are different from a standard Probucker 2,3....Not the same.End of story!
The standard Probuckers may be blue printed copies but the manufacturing process is completely different. It's why most people prefer to upgrade to Gibson Burstbuckers or Seymour Duncan Slash or 59/JB pickups. Just remember that whenever something is similar on paper, it always means it's going to sound completely different. Whenever we see custom or original Probuckers, they sound tinny and way too compressed compared to the others I mentioned, so you better know what you're talking about.
This is such a great video! I AM looking at a Slash edition similar to the one that you demo'd 😊 and found this to be a great no-nonsense review but you took the time to use plain English so newbs like me know what you're talking about. Thank you for making this!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PLAYING IT CLEAN! No one ever does that, everyone starts messing with the signal and we the listeners can't get a feel for the guitars natural "voice". You, sir, are a legend!!
I was able to get one in the Vermillion Burst. Very, very well made guitar. The Neck isn't anything like the '59 Profile though. Feels like a fat 60's neck. Really comfortable. Pickups leave a bit to be desired, but I knew that going in. I bought it for the build quality and finish. Pickups are easy enough to replace. That EVH is really giving you a nice sound!
@piedpeter1 They sound like they're supposed to, sounds like Slash. It's just not really for me. I bought it for the build and looks with the intention of replacing the pickups.
Where this series fails is the pickups. The probuckers are horrible and tinny sounding. I went with the limited edition 1959 Gibson Custom Shop x Epiphone Les Paul which sports the Gibson Burstbuckers for that reason. If you want a good Slash tone outta the guitar you're demo'ing, you gotta upgrade them with the Seymour Duncan Slash pickups. As this demo shows, there is very little difference between the Probucker neck and bridge pickups.
I haven't played or felt one yet, but have been wanting to try one. I do a Epiphone LP Standard with P90s but I tend to go to a Squire Stratocaster I have. I've got a older Charvel Stealth that has the Jackson live action pickups< but it tends to stay in the case most of the time. I've had it since July 96. I don't think it'll go any where else.
Got the Gold Top. This guitar with it's slightly hotter custom voiced probuckers makes it a little fatter than the Epi '61 Les Paul SG which is close 2nd favorite. It's all you really need....
I tried 2 Gibson models of the Anaconda and they were dogshit. Quality control nightmare. Bought the Epi online without even trying it and it plays like a dream.
The pickups are not music to my ears, but thanks for identifying the culprits. They sound like the cheapies that came with a Epiphone SG Special I had bought new for $179 8 years ago. I replaced those with the Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz set. Otherwise this might be a nice guitar.
Not sure I’ve ever heard someone describe a 5150 as “basically a Marshall” but this is a great review, in-depth and informative, plus an EVH is closer to my amp tone than a Marshall so I can get a better idea what mine will sound like
It really depends on what the hardware is plus the wood type. If it’s at least mahogany, add some Seymour Duncan’s and good strings. One probably wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference. Gibson’s are overrated by far IMO.