Limited Edition 1959 Epiphone LP 

I have one and I love it. The satin finish is gorgeous. The guitar sounds fantastic, stays in tune and is an absolute joy to play.

I love watching videos about guitars, but I also hate it. I have enough guitars, but these videos always make me want to buy more. So, I just watch while talking myself out of buying one.

Thanks for the chat at Sweetwater during Gearfest. I bought my 1959 Epiphone Les Paul in cherry burst that day. Your review pushed me over the edge.

5-minute mark, great tip with the sandpaper. I also use that trick with sandpaper wrapped around feeler guages, they are firmer than strings.

You nailed it. I have owned one since they came out and I will never sell it. I have real gibsons and a custom shop telecaster. This gets as much playing time as they do. I would almost call the finsh matte. I actually thought mine was until I saw your review, lol. Mine is starting to gloss up nicely just from playing. Getting shiny in all the right places, I expect it will continue to look better as time goes by. If you can find one of these for under $725 I would consider it a steal!

Phil, over the past few deep dives, I feel you have set the industry standard for a guitar review. I sure you moved some units for Epiphone with this vid for sure.

I have one of these, got it about 3 weeks ago. I love it. It is the best guitar I own in terms of how it came out of the box. It was actually slightly better, out of the box, than my Fender American Strat. Had to tweak the truss rod on the Strat to get the set up right. Beyond that, it sounds great, really like the pick ups. It was set up really well, no dead spots and the fret ends were good, no sharp spots. Fit and finish is great. Weight is 8.6 pounds, my Strat is 8.2 so not really much heavier. The tuners are very good, no issues there, I may decide to go to locking tuners but haven't decided yet. I personally can not justify Gibson prices, I only play for my own enjoyment. I believe this is a very good quality alternative. Much better than any previous Epiphones I have owned or tried. I also think its good value even compared to other Epiphones. The 50s Standards are $650 and do not have the better electronics.

Have had mine almost a year now - in Cherryburst - really great playing and sounding guitar.

I've been a guitarist for a little over 30 years now. I've owned more Les Pauls than I can count, the majority of which were Gibson. My favorite being my 2019 Les Paul Traditional. I just bought a new Epiphone 1959 in Southern Fade finish, and it is the most impressed I've ever been with an "off the shelf" guitar. Playability and tone for days... Epiphone really did mail it with this model. 🤘

I have one, upon bringing it home it needed the frets worked on. Their were rough. I Sanded them, Used 00 steel wool, then polished with a dremel tool. Did a full setup with good strings and I must say, plays just as nice as a Gibson! Only downside was the finish had a few rough spots on the bottom. Overall, damn good guitar for less than 1k.

I have one of these. Best LP in the Epi range. As Phil said, the effort went into the important parts and it really shows.

I picked one up from my local music store about 2 months ago. While it sounded great, felt very good. It had fret end issues and buzzing issues. Even after several setups/work done by the shop (free). I ended up returning it and getting a Gibson LP Standard 60s.

Excellent breakdown. Very surprised and impressed at the sock test results and the seeming lack of fret leveling issues

Great review! I bought this exact model from Sweetwater, and I spent the additional $299 to have it plek'd....The neck feels amazing with the polished and leveled frets, dialed in nut and setup. I loved it so much, I bought a second identical guitar as a backup, also had it plek'd...If you're considering this guitar, spring for the extra money to have it plek'd. You'll be amazed at how great it feels and plays, to the point you won't be able to put it down. As mentioned in the review, the Indian Laurel fretboard was a minor downer, with one of the two 59' Epi's I've purchased fretboard being considerably lighter in tone as the other....

This one's a good candidate to grab a bottle of automotive polish compound and go to town on it. I've polished my classical guitar which had a satin finish beginning to get shiny spots where my hands and elbow rubbed against after years of playing and the result is a low gloss that looks really cool IMO.

Loved the pace of this video! Fast, informative and to the point! That is a lot of tone for the $$!

Great review. I have a Lazarus model basically the same as the reviewed 59. Great guitar. It’s my first epiphone and a regular in the rotation. Well worth the money IMO.

Hello Philip, I have a Slash Epiphone .I had Sweetwater install a bone nut and full custom setup to my specifications. 1.65 at low E and 1.5 on the high E. I did the sock test and just barely bumped. Has played excellent. I also have a 59 edition like the one you have. Thank you for your work.

I greatly appreciate the detailed review if the Epiphone, they have some very good guitars at good price points and value. You did an excellent job explaining what it is, and, what it is not. There is nothing that you could not do with the Epiphone that you could do with a Gibson , it’s a fantastic working musicians instrument

Purchased one of Sweetwater's Heritage Cherry Fade versions. I agree with your assessment completely. Also have a Gibson Studio Faded T with Burstbucker Pro pickups. The two guitars are remarkably similar and are two of my favorites. I find it easier to dial in the tone with the BB 2/3 setup on the Epi . Like you, I found one in the low 8s weight-wise. That was why I pulled the trigger. Very happy with it. Great video!

That slow-motion bass-side panty hose snag test was the most exciting thing I've seen all day. Yeah, I have no life. I sure would love one of these in this color. I need to get out ye Olde piggy bank and start saving for one. Great review Mr. M!

I liked the Dire Straits mix in the play, it came across really well. Epiphone are coming on leaps and bounds in quality and performance for a fair price.

Got mine recently I have the 59 aged lemonburst from Andertons in the u.k, I love it , plays like butter, a Tone machine

Great Review Phil! I've had one for two years and I'm very happy with it. On the other hand I rushed to buy it as soon as it was released because they said it was a limited edition. Two years later they are still on sale and they don't seem to be decreasing production.

Great review! Came really close to buying one of these recently but ended up getting a Gibson LP Tribute after playing both head to head in a shop. The latter is better for my current needs but this one is staying on my radar, especially after Phil's endorsement!

I was wanting one of these because of the spec but I wasn't too excited about any of the colors. Opted for the Joe Bonamassa Lazarus for the color and 1 piece neck but basically this same guitar. I think it was worth the $100 premium. The only thing I would change; I wish it had a real rosewood fingerboard, or just something else. I'd never had an Indian Laurel fingerboard and the feel under my fingers, even after giving it quite a bit of conditioner, just doesn't feel great.

I’ve had one of these for 4 months now. It’s really a great player. The neck is like a baseball bat, so if you like chunky necks this guy is for you!

I've always wanted a LP for the sound but didn't care for the feel of the neck and the heaviness of them. This guitar is like a perfect LP. It's light weight, plays beautifully and sounds just great. I'm not ashamed at all to use this simply because of the name on the headstock.

The only thing I did to mine was I changed the pickup rings to match the Gibson 59 specs. I have an R7 and R8 and the pickup rings are taller than the ones on the EPI. They're made for import guitars as the vintage styles made for Gibson will not fit the Epi. Now the look is complete and it's a great guitar for gigs.

The Epiphones from the past few years, in my view, have been out of this world. The recent Firebird and Flying V they put out from those said years were incredibly top-notch and their dedication to quality control like this LP is mind blowing for a supposed budget brand with some of them even being better than their Gibson equivalents.

Epiphone Les Paul is probably the best value in a guitar today (last 10-15 years). The finished product is usually outstanding. I typically play Fender (us+mim+mij) but I do have an Epiphone LP that I love. I think Epiphone gets closer in feel, playability, and tone to their US Gibson counterparts than Fender does. Yes, it is China-born, but the manufacturing techniques and technology has come light years ahead of where it was 20 years ago. They can build really well finished instruments. And the Epiphone Les Paul creates an opportunity to upgrade electronics along the way as you’d like. Finally, when you look at the finished product compared to a strat , there is just so much “more” of a guitar here (beautiful finishes, binding, set-neck, etc.). It’s just an all around more expensive guitar to produce, but they bring it to market at such an incredible price point for what you get. I love my fenders but I have a huge appreciation for what Epiphone is doing. They are great looking and hold up under regular use. And generally speaking, you can have 3 or 4 of them for the price of a Gibson (depending on specifics). What’s not to love about that? I see another one coming to my collection in the future… I just love the fact that I can play and enjoy without worrying about damaging a $3,000 guitar. I am scared to play and enjoy anything above $1,000, so anything in that range or above usually just becomes wall art for me (and that is just a shame) !!!!

I have the cherry burst version and I love it!

Hi Phil Thanks for this Video. I ordered one of these and ended up not buying it when it came in due to the finish. I hesitated but felt I would save the money and wait for a Gibson. Not sure I made the right choice but I figured I could always find one. After watching your video I would rather have the tobacco finish than the red burst. Thanks again

I have a 2011 Epiphone Les Paul 59 Tribute, it has the electronics as noted in this video w/Gibson pickups, bought used at GC, it gets as much play time as my Gibson Studio, great guitar

Epiphone now doing a great job. I have an Epi Les Paul 1960's iced tea burst with the Epi pro buckers and I think they are amazing. I bought Seymour Duncan's whole lotta humbuckers and never dropped them in. First epi I haven't wanted to change the pickups.

I love the sock test.. I always get a chuckle at picturing Phil out buying lots of ladies socks 😄 .. absolutely love this channel. 🙏☘️☘️☘️

Looks like the Epiphone LP is a good value for the price point. Excellent thorough review 👍

My first guitar was an epiphone les paul traditional pro. It was amazing and it felt great. Since I've gotten and currently own a custom shop less paul custom and a custom shop es 355. I can only imagine they're built better now. You aren't really missing out that much. Of course the build quality and overall feel is better on the gibson but epiphone is a worthy and more than capable to sound and play nicely.

I have two of these. I have an Aged Southern Fade (AMS exclusive) and a dark burst. Both are amazing and stand up very well against my Gibsons.

Great review Phil. I would definitely consider one of these but I've hit my 3 guitar limit and one is already a Les Paul. Great that it has good pickups and decent wiring. I don't mind different woods on my fretboard as usually more sustainable over rosewood.

I have cherry sunburst Epi phone once i had the neck straightened and some work on the nut it now plays great and stays in tune.

I bought one a month ago. To say I am blown away is an understatement. I remember 1990s Epiphone Pauls having huge QC issues. Not anymore. This Paul plays and sounds better than my 2002 Gibson Standard LP. It's a tone monster. Tons of headroom and dynamics, great feel and just an amazing all around axe.

Thing looks awesome. I have an Epiphone Les Paul Plus Top Pro in quilted blue. I really like the satin/non-glossy burst on this one. If this '59 had coil splits I'd probably prefer it over mine.

With those Burstbuckers, the Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Reissue Limited Edition really does nail the original '59 tone. Mimicking Page's settings for 'Ramble On' live, it does get those 3 separate tones needed for the song with no more than flips of the selector switch while plugged straight in to a Marshall-like (Blackstar, in my case) tube amp. No pedals needed. It's a tonal paradigm shift for a fraction of the cost of a higher-end Gibson.

Wow Phil. Very professional demo. You raise the bar, my man. Thanks

I love love love my ‘59!! So glad you got to review one!

Well done Phil...thanks I owe a rare Epi Les Paul deluxe MIK gets played more than my Gibby's.

I have one. It was so cool to see you do a review on one. I love mine.

I have this guitar and it is a joy to play! The pickups sound fantastic. This guitar is great!

Good stuff. Love the makeshift file tip, too. Thanks!

Awesome how you explained the wood joints! Not a fan of scarf joints but If the guitar has hit all the other points I would buy one.

I have the 50s version in the heritage cherry burst and man I love this thing

Love these deep dive reviews. Detailed but succinct, from a trustworthy source. Thanks Phil.

Love this guitar and together with the 1961 LP SG standard i think these are the best Epi standard models LP and SG money can buy. Thx for the great review!

This is still the best buy out there in guitars. Fantastic guitar for the money!

Excellent review, I just bought a Bonamassa Lazarus, killer guitar. For the $$ , these can't be beat IMO

Love mine. Sounds like it should.

Thanks for doing this Phil. I've got a Les Paul Standard Pro and I'm thinking of upgrading the electronics (tone pots, selector switch and input jack). I was on the fence about new pickups. I think I'll leave them alone. Thanks!

Congratulation, Phil! This is the best review of this guitar I have seen. I own both colours of this one and it is a great guitar.

I like it. '06 LP Std Plus in CSB bought new so i'm set. Good guitar (MIK).

Hopefully Epiphone will continue this one until next year... I've been a bad wolf and used up my guitar funds for the year. But hey, one of them is the Epiphone SG Standard 61!

Nice additions to the geeky stuff! I love seeing in depth stuff like that.

Great review Phil. Thanks.

Excellent review as always, Phil! Bought a LP Tribute before they popped in price but I may take a look at this as they are almost identical. Saving a few hundy’s for the same sound seems like a good deal. Cheers!

*This brand has really stepped their game up over the past few years with their inspired by Gibson lineup. Cool demo!*

I still wish the headstock was the same shape as the Gibsons

I own the cherry one and it's fantastic. Flawless build quality on mine and it sings. Great sustain and super great Gibson pickups. Perfectly priced IMO.

Your videos keep getting better and better. I'm also really glad you post the live show as a podcast. Keep rocking', Phill!

Great review, as always Phil. I ordered mine from Sweetwater last year (in a sweet honey burst finish), and as I had just watched your plek experiment on the Squire I decided to take a flyer on pleking it as well. Took a few months to arrive (demand was crazy), but boy was it worth it! It’s a flipping epic guitar - neck feels fantastic with that satin finish, one of my favorites to play with and sounds absolutely monstrous! Love it.

I have one of these and love it. But this is my first Gibson/Epiphone.

Hands down the very best detailed review and breakdown of this remarkable offering from Gibs... er... Epiphone. Can’t wait for my Plek Pro treated Dark Cherry Burst to arrive.

My quest for the best Les Paul experience available for under $1000 US leaked onto your site. After watching MANY videos and speaking with several local pros, I decided on the used Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Limited Edition, which comes with genuine Gibson Burstbucker 2&3 pickups, for $700. That left enough budget to replace the bridge & tail hardware with a Faber Master Kit (~ $225 I think). I also buffed out the factory satin body to a glossier finish with Meguiars ScratchX and darkened the laurelwood neck with some walnut stain so that it looks *exactly* like the rosewood fretboard on my relic Strat by Dan Strain (Danocaster). The Faber hardware is a solid upgrade and I think it looks better AND more authentic now. It's not really a problem but I could do with a little less gain - I may buy a Gibson Burstbucker 1 for the neck and move the BB2 down to the bridge, keeping the stock bridge BB3 as a spare. Mine weighs 9.3 lbs which is 2 lbs more than my Fender type guitars. I wouldn't go any heavier, and would advise to look for 8.5 to 9 pounds for the best balance. Beyond that, each tree sounds a little different so try to play the one you buy (I didn't and got lucky :o)

Go ahead and play Sultan's of Swing. Choices we have, Sire L7, Yamaha Revstar Rss20 all with close price points. Thanks again Phil.

I bought one for a birth year guitar and am not disappointed! Sound, playability, look and hardware are all Gibson without the price! With that said, I can live with the laurel fretboard. Great review, but you didn’t mention anything about the 🍬🍬.

GREAT Review !~ actually get to hear the tones and SOUND of the guitar, INSTEAD of Noodling @ 1000 mph,. like so many people do with reviews.

For me, as someone for whom the Les Paul isn't my #1 guitar, this is more than enough LP for me. Only criticism is that it should have had a Rosewood fingerboard. The neck is absolutely wonderful, and the tones it puts out are Gibson tones!

My frets were terrible too. Plus I got tired of the satin finish on the front of the guitar and polished into a high gloss and looks so much better now.

These are great guitars. I have two.

Great review. I’d love to see a comparison between the Epi and a Gibson Tribute and/or Studio.

Thank you - as always, you do a thorough, honest, and professional analysis - In Phil We Trust!

Love love this review , I too am a bassist that loves guitars and this video answers a lot of questions I had about these guitars, cheers from Canada 🍻

I love my Epi '59, except the fret ends are the worst. It's definitely not the first guitar I grab when I'm playing because of that.

As allways bud enjoyed your honest review, I look forward to them. 👍🥃Respect to you.

Thanks!

I really appreciate the deep dive! The devil is in the details and this video brought it home for me. Now I know this guitar is awesome but just not quite my style. Excellent video!

All your videos are terrific long time viewer. I have many guitars and some old vintage. I have this 59 Epi and it's really excellent. These pickups shockingly good. I Oiled fretboard plays great way worth the low cost seems far beyond the cost. Love it.

This is a very well spec’d guitar , period , but for the money it’s really great . I will eventually own one in the cherry burst finish . That’s one gorgeous guitar in my opinion . I have an Epi Les Paul standard in Blueberry Burst that I’m happy with but you can never have too many guitars 🎸 !

tones sound great on the sound demo.

sounds killer for that type of Money. Frets are easy to fix.

Man the electronics is noice. At that price it's hard to beat

I gig 3x/week and this is my main guitar! The tone is just magical and it feels so good! After stretching the strings profusely it stays in tune, but if anyone has any suggestions to help it better stay in tune, that would be awesome!

I got one from AMS about 7 months ago. I love it! The neck was a bit chunky. But I expected that and adapted easily to it. The sound is amazing. I also have a 60s tribute. It's funny when I switch between the two. Going from a chunky '59 like neck to a slim '60s style. The past few year Epiphone has really stepped up their game. Quality control isn't perfect. But is getting better. As always Phil, great review! Keep it up! 🤘🎸

I have one and I am satisfied

My son just got this exact guitar yesterday and his fret were way worse than these. he had to spend some quality time smoothing them. Otherwise a very nice guitar for the price

I'm living in Shanghai. In January this year I went to the music store prepared to buy Gibson. So I tried couple of models and of course I was satisfied. Than I saw Epiphone Les Paul 59 Lazarus and I was like " this looks nice, let me try". Man.... it's a killer guitar! Plus one piece neck! So, it saved my money and it plays good as Gibson, maybe even better than some Gibson models that I tried!

was looking at EPI guitars . I noticed that the bridge on the Epiphone guitars was set very high. Possibly at the maximum adjustment. The Gibbons were all low. Also I Epiphone Flying V said on the ticket it said neck through. But it wasn't . It was a set neck. When I asked the sales guy he said they " just print the ticket they get from headquarters "

I have one and it’s pretty awesome

Thank you Phil

Phil, your pickup collection is like in the scifi movies where the mad scientist has a bunch of creatures in glass tubes 😂

Sounded decent overdriven but the cleans maybe a little too dull possibly. Need to play one. For my tastes the pickups maybe a bit too hot. Maybe they should have used Burstbucker 1 and 2 for these? Does it really cost anymore to make Custombuckers? They have more clarity. Seems like the same amount of materials so costs should be the same. They should offer the same guitar with cheap pickups for those who will change them out anyway. I'm sure it would be a few hundred less without the Burstbuckers. Never liked Burstbuckers but I do like Custombuckers. Too expensive for what you get in my opinion. The " mahogany " isn't the same species used in Gibson's.