Epiphone, as you probably know, is owned by the legendary guitar manufacturer Gibson. Up until that purchase though, it was Gibson’s main rival. Originally known for its mandolins and archtops, it eventually changed into producing affordable alternatives to its parent company’s models, such as the Les Paul. These designs were quite successful, and many artists, including top musicians such as Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and John Lennon from The Beatles, The Edge from U2, and jazz guitarist Joe Pass, preferred them to the more expensive guitars made by Gibson. Even now, contemporary artists such as Gary Clark Jr and Matt Heafy of Trivium rock out with their Epi models on stage. On a much smaller scale, my Joe Pass Emperor model has accompanied me on countless hours of practice and gigging during my university days.
I had the chance to test drive an affordable entry model recently: the Les Paul Limited Edition Special I. I’ve received three guitars in different finishes, and I’ve filmed a video of my impressions and showcasing their tone (in different settings) and versatility.
The spirit of the Les Paul
True to its name, the Epiphone Les Paul delivers a simple 2 humbucker guitar. These pickups double the coils to produce a louder, thicker sound than the single coil versions. When played with a minimal amount of gain or overdrive, they produce a warm, beefy tone perfect for jazz lines and classic rock accompaniments. With some hair, they produce some of the most satisfying crunch tones guitarists crave perpetually. With thick overdrive or distortion, they sing with massive sustain and personality. Although the particular models in this guitar aren’t the most complex sounding, they get the job done, in any situation.
Being a Les Paul style guitar, it features a 24.75 inch scale which is slightly smaller than Fender’s 25.5 and offers easy playability and bending—ideal for younger players starting off on the electric. The neck is also on the smaller side, especially when I compare it to my Gibson models. This makes these Epiphones a breeze and a joy to play.
Other specs include a basswood body, mahogany neck, and rosewood fretboard. It features no carved maple top usually found on regular, more expensive Les Pauls. The absence of this feature and the selection of basswood help to lower production costs. The classic trapezoid and block inlays are replaced with dots (which I find quite refreshing actually), and a very nice dark binding wraps around the neck.
The tuning pegs’ stability is hit or miss, unfortunately. It’s probably due to the affordable nature of the instrument, but angled headstocks are notoriously hard to keep in tune. Make sure you either have a tuner nearby or some nut lubricant to make your playing experience more enjoyable. Down the road, you might consider upgrading to locking tuners; an upgrade that is well worth the low price of admission!
Three wonderful finishes
The Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Special I guitar is offered in three different finishes, two of which salute Gibson’s history. All three of them are worn, meaning they are slightly faded and transparent, something I feel most guitarists will enjoy. The tactile sensation is quite enjoyable also, presenting a satin feel on the body and neck.
The first variation, black, is the least adventurous of the three, but still holds up well and features an understated, yet elegant presence. Black also matches with all colors, so the fashion minded guitarist will enjoy this one!
Next, the worn cherry finish is a lovely homage to one of Gibson’s most beloved colours. Although the sunburst isn’t present on this model, the fiery red is very eye-catching, and fans of Jimmy Page and company will be able to easily channel the raw energy associated with that particular imagery.
Finally, the TV Yellow finish is a sight to behold (and is my favourite of the three options). It’s so easy on the eye that I still find myself scrolling through my pictures of it in my studio. The origins of the colour’s name are also interesting—and are at the centre of an ongoing debate amongst guitarists. Some state that TV Yellow refers to the colour used to finish a certain model of cabinet that housed televisions back in the 50s.
Others believe that Les Paul himself commissioned Gibson to build him guitars in this colour for his TV work. This colour would counteract the distracting glare that his white guitars would produce in the black and white screens of the time. At this point, it seems that it is lost lore to anyone but Gibson employees, but what I know for sure is that this wonderful colour looks amazing in your hands, on a stand, or hanging on a wall.
Affordable, yet built to last
This guitar is ideal in a couple of situations. First of all, for a first time buyer, the price and specs are excellent. With a small, comfortable neck and a 24.75 inch scale, this will be an inviting home base for inexperienced hands. Being able to handle jazz, pop, and all shades of rock, it’s quite versatile. As you can see in the video, it also plays very well with different pedal and amplifier combinations.
It’s also an excellent guitar to grow with. It’s no secret that guitarists love to tinker with their instruments. As you cultivate your style, you’ll probably want to also. Some popular upgrades include changing the tuning pegs, the bridge, and pickups. This is the perfect affordable platform to experiment with.
Also, for guitarists that already own another type of guitar (such as a stratocaster, telecaster, hollow-body, etc), this is a very affordable entry point into the magnificent world of Les Paul style tones. If you are looking for something to complement your single coil tones without breaking the bank, look no further.
Source of Inspiration
The Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Special I guitar is impressive, especially when you take into account the price tag. What surprised me the most was that I had an easy time extracting riffs, melodies, and solos from this guitar. Finding inspiration to build songs also came naturally. Not all entry level guitars award that kind of individuality.
Check out the Epiphone Limited Edition Les Paul Special I (coming soon online at Best Buy) and other Epiphone products on Best Buy’s website.
My daughter would love to play a guitar and likes the Beatles. She would like to learn how to play Yellow Submarine.
My roommate who is originally from Korea. Has recent started listening to and fallen in love with the blues. I would to teach him a couple cool Jams. Mannish Boy would be a good place to start!
My brother will learn Back in Black by AC/DC
I’d love both my kids to pick up a guitar. I wish i was as focused as they are when I was younger. My daughter would excel with one, she does with everything
My mom’s dream has always been to play the drums. When she was 11, she asked for the drums but instead she got a keyboard. Later on in life, my dad gave her drums! Finaly she was able to complete her dream, but then she had me. The drums ended up going into my grandma’s house and after years of no use, we decided to move to Canada. My Mom had to sell them. Two years after we moved she wants something she can carry with her and as cool. She decided to play the Guitar. If she got the guitar she would be playing many L7 songs as it was her dream as a teenager, but now she will re-imagine herself as a Guitar Player.
I’m about to start how to play the guitar. Im a begginer and feeling really excited about it cause music is something I really love, and I really want to be able to experience it in yet another way. I think I’d like to play something by L7, as my dream when I was a teenager was being in a girl band.
My older sister would love to learn how to play the guitar and she would learn Love Story by Taylor Swift! 😛
I definitely need who to learn how to play guitar!!
The song I would hope to learn first is Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
My sister should learn how to play the guitar because she can read music. It would be nice to hear Somewhere Over The Rainbow as a beginner tune.
My boyfriend really wants to learn to play the guitar – I think Smoke on the water would be a great choice!
My older brother & he should learn Horse With No Name 1st, because its only 2 chords.
My Brother in law plays and would love this. My sister needs to lean so she can play with him. She would be all over all the Disney songs. lol.
My daughter loves to play music, but doesn’t have a guitar. She’d like to play songs by The Cure.
Me! And I should play We will Rock You by Queen!
Sister should learn to play worship songs.
My daughter and I are Hip fans so should we win one, we would definitely be learning some of that.
I would love to play this guitar! I played a long, long time ago, stopped, but I would love to pick one up again.
The first song I’d play would be Smoke On The Water, as I don’t think I’ll ever forget how to play that.
My wife would play the guitar and probably start with Everlong by Foo Fighters.
I would like to learn to play guitar. I would play any songs from Disney movies
My husband needs to learn how to play guitar and he would play “house of the rising sun” by the Animals
My spouse has always wanted to learn how to play the guitar so she can play Enter Sandman by Metallica
I play a little bit but I’m working on getting better, I’d love to play a song Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton
I’d love to learn to play guitar. My husband already plays so maybe he could give me lessons. I always kid my husband that he should learn Eruption by Eddie Van Halen, although I doubt his fingers could move that fast.
I need to learn to play the guitar because I haven’t learned anything new during covid except how to sew a mask. The first song I want to learn is Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple.
Such a history with Les Paul, would love to learn to play Behind Blue Eyes by Limp Bizkit with my brother
I myself need to learn to play guitar, I’ve been at it for a few years and I’d learn to play Rearview Mirror by Pearl Jam.
I have some time on my hands and would like to pick up where I stopped learning as a teenager. I would like to learn to play Rave On by Buddy Holly
me , I’d play Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Very nice review. I didn’t even know that Best Buy sold guitar before today.
My wife is learning acoustic guitar, but electric would be a nice addition to her repertoire. Together with my keyboard skills, we could form a little band. The first song she will play on this Epiphone Les Paul Electric Guitar is John Mayer’s, “Waiting On The World To Change” because that is what’s needed now.
Beautiful guitars! I’d love to learn to play and up my (non-existent) coolness factor.
My kids need to learn guitar. I’d like to teach them some Eagles.
My brother, and something from the Beatles!
My 9 year old would love to learn to play guitar & her first song she would want to learn in Shut Up & Dance by Walk the Moon
My 9 year old has been asking to play guitar – the first song she would want to learn is Shit Up & Dance by Walk the Moon
Great information! Our son used to play and only recently picked up an old guitar again. His son is 4 yrs old and wants to learn too. He’s been through a lot and is now here to look after me while I battle cancer. Would be a great distraction for him. Good luck everyone!! I don’t know where this crazy world would be without music!! (Yellow is my grandson’s FAV colour…..what an interesting reason why it is called TV Yellow!)
My brother would be into this. I think he would play something from the Beatles first.
My 8 year old son needs to learn how to play guitar! Hes so musical and creative. I’ve been thinking about signing him up for guitar lessons.
I really need myself to learn guitar as I’d really like to play The Messiah Will Come Again from guitar master Roy Buchanan.
Always wanted a Les Paul. The Natural finish looks spectacular. Learning a couple of riffs would be a great way to spend the winter.
These look so cool, specially the one with the cherry finish. I’d love this for my son to learn.
My daughter is incredibly musical, always playing different instruments, but never a guitar yet. She would love to play the guitar from The Cure’s Lullaby.
My sister definitely needs to play guitar and learn to play Alessia Cara’s “A Little More” first! She loves that song!
love to win this prize. would be for my cat but maybe i would borrow it sometimes, great guit to learn some zz top,
100% would be giving this to my daughter as she’s interested in learning.
I’d love to get this for my daughter to learn. She plays her frozen guitar all the time.
I’ve been meaning to try that alternate way of running the strings. I hear you get better sustain running them that way.
Looks like a beauty! I play a little and my daughter would like to learn, so it’s a win win, and hopefully a win!
Mon frère apprécierait surement d’apprendre la guitare pour jouer les génériques de ses Animes japonais préférés. Sinon, il jouerait certainement du « Powerwolf » (Army of the night) ou du « Archenemy ».
HI Ian ,
I did check with Gibson and Nikolai is correct. They do not make left handed versions of these models.
Thanks !
Hello Ian,
Thank you for your question.
To my knowledge, Epiphone doesn’t make a lefty version of this model.
They do make Standard Les Paul and SG models for southpaws though. They are a bit more expensive, but well worth a test drive!
Hope this helps,
Nikolai
These look cool. Do you know if Best Buy will carry lefty models? I play a lefty bass and am currently learning the ukulele. A guitar might be the right thing to get next.
Thanks for checking these out!
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